-*You're the one who said I freed you, why are you just realizing I should try it again?!*- I thrash so I can slap him in the face, but he's got a good grip. Tch! Idiot!
He can dodge them, but not indefinitely, and, based on the fact that he's flipping them onto their backs and sweeping them off their feet... Either he can't kill them or he's not willing to. As the forerunners of the charmed start surrounding us he spins, slinging me over their heads and back towards the party room we left ages ago.
[Barrier Successful]
[Successful Use: 23/100]
[Qi -10]
[Karma -5]
[Aura of Suppression Successful]
[Successful Use: 38/100]
[Con. Qi -90]
[Karma -900]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,841,318/23,882,727]
[Current Qi: 332,777/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,530,908/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
I shield up. If nothing else people won't be able to just carry me around. Although I guess this is why they can see me even with my energy hidden, they're not real undead. They're not managing to get through my bubble, but it looks like they're just interested in capturing us. There's more grabbing, and less swiping and clawing, and these guys don't seem to be in a hurry. If they got trapped in town after everything went down, surely these guys have to have some skill to survive the chaotic aura? Unless they were just non-cultivators who couldn't wait long enough for things to clear up and were just trying to make a living.
"I'll distract these guys! You go back and take out the princess!" Who the hell does he think he is? Why should I? "Maybe you can find out how they manage to extract all that Qi jelly while you're at it."
... Dang it.
I look around, seeing my scales scattered across the ground, the glittering sheddings of the Get Well card that was sent and stolen from the hungry princess. I don't know how Woodcock is doing and it occurs to me that the reason I recognized him wasn't just his transformation. His name went from smudged writing to legible, although I don't remember what color his cloud name brackets were, so I don't know if they were always whitish-grey or not. Gonna go with not since I don't remember seeing any grey clouds...
The servants that split off to try to grab me are now just shooing me forward, so I guess everyone wins? For now. There's a couple of side paths that have some of my scales down them, but the servants are the best indicator of where to go, so I ignore the me paths outside of some idle curiosity. I'll explore those paths later...
"This is as far as you got?"
Hmm? I look up to see Woodcock laying into my shepherds. Did he get his guys already? I continue watching as he gives a single chop to the back of their necks, laying them down before spinning up and around another target before laying the latest rescue down. All in all this is a very good reproduction of those shitty fake defense courses that are so meme-able.
-Heh. Nice.- I follow after him as he curses me and races back along the greater scale path. Guess he knows where we're going.
The trip back is so~ much shorter than the hasty race away, and any new servants we come across get thrown to the ground, have their legs knocked from under them with a running slide or just get immediately chopped in the neck. We're back in the party room in no time, the numbers here greatly reduced what with the host of guides sent to retrieve us or lead us back. Woodcock claims the servants, telling me to ignore them and go straight for the princess before he starts disabling the leftovers.
I flick my antenna at him as I continue trotting across the room, opting to walk between the tables lining the main walkway instead of trying to go around them and possibly running into any servants. True no one can touch me, but still. Woodcock called dibs.
As I move up the stairs I notice that the princeling is just watching the princess who is sitting with her feet in a basin, being spoon fed some of the liquid Qi. How much Qi does it take to condense it, and why is it so inefficient? Or does it condense in massive chunks that they can --. My brain flashes back onto my early Qi storage, causing my steps to stutter before stopping.
-Pools...-
The Qi is pooling somewhere. My essence leaked through my anchor, but the thick AF spa treatment that I never collected is collecting somewhere. Holy shiz, Qi pools naturally. I'm gonna fuckin' bathe in it.
How much is there that they've got the time and patience to decorate the shit? How long has this been going on? How long was I asleep?
I try to run up the stairs, barreling at the princess, shield up, no movement skills, and it feels like I'm about to jump into her boyfriend's lap so I veer to the soup bearer. And get swept up, shield and all into the boyfriend's lap. Frickin' what? It's not a teleport, is it? It has a long windup, and you can feel where you'll end up, which is handy I suppose, but how am I supposed to counter it?
Before I can move there's an arm extended along my body. And my bubble is gone. Did he just shatter my bubble with a straight punch? Well, shit.
