Something (Full Murderhobo Book 1) Page 14
At least once a week he threw everything he had against the beast, and every. Single. Time. Luke was sent to the ground with serious injuries. Once he had landed on the ground in the third zone, and he had been torn up. Luke still wasn't sure how he had managed to get away, back into the second zone, but he thanked his lucky stars that he had. He had a sneaking suspicion that Cookie had rescued him, but she was playing coy and refusing to answer.
But now… now he was really trapped. There was no way to progress; he could feel it. That meant that there was no way forward, no way back… “And now my berries are useless!”
He threw the remaining berries at the Stone Ape, but they popped and sizzled away into nothing as they crossed the zone dividing line. Luke couldn't even use them as a distraction; the stone ape just didn't care if he threw things at him. “I need… this all needs to end. I just want it all to be over! I’ve been trapped here forever!”
Luke trudged to the edge of the world and looked over. Just like every other time he had been here, his broken Sigil mustered the power to chime, and he was unable to take any further steps. “I can't even throw myself into oblivion because of that abyssal Kingdom that sent me to rot! If I ever get the chance for revenge…!”
He stood at the edge and screamed for a while, then cradled Cookie and wept blue tears. Night fell, and he simply lay on his back and stared at the empty sky. No stars, no sun. No dancing unicorns. Only time of light, and time of darkness. No wind. No rain. No change of any kind, except the swirling blue fog that made it hard to see any real distance on this plane. “Thanks, Cookie. That helped. I love hugs. Still, I need to find a way to make this all stop.”
Cookie fell against his leg, and he stared at the corkscrew at the end of her teardrop. “Cookie… I understand. Thank you for mentioning that, I know it must be hard for you to suggest that, since you’ll be all alone when I’m gone. Oh! I know! You can hang out with my skeleton; it’s named ‘Douglas’. He’s not very talkative, and I know you aren't acquainted, but don’t worry. I give you permission to have a friend other than me.”
Luke unscrewed the cap and started pouring the water onto the ground. He drank some of it to lubricate his throat, no reason to be uncomfortable when he died. Finally, the only other thing inside Cookie fell into his waiting hand. The shining tier four pearl. All the smaller ones were still in his goat hide canteen. “No danger here, Kingdom Sigil. Just a shiny rock, nothing for you to worry ab-”
Without waiting another second, he slammed the pearl into his mouth and swallowed. Then he chugged as much water as he could manage… and waited. “Ha! Sucker Sigil, I found a way around you! So long, Murder World! I did it; I did it! Hahaha!”
Already his stomach was burning, a heat that his body simply couldn’t contain. “I’ll count down… I bet I’ll pop by the time I get to one. What? What do you mean you’ll take that bet, Cookie? Just because you could stomach it doesn't mean that I can! Don't you put that evil on me!”
*Chime*!
“That… that was louder than usual.” Luke shook his head at his silly weapon and lay flat. No need to make a mess on her. Looking up, he gasped for a moment in delight as his hallucinations returned! No unicorns this time… for some reason, it was words? Unbeknownst to him, the Sigil in his forehead had fully come to life for the first time in years, and the lights it released were spinning madly.
Contribution Activity Log is online! Scanning…
CAL Scan complete!
Level: 0
Current Etheric Xenograft Potentia: 37,777/100 to level 1!
Body: 10 (Mortal Limit)
Mind: 0/0 (Damaged: repairs needed)
Presence: 10 (Mortal Limit)
Senses: 10 (Mortal Limit)
Health: 150
Mana: 0/0 (Mana channels damaged to non-usability.)
Mana regen: 0/0 (see above!)
Massive damage to mana channels has been found. Carving new mana channels… processing. Large amount of mana is required. Find a mana-rich area! The more abundant, the better the resulting channels will become!
Extreme mana surplus detected within flesh, stomach, and ambient environment; all needs met by a factor of 1.1k. Caution: due to surplus of mana, survival depends on channels that can properly direct mana. Requirement determined: Prismatic Channels required for life. Carving new mana channels… beginning.
