《Risky Sailing》Chapter Thirty Five: Trouble.
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Time passed on Primeway and the gears of fate began to move faster and faster each day. Month after month passing with some of the highest powers churning and shifting all while Gabe was hidden away making his own Fate.
At just twenty One years old Gabe reached the Master Realm. He'd prepared for this moment for the past six months, Buying much Greater beasts from the near by cities with his wealth, paying far too much just to get the ones he wanted from hunters and breeders. and all of his new beasts were Elder level or above. His Nexus wasp, his Death boar, Sisfar, and Star-stone were the only four he hadn’t exchanged out. The rest were New and high Realm beasts known pacifically for the Powerful Traits they Gave Channelers. Two were Dragons, four were Rare demon breads, one was a Grizzly hound a giant furry Creature with the strength of a bear and the senses of a hound. The last was an Ancestor Realm Beast, called a Three headed Jumping viper. It was a powerful Poison beast that had very useful Traits. They had increased his Cultivation speed by a large margin, their Ability to purify Spirit energy much better then the beasts they replaced. And all of their blood lines were high quality.
As his soul core and heavenly Rune lit up from his Breakthrough, power flowed through his body like a tide. He grinned almost overcome with excitement. He'd never heard of anyone moving so fast in their cultivation and reaching the Master realm this early in life. Finally the power and vibrations subsided and he looked around his soul room to see the changes. The first thing he noticed blew him away He went numb with confusion and disbelief. It was Star-stone. The Rocky looking Beast had grown in power, but not like the other beasts in the soul room. Instead he had grown an entire realm and then some. Gabe's Soul room limit was now a Deity realm beast, Meaning there Was nothing on Primeway that he could not Bind to his soul, but Star-stone was now a level five Deity beast the very limit of his reach. "H... how is this possible?" Gabe stuttered looking from Sisfar to Star-stone. Sisfar had grown many sizes, the ship now about half it's right size. Which was at least ten times the size it was before. His masts were the width of wagon wheels, and his deck stretched from stern to bow was at least fifty yards long. "Don't look at me kid." Sisfar said in just as much shock Soul beasts were not known to grow as fast as their Channelers, instead taking just as long as they would in the wild to grow, This meant when a channeler reached a certain level he would become Stronger than His Soul beast and his Cultivation would slow down as he left His soul beast behind in strength. This was why Beast strengthening pills were so valued, they boosted a soul beast’s blood strength and increased the speed at which they would grow. Star-stone made a noise that sounded like a cough. "Perhaps.... perhaps I haven't lost my level after all." The Rock said. His tentacles were twice as thick and long now, but his body was the same simple boulder almost like it was just a shell and not the actual body of the beast. "What do you mean?" Gabe asked. Star-stone turned in circles in the air his Glowing purple and white tentacles swinging outwards. His voice was suddenly enthusiastic the static noise it made growing more erratic. "I was a Second Deity realm Beast when you bonded with me. Maybe I still am." Gabe rose an eyebrow. "You mean I'm not sensing you right?" "No, I mean my Power is being reduced by the Size of your Soul room. When you bonded with me I was Too big and powerful to fit, you should have died. Your soul splitting from the inside out because it was too small to hold me. But instead, because of your heavenly Soul rune you were saved somehow. It must have reduced my power to your level and now that your level is growing so am I. it’s rather simple actually, instead of you splitting open I was crushed down to your size." Gabe's eyes went wide. It was obvious now, so clear he knew it was the truth. He wasn't sure what it meant for him, but already he could think of ways to use it. "So my soul was strong enough to survive a force binding...." Gabe said in awe. It explained the explosive pain and pressure he had felt when he bonded with the rock. Even Sisfar was stunned into silence by this revelation. Star-stone laughed. “The soul is a mystery even to the sages of heaven, this is only a rough explanation for what happened. The real laws governing how it works are not so simple. But if it means I will gain my power Back then this is Good news for us all. As I still have plenty left to grow come your next Breakthrough.”
