《Summoner's Pact》29. Just a Sec
Advertisement
Reol’s brain sped up, her instincts detecting the danger before it even began. The world came to a standstill as a single second stretched into a hundred, an ability she would have avoided if possible due to the strain on her brain and the drainage it had on the crystal embedded in her spinal cord that regulated her mana. If it weren't for the power crystals the bedsheet girl Xue had given her, this action might have even killed her.
Despite their impuritys Reol had been able to separate the energy she needed to recharge herself.
Still, in a completely different universe with weakened abilities and a lack of her many tools, Reol didn't have much she could do but scream in frustration within her mind and pray to whatever shit ass god was watching over her that the tech yard had usable scrap for her.
She’d made something to help her but it would be useless if it failed to find anything that it could incorporate.
Returning to the problem at hand, shit had effectively hit the fan, and the suddenness of it surprised even her.
The mana in the air had changed, its chaotic shifts having greatly increased as they began to follow an unknown pattern, creating a slideshow as what Reol could try to describe as colors, yet fail utterly so because she wasn't really seeing the mana.
She’d read about individuals on the internet here in this new world who could hear colors and smell sounds, a condition called Synthesia. For her it was more like her sight let her feel what was happening with the mana itself, instead of having to actively interact with it.
And what she was seeing/feeling wasn’t at all something that she would consider safe. It roiled, as waves of panic, and fear mixed in spreading towards everyone, leaving not even the psycho Doppelgänger next to her or the perverted ape who had despite all his bullshit complaints about her attitude caused a scene.
Advertisement
Granted it had been Lucia’s fault, that much was obvious, however, it annoyed her that he was on her case when he could barely seem to control himself.
Still, she should be able to prevent the ambient mana from affecting Lucia too badly while the mana field of the device she had made for Lucas should be able to hold the effect plaguing the area.
Less than a quarter of a second had passed since the shift in mana had begun before once more the mana shifted once more but this time the problem came from beneath them.
Reol felt the mana below her quake as her shadow formed a connection with a somewhat distant location, her shadow becoming an anchor connecting the two points.
Then it happened again, and again, going on until twenty distinct anchor points were appeared in her minds eye.
They reminded her of teleportation gates, the mana creating a thin connection that allowed instant travel both ways but the shadow itself seemed to hold some space despite the absurd thought of creating pocket space between what was essentially a mana-wired link.
Half a second had passed now, and she was starting to develop a headache, but she did her best to power through the discomfort.
Her brain picked at itself rapidly as it searched for answers while she did her best to ignore the presence now within her shadow, a tip of a finger beginning to bulge out of the shadow as though poking at fabric.
Lurkers.
The article she had read on the strange Enhanced that came about through some genetic modification using some shadow-powered hero a little over two decades ago.
Physically weaker on average than most Enhance but still above the average strength of a non-powered person. What they lacked physically they more than made up for their excellent stealth skills and ability to kill from a target's own shadow. Typically besides the rare ones that made it above (C}-Ranked they were quite disposable as they weren't too difficult to vat grow.
Advertisement
Reol shivered mentally as she remembered that she herself couldn't even be sure if she was vat-grown or not.
Yay, to being a super special secret classified experiment worth redacting everything about her past.
Three-quarters of a second had passed and it felt like someone was taking a hammer to her skull repeatedly while praising its sturdiness deafeningly into her eardrums.
The Lurkers needed to breach through to go after their targets, and while Reol couldn't be sure that their goal wasn't a simple assassination, from what Lucas had told her and the rest, the Lurkers were more likely to be attempting a capture mission.
For that to be the case then it meant that they had already accurately determined that Lucas or at least the people encircling him were to be what caused the huge mess when they were summoned.
This further suggested that despite his best efforts, they wouldn't have any time to fly under the radar unless they packed up and left immediately.
She wouldn't blame him though, it has hard to hide secrets in a society of decent technological advancement or in this case bullshit superpowers.
Nine-tenths of a second had passed the veil that acted as the barrier between the Lurker and her leg had almost been breached, while her head was starting to go white with how much pain she was in. It wouldn't surprise her that the moment she stopped she’d pass out, and probably sport a gushing nose as her brain tried to escape the prison that had treated it so unjustly.
She stopped her thoughts from drifting anymore, and instead she zeroed in on the connections themselves.
Or better yet the anchor itself.
It tied the two points while also providing the hiding spot for the Lurkers, and she earnestly wished she had her Mana cleaver to just sever the connection itself.
