《Apocalypse Tamer》Chapter 26: Man vs Future
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Steamslime’s severed head fell to the sound of thunder.
Purple lightning coursed through the star circuit in the heavens as a dragon died on earth. Steamslime’s hands collapsed under his body’s weight. His shell’s gears ground to an abrupt halt. The burning, noxious fumes pouring out of its pipes evaporated with the blowing wind.
“You think… you apes have won?”
Even with his neck severed, Steamslime’s head still managed to speak on its own. Basil climbed down from the shell to better look down on his target, his halberd feeling light in his hands.
“There are thousands of dragonlords… and I am the least of them! Some are Level 30… Level 60… Level 80! Our numbers will darken your skies… and our breaths will boil your seas!” Steamslime’s head coughed golden blood. “We know your names… there is no escape… we will hunt you to the end of the univ—”
Basil split Steamslime’s head in two and silenced him for good.
“Shut up, handbag.”
The moment he smashed the dragon’s skull, a glowing light erupted between the skull’s halves. A steampunk device larger than a car materialized before Basil: a tangle of golden pipes and gears surrounding a large mirror. Colorful cubic gems engraved with runes appeared at his feet too. From their shape, they could fit into a port on the machine’s left side.
Steam Holomachine Category: Tool. Quality: B. Effect 1: Can record and project holographic games. Effect 2: Can serve as crafting tutor. Effect 3: Can serve as a spell tutor. This steam-powered console is the best recreational device in the universe! This specific holomachine stored the saves of nineteen games, including: [My minion can’t possibly be this cute!]; [Dragon Days: Uncensored Edition]; [Psyshock Infinite]; [Call of Cinders: Medal of the Hoard]; [Chief of Staff Simulator]; [Wyrde’s Grimoire]; [Crafting Factory X]; and many more!
The device was larger than a car, but to a dragon? It looked no bigger than a Nintendo Switch. Basil checked the gems. He counted nineteen of them, each recording a game. With the console, it made one item per level for a full inventory.
Steamslime gathered a hoard of video games.
I gotta say, I like it more than a pile of gold, Basil thought. Bugsy climbed down from the metal shell he had sabotaged, and their allies rejoined them once the noxious fumes had cleared. Although I can’t help but feel bitter.
Two humans died and the party only had video games to show for it. Even a gamer like Basil considered it a terrible trade-off. At least this device might provide some insight into the enemy’s culture.
“We… Did we win?” Bugsy asked. Although the dragon’s corpse rested at their feet, the centimagma sounded like he couldn’t believe in their victory. “Is he dead and… not coming back?”
“Thanks to you, Bugsy,” Basil said. “I couldn’t have landed the final blow without your help. You were very brave, and I’m proud of you.”
Basil didn’t think a giant centipede monster could blush, but Bugsy did. He snapped his mandibles in excitement and swooned. “Thank you, Boss.”
The rest of the group arrived, with Zachariel applying his healing palm to Basil and Bugsy. The acid burns left by Steamslime’s toxic gas vanished, although Basil had lost another shirt and Ogremoche’s pendant. At this rate, he would fight his battles naked.
“Can we eat him?” Rosemarine licked her lips at the sight of Steamslime’s remains. “He smells like jelly.”
Shellgirl, always the opportunist, immediately examined the loot they could harvest from the corpse. “Dragonslime Blood, Dragonslime Claws, Dragonslime Fangs, Dragonslime Bones, Magitech Shell…” A smile formed on her lips. “We’ll make a killing selling them off!”
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“Payback time,” Plato said. “Seven lives are a lucky number, but I would rather have eight of them.”
Basil’s amusement at seeing his monsters’ antics lasted until he noticed Maya Elissalde. The houndmaster and her dogs stood before the dust of Major Grange’s VAB, heads heavy in mourning.
“Chief…” Maya bit her lower lip with the military radio in one hand and her whip in the other. Her eyebrows creased into a crestfallen expression. “And Anne too. She was driving. They’re gone.”
“I… I see,” her sister answered through the radio. She sounded tired, so very tired. She had likely seen too many of her comrades fall. “Is there anything to bury?”
“Dust,” Maya Elissalde replied. “Nothing else.”
No answer came out of the radio. The dogs howled with no one to answer them.
“I’m sorry,” Basil apologized to Maya, trying to console her. “They died as heroes.”
When she glared at him with her single eye, he immediately regretted his words.
“So what?” Maya snapped at him. “Why couldn’t they live as heroes? Why couldn’t they come back to life like your stupid, vapid cat?”
Plato hissed at her. “Hey, you think coming back is easy? When I revive, I feel the pain all over again!”
