“Barkeep!” Austin shouts, his voice scratchy and hoarse. “One for the lady here!”
I saunter over to him, Acting providing me the necessary motions to make myself appear more confident about social situations than I actually am.
“Sit,” he says, roughly patting the seat next to him. Austin looks up to the other two and shooes them away. “Jade, Stahr. Go fuck somewhere else.”
Adrian cringes away, and Sierra makes a face. Despite their obvious di...
2023-03-24 13:50:39 +0000 UTC
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Prior to our fight, this room was smooth concrete and steel rebar, unmarred but for the corpses of the cultists and the two dragon-babies.
Now, chunks of concrete end in jagged lines of empty space, blood and flesh and fabric doing much the same. The room has been torn to pieces, exposing the void outside. Some of the holes are large enough to fit me through even if I roll into them spread-eagle, and they’re only expanding.
I’ve barely been awake for three seconds when Sierra...
2023-03-23 06:13:19 +0000 UTC
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Fire is all I know. Burning darkness suffuses me, setting every nerve ending I have alight.
I have Pain Resistance at a Silver tier. Level 15, no less. I have been able to put aside the sensation of pain even when half the bones in my body were broken.
And yet bright hot pain consumes me, devours every lucid thought in my mind. My body is alight with agony, my very soul burning under the wraithfire that slices into it.
Pain Resistance advanced to lev...
2023-03-20 18:07:24 +0000 UTC
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“Close your eyes,” Sierra says. “There’s powerful magic at work in the entrance.”
“Dweller magic?” Adrian asks, reverent fear in his voice. “I heard of these, but…”
“I think not,” Sierra replies. “A different kind.”
He sucks in a breath. “Demonic?”
“Something of the sort,” she says. “Now close your eyes. If you have them open, we’re just going to descend into the darkness forever.”
“How do you know that?” I ask.
2023-03-20 18:06:51 +0000 UTC
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“Welcome to Ravendale,” a neutral voice says, magical electronics installed in the ceiling carrying the sound throughout the train cars. “Due to high volume, the train will remain at this stop for three hours.”
“Ravendale!” Sierra exclaims. “It’s been too long.”
“Sierra, it’s been two weeks,” Adrian says.
“Shush,” the Blue Mage replies. “Two weeks is too long.”
“You’re from Ravendale?” I ask.
“I am not,” Sierra replies, r...
2023-03-20 18:06:13 +0000 UTC
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“P-partner?” he stutters, stumbling backwards. The door is still shut behind him, and he turns to run from me.
Without the power of Relentless or Siphon to aid me, I’m starting to run low on magic power, but I still have enough left in the tank to use another Bloodstep. I move significantly faster in this form than I do outside of it, and I can fit through much tighter spaces.
I use it to burst between his legs and reappear ...
2023-03-20 18:05:42 +0000 UTC
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Due to your traits and actions, you may gain up to 5 Bronze-tier skills from the following list.
Phantom Limb
Blade Resistance
Fog Cloud
Misty Blade
Paralyzing Venom
Cooking
Firearms
Due to your traits and actions, you may gain up to 1 Silver...
2023-03-20 15:20:52 +0000 UTC
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Relentless Demon provides much less immediate power than the other potential classes I could have evolved into, but the boost I gain is still potent nonetheless.
My equipment is no more intact that it was before I initiated the class evolution, but my body doesn’t have a single blemish on it. It feels like it’s been a lifetime since that began, but it can’t have been more than half a second out here.
“Your power…” Regulus trails off, and then his expression hardens. ...
2023-03-20 15:19:42 +0000 UTC
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I open my eyes to the sight of broken glass and blood.
The lab where I was born greets me. It’s empty, congealing blood and mostly-Devoured corpses the only sign of life in the place. The place looks exactly the same as it did when I left it.
A pulse of inexplicable energy passes through my surroundings and my vision doubles. The scene in front of me fractures, information overwhelming my sight, and a second image lays itself on top of the shattered lab. I see t...
2023-03-20 15:19:12 +0000 UTC
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The wind buffets me as the two of us fall as one, and I press myself close against the dying man’s body.
Despite that, I hear the sound of bullets screaming past us. Even over the deafening din of air resistance, the thunderstrike gunshots are still easily audible.
