Corpus: 4042
Half of that huge stock of vitality gone in one strike.
It was as he feared.
One more mistake and he’d be dead. Another corpse for the endless pile.
The Manticore took a few steps forward, until it loomed over him, opening its immense maw with three rows of teeth, meaning to devour him whole.
Redmane caught its jaws in his hands just as they snapped down on him with monstrous force. His muscles strained so hard it felt as though his arms would tear off at any moment. Indeed, he heard and felt disturbing things. Wet pops and ripping sounds within his body, followed by bright blossoms of pain.
Slowly, the Manticore closed its mouth…
With a jolt of fear, Redmane realized what it was about to do. He could see a faint glow of violet light coalescing at the back of its throat.
He decided to beat it to the draw.
Flame Breath
Gnosis: 100
A gout of flames blew up into the back of the Manticore’s throat.
It choked and reared away, smoke billowing from its mouth, its eyes suddenly watery. Perhaps he’d burnt the glands it used for that Skill.
No time to wonder though. Time to press the attack.
Redmane snarled and savaged its face with as many claws as he could throw in the space before it reacted.
And now the Manticore, bleeding from so many wounds all over its face, front legs and shoulders, was covered in flowing sheets of its own blood.
For the first time, when Redmane advanced, it retreated.
Evidently Pietr took this as his cue.
Goratri’s Seeking Stars
A shard of blue Gnosis glimmered in his outstretched hand, and then it burst into a dozen glowing slivers that flew through the air at the Manticore. It attempted to leap out of the way, and its leaping distance was quite impressive. But not impressive enough. The stars impacted all over its side, leaving a pattern of blackened burn marks.
Redmane gave chase, and Pietr loosed another salvo of Stars of Seeking.
He met the Manticore at the end of its evasive leap, put out its right eye with a perfectly timed slash.
It snapped back at him, and he snapped back at it, taking a chunk out of its nose.
Then another paw struck him blind, barely a graze this time, but enough to remind him how much danger he was truly in.
Corpus: 2188
The blow hit him so hard it spun him aroud. But it didn’t scare him this time.
It made him angry.
He hadn’t come from a hole in the ground, chained and muzzled to a post, to die here.
If what Pietr said was true, his road to freedom was only beginning.
And this beast was in the way.
The Manticore now looked and acted wounded. It squared up with Redmane as if the two of them were pugilists in the pit together, ready to trade blow for blow until only one was left standing. The Bleeding stacks were beginning to add up. And it either remained afflicted by Quietude, or it was sincerely tired now. Whatever the cause, it was heavy with fatigue.
It pawed and bit at Redmane, who answered in kind. He evaded the Manticore without giving ground, ducking and slipping underneath its claws, shoving back its attempts to bite. Answering with flurries that left fresh claw marks on the Manticore’s face, sent blood spattering to the already bloody ground at their feet.
A white hot nugget of tension sizzled in his gut.
He could survive this. He could win. But he couldn’t make any more mistakes, not even one.
Redmane dodged and struck, dodged and struck again. His senses as keen as they could be. His focus pure. His stress tamped down by brutal necessity.
But he made a mistake anyway.
He ducked under what he thought was the swipe of the Manticore’s left paw. But it was a feint.
The Manticore bit half his face and chest off.
The bite took the front portion of his left shoulder as well, leaving the arm it belonged to limp and useless at his side.
Corpus: 2
The world spun.
His vision was blurry, on account of the missing eye. It hadn’t registered in his mind yet. All he knew was he just took a bad hit. The sudden loss of strength was just as dizzying as the loss of a portion of his head.
The Manticore opened its maw again. Quickly this time, to go for the killing bite. He could react if he were fresh, perhaps. But his body wouldn’t cooperate now.
Shaman’s Heal
Corpus: 1002
Suddenly it could cooperate.
Redmane dove away at the last instant, before jaws snapped in the air he’d occupied half a breath ago.
He glanced for Pietr, saw the priest doubled over on the ground, breathing heavily. Apparently he’d given Redmane all his Corpus, or almost all of it. He suddenly looked weak and exhausted.
The priest was true to his word. He’d given it his all. It was time for Redmane to do the same.
He roared, long and loud, and the Manticore answered in kind.
Lion’s Lunge
Gnosis: 85
It leapt at Redmane just as he was doing the same. The Skill launched him high, and with force, like a stone from a trebuchet.
