ROD - Chapter 124

Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Four – Velocity – Part Two

Velocity is a wondrous thing, when you’re on the right side of it…

-Former UWO Major Gumpkins-

The ebb and flow of the world pulses along Ley Lines. Like arteries of magic, just like Carl said. In a word, it is beautiful. But it is so much more than that. One of the pages in the grimoire I read said that magic is the cumulative effect of souls interacting with each other. The cosmic threads of destiny weaving back and forth with fate. Whenever people stray from the intended path, magic is born. Freed from intention left by forces older than time itself.

I found that passage strange, considering the number of people on Earth was much greater before the fall than most worlds we encounter. Someone or something is siphoning the magic from Earth. I’d wager it was happening before the System arrived. Hence why Seraphine said Earth was strange. Even Senator Alveria seemed to know something was up.

Electronics sputter and flicker as I walk down the street toward the hospital, the likely cause is the abundant amount of magic that’s saturating my body. Quite impressive for someone who was never meant to be a natural mage. It’s a shame the nearest Ley Line is several kilometers away. The amount I have is sufficient, just in case things get dicey.

Clayton’s pace matches mine as he scans the very peaceful looking street, “You’re sure about this, Godslayer?”

I nod after ensuring again that the ring of obscurement that Carl gave us is working properly. In theory it should make us look different enough to normal people so that they don’t recognize us. It’s rather unfortunate that we’re considered the most dangerous terrorists in the world right now. Our photos are on every screen, plastered to every light post, and posted at every door.  

The world has been flipped on its head, the World Hunters Association has fallen and the World Supporters Association has too, or will soon enough. Yet the smell of fresh baked bread lingers on the air. Mothers and fathers walk the streets holding their children’s hands as though the world isn’t on fire.

People are resilient.

My eyes lower as I’m caught in memory. When I was a boy, before the first gates arrived, we all lived such carefree lives. Sure, there were problems, every world has them. But Earth was a good place to call home.

The people of Earth are formidable.  

“There isn’t a Ley Line near the hospital,” Clayton warns.

“I know. We won’t need it. Is Zero still following us?”

He nods, “I’m sure that I saw her shadow earlier.”

“Good.”

“We’re really going to walk in there?”

I nod, placing another proximity ward on a street post. If anyone above level fifty passes it, I’ll know.

“Did you get full access to Abyss?”

“No.”

“What were you doing storing all those objects when we were traveling?”

“Preparing.”

He hazards a glance at me, “For?”

“Whatever is coming.”

“Do we know what it is?”

“No.”

He sighs but doesn’t ask more than that.

“We’re here, let me go in first,” Clayton insists, pushing through the threshold of the door before me. His eyes dart around for a few moments before he gives me a hand signal to follow.

The temperature of the hospital is cool, like most. The staff don’t seem like stand ins. They’re having normal conversations and going through normal motions for their professions. Which means if a fight happens here, they’ll be collateral damage.

There’s a small detail of people from the UWO standing guard on the floor that Fisban is on. They pass Clayton’s sniff check as he talks with them for a moment. While he does, I place more wards along the halls. Just in case Ajax is already in the building lying in wait.

As I am now, I can theoretically fight even a fledgling demigod on even ground if I’m on a Ley Line. Without one, I am remarkably vulnerable. A thought crosses my mind, one that questions if Ley Lines can be moved artificially. I’m sure one of the Jimminites investigated the possibility of it. Just have to wait for their memories to become mine. It’s all so scrambled and almost incoherent at times, so much so that it’s giving me a headache. One that gets worse with time.

Clayton gives me another hand signal and I move forward through the hall. We pass by two suits that are standing guard in front of her room. Thankfully, they were expecting us, Greymore sent them a message saying to expect replacements an hour ago. He wasn’t too happy that I wouldn’t tell him our plans. Something tells me he wouldn’t approve of us using me as bait.

Before I become the bait though, I want to fix Fisban.

IV lines trace up her arms, her skin is covered in deep bruises. The lights flicker again as I see my mentor… my friend in six different casts to hold her broken bones in place. It’s a good thing Karen isn’t here, if she were, I would likely split her head with the IV stand… the lights flicker again as angry surges threaten to spill from me and overload the power grid. It’s not time yet.

Calm… find the calm.

“Fucking hell,” Clayton grimaces as he looks her up and down, “Can you remove the debuff?”

“Should be able to. Just have to figure out how it works first.”

“I’ll guard the door then.”