Kellen and I tumble end over end, though implying that he plays any role in it is a little misleading. He’s still alive, but only barely. Blood streams from his wound, and I take the liberty of creating a couple new...
2023-03-20 15:17:35 +0000 UTC
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The gun jumps in my hands, but I’m more prepared for it now and my body is physically stronger. Just as it did last time, the thunderous crack-crack-crack of three shots firing in a rapid burst nearly deafens me, and the kick of each shot throws my aim off, but I manage to keep hold of the weapon this time.
None of the shots connect. The hatch is, after all, roughly thirty feet from me, and I’m nearly completely new to the art of using this gun, not to mention the constant ...
2023-03-20 15:14:55 +0000 UTC
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She knows my name.
My first instinct is to Bloodstep away immediately, but I contain myself. That would give the game away entirely.
I do, however, use a skill.
Name: Sapphire Clearwater
Age: [APPRAISE FAILED]
Race: Half-Elf
Class: [APPRAISE FAILED]
Level: [APPRAISE FAILED]
Last Used Skill: [APPRAISE FAILED]
That ...
2023-03-20 15:13:25 +0000 UTC
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Free Bird
Requirements: Complete the [Remain free] objective.
You are significantly more capable of escaping restraints.
You have gained 3 stat points.
Due to Enhanced Blood Affinity and your actions, you may select 1 Bronze-tier skill to gain from the following list:
Lessened Bleed
Venomous Blood
2023-03-20 15:11:17 +0000 UTC
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“Lie down,” the medic instructs. “You don’t know how hurt you are.”
I follow his instructions, still flicking my eyes around as they lower me to a bed, removing my pack for me and placing it on the floor. The inside of the building that they all came out of is more inviting than any room I’ve been in so far, though that’s not a very high bar given the fact that I’ve only just come out of the complex. The medics took me through a place that evocated the word tavern
2023-03-20 15:09:40 +0000 UTC
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I savor the moment I meet my enemy’s blade with one of my own, taking in the surprise in his face.
For a split second, I see the first sign of fear appear in his expression, and I rise, casually forcing the air-sword aside with my dagger. The motion is easy, and it feels like I’m back in the closet-armory, practicing my strikes against thin air and wooden closets.
My mind feels no faster than it did a moment ago, but certain aspects of it feel sharper. When he draws h...
2023-03-20 15:08:11 +0000 UTC
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With Knifefighting at level 8, my blow strikes true. My trusty armory-provided knife faces resistance from the tough fabric of the security uniform’s pants, but it slices through nonetheless. In contrast to his clothes’ well-constructed denim, the guard’s flesh parts like hot butter beneath my strike.
Even with Demonic Heritage healing me, I haven’t gained all my strength back. I’m confident that I could’ve severed his arteries easily if I h...
2023-03-20 15:06:41 +0000 UTC
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My vision shifts into a deeper shade of red this time, as if everything but me is dissolving into blood instead of the other way around.
When I push myself to move upwards, my skill responds far more easily than it did before, as if my magic is another limb. Everyone in the room with me shouts, each of them screaming something different, but it sounds distant, as if I’m hearing them from the bottom of a deep, deep pool.
Both of the armed guards fire their rifles, and that sound ...
2023-03-20 15:06:20 +0000 UTC
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Objective: Remain free
Satisfy this quest by not being captured by any means when the timer expires.
Time remaining: 24:00:00
“Hey,” Kelly pants, the last-minute sprint evidently still impacting her, “we’ve—she’s been through a lot. Give her a break, alright?”
“She’s—“ the man stops at a particularly loaded glare from the Gunner. “Okay, fine. Go get some rest. It can...
2023-03-20 15:05:02 +0000 UTC
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The nobles leave almost immediately, taking the male guard with them. Nearly a minute passes as the female guard—Kelly, I should remember that now that it’s just her—clears the area. She approaches me once she’s sure we’re secure.
“Can you walk?” Kelly asks me.
Of course I can. I’ve been able to walk this entire time. Even without the noble’s healing, Demonic Heritage would’ve healed me back to functional by now. Maybe not perfect, but function...
2023-03-20 15:04:01 +0000 UTC
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Two of the six are wearing the same uniform I have stashed away in my bag, though theirs are pristine and undamaged. I can’t make them out from here, but I’m sure that they say Site-17 Auxiliary Security with some designation on them if I look close enough.
