Macronomicon
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Chapter 116: Prophet of the End
🕑 Added 2025-03-05 19:23:40 +0000 UTC‘Your request for a Party of your peers is denied. We will take your debrief about the boy under advisement, but the church has more concerns in the world than a single Deceiver. Concentrating such a staggering amount of military might into the hands of one man is both a dangerous precedent to set, and against our ethos of uplifting humankind equally. If you are incapable of capturing a single Deceiver, please let us know, and we will return you to your retirement.’
- The High Saint’s Council
‘I understand and will act accordingly.’
- Caddock, level 65 Paladin
**Jason Salazar**
Sacrifice detected…attempting to generate Class Seed… Success
Generating seed….
Glory Eagle
2 resistance, 1 focus, 2 strength.
Glory, Inspiration
…Who doesn’t like Glory?
Jason glanced down at the two remaining sacrifices in his hand, weighing his options. Enchantress in one hand, a branch from the Tree of Empires in the other.
Weighing his options.
He had two tags that leaned towards his Hype Man Class: Myth from Will’s hand, and Glory from the eagle.
If he Sacrificed the Enchantress, he would definitely get some Charm Ability options. Those were super cool. The Tree of Empires…What were it’s effects?
The Tree of Empires was probably the stronger Sacrifice, because he’d never heard of it before, and the church of Granesh likely grabbed the best of the best for their Prophet.
Two points of growth over thirty levels was quite the difference.
But…
But do I want to be trapped in a Class I don’t even enjoy for the sake of better stats?
Jason took a deep breath and set aside the Enchantress sacrifice. There was more to life than the title of your Class. The Church of Granesh had wanted this specific combination for him because they knew it would be amazing.
Deliberately crippling himself because he ‘enjoyed’ the idea of something more felt…childish. When he was an old man, would he appreciate being locked into a decision he had made at twelve? Jason doubted it.
For the sake of old me, I’ll add the Tree of Empires.
It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he didn’t get Charm abilities.
Jason placed the hunk of wax-wrapped wood on the altar.
Sacrifice detected…attempting to generate Class Seed… Success
Generating seed….
Tree of Empires
1 resistance, 2 focus, 2 acuity,
Destiny, Growth, Empire
Class Seeds Acquired, generating Class…
..
….
…..
Class Generated. Speak or think ‘status’ to see your information
“Status.” Jason said, his body practically vibrating with excitement.
Jason Salazar
Prophet of the End Level 1
2 Strength
1 Kinesthetics
4 Resistance
4 Focus
3 Acuity
Charges: 0/4
Free Points: 1
Please choose your Primary Abilities.
“…Prophet of the End!?” Jason demanded. “The end of what!?”
Prophet of the End:
A Prophet of the End is a storyteller whose tales herald the end of the coil, and all the chaos that implies. They have potent buffing and debuffing Abilities, and a deep connection to myth and legend, particularly that of Ouroboros.
“What’s a coil?”
If the Tower heard him, it didn’t acknowledge his question, instead it began nagging.
Please choose your Primary Abilities.
A Door appeared against the far wall, a glowing yellow portal that led to his Trial.
…After the Tower refused to elaborate for a long while, Jason sighed and nudged The System to show him his options for Primary Abilities.
Hand of Fate
Scales of Ouroboros
Divine Smite
Withering Repudiation
Relic Seed
Made Manifest
Wildfire Heart
Flagbearer
Hand of Fate
Passive
Active: 1 charge.
Gain the use of an ethereal Hand of Fate. It may passively act as a dowsing rod to locate a hidden objective, or substitute as any number of materials in a scrying ritual. Spend a charge to apply positive or negative luck to an entity. Duration and potency scale with Acuity.
What does luck mean?
*‘luck’ is a complex buff, whereby for the duration, the Ability creates a 2-state quantum superposition for a percentage of events involving the target within a certain radius. For each superposition, The System then chooses the state most beneficial for the target from among the states, collapsing the superposition and enforcing that outcome.
I didn’t get half of that. Jason frowned. Maybe if I knew what a superposition was, I’d be impressed?
…It makes some events turn out slightly better than they would’ve, within the constraints of what could’ve likely happened. It does not immediately make people start falling on their own swords or suffer brain aneurysms.
…So it’s bad? Jason asked.
Just tempering your expectations.
Nodding, Jason moved on to the next one.
Scales of Ouroboros
Active: 5 Charge
Create an ethereal scale somewhere on the body. (max 20). When the user is wounded, consumes the scale and reverts the damage. Scales with Focus.
That’d be great if I could afford it. Next.
Divine Smite
Active: 5 Charge
Channel the wrath of your patron to smite those who oppose you. Scales with Acuity.
