Alan tried to follow behind Kalyntha. It was quite easy as she floated above and was one of the few who could fly. He hadn’t considered trying to create wings with [Shadow Creation] before now, but flying seemed awesome. Still, he decided to wait a bit as it seemed like it would be quite the challenge.
Wilbis and his barrier-slinging opponent were fighting in the clouds, and the dangerous gleams of the formation holding the whole fractal together made the rest of the battle seem dull ...
2024-04-09 10:25:27 +0000 UTC
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Alan could feel the curse at work. The first time had been different, as it hadn’t been truly his. Just a memory of a strange ability that had somehow swum up from the shadows and destroyed what had once been Bonez’s mind. But now it was. The terror, the grief, and the buried trauma spilling out of his target's mind and into the waking world was too much even for him.
He couldn’t see what the person was seeing, but he could feel bits and pieces and with surprise, he realized that ...
2024-04-07 11:57:05 +0000 UTC
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It seemed almost futile after the initial surge of adrenaline.
Alan’s enemy was fast and undiscoverable. Mana was flowing around them in a chaotic dance that made it hard to trace anything and while his new mind attribute allowed for better cognition and better information flow, it was getting overwhelming. There was simply too much to keep track of. Alan was pretty sure the spatial skill of the person was broken, or there was more than one active at once.
[First Pathfinder] was...
2024-04-05 10:34:52 +0000 UTC
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The clash started without much forewarning. Master Wilbis seemed like he was on the verge of exploding himself and his hands danced like the hands of a mad conductor as he rained fire upon the hooded figure before him. Alan hadn’t imagined the talkative go-lucky gnome had that in him.
Small, big, red, yellow, and even the occasional blue one. Alan watched the fireworks show transfixed and wished he had such long-range abilities. Shadow didn’t seem to be the most destructive of eleme...
2024-04-02 12:23:00 +0000 UTC
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Alan felt excitement. He usually did before a fight, but this time it was not his alone. Once again, his now constant companions startled swirling like ribbons of darkness around him, bleeding from his skin and coming out with his very breath. An air of thin darkness that melted away only to reappear again. The shadows reflected his emotion and cheered along. Their whispers were a symphony to his ears as if he had an army of voices egging him on.
Their words came from afar, echoing thro...
2024-03-31 11:54:19 +0000 UTC
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NOTE: Another slower chapter. Some Emerson, some Worldbuilding, before we get into the midst of another battle. If you enjoy the content I'll look into preparing longer POV chapters between the regular ones. We have plenty of characters to check up on!
Emerson stood up once again. Last he knew his body had been ripped apart by one of the larger Woodflesh Prowlers. The pain never grew old, no matter how many times their teeth sank in him and crushed his armor, before doing the sam...
2024-03-29 12:24:03 +0000 UTC
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Kalyntha was panting. More than thirty orbs spun around her like heralds of death, ready to execute anyone who showed the slightest sign of betrayal. This was all going to hell. She was on the verge of doing what no self-respected low-tier copy would ever do and contact the original. Losing the fractal, or the dragon which was even worse, or the Death Plate which was… She didn’t want to think about it. Whoever had the resources to arrange for all of that was a major player.
The Thro...
2024-03-26 11:44:08 +0000 UTC
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Do you guys prefer a breakdown of all the bonuses in the status or a cleaned-up version? I'll be making a separate post for all the titles and skills in the future. maybe after we tier up. Enjoy the chapter!
Congratulations you have been granted the Title: Inheritor.
Title: Inheritor (hidden)
You are the chosen inheritor of Saiya, Witch of Smiling Carnage, Black Star, Butcher of the Golden Arc, and Throne...
2024-03-24 12:51:11 +0000 UTC
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An empty dark path.
Eternal but broken. Broken but whole.
The scars it bore made it stronger than it had the right to be.
The old trodden path remembered.
It remembered those whose feet had walked upon its cold body.
It remembered those whose darkness was only comparable to their light.
It remembered those without shadows.
They would battle gods, laugh in the face of tyrants and spirits alike, and drink shoulder-to-shoulder with death itself.
Th...
2024-03-22 13:15:16 +0000 UTC
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Alan stepped back and watched the suffering man. He was thrashing against the bindings with strength that threatened to tear down the room. But they held. Bonez would go from screaming to crying and begging in a strange language. He would call out to the Bone Lord, and pray for forgiveness. He would say names, whisper words of love, and swear on his life.
Bonez was strong. Whatever transformations his body had undergone made him a force to be reckoned with even without the skills and po...
