《Second-Hand WiseGuy》 Prologue/Chapter 1 Second-Hand Wiseguy Prologue: ¡°Deuce, hurry up man we don¡¯t got much longer ¡®fore the fuzz show up!¡± Larry yelled across the bank from where he had both security guards that kept watch over the front of the bank disarmed and, on the ground, a gun in either hand, one pointed at each of their heads. The OLED screen mask he wore, portraying the visage of a past president of the United States that had blonde hair and orange-ish skin didn¡¯t so much as muffle his words, instead the masks completely altered the voice of the person wearing it. ¡°And shut that fucking kid up, bitch!¡± He snapped at a woman holding her crying daughter in a tight hug. ¡°Waaaaahhhhhhaaaa¡± the little girl cried at the top of her lungs, huddled in her mother¡¯s arms in the corner near where Larry had the guards pinned down. ¡°Deuce, bro, we got less than four minutes before the blues hit Main Street.¡± Curly¡¯s voice came over the IEM earphone in Donny¡¯s ear. ¡°Sir, p-p-please d-don¡¯t hurt me, I g-g-g-got k-¡± ¡°WAAAAAAAH¡± the girl in the lobby continued to cry. ¡°You got kids and a pet dog and a grandmother, and a loving fucking wife at home, I KNOW! I¡¯m a bank robber dude, If I had a dollar for every time I¡¯ve heard that I¡¯d have like¡­ twelve dollars¡­ you know, never fucking mind that I need you to shut the hell up before I shove this C4 up your ass and see if you got any coins in you instead o¡¯ this fault, eh.¡± Donny growled, holding a wire with his teeth that was attached to a small round tube about as wide and long as a pencil. ¡°WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH¡±, was that fucking girl getting louder or something? ¡°I¡¯m so fucking done with this shit, I¡¯m out after this I swear to god¡± Donny thought to himself as he tried and failed to block out the cacophony of sounds around him, sweat drenching his back as nerves and anxiety swelled within him. The sharp sound of the diamond bit drill he was using to pierce the vault finally stuttered and he lurched forward from the sudden disappearance of resistance against him. Pulling out the drill and throwing it into the large duffel bag at his feet, he slid the tube of explosives into the hole, stepped to the side and pressed the switch at the other end of the wire. There was loud POP, and the keypad that was glowing white beneath the dial of the safe door winked out. Turning the large dial, Donny pulled the door open with some effort. He smiled at the sight of so much wealth that lay beyond. ¡°Now that is a beautiful sight my friends¡± He said over their comms channel as he threw a small emp device into the vault, disabling any further security measures that were hiding in the dark space within. ¡°Ok Curly get the truck ready, what¡¯s our clock look like?¡± Donny asked as he began filling the bag that was now slung across his chest with gold, silver and diamonds. There was no point in grabbing any cash, that would just create a literal paper-trail, and in this day and age almost all currency was digital and only the one percent used tendered cash, it¡¯d be too much of a smoking gun. ¡°WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAAAAAAA¡±, how could he hear that little girl¡¯s voice even from in the safe he wondered. ¡°Lady I swear if you don¡¯t silence that little skin-goblin of yours I¡¯m going come over there and- hey, what the f- ¡± two high-pitched pops whistled in the lobby, ¡°Aww man, now look what you went and made me do¡±, Larrys furious voice rang out behind two muffled shots from the silenced pistols in the man¡¯s hands. ¡°Larry what the fuck is going on man, you couldn¡¯t keep your trigger-happy fucking dick in your pants or what?¡± Donny grilled his subordinate as he came running out from the security door by the bank counter, the bag feeling way too heavy on his back as it jarred him in the spine with each step. As the lobby came into view, he paled, disturbed by what he saw. Both guards were dead, blood still pouring from the holes in their heads. No matter the amount of death he¡¯d seen either from his own hands or others, he never got used to the sight. Larry¡¯s eyes had gone red, wild with rage and hate. He had both pistols aimed right at the girl who couldn¡¯t have been older than four or five, and though her mother hovered over, trying to shield the girl with her own body, Donny knew it wouldn¡¯t help much at all. ¡°Shit.¡± Donny hissed, swinging the bag off his shoulder and dropping it as he ran across the lobby, diving forward right as Larry let loose both pistols, firing akimbo with a psychotic grin on his face. Pew, pew, pew, the sound of the gun shots sounded muted, and time seemed to slow as Donny was peppered with round after round from the dual pistols. ¡°Shit, NO! Donny, I-you-I didn¡¯t mean to Donny, I swear¡­¡± Donny couldn¡¯t even feel Larry pull him into his lap as his entire world, went dark. Chapter 1
System Message
Name: Donald Brian Cook II Level: 0 Race: Human Faction: Unavailable Innate Talent: N/A Base Attributes/Statistics: Constitution: 10 Strength:10 Spirit: 10 Dexterity: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Perception: 10 Intrinsic Attributes/Statistics: Charisma: 10 Luck: 10 Potential: S+ WARNING: This screen is only temporarily available due to the nature of your soul currently being in an intermediate stasis between lives.
Donny lay there, the feeling of the cold floor on his back, head pounding as he stared at the image of the blue text box that was somehow plastered to the inside of his eyelids. He lay there and read the words in the box slowly, wondering what was going on. ¡°Why the hell Is my name written out like a court document? And what the fuck are attributes?¡± Donny grumbled to himself and was shocked when the words actually came out of his mouth. Then, remembering he¡¯d just been made into Swiss cheese by his own goon he sat up, eyes widening with horror. ¡°I¡¯m fucking dead ain¡¯t I? Aww man I¡¯m dead I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s over just like that¡± He shouted internally, before freezing at what he saw. There was a bone-white desk, with an equally white chair in front of it, in an all-white, otherwise empty room. ¡°Aw, yes, you are awake. I was wondering how long you were going to lay there on my floor, I thought I might¡¯ve been too late.¡± Came a deep, smooth voice with an almost British accent. ¡°Who the fu-¡± Donny¡¯s words cut short as he stood and laid eyes on the person speaking, jaw dropping. On the other side of the desk sat a man wearing a top-hat with glasses. He had an angular face, with a mustache and goatee, and was wearing a very fine-looking suit. All completely normal things. Except for the fact that the top-hat was three feet tall. His head was literally an upside-down triangle, face protruding from what looked like a traffic sign made of smooth flesh. His mustache stood out a foot to either side of his face with the left-side curling up, and the right-side curling down like someone had laid an S on its side and stretched it out. And finally, the man¡¯s suit seemed to contain every shade of every color in every sheen, flowing around the suit like glitter in a snow globe. The man was a complete contrast to the the pale and empty room. ¡°Yo, what kinda devil are you, my man?¡± Donny asked, shocked by the sheer bizarreness of the situation. ¡°Firstly, I am no devil, though I am what your species would consider male so I suppose man would be accurate. But please do not insult me after I went through all this work to bring you here, Donald.¡± The odd being said with a hint of teasing in his words, then extended a hand towards Donny, ¡°I go by Pheros, I am what you would consider to be a god, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Cook¡±, the person introduced themselves as Donny shook the strange man¡¯s Hand. ¡°Please. Have a seat, Donald.¡± Pheros said, gesturing towards the seat behind Donny. ¡°Uh¡­ Ok. And please Just call me Donny. Most do, ¡®Cept my friends who call me deuce, at least when we¡¯re on a job¡­ on account o¡¯ me being the second and all.¡± Donny rambled off lamely as he sat in the surprisingly soft chair, thick, New York accent sounding rough compared to Pheros¡¯ meticulous manner of speech. ¡°Not to be rude or anything man, but what the hell is going on? How am I not six feet under, or at least in the ICU, matter fact, where even are we?¡± Donny¡¯s voice pitched a high note as he rapid-fired questions at the strange being. ¡°We are currently in a pocket dimension that the system uses for the orientation of reborn souls. As for what¡¯s¡­going on¡­ as you so elegantly put it, I have brought you here to request your assistance with a certain matter.¡± Pheros replied, drawing out the sentence as if trying to find the right words. ¡°Re-reborn, you say?¡± Donny muttered with incredulity, ¡°B-but I got my memories, I¡¯m a grown man, this don¡¯t make no sense, y¡¯heard? For fucks sake I¡¯m wearing the same clothes I had on before I got snuffed out by that psycho Larry!¡± He continued, voice starting to rise. ¡°Hmm, yes. That is quite the oddity for those in the river of reincarnation.¡± Pheros said, handing Donny a drink that the man had no idea where it came from. ¡°But if you¡¯d respectfully ¡®slow your soup coolers¡¯; oh I do enjoy the phrases you humans of Earth come up with; anyways if you¡¯d allow me to speak for a moment, I can indeed aid in clearing up some of the confusion for you.¡± The yield-sign-faced man said with a chuckle at his usage of the burnt-out phrase Donny¡¯s father had used growing up when he¡¯d get too excited and vomit words at a hundred miles an hour. Taking a sip of his own drink, Pheros leaned back in his seat and stared at Donny pointedly. Donny sniffed the liquid of the cup in his hand, blinking at the familiar scent of WoodFord Reserve whiskey that he knew all too well. He downed the half-full glass, the cold burn of his favorite whiskey spreading throughout his chest as he took a deep breath, letting his mind settle. ¡°Thank you, I guess I needed that.¡± Donny nodded at the man in the colorful suit. Setting his glass down on a coaster that definitely was not there before he¡¯d taken his drink he sighed, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll shut up and listen, I apologize for the disrespect. This is all¡­¡± ¡°A lot. Yes. I know, and it should be me apologizing to you, I seem to have forgotten how shocking this all can be for mortals, especially those from worlds not yet integrated into the system.¡± Pheros said apologetically. ¡°To put it all¡­ what¡¯s the saying? Ah yes, to put it all inside of a nutshell¡±, Pheros started as Donny visibly winced at the butchered phrase, ¡°The universe is extremely vast and is comprised of many, many worlds with many different races and species both sentient and otherwise. Many many¡­MANY years ago a group of supreme beings worked together to create the system which would eventually go on to spread throughout the universe, connecting galaxies and races and developing a uniformed progression system that allowed any and all forms of life to become sentient and develop powers and abilities beyond your imagination,¡± Pheros explained, leaning over the table and steepling his hands. ¡°While your planet has yet to be integrated into the system, it has come within range of system-controlled space, allowing souls from your solar system to flow into the river of reincarnation within the system, which is how I found you.¡± Pheros said, taking another sip of his drink and waiving his hand towards Donny¡¯s glass, which was now filled perfectly to the halfway point once again. ¡°I have a family, well, descendants anyways, who still live on my home planet from which I ascended. And according to the prayers I¡¯ve been receiving for the last hundred years or so my Descendants are on the decline. They have become overtaken with greed and pride, and I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t last another millennium if someone does not reign them in.¡± Pheros sighed in regret. ¡°Well, why haven¡¯t you gone and helped them out, bro?¡± Donny couldn¡¯t help but ask before flinching in apology at the look photos shot at him running his fingers over his lips as if zipping them closed, dropping the non-existent key onto the ground and then kicking it away he sipped his whiskey. Looking at Donny with a amusement at his theatrics, Pheros continued. ¡°See, I am currently the river¡¯s warden, have been for ten thousand years, and due to certain¡­ restrictions in place, I cannot leave my post for another twenty thousand years. And by then I fear it will be too late.¡± He shook his head, ¡°While the system isn¡¯t necessarily fair and just, there is no reneging when a bargain is struck, and no shirking one¡¯s dues, whether mortal or Divine being. I have but one option left, to choose a champion.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Standing up, Pheros crossed hands behind his back and began to pace. Donny¡¯s eyes bulged and he nearly spit his whiskey all over the desk when over six feet of long, well-dressed legs extended from the man¡¯s completely normal-sized upper body. The multi-colored, flowing pants led to tightly creased cuffs above brilliantly polished dress shoes that were equally disproportionate. Donny glanced up at the now nine-foot-tall Pheros in embarrassment, grateful the man hadn¡¯t seemed to have noticed the lack of decorum. ¡°Divine beings are allowed to choose a single champion, whom to which they bestow their divine blessing. If the champion ascends of their own accord without further influence of their deity, we divine gain a major boon and may choose another, but, if they fail either through early death or lack of talent, or if we step in to help them avoid death, we not only lose the right to choose champions; but forfeit a portion of our divine essence, our very soul and being to the system.¡± Pheros turned to look Donny. Arching down, almost hovering over Donny, Pheros smiled grimly. ¡°I have been forced into a bitter predicament, Donny. I have never taken a champion, my boy. And though my aptitude for cultivation has brought me to the pinnacle of divinity, I have waited. Though I have many descendants and lineages spread through the cosmos, I¡¯ve always cherished my roots, my original home and the clan that birthed and raised me and I in return brought to new heights. I have waited so many generations for one of my original line to be qualified to earn my blessing, but sadly, it is my own fault that none of such aptitude has appeared.¡± Donny was completely entranced at this point, enraptured by the story he was hearing. But his mind was still almost shattered when Pheros sat back down, impossibly returning to his earlier position, his hands now flat on the desk. Donny sat his glass down, head pounding and eyes crossed from the visual phenomenon he¡¯d just witnessed. The man picked up his monologue without a hitch. ¡°I pampered and protected them for too long. Without struggle and strife, they have no need for such talent. There is no reason to gain such power when they can live in comfort and bliss, worry free and without fear or want¡± Pheros threw his hands up in exasperation. ¡°And so, the system began to pressure me. Offering missions with lucrative rewards at first, for crowning a champion. Then when I continued to ignore those prompts it tried to offer missions to others. While the system does not truly get directly involved it has an unimaginable ability to control the flow of fate to keep us in check. It continuously used every method it could throw at me to get me to claim a champion. And not for my own sake, but because it is afraid that since I¡¯m near the very pinnacle of power, it believes I¡¯m waiting to use the push from a champion ascending to surpass my bottleneck and usurp the influence of the system.¡± The god stood up again and by now Donny felt close to vomiting and it was not from the whiskey. ¡°Donny, my boy, the system had given a mission for a treacherous and destructive race, the Fellkings, a hive-mind species of invertebrates that only destroy, they do not build to conquer my home planet. In my anger I completely eradicated the entire hive, including their divine queen, causing the extinction of the entire race of tentacled terrors. But in the haste of my fury and anger I had disregarded a crucial piece of information,¡± Pheros said morosely, hanging his head. ¡°The reason the Fellkings had not been destroyed already was because they always carried with them a paragon seed. They would harvest the energy of stars and incubate the seed within the core of these stars and planets to birth unique treasures that the system absorbs and uses to further spread its influence as well as power its functions. Then they would hibernate until the queen birthed another seed and so on and so forth. They were a protected species, and if not for my immense power I would not have been able to eliminate such beings so completely.¡± The tall figure seemed ancient and lonely at this point. ¡°W-why didn¡¯t you just move them to another planet?¡± Donny¡¯s voice was a bit hoarse from having remained silent so long, but unable to hold back the question though he felt he could already guess the answer. ¡°THAT PLANET IS MY HOME!¡± Pheros snapped at Donny, a dense pressure suddenly filling the room like someone had turned up the gravity in the room, causing his shoulders to drop, head smashing into the table that didn¡¯t so much as budge from the impact of Donny¡¯s face abruptly smacking into it. Then something inside him, from deep within his being pushed back. A refusal to be cowed developed in Donny¡¯s mind, growing stronger and permeating within as if telling him he could not allow such an a-front to his person, whether divine or mortal. Then, as a feeling of coolness spread through his body and mind fighting against the heat of the gods aura, reassuring Donny as he fought back against the immense pressure, lifting his head inch by he gave a ferocious shout as he trembled from the strain, he finally was able to straighten his spine for a brief second and glare at the god. Just as he felt that he would collapse beneath the pressure suddenly dropped, Pheros staring in disbelief at Donny. ¡°How did you?¡± Pheros made to say but was drowned out by a pinging in Donny¡¯s mind. Though he tried to ignore it, a sort of flashing of his vision brought his attention to a red-orange triangle with an exclamation mark, demanding his attention. Although Donny had a feeling he could ignore it temporarily he decided to quell his curiosity and, not really knowing how everything worked, he glanced at the symbol floating in his peripheral vision, It was a an exclamation mark that hovered in his periphery. Focusing in on the strange object in his vision a screen like the one from earlier popped up:
System Message
You have been exposed to the aura of a being so far beyond your mortal comprehension, and no matter how minuscule the amount of aura that slipped through might have been, not only did your head not immediately become paste; but as a mere mortal avatar with not even a shred of cultivation you managed to use only your soul to resist the pressure! You¡¯re either a complete idiot or have innate and mysterious talents hidden within your soul! Title Gained: I Will Not Bow. You are resistant to auras. You have gained skill: Aura manipulation Level 1 Aura Manipulation (Primordial) level 1: Though obtained through unorthodox means, you have gained the ability to project your aura, creating a field around you that can be used both defensively and offensively. Due to the level of aura you were exposed to and the nature of obtaining this skill (usually obtained after level 50) at level 0, the rarity of this skill has been set to Primordial. Note: This skill will be retained through the process of reincarnation.
Donny read the message, not quite understanding what he was reading or why the system seemed slightly antagonistic towards him. And what did the process of reincarnation mean? ¡°I take it you earned a title¡± Pheros¡¯ voice cut through Donny¡¯s stupor, startling him out of the trance he was in. ¡°No, don¡¯t tell me actually, it¡¯s better you hold your cards on your chest¡±, The god swamped another earthen quote as he once again sat down. ¡°I really wish you would stop doing that, man¡±, Donny said as he held two fingers to each temple and shut eyes, trying not to add the color of bile to the already numerous colors flowing through the suit. ¡°Or does he already have that color?¡± Donny mused internally with a small smile, the mental quip helping to diffuse the tension in his mind. Looking up, it was as if Pheros had read the man¡¯s mind as he scowled saying ¡°I apologize for the slip up, this is all a touchy subject for me. And though I¡¯m sure the title you earned is incomparable, I must compensate you whether you accept my offer or not, but you must decide my boy.¡± The god completely ignored the jab at his mind-bending antics. ¡°If you choose to be my champion you get my divine blessing as well as a boon in recompense for my earlier lack of decorum.¡± He told Donny, looking at him expectantly. ¡°Look man, I¡¯m not one to usually read the fine print, but be straight with me, what is it exactly that you want from me. What am I supposed to do, what¡¯s in it for me, and most importantly what¡¯s the catch?¡± Donny stared right back at Pheros, gaze locking with the gods, ¡°Because as crazy as it sounds to me right now it seems like you coulda just commanded me to do whatever you wanted, and I¡¯d have been powerless to deny you. But you didn¡¯t do that which means I have to agree with it which means there¡¯s something deeper you haven¡¯t told me yet.¡± When Donny saw the brief squint of acknowledgement in Pheros¡¯ eyes he knew he on to something. ¡°Firstly we both benefit if you manage ascend the ranks of cultivation to divinity, but if you fail what I¡¯ll lose will all but cripple me, whereas you¡¯ll just die and go on to be reincarnated again. Second, while my boon would aid your growth, your raw talent would at least see you to demigod status or beyond if you do not die early even if you don¡¯t accept my offer, so don¡¯t assume you must accept my offer to reach the heights of what our universe have to offer. Third, while you would still have to go through the process of reincarnation, you would retain your previous memories and I would ensure you¡¯re born on Krieg, my home planet, and within my lineage as opposed to being sent to some unknown world where you be reborn as a frog or a lichworm. And beyond those things an old friend will help you train-¡± ¡°Woah, woah, woah, hold up there¡±, Donny interrupted, slamming his hands on the table and standing up. ¡°Not to diss you man, but I am perfectly content being a normal human with a normal face and normal sized legs and while I don¡¯t wanna become a frog or lichworm, whatever that is, I don¡¯t want to turn into a walking acid trip either!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know this form is a shrunken version of my figure to fit the room, the legs are just a bit¡­trickier to shrink¡±, The god protested, sounding surprisingly embarrassed. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ You don¡¯t know how to shrink your legs do you¡± Donny asked with a grin, pointing a finger at the divine being whose triangular face was glowing a bright shade of yellow. ¡°HAHAHA, Big all powerful god can¡¯t even shrink his legs, walking around like a living yield sign with those tall ass legs, y¡¯heard!¡± Donny roared in laughter, finger pointing at Pheros as he slapped the table in glee. The god¡¯s aura leaked out a little bit, this time feeling more like a dense humidity rather than gravity being multiplied. Donny¡¯s laughter faltered and for a second he though the Deity might smite him with a bolt of thunder when suddenly the God burst out into laughter along with him. ¡°BAHAHAHAHA, you should have seen your face, I bet you were wondering if I was about to smite you or something, your face was like, UAGH!¡± And then Pheros¡¯ head changed, becoming a perfect copy of Donny¡¯s face, with an utterly terrified look and tears welling in the doppelganger¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oh, come on, you¡¯re exaggerating now, get outa here¡±, it was Donny¡¯s turn to blush now as he waved his hand in mock nonchalance. They both laughed for a long moment, pointing and jeering like two pals that had known each other their whole lives. Finally, as they both sipped their drinks, letting the excitement of the moment pass, Pheros spoke. ¡°Ah, but no my descendants have evolved over the years to be very similar in nature to your race, what are called ¡°Celestial Humans¡± a sort of human race that are all born with affinity for the mystic arts, so unfortunately I can¡¯t promise that you¡¯ll end up nearly as good looking as I.¡± The god chuckled, wiping a glowing tear from one eye. ¡°And to continue what I was saying before you interrupted so rudely¡±, Pheros went on jokingly, ¡°There will be some caveats. For one the system will most likely be a bit¡­ antagonistic towards you. And top it off, well, see the thing is I have a deal with the system. If you cannot ascend within a thousand years it will count it as your failure. Whether you ascend after that or not, and even if you yet live, I will pay its price for failure twofold. But if you can somehow achieve the impossible, it will leave me be to my own devices and hinder me no further, allowing me to take my planet of Krieg and leave its influence.¡± The god said as the mood turned slightly grim. ¡°As well, while the system protects you until level twenty, after that all other gods will be able to identify you as my champion, both ally and enemy alike. And as my chosen there will be certain¡­requirements. But that won¡¯t be an issue until you¡¯re stronger, I can assure you that as long as you don¡¯t go around starting wars other champions shouldn¡¯t come looking for you until you become powerful enough to be worth their time. All I ask is that you straighten out those pesky, unfilial descendants of mine and help them to become strong of their own accord¡± Pheros finished, leaving Donny to contemplate. ¡°So let me get this straight, If I say yes, I¡¯ll get your divine blessing, which will help me a bunch as I train and make my already amazing and peerless talent even better. I¡¯ll get to keep my memories and be sent to live with this family of yours. But in the meantime, I gotta put up with a bitchy system and possibly might have to kick some sense into a bunch of disrespectful assholes besmirching your good name. Does that about sum it all up?¡± Donny asked. ¡°In a sense¡­yes, that would be an adequate way to phrase things.¡± Pheros replied, raising an eyebrow shaped like a Nike symbol. ¡°Why me?¡± Donny asked. ¡°Excuse me?¡± The god repeated, as though he hadn¡¯t quite heard the man correctly. ¡°You heard me, why me? You¡¯ve got to know my past, who I was. The things I did. Why a wise guy like me?¡± Donny truly couldn¡¯t figure out this part, it seemed odd to him. Heck he wasn¡¯t much of a churchgoer like most his family, but he still figured he¡¯d be going to hell if there was one, much less being summoned by an all-powerful entity and being asked to play Hercules like some kind of fantasy novel. ¡°Yes, I do know about you. Donald B. Cook II, son of Donald B. Cook, head of the Cook Family, the most profitable and notoriously dangerous mob family in New York, who took over from his uncle Eric the dab-hand Barber Cook, you were born in the year 2098. I know that you have taken 279 lives. I know that you have robbed over seven billion dollars in your planets different forms of currency. I know that you have committed arson, sold drugs, and had four illegitimate children in three different countries.¡± The god looked like he was resisting the urge to stand as his voice grew more intense as he spoke. Donny was grateful for that as he was once again stunned by the words spoken by the god. ¡°I also know¡±, Pheros said as he gave in to the urge to stand, causing Donny to Groan loudly and tilt his head back to look at the ceiling and avoid the visual discomfort of watching the nonsensical phenomenon. ¡°That of the 279 lives you¡¯ve taken, only one was an innocent and that was from a stray bullet that had come down after going into the air when you office-popped during a robbery, hitting the hand of a man who was also robbing a couple at gunpoint, causing the man¡¯s hand to jerk and pull the trigger, firing the gun. The bullet then flew past the couple and killed an innocent squirrel who had been sitting on a park bench eating a Cheese-puff.¡± The god stated matter of fact. ¡°That was¡­oddly specific.¡± Donny said, staring flatly at his colorful companion. ¡°And why the fuck does a squirrel count anyways?¡± ¡°Never mind that¡±, Pheros said turning his head, and Donny couldn¡¯t help but feel the god was intentionally leaving something out as he got a bad premonition. ¡°It¡¯s just a squirrel, right? And it was an accident anyways.¡± He reassured himself in his mind, not quite convinced. ¡°I also know that of all the money you¡¯ve taken for your cut, you¡¯ve given most of it to the mothers of your children and the needy, only spending money for what was necessary for your own survival on yourself. And I know that the reason you avoided you children and tried to hide them was because you did not want them to be brought into your lifestyle, because you knew if your father found out they would be brought into the family. And finally I know that while you sold drugs, you kept a strict no-kids policy and though it¡¯s no excuse for the lives it did impact the most important thing is¡­¡± At this point the god bent so unnaturally low, he was almost touching noses with the man. ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose now, aren¡¯t y-¡± Donny was cut off as the god spoke with the passion of a motivational speaker at his TedsTalk debut. ¡°The most important thing is I know you jumped in front of that scared little girl without a second¡¯s thought for your own life.¡± Pheros breathed out as he sat in chair with a plop, the disorienting motion not even phasing Donny this time as he gaped, open-mouthed at the divine being. Donny stammered, ¡°Y-you¡­¡± ¡°I know I know, I-¡± Pheros seemed be particularly impressed with himself before Donny spoke up. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking stalker!¡± Donny erupted, his eyes wide with mirth and a mischievous grin on his face. ¡°You creepy fuck, you even watch me when I¡¯m showering?¡± standing abruptly, Donny staggered back as he knocked the chair over, looking like he was running from a predator in a dark alley. ¡°No, Donny I¡­ Ha, ha, very funny¡± The god said sourly, dark lines appearing over the god¡¯s face like an anime character when he realized Donny was, once again, goading him. He was obviously trying to conceal the glaring yellow glow of his cheeks. Donny roared with laughter once again, bending over to slap his knee when the room suddenly shook, vibrating with an abrupt intensity before calming down once again. It felt like the room, wherever it was, was being crushed by immense pressure, like a submarine that was traveling into depths beyond its ability to withstand. Looking at Pheros, he saw the god seemed to be struggling against some unseen force. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. What is your answer?¡± Pheros stood up to ask as the desk and chairs disappeared, flowing into the ground like water on the desert sand. ¡°Well, honestly man¡±, Donny said, slumping his shoulders in doubt. ¡°I see. I won¡¯t push the subject if you want to take your own path¡±, Pheros said, face drooping. And with a shuffling of feet, and the sound of someone spitting, Pheros looked up to see Donny there, a glob of saliva on the palm of his outstretched hand. ¡°We got a deal¡±, Donny said with a shit-eating grin on his face. ¡°So now what?¡± Pheros pulled a napkin out of thin air with a flourish, using it to cover his hand as he delicately shook Donny¡¯s with a look of discomfort. Then he put his thumb to his mouth, biting down and drawing a glowing bead of pearlescent blood to his fingertip. As the deity¡¯s face seemed to pale, he pressed his bleeding thumb to Donny¡¯s forehead, ¡°And now¡­¡± the gods voice faded, and Donny thought he heard footsteps walking towards him before consciousness left him as his body started to fade. That was the last thing Donny remembered before his world went dark. After a long pause a soft voice spoke from behind Pheros as he stared at the spot Donny had been prior. ¡°Are you worried about him?¡± Said the voice. ¡°I am. But I can only trust that this was the right decision.¡± Pheros whispered. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell him?¡± The voice asked after a moment of contemplation. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do the boy any good. If anything, it would only complicate things. Besides, he will find out for himself soon enough, now, won¡¯t he?¡± Said Pheros with a sad smile. ¡°Sigh, it is what it is, don¡¯t let yourself become distraught. Whatever happens, it is for fate to decide now. And did you have to mess with his head like that?¡± ¡°I do not blame myself.¡± Pheros said, finally turning to face the figure standing in shadows that did not exist. ¡°But I do wish I could do more¡±. ¡°You know, while I can¡¯t wait to see his face when he finds out the boy is my champion, I shiver to think of what he would do should something happen to his grandson.¡± Pheros chuckled, a wicked grin forming on his face as the two blinked out of existence, the room following shortly after. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 When Donny awoke it was nowhere close to what he¡¯d been expecting. He¡¯d thought he might come to as a naked man in a forest somewhere. Or maybe wake up as a new soul in the body of man that happened to have the same name and had recently died. Maybe, just maybe, he¡¯d be lucky enough to create his own character like in the rpg games he used to play. But no. He was. Literally. Re-fucking born. He was completely conscious and aware as the world brightened from between his mother¡¯s legs as he was BORN! ¡°Holy shit I¡¯m covered in uterus and amniotic fluid, what the actual f-¡± A slap to his butt abruptly brought Donny out his thoughts. ¡°WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR YOU STUPID SORRY EXCUSE FOR A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL YOU RE-¡± Donny cursed whoever the old woman delivering him from his mother¡¯s womb was, though all the adults heard were wailing tears. That was when a large man, solidly built with kind but hard, amber-brown eyes, and a scarred but handsome in a deep-south kind of way looked down at him. ¡°He¡¯s going to be a fighter¡±, Said the deep, rumbling voice of Donny¡¯s new father with warmth as the man¡¯s large hands delicately cut the umbilical cord. ¡°He¡¯s gonna be trouble is what he¡¯s gonna be, look at him, not two minutes old and eyes wide, looking around as if he understands every word we speak already¡±, came the chuckle of the comforting, aged voice of the elderly woman as she held him in the crook of her arm for his parents to see. ¡°She¡¯s a sharp one.¡± Donny thought, reflecting on the fact that now that he thought about it, grandmas always seemed to just... know things. Even more than moms! It was uncanny, and sometimes quite scary. As Donny was passed around like a joint at a super-bowl party at Uncle Frank¡¯s house, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel a deep sense of comfort, warmth, and love from the embraces of his new family members. Donny soon got accustomed to his life as a baby. As it turned out, the culture in their family was that the parents did not name the children. Instead, it was the eldest of the family, in this case, the grand elder of the clan, who would name the child one month after birth. This was both to give the elder time to ¡®divine the name from the ancestors¡¯ and to give the parents time to make sure their child was fit and healthy. It was an ancient superstition that naming a child at or before birth would haunt the parents with the name of their child if they were to parish from sickness or disability. In this day and age though, it was more to give the clan cause to celebrate and unite under one roof, strengthening bonds and forging alliances as everyone gathered in citadel city. It had been about three weeks, and he had developed a routine. Though he wouldn¡¯t be able to pull up his status screen until he killed his first beast or enemy with his own hands and gained experience for the first time, he could access his Aura Manipulation skill. And though he¡¯d almost fried his infant body with it the night he¡¯d attempted it and scared the living shit out of his mother who¡¯d fallen asleep beside his crib, he had figured out how release the most minute amount of into his tiny palm and manipulate it. At first, he could only rotate it for a split-second before it would disperse, but after a few weeks of practice he could maintain the skill for about three seconds and almost change it¡¯s shape from sphere to cube. Donny had also learned that by giggling and chirping in baby-talk with the few sounds he could make when his dad talked about cultivation, he could get him to stay on the topic for hours. It was in this way that Donny began his education on how this new world of power and intrigue worked, and how he would progress as he grew on this planet named Krieg. And thus, the final week before his name day passed, with the now infantile man who had literally been reborn practicing every night and sleeping through the day. Except to eat from his mother¡¯s bosom, soil himself, and occasionally cry for no reason. To keep up appearances, of course. When the day of his naming came it was a surprisingly grand event. Though His mother and father weren¡¯t necessarily the highest-ranking figures in the family they were the heads of what the family called the north pillar. Their clan was split into four four main branches upon the largest continent of the planet. Respectively dubbed the North, East, South and West Pillars, each city was run by different figures within the clan. Though at point in time they simply been ¡®Clan Citadel¡¯, but this moniker had been all but forgotten and was barely used by the members of the clan as more and more corruption spread, and instability took hold. And in the center of it all was Cardinal city. This was where the center court was and was also the location of the ancestral palace. The center court was a place where the heads of each pillar would congregate to make important decisions within the family, laws were passed or vetoed, taxes were collected, and other issues or matters concerning the government, such as delegations with other world leaders were all part of the goings-on within the massive coliseum. This was also where Donny¡¯s name day ceremony would be held. Of course, Donny couldn¡¯t see much of the buildings from where he was swaddled in a silk hammock wrapped around his mother from shoulder to hip, his head barely sticking out amongst the fabric. All the information he knew he¡¯d learned from his father spending hours rambling on about such topics to Donny¡¯s cooing giggles. The now one-month-old Donny couldn¡¯t help but feel an odd sense of trepidation as the family¡¯s carriage came to a stop. What would his name be? he still called himself Donny in his mind, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel that this name he was to be given would be important. Like a brand from fate itself, this new journey he was on would somehow officially begin after today was over. ¡°Welcome all!¡± A voice boomed from the stage that had been erected at the center of the massive field of sand as the packed marble and gold bleachers within the arena erupted with cheers and fanfare. Donny could barely hear the cheers from where he was held in his mother¡¯s arms. His mother seemed calm and collected, while his father was pacing back and forth, rubbing his hand together and sweating like a glass of ice water on a warm summer day. ¡°What if the name is feminine, or weak?