Beastborne- Mark of the Founder

by James T Callum

  Based on what Thirty-seven told him, the people Shae’kathoth took possession of were wiped of any vestiges of their personality. He had to believe this was different. That Noth was different. She wasn’t human, after all.

  “You leave Noth’s body – now – and I won’t kill your current host or your future host.” Hal spread his arms wide, masking the pain of the motion with a big tooth-cracking smile. “I’m pretty awesome and I’m just getting started. Think of the possibilities. How strong you’ll be. But if you want to continue fighting….” Hal shrugged and dropped his arms to his sides, fighting against the wave of nausea from his dislocated arm.

  “You would willingly give your body to me?” Shae’kathoth asked, clearly suspicious. Hal grinned a bit wider when he saw the notification.

  Your Persuasion has risen to Level 7.

  +1% Persuasion success (+7%).

  +0.5% Antagonistic persuasion success (+3.5%).

  “If you leave her immediately with no further harm. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.” Hal clenched his jaw. His knuckles stood out stark and white as he gripped the handle of his blade and the chains as hard as he could.

  He’d only get one shot at this. If he was fast, he could cut the creature down when it was vulnerable between hosts. The alternative was a last resort he wasn’t sure would work.

  If this goes south, Besal we might be getting a guest. Hopefully, you give him the warm reception you gave me.

  “Very well,” Shae’kathoth rasped.

  The oily thing shot out of Noth’s mouth faster than Hal could have expected. He lashed out with [Goblinbane] and whipped the chain around to stave off the creature but it was too simply too fast. The pain of moving his dislocated arm was too great and it fell short, leaving Hal exposed.

  Hal felt the frigid oily touch of Shae’kathoth and everything went dark.

  88

  Hal had been here before. This eternal darkness was the same place Besal had placed him when he proved too troublesome for the Beast.

  It scared him more than he wanted to admit that Shae’kathoth was able to push him out so easily. A distant bestial roar echoed in the dark and Hal grinned.

  Too bad for Shae’kathoth that Hal wasn’t the only one in here.

  Cracks of light appeared in the dark, letting in streams of white light. Hal’s dark prison shattered and he tucked his shoulder as he fell to the solid white floor. Rolling to absorb the impact, Hal popped up to his feet with a smug grin on his face. Unlike his physical body, inside his mind, he was whole and unharmed.

  “Oh,” he said, stepping toward the dark forms of Besal and Shae’kathoth. They were staring each other down like two apex predators. “Did I forget to mention that I have a roommate?”

  “Base trickery!” Shae’kathoth screamed. Its long lanky form lashed out and Besal batted aside the limb with a sickening crack. Shae’kathoth’s scream of rage turned to one of agony as its limb bent at an angle it wasn’t meant to.

  Hal looked at Besal. The Beast looked back and gave a subtle nod. They were in agreement over this. They had a foe in common here.

  Focusing his thoughts, Hal summoned a shadowy simulacrum not of [Goblinbane] but that of Thirty-seven’s [Brilliance] to his hand. Hal couldn’t hide his grin when Shae’kathoth started at its sight. He clearly remembered it.

  Good. Hal wanted the last thing Shae’kathoth saw to be Thirty-seven’s sword. To know that the man Shae’kathoth thought it had beaten would have his revenge.

  Likewise, Besal sprouted long curving talons on his hands. His skin blackened, oily black wings swept up and out from his back. His ruby-red eyes glowed with unbridled rage.

  For once, Shae’kathoth was afraid.

  In this place, within himself, Hal could sense its emotions and thoughts as easily as his own. There were no barriers here.

  The eternal creature knew fear, knew its death was imminent. It had existed for millennia uncontested, growing stronger and stronger. Nothing had resisted its corrupting touch, not the holiest of holy nor the lowest of low. But this creature that stood split before him, this abomination terrified Shae’kathoth.