Luke screamed as his body was lit up from within by undulating blue lightning. Whips of raw mana started flaying his flesh from the inside out. He wanted to black out, but he was too used to the berries - which he had eaten for the last few years - impacting his mind and altering his senses. Powerful sensations had been something he had been seeking on a constant basis… but not like this.
Lethal hallucinogenic poison levels detected… processing… process-proc-proc-
*Pop*.
The Sigil on Luke’s head started to steam and shifted into a new configuration; even as the skin around it blistered and burned.
Sigil damaged due to extremely low internal mana and extreme concentrations of ambient mana! Mortal tier safety protocols overridden. High Human safeties activated. Scanning the local environment.
“This one is Mine.”
The words resonated throughout the entirety of the corkscrew world, and the Sigil reformed once again; this time into an entirely different and much more intricate configuration. Then it shifted slightly, a camouflage that made it appear to be only a standard and basic Sigil.
Luke’s eyes were rolled into the back of his head, and he stared up with only the whites showing as he choked on his own saliva. The voice came again, sending every intelligent being into hiding as pure power converged on Luke’s changed Sigil from the foundation of the world.
“Data… granted!”
High Human safeties overridden by UnKnOWn. Data packet added to framework. ? Source-cerer protocols granted by same entity?
Skill acquired!
You have enough Etheric Xenograft Potentia to level up! Do so now? Yes / Yes.
Source-cerer protocols are auto-assigning Potentia, as host is not in a fit state to do so. Scanning… overabundance of Potentia will destroy the host body if used to improve characteristics across the board. Prismatic Mana Channels found. Mana uncontained within system. Body will burst unless characteristic is increased. Leveling up host. Leveling gained skill with death-inducing excess. Activating in 3… 2…
As the process started, Luke began to stretch grotesquely as his body gained mass and muscles. His arm swelled up like a stretched waterskin, then shrank down to become proportional to the remainder of his body. This happened over and over, with different limbs. His skin shifted back and forth, and his bones groaned as they broke and repaired themselves again and again.
Leveling complete.
Current Etheric Xenograft Potentia: 3,000/3,400 to level 8!
Your skill from a pearl has reached tier 7! 477/8,900 to level 10!
You have created a skill? Impossibility found. Checking… data accurate. Deleting Power On Self Test from logs.
Say ‘Status’ to open or close this screen. Say ‘Access’ to access the data packet granted by unknown!
The sky brightened. The Stone Ape looked on impassively as Luke lay unmoving on the ground. Darkness descended. This pattern repeated twice, and finally, Luke blinked and reached out. “C… Cookie?”
Abnormal mental state detected. Balancing… error. Baseline measurements corrupted. Averaging aggregate data… balancing based on pathways carved in last several years. Current mental state set as the new normal.
The Sigil chimed, and Luke blinked. He sat up, and the screen followed his movements. “Ugh… what in the… what happened to me? What is this?”
He read over the screen, and his eyes widened again and again, then narrowed. “The Sigil had a function other than forcibly controlling self-destructive urges? Why didn't they tell us before we left?”
Luke shook his head and read through all the text that had been generated
. He stood, wiped dried and crusted blood out of his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, and walked to the edge of the world, bowing, and shouting. “Hey, unknown entity! Thanks!”
No response, but that at least was something that he was used to getting. Luke plopped down and looked at the information. “All right, stats - oh, come on. Status. I feel like this should be more intent-based. ‘Characteristics’ were auto-assigned? What does that mean?”
CAL Scan
Level: 7
Current Etheric Xenograft Potentia: 3,000/3,400 to level 8!
Note: the arrow next to characteristics denotes a change granted by leveling up.
Body: 20
Fitness: 10 -> 30
Resistance: 10
Mind: 10 (Prismatic mana channels)
Talent: 10
Capacity: 10
Presence: 10
Willpower: 10
Charisma: 10
Senses: 12.5
Physical reaction: 10 -> 15
Mental energy: 10
Health: 150
Mana: 190
Mana regen: 3.33 100 per second (Overridden by local ambient levels.)
