Priam
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Chapter 93: Kids, don't just eat anything!
🕑 Added 2023-08-24 08:08:14 +0000 UTCWednesday's chapter, enjoy!
*
The man's face darkened as he heard Priam's laughter. His subordinates were nervously handling their weapons.
The wyvern began to scratch its face, trying to free Promesse. Priam quickly calmed down.
"Sorry, it's just... Maybe you didn’t notice, but it’s an angry wyvern. You want a cut? I'm not stopping you from trying," Priam declared, pointing at the boss.
At that moment, the wyvern shook its head and hiccupped. Priam turned, astonished. Another hiccup, and Priam called back Promise. The weapon disengaged before melting into the mist. The spear was lying in wait, ready to emerge at Priam's first command.
A third hiccup lifted the wyvern, and it vomited a torrent of black liquid onto an abandoned building. Instinctively, Priam stepped back. The substance resembled some kind of petroleum. Without knowing what it was, the Earl was willing to bet that its origin was the shadow concept.
The wyvern snorted, and Priam turned to the group of arrivals. "You'd better run if you don't want to die," he advised.
The man shook his head and pulled out a kind of pokeball. He threw it at the wyvern. On contact with the monster, the ball expanded, creating a giant sphere of metal that engulfed it. The nightmare beast was trapped. Masterless, the dark liquid dissipated, revealing a half-dissolved building. Acid...
The chef now wore a smug smile.
"We can manage," he said. "My name is Tommas, pleased to meet you, Lord Priam."
Priam didn’t reply, too busy analyzing the newcomer's equipment. "... Where did you get that Imprisonment Sphere?"
"Oh, do you recognize this object?" smiled Tommas. He was observing Priam carefully.
Priam felt uncomfortable under the man's steady gaze. After all, he was naked under his cloak of mist. Moreover, the man's falsely innocent air annoyed him.
"That's right. In fact, I had one in my purse. You didn't happen to find it, did you? A leather purse that must have fallen from the sky in front of the Colosseum?" said Priam, pointing in the direction from which the newcomers had arrived.
"Hmm... doesn't ring a bell, sorry."
Tommas must have had a skill that helped him lie, as his face betrayed nothing. Unfortunately for him, his subordinates were less trained. Priam's keen hearing detected their accelerating heartbeat. They're scared. Guilty.
With a useless movement of his right hand, Promesse reappeared at the liar's side and sliced through his combat vest. It looked like a military tactical vest, but the protection didn't stop the spear for a moment.
Surprised, Tommas raised his arm and leaped to the side. The torn pockets took advantage of the movement to release half a dozen objects.
As the newcomers drew their weapons or hesitated to fire, Priam teleported away and nimbly retrieved the various treasures before they hit the ground. Peter Parker would be proud of me...
"What are you doing?!" cried Tommas outrageously.
Priam looked at him, jaded.
"It's mine, and we both know it. Don't try to steal from me again," Priam threatened.
"Steal from you?! I found this purse on the floor and picked it up. It's mine!"
Priam didn't bother to reply and turned back to the metal sphere. The prison was beginning to glow red. It was easy to imagine that the wyvern was unleashing hell inside.
"Hey, I'm talking to you! I represent the Militia, and you'd better answer if you don't want to get in trouble with the law."
Priam sneered. Who was enforcing the law now? What justice still existed in a world where Anne had murdered dozens of people without being bothered? In a world where Anatole could conduct chimerization experiments on humans without any faction budging? In a world where a human could unleash a Tribulation in the heart of a city without the victims being able to do anything about it...
"Justice and law... I hope for their return, but right now, it's just survival of the fittest," Priam murmured.
“Do you mean it?”
"Yes."
"Survival of the fittest… You may be right. However, it's up to the strongest to set an example. That's the only way justice will return," said Tommas.
Priam detected movement behind him and turned, catching an object on the fly. Opening his hand, he recognized one of the two scarce treasures he had stolen from the Revenants. Raising his head, he looked at Tommas, intrigued.
"Humanity’s Champion unleashed a Tribulation in the middle of a city. You must admit that your desire to help your fellow man was questionable. If you still consider yourself human?"
Priam swallowed. He'd scorned the men and women before him, but the feeling was mutual. To make matters worse, they all had dark circles under their eyes and looked tired. They'd undoubtedly spent the last twenty hours rescuing the inhabitants he himself had put in danger. As if that wasn't enough, the man had enough integrity to give him back all his treasure. Damn, I'm the bad guy in this story...
"I still consider myself human," Priam finally replied. The System may have given him a new name, but he still retained human values. "And I didn't know about the Tribulations."
"As I thought, but that's not what some factions are peddling..."
Priam froze. "... What are they saying?"
"I'd rather not influence you. Let's just say that now that the storm has passed, some people are trying to profit from the victims' distress. You have enemies," Tommas explained.
"And do I have any friends?" asked Priam, staring into his interlocutor's eyes.
"If you wish to right your wrongs, you can count on me."
