Chapter 119: Princess Meat Shields

Day 2 among the four limbed prey:

Disguise still holds. Even the Prey who Looks back seems to be unaware of my presence.

Although I am not discounting the possibility that they are simply acting like they don’t know about me. Until I can decipher more than ‘here,’ ‘there,’ ‘him’ and ‘her’, I can’t be too cautious. And of course the unspoken language that they use to convey meaning as well.

The interaction between the ‘Asshole’ Ryan and the pale, lumpier than average prey has proven to be most insightful in hooter behavior. As in, they both are generally view negatively for their behavior. The lumpy hooter seems to encourage it, while the asshole hooter seems to have quieted down after the blunt force trauma.

Requires more study.

***Ryan***

“What are you looking at?” Ryan demanded as the dumb whore stared at him while the pale whore fed him in an inhuman facsimile of kindness. He hadn’t been able to move since the beating, and the pale bitch…

What was her name….Nadia? More like stupid slut. I’m gonna call her that in my head from now on.

“Now Ryan, is that any way to talk to the woman who watched over you all night?” Nadia – stupid slut – asked, raising a perfectly plucked brow.

“Sitting and watching, that’s all she’s good for.” Ryan said, glancing over at Dara. “Dumb Bitch, get me some wine. Wine!” He grabbed a nearby bowl and threw it at her, sending the mute scurrying out of the yurt as it shattered behind her.

Ryan groaned as he leaned back. His aching gut tweaked when he threw the bowl, and now it felt like it had shifted out of place again.

Gonna have to lay low for a couple weeks. If I can tag along on the coattails of all the other escapees, I can just bail once we’re topside. Quietly relocate, and nobody ever sees me again.

Ryan was a Legend, but down here that meant next to nothing. Once he was topside, though, he became valuable. He’d put some distance between himself and Uleis and the monster kid. Maybe Boles. Maybe Gadvera. He would fetch a high price in one of the Bolesian city states, and he could be captain of the guard in just a handful of years.

Maybe I could even set my sights lower. Someone low enough to not have any real responsibilities, and a danger level laughably below my Break. Ryan could cruise through the next thirty years like that, no problem.

Maybe I’ll do the Dumb Bitch a favor and take her with me when Prissy Cunt and Stupid Slut get bored with her.

“Open.” Stupid Slut said, grabbing his jaw and wrenching it open before shoving a spoonful of the disgusting meat into his mouth.

“Agh!” Ryan tried to spit it out, but she held a hand over his mouth until he swallowed. Ryan was nominally stronger than her, but that didn’t mean much, as his body was a solid lump of bruises.

“Now, Ryan, it just looked like you were planning something stupid.” The stupid slut said. “Well, that ends here. From now on, you’re my bitch, and your plan is my plan.” She leaned forward and tousled his hair playfully.

“Doesn’t that sound nice?” she said, hugging him to her bosom, big white globes deforming around his face.

“Fuck you, and your tits are cold, you witch.”

Her fingers in Ryan’s hair tightened and drew his neck back painfully, whispering in his ear.

“Calvin might have creativity, but I’ve got practice.” She said, so quietly he might have imagined it. “If you try to play the tough guy, trust me when I say I can hurt you just so… make you moan like a whore. And if you don’t do exactly as I say, I’m going to beat your wench to death with my bare hands and leave her cooling corpse in your yurt.”

Ryan’s breath caught in his throat.

“Yeah, I know. You like her in your own fucked-up way.” Nadia whispered, holding him close to her cold tits and petting the back of his head.

“Just imagine how Calvin and Kala will react when you kill her.”

She was right. If that were to happen, it would her word against his, and his word was already worthless to them. Ryan felt like his whole body was falling down a deep pit. The light was rapidly fading above him.

“What do you want from me?” he managed to whisper.

“For now? I want you to be a model citizen, and await further instructions. Don’t worry, it’ll only be little things like delivering messages and such. You can do that, can’t you?”

“Yeah, I can do that, you stupid slut.”

“That’s a good boy.” Nadia said, gently patting his head.

***Calvin***

Extensive training has increased your Attributes!

+1 Stability

Beli-Ma has reached level 20!

+1 Stability

- Passive External Circulation

Beli ma has reached level 23! Level capped at Current Stability.

Wizard needs food, badly.

Calvin didn’t remember much of the last few hours of practicing Beli Ma, and he didn’t remember dragging himself to the Unqua and collapsing into bed, but he must have, because that’s where he was when he opened his eye.

Eye, singular. Calvin’s left eye was swollen to the point of uselessness, and the rest of his body wasn’t far behind.

I don’t think I actually did make it to bed, Calvin thought, noting the tucked in sheet made from the patchwork clothes of dead men. Calvin sure as Vashniels hoary realm didn’t tuck himself in.

Probably Kala.

Calvin sat up...tried to sit up.