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After absorbing the new information Gabe looked at the rest of his beasts. None had really changed as much as Stars-stone and Sisfar except for His Nexus wasp, which was now an elder realm Dark sting Wasp. He smiled and turned to his new Traits prepared for his hard work and research into what Beasts gave what traits to really pay off here. Unsurprisingly about half of them were Strong Physical traits. Bodily toughness, Strength, Speed, and Senses. each enhanced something different and balanced his physical prowess out just like he had hopped. With these and the other traits he already had in these areas he knew he was already set to be a powerhouse of the Master Realm. Each one was close to the very best someone in his Realm could get. One especially was a Masterpiece The Trait for bodily toughness was the The very best trait he could Get from his Plug Demon Soul bond. It increased the amount of damage he could take by an almost unfair amount. Almost No’one in his own Realm could even scratch him now. With this trait alone he could probably stand up against someone two whole levels above him Maybe even as strong as someone Five or six levels ahead of him. The difference in levels of the master realm was much greater the the realms before it. The amount of time and energy put into each one stacking up further and further the more breakthroughs you past. The other Six traits Gabe got were all more then he could have asked for or planned for. One was from one of the Dragon's, it was a Dragon Skin. Which gave his Body all the traits a strong dragon would have. Resistance to Fire, resistance to Death, further increasing his bodily toughness, and further increasing his Physical attributes. It was the beat all end all of Physical Traits. Gabe was very happy to have it as it boosted his already Strong abilities to Another level adding just a little more power to all the others he already had.
The next trait was from the Grizzly hound, and Gabe thanked his knowledge of beasts as he read it. He'd gotten the bear Pacifically for this trait. It was the bear's sense of smell. These Beasts were worth twice what others were worth of the same Realm because they gave this trait very often. The Increased sense of smell was an asset as it was the most powerful Smelling trait a Channler could receive before they Reached the Totem Realm. This Sense of smell did not work like other senses, it could smell spirit energy. Reaching across several plains of existence like a Foreseer to feel the very soul of creatures, even without air or water this sense would continue to work. And It would allow Gabe to find Herbs and plants hidden in the wilderness, as well as some treasures that Gave off a spiritual scent. This would be invaluable to his Alchemy skills and the two would compliment each other well, especially When he got into Healing Potions and other vitality Mixtures and recipes that required a lot of flora materials. The third Trait that stood out was from his Jumping Viper and one of its best. The Bloody Fang ability, it allowed him to take Life force from his Opponent slowly as long as he could draw even the slightest amount of blood. The effect would be very small, but if the battle continued for a long period of time then it could make the difference as it worked independently of his mind he wouldn’t even have to focus on it to make it happen. And the more places he cut cut his victim the stronger the effect would stack. This and his shrunken head move when used together would absorb fountains and rivers worth of life energy from his foes so quickly he might as well become a vampire.
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Another Trait that got his blood pumping was from his Dark sting Wasp which had been really good to him already with it’s trait, it was ine of the reasons he had kept it. The trait was a shield. A Shield that would always be twice as strong as his own bodily toughness. This shield would be much easier to make and take far less energy then a regular one mode with energy Channeling. And seeing as how it was based on his physical Grit and His Toughness was so far above his level it would be a true protection against someone who far surpassed him in strength. Many Channelers that had shield traits often became tanks, focusing on their gift and specializing in defence. As the trait was often many times more effective then any move that could be learned. And not a very common Trait to have.
But of all the Traits Gabe got it was the Last two that nearly stopped Gabe's heart just to look at. Sisfar's trait was called Demon King's get away. And from what he understood of it, it meant that when he used a Teleport scroll or any form of Space Channeling he couldn't be followed. All Teleport scrolls left a tear that could be reopened by another Teleport scroll or powerful Space channeler. This tear meant that a clean get away was impossible with a Teleport. The tear would last for exactly twenty four hours, enough time to be found and used by those chasing you. It was why Gabe had Flown to the Yellow belly mountains and not Jumped directly to the cliff. But if this trait was to be believed then it meant he would be nearly impossible to catch if he was being chased. When he looked to Sisfar all the Ship had to say was. "Dam kid." it seamed like Gabe’s luck when it came to traits was just unnatural, and this was proven even more the case by the last trait he found scribbled on his arm. The rune was unlike all the others on his forearm. Completely unreadable to him he could tell only one thing, that it was from Star-stone. He showed the alien rock his arm. “Star-stone what is this. Can you read it?” the Rock seamed to look the rune over for several minutes, studying it like it wasn’t easy for him. Then he broke the heavy silence that had fallen in the dark room. “The Heavens must be Joking.” his voice was almost a whisper. Gabe was running out of