23 Finding the Formula (1/2)
It doesn't take a genius to understand when shit has hit the fan. After making sure I wasn't crazy, I left my cavern towards Torix. I reached beside him, ”Mind if I ask something?”
He turned towards me, ”Does it matter if I mind? You will ask regardless.”
”Most of the time that isn't true. This time it is. I've been having dreams, almost nightmares but not quite. They're less horrifying and more...haunting.”
”And?”
”And I've been hearing a phrase in one of the dreams. Embrace me, my child. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but I started reading about Etorhma, Eater of Worlds. After a few passages on the subject, I thought it was a good idea to tell you about it.”
He pursed his lip, ”Are you absolutely sure the voice said those exact words?”
”Yeah. When I heard its voice, it was like my entire being was vibrating. Even if I was deaf and blind, I would still hear his voice in my mind. It was that peircing.”
”Yes, you would. Etorhma is the most active of all the known Old Ones. He maintains a cult with an unknown goal. I've traded with them before. Etorhma contacting mortals isn't all that uncommon. He beckons those most likely to follow him. Do you have any desire to become his plaything?”
”Hell no.”
”Good. He may keep contacting you, due to your unknown status. Ignore him, but do not openly defy him. Etorhma has made even rulers of worlds insane with just an utterance in their dreams.”
I grimaced, ”Noted. I'll see if I can avoid that.”
Torix nodded, ”Wise of you to tell me about this. Althea has been getting dreams with Etorhma beckoning her as well. That should ease your concerns. For now.”
I sighed, releasing the tension in my shoulders. Knowing about Althea's involvement helped quite a bit with my nerves. Reading the scriptures had nearly given me a heart attack. As I turned to walk away, Torix said,
”Do you know what the cultist I spoke with said about Etorhma? Obviously not. Allow me to enlighten you. He said, 'They say there's nothing faster than light. Well they're wrong. No matter where light goes, darkness is already there...and it is waiting.'”
I gulped, ”Sounds insane.”
Torix shook his head, ”He had the clearest eyes of anyone I've ever met. Be careful of Etorhma. He will change you if you let him.”
I nodded, ”Yeah, reminds me of Baldag-Ruhl. Honestly, Etorhma sounds like an overgrown eldritch.”
Torix shrugged as he stared back at the wall’s runes, ”If so, he is the largest and oldest of them all.”
I left him before Althea and I had our characteristic spars. Without her spear cannon, she struggled against me, my usual wins happening faster and faster. I could tell her heart wasn't in it, so I said at the end of the session,
”Alright, you're done with the spars. I'm not fighting you anymore.”
She frowned before hissing, ”Now you want to quit? After all the beatings you want to just stop?”
”I can tell you're not putting your all into it anymore. It's like you've given up. Neither of us will learn anything from this. I'm better off just learning random skills for tree points than this shit.”
She bit her lips before turning towards her cubby hole. She walked away, saying, ”We will fight again. I will let you know when I am ready.”
I grinned, ”I'll be waiting.”
After reaching back into my own side cavern, I created a list of various common skills that would help me with closing the gap with my foes. Reaching them was essential, and Blitz, burrow, and jumping were high up on the list for accomplishing that task. Throwing offered tons of utility as well.
Magic, on the other hand, seemed like a far off concept, and Torix had told me I should wait to learn about mana. Having too apt a feel for my current mana would make the process of using eldritch energy even harder.
With that in mind, I focused on charging into the wall for blitz and burrow. I used my captured bat, dodging his pathetic tackles every time I charged into the wall. Once enough crags of rock built up on the floor, I tossed them at the bat, aiming just over its head and between its ears.
I ended up hitting the bat once or twice, but the creature's innate tenacity shined through. After several hours of this, I tried molding my armor away from my face as I tossed the stones. I gained quite a few tree points from these tasks in dominion of soul, throwing, blitz, burrow, and jumping since I would leap into the wall.
After a few more hours, my actions gew far more fluid, like I wasn't doing a random set of tasks. The actions came together until I could pull myself from the wall, toss the stones, then charge back into the wall before the bat even charged twice.
Of course, this exhausted me over time. After seven or so hours of this training, I poured sweat and my limbs burned. This increased my skill gain remarkably. When my lungs began burning, the skills gained faster. When my limbs were like lead, they gained faster still. It wasn't until I fumbled with the stones and shot one into a wall that the skill gain slowed down again.
