The cavern filled with the sounds of conflict. Screams of pain, clanging of metal, the pounding of fists, gnashing of teeth, groans of despair and so many other delectable sounds that Azoria squeezed into a wine glass and sipped delicately. Such flavors distilled all in one place with such a bouquet of various raw emotion could not be replicated again in such exact proportions for thousands of years.
The wine glass filled to the brim with this glowing red liquid. Pain, death, despair, confusion, dismay, hope, envy, determination, greed, lust, and so much more all swam into the mixture, which emitted a whispered scream that only Azoria could hear. The glass tipped against her red lips before she tilted back and drank it all like a shot. A little burp escaped and her cheeks turned bright red. Azoria twirled happily and leaned on her podium while holding the already half full wine glass.
Azoria turned to the bull, barely able to stand as pale skin flushed, “Don’t you see Moggy, isn’t shiss so much -hic- better than pure nonsense, insanity, and chaos all the time?”
The bull crossed its eyes and raised its tail before releasing a huge fart. Azoria wrinkled her nose as she stumbled over to the bull and intentionally spilt the contents filling her glass on the stage floor in front of it.
“Lon’t be dike shhthat, Moggy baby, give it trysies! Pwease, for me?”
The bull craned its thick neck before releasing a long hot breath as if to express sincere boredom. Then it put its head down toward the spill and licked it tentatively. Eyes glowed as it refused to drink more than that first sip.
“Too much order, too much construction, too much careful planning, too much scheming, too little chaos, too little randomness, too little nonsense. How long do you think you can restrain me in this pitiful narrative, Delvia?”
Azoria suddenly appeared laying atop his back on her stomach as her legs kicked idly in the air. Her chest pushed against the shaggy carpet like back. A finger made circles in the short brown fur at the top of the bull’s head between its two large stubby horns. A large forceful hiccup escaped her lips before she took a healthy sip from the nearly full wine glass.
“Is Moggy angwy at the toy he can't break? One of these days I’ll make you see that chaos without order is emptiness, an abyss, and that chaos isn’t the ultimate power.”
“I am endless. It’s my abyss, I’ll keep it the way I like. I’ll feed on the concentration of insanity I prefer. Feed more souls into my depth. I want to play with them too, in the way that only I can.”
The mixture poured onto the bull’s fur and ran down its sides. Azoria's buzz already had worn off, intentionally.
“I offer you everyone who dies here this day, a sacrifice to your eternal madness, to be tormented until their mind shatters and becomes one with your infinite chaos. Never to live again, never to be reincarnated, never to escape, to be forever hollow aspects burning in your stomach.”
The bull smiled as its eyes glowed a bright burning red, and then it burped fire, “That is satisfactory, for now. I must admit, Adonis is a fine appetizer. His soul, spirit, and mind, burn brightly with-”
The bull stopped. Its head began to rotate, the neck twisted and popped as it spiraled then reset with each full 360-degree turn. Azoria sat upright and watched as the horns rotated past again and again, faster and faster. Then the thick broad neck elongated out past the edge of the stage before it popped back into place. The force of the snap sent Azoria backwards off the bull's back and tangled her into the curtains.
"So much FUN!" it squealed in a high-pitched child-like voice as Azoria dropped herself free.
-----
Fedor charged with renewed energy for the counter assault. Adonis jumped out of the way. Fedor skidded to a stop and turned with a potent agility for his size. He kept his center of gravity stable so he could block the incoming swings with his cleaver. But every movement had to push a great deal of mass and this resulted in a loss of breath.
The berserker attacked quickly, again and again, showing a sudden great increase in the speed of his attacks if not the efficiency of his targeting. Adonis couldn’t take his eyes off the cleaver and struck it repeatedly with his sword. The clang of steel against steel echoed around them. Fedor braced himself and let his cleaver tank the flurry of strikes. If he could stand still and block attacks that would recover his stamina. And that Katana couldn’t last forever. Chips and blunts ran up and down the ragged edges of the blade.
And then, Adonis struck somewhere else. The sword struck down into the butcher’s flabby side and sliced through his clothes. It pushed downward and then out into the fatty mass but got stuck. It couldn’t escape the thick fat before the cleaver’s blade flew against his neck and chopped into his vertebrae. Blood spurted from the half-separated neck as Fedor yanked the cleaver out and stumbled back.
Adonis managed to pull the sword free with the help of his opponent stumbling back. A spray of blood gushed from the opened neck wound and ran down his coat. Adonis stared at Fedor, blinked, still clutching the abused katana. Blood pooled at his feet as his skin paled. It became sticky as the pool clotted around his boot. The man wouldn’t fall.
Blood ran from the wound in Fedor's side as well, though the katana had only sliced through a fat roll it bled quickly and all the worse because the blade had become jagged.
Adonis raised his sword with the blade out tilted to the side and ran forward, screaming more nonsense as Fedor blinked in astonishment.