¡± The large man said, stopping and looking to his wife. ¡°Then he will be smooth with girls and give the name strength¡± His mother replied cooly. ¡°But what if we don¡¯t like it? Hell, Vi, what if he doesn¡¯t like it?¡± His father immediately countered. ¡°We shall love whatever name he is fated for, for that name represents our son.¡± Said his mother sternly. ¡°And he is an infant. He is yet to understand such things¡± She continued, and David cooed in disagreement. ¡°Even if this son of ours seems to hold so much wisdom within his precious eyes¡±, she looked down and smiled in response to his infantile report. ¡°That¡¯s enough now my husband, fretting about like so is unbecoming of you.¡± ¡°Sigh, I guess you¡¯re right. Come, wife, stand with me and be ready. Soon it will begin¡± His father offered a hand and helped his wife to stand, wrapping one around her back and embracing her as they stood in preparation to walk out on stage. ¡°Today we gather as a clan. As family and as friends, not for politics or tournaments. Not for intrigue or plotting. No. Today we gather in this arena, on this day, to witness the naming of the first born of Renfro and Violet Cook, son of the north, and heir to the northern pillar!¡± The announcer bellowed, voice echoing through the arena, the crowd going wild as the arena roared with applause, whistles and cheers. Donny¡¯s head snapped up at the last sentence. ¡°No. Fucking. Way. Cook? How- is this why Pheros chose me?¡± So many things were going through Donny¡¯s mind at this realization. Now that he thought about it, this entire month not a single person had mentioned the family surname. Why would such a prominent and powerful family have such a¡­basic¡­ family name? Why hadn¡¯t Pheros changed it to something prominent and regal? This new piece of information had created so many questions for Donny. ¡°Now let¡¯s all give a warm greeting to the most powerful duo of our family, our guardians of the family, and the newest young scion of our clan!¡± As the couple walked through out on the stage, instead of the chaos of whoops and cheers that the crowd had responded with to this point the entire coliseum went deadly silent. Surprised, Donny looked around, having to squint to see the people in the rows of seats ringing the arena. They were¡­ bowing? Every single person in the arena, including the announcer standing with them on stage, had their bodies tilted forward, hands to their side, at a ninety-degree angle in a bow of respect. Even the children in the crowd bowed without making a sound. The people held the position for an entire minute. Then another. And another. And another. Donny glanced around, stunned by the actions of the people around them. He didn¡¯t know if this was normal or not, but he had a gut feeling this was not normally how this ceremony went. He¡¯d gathered that his parents were very powerful, and that they held a respected position within the family. But this? If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Then his mother handed Donny over to her husband and stepped to the side, allowing his father to step forward. Renfro Cook held his son with both hands high above his head, slowly turning to show the infant to everyone in the crowd. ¡°What is this, fucking Lion King?¡± Donny grumbled to himself, feeling more than a little dejected at him being paraded in front of the family like an old lady holding up her winning card at bingo night at the local Legion post. And just as Donny was expecting the applause to begin anew, the announcer spoke: ¡°And now that we are all formally gathered, let us pay our respects to our beloved Grand Elder. May his wisdom and guidance bless us all this day.¡± This time when the gathered people bowed, so did the couple on stage. Only this time Donny¡¯s father wrapped his son in a current of power and let go of the boy. And Donny didn¡¯t even so much as dip as he floated forward, towards the figure of an old man slowly walking up to the stage, each step seeming to carry the aged figure three as he almost teleported forward while also looking like he was taking a casual stroll. ¡°No. This is impossible. How is it¡­ How¡­¡± Donny stared, frozen, at the man he saw walking towards him. ¡°This is seriously fucked. There¡¯s no way, he¡¯s dead, I was at his fucking funeral.¡± When the man grabbed Donny out of the air, holding him up in the air with a big smile, Donny wept. He cried tears of pain, grief, joy, and anger all at the same time. He wailed and bawled like the infant he was, only these tears were from his very soul, memories flooding his mind¡¯s eye of the very man holding him in the air, in the exact same way he did when Donny was young so many years ago. The man who had given him the nickname everyone knew him by to this day. ¡°Oh Donny, my boy, what have you gone and done, you little shit?¡± The man said as tears formed in his own eyes and his lower lip puckered as he gave the crying infant a glowing smile. ¡°BEAR WITNESS. THIS CHILD WILL BE NAMED DONALD, FIRST BORN OF VIOLET AND SON OF RENFRO. LET IT BE KNOWN!¡± The man roared, tears pouring down his face. And the crowd watched on, stunned to absolute silence, thousands and thousands of people witnessed something that should have been impossible. The tiny baby, held in the large, aged hands of their grand elder, not even a tooth in his mouth, and still on the breast... spoke. ¡°G-g-GWANPAAAA-¡± The boy stretched out the word. And though the pronunciation was garbled with tears and snot running from the child¡¯s nose, the crowd heard it clear as day. ¡°Did that baby just talk?¡± ¡°Did it just call our grand elder grandpa? That¡¯s impossible, grand Elder isn¡¯t even a cook, he¡¯s just our Ancestor¡¯s sworn brother.¡± ¡°Are those two trying to fake their child speaking to curry favor with the Grand Elder?¡± ¡°Shameful, utter disgrace¡± ¡°No, I really think the baby just spoke!¡± ¡°But that¡¯s impossible, even our great ancestor couldn¡¯t speak at one month old¡­I think¡± The crowd erupted in discussion, some whispered between themselves, and some shamelessly shouted accusations, while others simply stared in shock, unable to speak. ¡°SILENCE!¡± The old man standing in the arena holding Donny spread his aura throughout the coliseum, affecting all but those on the stage. Bringing Donny into the crook of his arm he stepped up to where the boy¡¯s parents still bowed in deference. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that, now¡± he said warmly to the couple. Bringing their heads up the couple looked just as stunned as the folks in the crowd. ¡°Grand elder, we-¡± Renfro made to speak but was silenced by the Elder holding up his hand in a gesture to wait. ¡°This child will be my personal disciple, if there are no objections, of course.¡± The elder said, looking at the parents quizzically with an eyebrow cocked. Violet¡¯s jaw almost dropped to the floor at the question that wasn¡¯t really a question. ¡°W-we would be honored if Grand Elder accepted our son as his disciple. It¡¯s just, he¡¯s still an infant, should we not wait to make such an important decision until he is older?¡± Renfro said, choosing his words carefully. Though no one knew the Grand Elder¡¯s actual level, they knew he was at least close to the peak of mortal cultivation. This gentle-looking old man was the sole reason why the Cook family¡¯s enemies had not pushed to usurp their position on a Krieg, and the stunned parents did not want to risk offending the man. But Donny was their only child, and they had not been expecting such a twist on this day. ¡°Hahaha¡± The Elder threw his head back and laughed, ¡°Have no fear, I have a feeling that this is what the boy will want as well. Call it an old man¡¯s intuition. And please, just call me Elder Crane, no need for such stuffy honorifics.¡± ¡°Yes, Elder Crane.¡± The two said at the same time, giving the old man a short bow. ¡°Now, how about we wrap this up and go talk somewhere¡­less crowded, eh?¡± Crane said with a wink. Turning to once again face the thousands of onlookers, Elder Crane bellowed: ¡°This child is henceforth under my protection, and when he comes of age, I will take him as my personal disciple. Let us end this ceremony here and commence with the festivities!¡± And with that, he turned to the announcer, ¡°Master of records, please take these three to the hall of ancestors and record young Donny¡¯s name on the tome of history.¡± The old man shamelessly took this chance to christen Donny with his old nickname, and if the infant could scoff, he would have. And with a pinch of Donny¡¯s cheek, he handed the boy back to his mother. ¡°Please, enjoy the celebration as a family. In ten years, bring the boy to my palace to begin his training. Until then, raise him well, do not spoil my young disciple before then, I do not want my first disciple¡¯s head to come to me swollen with pride.¡± Crane said, only half-jokingly, before he disappeared without so much as a sound. For the next three days, Citadel City celebrated. While many people were confused by what had transpired in the arena, most just shrugged their shoulders and enjoyed the chance to relax and lose themselves in the festivities. People flocked from all over the continent to visit the family of three. Many gifts were brought to the family as tribute, whether out familial love from those close to Renfro and Violet, or due to others wanting to build goodwill with the couple to curry favor with Elder Crane. Gold and jewels, weapons, exotic foods and spices, even fine cloths such as spider-silk and enchanted leather were presented to the couple. Some even tried to secure political ties, offering their daughters for marriage to tie themselves to the Northern Pillars tail. Violet shut down these talks instantly, using the excuse that these folk who need to consult the Grand Elder on such matters, shamelessly throwing Elder Crane beneath the wagon. She had no doubt some people would be stupid enough to attempt it, but most immediately dropped the subject, understanding that seeking the man¡¯s counsel for such matters would only invite trouble to their doorsteps. While the old man had been uncharacteristically kind and warm to the couple on that day, but all who have interacted with the man knew that he had a critically strict and stoic personality. And though he never once acted directly, he constantly reprimanded the leaders of the pillars saying that they had all grown soft and greedy, causing their slow decline and placing a target on the family. Donny had been left in the palace nursery under the tight security of Citadel guards and even one of Elder Crane¡¯s shadows. Though no one could see the man the guards and felt the immense presence of someone powerful scanning them even through the royal palace¡¯s many layers of defensive wards that should¡¯ve blocked such intrusive scans of their status screens for all but the Grand Elder and the leaders of the four pillars. One guard even disappeared before their eyes to utter horror of the others, telling them he was either a spy, an assassin, or had otherwise been found wanting by the powerful being. And like this, the welcoming of the new young scion into the family ended. And for the next five years Donny lived a peaceful and fulfilling life. He had come to love and cherish this new family of his. His father, who was kind but stern, always eager to teach Donny new things and willing to listen when the boy had questions. His mother, who guided her son with a gentle hand and a firm voice. His slightly insane grandmother, who¡¯d pretend she didn¡¯t see him sneak the first sweet-cake bun from the counter but was somehow always there to smack his head with her sandal when he tried for a second. He knew his parents thought he was a bit odd due to the way he learned to speak so quickly, and by age two could read and write perfectly and would spend most of his time in the library, studying topics of all nature. But they never said a word, simply accepting him for who he was and supporting him in all endeavors. His father didn¡¯t even question him when he requested scaled-down versions of training dummies and wooden weapons be added to the training yard so he could begin learning the basic martial techniques of the military at three-years-old. And by the age of five, Donny had begun showing aptitude for spirit techniques. While he kept his Aura Manipulation skill hidden, he quickly learned the base level Chi Manipulation (common) skill, even without system access. Chi Manipulation didn¡¯t really have any direct offensive or defensive prowess but used one¡¯s control of their spirit to manipulate the energy around them and control objects with their mind. Donny liked to joke that he was going to steal the Trunchbull¡¯s chocolates as he ran around making things float in the air. His parents would just shake their heads, not understanding the odd references Donny would use sometimes, chalking it up to a child¡¯s imagination. One time he tried to use the skill to steal a sweet-cake bun, but one of Grams¡¯ Slippers came floating into the hallway where Donny hid behind a large houseplant and smacked him on the top of his head. Donny had gotten his Aura Manipulation skill to a level where he was unable to progress the skill further, at least without system access he guessed. When he¡¯d gotten Chi Manipulation to the same threshold, he¡¯d asked his father why he couldn¡¯t level it, hoping there would be a simple solution. His dad had told him that he had probably hit a benchmark, most likely around level five, but refused to speak any further on the subject. Only giving Donny a sly smirk whenever he tried to ask and telling him not to expect to pass level five in any skill before he leveled up. Apparently certain information was withheld from individuals below certain thresholds as some information could be more harmful than helpful. Through this time, Donny had not forgotten his promise with Pheros. Besides training and studying he also made friends. He knew that for him to take over the family and get them out of the hole he would need to lead from the front, and to do this he would need support from close friends and allies. His father in his past life had always stressed the need to treat his subordinates well. Both fear and respect were necessary tools for leadership, but the most important quality for a successful family was loyalty. And so, one day when he was almost four, he asked his parents to take him to the other pillars of their country, picking the brightest and most talented young scions of the other branches of both the Cook and Crane families and building bonds with them. Every month he would invite them over to study and train with him at this family¡¯s manor, and at first it was tough since they were actual children, with childish minds and childish behaviors. Through his experience and the children¡¯s own above-average intelligence from being from a system-integrated world, he was able to develop methods to drastically improve his peers¡¯ foundations and intelligence. Everything was as it should be. Donny didn¡¯t waste a single day as he trained and planned, slowly building his foundations both internally and socially. But when his sixth name-day celebration was just a few weeks away, this life he had become so comfortable in was abruptly and irreversibly flipped upside-down. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Donny had just finished sparring with his three closest friends and they were walking through the hall leading out of the bathing chambers. They had been debating whether the orange was named after the color or the color named after the fruit. Donny thought himself smart because he knew on earth that the color was in fact named after the fruit. Apparently on Krieg, it was the opposite! Orange was first named as a color when an artist Named Ph¡¯ryque Canvas found that if he mixed a type of volcanic ash composite found in ore beneath the Isles of Ange with a chemical called Slethorphate, it created a bright hue reminiscent of a tongue of flame, as it was written in the tomes (They¡¯d looked it up in the library). The guy had apparently just combined the word ore with the name Ange and gotten orange. Donny found the entire story ridiculous but was none the less down a sweet-cake bun and his favorite slingshot. He had been planning to go double or nothing with ¡°chicken or the egg¡± debate as soon as he could figure out what the equivalent of a chicken was on Krieg when every had gone dark. It wasn¡¯t the type of dark one expected at night, or when in a room with no light, but more like someone had disconnected his brain from his eyes, disabling his ability to see. There was a thud near him, and then the sound of someone tumbling and crawling along the ground. ¡°What the heck, I can¡¯t see anything.¡± Chucky¡¯s voice came from nearby as Donny tried to focus his mind. ¡°Everyone, keep completely still. We can¡¯t see but we still have our hearing. We¡¯re under attack, and we need to remain calm.¡± Donny tried to take control of the situation, understanding from years of experience in his past life that remaining calm and focused was crucial right now. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, a high-pitched wave of sound suddenly rocked the palace, almost dropping Donny on his knees as he tried not to empty his stomach from the sudden feeling of disorientation making his head swim. ¡°Shit, no sight, no sound, what the actual fuck, it¡¯s like that time those federal pricks bombarded our bunker with flashbangs.¡± Donny tried to swear out loud, but not being able to hear his own voice his tongue felt fat and useless in his mouth. Donny was frozen, heart beating an emotional tattoo of fear and panic. His chest began to swell with the pressure of anxiety and mind couldn¡¯t seem to focus on logic. His Forehead misted with a fine coating of sweat and his back and arms prickled with goosebumps from the chill that ran along his spine as he tried to calm himself down. ¡°Fuck, I can¡¯t afford to be having a panic attack right now.¡± Donny frantically tried to focus as he bit down on his tongue to try and clear his mind. He ran through his options, trying to think of a way out of this mess. He knew that the longer he stood there the worse his chances of saving himself and his friends would be. He needed to act, but the removal of his senses kept him pinned in place and he couldn¡¯t think of any way a bunch of five- to seven-year-old kids could counter such a vicious removal of their faculties. So, he did the only thing he could do, he spread his aura around him. No longer caring about getting caught using a skill he should not be able to use, he blasted his aura, covering a ten-meter radius that he could feel with his soul. Then, he spread out tentacles of chi with his Chi Manipulation skill, sending out metal fingers of chi that stopped when they touched anything that had mass. He did all of this in seconds, the ethereal energy of the skills taking but a breath of time to do their work. In his mind, Donny slowly built a sort of grey-scale image of his surroundings, like a sort of echolocation using his aura and chi. And although he could not see texture and color nor could he yet hear sound, he at least had a perfect 360 degree, black and white visual of his surroundings in his head. Donny couldn¡¯t help but let a menacing grin spread across his face. ¡°It¡¯s time to fight back.¡± Donny thought as his earlier panic receded and a feeling of resolve and determination spread through him. Taking stock of the visual in his mind, Donny almost fell right back into panic when he noticed a person garbed in a concealing cloak that covered all but the sleeved arm with a gloved hand outstretched behind him not three feet from where he stood. A cold sweat now permeated his entire body. He noticed though that the figure was frozen in place, and realized he must have suppressed them with his aura. Thinking on his feet, Donny turned around and tied the person¡¯s cloak around them, removing his own cloak and tying it around the figure¡¯s head like a blindfold, hoping that would slow them down enough to bring his friends to safety when his aura was no longer here to suppress the individual. Then he dumped the water bottle he¡¯d been carrying around the person¡¯s feet, to make the polished tile into a slipping hazard for the would-be kidnapper. ¡°I must be their goal; these people want to kidnap me and use me as leverage against my parents.¡± He realized, brow furrowing in contempt. He¡¯d done the same thing to crooked politicians in his day, but he had a feeling these people wouldn¡¯t be taking him for ice cream at the Zoo while the adults did business. Now understanding that he really needed to move quickly, Donny moved to each of his friends, he¡¯d had his aura wrapped around each of them in a protective bubble as he had no clue how powerful it was and hadn¡¯t wanted to hurt them by exposing them to his aura directly. Using his chi, he lifted the three shivering bodies into the air with a tremendous amount of strain. He had only ever used his ability to move smaller objects before this and struggled for a moment before he brought his friends together and turned his smaller tentacles of chi into a large arm to carry them all in a bundle of flesh and fabric. While this reduced the strain a bit, it was still a weight on his spirit, and he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep it up for long. Donny then mapped out his position. They were heading towards the dining hall for lunch to grab something to eat after their long sparring session. Ahead were the double doors leading to the dining hall and beyond that the kitchens. To his right were the lattice-work shades that wrapped the large courtyard of sand and stone where they trained. Behind him were the bathrooms that led to the room with the large pool filled with heated saltwater where they bathed. Donny grinned, turning back in the direction they¡¯d come from and viciously kicking the figure of the infiltrator now bundled in cloth like a fresh loaf of bread, toppling them over as he passed. He scrambled through the closest changing room, friends hovering almost directly behind him as he tried not to bash them against walls and doorways as he dashed into the large room with the steaming pool of water like an over-sized hot tub. He sent a tentacle of chi down to the ring on the large three-foot by three-foot plug that blocked the drain. It didn¡¯t so much as budge. ¡°Shit, dad always made this look so easy.¡± Donny grimaced to himself as he desperately tried to think of a solution. While the pool wasn¡¯t massive, running four-feet deep and ten feet wide by twenty feet long, it wasn¡¯t small either. The couple thousand gallons of sea water was applying too much pressure, but if he could remove it, he and his friends could ride the long drainage tunnel down to the ocean, where there was a beach nearby with a dock the northern pillar used for importing and exporting goods. They had used the drain as a water slide on his fifth name-day, the adults monitoring for safety of course, with one of his dad¡¯s cloud turtles acting as their ride back up the cliff-face the palace was built on to go again. He knew there was a way to do this, he just had to figure out how. Spreading his aura, he scanned the room for anything he could use. Nothing besides some towels by the pool that the kids had left lying there for the maids to clean up, it was large, open area with a pergola supported on wooden rafters by stone pillars to act as a roof for the otherwise open-aired courtyard. ¡°Wait, rafters!¡± Donny suddenly had a lightbulb go off in his head as an idea began to take form in his mind. Dropping his friends gently next to him, he spread the six-inch think rope of chi up and over one of the rafters above the drain. The arm of energy slowly thinned as it stretched further and further, finally gripping the ring of the plug and coiling around it a few times. Grabbing the extension of his power tightly with his spirit, Donny braced his legs slowly began to step backwards. His chi strained with effort, a headache forming behind his eyes as he struggled to pull back on the make-shift winch system. The plug slowly began to lift from its position as a warm wetness on his lip told him his nose was bleeding. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and pressure build in his ears as he struggled against the pain. And then he felt it, someone had stepped into his aura field. Looking through his mind¡¯s eye he saw a rough and tattered woman, with blood leaking from a cut on her cheek and a child¡¯s rope pulled down around her neck like a scarf. Although she had gotten out of her robes, Donny knew it was the figure he¡¯d found reaching for him in the hallway. She slowly began wading into his aura, struggling and trying to fight back with her own measly aura as she slowly made her way towards Donny and his friends. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°She¡¯s got to be at least level fifty if she¡¯s started to form her aura. What the fuck are these people doing, sending such powerful lackeys after a level zero kid?¡± Donny thought, as the plug slipped back a few centimeters in his moment of distraction. Firming his resolve, Donny flared his aura in a bid to slow the pace of the scowling aggressor as much as he could while pulling with all his mental strength against the large plug. AAAAAGGGGHHH! Donny screamed internally as he finally felt the pressure against the plug release as the water rushed into the large hole, helping to push the plug out of way. Now that the pressure wasn¡¯t working against him, Donny had to brace himself from falling on his back as the large cork plug became almost weightless compared to before. Tying the plug to hang above the whirlpool that was now forming above the drain with a thin stand of chi, Donny grabbed his friends and tossed them into the roiling water, following close behind as his world became a spinning mess while held his breath, trying to keep his friends from drowning with his aura as he simultaneously pushed against their pursuer while focusing on keeping the his chi from dropping the plug too early. It was all too much, and Donny¡¯s aura and chi slipped as he fought to keep conscious. He had done what he could, and now he had to stay conscious, or he and his friends would drown and all he had done to save them would be pointless. But he was plunging headfirst down a tunnel of rushing water and his head felt like it would explode from the pressure of both the water and strain of pushing his skills so hard. There was suddenly a feeling of weightlessness and Donny was blinded in a different way as light assaulted his burning eyes and sound abruptly returned to him, the crashing of waves a dull backdrop to the sound of water pouring from the sloped hole in the side of the cliff. And then darkness returned, and the warmth of the heated water was replaced by the bitter chill of the ocean as the air was pushed out of Donny¡¯s lungs from the impact of the unexpected drop. With the bite of cold shocking Donny awake, he kicked his feet, pulling his hands to his hips as he broke the service, coughing up saltwater and paddling to his hands to keep afloat as he looked around, frantically searching for his friends. ¡°Donny, help!¡± Came a shout from behind as he spun his body in the water to see the woman who¡¯d been chasing him holding his friend Lyle by his hair as she aimed a vicious sneer towards Donny. Chucky was already swimming towards the shore. ¡°We¡¯re going to swim to the beach, and you¡¯re not going try any of your stupid little tricks or the boy is dead¡± She yelled at him over waves crashing into the smooth wall of rock that towered above them. ¡°Not until I find Milo¡± Donny shouted back before ducking his head beneath the surface and looking underwater for his missing friend. His vision was still a bit shaky from the abrupt transition from darkness to light, but he thought he could make out the bright red tint of his friend¡¯s hair about ten feet or so to his right. Coming up for a breath, Donny dove down, struggling to get his small child¡¯s body to dive fast enough. As he got close, he could make out the shapes of Milo¡¯s hands floating above his head as he sunk slowly. Donny¡¯s lungs started to burn, his small frame rebelling against the pressure of the water. Furrowing his brow, Donny tried to extend his chi, but it was almost immediately dispersed, not able to maintain stability in the current of the ocean. Feeling a flicker of panic as stars began to float through his vision along with small particles of oceanic debris, Donny screamed internally at his skill to do as he asked. Stretching his fingers towards the slowly descending hand of his friend, Donny focused as hard as he could on the task of extending his chi. And then, much like when he¡¯d resisted the pressure of Pheros'' aura he felt a surge from within. That familiar coolness, like a drink of cold water after a day of work in the hot sun spread throughout his being, engulfing his insides and giving him strength. Donny¡¯s chi shot out, merging with and manipulating the water around him into something he could control. He wove a net of power around Milo before extending his chi out from his feet, forming flippers of energy as he shot up to service. As he gasped for air, Donny pulled his friend into his arms and flipped onto his back, holding Milo out of the water as he kicked his feet, swimming backwards towards the beach. They got to the shallows and Donny drug Milo onto the beach and immediately began giving his friend CPR. ¡°Come on, come on, don¡¯t you fucking die on me. I still owe you my dragon-bone slingshot, COME ON!¡± He shouted the last part in desperation as he blew air into Milo¡¯s lungs. Cough, cough¡­ Donny sat back on his feet, letting out a sigh of relief as Milo coughed out the water that had gotten into his lungs, his pale blue lips spitting and hacking as he rolled over in the sand. ¡°D-Don¡­ What happened, where are we?¡± Milo squinted at Donny, then looked around, freezing in horror when saw the woman that now had both Lyle and Chucky in her grasp, dragging them by the hair kicking and screaming as they tried to fight her off. Donny scrambled to his feet, hands up to show his submission, ¡°Let them go, it¡¯s me you want. Let them leave and I¡¯ll go with you willingly¡± He said as he grabbed the collar of Milo¡¯s shirt and yanked him to his feet. ¡°Milo, run to the docks and wait for Chucky and Lyle. If anyone asks questions, pretend like everything is kosher. Don¡¯t let anyone know something has happened, it¡¯s probably been contained within the palace since we have our sight and hearing back, so no one should know that anything is wrong¡± Donny said loudly, eyes never leaving the bedraggled woman and his friends as he pointedly raised his voice so the woman wouldn¡¯t make him stay. He hoped his friend would remember his training and catch the code he¡¯d weaved into his words. At first Donny thought Milo was frozen with fear or shock or both, as he just stood there staring for a long moment. ¡°Milo!¡± he hissed, then the boy nodded at him, turning and stumbling as his feet sought purchase in the soft sand before taking off across the beach towards what looked like a small village on stilts with broad docks extending into the sea, tall masts extending out above large ships. ¡°Smart boy, wouldn¡¯t want to make a fuss and endanger your little friends here, would we?¡± The woman grinned evilly at him, slowly walking forward before coming to a stop about thirty feet away, blood and water dripping down her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know what sort of defensive treasure your father gave you to blast an aura like that, but I want you to throw it towards me, then I¡¯ll let these two go. Do it now!¡± She yelled. ¡°That¡¯s right, there¡¯s no way she would believe that a level zero pleb like me could have an aura skill, much less a one at the primordial rarity¡± Donny realized, thinking quickly as he ripped his father¡¯s necklace that he always wore off his neck and tossed it to the ground about ten feet in front of the lady. ¡°There, I have nothing else on me, now let them go!¡± He snarled. ¡°Heheheh¡± The sadistic bitch cackled and smacked the boy¡¯s heads together, knocking them unconscious and dropping them to the floor. ¡°Oops¡­¡± She said, face not showing a hint of apology as she reached behind her and pulled two daggers out from hidden sheaths. ¡°Sorry kid, but you shouldn¡¯t have made a fool of me. You should¡¯ve just come along quietly like a good little boy and your friends would¡¯ve been safe and sound.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was dripping with hate at being bested by a five-year-old. Donny couldn¡¯t help recalling an old movie he¡¯d watched at his grandpa¡¯s house about a kid that got left at home alone on Christmas and had to defend his home against robbers. ¡°What¡¯s so funny, boy?¡± The lady growled at the smirk he¡¯d let sneak onto the corner of his mouth without realizing it, daggers brought to hover with gleaming blue-black blades aimed straight down at the heads of the unconscious boys. ¡°N-nothing, I¡­uh, hehe, I just farted and thought it was kind of an ironic moment to be shitting myself¡± Donny chuckled dryly, doing his best to buy time and keep his would-be assassin distracted. The lady scowled, apparently buying the lie as her shoulders slackened just a bit. ¡°Fucking kids¡± he thought he heard her mutter but couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°Why are you doing this, who sent you?¡± Donny asked in a bid for some insight into what the hell was going on. ¡°Nice try, boy, but this has gone on long enough. Anything you¡¯d like to tell your friends before they¡­depart?¡± the daggers were brought up, sinister-looking blades posed to strike. ¡°Y-yeah¡­ Merry Christmas you filthy animal!¡± ¡°Wha-¡± Then a burst of crimson exploded out from the woman¡¯s head, and she crumpled to the ground. Donny stood there; a bit shocked at how effective that was. When he¡¯d come to shore, he found a long, thin conch shell then wrapped it in aura, chi and water, leaving it just beneath tide. While they¡¯d been talking, he¡¯d been slowing rotating his chi, spinning dart-like shell faster and faster while extending a tentacle of watery chi out towards the woman. He¡¯d aimed it towards her ear, hoping that the woman having an assassin build meant her defenses wouldn¡¯t be crazy high. Apparently, he needn¡¯t have worried. The woman must have been either stupid or way to confident in her abilities to not even protect such a critical weak spot as her ears. Walking up slowly he watched the woman for movement but found he was being overly cautious. The conch had pierced her right ear straight through because the left side of her head was blown wide open, brain matter and blood leaking from exposed skull mixed with what hair was left on her head. Reaching down to collect her daggers, Donny was shocked to see the slow rise and fall of breath, though it was extremely subtle. The bitch was still alive, barely, but alive! Level fifty was no joke. Leaning over her Donny grit his teeth and flared his aura down at the rogue of a woman so she wouldn¡¯t suddenly spring up and catch him unaware. Using her own daggers, he stabbed her, then he stabbed her again, and again. Down stabbed both daggers over and over, tears now running down Donny¡¯s face as he lost himself in his rage, confusion, and fear. He finally stopped when a flood of notifications began filling his vision, a pinging sound going off in his head like someone was repeatedly opening and closing the front doors at his favorite bodega, making the doorbell ring over and over. He was worried for a second that his senses were being attacked again before realizing he was receiving system messages, a lot of them. He wanted to stop and look through them right away but knew that now was not the time to be distracted by such things. Shaking Chucky and Lyle awake, they groaned and grabbed their heads, large bumps starting to bruise where they¡¯d been skull-bashed together. ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t have time, we¡¯re under attack and we don¡¯t know how many more there are¡± Donny snapped at them, sounding more aggressive in his urgency than he¡¯d intended. Not wanting the boys to see the gory sight behind them he hurried them along. In a softer tone he said ¡°I sent Milo to get Uncle Kosher, hopefully he¡¯s around today. Now, come, we gotta get out of here.¡± After getting the boys on their feet, he dragged them up the beach in the direction Milo had run, hoping help would be coming to greet them. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 As the three children stumbled along the beach, sore and tired and doubly so for Donny, they couldn¡¯t help but shout with joy at the sight of the large outline of a giant turtle flying towards them silhouetted by the sun, a small figure standing on its back waving and shouting something unintelligible. It was a massive turtle, its head and rear legs largely resembled the snapping turtles from Donny¡¯s old world, but it had the smooth, sleek shell and large, boomerang-shaped front flippers of a sea turtle. There was a long, thin tail with a wicked barb that glinted dangerously at the tip extending out and above its shell like a scorpion. This was his grandfather¡¯s familiar, an evolved sky turtle that was as old as his grandfather and over the years had become part of the family. While the beast may have been an ancient and all-powerful being he had always enjoyed letting Donny and his friends jump off his shell into the ocean, often seen playing with them and flying the group of boys around. The old turtle was very protective of his kids. ¡°Children, get on, we must go.¡± The deep, grating voice of the massive reptile vibrated in their chests as he came down to hover before them, front flipper extending out and scooping them onto his shell while turning and shooting out over the ocean in one smooth motion. ¡°Uncle Kosher, what¡¯s going on? Donny asked after taking a moment to catch his breath. ¡°I¡¯ll explain what I can but first, are there any injuries I can¡¯t detect?¡± The rumbling reply came calmly. The magic of the turtle¡¯s shell allowed the boys to move and speak freely, even at high speeds. A barrier blocked the wind and gravity that would otherwise require a harness or palanquin, as well as ear and eye protection. ¡°No, we¡¯re fine for the most part, Chucky and Lyle got their heads smacked together. We¡¯re mostly just shaken up¡± Donny answered for them. ¡°Shaken up, eh?¡± Kosher cocked his head to give Donny¡¯s calm and determined demeanor a skeptic look with one of his great-shield sized eyes. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to panic, Unc. Now what can you tell me?¡± Donny said seriously, meeting the turtle¡¯s gaze. The large sky turtle chuckled and straightened his giant head, looking forward as they flew. ¡°That technique that was used back there is called ¡®Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil¡¯, a technique that is commonly used in political assassinations. It¡¯s a Ritual type of technique that¡¯s outlawed in many galaxies due it requires self-sacrifice to deploy and the fact that none below the divine level can resist its effects. Even I would lose my senses if caught in its area of effect.¡± Kosher explained. ¡°It¡¯s also completely silent and undetectable.¡± ¡°Yeah ok, but what¡¯s that got to do with why they were targeting us?¡± Donny asked, wishing the old turtle would get to the point. ¡°Because that means the people targeting you have enormously powerful backing, which is why we must leave. There is a lot I cannot tell you, child, but your grandfather will explain more when we meet.¡± The sky-turtle sounded apologetic at being unable to tell him more, but Donny was able to get a glimpse of what was being hinted at, so he didn¡¯t mind, there was already so much to think about right now. And besides, he had messages to sift through. Focusing his mind a menu popped up in view of his closed eyes as a menu popped up, Donny immediately noticed that some options were underlined with a red exclamation mark, and some were grayed out showing that he couldn¡¯t yet access all options.