[Piercing Shot Successful]
[Successful Use: 38/100]
[Qi -30]
[Karma -5]
[Anchor Sigil Successful]
[Successful Use: 2/100]
[Qi -75]
[Karma -5]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,841,318/2,3882,724]
[Current Qi: 332,672/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,530,898/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
I send out a bludgeon shot. Into a wall. Pretty sure I aimed it at his chest. A sneak attack. How'd he shift it to the wall?
[Corpse Breath]
[Qi -10]
[Karma -10]
[Open Palm Strike]
[Qi -100]
[Karma -100]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,841,318/23,882,697]
[Current Qi: 332,562/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,530,788/107,275,977]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
-Bad.-
A swat. He swatted me on my rump. I just got spanked. And it cost Karma... The humiliation... This bish --!
[Piercing Shot Successful]
[Successful Use: 39/100]
[Qi -30]
[Karma -5]
[Anchor Sigil Successful]
[Successful Use: 3/100]
[Qi -75]
[Karma -5]
[Corpse Breath]
[Qi -10]
[Karma -10]
[Open Palm Strike]
[Qi -100]
[Karma -100]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,840,818/23,882,917]
[Current Qi: 331,847/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,531,668/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
Sneak attack! Another shot, spit straight at his face, knocking a hole in the floor at the base of the stairs, off to the side, not even an inconvenience.
-No.- Another swat to my rump, this time with an accompanying finger wag in my face. I snap at the finger, but miss.
Instant dismissal. Immediate humiliation. Dis bish.
Warm. My head is warm. The shame... I'm... I'm going to shit all over everything... While I'm ramping up to break all the shit, nevermind eating all the food, nevermind getting anyone trapped or charmed out, the princeling won't. Stop. Petting me!
[Greater Personal Transfer Successful]
[Successful Use: 30/100]
[Con. Qi -500]
[Qi -500]
[Karma 1000]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,841,318/23,882,667]
[Current Qi: 332,347/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,530,668/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
I can't hit him, but we're already touching, so it's a simple matter to shift us into my bank. Oh. It only cost me to move him. When'd that happen? And why's everything feel hollow?
He's sitting on the ground where he'd fallen after I brought us into my bank, just outside my ware-kitchen. There's supposed to be a chair. It feels like there's supposed to be a chair, but there's no chair, and no chair appears.
-Welcome to my world...-
I feel like there's a grin stretching my face, my lips peeling back from my teeth. But I'm a bug. Ack, dude's weirdness is rubbing off on me. I'm not sure why I felt a chair, but he's still on the ground, and I'm unspanked. Let's check just in case.
[Piercing Shot Successful]
[Successful Use: 40/100]
[Qi -30]
[Karma -5]
[Anchor Sigil Successful]
[Successful Use: 4/100]
[Qi -75]
[Karma -5]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,840,818/23,882,914]
[Current Qi: 331,742/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,531,658/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
He gets knocked onto his back but immediately sits back up. When he swings at me, a light swat, he misses. What is his ability that he doesn't even bother trying to check for range? Weird.
-Okay, bye.-
I leave him in the bank, shifting back to the throne room and the chaos I left behind. He's not my target after all. I turn to look at the princess who makes eye contact before looking around like she expects me to be staring down someone else. Nah, bish. I'm here for you.
-Nom?-
[Piercing Shot Successful]
[Successful Use: 41/100]
[Qi -30]
[Karma -5]
[Feeding Successful]
[Qi 1000]
[Karma 10]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,840,818/23,882,918]
[Current Qi: 333,712/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,531,673/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
I spike her with a shot and she sweeps her hand, instantly breaking the silk. But I already got a bite in, inhaling even before I got the straw on her. She goes to stand, flopping over, but still moving even as the soup spooner stutteringly tries to run without hopping or moving his legs. If he's running won't he get in more trouble for leaving than for moving in a non-weird, non-ritualistic fashion?
