Battleforged

Chapter 60 - Save A Life, Earn A Title!

Added 2022-05-09 09:46:10 +0000 UTC

Eric found himself springing to his feet by pure reflex, desperately racing towards his friend almost as soon as she was jerked off her feet, his 18 Perception forever blazing indelibly into his mind the look of surprise on her features as a strand of spider silk latched on her back and jerked her into the air.

“Alice!” Eric roared, immediately switching halberd for bow in the blink of an eye.

Before being frozen with awe as the air lit up with a brilliant crack of lightning.

“Forzar, motherfucker!” Alice roared as thick bolts of lightning tore into the vast swarm of spiders whose nest of webs filled the now massive arch of what had become a truly soaring cavern, when just seconds ago, all that any of them had seen, even Eric, was thick impenetrable darkness, with no trace of heat emanating from the arched roof.

That was, until the purity of lightning tore through even a master illusionist’s shadow magic.

But not without paying a fearsome cost, A struggling Alice’s limbs now covered in webbing as countless smaller spiders swarmed all over her, pinning her limbs to the massive strands of webbing forming a massive platform for perching spiders overhead.

“Forzar!” Alice screamed to yet another explosion of brilliant crimson lightning, forcing her aggressors to pay a terrible price for daring to encase a magus of the storm, obliterating every single one of the little monsters that had latched upon her.

Yet the exultation Eric felt at his friend’s triumph, as a dozen smaller spiders fell to the earth in explosions of shell and gore, turned to growing dread when it became clear that one singular massive spider was still moving forward.

Its once glossy shell was now covered in charred patches, smoke trickling from between its joints. But its hostile chitter that Eric’s universal translator-enhanced interface could almost interpret, and the acidic venom dripping from its fangs, made it damn clear that retreat wasn’t an option. If it was doomed to fall, it was taking Alice with it.

Eric did his best to keep his cool, as his bone blow quivered with killing intent now matching his own as he lined up a bead at what his infravision pinged as the thinnest point on its carapace, then releasing in one smooth motion.

Only for the arrow to bounce harmlessly off their foe’s thick, nearly indestructible armor.

The jolt of terror Eric felt then left him weak in the knees.

But it didn’t affect his next shot. He even had energy to scream. “Morlekai! Arrows aren’t penetrating! Distract the queen for your sister!” Before releasing a second arrow, this time one blazing with fire.

And for all that the shot was perfect, and Eric could sense, even see, the massive spider queen’s squeal of pain as it stopped its approach to a trapped Alice, it was no match for the foe they faced.

Because even an arrow blazing at an absurd 4000 degrees had failed to penetrate that monstrous shell. Maybe he had marked it, maybe even scorched the flesh right underneath. But it had bounced away before any true damage could be done.

Eric shuddered in awed disbelief. What fucking level was that creature? A stray thought, instantly dispelled as he frantically dodged and rolled before a massive tendril of caustic, sticky, spider spittle could burn him to the bone.

It didn’t take a genius to see that they were utterly outmatched. But no matter how absurd its defenses or powers were, no matter how much he was fighting off a dazed stupor, using his Perks and essence skills more than he had intended during that fight, they still needed to deal with it, or there would be no tomorrow for any of them.

All Eric heard at that point was the desperate pounding of his own heart roaring in his ears as he leaped back to his feet, drew back his bone bow, and did what he should have done from the start.

Taking advantage of the furious arachnid’s momentary distraction to infuse his bow with every ounce of potency that he could.

Sensing the terrible tension now crackling through his artifact as he infused it with more power than he had ever dared before.

The bowstring now rung like a guitar cord perpetually plucked, and just a feather’s weight away from snapping and tearing right through Eric’s armored skull.

But the look of terror and furious resolve in Alice’s eyes as she panted for breath and struggled to raise her trembling arm once more demanded that Eric do nothing less than summon arrow to string as he dared to commune with all those archers who had come before him for the briefest of moments before letting the white-hot arrow fly.

The air abruptly cracked with the sound of a reverse comet soaring through the air towards his target.

Then his heart spiked with dread.

His True Strike perk had failed. After pulsing his gifts as best he could during that perilous fight, his mind had still been too exhausted to focus on yet another combat feat!

Worse, his shot had skewed toward Alice!