Announcement bellowed through the cave.
Amber Delacroix: Inefficient Manager: HITBOX ZERO!
FATALITY!
Hermann Grutusch: Outspoken Nationalist: HITBOX ZERO!
FATALITY!
The man in the business suit and the police officer watched the fight from a distance. The Asian man adjusted his tie and looked up to the American authority figure. There were two other people in Mark’s group, both teenagers. They’d already shared names and verified their powers.
Nickey Lawson, an excessively slender red headed girl in a long purple bomber jacket that reached her lower thighs and attention-grabbing purple high-top boots with fishnet stockings, held the corner opposite Mark. Nickey had stats that rivaled an MMA prize fighter who could dodge almost anything yet couldn’t tank a hit to save her life. Though her title showed promise.
Nickey Lawson
Bubbly Assassin
Skills Description Skull Bash Novice 01
Strength increased by ten points for all relevant body groups when attacking the head with a blunt type weapon.
Flurry Kicks Novice 01
An attack that utilizes ten kicks in ten seconds without stamina cost. Can be used once a day.
Dodge Attack Novice 01
Dodge any single attack regardless of logic one a day.
Throwing Shade Novice 01
Ten percent more accurate when using thrown weapons.
Passives Description Innate Agility Novice 01 Your agility skills level up ten percent faster than normal.
Curses Description Evil Rabbit 01 A stuffed rabbit stalks you with murderous intent because of the people you killed for them. It can invade your dreams.
Vital Statistics # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Perception 83 Sight 97 Hearing 81 Touch 77 Awareness 92 Spiritual 79 Nil Nil Strength 24 Arms 27 Legs 32 Torso 19 Back 11 Grip 20 Nil Nil Toughness 10 Blunt 09 Slice 04 Pressure 19 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Stamina 89 Heart 99 Lungs 99 Arms 64 Legs 87 Nil Nil Nil Nil Speed 97 Swim 80 Swing 99 Run 99 Think 83 Nil Nil Nil Nil Agility 99 Arms 99 Legs 99 Torso 99 Back 77 Fingers 85 Nil Nil Fortitude 17 Magic Def 09 Mental Def 23 Stability 39 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Intelligence 87 Emotional 43 Scientific 78 Spiritual 38 Interpersonal 44 Bestial 99 Creative 98 Magic 01 Fire 01 Ice 01 Water 01 Wind 01 Earth 01 Nil Nil Spirit 07 Restoration 01 Illusion 15 Life 05 Dark 00 Light 00 Resistance 71 Luck 51 Money 45 Combat 73 Magic 08 Relational 54 Nil Nil Nil Nil
To the opposite of the businessman in their square formation stood the pro-gamer, Carson James Kidd. The teenager didn’t look like anything special but he had some interesting sniper abilities and a potion boost. He claimed he could fill the role of healer, support, and damage per second as he improved. He had to teach the older ones what DPS meant.
Carson James Kidd
Overenthusiastic Gamer
Skills Description No Scope Novice 01
Ranged attack speed increased by 10 percent.
Energy Drink Novice 01
Any and all potions consumed have double the normal effect.
Passives Description Sleepless Novice 01 Can function without penalty on four hours of sleep a day. Twitch Novice 01 Reaction Time Enhanced an additional ten percent beyond stat determinates for up to one hour a day.
Curses Description Energy Drink Side Effects 01 All poisons consumed or inflicted have double the normal effect. Withdrawal 01 Every hour without using an enhancement substance will result in a ten percent reduction in gain of all stats. Experience gain reset upon using stat enhancing substance.
Vital Statistics # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Perception 70 Sight 69 Hearing 69 Touch 69 Awareness 93 Spiritual 08 Nil Nil Strength 25 Arms 20 Legs 20 Torso 20 Back 20 Grip 50 Nil Nil Toughness 25 Blunt 29 Slice 39 Pressure 07 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Stamina 09 Heart 09 Lungs 07 Arms 12 Legs 06 Nil Nil Nil Nil Speed 34 Swim 01 Swing 02 Run 10 Think 91 Nil Nil Nil Nil Agility 38 Arms 31 Legs 36 Torso 39 Back 14 Fingers 99 Nil Nil Fortitude 41 Magic Def 60 Mental Def 17 Stability 23 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Intelligence 77 Emotional 11 Scientific 89 Spiritual 11 Interpersonal 25 Bestial 01 Creative 95 Magic 74 Fire 74 Ice 60 Water 73 Wind 82 Earth 79 Nil Nil Spirit 23 Restoration 01 Illusion 05 Life 05 Dark 05 Light 05 Resistance 72 Luck 45 Money 39 Combat 52 Magic 54 Relational 33 Nil Nil Nil Nil
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Then there was the businessman. He didn’t get along to well with the teens and seemed to be the weakest link. What was his name, Mark thought, Unko Tanaka? Mark quickly scrolled through the list for Tanaka, oh right, Banko Tanaka. Like a banker or something.
