Flossindune
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Chapter 190
🕑 Added 2024-07-08 12:32:02 +0000 UTCPittsburgh - 8:27 PM
“I can’t believe you, of all people, know about Sara but you don’t know about Aaron,” I complained, throwing my hands in the air.
“Hey, I know of the Fallen,” the Dealer defended. “Cut me some slack. You’re talking about bosses that are basically locked up gods like it’s a casual topic. Getting information on them isn’t supposed to be easy, even for us treasure hunters. In fact, I bet no other one knows more about this stuff than I do.”
“Bellzee,” I said immediately.
The alligator threw up his arms. “Really? You think Bellzee has more information than I do? You must think lower of me than I thought.”
Bellzee was a treasure hunter that focused on information just like the Dealer. They were a slime monster with a crystal ball floating in their center and, unlike the vast networks belonging to my reptilian friend, they got their knowledge through divinations. They weren’t always accurate, but they were usually close enough that I could get by.
I snorted. “Bellzee was the one who gave me all the information I needed to find the world boss here on Earth.”
He looked at me like I was crazy. “And you tried to fight it?” he almost shouted before shaking his head. “No. Regressor or not, you wouldn’t be here if you did.”
“Yeah, I lost pretty bad,” I admitted. “But the Calico’s Button-Up was really nice to have.”
“And how many lives did you use up?” he asked, referring to the Nine Lives passive the shirt came with.
I grinned. “It snapped my HP from zero back to half seven times. Six during the fight, and once during my tactical retreat.”
“You’re a damn fool,” he said, barking a harsh laugh. “Then again, you did convince one of them world bosses to be your Patron somehow. I still say you’re a fool, but something’s working.”
More than just a Patron, I thought but didn’t say. “You’re not wrong. You don’t have anything on him, though?”
The Dealer shook his head. “Nothing substantial, but I’ll look into it. Especially since you’re giving me the secret to how to beat the Golden Dream.”
“I haven’t said anything about that yet,” I told him. When he gave me the side-eye, I laughed. “I will. But I want to run something else by you first.”
“Shoot,” he said, moving out of the way of a couple of players coming down the road. They didn’t react to him at all, and I knew that he was cloaked in some way.
“When I was in the Golden Dream, I was told to remember some things,” I said. “Like, wide eyed, stare into my soul, you will remember this kind of thing, which was really strange at the time. The first was when Jeff told me that Greg was missing a hand and waiting for divine judgment or whatever.”
“That part was certainly true,” the Dealer said, lifting the severed hand he was carrying. “And easy to check the moment you woke up.”
“Yup. The first time it happened, we were talking about something that isn’t so easy to check.” Crossing my arms, I looked up at the sky in thought. “I was told that my big, off-script move was taking Washington D.C. and summoning a piece of Hell for the Demons there. Then, since I could permanently kill them, I went on a rampage.”
“Did that help somehow?” he asked.
“I have a new passive called Angelic Ascent,” I said. “Basically, every time I permanently kill a Demon, my Angel form grows in power. I don’t get points, which sucks because I didn’t get the points for killing the Demon Lord of Invention, but-“
The Dealer nearly stumbled. “You killed the Demon Lord?”
“Yeah, when I popped into Hell before I went to sleep,” I answered. “Did you not get that memo?”
He slapped his arm around my shoulder, nearly knocking me down. “I knew they died, I just didn’t know it was you. There was a Demon Lord’s death, some guy who worked out of the shadows, and Hell’s in an uproar about it. The details are being kept surprisingly tight, though. Current rumors say that Zalzarog did it, since he was the last on the scene.”
“You owe me for this one,” I said, and he winced. “I fled before the Soul Drinker could show up on Sara’s request. Not by choice; at the time I was drunk on power, but it was absolutely the right call.”
“I’m going to give that one to you,” he said, nodding. “If only because everyone’s going to want to know that an Angel- no, someone Angel-blooded went into Hell and took out one of their biggest bads. That’s going to fetch me a pretty point, Anthony.”
“I know,” I laughed. “That’s why you’re hanging out with me despite there being so many places you could be.”
“True, true. Okay, so revelations aside, you were told that you summoned Hell and basically broke the troops there,” the Dealer reiterated, stroking his long chin. “That’s going to take a lot of firepower. Did they say when?”
“No.” I shook my head. “The sooner the better, I’m guessing, but no timeline was given.”
“And this Aaron is basically, what? Evil Sara?” he asked.
Just as I was about to refute that, I stopped. Thinking about it that way, it made sense. “You know, I think so.”
“Alright, then it’s a trap,” he said simply.