“I’m sure they’ve earned their place in Heaven,” Zachariel reassured Maya. “They had good karma. Good deeds matter more than poor spiritual health.”
Basil himself kept his mouth shut. He knew nothing he might say would assuage his allies’ sadness. Basil had only met the Major once, but the Elissalde sisters had fought with his squad for days; perhaps even longer. If Steamslime had slain Bugsy and Maya offered comfort, her words would have sounded like empty platitudes too.
“Basil?” Officer Elissalde called through the radio. He noticed that she said ‘Basil’ and not ‘Mr. Bohen’ for once. “The portal is still open.”
Basil’s relief turned to worry. Indeed, the star circuit above their heads remained as active as ever. The rift of light continued to let weak monsters enter Earth. The group hadn’t received experience either, which meant the event would continue.
“I’m seeing humanoids coming out of the rift, alongside cloud monsters…” Officer Elissalde marked a short pause and the sound of a bullet firing echoed through the radio. “One of them attacked the statues!”
“Why isn’t the rift closing?” Maya Elissalde asked in shock. “We beat the boss!”
Defeating a monster has no influence on how long an [Incursion] will last. A rift will close on its own time, and not a second before.
Basil checked the Incursion’s countdown and cursed. “Everyone, to the portal!”
They had four hours left to kill.
When the Incursion counter hit zero at long last, the portal finally started to close.
Basil watched the rift weaken, surrounded by watcher scraps and improvised barricades. He, Bugsy, Plato, and the hounds formed the first line of defense while the rest of the team buffed, healed, and provided suppression fire at the back.
None of the creatures that came out of the portal proved anywhere as dangerous as Steamslime. Most were watchers and low-level clouds with eyes. Neither were a match for Basil’s party, and he doubted they would receive any experience from them.
But they arrived in waves without giving the team any respite and targeted Dax’s petrified citizens on sight. Without Rosemarine and Zachariel to continuously heal them, the party would have collapsed from exhaustion midway through the Incursion; by the end of it, the team’s healers had run out of both SP and medical items to replenish them.
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Incursions weren’t a sprint, but a marathon.
Two gearsmen who escaped the rift in its last hour gave the team quite the fright, but a combination of Officer Elissalde’s long-distance anti-material rifle, Shellgirl’s artillery, and Rosemarine’s bombardment proved sufficient to deal with them. No other dangerous creature crossed the rift afterward.
Basil considered two possibilities: either that Steamslime’s defeat convinced the Unity to cut its losses and stop sending powerful soldiers to take a town of limited strategic importance; or that they had troops to spare, but none of them were weak enough to cross the Level Barrier.
The former option was flattering; the latter, terrifying.
Although Basil’s team slew all the monsters threatening petrified civilians, some creatures managed to slip through the cracks. The group was so busy fighting the hostile invaders that they couldn’t afford to track down those more interested in running away. There was no sign of the humanoid figures Officer Elissalde noticed earlier. They had fled before the party could even approach the rift.
Basil had the feeling that these runaways would cause him many headaches in the months to come.
The golden circuit in the skies above disappeared. The stars’ radiance dimmed and the links between them disintegrated. The crimson aura above Basil’s head receded and was replaced by the night sky's darkness. The rift’s awe-inspiring radiance dimmed over time.
Basil suddenly wondered if the rift worked both ways. Not that he was mad enough to cross it, but he was tempted to leave a parting gift to the Unity.
“Rosemarine,” he said. “Send an exploding clone through.”
“Yes, Mister!” The plant duplicated herself and her clone leaped into the rift’s light. The doppelganger instantly vanished from Basil’s sight. He couldn’t tell if it disintegrated upon touching the portal or made it to the other side.
When the rest of the star circuit disappeared, the rift of light collapsed into nothingness. Only the ruins of Dax’s arena remained, silent and unmoving.
They had won, albeit at a great cost. The city center was a smoking landscape of destroyed buildings and fiery ruins. The party’s explosives had caused almost as much damage as the rampaging gearsmen.
As for the petrified citizens, Steamslime had trampled many of them in his rush to the stadium. Other statues broke when the dragon collapsed buildings on their heads and the monsters that came out of the rift also destroyed a few. Basil estimated that the death toll reached the high hundreds.
But thousands more had been spared an early grave. It could have gone better, but most civilians survived the chaos and Basil’s team cleaned the city of Unity troops.
The region was finally at peace.
Congratulations, you survived an [Incursion]! Your Party earned 60,000 EXP and 30,000 Bonus EXP (total 18,000 for you)! You earned 7 levels!
“Seven levels?” Basil nearly choked upon seeing the number. That was more than he had ever earned in one attempt. Incursions were incredibly profitable experience-wise. It made sense for the System to incentivize Players to participate in dangerous battles.