Skills
T7: 1
T3: 1
To access historical data, say ‘Access’.
“I’ll get around to it. Calm yourself.” Luke told the final - flashing - word. He glanced to the side, and nodded at Cookie. “I told it, don’t worry, Cookie. I was listening. What’s the skill I got?”
Skill page requested. Skills: 2
Fully geared. (T7) Level 9. 477/11,000 to level 10!
Effect 1: You are able to absorb natural weapons and armor (Claws, fangs, scales) by touching them. By absorbing a certain amount of the same type of weapon or armor, you are able to ‘equip’ it on your body. Only one type of weapon can be created at a time, and only one type of armor per slot. Choosing a new type of weapon or armor will replace the previous type once it is complete. Weapons and armor cannot exceed current tier and level.
Bonus 1, at range: You are able to absorb a weapon or armor type within five feet of your body. No longer requires active attempts after the item is selected.
Effect 2: You are now able to absorb weapons or armor created via natural metals. Natural metal weapons and armor cannot exceed current tier and level. Natural weapons can exceed tier, so long as they are within three effective levels.
Bonus 2, Multitarget: You can now select to absorb all weapons or armor of the same type within the range of bonus 1.
Effect 3: You are now able to absorb weapons or armor created via unnatural metals (magical weapons/armor). Weapons and armor cannot exceed current tier and level of this skill. Natural metal weapons can exceed tier, so long as they are within three effective levels. Natural weapons can exceed tier, so long as they are within six effective levels.
Bonus 3, AoE: You can store the weapons and armor you create. You are able to select between all different versions you have previously created!
Effect 4: Each active weapon or armor slot now costs a flat percentage of your mana pool to maintain! To achieve the exact damage or protection potential, ten percent of your mana must be applied. Each percentage added or subtracted will change the potential armor/damage by one percent.
I Have Concerns. (T3) Level 0. You have gorged yourself on potent hallucinogens and high-ambient mana for years, and they have finally given up. They have thrown in the towel. You win.
Effect 1: Never again will poison or pure mana be able to damage you. Your flesh contains potent power and mind-shifting effects. Anything taking a bite out of you should be prepared to feel like unicorns are goring them to death!
Bonus 1, at range: Poisons in the air, such as toxic fumes, will restore your health and mana over time. Amount regained is based on potency and time spent in the poison.
Effect 2: You are able to consume concentrated mana to restore health and mana, or hallucinogenic materials to further increase restored health and mana.
This skill cannot be increased via additive Potentia.
“Helpful, but not really. I don’t know what any of this means. What are Prismatic Mana Channels?” Luke sighed and decided to get on with the next portion. “Alright, ya blinking screen. Calm down. Access.”
Data packet from unknown accessed… updating log with provided data… cross-referencing with Source-cerer protocols… complete! Messages will be displayed in order of creation.
You have entered Unknown World!
You have been exposed to concentrated mana! Damage reduced from 100/second to 0.003/sec. Scanning body… mana channels damaged and blocked to the point of extreme host mana deprivation. Sigil enters low-power mode until mana can be absorbed from host to sustain systems.
You have entered Tutorial zone, Zone one! While in this Zone, you may notice a few small creatures! Don’t underestimate them, but do your best to move to the next area quickly to earn a bonus! The longer this Zone goes without crossing into the next Zone, the more creatures will be generated to ensure that you are being properly tested! This Zone will help you to understand your own body and some of the challenges you will face on the lower stretches of Unknown World!
You have slain Battering Ram (level 1). Bonus Etheric Xenograft Potentia granted for slaying a creature of a higher level than yourself! (Battle log condensed, display entire log?)
Concentrated mana ingested! Preparing for death of host. Death not achieved. Impossibility found. Deleting data. New effect noted. Health… regenerated? Error. Divide by zero. Impossible situation. Data unavailable. Deleting data.
