《Raccoon's Treasure》7. To be succeeding
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Dave felt compelled to walk towards the painting depicting dancing musical notes. They slowly moved in a pulsing rhythm as they played an imaginary tone soothing his very soul. His eyes flickered over the rest of the painting, where he was surprised to find the musical notes wrapping around a dagger dripping blood.
A seething, scalding feeling erupted deep inside of him, persuading sweetly, failing to cover the thunderous sound of his beating heart. This was it, this was survival and much more.
'What could go wrong?' He thought loudly to cover his insecurities.
Dave absolutely knew there were things which could go wrong. He had to stop thinking in those directions multiple times as his thoughts drifted to darker outcomes like demonic possession.
He knew he wasn't omniscient, he didn't have enough information about the situation to deduct the full extent of what could go wrong. So he forced himself to think about the situation as a whole.
'The wall of brushes trying to block the way to the building, the story about six brave fighters and a broken painting of the seed? Everything I've seen before points towards someone having been here before.
They saw what I saw, only a different painting chose them.
The painting urges me to touch it. My survival trait is compelling me to stop dallying and touch the painting too.
The person before me chose their painting but what does that mean?
Did they win? If they won the survival game why does it still exist? Are they still alive? Did they really win?
...
Game status.'
Active game found. Name
Edmund's jollification. Participants(7/6) Rules
Stay inside the fenced area.
Penalty: Title +1 Main objective
Survive till dawn.
Rank +1 Side objective
Collect the hints and solve the mystery.
item +1 rank +1 trait +1
Beat the hunter
rank +1 Break the throne
item +1 Personal objective
Pick your path
Make sure as many competitors as possible survive
rank +1/2 for each survivor
title - Every little bit helps. Hunt down as many competitors as possible
rank +1 for each person killed
title - You had eyes, but didn't see Mount Tai.
'The main objective is survival, that means the successor of the plant guy could still be running around somewhere. I remember there were hidden objectives in the last game..how do I get the maximum reward.. just beating Edmund wouldn't cut it.. Wait, beat the hunter? Why would it say beat the hunter and not beat Edmund in his game? Sev..-'
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A cold droplet of water fell on his neck and shocked him out of his reveries. Dave quickly touched his neck while looking around the room. There was nobody but him and his hand was completely dry.
'This survivor trait is really saving my ass.'
Chuckling slightly, Dave put on a steadfast mien and walked towards the glowing picture.
The surroundings faded out as he softly stepped forward. A beautiful song, mesmerizing to the ear, gently lulled him into a feeling of safety as his hand reached towards the parchment.
His breath hitched as a sharp burst of pain rattled his mind.
Unable to move his arm away he was forced to watch in resignation, as his blood drained from his hand. Was this how it would end? With his body left behind as a dried husk, feeding a painting with his blood?
The musical notes danced excitedly as the painting bloomed red. A glimmer of hope reignited in Dave as the outer edges of the painting started to dissolve into motes of light. He watched the process with morbid curiosity as the flecks of light crawled up his arm and suffused into him. His expression turned into a grimace as pressure continued to build inside of him, bloating him, making him feel ready to burst at his seams. With a silent whimper he absorbed the last flakes of light.
🎊Congratulations!🎊
You found a hidden piece!
Legacy class accepted: Jester
Dave let out a sigh of relief. A gamble with his life on the line would always be nerve-wracking, especially with only a few simple clues and lacking information.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on his body, the awful feeling of almost exploding had left him the moment the status screen popped up. Taking a few gentle steps while rolling his shoulders, Dave realized he didn't feel any different from before he touched the painting.
Opening his eyes again, he stared at a hole in the wall where the painting hung before.
Inside of it lay a lute with an intricate piece of paper on top of it. Having just survived a gamble with his life on the line, Dave hesitated. He could just turn around and leave. Nothing would stop his retreat. Looking towards the exit a soft light caught Dave's attention, moving his graze back to the objects. 'Nothing will stop me from leaving but my will to survive..'
