The food line dissipated. The portals bloomed as contestants choose numbers and took a complimentary mint. As time passed the cave became emptier, though the screaming of wounded who couldn’t move well persisted. Nobody within the confines of the cave was allowed to sleep or fall into unconsciousness until the wake-up call was rescinded. Ebony looked terrible, her eyelids hung heavy and bleary and her arms swayed limply. A bit of drool dripped into a small puddle between her feet.
“Yuh gave tuh big guy your name. Yuh sure that was a good idea?”
Circe shrugged, “He gave his in return. And I got to thank Ebony too. But I’m starting to worry about her. She doesn’t look so good.”
“I jus weeed a biddle wap es ull,” Ebony mumbled, drooling more.
Circe had managed to pull up two separate screens. On one side Fedor’s stats were displayed on the other side Ebony’s. Sure, she could narrow down her search to only see specifics, but she really wanted a general overview of her possible allies. Surely Ebony would be able to do the same when she felt better, right?
Fedor Kazokov
Dumpling
Skills Description Sticky Fat Novice 02
Once a day, fat that is cut or sliced can stick itself back together to heal. These wounds heal completely over time. Must consume 5kg of humanoid product once a day for this skill to remain effective.
Fat Becomes Muscle Novice 02
For ten minutes a day body fat is ambulatory and can be moved and shifted like a muscle. Must consume 5kg of humanoid product once a day for this skill to remain effective
Chopping Novice 09
Attacks with a cleaver are nineteen percent stronger and one percent faster.
Muscle Compensation Novice 03
Muscles are thirteen percent more powerful and strength increases ten percent faster than normal
Passives Description Steel Gullet Novice 02 Rotton food has no harmful effects. You can digest cellulose. Biological poisons, parasites, viruses, and bacteria, that enter the stomach will be neutralized. Can O' Ball Novice 02 Consumption of humanoid products increases strength and toughness stats by two percent per kilogram consumed.
Curses Description Thin Doesn't Win 01 You must consume 20,000 calories a day minimum to maintain your weight. Weight loss will severely degrade your stats.
Vital Statistics # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Perception 78 Sight 95 Hearing 45 Touch 97 Awareness 33 Spiritual 11 Scent 153 Strength 101 Arms 108 Legs 85 Torso 89 Back 103 Grip 116 Nil Nil Toughness 88 Blunt 98 Slice 88 Pressure 78 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Stamina 20 Heart 11 Lungs 11 Arms 62 Legs 53 Nil Nil Nil Nil Speed 35 Swim 01 Swing 98 Run 33 Think 15 Nil Nil Nil Nil Agility 38 Arms 84 Legs 19 Torso 03 Back 04 Fingers 87 Nil Nil Fortitude 47 Magic Def 47 Mental Def 47 Stability 47 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Intelligence 43 Emotional 23 Scientific 59 Spiritual 01 Interpersonal 31 Bestial 82 Creative 45 Magic 55 Fire 77 Ice 74 Water 34 Wind 05 Earth 05 Nil Nil Spirit 51 Restoration 01 Illusion 01 Life 01 Dark 34 Light 01 Resistance 69 Luck 15 Money 11 Combat 43 Magic 11 Relational 01 Nil Nil Nil Nil
Ebony Rhodes
Sleepy Placebo
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Skills Description Diagnosis Novice 03
Can diagnose one patient with one hundred percent accuracy for three minutes once a day.
Medicine Novice 03
Can manifest a small dose of medicine into the patient’s body once per day. Can manifest a toxin into a patient’s body once per day.
Placebo Novice 03
A minimal healing blessing that does nothing unless the patient believes in it.
Passives Description Holy Sword Novice 01 Imbues any sword equipped with holy attribute.
Curses Description Narcolepsy 03 You require twelve hours of sleep daily or you risk falling asleep involuntarily. Risk increases the longer you stay awake past twelve hours. Lack of sleep lowers sanity.