Menu:
Messages ! Overview ! Statistics ! Skills ! Titles ! Faction ! Store Class Paragon Profession Quests Ranking Ladder Guild Party Bonds Outfits Storage Settings
Donny first selected the setting options and adjusted the menu to only the options he could currently select. He knew from his father¡¯s lessons that there were a multitude of different formats in which to view the system¡¯s communications. The system would typically provide a general interface in a format that is easy to understand for the denizens of newly integrated planets. Apparently, his blue status screens were common in societies that were technologically advanced, and there had been an entire section in the library dedicated to the subject.
Menu:
Messages ! Overview ! Statistics ! Skills ! Titles ! Faction !
Then, thinking about it some more, he set titles to automatically show the description of the effects (he still had to go find out what his title ¡°I will not bow¡¯ title offered). Knowing he could make further changes as he went, Donny selected messages.
Messages: System
Congratulations! You have agreed to become the champion of Pheros, the most self-centered, obnoxious, irritable- Ahem¡­ You are the first person to gain the blessing of this god, blah blah blah, here¡¯s what you get. Be thankful. Title Gained: The first of your kind (Primordial) You will earn 50% more experience from all sources. Effects end: Level 100 You will receive a personalized trial and subsequent award upon trial completion at levels: 10, 25, 50, 75, 100. You have unlocked: Chosen Ladder You have unlocked: Storage (System) You have received: System Merchant License Type: Category. Uses: 1/1 Description: You may develop and submit a single creation within a category of merchandise (I.e. Furniture, weapons, clothing, etc.) for sale within the system store (Unlocked at level: 10). The submission must follow system terms and conditions guidelines. The submission must follow system anti-plagiarism regulations. You must read and understand: System TOC & Anti-Plagiarism regulations S. 105C-197C; SML before any submissions for system merchant licensing will be processed. Item sent to: Storage (system) You have received a boon: Legacy of Pheros (Primordial) Description: As you tap into your potential you learn that you have an incomparable affinity for learning skills. While only your dedication and comprehension can aid you individually, you will find that this boon recognizes your intrinsic abilities and amplifies that which you already have by magnitudes. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. You receive a multiplicative bonus in skill experience gained, with bonuses to rarity: common +5%, Uncommon +10%, Rare +20%, Relic +40%, Astral +60%, Legendary +80%, Divine +90%, Primordial +100% Multiplicative bonuses are based on your aptitude, level and the difficulty of the skill. The influence and effects of this boon may be influenced by your aptitude, age and level of understanding of more esoteric skills. Adversely, your slow and unevolved brain may result in little or no effect of this boon if your frail, mortal mind is found lacking in the fundamental properties of skills. This boon has no skill level cap. The effects of this boon become exhausted upon reaching level: 100 You may not use this boon to create new skills, but skills you develop through inspiration may benefit from its effects. Any experience gained from skills that are beyond your current tier of power will only provide a maximum of 10 levels. All excess experience will instead be converted into attribute points at a one million to one ration. I.E. you will gain a single free attribute point for each increment of one million units of experience points. Warning: Due to your divine sponsors¡¯ sheer amount of time spent without choosing a champion an unprecedented amount of divinity has been invested in the champion¡¯s blessing of Pheros. It is due to this reason that the system has placed restrictions on this boon. Please understand that this is necessary to maintain balance and preserve the integrity of the Champions ladder. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and are currently calculating appropriate compensation in remuneration for such a breach of system negligence. Please note that restrictions are subject to change and further balance patches if necessary. You have received a boon: Proof of concept (uncommon)(trial boon) Description: Your god does not want to risk raising another spoiled child, so don¡¯t go thinking you can just party up and get boosted to power. You will receive penalties when in groups, and rewards for solitary achievements. Are you sure Pheros isn¡¯t just setting you for another sad and lonely death? Who¡¯s to say but it looks like you¡¯re on your own unless you can somehow make it to level 25 without daddy holding your hand! You receive +100% experience from killing enemies 20 levels or higher than your current level. +2% additional experience per enemy within 5 feet of you during combat (maximum 20%) You receive -100% experience for killing enemies within five levels of your current level You receive -100% of the experience gained from kills made when in a party The effects of this boon become exhausted upon reaching level:25 You are the first chosen of a god, you will receive 100% of blessing efficacy. God: Pheros, will receive 100% of divine reward upon your ascension. God: Pheros, will receive 200% efficacy of system punishment upon your failure to achieve ascension within: 912 years, 215 days, 17 hours, 34 minutes. You received a champion¡¯s trial quest: For Family As you have been selected as champion of Pheros, you have been tasked with saving the descendants of your divine sponsor from their inevitable demise. The people of your clan have fallen into depravity and greed, allowing the family¡¯s once immutable assets to fall into the hands of their competitors, plunging the economy, accruing significant debts, and creating a divide between the leaders of your faction. Requirements for completion: ¡¤ Establish an avenue of revenue through legitimate means for which to pay off all clan debts. 0/1 ¡¤ Re-establish bonds within the family, connecting all factions as one and eliminating or removing all spies and or traitors. 0/2 ¡¤ Prove yourself worthy of becoming clan lead within the timeline allotted for your ascension to divinity 0/1 ¡¤ Establish an improved governance structure within system good-practice guidelines to prevent future collapse from recurring 0/1 ¡¤ Defeat or make submit a minimum %70 of your clan¡¯s enemies 0/70% ¡¤ Bonus objective (optional): Place within the top 3 of the Champion¡¯s ladder Additional rewards may be provided in accordance with performance at completion of the quest. This quest must be completed before attempting divine tribulation. Bonus objective rewards will be received upon completion of the objective and are not dependent nor mandatory for quest completion. You have been blessed with a fraction of the knowledge of an ancient being beyond your mortal comprehension. It sure would be a shame if, even with all these advantages, you still managed to somehow die early. No pressure, though! Seriously, don¡¯t sweat it, it¡¯s not like anyone is hoping for your complete and utter failure. Break a leg! Or two¡­
Donny stopped reading for a moment. He couldn¡¯t believe the system had pretty much bricked his divine boon! He¡¯d been expecting the proof-of-concept boon, it was pretty much standard when it came to champion blessings and was public knowledge. But he was starting to see what Pheros meant when he told him he¡¯d be targeted. Donny went over the missive he¡¯d read on the subject in his mind. ¡°Beings who have reached the ranks of the divine may choose a champion to participate in the Champion Ladder. Champions who achieve divinity receive an allocation of divine essence in conjunction with their rank when achieving divinity. Champion rank is determined by a scoring system, which is recorded on Page 143, of this compendium. While the specific details of individual champions are largely personalized, there are base guidelines to the champion system that remain the same for all. Each divinity who sponsors a champion is limited in both the capacity of bestowment and allotted champions. Upon reaching divinity, a divine storage will be assigned, which will reserve a miniscule portion of the total accumulated divine energy of a respective Deity. This reservoir will fuel the champion¡¯s blessing and may not be altered. Each divinity may, however, decide the parameters of the boon¡¯s, quests, and level rewards for a respective champion. Below is a list of the other known rules and regulations of divine sponsorship: The system will designate boons, achievements, rewards and quests in place of deities who choose to abstain from having a direct influence in the path of their chosen. Donny had never heard of the system straight up nerfing a champion¡¯s divine boon, it had simply never happened, as far as he knew. Though he was pretty sure he had obtained the first boon with a ¡®Primordial¡¯ rarity, like, EVER, he was still absolutely fuming. ¡°What the fuck, system, it¡¯s a DIVINE BLESSING, it¡¯s supposed to be overpowered!¡± he cursed the system in his mind. From what he¡¯d understood, most divine blessings involved things like increased free attribute points per level or improved the potency of attribute points. There was even a rumor that Belmont Reaver, the progenitor of the reavers, got an additional FIVE attribute points per point invested! Meanwhile, His boon had pretty much been made into the lowest level of attribute boons. He didn¡¯t even need any help with skills, his natural talent before even getting this stupid boon already had him to the point of hitting his first bottleneck by the age of five years old! His aura manipulation and skill manipulation were already at least level five, and all he had done was passively practice his aura manipulation. His father and mother constantly bragged about his achievements in chi manipulation to the other great powers, and even their enemies had to admit his innate talent was above S tier. And it didn¡¯t help that his quest to save his family was beyond what he¡¯d imagined. Although helping to clear his familial debt was a given at this point, wiping out seventy percent of their enemies? What the actual fuck! As far as he knew most of the galactic sector in this part of the universe was against them. And the ones that weren¡¯t didn¡¯t exactly sympathize with them after thousands of years of being oppressed and looked down upon. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was in way over his head. Donny stopped and took a deep breath. ¡°I need to focus; I can¡¯t change what¡¯s already been set in motion. Just need to get so strong that it doesn¡¯t matter who stands against us. I¡¯ll brute force my way through this damn quest if I gotta!¡± He told himself as continued through his system messages. Looking at who skills Donny¡¯s eyes grew wide as he saw the pages and pages of skill updates. ¡°How is this possible?¡± He breathed as he quickly organized the screen to separate the disorganized jumble of updates, he hadn¡¯t been able to see throughout the years he had been improving his skills.
¡­ Aura manipulation (primordial) has reached level 2 Aura manipulation has reached level 3 Aura manipulation has reached level 4 ¡­ Aura manipulation has reached level 97 Chi manipulation (Common) has reached level 2 Chi manipulation has reached level 3 Chi manipulation has reached level 4 ¡­ Chi manipulation has reached level 90
¡°What happened to not passing level 5?¡± Donny couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around what he was seeing as an exhilarating thrill bloomed in his chest. From what his father had said skill growth was the most explosive between levels one through twenty-five, tapering off to a slow crawl by level thirty. Most people would have their main skills around level forty by the time they reached level fifty. And even the most supreme geniuses would only be around the level sixty mark in most skills by the time they hit one hundred. And he had almost doubled that threshold by the age of five. Suddenly, Donny was shaken out his trance as he felt a ping of danger, he came too, realizing his friends were surrounding him defensively. ¡°Donny, wake up man! WAKE-¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t asleep bro, chill out. Why are you guys freakin¡¯ out, anyways, we¡¯re with Unc. What could happen to us?¡± Donny said, annoyed at first but softening his tone as he saw the absolute panic on his friends faces, feeling bad for snapping at Chucky. ¡°We¡¯re under attack, some sort of giant bird is coming after us, look!¡± Lyle pointed out, towards the sky, looking at Donny like he was a moron. Donny looked out, realizing that the giant turtle they were riding on was maneuvering through the air at incredible speeds, flipping and turning in a series of aerial acrobatics that would put any Blue Angel pilot to shame in his grace. Donny was confused at first, then realized the magic that his bestial protector surrounded the kids with had kept them from feeling any of it, inside the bubble it was as if they were always right-side up and standing on firm, unmoving ground. And then his face blanched as he looked out into the ozone and noticed the massive bird the size of an Airbus A380 that seemed to be staring right at him, a single impossibly large eye locking gazes with him from across the clouds. The massive bird had bright blue feathers that shined with a pearlescent hue when reflecting the light of the bright sun above. It boasted a long, powerful neck with a vulture-like head and a rainbow-colored beak that was half again as long as it¡¯s head and curved into a viciously hooked tip. It had two pairs of wings. The uppermost pair extended out long and powerful, at least twice the length of the massive avian¡¯s torso but slimmer than the typically wide wings of most birds. The monstrous bird had a second pair of wings closer to its feet that were short and wide and seemed to rotate instead of flap, like a feathered variation of a whale¡¯s tail. From its rear extended long and luxurious feathers that seemed to flow and blend with the sky like a river. They twisted and moved and folded into each other and Donny felt like he could see waves crashing together in the bird¡¯s tail. Donny shivered, knowing that if that massive bird were to so much as cough towards them, without the protection of the powerful shield encompassing the shell of his grandfather¡¯s familiar they¡¯d all be turned into dust. And somehow, he knew in his heart that the unimaginably large bird was there for him. ¡°Fuck, Fuck, Fuck.¡± Donny said out loud as all his friends gave him wide stares. ¡°Dude, you can¡¯t say that word!¡± Chucky said, somehow looking more afraid of the curse-word than the literal death-bird flying behind them. ¡°Right now, we got worse things to worry about than watching our fucking language. Uncle Kosher, how bad are things?¡± Donny dismissed the other kids and spoke to their chauffeur. ¡°He¡¯s so cool!¡± Whispered Lyle to Milo. Chucky gave Lyle a flat look. ¡°Now that you¡¯re up, you can give me permission to place you in my inner world. I can only allow others in with mutual consent, and your little siblings here refused to go without you regardless of my assurances that I would protect you.¡± The rumbling voice didn¡¯t seem bothered in the least that he was in the middle of an intense chase. ¡°Now please come along, my shell is a large portion of my strength, and I cannot cook this little seagull with it being used to defend a bunch of little brats.¡± Donny couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of warmth as he looked at his friends, knowing that he had chosen correctly when picking them for his future crew. Even at this young age, they were loyal and dedicated friends. He couldn¡¯t help but smile warmly at his friends for a long moment, appreciating each of them dearly and- ¡°Bro, you¡¯re giving us a super creepy look, like my mom does to my dad before she takes him into the bedroom to argue with him. You¡¯re not going to start yelling at me and mess up my hair, are you?¡± Milo looked skeptically at Donny, eyes squinted with a foot cocked back and body turned as if he was primed to run at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Naw man, what? I-¡± Donny began, face heating up and eye twitching as he felt black lines forming on his forehead. ¡°GET IN NOW!¡± Kosher suddenly bellowed, his gravelly voice shaking their minds. Donny flinched at the hint of panic in the turtle¡¯s voice as a sort of spiritual pull tugged at his mind. ¡°Accept the tug!¡± he shouted, waiting until all his friends blinked out of existence before finally releasing his resistance to the tug of power from the massive turtle, allowing himself to be pulled into darkness. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Donny was suddenly standing on a beautiful beach, bright blue, crystal-clear water glimmered in the heat of the midday sun, fish and other aquatic life dashing about in the water. The call of birds and rustle of trees in the low breeze sang in his ears and the calm, silent ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. The world seemed to freeze like that, and Donny stood there, dazed, and confused, not understanding what was going on. ¡°It is beautiful, is it not? I used to come here as a child. I would throw rocks into the water, doing my best to cause chaos. I would revel in the ripples and waves I would cause, the disturbances that affected the lives of the creatures within the water. I had so much power here, so much¡­impact.¡± A voice as soothing as a long sip of water after a long day¡¯s work in the summer heat spoke, and Donny listened. ¡°I had no control over my life. Not that anything was wrong, mind you, rather the opposite. There was no chaos, no change. All I¡¯d ever known was peace. I had parents so powerful and influential that none could so much as speak about harming me without repercussions. My parents endorsed my every idea. Though they disciplined me with swift justice when I erred. I was given the most proper of educations and held access to a nation¡¯s supplies. I should have been happy. Grateful that I had no struggle or worry, no fear of a meteor suddenly dropping from the sky and obliterating everything. There weren¡¯t even bad kids in the neighborhood to influence me to smoke or drink.¡± The voice of Cashmere and silk was now but a leaf falling onto lush grass as Donny felt the presence of a person walking up to stand beside him as the sun began to drop on the horizon. A bright glow of crimson cast rose petals across the clouds as the man spoke on. ¡°Then one day I found this spot. I would like to come here. And I would wreak havoc. And I would scream. And I would laugh at the disturbance of the frantic fish, insects and birds scrambling about. How some would charge me in a suicidal bid to protect the herd. Some would just be feinting; others would circle and wait for their kin. And every time I would turn and leave, feeling vindicated that I had so much influence on the aquatic life.¡± The man sat down beside Donny, sleaved hand picking up a rock and throwing it into the shallows, fish swimming away in a panic as ripples spread across the otherwise calm ocean. A long moment passing as the two sat, content to be in silence. Donny closed his eyes and listened, hearing the absolute honesty in the cool breeze that was the voice that seemed to speak to his very soul. ¡°One day, when I was really losing myself to my own inner turmoil, I stomped my way here. I remember I was so very angry; I¡¯d stolen gold from my father and planted it on a court official. They¡¯d been severely beaten and lashed when the law received my anonymous tip, then disbarred and their family stripped of their homes and assets. I mocked them, bragged of my misdeeds to a gathered crowd within the city.¡± The man sighed wistfully as if dredging up memories he had not visited in a very long time. ¡°And you know what happened?¡± the man asked rhetorically. ¡°My parents made me go live with the man¡¯s family, toiling away in the dirt of their paltry fields. Sleeping on bales of hay in their barn, cuddling with the livestock to stay warm. I earned their respect, their gratitude, and their support. Everything I had done was simply glazed over like frosted glass on a cold winter¡¯s evening.¡± Another rock was thrown into water. ¡°When I was finally allowed back into the palace following my community service, I came here again. Though this time I stayed. I watched as the ripples faded into the calm silence of still water. And you know what I saw?¡± Donny finally turned his head to look at the person talking to him. The man wore a fine tailored suit of the most exquisite quality. I blue-black pinstriped three-piece suit with silver cuff links and brightly polished high-top pointed dress shoes. The silver tint of runes glowed silver throughout the man¡¯s clearly expensive outfit, emitting a powerful aura that would probably make any normal five-year-old child feint from the pressure. A wide-rimmed fedora that shone so brightly in the setting sun that Donny couldn¡¯t tell if it was made of leather or metal sat above pointed ears. An emerald-green feather perfectly accented the silken silver hat band of the bespoke piece. The man¡¯s face was strikingly handsome, with an angular face and perfectly proportioned features. The man sported a thin moustache of dark mahogany with a soul patch to match sitting proud beneath the lower lip and framed by a masculine and powerful jaw tinted by an obviously cultured five-o-clock shadow. ¡°Where are my friends?¡± Donny asked, eyes staring unblinkingly into the man¡¯s bright green irises. The man gave Donny a curious look, left eyebrow raising in challenge at Donny¡¯s defiance. Ignoring the question the exquisitely dressed man turned to once again look out over the turquoise sea. After a long moment he continued with his tale, dismissing the boy¡¯s refusal to play along. ¡°I watched as the fish and birds and crabs and insects returned to their previous chores of foraging and searching for optimal nesting grounds. I watched as the creatures I¡¯d previously dismissed as low and unintelligent once again returned to commence with an otherwise redundant and cyclical existence. And on that day, I learned that I was the same. That just as watched these brainless and unknowing creatures would weather the chaos and disorder that I wrought with my immature tantrums, my own observers looked on as I came to seek the measly tendrils of power I could usurp with my pitiful existence.¡± As the man stood tall once again, Donny could see the ripple of muscle and lithe athleticism of the man¡¯s powerful frame strain against the perfectly tailored cover of the fabric that composed the well-made suit. Not a single grain of sand or scuff of dirt assaulted what had to be so much more than your average three-piece Hugo Boss suit. ¡°Life will continue forever on, and unless we hold in our hands the power of the moon to shift the tides of life and deny our enemies the safety of the water of life, we are no more than a pebble. No more than stones skipped and forever lost beneath the surface as the ripples of our actions wane and fade to nothingness. And I learned that one must either embrace the swell of the tide that sculpts the shore and accept that we are but grains of sand on the beach or become the very water that fills the sea and gives life to creatures within.¡± Then he turned to face Donny, pulling a pocket-watch attached to a long silver chain from the pocket of his blazer before closing it with a crisp snap of metal as he seemed to pierce Donny¡¯s very soul with his gaze. ¡°Where. Are. My. Friends?¡± Donny said again, fists clenched in defiance with shoulders squared as he articulated each word with clear hostility. The man sighed, shoulders slumping as he gave up on waxing poetic with this clearly unconvinced young scion. ¡°We have thirteen years. Survive through this period and you will see for yourself what has become of your friends. Until then, all you need to know is that your grandfather said to let you know that no harm will befall your peers, as long as he still lives.¡± Turning to face the length of the embankment, back exposed to the young boy who continued to glare venom at the older man, ¡°Come now, our venue should be here right about¡­ now.¡± A green haze abruptly wrapped the duo in its emerald fog as a jagged tear seemed to split the air directly in front of the duo. Donny watched as a pearlescent portal of shimmering energy formed right there in front of him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we have not time to waste.¡± And with that statement, the figure of the man stepped into the rift and disappeared from Donny¡¯s sight. ¡°Geez, do you have to be so dramatic?¡± Donny grumbled to himself as he followed the man, feeling a trickle of energy like the prickle of so many insects crawling across the skin, he shuddered as he stepped through the portal. ¡°Donny!¡± Milo shouted as suddenly appeared on a dirt path, people surrounding him, mouths agape and whispers spread as he looked on in surprise. There were sleek, modern buildings of all shapes and colors lining a muddy, sparsely graveled road that stood in stark contrast to the metallic sheen of the architecture of the weirdly futuristic yet frontier-esque aesthetics that comprised the village Milo now stood in. The young boy thought quickly, mind racing as he tried to make sense of what was going on. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a place, this is either an amusement park of some galactic enterprise for the rich and noble, or a rest stop for travelers¡±, Milo thought to himself, but from the identically uniformed personal positioned on porches and along rooftops, the lad was inclined to believe it was the former. ¡°The question is, who¡¯s running the show? Top-notch suits and manicured nails, these aren¡¯t Provosco¡¯s people, that stingy creep wouldn¡¯t waste the money on such niceties for lowly concierge. ¡°Leaves me two options, Que-Florence or¡­.¡± Milo¡¯s train of though was cut off as a stunning woman in a tight-fitting black dress that stopped just above her knees; with not a speck of makeup but still surpassing the women who, if not for the presence of this ridiculously beautiful woman could steal the breath from any onlooker. She had long, dark hair, with hazel eyes that shone with golden highlights. A voluptuous bosom and thick, perfectly curved hips. An athletic build with shoulders that were both strikingly defiant yet delicately feminine and long, powerful legs ending at feet that walked on 8-inch stiletto heels with a graceful stride. ¡°Leritaila!¡± Milo hissed under his breath as he met the woman¡¯s gaze, a smirk forming on the lady¡¯s cherry blossom lips. ¡°OH, my dear boy, there you are! What¡¯d mum tell you about running off and scaring her like that?¡± The seductress said as she wrapped the boy in a tight hug as if she were a worried mother who¡¯d just found her lost child. ¡°What the hell is this woman talking about?¡± Milo thought to himself as he was lifted and squeezed in a surprisingly suffocating embrace. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I old that old man way too many favors, and that I was threatened with my family¡¯s extinction if you were to die, or I would skin you down to the bone. You better be worth your fucking salt after causing such a scene in my most exclusive attraction you little shit, do you understand me?¡± Milo¡¯s skin grew increasingly icy as the women whispered in the eight-year-old¡¯s ear. His hand froze where it¡¯d been about to grip onto the mound of flesh where his chin rested in the overly pretty woman¡¯s embrace, slowly falling back down to his side. ¡°And you ever try that again, you perverted little animal, I¡¯ll skin you alive without letting you lose even a single drop of blood. Then, I¡¯ll prevent your body from healing for the duration you¡¯re in my care. And to clarify, I have thirteen years to teach you how to be the most ruthless, prodigious merchant a lecherous monster like you could ever hope to be, capiche?¡± The clearly psychotic demon of a women said as she pulled back, gripping Milo¡¯s shoulders in outstretched arms as she said out loud: ¡°Oh come, darling, let¡¯s get you showered and fed and in clean clothes, what¡¯d I tell you about getting into the actor¡¯s wardrobes? People will think you¡¯re not well dressed as you are!¡± She said through a smile of gritted teeth and twitching eyes, clearly struggling to maintain her composure in front of so many people. Milo gulped, beyond grateful he hadn¡¯t followed through with his lewd motion. Cursing his father for inheriting to him his egregious proclivities as he took the hand of the terrifying yet stunning woman and let her lead him through the crowd of people who now wore looks of pity and schadenfreude as they once again turned their attentions to the entertainment around them. ¡°M-m-miss¡­ Where are my friends?¡± Milo asked when he had finally summoned the courage to speak. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Instead of answering she dragged him into an alleyway, then through the back door of a fake brick building, into a massive studio that doubled as a high-end boutique. Clothes of exotic fabrics and materials hung from racks made of crystal and live mannequins posed in various outfits. Jewelry that was so fine and pristine he felt like a single ring cost more than his family¡¯s entire manor; he was definitely not on Kreig anymore. Milo GoldHand was the heir successor of the richest and most influential merchant enterprise on Kreig and had once been in the big three of the merchant guilds back in the peak of the family¡¯s era. As his ancestors had tied their cart to the legs of Donny¡¯s family, they declined together throughout the years, his grandfather (many times removed) had always valued loyalty over any sum of gold, jewels, credits, or spirit crystals, and this code of honor had persisted throughout the generations. As he was spun into large, extremely comfortable chair that seemed to be made out of kandel pup fur with how soft it was, Milo stared at the woman who¡¯d taken him as she herself sat on an identical chair that was before a massive meteorite desk. ¡°Where. Are. My. Friends.?¡± Milo asked, his face scrunched in what he hoped was an intimidating look as he annunciated each word clearly and with as much resolve as he could manage in his confused state. ¡°Kid, if you¡¯re going to shit yourself you better not do it on my seven-million credit Velkin Contour original two of five.¡± The Woman¡¯s words were harsh, but now that he looked, he saw a warm fondness towards him in her dark purple eyes, a playful smirk playing at the edges of her lips. ¡°If you keep looking at me like that, I¡¯m going to tell your mother the next time I see her.¡± Milo¡¯s eyes went wide, the pain of far too many swats from his lecherous proclivities haunting the skin of his ass as his face turned pale. ¡°P-p-please, I¡¯m only worried for my friends, I mean no offense milady.¡± He stammered out as he folded in half, bowing deeply to the woman as he simultaneously slid back into the crack of the large, cloud soft cushion. Sputtering, he pulled himself up and back to the edge of the chair, face red and huffing from the embarrassment of it all. ¡°Hmmm, you¡¯re definitely a GoldHand, loyal to the marrow of your bones. Fine, I¡¯ll tell you this.¡± The woman stood up and walked around to stand directly in front of Milo, legs spread and hands on her hips. ¡°If you¡¯re not able to sell a furball to a cat in the next thirteen years, you can forget about ever seeing your friends again. You won¡¯t be worthy to rejoin your Kabal if you can¡¯t at least do this after I¡¯m done with you, you¡¯ll need to be at least the second-best merchant in the sector to stand side by side with your friends.¡±, her hard look did not soften at the fear and anger in Milo¡¯s eyes as she stared down at him. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, lady!¡± He yelled, his anger building as he balled his little fists in resentment. ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t I though? I know that the FireBrand brat has a bloodline not seen since his ancestor tore through galaxy after galaxy with his pure Sunfire constitution, destroying clans and sects alike in his revenge for the death of his first wife. The boy is predicted to be the second coming of the Celestial Elementalist if he does not die too soon. I also know that your little friend Lyle was born with the Farseers Eyes and will be able to shoot down a star from five galaxies away if he reaches maturity. And do I even need to mention little Don-don?¡± Every word the woman spoke pierced Milos¡¯s innermost fears, as a cold sweat formed on the boy¡¯s brow. Leaning down she spoke in a low, melodic tone ¡°And what can you bring to the table with your average aptitude for cultivation, and your meager affinity for martial techniques? Can you even learn your family¡¯s Midas¡¯ Golden body technique? Your family hasn¡¯t been able to afford to nurture an inheritor of that invincible technique in millennia.¡± Milo stared at the woman, tears almost forming in his eyes before he grit his teeth. Rubbing tears away with the back of his hand he hopped down from the to stand in front of the woman, glaring back at her he retorted ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, I don¡¯t care what I gotta do, I will become the greatest merchant in the entire world, I don¡¯t give a f-crap about whether you think you¡¯re the number one merchant! I will surpass you! And I will make enough money to afford the treasures necessary to form the Golden body. I¡¯ll even create a technique that makes my skin harder than Diamond, just you wait, lady!¡± Milo felt the resolve grow in his chest as he spoke each word, unable to keep his voice from rising towards the end of his speech. The woman looked at him with interest for a long moment before smiling and turning to leave. ¡°Good, come, we must take advantage of every second if we¡¯re going to make your foolish little dream become reality.¡± Suddenly she stopped, Milo almost running into her as she turned to cock an eyebrow at him. ¡°Oh, and when I said you¡¯ll need to be at least the second best, I wasn¡¯t saying I was number one.¡± Taken aback by the statement, Milo looked at her quizzically, ¡°Then who did you mean?¡± ¡°Hmph, your father, of course.¡± She said mysteriously as she turned to walk away, a finger beckoning for him to follow. Charles FireBrand, or as his friends called him, Chucky, looked at the baren rock and silt around him. Soot fell like snow as he stood there, the heat of his surroundings beating against his will as he calmly controlled his breathing. This wasn¡¯t his first time on a volcano, he¡¯d grown up playing with his siblings on his father¡¯s personal volcano, Mt. FireBrand, after all. This was, however, his first time being on such an overwhelmingly massive volcano. That said, he began to shake with fear at the sight of massive crater of boiling magma not a hundred steps from where he stood. ¡°Are you still afraid?¡± a Gravelly voice spoke from behind him, and he turned to see a massive being of molten rock and silt standing as tall as an elder Bristle-tree, molten lava dripping from cracks that ran along the being¡¯s body, like so many veins of fiery blood, to sizzle on the volcanic stone beneath them. ¡°Who are you-no, where are my friends?¡± Chucky said stubbornly, his own inner fire stirring within him as he used his constitution to rebuff the ever-present heat surrounding him. ¡°Ho, Ho, Ho, you¡¯ve got the spark of flame within you, don¡¯t you boy?¡± The magma golem said, giving a chuckle that sounded like stones grating together, with what appeared to be delightful at the boy¡¯s temper. ¡°The question is can you face your fear? Your fear of your own power, of the strength that you were born to wield?¡± Chucky couldn¡¯t help but think back to that day. He was three and was playing tag near the mouth of his father¡¯s volcano with his twin sister, he had been running to his dad¡¯s gazebo at the edge of the crater, the safe spot was his father¡¯s cultivation mat. But he¡¯d looked back when his sister had yelled ¡°I¡¯m going to catch you!¡± he¡¯d tripped and fell into the volcano, only remembering the feeling of sheer terror he¡¯d felt before coming to in his father¡¯s arms, his father smiling brightly at him as he rocked him in his arms, saying something to his mother who had tears in her eyes but was for some reason smiling. ¡°I almost died, ok? I may have resistance to heat but if I¡¯d have fallen into the magma before my father caught me, I- you¡­ I can¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t be here. Where. Are. My. Friends?¡± ¡°Hmph, you want to know?¡± The massive, molten golem said as it strode towards the edge of the crater, a cloud of ash billowing in the background as a sinking feeling welled within Chucky. ¡°If you truly want to know the answer to that, you will conquer your fear¡± And with that, the creature of molten rock dropped into the volcano. ¡­ Lyle blinked his dry, sleepy eyes as he stretched and yawned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes as he recalled the strange dream, he¡¯d¡­ had. Lyle looked around at the open expanse of plains around him. There was nothing but lush grass beyond the random bed that was sitting in the middle of the unending fields. Nothing but targets that grew continuously smaller the further out they were. The event¡¯s of before suddenly rushed Into Lyle¡¯s mind, his group of friends being pulled into Uncle Kosher¡¯s inner world, the massive blue aquatic bird diving towards them through the air. He snapped his head around, searching. ¡°Where are my friends?¡± he wondered to himself has he snapped back to reality. Gazing in wonder as he took in the scenery Lyle finally connected the dots and understood that he was in a place he had never been. ¡°What the f-¡± Lyle began, his eyes focusing on the closest target, over fifteen hundred yards away that was the size of a house. He couldn¡¯t help but wish he had his rifle, a Legion 7 SiegeBreaker firing a nine hundred forty grain .65 JMG round. Within the large red bullseye was a hole about ten feet in diameter, and beyond that were targets that gradually grew smaller with similarly decreasing-sized holes perfectly aligned with each other, stretching far past his range of vision. Lyle licked his lips at the challenge before him. Though she tried not to show it, is mother had always been disappointed that he hadn¡¯t been born with her power and grace, and this disappointment in him only grew when he had shunned the bow for the rifle. See, there was no skill with the rifle, it was a weapon to be used by mortal simpletons who had no actual skill in the art of ranged combat. Rifles were for those who didn¡¯t have the strength to draw the string of the massive bows his entire family had used for generations upon generations. Lyle¡¯s mother, Lyla Farsight, was High elf royalty who¡¯d left her clan to marry his father, Brailin Shadeson, a Sunlight elf. Sunlight elves were a vassal race to the high elves, destined to forever be servants for their superior cousins. High elves were born with immense strength, stamina, agility and grace. They were naturally talented fighters in general, but their preferred weapon had always been the bow. Sunlight elves were a naturally weak and frail race but controlled very powerful illusion magic and excellent at espionage and trapping enemies. While many races had no strict regulations on interracial marriage, the high elves were one of the few who strictly mated within their own race. For millions of years there had not been a single exception, as elves were a race that imprinted. When an elf met the one destined for them, they imprinted, forever forging an unbreakable bond with their mate. And high elves had always imprinted with other high elves, it had just always been. Until the day Lyla imprinted on Brailin during a ball at her father¡¯s palace. Lyle hadn¡¯t inherited the immense physical strength and agility of his mother¡¯s clan. He was slightly stronger and faster than most kids his age but paled in comparison to the abilities of his pure bred cousins. He did, however, inherit his father¡¯s affinity for illusion magic, and had been the first Farsight to be born with the Farseers eyes, the mystical ocular technique exclusive to the Farsight bloodline and what had earned them their name. The Farseers eye at its peak would supposedly allow Lyle to see across the stars, and track targets from planets away. Due to these facts, by only seven years old he¡¯d become a quite talented sharpshooter. He could use his FarSeer¡¯s eye, combined with his power to bend and manipulate light to ¡®attach¡¯ his sight to projectiles; he was a deadly combination of control and accuracy. The only problem was, he tended to get nervous when shooting under pressure. ¡°Has your grandfather ever told you the story of the archer who hit the smallest target on this range? The only marksmen to ever wrap an arrow around an entire planet?¡± a soft, purring voice made Lyle jump, heart beating in his chest as he turned to see a cat perched atop the rounded post of the bed¡¯s headboard. It had a white underbelly with tan and gray striped brindle patterns covering it¡¯s head, back and tail, with some white on it¡¯s muzzle. Ignoring the cat, Lyle continued to search for the person who had just spoken. ¡°Hello?¡± He tried, beginning to think his friends were pulling some sort of prank on him. ¡°Come on, guys, this isn¡¯t funny. You know how nervous I get.¡± Lyle shouted out, his palms becoming sweaty under the pressure of silence. THWACK! Something smacked the back of Lyle¡¯s head, sending him tumbling off the bed as he smashed face-first into the grass, as well as the subsequent dirt beneath. Sputtering and spitting out granules of earth, Lyle jumped to his feet. As he patted the dirt off his chest, knees, and palms he glared while spinning around frantically. ¡°Very funny, guys! Come on, I¡¯m not playing around¡± he said as panic began to rise in his chest. ¡°Is this the respect of the inheritor of the FarSeer¡¯s eye, to so blatantly ignore the spirit of your ancestors most sacred shooting range?¡± came that same voice as Lyle finally turned to face the cat who still sat perfectly still on the post, eyes seeming to contain sentience and wisdom far beyond what a mere housecat should be capable of. ¡°I believe I asked you a question. Have you heard the story or not?¡± That was when Lyle realized it was the cat speaking! ¡°Uhhh¡­I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve never-ahem. Well, I¡¯ve heard the story, it¡¯s just, how are you¡­ sorry, my name is Lyle¡± this cat looked like any normal house cat, maybe even a bit smaller. It gave off no fluctuations of power and seemed otherwise normal. But these facts just enhanced the feeling that Lyle had that this cat could wipe him out of existence with less than a thought if he offended it anymore. ¡°Yes, I know your name, and it¡¯s good you know the story. At the time I was still in the early stages of forming my physical avatar as a world spirit, but I remember clearly the day that young Elf shot the arrow that wrapped the world. He was only thirteen years old.¡± The cat suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Lyle, licking its paw as it continued while seeming to not actually care about the topic in a way only a cat could pull off. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to figure out a way to surpass him, because I have a lot more to teach you than just sniping, and I do not have the time we need to accomplish everything that old fogey wants me to accomplish, capiche?¡± after speaking, the cat waved a paw, and the ground shuddered as a large wall slowly rose up from the ground. The wall was covered in all sorts of weapons, from short bows to repeating crossbows to ancient marksman rifles of all makes and models from every race and galactic quarter that had developed firearms within the system. Walking up to the wall, Lyle couldn¡¯t help but salivate at the plethora of weapons that started with a simple crude short bow and ended with¡­ ¡°Is that?¡± ¡°Your SiegeBreaker? No. That¡¯s my SiegeBreaker now, and you won¡¯t be getting it back until you can hit that target consistently¡± As the small cat pointed a paw at the rifle that Lyle was pretty sure was his locked within a crystalline box, a massive obstacle course of wood and stone rose from the ground, with a small, fist-sized target at the far end of the boxed-in shooting range that moved unpredictably at odd intervals ¡°with every other weapon on this wall. Until then you can forget about even touching my rifle.¡± And with that the cat disappeared. Lyle spun around, searching everywhere, but the cat had vanished completely. ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me!¡± He shouted, ¡°Where are my friends, I want to see my friends!¡± Chapter 6 Chapter 6 As Donny stepped through the portal behind the dapperly dressed man, he couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at the sight before him. They stood on the edge of a massive cliff, rock walls curving around them in a half-moon, an enormous waterfall falling into a pristine lake of turquoise water. Trees and foliage encompassed the lake, stretching as far as his eyes could see. He couldn¡¯t help but feel he was standing on a crescent moon as he gazed at the earth below as birds flew and sang their clarion songs, like trumpets of war declaring the sky their own. Turning to Donny, the man pulled out a cigar, biting off the cap and spitting it out to the side he began lighting it at an angle with a sleek Zippo-style Torch lighter he¡¯d pulled from the pocket of his blazer. Taking short, but deep draws and exhaling smoke from the side his mouth as he spun the tube of tobacco, rolling it in his fingers until the entire nickel-sized foot of the barrel was glowing a bright red, the man looked seriously at Donny before speaking. ¡°My name is Vinchenzo Durielli, I am but a simple couturier, a tailor of fine suits and exquisite taste. I am also the man who trained your grandfather along with his cabal and was once their group¡¯s personal smith and armorer many generations ago. I have retired since then and have been trying to live a peaceful life of tranquility and calm, Preferring the finer art of a clothier in my old age, when low and behold, my old disciple who I haven¡¯t spoken with in so many millennia shows up not even in person, but as an avatar! Saying he needs me to look out for his precious little grandson for a while and dropping the dirty little crustation on my doorstep before vanishing off the face of the earth, with no way to contact him.¡± Vinchenzo said, exhaling a rolling cloud of smoke as he seemed to gather his thoughts as though he had spoken a simple and irrefutable truth instead of a scathing insult. ¡°All he said was get you into a dungeon and don¡¯t let you out till you¡¯re eighteen, and to bring you to this dungeon, specifically. Pssh, I don¡¯t know why he wants you in my campaign dungeon, but I wasn¡¯t going to argue with a man like that in the mood he was in, I may not be happy with the situation, but I do have a heart, after all.¡± Turning to Donny the tailor glanced at him, and Donny couldn¡¯t help but think the man was trying not to salivate as he stared at him. ¡°Well?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, what?¡± Donny huffed, ¡°I¡¯m just a dirty little crustation, and shrimp don¡¯t have very good brains, y¡¯heard. So why are you looking at me like I¡¯m a pile of money that just fell from the sky?¡± He said defiantly, his old accent coming through full bore in his irritation. ¡°You have an aura skill, a powerful one, to be sure. Also, you have mastered chi manipulation to an exquisite degree. Both of which should be impossible for your age, and beyond that I can sense your body swelling with power to an inconceivable degree. It¡¯s like you have an unending spring of potent experience welling within you.¡± Vinchenzo leaned closer to Donny, the sweet and oaky smell of his cigar assaulting Donny¡¯s nose as a cloud of acrid smoke drifted into his face. ¡°So, the question is, why would your grandfather want to send you, a five-year-old, level nine, classless, cultivation-less weakling into a campaign dungeon where you can¡¯t level, and even the weakest creature is over level 50?¡± The man had a wide smile on his face, as if he knew something was going on, but didn¡¯t know exactly what. The more he stared at Donny the more nervous Donny became. ¡°And to top it all off you wreak of that man¡¯s power.¡± ¡°Now, I imagine you haven¡¯t had time to read through your notifications after killing that assassin. Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that, boy, the turtle told me everything. It¡¯s time you did so, but do not select any skills or prompts without consulting me. Also, project your screen so I can read along with you, don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry, you can choose to blur or leave out certain information that you do not wish to share, I just need to see the basics, so I know what I¡¯m working with.¡± Vinchenzo said as he pulled out two wooden chairs with silk cushions from thin air, and lit a campfire that Donny was sure wasn¡¯t there a second ago. Sitting in the chair, Donny couldn¡¯t help but notice that he couldn¡¯t feel the wooden frame at all, and his spine and hips seemed to be supported perfectly, as if the chair enforced a proper posture, though it was not uncomfortable. He mentally thought about everything the man had said. ¡°That man¡¯s power. Is he talking about grandfather or¡­ No, he knows about my champion status, the system said I won¡¯t be able to hide it once I reach a certain level anyways. This guy trained grandpa, who trusts him enough to bring me here. I might as well trust him too¡± making up his mind he willed his status screen to pop up like a large screen T.V., the blue screen hovering above them like an at-home theater. Deciding to just continue where he left off and letting Vinchenzo read at his own pace, Donny found what he was looking for.