“One more,” Rosemarine whispered in anticipation. “Just one more… and then… and then… haha…”
She laughed to her heart’s content, which Basil found adorable. Aww, she would enjoy a growth spurt soon! Still, he hoped her metamorphosis would be more manageable than Bugsy’s own.
“Well, it is done,” Officer Elissalde said through the military radio. “The battlefield is clear.”
“You can come down from your nest, Officer,” Basil replied.
“Neria. After all we went through today, Basil, I think we can get past formalities.”
“Alright.” Although he remained slightly wary of lawmen, Basil was quite fond of the officer. She was friendly and reliable. “Are you up for a drink? I think we all deserve it.”
“We have drinks, partner?” Shellgirl asked.
“No, but we have our pick of empty supermarkets to raid from.” With the Unity expelled from the city, Basil and his allies could finally loot its pharmacies, shops, and businesses for food and parts.
“That will be a pleasure; after we bury my unit,” Neria replied with a heavy heart. “I don’t want to leave their remains exposed to scavengers. Some of the monsters escaped and might still lurk in the area.”
“What about the humanoids you saw?” Basil asked. “What can tell us about them?”
“I couldn’t see them clearly,” Neria admitted. “I can’t even tell if they were humans or not. A few of them wore hoods and carried bows.”
Bows? Basil wouldn’t have expected archers to come out of the same place as a steampunk snail dragon. He wondered what the world beyond the rift looked like.
“I know the land like the back of my hand,” Basil said. “We’ll find them wherever they hide.”
The funeral of Major Matteo Lionel Grange and Caporal Anne Naubin, the VAB’s driver, was a quiet and discreet affair. The survivors set up a memorial made from Steamslime’s broken skull and granite stone, the Elissalde sisters gave the dead a brief eulogy, and Zachariel prayed for their souls. Basil knew the Major died an atheist, but he hoped that his spirit had found a nice resting place.
Afterward, the team split the spoils. Since nobody else could store Steamslime’s shell in their inventory—it counted as a ‘house’ according to the System—Basil kept it alongside his game console. The Elissalde sisters would keep the dragon’s other remains, much to Shellgirl’s dismay. Basil knew she would come around after they looted the city’s supplies.
“We should hold a funeral for my car too,” Basil said as he helped Maya lift a petrified man into a large military truck. “She was a good girl and deserved better.”
His joke amused Maya enough to make her crack a smile. “We held one for our combat helicopters too. Shame we couldn’t piece it back together.”
“HQ has crafters capable of repairing military vehicles,” Neria replied as she closed the truck’s trailer. The group had filled it to the brim with more than two hundred petrified humans and the Ogre Den’s server rested at the front. The Major had been wise enough to drop it off at a safe place before venturing back into the fray. “Maybe I can convince them to pay the city a visit.”
“All clear, sir,” Zachariel told Basil. He and Bugsy had stuffed a second truck with statues. “What about the others?”
Even if the city’s population had shrunk compared to what it was pre-apocalypse, it would take multiple trips to evacuate all the statues.
“There’s a vast underground parking lot near the bridge,” Basil said. “We’ll transport the statues underground and booby-trap the access ways.”
Neria nodded sharply. “I will present Zachariel to my superiors and convince them to transfer Dax’s population to Bordeaux. With a fleet of trucks, we can wrap this up in a single trip.”
“And if they deny your request?”
“Then I’ll organize the transfer behind their backs.” Neria observed Basil in silence for a few seconds before making him a proposal. “You’re sure you don’t want to come with us to Bordeaux? It will be safer than monster-infested wilderness, and we need people with your talents.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” Basil smirked. “It’s my home, and monster-infested wilderness is our natural habitat.”
Plato nodded in appreciation. “We didn’t suffer so much to establish a territory to abandon it.”
“We’ll be alright, Miss Elissalde,” Bugsy said. “We’ll keep the place in order, I promise!”
“Then this is goodbye.” Neria Elissalde smiled and gave the party a polite bow. “We’ll stay in touch through the radio. Thank you for everything.”
“It was…” Her sister trailed off and left her sentence hanging. Nice? Terrible? Basil could tell the loss of two friends affected her greatly. “You are good people.”
“You are great people!” her basque shepherd barked, echoed by the doberman. No matter how dark a situation, dogs always managed to make friends. “I hope we meet again one day!”
“I don’t,” Plato replied gruffly. Nobody cared.
“Sir, it was a pleasure,” Zachariel said before shaking Basil’s hand. “I can’t wait to introduce spiritual reforms to this world. Heaven knows humans need a karma shock therapy.”
