Monsoon117
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309 The Unfamiliar
🕑 Added 2021-04-02 15:09:10 +0000 UTCThe cloud warped, wisping to a singular point of water. That liquid plopped to the earth, my view of the sun cleared. I gawked at the display, the range of my abilities far exceeding what I believed of them. Dwelling on what I was capable of, I allowed my mana to effuse ever so slightly. The air around me blurred from it, the dimension around me warping.
I hoped Plazia was ready for me.
Because I was ready for him.
Chapter Begin
An hour later, and I prepared for the Ahcorus's homeworld with my team. Most of my followers stayed here, our guild needing them for different operations. Torix handled the expanding infrastructure around Mt. Verner and Blegara. He even expanded the policing, education, and conscription duties to various divisions of our guild. That included the Vagni.
On the other hand, Kessiah kept in her realm of expertise, healing many of our troops. Even if our casualties were low, the injury rate was not. Getting them back into shape took a lot of time, and Kessiah went after it like an animal. As for Hod and Althea, they needed a break. Torix and I worked them to the bone during our fights with Elysium, so time to decompress was necessary.
Others fell under similar reasoning. Chrona and Krog began turning the top of Mt. Verner into a neoteric sanctuary for the gialgathens. They named the peak New Rivaria after their ancient refuge on Giess. They began remaking the old with a dash of new. Those acts established tablets etched with poetry, open homes, and even the never-melting ice sculptures they loved.
They performed music with molded glass, which echoed out like wind chimes and gentle winds. The gialgathens played games across Mt. Verner's peaks, showing their aerial mobility off in spades. They even pooled mist near the mountain's surface, offering moisture for their amphibious skins.
It made me smile seeing them and knowing I helped give them a place for this kind of thing. Other members of our guild lived the way they wanted as well. Diesel and other engineers focused on constructing fresh bunches of buildings, farms, and utilities on Mt. Verner's surface. My constructor golems helped them make changes in real-time, shortening the entire development immensely.
They didn't coat Mt. Verner in a city overnight, but they gained more ground than I'd expected. On the other hand, a few of my battle golems patrolled around Mt. Verner and cleansed the land of any aggressive eldritch. To Amara's chagrin, that meant all of them, but even she accepted that most eldritch couldn't be socialized.
It was just a part of their nature.
Either way, combining all of those jobs and duties took up immense amounts of time. With everything squared away, only three people left with me: Helios, Florence, and Amara. Helios was the most important member, as his warping saved me so much time. He also intended to give me a few lessons on warping while we traveled the ahcorus's homeworld. I looked forward to it, as warping would make me an absolute, utilitarian beast.
Florence came with us as well, the brothers getting along better since they had a talk a while back. The more social albony of the two wanted to speak with the razor queens and learn about their cultures. Florence figured he could create an alliance with trade deals and everything included if we played our cards right. I hoped he was right.
The last to join us was Amara. She wanted to gain levels by eating other eldritch and speak with Plazia. I wondered why, but Amara explained that Schema never gave her attributes for free. Schema simply recorded her evolution, raising her threat level as she strengthened herself.
As an eldritch, she didn't really need Schema to get stronger. That augmentation ability came wrapped into her being, as all she required was organic matter to eat. That growth potential could be why the eldritch were so hated to begin with. Schema preferred people needing him, and if you could avoid his system, he acted dicey.
Schema aside, our group of four readied ourselves along Mt. Verner's edge. We stood at our base's warp site, putting armor, tools, food, dungeon clearing gear, and enchantments into our dimensional storages. My gravity rings floated some of the equipment for them, as I gave each of them an enchanted circlet as I had my own troops. For Florence and Helios, I even granted them some spare, protective plating of my armor.
Even if they brought it to the Emperor for experimentation, I was ok with that risk. I didn't want either of the two exposed while we were fighting Plazia. They could be eaten in a second, especially Florence, and I didn't want to bring an empty casket back home.
Completing the armor and rings required little effort, as did the packing, so I made my minds work elsewhere. Seven elemental furnaces forged matter into energy under my skin, each of them nestled into safe patches of my mass. They channeled enormous plumes of mana into my cipheric carvings, and those detailed etchings gave me attributes in turn.
Knowing their full impact, I inspected the difference even a few hours made on my cipheric augments sheet.
[Modifications - The dimensional fabric composing this structure has been modified with code from the dimensional cipher. The rewards are as follows:
+7,121 Constitution
+27,414 Endurance
+5,557 Perception
+6,271 Willpower
+1,777 Luck
+72 Strength
+72 Dexterity
+100% to Effects of Legacies
+ 50% Internal Motivation Multiplier
+1.4 Trillion Ambient Mana]
Over the last few weeks, I generated an enormous amount of bonus endurance. These gains mounted until they exceeded my recent level-ups from Schema. By a lot, actually. With all the excess mana flowing in from the furnaces, it wouldn't be long before my runes eclipsed the AI's gains, and threatening exilement wouldn't be an issue.
