Oblivion's Peril
Page 20
"I will kill you, maggot!" roared the Highlord, voice echoing oddly in Val's well-lit basement, racing forward only to trip over the weights Val knocked over before cleaving the suddenly off balance and panicking Darklord in two, the man instantly bursting into flame.
Val's brother and sister, Faith and Justice, or Justin as he insisted everyone call him, clapped at Val's performance.
"Try harder, Valor,” commanded the pitiless voice of the most beautiful woman he had ever known. Hair dark as midnight, her almond eyes hinted at exotic origins. She seemed a captivating mix of Mongolian and Scandinavian ancestry, allowing her to hide a far more exotic truth. No one disputed her claimed Volga Tatar heritage, but it was only at home that she took off her contacts, irises of brilliant silver now gazing into Val's own as she waved her hand and a shrieking Augustus Blackenthorp was forged from the sizzling remains of his own corpse. "If you would survive in the arena you now dance within, you must try harder."
Val’s guts twisted in awful pity as he met the spirit’s haunted gaze. But only for a moment. He let the fierce exultation of battle wash away all horror, all regret, replacing it with savage euphoria and unholy glee. By reveling in the madness of battle, he took away all the power that terror and despair would otherwise hold over his soul. Just as useful as Shadowmind, Val had found, in burning away the horrors of killing that would otherwise have broken him long ago.
"Please... end this,” Augustus begged. “You have won. You have already won!"
"He has not, fallen spirit!" Hanna snapped. "Not until he claims all your power, all your potential for his own!"
Again and again, Augustus was brought back from the brink of oblivion, Val forced to cross blades with him a dozen times further. Twice more Val was run through, and it was horrific agony finding the strength to fight on, but fight on he did. Val learned to endure, having replaced fear and terror with sheer exhilaration. And even as his enemy screamed and sobbed, forced to fight beyond all endurance, wild eyes windows into a soul that had gambled everything and lost, Val's mad gaze showed nothing but fiercest glee.
And it all started clicking together perfectly, parries and voids morphing to deadly assaults, off-setting thrusts and cuts even in the act of slamming forward with his own blade, or striking the instant after his opponent attacked or pulled back. He learned to better judge his opponent's fear, his hesitation, feeling when it was time to redouble his attack or pivot and twist thrusts into cleaving hews, striking from all angles, seizing every instant of fear and hesitance into killing blows while never leaving his line unguarded, utterly mastering the bind.
Augustus shrieked and sobbed as he caught Hanna's pitiless gaze, Faith and Justin looking solemnly on. "End this!" the man screamed, and this time Val did.
Time slowing as it so often did when the furious intensity of battle washed over him, Val waited until a shrieking Augustus had fully committed, catching foible against forte, effortlessly leveraging his foe's weapon aside as he cleaved through Augustus's skull. A thousand hours’ worth of training was mastered in heartbeats as all his fallen foes' endless potential blazed through Val’s soul.
A shower of crimson, and his enemy perished for the last time as the furious would-be titan finally surrendered all he could ever have been.
Hanna flashed a killer's smile, a mother wolf refusing to abandon her cubs without assuring their teeth were as sharp and deadly as could be. "Your mind might have forgotten my lessons, but your body never did. Kill on, beloved Valor, until no foe dares to meet your gaze, knowing death will be their only reward."
Congratulations! You have achieved Rank 5 in Psiblade! You are now an Adept. Chance of critical fumble is significantly reduced! Once per encounter when your Psiblade is in play, you can avoid fate's folly at the cost of 1 level-up point, burning future potential for a second chance in the present! (1 of 7 points spent.)
Shadowmind is now Rank 6! Slip into the shadows quicker than ever. As you have taken your first steps along the Path of Kings, this skill is more vital than you know! (2 of 7 points spent.)
+10% to Mana, +10% to Psion, compounded. (4 of 7 points spent.)
You have soul-bound Highblood Province to your will and achieved Overlord status for 1 character point! (5 of 7 points spent.)
You have chosen to reserve 2 character points for your Dominion Matrix! (7 of 7 points spent.) Points now convert to 5 territory points per character point invested.
You now have 10 additional territory points you can use to develop your lands! Each uncontested Lesser Territory beyond the first requires 1 territory point to soul-bind. Each greater territory costs 3+ territory points to soul-bind. (7 of 7 points spent.)
