JESSIE : LEVEL 13+3
DAY 261 : E-DAY, FIRSTWEEK, AGNI, YEAR 2
FULGORA 1 : FULGORA 1 : ATTUNEMENT
New friends and alcohol aside, it’s been a pretty uneventful week in every way but the scenery.
We’ve been heading up and down and all around to match the running and rolling and general zoomies of our destination.
The train tracks never break. Or bend. They seem straight the whole time. But they’re definitely stretching off towards the same place no matter how the lightning wolf moves.
Once we’re apparently close enough to Fulgora proper, the train starts rotating to match its station. The one on top of the wolf. Hence the utter chaos of the view outside.
It doesn’t help that Fulgora seems excited by the approaching train. Like she’s having fun making it do all these nausia-inducing tricks. How she might be keeping track of something small as a train from thousands of miles away, I have no idea.
But then, wouldn’t there also be hundreds of trains in transit to her station at any given time? Our inability to see any of the others from this far away doesn’t seem to impact the Apex of Lightning herself. To her, it must look like nothing so much as a constantly adjusting pole with a bunch of beads like that toy I used to have as a… Holy shit, I forgot about that. Wait, is this my new earliest memory?
I’m gripping onto this runaway train of thought with all I have to avoid thinking about what’s happening outside the literal one. No matter which way the train rotates, the gravity inside remains on the floor. I get the impression that it’s meant as a courtesy. But all it does for me is make this whole thing so much harder to deal with. Slowing time doesn’t help either. Or pausing it. Even when neither I or the rest of the world can move, I still feel the ever-present push or pull or whatever it is, of something a whole lot like gravity.
I can’t even see the city’s details. There’s a big spiral? Or maybe it’s a spire? Like a spinning arrow that goes down to… Oh! It’s a lightning bolt! The entire city is shaped like a lightning bolt striking Fulgora’s back. There’s buildings or something sticking out of all the relatively thin arcs of lightning-shaped land that seem to roll up and away from the palace in the center.
But that’s all I can really tell with all the spinning. Fulgora the elemental is throwing some sort of fit to the point where even with time frozen to see bits and pieces through the gaps, I just don’t have good sightlines on Fulgora the city. And I’m starting to feel sick.
I stop trying to watch anything happening outside.
That doesn’t help.
I close my eyes and just focus on synchronizing my breath with reality.
That helps a little.
But I still feel like I’m gonna barf by the time I wobble off the train.
And the station, mostly being an open-air affair, has a great view of the entire world flipping all over the place.
Nothing is disturbed by the impossible movement. Neither in the station, nor the city. Although the wolf seems to be having a time of it. And the floating landmass below is distinctly worse for the wear.
As I try to find the capability to stand still on the relatively flat, unmoving ground, I see a bird crash into a patch of calm air. It immediately rights itself and flies a bit further before suddenly being FLUNG slightly to the side of where it was already headed.
“So it really is a barrier dome, then… Like a dungeon?”
Some of the others on the train platform seem to turn towards my question. “Sorry, what was that?”
I blink at the random passerby. “Oh… Sorry, talking to myself. I was saying that there’s an invisible barrier in a dome around the city keeping everything normal… Ish.”
He just stares blankly at me.
“I saw a bird getting thrown around up there a second ago.”
They all just keep staring at me. A few narrow their eyes.
“I mean don’t get me wrong, it was fucked up-”
As one, they all seem to relax.
I feel a rush of indignance. Holy shit was that seriously what they were all worried about?
That first guy is laughing to himself. “Well, it wasn’t the first thing you said, so it was like you were saying the city barrier was more important than the plight of the poor bird.”
I look around at them, a bit stupefied. “Wait, was it the same for everyone?”
They all just kind of nod in a slightly-embarrassed… Is that pride?
I feel a migraine coming on as I flash back to some of the odder conversations on the train. Oh fuck, that’s a cultural thing here isn’t it? A mask of genuine concern over every little thing that goes wrong for anyone? No. No, I can’t survive here. I KNOW I’m incapable of stifling my own sarcasm. I’ll get kicked out if I have to try. Alright, time to speedrun this shit. I need to get my lightning powers and leave.
That’s when Raijin walks off the train and right past me. “I guess you’re off to get attuned? You still up for dinner after?”
“Absolutely.” The fuck not.
“Great. I have some Royal friends in town. I told them about your build, and they would be very interested in talking to you about it. Especially depending on how your Blessings manifest.”
“Sweet.”
“Alright, see you later!”
“You too!” Goodbye forever.
On the train ride over, I learned a lot more about the Attunement process. Or rather, I learned it’s exactly like I thought, just far more complex. The apexes are all sentient. They just aren’t sapient. Not just in shape, but in mind as well, they are precisely the animals they represent. At least Heaven’s understanding of them. Apparently, every race has some mix of eight species from their world to represent the eight elements.
The truth is, there are no rules about what Blessings you’ll be granted. It’s all up to the mood of the Apexes. Their disposition during Communion, in which they can read your mind. Unsurprisingly, Fulgora shares something with the other seven in that she innately values loyalty. Or trust. Or something. But it’s at least a slightly different reason than the others as to why she’s far more generous to those who choose her first. A reward for absolute devotion or honor or whatever it is.