Jason let out an exasperated grumble. Why is everything so expensive? I can’t choose this for my Primaries, I’d never be able to use it.
…Well that’s not entirely true, Jason admitted. He’d be getting his dailies at level 2, which was a real feat.
Come to think of it, I have a spare stat point. I could use these at level 1! Once a week, sure, but I could.
I guess it’s an option. Next.
Withering Repudiation
Active: 1 charge
Explain to an opponent in line of sight exactly why you don’t like them. Inflicts paralysis and psychic damage over time as long as the user continues to speak. Language Dependent. Scales with Acuity.
Language dependent. Do they have to understand me?
Yes.
So it wouldn’t work on monsters…or people with cotton balls in their ears?
Correct.
Huh. Next.
Relic Seed:
Variable Charge
Harvest a myth sown in an area and condense it down into a prepared Sacrifice to create a Relic Seed which can be added to a Relic to give it powers in line with the myth. The myths harvested this way have a chance to be uprooted and forgotten. As the Relic gains notoriety, the seed will grow in power.
One Relic Seed per Relic. Once planted, Relic Seeds cannot be removed.
The Abyss? Jason frowned. Next.
Made Manifest:
1 Charge:
Cloak target in the ethereal form of a myth that the user has created. The target receives bonuses to their combat skill, Stats and Abilities in relation to the nature of the myth.
Finally, an inexpensive Ability. A little simple, though? The only legends Jason had created was Will. Would that make a Will-ghost overtop the people I summon it on? That would be silly.
I could make more legends though, which would expand the options…
Next!
Wildfire Heart
Passive
Active: 1 Charge
Others are nudged to adopt whatever emotional state the user projects. When used actively, the effect is much stronger, lasts after the act is over, and can transfer between carriers beyond your vicinity for a short time. Scales with and resisted by Focus.
So if I act sad it will make others sad?
Yes.
So if I act suicidal, it’ll make others suicidal?
There are practical and ethical concerns, but yes.
And if I spend a charge it’ll spread like wildfire?
As the name implies.
Hmm…Jason pictured acting suicidal in front of some bad guys and wiping out their whole camp by making them kill themselves.
Then he pictured one of his Party members accidentally getting infected with some of the uncontrollably spreading malaise, then bringing it to an innocent village…and the thought lost a great deal of its luster.
Maybe is should just stick to buffs, debuffs and party tricks rather than use it as an attack.
That would be for the best.
Next!
Flagbearer
Active: 1 charge
Designate one entity as the ‘Flagbearer’. Any ally of the target who can see them receives a large buff as long as the Flagbearer remains alive. Should the flagbearer die or be captured, the buff switches to a minor debuff.
Neat…Now, which two do I pick?
Please choose your Primary Abilities.
I hear you. Jason thought, glancing down at the unhealed blisters on his feet.
Shoot. I should’ve waited before I finished my Class.
He’d just been so excited to see what his Class was going to be, but now…
Please choose your Primary Abilities.
Damnit. The next two weeks is gonna suck.
Please choose your Primary Abilities.
**William Oh**
It’s too bad I’m on the opposite side of the Hunting Grounds from Ashwood, Will thought as The Tower loomed larger above him. It would add an extra day to his trip to go around and visit the orphanage, and Jason was likely to come out of hiding soon, and Will needed to be present for it.
Not to mention, I don’t know if Gertrude has orders to kill me on site.
On one hand, it felt strange that Granesh created as many orphanages as they did, considering how many of the Deceivers they wound up harboring.
On the other, it made a certain sense, allowing them to keep a close eye on every boy and girl who went through their system, and target the ones who might cause them trouble.
In need of a bit of rest and an ounce of water, Will staggered into a dusty little village just outside the tower and collapsed onto a stool near the inn’s bar.
“What’ll it be, Aspirant?” The Innkeeper said.
I still look like an aspirant? Will thought, glancing down at himself.
He was wearing ragged clothes stained and torn from throwing himself through multiple trees. bits of dirt and twigs adhered to the tree sap peppering his body.
He looked almost as bad as when he first got started, save for the Relics he was wearing.
Maybe they just aren’t that impressive.
“Soup of the day and water.” Will said, sliding a silver piece on the bar, which the Inkeeper pocketed with magic-trick smoothness.
“How much you want?” he grunted.
“Until the silver stops covering it.” Will said. “Or I stop eating.”
“Soup’s mushroom and possum.”
“I ain’t picky,” Will said.
The innkeeper nodded and returned with a massive bowl of soup and a mug of water.