  If Shae’kathoth had been at his full power, he might have stood a chance against one of them. But as the Beast lashed out with powerful rending claws, and Hal swept in from behind with a sidelong cut, Shae’kathoth was reminded that it was not fighting one, but two.

  Even still, Shae’kathoth was more powerful than Hal could have imagined. His blade cleaved through spine and oily sinew, only for it to reknit a moment later.

  Besal lunged at Shae’kathoth, gripped the creature in his powerful clawed hands, and ripped him in half, sending each piece flying in a different direction.

  With their thoughts so in tune with one another, the pair split off to their respective halves, hacking and clawing with reckless abandon.

  The twin halves were not defenseless, however.

  They lashed out with their own biting attacks. Shae’kathoth’s head split open and clamped upon Hal’s torso. Hal screamed as he felt the needle-sharp teeth dig into him and scrape across his ribs.

  With a thought, he forced black shadowy spikes to leap off his body and likewise impale Shae’kathoth from the inside.

  He was unceremoniously spat out, tumbling to the pale floor. As the pair fought the halved forms of Shae’kathoth, the light continued to dim in the area. A sign that they were not able to so easily overpower the invader.

  The fight dragged on but for every blow Shae’kathoth delivered, it received three in kind. Eventually, even the sturdy eldritch form of Shae’kathoth could not hold out under the continued assault.

  Heavy oily clumps of fleshy substance splattered to the floor with every great sweeping cleave of Hal’s sword. Every rending strike of Besal’s claws left gaps in the fiend’s body. It could not heal fast enough before the next attack descended upon it.

  The diminished forms of Shae’kathoth grew smaller and thinner with each attack. Shae’kathoth’s attacks no longer stung, they didn’t even get past the defenses of his tormentors.

  “You are not welcome here,” Besal snarled, batting the tiny form of Shae’kathoth to Hal.

  “Thirty-seven may not have been able to kill you,” Hal said, stepping back and allowing the two halves of Shae’kathoth to recombine.

  Hal stalked forward, his dripping blade held to the side ready to strike. Dark shadowy chains dragged across the floor from his left hand. “He may have feared what would happen if you escaped during the fight. I harbor no such fears. You cannot hope to escape your judgment this time.”

  Shae’kathoth had toppled empires. Subjugated aberrant horrors the likes of which would turn most mortal minds to jelly if they so much as gazed upon their terrible visage. But in the end, it only took one man and his inner demon to destroy the fiend utterly.

  It raised a thin arm in feeble defense. “I can offer you greater power than this shade of an abomination can! And you can stay in control. I will be subservient to you, you have my word!”

  Hal raised his sword to strike then paused for no reason other than to give the wretched thing a sense of hope. Shae’kathoth began to rise just as Hal delivered his answer in a sharply angled cleaving strike that sliced through its arm and severed the thing’s head from its shoulders.

  The remains of the creature turned to a brackish sludge that pooled at Hal’s feet. It seeped onto Hal’s boot and up into his form. He started for a moment but then realized it wasn’t attacking him. There was no maliciousness in the sludge. Whatever part of Shae’kathoth that was its soul or controlling power was gone.

  This was raw power. Corrupting power, Hal began to realize as the familiar sensation of his rising Strain made itself known but power all the same. And in the absence of its previous host, it latched onto the nearest thing.

  Hal shut his eyes and forced himself from that place, back into his body in the real world.

  He reeled from the sudden shift. The darkness of the room was complete and i
f not for the prompt that appeared in his vision he would have feared he was back in that lightless jail once more.

  Being shoved back into that place – even for a moment – had the same effect as before. Any magic Hal was sustaining was wiped away. The agony he expected was gone, a quick glance showed his HP was regenerating. Absorbing Shae’kathoth was quickly knitting the worst of his wounds while it ramped up his Strain.

  Strain Affliction Lv.2 (Savage).

  Most mortals would have fallen at this point. Few Chimera Knights even reach this pinnacle of savagery. But a Beastborne thrives on the knife’s edge of destruction. It is there that they find both greatness and despair.