Of course, I wanted to remain on good terms with Schema, so I'd stay in line. It was just a comparison I noted in my head. Beyond that, I inspected my status sheet, figuring out the specific amount of mana I generated from my furnaces. As expected, the matter conversion gave me a lot of energy to work with.
The Living Multiverse(Lvl 18,506 (Cap: 26,000) | Current Influence: The Rise of Eden | Class: Sovereign)
Strength – 97,153 | Constitution – 121,977 | Endurance – 251,245
Dexterity – 50,992 | Willpower – 208,645 | Intelligence – 129,009
Charisma – 50,715 | Luck – 71,488 | Perception – 39,307 |Awe - 5,201
Health: 1.08 Billion/1.08 Billion | Health Regen: 40.67 Billion/min or 677.7 Million/sec
Stamina: Infinite | Ambient Mana 5.402 Trillion
Mass: 24.28 Million Pounds(11.0 Million Kilos~)
Height: 18'03 (5.56 meters)
Damage Res - 99.28% | Dimensional Res - 100%
Phys Dam Bonus – 139.5 Million % | Damage Bonus – 40%
The Rise of Eden - enhances base stats by 30%, increased to 40% to allies within aura's radius.
Mana Conversion(Elemental Furnace Count: 7) - 56.4 Billion mana/min siphoned into runes and armor.
I shook my head in disgust at the furnaces' mana production. The overwhelming amount of mana increase put me at an absurd rate of stat augments as well. Even better, multiple furnaces laid unused in Elysium's treasure. I kept them tucked away in my dimensional storage, handing one off to Torix earlier if he wanted to try using one.
If he blew himself up, I'd make him a new body when he arrived back here from his phylactery. Everyone else simply couldn't handle a furnace yet. If they could, I'd spread them around to more potential members. Unfortunately, most would evaporate themselves and an entire region if they tinkered with one. Keeping them hidden for now kept most of the guild safe from their fallout.
And yeah, maybe I was a bit greedy with them. Eh, nobody's perfect, right?
Anyways, I inspected a few of my skills along with other parts of my status. With how many numbers interplayed together, it became easy to have certain aspects fall to the wayside. I imagined status accountants that helped manage someone's build and upgrades further down the line. Experienced, researched individuals could streamline the process, and maybe Obolis could recommend a few.
My own analysis proved fruitful, however. I found three skills working together that could be fused. The first of those three was A Manifold Mind. It would absolutely be integrated into my sovereign skill because its potential was limitless, and it amplified every ability I had.
The second skill humming along was Matter Conversion, the skill used to power the elemental furnaces. I leveled it quite a bit as of late, and getting more of them operating at once only gave me more potential. If anything, I may one day have hundreds or thousands running at once. At that point, who knew what I was capable of.
The third skill amplifying the others was Hunter of Many. I gained the technique a long time ago, and it drew out clear maps of my surroundings using my senses and powers. It also gave me some nuance with gravitation and telekinesis. These three mythical tier skills could combine fluidly without much interference, which meant they'd mold into a legendary skill soon.
I simply needed A Manifold Mind to use the furnaces while having that same skill scope out my surroundings with Hunter of Many. That combination granted me a pristine awareness of my surroundings, many furnaces firing at once, and plenty of mental room leftover for other tasks. Considering the sheer utility of a legendary skill like that, it was a no-brainer moving forward.
It did leave me wondering if I should postpone the legendary skill's creation until I unlocked primordial mana. After all, I'd gain the mana type eventually, and I wanted it fused together with my sovereign skill. A bit of arguing between minds, and I dismissed the idea. While primordial mana may be a path of improvement for me, it would never be one of my primary strengths.
It just didn't come naturally to me at all, and that meant learning its advanced techniques would be a desperate struggle as well. Now, I'd push through until I got it, but taping that lagging skill to my affluent ones could be a bad idea. It might not enhance my understanding of primordial mana at all, or worse, it may drag my best abilities down.
Even if that wasn't the case, I'd gain three legendary skill slots once I established my sovereign skill. Primordial mana could be used in one of those three openings, along with some of its advanced techniques like temporal dilation.
Having reached a decision, I ramped up my elemental furnace production while scoping out my surroundings. This gave me a pristine picture of Florence and Helios arguing behind me while Amara bit into some crystallized quintessence. It was her favorite flavor. They already finished while I pushed more food into my own pocket dimension.
Here at the edge of the mountain, the trees wafted in the wind as scents of rich earth, morning dew, and pure sunlight poured in. Tasting the air, I spread out my hands for a second. Having so much perception allowed me to appreciate the beauty of nature in depth. I thanked that boon from my status and skills, just soaking in the sheer thrill of an untamed forest.
And then Helios snapped, "Florence, you're weak. A speaker is useful elsewhere, not on a fringe world with an ancient, abyssal entity under its surface. You're going to slow us down."