patience. “What is it. Spit it out.” Star-stone spun in the air one full circle, a really weird habit he had that made One wonder just which side of the rock was the Face. “This is the Time Flux Trait. It allows you to utilize the Space inside me to it’s fullest extant. Mainly, to control the speed of Time that passes inside it.” Gabe considered those words for a moment. “You mean I can speed time up or slow Time down in the inner space?” Star-stone made a coughing noise, another weird habit for a rock. “that is what I just said. However it does have it’s limits. You can not stop time completely, and the speed you can reach will depend on your personal power and skill with the Space element.” Gabe was stunned. To his knowledge on the subject, the ability to control time even to the smallest degree was the rarest upon rares for a Space Channeler. Even the strongest Deity realm masters struggled for thousands of years to learn any Channeling that involved time. And though he wasn’t read up on the Subject he had never once heard of a trait that allowed any Channeler to Mess with time at all. “Is something like this common in the heavens.” Gabe asked. He and Star-Stone had spent many hours talking about the Heavens above the World of Primeway since that was where the rock was from and What Gabe had learned was that it was nothing like what everyone thought it would be. Star-stone stopped spinning entirely at that question. “Oh goodness… you have no idea. The irony alone is killing me.” his voice was almost sad sounding. “Even I did not possess this Trait in my life. If I had I can assure you I would not have been forced into this Starter world. The handful Of Dragon eaters with control over time stand at the very peak of my race. Not one is unknown, they are all household names. Some are feared like monsters, some praised as protectors. But none are disrespected. And of the small margin of Mankind that have Bonded with Dragon eaters to make them soul beasts. You are the Third. The Third in all the Known heavens to get this trait. tell me, Does that sound common to you?” Gabe let these words soak in, what kind of rarity had he stumbled upon. The third in all known existence? He didn’t have words. he looked down at his Heavenly rune… most channelers got one Good trait in all their life time. Maybe two if they were lucky. The rest of the time it was all basic ordinary stuff that boosted physical attributes, sometimes even trash like growing hair faster, or increased lung capacity. Gabe was certain to get more then a few shining gems in this area since he got so many more traits than a regular Channeler. But even so, it seamed his fortune was far too good in this area. It was as though the heavens aligned every time he made a breakthrough, and brought him only the very best Traits he could get. He could Only think of one reason, the Rune that had changed his life. He didn’t know how but it must be effecting what Traits he had access to. The world of primeway had studied the process of Traits and soul Beasts for billions of years and never understood anything about it. So Gabe was at a loss as to how anything could do this. “Star-stone what do the Heavens know about Traits? Can a heavenly rune affect the process?” the floating boulder took a moment to answer. “It’s not impossible. If of course someone used one on their soul like a mad man. From the scarce talk I have heard about human Channeling, the Traits they get on their breakthroughs depend on countless factors. Some traits can only be given if certain requirements are met, like if the Channeler has killed other souls before, or if they have bonded to more than one beast. A Famous example many Sages study, is the Glowing arrow Trait. This powerful ability allows any object the Wielder throws or launches to be filled with heavenly laws and become explosive upon impact. countless Channelers seek this Trait each day in the heavens, and many find success in acquiring it as the method is well known. You must be standing around furry creatures, in the rain, with a bow in your left hand, and a dead beast in your right. You must time your breakthrough into the next realm at the exact moment you drop the bow. And if your Soul beast is not a Dragon blooded Beast then you might get the trait. If of course another trait doesn’t take it’s place.” Gabe was astounded by how anyone would be able to figure out such a pacific thing. And was confused at why that would work. Star-stone continued. “this knowledge is well known now, because long ago some well known family let the secret slip. But Most families in heaven keep their secret Traits well protected. And the researchers are sworn to not reveal any methods they discover even under torture. Of course even after countless ages, the amount of Traits Humans have charted like this and are able to consistently acquire is tiny. There are just too many variables the most important of which is likely why you Are gaining so many rare abilities.” Star-stone sounded deep in thought, searching his ages of memories for what little he knew About man kind and their strange ways to Cultivate. “The attunement of the soul is the key to powerful Traits. Traits come from the Heavenly laws and are powered by the Heavens themselves, and so a soul that is more Attune to those laws, and more attune to the heavens will always have more capacity to receive power from them. From what I have seen you do, and what I have seen this heavenly rune on your soul do, I think it is clear that your Soul is being altered to fit more easily with these laws. Thus destiny is being bypassed and your Traits are inclined to naturally be strong.” Gabe took all this to mean one very simple thing, the Game was rigged. His heavenly rune had twisted the entire system to only allow the best possible outcome. What was the world coming to?! Gabe felt like he was cheating the entire universe, and the more he thought about it the more he grinned. He was okay with cheating.