  Beast Magic Efficacy +60% | Beast Magic Damage +60%.

  Essence Tier +1.

  Max HP +10% | Max MP +10%.

  MP Cost +15% | Strain Accumulation +25%.

  Hal’s Strain was climbing fast as the corrupting influence of Shae’kathoth’s power took its toll. With the area’s corrupting influence paired with his second tier of Strain, he was at a whopping +75% Strain accumulation rate.

  He could hear Besal’s victorious laugh. Even though they had just worked together to defeat a common enemy, the Beast would never stop trying to assume control.

  It was in its very nature.

  Hal’s answering laugh cut Besal’s short. He was no longer so weak he didn’t have the tools to deal with his mounting Strain.

  Hal steeled his mind and focused on the distant memory of how things were before he became a Beastborne, triggering Empty Vessel.

  With a sweeping sense of relief, Hal’s steadily growing Strain vanished. And so too did Besal’s impending victory. There was no sense of shame or recrimination. Hal expected no less of the Beast and the Beast made no apologies. Not overtly anyway.

  You understand, I had to try, Besal said.

  And you know I couldn’t let you, Hal replied.

  A grudging sense of respect grew between the two. Besal would keep Hal on his toes even if he was ultimately his enemy and sought to effectively kill Hal. While Hal had grown in strength and cunning enough to thwart the Beast, providing the entity with a proper rival.

  Hal used Splice and waved away the prompts that began to flood his vision, saving them for later perusal. He tapped shadow and treant essence, bringing back his Shadesight as he swept the room looking for any further threats.

  His eyes immediately clamped onto Noth’s slumped form.

  He didn’t know how long he was in his own mind battling Shae’kathoth but judging by the alarming pool of Noth’s blood, it hadn’t been a short bout. He hurried to the Reaper.

  Please be okay.

  “Noth!” Hal skidded to a halt, nearly slipping on the Reaper’s blood. He dropped to his knees at her side, his panic at her ashen face nearly overwhelmed him.

  He shut his eyes, focusing on his bond with her. The tether was still there, if only just. He didn’t know if that counted as Sympathy or not and in either case he was too stubborn not to try.

  Using Assimilation, Hal focused on healing Noth.

  Hal turned Noth over onto her back and cradled her cold, limp form in his lap. He tilted her head up and stared into the beautifully peaceful face, trying to funnel more and more of his MP and SP into her.

  Nothing happened.

  The Reaper remained cold and motionless.

  Guilt wracked Hal. He had done this to her, even if she asked for it he should have been able to find a better way. He should have taken Shae’kathoth into himself right away and hoped that the Beast would fight the newcomer rather than fuse with it and become an even greater monstrosity as was his secret fear.

  He felt through the bond that tethered them but no matter how hard he tried or wished it, he could not trigger Assimilation to heal her. And, ironic as it was, he apparently did lack Sympathy with her. Or else… she was already too far gone.

  No, he wouldn’t accept that.

  Hal cradled the Reaper in his arms, lifting her as he got a foot beneath himself and stood up. There was nothing more for him here. He wished he could permanently seal that florking gate.

  Florking language filter. Can’t say flork. Can’t say bench or shirt or ash. Everybody looks at me like I’m a florking idiot whenever I say shirt like that. It’s even in my own thoughts!

  Turning, Hal caught sight of the Manatree’s roots. They were no longer dark and twisted things but thick and pulsing with life. Faint wisps of dancing blue light, flickering like fireflies, hung in the air around it.

  As Hal approached, his Strain stopped slowly ticking up and any associated buffs with the Old One’s Blight area effect vanished. The stone pool of fetid oil was replaced by clear shimmering water.

  The pool was large enough for a single person. Purely on instinct, Hal lifted Noth over the lip, and being mindful of the roots, slipped her into the glittering pool of water.

  I’m sorry, Noth.

  Her blood seeped out and clouded the water like red ink and Hal watched with amazement as the blood simply vanished. “Please work,” Hal whispered. He still held Noth, careful not to let her head go beneath the water because the pool was surprisingly deep if not very wide.