“Check it out, this kid’s loaded,” Will heard a snarky voice emerge from the corner of the room, where four young men, each a year or so older than Will, standing from their table to saunter towards him.
Will raised a brow, getting some soup down his throat before the local Bully Squad arrived.
And they must be locals. They wore aspirant chainmail, nonmagical weapons and armor. The best a well-to-do merchant of modest success could afford.
Not quite as rich as a legacy kid from the Ring, but well-afforded.
Like Ben.
That’s who they remind me of. My ambitious ‘friend’ who got himself killed trying to take what didn’t belong to him.
The cocky arrogance, the superficial charm, the knot of friends.
I never really thought about it, but Ben wasn’t…a great guy, was he? A monster in the making, stillborn before power could truly corrupt him.
“Where’d you get those Relics? Your grandpa’s attic?” The lead Bully said with a confident grin.
History repeats itself.
Will thought back to Baron Akul, who requested a traumatic thrashing for his grandson, to instill a sense of caution.
Really, I’d be doing them a favor by kicking their asses.
“I got these last week, off some Climbers I killed,” Will said, tugging the ring off his finger with his teeth and placing it on the bar. It wouldn’t do for them to think the Relics were the reason they lost.
A wave of uproarious laughter filled the air, while Will smoothly took off his amulet, dropping it on the bar with a clunk.
“Who the hell does this kid think he is, William Oh?”
Another gale of laughter spread through the tavern while the innkeeper shot nervous glances at Will, eyes slowly widening.
“Hey,” One of the kids in the back tapped the lead bully in the shoulder and pointed at Will.
“What?”
“The hand.”
Will used his toes to slip out of his boots, gently placing the warhammer on the bar.
“What, umm…what’s your name again?” the leader said, his gaze lingering on the scabbed over stump where Will’s left hand was truncated.
“…You’re ‘bout to find out.” Will said, stepping away from the bar.
“…Danny, we’re gonna go! Money’s on the table!” their leader said to the innkeeper before the four of them turned tail and hustled out the door.
Will frowned, cocking his head as he watched them disappear through the swinging doors.
“Huh.”
“That’s normal people for you. How far did you get, kid?” ‘Danny’ asked, wiping down the bar.
“Sixth floor,” Will said, sitting back down.
“Makes sense. People that get past the Fourth Floor treat a fight to the death like an amusing pastime.”
“I wasn’t gonna kill ‘em.” Will muttered into his mug.
“Sure. Anything else I can get yah?” the innkeeper asked.
“Just the soup is fine,” Will said, waving him off, staring into the broth and wondering how much he’d changed.
I wasn’t gonna kill them. Now that he thought about it, he had been using the Stormfists to travel faster since he landed on the other side of the Granesh quarantine line. If he so much as tapped one of the Aspirants and the lightning effect triggered, would it have killed one of them?
Okay, I might’ve killed one of them.
Comments
Spoolofwhool
14 stats/level is insanely high. 4 resistance and 4 focus means he's going to turn into an incredibly tanky supporter.
Person
When a scorpion puts on their boots, first they check'em for William Oh.
Nicolas Symeou
i will add that most lords have what amounts to one hit kill combos/skills. surviving 20 of those is not redundant.
hasrul naim
William Oh can make a Bully bullying a new bullying
Weaver
I would take relic seed as a secondary rather than a primary. It's not useful right now for him, and it's an ability that you only me3d tonuse from time to time (still potential upgrades makes it a solid secondary rather than tertiary). I'd go withstand of fate and either made manifest or flagbearer. (The former sounding more funnand interesting)
Cyrus McEnnis
Made Manifest is the obvious broken one given Jason created the Legend of Oh already. Cheap cost on a buff, no duration given but probably for at least a few minutes, and no restrictions on targets so he can buff the entire party if need be or indeed himself. Of the rest - well, I tend to gravitate towards "always on" passives over cost mechanics for my core builds. Two obvious ones here: Hand of Prophecy looks like something that could be moderately insane. A passive guidance mod to broken stuff? Yeah that'll do nicely. On the other hand - Relic Seed could make it fairly redundant. A Climber has, what, 8 relic slots? Giving each of those slots a passive boost, especially multiplied across a Stronghold or two rather than a single party could be ridiculously broken.
Josh Cothran
Except he knows he needs a team of high levels. They’re refusing to give him the tools he needs to perform his duties. Maybe he does have some friends that will help him, but I think it’s more likely that this disillusions him enough to quit trying
Daemion
All it does is give him better survival. There's no offense, no utility, nothing. And survival is something he'd get in a party anyway. Even self heals aren't special, they have potions for that. And right now he doesn't have the charges to use the ability, so what's the point? If he was able to use it immediately, now that he's on his own, then that would be useful. But he can't. If he took it now, he'd cripple his build because what exactly does he bring to the party? Being an annoyance that simply won't die? They already have that. Multiple times.
billwanchalo
Made manifest is pretty cool. Could you stack multiple different myths on someone? And does it have a time limit, or is it indefinite?