His whole body rebelled against him, but he was still able to move his arms, covered in cane marks as they were. He gingerly rolled his blanket down to reveal a body riddled with long, thin bruises.

Between Eye of the tiger, being in the real world, and emptying his Warp Tank multiple times, he’d made several years worth of progress in an afternoon.

“Not worth it,” Calvin groaned as he struggled to right himself. He’d gotten far too used to the lack of consequences in Shadowboxing. Morning after aches had been largely forgotten.

What’s my Warp?

6/8 Warp Remaining.

It had refilled six points as he slept.

What’s the best way to distribute them before I head out, I wonder?

Show me my stats.

Calvin Gadsint

Body: 8

Strength: 8

Kinesthetics: 8

Endurance: 8

Mind: 45

Intuition: 20

Stability: 23

Will: 36

Bent: 27/23+4

Warp: 1/8

Skills:

Stealth 7

Playboy 11

Old Salt 12

Sense-Grafting 20

Dupdomancy 20

Meditation 25

Chained Spirit 18

Calvinian Summoning 20

Your Princess is in Another Castle 7

Beli Ma 23

Genosian Language 5

Shifting 15

Abyssal Alchemy 5

Drafting 3

Bent Manipulation 4

Trait Doctoring 1

The plus four on his Bent was confusing until he remembered the Ability he’d gotten from the twentieth level of Beli Ma, allowing him to store four more Bent outside his body.

When he turned his attention on them, he could feel the Bent like four little wisps of smoke, not directly connected to him and drifting idly around him, ready to deflect attacks and never quite going further than twenty three inches away from his body.

The range was maybe three inches below that of his fingertips, meaning he was rapidly approaching the level where he could deflect attacks without moving his arms at all, if not already there.

And the next step? An Aura. Or close to it, I suppose.

If Calvin got another two levels, he could take the increased range ability and he was fairly sure from then on, he would be able to completely deflect attacks without ever moving his arms.

Just like a Wizard King should.

He’d have to raise his Stability first, which would take a while longer without Shadowboxing.

Agh, but today is the day I need to leave.

Calvin looked down at his terribly bruised body. He needed Stability, and he needed to kidnap some princesses in roughly seventy two hours.

I can make this work.

****

In less than an hour, Calvin was dressed, sitting in front of the Village of The Abyss, resting a hand on a bone cane, his fingers trembling with exhaustion.

“Alright, listen up,” Calvin said, addressing the assembled villagers.

“Before we leave this hole, I’ve got a leadership Skill that’s one point away from granting me a new Ability, and it might make the difference between life and death once we make it to the surface, which is why we’re going to play a little game before we leave. Trust me, though, you guys are gonna have a good time.”

“It’s called Capture the Princess.” Calvin said with a smile.

****

After explaining the rules of the game, he arranged the villagers into two teams, one team with Nadia, the other team with Kala.

You scored a point by kidnapping a princess and carrying her back to the goal.

Calvin wasn’t able to move well, so he cleaned his boots while his minions played the game for him, his Warp Tank uncapped.

Extensive training has raised your Attributes!

+1 Stability.

5/8 Warp remaining.

Gear maintenance was one way to raise stability. Once Calvin had that point, he settled down to actively participate in the game.

You sure this is gonna work?

One of calvin’s teammates handed Nadia off to a hulking Knick-knack, who sprinted for the finish, holding out its other arm to block the defenders as they tried to pick her out of it’s grasp.

The Ilethan princess simply crossed her arms and scowled at Calvin as she was tossed back and forth like a ball.

After a few minutes, Calvin’s team scored a point, tossing Nadia to the ground and dancing wildly.

T-T-Touchdown!

Your Princess is in another Castle has reached level 8! 40% Correction.

4/8 Warp Remaining.

Yes, I think it’ll work. We should give the other team a handicap, though. The skill seems to be swaying the outcome of the game.

Your Princess is in another Castle has reached level 9! 45% Correction.

3/8 Warp Remaining.

Your Princess is in another Castle has reached level 10! 50% Correction.

2/8 Warp Remaining.

+1 Stability

Please choose an ability or mutation.

Stockholm Syndrome: YPiiAC correction now also applies to the emotional bonding of captive princesses with the User, as well as the resulting allegiance.

Safe and Sound: YPiiAC correction now also applies damage reduction to princesses allied with you or in your custody. No distance limitations. Complete damage negation not possible. Formula: (Damage) / (1+Correction) I.E. at 100% correction, princesses take 50% damage. Diminishing rate of return.

Not Heavy at All: User automatically redistributes(Correction%) mass of princess to pursuers when attempting to flee with a stolen princess.

^ From Shifting. Max 98%

Save the Last Dance: 4 Bent to begin a dance with a princess that cannot be interrupted. As long as both participants continue to dance, they are immune to physical attacks, physical restrictions, Bent abilities, mental manipulation, etc.