The other four, however, aren’t. I have no reference point for any of them, but some part of my mind screams to me that they’re noble. They wear fine clothes with rich colors, made from material that looks e...
2023-03-20 15:02:57 +0000 UTC
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The stairs are long. I knew that, of course, since I read the map, but knowing the length of a journey and understanding it are two completely different things.
Look, I’m patient. I have to be. After all, advancement is more important to me than anything else, and that includes entertainment.
Still, an hour into the trek, I’m starting to get bored. My physical body isn’t tiring much, which I think must be thanks to the demonic musculature that I have. Whatever those lab tech...
2023-03-20 15:02:20 +0000 UTC
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I’m not going to leave immediately, of course. There’s quite a few things I need to do first, after all.
I know what Lessened Bleed does already, and I’m not terribly interested in it at the moment. It might be relevant if I come up against more blood manipulators, but somehow I doubt that every single potential source of XP is going to be a blood mage. The fragments of other experiments that I picked up through extensive perusal of this facility’s files certain...
2023-03-20 15:01:41 +0000 UTC
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The shadows hide me as I lurk, slowly inching my way back to the lab. My memory is perfect, as far as I can tell. Every time I see a corridor, I record it. I remember every door I’ve passed, every dead-end storage room full of research I can’t read and dead subjects I can’t Devour.
It’s almost nostalgic, really, even if it’s only been two days since I’ve come here.
I find the lab all too soon, and it’s not just my memory that guides me.
Pressur...
2023-03-20 15:00:25 +0000 UTC
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I hold off on selecting the new skills. There’s a larger variety of them to select from this time, but I want to have a better idea of how I want to take EV11 down before I commit to anything. I don’t want to end up with a half-assed build cobbled together from hastily-selected skills. Earlier, I needed to, but now…
EV11 hasn’t given chase, which I am beyond grateful for.
That does mean that it’s likely even more powerful now, but oh well. There’s nothing I ca...
2023-03-19 22:55:49 +0000 UTC
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Disconcertingly, there is still some lighting in the corridor. Earlier, there was illumination through the glow of the machines that kept us in the tubes, which was odd enough on its own, but functional lighting here? That screams to me that this place is inhabited.
To be fair, they flicker. They’re off more than they’re on, proving that whatever technology or magic powers them, it’s degrading.
I come to the first intersection less than two minutes after I leave. Thankfully,...
2023-03-19 22:52:25 +0000 UTC
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Lessened Bleed (Common)
Tier: Bronze
Level: 1
You are capable of keeping your blood where it belongs. For fifteen minutes every hour on a rolling basis, you bleed at a 75% reduced rate.
Shape Blood (Uncommon)
Tier: Bronze
Level: 1
Your understanding of life is such that you can manipulate it. For six mi...
2023-03-19 22:51:50 +0000 UTC
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There are seven remaining enemies, which means seven remaining sources of XP. Three have scampered off, while another two are currently fighting each other, teeth and nails slicing into soft flesh. I might be able to collect the scraps from those two, but I’m not counting on it. One of them is EV2, the misshapen flesh-blob that had the blood-shaping skill, and I’m not keen on facing that down.
Not without a similarly powerful skill, at least. Devour isn’t an offen...
2023-03-19 22:50:33 +0000 UTC
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Objective: First, eat the babies
Devour the others.
Targets devoured: [0/10]
Reward: 100 XP
The notification floats in front of my eyes, the text the only clear part of my vision. I blink once, twice, every movement sluggish and slow.
Liquid. The thought flashes through my mind. I’m suspended in liquid. Viscous, thick liquid, and I can only see far e...
2023-03-19 22:17:21 +0000 UTC
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Hey y'all! It's spring break for college right now, and I'm visiting a friend up in New York. Depending on how busy I am, it's pretty likely that chapters are going to be delayed. Sorry, and thank you all for your continued support.
2023-03-12 13:45:11 +0000 UTC
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Hiya! I had hoped to get a chapter out today. Unfortunately, it turns out that members of my group for my CS project (worth 11% of our final grade, which is fun) really did not pick up their slack, so I'm going to be focusing on that today (tonight, really, it's 3 AM) instead. Sorry. Chapters will resume as usual tomorrow, hopefully.
2022-11-14 07:56:43 +0000 UTC
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