As a Rank 1 Overlord, you have gained an additional 3 territory points to invest with the binding of your newest territory! You now have 13 territory points in total. Invest now? Y/N. No. You have deferred from shaping the fate of your territory at this time. Pull up Dominion Matrix to assign points at a later date. Warning, once fate's arrow is cast, only further points invested can change its course! Tiers and virtues purchased for your lands with territory points are permanent unless deliberately destroyed by you.
A part of him wanted nothing more than to revel in all the possibilities of his Dominion Matrix screen, but he sensed multiple lives connected to his territory shriveling up and dying.
The plague was already claiming its first victims, and he was running out of time.
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Valor Hunter: Level 16 Dauda Assassin
Primary Attributes
Strength 18 *
Vitality 23 *
Finesse 15 *
Quickness 19 *
Perception 18
Scholarship 14
Willpower 17
Charisma 13
Luck ?? +2
Secondary Attributes
Health 10xVit+Str+IC= 253 *
Survival (Health+(10xLevel)+Luck) = 413+? *
Stamina 10xVit+Str+IC= 258 *
Mana 415 (399 Accessible: 251 kg Elementium Stored)
Psion 415 (409 Accessible: 200.9 L Silbion Stored)
Insight 17
Base Appearance 10. +1 (13 charisma) +1 (athletic) = +2 (+5 when you let your potency show.)
Dark Points 3 (+3 to reaction rolls and influence when you let your intensity shine. -1 if you try to hide the darkness in your soul. +30% potency increase when you embrace your wrath!)
* Modified by Rank 10 PRM & Jordia's fields. Regenerates 4.15 Mana & Stamina per second & 0.415 Health (Survival) per second.
Reputation
Champion of the Dwarves: +6 reaction from all surviving dwarves in the northern hemisphere.
Hero of the Skogur tribe: +6 reaction from all Skogur dwarves.
Team Player: +2 reaction from all Terrans encountered off-world.
Helpful Hero: +1 reaction from Dominion friendly citizens, +6 reaction from forest faeries.
Skills of Significance
Shadowmind Rank 6 (Adept) / Psi-Sense (Shadowmind Dependant) Rank 4 / Psionic Perception Rank 3 / Mindmeld Rank 1 / Shadowsplit Rank 1 (Hide your thoughts even from yourself! Gaze at Phoebe's seas to remember what you forgot!) Arcane Perception Rank 4 / Arcane Artificer Rank 2 / Psion Artificer Rank 2 / Cypher Rank 2 / Meditation Rank 3 / Rift Mastery Rank 2 / Psionic Oathbinding Rank 1 / Stealth Rank 3 / Magesight Rank 2 / Synergized Mageward Rank 2 / Basic Literacy Achieved! (Limited to texts of Arcane or Psionic nature) / Deception Rank 2 / Inquisition Rank 2 / Intimidation Rank 3 / Spirit Link Rank 2 / Small Arms Rank 3 / Demolitions Rank 2 / Laser Carbine Rank 3 /Grappling Rank 3/Sword and Shield Rank 4 / Longsword Rank 4 / Psiblade Rank 5 (Adept - Decreased risk of critical fumbles. Dodge death for a price!) / Forceshield Rank 1 (Alter shield diameter for added cost! The higher your skill, the less Psions needed to ward against Psiblades and battle-mechs!)
Potion Formulas Learned / Basic Restoration (Jordia)
Greater Skills Learned
Overlord Rank 1 (10% bon
us to one aspect of soul-linked territory attributes per Rank. Earn 3 territory points for every fresh territory claimed and for every new rank each territory gains. Territory points can be used to enhance your territories and buy awesome territory perks! Who says controlling the destinies of millions can't be fun?)
Greater Alchemy Rank 3 (Specialization: Elemental Infusions)
Meta-Magic Feats: Stabilization Rank 3 / Spellboost Rank 2 (150% for 250% cost) / Psiboost Rank 1 (125% for double cost)
Personal Resonance Mastery Rank 10 (PRM Mastery achieved! Zero mana radiation! -5 mana cost to all spells. Stat boost, regeneration, & superior arcane protection; degree dependent upon realm inhabited.)