They met in midair and his claw struck true.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Gnosis: 80
He followed it with another.
Gnosis: 75
And another.
Gnosis: 70
And another.
The blows landed with extra concussive force, from the Skill fueling them. Enough force to make the Manticore’s body tilt in the air in a way it hadn’t intended, making it fall backward rather than leap forward, and Redmane’s claws harried it all the way to the ground.
It landed on its back. He landed on his feet.
Then he cooked its face.
Flame Breath
Gnosis: 50
The Manticore bleated and writhed on the ground, its paws flailing, eyes blinded by smoke. This dose of fire breath ignited its mane and beard, obscuring its vision even after it managed to roll to its feet and back away.
No quarter could be given. But all the same, he truly could afford no further mistakes.
Pietr was spent. No more second chances. If he took another wound, it would all be over.
Redmane approached cautiously. Eyes fixed on the crouched Manticore, still blinking tears from its eyes. It growled deep in its throat when he grew close, swiped at him.
He batted its paw away.
It roared, snapped at his face.
He slid back.
It crouched lower and then sprang forward, coming down with both great paws.
Redmane whirled to the left, clawed across the Manticore’s shoulder. Right over a place he’d deeply wounded already.
The Manticore tried to turn, stumbled, faceplanted. Its right front leg wouldn’t work anymore.
He rushed in to finish the job.
And his heart skipped a beat when the Manticore bit for his face again, missing by a hair. He had to abort his charge and dodge past the monster, losing his chance to go in for the kill but avoiding fatal damage. His heart skipped yet another beat when its venomous tail almost stung him right in the chest, a second last-instant evasion sending him rolling back to where he started.
It was still dangerous, even now.
The Manticore coughed, and blood spattered the ground. It opened wide and Redmane could see it charging Venom Breath again, going for one more shot. A last ditch effort.
He gave it one of his own.
Lion’s Lunge
Gnosis: 35
Gnosis flooded his legs, launched him toward the Manticore at top speed.
It opened wide and angled its face upwards to meet his leap with a spray of paralytic death.
Whichever landed first, the claw or the venom, would be the victor.
They struck each other almost simultaneously.
Almost.
Redmane gashed out its one good eye.
The blow slammed the Manticore’s head to the ground, making its venom blast uselessly off to the side. It fell onto its side and squealed out with alarm at its now complete loss of vision, kicking and flailing its wings and tail and three good legs.
Redmane stood over it for a moment, watching, breathing heavily.
Then he crouched and dove in, tore into its exposed belly with his jaws. Eating its flesh while it still lived.
In a moment, its flailing grew listless. In a few moments more, it ceased entirely.
Level Up
Level 48 —> Level 49
Level 49 —> Level 50
Level 50 —> Level 51
Level 51 —> Level 52
Quality Points awaiting allocation: 4
There was another System prompt right behind it, but Redmane ignored it all for the moment,
He was famished.
The Manticore’s tail and maw and powerful wings would make Carnivrous Metamorph all the more useful. And as he’d hoped, feasting on it imparted something else.
—
Monster Skill Learned
Venom Breath
Bloodline Skill [Monstrous (Manticore)]
Rank 1 - Evolution Possible
Active
25 Gnosis
The Monster spews a cone of paralytic venom. This attack has the following Weapon Profile:
Damage +18
Armor Penetration 7
Evasion Negation 10 (Spread 5)
Might Damage over time (Venom 5)
Grace Damage over time (Venom 5)
(Venom) If either Might or Grace are reduced to zero by this attack, the target creature is paralyzed.
Greater Ranks increase the dimensions of the cone, and the damage and qualities of the venom.
—
Splendid.
As for supper, it would do.
Corpus: 2575
It was as good as he’d get in this place.
There were body parts all over the ground. The land seemed to be made of them. But just looking at them, Redmane somehow knew they would provide him no sustenance at all.
He’d eaten all those things already, sometime in the past.
The System still had a prompt waiting for his review, so he opened it.
—
At Level 50, Common Class Imbued may select a second Class Archetype or an Archetype Evolution.
Available Archetypes:
Marksman
The Marksman specializes in stealth and archery. Combining a keen eye and steady hand with his ability to mark Prey, his Skills focus on killing shots from astonishing distances.
Trapper
The Trapper, the most patient of Hunters, is a master of preparation. His Skills allow him to construct traps potent enough to capture or slay even the most powerful Monsters.