“I thought about that, but I need to talk to Sara before I jump to any conclusions,” I replied. “If Aaron can control the Golden Dream, then I absolutely can’t trust it. If all he can do is put me to sleep and shift me from one dream world to another, then that means there is some other force at work giving me that information.”
“You think it could be an opportunity?” he asked, stroking his chin.
“I do,” I confirmed. “Because the dream is supposed to be perfect, so it may have some insight on a better path forward. It’s worth asking about, at least. Taking down the Demons in Washington D.C. early and with Angelic Assent would be a huge boost. I would be able to complete the final scenario much sooner than planned.”
“Sounds like you’ll be cutting into my profits,” the Dealer snorted.
I shrugged. “That’s dealing with a regressor for you.”
“Suppose so. Guess ending things early wouldn’t be too bad. Could still do well for myself, if I get on it now,” he admitted. I wasn’t sure exactly what he was referring to, but I wasn’t going to argue if he was on board. After a few moments, he nodded. “Alright, so it could be an opportunity. What if they were clues dropped by Aaron?”
This time, it was my turn to stroke my chin as I thought it over. It was a valid question. “I might still go on a rampage. The way I see it, whoever his champion is will likely have the same kind of Patron boons I do, right?”
“If they’re your opposite, then it makes sense.”
“So he’ll probably have his own version of Angelic Ascent,” I reasoned. “I mean, sure, Hell is the Fallen’s domain, or at least it should be? Still up in the air on that one. It might be the opposite because he might be trapped there. It’ll be worth looking into. But killing Demons in Hell has to be easier than killing Angels in Heaven, and he wants his champion to compete with me. That’s a tall order.”
The Dealer started nodding. “You think that he wants you to summon Hell so his avatar doesn’t have to, then steal some of the glory and points?”
“It’s what I’ve come up with in this short time,” I said with a shrug. “But, killing another Demon Lord or two will give me a substantial boost. I’m not sure when I’ll be ready for it, but I think it’s worth a shot. Aaron already had his opportunity to kill me or leave me for dead and he either decided not to or couldn’t, so I think he’s got something to prove.”
“A little competition between world bosses using avatars sounds like it could be disastrous,” he remarked.
The thought made me shiver. Thinking of how much damage I could do and then putting a second Anthony to run counter to it, there was very little that anyone could do to stop us. Of course, whoever he picked wasn’t going to have my expertise so, thankfully, it was only a thought experiment.
“I think I may have something for you,” the Dealer said. “I don’t have it yet. Just have to confirm that it’s where I think it is and jump through a bunch of hoops to get it.”
“What is it?” I asked curiously.
“Something that will give you the edge in a war against a city full of Demons. I think it’ll let you bypass any traps or tricks Arontalscion is planning on throwing your way,” he answered. “I don’t want to get your hopes up by telling you what it is, but if I can confirm it, I’ll give it to you in exchange for telling me how to win the Golden Dream.”
“It’s gotta be worth it.”
“It will be,” he said, grinning deviously. “Michael, the Patron, put out a call for it.”
I arched an eyebrow. “And you’re willing to give it to me instead of giving it to a Patron as powerful as an Archangel?”
“What can I say? I have faith in you, kid.”
That put me at a loss for words, but I nodded. “Alright, Dealer. Thank you. I really appreciate what you’re doing for me.”
“Yes, I’m amazing. Surprised it took you so long to see it,” he said, stopping in front of a large lot with a swimming pool in the center of it. “Alright, we’re here and we have a few minutes according to the tracker. Next order of business, Kayla made me pick up some of your requests from the Auction House.”
“Aww, thanks Kayla,” I said, and he shot me a glare. “And the Dealer, of course.”
“Of course, he says,” the alligator snorted. Tucking away Greg’s hand and the device it was attached to into his pocket, he retrieved two books and handed them to me. “Missed out on In The Palm and Hard Body because I was told too late, but I picked up both of these for you.”
“Did you miss out on Comfort Plus?” I asked sharply.
“Nah, nothing’s popped up.”
“Okay. I would have had to ruin Aaron’s entire existence if he made me miss Comfort Plus,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.
I ignored the weird look the Dealer gave me and looked at the books.
The one on top was larger than average and was light blue with the picture of a head. The brain was escaping from inside of it, bulging as if it had somehow become muscular. Just like the Bodily Inferno compilation I told the Mills they should get for Corwin, this book was the result of passives stuck together and placed into a Blank. The second one was a group of people surrounding one who was blindfolded, but they each had an eye above their heads.
“Mental Juggernaut and Spatial Awareness!” I exclaimed. “Nice! Thanks a lot, Dealer. These two were at the top of my wish list.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad something is going right despite your absence,” he said.
“Same.”
