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Savage Awakening 151. The Catacombs (V)

(2/2)

They found the second Boss deep in the labyrinth. If not for Reina, Zane was sure he would’ve been stuck here for days—as it was it took them just three hours or so. Three pleasant hours for Zane. He learned a lot about Egyptian civilization from her. It was nice.

After the first hour or so, they started running across a new kind of Monster.

Stone Sentinel (Monster)

Essence Level 125

Stone golems, roughly hewn. They loo...

150. The Catacombs (IV)

A/N: Added one third floor boss: Malaz, the Fallen Angel

(1/2)

//

It was a surprisingly good harvest. He never expected that many A-rank treasures in one go.

They'd reached the top of the hill. From here you could see the Faction splayed out all around the Los Angeles valley, twinkling lights dotting darkened bumps stretching into the murky distance. The jagged silhouettes of mountains poked up in the distance.

There was a set of staircases at th...

Savage Awakening 149. Catacombs (III)

A/N:

Added two Unarmed Striking Skill-ups last chapter!

(1/1)

//

They forged farther up the dreary hill.

More Skeletons came crawling. They had fist Skills blazing with the Laws of Darkness. They had passive Skills that made their bones hard as tempered steel.

But not as hard as Zane.

His bare fist got the job done. No Skills. Just normal punches and they exploded in splinters and white dust. You could see the force rippling violently...

Savage Awakening 148. The Catacombs (II)

(1/1)

This dungeon was a weird one. It only opened at dusk. The sky was an expanse of deepening purples swarming over a trail of faint orange.

Zane and Reina made their way down the broad streets of the L.A. Faction which led to the leaking dungeon. Soon a purplish aura began drifting about, staining the air; it thickened the closer they got. White fingers of fog crawled along the ground, grasping at their ankles.

From the distance came a chorus of soft high moans, shrill sh...

Savage Awakening 147. The Catacombs (I)

Zane gained another Level that night.

Level Up!

Essence Level 116 -> 117

Reina was up to Level 104 now too; she fell asleep on him as soon as they were done, limp and panting.

One of her Signature Skills, Architect of Restoration, could heal all things—living or nonliving. It came in handy these last few weeks. He looked around the room, which looked like it’d been through a hurricane, and winced.

After Reina hit Level 100...

Savage Awakening 146. Second Round (IV)

The Asura King did everything it could to block.

It threw up its towering arms. It smothered itself in its wings; they erupted in roiling Blackflame, a Blackflame purer than any other—so intense it was fringed with a night-black corona. The whole thing looked like a funeral pyre.

Then Wish Upon a Star touched down.

The blast was glorious.

So furious for a few seconds it was impossible to make anything out. So hot everything within tens of miles erupted in flame.

Savage Awakening 145. Second Round (III)

(1/1)

Zane found how fast he healed depended on two things. How strong his healing powers were and how strong his body was. The stronger the body, the harder it’d be to heal.

Right now Stormfire Renewal was overpowering. His body was laced with Elemental Steel. But Stormfire was a grade higher. Strange things started happening—things he’d never felt.

He felt body parts shifting inside him as they mended; he was regenerating so fast he could feel himself stitching toget...

Savage Awakening 144. Second Run (II)

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Zane didn’t need to say a word. The crowd parted, clearing a path straight to the Array.

“Here he comes!” said Tyler. He went into his dramatic announcer voice. “Can Zane dethrone the king—again?! It all comes down to this!”

“Let’s turn to our color commentator, back by popular demand—Evan Armstrong!” said Becca.

“Hi!” beamed Evan. “I’m really happy to be here! Again!”

“Evan,” said Becca. “We know you’ve been in contact...

Savage Awakening 143. Second Run (I)

(1/2)

The tsunami almost capsized them.

Two of the Starlit Defenders were so stunned they almost didn’t make it in time. They had to leap to grab something solid. Then it all went sideways. A line of spray all but ran them off the boat.

The boat was stuck at a dangerous slant, climbing the edge of the wave the whole way back—

“Look out!” cried Cassie.

Blue wards had shot up at the edge of the Safe Zone. Cries came down from the lighthouse; a shrill alarm ...