Florence rolled his eyes under his dark wood mask, "Pshh, what? I'm plenty strong enough, and with a group such as this, there's nothing to worry about. Just look at Daniel over there. Imposing, isn't he? I can't imagine someone bullying me while he's around."
Helios dragged his hand down his mask, "Bullying? An insect will crawl down your throat and devour your organs. Bullying is the least of our concerns."
Florence pointed two finger guns at Helios, "But you'll help pull it out of me before it can eat all my insides, right?"
Helios deadpanned, "I will tear it out, along with any guts it's attached to."
Florence gave Helios a quick pat, "There you go. That's all I'll need. Besides, I'm taking the risk on myself. I don't need your chiding to remind me of that."
Helios's pulse quickened as Florence touched the real issue. I smiled under my helmet, recognizing Helios's dissent as carefully disguised worrying. Helios let his hands flop against his sides while hissing, "Don't complain to the Emperor when I pull your liver out then."
Ahh, now that was brotherly love.
I waved at them both, "Hey, stop that. We're about to leave, and I don't want them to think we're unprofessional." I stared forward, spotting Amara clanking her teeth on a mana crystal, "Even if we are."
Helios stood up straight, more than able to play the part of the cold, calculating pro. Florence lacked that same ruthlessness while Amara kept chewing at the crystal-like it was an oversized jawbreaker. It gave us the impression of a rag-tag group of misfits, which was pretty on point. Eh, we usually made our most significant statements with actions anyway.
We reached the warp-drive with our supplies in tow before Helios raised a hand, "If I may offer a counter-proposal, I may warp us directly to Reason's lair."
I leaned back, stunned he already memorized the coordinates, "I thought it took you weeks to get a new planet down for warping. What gives?"
Helios raised his eyebrows under his dark mask, "It does take that long, but I was well aware we'd be going here for a few weeks before now. I simply put time into studying those coordinates, so adjusting a few calculations to Reasons' domain is a simple task."
I gave him a nod, "Alright then. Let's go warp directly there."
With satisfaction, Helios raised his arm and generated a portal. Beyond its veil, a stary sky spread over an empty horizon. A cold, desolate land peaked in from beyond the gateway, and craters lined the surface of its icy grasp.
Air howled into the other planet's atmosphere, the empty place hungry for our prosperous planet's air. I scoffed out loudly, "Oh yeah, it's looking very lively over there. You sure you have the right coordinates?"
Helios raised his unarmored right hand, my ring humming as it granted him better breathing, "I am. This is their homeworld, Svia."
I stepped through the portal. Florence, Amara, and Helios followed in my wake. Peering up, the stars glimmered down like silver coins amidst splashes of misty lightning. They carried many colors, this thin atmosphere poor for breathing but excellent for stargazing. Finding different lights, I picked up many of their individual features. Perception aided that process, making great views even better despite it being my lowest attribute.
Below this wide, expansive skyline, the pressure here mirrored a moon more than a planet. It wasn't as decompressive as space was, though it came closer than Giess or Earth did. The gravity proved looser here and less of a constant pull, more of a slight tug.
I spread my right hand out, lifting one of the stones below us into my hand. I crushed it to powder before the dust lingered in the air. Taking a step forward, the crisp, crunchy ground let out a soft warble of sound. The thin air didn't carry noise well.
Amara hissed, her voice muted, "This world is uncomfortable. Why they live here is a mystery to me, for there is little here beyond dust."
I gazed at endless, rolling hills of white stone, "Tell me about it."
Using my sharp sense of pressure, I created tiny gravity wells over each of my team members, mirroring Earth's atmospheric pressure. Florence gasped in relief, "That is much better, thank you."
I rolled my shoulders, "No problem. Let's go."
Helios raised his eyebrows, "Where, exactly?"
Peering around, I had no idea. Little exposed itself here, outside of endless wasteland. A piercing quiet crushed in from all angles, creating a heavy cloak both comfortable yet suffocating. It dulled my senses, but I leaned onto my gravitational awareness to compensate. Bending my knees, I pushed my heels into Svia to jump.
The crackling rock crumbled under the pressure of my feet, enormous cracks radiating from the ground. I lifted myself further with gravitation before inspecting at a higher vantage point. Everywhere on this dead rock mirrored what we found below, all except specific burrow openings.
These apertures glistened from the intense solar energy that reflected off their surfaces. Something caused that blinding sheen, but the glow masked the details of the chasms. Landing back below, I stifled my meteoric impact by lifting myself upwards.
This prevented me from hurting my team. Once down, I pointed where one of the burrow openings exposed itself, "There's something out there. Let's go."
Having practiced with my rings, Helios and Amara propelled themselves from the ground. Helios did so with ease, having mastered their use already. Florence floundered behind us before failing his enchantment altogether. Without turning back, I stopped his faceplant into the white stone with a smile,
"You need to practice."
Florence smiled back, "Oh, but I'm simply too busy working for your guild. There's no time for developing the ring's use, and I'm certain you understand the sentiment."
Helios massaged his temples with his fingertips, his fur bristling along his face, "And to think I ever believed you competent."