Beastmaster
The Beastmaster prefers to hunt with an animal companion, and as his Level grows, so too does the power and intelligence of his bonded beast.
Available Archetype Evolutions (Predator Archetype):
Feral Stalker
Like a great cat, the Feral Stalker is a solitary Hunter who specializes in attacking from stealth with his natural weapons. More than any other Archetype, this Hunter capitalizes on its knowledge of Prey to impair and hinder its quarry to the utmost.
Pack Alpha
The Pack Alpha, like the Beastmaster, specializes in animal ken. But rather than bonding with a single powerful animal companion, this Hunter commands and coordinates a pack of beasts to aid his hunt.
Beast Disciple
Beast Disciples attune themselves to the Beast Within, and channel its power into brutal combat Skills. At greater levels of mastery they can even manipulate the inner Beast in others around them, stoking or quelling their animalistic impulses.
—
Redmane sat down and stared at the list for a short while, thought about it.
They were all potentially good choices.
Adding another normal Archetype could make him more versatile. But he was fairly sure Valtr and Vengarl had much of those basics covered, so it wasn’t strictly necessary.
Specialization was a more appealing thought.
And of the three available Archetype Evolutions, one spoke to him most clearly. The Beast Disciple. The student of the ‘Beast Within.’
He knew a bit about having one of those already. Perhaps it would help him manage it.
He made his choice.
—
Archetype Evolved
Predator —> Beast Disciple
Skills Granted:
Bloodthirst
Uncommon Class Skill (Hunter)
Rank 1 - Evolution Possible
Passive
The scent of blood stirs the Beast Within.
The Imbued gains a bonus to Might and attack speed in the presence of creatures with the Bleeding condition. This bonus scales with the number of stacks of Bleeding in his proximity.
Feral Fleetness
Uncommon Class Skill (Hunter)
Rank 1 - Evolution Possible
Sustained - 5 Gnosis per day
When the Imbued taps into the Beast Within, he can cover ground quickly.
This Skill may not be used in combat, but can aid the Imbued in overland travel. For every 5 Gnosis spent, the Imbued may travel at his highest natural speed, to include such modes of movement as running, climbing, swimming or flight, for a full day and night without rest. The Imbued may utilize this Skill for a number of consecutive days equal to his Fortitude.
Rage Fueled Might
Uncommon Class Skill (Hunter)
Rank 1 - Evolution Possible
Reactive - 20 Gnosis
The Beast Within awakens when the Imbued is injured, and lashes out with all the force it can muster.
As a reaction to taking Corpus damage, the Imbued may activate this Skill to double his Might for the next immediate action he takes using that Quality, to include attacking. This Skill has a limited duration. Further Ranks will lengthen the time window of the bonus.
—
Redmane, Beast Disciple.
He liked the sound of it.
And this was a fine set of opening Skills. He looked forward to seeing the rest.
As for Quality Points, he sent all four to Fortitude. Yet again he felt he’d been taking more damage than he really ought to, most pointedly against Agneszka the Stitcher and then again right here and now.
Fortitude 13 —> 17
Pietr groaned.
Redmane looked over, saw that the priest had successfully rolled into a seated position. His posture was bad. He was doubled over, breathing slowly and with noticeable effort.
“Thank you for aiding me,” he said.
Pietr grinned crookedly and pointed at the ball of crackling red energy in the center of the arena.
“Don’t thank me, my lord… Just claim your prize…”
Redmane rose and approached it.
The cylinder of force protecting it was gone. He reached out and nothing impeded his hand.
It pulled at him, urging him to get closer still. Its pulsing matched the beating of his heart, or perhaps it was the opposite.
The instant his hand made contact with it, the world turned red.
Something opened up his head and poured fire into his body.
He was briefly one with a vast lake of power. A fire raging for all eternity. It was made of grief, of frustration, of resentment.
Redmane didn’t have any sudden flashes of memory.
No images sprang into his mind.
But all the same, he understood that he was merely a part of something massive. A vast consciousness, dismembered and imprisoned.
More than once.
Redmane took hold of the power before him, and let it flow into his body.
And as he did so, he felt its presence snap something inside him. Some hidden compartment. It felt like a tiny lock breaking inside a barrel of liquid flame.
Then the flame engulfed him.
—
Might +20
Grace +20
Fortitude +20
Armor +10
Evasion +10
Skill Evolved
Omnivore —> Devourer
—