Savage Awakening 142. San Diego

Zane stepped through the portal.

For a second it felt like he was falling; there was a twisting lurch deep in his gut.

Then his feet hit something soft and loamy.

The world opened out. He stood on sandy ground, pastel yellow and so fine he sank a good half-foot into it. The expanse stretched on and on. A tang of sea-salt wafted on the air. There was the soft lapping of waves, a constant background hum; gulls’ cries echoed in the distance.

He looked around at a city b...

Savage Awakening 141. The Elemental Law of Electricity

(2/2)

A/N: 

Second chapter of the day!

It turns out truck-kun cannot hit you if you simply refuse to go outside 

//

There was a proper campground spread around the Law Area; they must’ve spotted him a ways off. By the time he got to the fence gates, a crowd had ballooned to either side of the mountain path.

They started cheering and waving at him and chanting—“Zane! Zane! Zane!”

“You got this, Savage Sage!”

Savage Awakening 140. The Elemental Law of Electricity (II)

A/N: 

(1/2)**

**probably 2 chapters unless I get hit by a truck

//

There was nothing green to be seen—the mountaintop barren, scarred over, a rugged expanse of gray stone lashed with black. Lightning cracked down, dispersing, splattering white arcs over the darkness.

The clouds swirling overhead looked like a whirlpool gone upside-down, murky, churning purples and grays and deep-blues. The deeper it went, the brighter the lightning crackle...

Savage Awakening 139. The Elemental Law of Electricity (I)

(2/2)

Zane did another stint in the sauna. He came out feeling raw and sore—in a good way. It meant his soul was healing.

After that he had the rest of the afternoon off.

By then he got the news that Avery had broken through to Elemental Light; she tried announcing it to him by wrapping herself in a light mirage and sneaking up on him.

This did not work.

Partly because he could sense her coming with Sage Mind. Partly because Evan blew her cover by coming up to ...

Savage Awakening 138. Next Steps

(1/2)

Apparently for Reina, watching him fight was incredibly stressful. Her heart was also overflowing with joy and pride. It was a lot.

She vented it on him for about four hours straight.

When they were done she rested her head on his chest, fast asleep. Her whole body was totally relaxed; she wore a gentle smile. He watched her for a bit—she fit so well with him. She was sprawled all over him; her soft curves just melted into him. Her chest slowly rose and fell, squishe...

Savage Awakening 137. Final Layer (IV)

(1/1)

The moment Zane saw the Monster, he frowned.

It had to bend to the waist just to get out of the castle. Its shadow stretched half the length of the bridge. It was made out of a steel plate blacker than black, swirling with silver dots. Like there was a night sky trapped in the metal. The plates melded together seamlessly. There wasn’t a chink in the armor. The whole thing smocked like a burning building.

A single glowing red eye lay in the middle of a giant block of ...

Savage Awakening 136. Final Layer (III)

Warning!

Health under 50%

Savage Body activated

Vitality increased 25%

Strength increased 25%

Speed increased 25%

Skill up!

Apocalypse Smash III -> IV

Skill up!

Fiery Renewal III -> IV

It was a good thing too. Zane was gushing pretty heavily; a waterfall of blo...

Savage Awakening 135. Final Layer (II)

(1/1)

Ninth layer.

Zane stood on a cobblestone bridge large enough for an army to march down. It ran straight out, ending at a castle marked out black against a swirling purple sky.

It was a night with no moon. The only light came from below, a deep somber red. He glanced down.

The drawbridge was dozens of feet up. It went over a moat of lava. The Law there were fascinating—some mixture of Elemental Fire and Elemental Earth, but that wasn't all. There were mysteries ...

Savage Awakening 134. Final Layer (I)

A/N:

Added in more skill ups in the last few chapters to make increased skill leveling in the array more apparent! Skills that have changed:

Promethean noose II -> IV

Fiery Renewal II -> III

Apocalypse Smash II -> III

(1/1)

//

The neat thing about Stormfire Cyclone was he'd already upgraded it. So he just had to throw in his new Stormfire and—

Skill evolved!

Stormfire Cyclone [Legendary]...