Macronomicon
Fixed in primary doc.
Mariposa
So the system or tower itself has been talking to Jason for a long time. I wonder if he's similar to Will and isn't quite fully human.
Mitchell Calhoun
Yeah Caddock had been far too capable, this is making things much more realistic when dealing with a religious organization.
Torres steven dyer
Relic seed is amazing
Meredith
ah nm. The seed is made from a Sacrifice but needs to be added to a Relic
Meredith
Do Sacrifices count as Relics? Could he do something with his remaining Sacrifice if he took Relic Seed?
Stephen E Wilson Jr.
Scale of Ouroboros turns a caster with mana to spare into a utter menace. Remember his status growth is of a very powerful mage.
Quazzy
Made Manifest is awesome too! Fantastic bread and butter, it leans into and challenges Jason’s strengths as a character, and it could totally let ppl impersonate Will with the right upgrades! you’re really really good at writing deception plots so that’d be sick to see!
Quazzy
aaa your take on Relic Seed is so cool! Love the name too!
Quazzy
eeeeee I’m so happy!
King Eater
I think a high level Paladin who's aware of his Orders' systematic murder of Deceiver children is probably just going to go hunt down Will himself, possibly with whatever other high level zealots he can convince to join him.
Ethan Barrow
TFTC!! It's good Will got a bit of perspective on his current power level, still didn't quite sink in from when he took on an entire army by himself.
Enzo Elacqua
I feel like if he can manage to relic seed the choosing room and then add that to wills set relics that would be an insane boost to them which could add some neat effects
Animephoto
Tftc, the effect of luck sounds familiar 👀
Ryan Naquin
There's the thinking I expect of a large organization. Get the best people, put them in charge of what you want, then dont listen to what they need.
Andrew
Thank you!
Emily Gurnavage
Along with what Melody said about it being because Jason is a Prohphet, keep in mind what being a Prophet *means* in this story. Jason now has a direct tie somehow (spiritually?) to Ouroborous, to a divinity involved deeply with the tower. It could be that Ouroborous itself is able to talk through the system, or IS the system. Or maybe Jason's ties make him interesting enough to allocate more resources to watching and communicating with him. No matter what the reason, Jason is now bound to the Divine, even if weakly and barely (lvl 1). Things are sure to get weird around him and "rules" are bound to be bent or broken.
Nate Oppy
William Oh is cloaked in tales so literal it was no surprise when he strode in attired with top hat, cain and tail coat to meet the Greneshy high council
Nate Oppy
Jason’s class is sooooo coooooooooooooooool
Nachotoad
If the strength of Made Manifest is affected by belief in the legend. It could combo with Wildfire Heart. Summon a legend, act like you believe in the legend, belief in legend spreads, summoned legend gets boosted…. Repeat?
Kronos
Tftc! “Flagbearer Hand of Fate Passive Active: 1 charge.” This might just be a Patreon formatting thing, but an extra blank line after flag bearer would help break up the list of available abilities and the start of Hand of Fate’s description. “It would add an extra day to his trip to go around and visit the orphanage, and Jason was likely to come out of hiding soon, and Will needed to be present for it.” This feels like a run-on sentence
Farxzay
Could Relic Seed be used on consumable Relics? Could those Relics then be duplicated, with all of them keeping the same growth effect? Or at least be used with Sourdough to stop them from being completely consumed?
Josh Cothran
I feel like Caddock is getting ready to leave the church. It always sucks when bureaucrats behind a desk tell soldiers how they should perform in the field. He knows William Oh isn’t evil, can he say the same thing about these doctrines he’s been following?