I picked Florence up before setting him down. He ran below us while we hovered above. We slowed down for Florence, but I didn't mind the downtime. I moved a book under my helmet out of my view for a minute or two while we flew. With my actual eyesight, I relished in the spectacle of stars, galaxies, and nebulas above.
By now, my eyesight mirrored a weak telescope if I genuinely focused. That gave each glowing sphere depth, and I lost myself in those sights. Well, I did that while reading reading the ancient book hidden under my facemask. And I also channeled the elemental furnaces. Oh yeah, and I poured that mana into my cipheric carvings as well. When I say it like that, it seems like a lot.
But I got lost in those stars, let me tell you.
Anyways, we landed near one of the reflective patches. This sheen spawned from a thin membrane lying over a burrow's opening. It was the colony entrance for the ahcorus. Considering how thin this atmosphere was, it made sense they wanted some shelter. Around the membrane rested smooth, tan-colored stone. It looked like a patch of polished teeth, both grotesque and pleasing to the eye at the same time.
I walked through the membrane, always leading our group in case traps erupted from the cavern's walls. I figured if those snares or pits killed me, then everyone would've died disarming them anyways. They'd need to be rather explosive either way.
No traps triggered, but the membrane did cover me in a sterile, clean smell like rubbing alcohol. I absorbed the organic sheathing, but the others didn't. Peering at the tunnel below, I found struts of smooth, flowing enamel interlacing polished stone. It looked like someone installed bones into a dug-out tunnel before smoothing the rock with a chemical.
It lent itself to an alien but fascinating design. I rubbed a palm against this silky stone, the minerals smoother than glass in some spots. That polish exposed the rock's true beauty underneath. The mineral layers piled together like a tall cake of crystal.
Interrupting my inspection, several green blobs rolled up nearby. They showed see-through membranes covering their gloopy centers. Suspended in their bodies, they carried rocks, debris, and some kind of fungus that glowed. That same fungus offered light throughout this expanse and the tunnels below.
Once they sensed us, these tiny green slimes rolled away, their outer membrane circling an immobile center. This moved them along as if they were encompassed by a moving treadmill track. I gawked at the sight, mystified by the creatures. After they disappeared, two enormous, azure-shaded slimes came from the tunnel below.
These monsters stood twelve feet tall, carrying enormous claws, plates of bone, and thin tendrils that served as antennas. They pooled themselves into four limbs, their front paws swelling as they neared us. Those swollen limbs generated spikes and serrated teeth in the slime centers of the beasts. These weapons emerged onto their epidermal linings, likely for smashing us.
The thorny limbs paired well with the acidic drool dripping from toothy openings in their cytoplasmic innards. They charged us, but I encompassed them in Event Horizon. I eliminated the damaging drain of the aura, keeping the pressuring effects unmitigated. Despite the dimensional wake, their will to fight didn't wane in an instant.
The guards of this colony worked with a tireless pursuit, and they kept moving forward until they crashed into my opened hands. Like a child running into a steel wall, their bone plates shattered, and their charges ceased. I leaned over them, their hulking frames smaller than mine,
"I said stop."
And they did.
Their forms shivered before they pulled away from me. I pointed deeper into their tunnel, "Take me to Reason. I'm here to meet your queen."
The two defenders stared at one another, no eyes or sensory organs in place for understanding me. Their thinned tendrils sprinkled against each other before they turned back to me.
Knowing words wouldn't work, I created a telepathic connection with them both, their minds relentless and hungry. It impressed me to find them so defiant despite the overwhelming odds against them. I nodded in approval, sending over my impression of them. They sent vague appreciations back, finding me a fierce warrior in my own right.
Instead of giving them a message to meet Reason, I sent over the urge to see others like them. Understanding the simple statement, they ambled back into the tunnel, urging me to follow. I stepped forward while Florence frowned,
"Hm, they don't seem like a very social sort."
As we wound our way down, we traveled deeper into the colony. With each step, airflow grew denser, and oxygen came with it, along with activity, abound. Jade shaded blobs rolled across the tunnel's surface like a moving forest, each of them carrying a different green coloring. They managed and expanded a complex tunnel structure around us.
This inner sanctum dwarfed Mt. Verner. Even with my height and size, this underground space gave me plenty of breathing room. Many massive tunnels linked into this vast cavern, and with those tunnels came swarms of other slimes.
And the deeper we went, the greater the density became. Most of them were the worker slimes we first encountered, each of them green. These drones always encompassed rock, ores, gems, and enamel sheets. Those toothy sheets coated the tunnel's surface with greater density until no rock exposed itself at a certain depth.
Additional struts and supports offered stability at greater depths. Light radiated from blue, green, and mauve fungi attached to the burrow's ceiling. These lichens symbiotically thrived on several of the slime's oozes, the workers feeding them to exchange light.