The man was smiling, the frank smile that only those with nothing to reproach themselves for can summon. The metal dome vibrated. Priam took up a fighting stance, his weapon aimed at the prison. The least he could do was protect these men and women.
"You'd better run, the wyvern will be free soon, and I can't exactly protect you from the light beams," Priam warned.
Tommas nodded, and with a gesture, his subordinates began to flee. He hesitated a moment before asking.
"What do you plan to do about the dead?"
"... I don't know. It's not like I can resurrect them, right?"
Well, is that true? I'd spend a hell of a long time, but perhaps I could do it? With his eyes on the trap, Priam asked himself the question. He thought about it for a second before admitting the truth. I could, but I won't. I regret those deaths, but I don't intend to spend the rest of my life serving them... I want to live my life. Facing the truth felt good. He didn't intend to ignore his mistakes but wouldn't spend his life atoning for his sins.
"No, indeed,” replied Tommas. “However, you could compensate the families who have lost property or a loved one."
Priam nodded. You had to pay for your mistakes, sometimes literally.
"I agree. We'll talk about it later if you don't mind."
Tommas smiled before walking away. The wyvern's prison exploded, and Priam felt the Militia leader start to run. He's more comfortable lecturing me than facing a super monster.
"I'm the opposite," laughed Priam.
The wyvern turned to him. Its night-black eyes made Priam wince. The resurrected body was that of the wyvern, but the spirit was that of the shadow. The boss opened its mouth, and Priam saw a dark light at the back of its throat.
With a thought, Promise reappeared in his hand. Raising his spear, he teleported to the base of the monster's tail. A moment later, a black beam struck one of Tommas' men as he fled. The poor soul crumpled into a heap on the ground, his howl echoing through the dome.
Priam winced and aimed at the wyvern's tail. [Tribulation Piercing Spear].
The aether passed fluidly through his meridians before reaching Promesse. Filaments of energy crossed, forming a sheath around the weapon. The next instant, the spear's tip met the wyvern's scales and pierced them with ease.
Lvl Up: [Tribulation Piercing Spear] lvl 6
STR +1
AGI +1
DEXT +1
The wyvern roared as blood flowed profusely. Its tail was on the ground, severed by the power of the attack. Priam spun Promise around, got back into position, and parried a clawing blow with [Kinetic Control]. His left hand grabbed the paw, and he used his iron grip - reinforced by the steel concept - to absorb the monster's kinetic energy. Immobilized, the beast had no time to dodge a second [Tribulation Piercing Spear].
Promise sank deep into the brain organ. For the third time in less than two minutes, the boss found itself without a brain. Priam turned to the boss' chest, determined to finish the job.
Suddenly, the wyvern's jaws opened. The monster's head, still impaled, pounced like a snake on its prey. The shadow didn't need the beast's brain to manipulate its body.
Priam had no time to dodge and found himself gobbled up by the monster. Inside the giant gullet, he had only a moment to prepare himself. The wyvern had decided to use a pseudo draconic breath with its mouth closed. Its power of regeneration allowed this madness. Priam was not so lucky.
He tried to teleport away, to no avail. The wyvern's body was blocking his connection to the outside world. Aware that he had little time, Priam put himself in the fetal position, protecting his treasures, and covered himself in a cloak of mist.
Using his Potential, he slowed down the water molecules to create an ice armor. At the same time, he connected to the steel concept fragment, drawing all the power he could from it. With his eyelids closed, his body strengthened and encased in an encasement of ice that continued to cool, Priam concentrated.
POT -10
He had faith in himself, he'd be all right. His Potential flowed out, cooling the water molecules. His ice became so cold that it damaged his body.
POT -10
His eyes caught the light. The next moment, the ice temperature began to rise.
POT -20
[Moon Mist] operated at full speed, creating immense volumes of mist. The temperature inside the wyvern's gullet was soaring. The monster must have been seriously injured. However, relying on its powerful regeneration abilities, it continued to attack. I'll need an anti-regeneration skill.
POT -30
Priam’s eyes began to burn. His ice remained frightfully cold thanks to his intense efforts, but heat wasn't only transmitted by conduction and convection. Photons also transferred heat by radiation. Despite all his efforts, half his body was heating up.
Lvl Up: [Light Resistance] lvl 9
CONST +1
Seconds ticked by as Priam felt his cells dying. His light-exposed skin burned. The other half of his body was freezing. Despite his precarious position, his high Vitality and stamina kept his body fighting.
Lvl Up: [Infantile Phoenix Metabolism] lvl 9
VIT +2
CONST +1
POT -30
Lvl Up: [Kinetic Control] lvl 33
VIVA +2
DEXT +3
META (FOCUS) +4
Priam smiled as he felt his mastery of kinetic energy increase. The day when he could manipulate temperature without Potential was near.
Suddenly, Priam had an idea. Using Micro, he detected his own dying cells. With precision, he began to manipulate his molecules. Where light struck, he slowed thermal agitation. Where ice bit, he increased it. Soon, his situation improved.
