Chapter 47
Ryker
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*NOTIFICATION*
Blunt Force Trauma Resistance Ability Level 1 UNLOCKED
By surviving a lethal amount of blunt force trauma your body has become more resilient to blunt force injuries. Continued exposure to blunt force stimuli will further raise this ability's potency over time. Base resistance 10%. Each level increases resistance by 1%.
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Beaten, battered, and bloody, I found myself unable to move my body more than an inch without the pain threatening to unravel the last vestiges of my sanity. I marveled at the newfound resistance and moaned quietly as I thought about what it took to get it. With this latest addition, I now had three new ways to be tortured all the way to the top of existence. "Woohoo," I thought.
With my mana creeping down towards zero, I desperately tried to focus on Silvar's task and not on the pain wracking my body. I finally settled into a silent meditation when Ruby made her presence known by abruptly forcing my body out of the fetal position and into a textbook anatomical one. My back, arms, and legs were forcefully straightened, with my palms facing upwards and my toes canted out to the sides. The sound of my bones and flesh being forcefully rearranged was horrific but well worth the cost of admission. A moment after Ruby finished manipulating my body, I had the pleasure of hearing a familiar thud, Amy dry heaving, and Jeremiah calling out, "Luke, are you okay?"
I tried my best not to smile at their suffering, but I was feeling a little bitter towards the trio at the moment. I schooled my emotions, closed my eyes again, and focused. This time I felt the ability pushing my vitality and Ruby’s nanobots much faster than before. The warm sensation that the healing left behind was euphoric. Everywhere the mana went, I felt the damage being repaired and the pain steadily lessening before it fled, leaving behind blissful relief. Then it hit me like a truck…I was following the mana. I could feel it leaving my chest and traveling throughout my body. I felt it being transformed from its raw formless state into the restorative ability that I was growing more fond of by the second.
As I felt the mana travel to an abrasion on my left hand, I looked down and watched as it changed. The green glow was visible to my eyes, and I watched the beauty of what my mana was capable of. The scrape rapidly scabbed, fell off, and the scar faded in seconds. Then all of a sudden, the warmth of the magical healing was gone, and I looked up to find my health bar sitting at 60%, and my mana bar bone dry.
The sound of clapping in my head shook me out of my introspection, and I opened my eyes to find one of the clouds passing over me stop and corkscrew downwards till it hovered 5 feet above my head. Silvar’s head, feet, and hands poked over the sides of the nimbus, and he smiled as he gave the fluffy transport a squeeze before saying, “Congratulations, you just took your first step towards being an honorary Vren. You're still a shit sandwich, you're just not a soggy one.”
I shot Silvar a venomous look and did my best to try and unlock an eye laser ability so I could burn a hole in his forehead, but to my chagrin I was unsuccessful. So I took a deep breath and chose to be the bigger man and ignore the monk worm's jab. Silvar narrowed his eyes, and his right hand let go of the cloud and mimed a squeezing moment, and I felt my heart being constricted by the evil prick and remembered I wasn't alone in my head and mentally kicked myself for the misstep. Silvar must have picked up on my realization and released me and said, “Now that we understand one another…It is time for you to draw in vital energy. With you being able to sense your mana, you should be able to start feeling your passive draw on the Vital energy around you. Remember you are constantly attracting ambient Vital energy and absorbing it. All you have to do now is try and replicate your success with mana and start feeling the vital energy flow into you. The differences in the two energies are subtle at first but in time, you will not believe how different they actually are.”
I gave Silvar a gentle nod and closed my eyes to concentrate. I started by focusing on my heart and felt the trickle of mana flowing out into my body. Carefully, I traced its movements, and after I thought I had a solid grasp on it, I tried to reach out. I couldn't sense anything…there was pain and there was relief from that pain. I kept it up for what felt like hours but still nothing. Silvar must have been feeling impatient because the next thing I knew, I felt a flood of power different from my mana course through my body. It was similar to the green glow of my healing ability but felt more akin to pure life and made me feel amazing. I opened my eyes and saw Silvar wilt in front of me, and his avatar dematerialized.
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I was momentarily shocked by seeing him leave in such a manner and mentally said, “Silvar, what did you do? Are you okay?”
A low exhausted voice growled out, “I am fine, you fool. I just overdid it by giving you a bit of my vital energy, so now you have a better reference point. After exerting myself like that I must recuperate. While I am out, you better figure out how to draw in vital energy or else…”
I felt the Vren's presence fade in my mind and I readied myself to start again when Ruby’s sultry voice chimed in, “Not so fast, lover.” I looked around but couldn't see her, then she popped into existence, standing over the top of me wearing a skin-tight black bodysuit similar to my own. She stepped one foot over me and, while facing me, sat down on my chest and looked down into my eyes. I immediately felt my cheeks heating up as the suit translated the sensation of her butt pressing itself into place atop me. The feeling was unsettlingly realistic.
Ruby was obviously enjoying my situation and teased. “Oh! I didn't realize you were such a naughty boy! Quit it Ryker; you're going to make me blush!”
I was summarily unamused and through gritted teeth said, “Ruby, will you please get off me and tell me what hell you want?”
I must have hit a nerve because she recoiled like I had slapped her and said, “Well, I never! I, out of the kindness of my heart, come out here to give you aid, and this is the way I'm treated!” She leaned forward intentionally placing her curves right at eye level and stood, then turned around and materialized a set of stilettos onto her feet with 3-inch heels and proceeded to step onto my chest and walked down the length of my body while digging in the heel of her shoes. She took one final step directly onto my groin before flipping her hair over her shoulder and saying, “if you're not careful ... .you're going to lose me!......now check your notifications you brute!”
I did my best to not allow myself to show any pain outwardly but accidentally let out one traitorous whimper of pain that Ruby smiled at and then disappeared. I couldn't believe how shit my luck was to have not one but two evil alien minds living inside me. A second after that bit of stupidity passed through my head, I felt my heart being constricted and a bolt of electricity ran the length of my spine. I decided then….that I was done thinking and pulled up my notifications.
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*NOTIFICATION*
LEVEL UP!
You have successfully gathered the prerequisite amount of Vital Energy required to allocate one stat point. 10/10 Vital Energy
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*NOTIFICATION*
Post Activity Stat Increases:
+1 Constitution
+1 Vitality
+1 Endurance
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*NOTIFICATION*
Ability Level Increases:
Rejuvenating Nano Swarm Level Up! +10% Healing Speed/Efficiency
Rejuvenating Nano Swarm Level Up! +10% Healing Speed/Efficiency
Rejuvenating Nano Swarm Now Level 9
New Effect +80% Healing Speed/Efficiency
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*STATUS*
NAME: Ryker
RACE: Human
LEVEL: 1
VITAL ENERGY TO NEXT LEVEL: 10/10
STATS
HEALTH: 84/190
STAMINA: 40/110
MANA: 0/10
STRENGTH: 6
AGILITY: 4
CONSTITUTION: 9
ENDURANCE: 3
VITALITY: 14
PERCEPTION: 5
INTELLIGENCE: 2
MANA: 1
+1 UNALLOCATED STAT POINT AVAILABLE
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