Combat Log
Congratulations! Against all precedence you have slain a level 53 Assassin of the (redacted) faction (Elite), as a level zero pleb, what kind of hacks were you using? Gained Title: Bullying the Bully (Relic) You have somehow defied the odds and broken the known hierarchy, disturbing the status quo and killing an enemy 50x your current level. All attributes +25% Experienced gained from killing enemies above your level +15% Projectile damage +35% Bonus experience gained for killing an enemy above your level. Bonus skill experience gained for Aura manipulation (Primordial) Bonus skill experience gained for Chi Manipulation (Common) You have used your aura as a catalyst to bind your chi with the element of water. Skill gained: Water Manipulation (Uncommon) Due to your unorthodox methods, and mastery of your chi, combined with the difficulty of learning this skill at level 0, the rarity has been increased to: Rare. Skill Upgraded: Water Manipulation (Uncommon) To: Water Manipulation (Rare) Bonus skill experience gained for Water Manipulation (Rare) You have reached level: 9 You must select your starter class to reach level: 10 Warning! Due to regulations placed on your Boon: Legacy of Pheros, all experience gained beyond level (Redacted) (9) has been converted into attribute points. Would you like to select a class now? [Yes] [No] You have gained: 8,897 free attribute points.
Donny and Vinchenzo seemed to breathe in sharply at the same time, and Donny snapped his head to see the older man removing his expertly crafted hat, revealing slicked back hair and beads of sweat forming above his brow. Pulling out a cloth napkin the man dabbed his forehead, staring at Donny like he¡¯d just won the lottery by finding this boy. ¡°How does the bonus even apply to me, I was level zero, and last time I checked, zero multiplied by any number is still zero, no matter where you are in the world. And why can¡¯t I select a class, it¡¯s grayed out, only let¡¯s me select no¡± Donny asked in bewilderment. It didn¡¯t make sense, regardless of whether he should have gained the experience or not, he had. But if he¡¯d gained so much experience, he should have the accrued experience necessary for the jump to level ten after selecting a class. ¡°Out of everything you just read that¡¯s what your concerned about? Trying to get a class and cut off your own head? As far as you gaining the percentage boosts I believe it¡¯s because there is no precedence for level zero so by default you are considered to be level one¡± Vinchenzo looked at Donny like he was a simpleton. ¡°What are you talking about? The system is the one that¡¯s cutting off my head, Bird-blocking my damn boon with a nerf that effectively cripples my ability to level fast and reach the divine level. None of this makes sense¡± Donny scoffed, face red with embarrassment and anger. ¡°Nerf? Maybe. It tried to nerf you at least. But the system appears to not have accounted for such a series of unfortunate events!¡± Vinchenzo said, abruptly standing and pacing back and forth, one hand behind his back, and one on his chin. Donny stood up as well, throwing his hands up in exasperation, ¡°Come on man, you gotta let me know what the hell¡¯s going on, I¡¯m in the dark over here and it¡¯s my own fucking status screen we¡¯re talkin about!¡± Turning to face Donny, Vinchenzo excitedly explained his theory ¡°Disciple, listen. I believe the system threw a quick patch on your boon to give it time to think of a more permanent solution before you hit level ten. It must¡¯ve taken an enormous amount of power for the system to interfere with a boon of that level. While the system is powerful, even it cannot create something from nothing, and must maintain balance. My dungeon is a campaign dungeon and is primarily used by those attempting to break past the threshold to Paragon One. A campaign dungeon essentially allows one to spend a decade or two accumulating experience points, before stepping out of the dungeon and confronting the first paragon tribulation. This is why the system cannot influence a person¡¯s status while they are in a campaign dungeon.¡± The man was becoming increasingly agitated as he spoke. Donny thought about this, recalling the matrix of progression within the system. When an individual reached level one hundred, they had to accumulate enough experience, as well as be strong enough to face a series of attacks from the heavens. The system would drain their experience as they battled against the heavens. And if one succeeded, they would start again at level one. The first tribulation was commonly accepted as the hardest until the divine tribulation. After all, only ten percent of people made it past the first paragon tribulation in the entire universe. There were one hundred paragon levels in total, but from what Donny understood the divine tribulation could be attempted as early as paragon seventy-five. That meant that this dungeon was probably used for those who didn¡¯t have the strength and talent to surpass the first hurdle on their own. It was a place to accumulate experience outside of the system¡¯s purview before exiting and immediately attempting the tribulation. ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, man, but I earned the experience before coming here, and that still doesn¡¯t help the fact that I can¡¯t select a class.¡± ¡°Oh, but that¡¯s exactly it! A being must acknowledge their gains for them to be applied. That is how the system tracks a person¡¯s progression. There are too many people in this universe for the system to monitor them automatically, so it forces a karmic link through its communications, until you reach a certain level. After you killed that cocky assassin, you were distracted by leaving with the turtle. Then, before you had the opportunity to select a class, thus allowing the system to patch your nerf; you were attacked and whisked into the turtle¡¯s storage space and brought to me. I then proceeded to ramble on about my past until we came in here and you were finally able to read your system prompts. But by then it was too late, and you were cut off from the system, forcing the alteration of your boon to absorb the access experience points that would otherwise have been reserved for your class selection and subsequent level-up to ten!¡± ¡°What? Uncle kosher took me into his inner world, and he doesn¡¯t like being called a¡­ wait a minute, a being with an inner world doesn¡¯t need permission to bring you in if there is a sufficient gap in power¡­!¡± Donny started to realize what Vinchenzo was getting at as he thought out loud, remembering the books he¡¯d read on storage spaces and inner worlds. ¡°D-does that mean that everything was-¡± Vinchenzo suddenly held a hand over Donny¡¯s mouth, not allowing him to speak aloud his thoughts. ¡°I have no idea what you were about to say. But if you were going to ask if anyone had ever intentionally manipulated a series of unfortunate events in order to force an unorthodox progression path that bordered on crossing a line within the system¡¯s regulations and could result in immediate retaliation of unspeakable consequence. I would say that even in this dungeon such things must not be joked about or spoken of lightly regardless of how absurd and unrealistic the notion was.¡± The older man said with a pointed stare telling Donny to keep his mouth shut about the topic as he removed his hand. Donny gave the man a flat stare ¡°so essentially I¡¯m stuck at level ten and unable to progress further and that¡¯s supposed to be a good thing because?¡± ¡°Go to your skill notifications¡± ¡°I already went through them; my Aura manipulation skill and Chi manipulation skill are at ninety-seven and ninety respectively.¡± Donny said skeptically. ¡°N-n-ninety¡­ five-years-old, and level NINETY?¡± The older man ripped is hat off and squeezed it in a crushing grip, eye twitching repeatedly as he clenched his jaw, whisper-shouting the last word. Donny broke out in a cold sweat from the tiny sliver of killing intent that escaped the man, grateful to have his aura resistance which made the lash-out more of an icy-hot breeze than an assault on his faculties. But unnerving, nonetheless. ¡°Sigh, just check your skill notifications again.¡± Vinchenzo said in a pleading tone, looking slightly overwhelmed by the information he¡¯d just received. Donny pulled up his menu, surprised to see that there was indeed an exclamation mark next to his skills tab. Selecting it, he felt a physical strain from the amount of notifications he received as he reduced them to minimize the size of the status screen Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Skills
Congratulations! Aura Manipulation (Primordial) has reached level: 100 Chi Manipulation (common) has reached level: 100 Water Manipulation (Rare) has reached level: 35 Aura Manipulation (Primordial) Level: 100 has absorbed Chi Manipulation (Common) Level: 100 to become: Aura Manipulation (Unique) Level: 1 Aura Manipulation (Unique) Level: 1 Aura manipulation is directly correlated with spirit. Spirit +250 You have ascended in proficiency with both the control of your aura and chi. Through the blending of your chi and your aura you have merged two skills into something completely unique to yourself. Your aura now powers your chi, allowing you to extend and manipulate your chi as if part of your physical self. Your expert¡¯s intuition allows you to control your aura as if it were extra limbs or extensions of your weapons. You may now fire your aura as independent projectiles, this effect can be amplified and manipulated depending on the weapon you wield. Range and power of aura projectiles increase per skill level and may be modified by a physical medium, such as firearms or swords. Projectiles from this skill are affected by all projectile modifiers. This skill may be used to bypass ammunition restrictions on certain weapons. Your aura will no longer be projected from you in a field but instead be tightly maintained around and within your body, strengthening your defensive prowess passively. Passive bonuses increase exponentially upon skill level increase. Your skin is now imbued with your aura. Your eyes are now imbued with your aura. Your organs are now imbued with your aura. Level up this skill to imbue bones (level 20), lungs (level 40), heart (level 60), brain (level80), and blood (level 100) with your aura. Title Gained: Prodigal Son (Unique) You have created a (Unique) skill before reaching level 10. You are part of a select few heavenly chosen with the talent and commitment to achieve such a feat. Luck +5 Charisma + 10 The effects of all unique rarity skills are increased by +25% You receive: Personal space (Unique) You may allocate a percentage of your aura to create a pocket dimension within your core that can be used to store non-sentient items. Size and durability of personal space depend on core rank and Aura Manipulation skill level. Warning! Dedicating too much of your aura may result in insufficient aura for the passive defensive properties of the skill.
After settling his mind from the massive upload of information and instinctual insight into how to apply his aura in different ways, Donny struggled to focus his sight as he looked at his master to be. ¡°How should I apply my free points? Should I min-max a specific stat, spirit seems to be important.¡± ¡°For any other disciple we would establish a strict allocation of all free points to perfectly compliment your build. But for you? Just allocate them evenly and your attributes alone will put you well above a top tier level sixty or so adventurer.¡± Then Vinchenzo seemed to ponder for a moment, head tilted in thought ¡°But your right, the spirit attribute already enhances the properties of aura and chi-based skills as well as increasing your resistance to soul and aura attacks. With your skill now being directly tied to that attribute the effects will be multiplicative, and later on you¡¯ll be able to condense your stat points. I¡¯d recommend at least a thirty percent investment in spirit with the rest being split evenly among your base stats.¡± Donny thought about it for a second before just putting half of his free points into his spirit and dividing the rest among his base stats, doing a bit of shifting to round out the lower stats. He already knew that luck and charisma couldn¡¯t be improved using free points, but he¡¯d already got a small boost to both, which was incredibly difficult as it was, so he wasn¡¯t too concerned with the more esoteric attributes. When he was done, he looked at his Overview.
Overview
Name: Donald Cook Level: 9 Core Cultivation: N/A Race: Celestial Human Faction: Citadel Faction type: Clan Galactic Quarter: Elvos 5 Planet: Krieg Status: Champion (Pheros) Innate talent: N/A Base Attributes/Statistics: Constitution: 900 (25%) Strength: 900(25%) Spirit: 4,703 (25%) Dexterity: 900(25%) Intelligence:900(25%) Wisdom:900 (25%) Intrinsic Attributes/Statistics: Charisma: 20 Luck:15 Potential: S+ Class: N/A Skills: Aura Manipulation (Unique) Level: 1 Water Manipulation (Rare) Level: 35 Personal Space (Unique) Current Ladders: Champion Ladder: Rank 15,074 Titles: I will not bow The First of your kind (Primordial) Bullying the Bully (Relic) Prodigal son (Unique)
Donny slapped his forehead, annoyed that he¡¯d completely forgotten about his first title. Sending a mental command, Donny pulled up the title¡¯s description.
Titles
I will Not Bow. (Primordial) You have been exposed to the aura of being many times stronger than you and survived. Your Soul has been significantly fortified against Divine Influence. You cannot be forced to bow by any influence and all attributes are increased by 100% for one minute when an enemy attempts to make you bow or kneel using a skill. You lose -50% of all attributes for one minute following this boost. You learn and promote aura-related skills as well as soul-based and energy-based skills slightly faster. Spirit +10% Strength +50 Constitution +50 Active Effect cooldown: 24 hours.
¡°Holy shit, kid you sure you only got fifteen points in luck?¡± Vinchenzo half-joked while looking at the title. ¡°You need to hide your titles from now on, as well as all of your stats and attributes. Trust none, not even your friends¡­ yet¡± Vinchenzo quickly corrected himself when he saw the anger building in Donny¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, choose wisely who you bare your chest to.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll decide that when I am ready, after all I, myself don¡¯t even know the extent of my own abilities. And either way, I still can¡¯t level which is a major problem.¡± Donny scoffed, smirking at the still obviously flustered Vinchenzo. ¡°No, no, no, no, no! Can¡¯t you see, boy? It¡¯s actually the exact opposite! Your boon allows you to level your skills extremely fast, while also boosting your attributes significantly when killing enemies above your level, and the larger the difference the more experience you get. Keeping you as low a level as possible is too your benefit!¡± The well dressed man was almost jumping in excitement, and Donny couldn¡¯t help but feel the guy was holding himself back from clapping his hands like a toddler at a toy store. ¡°So you¡¯re saying I should just level skills as much as I can while I¡¯m in here, and use my low level to farm attribute points?¡± Donny¡¯s mind began to go over the implications of what the older man was saying. ¡°But won¡¯t that make my paragon one tribulation much harder to overcome?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes, but that¡¯s a hurdle all champions must face. And the fact that you have that guy¡¯s blessing means you¡¯re going to need all the help you can get to survive your tribulation as it is. Irregardless this is an opportunity you won¡¯t get again so we need to get you as powerful as we can in the time we have. Just make sure you keep your boons hidden. For now though, we need to level up that aura skill of yours as fast as possible and we don¡¯t need the others currently in the dungeon chasing you down to try and kill you or kiss your ass to earn favors.¡± Vincenzo said he stood put away the chairs and fire pit with a wave of his hand, causing Donny to wince as he fell to the ground, expecting to jar his tail bone but in fact he didn¡¯t even feel the impact. Still, Donny rubbed the spot instinctively as he got up, flashing Vinchenzo a sour look. ¡°Jeez you could¡¯ve given me a heads up.¡± He complained before asking ¡°I thought dungeons are like, solo instances or whatever, why would others be in here?¡± ¡°Well firstly there are many types of dungeons. The single instance dungeons you speak of are quite common but honestly aren¡¯t worth the time and cost to manufacture artificially so are typically found in wild and unpopulated areas, or on planets that are newly introduced to the system¡¯s infrastructure.¡± Vinchenzo explained calmly as he began walking along a path that came dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. ¡°Earlier I told you the basics of a campaign dungeon, and how they¡¯re typically used. But there are many benefits to a campaign dungeon. For instance, this one is not only used to generate steady income through the entrance fee, but also has certain synthetically modified plants and animals that cannot be found anywhere else in the universe but have many alchemical and manufacturing properties that are useful for different professions¡± said Vinchenzo ¡°So, it¡¯s a giant lab of sorts?¡± Donny couldn¡¯t help but ask as he began to see the world around them in a new light. ¡°Of sorts, yes, but it¡¯s also a massive trade hub as well as a crossroads for inter-galactic travel. Though not cheap, one can enter through a portal on a planet in one galaxy and exit on another planet in a completely different galaxy, potentially saving themselves hundreds of years of travel time¡±. ¡°Like the portal we used?¡± Donny asked, becoming increasingly curious about this so-called campaign dungeon. ¡°Yes, well¡­ ahem, that specific portal isn¡¯t necessarily a legal form of entry. Entry permits are quite expensive, you know. But if you don¡¯t let it slip that we came in through a back door or get stopped by the law enforcement without an entry permit, you¡¯ll be fine, ah yes, what a beautiful Ficus!¡± Vinchenzo said shamelessly as he looked away, dodging Donny¡¯s flat look. ¡°It¡¯s really that expensive?¡± Donny said suspiciously as he eyed the older man¡¯s incredibly expensive looking outfit ¡°you¡¯re really telling me you can afford to walk around like a men¡¯s warehouse supermodel, but you can¡¯t afford two measly tickets into a dungeon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I made this fine suit with my own hands, and while I could afford a million tickets if I wanted. It¡¯s just¡­ I uh, why pay for something you can get for free you know, hehe?¡± Donny choked on air as his eyes bulged, glaring menacingly at the man who was obviously hiding something. ¡°You¡¯re telling me you snuck us into some super-venue of a dungeon, and got us in illegally when you could¡¯ve just paid for the damn tickets? Dude, your tellin¡¯ me that you know my grandfather, a fucking world class gangster, but you don¡¯t know how to sneak in through the front fucking door? What happens to me if I get caught, Vinchenzo? Am I gonna just train in prison, and when my friends come a lookin¡¯, and they will come lookin¡¯, and my parents as witt¡¯em, what¡¯ya gonna say huh? ¡®Oh, by the way Mr. and Mrs. Cook, you son has somehow ended up in prison at the age of five, sorry kiddos, you all went training and became reliable people, but meanwhile ya boy Donny went and pissed away his one an- ahem..., second and only chance at life?¡± Donny was in full blown lecture mode now, he tended to get like this when he felt someone did something that was so stupid and unnecessary it should never have happened in the first place, in his humble opinion. ¡°Shhhhhh, careful, careful! Call me Master V., we must not- oh, shit¡± Vinchenzo suddenly paled as a he froze in place, an oppressive aura locking down the area, though it didn¡¯t affect Donny much more that a gentle breeze might move an ancient oak tree. ¡°Oh Vinchenzo, my love, how nice it is to your gorgeous face!¡± a nasally yet melodic voice, reminding Donny of an Italian mom who just caught her husband and son getting into her favorite wine surrounded the two from seemingly everywhere at once as Donny looked around in confusion while his unscrupulous master seemed to pull his head down into the collar of his shirt, like a turtle hiding from a raven. ¡°Oh, and who¡¯s this adorable little thing, he¡¯s just so cute!¡± The woman rushed down from the sky, where she walked through the sky as if on stroll at the park, each casual step seeming to carry her ten. Pinching Donny¡¯s cheeks, she said ¡°And the way you were shouting my Pooh-bear¡¯s name it sounded as if you were angry with him. Not that I¡¯m surprised, he seems to have a talent for that. Vexing people, I mean.¡± The woman said as she gave Vinchenzo a look that literally made ice creep up the man¡¯s legs, though Donny couldn¡¯t help but think it was actually the prick doing it to play up the drama of it all, hoping for pity. She had blonde, short hair that was fluffed into a perm, she had a long nose that sat beneath bright blue eyes caked in eyeliner that came to a point above her cheeks with plucked, drawn on eyelashes and full lips that had the bright red sheen of lip-gloss. A sleek white trench coat fell to just above black heels and was draped over shite button shirt tucked into a black skirt. ¡°Is this guy really reliable?¡± Donny thought as he looked nonplused at the two who obviously had a history. ¡°I know that look. You¡¯re wondering how reliable this prick of a man is, aren¡¯t you?¡± The woman smiled as she gave Donny a look that made him feel that he could not hide anything from her gaze, ¡°What¡¯s your name, child?¡± ¡°Why should I tell you? You haven¡¯t even introduced yourself and you stand there pinching my cheeks like I¡¯m some sort of-¡± Donny blinked, face flushing as he remembered he indeed, was currently a child. ¡°I¡­ uh¡± Donny mumbled sheepishly as the woman¡¯s smile grew ever bigger, appearing to stretch across her face like the Cheshire cat. ¡°Oh, I like this one. Did you bring him here as an apology gift for me?¡± She said to Vinchenzo without breaking eye contact with Donny, the boy felt a deep shiver run along the length of spine as he shivered. ¡°I need a favor, Margy.¡± Vinchenzo finally spoke, breaking his frozen fa?ade as he walked up, hands extended as if to ask for Margy to take them in hers. The scary woman finally let go of Donny¡¯s cheeks, standing up from where she¡¯d been leaning over the boy, reaching her hands out she made to take Vinchenzo¡¯s hands, as the man smiled a stunningly charming, toothy thing that made his eyes crinkle, as if he were the genuine article. ¡°Fuckboy¡± Donny muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes at the blatant acting. THWACK! Donny stared in shock, amusement, and horror as Vinchenzo¡¯s head was blasted to the side, blood and teeth spewing out over edge of the cliff. The man¡¯s feet stayed firmly in place as he wobbled back and forth cartoonishly, face swollen. ¡°I Detherved that!¡± He said, tears starting to pool in his eyes. THWACK! Again, this woman named Margy smacked the dog out of the man, another round of wobbling like a human¡­ elf? Slinky, both cheeks swollen and red as tomatoes. ¡°Whud wath that won fwore?¡± The man wheezed, tears now streaming down his swollen and bruised face. ¡°You know what that one was for.¡± The woman said pointedly, face twisted in fury, before she finally took his hands in hers, leaning in to rest her head on his chest sobbing along with the beaten and battered man, ¡°Oh, how I missed you my big plate of shrimp and steak.¡± ¡°Pffffft¡± Donny¡¯s cheeks ballooned as he tried to hold in his laughter. Vinchenzo¡¯s head snapped his way, immediately focusing on him, face now magically blemish and bruise free, mouth full of perfect teeth once again, as if he¡¯d been putting on a show the entire time. Eyes squinted as he put on an angry front, cheeks blazing crimson. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± The man asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes. ¡°Nothing, nothing at all. What are we talking about?¡± Donny said as he rocked back and forth on his heels, hands behind his back and eyes open wide. He was the perfect portrayal of the innocent five-year-old boy he was in appearance. He bit his cheek, trying harder to stop himself from laughing than he¡¯d ever tried before, knowing that the two beings in front of him were powerful beyond anything he¡¯d ever known, and while he had a feeling Vinchenzo would never truly hurt him, he also knew he could make his life a living hell. ¡°Oh, my, goodness Vinnie, can we keep him? Can we pweeeeeease?¡± Margy said in a pouting tone as if she were a kid begging her parents to keep a stray puppy she¡¯d found on the street. ¡°Margy, this is serious, I need a Primo Pass for the boy, you know I wouldn¡¯t have come here if it wasn¡¯t important.¡± Vinchenzo said, wincing when the woman suddenly turned dead serious, lips pursed in obvious displeasure. ¡°You know those are all reserved already, every single Primo ticket has been paid for and collected¡± There was a dangerous edge to the woman¡¯s tone ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re asking for the golden ticket?¡± ¡°What is this, a fuckin chocolate factory?¡± Donny quipped, before clamping a hand over his mouth, cursing his lack of a filter as both adults stared at him, Vinchenzo¡¯s mouth was agape in utter horror, Margy glared at him with an icy calmness that was more terrifying than any fury. ¡°What, did you just say?¡± She hissed through clenched teeth as Donny felt her try to crush him in his aura, in an attempt to make him kneel. A look of surprise passed over her face before turning to shock when Donny¡¯s aura suddenly blazed unbidden, striking out at the woman¡¯s aura as the active effect of his ¡®I will not bow¡¯ title kicked in, power surging within his body. Donny roared, fists curling to his sides like he was lifting an immense wait. This woman had tried to make him submit, had attempted to force him to his knees with a skill that was probably at least at the divine level. His aura seemed to penetrate every inch of his being, fortifying and strengthening his body as his base stats doubled, his will was reinforced with the boost from his title. ¡°I. Will. Not. BOW!¡± Donny roared the last word, making the woman¡¯s trench coat flutter and hair blow back as if she was standing in a strong wind. After an entire minute of Donny looking on with fury blazing in his eyes, standing defiantly in the face of the threat that the two people in front of him represented. Then his body went slack, vision going dark as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, he slumped to the floor. Vinchenzo suddenly appeared to catch the now unconscious boy, glaring at Margy. ¡°Why the fuck did you do that, you could have killed him. I know you know who he is. Using your divine aura is one thing, but that skill, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get this entire realm, along with everyone in it, wiped from existence?¡± Vinchenzo snarled, heart pounding from the pressure he felt for a split second amongst the chaos. The pressure of an existence that was far beyond any of the people present. ¡°I-He-he didn¡¯t¡­how did he¡­¡± The woman stuttered, still in shock from not only being rebuffed by a small child, but having her coat and hair disturbed from the force of the boy¡¯s rebuttal. One should know that not even a paragon thirty ranked adventurer could so much as flutter the hem of her cloak, much less ruffle her hair the way he had. Turning on her heel and stomping away with a huff, she suddenly stopped, throwing a gleaming, rectangular token clipped to a white lanyard and shining a golden brilliance over her shoulder. ¡°Did you plan all of this?¡± She asked breathlessly, obviously flustered by it all. Catching the ticket, Vinchenzo stared at it for a long time before whispering softly ¡°No. I was sure you would give him the ticket, once you learned of his abilities, but I did not expect things to reach this level.¡± He gave her an apologetic look, conflicting emotions running through his head as she simply nodded her head. ¡°I really hope you know what you¡¯re doing¡± And with that final statement, she disappeared. ¡°Yeah, I do too.¡± Vinchenzo muttered as he stood up, slinging Donny over his shoulder before bending his legs and leaping into the sky, heading for the center of the dungeon. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Milo ran into Loriella Leritaila¡¯s office, sweat soaking the back of his button up dress shirt that was pinned beneath water resistant fabric of his Leritaila 500 series blazer, which trapped such ¡°exposing weaknesses¡± such as sweat between the inner lining of his coat and his skin, making his apparel extremely uncomfortable to wear while maintaining a perfectly presentable and professional appearance. Mistress Lori, the only title Milo was permitted to call his master and mentor by, demanded that he show no weakness when handling affairs in her name or his, as he represented her even when representing herself. ¡°Mistress Lori, Provosco is demanding a cease and desist on our Faberge dragon-egg line of d¨¦cor, claiming we are breaking intrinsic copyright regulations on his embroidered J¨©nj¨©-egg vignette, as well as compensation for damages accrued through breach of intellectual property, quoting galactic IP protection protocol. He also has Judge Seffmier in his corner, who has refused my request for a continuance on the grounds of insufficient claim to the copyright licensing of our product.¡± Milo placed an envelope of documents on her desk as he juggled his folder on his left elbow while sifting through paperwork using his right hand and chin to keep his portfolio from spreading and making a mess. ¡°Hmmm, and what is your defense for the case?¡± She asked non-committedly as she ignored the packet, pushing it to the edge of her desk as she browsed entries for her newest fashion line submitted by interns who¡¯d earned the right to present their entries in the upcoming fashion show to be held next month. ¡°Well, I have the Solar-dragons backing to start. Our eggs are engraved and provided by the Dragon¡¯s Guild directly and are cleared through the Sacred Beast headquarters as an official sponsorship between the sentient beast races and humanoid races.¡± Milo said, drawing on his memories of galactic fair practice laws that applied to the case. ¡°Provosco will argue that there is no precedence to back our argument.¡± Lori cocked a pristine eyebrow at Milo as she lit a cigarrete and leaned back in her Velkin Contour 1/5, giving the boy her full attention. ¡°Ah, but there is!¡± Milo said victoriously as he presented another set of documents to his mistress, who took them and began rifling through the paperwork. ¡°Gilded Feather sect v. Golden divine emporium 1,572, a dispute regarding the nature of the use of divine feathers in pillows and blankets within the universal hospitality market. Judge Willow-Mathis determined that materials provided with direct consent from sacred beast-folk delegates hold intrinsic value over the rightful acquisition of materials obtained via claim through conquest or battle. All of Provosco¡¯s eggs are obtained through contracted adventurers and are processed artificially by jewelers of the humanoid races.¡± Milo said, trying hard to not to let his excitement show on his face. He had spent the last three weeks with Darlya, his assigned paralegal, pouring over past cases before stumbling across this buried case. ¡°Which means-¡± ¡°Which means you have a two-hundred thousand year-old case from a judge that we¡¯re not sure is even alive anymore and is almost guaranteed to not be willing to back us in front of a jury, even if we could track him down¡± his mentor drawled, handing the documents back to Milo, her face not revealing even a hint of what she was thinking. ¡°Oh, but that¡¯s the kicker¡± Milo smiled victoriously, unable to hide the smugness he felt as he pulled out a signed affidavit and held it up, pinched between index finger and thumb. ¡°Not only did was I able to track him down, but he¡¯s willing to testify on our behalf before the panel.¡± He finished as he cocked an eyebrow back at his stoic mistress. ¡°Well then, it looks like you have this in the bag, why bring it to me?¡± Lori asked as a sly smirk creeped along the edges of her perfect lips. ¡°Well, uh, y-you¡¯re going to-¡± Milo fumbled his words nervously, not understanding the pointed look he was getting from his master. ¡°No, Milo, you¡¯re going to handle this case on your own.¡± ¡°M-mistress, I can¡¯t, I haven¡¯t even done a pro-bono case, much less-¡± ¡°Milo, my dear boy, it¡¯s been five years, you¡¯ve worked over a thousand cases and have only cost me two wins in all this time. You need to give yourself the credit you deserve. I can¡¯t caudle you forever¡± Lori said, standing and collecting her things as she made to leave. ¡°After you¡¯ve solidified our claim on the Faberge industry, it¡¯s time to begin your martial training.¡± She said as she walked off without looking back. ¡°And what if I lose?¡± Milo shouted after her. ¡°Then you better hope you are assassinated before I get my hands on you¡± She responded in a cheerful tone as she waved a perfectly manicure hand over her shoulder before putting out her cigarette in metallic ashtray before disappearing through the beaded curtains that led into the main lobby of her boutique. ¡°Fuck, me.¡± Milo whispered as his shoulders slumped, a nagging sense of dread tugging at the back of his mind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Milo GoldHand, but Mistress Lori expressly forbids employee fraternization in all of her businesses, so this is not a request I can assist you in.¡± Came a high-pitched, drone-like yet feminine voice from behind the boy. ¡°Aw shit, fuck, who the¡± Milo jumped what he felt to be a foot in the air, arms flying up to cover his head and papers flying everywhere as if he were in an atmospheric hurricane drill. ¡°Daryla, I told you not to sneak up on me like that!¡± Milo complained as he bent down to pick up the binder and papers that had spread across the floor. ¡°I did not sneak up on you, in fact I intentionally stepped heavily as I walked up, as well as announcing my arrival at the door. You are simply so inattentive of your surroundings that I can¡¯t help but to feel it would be a simple task to assassinate you should you fail to win this case. By the way, I am willing to assist you with this task, with proper compensation, of course. And to assuage your worries, I am forty-seven percent certain of an instant kill, and ninety-four percent certain I can kill you within two strikes¡± Daryla said in her emotionless manner of speech, as a saber-length stinger protruded to a needle point from the insectoid¡¯s abdomen. Daryla was Vespirnettle, a humanoid insect race that was the product of a Nettle Faery falling in love with their Vespidaeic familiar millions of years ago. She was about four feet in height with long, powerful legs and two sets of arms. An abdomen twice the size of her torso extended out behind her and a sleek black and gold layer of chitin protected her like armor. She had a fairy-like face with no ears or nose, large compound eyes and row upon row of sharp mandibles in lieu of teeth behind exaggerated lips. The vespirnettle wore a sunlight-yellow tailored Leritaila suit from the Hive-Chique clothing line their mistress had designed. One thing that all who were close to Loriella Leritaila knew was that the woman liked to act tough and pretend she was heartless, and for the most part she really was, but beneath her callous exterior, Lori had a soft, motherly side, and that side had a weakness. She was an absolute sucker for orphans, as she had been an orphan herself as a child. She had discovered Daryla¡¯s egg during her travels after stopping at a meteor that supposedly had hot springs with healing sulphites the aided with detoxing the meridians. The supposed hot springs were actually fossilized incubation sacks that held the eggs of the vespirnettle for years before someone found an asteroid belt and exposed the pockets full of nutrient rich amniotic fluids. Years after Lorietta had found and hatched Daryla and figured out her race had been all but wiped out she¡¯d taken it upon herself to make the girl feel welcome and included in society. Milo had always felt that it was because of this reason that she was so harsh and critical of him but always so supportive and warm with Daryla and the other orphans she employed. He was a pampered rich brat after all and hadn¡¯t experienced true struggle or rejection. Though he internally argued that no struggle could be considered worse than working for the tyrant of a woman. All that aside though he worked as hard as he could both to be a good lawyer and successful entrepreneur. He also really enjoyed Daryla¡¯s company, morbid and emotionless as she was, they had become close friends over thew years. ¡°You couldn¡¯t pierce through my iron skin in two hits, and you know it.