Why did Basil have the feeling a new Vatican would pop up in Bordeaux? Come to think of it, did the Vatican still exist? He wondered what kind of dungeon would spring from the San Pietro Basilica.
“Good luck, Zach.” Basil shook the angel’s hand. He would miss the healer, but the army needed Zachariel more than a lone human living in the woods. “Careful about antivaxers though. I don’t think your coronatheism theory will sit well with them.”
“Don’t worry, sir. I’ve been trained to bring the flame of knowledge to the masses, one stake at a time.”
Maya climbed on one truck with her dogs. Zachariel and Neria took the other. As she put on her seatbelt and prepared to leave the city, the police officer glanced one last time at the ruins of Dax’s arena in the distance. Her expression was one of doubt and uneasiness.
Basil guessed what frightened her. “You’re worried about a future Incursion?”
“If that snail spoke the truth, that he was the least of our enemies… what will come out of a portal next time?” Neria sighed. “We barely made it through today’s attack. I fear tomorrow’s may be too much for us.”
Basil would be lying if he said he didn’t share her fears. He had survived so far through skill and luck, but so had the Major until a stray shot ended his life. Death called without warning and the world would only grow more dangerous as time went on.
But so would humans grow stronger and more adaptable.
“Our species survived the ice age, global warming, the black plague, and two world wars,” Basil said with a shrug. “We’ll survive this apocalypse too.”
Neria Elissalde answered his resolute determination with a sad smile. “I received more information from HQ,” she admitted, “about Paris.”
“Oh?” From her crinkled face, Basil shouldn’t expect good news. “What happened to the capital?”
“Accordingly to early reports, multiple dungeons appeared in the city. The Louvre turned into a true pyramid, the Eiffel Tower into a fortress… the Seine dried up and sand filled the Champs-Élysées.” Neria’s jaw clenched. “We think the government was decapitated in the initial strike. The army established control over a few cities, but they’re too far apart to link. At this point, General Leblanc is considering an alliance with a group called Metal Olympus to make up for our troops’ losses.”
Basil could read between the lines. “You don’t think we can win the war.”
“What war? It’s not France vs Germany, it’s us humans against robots, monsters, bugs…” Neria glanced at Bugsy. “No offense.”
“None taken,” he replied cheerfully.
“The army can reassert local control in the cities we occupy and establish safe zones, but retaking the country looks more and more unlikely,” Neria said. “You’ve survived so far by hiding on your own, Basil, but it won’t last forever. The monsters will grow more numerous, more dangerous, and from what we’ve seen today, more organized.”
“It won’t matter if they can’t find my home,” Basil replied. The argument sounded weak even to him.
“I found you, partner,” Shellgirl pointed out. “Your house isn’t that hard to find. Anybody who follows the stream will see it.”
“We can coexist with monsters.” Basil waved a hand at his team. “We’re the living proof of it.”
“Can you coexist with the Unity?” Neria shook her head. “What I mean to say, Basil, is that your methods let you weather the storm so far. But when it grows too strong, it will blow you away. Joining us in Bordeaux would be safer. Numbers and community are strengths, not weaknesses.”
There was some truth to her words, but neither numbers nor soldiers protected Paris.
“The monsters target large communities as a priority,” Basil pointed out. “By your own logic, monsters will escalate beyond our ability to fight back at all. It’s damned if I do, damned if I don’t.”
“I don’t have a long-term solution,” Neria admitted. “At least until we’ve found out more about Dismaker Labs, what they want, and what this System even is. It’s our only hope for things to return to normal… if that’s even possible anymore.”
Basil suddenly realized that she was as lost as he was. She had seen her way of life collapsing before her eyes and now braved a dangerous new world.
“I’ll study the game console,” he tried to reassure her. “Maybe it holds answers about the System.”
“I hope so.” Neria gave him a final nod. “We’ll keep in touch. Take care, Basil.”
“Good luck.”
And on these words, Neria Elissalde drove away towards the rising dawn. Her sister followed with her own truck, both vehicles leaving the city without turning back. Basil’s party waved their hands, legs, and vines at them as they vanished beyond the horizon.
So did his hopes of the army returning peace to the land.
But Basil couldn’t show doubt. Not now, not before his friends. They were exhausted after a long battle and deserved a moment of relief. No need to burden them with his doubts.
“My friends, we’ve won the Second Neighborhood War,” Basil declared with pride. “We can finally go back to what truly matters: eating, gardening, and doing nothing all day.”
“And making money,” Shellgirl chirped in. “Don’t forget the money part.”
“Good riddance.” Plato stretched his back. “The humans were okay, but let’s not make it a habit to team up with whiny dogs.”