Besides these basic, greenish drones, other slimes toiled. Lumbering bruisers, like those we followed, trudged through this underground maze. They carried the carcasses of eldritch, the different monsters covered in slashes and acidic burns. These guardian slimes threw these corpses to the other blobs to feast, who did so in seconds.
More slimes showed themselves in these feeding frenzies. These slimes carried all kinds of colors, and they often led groups of green drones. These specialized slimes applied adhesives, sprayed acid on rocks, or coated eldritch in enzymes for digestion. They always ended up producing something in their plasmic centers, and whatever they made helped the colony in some way.
This made the entire expanse mirror a beehive, fervent with activity but organized by intent. Most of it, anyway. The giant slimes took us to a cavern lined with even more fungi. Here, the lichens expanded with drooping vibrissae. They ended up swollen bulbs of the liquid light, and they waved around as if blown by a gust of wind. When a bulb hit another bulb, the glowing spheres clanked out a bell chime.
This gentle sound contrasted the brutal display below. Many specialized slimes watched an arena of sorts where other blue slimes mauled one another in a carved-out space. Two of them did so now, each of them dripping acidic innards. A brighter, cerulean blob sat along a far wall of the colosseum. There, it generated spikes of enamel and lobbed them out at its enemy.
Facing it, a steel blue slime swung large, blunt hammers of bone at the incoming spears. It deflected the masses of spikes, being pierced many times as it closed the gap. Those gushing impacts made the other slimes slither in appreciation. Even without sight, the living goos experienced the vibrations of power and the series of collisions.
Once the steel blue slime reached its brighter opponent, it swung its hammer down. The other glop splattered across the arena, coating the environment in sizzling acid. The surrounding oozes leaped down, devouring the corpse of their fallen warrior. I gawked at the display, "That's...pretty brutal."
Florence typed into his status, "Noted, casual cannibalism. Fascinating."
A familiar body rolled up to us. Turning before it spoke out, I raised a hand, "Yo, Reason, it's good to see you again."
Reason turned from a ball into a snake shape, slithering the last bit of distance to us. Two large, lumbering guardians trailed beside her. She sent out some kind of pheromone mist, and the guardians bowed to her in reply. They stayed behind her while Reason came up and spoke out in our language,
"You infiltrated my domain via the surface. Interesting. I would've estimated our warp would've been a simpler point of entry, but perhaps you did so to throw Plazia off your trail."
Our group stared at Helios, who shrugged, "I never said that warping was necessary. I merely mentioned I could."
Amara stepped forward, and the guardian slimes beside Reason gurgled out with sizzling spit. The Razor queen swelled up beside her guardians, getting close to our friendly eldritch. Reason chimed, "You are not of the Harbinger's kin or any sentients for that matter. You are the one who walked about at the party."
Reason shivered, "Is she your pet, Harbinger?"
I sighed, "No, she's not. She's our technician."
"Oh. I never realized an eldritch could be technical."
Amara hissed at the arena behind us, "And I never estimated that races could be more primitive than even the lowest eldritch. We are both surprised this day."
Reason's inner green markings trembled, "Those are my children. Speak well of them, or I will allow them to speak poorly to you." The guardians beside her presented their claws for Amara's viewing. Reason grumbled, "And they prefer speaking with action."
I raised my palms, "We're not here to fight. You know that."
Reason kept her form near Amara as a tense moment passed. My helmet's aura flared red before mana oozed off my frame,
"Unless you'd like to, of course."
Reason shifted away from the energy before shivering, "No...Not at all. We'd rather not."
Florence pointed at the colosseum behind us, "They seem as though they'd love to. Perhaps an explanation is in order?"
Reason coursed her way along the floor, her form stretching into a thin line before collecting back into a more giant ball. Crystalline shards pierced and submerged into her skin as she gazed at two more of the blue guardian's battle.
Reason pointed with a see-through claw, "They battle for mating rights with me. The strongest of them holds the right to create our next brood. After we have mated, I devour them to fuel the next batch of offspring."
Amara pointed her hand at the battle, "That seems brutal and unnecessary, hm?"
Reason laughed with a cutting edge in her voice, "No, it is the opposite. Eldritch devour each other for their own gain. We do so for a different reason. You see, there is no greater honor than bringing the colony to greater heights. Many methods exist to do so, but few are as pronounced as strengthening the next generation of our young."
Reason spread herself thin, making herself appear enormous, "But that kind of sacrifice is lost on your kind, isn't it? Perhaps that is why you believe it unnecessary, hm?"
Amara scoffed, "The eldritch fight to uncover who is the strongest amongst us. Look to Plazia if you must remind yourself of how effective that strategy may be."
I turned to them both, "We get it. You hate each other. Deal with it until we leave."
Florence shook his head, "Gah, right as it was getting interesting."
Helios spread his arms, "Could we, perhaps, be pointed to the direction of our mission? Is there a colony that is closer to Plazia's home, or is this the nearest one? I'd like to finish this quickly if at all possible."