  Area Effect: Blessing of the Manatree

  HP, SP, MP Recovery +200%.

  Strain -100%.

  Let it be enough.

  Noth stirred. Just a twitch at first and then suddenly she began to thrash wildly.

  Hal held on as tightly as he could, pressing the Reaper’s back against the curving interior wall of the pool to hold her steady. Her heavy lids flew open, revealing the golden eyes Hal was hoping to see.

  “Noth, Noth! It’s okay. Calm down, you’re okay!”

  In a moment of blind panic, she clawed at Hal drawing bright lines of blood across his cheek. Hal held on despite the pain. Eventually, she calmed as she realized where she was and that she was no longer in danger.

  89

  Quest Complete: Dark Legacy.

  Beyond all possibility, you have managed to not only save Nothricient’s life but to grant her a permanent mortal shell on Aldim. She may not realize the gift you have given her but in time, she might come to understand what you have done for her.

  Objectives

  Discover a method of making Nothricient permanently corporeal. (Complete).

  Rewards

  Variable.

  Sympathy: Nothricient.

  Reaper Reputation.

  Reaper Reputation: +5,000 (Wary Friendship).

  Few are the souls that manage to endear themselves to the Reapers, those shepherds of lost souls. You have managed it by going above and beyond to help one of their sisters. They are watching, even if you do not notice them. At times, they may deign to show themselves and offer a bit of advice.

  Hidden Class Quest Completed: Oaths Forged.

  By staying true to your vow, you have shown you possess what it takes to become an Oathforger. Oaths are not created lightly and they are not made purely for their accolades. You have stayed true to these tenets, keeping your vow hidden and yet pursuing it doggedly.

  Objectives

  Obtain Sympathy with two people (Complete).

  Learn Empathy and use it with one person (Complete).

  Forge a bond with an initially hostile entity (Complete).

  Reward

  Fabled Class Unlocked: Oathforger

  You have unlocked Oathforger.

  No man is an island. This, the most basic tenet of an Oathforger, you have learned and taken to heart. In the ages before the Founders brought sanctioned order to the world, this responsibility fell to the ancient Oathforgers. Their Oaths held insurmountable power to break and reforge the bonds of the natural order for the better of all. With an Oath, they could inspire the cowardly to action, give succor to the wounded, and even loosen the iron-cold grip of Death itself.

  Oathforger reaches Level 1.

  You have 5 unspent Attribute Points awaiting distribution.

  You learn Oath.

 
The beating heart of the Oathforgers, an Oath is a solemn vow that exists between the Oathforger and a given entity. Be it the natural order of the elements themselves, a powerful king, or a lowly beggar. Many Oaths will be presented to you by fulfilling specific conditions. Others can be created willingly between yourself and other parties. Oaths are sacred above all else and though they provide access to great power, like all things in life they are fragile.

  Breaking an Oath once temporarily restricts that Oath from being enacted, limiting any spells, perks, and powers associated with the Oath. Breaking the same Oath a second time permanently destroys it. If three Oaths are broken over the lifetime of an Oathforger, they have proven themselves incapable of bearing the burden of its powers and they are an Oathforger no more.

  Fabled Class Trait: Regal Bearing.

  +35% Base Charisma.

  +25% Base Persuasion, Intimidation, and Deception Success.

  Oath of the Brightking Unlocked.

  You give hope to those around you, and they, in turn, bolster your resolve to carry on. Those bound to you by this Oath perceive you as the leader you could be, the ruler that all goodly people yearn for. The kindly king those of dark intent fear.

  Oath of the Brightking Boons.

  [Self]

  +5 Leadership.

  +5 CHR.

  Spell: Warding

  Shield an ally with layers of protective runes, providing them with 5 layers of 10 Resistance to a specific entity.

  MP Cost: 50

  [Allies]

  HP +5% | SP +5% | MP +5%