PRM Specialized Skill – EM Mastery Rank 2 (Manipulate the electromana field to hinder your enemies or help your friends! Deflect Vulcan autocannons, blasters, and death spells! The deadlier the attack, the more difficult it is to deflect! - What else do you think you can do with this skill, Val?)
Greater Oathbinding Rank 2
True Artificer Rank 2
Jordian Magical Arts Learned
Creation - Rank 3
Destruction - Rank 2
Manipulation - Rank 3
Transformation - Rank 3
Corpus - Rank 2
Earth - Rank 3
Fire - Rank 2
Herbam - Rank 3
Time - Rank 2
Water - Rank 2
Jordian Spells Learned
Firestream Level 20 C/F - Cost 5 Mana
Explosive Retribution Level 30 C/F Must save against Oblivion when casting. - Cost 20 mana.
Condensation Collection Level 5 M/W - Cost 0 mana.
Stoneflow Level 1 M/E - Cost 0 mana.
Dwarven Catalyzation Level 20 C+M+T/E - Cost 8 mana.
Automative Folly Level 20 D+M+T/E - Cost 15 mana.
Plentiful Bounty (Greater Ritual) Level 40 C+M+T / E+H - Cost 75 mana.
Greater Plentiful Bounty (Master Ritual) Level 50 C+M+T / E+H - Cost 143 mana. (15%+ Critical failure risk: This spell is somewhat beyond your abilities!)
Ice Spear Level 20 C+T/W+E (Adept Rank) - Cost 6 mana.
Burning Light (acts as a torch, can unleash as Firestream) Level 20 C+M / F - Cost 5 mana to cast, 1 per minute to maintain.
Fencer's Fire Level 20 C+M / E+F - Cost 12 mana to cast, 0.5 mana per second to maintain. (Stabilization check required, or weapon bursts!)
Lesser Power Manipulation Level 10 C+M / F - Cost: Size-dependent.
Dominion Catalyzation Level 20 C+M+T / E+F - Cost 12 mana (High PRM needed, or short what you’re trying to fix!)
Greater Dominion Catalyzation Level 30 C+M+T / E+F - Cost 40 mana per minute of repairs. (High PRM needed.)
Water Spout Level 10 C+M / W - Cost 3 mana.
Haste Level 20 T/C - Cost 10 mana to cast, 0.25 mana per second to maintain.
Lockburst (break open a door or a bank vault!) Level 30 D+M+T / E - Cost 32 mana.
Searing Cleanse (clean injury sites) Level 20 C+D+T / C+F+H -Cost 15 mana.
Season's Binding (bones heal 1 season in 1 day. Extreme pain.) Level 30 C+M+T / C+T - Cost 30 mana.
Season's Mending (tissues heal 1 season in 1 day. Extreme pain.) Level 30 C+M+T / C+F+T- Cost 30 mana.
Overlord Rituals – Transcendent Level Spells (Must walk the Path of Kings to cast.)
Halcyon Restoration – Whenever you purchase or claim a new territory that once held facilities or wonders of interest, you can invest territory points to bend fate itself to your calling! Secrets thought forever lost will be discovered once more. You can restore at least 2 Tier's worth of a lost wonder's properties or a destroyed facility's rank per point spent. You can also rescue an imperiled facility or wonder for 1 territory point, or rescue an entire city’s structure and resources for 3 territory points!
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Dominion Matrix
Territories Claimed: 1
Unspent territory points: 13 (Usable on all linked territories.)
Highblood Province - Tier 3 Lesser Territory
+15% production, fertility, happiness and luck! / +25% research bonus
Tier 5 Research Facility
Virtues:
Yearly Breakthrough Technology roll in fields of Rejuvenation / Genetic Engineering
Flaws
Dark Secret: Warning: Forbidden Techniques are in use! Must keep Dark Secret or risk censure and pretext for the genocide of your people.
Plague: A virulent plague from the latest experiment has put the lives of your people in jeopardy! What will you do?
Blessing
You have used Phoebe's blessing for this territory monthly boon: Avert Disaster to rescue your Tier 5 research facility from imminent destruction.
18
Val rubbed his forehead, wondering why it ached when he realized it was the piercing shriek of alarms that had jolted him so abruptly awake. His body felt miraculously whole, for all that his sensitive ears rang painfully with the wail.