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His features twisted into an ugly smile as he gathered his resolve once more to grab the paper.
Upon contact Dave felt distinct markings on the paper. His confusion grew as his eyes wandered over the chaotic mess of musical notes strewn around all directions. Comparing the arrangement to the ones printed on sheets of music paper made no sense to him. His fingers traced the depressions in the form of musical notes on the paper as he was lost in thought.
An odd memory surfaced in Dave's mind as his fingers moved intuitively.
In his memory he looked up at an indistinct figure who gesticulated energetically while talking. "Music is feeling, Dave. It's not just aesthetics or acoustics. You have to feel it with your very being."
He slowly rearranged the mess of musical notation as his hand roamed over paper, creating and listening to a song inside his mind.
Song: Finale has been found, compatible with class Jester. Learn?
Yes No
He didn't hesitate to press yes. Images of the final battle scene and other battles flooded his mind, of jesters giving different performances and ending it all with a finale. At the same time other memories passed by his inner eye, times after the finale where past users were utterly exhausted, sometimes even unable to move.
Blinking once, then twice, Dave understood.
A finale in a song needed to be a masterful finish.
'So no matter the performance as a whole, if the finale is bad people will only remember the bad end? But a performance.. Was the battle a performance too? The jester in the painting delivered an amazing finale to barely tip the scales of the battle and draw out a pyrrhic victory..'
While in thought, Dave subconsciously took the lute and gently plucked it's strings. He pressed down the strings on the neck's fingerboard and gently strummed a melody. His musings shifted to the instrument he was holding. He was surprised how intuitive it felt to hold the lute.
It felt like remembering a long forgotten memory, as if it had always been a part of him and only now after they reunited, did he remember how much he had missed it.
He continued strumming chords as the dirt and leaves sticking to him got blown away. Finishing his impromptu song he found himself invigorated and clean, with his body being in prime condition ready to run a marathon. His head felt clear and he felt himself grow more determined. He felt absolutely in tune with his body, feeling as if music in the form of electricity gently strummed his muscle cords.
'I became.. buff.. heh. I'm able to myself and probably others with music. Why do I only get a vague feeling? It doesn't feel like there is any clear buff being given, instead it's a way of conveying my.. feelings and intentions?'
Hoisting his new lute he looked around the room for the first time since accepting the legacy. All paintings dimmed down, as if trying to be inconspicuous, with the biggest painting showing the scene of a victorious jester bowing to the audience.
Dave gave a bow to the jester and turned around. He had gotten enough hints and even an upgrade, he was determined to thrive instead of only surviving.
As he walked out through the same corridor, the murals on the left wall drew him in the same way the other side did when he came in. Gazing over the other wall he saw the mural and it's drawings moving in a chaotic way, making it indecipherable.
Focusing his attention to the left wall, Dave watched another tale unfold. A short and simple tale where the despair was kept at bay and the different races came together to rise to prominence. Reaching the door to the outside, Dave looked over both murals once more, watching them morph into a grotesque shadow sitting on a throne. A maniacal grin split the beings face into inhuman proportions while it raked one of its claws towards 6 indistinct figures and hugged a seventh one with the other.
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The First Nightmare
The First Nightmare.... a terrifying being of malformed flesh and bone, a twisted being of immense power and dark wrath, a being that should not exist. The story begins in a world called Shalen, a world of old gods and a world rushing towards ruin, one where magic and strength rule, where dangerous creatures are in every part of the land, a place where you better not tread alone. What happens when a mage is betrayed, cut down in the cruelest of ways by those who are supposed to be your friends, left for dead in a forsaken pit of a cave, surrounded by the rotting corpses of slain enemies. Well.... you better make sure you burn him, cause death is not going to stop whats coming, a mages wrath is deadly, a Nightmare is cataclysmic, woe be the betrayers, for he comes.
