It didn't take long to fill in the others, and once I was done catching them up we all sat in silence as they digested everything. Benny was the first to say anything. "Why." He groaned. "Does everything we do end up going wrong in the most catastrophic possible fashion."
Callen chuckled. "Those who carry the blood of gods tend to have even more interesting lives than most. But your fate sense would guide you toward dramatic action in any case."
I've had some complaints in past stories from people who didn't get how strong the Reach is supposed to be, so I tried to make it clear in this one. The Scarabs are considered one of the most powerful weapons in the DC universe, and I'm treating them as such. This chapter was a fun one to write.
2023-11-16 16:02:16 +0000 UTC
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"Alright." I said as the...things, began to encircle us. "Just a bit closer. You ready?" Callie and I were more than in sync, with the bond in place we were basically sharing a brain. She knew what kind of tactics I used, even without knowing my stances perfectly. She nodded silently, a smile on her face. The wolf lizard stag things drew closer and closer until they finally got within range.
I didn't need to announce it was time. Callie felt my surge ...
2023-11-15 23:34:44 +0000 UTC View PostI had a lot of fun with this one. I hope I got the right vibe for Alucard, I was going for a Hellsing abridged version, though slightly more hedonistic and devilish
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K9KPMgi4gs2M1Yned5o4mWMthGZv...
My head was pounding as I woke up. That was a pretty common thing for me when waking from unconsciousness, but this time it felt different. Or rather, it felt normal. I reached for my ability and for the first time since I entered the trials I felt my wish power respond. Six wishes. Apparently I'd been unconscious for longer than expected, at least depending on how fast time passed while I was in the trials, but whatever the case, I had my wishes back.
<... 2023-11-14 23:17:19 +0000 UTC View Posthttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1I-yDJqsZLRi81jkm8EYSMDpGTydARocPBLQ9DukzAnY/edit?usp=sharing
2023-11-14 20:29:36 +0000 UTC View PostObviously the first thing I did when I woke up was to check on my abilities. I wanted to see what it looked like having two of them, hell, I wanted to see what it FELT like. I closed my eyes, reaching into myself and willing those purple flames to fill my vision.
Wishmaster candidate status. F-rank. Ability: Intermediate Wish- Six times a day grant an Intermediate wish in return for proper compensation. Wish must be feasibly ...
2023-11-13 23:22:39 +0000 UTC View PostI figure some of you saw this coming, but it was still a blast to write.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1be9IjOIdWqOeQR92JJk4vwqxrURcdyptksXel07Wztg/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mT_YIPwZLRPPkfyqsQBdkCTfYh__RCXdjNLdXNmMwpQ/edit?usp=sharing
"Hello me." Said the me in the chair. "It's so nice to see you again. You could be a bit more polite you know. Our mama didn't raise us to be rude." He paused. "Although, I guess she didn't raise us at all, so maybe bad manners were inevitable." He grinned at me, face unadorned with the mask I wore constantly.
I sighed. This was the version of me from the end of the maze. The one I'd spoken to before breaking my mind shackle. "How are you here?" I ask...
2023-11-10 21:52:55 +0000 UTC View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vecmFJDbbDuzm2YySl4j5y8TgaX3prtYamGk996CeS0/edit?usp=sharing
Breaking my second shackle was...odd. I felt strange. Like there had been a lot of little gaps in me that were gone now. The sublimation that elevated my soul to green had further refined it, made it seamless, stronger. Of course, I still had one more in store, eventually. The condensation of my Azure Soul Body. That was a ways away though. I had to completely refine my soul through green first.
Callie had slowed down, but as I watched, something abou...
2023-11-09 23:25:07 +0000 UTC View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ITuyVkVpNi8J98BvEq7xOvSvSOWm3pXBPF_2FNheQeg/edit?usp=sharing
The next four sections were hellish. Delusion, vanity, confusion, doubt. Each flight seemed to inundate me with awful sensation and then rip it out, stripping away the bits of it that remained insides. Each time I came away a bit stronger, if raw, and each time I felt myself get closer and closer to the truth of my second shackle. When we finally reached the last platform, I could feel the weight of my full presence, of my staff, and of the changes that had...
2023-11-08 23:08:53 +0000 UTC View PostAnd we start to get into the real canon welding. So many fun connections in the universes in question, I'm having a blast with this. Hope everyone enjoys.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XQt8Br9QY6RbVxb39KWv83DrVPsLOaKEceVxw4DeLR...