2024-03-19 11:19:07 +0000 UTC
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The room had suddenly grown much smaller. Shadows whirled around Alan like a hurricane, reflecting the storm inside of him, as he rushed with full speed toward Bonez.
The [Warlock] screamed as the first shadow blade landed on him and cut apart his robes. The leather armor held, surprisingly. Whether it was enchanted or simply sturdy didn’t matter. Alan let out a furry of savage attacks, without a trace of the grace and technique Zirida had tried to instill in him in their short traini...
2024-03-17 12:29:44 +0000 UTC
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“The Bone Lord’s offer needs to go first,” Alan said. His anger flared up at the thought of what he had gone through, even if Enid’s touch had made it easier to bear. “I don’t know what you do to them, or what you gain from it… and how you even take it away, considering it’s not mine to give.”
That puzzled Alan. The advancement was his, but the offer from the Bone Lord was not.
“Oh, don’t you worry about that dear boy,” Enid smiled, her for...
2024-03-15 12:47:29 +0000 UTC
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NOTE: Some of the descriptions in this one might be a bit much. I don't know.
Alan lost track of time. “Pity,” the figure had said before throwing Alan back into the bone meat grinder. He did all he could to keep his composure. To focus. He didn’t know how to use his title, but there had to be a way. If there was a price, he would pay it.
The agony of getting his fragile body torn up again and again, from the outside and the inside was too much. Whatever thoughts he had mana...
2024-03-12 11:20:46 +0000 UTC
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The sky hung low. Too low. It was artificial at best and conjured by someone who didn’t care for making it look real. Or like the being responsible for it had seen skies a long time ago and worked from hazy memory. The world around was a jagged mess in different shades of white and yellow. Skeletons of creatures long lost to the world created mountain chains and peaks that scratched the sloppy sky while the floor was littered with broken skeletons and bones of all sorts.
Alan gaped at...
2024-03-10 10:53:59 +0000 UTC
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Alan was lost in thought as they began walking toward the insides of the fragmented temple. He was taking it easy, letting some of his mana regenerate, while he thought things through.
The shadows and their whispers were his ever-present companion. He somewhat missed the demon because of them, but he didn’t dare to take him out amidst all the strange classes and skills. The last thing he needed was another psycho going after him.
The whole situation with Bonez was turning strang...
2024-03-08 13:23:15 +0000 UTC
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You have slain: The Void Tree Temple Doll of Srida Hoxledu [High Acolyte] (104)
Level up!
You have reached level 73 in [Warlock]!
+ 3 Attribute Points
+ 1 Mind, Will, and Magic
…
Level up!
You have reached level 80 in [Warlock]!
+ 3 Attribute Points
+ 1 Mind, Will, and...
2024-03-05 13:00:11 +0000 UTC
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The giant stood on the sides frowning. He was eyeing the large skeletal monster and it seemed like something about it was giving him a pause. He knelt on one knee and stabbed the sword in the ground. Steam started rising out of the many segments of his ornate armor and he closed his eyes before mumbling something.
Is he resting? Recharging?
Alan had no time to consider the giant’s actions further as a grimy and bony hand dropped on his shoulder. He jumped up and took a ...
2024-03-03 13:36:54 +0000 UTC
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The giant tackled the doll just as it was about to attack Alan again. He came from its side with a roar, each of his steps making the ground shake. The two went rolling on the ground exchanging punches that made the surroundings tremble. Alan wondered how the giant was taking all the beatings. His armor was probably something amazing in itself.
Alan dusted himself off and felt the mana leaving his pool to stitch up the shadows around him. There were very few left, sans those still risin...
2024-03-01 13:26:47 +0000 UTC
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What had been a somewhat calm process of farming the ceaseless streams of dolls, parasites, shifters, and now prowlers, became a massacre.
The aura coming from the battle was like a drug injected straight into Alan’s veins. He could feel the mana fueling countless strange skills rumbling around. The world was washed in all colors. After a short word to Zirida, he rejoined the fight. The shadows around him were smoke streaming off his pores and shrouding his form seemingly incensed by ...
2024-02-27 12:41:54 +0000 UTC
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NOTE: I'll be editing ch. 127 a bit in a few moments. Nothing major.
“We can’t just rush back so soon.” Kalyntha said after a while, seemingly having thought things through, “We need to check for other artifacts and portals. If the temple keeps getting flooded by monsters from the battlefield it might collapse. The portals are making space more unstable by the minute and the formation is limited in what it can do to keep it all together. It's one of the best aro...