After some meditation to calm his mind, and to stabilize his breakthrough, Gabe finally noticed that his Soul room gained yet another space for a soul beast. so far he’d gained a new space for every Realm he passed, he wondered if that was going to continue. If so then wouldn’t he have almost twenty Soul beasts by the time he ascended? He would basically be a one man army. He put the thoughts of his future aside and thanked his Good fortune for the One new spot he had now. the Master realm would be many times more difficult to pass then those before it and would take him quite some time. Most never passed it in life, others took hundreds of years to move past it. But Gabe set his sights on doing it in less then a decade. Which was unheard of and impossible for anyone else. But Gabe already had More then any Channeler could dream to acquire so if he worked hard he thought he might be able to pull it off. He spent another day meditating before getting up and planning his next move. Out in the next room Malner was sitting in the corner on his bed deep in cultivation of a Fire energy pill Gabe had bought for him. Usually Gabe and Malner would both meditate until a preset time and then Malner would Teach him the sword, but Gabe was about thirty hours early, his Breakthrough really pumping him up to go do something. For a while now he had been playing with the idea of starting a herbal Garden in Star-stone’s inner space, using the dragon bones that were already in there to help permeate the area with Spirit energy, But it would have taken up too much of his time to keep up with and grow. He was already splitting his time between too many things. If not for the talent and mental power his Soul rune gave him he would not be able to learn half of the things he was training for. Alchemy, rune study, Sword play, The martial moves he was working to master. His cultivation. Only the greatest geniuses on Primeway would be able to study so many things at once and actually get anywhere. But with this new ability of his to speed up time he foresaw new and unbelievable Results if he only started something now. A Garden that would take a thousand years to grow, and countless hours to care for. Would only take him a few minutes of real time to cultivate, and who knows how short a time to produce fruits. This was only one use for this new Trait of his. But it would be an invaluable use for his studies into alchemy. Speaking of studies, he also planned to do his reading and learning inside his inner space from now on. He could see it all now, a profound book that would take him a year to fully study and understand only taking him a moment of his day. The possibilities were endless.
Felling a deep need to stretch his legs Gabe wrote a note on a piece of Alchemy paper and put it where Malner would find it. Colin was rarely up and around, he stuck to heavy long meditations trying to catch up his cultivation to where he should already be. now that he had access to limitless pills and treasures his goal was to reach the Master realm before Gabe reached the Elder Realm. Gabe called up his chameleon coin from his inner space and left the Treasure store with a bright smile. Out on the cliff he now looked like a bald headed apprentice Realm channeler with a nasty look about him like he was plotting something. He Summoned Sisfar to use as a ride. The ship had grown quite huge now, big enough for fifty or sixty people to ride on all at the same time. It still floated on the same purple Cloud though as Gabe’s power increased the Cloud seamed to become more and more transparent like a ghost, and the wisps of the smoke always looked like hundreds of creepy disfigured faces screaming in pain. Gabe stepped onto the Haunted ship effortlessly off the side of the cliff. Then he took off more then twice as fast as he could fly before, towards the Nearby Undead Valley. It was a bit of a risk going into the Demon hoard territory, but the Valley was a High grade sacred Land. Saturated in Pure spirit Energy for millennia it would have thousands of plants and herbs and valuable Mushrooms, all of which would be Useful to him. After collecting these small leftovers the demons didn’t want, he would use a scroll to teleport him to the nearest family owned city and buy as many rare seed and sapling Spirit plants as he could fit inside the inner space.
two hours later and a long distance from the Yellow belly mountains, Gabe hovered over a deep green and black Field with giant rocks and caves jutting out of the ground, and powerful, fearful beasts going about their business. There were Cracks and craters in the ground larger then mansions. And all of it was covered in the shadow of a cold unmoving smog that blotted out the sun. Gabe's good vision allowed him to see most of it well, but the further away things were the more foggy and blurred they looked. Even soul sense could only go so far here the Smog not just natural but also spiritual. Gabe stood on the bow of his flying ship and waited as Sisfar slowly lowered him to the ground. "You really think this is such a good idea kid? This is Demon land.” the Ship seamed reluctant to touch down. Gabe shrugged. “We are only on the edge of the place. And I’m not taking anything valuable to the Demons. Plus the Cities require paper work and guild membership to buy Herb seeds in mass. I’ll have to jump to like four different places and buy only med quality goods at near a dozen shops in each city to avoid being noticed. ” Gabe looked around with greed at the plant life growing in this freaky looking place. “Here in the wild I might get lucky and find some really special flora. Not to mention that the soil here should be brimming with Energy. to buy enough good Soil to fill up Star-stone from a merchant would be like throwing money away when I can just scoop some up here.” The reasons for coming to this place were obvious if he Wanted to Start a garden. The Demon hoard was the only reason not to and from what he knew they never even patrolled their huge territory. The Families around them just gave them a wide birth because no’one wanted to deal with them. Sisfar still sounded unconvinced. “I once met the Demon king here, a horrible guy. But the hands down most powerful demon I've ever seen. He Had unnatural Control over the other demons around him. And if I remember right he told me he liked the taste of human flesh." Gabe laughed, Sisfar had been anxious ever since they had passed into demon territory. "I’m far from being scared off by flesh eating demons. You’ll have to come up with Something better than that." Gabe felt too lucky to be knocked down, he put Sisfar back in his soul room and began walking towards where his smell was leading him. Already he was using his Sense of smell to find Treasures, and this place was full of them. His ability to Smell the very Spirit energy in the air was like nothing he had ever felt before. Everything seamed to smell different now, more sharp and zestful. Even the Rocks had their own smell filled with small amounts of power. And from a distance, he could almost taste the odder that wafted up from some herbs.