So filled with terror he was at sensing the slight veer in its arc that it took him a heartbeat to register the massive spider’s sudden tremble… or to sense via his Soul Link how his 4000 degree arrowhead was now ricocheting inside the creature's carapace.

Because even after surpassing the speed of sound, his spiral reinforced bone arrow had been unable to penetrate that inconceivably resilient shell a second time, resulting in catastrophic internal damage as the arachnid monster slowly began to topple out of its web as it burst into flame.

“Eric! Run!”

But Eric would do no such thing. Could do no such thing as he caught Alice’s desperate gaze, having pulled some last rabbit out of her hat, surrounding herself in a corona of silvery lightning that managed to severe all the silken cords binding her.

Which meant that now she had no purchase upon the webbing at all, eyes rolling up into the back of her head as she tumbled to the ground.

But not before he caught her.

Caught her even as they crashed to the hard stone floor together.

And he was rolling, rolling for all he was worth, as the massive arachnid corpse slammed to the ground right behind them, covering them both in awful-smelling spider innards. It was a stench that didn't abate, as the arachnid's insides were furiously steaming and hissing out from whatever gaps in its carapace there were, as Eric's arrow boiled away all the moisture in the abomination's internal organs, before he finally reclaimed his arrow back into storage.

It was all he could do not to vomit from the stench as Alice came too with a gasp, now laughing so hard that tears were flowing down her gore-spattered cheeks.

“Woo! We did it, boy scout! We fucking took that bastard out!”

But Eric was unable to hear or process Alice’s words, even as she hissed and cursed, lurching back, when blinding light washed over them all.

“Fuck. This is such fucking bullshit!” she cried, as the last meager handful of spiders sizzled and died and Eric was forced to contend with the message now blaring across his, and, he suspected, the entire party’s interface.

CONGRATULATIONS! HYBRID CONTENDER ERIC SILVER IS THE FIRST INHABITANT OF SUBJUGATED WORLD 6783Y (Earth) TO KILL A FELLOW CONTENDER OR BOSS TIER OPPONENT (Greater Spider Queen) WITH ARROWS TRANSCENDING THE SPEED OF SOUND!

ERIC SILVER HAS EARNED THE ADEPT TITLE: Lightning Marksman FOR HIS GREATER FEAT OF ARCHERY!

Lightning Marksman Title Boons:

Increased spacial perception and sense of timing means you’re 20% more likely to hit all future targets with all ranged weapons!

You’re clearly a natural at this! You now learn all ranged weapon skills 20% faster!

All archery and marksman classes of Advanced prestige or lower are now open to you! At least one bow specialist class of Adept tier or better will be open to you! Additional classes of higher prestige involving the use of ranged weapons may also be available to you! All will resonate with at least Silver tier concordance!

Strength, Perception, Quickness, and Finesse have each gone up 5 points as a legend is forged, and a bit of your world’s potency becomes your own!

You have managed to complete this feat while still infusing your core!

Bonus Boon: Perk infusion has gone up 20%!

Your present locale has become a temporary safe zone for 10 (Ten) minutes! Process your boon quickly, Contender!

“Are you seriously telling me he’s the one who gets the title Lightning Marksman? I’m the one who was shooting bolts of lightning!” Alice screamed.

It was all Eric could do even to track her words as his body was wracked by waves that were an odd frisson of exquisite torment and agonizing rapture, electrifying his nerves with countless impulses as his entire body was flooded with a mind-blowing wave of potency that left him shell-shocked and speechless as the world around him suddenly snapped into hyper crystalline focus, unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

It was as if he had been living life on minimum resolution and hadn’t even known it, before finally stumbling across the settings tab and amping everything up to maximum.

Colors were more saturated. Scents were sharper and filled with nuance beyond anything he could have imagined, sensing what the spider queen had supped upon over the last 24 hours (it’s own brood and 2 wandering lizards) in addition to nearly choking on the raw stench of its foul, still-smoking remains.

“Eric! What’s wrong with you?”

A dazed Eric turned to Alice, who was gazing at him with such an odd mixture of worry, warmth, and jealousy, that it took him a second to realize what now seemed so off about her appearance. Whereas Drake and Louise were unquestionably a pair of handsome, powerfully built men, they were the farthest thing from flawless. Their oversized pores, the roughness of their skin, and the dozens of tiny lines and blemishes to their faces all served to emphasize their rugged handsomeness, and just how utterly unreachable the photo-shopped ideals of beauty truly were.