[Piercing Shot Successful]
[Successful Use: 42/100]
[Qi -30]
[Karma -5]
[Feeding Unsuccessful]
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
[Qi 1000 x0]
[Karma 10 x0]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,840,818/23,882,919]
[Current Qi: 333,682/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,531,678/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
I get a string off, but the princess does a quick scoot out of the way. I end up just spearing the ground before she just swipes the thread, breaking it like it's regular spider's silk, weaker than a simple thread. So. Easy.
[Piercing Shot Successful x5]
[Successful Use: 47/100]
[Qi -30 x5]
[Karma -5 x5]
[Feeding Unsuccessful x5]
[Qi 1000 x0]
[Karma 10 x0]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,840,818/23,882,910]
[Current Qi: 333,532/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,531,643/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
She scoots out of the way, still on the ground, just pushing herself with her hands, tucking her legs out of the way, and then breaking my thread. Over. And over. At first I thought she just got lucky. Then she kept it up. Now I'm getting kinda pissed. I'm not bad at fighting!
[Silk Spray AOE Successful]
[Successful Use: 28/100]
[Con Qi -200]
[Karma -2000]
[Feeding Unsuccessful]
[Qi 1000 x0]
[Karma 10 x0]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,840,618/23,882,410]
[Current Qi: 333,532/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,529,643/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
-*Stop it!*- I shout, glaring at her and then releasing a strangled scream when she sticks her tongue out at me, pulling down her lower eyelid before going back to watching for my next attack.
The fucking chairs. I sprayed silk everywhere, and all I've got to show for it is an enshrouded chair! She spun that fucking chair into my attack so hard that it spooled. No. It's more than that. The distribution of my attack, sloppy as it was, is absolutely perfect. She spooled my fucking silk on a chair. And then stuck her tongue out at me.
[Qi Drained]
[Qi -100]
[Karma 10]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,840,618/23,882,413]
[Current Qi: 333,432/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,529,653/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
-*No!*- she sends back, the feeling of a quick spike of pain before I lose the feeling of the connection. Did she just hide from me?
Dis bish. Thumbs to her temples, fingers splayed, she mean mugs me while waggling her faux antlers. She's literally making faces at me, dodging my shit, not getting dunked on. And she's still sitting on the ground. Can she even stand?
I am not getting dunked on by some bish who is so pampered she can't even stand on her own with perfectly functioning legs!
[Silk Spray AOE Successful]
[Successful Use: 29/100]
[Con Qi -200]
[Karma -2000]
[Feeding Unsuccessful]
[Qi 1000 x0]
[Karma 10 x0]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,840,418/23,881,913]
[Current Qi: 333,432/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,527,653/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
I blast out another cloud of string. She spins the basin, keeping a grip on it but managing to wrangle my string with the water inside. She can't hold a spoon but she can wield the water in the tub to dunk on me?
Devour
[Silk Spray AOE Successful]
[Successful Use: 30/100]
[Con Qi -200]
[Karma -2000]
[Feeding Unsuccessful]
[Qi 1000 x0]
[Karma 10 x0]
[Feedback]
[Con. Qi -1000]
[Qi -1000]
[Karma -1000]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,839,218/23,881,163]
[Current Qi: 332,432/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,524,653/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
Another blast, another failed feeding, a punishment flashes up before I can even register that I've failed. She can't drink out of a cup, but she can hook one big toe into her discarded slipper, toss it with such a spin that she beautifully spools my silk so well that she makes the efforts of my childhood collectors look like the nursery attendants' early attempts.
She cannot take care of herself. She can't move on her own. But she can clown on me? Artistically?
But I'm SS Rank. Right? I leveled up... I ate a godling. I'm good now. For the country. For this age. For a tourist trap. Am I that bad at fighting after all? How am I supposed to eat her if she can avoid me? Who the hell is she?
Doesn't matter. I can't beat her. Yet. But the others? I turn my back on her and wander down the stairs, ignoring her cries for me to come back. Can I eat the robed dudes?