But Before he did anything, Gabe summoned Star-stone, the Twelve foot tall rock with forty foot tentacles looked so alien outside the soul room Gabe felt weird just looking at it. The surrounding earth and world clashing with this foreign and celestial creature. "Star-stone, I need you to eat about Two miles worth of this field." Gabe said standing facing empty ground. All the dangerous beasts far away from where he landed. Star-stone shivered. "Ugh... dirt. You want me to eat dirt. Just wonderful." The beast then reached out it's tentacles, witch stretched out like giant rubber bands for yard after yard, acer after acer. Gabe's eyes widened when he saw it. The tentacles grew to an unbelievable distance, growing thicker as well so they did not lose their strength and wrapped around the dirt like a net. some of the tentacles going into the ground and digging their way deep into position. Then Star-stone shook slightly and a black dangerous vortex opened up near the Giant bolder like a twisting void, it's cone shaped mouth sucking in The land and field with the sound of rushing wind and a landslide. Gabe watched awe struck as the ground began to come up and fly into the vortex disappearing as soon as it touched the inky blackness. Soon the entire mile of ground about ten feet deep was gone. Leaving an oddly rectangular shaped hole in its place like an unfilled lake. Gabe was speechless, this was what a Dragon Eaters could do when limited to just the Master Power realm. Even a Heavenly graded blood line beast would pale in comparison. He pictured what Star-stone could do when He reached the height of his power. Of all of Gabe’s Soul bests, including whatever kind of creature Sisfar was Star-stone was hands down the best of them. Gabe set up a few runes around him as well as a few treasures that would keep his presence hidden and went into Meditation. Then into the Inner room. There it was, all the dirt. The Room had gotten bigger since Gabe’s breakthrough, and now was about a mile and a half in size. The dirt covered every inch of it and would be enough. The dragon bones Gabe had already taken out and piled in the Treasure store, they would still be necessary to his plan however as all the plants he was about to get would need Spirit energy. And those Bones were filled with it.
Gabe carefully dug up a hundred different types of rare mushrooms, six dozen Herbs he recognized from the smell they gave off, forty rare Root based plants that he was surprised were just out in the wilderness like this as they were coveted by many alchemists. He also found a Decomposed Bery bush, a rare and precious Plant that produced a single Decomposing berry every hundred years. These berries could be used in both poisons and cures. And sometimes rare potions for increasing mental energy. They were very valuable and Gabe was very glad to have the Whole bush, he didn't find any berries on it but he didn't need to yet. using some of his energy Channeling and strength he dug it up roots and all and teleported it to his inner room. Then he meditated and buried carefully there with his soul. Already it looked a bit depleted from not having the spirit energy it did outside. Gabe smiled lightly that part would come, filling this place with spirit energy shouldn’t be to difficult when money was no object.
He traveled along a bit more only looking for things worth his time. He was actually finding much more than he thought he would and was glad he decided to risk it and come here. After finding a few more rare grasses, and an unbloomed thousand year rose Not much else caught his eyes. He thought about using a scroll and leaving just before something flew above him in the mist. No sooner than he noticed it his whole body froze. His heart leaped into his throat when he realized he'd just been caught by something. His being was surrounded by a Red aura that wouldn't let him move a mussel. His eyes darted back and forward, looking for what had caused this, whatever it was he couldn't sense it with his soul sense. But he did smell something ugly in the air. "Hahahahahahah!!!" The sound of loud gritty laughter sounded from above Gabe, and suddenly a Powerful Totem Realm Demon landed in front of him. The Beast had Dark red and black skin, with bat like wings and a circle of horns on its head. It's face was twisted into a cruel smile and it’s jagged yellowed teeth were shown in full. Gabe's teeth gritted as he realized there was no way out of this. If he couldn't move he couldn't do anything. His Sundial couldn't be aimed or Activated, his Beasts couldn't even be summoned as the Aura around him subdued all his Channeling. This was all too similar to the power the black Purl had over him. He ignored the Fear rising in his chest however and immediately began to Push his brain for possibilities, watching closely for any kind of opening he could get. At any second this monster could kill him, he could have already been killed the instant it showed up. The fact that he was still alive however would be this Demon’s undoing and somehow he would make sure of that. "Stupid human, this is not your day. Your standing on Demon Grounds." The low and nasty voice of the Demon said, he was a Flying Crowned Demon. Of the fear Element just like Sisfar and brought back awful memories for Gabe. "I told ya kid, this Demon hoard is a nasty gang. Why did you think I didn't join em! They don’t even care that by killing humans the are riling up the Families to do something." Sisfar said in Gabe's