But this was a new world, new rules, and a soon-to-be new prison if she didn't do something.
So with a push that made her brain hate her all the more, she grabbed the anchors with her sight and imagined them all colliding together.
At first, nothing happened, and a full second had passed, while the hand had breached the shadow and was rising to grab her ankle.
Her consciousness was dipping into darkness and time was starting to return to its original pace.
Just as she was about to pass out, the mana within all the shadows inverted, and a little window popped up.
Greater Mana Manipulation acquired. New Title acquired, Bane of Portals.
Advertisement
A Girl and Her Fate
Avien Shepard heralded change with his arrival. Not only was he born on the dawn a solar eclipse, three meteors lit up the sky on the day of his birth. Seven sages visited across seven years to gift him with knowledge of the seven legal schools of magic, and a deceased outlaw fought his way up from the hells to grant knowledge of the tabooed eighth on the next. On his eleventh birthday, a sword fell from the sky and landed in a very important chair. Soldiers from far and wide traveled to attempt to extract the sword from the queen’s throne, but none could shift the blade, until Avien. When he was fourteen, Avien learned of a prophecy that foretold of his decade long battle with the Demon Prince of Invea. But this isn't his story. Avien is kind of a chump. This is the story of Amber Jewel, a girl who has only been Chosen as another Chosen one’s wife. Updates Thursday, & Sunday.
8 185Vampire Life: Sara
This is a short story based on the character from my main book that is still in progress. The question that caused me to write this and other one to come was simple.... if you can't die, live forever, and interact with the human world, what do you do when something happens that you can't anticipate. In this book, Charles gets hit by a car.
8 129[Level-up] World's Only F Class !!!
The end of the world came so suddenly when worldwide disasters struck nearly destroying the political borders of the world. As the humans thought this might be the end, help came from the shadows unknown. 'They' established a new order under the name of the world council. 'They' brought hope by uniting the world under one leadership yet with them came changes... As the disasters settled curtains were lifted on now new world one with dungeons, monsters, and supernatural powers. Explore this new world through the eyes of Edmond Dantes, as he chases after his dream of becoming a 'Hunter'. There is only one problem though... Ed -" Um.. system can I ask you a question?" [ ..yes.] Ed -"I thought only those who are awakened can see the system?" [...yes.] Ed -" ... but I haven't awakened yet" [....yes.] Ed -"..."
8 101MINDMEN
Aru-menan was the death goddess, a revered warrior and step daughter of Zeto the mighty, the fire god. After being banished from her home realm to planet earth, she becomes Anna, an introverted teenage girl. Things change when she becomes a mindman and it gets worse when she decides to use these powers to save her city. She's running back into the life she was kicked out of.
8 174The Noble Curse of Ookami [Previously Titled: CLOSER]
Kyuuto, born as the last generation of the Ookami clan has to deal with the clan's thousand years curse of bringing back the ancient souls into modern world. In an effort to take vengeance, he was helped by Yuukai, a man who had saved hundred of other victims of the curse in order to turn the tides of fate. They formed an army to restore order in the chaotic world created by the curse, while slowly uncovering the secrets around them. After realizing his destined enemies are his own brothers, Kyuuto met with an internal turmoil whether to continue on fighting or give up entirely.
8 267Bear trap (statehumans CalTex)
(This book has nothing to do with furries, otherkins, or irl therianthropes. Both by their own definitions and my own, we have nothing to do with each other. Keep being your weird selves just don't pretend I'm a part of those groups because I wrote this book with animal/human hybrids in it. Any comments trying to talk about furries or otherkins will be deleted because it makes me physically uncomfortable. Therians are ok tho because it's basically the fancy way to say people who have spirit animals)There are two races in this world, humans and therianthropes, which are humans with animal qualities, that can shapeshift into their animal counterpart. The therianthropes, once divided by predator and prey, joined together in hiding after the humans began to hunt therianthropes for sport. California, a young grizzly bear therianthrope, was always curious to see the world beyond the forest he and his people lived within. Texas, a young farmhand, always wanted to catch a therianthrope, believing it would make him the hero of his village after violent massacres and thefts had been performed on it, supposedly by therianthropes.But when these two young men's paths collide, secrets, strange new feelings, and a magical adventure turns everything they thought they knew about the others race upside down.Warnings:- statehumans- countryhumans - the country and statehumans are all kinda just mixed together. There is no obvious separation between state and country, they're all just people - guns- and ships- hunting - idk, vegans?- gay stuff- not super gory, but people do get hurt - maybe death
8 250