“Alright, then I’m on my way out. I’ll get the information on that secret weapon verified as soon as possible and meet you in Chicago.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be taking the train as soon as I’m done with Greg, so I should be there early tomorrow morning. Until then, stay safe,” I said.
With an acknowledging grunt, the Dealer pulled out another gadget from his pocket and pressed a big red button. He disappeared with an audible pop, and I was alone in the dark.
I looked around. Whatever building this was, it was huge. Definitely worth a lot of points if I were to judge it solely on its size. Maybe an apartment or shopping complex of some sort.
Instead of dwelling on it for too long, I looked back down at the two skill books in my hands. The Mental Juggernaut was a great standalone, and I decided to do that first. Spatial Awareness was going to need both of my Synthesis Pages to get to where I wanted it to be.
Opening up the first one, I hit Yes and relished in the feeling of my mind fortifying itself.
<<<>>>
[[Passive]]
Mental Juggernaut
When targeted by any ability, skill, spell, or passive that attempts to affect your mind, treat your Wisdom or Willpower as 20% higher, depending on which is targeted. When using Mental Points, decrease the costs required by 20%.
<<<>>>
“Now that’s a damn good hybrid skill,” I said aloud. The person who had synthesized had been aiming for a psychic class, but didn’t get one in the end. Thanks to that, they ended up putting it on auction to pay for their new spell-focused build. It was a huge boon for me.
Instead of taking the time to absorb the skill book for Spatial Awareness, which would essentially allow me to see around me constantly with something similar to echolocation, I pulled out a synthesis page so I could merge it with Aura Sense. That had been a huge help to me in Pittsburgh thanks to Sara gifting it before I would normally get it. When prompted, I hit Yes and pulled up the new skill.
<<<>>>
[[Skill]]
Awareness Aura
When this skill is active, you are aware of everything inside of your aura. Your aura stretches out in a radius as far out as a half foot per point of Wisdom by paying a moderate cost of Mental Points.
<<<>>>
“Not as great as either alone, but then we do a little of this…” I said, trailing off as I pulled out my second and last Synthesis Page.
I selected both Awareness Aura and Dungeon Sight to be mixed.
Dungeon Sight had been a fabulous skill. It was already a synthesis between Trap Sense and Clear Eyes which allowed me to see in the dark and through things like smoke as well as occasionally get glimpses of special treasures, hidden objects, and traps. Now, it was being used as fodder.
With excitement welling up inside of me, I hit Yes again.
<<<>>>
[[Passive]]
Absolute Awareness
Your vision is absolute.
Increase the distance at which you can make out fine details by a magnification of 10. You can see through darkness as if it were daylight, and can see through magical obscurement and weather effects without hindrance. Items of interest have a high chance of releasing a glow that only you can see.
In addition, you can use your aura to see in a radius as far out as a foot per point of Wisdom. With this, you can see through walls, though some thick, rare, or magical materials may hinder your sight. Abilities, skills, spells, and passives that require line of sight will work through Absolute Awareness.
<<<>>>
Even without closing my eyes, my sight opened up around me. While the passive didn’t specifically say it, using my aura worked a lot like the Aura Sense skill. Items and buildings showed up gray, as if I was looking at them through a filter, and I could see inside a building across the street. There was someone looting the place, their aura a dim yellow, but it didn’t seem to be anyone of consequence.
Without turning to look, I Lifted a sign off of the ground. When it did as I wanted, I grinned like the fool the Dealer thought I was.
One of the biggest hurdles of the Warmind class was that I needed line of sight to use my abilities. It didn’t matter if I had a line of effect so long as I could see the item and it was in range. With Absolute Awareness, that weakness disappeared almost completely. Raising my hand, I Pulled the sign from behind me to catch it.
“And it’s a passive!” I cackled.
Unlike those that came before, the ultimate rendition of this skill changed into a passive that worked all the time. Of course, it took a lot of getting used to; my mind was already feeling a little dizzy from my expanded field of view, but that would pass quickly. To help ease that, I drew my aura sight in, allowing it to only be as large as the lot I was waiting for. The feeling immediately lessened.
My outburst did do one thing, however: it made me miss Sara. My excitement dimmed as I looked to the sky. It had been such a short amount of time, but I had gotten used to sharing my excitement with my wife.
My girlfriend, I gently reminded myself.
“Soon,” I said, pushing away the feeling as the lot in front of me started to glow. Raising my hand, I conjured the Staff of Raphael while I watched the building rise from the ground. I saw the auras of several people inside, including a familiar smoky one with a missing hand. “Now, it’s time to do Sara’s work.”
Comments
Andrew Nichols
Seriously I CANNOT WAIT to see what he/you do to greg. It's gonna be...wait for it.....legend.....DARY!!! TFTC as always!!
