Living Weapon [?]

* Reinforced Form (Unique)

* Size: 2.5ft wide

* Damage Resistance +3

* Damage: Cable-Dagger [Piercing, +3 DOT Poison once per day per dagger], Bash [Force], Edge [slashing], Lightening [chance to stun target temporarily]

* Skills: Infusion [Fire], Infusion [Steel] Racial Traits: Poisonous, Lightening, Archery, Wallwalker [Limited: 90°]

*

* – Description: A shield

* – Detailed Description: A shield covered in spikes.

I didn't expect the Wallwalker trait to carry over, so I'm happy to get even a limited version. The Lightning Trait didn't set in exactly as I wanted though: it's too weak to carry over the cables so my body has to be in contact with the dagger for it to work.

'Well, it should be about time to get moving.' I think, watching as the Monster Core Integration ticks over to 99%.

'Hua- maybe I should've waited till this was done to use the gem to make the steel cable?'

… crap.

An hour later it reaches 100% and I wish I could say I felt a sudden influx of power, but it's more like waking your leg up after it's fallen asleep- an annoying moment as feeling sluggishly returns to the metaphorical limb.

Notice: Mana based skills are available for use.

The following stats have changed:

Monster Core: Fire [1], Shadow [1]

–

Shadow Step[1]: You are able to travel through the shadows a short distance.

I mentally feel out the new Skill, curious if I can do what the fox did- and am immediately disappointed: unlike the fox I cannot take another person with me, and further I can only pass through six inches of material and into a shadow contacting it.

'I mean yea- that'd be great if I could use it to escape something, but seeing how slow it was for the fox and the backlash from it being Interrupted?

'No, wait, what if I'm not passing through objects?' I reconsider how to use the skill: leaving out taking someone with me and instead of passing through an object, imagine stepping between shadows in the room around me.

Then it hits me, and my entire view of the world around me changes.

My rat perception creates a type of photographic memory. My spider sense takes me from moving in a 2D world (forward and back, left and right) to a 3D world, adding up and down and along non-floor surfaces; that is basically the difference between walking on the ground and flying in the air.

And now? Now it's like adding a fourth dimension.

I look at a shadow and rather than seeing a flat surface, it instead extends like a hallway, but one with 10 other places at the end of it, all different shadows within this room.

I know I can "step through" these shadow hallways: doing so is no more than a few inches, but the space is warped and it takes time, with the farthest shadow exits taking longer to step between them. If anything distracts me in the process I'll be forcibly kicked to the nearest side, taking damage.

And there's more: While I still see the perfect undamaged room visually, the shadows cast a different view: from the windows and light of the zombies eyes, sections of the room seem to have an overlay of the destroyed room, like a fog interrupting the illusions spell.

I look back over the room, my mind still wrapping itself around what I am seeing, and it takes a moment longer to subconsciously organize everything.

I decide to ignore the idea of using the hallways for now and focus on the side effect: the areas cast in shadow, where two different images overlap.

Movement catches my attention and I focus on shifting forms: sections of bodies being cast in faint shadows from moving lights. The front of one body, shadows cast from a torn dress of another, arms and tattered clothing that momentarily block the light shining from their eye holes- bits and pieces of blocked light that give shape to the forms below.

Six zombies moving through a ruined building, all clustered directly under me and the chandelier. With their heads turned up I can tell they're watching me, even without seeing the red light in their eyes.

Out of curiosity I stare at the suggested forms and activate Identify:

Floor: a stone floor.

Seems it doesn't matter if I know something is there, I still have to see it for that to work.

'So that's the four that were at the door, plus a couple others. Not as many as I had expected, but the door is still barred shut.'

I absentmindedly watch as a new set of illusions walk through the room in reverse, their paces quickened beyond "real time" speed. Facial expressions seem excited as if something grand was about to happen, and I'm drawn in as the last figure enters (or leaves, since it's in reverse?) the room, continues a seemingly merry conversation with two others, then uses a key in a metal sconce near the entrance, causing chains in the edge of the illusionary door barring beam to lift it up, freeing the doorway of its massive barrier. The three return to their merry conversation as they walk backwards, leaving the room through the same hallway.

I peer back at the shadows below me, focusing on each for a moment to confirm: None seem to be dressed as fancy as the ones who just passed through.

'Does that mean one is the owner of this place?

'Considering I don't know how long night lasts here and it's surrounded, I might as well see what they're up to.'

I'd pretend they may just be having a good day if not for the two foot thick beam they barricaded the door with and the frantic behavior that followed. 'First, I guess I need to get rid of the zombies.'

I begin lowering myself down on a line of iron thread, stopping ten feet above the floor, shield side face down. I can hear a few faint moans from the Zombies and their steps on the floor as I take a moment to plan and mentally prepare, reminding myself they're already dead and this should be easier than the Goblins.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

I fire my center dagger and hit one just beneath a shadowed chin, feeling it pierce leathery flesh as it scrapes past the top of the ribcage. With a quick pull I feel resistance as the back of the blade catches on the inside of its chest and after a moment of free fall I reel myself against it, the near vertical drop the only thing keeping my weight from pulling the zombie to the ground.

Immediately it begins to claw at me, its fingers harmlessly sliding against my front. Behind me the other five zombies begin to attack, their fingernails ripping their own flesh off as they catch against edges, then proceed to claw at me with the exposed bones beneath.

A quick glance confirms they aren't able to damage me, so I begin my retaliation.

Firing a dagger to the left I miss ones head, but activate it's cantrip and lock the line to cause it to wrap around the zombies fleshy neck.