Yet when Eric turned to gaze upon Alice's glaring features, the utterly flawless nature of her skin, free of mole, bump, blemish, or anything save an eerily perfect mesh-work of geometrically placed and nearly microscopic pores, was undeniable. Now even the faint pair of smoker’s wrinkles he had spotted before had vanished as if they had never been.

She was now the ultimate photo-shopped ideal of a pouting 18-year-old succubus bursting with voluptuous sensuality, her face absolutely perfect in its symmetry. Her teeth, including her cute little fangs, were a perfect pearlescent white, and the rose hue of her lips was without blemish, bump, or flaw.

It was as if she were the epitome of every man’s deepest desire.

It was all he could do to close his eyes and look away, when suddenly concerned eyes tried to peer into his own.

“Alex, are you alright? Come on, I’m allowed to be a little jealous, aren’t I? Fuck, boy scout, you got an Adept Title! How the hell did you get that? I shot half a dozen lightning bolts and fried those motherfuckers to a crisp! And you shoot one little arrow that, yes, might have taken out the boss and probably saved my life. And then you play hero again, catching my sorry, unprepared ass and… fuck it." She shook her head, chuckling ruefully. "I'm just being a jealous bitch, aren't I?"

“Eric?”

“Eric!”

He gasped, jolting out of his daze when Morlekai’s furious and not at all patient eyes glared into his own. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, kid, but you need to snap out of it! We found the gate, we’re jumping through!”

Eric took a shuddering breath. “Wait, you don’t understand. I got a title!”

Morlekai jerked a nod. “Believe me, we know. I suspect every sentient creature in this territory knows. I’m afraid your title is going to be a lot more trouble than it’s worth, if it draws too much attention.”

“But Morlekai, my brain's fucking fried after being forced to pull too many combat feats linked to my skills. Add that to all the changes I'm dealing with..."

Louie snorted. “Kid gets one title, and it goes totally to his head. And what the fuck is this about combat feats?”

“I think he means the weapon handling perk we were hoping to get, once we hit level 10 with our bardiches,” said Drake sagely. “Probably called Bardiche-man’s Grace, or some shit like that. God knows we could use the Finesse boost, and even quicker progression. Because how long have we both been stuck at Rank 8? But being more in tune with our weapons should make it easier to fight longer and more efficiently with these beauties. Not space us out in whatever mental fog poor Eric’s zoning out in.”

Louie shook his head. “Clearly that fancy blood magic shit he’s doing with his bow is taking more out of him than he let’s one.” He turned to glare at Morlekai. “Isn’t it about time you took him under your wing and apprenticed him? I get rules in all, but he’s just stumbling in the dark, without any formal training, and we all need to be on top of our game if we’re going to come out of this shit in one piece.”

Morlekai’s cold gaze pinned a suddenly pale-faced Louie where he stood. He swallowed. “Sorry, boss. Maybe I was a bit out of line, there. I’m just worried about boy scout here.”

Morlekai’s glare softened into an understanding nod. “As am I. And were I not bound to a blood-oath an adventurer’s honor alone allowed me to stretch as much as I dared without consequence, I would have claimed him as an apprentice the moment he walked into my study.”

He gave a dazed Eric a sympathetic clap on his shoulders. “Once we have pulled off our heist and successfully returned to our master, I believe a great many doors will open to all of us, most especially for our young friend here.”

Eric wisely said nothing, realizing his friends didn’t understand about what had happened to him, or just how powerful, and costly, weapon perks could be. The rest of the message he had gotten about the title benefits, including access to pretty much all archery classes, even if that wasn't his intended focus, and an incredibly sweet stat gain boost, which most certainly was… he now realized had been conveyed to him alone.

“Morlekai, I have to eat something right fucking now! And um.. give me a moment to adjust. I’m seeing things a bit differently.”

Morlekai blinked, furrowing his brow. “Eric?”

Alice’s concerned expression hardened once more. “No fucking way. He got stat bonuses on top of a title? No fucking way!”

But Eric paid them no more mind, ravenously devouring a portion of the massive kettle of pasta Alice had prepared, and never had spicy sauce covered mystery meat and butter and olive oil covered spaghetti tasted so damned good to him as it did right then.