Vital Statistics # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Substat # Perception 78 Sight 76 Hearing 75 Touch 80 Awareness 75 Spiritual 77 Nil Nil Strength 51 Arms 50 Legs 43 Torso 49 Back 43 Grip 73 Nil Nil Toughness 81 Blunt 89 Slice 64 Pressure 95 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Stamina 65 Heart 63 Lungs 69 Arms 66 Legs 65 Nil Nil Nil Nil Speed 37 Swim 11 Swing 60 Run 19 Think 81 Nil Nil Nil Nil Agility 44 Arms 43 Legs 32 Torso 33 Back 25 Fingers 88 Nil Nil Fortitude 76 Magic Def 75 Mental Def 76 Stability 71 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Intelligence 91 Emotional 70 Scientific 101 Spiritual 77 Interpersonal 95 Bestial 71 Creative 66 Magic 20 Fire 10 Ice 20 Water 30 Wind 11 Earth 13 Nil Nil Spirit 61 Restoration 101 Illusion 15 Life 55 Dark 09 Light 79 Resistance 83 Luck 36 Money 12 Combat 34 Magic 22 Relational 84 Nil Nil Nil Nil
A little sigh escaped as she read that nickname, Dumpling. He kind of looked like a dumpling. Normally she might have giggled. But right now, not a drop of mirth could be found in her system. The rest of the information made her shudder and regret her offhanded talk about cannibalism earlier. Considering his curse, it seemed like he should have kept the energy bars.
A glance his way wasn’t needed. His big wobbly body bounded over to the corpses, so Circe looked away because she needn’t use her imagination to know what would happen next. Any thoughts of mirth at his nickname ended.
Chopping sounds reached her ears followed by the breaking and cracking of bone. A sickening slurp whispered against her ear across the distance of several meters. Alfredo could see it more clearly. The back rolls of the giant man strained against his shirt while he sat over the headless corpse of Adonis. Cleaver rose and fell to slice flesh off the limbs held between his fat legs.
The smacking of lips and crunching of teeth sounded like a pack of animals tearing a carcass. The roach infested pieces of Adonis’ first victim rested nearby. Circe decided to pretend none of it was happening and that the sounds were something else, anything else.
She closed Fedor’s screen now that she had an idea how he operated and concentrated on her new friend and ally. Placebo healing? Did that mean it wouldn’t help her anymore now that she read the stat bar and knew it was just a placebo spell? Well, even if it was just a placebo, belief was ultimately a choice, right? So, she would choose to believe in Ebony’s abilities. The woman had saved her life.
A glance towards the doctor made her frown. She needed help and right now. The woman had become sunken, slumped. Drool dripped on the floor. A dead fish eyed stare languished forward as she mumbled some sort of sleepy nonsense.
Suddenly Ebony slumped as she sat on the floor. Her torso fell to the left and she laid on her side. The woman stared toward Circe as sleep refused to come. A small hand waved hesitantly in the doctor’s line of vision, but barely a response issued forth except an exhausted moan.
“I don’t know what tuh do for her,” Alfredo said.
Circe shook her head as her face reddened. Nothing. That was what they could do to help the person who has saved her life. Absolutely nothing. Screaming her lungs out in protest wouldn’t help anyone. Enough screaming echoed from the background anyway.
Her hands went to the sides of her mouth and she yelled to the stage where Azoria lounged on her throne of skulls while eating what looked like grapes from a wooden bowl.
“If my friend dies, it’ll be on you! Even if you don’t care, I’m holding you responsible!”
Azoria glanced over toward the misfit party. A doppelganger in a white nurse’s outfit including a tight jacket, a cap with a red cross, and a white mini skirt zapped into existence. She stood over the stricken doctor with arms akimbo. A gentle kick rolled Ebony's back. Then a three-inch heel pushed into the woman’s shoulder as the demon lord leaned over her to address Circe directly. An elbow rested on an upraised knee as a smirk formed across her lips.
“It’s just some mild sleep deprivation. She’ll be able to get over it once I finish making the award announcements. Yes, it’s technically a form of torture. Mild torture really, especially compared to what you’re going to be experiencing. But since you're in such a hurry.”
Azoria clicked her long red nails as Circe felt a shudder go through her system. The roaches scattered from the splint as Alfredo took a fighting stance. The doppelganger in the nurse outfit clapped as Azoria on the stage stood up. The tour guide Azorias standing at the exits joined with emphatic clapping. Mark turned around and lead his team in clapping. Most of the people clapped. Circe blinked and tilted her head at the stage as Azoria leaned over the podium.
The clapping stopped once her voice boomed through the cave.
“And now, for you poor unfortunate souls who refused the chance to kneel before me, it’s time for you to receive the mercies that will prevent your immediate execution.”
The cave hushed as Azoria leaned over the podium for a long pause to survey the audience.
“I’m being benevolent and merciful, so you can clap again.”
Almost everyone clapped, and continued to do so. Continuous clapping filled the cavern as Circe looked around, kept her hands on her knees, and blinked.