head, fear clear in his voice, if Gabe died he would Die with him. “this guy hasn’t even checked if your with a well known family. This is a disaster.” Star-stone stayed silent, preparing for this foolish boys end and his own. He was not well versed enough about this world to have done anything to stop this and felt no regret, to some degree being a Soul bond to a human was a death already he refused to be afraid of something he knew would one day come. The Crowned demon rose it's hand and Gabe floated up. "Your poor life is coming to it’s end." it said with a mocking tone. Gabe’s heart speed up and his throat tightened. Still he looked for a way out, even as the demon rose back up in the air and they both shot Westward deeper into the Demon hoard territory. It was taking him somewhere That was not a good omen. The demon forced him to be still and docile, the power of a Totem realm being unquestionable to Gabe’s low rank. And With just it’s aura he was subdued in whole. As he tried to fight and move even slightly the Demon only laughed like a hyena uncaring. as they rocketed over the area leaving a trail of light behind them the land moved by to fast for Gabe to make out. Gabe had to think of something, now or never. Even to kill himself might be a better option then what was happening, If he was taken alive towards the demon hoard only the worst of things would come of that. But his options were zero, all of his control in this situation was gone. He would have to hope for a chance. Any chance. And pray his good luck had not yet run Dry. He sharpened his mind to the furthest extant and prepared to act on a moment’s notice. If a chance were to come he knew it would not last long.
For another hour Gabe was flown deeper and deeper into the hoard. They'd traveled over countless miles the scenery changing a dozen times and now they hovered over a giant fissure in a desert like Treasure land. Inside the Thousands of miles of Fissure were millions upon millions of demons all crawling on top of each other like dogs and begging for food, eating each other when they could or if they got angry, and other times eating rats or moss they found on the fissure walls and cracks. A few walked upright with some small amount of intelligence in their eyes and kicked the weaker dumber kind out of their way. Finding pleasure in causing pain that the Demon race was well known for. All throughout the fissure were caves carved out by the demons and to the contrast of the wild disordered hoard some of these cave had whole fronts about them with what looked like shops and merchants, demons selling and demons buying. These places had Demons flying in and out of them, and these were the truly intelligent ones. The Demons powerful enough to rise above their instincts and make their own way with their minds. They made use of the others in the hoard any way they could. Treating their lesser brothers like animals just to make profit. Some Demons were known to gain power just by eating other demons, so of course there were plenty of greedy devils that bread the young animal like demons as if they were cattle and sold the rarest breads to make gold. Some enslaved the slightly intelligent ones and used them to dig mines, Some traded with the humans from families or farming cities by selling useful Demons to Channelers to bond with. It was a putrid society, the terrible mixture of Man kind’s greed and beast kind’s savagery. No’one on primeway understood how demon hoards were able to survive like this. They were corrupted from the inside out and there was no pretense of working together. The only thing that kept the group here in the first place was the instinct all demons had to Pile together, but even after gaining intelligence many chose to stay so they could be safer in numbers away from humans and also use their new found smarts to abuse the weaker ones just like they had been used. The cycle never ending. As for how so many demons were bred, and how the numbers of them only ever increased even with so many being killed and used, the methods demons used were too grotesque to speak of.
Ignoring everything that was below him Gabe stayed focused. The Demon had taken his space pouch, but hadn’t found anything in it of value. Gabe had long ago started storing everything in his inner space where it was safe and at the ready for use. All around this place there was a heavy high grade Chaos energy flowing from the fissure outwards, it wasn’t as thick as the atmosphere of energy in Gabe’s new home but it wasn’t far behind in quality. Some demons crawled along the edges barley touching the sand of the desert looking under rocks and picking vines. Others dug holes in the dessert sand looking for hiding beasts. It was like a distorted ugly city, and in the middle of it sat a giant palace made of solid red glinting stone. In the deepest part of the Fissure floor and reaching up over the top. It was intricately carved and engraved with beautiful statues of female demons on every outside wall. Shining in the sun it looked very much like the Palace for a demon God. Gabe was flown down into the dark depths of the city where something ugly was happening on every street, and forced to walk through the open black palace doors. The change from outside this demon temple to inside was like going from a night mare to an even worse and more dangerous Night mare. The very air here vibrated with Death, decay, and malice. Like the walls themself wished to Kill those living inside them.