His friend’s look of bemusement turned to concern as the minutes ticked by.

“Eric, my man. Killer appetite, huh? Breakfast not enough for you?” Drake queried, trying to draw him out with his good-natured patter and grin.

But Eric didn’t pay him any mind. Didn’t dare to. Not with the clock ticking down.

Even when Alice squatted down and pinched his cheeks. “Time to fess up, boy scout. Just how much should I hate you right now?”

Finally, Eric came up for air, swallowing the last of his spaghetti with a smile. "Probably a lot, Alice. Um… yeah. Let's just call it a fuck ton of hate. Feel free to drench me with cold water sometime when I'm asleep, if it makes you feel better.”

He patted her shoulder at her open-mouthed look of disbelief as he got up. “Sorry, going to collect this bad boy and its absolutely epic carapace before we jet, because we have like exactly thirty seconds before system sanctuary ends.”

“Eric!”

He turned around, noting that Alice’s wand was, yes, actually starting to crackle with lightning on its tip. “Yes?”

“What did you fucking get?”

“A few points to a few stats, and maybe a tiny nudge to my archery skill.”

Her crimson eyes flashed with undeniable heat. “What. Did. You. Get?”

Eric winced. “Plus 5 to Strength, Quickness, Finesse, and Perception. +20% chance to make any shot with any ranged weapon. And I can learn to master them all 20% quicker as well.”

“My man!” Drake shouted, giving Eric a high-five. “That is fucking epic!!”

Alice gazed at him for long moments, angry glare turning to a frustrated shake of her head as she sighed and lowered her wand. “I so hate you right now.”

There wasn't too much Eric could say to that, so he spent a few minutes going over his character sheet, finding solace in all the ways he had grown.

_____________________________________

Eric Silver - Level 9 Conscript

(You are currently at 60.1% of Maximum Core Density.)

Physical Characteristics

Strength – 25 (88%)

Vitality – 22

Finesse – 28

Quickness – 23

Appearance – 10

Mental Characteristics

Scholarship – 12

Perception – 23

Willpower – 21

Charisma – 13

Potency Pools

Arcane Potential – 14

(Mana Pool = 168)

Spiritual Energy – 16

Soul Reserves – 30 (25)

Stamina – 260 Points

Health – 335 Points.

Resistances & Recovery

Physical Resistance – 1

Physical Regeneration – You recover 1 Health Point every 12 seconds.

Elemental Resistance – 0

Qi Resistance – 0

Mental Resistance – 3

Physical Age = 17 Years (+228 Days & 14 hours forever lost!)

Interface Recognized Skills

Acting – Rank 3

Bardiche (Unified) – Rank 13 (Cleaving Blow)

Blade and Shield – Rank 10

Bow (All Types) – Rank 14 (True Strike)

Crossbows – Rank 14 (True Strike)

Dagger – Rank 3

ESS Manipulation – Rank 9

Find Weakness – Rank 7

Iado (Fast-Draw) – Rank 5

Negotiation – Rank 5

Repair – Rank 1

Saber – Rank 12 (Doom Slice)

Spear – Rank 12 (Piercing Strike)

Stealth – Rank 9

Swimming – Rank 2

Unarmed Combat – Rank 4

Necromancer Affinities & Skills

Blood Mastery – Rank 14 (Blood Claimance)

Spirit Mastery – Rank 11 (Path of Dominion)

Rituals of Summoning and Binding – Rank 12 (Path of Dominion)

Flesh Sculptor – Rank 13 (Path of Dominion)

Necromancer Spells

Unorthodox Abjuration – Rank 3

Damage inflicted upon undead: EXTREME. Cost: 300 ex, 50 temporary health, 100 Mana ½ of Soul Reserves. NOTE! This attack WILL affect Bronze tier targets!

Interface Enhancements

Full Neuro-Linguistic capabilities

Extradimensional Storage Space

Essences Claimed:

Fire (Rank 1, White Tier)

Wrath (Rank 1, White Tier)

Dominion (Rank 1, White Tier)

Essence Related Skills:

Burst of Strength: Rank 9

Infravision: Rank 8

Heat Surge: Rank 7

Unformed (Trash Tier) Cultivation Technique (Flame Origin) – Novice – 10%