Reason recollected into a ball, her form trembling before she laughed. The snickering expanded and echoed through the cavern, many of the walls rebounding it into a maddening cacophony. As her outburst abated, Florence pulled back some,
"So...what does that creepy laugh mean, exactly?"
Reason rumbled like thunder in the distance, "There is no colony where you will not find Plazia."
Helios tilted his head, "Does Plazia carry that many spies?"
With a crystalline claw, Reason pointed down, "No. Plazia is the ground beneath us."
Comments
Drew
he can never have to many furnaces! more more more! fr tho great chap very interesting twist
Monsoon117
thanks and fixed.
Omega
Mistake: Well, I did that while reading still reading the ancient book hidden under my facemask.
Monsoon117
I've written out an ark of character development for Daniel. He's not the most confident person after all of his achievements. The reason is because he's made numerous mistakes despite his many advantages. Those failures have mounted on him, making him doubt himself more. He's now at a point where he's becoming godlike in stature, power, even in his social presence. While he's more comfortable with accepting his physical dominance because of his history as a fighter, Daniel was never a master socailizer or the like. If anything, it was one of his weaknesses. For that reason, stepping onto that stage is a big moment for him. He'll need to change his idea of who he is as a person in order to make that happen. That's why he hasn't done it yet, and I want to have several character building moments illustrate this change in how he views himself. That's why it hasn't happened, and I'll have it vocalized/developed in the coming chapters.
alastair
i don’t know if it has or if anyone has mentioned it but wouldnt the slimes be the best i don’t know “teachers” for Althea or atleast helpful in her accepting the eldritch/shape shifting side to her?
EvilGodAsura
From our perspective you can assume that yes. However clearly the Vagni were doing just fine regardless. Elysium liberated them and gave them a much better way of life than obolis did that is undeniable they were much better off. Daniel took the job for personal gain and that's it which I'm fine with. I just want him to do the same thing with his social skills. If he believes he can choose the lifestyle of the Vagni regardless of having to us brute force on Elysium then he should also be willing to abuse his power to control social interactions and improve treatment of his guild members.
Monsoon117
Do you think the Vagni were aware of what Elysium was doing to make Hybrids? The Vagni worshipped eldritch, and so they wouldn't have agreed to the methods Elysium used. The Vagni were manipulated by Elysium to gain control of the planet. By comparison, Daniel handled their eldritch situation without destroying the Vagni's culture and way of life. Daniel didn't have to do that, but he did. He's also offering up support he doesn't have to give. Personal gain was definitely a motivator, but Daniel also helped the Vagni out. Calling it purely for personal gain is, once again, an oversimplification.
EvilGodAsura
Daniel's current social skill is pretty clear. He takes a passive stance without much initiative beyond his general goal until someone offends him or his guild. Then he tries to take a neutral yet defensive stance until he either wins the argument or he loses in which case he resorts to violence or threats to come out on top. On the other hand he could take the initiative himself to up his awe and stats and oppress everyone around him with his aura and take full control of the conversation using his skills. Instead of reacting he could oppress people and immediately introduce his guild members with a clear sign that they should be respected because they are with him. Which would prevent 90% of the negative interactions especially once others got word that he expects others to treat all of his guild members with the same respect they give him. Even this latest stunt with Amara could have been prevented in this way. Oppress the queen before she speaks. Introduce Amara the team and himself first then the whole situation would have been managed far better. I'm not saying he's wrong a hypocrite or evil or something just that he is allowing far more problems by not taking the initiate to abuse his social cheats than simply responding to situations over and over the same way.
EvilGodAsura
We all know obolis did not really own that world anymore. The populace was fairly happy to be out from his rule as well. He took the world purely for personal gain. Not a bad thing but anything else would be a lie.
Monsoon117
Thanks and fixed.
Monsoon117
[Explain how Daniel using his brute force to take a world from Elysium...] You're point would be correct if it was literally true, but it isn't; you're framing your argument without context. Blegara wasn't Elysium's world to begin with, so your point isn't framed correctly. Daniel also spoke with the previous owner(Obolis) to get the planet without waging war as well. This means Daniel came to get what was already his, and he did that while helping out the local populace by pacifying the eldritch and using his constructor golems. That's why Daniel was comfortable with that but not suppressing people around him through social intimidation - one helps him and others while the latter is only for his personal gain.
EvilGodAsura
I'd really like someone to explain how Daniel using his brute force to take a world from elysium and force them into a truce is any different from using his stats and skills to socially dominate others? If he can make compromises in a military sense with elysium for his guild then by all reason he should be able to manipulate people like obolis who clearly are not the best people for his guild as well.
Titaniumtac
I guess my thought was, he added the attributes and the schema reward was a multiplier.
Monsoon117
It's something he could do, but doesn't want to do. I'll have that shown in later chapters.
pukeofhurl
One of the previous chapters that makes me really think is when elysium goon thought he was a already powerful being outside schema that became stronger with schema, if others like that actually exist doesnt it stand to reason daniel could gain more legendary skills and even sovereign skills on his own... just without system aid...
