MagnusGrey

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 82: Riller

Edge was woken before dawn by a knock at his door, a service that he’d paid Rita a few credits to arrange. He found a mealbox waiting when poked his head into the hall, with a smiling face drawn on a scrap of paper. Cute.

He let out a sleepy yawn, then got dressed and rinsed his face in the sink. He took a sip from his canteen, opened the box, and picked up what turned out to be some kind of beast meat sandwich. It was made from two thick slices of bread with a slab of cheese...

[LotMG3] Chapter 29: Shaun

Nick’s first shot picked up a cluster of rats and shoved them against the wall. His second sent the rest of the swarm flying over to join them. He used the final charge of his wand to bunch them tighter and then Veronica took her turn. She raised her wrist and then fired her grenade, covering the squealing machines in a layer of sticky flame. They tried to run, but there was no escape.

Thirty seconds later, all the gear-rats were dead, except for a single brass beast that was still tr...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 81: Mortium

By the time that Edge stepped outside, the shadows were growing long, and a cool breeze was blowing in from the east. Any second now, the town’s magtech lanterns would spring to life, lighting up the main streets like glittering strings of jewels. 

Puppet Town never truly slept. But around this time, most shops closed, and people stopped working for the day. With so much foot traffic crossing the districts, cutting through the alley behind Ann’s shouldn’t raise any suspicion....

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 80: Gear

Edge nodded in satisfaction, pleased at what he saw. He finally looked like a hunter instead of someone who had survived the aftermath of a disaster. Each of his new items was well-made and was vastly superior to what he’d been wearing before.

The poncho was crafted from buffalo leather. Although no one was crazy enough to fuck with the herd, one of the calves or elderly members died from time to time. A renewable source of mid-grade materials that the town depended on. 

Th...

[LotMG3] Chapter 28: The Third Man

They took a break and ate lunch a few hours later, then continued on their way. Nick was glad to be back in the part of the facility that was inhabited by the construct swarm. The dirt-packed tunnels had felt considerably more claustrophobic, were harder to navigate, and smelled absolutely fucking awful. Thank heaven for small favors.

He discovered more good news not long after. When they came across the next intersection, Nick realized that the curvature of the wall was visibl...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 79: Bee

Now that Edge had made some credits that were easy to explain, it was finally time to gear up. Or at least take the first step in what would become a lifelong pursuit of improving his equipment. 

While he couldn’t afford to buy a full kit today, he could pick up some necessities and start planning out what he wanted to add as he continued hunting on the plains.

Only the vendors involved would know the details of each transaction. Spreading his purchases out would let him sp...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 78: Butcher

Half an hour later, Edge entered town through the north gate. After saying hello to the deputy on duty, he made his way over to a building located on the border of the hunters’ district and the town square. 

Izzio’s Delicatessen was a two-story, red brick affair with living space on top and a shop below. There was a banner over the front door displaying the name of the establishment, and a sign in the window listing the day’s specials. Since he was selling instead of buying, ...

[LotMG3] Chapter 27: Damage Healer

Ten minutes later, the last roach fell dead in the dirt, burning as Veronica's launcher reduced it to char and oily smoke. The battle had been hard fought, requiring the use of a napalm grenade and all three charges of Nick’s wand to outmaneuver their enemy.

The good news was that the fight had leveled them both, taking Veronica to level fifteen. At last, she could use the ability mastery system. Better still, she could take advantage of it to power up her abilities by a fair margin h...

[LotMG] Concept Art

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 77: Leap

Edge decided to start with leap, eager to try out his first mobility skill. 

After taking a long look around to make sure that nothing of note had arrived while he was busy, he sent his intentions into his core and activated his new power. He felt his reactor flicker to life, burning magicytes from his reservoir.

Skill-Eater filtered the flow of mana through the skill, and then sent magic surging into his legs. It filled them with a rush of power, co...

[LotMG3] Chapter 26: Bug Battle

Nick conjured four mana darts as the skittering grew louder, echoing down the tunnel to his right.

A noise that his mind recognized as rapid footsteps… just as six giant insects rounded the corner three hundred feet ahead and came charging straight for them. Since the tunnel was long and straight in this area, he already had his spyglass out, ready to inspect his opponents before they came into range.

The angry bugs had glossy bodies, narrow legs, and hideous faces ending in wic...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 76: Double

Once the jobo was lying limp in the vines, Edge willed [Extraction] to activate. His chains came slithering out from his wrists and went flying toward the bound beast, eager to hunt and feed.

When they appeared, he noticed that the living links were faster, longer, and stronger than before, just like the System had promised. Since their prey was unconscious and in no shape to put up a fight, the chains were able to penetrate the jobo’s core without resistance, granting him a vision of...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 75: Surprise

When Edge looked up and got ready to dodge, there wasn’t just one fist headed his way, there were two. 

What’s going on? Did it somehow manage to heal its hand? But it wasn’t the beast’s wounded paw that was streaking toward his face like a bolt of pink lightning. Its good fist had multiplied instead. Each set of knuckles was slightly blurry, like he was seeing double. 

He was so surprised that he didn’t have time to do anything besides continue with h...

[LotMG3] Chapter 25: An Unfortunate Change of Scenery

Late on the duo’s third day of traveling together, their surroundings began to change. At first, it was just a faint scent that Nick couldn’t quite place, which grew stronger as the hours ticked past. They kept on walking for miles, making their way through those lonely halls of stone.

It was the best-preserved section of the facility that he’d seen yet. It felt less like they were walking through a post-apocalyptic war zone, and more like they were touring a tomb. Which, if Nick ...

[Skill-Eater] Chapter 74: Even

The jobo growled in frustration when its opener failed to connect, but it didn’t let up or back off. 

It had lost its momentum, and leap wouldn’t be as effective up close or without the sun at its back. But the beast still outweighed Edge by a good two hundred pounds. It was capable of far more than just rending with its talons.

It turned to face him and came rushing right in, using that springing stride to devour the ground with every step. Is i...