2024-02-25 15:37:58 +0000 UTC
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The new monsters were a confused mess for a few seconds until as one they turned toward the sounds of fighting. The strange wolves quickly separated into packs and moved like streams of water – silent and fluid through the ruined temple’s buildings.
Alan left his vantage point and moved to intercept one of the smaller groups. There were less than a dozen wolves. They didn’t look stronger or faster than the dolls, but their numeric advantage would probably pose a problem for his cu...
2024-02-23 13:20:45 +0000 UTC
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Congratulations! Your skill has advanced.
Shadow Weapon (Rare) has become Shadow Creation (Epic).
Shadow Creation (Epic)
You have embraced the shadows and imposed their will upon them, gaining control. Your shadows are shaped by your mind as if clay.
The durability of the shadows is determined by the relevant attributes.
This skill is limited by your ability to control yo...
2024-02-20 13:31:13 +0000 UTC
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Alan fought recklessly and with unbridled joy, a dark shadow among the faceless masses. He helped Zirida whenever he could, although she didn’t seem to be having any difficulties. Her style now was the total opposite of the first time he’d seen her fight, and while it was slower, it was also more sustainable and destructive.
Solorim was doing quite well for himself too as he was mostly focusing on defending and helping out by defending the true damage dealers. Not that Alan cared th...
2024-02-18 14:09:39 +0000 UTC
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With the shadows covering him, and the world just a bit bleaker if more welcoming to him, Alan felt powerful. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so deserving of being in his skin. All discomfort and doubt left him under the effect of his favorite skill.
As his feet pushed against the ground and he sent himself hurling toward the Doll, however, he realized that while it felt good, he wasn’t prepared for the improvement at all.
He overshot, dodging the surpr...
2024-02-16 13:25:11 +0000 UTC
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Stepping into the temple was like stepping into a different world. The silence suffocated the group, hanging like a guillotine above them. Passing through the dark door revealed a scenery much different than the fractal itself—a memory of something much more beautiful.
Stone buildings stood broken and taken over by roots and branches that seemingly came out of the ground, like the tentacles of a sea monster. They wrapped around the remains of civilization, but they were calcified and ...
2024-02-13 13:13:37 +0000 UTC
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It was a gruesome affair, but Alan found himself unable to look away. It went on for a few minutes before the man stopped thrashing around and took his last breath. Kalyntha frowned at that.
“It felt as if his mind was protected. All I gathered was that he had to kill you, Ziri.”
Zirida nodded. She was mostly fine now, after chugging a few more potions a casting some strange form of blood magic that made her blood tear her own skin and flesh from the inside out and restructure...
2024-02-11 14:12:21 +0000 UTC
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The next few hours were spent in quiet musings and meditation. In the end, Alan felt as if he was in his prime both in body and mind, despite everything. Nothing strange happened this time around, allowing him to truly take a breather and rest. The days of lugging around a cane were long gone, replaced by constant conversion of mana to stamina and pulling at the curse.
The latter he did only occasionally, but it reinvigorated him in ways [Warlock’s Body Mastery] never could.
Som...
2024-02-09 12:28:08 +0000 UTC
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Alan followed behind Zirida trying to understand the situation. As far as he understood the dragon’s disappearance was worrying as it was the whole reason the Fractal was given the attention it had, despite how little it offered in terms of resources. Apart from the void jessamine plan, void cores, and some other trivial monster parts or remnants of the Void Tree itself, which were rare, it had no value.
It existed to become stable enough to allow the dragon to exit. It was also a dec...
2024-02-06 13:29:39 +0000 UTC
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“So will your Blood God strike me down for the sinner that I am?” Alan asked furrowing his brows. This was a good lesson to think more before accepting weird requests. Not that he would. But the lesson was there.
“No, no.” Zirida waved her hand, “It’s just because I’m a follower so my soul is technically promised. He surely doesn’t even know you or even I exist.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Not the part where your fucking soul is promised to a w...
2024-02-04 21:07:41 +0000 UTC
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He still needed some major rest before preparing the curse mark or trying to curse her, considering the differences in their strength. Zirida warned him that it could be a bit dangerous, but it wouldn’t kill him. That piqued his interest. New experiences were like gold, and each helped him grow.
The more time she spent with her the more time he spent with her the more she reminded him of Ashlyn. A subtly crazier version of Ash, maybe. Zirida was like a bundle of sharp edges and insane...
2024-02-04 10:45:30 +0000 UTC
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