Monsoon117
Thanks and fixed.
Jayden Kirkham
I'm surprised Harbinger hasn't tried to make a cypher rune for awe. I know it makes him uncomfortable to have that kind of reverence but I would have thought he would have done it anyway to help everyone, combining that with his new multi-mind powers, he'd become a social tyrant? He could verbally strong arm his guild to safety.
EvilGodAsura
Entropy should be something like raw chaos right? Maybe that's what is used to create anti magic?
Joshua Little
Fair enough. I've always thought of HP as a separate by-product of endurance, not endurance itself.
Monsoon117
You are correct. Endurance = maximum health. That being said, adding a few multipliers to his maximum health would completely take him over the edge. Assuming he isn't there already.
Joshua Little
It occurred to me while reading the start of this that Daniel only made runes for stats. I don't know if it is a good idea but with his regen being so much greater than his hp could he make a rune that increases max hp? It is the cornerstone of everything about him but it just seems to be something in the background that he never works on, at least not directly. Hp is his blood, body, mana, mind and life and if he made a cipher rune to grow that then I feel like he would hit a new level of unstoppable. Thanks for the chapter.
Monsoon117
Let's just say that Plazia knows what he's doing.
Idan tal
So they are allowed to live only so that schema wouldn’t glass him... how much awareness does schema have about this situation? Cause I’m assuming usually he would glass or send classers to take care of it without the need for the slimes approval
EvilGodAsura
Literally endless possibilitys. All starting with finding a way to get massive amounts of ambient mana to increase his mass. Like say eating the spatial fortress sized eldritch or connecting his golems to himself allowing them to farm ambient mana for him.
FlawlessMovement
Hear me out, prison planet where he stores powerful and interesting enemies and just keep them robbed of mana. Perfect humane prison/lab and a little free mana
EvilGodAsura
And possibly gain enough ambient mana to weigh more than a planet.
EvilGodAsura
See that's the biggest thing I see. He is no longer a dimension exactly. He is a multiverse. His armor storage and his shield might be separate dimensions all together. Even if not he should be able to open up other dimensions in himself once he figures out the right skill for it. His massive mana generation seems tailor made for massive creation for creating custom dimensions. One for storing attacks and maybe imprisoning enemies where time is frozen. I'm unsure if he can but maybe a small dimension to store his gear. And lastly one massive dimension where time flows normally where he can create a planet for his guild to live on. Now I see 2 big issues for this. 1. He would need to think about what being a multiverse means and figure out the skill. 2. It would probably be tied to his weight still meaning the dimensions could only be very small for now. He might need either a way around the weight limitation or a planet sized amount of eldritch energy to give him the weight of an entire world. (Like say eating the massive planet sized eldritch)
Yanni
Torix once said that Daniel might have enough stats to take on a spacial fortress and by the looks of things he might just have to.
Kyle
slithering the last bit of distance TO us.
Kyle
Reason turned from a ball into a snake shape, slithering the last bit of distance two us. Two large, lumbering guardians trailed beside her.
Monsoon117
So funnily enough, the points from that update on the cipheric runes are pre-multipliers. The ones from the status sheet are post-multipliers. A fair comparison for the cipheric runes is actually its post multiplier point, which is about 71,000. It's about 28% of his total endurance that comes from his armor bonus, and his other multipliers are similarly enhanced by sizable margins.
Kyle
When did he learn it was it after he was fighting one of the followers that took over kessiah if so we could narrow it down to there
Blake Richardson
Thanks for the chapter
K
His awareness and control of his inner dimension must also advance outrageous amounts even for himself for it to become viable. Having Torix's entire livelihood in the open must be too huge of a security risk even if it'd only be surrounded by people he allows in himself, and don't forget he uses it for combat and potentially imprisoning uses as well.
K
I'm sure Daniel or even the Ahcorus have some plan or idea on how to evacuate the place if they aren't already sturdy enough to withstand how the whole planet-cleansing thing goes
Corwin Amber
'than I'd of expected' -> 'than I'd expected' 'bring back an empty casket home' -> 'bring an empty casket back home'
Regnal
Only a matter of time when most comes from him. Maybe that's why Schema is being stingy with the rewards.
Titaniumtac
Thx man, another fun fact 5.92% in total comes from his cipher ( i didnt add Awe stat in) the rest (94.08%) was schema rewards.
Regnal
Definitely needs some time dilation, after warping of course lol.
Regnal
nice breakdown
Titaniumtac
Cipher total % from cipher 7121 con 97153 7.32 27414 end 251245 10.91 5557 percep 39307 14.13 6271 will 208645 3.00 1777 luck 71488 2.48 72 strength 97153 0.07 72 Dex 50992 0.14
Monsoon117
It would.
Scott Rutherford
I'm expecting Daniel to threaten the planet with absorption via his armor, much like a spatial fortress. Then, if he goes through with it (willingly or not) he'll have to deal with the moral/emotional impact of destroying so much life in one go... especially if so-called 'innocents' are involved, though that's unlikely.