He felt a sudden surge of panic. Now that he was soul-linked with the territory, he instantly knew what it was telling him.
Plague outbreak. All parties were in isolation or lockdown in a desperate effort to contain the spread, which he somehow knew would avail them nothing.
He found himself in a room utterly spotless and showing not a trace of the battle that had taken place only hours before, the chamber was now completely empty. There were no signs of his friends. Not even the bodies of his foes remained.
He wasted no time, dashing out of the room and racing for the quarters he shared with Julia, hoping that she was okay. The hallways were empty, save for a single body ravaged by hideous suppurating abscesses, his face trapped in an awful rictus of agony. Crimson tears had stained the corpse’s cheeks, and his eyes were clotted with blood. Val recoiled at the horror, suddenly recognizing the corpse as one of the guests from the day before.
He picked up his pace, knowing he was running out of time.
Frantic knocking on his quarters. No answer. The door wouldn't budge. He hesitated no longer, catalyzing his Psiblade and carefully cutting open the lock, clattering to the ground as he slid open the door. He breathed a sigh of relief to find the room completely empty, no trace of Julia or anyone else, his hidden stash of crystals containing all their technological breakthroughs and Dominion weaknesses still exactly where he had left them.
He did his best to fight down panic, closing his eyes, trying to center himself, remembering at that moment that he was still spirit-linked to his party. Or so he hoped.
Julia? Where are you?
Endless seconds he waited, repeating the cry before calling out with his mind for Elise and Christine, hoping their gift would pick up his distress. Dead silence.
His heart began to race, wondering how fast he could sprint, if he could cover the grounds in time.
Then he froze, common sense taking over at last.
What had he asked his friends to do? Retrieve an alchemy set that would be vital to saving them all.
He closed his eyes and visualized his Dominion Matrix, scanning over his territory's assets.
There! He almost shouted for joy. His hunch had been right. In addition to Christine's Tier 5 research facility, there was now a Tier 2 Alchemical Laboratory adjoining it. Only hours old, its exotic equipment had already given it a positive modifier. But when Val looked under the administrator subheading, it was empty. The lab, for all intents and purposes, was abandoned. Exhilaration transforming to dread, Val raced as fast as he could for the alchemical station, slowly learning the trick of letting a map of his territory overlay his actual position, similar but different to his Psi-Sense, and not requiring that he be in Shadowmind to use it, only in his territory.
And there it was, a beautiful little cottage just outside the main Villa. Val frowned. Had that building been there before? But it didn't matter. All that mattered was finding his friends and making sure they were safe.
Relief at the unloc
ked door turned to horror.
There it was. Ava's priceless alchemical set in all its glory, set up in a vast, airy chamber with movable stained glass windows opened to catch a fresh afternoon breeze. Val caught the faintest whiff of burnt elderoot, the culprit a boiler left unattended, Gregor's slumped form splayed upon the ground.
"Gregor!" Heart in throat, Val dashed to his friend. Unresponsive, covered in boils, and just hanging on to dear life.
Val closed his eyes, forcing screaming panic at bay, thinking up a plan of action and immediately embarking upon it. First, turn off all the burners. Second, clean the burnt residue from the elderoot-filled beaker with liberal use of his water spout spell, and Ava's workstation set up just the way he remembered it. He swallowed, pushing bittersweet memories away, gazing down at his friend.
"I only know one potion, Gregor. I pray you have the ingredients we need." And miracle of miracles, the leather satchel Gregor used to carry packets of fresh and dried herbs had a multitude of ingredients carefully bundled away. Val flashed a relieved grin as he pulled free Dragonberries and Purple Elderoot, sensing that his own Waterspout spell would generate the purest water anyone could hope for, summoning forth a tiny quantity of Silbion from his internal storage as well.
And within moments he was lost in the visceral thrill of creation, feeling the delicate arcane properties of the herbs percolating into the purified water, catalyzed to heightened potency by Silbion, Jordia's electromana field, and his own Greater Alchemy skill. He smiled in supreme satisfaction at the soft ruby glow emanating from the beaker in he held.
He didn't need to taste it to sense its potency. Its healing properties seemed to radiate in ruby waves of well-being just from inhaling its scent.
Alchemical success! Your Tier 2 Alchemy Laboratory combined with your territory's 15% creation bonus makes crafting potions easier than ever!