Hello, Here's the next chapter hope it's what you guys like. Enjoy :D
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After killing many bears, both Lyra and I have levels 15. Still, I have no idea what level Synth is. Furthermore the move she uses can really push the limits of how far gore is programmed into the game. She claws the trachea out of many PK groups we come across, making me happy she is on my side! I mean of course I cleave off heads on lucky times I get a critical hit. But when she really goes at it, I almost feel pity for those poor souls. She's probably x10 crazier than whatever Hollywood has put in any top of the line vampire movie. Even Lyra is a bit shaken up.
She strolls back to me after taking care of a wolf that was about to flank me, with a hint of a grin on her face.
"You might want to watch your side or else you'll be a snack for them."
"Nah, I think they're pretty much pups compared to you."
She just shrugs then runs at superhuman speed over the chief of the wolves and strikes it twice then like the others, rips its throat like it was a paper bag.
But she is not the only one who has cool moves either! Lyra has her first skill unlocked since level 10. It is another savage yet graceful way to meet your end, and the effect is somewhat similar to the finisher that Synth has, but less powerful. At least until she levels it up more.
-Drop Dead Gorgeous- (lvl: 1)
If the target is below 40% they will be charmed by your beauty, unable to attack for 2 seconds, followed by using a jumping reverse spinning heel kick. Using momentum while you are in the air your tail will strike the target in the face first with your heel followed behind, crashing into the skull. 1% chance to cause instantaneous death. However the stamina cost will be deducted from your master.
Stamina cost: 300 Cooldown: 1 minute
Well it is quite a mouthful for a skill however the concept is simple and very effective! Especially when we get to higher levels, because at the moment our fights don’t last for more than a minute so the cooldown ends after the fight is already over. The fact that it siphons from my stamina is not a worry either since Lyra and the queen of everything scary and evil, Synth, are usually the ones at the frontlines most of the time.
Like I said, I’m usually the guerilla tactic fighter because of my class and also the strategical support. Furthermore, Since Queen Evil is with us now, I don’t have to put what little dignity I have on the line to climb a tree and bombard enemies like a kamikaze pilot with a scythe. Much to Synth’s chagrin though, because she really loved watching me bust my ass looking like a dog trying to climb a tree to get to a squirrel. Plus I got a skill I will probably never use anymore:
-Simple Climbing- (lvl: 2)
After many failed attempts at climbing trees and embarrassing yourself, you have gained the skill to help yourself better grasp areas to scale all sorts of trees. Each level the amount of slipping or failing decreases and the speed increases. Chance of failure decreased: 15% Speed: +5%
I’m not sure if I should laugh or cry, or maybe both. Once I told Synth of my newfound ability she laughed until she had to come up for air, which was the first time I saw her smile. Even if I had to sacrifice my miniscule amount of pride it was worth it.
“Master, come over here I found something.” Lyra’s motioning me over to a small opening in the woods.
“Is this another attempt to get me alone so you can pounce on me and get fulfill you illegal desires?”
“No, didn’t I tell you I wouldn’t do that again, you already made it clear last time! This is something else entirely.”
Ah, yeah a few days ago, that was a memorable incident. It involved a ravine, me unsuspecting, then a sack tied over my head, and some rope, followed by a rescue from the Vampire queen. I won’t go into details what happened during then afterwards. But Lyra was definitely punished. Not in too evil a way but let’s just say there are some bears that will have their bellies full for a week with demon meat.
“Oh ok, well then I’ll see.” Cautiously I walk over to Lyra after yelling to Synth to also come and take a look.
In the opening of the woods which can be considered as a clearing but not as big, there is a covered wagon and tiger. Which would be totally normal if the tiger was alive and the wagon was not smashed to bits like Dorothy’s house in the Wizard of Oz.
Making my way over to the wagon wreckage there is a body next to where the slat lay (plank the driver sits on). However something seems odd about the driver’s clothes and the tiger. Both are black and obviously top quality. The tiger, even though laying down you can tell is not a regular sized steed. It is one of the largest I have ever seen in the game at blackthorn city zoo and in real life. The man’s clothing is black with intricate designs that gives the impression of a noble and a wizard of some sort.
Now I’m no crime scene expert but something huge would have to be able to shatter a wagon to pieces like this. Also there is no tracks in the ground or fine cuts in the boards that would indicate swords. The man, let’s call wizard, doesn’t have any cuts on him either. It looks like a car was dropped on top of the wagon and the tiger too. Except they didn’t go splat so that rules out anything colossal in weight heading down at high speed, such as a large weapon or object. It seems like they were just stepped on by something big. Furthermore they were not kicked because the trajectory of the wood lying around is in a somewhat tight circular radius from the middle of the wagon.