Daemion
Hand of Fate might not be the strongest buff but it has additional utility. Scales of Ouroboros is really good... for a tank. It would allow Jason to survive longer by himself, if he could afford the charge. But he can't, so he won't. And in the future, there are probably relics that can do the same. Divine Smite is just so basic, I don't think it's ever a good choice. Withering Repudiation has too many downsides and it's unknown how strong the effect is. For a primary it's too weak. Relic Seed has awesome potential. It's basically a permanent buff added to each piece of equipment of each member in the party. And it's a growth buff. Right now Jason doesn't have enough myths to work with but down the line? This is the stuff legends are made from. Made Manifest is probably a little weak now but it has lots of future potential. Wildfire Heart requires acting ability but lacks control. I can't really see a good use for it that balances out the risks. Flagbearer could become really strong if it's used within a party. The issue is the line of sight condition, that might be difficult to do with their current setup... unless they can place it on Brianna and then have a Tangled close to every other member of the team to make sure "she" is always in sight. But, all future plans are for naught unless Jason survives his trial. The obvious offense and defense abilities require 5 charge each, thus they are useless to him. The only useful buffs to a solo climber are Hand of Fate and Made Manifest. Relic Seed requires prior preparation (seeding the area with the myth) and I don't think Jason can afford to take the time or risk getting attention. Wildfire Heart could be useful... but it doesn't work on monsters and requires people to listen for an uncertain outcome. Too risky in my opinion. So if I was Jason, I'd pick Made Manifest for the buff and Relic Seed for its potential in the team later. He has good gear, he's not stupid... one ability should be enough to finish his trial. Or if that is too risky, then Hand of Fate instead of Relic Seed. Relic Seed is just so good, it blows all other abilities out of the water.
Melody Haren Anderson
Probably linked into him being a Prophet... also, the main person we've seen here was William, who seems to be kinda a destined Tower destroyer... might not be chatty with the one who is going to break you.
Ano Ano
Hand of Fate is what I would take, because divination and luck are both really strong. However, Jason is super enamored of charm abilities. For that reason, I think withering repudiation is something he's almost guaranteed to take regardless of being kinda niche.
Alexis Lionel
Oh my god, Relic Seed would synergize so effing good with sourdough. Like, I hope William Oh curses up a storm when Jason chooses his primaries.
Apotheosis
Hype is an emotional state, if you think about it
SunderGoldmane
Could pair well with creating a new myth or starting a hype train about one.
Macronomicon
That's an interesting theory.
Scion
I really like the idea of hand of fate for how that could be upgraded....
Crispined Glover Potato Snacks
Is Granesh trying to literally "Uplift Humankind" by growing an infinite number of floors of The Tower. Maybe when he sundered Oroborus he kept it's body around as a type of brain dead perpetual motion machine, constantly coiling to grow each new floor.
Apotheosis
Wildfire heart could be crazy depending on what counts as an emotional state, fanatic devotion to someone, hyperfocus on a specific topic, extreme forgetfulness
Hermit Yarma
I didn't remember the Tower being so talkative. Or does it just like Jason that much?
RG
Is this the first time the system has seemed so chatty?
EDMANGO
Made manifest is good because the prophet will then be able to "manifest" a version of the person, making their word seem both more valid and larger than life, potentially causing sightings of William to spike as jason does stuff away from him, this giving more credence to Jason's tales. Withering repudiation feels kind of weird with the power scaling you've done so far, few would let him talk them to death in the tower proper, though the idea of a vicious mockery like skill is quite funny
RedInkQuill
I don’t see any immediate infinity pits. Depends on the upgrades. You have to be careful of loops where debuffs buff your buffs and buffs debuff your debuffs. So in a scenario where William is fighting someone with his legend attached and the withering repudiation builds the legend more and the myth buffs the withering repudiation. I figure you are going in that direction so be aware of it and come up with a cut off valve similar to how someone blew up with that thorn lord. I like where you are going with it
King Eater
They would also synergize well in combat, Jason just acting like a sports announcer amazed at good he is, and everyone else just has to acknowledge it as well. Faking the luck ability even, if Jason can get the crowd to believe Will is just that good
King Eater
A Hype Man would take Wildfire Heart and Flagbearer. Maybe he can acknowledge that would just get him killed right now, and he did just make a mature decision about Sacrifices, but I'm a little sad we won't get to see it. Made Manifest should definitely be able to carry him through the Trial though.
Macronomicon
the inspiration is Materia from FF7, if that gives you any ideas. i cut off some abilities i had in mind and added some restrictions so that it could be upgraded. to match that level later.
RedInkQuill
$120 a year. I wish some of these authors banded together so I could do one subscription for many of them
In-Game_Name
Could relic seed let him harvest the myth of a mythical weapon he created? That would let him generate an exponential amount of growth weapons over time depending on how it works
Weaver
this has been some of the best $10 I've ever spent
Moon Winchester
Just tempering your expectation - tower That was it personally talking to him
ImYou
Nice nice
Macronomicon
Sorry, this chapter took way longer than i wanted it to because i had to transcribe 5-7 interesting abilities. But now I'm having trouble choosing, because there's a lot of cool ones! My current choice is Withering Repudiation and Made Manifest. If any of these abilities will obviously create a conflict of interest through some kind of infinite loop or exploit that will break the story please let me know so we can modify these before they become totally entrenched.