Banko Nakamura
Overbearing Boss
Skills Description Paper Cut Novice 01
Can manifest and control the movement of one kilogram worth of paper for one hour a day.
Efficiency Boost Novice 01
Ten percent bonus to teammates stats and abilities at the cost of one sanity per minute when activated.
Sanity Drain Novice 01
Lectures any subordinate to reduce their sanity by ten points a minute so long as the lecture continue. Vastly increases subordinate’s strength, toughness, and fortitude in proportion to the length of the lecture for a maximum of nine minutes. Can not reduce anyone below 10 percent sanity threshold.
Passives Description Efficiency Up 01 One percent bonus to all party’s perception and intelligence abilities.
Curses Description Tiring 01 One percent reduction to all party's stamina abilities.
Vital Statistics # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Perception 87 Sight 94 Hearing 94 Touch 67 Awareness 99 Spiritual 49 Nil Nil Strength 47 Arms 22 Legs 40 Torso 40 Back 45 Grip 68 Nil Nil Toughness 15 Blunt 05 Slice 05 Pressure 73 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Stamina 45 Heart 17 Lungs 68 Arms 03 Legs 55 Nil Nil Nil Nil Speed 32 Swim 01 Swing 04 Run 37 Think 83 Nil Nil Nil Nil Agility 37 Arms 35 Legs 46 Torso 17 Back 17 Fingers 73 Nil Nil Fortitude 90 Magic Def 81 Mental Def 99 Stability 99 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Intelligence 78 Emotional 64 Scientific 72 Spiritual 30 Interpersonal 95 Bestial 09 Creative 81 Magic 54 Fire 11 Ice 41 Water 11 Wind 36 Earth 75 Nil Nil Spirit 07 Restoration 01 Illusion 01 Life 01 Dark 07 Light 04 Resistance 83 Luck 51 Money 49 Combat 29 Magic 49 Relational 59 Nil Nil Nil Nil
“Should we get involved?” Banko asked, “Do you think that zombie will come for us next? What should we do sir.”
Mark crossed his arms, “The fat boy has moves. We should recruit him. I doubt the other guy is even human anymore. The fat boy is gaining numbers too, but that other guy isn’t registering anything I can see.”
“And?”
“We have to pick a side,” Carson said, “Everyone around us is leveling up their stats and we’re camping. It’s either fight or die. Sure, we can camp here all day, hold your perimeter, but since we’re not getting any stronger by doing that, we’re becoming the next easy target.”
Mark pulled out his baton and slapped it against his hand, spoke to his group, “That zombie is about over. Easy gains, right? That's what you said we should aim for. Most of the work has been done for us, so I’m with the gamer. Let’s go give fat boy a hand and level up a bit. Anyone who isn’t feeling up to that can stay here and wait for death.”
The businessman gulped and pushed up his glass, “Fine, I’m in, let’s... do this level up thing?”
“Beautiful, but what’sh the plan of attack?” Nickey asked with a slight lisp.
John Dimms: Unfortunate Spaceman: HITBOX ZERO!
FATALITY!
Mark considered it, “You get his attention, make sure you don’t get hit. You get him in position and I’ll shock him. Let the butcher do the dangerous work though.”
“And us?” Banko and Carson asked together.
“Secure the perimeter, if Nickey gets into trouble bail her out. Don’t let her get hit-”
“Twenty kills and I’ve never taken a direct hit, so don’t underestimate me. Being interfered with by coshmic beings doesn’t count.”
“As I was saying,” Mark continued, “You two hold the perimeter. Warn us if anyone tries to interfere or take advantage.”
“Fat man ish wounded, let’s get moving,”
“You heard the girl, spread out!”
The head of Adonis tilted oddly as blood continued to flow down the side of his clothes. As the sword continued to swing Fedor slowed. A stab to his right missed, then a stab to his right pierced the side of his fatty belly. There was too much target for Fedor to protect and unlike Adonis, he didn’t have unlimited stamina.
A girl jumped past them, a red-haired girl with freckles all over her face. The soles of purple high-tops twisted Adonis’s neck as her jump kick landed on target. She flew by and landed on her feet to the side of her target. That kick to the face had been so fierce she honestly thought it would do more.
The blunted and bloody katana raised for a swing down over Fedor. Once again, the butcher raised his cleaver to block. He had no choice but to protect his head even if the attack would most likely once again slice open or pierce his middle.
“Gyaahhhhhhhhh!” Adonis screamed.
The swordsman brough his sword back to his side and arched back. The gum laden hair frizzed with burning edges as curls of smoke rose from it. Mark’s baton had extended forward and pushed into Adonis’ side. Enough electricity to drop a much bigger man flowed from the tip of the weapon and would continue for a full twenty seconds.
Mark received that juicy stat boost notification with a satisfied smirk, “Need some help big guy!”
Fedor nodded, exhausted.
“Da.”