¡± Milo said confidently, ¡°Can I count on you in this case?¡± He asked hopefully, knowing that the girl in front of him was four hands down the deadliest paralegal in the galaxy, for multiple reasons. ¡°No¡± said Daryla without a second thought. ¡°Ok, good, so what I was thinking is we¡¯ll strong-arm Provosco¡¯s suppliers, we¡¯ll explain to them that once Provosco see¡¯s things are going south for him he¡¯ll use them as scapegoats to avoid a countersuit¡­ Wait, what¡¯d you just say?¡± Milo froze, His friend had never once said no to him before. ¡°I do not wish to be assassinated. The mistress clearly stated you must do this on your own, and I have a less than ten percent chance of surviving if I were to pierce myself through the eye with my stinger. Should we lose, of course. Also I do not need to prove myself to mistress, she told me I will always be her specially buzzy bug and that she will always love me.¡± Daryla said nonchalantly as if she weren¡¯t talking about spearing herself in the face. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense, Dar, why would she want you assassinated if you¡¯re her favorite? She won¡¯t be mad at you if you helped me.¡± Milo huffed out, coming to a stop in the hallway they walked down while they conversed, he threw his hands in the air and let them fall to his side. ¡°You are correct.¡± Daryla said, turning to look milo. ¡°Yes! So, you-¡± Milo¡¯s face lit up before falling once again at Daryla¡¯s next words, as she continued on without letting Donny speak. ¡°You are correct, Mistress would indeed not be upset with me. But she would be very disappointed in you. She has faith that you will succeed, and she is proud of your achievements. But, if you cut corners or cheat your way to victory or rely on the aid of others, she would be very distraught and will lose faith in you. I do not wish for her to be sad, nor do I wish for you to fail. But I also will not be a bad friend and deny you this opportunity to grow and improve and show the rest of us that you¡¯re not just some pampered rich kid who relied on others to get where he¡¯s at¡± And with that, Daryla walked off. Milo stared, jaw almost dropping to the floor as stood there, frozen in place. Lorietta was doing this¡­ for him? ¡­ ¡°Elder Sunfire, is it not true that before my client started his J¨©nj¨©-egg vignette decor line, he had come to you as a prospective stakeholder and investor, and you had refused him? You claimed that you refused the acquisition by humanoid races of any and all dragon eggs, claiming that using the stillborn shells of your clan¡¯s unborn children was sacrilege and that asking for such a thing was disgraceful and showed the true greedy nature of the humanoid races?¡± Yared Johnston, Lawyer for the Provosco company, laid into Storms Bane Sunfire, elder of the Solar dragons. Yared was a very large man, at around five and a half feet tall, it seemed his width was in competition with his height for his greatest asset, his almost circular body being supported by legs that seemed impossibly thin beneath his mass. He had greasy, slicked back hair, and the brownish-green skin of a Goblelf, a mix between a Hobgoblin and a high elf, covered with a fine tailored, black-red suit that seemed to move and stretch with the movements of his body. Rings and body jewelry decorated the man from his fingers to his face. Long, pointed ears hung behind the mains head from the weight of the metal, wooden, and jeweled rings and studs dragging them back like the grease in his hair. While the green-skinned lawyer was short and round, Storms Bane Sunfire was truly massive. While in his skin-covered avatar he stood well over eight feet tall. He had broad shoulders and a large chest, he wore a collared polo t-shirt and a clip-on tie, biceps bulging beneath the sleeves. In place of hair were rows of short, jagged horns covered in light-brown scales that more resembled freckles than anything. The same small scales speckled the Dragon¡¯s face from forehead, down across the wide brow above his crimson eyes, and down to his broad chin and jaw. The large dragon in humanoid skin cut an imposing figure in comparison to all but his clansmen, and even they were small in contrast. ¡°Objection, your honor, that¡¯s a leading question¡± Milo called, hand in the air as he stood up from his seat. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Sustained. Johnston, please remember we are in a court room, not an interrogation.¡± Judge Ellen Malterez. ¡°Acknowledged, your honor¡± Yared said, giving the Judge a disarming smile before turning back to Elder Sunfire, pulling out a series of papers and placing them on the crystal projector that displayed its contents on a large white screen to one side of the courtroom, showing receipts for purchases made for three different Embroidered eggs, red highlighter circling the names of prominent Sunfire clan members. ¡°Elder Sunfire, it is my understanding that multiple purchases of my client¡¯s product were made by members of your clan months before the Leritaila line of Faberge eggs were released. Are these purchases something you were aware of?¡± Johnston asked, a smug look of content on his face. ¡°W-Well yes, I approved these purchases, we wanted to-¡± Elder Sunfire began. ¡°And did you personally study these eggs in the time frame before the confirmed design of the Leritaila d¨¦cor line was released?¡± Johnston continued, increasing the pressure on the witness. ¡°Yes. Yes, I did. I wanted to determine the amount of stress the shells could withstand before damaging the integrity of the egg.¡± Sunfire said, locking gazes with Milo as he responded. Milo felt a chill run down his spine from the intimidating glare. ¡°The integrity of the egg you say. Was integrity a concern when you blatantly imitated the core runes of my client¡¯s product?¡± ¡°Objection, your honor! Argume-¡± Milo stepped to intervene but was cut off by Yared before he could intervene. ¡°No further questions, your honor.¡± Yared collected his paperwork, shooting Milo a cocky smirk before returning to his seat. ¡°Your honor, I would like to converse with my client.¡± Milo said, hands shaking as dread began to fill his chest. ¡°You have five minutes.¡± Judge Malterez said, giving Milo a pointed look as she stood. As Milo walked into the attorney-client conference room, he rubbed his hands on his pant legs, panicking as he tried to control his breathing. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± He hissed at Sunfire accusingly as the dragon elder followed him into the room. ¡°Careful how you speak to me, boy.¡± The dragon in human form growled back, eyes narrowed. ¡°Three eggs. You had your subordinates buy three fucking eggs, and what? That just happened to slip your mind?¡± Milo cried out, trying and failing to control the volume of his voice. ¡°I needed to make sure there was a way to Inscribe the eggs without damaging them! They may be nothing but fancy decorative items to you two-legged, but those eggs mean much more to my people!¡± Sunfire roared, the sound-proofing runes shaking as they struggled to counter the power in the dragon¡¯s voice. ¡°You gave them evidence that we weren¡¯t ready for! Did you not stop to think that maybe Provosco¡¯s people don¡¯t give two shits about why you bought those eggs?¡± Milo scowled back, the difference in power and status be damned. ¡°We told you that we needed confirmation that this venture wouldn¡¯t destroy our eggs, what did you think that meant?¡± a trickle of aura began to form around the dragon, like heatwaves from a hot summer day reflecting from surface of an asphalt road. Milo stared back in anger, clicking his tongue in disbelief at the thick-headed dragon-man in front of him. Turning around, he stalked out the door opposite from the courtroom, slamming it behind him as Storms Bane called out from behind ¡°Where are you going? You can¡¯t just wa-¡± his client¡¯s voice was cut off by the sound-proofing wards as the door slammed shut. Milo struggled to breathe as he crossed the hallway, walking into the room adjacent and slamming his hands on the table in the room as his mind spun, struggling to find an answer to the situation he was in. ¡°Ah, yes, class please welcome Milo GoldHand, one of lady Leritaila¡¯s personal disciples and a¡­ talented¡­ lawyer. Have you come to offer guidance to these young, aspiring interns?¡± The last voice Milo wanted to hear echoed off the wooden walls of the conference room, pronouncing his family name as though it were foul and emphasizing the word young in a bid to mock Milo¡¯s age. The man had always used Milo¡¯s age as a point of contentment but had always treated him like a true adversary regardless of his discontent. Looking up, Milo¡¯s face went pale as he looked around at the faces of interns staring at him from their seats around the massive table. Lewitt Littus, son of Lyon Littus, and heir to the Littus family. A small family of elites that had produced some of the most prodigious lawyers, judges, doctors in the entire universe. An extremely talented lawyer, as well as Milo¡¯s most hated enemy, but also his most respected rival, gave him a look of pure venom as he stuck his chin in the air and grinned mischievously. Milo could¡¯ve died right there and been happy, but he cleared his throat and straightened his spine while adjusting the tie on his neck. Meeting Lewitt¡¯s gaze, he raised his upper lip in disgust before beaming a toothy smile, ¡°Lewitt, I was told to come and offer you guidance in your first intern orientation. Please, continue, and I¡¯ll give my input if I feel you need it.¡± Milo gave off an imperious air as he put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the doorframe. Milo had been leading intern orientation for two years and had become a legend of sorts for his ability to inspire and motivate his classes. Lewitt had always been jealous and had filed multiple complaints stating that he would be a much better fit for the promotion, justifying his claims by stating his age and years of experience. But numbers always spoke the truth, and the 32% Increase in hiring potential for their firm from prospective interns had solidified Milo¡¯s status, to the point that Lewitt had given up trying to replace him. In fact, Milo would have been tutoring this year¡¯s class as well had he not had a case to attend on this day. ¡°Very well, we were just discussing the case of Galactibrew v. Starcups 1756, In which Galactibrew won their case using the defense-¡± ¡°That there melorous-bean coffee brew couldn¡¯t possibly breach galactic IP laws because no matter how similar their blend was, melorous bean came from a different plant. And, regardless of the fact that it was a caffeine producing seed, commonly used to produce coffee, it was outside of the Rubiaceae family. Thus, could not be considered as an imitation of the product brewed from arabica seed that Starcups used.¡± Milo breathed out, voice becoming more excited as he spoke. His thoughts spun as he began to piece together an idea. ¡°Lewitt, you¡¯re the fucking man! All of you, pay attention to what this guy says, he¡¯s a wonderful lawyer, almost as good as me!¡± Milo shouted as he blasted through the door, bumping into people without care as he shoved his way back into the door across the hall, where an empty conference room sat, free of Elder Sunfire¡¯s presence. Rushing back into the room, Milo shouted ¡°I would like to call Mark Provosco to the stand!¡± Judge Malterez was centimeters away from slamming down her gavel when her hand froze, turning to address Milo ¡°Mr. GoldHand, how nice of you to join us, your client had just requested a deferral, are you sure you would like to continue. If you choose to do so, be warned that I will demand a decision today.¡± She said, a chorus of whispers filling the room as Elder Sunfire gave Milo a contemptuous look. ¡°I am sure, your honor.¡± Milo said as he adjusted his blazer and stepped up the bench. While Yared Johnston was large in a cartoon-villain kind of way, his client was large in a science-fiction villain kind of way. Rolls of fat hung from every part of the man¡¯s body, and Milo couldn¡¯t help but joke in his mind that his chin had a chin. The combination of lawyer and client cut a perfect duo. Muttering under his breath, Mark Provosco took his place at the witness stand. ¡°Mr. Provosco, do you recall the case of Provosco V. Que-Florence 2130?¡± Milo asked as the court began to settle behind him. ¡°Of course I do! Those tyrants tried to claim that my line of aquaporin leather snow jackets are an imitation of their astral whale hide winter series¡± Provosco stated haughtily as he scowled at Milo. ¡°And what was your defense against these accusations?¡± Milo asked, portraying a disinterested figure as he faced the jury and shrugged. ¡°Objection, I don¡¯t see how this has to do with the case, your honor¡± Yared interrupted, shoulders shifting as he tried to maintain his victorious demeanor. ¡°Overruled, answer the question Provosco¡± The judge said, propping her chin in one hand as she gave Milo a curious look. ¡°Well, our product was made from an entirely different species, the materials used for the stitching and accent work were completely different due to the nature of the material from the different species.¡± Mark Provosco said, the confusion he felt reflecting in his face. ¡°Would you agree that the intrinsic differences of the material, the delicate and brittle nature of the aquaporin compared to the soft yet tough hide of the astral whale and the fact that both needed completely different stitching methods sets them apart as two completely different products, no matter the resemblance of the final product?¡± Milo was punctuating every word with the precision of a surgeon as he dug into the metaphorical flesh of Provosco¡¯s argument. And as he pushed, realization began to show on the man¡¯s now sweaty face. ¡°Well yes, it was a competitive product, but it wasn¡¯t plagiarism, that¡¯s how we¡­ what are you getting at, boy?¡± The rotund man growled, eyes forming into slits as he began to fidget in his seat. ¡°Have you ever been jealous of Lorietta Leritaila, Mr. Provosco?¡± Milo suddenly asked, causing mark to stare at him in shock. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Provosco asked, adjusting his tie as he cleared his throat. ¡°You¡¯re jealous of Lorietta because she manages to come in first no matter how many times you try to top her.¡± Milo continued. ¡°You can¡¯t stand the fact that she¡¯s on every headline of every paper, every galactic-web blog, and every billboard this corner of the universe!¡± ¡°That has nothing to do with this!¡± Provosco shouted as he slammed his palms down on the bench with a resounding clap that echoed in the otherwise silent courtroom. ¡°Does it not? Let me ask you this, how many of Que-Florence¡¯s coats did your company procure for ¡°Study¡± prior to the release of your¡­ competitive product?¡± ¡°Objection your honor, this is badgering. And this line of questioning is irrelevant, there was no evidence of my client purchasing merchandise from Que-Florence.¡± Yared exclaimed as the whispers echoed through the courtroom once again. ¡°Sustained! Get to the point GoldHand.¡± Judge Malterez said as she silenced the room with a few knocks from her gavel. ¡°My point is this. Yes, my client studied his competitors. Yes, the products are very similar. But at the end of the day ¡®similar¡¯ is where it ends, and Provosco knows this. This isn¡¯t about whether the Sunfire clan committed plagiarism, this about the fact that they chose to work with Leritaila over Provosco. Those eggs are two different products, with two different manufacturing requirements and two different consumer bases.¡± The pitch of Milo¡¯s voice rose and fell with the emotion of his words, an honest sense of vindication for his master helping him to reflect his passion in his speech. Turning to look at Yared, Milo said ¡°No further questions, your honor.¡± ¡°Your honor, we would like to clarify¡± Yared was cut off by a resounding slam of the gavel. ¡°I have heard enough, Johnston! We will take an hour¡¯s recess, following which we will have the jury¡¯s decision.¡± Judge Malterez stood and allowed the officer standing guard to open the door to her office for her before storming through it as the officer turned and crossed his arms, daring any to try and follow. ¡­ ¡°I did it, Daryla, I fuckin did it!¡± Milo pumped his left arm, punching the air, with a glass of Amarillo in his right hand. ¡°If by it you mean you managed not to lose a case that you shouldn¡¯t have struggled with in the first place, then indeed, it you have done.¡± Daryla said in her robotic, droning voice. Today she wore a dryad-made dress made of a type of moss-silk that had actual flowers growing on it, with faeries as small as flies flying around and attending the flowers. While her tone may have fooled anyone else, Milo knew she was happy for him from the fact that she wore this dress. These signature pieces of the Fae races could not be purchased, nor traded for. They were each made specifically for the person they were chosen for, and the faeries were incredibly particular about whom they selected. Each who owned one was considered a friend of the Fae, and any attempting to trade or sell the clothing would result in the item returning to the grand court of the Fae and marking them as a betrayer. Daryla had a very close relationship with the Fae, due her race, and only ever wore this dress when she was celebrating something. The last time she wore it was when she had been promoted to Senior Paralegal. Though she could¡¯ve gotten her position with a single word from her adopted mother, she had chosen to spend years learning and working hard to get promoted directly by the board and had even earned the votes of those against the Lorietta family having such a strict hold on the company. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen it! That gelf thought he had me, but I then I stepped out to gather my thoughts. Next thing you know I remember that old case between Galactibrew and Starcups, and BAM! It hits me. I¡­ what¡¯s wrong Dar?¡± Milo slowly stopped talking and walking as he saw Daryla¡¯s shoulders slump and her head drop; he had obviously upset her somehow. ¡°I am glad you beat that goblinoid-elf hybrid lawyer, and I hope you enjoy celebrating such an inferior creature. I must go for I am pretending that I¡¯m very busy to avoid you.¡± Darlya said, stomping a foot that cracked the ground as she stormed off down the road they¡¯d been walking on. ¡°Oh, Daryla, I didn¡¯t mean it like that, I¡¯m sorry¡­you¡¯re not supposed to tell me that you¡¯re avoiding me!¡± Milo called after her as he realized his mistake. ¡®Gelf¡¯ was a derogatory way to say someone was a mix-bread of the goblinoid and elven species. It was a term mainly used by those of a single race and was usually reserved for racists and those trying to pick a fight with such a being. Though Milo wasn¡¯t a racist, he sometimes acted his age and got excited, becoming belligerent in his choice of words. Daryla was especially sensitive to such words, as she had faced plenty of bullying and ostracization due to her mixed race, even from those within the Fae. ¡°Shit¡± Milo said to himself as she walked out of his sight. ¡°Shit is right. You¡¯re gonna have to do your own historic research for a couple days.¡± An amused voice spoke from next to Milo as his master strode by, a large binder in her folded arms. ¡°And don¡¯t ever let me hear you use a slur like that again, even against your enemies.¡± Rushing to catch up with her, Milo couldn¡¯t help but notice the pearl necklace she was wearing, that seemed to have waves crashing within each one, tiny dolphins leaping from pearl to pearl. His master was also pleased. ¡°Mistress Lori, I fucked up¡± he said through labored breathing as he had to run to keep up with the woman¡¯s brisk walk. ¡°I see that, Milo. And you¡¯re going to have to fix it. Just so you know if it comes down to you or her, I¡¯ll choose her every time¡± Lorietta gave him a cheeky grin before turning to face forward once again. ¡°Wait, she wants you to fire me? No way, she would never! Hey, wait up mistress¡­¡± Milo had stopped to comment before realizing his master had gotten almost a block away during the brief pause. Lorietta Leritaila ignored the question as she turned into the alley leading to the back door of her boutique. Milo followed her through and into her office as she plopped down in her chair and slammed the thick binder of paperwork on her desk. Leaning into her massive chair, she kicked off her shoes and propped her feet up on the desk as she lit a cigarette. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is what you did not fuck up.¡± Lorietta spun in her chair towards her desk and slipped an envelope from within the binder, flicking it to Milo as she took a long drag from her smoke. ¡°This is?¡± Milo asked as he opened the envelope, pulling out a check written in his master¡¯s hand, flipping it over and back and forth before looking at her in confusion. ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve officially earned enough to pay for your tuition. It¡¯s time to begin your real training.¡± The beautiful woman said with a warm yet simultaneously sinister smile as she put out her cigarette and stood back up. ¡°But this check is written to you?¡± Milo said in a questioning tone. Walking around her desk, Lorietta stood directly in front of Milo. ¡°I said you¡¯ve earned enough to pay for your tuition, if you want more¡­¡± Milo¡¯s Mistress snatched the check from Milo¡¯s hand ¡°You¡¯ll have to do that on your own time¡±. ¡°Now, come, it¡¯s time you learned how to fight outside of the courtroom.¡± With that, she placed a hand on Milo¡¯s shoulder and both of them blinked out of existence, leaving her office silent and empty. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Chucky sat in a lotus position, eyes closed and face calm. The cool flow of liquid around him helping to temper his mind and soul. His body almost seemed as one with the undercurrent, and his hair seemed to dance with the grace of an eagle gliding on a southern wind. BADUMP. His heartbeat echoed loudly, and he followed the vibrations of his beating heart through his veins, internally cataloging his anatomical system within his minds eye. He knew every artery and vein, every organ and intestine, every bone, joint and piece of cartilage between them. BADUMP. The tubes of his heart pumped blood again. Chucky followed the blood vessels of his body back up as he traced the walls of this throat, following his eustachian tubes into his ears. Zooming in on the three ossicles, the malleus, incus, and stapes. The hammer, and anvil, and the stirrup. These three parts of the ear would work in unison to amplify and transmit soundwaves to the inner ear, where the waves would be converted to electrical signals that would be transmitted to the brain and converted to sound. This was a constant in the universe for all beings capable of sound, no matter the alteration of language or species, it was the same. BADUMP. Chucky¡¯s eyes flew open. He stared at the anvil before him. Holding a hammer in one hand and tongs in the other he began working the glowing metal bar that lay on the anvil. A Chain ran over the bar, leading to a stirrup which his foot rested in, releasing pressure when he needed to flip or turn the ingot he worked on, and pulling down on the chain to secure the ingot when he began his strikes anew. Chucky¡¯s master had always told him that the reason smiths used their ears as much as their eyes is because the ears could tell the brain things that the eyes failed to capture. ¡°I¡¯ve met many blind smiths, I¡¯ve met many deaf smiths, but I have never met a blind, deaf smith¡± His teacher would say in his gravelly voice, and he would always follow up with ¡°At least not ones worth their metal¡±. Chucky had heard many quotes and comparisons between the medical field and the metal working field, or as his master liked to say the ¡®metical¡¯ field. The young man thought about these things as he forged and shaped the metal ingot into the musculoskeletal structure of numerous races and species, the lava of the volcano flowing around him as he worked and studied and monitored the vibrations of everything around him while also monitoring his internal status. Chucky had always been the type of kid not to be able to focus on anything. He joked, pranked people, he disturbed the class and had a hard time concentrating on a single thing at a time. He¡¯d always got perfect grades but would also get suspended for ditching class after finishing his work and becoming bored. He enjoyed learning and hated being still and had always felt that the people around him were slow. Not that they moved sluggishly or weren¡¯t intelligent. Other people just didn¡¯t get things. And for some odd reason that for all his attempts he couldn¡¯t figure out, people thought he was the weird one. Him! Even his parents would feed him medication and send him to therapists and psychiatrists and have him analyzed and studied and none if it ever really changed anything. He felt¡­misunderstood, until he met Donny. Donny seemed to be able to sense the movements of the status quo, it was like he could know a person without having known them for longer than five minutes. He remembered the first time he¡¯d met Donny. It was at Chucky¡¯s third name-day ceremony. He¡¯d grown tired of the stupid kid¡¯s games and the dumb petting zoo that had a tiger cub that was obviously anemic and also had an ear infection and no one would listen to him when he said the poor cub needed a vet. So, Chucky had left the party and went to his secret spot, a massive white-needle pine that had been hollowed out by lightning. It had become the hive of a glow-worm colony and when one sat in the darkness of the hollow tree completely relaxed and breathed calmly, allowing the worms to feel safe and retreat from the darkness that protected them, the worms would dance. They would move along, feeding upon fungus and moss as they choreographed a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes in their uncoordinated way. ¡°You know you¡¯re supposed to be present at your own party, right?¡± Donny¡¯s voice had cut into the silence, startling chucky out of his daze as he jumped, the glow-worms disappearing into darkness. ¡°What¡­who¡­how did you find me?¡± Chucky fumbled his words as he tried to convey his annoyance in his tone but felt like he just sounded whiney. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s a giant dead tree with a slab of bark from the same tree conveniently placed over a hole in the trunk in the forest directly in the direction you walked off towards after sneaking out of your party¡± Donny said in an unimpressed tone. ¡°B-b-b-but the bark was from this tree, how did you find it so easily?¡± Chucky gaped, not worried about being seen by other boy in the pitch black of the tree. ¡°Bro, you glued the bark on vertically, the bark of this tree grows horizontally in an upward spiral, my blind uncle could tell it was a prop. And close your mouth, the glow worms are going to start hibernating in there.¡± Came the bemused reply, and chucky couldn¡¯t help but feel he was being spoken to by someone much older than he. Chucky felt a sense of kinship with this person, a feeling he had never felt when interacting with other kids around his age, though he was older than Donny. Getting up he made his way towards the entrance, not needing sight to know where he was going. ¡°How do you do that?¡± He asked as he carefully stepped in a way that wouldn¡¯t disturb the endangered species beneath his feet. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°How do you just¡­know things? Like how¡¯d you know my mouth was open, you couldn¡¯t see me.¡± ¡°Look man, sometimes you just know when a person¡¯s jaw is hanging loose.¡± Donny said smugly, his voice growing louder as Chucky got closer. ¡°Also, you have a glow worm on your cheek, I wasn¡¯t kidding when I said they were going to start hibernating in there.¡± Chucky brought his hand up to his face and found that he did indeed have a worm on his face. He delicately brought it to the wall and let it rejoin its colony as he shuddered, having not felt the intruder in his haze. ¡°Is this kid just messing with me?¡± Chucky had never felt so thrown off before, but he was curious about this kid named Donny. Finally, making it to the makeshift door where Donny¡¯s stood silhouetted in the light from outside, having moved the amalgamation of glue moss and tree bark, he squinted as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. Donny extended a hand to guide Chucky up and over the old root that crossed the lower portion of the entrance like a too-large threshold. He inhaled deeply of the crisp, fresh air, the smells of fungi and vegetation mixing with pine and damp earth as Donny cocked an eyebrow at him, a smile playing at the edges of his lips. ¡°I get it¡± Donny said as he turned and began walking further into the woods. ¡°Get what?¡± Chucky asked. ¡°The feeling that no one can keep up. That even in this world where children are so much more advanced, more intelligent and conscious of the goings-on of the universe than the clueless, ignorant, innocently adorable beings they should be. That even with all that everyone just seems so¡­slow, y¡¯know?¡± Donny walked into a clearing, sunrays shining through the canopy above as dust and mist danced within the light above the long grass and wildflowers. ¡°See, you¡¯re doing it again¡± Chucky cringed at the sound of his voice cracking as he stepped up to stand beside Donny, hands in his pockets as he looked out at the clearing while they stood in silence for a moment. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Chucky asked when he couldn¡¯t stand the silence anymore, his brain beginning to go into overdrive like it always did when he got nervous. ¡°Shoot¡± Donny said, crouching down to rest his arms on his knees and pick up a stick that he used to dig into the damp soil. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You know I mean. Come on, you didn¡¯t come out here just to act all wise and mysterious. You want something from me, I know you¡¯ve been befriending the scions of the pillars. It¡¯s like you¡¯re gathering a crew for some epic heist like in the movies my dad loves to watch¡± Chucky couldn¡¯t stop the edge of annoyance from creeping into his words as his frustration reflected in the scowl on his face. ¡°Hehe¡± Donny chuckled as he stood back up, pointing the stick in his hand at Chucky. ¡°Let¡¯s make a bet. See, I can predict the future. And hear me out before you go spouting on that not even the karmic seers of the sage¡¯s temple can truly predict the future¡± Chucky shut his mouth; he had been about to say those exact words. ¡°What¡¯s the bet?¡± ¡°If I win, you join my group of friends and come train with us next week. If you don¡¯t feel that you fit in still, you can leave and that will be that¡± Donny said. ¡°And if I win?¡± Chucky asked, unable to parse out what Donny was plotting. ¡°I tell you what I¡¯m up to¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll play along. What do we do?¡± Chucky couldn¡¯t deny that he was intrigued. ¡°Its nothing complicated, I¡¯m just going to ask you questions and you¡¯re going to answer them as quickly as you can, fail to answer fast enough and I win.¡± Donny put one hand on his hip as he propped the stick on his shoulder in the other hand. Chucky scrunched his brow before nodding his head. There was no way this eccentric kid could beat him in a quiz, no matter the difficulty of the questions. This would be an easy win. ¡°What¡¯s two plus two?¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s the que-¡± ¡°Less questions more answers, or do you want to lose at the front gate?¡± Donny interrupted Chucky, snapping his fingers repeatedly like an irritated parent. ¡°Four¡± ¡°And four times five?¡± ¡°Twenty¡± ¡°Twenty minus three¡± ¡°Seventeen¡± ¡°What color is the sky?¡± ¡°Blue¡± ¡°How man legs does a wolkish have?¡± ¡°six¡± ¡°Name a vegetable, quick, quick, quick¡± Donny urged Chucky along, fingers snapping with each quick. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Uh, err¡­Carrot!¡± Donny turned and began walking back towards Chucky¡¯s manor. ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± Chucky called after him, frozen in his confusion at the odd interaction. ¡°We¡¯re gathering next moonday, be there¡± Donny said, waving a hand up in the air as he left without looking back. ¡°What just happened?¡± Donny muttered under his breath as he stood there dumfounded. Then his mouth dropped in stupefied amazement as he glanced down at the ground, where the word Carrot was scribbled into the dirt. Chucky enjoyed this exercise of forging and letting his mind wander as he went over the composition of different anatomies. His master had always urged him to embrace his quirks. To accept his mind for what it was and had pushed him to master it. To learn to control the ebbs and flows of his never-ending ideas and plans, to harness the chaos and transform it into an advantage, instead of diluting it with medicine and therapy. As Chucky worked, he sensed a fluctuation in the vibrations of the lave surrounding him, something was coming for him, though he continued on with his tasks as if none the wiser of the predator that stocked the viscous molten rock surrounding him. He calmed his mind, rejecting the sporadic thoughts that attempted to invade his consciousness. Continuing his work on the anvil, he shaped the ingot into a basic blade, red-hot metal forming a tip as his unwelcomed guest stalked closer and closer. Vmmmmmmfffffeeew, the dull vibration of movement reverberated through Chucky¡¯s senses, providing haptic feedback in his mind¡¯s eye. He watched as the serpentine creature¡¯s scales blended with the magma around them as it approached stealthily. It¡¯s maw, opening wide to expose rows of jagged teeth lining a jaw that stretched and expanded, four massive fangs jutting out, two from below, two above. Chucky could picture the quadrate bones and elastic tendons working to allow the jaw to consume prey much larger than should otherwise be possible as the magma drake suddenly shot forward, moving much faster than its previous stalking pace to consume Chucky in a single bite. A mischievous glint flashed through Chucky¡¯s eyes as the magma-drake suddenly froze, held in place by the magma around it. Using his fine control of the magma he vivisected the creature. Chucky disassembled the creature, using the heat to separate scales, skin, tendons, organs and bones while keeping it alive as he healed many small injuries throughout its body. Chucky nodded to himself before putting the creature back together and healing it completely. Nodding to himself he released his hold on the magmatic reptile. The drake¡¯s eyes went wide, and it turned and fled from Chucky many times faster than even the speed of its killing strike in a bid to get as far away from the terrifying red-haired monster that hadn¡¯t even looked away from his forging, the metal ingot now resembling a long serpent¡¯s fang. ¡°You¡¯ve done well, my disciple. But it is time to leave this volcano, come now, we must go.