“I thought they were nice,” Bugsy replied. “Very friendly too.”
“Why do you hate dogs so much?” Basil asked Plato. It confused him slightly. “Most of your kind coexists peacefully with them.”
“Dogs are insidious!” Plato hissed, his eyes hateful. He clearly had grievances he needed to get out of his chest. “They bombard you with love! At first you think they’re cute, entertaining maybe, but they are bottomless pits of insecurity! They demand constant affection, and before you know it, your owner spends all their time with a whiny Maltese dog and dumps you in a forest to fend for yourself!”
The sheer bitterness in his cat’s voice told his owner that this rant came from the heart. Basil felt his stomach turn with sadness. “That is what happened to you, isn’t it?”
Plato glanced at the skies, which was an answer in itself. “Anyway, we’ve got work to do. A bird escaped from the portal, remember? You let one live, and next thing you know the dodos come back from extinction to play banjo in your backyard.”
“What are dodos?” Rosemarine asked. “They sound tasty.”
“I’ll pass,” Shellgirl said with a sigh. “I’m exhausted.”
“Me too,” Basil added. They had fought all night long and deserved a rest. “The hunt will wait for another day.”
“We could celebrate with a Major Chicken marathon,” Bugsy proposed. “Shellgirl hasn’t watched any episodes yet.”
“Nice idea.” Basil glanced at his pets, his friends, and his new family. “Everyone in favor, say aye!”
“Aye!” all of them answered.
“Then let’s go find a new Renault,” Basil replied with a grunt. “We’re not walking back home.”
As the party went on the hunt for a new car, Basil gave the rising dawn a long hard look. The sun had risen in Earth’s skies since time immemorial. It had shone on the dinosaurs, the mammoths, men, and now monsters. All the species that failed to adapt to new circumstances vanished.
Basil Bohen aspired to a quiet, peaceful life.
But as he watched the rising sun, he wondered how long he could make it last.
End of Tutorial/Arc 1
Party's Stats
Name
Basil Jean-François Bohen
Type
Humanoid
Faction
The Bohens
EXP
27,795/30,000
Immune
Resist
Weak
N/A
Physical, Corrosion, Metal, Wood, Fire, Water, Ailments.
Manslayer, Soul, Wind, Lightning, Light.
Level
Health Points
Special Points
12+7 (Tamer 5; Berserker 3; Alchemist 1; Runesmith 1; Gardener 1; Technomancer 1; 7 Unassigned)
970
365
Strength
Agility
Vitality
Skill
29
26
24
18
Magic
Intelligence
Charisma
Luck
16
15
24
18
Physical
Mind
Soul
Corrosion
Metal
Wood
Life
Support
Ailment
Strong
-
Weak
Strong
Strong
Strong
-
-
Strong
Fire
Water
Earth
Wind
Frost
Lightning
Light
Darkness
Mythic
Strong
Strong
-
Weak
-
Weak
Weak
-
-
Passive Perks
Active Perks
Monster Charmer II
Warp Spasm I
Slaughterer I
Jardin Secret I
Alchemy I
Spell: Fire Rune
Monster Lair I
Spell: Ice Rune
Runic I
N/A
Passive Perks
Alchemy I (Passive): you can craft alchemy items without need of a recipe and create your own through experimentations. The list of items you can craft includes potions, alchemy tools, mutagens, poisons and bombs.
Monster Charmer II (Passive): You can recruit monsters into your [Party]. The monster’s level must be equal or below yours to join, and they cannot outlevel you afterward. Monsters in your party gain a 20% boost to stat growth on level-up, but will also die if your HP hits 0. Recruited monsters cannot leave your party unless you allow them to. You automatically form a party with an original partner selected by the Trimurti System. You can unlock the hidden potential of a recruited monster, granting them an additional Perk they cannot access in the wild. Monsters will keep these additional abilities even if you kick them out of your party.
Slaughterer I (Passive): you gain advanced proficiency with Axes, Maces, Spears, and Unarmed Attacks (x2 damage, +10 percent Crit chances). However, you lose all the benefits of the [Berserker] class if you wield a shield, armor, or accessory reducing the damage that you take. Monster skins and damage resistance provided by spells or perks do not violate this rule.
Monster Lair I (Passive): you can select a hideout or dungeon under your control as your personal Lair. Lairs offer benefits based on your level. You can select and improve your Lair by clicking on Status in your menu.
Runic I (Passive): you can now learn and cast [Runic] Spells up to Tier I. If you gain the ability to cast [Runic] Spells from other classes or Perks, the Tiers stack together.
