MagnusGrey

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 98: Fun

While he was still several miles away from Puppet Town, Edge took advantage of his privacy to do something that he couldn’t do within the walls. It was finally time to get in some training with the skills that he was keeping hidden for now. 

He needed to become more familiar with his powers, so that he could use them effectively in battle. He was getting to know regeneration, elemental blade, and slash fairly well by this po...

[LotMG3] Chapter 39: Racing the Swarm

Nick, Veronica, and Shaun ran for their lives, sprinting down the corridor for everything they were worth.

Behind them, a ravenous horde of clockwork rats flowed down the passage like a tidal wave, followed by a squadron of gear-scorpions and turtles. The clatter of brass claws clacking against stone grew louder by the footfall as more and more rats joined the swarming mass.

Nick and V were gradually drawing ahead, boot leather pounding the pavement as they burned stamina to enabl...

[LotMG3] Concept Art: Janitor in Shark Form

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 97: Conceal

Edge walked along the wide swath of open ground bordering the river, keeping one eye on the water and one on the land. 

After being ambushed by the shadowreavers not far from where he stood, being in this sub-biome made him nervous. But he had a compelling reason not to give into his fear— upgrading one of his most valuable skills. 

Besides, he wasn’t the same person he had been only a few short days ago. If Edge ran into something nasty out here, he should be able t...

[LotMG3] Chapter 38: Intermission: Sophia and Devin 3

Sophia ran for everything that she was worth.

She was burning stamina to keep up the desperate dash, with Devin hot on her heels. She could feel the stones shaking beneath her boots. A rhythmic pounding, as the massive creature followed relentlessly in their wake.

It had been chasing them for hours by this point, without showing any sign of growing tired or losing interest.

It seemed that in its white form, which resembled a shark with legs from the glimpses that she’d cau...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 96: Lesson

Now that he was done admiring her appearance, Edge ran his eyes across Sasha’s gear, curious to see what she was taking into the field today.

He started off by examining her weapons and armor. The hunter was carrying a long spear that doubled as a walking stick. A short bow was strapped to her back, along with a pair of quivers filled with arrows. On her left arm, Sasha wore a new shield made from what turned out to be diamondback leather. 

When she noticed that he was chec...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 95: Tracking

When Edge made it to the lodge and stepped through the gate, he found Trapper and Sasha standing out front.

The women had their bows out. They were taking shots at straw dummies and playing fetch with Blue while waiting for him to show up. Before he could say anything, Sasha set down her weapon and walked over to him with an appraising gleam in her eye.

“Wow Edge, you look great. Even better than before.” Sasha’s cheeks reddened when she realized what she’d said. But she d...

[LotMG3] Chapter 37: Running to the Rescue

The slap of boot leather striking stone echoed down the passageway. Nick, Veronica, and Shaun sprinted across the facility, making their way down to the basement’s lowest level as fast as their feet would carry them.

Veronica watched the way ahead while Nick charted a course using the map, leaving Shaun to watch their backs. Sweat poured down their bodies and adrenaline sang in their veins. Nick wanted to run even faster, but he forced himself to play it smart so that he didn’t burn...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 94: Boxing

Edge stepped into the guard station and waved to the deputies working in the lobby— a pair of cored fighters whose names hadn’t stuck in his head just yet. Then he made his way through the locker room and walked into the gym. 

Melania was already waiting for him while going through a series of drills. Her fists darted out in a blur, unleashing a sequence of lightning-fast jabs that were far more vicious than anything she’d thrown his way… yet. She followed up with a sweepin...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 93: Absorb

When they got back to town, Jumo led Edge over to a corner of the commercial district that he hadn’t entered before. A fenced off section of the quarter where the settlement’s alchemists brewed their concoctions and peddled their wares. After being waved through the inner gate by a cored guard, they parked the cart in front of a big stone building with two men standing out front.

They inspected the herbs when Jumo waved them over, and after using some manner of skill to appraise the...

[LotMG3] Chapter 36: Intermission: Sophia and Devin 2

Sophia crept down the passageway with Devin at her side, stalking the next group of roaches blocking their path. They got as close as they could without drawing attention to themselves, then crouched down low and started counting.

With the big bugs moving in and out of the adjoining rooms, getting a good sense of their numbers took a fair amount of patience, combined with careful observation. Once they had a better idea of what they were dealing with, they would decide whether to turn b...

[LotMG3] Concept Art: Kellen and the Janitor

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 92: Sakura

Sakura watched from the shadows as Warren followed Edge through the streets of Puppet Town, occasionally fingering the spellslinger at his hip. The manslayer was in a foul mood today— a truth that was revealed in every crook of his posture. 

Some of Warren’s irritation was due to simple bad luck. But the lion’s share was the result of Sakura’s diligent, daily efforts.

While the bounty hunter stalked Edge, Sakura trailed Warren. She flitted across the rooftops, silent ...

[LotMG3] Chapter 35: Travel

They left Kellen’s office in a somber mood, reflecting on everything they’d learned.

Thanks to the map Veronica had found, navigating the mazelike complex was no longer an issue, although they had to occasionally double back to find their way around a collapsed passageway. They continued making their way down to the lowest level, focused on getting there as quickly as possible and preparing Shaun as they went.

He needed to have a firm grasp of their tactics before the next big...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 91: Gathering

While he was at Izzio’s, Edge had received a message from his Guide, along with everyone else in town.

The Mayor had used her authority to let everybody know that a settlement-wide meeting was taking place tonight. It wasn’t mandatory, but she said it was important, and had urged everyone who was available to show up.

Edge debated whether he wanted to go. In the end, he decided that it was worth giving up an hour or two of conditioning to find out what was going on. Besides, i...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 90: Knife

When they were out of the sun, Izzio called for one of his employees who was working in the main building. A woman who had a refrigeration skill that could keep the jobo’s carcass fresh until the butcher had time to take it apart. She walked out of the shop and then reached out to touch the remains. Mana conducted through her hands, and the meat began billowing with frost a few seconds later. 

“She’s a real lifesaver,” Izzio explained as the woman left...

[LotMG3] Chapter 34: PDA

A few seconds later, the holographic recording winked out of existence. When it did, the crystal in Nick’s hand stopped flashing.

“Poor bastard.” Veronica sighed. “Classic mad scientist. Killed by his own creation and blames everyone but himself. Now we know the whole story, although I’m not sure how much it will help us.”

“Hey guys… this might sound weird.” Shaun pointed to Kellen’s remains. “But his coat and clothes look pristine. They are probably magic. W...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 89: Variation

While Edge thought the matter through, he opened his profile and read his updates.

You have accumulated sufficient experience to cycle-up your core. Your new cycle is [3].

You have three attribute points awaiting allocation.

You have extracted the skill: Leap (common, rank 1).

You already have this skill in your collection.

Its power will be adde...