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Looking closer I can see the objects he was hauling skewed among the wreckage. Things such as herbs, broken vials, many different ingredients one would use to make potions or poisons. Also scrolls that are kept unwritten, probably to document things related to spells or recipes.
After looking around at the luggage, I search the old wizard himself. He doesn’t strike me as unique, just another grandfather you would see at a family reunion or a hospital for the elderly. It’s odd though, how I don’t feel any remorse for him, probably because he is an NPC and a means to finding what happened here.
Anyways, it seems like he has a book on him. Definitely an old book because it seems like it will fall apart if I turn one single page of it. Looking at the cover it’s written in a different language but soon translates to where I can read it. Gotta love the AI.
-Undead Creations and Rituals-
Hesitating to open the book, I look inside at the table of contents:
-How to transfer the soul of a dead person into an animal-
-Zombie Basics 101-
-Bring an animal to life to serve you and become its Master-
-Fuse the undead animal with your mind to create telepathic link-
-Summon a famous person from the past to take over the animal’s mind-
-Different persona’s to plant into the mind of the animal-
-Side-effects of persona-implants-
Oh wow this is definitely interesting. After scanning that page I already have a plan in mind and it’s not hard to figure out what that is. Something every person in a game needs. A mount.
Reading through everything in the book except Zombie Basics 101 took an hour. After closing the book with the instructions in my mind and the objects needed I start to search the wreckage for what I need. Thankfully and oddly, everything needed is there, more or less in a condition I can use.
Now that I have everything I need, I get started on spreading a couple horrible smelling spices shaped as a pentagram while Synth and Lyra look at me curiously. Placing the other sacrificial offerings for the summoning took a while, and no it wasn’t anything like humans. But there are a few wolves that won’t be coming back to their pack tonight. Last but not least I call over my other two party members to help me pick up the gargantuan black tiger to set on top of the pentagram, making sure the spices forming the pentagram aren’t scattered, making the summoning impossible. Or worse, I could end up summoning the Devil himself accidentally. The book said the spices had to be perfectly set for what I’m about to bring out and into the tiger.
Now that it is all set up the book stated that there needed to be three people standing at equal distance around the circle. Well not exactly equal distance but as exact as possible. Pretty much like a pie chart that reads each 3 of us with 33% equal amount between us making 99% out of 100% accurate. Or something like that, if that helps describe it.
After going over the lines once more in my head, I also have to emphasize the letters and focus my mana at the tiger. Thus it’s easier to close your eyes and recite, rather than read from the book itself.
Reciting all sorts of weird mumbo-jumbo mixed with the occasional Latin, the circle lights up then engulfs both the pentagram and the tiger in fire.
“Ah a human has summoned me, it has been a while since I have stepped on earth again. The last time I was here it was rather hard to relax. What with all those superstitious holy bastards thinking we are Dark shapeshifting witches in disguise. A rather ‘black’ memory if I do say so myself, ho ho ho.”
Eh? Is this really the Relix the book talks about? The king of all things evil? The companion and steed of the Dark Lord Demius?
“Ah hello Mr. Relix I summoned you so you could be my mount.”
Well I probably could have phrased that one better. Not my finest moment.
“HAH! IS THAT HOW YOU SPEAK TO YOUR ELDER, BOY?!” He releases killing intent that makes me immediately drop to my knees quivering in fear. Lyra and Synth are in the same state as me, too.
“N-n-no s-sir, I d-didn’t m-mean to. S-sorry.” Shit this might have been a bad idea.
“Haha just kidding kid, you should have seen the look on your face, and your body was wobbling like drunken sailor hopping into a canoe! Ah that reminds me of a time when Demius had just massacred a barbarian sea-tribe then chunked their bodies into the sea while having a late-night party. Everyone dared each other to jump from boat to boat without falling in and joining the barbarians in the shark-infested waters to be a midnight snack. Of course I was inside one of the larger boats, feline animals don’t do well around oceans.”
That’s quite a colorful picture there. Seems like an easy going old cat after all.
“So about the mount idea?” I try to get back to the matter at hand.
“Ah yes, as long as I get to be fed fish by that lovely succubus over there I won’t kill you and run off.”
Sorry Lyra but you’re going to have to take one for the team.
“What kind of fish exactly?”
“Tuna.”