You have gained a skill pearl (T1) from a Battering Ram! You can either use the pearl right away by swallowing it, or combine fifty pearls to upgrade the skill rarity you can attain! Please note, each type of creature will only allow you to use a single pearl per tier. Example: 1 T1 skill. 1 T2 Skill. T3 or above is possible, but very unlikely due to the massive amounts of pearls that would be required!
World name changed from ‘Unknown’ to ‘Murder World’ by host.
You have combined fifty T1 skill pearls! Congratulations! Upgrading starting bonus due to extreme patience!
You have slain Battering Ram (level 1). Etheric Xenograft Potentia has been reduced for slaying too many of the same creatures! Error. Bonus Etheric Xenograft Potentia granted for slaying a creature of a higher level than yourself! (Battle log condensed. Total of 150,000+ messages over three years aggregated. Display all?)
You have combined fifty T2 skill pearls! Congratulations! Upgrading starting bonus due to extreme patience!
You have combined fifty T3 skill pearls! Congratulations! Upgrading starting bonus due to extreme patience! Please… eat the skill pearl.
Zone one cleared! Congratulations for setting a new record clear time! New record: 26,729.4383 hours! Now people following in your footsteps have something to strive for!
Battering Ram respawn rate has been reset from 886 goats per hour, to 1 goat per twelve hours! Bonus Potentia gained for clearing a Zone: 100. Optional: Finish off all enemies to earn another bonus! Feel free to return at any point, but be warned: the creatures will be extra-hostile since you escaped them once! Fear the fluffy death!
You have entered Tutorial Zone, Zone Two! This Zone is designed to test your Mind! You may find a bush or two in what is otherwise a safe zone. You can either ignore them, or sample the berries to very slightly train your mind through the use of hallucinations! Caution: the berries are slightly toxic and you may suffer some damage!
Zone two cleared! Congratulations for setting a new record clear time! New record: .489 hours! Now people following in your footsteps have something to strive for! Bonus for clearing the Zone: 200 Potentia. Hidden achievement: Eat no berries! 100 Potentia gained!
You have entered Tutorial Zone, Zone Three. This Zone is guarded by various defenders depending on the section of the Zone you enter! No matter which route you take in personal progression, you must find a way to clear this Zone! Do your best to defeat the guardian
and move to the next area quickly, as each defender you destroy will spawn two defenders that are out for revenge!
You have eaten a toxic berry! (total of 200,000+ messages over two years aggregated. Display all?)
You have eaten a Tier four (T4) skill pearl! Starter bonus applied! Skill being generated! Error. Mana channels damaged. Skill use is impossible with this body. Body shutting down due to overload. Death is imminent.
Intervention by Unknown entity. New mana channels carved. Optimized mana channels carved by Unknown. Starter bonus increased by ambient mana levels. Increased by improved channels. Increased by entity! Applied. T4 skill increased to T7.
Characteristics assigned: +7 to Fitness, +1 to Physical Reaction.
Prismatic Mana Channels: Mana usage will not tire the host. Losing all mana may be annoying, but cannot impact the user’s mental or physical state. Channeling of any amount of mana is theoretically possible.
There was nothing else, but still there were tears flowing down Luke’s face as he laughed in pure joy. “It… there was supposed to be a reason for this area? I wasn't abandoned here? This place wasn't a mistake? Then why… why did it all go wrong?”
He remembered the human bones in the pool of the tutorial, and things started to fall into place. “Think… the goats had been spawning at a crazy high amount, which would have started the first time someone arrived here. I drank ‘concentrated mana’, except… I never drank anything but spicy water.”
Luke put his head in his hands. “In other words… that wasn't water? I knew it was different. That was all ‘mana’ somehow, and only the fact that my body was damaged to the point of almost dying whenever mana tried to go through my ‘channels’ somehow allowed me to survive touching it? I’ve been drinking that for years, bathing in it. I used it to craft - ahh! I forgot about Cookie!”