¡± A deep, rumbling voice echoed from above, and Chucky knew he had obtained all he could from this place. Standing up, Chucky waved his hand, and the anvil and tools, as well as the stool he¡¯d been sitting on vanished, once again becoming sediment and metallic particles that melded and flowed within the magma. Looking up, Chucky projected himself through the magma as if he were a fish in water. Rocketing out of the volcano he landed next to his master, bowing deeply. ¡°This one greets master. How were your travels?¡± Chucky asked respectfully. ¡°You missed an abscess on the magma drake¡¯s pancreas.¡± The large golem said in lieu of an answer, his body shrinking and morphing into an androgenous humanoid form that favored masculinity. Dark skin covered tightly compacted muscle, barely visible beneath the charcoal-gray suit that cloaked the man¡¯s body, eyes that glowed molten yellow gazed down into the mouth of the volcano as bright red hair similar to Chucky¡¯s own hair fell to the man¡¯s shoulders, giving him a regal and gentlemanly appearance. ¡°Magma-drakes process bacteria that forms builds up from the sulfuric properties of the magma they get their name from. They filter out these bacteria through their pancreas and expel it slowly to prevent infections. That abscess was not detrimental to its health, so I left it to be expelled naturally. My skills are for healing, not for altering the natural processes of evolution if they cause to harm to my clients.¡± Chucky said calmly, having expected this question. After changing into own obsidian-black button up shirt and matching pants, Donny draped a long ash-white coat over his shoulders, clasped around his neck by the tie on the collar and letting the sleeves drape freely. Both boy and master donned a bird mask that was bright red, exquisitely crafted in every detail with a long beak extending from it, resembling a phoenix. ¡°Hmmm. Indeed, you are correct, a healer must not interfere with the organic functions of the natural world. Good see you¡¯ve paid attention all these years. Now, let us be off,¡± said the humanoid golem. After all these years Chucky still had not gotten a name from stoic magma golem. As the two turned to leave, a low whining sounded from behind them. Both turned to see the very same magma drake Chucky had just healed, head peeking over the lip of the volcano, whining as if a dog begging for a treat. Chucky tilted his head in curiosity, stepping towards the serpent slowly as it shyly ducked its head back down from his approach. ¡°Can I help you, little fellow?¡± Chucky said to the creature, which was so big even though its head was twice its size. ¡°Careful, boy, you are not in the lava anymore. You have not the power to so effortlessly thwart the beast out here.¡± Said his master, though he did not move to stop him. ¡°I need not assistance to understand my own abilities¡± Chucky responded, not sounding disrespectful in the least, simply stating a truth. Suddenly, the magma-drake heaved as if it were about to vomit. Or erupt a fiery assault upon the young child. Flames that glowed a pearlescent blue in their intensity formed around chucky, pulling from the high temperatures around the crater of the volcano as a barrier separated the space between him and the draconic maw or the drake. He did not attack though, simply preparing to defend himself should it attack in turn. As a large bulge formed from within the drake¡¯s throat, Chucky dropped his barrier as he realized what was happening. He had seen the clutch of eggs within the womb of the mother drake, four large, black eggs and a single smaller and rounder white egg. He¡¯d been curious about the foreign egg that had made its way into the mother drake¡¯s clutch but had left it alone, not wanting to interfere with nature¡¯s course. Draconic beasts were known to take pity on the eggs of their prey, protecting them within their bodies along with their own eggs, and raising them as their own without prejudice upon hatching. Sure enough, the drake rolled the head-sized round egg onto its long forked tongue and presented the egg to Chucky, holding it in the split fork at the tip of its tongue as it proffered the egg like a peace offering. Or maybe it was its way of thanking chucky for taking mercy and healing her instead of killing when she had attacked him. Then, Chucky realized the egg had a thin scar running along one side, not quite a break but definitely caused by damage from some external force. ¡°You want me, to take the egg?¡± Chucky asked, shocked when the drake nodded in confirmation. This beast was at least partially sentient. Turning, Chucky looked to his master for confirmation. The golem shrugged its shoulders. ¡°I am not your parents; you do not need my permission to adopt a lost pup.¡± He said in his ever emotionless tone. Nodding, Chucky turned and excepted the egg. Frowning at how incredibly heavy it was. With a thought, a basinet made of pure fire formed in the air beside him, and he placed the egg in the floating carrier before offering a bow to the mother drake. ¡°I will do my best to make sure this hatchling survives and grows to be strong and healthy¡± he said. With another subtle nod, the drake slipped back down into the boiling magma, disappearing beneath the molten surface. Finally, the master and disciple duo departed for their journey, the basket of fire trailing along at waist height behind Chucky. ¡°We are heading for the Phoenix corps?¡± Chucky asked after a while of walking along in silence. ¡°We are¡± his master confirmed ¡°Though we will stop and heal any who are in need along the way. You must cure a thousand ailments minimum before we reach the sacred gates.¡± Said his master without breaking stride or looking at Chucky. ¡°What is the current record for acolytes?¡± Chucky asked while running through combat simulations in his mind. ¡°The current prime acolyte cured two thousand four hundred sixty-seven ailments, one thousand being common ailments, nine hundred forty three were broken bones or torn muscle and tendon, three hundred ninety-nine genetic deficiencies, fifty organ transplants, thirty four tumor removals, twenty one poisons, nineteen grand ailments and developed a vaccination for a single plague. All without guidance nor assistance from their teacher. Placing them at rank two hundred forty on the school ladder and is the highest ranking ladder entry in the past thousand cycles of initiates.¡± Said his master. ¡°And what was your ranking when you entered the academy?¡± ¡°When I walked through the sacred gates, I was ranked as ninety-first on the school ladder, but I will not tell you my ailment score, no matter how much you try and get me to tell you. I told you; it is against tradition to influence you with a specific number. All cases are different, and the sacred gates measure more than just the number of ailments one cures¡± Chucky could hear the tinge of pride in the golem¡¯s usually emotionless voice. All creatures had a measure of competition in them, after all. The Phoenix Corps was one of the universes three most prominent healer¡¯s associations, along with the Alchemist Corps and the LifeTree universal healthcare association, or LUHA for short. Alchemists of the Alchemist Corps tended to function out of sanctioned shops, providing potions and concoctions such as health potions and spirit potions, but also provided pills and remedies such as the medication Chucky used to take for his ¡®attention disorder¡¯. Meanwhile LUHA tended to establish hospitals and treatment centers, functioning through corporate structures and insurance schemes to finance their operations. Both Alchemist Corps and LUHA were very powerful and prominent entities in their own rights. Alchemist¡¯s worked closely with the merchant and adventurers guild and could move armies with their influence. Crossing an alchemist was never recommended and even kings would hand over their sons and daughters should they earn the ire of the Alchemist Corps. LUHA, on the other hand, directly employed powerful figures as well as local law enforcement to guard and protect their facilities. They had rich and powerful shareholders, many who were movers and shakers within the universe, that ensured that any who dared to attack one of their hospitals or clinics would receive swift reprisal. LUHA also supported and directly hired from the most accredited colleges and universities in the galaxies they operated in. It was common to see doctors and nurses of all races and species working for their medical facilities. The Phoenix Corps was much smaller than either the alchemists or the LifeTree association but held the most independent power of the three. One could only join by becoming a disciple of an arbiter within the corps and had to have both a powerful affinity with fire, as well as an excellent aptitude for healing, and conversely, killing. Every single member was an elite, and Phoenix Corps had raised more divinities than both of the other factions combined. That said, the Phoenix Corps were nomadic and independent, hiding their identities with their masks when working under their banner. They were not allowed to flaunt their association with the corps, and few knew the actual identity of the members of the Phoenix Corps. But when one saw the mask of the phoenix, they knew not to antagonize the wearers of these masks. There was an old story of a Phoenix corps acolyte who¡¯d been unable to cure the cancer of a certain prince, resulting in the prince¡¯s death. The king of the solar system had gone mad with grief, blaming and killing the acolyte in his fury. The acolyte¡¯s master had been working with LUHA at a nearby hospital to aid with a pandemic that had stricken the area. When the acolyte¡¯s master learned of his disciple¡¯s death, he had wiped out the entire planet in his wrath, then went on to erase the king¡¯s bloodline from the entire galaxy, eliminating even children and elderly in their retribution. Though the Arbiter eventually took his own life, unable to live with the guilt of killing so many innocents when they¡¯d finally sobered from their anger, a precedence had been set. That was only a single member of the Phoenix Corps, and they had wrought such destruction, and it wasn¡¯t even one of the peak figures of the order. One could only imagine the destructive prowess the corps could display should the leaders rally the corps in their entirety. But even more awe inspiring than the might of these mysterious figures was the medical prowess each and every member represented. When the phoenix mask appeared somewhere, it was said that all ailments would be healed. And what earned them the most respect was that they never charged a fee for their services, only accepting donations and even then, only after they had ensured the wellbeing of their charges. Chucky couldn¡¯t help but run simulations in his mind on what his master¡¯s ailment score would¡¯ve been to reach the top one hundred on the acolyte ladder before officially attending the academy. But without knowing the matrix for the point allocation system he kept running into a wall. At the very least, he knew that one couldn¡¯t enter the top one hundred without having healed an ailment in every category and must have created a cure, not just a vaccination, for at least one grand plague. To have cured a grand level plague as an acolyte¡­ His master was a true monster indeed. ¡°If you¡¯re going to waste your energy simulating my score, you¡¯re not going to make it very far. You should be going over the galactic pharmacopeia that you spent an entire year memorizing before you overcame your fear and finally dove into the lava¡± His master grumbled, somehow knowing what Chucky was up to. Chucky was glad that the mask prevented his master from seeing the furious blush that he felt burning his cheeks. He had indeed taken an entire year to overcome his fear and leap into the volcano. Even then, he¡¯d only done it because his master had removed the final pages of the large tome and refused to give them to him until he¡¯d overcome his phobia, needless to say his insatiable thirst to complete his knowledge had won out over his childhood fear. ¡°Hey, where are we headed anyways?¡± Chucky asked as they came to a large road that was surprisingly busy. Vehicles of all kinds could be seen transporting goods and people alike. From beast-drawn wagons to motorized busses to small personal hover cars. It had been five years since Chucky had socialized with anyone but his master and the beasts within the volcano, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel excited but also nervous at the sight of so many people. ¡°We will simply travel and heal all who need it as we make our way towards¡­¡± A light cracking sound came from behind the two as they both turned to stare at the egg in unison, mouths agape as the egg in the basket began rocking, pieces of shell bulging out as whatever was inside slowly worked open a hole to poke it¡¯s tiny head out, staring straight at Chucky with large, bright eyes. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Lyle took a deep breath, inhaling through his nose as he prepared for the most difficult shot of his life. Crowds of cats, all shapes and sizes and colors and patterns, gathered around him. He was trying to control his heartbeat and quell the shaking in his knees as he held his Rifle in both hands, muzzle pointed down and stock rested against his right shoulder. Jewels, the psychotic taskmaster of a cat that had drilled him every single day after arriving in this hellhole sat at the top of a massive ziggurat. A pergola shaded the insufferable cat from the sun, as male cats stood on their hind legs, fanning Jewels and feeding her small fish that had been attached to a bushel of stems like grapes. She wore a wig of black, chin-length straight hair and a golden tiara that wrapped around her head like a snake but had a cats head that was a miniature golden replica of the conceited cat¡¯s own visage. Cheers and applause rang out around Lyle, female cats, well, cat-called, to him. Cats he¡¯d never seen before goaded him on like they¡¯d been best friends all their lives. ¡°You¡¯re the best, bro!¡± ¡°Go Lyle!¡± ¡°Woo-Hoo!¡± ¡°You can do it, shoot that targets freakin head off!¡± That last guy wasn¡¯t even a cat, it was a random human man wearing a large straw hat and a greasy coat over a flower-print collared shirt. Lyle was utterly panicking. Targets don¡¯t even have heads! Three days prior¡­ Lyle sprang into the air, jumping over bullets and twisting his body midair before a crossbow bolt could pierce his spine. Flippin his body to the side, Lyle hit a wall, feet first, crouching to his knees before leaping from the wall, four exact copies of him splitting off, heading in different directions. Cats with balaclavas covering their entire faces, exposing only the eyes and each wearing a black two-piece gi flashed towards all of his doppelgangers with long katanas as bullets and arrows continued to fall like rain. An annoying song about lightning-fast cats doing kung-fu played loudly around them, adding to the chaos. Jewels insisted that this song needed to be played, along with another one called Eye of the Tiger. Apparently, the feral feline had come across these songs and other on an unintegrated planet, and said that while the humans there, while weak and short-lived, had made considerable cultural and technological advancements for a ¡°pathetic bunch of backwater primates¡± as she had put it. Jewels insisted the songs helped to get one ¡°Pumped¡± and would improve his morale and motivate him. Lyle had no idea what the cat was talking about, he didn¡¯t get that feeling. But, after so long training while listening to the songs, he couldn¡¯t help but bob is head with the rhythm as he fought the army of cats. As the ninja cats slashed at all five of the Lyles, each clone dispersed into a cloud of sparkling light particles. The real Lyle smiled from where he ran along the wall, invisible. He made a trail of footprints appear in the sand, running towards an opening at the end of a long hallway. Pulling out six shuriken, three nestled between the knuckles of each hand, he threw the invisible star-shaped blades at the backs of cats that were running after the false trail. Each of the cats disappeared, showing they¡¯d been eliminated from the simulation. Grinning, Lyle jumped to the wall leading to the doorway, he was so close! BEEP, BEEP. WHIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRR Lyle froze, slowly looking up to see an absurdly buff cat holding a massive gatling gun, a cigar in the corner of his mouth and black paint across his face. It had a red headband around a mop of thick black hair and had a chiseled jaw, wearing tiger-stripe camo pants and black combat boots. ¡°Say hello to my little friend!¡± The cat said in a deep, slurred voice. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Applause erupted from the booth up above the training arena. ¡°Bravo, bravo! You did well, Cupid, you did well indeed!¡± Jewels yelled from where she sat with one leg over the other on a director¡¯s chair that floated in midair, she wore glasses and a bonnet hat, with a red scarf tied around her neck. Holding a black and white clapper board in one hand as she leaned her elbow on her knee, the cat dabbed at one eye with a cloth using her other hand. Lyle rolled his eyes ¡°Master watches too many damn movies¡± he though to himself, as an absolute bombardment of bullets slammed down on him. A massive cloud of smoke and debris erupted from where Lyle had been standing. The cat didn¡¯t stop firing until the ribbon of ammunition jammed, and the barrel slowly stopped spinning as it glowed red hot. When the smoke and dust settled, there was a large hole in the wall, pitch black in the haze of battle. Cupid¡¯s shoulders slumped, feeling bad for the boy. A chorus of disappointed whispers kicked up from the surrounding cats who¡¯d been watching. They had all hoped Lyle would win, he had been working so hard for this and had gotten so close, just to come up short at the final stretch. As the surrounding cats hung their heads and turned to leave, a voice cut out from the crowd. ¡°Wait a minute, he hasn¡¯t appeared in the respawn chamber!¡± Excited whispers immediately broke out as everyone turned to look at the glowing red bubble where a bunch ninja cats, military cats, and cats wearing robotic suits that made them look like cyborgs all hung out, drinking water with sweat towels around their necks. They all looked around for a moment before turning back to the crowd and shrugging, as if to say, ¡°Don¡¯t ask us, we didn¡¯t see anything¡±. ¡°He really isn¡¯t there!¡± ¡°What, really?¡± ¡°But we all saw him get blasted to smithereens¡± ¡°Well, if he didn¡¯t get eliminated, where is he?¡± ¡°I like to whisper, too¡± ¡°Why are you dressed like a snow elf?¡± Duhn. Duhn. Duhn. Duhn. Music suddenly filled the arena, silencing the whispers as every cat turned to look at the gaping hole in the wall that still had smoke billowing from within. ¡°Is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± ¡°He did it, he actually did it!¡± A figure began to take shape from within the smoke, and Lyle gradually came into view as he stepped over the crumbling brick wall, his massive SiegeBreaker rifle resting in his grip. Lyle couldn¡¯t help but smile, the gathered crowd erupting in thunderous applause and cheers as the white of his teeth shone in contrast to his soot-covered face. Jewel¡¯s looked down at him, a smirk of acknowledgement on her face as she clapped her board. ¡°And that¡¯s a wrap!¡± Cat¡¯s whooped and cheered, jumping up and down and throwing roses at Lyle¡¯s feet. Some whistled and others cried, hugging the cats closest to them as tears poured out like a fountain. One cat even tried to kiss a cat next to them, apparently the excitement had given them courage they hadn¡¯t previously had. But was firmly rejected with a paw to the face and shake of the head as they turned away dejectedly. Lyle fell to his knees exhausted as his adrenaline faded and he began to feel the aches and pains of the intense battle. He teared up a little as he stared down at the rifle in his hands. He¡¯d finally done it. He¡¯d finally¡­ then he noticed the rifle in his hands wasn¡¯t his, or rather, it was, but someone had clearly modified it. There was a bolt bypass module that allowed for a semi-automatic switch, giving the rifle a secondary firing operation. To go along with the mod was an extended magazine, as well as a longer barrel and a tactical silencer that doubled as a bayonet. His two to forty Hunters series diamond scope had been replaced with a Siege7 holovision clear sight that had a range of ten to eighty times magnification. Everything else was the same, except for one tiny little, itsy-bitsy detail¡­ ¡°JEWELS! What the fuck have done to my baby?¡± Lyle screamed, blood rushing to his face as a vein bulged on his forehead. ¡°Well, I know your not the best-looking elf in the galaxy, but I would hope your offspring were a bit better looking than¡­ that.¡± A condescending voice came from above Lyle as he looked up to see a calm, carefully composed cat, her directors ensemble from earlier nowhere to be seen. Lyle abruptly forgot the chewing out he¡¯d been about to give his master. One thing he¡¯d learned about the planet¡¯s avatar was that when she was goofing off and acting irresponsible and wearing ridiculous costumes, she was either very upset, or very serious. And right now Lyle got the feeling that he¡¯d seriously screwed up somehow. Shaking his head, he pushed that thought away, not wanting to let her manipulative ways stop him from saying what was on his mind. ¡°You ruined it! You ruined the rifle my grandfather gave me before he passed away. That was all I had left of him¡± Lyle¡¯s voice slowly rose as he got angrier. ¡°Oh? And how exactly did I ruin it?¡± Jewels asked, arms crossed as she stared at him without a hint of emotion showing on her face. ¡°There¡¯s paint all over it! And glitter! And all of these stickers, why are there cat stickers all over it? Do you know how hard it is to get that glue off? And¡­and¡­and woah, your aura¡­I can¡¯t bre-¡± Lyle¡¯s vision slowly faded to black as his mischievous master¡¯s aura flared, putting him face down in the sand as he fell unconscious. When Lyle came to, he was still lying in the sand, his mouth dry and gritty as he startled awake. ¡°Ahck, ugh, cough, cough, pfffft¡± He struggled to spit out the sand that had gotten in his mouth as he hacked and coughed, choking on granules of sediment as he stood up. Patting himself off and looking around, he realized it had gotten dark out as he pressed two fingers to each temple. A vicious pounding pulsed in his brain, and he felt worse than the time Donny had convinced him and Chucky to try some of the rum he¡¯d stolen from his dad. ¡°Ughhh, what happened?¡± The last thing Lyle remembered was seeing his¡­ ¡°Where is it? Where is it, WHERE IS IT?¡± Lyle searched around frantically, his rifle nowhere to be seen. ¡°No, no, no, no, no!¡± Lyle slumped on the ground, laying back with his arms and legs spread out like he was making a snow angel in the sand. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. He finally recalled Jewels becoming very upset and then the distinct feeling of her losing control of her aura before he passed out, unable to withstand the pressure. He couldn¡¯t help but think about the gaudy application of bright colored paint and numerous stickers that had covered his gun, s multitude of different cats in different whacky poses. A flash of anger crossed his mind again, making him forget about the headache that had been tormenting him a moment earlier, his grandfather on his father¡¯s side had been a sniper in the last galactic war and had passed his Legion 7 SiegeBreaker down to Lyle a few days before he¡¯d passed away. Lyle¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°The Legion 7 doesn¡¯t have the option for a semi-auto selector lever. The frame around the forward assist assembly is enchanted, preventing modification because it was made for war. Grandpa used to always say that they¡¯d done that so that if a soldier were to be killed and the enemy got their hands on it, they wouldn¡¯t be able to even fire a round, much less modify anything¡± Lyle talked out loud as he stood and began pacing. ¡°Are you looking for this?¡± A high-pitched voice cut Lyle out of his musings. Looking over, he saw his friend Kren leaning against a wall, Lyle¡¯s SiegeBreaker Legion 7, polished and cleaned exactly how he¡¯d last left it sitting in its case, the lid leaning against Kren¡¯s leg. Kren kicked the case closed and latched it shut. Picking it up he brought it over, holding it out as Lyle blankly reached out and took the case. ¡°Kren, I¡­¡± ¡°You know, we¡¯ve all seen you drooling over that Titan X1 in that Tactigalactic magazine you¡¯re obsessed with. Jewels said she wouldn¡¯t caudle you and refused to chip in, but the villagers could only scrounge up enough credits to cover two thirds the cost. Cupid came and told elder Purvue to give him what we¡¯d collected, and the next day Jewels had come walking into the village with a brand new Titan X1.¡± Kren looked at Lyle like he was a complete idiot, shaking his head in disappointment. ¡°All the aunties pitched in and made micro-magnetic patches of all the villagers, so we wouldn¡¯t damage the exterior with acidic glue. We also used heat-resistant poly-vinyl film so we wouldn¡¯t clog the vents with paint.¡± The young cat said as he turned to walk away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t realize¡± Lyle pleaded, tears pooling in his eyes. ¡°No, Lyle. It¡¯s not me you need to apologize to.¡± Kren squared his shoulders as he turned around and walked right up to Lyle, the much shorter cat looking kind of adorable as he puffed out his cheeks, trying to look mad but was clearly more hurt than anything. ¡°You study guns all day long, you fire them and train and clean every single one religiously. Out of everyone here, besides Jewels and Cupid, you should have known that was a completely different gun. We all worked so hard to surprise you because we believed in you. All of us trusted that you¡¯d beat the final trial today. It¡¯s time you started trusting us back¡± Kren was fuming at this point, paw pointed right at Lyle¡¯s nose as he all but shouted the last sentence. ¡°Kren, my grandpa¡¯s initials were carved into the butt, not a forgery. His. Exact. Initials. That¡¯s not something that can be replicated. ¡°Jewels used a clone-stone to perfectly replicate the butt, and had it installed on the stock for you, it was the one touch she personally added herself. She didn¡¯t even pretend like Cupid did it!¡± Kren fumed, and Lyle couldn¡¯t tell if he was imagining the smoke coming out from his friend¡¯s ears. ¡°Gosh man, pull your head out of your ass and take some accountability for once!¡± And with that, Kren stormed off, not giving Lyle the chance to dig his hole any deeper. Lyle stood there, arm extended as his mouth open and closed like a fish out of water. Dropping his hand to his side he exhaled deeply. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to go fishing.¡± The next morning, Lyle staggered into the village, something massive and wrapped in wax paper on his back and bags under his eyes. Walking up to the porch of the frontier-era style building that was town hall, Lyle stopped in front of his master. Jewels sat back, leaning against one of the wooden pillars that supported the roof of the open porch, one leg hanging over the edge and kicking back and forth in the air. With a grunt, Lyle let the massive package on his back fall to the ground. Dropping to his knees, Lyle kneeled on one knee as he held out the other package he was carrying in his hands. ¡°I would like to apologize, I didn¡¯t stop to think, and I acted like a complete fool. Everyone worked hard to surprise me, and I returned that kindness by acting spoiled and ungrateful¡± he said, head bowed deep as he held out his offering in both hands. ¡°Hmmm, and you think that if you bring us some fish and an apology that we¡¯ll simply forgive you just like that, huh?¡± Jewels asked without looking at the kneeling Lyle. ¡°No. I knew that wouldn¡¯t be enough. Please accept this offer of piece.¡± Finally turning to look at what Lyle held in his hands, Jewels¡¯ eyebrows shot up. ¡°But you threw such a tantrum over it just last night. Why would I want it now?¡± Jewels asked haughtily, crossing her arms and turning her head to the side. ¡°I¡¯m not offering it to you¡± Lyle said, standing up and shouting ¡°I would like to request that the council place this rifle in the hall of legacies. Both to honor my grandfather and for it to be passed on to the next generation, should someone be destined for it.¡± After a long moment of silence there was a small commotion inside the town hall and elder Purvue suddenly crashed through the front door, tripping and falling over his robes in the process, his long moustache of whiskers pointing straight up in a cartoonish feat of clumsiness. Mrs. Purview came running out after him, deceptively fast for her old age. Running up to Lyle she asked with big glistening eyes like a puppy begging for a treat ¡°D-do you mean it my boy? But this rifle is so important to you, why would you¡­¡± she trailed off, looking at Lyle expectantly. ¡°It is important to me. Very important.¡± Lyle said, motioning for Mrs. Purvue to take the case from him. ¡°But not as important as the friends and family that support me and help me along the way. I really do hope everyone can forgive me.¡± Lyle now looked at all of the faces peeking through the blinds on the other side of the windows that faced the porch. Most of the cats tried to duck back behind the curtains, still trying to pretend they weren¡¯t there. ¡°Look guys, I know that I can act spoiled and entitled sometimes, and I¡¯m sorry for ever doubting any of you, including you, master¡± Lyle flinched, expecting to be whacked upside the head with his last statement. His master hated being called master and insisted everyone call her Jewels. She didn¡¯t like it when people treated her like the leader she was, claiming it made her feel old. Everyone knew it was really because she didn¡¯t want to feel left out, and was afraid the village would grow distant if everyone treated her like royalty. ¡°But you need it to challenge to firing range¡± Mrs. Purvue said, holding the case back out for Lyle to take back. ¡°I can always get another rifle, but I can¡¯t replace the people I care about¡± Lyle said, stepping back and politely refusing the elderly cat with a warm smile. ¡°Plus, elder purview has been trying to get me to put it in the hall of legacies since he found out it belonged to my grandfather.¡± Suddenly, there was blur of motion, and the case disappeared from Mrs. Purvue¡¯s hands. Everyone looked with flat stares as the old man seemed to forget his age took off towards the mentioned Hall of Legacies as he cackled, a cloud of dust billowing out behind him. ¡°No takesy-backsies!¡± he shouted, laughing like a mad man as he disappeared around a corner. Everyone started laughing at the old cat¡¯s antics, the atmosphere turning from tense to warm and inviting. Mrs. Purvue wrapped Lyle in a tight hug, floating in midair to wrap her small paws around his shoulders as best she could. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered in Lyle¡¯s ear. Pulling back the ancient-looking cat looked down at the massive bundle he¡¯d carried in with him, giving Lyle a smile that reminded him of his grandmother. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time you go and shower and lay down for a bit. Let us old ladies cook tonight¡¯s dinner¡± she said firmly, leaving no room for refusal as Lyle swayed where he stood, the exhaustion he felt finally catching up with him. When Lyle finally awoke, he stumbled downstairs in a groggy stupor to find the entire village in full-blown party mode, the adults drinking and dancing and celebrating. Kittens hovered around the food table, sneaking sweet treats when their parents weren¡¯t looking. Jewels was in the middle of the dance floor, rocking a massive rainbow-colored afro and loose billowing clothes with white boots that had twelve-inch soles. Incredibly muscled male cats danced along with her as a glittering ball spun on a wired above them, reflecting multi-colored light on the surroundings. When she caught sight of Lyle, she stopped dancing, and the entire room went silent as everyone turned to look at the boy rubbing the sleep out of his eyes on the stairs, dressed in only his undergarments. Jewels walked up to him, swaying her tail back and forth as she strut her hips. As she stepped up in front of Lyle, she pulled out a massive pink gun case covered in stickers and writing. ¡°If you throw a fit this time, the entire village is going to put you on a hook and use you as bait to catch a leviathan for calamari¡± She said as she passed the Titan X1 large caliber rifle to Lyle, smirking as the cate began cheering and toasting in the background, ¡°Now eat up, you have three days to get accustomed to your new toy. And don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be getting off so easily with me.¡± ¡­ Lyle closed his eyes, doing his best to ignore the hubbub around him. The incessant chanting of cats completely freezing him in place. He really hated Jewels right now. He knows he had messed up, but he¡¯d made up for it, everyone had forgiven him, right? But no, she just had to have the final laugh. She had done this before, though on a smaller scale, and even then, he¡¯d failed every trial in which she gathered the crowd to pressure him. And now he had the entire village surrounding him, what was he to do? ¡°Come on, rip the targets fucking head off!¡± ¡°Rip its head off!¡± ¡°Rip its head off!¡± ¡°Rip its head off¡± That crazy man once again shouted out above the racket, urging the enigmatic enthusiasts among the crowd to holler his words as a chant. Who the fuck did this guy think he was? Lyle had an urging suspicion that this was also a manipulated machination of the monster in an adorable cat¡¯s skin that was his master. And what did she know? Fine then. If she wanted to distract him and make him angry, he¡¯d get angry, but he was not going to fail today. Lyle pictured Jewels dancing, spinning and moving her arm up and down, pointing from ground to sky. She laughed condescendingly at him, shaking her tail about. And Lyle centered that image in the exact center of the first target, lining that center with target behind it, and on he continued. He focused on the beating of his heart. Badump-Badump Badump-Badump Badump-Badump. Lyle allowed the sound of his heartbeat to fill his mind as it began to slow, sinking into the sound like a cardiovascular concert as he lined up his shot in his mind¡¯s eye, hearing naught but that drum of his blood pumping. His FarSeer¡¯s eyes allowed him to perfectly project the last thing he had seen when he closed his eyes, a function he¡¯d figured out when being bombarded with flashbangs during an arena trial. Bringing up his rifle, he set his bearings. He accounted for drop, wind, and the gradual curve of the planet. He poured chi into the shot, focusing his innate talent on the bullet as he slowly but firmly pulled the trigger. Then, opening his eyes, Lyle didn¡¯t even realize that the once exuberant crowd had become deathly silent as he focused solely on the dancing figure of jewels; or more specifically, her head. He pulled back fully on the trigger with resolve as the shot rang out in all its whistling silence. After the initial sharp crack of the round being propelled through the silencer attached to the muzzle, everything was silent for a long moment before a loud boom echoed out. With it came a mild breeze that shook hair and knocked over empty cups, and then another boom, and another as the bullet broke the sound barrier again and again. Immediately after Lyle shot the first round, following it with what he called his third eye, he adjusted his aim and fired again. Aiming at the back of the cone shaped round that was forty millimeters in diameter with his eyes as he simultaneously followed the path of the bullet within his mind. He fired until his magazine ran dry and then watched as a different screen projecting the view of each bullet as they lined up behind the initial shot appeared within his vision while not obscuring his sight in the least. He focused every ounce of mental fortitude he could muster to manipulate each bullet in a row, keeping but an atom of space between them as he waited. There! Lyle pushed, a headache forming between his eyes as he fought past the pain, slamming the round in the very back of what now resembled a crossbow bolt more than a line of individual bullets with how fast it was moving into the bullet ahead. What followed was a chain reaction of momentum and force that molded the projectiles together, building into mass of molten metal that moved so fast the metal began to drip off as the bullet began to disintegrate from the heat and pressure. Lyle clenched his jaw, forcing his chi to strengthen and preserve the round as much as he could while controlling its trajectory. The targets grew ever smaller, but the bullet was now the width of a reed as it continued its momentous revolution through gap after gap. Lyle didn¡¯t know if it had been minutes, hours, or even days as he began to shake from exhaustion, both mental and physical. It reached a point where the boy could barely see the targets anymore as all he could see was Jewels¡¯ head, forever just in front of his bullet. Then, suddenly, he realized he was staring at the real jewels! The stand and the fans were gone. The ziggurat was nowhere to be seen, and she¡¯d lost the costume and wig. His bullet was aiming directly at where a target was supposed to be, a long needle thin pole stood secured in the ground, just like the target before it. But there was no target at the head of the pole, it was just gone, and he was instead hurtling directly towards the spot on jewels brow, right between her eyes. No. no. no. no. no! Lyle tried to wrench back on the now hair thin projectile with his will and chi, but it was to no avail. He simply couldn¡¯t do it. He tried to shout for jewels to move as she sat there, staring back as if trying to spot the deadly object that was hurtling towards her, but his mouth made no sound. Time seemed to slow down, the world freezing around him as he cut off his connection, not willing to watch as he killed his master. As much as he complained and whined, and as angry as he was before, he felt a gut wrenching pain in his chest as guilt over came him. Where was the final target? It was supposed to be there. This was not how this was supposed to go! KAAAAABOOOOOOM! A massive shockwave sent Lyle tumbling over as he was forced out of his focused state, dirt and debris flying around him. He scabbled along the ground with his hands, searching for purchase before grabbing ahold of a stone and holding onto it as the blast died down. Covering his eyes with one arm, he stood up, peeking over his arm in an attempt to see whether jewels had survived or not. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Donny¡¯s eyes shot open as he sat up, bracing his hands behind him as he looked around, trying to figure out where he was. Wherever he was, it was dark, and all he could make out were wisps of shadow moving in the darkness. He held up his hands, barely able to glimpse the outlines of his fingers. ¡°Where the f-¡± Donny¡¯s thought cut off and he snapped to attention as he heard the rustling of footsteps. ¡°What have you done, Serohpmai?¡± a voice snarled angrily. He felt that the voice was familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite place it. ¡°What have I done? The question is what haven¡¯t you done? You¡¯ve kept me waiting for far too long, and I¡¯ve grown tired of these games, you can¡¯t lock me out anymore, old friend!¡± Came another voice, this one deep and distorted, like thousands of voices speaking through a voice changer superimposed upon each other. ¡°When we made the champion system, this is not what we had intended. I don¡¯t know how you escaped that place, or how you got back in here, but do not think for a second that I will just sit back and do nothing while you...¡± ¡°Donny!¡± SMACK ¡°Wake up, kid, hell¡¯s frozen ball sack you can sleep, come on kid you¡¯re gonna run out of time¡± SMACK, SMACK ¡°WAAAAAAAKE UUUUUUUP¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m up, Jesus Christ, man!¡± Donny grumbled, rubbing his burning face where Vinchenzo had been slapping him. ¡°Who?¡± Vinchenzo ¡°Never mind that, where are we?¡± Donny asked, stunned by the scene before him as his eye finally adjusted to the light. What he saw took his breath away. Islands floated above them in layers that climbed upwards like a dismembered skyscraper. Each layer was connected by waterfalls, with birds flying around and clouds drifting by. Rainbows glittered in the air above the islands, the misty spray from the endless waterfalls illuminating the sky in a breathtaking display of color and light. It was as if a divine artist was painting with the mist, and the sky was their canvas. ¡°This is the Primordial Haven. It¡¯s rumored to be the last remaining remnant of the chaos realm. The realm that existed before the universe we know, before the system was created.¡± Vinchenzo said, arms spread wide as he looked up at the islands above alongside Donny. ¡°The realm of chaos¡­¡± Donny whispered, a sense of deja-vu whispering at him in the back of his mind. ¡°Yes. We believe this is where the elite youth of that long ago forgotten time would come and train. It is an ancient formation that only allows those at level one to enter, and each person can only ever enter a single time.¡± Vinchenzo explained, pointing at the massive island that made up the first layer of ever-climbing islands, and the equally ridiculously massive waterfall that fell from it to valley floor below. ¡°You will enter from there, NO, don¡¯t step¡­¡± It was too late, Donny had crept forward, trying to get a better look at the valley below the edge of the hill they were standing on, he could see the trees, but he couldn¡¯t quite see where the forest started. A translucent red wall suddenly hummed into existence in a ten foot radius around Donny, before a dimmer blue outline suddenly appeared around him, and nothing happened. ¡°Chill out, dude, it¡¯s cool, I¡¯m just looking man, I ain¡¯t gonna run down there or anything¡± Donny said, looking at the man who was giving him a look like Donny had turned into a ghost or something. ¡°Th-That¡¯s not¡­ that¡¯s not possible! It doesn¡¯t start for another few hours, and the barrier doesn¡¯t start open for an hour, and you¡¯re not level one!¡± Vinchenzo stared at Donny, and then at the blue outline within the glowing red translucent forcefield that should have at least sent the kid flying a few meters away. ¡°Hey, I was going to ask about that. How can I be level one¡­¡± Donny said, walking back and forth along the edge, the glowing portion of the forcefield moving with him before turning and stepping away from the edge staring up at Vinchenzo with his hands in his pockets, ¡°If I¡¯m level nine?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain that but first tell me how you did that!¡± Vinchenzo exclaimed, grabbing Donny by his shoulders and shaking him like a snack stuck in a vending machine, face excited. ¡°Hey, hey man, you¡¯re crushing me, let go!¡± Donny cried, trying to squirm out the man¡¯s grip and failing epically before flaring the aura that wrapped his body into small spikes that jabbed into Vinchenzo¡¯s hands. It didn¡¯t do any damage at all, but it did shock the man out of his stupor. ¡°Oh, um, sorry, excuse me. I seem to have forgotten myself¡± Vinchenzo said, coming back to his senses. Letting go of Donny, the man patted his shoulders while looking him up and down, brushing him off. Looking rather embarrassed, Vinchenzo seemed to be pretending he had been meaning to simply help Donny straighten out his appearance. ¡°Yes, well, you couldn¡¯t know how you did that because you have never been here before.¡± The blushing man said with a mouth into one hand, looking away as if that would render Donny unable to see him. ¡°Dude, it¡¯s probably that golden ticket thing that psycho lady gave us. Wait, she did give it to us, right?¡± Donny patted his pockets and clothes, even patting his chest as if it might be beneath his shirt. ¡°Did you already use it on me or something?¡± Donny asked, confused Vinchenzo slowly reached into the inner pocket of his blazer, removing a glowing golden ticket that pulsed with power. He gave Donny a look that said, ¡°You were saying¡±? ¡°If you have it still, then that means¡­ Oh, so I don¡¯t have to be level one to enter? That¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?¡± Donny said cheerfully as realization dawned on him. ¡°Hmm, it is, but it isn¡¯t.¡± Vinchenzo held up a small black bead between his index and middle finger. ¡°This is a Return-to-start pill. It allows one to return to level one from any level ninety-nine or below. It¡¯s how the young elites and scions of powerful sects, families, guilds, and associations get into this place to boost their attributes and consolidate their power before attempting the first paragon tribulation. You would lose all class upgrades and class related skills but would be able to access low level areas and gain low level titles as well as keep all attributes, titles and base skills not obtained from or related to a class or profession.¡± Vinchenzo paused and took a deep breath and gave Donny a serious look. ¡°We know you can pass the barrier somehow, but we don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be able to enter the formation without being level one. And besides, the islands begin at level one and the level rises with each subsequent island. You won¡¯t want the penalty for eight entire islands, especially with how your current build configuration works¡± Vinchenzo continued, tossing the pill to Donny. Donny observed the pill, rolling it around in his fingers as he brought it up to his eyes, inspecting it closely. A small screen then popped into existence in Donny¡¯s vision.
Return to start pill
Item class: Medicinal (Alchemical) Item type: Pill Item rarity: Not available Value: Not available Level Requirements: 99 or lower Description: Can be used by anyone below level 100, this pill can only be obtained from within the scared ruins of the chaos realm. While stripping one of their class and class related achievements, one may return to level one after consuming this pill. All attribute and statistics will remain the same. All base skills and titles will be retained. Class and class achievements will return as level requirements are met when leveling after consuming this pill. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Note: This pill does not allow one to change their previously selected class or class selections, up to and including skills and titles. All previously selected class upgrades and skill selections will be automatically selected upon leveling up again. Warning! The experience cost for subsequent levels gained after consuming this pill will increase by 1% per level of the consumer, prior to consuming this pill up to 99% All experience penalties accumulate with each additional return-to-start pill that is consumed.
¡°Why does it seem like this pill was made specifically for me, or rather, someone with my specific circumstances?¡± Donny asked, amazed that such a thing even existed. ¡°It may seem that way, but people have been farming them for years from similar formations; there are even higher tier versions from higher ranking formations. This one is just the only one that accommodates those below the threshold of a paragon.¡± Vinchenzo answered patiently, allowing Donny to calculate in his head. ¡°So, this is the real reason for the existence of this ¡®campaign dungeon¡¯?¡± Donny asked. ¡°Yes and no. All of these formations exist within a campaign dungeon. Throughout the years divine beings have found these relics of the past and after many millennia of research and experimentation, they¡¯ve found that if five individuals with power above at the paragon fifty or above collaborate and expend their power, they can create a campaign dungeon with these formations as the core. These five will then be recognized by the formation as the five wardens and will each be allotted entry passes to divvy out to respective disciples or clients, called ¡®Primordial tickets¡¯ or Primo tickets as we call them. As you¡¯ve seen with this one, Margy is the head warden. She and four other divine level underlings fought to usurp the positions of warden, and Margy is the head warden, who is allowed to assign a single golden primo ticket per opening. But the caveat is that if the golden ticket holder fails to reach the first rank of the primordial ladder within the formation, the dungeon will choose one of the other five wardens to succeed the head warden.¡± ¡°So, if I use that golden ticket, I¡¯ll be forced to either come in first or risk the wrath of that insane woman?¡± Donny asked, eyes bulging as he remembered her ruthlessness after only meeting her a single time. He could only imagine the lengths she would go through to seek her revenge should he fail. ¡°And what exactly does the ticket do?¡± ¡°When someone with a Primo ticket enters the formation, they are assigned a random boon. This could be a multitude of things, like a personal storage space specific to the formation, a tailored weapon, or armor. It could be an ability that assists with one¡¯s progression through the trials of the formation. No one knows how it works exactly, and from what information has been gathered it appears to be completely random.¡± Vinchenzo began pacing like a college professor giving a lecture. ¡°The golden ticket on the other hand, gives one the ability to choose their boon, on top of being provided a massive personal storage space to use within the formation, and becomes a unique ranked storage ring upon exit that deteriorates three days after leaving the trial. On top of these things you are given a boost to experience gained within the trials of the formation, as well as higher tiered rewards upon completion of each floor, or island, within the formation.¡± Vinchenzo stopped pacing and turned to look at Donny. ¡°But be warned. If you use this ticket it will assign you a golden border around your name on the ladder, marking you for everyone to see. While no one can physically take it from you by force, they can back you into a corner and coerce you into freely submitting the ticket to them, whereupon they would be able to consequently procure any and all boons associated with claiming the golden ticket.¡± Vinchenzo¡¯s speech came to an end as he allowed Donny to absorb everything he¡¯d said. Donny thought about it for a long moment, as he weighed his options back and forth. On one hand he was new to this system world and hadn¡¯t had very long to train and learn the inner workings of this world¡¯s intrigues and power struggles. He knew that staying low-key and out of the spotlight would work to his advantage and allow him to rise through the island-floors of this formation relatively safely. And he apparently didn¡¯t even need a ticket to enter the formation, as he could enter of his own accord. But. Boons and rewards aside, he knew that the strongest steel was forged under immense heat and pressure, and he had a gut feeling that if he didn¡¯t enter the formation under the pressure of being the golden ticket holder, he would lose out on something crucial to his growth and future ascension. He only had one question before he made his decision. ¡°The aura manipulation skill. Will I be able to use it within the formation?¡± Donny asked, though he felt he already knew the answer. ¡°Yes. It is, after all, a base skill not tied to class progression. It is actually the main weapon of many heavenly chosen who enter this trial, as those who enter with a lesser version of the skill will be susceptible to the aura of those with a higher rank and rarity of their own aura.¡± Vinchenzo nodded, giving Donny a knowing smile. Donny popped the return-to-start pill in his mouth and swallowed. He immediately felt the rush of energy that felt like it was draining away some sort of mystical force within his body and soul as the pill deteriorated within his intestines. He knew he wouldn¡¯t actually lose anything from this pill, compared to most, but the feeling of even eight levels being lost made him feel nauseous and a bit lightheaded. ¡°Geez, I can¡¯t imagine what losing ninety-eight levels would feel like¡± Donny said, his voice hoarse as he swayed where stood, closing his eyes and folding his chin to his throat to combat the vertigo and nausea he was feeling as he swayed in place. ¡°Yes, well, most people take the pill months before the start of the trial to allow them time to recover and acclimate to their weakened state. Everything has its price after all. Now Donny, you really should go now, but there are some things you need to know before you leave. First, you need to understand that there will be players within this game that will be much stronger than you, even with your absurd boons, detriments aside. You simply haven¡¯t had enough time to grow yet. Even your friends are going to train for the next five years or so and wait for the next cycle before entering this place, but we don¡¯t have that luxury for you. Next, once you reach level fifty and above, you will be able to consolidate your stat points¡± Vinchenzo pulled out a board and chalk and began writing on it, showing it to Donny when finished writing,
Conversion ratio Floors 50-60: 2 to 1 Floors 61-70 = 5 to 1 Floors 71-80 = 10 to 1 Floors 81-90 = 25 to 1 Floors 91-99 = 50 to 1 Floor 100 = 100 to 1 (We think)
¡°We don¡¯t really know what floor one hundred offers, but we assume, and if it follows the previous pattern of increase, it would be a one hundred to one ratio of conversion. This means, the you would essentially be changing your body to the extent that each stat point you gain from then on would be as strong as one hundred times its original value. As an example I had three thousand, six hundred ninety-seven points in strength when I reached the eighty-fourth island, leaving me with just under one hundred fifty points in strength after consolidating my attribute statistics¡± Vinchenzo held the board up as he spoke, allowing Donny time to memorize the script. ¡°Finally, you can spend up to a hundred years in the formation before being expelled, though the trials usually last around twenty-five years for most. Floors one through fifty will only have participants from the current cycle, but after floor fifty, you may run into trial-goers from any one currently in a past or previous instance of the formation that¡¯s currently on your level. You can stay on a level for year to start, but you have a hundred years total, so the faster you clear the earlier levels the more time you¡¯ll have in the higher levels, though the maximum amount of time you can spend on a single island is five years before your ranking is set and you¡¯re rejected from the formation. The islands can have warped time, so be careful and always focus on completing each trial as quickly as possible.¡± With that, the writing board in Vinchenzo¡¯s hand disappeared and he held out the shining golden ticket for Donny to take. Going to grab the ticket, Donny tried to take it, but Vinchenzo¡¯s forefinger and thumb did not release on the other end of the ticket that seemed to simultaneously be made of paper, metal and fabric. ¡°You need to leave the formation before you turn eighteen years old in universal time, no matter what. Your family will be in danger if you are not out by then. There will be a trial kiosk before each waterfall that will tell you the real time of your current run in the formation, ensure you monitor it closely.¡± A chilly, dangerous air coalesced from the well-dressed man as a malicious undertone crept beneath the words he spoke. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Donny responded icily, his aura beginning to pulse and spike around him as he easily rebuffed the older man¡¯s aura, an ember of fury building in his chest. He knew this man could probably pop him like a pimple on a thigh, but he¡¯d be damned if he allowed anyone to threaten those he loved, consequences be damned. The stared at each other, each pinching one end of the ticket for what felt like minutes to Donny but was just a few seconds before Vinchenzo suddenly beamed and gave Donny a bright smile, the murderous shadow that seemed to line the man¡¯s features suddenly disappearing. ¡°Donny, my boy, of course not, of course not. I¡¯m simply to let you know that if you do not inherit your rightful claim to your family¡¯s throne by eighteen, the position will succeeded to another family, and you will have lost your chance at fulfilling your champion¡¯s quest¡± he said cheerily as he let go of the ticket, bringing his hand to his chest as if hurt that Donny would even consider such a thing. Donny almost stumbled back but was able to catch himself with a quick adjustment of his left foot, stabling himself as he gave Vinchenzo an analyzing sweep of his eyes. Shoving the ticket into his pocket, he said ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be out before then. In the meantime, you better hope nothing happens to the ones I love.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me, boy?¡± Vinchenzo asked as he squinted his eyes dangerously. Donny responded with a charismatic grin that could win awards back on earth. ¡°Vinchenzo, my big plate of steak¡­¡± Donny¡¯s gaze slid down the man mockingly ¡°And shrimp, I would never!¡± With that Donny waggled his fingers in a ¡°Toodle-oo¡± fashion as he stepped back through the barrier, the red portion solidifying in front of him as Vinchenzo¡¯s face turned red with fury and he lurched forward without thinking and running right into the forcefield that pulsed with a blaring hum momentarily before sending the older man flying backwards through the air and disappearing from sight as a freaking laser blasted out from the barrier. Donny shrugged his shoulders in a dramatic flinch, cringing at the blackened features of the man as he disappeared from sight. ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s got to hurt. Serves him right I guess¡± Donny said out loud as he turned around and began running towards the forest. He couldn¡¯t quite figure out the other man¡¯s motives. On one hand, he felt instinctively that the man had good intentions and meant him no arm. He genuinely felt the he cared for Donny and his grandfather. But something about that last interaction¡­ Donny shook his head, clearing his thoughts and continuing forward through the trees as he focused on his footing while he raced towards the giant waterfall in the distance. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Donny ran for hours; it had begun to get dark by the time he realized he was lost. The forest seemed to keep repeating itself over and over. Donny had tried scratching symbols into trees as he went, using a rock to mark his path. It seemed to do him no good. Eventually every tree around him had the same ¡®D¡¯ embedded in its trunk, some had one on each side. Time felt weird, like Donny¡¯s mind physically couldn¡¯t process the concept of time in this forest. ¡°You¡¯re going to fail, Donny, you were never good enough for your father in your past life, and you¡¯re not going to be good enough in this life¡± To make matters worse, Donny was beginning to hear whispers all around him, and they grew ever more persuasive as the light of the sun faded and the cold touch of the night began to wrap him in its dark embrace. ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a killer. A worthless fool who is good at nothing but stealing and manipulating¡± ¡°Who do you think you are? Some hero who is going to save him pathetic family of leeches and ingrates, and make everything better? Who are you fooling?¡± ¡°Just give up, just lay there in the soft grass and give in to your weakness and fear. You simply don¡¯t have the strength to anything but lie down and DIE!¡± ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Donny roared at the sky, closing his eyes, arms out and hands clenched into fists. ¡°YOU HOLD NO POWER OVER ME! I WILL NOT PLAY YOUR BULLSHIT GAMES! LEAVE. ME. BEEEEEE!¡± Donny screamed with all the fury of his accumulated irritation and resentment, snarling and showing his teeth with every word as he condensed his aura around him, completely closing off his senses with a film of protective energy, his eyes and ears becoming warded by the combination of his resolve and power. Opening his eyes after hearing nothing for a few minutes, he looked around to see that it was once again a bright and sunny day, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel that the trees had come ever closer to him, seeming to lean and hover above like wolves that had been frozen seconds before reaching their prey. Donny shivered, not wanting to think about what would have happened had he not reacted when he did. Closing keeping his eyes open, Donny sent out tendrils of aura in all directions, searching with his minds eye as he kept a close watch on the surrounding trees. There! Donny looked at the black and white image of a tree that had no marking in it¡¯s bark. Retracting the rest of his tentacles of aura he put all of his aura into that one tentacle he followed that path, marking a slightly different letter in those trees as he followed the trail. Finally, he found what had to be a river. He could sense the water resonating with his mater manipulation. Releasing his aura he took a step in the direction his new markings led before pausing, an idea forming in his mind. Not wanting to help his potential future enemies, he quickly altered about fifty of his markings in a completely random pattern with his aura. He had a suspicion that while the etchings from the stone might disappear pretty quickly, the markings from his aura weren¡¯t something so easy to conceal in a short amount of time. Nodding to himself, satisfied with his work, Donny took off towards the river he¡¯d found. While he knew it¡¯d be smarter to not leave a trail for prospective rivals and enemies at all, he couldn¡¯t help but want to help his friends if he could, and he knew all of them would recognize his writing. He had drilled into them different forms of code and messaging that were exclusive to the four friends, and he trusted them to pick up on it if the markings were still present after five years. ¡°This is all I can do¡± Donny said as he took off towards his destination. He didn¡¯t have long before he¡¯d lose control of his temporary buffer from the influence of the forest, as his aura was not yet a high enough level to be used efficiently in the manner he currently was. He needed to reach the waterfall, and quickly. ¡­ The river was mostly a smooth journey, though there were a few times when it began to slip into an illusive repetition. Only Donny¡¯s previous experience and heightened paranoia of the mind meddling trees allowed Donny to find the branches and twists in the path, leading him through brief detours through the forest. He had noticed branches with his aura that led to other routes, proving the existence of multiple paths through the perilous plants. As Donny finally approached the massive wall of water, his control over his aura finally gave out, and he was almost deafened by the sound of rushing water as he sighed in relief. Covering his ears to muffle the roar, he gazed around, stunned by what he saw. Before him lay an open clearing, about the size of ten football fields, bordered by the forest in a crescent moon shape. Crystal Pylons stood in neat rows that proceeded towards the small pond in the center of the clearing. Donny¡¯s eyes flickered to a golden pylon that stood in the middle of a simple wooden bridge that crossed the hundred foot wide river. Instinctively he knew where to go, as he headed off in the direction of the singular pylon. Rows of cloudy crystal pylons surrounded him like so many headstones in a graveyard though he paid them no mind, focused as he was on his objective. Finally reaching the golden pylon Donny couldn¡¯t help but take a moment of silence in appreciation of the view of the massive waterfall he only now realized was falling¡­up? The odd breach of natural law didn¡¯t even phase young Donny as he stopped and acknowledged the beauty and decadence of the glistening water as a misty cloud of light and color drifted upwards as though cloaking the rising water in the peaceful magic of nature. Donny wished he had a camera to capture the beauty of the moment as he breathed in the smell of wet stone, earth, and algae, a feeling of content drifting washing over his soul. Suddenly, Donny was dragged out of his peaceful daydreaming when he felt something tugging at his mind. Looking down, Donny found a screen hovering above the golden Pylon.
Welcome Participant!
You have cleared the Primordial Haven Forest mental trial in: 37 minutes and 14 seconds Congratulations! You are the first to complete this cycle¡¯s entry test. Current top scores: 1. Please enter name or title 00:37:14:03 2. XXX 3. XXX 4. XXX 5. XXX 6. XXX 7. XXX 8. XXX 9. XXX ¡­ Welcome, Participant Donny! Please present your: Primordial Ticket (Gold) for kiosk verification Warning! Anomaly detected, ticket cannot be accepted, please exit the dungeon and submit yourself for system inspection. askjhgfdajkdsfhalkjdla-kjshd_ksjdks*jshajkd-dsadfkjkdsjfklkflssfsfsdfadsfafag=asdklsajdfahdm,nbxcvoiu(rewaytkjfsdhgzcmnx,v b reuitkjf)sdlghnm,b zmbviu@rsehtgjfgn(kbhmfgbsglrsuihgisue-7ryhtpwyrcfgkjlnvx,cvmnbl)sktghuixnvbsiutrgnbghaasjdkljasfkjaskjdfaksjdfaksajdfalksjdfhahnncm,.noeirpoewlr
Welcome challenger!
Welcome to the Mortal Tower (Broken) You have successfully passed the carnivorous woods entry test in: 00:37:14:03 Current Carnivorous Woods ranking: 1. SeriouslyBetter 00:10:02:10 2. OxOMoonwolfOxO 00:14:27:10 3. FuriousSack 00:28:28:07 4. UltimateFireFistKing 00:34:16:35 5. ITookaNapIntheWoods 00: 35:42:12 6. Pleas Enter Name 00:37:14:03 ¡­ Welcome challenger Donny! You have placed in the top ten of the last ten thousand contestants to participate in this Mortal Tower (Broken) you have earned: Entry Ticket (Diamond) Would you like to use entry ticket (Diamond) to begin the trials of the mortal tower? [Yes]/[No]
Donny just looked dumbfounded at the black screen that had replaced the normally blue screen of the system after the system screen had spazzed out, the ominous warning and subsequent unintelligible jargon of coded script still flashing in Donny¡¯s minds eye. What the hell was this? He couldn¡¯t use the golden ticket but instead had earned some sort of diamond ticket instead. Confused and needing time to process what was happening, Donny selected no, and a glittering pearlescent ticket was ejected from the pylon, like a crumpled dollar bill being denied by a vending machine.
Please take your ticket Please note that this ticket can only be used by (Donny) and will be returned to Mortal Tower (broken) if not used within one hour of withdrawal. Thank you for your participation, and good luck in your ascension.
A final screen appeared as Donny took the ticket, unable to stop himself from noticing that this¡­odd system seemed a lot more normal that the sarcastic and aggressive one he¡¯d grown accustomed to. Donny stared at the two tickets in his hands, one glowing gold and metallic, the other shining brightly with a crystalline sheen that seemed to sparkle in the light. He could use one, but not the other, and he had a feeling if he went into the weird tower or primordial whatever formation now it would simply drop to the ground, left behind for the first person who stumbled across it to claim. Thinking, a hunch began to form in Donny¡¯s mind, and he quickly sent a mental command to the kiosk in front of him, hoping he was right.
You have (1) name change available. Would you like to change it now? [Yes]/[No]
Donny selected yes.
Warning! You will not be able to change your name a second time. Would you like to continue? [Yes]/[No]
Donny selected yes again. After changing his name, Donny turned and ran back towards the forest, plugging his ears with his aura. Following his own trail in reverse, he made his way to the halfway point between where he entered the forest and where the waterfall was. There was a large crossroads here and Donny had a plan. Whipping out tendrils of aura like throwing knives, Donny began marking tree after tree. He went up and down multiple paths and back and forth along the trail he¡¯d taken, trying to make his alterations seem as if a part of the trial. After about thirty minutes, Donny stood in front of a particularly non-descript tree that was next to a mighty oak the forked halfway up its massive trunk. Sweating and thirsty from exhaustion, Donny carefully chiseled off a strip of bark just above the soil before using his aura to dig into the tree and hollow out a hole the length and width of a Christmas card and just as thin. Eeeeeeeee! Donny winced for a second as the tree seemed to scream in agony without making a sound, just a high pitched keening that he felt in his soul. Remembering that there trees were murderous bastards, Donny shook his head and continued his work. After carving out the thin slot that resembled the mouth of an atm, he wrapped the golden ticket in his aura to prevent any sensory skills from finding it, and covered the spot with the bark, making sure to face it in the same direction he¡¯d taken it off. After packing a bit of dirt he¡¯d gotten from a few trees away up over his makeshift P.O. box, Donny dusted his hands off and made his way back to the previously golden pylon. It was now made of shimmering diamond with gold trim accenting its multi-faceted features. Donny mused that the current material of the pylon must associated the highest available rank of ticket. Shrugging, Donny pulled out his ticket and held it up to the pylon. The same mouth that had spit out the diamond ticket earlier no opened again, and Donny placed the ticket in the slot as it was pulled free from his hand. A shimmering distortion broke the tranquility of the scene before him, and Donny felt a powerful tug as he was sucked toward the portal that had formed from the pylon. The world around Donny bent and distorted for moment and the next thing he knew, he was tumbling down alongside the very waterfall he¡¯d just been in front of, mist soaking him as flipped and spun through the air, the water hitting him like chunks of hail. Panicking Donny sent out spikes of aura in all directions as he tried to control the water around him using water manipulation, but his skill was to low a level to stop water moving at such high speeds. Finally, one of his aura spikes pierced something and he pulled himself towards it, using the force to right his momentum and stop from tumbling in the air. He launched towards the massive log he¡¯d latched on to. Flipping to land upside down Donny hugged the tree as best he could has the torrential flood of water pounded down around him. Extending a coil of aura around the tree, Donny fashioned a sort of reigns and slowly stood to feet, holding tightly to the rope of energy as found his balance, grinning maniacally as a crazy idea took form in his mind. As Donny reached maximum velocity, he caught up in speed with the water, making it much easier to grab onto the water with his aura and water manipulation skills. Using his skills he shaped the water into a hull around the wood of the log, riding the water like a sailboat on the sea. Looking down at the fast approaching land Donny bided his time, channeling his aura into the surrounding waterfall as he applied his influence on as much of the water around him as he could. Donny pulled up on the and the water as hard as he could, shooting the log out and at an angle just seconds before he smacked into the rocks below. Donny rode the log like a surfboard as he shot through the air, now parallel with the surface of the river has he gradually dropped lower. Expecting the log to skip above the water like a stone on a lake, Donny¡¯s eyes went wide. When the second the logs rough and broken ¡®front¡¯ end hit the water it came to a complete stop instead; slinging the end behind Donny up and sending him skipping across the water a couple times and he bounced and rolled. Donny¡¯s momentum finally died as he slowly came to a stop in the shallows of the riverbank. Coughing and sputtering and groaning in pain, Donny crawled up onto the shore before collapsing onto his stomach. Heart pounding along with his head, Donny had to really focus to read the notification hovering in his vision.