True Love's Kiss: 2 Bent, heals a princess of any curses, poisons, or afflictions, including foreign Bent, restores condition and heals similar to a week's bed rest, potentially sealing otherwise lethal wounds. Consumes princess' remaining Bent, but restores User's Bent at level/10 efficiency.

Mutations:

Bloodline: Consume Princess blood to potentially gain access to Skills and Abilities unique to their bloodline.

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: User is able to adopt a role that make them appear to belong in a given setting, and behave in a way that draws no attention as they aim for the princess... From Playboy.

Calvin waffled between Save the Last Dance and Safe and Sound for a minute before picking Safe and Sound.

If Ella and Kala are going to keep running headlong into danger, I’ll feel better if they’re as safe as I can make them, even if we’re not close to each other.

The last dance ability was good. Really good, but Ella was off on her own, And even Nadia wouldn’t be near him every moment of every day. So while it could get him out of a tight spot, it wouldn’t always get him out of a tight spot.

The Safe and Sound ability was always active, and would allow his blockers to soak up more damage.

Be honest. You just want them to look like they’re in their late twenties when you’re old and grey, don’t you? wait, does it stop working if they become queens?

Couldn’t hurt. Calvin thought with a shrug. The ability to use princesses as meat shields was higher priority right now.

Princess meat shields. Hahahaha! Elliot seemed genuinely pleased, cackling in the back of his head. That’s damn close to an oxymoron, but you wear the contradiction well.

Now, Calvin’s Stability was twenty five, and he had two Warp remaining.

“Alright!” Calvin shouted once he’d made his choice, Gathering everyone’s attention. “Thank you all, that made the skill cross the threshold! Thank you!”

There was a cheer, as the villagers had been having a great time, playing a game free from worry for the first time in years.

Well, everyone had been having great fun except Kala and Nadia, who were a little disheveled, but otherwise okay.

Next time I should adjust the rules, give them their own team of blockers so they can take more direct control over the game.

Well, lessons for the future.

“Now,” Calvin said, rubbing his hands together with a smile. “I need someone to beat me with a stick again.”

Predictably, Nadia’s hand went up, followed by Kala.

****

“How did you get so much better at this in one night?” Kala asked, tugging her stick free from the whorls of Bent over his shoulder.

“Temporary savant from Warp overflow.”

“Did you Break again?”

“Nope.”

He felt Nadia swing a stick at the back of his head, and he created two whorls of Bent to catch her strike before it touched his scalp. He could either deflect four attacks simultaneously, or catch two without summoning Bent from inside.

The Body Awareness ability at first had let him move Bent to his joints or any place he could normally move, and as his Skill increased by leaps and bounds, his range had slowly grown across his body until he could move Bent naturally to any point inside the twenty-three inch bubble available to him.

“This is less fun than before” Nadia whined, tugging her stick free.

“Keep it up,” Calvin said, sitting crosslegged. A Warp had come back already.

Kala swung at his head. He caught it again.

They continued until Beli Ma was level twenty five.

+1 Stability

Not spotting anything indicating a passive effect, Calvin chose Long Range, ballooning the size of his bubble from twenty five inches away, to thirty, several inches past his fingertips.

Calvin was now able to deflect and stop attacks outside the reach of his arms.

Alright. This will work.

“Okay,” Calvin said, letting them know they could stop.

“Finally,” Kala said with a sigh, dropping the switch, sitting back and taking a sip from her water bottle.

Nadia relaxed, then experimentally tried whacking him across the back now that his guard was down.

He caught it.

“Damn,” Nadia muttered, tossing the stick aside and wandering off.

I wish I could see how well this fares against Karen, Calvin thought. Probably not great.

At this point he was half-confident the woman was some kind of war god who’d secretly infiltrated the mere mortals to watch their struggles for her amusement.

“So what now?” Kala asked.

“Now we leave.”

“What, like, today? Do you actually have a plan?”

“Yep. I’m gonna scout out the tunnels with Calvinian summoning, find the exit, clear all the monsters between here and there, then get us out.”

“What if there is no exit?” Kala asked.

“Not really worth thinking about, is it?” Calvin asked with a shrug.

Calvin Gadsint

Body: 8

Strength: 8

Kinesthetics: 8

Endurance: 8

Mind: 45

Intuition: 20

Stability: 26

Will: 36

Bent: 23/26+5

Warp: 1/8

Skills:

Stealth 7

Playboy 11

Old Salt 12

Sense-Grafting 20

Dupdomancy 20

Meditation 25

Chained Spirit 18

Calvinian Summoning 20

Your Princess is in Another Castle 10

Beli Ma 25

Genosian Language 5

Shifting 15

Abyssal Alchemy 5

Drafting 3

Bent Manipulation 4

Trait Doctoring 1