My eyes enter the trance of healing as my consciousness sprawls into her body. Perhaps I can find the cause of her paralysis as well while I’m here. Seraphine said it was fixable, which means theoretically, I should also be able to fix it. When I had looked before without the buff, without the steady stream of knowledge from the Jimminites, I hadn’t seen anything.

But now… brilliant lights dance in the mingling of her body.

The debuff is an anti healing one. Similar to the one that the goddess Jaledi gave me. It’s interesting, but not impossibly complicated for me anymore.

Within a minute I’ve unraveled more than half of it, within two I’ve changed it. Yet by three minutes it ravels back into the previous shape.

Strangely vexing for a debuff given by a mere hunter. There’s something about it that doesn’t quite feel right, so I pause. Moving to the door, I crack it open and wait for Clayton to turn.

“What class is Karen?”

“A rogue, why?”

“No subclass?”

“She’s only level sixteen, so no.”

“Did she mention anything about getting a special skill from a god or an admin?”

“No?” he peers beyond me at Fisban, “Everything okay?”

“I’m not sure. Give me a bit. I need to talk with Sage.”

He nods and I close the door.

“Sage.”

There’s a small dilation that I notice when he speaks. I never noticed it before now. Something the Jimminites did is making me more aware of the System and its entities.

I have delivered your message to Mythren, though I don’t think he was entertained with the wording of it.

“That’s fine, I just have a few questions.”

Of course, how can I help?

He is rather agreeable when I’m enhanced. “First question, do rogues have debuff skills?”

They have four potential base class debuffs that can be randomly gained, one is an accuracy debuff, similar to getting sand in ones eyes it gives the target a temporary blindness status effect.

Not really what I’m looking for, but I don’t want to piss him off by interrupting.

The second is a fatigue debuff, it makes them weaker and sluggish to respond. Rather hard one to successfully roll though, they need to have a higher charisma bonus to make it have any chance of working, otherwise it receives a minus seventy percent chance of success.

Still not what I need.

The third is a poison debuff. It does damage over time, extremely limited in the amount of overall damage that a person can receive. Before it was balanced, people used to abuse the skill. The old skill for it was the premise for Witherbrand’s class funnily enough. Did not take them long to realize that Witherbrand should be banned though did it? You especially helped seal that stamp of…. I’m rambling aren’t I? My how I like this form of you better. Never interrupts a good ramble.

The fourth is an extremely rare roll. It’s a sixty percent antihealing debuff.

“Sixty percent?”

Yes. Which is the highest the games allows players to give. It means that the cost to heal is sixty percent higher, and healing done is sixty percent less effective. A double edged debuff.  

“So, rogue class would not have the ability to completely debuff someone’s ability to heal?”

Heavens no, that’s a strictly god based punishment. Imagine if players could apply one hundred percent antiheal to certain bosses or even other players. It would also ruin the dynamic of some lifestealing enemies and items as well. They’d have to rebalance entire sectors. No, complete antiheal is specifically a deity debuff.

“Only gods can use it?”

He pauses for a few moments before replying.

Well, I suppose a high level admin could potentially dole it out, as it’s still in the System mechanics technically, but they never would. Why are you asking anyway?

“Is it possible though for an admin that is at the same level as Mythren to circumvent the rules to administer or give a skill to someone that allows them to use the complete antiheal debuff?”

Possible, perhaps, probable, no.

“You don’t see the debuff on Fisban?”

He pauses again.

No… I don’t see anything wrong with her, except the injuries obviously.

I flicker a pulse of healing through her, trying to stimulate her cells to fix themselves. It ricochets for a moment and then the mana for it disappears into a void.

Well… that’s rather unexpected. Your mana disappeared, and I can’t see where it went.

“Which means?”

The only way that I could not see something that is based in the System mechanics is if an entity with higher access than me purposefully made it so. Which would imply…

He pauses for three seconds.

I think you should have that meeting with Mythren sooner rather than later. Perhaps letting him know about this… situation. Perhaps you can trade him this information in exchange for helping your friend. Though I must warn you, if what I suspect is happening, is in fact happening. There’s more to worry about than just a singular life. I suspect you may be under a formal review process at the moment. Which means Mythren may be as well. Which implies that the Earth is too. I do not recommend making any waves or shows of power until you figure it out. As it could have dire consequences for the survival of your world.

So… now there’s an admin on the Marauder’s side. It wasn’t enough that they already wrote Earth off as a failed world, now they’re going to double down and cheat more to win.

I let out a sigh. Why be surprised.

“Thank you, Sage, but I’m not ready to talk with Mythren yet. I do have a few more questions though.”

Meatsack… Jimmy, whatever you’re thinking… don’t.