Active Perks
Warp Spasm I (active): you can apply the [Berserk] ailment to yourself at will for 5 minutes. While [Berserk], you relentlessly attack the closest target in melee with no regard for your safety, friend or foe, and cannot use [Spells]. In return, your damage is greatly enhanced and you feel no pain.
Jardin Secret I (Active): you can determine an area equal to 1 hectare per Gardener level as your [Jardin Secret]. Seeds planted in the area will have their growth period divided by your gardener level multiplied by 2; [Plant] Monsters grown from these seeds will be naturally friendly to you and can be immediately added to your Party. You can change your garden’s location once per week, but if you do, the previous area loses all of its [Gardener]-related benefits.
Spell: Fire Rune: Runic, 10 SP, [Fire]. Empowers one of your weapons with the power of flames, inflicting an additional 20% [Fire] damage for 5 minutes. Multiple applications of [Fire Rune] do not stack and the weapon loses its properties if you no longer wield it.
Spell: Ice Rune: Runic, 10 SP, [Frost]. Empowers one of your weapons with the power of flames, inflicting an additional 20% [Frost] damage for 5 minutes. Multiple applications of [Fire Rune] do not stack and the weapon loses its properties if you no longer wield it.
Name
Plato (Cait Sith)
Type
Beast/Fairy
Faction
The Bohens
Experience
27,795/30,000
Immune
Resist
Weak
N/A
Soul, Wind, Wood, Darkness, Mythic.
Beastslayer, Fairyslayer, Physical, Corrosion, Water
Level
Health Points
Special Points
12+7
440
435
Strength
Agility
Vitality
Skill
11
(D+20%)
34
(B+20%)
11
(D+20%)
32
(A+20%)
Magic
Intelligence
Charisma
Luck
22
(C+20%)
17
(D+20%)
17
(C+20%)
31
(A+20%)
Physical
Mind
Soul
Corrosion
Metal
Wood
Life
Support
Ailment
Weak
-
Strong
Weak
-
Strong
-
-
-
Fire
Water
Earth
Wind
Frost
Lightning
Light
Darkness
Mythic
-
Weak
-
Strong
-
-
-
Strong
Strong
Passive Perks
Active Perks
Sharp Claws
Luck Up
Heavy Napper
Wind Slash
Birdbane
N/A
Nine Lives
N/A
Swordsmanship I
N/A
Personal Perks:
Sharp Claws: your claws inflict SKI-based damage. You gain advanced proficiency with unarmed attacks, fangs and claws (x2 damage, +10 Crit). Heavy Napper: while under a [Sleep] effect, you recover HP as if you benefited from the [Regen] positive ailment. Birdbane: your attacks with natural weapons inflict [Birdslayer] damage. Nine Lives: when you would die, you instead benefit from an [Auto-Revive] effect bringing you back to life at critical health; this also purges you of your ailments. You can be revived eight times before the Perk becomes inactive. 7/9 Swordsmanship I: medium proficiency with swords (x1,5 damage)
Active Perks:
Luck Up: 10 SP, buffs Luck for five minutes. Wind Slash: 60 SP, Wind, sword technique unleashing a blade of wind.
Name
Bugsy Alphonse Venture (Centimagma)
Type
Bug/Elemental
Faction
The Bohens
Experience
27,795/30,000
Immune
Resist
Weak
Fire
Physical, Corrosion, Ailments, Wood, Earth
Bugslayer, Elementslayer, Mind, Frost, Water, Wind
Level
Health Points
Special Points
12+7
1080
250
Strength
Agility
Vitality
Skill
34
(B+20%)
22
(C+20%)
34
(B+20%)
18
(C+20%)
Magic
Intelligence
Charisma
Luck
5
(E+20%)
12
(D+20%)
14
(D+20%)
21
(D+20%)
Physical
Mind
Soul
Corrosion
Metal
Wood
Life
Support
Ailment
Strong
Weak
-
Strong
-
Strong
-
-
Strong
Fire
Water
Earth
Wind
Frost
Lightning
Light
Darkness
Mythic
Strong
Weak
Strong
Weak
Weak
-
-
-
-
Passive Perks
Active Perks
Poisoned Fangs
Agility Up
Carapace
Firebreath
Tremorsense
N/A
Personal Perks:
Poisoned Fangs: you treat fangs and jaw-enhancing weapons as if you had medium proficiency with them (x1.5 damage). Additionally, your saliva may inflict the [Poison] ailment on contact. Carapace: the damage you take from super effective hits is reduced from x3 to x2. Tremorsense: increases accuracy by 30 percent. Though you can suffer from the [Blind] ailment, you ignore the ailment’s negative effects. Agility Up: 10 SP, Support. Buff your agility for five minutes. Firebreath: 40 SP, Fire. Unleashes a fiery breath.