There were demon guards everywhere, and only a few demons coming and going through the huge open halls Which by the way were decorated with nothing but the bones and flesh of dead creatures and humans. A skull to one side a bone table to the other. A painting made from gray blood on Demon skin here, a vile smelling human skull use as a flower pot over there. Gabe felt a powerful Chaos energy here that seamed to be a bit thicker then in the rest of the city and Screams of pain and whines sounded from down below. Not to mention the sound that came from the city outside, Gabe was trying his best to ignore that sound and had been since they reached this place. It would be in his dreams forever though. Instead he focused his senses on the smell of Pungent Brimstone and ash that permeated the air here, which was the least of the many unpleasant things surrounding him. The demon that walked beside him controlled his every movement forcing him to walk like a slave under his command and the other demons guarding doors or passage ways looked on with angry or passive expressions bowing to the more powerful Demon with gritted teeth as he walked by with Gabe. walking through a giant open hall with gold trimmings and solid Gold Statues everywhere they came to a room where the floor was a glossy white, and the decorations changed from flesh and bones to gold and silver idols. The walls and ceiling also looked like whoever lived here had tried to copy Human architecture from several cultures. And just scrambled them all together. A giant set of steal doors with protection runes on them was the main attraction here. Gabe could feel the power they held inset into the wall, and he was almost dumbfounded. These runes would easily keep a Deity level Channeler out, it was like a fortress. Any Powers that came here to attack would have a very hard time ahead of them just opening this door. But as Gabe was led near them Two Demons opened them at the signal from the Demon Gabe was with. The room behind them was a throne room, with glorious decor against the tall giant walls, and gold ceilings with paintings of a Giant demon on them crushing other creatures under his feet. The floor was hard marble with a red long carpet down the middle leading from the entrance to a Forty foot tall throne. The throne was occupied by a Three faced titan Archdevil. The Titan Archdeval was a cross bread between a Giant and a demon. Cross breading beasts was impossible, and extremely dangerous. But the Titan Archdevil was a broken rule all the way around, Devils were a breed of demon that were born inside the eggs of other beasts. They were created only near the highest purity and thickest amount of Chaos energy and would appear inside the egg of a beast near a treasureland. Eating the unborn beast inside the egg to keep fed. they were usually much more powerful and rare then regular Demons, having been made by the heavens and not bred into existence. Legend had it that the Titan Archdevil was created when a weak baby Devil born inside the egg of a giant too big for it to fully devour stumbled upon a small drop of Spirit Giving Giant's blood and ate it changing into something else. The Spirit Giving Giant was a Legend, a Long forgotten beast thought to Stand on the world of Primeway and protect it trillions of years ago. There were many myths regarding Spirit Giving beasts. These were the Beasts that wrapped around worlds and gave life to all that inhabited them. They were supposed to be heavenly Ordained, some of the most powerful beings in existence. Star-stone had spoken very little about them to Gabe but had confirmed that they were not just legends and that Every Starter world had a Spirit giving beast to guard it. Which meant Primeway also must have one somewhere.
This Three faced Archdevil sitting before Gabe was a Level five Deity beast. And Gabe blinked, unbelieving what his eyes beheld. The monster was Black skinned and humanoid, with large proportions and detailed muscular biceps. His single head had three faces one to the right and one to the left where his ears should be, these didn't talk or move looking more like obsidian Statues then faces. And instead the monster used an ugly front face that was in a constant twisted snarl. He had two massive round horns on the top of his forehead and looked at Gabe dispassionately, as Gabe was forced to walk before him. The Demon kidnapping him standing back but still controlling his body. "Oh great one!!" The demon shouted with a bow of his head. "I have brought another Human channeler to sustain your great Hunger!!" At the word hunger Gabe felt his heart rate increase even further which was really something as it was already going a mile a minute. The Titan Archdeval looked down at Gabe and rose an eyebrow. "You bring me one so weak Calbfor? Hardly worth devouring.” he looked at the demon with displeasure then waved his hand. “Be gone with you, I will accept the Human anyway." He said the word human like it was disgusting. And his voice was so deep and loud that it vibrated the whole room. Calbfor bowed and turned, leaving through the door without a word, Gabe felt so bitter about this whole thing. The demon’s land was so big and was not guarded well, how that demon had found him he didn’t understand. And then to just be handed over to an even bigger demon was so aggravating. The other demons in the throne room stood around at the edges and watched with rapt attention, as if they planned to enjoy this next part. There were so many powerful demons in here and they all had the expression on their faces demons get when they are about to cause someone great pain. As soon as Gabe was freed from Calbfor's Forceful aura he summoned The Sundial in his right hand and aimed it at the great beast in front of him seeing this as his only chance. But the