I breathed out before banging my head against the wall. The slight pain cleared my head, reminding me of what the training was for. Every twelve skill points was like gaining an attribute, and I needed them badly. I practiced long into the night, my stamina depleting as I heaved for breath. Finally, I was using the determinator tree to its fullest extent.
I ended up stopping the training after I slipped during one of my charges. I fell and crushed my training bat beneath me, blood splattering like a red tube of toothpaste. Whenever I walked up towards Torix, he said, ”Even though I am undead, I am still disgusted by your hygiene. Have you no shame?”
I replied, ”Shame is for the weak and people with low self confidence. That being said, I want to be clean for other reasons, like being able to eat without throwing up at the smell.”
He cast a spell, the gunk all over me disappearing in an instant. I was impressed to say the least.
”Is there anyway I can learn that spell anytime soon?”
”It requires precise handling of spatial manipulation and a pocket dimension you enchant into a ring. It should only take a few months to master, if you're talented that is.”
”So I'll take that as a no.”
I left him before practicing the pull ups, push ups, jumping, and rock climbing. With a summoned skeleton from Torix, I sped up the process by avoiding the attacking bones as I did the tasks. I must have looked ridiculous during the whole ordeal. That didn't matter to me though. After a couple more hours, I finally had enough points for another rank in Obliterator.
I put all the points I could into the tree before the notification hit me like a barrel of awesome sauce.
As an obliterator, you give no mercy. You do not cull your enemy, you erase them completely. From this point onward, +2 attribute points per 5 levels. Effect is retroactive for all levels gained before 100.
Aw yeah. Another 20 points of sweet justice came sweeping my way. I invested 8 points into perception, and the other 12 into luck. The perk screen appeared deliciously.
[Clear-Sighted(Perception of 25 or more) - Your perception is incredible. Adds 1/10th of perception to charisma. Capacity for comprehension doubled. Radius of awareness doubled. Traps and enemies are color coded on your minimap.]
[All-Seeing(Perception of 30 or more) - Another 1/10th of perception added towards charisma. Additional comprehension, sensory excellence, and awareness per level. Very slight clairvoyance given for high perception.+5 mana per point in perception. Doubles mana cost.]
[Lucky(Luck of 10 or more) - Your luck is good. Doubles money found.]
[Fortunate(Luck of 15 or more) - Your luck is admirable. Doubles chances of rare events.]
[Rigged Dice(Luck of 20 or more) - Your luck is amazing. Doubles the increase of odds being in your favor. You're more likely to meet the right people at the right time.]
I had enough perk points for all of them, so I selected them all and finalized my decision. At that moment, it was like my eyes opened for the first time. Tiny sounds in the distance hummed in my ears. The current of air in the room became clear to me. I could distinctly feel the difference in temperature between the air near my feet and my head. When I opened my mouth, I tasted enough to single out materials, like the iron laden clay and dust wafting from my training.
Even as that rush of awareness saturated me, the arcane bonds in my blood strengthened further still. The most bizarre sensation came from a sudden change in mindset. When I glanced around, I picked up on subtle details. So many details, that a sort of idea of what would come next started to form. This was nothing like a prediction. I knew with absolute certainty what would come next, though only for a fraction of a second beyond the present.
With the sudden rush of comprehension, ideas sprang into my mind of how I wanted to fight from here on out. I grinned at my new found abilities. With that in mind, I checked out my status screens.
Daniel Hillside Totals Regen Buffs/Debuffs
Health 2606/2606 357.2/min Oppression Damage- 6000+20%hp/min
Stamina 1040/1040 31/sec Elemental Res - 96.5%
Harbinger of Cataclysm 360,067/4,000,000 0/per min Plasma Res - 96.5%
Phys Dam Reduction - 96.5% Rad Res - 96.5%
Phys Dam Bonus - 350% Mental Res - 96.5%
Level 103 Attribute Totals
Strength - Increases carrying weight, maximum speed, and physical power 30
Constitution - Increases hardness, density, and weight of your body 36.3
Endurance - Increases regeneration of stamina, health, and their totals 51
Dexterity - Increases ease of movement, flexibility, and reflexes 30
Willpower - Increases internal motivation, mana regen, and Mental Res 30.3
Intelligence - Increases memory, critical thinking, and total mana pool 30
Charisma - Increases likeability, persuasion, and decreases prices at shops 9
Luck - Increases money found, odds in your favor, and chance of rare events 21
Perception - Increases comprehension, the five senses, and awareness 30