Name
Rosemarine Eglantine de la Barthe (Killaplant)
Type
Plant
Faction
The Bohens
Experience
27,795/30,000
Immune
Resist
Weak
N/A
Wood, Life, Water, Earth, Light.
Plantslayer, Corrosion, Metal, Fire, Wind, Frost, Lightning, Darkness.
Level
Health Points
Special Points
12+7
335
415
Strength
Agility
Vitality
Skill
13
(D+20%)
20
(C+20%)
12
(D+20%)
22
(C+20%)
Magic
Intelligence
Charisma
Luck
29
(B+20%)
7
(E+20%)
22
(C+20%)
25
(B+20%)
Physical
Mind
Soul
Corrosion
Metal
Wood
Life
Support
Ailment
-
-
-
Weak
Weak
Strong
Strong
Strong
-
Fire
Water
Earth
Wind
Frost
Lightning
Light
Darkness
Mythic
Weak
Strong
Strong
Weak
Weak
Weak
Strong
Weak
-
Passive Perks
Active Perks
Paralyzing Bite
Sweet Pollen
Bugcatcher
Seed Decoy
Personal Perks:
Paralyzing Bite: you treat fangs and jaw-enhancing weapons as if you had medium proficiency with them (x1.5 damage). Additionally, your bite attacks may inflict the [Paralysis] ailment on contact. Sweet Pollen: 10 SP. Regenerates a little HP to the target (MAG + 1d20). This is a Life effect. Bugcatcher: natural attacks have the [Bugslayer] effect. Seed Decoy: 60 SP, Life/Wood. You create a copy of yourself with 1 max HP and 60 max SP in reserve. The decoy lasts for one hour before dying, but otherwise possesses all your Perks. A decoy cannot create another decoy.
Name
Shellgirl (Clam Mimic)
Type
Aquatic/Slime
Faction
The Bohens
Experience
27,795/30,000
Immune
Resist
Weak
N/A
Physical, Water, Frost, Darkness.
Aquaslayer, Slimeslayer, Corrosion, Metal, Wood, Fire, Lightning.
Level
Health Points
Special Points
12+7
800
390
Strength
Agility
Vitality
Skill
22
(C+20%)
6
(E+20%)
36
(A+20%)
16
(D+20%)
Magic
Intelligence
Charisma
Luck
22
(C+20%)
22
(C+20%)
21
(C+20%)
23
(C+20%)
Physical
Mind
Soul
Corrosion
Metal
Wood
Life
Support
Ailment
Strong
-
-
Weak
Weak
Weak
-
-
-
Fire
Water
Earth
Wind
Frost
Lightning
Light
Darkness
Mythic
Weak
Strong
-
-
Strong
Weak
-
Strong
-
Passive Perks
Active Perks
Shelter
Ice Pearl
Shell Inventory
Water Jet
Moneymaker
Passive Perk:
Moneymaker: increases chances of drops if a monster is killed within twenty meters. Shelter: buffs Vitality, but debuffs Agility at half health. Shell Inventory: can stock up to one item per level inside the shell.
Active Perks:
Water Jet: 10 SP. Buffs agility, but only in water. Ice Pearl: 10 SP. Throws a pearl made of ice at a target with cannon; inflicts Frost damage (base power 30).
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Yesterday, Astrid's biggest concern was how to pay her rent. Now, an encounter with a beautiful and seemingly immortal young woman has shattered her once-normal life. Astrid is drawn into a dangerous tournament, in which competitors pilot giant robots in wrestling matches. Will Astrid be able to help her team to victory, or will her social anxiety get the better of her? Astralfice is a web serial about love, anxiety, found family, and gay kids piloting giant robots. Updates fridays. Visit the official site at https://astralfice.wordpress.com.