Devil only laughed, not even having to move a finger to cause the Sundial to fly out of Gabe's hand before he could shoot it. The speed of a deity Realm channelers perception was much faster Than the fraction of a second Gabe needed to use the device. The treasure landed upside-down and slid across the marble floor. Gabe didn't even flinch not having the time to mourn the loss of his most likely escape, acting quickly he teleported a Teleport scroll out from his inner space but the very same thing happened the scroll landing near the Sundial. The Archdevil was too quick and powerful to Outdo, Gabe was running out of options. He wanted to attack, to run.... but nether would get him anywhere. It looked like the giant Demon was enjoying foiling his Attempts. Gabe clinched his teeth. He had nowhere to go. He looked up at the Demon with contempt. "What do you want of me?" He asked calmly, he wanted to pull out another Teleport scroll but would need the powerhouse of a demon to let his guard down first. He'd never heard of a beast on Primeway so powerful, how had the Demon done it. There wasn't enough energy on this world to sustain a Deity Realm Beast or Chaneler it was why they ascended. The only one Gabe had ever heard of was Star-stone, and he had come here from another world. But this Devil was a level five. And powerful enough maybe to destroy and conquer half the continent. Perhaps he had also not come from this world…
The giant answered him with humor. "Is that all you are going to try? Have you given up escape so quickly? Calbfor really did bring me a poor prize. Though that trick where you pull stuff out of thin air is nice. I wonder where you put all that stuff." Gabe shrugged. "I know when I'm defeated, unless your willing to let me try a rune." It was unlikely. The demon laughed. "A smart young one to know their death is so near and unavoidable, but not much fun to watch. I'm afraid I will have to draw entertainment out of you another way." Gabe rose his eyebrows in realization before it hit him.
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Renewal and Rebirth
[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Interstellar travel. Life extension medicines. Advanced AI's All of these meant nothing to Jayden, she had been born too soon, her body unable to process the new technology. She was approaching the end of her life and had a choice to make. Deep Dive VR had progressed and real digitization and uploading was now an option for those unable to use life-extension treatments. For all the science the Human race had developed, Jayden was forced to take a different path. She would be digitized and explore a new world. One where cultivation and dinosaurs blended together. [Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. For those unfamiliar with my writing style, Second Chances was my first attempt at writing. I'm not sure how much I learned in the process, except that readers get angry when you mess with characters they like! Warnings - I tend to info dump. I know I do this, I like slice of life novels that take time to unfold. So don't expect action, murder, and battles in every chapter, it isn't going to happen I prefer the first-person narrative. I will do an occasional POV shift, but it will never be done mid-chapter. I hope you enjoy the story, comments, ratings, and favorites are greatly appreciated!
8 283One Undead Man Armada
A story of a lowly undead's rise to power. Not through the might of the Lich Kings ten thousand undying army, but ALONE, with the strength of his own ten thousand guns!
8 74--Blacksmith's Ire, Book 1 of the Vengeance of the Wind Trilogy--
Animus sees himself as just another child growing up in a small village located between two mountain peaks. Those around him, however, know differently. His legendary parents, a power-driven older sister, a hermit wizard that serves an ancient, long-forgotten power, and a mysterious beautiful woman all know of his significance. Each seeks to manipulate him, to coerce him toward paths of their choosing. But when a powerful foe disrupts their plans, Animus begins to realize who he is—and what he can become.
8 146The Games We Play
Bonds are what binds us all together. the unsaid and unmentioned bond between a mother and a child, the deeply rooted and yet silent bond between two survivors and the bond that runs so deeply one cannot live without the other. the bond between two Brothers. Winston and Brian, two twins, bound by blood have such a bond. they have several differences, however, these differences only bind them together tighter. they play many games together, but soon, Winston and Brian will play a game together that leaves only one to tell the tale.
8 206The Naruto system
Tristan thought he was dead after he was run over by the infamous Car-kun/smashed his skull, only to find himself staring at a masked man upon opening his eyes. The man produced a piece of paper and handed it over him with a single question. "Will you sign it?" Author’s note: Hey guys, the outline of the novel is already ready. I am working on it to make it more concrete. I promise this novel isn't based on Naruto itself. Even if you don't know who Naruto is, you'll easily be able to understand the story. So please do not leave the story if you think this is just a Naruto fanfiction repeat. Please read and comment if you feel anything is amiss I would really appreciate it. Thank you! ?
8 88Bebita
WHEN I was little I always heard of those fairytales stories of the princess and the prince. The prince had a pretty white horse and would save the princess from danger and, was handsome of course. I always wanted that fairytale, even if my prince didn't have a white horse. I needed to be saved from danger. Where is my prince when I need him ? bebita
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