8 113The Hidden Blade
Mordred's developed a nasty habit of getting killed and reborn in the Virtual World known as Avalon. Honestly, Lifeline Mode can be such a bitch! In each life, he gets a reset and another chance to save Lancelot from being betrayed and killed by the Knights of the Round Table. They claimed that Lancelot's deep, dark secret - screwing Queen Guinnevere, caused a massive civil war that effectively screwed Avalon too. Truth is, Lancelot did have HER deep, dark secret. That SHE was probably the only woman in the world who wasn't into other women. After literally lifetimes of reliving and dying in the same damn cycle, Mordred's done playing nice. Screw trying to persuade the Knights of the Round Table Lancelot didn't swing that way. This isn’t a story about becoming a hero amongst heroes. This is a story about becoming a villain, so that a hero amongst heroes stays a hero. _____________ Cover Image credit: assassin__s_creed_ix_by_remussirion-d4ecbhf
8 218The Tower of Opportunity - Rewrite
Criminals from around the world are summoned by a mysterious being who informs them that they only have 3 months left to live unless they climb the mysterious tower that lies before them, through which they can gain another two weeks added to their lifespan for every floor conquered. They soon discover that they can harness powers that have been granted to them by this mysterious being to not only achieve victory against the enemies that they will face in the tower, but also attain their deepest and darkest desires as well. Watch our protagonist's journey through the tower as he struggles to endure the curse he bears, one which damns him to ever-repeat his climb to the top of the tower, until he succeeds. *** This is a rewrite of a story I started writing about 3 months ago which was written in the third person, and this rewrite shifts the story perspective to the first person. There will be occasional user polls to decide how the story progresses, interspersed throughout the story, and the polls that were done in the original version will still apply to the current version. Also if you have any suggestions for story ideas that you would like to see incorporated, leave a comment about it, and they might show up in the future. Lastly, I hope you enjoy the story, and thanks for reading. P.S. Thanks to gej302 for the cover art.
8 254Mage vs. Modern Society
The evil mage 'Maou' stood atop the world's most elite magicians, he was the most powerful human in all of history. For he had reached the 6th circle, only elder dragons had ever been known to climb that high. There was nothing he couldn't do. Even the winds and rivers couldn't help but obey his thunderous commands. But humans can be vile and cruel to each other. People he trusted plotted against him and attacked him constantly. The jealousy spewing from them was immense, he couldn't suppress their thirst for power. He fought in a great battle, and inevitably succumbed to his wounds after facing down countless powerful enemies. As Arthur drifts through the darkness of the void he gets reborn on Earth. Arthur Freyer wakes up in the middle of rural Japan, with nothing but the little magic he has left and his belongings from his past life, how will he survive in this foreign land. A land of science, not magic.
8 66Controlling time in NARUTO
After an accident at his office Raoul gets reincarnated as Kakashi's Big Brother, with power to control time in 5 ways. The only problem is that Raoul has a hidden side to him that no one knows, knowing the future, no one knows what he will do.
8 193The Godfather {Being Edited}
"Ooo girl look, look, look." She tapped her shoulder repeatedly.Euphoria looked to the entrance instinctively only to see the man she had seen in the alley the first night she worked here. Her breath hitched as she watched them walk in. She never dared to tell a soul about what she'd seen that night. She wasn't looking for any trouble. Especially when he let her go."Who is he?""That bambina, is no other than Demetrius D'Agostino. The Godfather. He's basically the Capo of all the Capo's. You see Jamal is a Capo, Yes? But he is the top Capo making him the boss of Jamal and all others like him. Everybody answers to him. Nothing travels unnoticed by him. He's the King of the underworld. He owns the politicians, the President and the law. He has everyone in the palm of his hand. His family has been the most ruthless and merciless mafia family to live. Rumor has it that he's the worst society has seen but the best the underworld has ever that's led the D'Agostino family. He is all badbambina, you should stay as far away from him as much you can.""After what you just told me. I'll do exactly that. No need to tell me twice."🚫18 CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT/ ADULT THEMESDISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE IMAGES USED IN THE BOOK OR ON THE COVER‼️⚠️Read at own risk⚠️
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