8 169Hazelsong: A LitRPG Novel
Release Schedule: I will be moving to a set release schedule as of 1/1/2022. A new chapter will be released every Saturday at Noon EST. If I have time that week for a second chapter, I will leave a note on the Saturday chapter and post the second chapter on Sunday at Noon EST. An up to date character sheet for the MC Erik will also be posted on Sundays at 12:15 PM. If life happens and I am for some reason unable to write that week, I will post a blank chapter giving you an update on where I am with my writing. Saturday Noon EST: First weekly chapter Sunday Noon EST: Second weekly chapter (if I have the time) Sunday 12:15 EST: Updated character sheet Synopsis: Years after surviving a deadly accident, Erik struggles to come to terms with his painful disability. When offered the chance to playtest the world's first full immersion VRMMO, he wants nothing more than to retreat back into his secluded life, until he learns what Hazelsong really offers. An escape from the pain. Hazelsong is a world of magic and adventure, a place where friendships are formed, loot is won, and glory and fame are there for the taking. While the threats feel real and the stakes are always high, there is only one thing Erik is really in danger of. Forgetting which world is actually real. Story Themes: Hazelsong is a LitRPG novel that not only explores the fictional world of a realistic online fantasy realm but the life of a man suffering in silence from chronic pain and PTSD due to a significant physical injury and disability. Mental health is an important subject and we all know at least one person in our lives who has or is dealing with some form of mental illness. I plan on putting my best effort forward to represent these illnesses in a fair and accurate manner. Not as a cheap plot device to help make the protagonist more unique, but to help paint an accurate picture for those of us who have been lucky enough to not have to suffer in silence. About the Author: I am Ash Durra, general video game nerd and a connoisseur of fantasy and sci-fi of all shapes and sizes. Needless to say, I am not a professional author (B.S. and M.S. in Education, 8 years teaching). After really getting into LitRPG novels over the past several years, I found my way to Royal Road, which has inspired me to use my spare time to begin writing a story of my own creation. As this is a hobby, I am not writing and posting chapters on any kind of specific schedule at the moment, though my goal is to post on average 1-2 chapters a week. I am incredibly excited to share this story with others as I write it, and I look forward to any constructive feedback about how I can improve in my writing.
8 91One Last Mission - The Hunt For Siregar
The Sequel to One Last Mission.Having received his assignment from the Emperor, Zack Assegaf heads off to lead his troops into battle against the pro-coup forces and their leader, the renegade Field-Marshal Dzhokhar Siregar. Meanwhile, he's also been assigned to work alongside Jude Chiang, the mysterious Biro Keamanan Negara Director, with whom he had just developed a rivalry.Yet there is more going on than meets the eye, for Assegaf and Chiang had in fact crossed paths during the Civil War, fighting side-by-side against a gauntlet of dangerous threats in what seemed like a lifetime ago. Now thrust together once more, both men will be forced to face their past, as they struggle against a formidable enemy which threatens even their combined might...
8 195The Pieces of a Broken Heart: a Jeid fanfic
JJ and Spencer have been friends for years. Close friends. They have the same job and understand each other very well.Will is JJ's long term boyfriend. He is a cop as JJ is an FBI agent. They get each other well, but not that much. They've had multiple arguments about their jobs, but this last one was the worst. JJ decided that it was time to move on.JJ and Spencer have a strong friendship, but will it get stronger when their boss (Hotch) puts them as an undercover couple for a case in Florida...for a whole weekend? Find out in: "The Pieces of a Broken Heart" (this book)
8 191Righteous Sovereign, Shameless Rogue (hiatus/rewrite)
"…Just, Fair, Kind, the Righteous Sovereign reigns supreme above the Myriad Heavens. Countless creatures sing of his unrivaled attainments, looking upon his divine might with eternal reverence, offering innumerable praises for his perpetual conquest...beloved, what do you think of this Sovereign's ‘correction’ of the 'Hallowed Fate Records'?" the Sovereign spoke as he peered over his shoulder at the peerless beauty behind him. "Just? Fair? Kind? You?! Screw off! You're just a shameless rogue! To dare speak these words so unblushingly, is the thing stuck to your skull a person’s skin or a donkey’s ass?!" Lin Xianyi is in some sense of the word, an idiot. After a lifetime of *Spoiler, read to find out 😜*, his soul is somehow drawn into the body of a child inside of a mysterious cocoon. Waking up as the cocoon shatters, he slowly comes to the realization that he has arrived in a whole new world, the world of cultivation! A world where the strong ruled over the weak, reason be damned! A world all ripe for him to conquer! Or is it...? Follow the ups and downs of Lin Xianyi as he daydreams about his heaven-defying might, his eternal kingdom, and the innumerable fairies in his embrace. All the while everyone else around him schemes to seize everything from him...or not? Maybe some of them genuinely care about this idiot? Who knows? Well, you could! Find out as you follow the tale of the illustrious Righteous Sovereign, an incomparably Shameless Rogue! The cover art was provided to me, free of charge (I did a quick review for her novel), by Ariana Vivoni, it was really a pleasure working with her, 10/10 overall, would do it again. Her novel's also really fun if historical romances are your thing Here's a link to her novel - https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/33058/the-beast-and-the-swallow
8 104The Tournament Of Death
The Tournament Of Death, are stories of 1v1s or 1v1v1's that i randomly made up and made into a story, with over 20 chapters, and an actual origin story. (Will be added indu time)
8 122