The next section was something a bit confusing for me. Hate. Stepping onto it, I felt a bit thrown by the sensation. I wasn't a hateful person. I disliked people, was annoyed by people, even got violently angry at people, but hate...I'd only hated one or two people. Pietro, the brat from the Black Sorrow Cult. Aiden, for what he'd done to Cass and the other kids. Even then I hadn't dwelled on it.
But as I took the next step, the sensation grew. I hate...
2023-11-07 22:53:50 +0000 UTC View PostAnd it finally happens! Nicky reaches A rank, and becomes a true power in the world on par with people like Superman. I love the final form I came up with for him, and have some big plans going forward. Hope everyone is excited.
https://...
Leverage. It was an important part of staff combat. Maybe the most important part, at least based on what Willow taught me. But as much as leverage could do in a fight, Goetia wasn't some single faceted stick swinging style. It was a manifestation of my potential. It was a way to connect my Path and my combat style into a single unifying force.
Which meant leverage wasn't all I needed. Leverage worked well as a principal for Belial, but for Mephistoph...
2023-11-06 23:39:49 +0000 UTC View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OtYS57SiVOAWbhqiHAW5ZZ8QhAlRLAcP_fi0rrnKaUc/edit?usp=sharing
I was planning to do Nicky's upgrade today, but I couldn't fit it in the chapter. He and Amy will be getting theirs tuesday.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dnt9HINzNar9f6fytTEIVIzjiEWwD8KloQiz861hgs0/edit?usp=sharing
The first level of the steps was pretty simple to start out. Greed. I set my foot down on the first step and suddenly became hyperfocused on...wanting. I wanted the keys above people's heads (four pieces of gold and two pieces of silver manifested over me, but I was a bit distracted), I wanted their weapons, their money, and anything else I could see. Luckily it was a pretty mild want, so I took another step.
The need to take intensified slightly, but...
2023-11-03 21:28:13 +0000 UTC View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11_GJx1F85QDO74lNiMol5lN1V9wl7HkxluTYmAPvCgM/edit?usp=sharing
The next few days were hectic. Well, they felt like days, with the weird timeshift in this place (or whatever was causing it) I hadn't regained access to my wishes. Still, I'd been doing some serious work on my forms, both Belial and the new one I had in development, and I felt stronger than ever. I managed to snag another flag, Gabriel got one, while Adrian got the last two, but he hit two flags after me, allowing me to just barely eke out a victory and co...
2023-11-02 20:59:56 +0000 UTC View PostI thought Graciel deserved her own scene, since Amy and Mordiel got them. Had some fun with this one. Next chapter is Nick's upgrade!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-0lsg91tThbdkr6QUFXqhOySmdl8pQt3NmZ0kgOc1L4/edit?us...
The next flag wasn't as hard to find as we expected, but it did still take a few hours. We beat everyone else this time though, so we were the ones lying in wait. The flag was in a small cave behind a waterfall, and without the light it was pretty tough to spot. To make sure we had an advantage this time, Callie decided to bust out her trap Skill, constructing a series of dangerous defenses out of sight from materials she had in her ring.
"So, what ar...
2023-11-01 22:30:51 +0000 UTC View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x1mxFu2tKlazkaN1O25gDQW3N52u7rptw_qCczgITqo/edit?usp=sharing
I was in a fantastic mood as we gathered around a big tree in the middle of the valley. "That was awesome." I said happily. "We totally crushed them. That new Path of yours is pretty scary, Cal." I glanced over at my mentor. "And Abel you were really killing it with the cannon fodder. I didn't kill Mel, by the way. I figured it was an opportunity for her to be here. She still had plenty of soul refinement she can get from this place. I did break her arms an...
2023-10-31 22:16:51 +0000 UTC View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g_AsGFZxwCP1e1WbII8EQghSUKcWDC7BcVqGcl_Gmqs/edit?usp=sharing
Our signal to begin was the darkening of the sky. The glow of the flag cast shadows across the valley, and I used the bond to make sure Callie could see through the fog easily as Moonlit Night consumed the space below us, covering the entire group below us in a thick blanket of stealth.
I triggered State of Grace, nodding to the others as Callie melted into the dark. Bethy flicked her fingers and her cats melted into the mist, circling around. I grima...
2023-10-30 23:17:19 +0000 UTC View PostAlright folks, yes this is another canon weld, though presumably the last one for a while. This is setup for a lot of the later story, because I needed a way to get Voldemort access to power that would make him relevant later without going to the Gaunter well again because it seemed cheap. Also hot girls and fun peerage members. For those unaware, Tanith Low is from Skulduggery Pleasant, a world I teased with Vincent's reveal when he made that offhand comment about being a sorcerer. I have so...
2023-10-30 15:34:50 +0000 UTC View Post