Scott Rutherford
Correct me if I'm wrong.. but Daniel generates a LOT more HP than he currently has. So, if he were to dilate time so that damage taken took place at a slower rate, that excessive HP regen would, in essence, help to mitigate his damage and not just recover it. No?
EvilGodAsura
He has to be the hardest working character I've ever read about. If anyone can do it you've convinced me he can.
Monsoon117
It's definitely possible, just Daniel needs to take it one step at a time.
EvilGodAsura
That was also my assumption. Like how the legendary skill assimilated other skills into itself dramatically boosting them.
EvilGodAsura
I believe they put it inside yes. Interestingly the orb being frozen in time seems to have no effect on Torix.
Regnal
He needs an inner world of some sort eventually. That could be Torix's permanent lair along with a workshop for golems and such. Also is Torix's phylactery inside Daniel's dimensional storage already or did that ever happen? I thought they talked about it after Torix died because that would be a much safer place.
Regnal
Warping, time dilation, Primordial mana, entropy mana, Sovereign skill, another legendary skill, max out his levels . . . so much yet to do! Another thing I was trying to remember is if it said that he could incorporate skills into his sovereign skill after it was made? I thought the sovereign skill was going to be a super good tier ability that could eventually absorb all his other skills until everything he knows is on that tier of ability. At least that is what it kind of sounded like but I could be remembering wrong or thinking of something else. If anyone knows what chapters his sovereign tree was mentioned, I think there was a description there. This makes me think he could upgrade skills into legendary and then fuse them with the sovereign skill after so he could incorporate primordial and entropy mana into it later.
crusty pickle
I think it's more like he responds in kind to what other people are doing, you threaten someone or something he cares about with violence? He responds in kind, you talk to him with respect? He responds in kind, very straightforward and blunt. Classic Daniel.
EvilGodAsura
Just based on this chapter I'm guessing we have no hope of ever seeing Daniel create an inner world for his guild to live in. I get it would be difficult but im still sad.
EvilGodAsura
To be clear I'm not saying stop though. I would love if he just went all in and finally used his full potential. He could dominate discussions for great deals for his guild. Honestly I would love for him to have some ambition and drive for power. For control. As it is he just feels very neutral until someone provokes him or his guild.
EvilGodAsura
The queen meets a rare speaking eldritch and gives an insult. Amara calls her species more primitive than the lowest of the eldritch. The royal gets mad and threatens her. At this point Daniel needs to step in again. Do you really not see the issue? Every time his followers talk to a new race they offend them and Daniel has to literally apply force to resolve it. I'm not saying it's Daniel's fault. But it's undeniable that he is giving up any amount of negotiation and just relying on brute force to solve things over and over. Even with elysium you could argue it was mostly brute force. This is why I truly think he would be better off making a pocket dimension where his guild can live and just dealing with everything himself preemptively. As it is he and his guild already hold zero respect for anyone other than Daniel. I have no issue with that but I don't think they should be talking with any other races. Daniel says he worries about abusing his power but constantly uses brute force to pressure people. It's no different to putting a gun to someone's head to get them to agree your right. I'm not saying it's wrong I'm just saying it's hypocritical to pretend that's not what he's doing no matter the reason. His go to first response is just threaten people back now because he knows everyone is horrified of him.
Conor McGroarty
If Plazia has already replaced a good portion of Svia with his mass, that means MC is facing a planet (moon?) sized threat. That isn’t bad as Lehesion is a planet killer in terms of attack power but my point is that the battle will likely rip Svia to pieces as MC will be fighting the “ground.” I guess MC could make stone or something as he goes? Could also be that the ahcorus have wrapped the entire planet in enamel and such and thus it may be able to somewhat last and deal with not having a structure below (like an unbroken egg that has its yoak taken out and still stable).
Steven Vollmert
He projects a part of his might in response to a direct threat on one of his comrades. How is that abusing his power? The other party literally physically threatened Amara. Isn't that an abuse of power? Daniel is not abusing, he is protecting. That his spiel.
Conor McGroarty
He isn’t abandoning it, just relegating it to a legendary skill slot instead of sovereign (he has only been using legendary skills and not a sovereign which shows they are not weak and they have no level cap). Not to mention the fact that entropy mana still needs to be made and integrated afterwards. So regardless he isn’t going to have a mana type directly in his Sovereign skill but doubling down on his expertise isn’t bad at all.
MrSmile
"You're fucked" -Daniel, probably. Ty for the chapter, good stuff as always
EvilGodAsura
Steven Myers
Nice
Monsoon117
This was a very fun chapter to write. I enjoy showing new worlds and places, as I get to immerse myself in them. I've also heard the sentiment that these kinds of chapters can be overwhelming at times, leaving too much to visualize at once. I attempted to 'show' the world piece by piece at a time, including interactions with various aspects of the new planet. That should take the edge off any feelings of an info dump. There's also a juicy status update here, so that should be quite nice to see.