With a firm pull I begin to reel it in, causing it and the first zombie to be pulled closer together. While my position shifts I launch a dagger on my other side, this one piercing an eye socket and snuffing out one of its lights in the process. For good measure I open the notifications to see what I'm dealing with:

Your attack against [Cursed Zombie #1] was a success!

[Cursed Zombie #1]'s health has decreased by [2] points! [18/20]

[+2 Mana Flesh]

(Target is immune to the following: piercing, poison, BloodSucker)

Your attack against [Cursed Zombie #2] was a success!

[Cursed Zombie #2]'s health has decreased by [2] points! [18/20]

[+2 Mana Flesh]

(...)

Your attack against [Cursed Zombie #3] was a Critical Success!

[Cursed Zombie #3]'s health has decreased by [5] points! [15/20]

[+3 Force, +2 Mana Flesh]

(...)

'Thats… weird? So far any "Critical hit" has done some kind of extra effect, but that's just my normal damage?'

As I pull my dagger from the now shadowed eye socket I focus on my other two lines, slightly lifting my body off the first zombies chest as I apply as much force to the other as possible.

A wet, soggy feeling soaks the line as it begins to press into its neck, my cable slipping down into existing tears in the skin as it moves. For a moment nothing happens, then a sudden lurch jerks me towards it as the line severs the flesh and locks around the spine in its neck for a moment until I feel my cable slip between the vertebrae and its head falls to the ground, the body beneath it going limp as well.

I mentally note the [+2 damage] from Mana Flesh in the notification, but the lack of other damage in spite of what just happened distracts me for a moment before more bony fingers slam into my back side as my front is reeled into the first zombie.

I decide to focus on what's in front of me and fire a dagger near straight up under #1s jaw, feeling it rip through the leathery skin and crack into the nasal cavity but have no noticeable effect on my attacker.

I focus on #3 again, taking time to better aim my attack, lodging a dagger directly in its forehead and garnering another Critical Hit. Following through on the attack I immediately pull the line tight as I loosen the first, allowing my body to slam into the dagger with force.

Your attack against [Cursed Zombie #3] was a Critical Success!

[Cursed Zombie #3]'s health has decreased by [5] points! [10/20]

[+3 Force, +2 Mana Flesh]

(...)

Your attack against [Cursed Zombie #3] was a Critical Success!

[Cursed Zombie #3]'s health has decreased by [3] points! [07/20]

[+3 Force]

(...)

'That's just my normal damage.' I complain, but since it seems the most effective, I relax the cable then jerk on it again, this time pulling the dagger and the zombies head towards me to slam hard against my body.

After repeating the action two more times the zombie falls down with a defeated notification.

'So I can cut off ones head and get nothing, but slamming into… oh, you've got to be kidding.' I mentally slap myself in the face. ' "Aim for the head." Of course. Hitting the body practically does nothing, but slamming into the skull around the brain hurts it. And perhaps that's why a daggers' Critical Success causes force damage instead of piercing.

'... wait, do they still have brains?'

Between using my body like a hammer on nails and their attacks being ineffective it doesn't take long to finish off the group. 'They really didn't like it though, and started attacking with fervor the more I hit them.'

The sound of banging against the main door draws my attention, reminding me of how crowded it is outside. 'But hey, so long as they're outside it's not my problem.'

Stretching I extend my legs beneath me and crab walk over and around the invisible corpses, finding the previously severed "squishy " head, finishing it off.

I consider eating them, but like the Diseased Rats I worry the "curse" these carry could spread in doing so.

Following the path the latest illusionary person took I enter a hallway, climbing up the wall in the process to reduce the chance of bumping into another zombie. The corridor is surprisingly long and it takes time checking each room, but find them all empty. Well, empty of illusionary people at least: there's some furniture I'll come back to check on when I can actually see what's there.

But upon checking the last room I'm left puzzled, as no sign of the owner is found.

I figure there's got to be something I'm missing and wait for more from the illusions, settling in comfortably against the wall halfway down the hall, eventually losing focus as the odd form of sleep takes over.

—

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The World is split in half: flat gray land stretches in every direction, ending at a red rim of light that fades to a deep blue in the center above. Most think it's just a concept, but it can be a real place if you know how to reach it: The Horizon.

Two beings fade into the pseudospace, walking towards the center from opposing sides: one made of light, the other solid black. The darkness smiles as they meet, perfect teeth shining in the twilight.

The light scowls in response. A perfect Heavenly voice rings out, words echoing through the space without matching the movement of her lips. "He knows."

Squinting eyes barely open within the shadows head as it tilts back. "Pan?" His voice strangely echos through the air before he holds his arms to the side, open hands palm up. "It was expected. I had to experiment with animals before I could target a Hero."

"Monsters." The light harshly corrects him. "Animals would likely have been ignored. But things with a Core are not."

The shadows smile freezes for a split second before he responds "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make changes in the System? And wasn't it your job to keep others in the dark?"

The Light rests its hands on its hips "I do, and I did: The system isn't updating from your actions- but his Sacrifices? Those go directly to him."

"The risk was necessary." The dark states flatly. "If I started with humanoids it would have been impossible to hide from everyone. Pan may think something is going on, but is not likely to suspect what we are doing, and now that we are past that stage there won't be anything more to draw his attention."

The lights eyes narrow. "And what about your mistake?"

"I-" the dark begins angrily before catching himself "have taken care of it. I revoked its Title and was able to confirm its death."

The light glares at the dark figure for a moment before moving to say something when both beings' heads snap up in attention, turning to face the same spot in the empty plains.

With narrowed eyes they look at each other and nod, their forms fading out of existence.

A moment later something unobserved moves in the liminal space.

—

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