[Silk Spray AOE Successful]
[Successful Use: 31/100]
[Con Qi -200]
[Karma -2000]
[Feeding Unsuccessful x6]
[Qi 1000 x6]
[Karma 10 x6]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,839,018/23,880,678]
[Current Qi: 338,432/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,522,713/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
Oh, so it's not a one shot. I feed on six of the sixteen guests, they drop like flies, but they roll around like overturned turtles instead of lying still. Huh. Three of them manage to break the lines with their flailing, only one looks like he did it on purpose, and now the other ten are looking at me.
[Barrier Successful]
[Successful Use: 24/100]
[Qi -10]
[Karma -5]
[Aura of Suppression Successful]
[Successful Use: 39/100]
[Con. Qi -90]
[Karma -900]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,838,928/23,880,452]
[Current Qi: 338,422/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,521,808/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
Welp. At least I got a shot in.
"What are you doing?!" Woodcock shouts.
I stare at him, completely disregarding everything else as I try to process what the fuck. Oh. Right. He was handling the servants. 'Cause I was supposed to juice box the princess... But she's too OP for me... Whoops.
-*If we get rid of the servants and the outside dudes she won't be able to take care of herself. She'll starve.*- Nailed it. Wait, that might actually work. -*We just need to seal her off again and get everyone else out.
-*I think I can handle these guys, but she's kinda out of my league. Can you think of a safe spot for us to drag the regular folk to?*-
"Tch! That won't work if you can't take out First Fighting Fist! He's one of the high ranking guards! She's got him under her power, too!" I wonder who the fack he's talking about as he looks around, the dark robed figures ignoring him and flinging furniture at me. "I don't see him! He was the one sitting up with the princess!"
What? Where'd he go then? I scan around, trying to remember where I put that spanking bast--. Oh~! I banked him.
-*He's already taken care of!*- I hope.
I didn't give him permissions or put a timer on --. But I'm supposed to be saving people. Crap. I shift into my void, see him wandering around my house --. Fack! It's a real space, not just a void with stuff in it. Ack. I duck out, not trying to interact with him, but I'm hoping he's not going to use his weird ability in my bank. I didn't mean to leave him in there so long without supervision...
Wait. I banked a dog. Is it running around loose or did I put it in the crystal? Why didn't I put the prince--. Woodcock shouts, startled or in pain, and when I turn to him he's facing off against three of the black robed figures. Oh, oops.
[Piercing Shot Successful x3]
[Successful Use: 50/100]
[Qi -30 x3]
[Karma -5 x3]
[Feeding Successful x3]
[Qi 1000 x3]
[Karma 10 x3]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,838,928/23,880,455]
[Current Qi: 341,332/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,521,823/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
The three around Woodcock drop, and I reel them in as he collapses against the wall. But is he dying or just taking a breather. He looks winded.
-Oy!- While I'm distracted checking on my "ally" the upright undead sever my strings.
Well, that's not good. Before I can fire off another shot, wondering just how strong these guys really are, the ones still standing fall on the lightly disabled ones. Stealing my meals and ignoring my shrieks of indignation? When did I stop doing sound attacks? See, now I need to make noise, and I'm all regular loud instead of augmented. Tch!
Devour
[Piercing Shot Successful x6]
[Successful Use: 56/100]
[Qi -30 x6]
[Karma -5 x6]
[Feeding Successful x3]
[Qi 1000 x3]
[Karma 10 x3]
[Feeding Unsuccessful x3]
[Qi 1000 x0]
[Karma 10 x0]
[Feedback]
[Con. Qi -1000]
[Qi -1000]
[Karma -1000]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,837,928/23,880,205]
[Current Qi: 343,152/5,850,300]
[Current Karma: 95,520,823/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,597,021]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,26K,228P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10526St]
I machine gun fire against a crowd, taking the time to target and actually make sure I hit my shots, but I don't manage to get a good pull on the tethers. I nail feeders and food alike, but only some of the shots actually give me a return when I pull on them. I don't get a chance to reel anyone in, only partially because they break my thread. I did try, but they managed to partially resist not just the energy tug but the physical tug as well. Well, shit.
-Assholes leveling up in the middle of a fight. Tch!-
Pretty sure I didn't say anything about wanting the difficulty turned up. If anything I wanted things to go back to easy mode. Meh.