Congratulations! You have completed the trial for: Floor 0 (Survive the incredible drop from the top of the waterfall) You have survived!
Donny stared in horror at the message. ¡°I really would¡¯ve died, just like that! If this is just the front door, this place is not going to be easy.¡± He stood and brushed himself off as he came up to a gold-trimmed diamond pylon identical to the one that was on the bridge below¡­above? Walking up to it a menu screen immediately blinked into existence. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Menu
Please select an option from the menu below: Ladder Rankings! Shop Tower Chat Storage Ticket rewards ! Floor Quest Board Rank Challenge
Donny looked over the menu, surprised to find there was a chat system on the islands, and even more so to find an option for pvp. This all really did remind him of the rpg games he used to play, though he knew there would not be another chance to come back if he died early a second time, like in those games. Donny decided to collect his ticket rewards first, mentally selecting the option as the window shifted to a new screen.
Ticket rewards Obtained: Shop Coupon (Diamond) x1 Can be used to redeem a single item from the tower shop at or below Diamond rank for no additional cost. This coupon can be redeemed from any floor with no restrictions. Obtained: 100,000,000 tower credits for use in the tower shop Obtained: Spatial storage ring (Diamond) Obtained: Claim command token (Diamond) x5 Allows you to claim command over an item you already have possession of, soul-binding it to you and allowing you to bring it out of the tower upon completion of floor 75 or above. Soul bound items cannot be lost or stolen, or destroyed, but upon taking a certain amount of damage, a soul bound item will return to your soul where it will take x amount of days (the value of x is dependent on the rank of the soul bound item. Obtained: 100 to 1 time delay talisman (Diamond) (uses left: 1/1) Can be used to reduce the flow of time for themselves and their party on a single floor of the tower. Allowing the users to spend the equivalent of a hundred years for a single year of real time. Warning! This talisman can only be used on independent instance floors. This talisman cannot be soul bound, nor can it be brought into floor 100 You receive 50% more experience from kills and quest completion. You receive 100% more experience upon floor completion. You receive 50% discount on all shop items ranked (Diamond) and below. All physical items will be sent to tower storage.
Donny had a feeling these rewards were rare. And from what he had gathered so far he was the first person in millions of years to actually obtain a Diamond ticket, might even be the only one able to. Those other names on the forest ladder could very well have gotten a great time but obtained nothing for their efforts besides bragging rights. He did, however, understand that he had no idea whether these items would be accessible to anyone at later floors or not, so he honestly had no precedence for what sort boost he¡¯d just obtained. Deciding to take a look at his rewards he opened his storage and withdrew the ring, having a good idea how to use it. Placing the ring on his right middle finger he tried to mentally connect to the ring, but nothing happened. Thinking for a moment, Donny then attempted to send his aura into the ring, which also¡­did nothing. Thinking for a moment, Donny stared at the ring, focusing on seeing its properties. After a moment, the notification he had been waiting for popped up and he cried out in excitement, biting his tongue in the process. Wincing and sucking at the spot in his mouth Donny tried to ignore the smarting pain and taste of blood as he read the notification.
Congratulations! You learned the basic skill: Inspection (common) Inspection (common): Your will to know and understand the properties of items allows you to do a basic scan of any item not already bound and obtain a basic description of its properties and functions.
Donny immediately scanned the ring.
Spatial Storage Ring (Diamond) This ring contains within it a large space that allows one to store any item or amount of items not exceeding its size or weight capacity. The properties of all food and beverage, as well as materials, stored in this ring will be preserved in the exact condition it was in when placed within the ring, including temperature. This ring may only be bound by a single person at a time. If its owner is killed or otherwise forfeits the ring to another the binding will be released and another may claim it as their one.
¡°That doesn¡¯t tell me shit!¡± Donny cursed. He knew there had to be a way to bind the damn ring! Fuck, if only his damn tongue would stop throbbing. Trying to itch the pain away from the enflamed spot at the tip of his tongue, Donny rubbed it back and forth on the inside of his teeth. This both increased the pain and was oddly satisfying and was something he did whenever he bit his tongue. His old father, Don Sr., used to chastise him whenever he saw his son standing their frozen, mouth parted and tongue scraping in and out on his top front teeth, ¡°I told you, you¡¯re gonna make it worse, Junior! Now put your damn tongue back in your mouth before someone sees you standing there like an idiot¡±. A drop of blood flowed along his lower lip and the taste of liquid copper drew Donny out of his reminiscing. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s just like in those old books!¡± Donny exclaimed, once again forgetting about his tongue as he brought the ring to his lip, letting his blood drip onto it. For a second Donny thought he¡¯d once again failed, but then it happened! The blood was absorbed into the ring like water into paper as another notification blinked into existence.
Congratulations! You have bound item: Spatial Storage Ring (Diamond) This item will remain bound to you until death or forfeiture. This item may not be placed in a storage device with a smaller capacity than its own. Note: This ring is not soul bound and may not leave this tower. Attempts to remove this ring from the tower will result in the destruction of its contents.
Donny punched the air, celebrating this new achievement. Not only had he unlocked a new basic skill, but he¡¯d gained access to a mobile storage. Opening up his storage he then withdrew his tokens and talismans and focused on placing them in the ring. Sure enough, after a split second they disappeared from sight. Then, focusing on what his ring contained, a mental image of a massive space the size of a large warehouse appeared within his mind, as if he were within the ring. He focused on the Shop token, and a small, diamond shaped coin made of some metal he couldn¡¯t identify even with the skill popped into his hand. He flipped it back and forth; one side had the image of a tower that loomed high into the sky above a city. The other side had some sort of runic symbol that Donny was sure represented ¡®money¡¯ in some long forgotten language. Once Donny felt accustomed to his new ring, he decided he¡¯d see what the shop had to offer.
Shop
v Weapons v Armor v Apparel v Accessories v Ammunition v Ranked v Food v Consumables v Survivability v Miscellaneous v Healing v All
Besides each shop category were four dots, and when Donny focused on the dots he could set filters that allowed him to adjust his search by different parameters. He could search by rank, level, cost, even color! After playing around with the function for a while Donny felt that he had a good grasp on how everything worked. Donny then considered his options; he had one hundred million credits, but he needed the bigger picture and until he had it, and understood how far this amount could carry him, he wouldn¡¯t waste even a single credit. Or at least that¡¯s what he told himself. He denied all allegations of him being a frivolous spender when he came into large amounts of money. No, he hadn¡¯t spent one and a half million dollars on the budget for a heist that only made him a hundred thousand in profit after expenses just because the gear looked cool. That had simply never happened. Finally deciding on a course of action, Donny opened the survivability tab.
Survivability
Shelters Beds Cooking Traps Defenses Mobile Kiosks Gear Utensils All Help Cart
Not wanting to sift through the dribble, Donny selected shelters option and filtered them from the most expensive to the cheapest.
Shelters
¡¤ Empirical Palace (Adamantine)- (1,000,000,000,000,000) ¡¤ Grand manor (Adamantine) ¨C (900,000,000,000) ¡¤ Cloud Island (Adamantine) ¨C(750,000,000,000) ¡¤ Divine condominium(Adamantine)- (600,000,000,000) ¡¤ SoulFiend¡¯s caravan (Adamantine)-(275,000,000,000)
After seeing the first half a dozen or so listings, Donny¡¯s face blanched as he realized Diamond was not the highest ranking in this dungeon. ¡°Does that mean there¡¯s an Adamantine ticket?¡± Apparently there were in fact, two rankings above Diamond: Mithril, and Adamantine. While he¡¯d thought he might have been the richest person currently in this formation, or tower or whatever it was, he clearly was a long way from the top. The races of the Chaos sure had some high standards. And Donny started to think he might not be quite as wealthy as he¡¯d initially imagined. He wasn¡¯t even close to being able to afford the most expensive items in the shop. He mused as he adjusted the filters once again, this time starting at Diamond.
Shelters
Ghost Riders Carriage (Diamond) ¨C 900,000,000 TC Mirage Manor (Diamond) ¨C 750,000,000 TC Silly Rabbits Hiding Hole (Diamond) ¨C 700,000,000 TC Primordial¡¯s Pitched tent (Diamond) ¨C 675,000,000 TC Lich¡¯s Laboratory (Diamond) ¨C 500,000,00 TC Colorful Caf¨¦ (Diamond) ¨C 460,000,000 TC Hunter¡¯s Cabin (Diamond) ¨C 300,000,000 TC Dreadnaught (Diamond) ¨C 200,000,000 TC
Donny had to stop browsing the shop as he was yet again taken aback by the overwhelming cost of the shelters, though he knew his price was half the cost displayed, he still couldn¡¯t justify spending his entire worth on a single dreadnaught when he had so much more he yet needed. And spending his only free coupon without understanding what exactly he was buying just wasn¡¯t going to cut it. Nonetheless, Donny took his time going through the different selections of shelters, earmarking a few decent options and putting two on his wishlist. Deciding to move along he went to the apparel tab and set the filters to display clothes that beginning at around a one thousand credit price point, figuring it would be a good starting point for some basic threads.
Apparel
Silk red dress (Bronze) 1,000 TC Cotton dress shirt (Bronze) ¨C 1,000 TC Faded leather pants (Bronze) ¨C 1,000 TC Running shoes (Bronze) ¨C 1,000 TC Pink swim trunks(Bronze) ¨C 1,000 TC Bundle of wool socks(25ct) (Bronze) - 1,000 TC Heart pattern trousers (Bronze) ¨C 1,000 TC Leopard print thong (Bronze) ¨C 1,000 TC ¡­
Donny facepalmed, having a hard time trying to keep himself from physically assaulting the pylon and screaming at it like a proper maniac. Was nothing normal in this godforsaken tower? What was he supposed to do with a leopard print thong? Scare the monsters away? He was confused by the completely different ranking and classification system this¡­ system, used. It was similar to the one from outside, but at the same time an entirely different entity. As Donny scrolled through the shop, selecting things here and there to put into his cart, he learned a few things. The ranking system here began at iron going to bronze, then silver, then gold, platinum, diamond, mithril and finally Adamantine. The rarity system on the other hand was sort of similar, with common and uncommon being the lowest two tiers, and moving up went rare, epic, legendary, transcendent, mythic, and finally unique. Donny couldn¡¯t help but notice that there were eight rarities, just like outside. But it was the ranking system that really pulled his attention. The ranking system was so similar to many of the gamelit novels he¡¯d read as a kid. He¡¯d forgotten a lot of them as he grew older, but with his intelligence stat growing by such a large margin recently he was able to recall them much easier. And something was seriously suspicious with the familiarity he felt from everything he¡¯d experienced so far. Suddenly, Donny came across an item that literally resonated with his soul. Immediately Donny selected the item, his mind spinning as voices and words floated through his head, This. This was not possible.
Pheros¡¯ Weapendium Item class: Weapon Rank: (Diamond) Rarity: N/A Requirements: Price: 100,000 TC An amorphous construct of chaos and matter, this item was once a being of (redacted), originating from (redacted), this item holds the power of the nebula, enabling it to shift its form between a myriad assortment of weapon types. Additional information: One can Merge weapons with this weapendium to improve a specific weapon type. Can only have a single weapon of each type at a time. This Weapon can be soul-bound, but in turn all weapons merged with the weapendium will be soul bound as well.
Donny bought the item instinctually, not caring about the suspicious price or it¡¯s dysfunctional description. It was Pheros¡¯ item. Now, he didn¡¯t know how the god¡¯s name was on a weapon belonging to the chaos races, but one thing was for sure, trap or not, this item held answers. The item was sent to his storage, and he swiftly withdrew it, staring in amazement as the ball floated in the air above his palm, a writhing form of both liquid and metal shifted and warped in all of it¡¯s mercurial strangeness. The weapendium floated up, stopping in front of Donny¡¯s face and rocking back and forth curiously as if it were studying Donny right back. Lifting his right index finger Donny slowly brought his hand closer, going for a boop. He couldn¡¯t help but want to poke, pinch and prod this strange item that was somehow supposed to be some mystical weapon. Finally, when his finger was just a couple inches away, Donny¡¯s finger shot forward and¡­ the weapendium moved. He tried again. It dodged. He used both hands, his fingers extended like a praying mantis as he circled and danced with the strangely quick and seemingly sentient blob. ¡°Ugh, come one, man, why you being like this?¡± Donny complained, as he began moving his hands wildly and as unpredictably as he could. Still, he couldn¡¯t even so much as brush it¡¯s metallic surface as it dodged and weaved through his assault. ¡°ARGH! That damn kiosk didn¡¯t say anything about this in the description¡± Donny¡¯s face was red with frustration towards this mischievous miscreant of an item. Donny finally gave up, trying to summon the item into his ring. Nothing happened. He tried again and felt a strong rejection from the ring. It seemed as if this thing was indeed a sentient artifact. That, or the weapendium was far more powerful than the spatial properties of the ring could contain. ¡°Fine, do what you want, I don¡¯t care!¡± Donny screamed at the orb. It seemed to give him a condescending look, as if to say, ¡°I already am, idiot¡±. ¡°Raaaaaaaaaagh¡± Donny screamed at the sky in an attempt to relieve his simmering anger and pent up frustrations. Turning back to the kiosk, Donny pulled up his cart, wanting to just forget about the infuriating ball of stupid metal. After double checking that everything was in order, going over the arrangement of spices and herbs, cooking utensils, fire starter, pots and pans, and even oil and butter he¡¯d found within the shop. He had found a gold ranked tent called ¡°Gypsies Mirage¡± that was a large tent about the size of a one story cabin. Focusing on it, he went over the description once more, making sure he hadn¡¯t missed anything, in case it too decided to protest against him as well.
Gypsies Mirage Item class: Shelter Rank: Gold Rarity: Epic Requirements: Intelligence/400 Spirit/400 Price: 250,000 TC Durability: 500/500 These tents, made from the hide of beasts who stalk the void, invisible to all but those with the vision to see beyond falsehoods, were a common feature of any gypsy caravan. Though the technique to manufacture such an artifact has long been lost, this Tent was found perfectly intact and has self-repairing and cleaning properties. As long as it is not completely destroyed, it may be restored over time and the process can be expedited by feeding it precious metals and fabrics. Though it does not come with furnishings outside of a washroom and latrine, the large open space within the tent can accommodate everything one needs to survive during their travels. Properties: Self-repair 3: This item can repair all damage within 24 hours, so long as it is not brought below 10% of its maximum durability. Illusory camouflage 5: This Item has the ability to blend with its surroundings, camouflaging an area of ten meters within its radius, as well as compel any in its vicinity to subconsciously avoid getting too close. This effect may be lessened when approached by those who harness the power of illusion and light and can be disrupted by power exceeding the threshold for which it can withstand. Durability 5: This item has a durability multiplier of 5. Base durability 100.
Satisfied, Donny continued to go through his list. He had selected all the furnishings he could think of. A wardrobe, bed frame and mattress, wood-burning stove, bathing tub, and even a pretty modern looking kitchen that had counters and drawers. He even found a sink that utilized a gravity feed system with a barrel for wastewater below. The craziest amenity he¡¯d found in the shop was a magical well that had a syphon pump to draw water from and could be placed within the radius of the tent. The shop did have food items, like rice and dried meat, as well as jarred vegetables, which he¡¯d purchased enough of to fill his pantry and cupboards. He knew he couldn¡¯t rely on the kiosk for everything as he ascended the tower, but he wanted to have enough to help him start his adventures should he not be able to find game to hunt or herbs and berries to forage. Finally, Donny had stocked his wardrobe with clothes and had purchased a weapon rack and gun safe which he equipped with basic steel weapons and flintlock pistols and rifles as well as ammunition and oil to clean and maintain the weapons. He had some other miscellaneous items, like the tiger skin rug that would growl and alert him when something got to close to his camp, and quite frankly looked badass, among other things. Nodding to himself, Donny sighed at the over ten million credit price tag but took the cost in stride, knowing that he could¡¯ve very well started this journey with nothing at all. Deciding to be just be grateful that he had anything at all, Donny confirmed his purchases and withdrew everything into his storage ring. Thinking for a second, Donny sent his mind into his storage ring and spent a long moment setting up and organizing his tent. When he was satisfied with the layout, Donny sent a mental command to the ring, summoning his tent. It took him an entire fifteen seconds to summon it to onto the sandy clearing, but when he did he was ecstatic to find that everything was exactly as he had arranged it within his spatial ring. Even the well sat off to the side, about five feet from the flap that was his front door, with a large bucket for drawing water from the pump. Donny then walked into the tent. From the outside the tent appeared to be a simple, beige colored tent that was about ten feet in width, height and length. But as he pushed his way past the overlapping flap that led to the interior of the abode, he found the space inside to be much larger. The space within his ring had not done it justice. The large studio style living quarters were lined with wooden framing. The high cathedral ceiling was supported by strong trusses that were held up by thick poles that ran down the center of the structure. Immediately to either side of the entrance was the weapon rack to the left. And gun safe to the right. He had a large beast-hide couch that had a blanket of soft fur draped across it for comfort. Adjacent to the couch was a wood burning stove with a large surface for cooking and a ventilation system that extended out past the ceiling, though Donny hadn¡¯t seen the vent protruding outside, he guessed it was some sort of magical fuckery that he didn¡¯t even try to understand. In one corner was his bed, which had a large feather stuffed comforter and four fluffy pillows. At the foot of the bed stood his wardrobe and in the other corner was his kitchen. His large tiger skin rug lay on the floor in front of the couch, snarling maw facing the door. A small hard wood coffee table sat on the rug. Beyond his kitchen was a wall of wood and hide that led to the washroom where he had a wooden toilet, cast iron sink and cedar bathing tub. While it wasn¡¯t anything like his parent¡¯s palace in the fourth pillar, it was homey and comfortable, and Donny was proud of his purchases. Donny changed into a long sleeved white cotton shirt and through on a leather vest with matching pants. He strapped on tough leather boots and tied a plain sheath to his belt before sliding the razor sharp double edged gladius neatly into it¡¯s scabbard. He then equipped two holsters and matching repeater-pistols before finally stepping out of the tent. With a wave of his hand, Donny reabsorbed the tent into his ring, which was almost instant compared to the long delay required to summon it. Looking around, Donny tried to spot the rambunctious Weapendium, but didn¡¯t see it anywhere. He searched up and down the bank of the river. It was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± He whined out loud, dragging both hands down his face, pulling on his eyes and stretching his skin as he tried to stay calm. ¡°It¡¯s ok, Donny, you have decent enough weapons for now, you can buy a better weapon on a higher floor once you¡¯ve figured out what works best for you. You don¡¯t need that stupid, self-centered¡­ whatever it is anyways¡± Donny consoled himself placatingly as he stepped onto the path, feeling a cool film wrap around him as he seemed to pass some sort of barrier. ¡°Now, where to star-¡± Donny froze, realizing he¡¯d completely forgotten to check the quests for this floor. Turning around he ran smack into an invisible, clear barrier. ¡°Ouch, fuck that hurts¡± He said, rubbing his nose where he¡¯d crushed it into the forcefield that had come out of nowhere. It appeared that once one left the safe area around the kiosk, there was no returning to it. He¡¯d purchased a mobile kiosk that he could use from any shelter, but it cost a whopping two million credits, and he was not about to waste the only one he had before even starting his journey. Especially due to a certain line of text in its description.
Mobile Kiosk (Diamond) 1/1 Item class: Amenity Rank: Diamond Rarity: N/A Requirements: Shelter Price: 200,00,000 TC Durability: 100000/100000 A Mobile Kiosk that emulates the functions of a tower kiosk. Can be used to purchase basic supplies and ammunition, update quests and collect rewards. This kiosk does not provide a safe area and may not be used to purchase more mobile kiosks. Each mobile kiosk is a single use item and will expire one hour after summoning.
¡°Great, just fucking great. First the useless blobendium, now I don¡¯t even have a clue what I¡¯m supposed to do. Thanks for the fucking tutorial I didn¡¯t get, asshole!¡± Donny shouted to no one in particular. When he didn¡¯t get a reply, Donny gave up begrudgingly as started down the path once more. Though he was a little despondent, he took his licks in stride and tried to cheer himself up as he officially began his journey into this unknown place. As Donny disappeared around the first bend in the path, unbeknownst to him, figures draped in dark shadows began to creep out of the forest and onto the path as they all stared in his direction. chapter 12 Chapter 12 The lush emerald foliage was a mirage of green and brown, blending with the bright oceanic blue of the surrounding sky. The call of birds and chirps of woodland creatures surrounded Donny as if nature¡¯s symphony was playing its most exclusive song for only him. This was the definition of peace. This was calling of nature that so many sought, and yet few found. It was the subtle creaking of branches swaying in the wind. It was the denotation of serenity. It was the whispered conversation between nature and man. Donny couldn¡¯t help but feel that this is what the earth he¡¯d left behind was missing. What so many men and women wished for, but the rural conglomerates had stricken from their planet. Donny reminisced on the time he¡¯d visited Colorado in 2115, He was seventeen years old. The once pristine and organic mountains had been transformed into a magnet rain runway for the rich and powerful. He remembered his father lecturing him about the history of Colorado. ¡°Years ago the forests around here were destroyed by pine beetles. For years they lay dormant beneath the blanket of winter, until the early two thousands, when global warming heated the atmosphere and drew them out as they propagated and spread, feeding on the natural armor of the trees and preventing fungi that was the natural defense of the local flora. Pay attention junior!¡± Thwack! Donny¡¯s father had smacked him on the back of his head, as he¡¯d zoned out, bored by the slow progression of the sky train they rode. ¡°Come on, dad, you talk about all this hippy bullshit now, but tomorrow we¡¯ll be discussing our next jo-¡± Thwack! ¡°Ouch, fuck, pops, come on, I¡¯m just speaking facts y¡¯heard?¡± Donny rubbed the back of his head as he winced, his dad never held back with anything, not even correcting his son. ¡°You. Will. Respect. This planet.¡± He said, articulating each word with the emphasis of a college professor lecturing an unorderly student. ¡°Naw, I get that, but this shit? It¡¯s all bogus pops. You know as well as I do that the scientific community has been breeding these trees in a controlled biodome for years, within the next decade or so these forests will be thriving stronger than they had been before global warming¡± Donny retorted, meeting his pops gaze and not backing down. Don Sr. quirked a smile at Donny, ruffling his hair as he sighed and leaned back. Pressing a button on the side of his chair, the sound of a vacuum whirred through their enclosed seating as the sound of the compression tubes that lined their chamber eliminated the chance of someone eavesdropping on them. ¡°Look, son, I know you study hard and train even harder. But you¡¯ve got to learn the nuances of political conference. These people do not care whether we agree with their economic stance. What they do care about is whether we have the gumption to support their political views within the gaze of the majority. It¡¯s all about public perception. And when the public sees my son able to quote the economic crisis of the 21st century while simultaneously mocking it in his boredom¡­ It doesn¡¯t look good, junior.¡± Don said, not giving Donny the chance to interrupt his speech. ¡°I want you to lead the next rally for economic sustainability in Washington¡± ¡°What!? But dad, I-¡± ¡°No excuses. Larry can lead that job, and don¡¯t you dare say another fucking word or you¡¯ll be training with me in the gym for the next month!¡± Don Sr. glared at his son, daring him to talk back. Donny shrunk down into his seat. He knew he wasn¡¯t a push over, but his dad¡­ he couldn¡¯t do another month in the gym with his father, it had taken him two just for the bruises to heal the last time he¡¯d spent a month in the gym with his pops, and that was less than a year ago. ¡°Attention passengers. We are now descending over Turquoise lake, the only lake left in the great state of Colorado that has been untouched by pollution. The lake was made in the nineteenth century by damning fort creek, and experts say the high elevation¡­¡± Donny zoned out the sound of the intercom above. Staring at his dad, but unwilling to speak first, he took the silent beating, not wanting to come off as weaker than he was. From outside it would appear as a father reprimanding his unruly teenager, but those people hadn¡¯t seen-hadn¡¯t been there when his father got truly angry. When he¡¯d¡­ Dadunh, dadunh, dadunh... Donny was ripped out of his musings by the sound of a pounding gait against the dirt path as something charged him in a furious ambush. Turning around, he barely had enough time to cross his arms in front of himself in a desperate attempt to defend himself. He was slammed back, arms going limp from the impact of the large boar that had rammed him. A spray of blood painted the air from the where one of the large, jagged tusks had managed to gore him across the forearm. Hitting the ground, Donny slid backwards, riding out the slide to gain some distance before flipping backwards, pulling both repeaters from his waist as he fired in mid-air. Round after round was fired toward the boar, but the lead shot just ricocheted off the boards thick skull as it pounded toward him, aiming for another ram. Donny jumped to the side at the last second, using the momentum of the boar to his advantage as it blew past him and into a tree. Taking advantage of the boar¡¯s momentarily stunned state, Donny made to fire at its flank, hoping its rear wasn¡¯t as impenetrable as its tough skull, dink, dink, dink... his rounds were simply deflected, rebounding without doing any damage. Click. Click. Both pistols gave the hollow report of an empty chamber. ¡°Shit!¡± Donny hissed, bracing himself as the boar turned around and lowered its head to ready another deadly charge. Donny¡¯s arm throbbed, blood leaking down from the gash on his left arm. He needed to do something, and quickly. Running through his options, Donny¡¯s mind raced along with his heart. Throwing down both pistols, Donny pulled his gladius from its sheath. Stolen story; please report. Holding the sword out in front of him with both hands, and bringing his legs into a horse stance, Donny braced his knees. Feet planted firmly; Donny stood completely still as the boar charged again. Donny waited, knowing that if he was off on his timing even a little he would most likely die here. Right when the boar was just outside the reach of Donny¡¯s sword, he brought it up and angled it down, the point of the double-edged blade aiming directly at the boar''s head. The boar turned its head to try and parry the blade with one tusk, but that was exactly what Donny had been hoping for. Twisting his body and leaning into a lunge, Donny¡¯s blade pierced the boar¡¯s right eye, unable to stop its momentous charge, the blade pierced deep into the boars brain, before coming to a halt on something hard, presumably the back of its skull. Wrrrreeeeeee! The boar squealed loudly at first, blood spattering Donny with a sickening squelch as the sound slowly fading to silence, its life came to an end. Donny fell back onto his ass at the same time the boar fell to one side, the gladius still lodged in its brain. Panting hard, Donny stared at the boar in shock, heart pounding in his chest from the excitement of the whole ordeal. As Donny sat there, staring at the dead boar with a gladius protruding from its skull, he began to laugh. He laughed long and hard, tears pouring down his face as he roared his triumph to the sky. For all his stats and newfound strength he knew beyond any doubt that he would not have been able to pierce the tough hide of the boar no matter how hard he struck, his victory had been a combination of quick thinking and luck. Finally, Donny stood and walked over to the boar, grabbing the hilt of his sword and tugging. It held firm, not even budging from its resting place within the skull of the large boar. Hissing his defiance, Donny placed one foot on the boars head and tugged with both hands in a vain attempt to remove the sword. Realizing that the sword must have been imbedded into the thick skull of the animal, he gave up, stepping back and observing the boar with both hands on his hips. The gladius had only been a couple hundred credits, but he did not want to waste a perfectly good sword if he didn¡¯t have to. An idea struck Donny, and he walked up and placed his hand on the hilt of his gladius, sending a mental command to his ring. The entire boar, sword and all, disappeared from sight, and he sighed, shaking his head at the absurdity of the entire situation. Suddenly, Donny swayed where he stood, becoming suddenly dizzy as his arm throbbed, and he remembered the long gash on his arm that continued to leak blood. Donny pulled a first aid kit he¡¯d purchased from the shop and sat cross legged on the dirt path, pulling out a curved needle with a length of catgut suture thread and began stitching the wound closed as best he could. Wincing in pain, Donny tied off the final stitch and snipped the thread before applying a pulped mash of herbs that served as both an antibiotic and a numbing agent. As Donny wrapped his forearm in a sterile poultice, he stood, flexing his arm back and forth to assess his range of motion. It wasn¡¯t optimal, but it would have to do. The deep chuff of exhalation sounded from behind Donny, the sound cutting through the otherwise silent forest like steam being expelled through the smokestack of a train. Donny went completely still, the blood draining from his face as a cold sweat chilled his back. He slowly turned his head, trying not to make any sudden movements as a terrifying sight entered his gaze. At least a dozen boars stood about a hundred feet away, staring a deep blend of anger and hatred towards Donny. The beasts were massive, standing well over four meters tall, with a behemoth of a boar at the back of the herd, towering over the rest. Smaller swine the size of the one Donny had just killed ran in circles around the legs of the mature mammals, a few suckling at the teat of sows that stood behind the group of boar, smaller and slimmer than the larger males but equally furious. ¡°That was a fucking piglet?¡± Donny gulped as he mentally questioned what he was seeing, having a hard time processing exactly what was going on. He slowly took one step back, then another, maintaining eye contact as he backed away from the clearly pissed of group of wild pigs. The massive boar in the middle chuffed another load snort, a cloud of dust billowing up as it¡¯s powerful breath disturbed the dirt on the path. It had one massive tusk jutting up from the right side of its snout, the left side a short, jagged stump of broken ivory and enamel. Old wounds decorated its head, and one eye was welded shut by scar tissue. Its one remaining eye, on the other hand, was locked on to Donny with the gleaming understanding of a sentient creature. While Donny had noticed that the first boar to attack him had seemed to be intelligent, this was a being that was completely cognizant of world around. ¡°You know that I was defending myself, right?¡± Donny shouted, hoping the shed sized boar could understand him. The boar narrowed its one eye, piercing him a gaze that could freeze water. It bared its flat herbivorous teeth in a low growl before giving the most subtle of nods in what Donny could only recognize as acknowledgement. Donny breathed a sigh of relief as he began to walk away in earnest. It seemed this herd did not intend to pursue this matter any further. And then Donny heard a stomp, and a loud chorus of snorts and chuffs followed as the earth began to shake. Donny started running away at full speed as he looked over his shoulder, the group of swine surprisingly fast as they began quickly catching up to him. ¡°Raaaaaaaaaagh, I hate this place!¡± Donny shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran away as fast as his legs and stats could carry him. ¡­ Donny stood on the limb of a massive tree, chest heaving with deep breaths and sweat soaking him from head to toe, making clothes stick to skin in a very uncomfortable manner. He had ran from the crazy murderous pig hoard for hours before coming to this tree that towered far taller than any tree he had ever seen, more like a palace of lumber and leaves than the ancient pine that it was. The hefty herd of hooved heathens refused to get to close to the tree, choosing instead to circle in a roughly quarter mile radius around the tree, periodically looking up, searching for Donny, snorting and chuffing in agitation. As Donny rested and looked down from the road wide branch that he could barely remember scaling in his adrenaline-fueled race against certain death, he got the feeling that his pursuers¡­ worshipped, the tree. It was hard to explain but, they seemed to show reverence and respect to the massive pine. He was pretty sure he had seen the largest boar bow to the tree at some point but couldn¡¯t be sure if he¡¯d imagined it or not. The sky began to dim as the sun faded over the horizon, a fact that hurt Donny¡¯s brain because he wasn¡¯t entirely sure how this place had a son or moon in the first place but decided not to dwell on that fact too much. He went to the thickest part of the massive branch, where it joined together with the absurdly large tree, and attempted to summon his tent right there. Surprisingly it worked! ¡°Well at least there¡¯s no placement requirements, like ¡®This item can only be summoned on ground level surfaces¡¯ or anything like that¡± he muttered to himself as he stripped off his still damp clothes, tossing them into a barrel of water and washing the sweat out before clipping them to one of the tent cords that extended out to a stake that was imbedded in the bark of the branch in an unnatural way, as if it simply existed in the same spot as the tree without doing any actual harm to the tree. Donny knew instinctively that when he returned this tent to his spatial ring there would be no hole or disturbance left behind to denote the stakes that had once been. Donny then drew water and filled the tub, not even bothering to heat up stones and warm the water as he quickly bathed before anything else. After pulling on a pair of soft pajama pants and cotton shirt, Donny ate some dried rations purchased from the tower shop before redressing the wound on his left arm and crawling beneath the thick comforter that lay over his bed. He quickly fell asleep, exhausted from the sheer amount of physical stress he¡¯d experienced today. As he drifted asleep on his bed, within the land of dreams he woke with a start, finding himself in a dark chamber, rubbing his eyes and looking around in confusion.