Lvl Up: [Kinetic Control] lvl 34,35
VIVA +4
DEXT +6
META (FOCUS) +8
There was nothing like a new, intelligent use of a skill to level it up. The wyvern's attack seemed endless, but Priam remained hopeful. According to his fog and Domain, the cavity he was in was increasing in volume. The wyvern was destroying its own throat.
Lvl Up: [Light Resistance] lvl 10
CONST +1
Suddenly, the light disappeared. A moment later, Priam's body was moved. Then silence set in. His connection with the mist was still severed. That left only one possibility. It swallowed me. I must be in the stomach...
Priam knew the tale of Pinocchio and saw an opportunity here. The wyvern now had few tools with which to attack him. He canceled his ice cloak and immediately regretted it. A foul smell assailed his keen nose. Pressed on all sides by the stomach walls, he tried to get his bearings.
His hearing quickly detected a powerful beat to his right. The wyvern's heart was close. Suddenly, he looked down at his feet. The absence of light rendered the action useless, but Priam sensed something was wrong. His feet were burning.
You have gained the skill: [Acid Resistance - Common].
[Acid Resistance] - Acids are dangerous, especially from a wyvern's stomach. There are several acid types, but you should know that this one has a really high acid dissociation constant. Useful for digesting humans.
In the future, remember to avoid acid baths. It's a pretty basic rule.
CONST +1
Priam winced and canceled out the pain. Without Micro, the acid burn would have driven him mad. A few more minutes in the stomach, and he'd die. Definitely.
Pointing his spear at the beast's heart, Priam concentrated on his Domain. Feeling the wyvern's structure, he attacked. Promesse bounced off the stomach wall. Annoyed, Priam decided to do something drastic. Even if I destroy the heart, it'll regenerate it anyway.
[Tribulation Piercing Spear] pierced the lining of the digestive system, creating a hole seventy centimeters deep. Priam had been careful not to use his skill at full power. The monster howled, and a movement of the stomach informed him that it was trying to vomit him up. Priam chuckled, freezing his surroundings. You shouldn't have swallowed me!
POT -50
Spamming six more times [Tribulation Piercing Spear], Priam came within centimeters of the beast's heart. He stored Promesse in his mist and crawled into the tunnel of flesh he had just created. The tunnel was already closing, and Priam hurried on. He had no desire to die of asphyxiation, trapped inside the reptile's body.
Five seconds later, he placed his hand on the wall protecting the monster's heart. A sort of bone cage protected the organ, and Priam froze it. A few elbow blows - reinforced by the steel fragment - shattered the protection. The heart was within reach.
A shadow threw itself at Priam. He casually overpowered it with the help of his Domain. Without giving it another glance, he stretched his body to place a hand on the heart.
[Double Heart - Silver] detects an affinity.
Choose an affinity.
[Sun]
[Shadow]
[Pride]
[Phoenix]
[Draconic]
*
Status: Race change detected. Please read the notification regarding attribute calibration.
[He Who Eludes Death] charge OFF. Reloaded in 23 hours 21 min 26s
[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.
Time: 182 days 23 hours 54 minutes 39 seconds.
*
The Tribulations are finally over!!! A few chapters to close the Reunion, and back to Elysium!
Comments
Luciaron
It’ll be fun to see how he interacts with the major factions that are trying to keep humanity independent
Luciaron
It’ll be fun to see how he interacts with the major factions that are trying to keep humanity independent
_mori
The heart affinity is the work of his title. His race doesn’t help him gain more than the one he’s about to select.
Eric M
Hmm is the race evolution going to screw up his plan to absorb the draconic bloodline, or will it maybe allow him to take both Draconic and Sun?
Baconwargod
Their confidence makes more sense now. Still got one of them killed. The compensation was at least fair. If he did nothing to try and help the people hurt that would be a little too callous. Can't wait to see his notifications.
_mori
Probably collapse still
Alexikon
The combination of Tribulation and Draconic will be op
Quyan640
I wonder what the benefits or ramifications of a Tribulation Tribulation Heart. Like if the wyvern was still a tribulation and Priam just absorbed Tribulation into his heart again. Could the concepts support each other or simply collapse?
Andrew
Thank you!
I'm here to eat your toes
I would agree that its the pride chaining the wyvern its controlled by his shadow afterall, just like Priam wouldn't let his pray go so won't the wyvern.
_mori
I get the feeling that the only reason why the shadow/wyvern hadn’t fled is because of the Pride it shares with Priam. Too late for that now though, what with Priam being all up in its guts.
_mori
Hopefully Tomas is not just being deceitful. As for the factions, people like Prometheus should deal with them. Dispelling misinformation isn’t something Priam could do, but it’s something an aspiring leader will have to deal with, and regardless of his opinion on Priam, the factions that would divide humanity are a common enemy. I hope Priam will explain to those who are willing to listen and not just ignore the problem. Just like with Tomas, since he’s a surprisingly reasonable fellow. Priam could also form a relationship with some factions, like mercenaries. Maybe hire a small (human) troop in exchange for access to Elysium, same for Prometheus. Priam has a lot of potential right now. Even if he’s not building a faction, he can get allies to help conquer Elysium.