Her judgment is felt in the shittiness of the Blessings she grants. Which will only happen while you’re standing on her face. The first and last impression anyone ever gets with their Apex of choice. Unless they change their mind at least twice and come crawling back. It is, to put it mildly, unrecommended to go for a second impression.
I can’t help flashing back to all the times I’ve been in this position. All the times I made this kind of choice, only to realize I chose wrong. Knowing that I’d capped out on speed and damage. And remembering that I could’ve had more. That I can never get that much again.
The feeling of futility that got me to delete all those characters. To start all over again just so I could undo a single choice. This choice. No choice. But still a chance. Just a chance. The only one I’ll ever have. But there it is. And there it will be, right up until the die is cast. Right up until the Attunement is granted on top of Fulgora’s face, all while looking her right in the city-sized eyes.
Before I know it, despite wanting to delay forever, I’m already there. I guess that glass lotus was the final thing, huh?
[ COMMUNION INVITE: FULGORA — ACCEPT? ]
I hold my breath and accept the prompt the instant I spot it. No one made this point specifically, but I suspect hesitation is frowned upon. Especially by the lightning wolf. So I endeavour to break a record on how fast a prompt can be accepted.
Afterwards, seconds pass.
More.
Nothing happens.
Meanwhile, I’m freaking out inside. I don’t hate dogs. But I’ve always kinda been afraid of them. I could never tell when one was about to bite me, lick me, jump around for a bit, all three, or none at all. Which meant I always felt like I’d be bit at any moment. And then what? What if the dog bit me? Could I fight back? No, of course not. It’s a dog. I’d be hanged in the public square. Or something…
But that doesn’t apply here, does it? Fulgora is something like the size of Texas. Her biting me would be… Well, I’d die. But the scale is so nonsensically enormous that I can’t even relate it to the fear that any given stray would bite my leg off.
As time passes, Fulgora goes from wary, to curious, to affectionate. By the time I get the next prompt, the big doggy is veritably panting with joy.
Below, I see vague impressions of tornados picking up on top of earthquakes wherever she doggy-stamps her mountain-sized lightning paws.
With the Aeonic effect of the dedicated habitable zone on top of the wolf being treated as, for all intents and purposes, its new zero, the city will feel none of this. As when she was rolling around before I entered the lotus, Fulgora the city only experiences a slight mugginess as the lightning wolf rolls around with its back on the ground, belly-up. At least Raijin was honest about the frequency of that…
Meanwhile, I’m just barely managing to stay upright as the world all around me jerks and twists and spins around itself before going completely black. With her laying upside down like this, I’m left with no view to speak of but the lightning god, her muzzle, and miles upon miles of each happy eye.
[ ATTUNEMENT INVITE: FULGORA — ACCEPT? ]
I mean… That’s good right? I still can’t read dogs for shit. But that’s good, right?
Except… That’s it, isn’t it? I’ll never Vault or Dash again… After all this time… Vault was kinda whatever. Cool Skill, fun to jump high and stuff. But everything I’ve ever accomplished, in a way, was all thanks to Dash. And now…
With no objective hesitation, I accept the big doggy’s affection the same instant I spend several minutes getting over the impending loss of my starter Blessings.
[ ATTUNEMENT GAINED: SURGE ]
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING LOST: VAULT ]
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING GAINED: LIGHTNING — EFFECT: TRANSFORM INTO LIGHTNING FORM UNTIL CANCELED, 1 KM IS TRAVELED, OR IMPACT WITH A SURFACE — EFFECT 2: WHILE IN LIGHTNING FORM, YOU MOVE AT EXTREME SPEED — RESTRICTION: YOUR PATH IS A STRAIGHT, PREDETERMINED LINE THAT CANNOT BE ALTERED IN ANY WAY WHILE IN LIGHTNING FORM ]
[ POWER BLESSING LOST: DASH ]
[ POWER BLESSING GAINED: THUNDER BLADE — EFFECT 1: EMPOWERS EQUIPPED WEAPON WITH SURGE ENERGY. 12.5% OF THE NEXT DAMAGE DONE WITH THE EMPOWERED WEAPON WILL BE ADDED BACK ON AS SURGE DAMAGE — RESTRICTION 1: WEAPON MUST BE BLADED — RESTRICTION 2: CANCELS WHEN SHEATHED ]
[ COMPOUNDING EFFICACY UPDATED — MULTIPLICATIVE: VOID — ADDITIVE: FIRE, JUICY, SHINE — SUBTRACTIVE: FROST, GALE, QUAKE — DIVISIONARY: SURGE ]
[ CLASHING EFFICACY UPDATED — ULTRA EFFECTIVE: JUICY — SUPER EFFECTIVE: GALE, VOID — EFFECTIVE: SHINE, SURGE — NOT VERY EFFECTIVE: FROST, QUAKE — INEFFECTIVE: FIRE ]
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[ ATTUNEMENT MILESTONE REACHED: 2 — CHOSEN OF FULGORA ]
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING UPDATED: LIGHTNING — EFFECT: ON EXITING LIGHTNING FORM, YOU WILL FLOAT WHERE YOU STOPPED UNTIL CANCELED OR DAMAGE IS TAKEN ]
[ POWER BLESSING UPDATED: THUNDER BLADE — EFFECT 1: IN PLACE OF A DIRECT STRIKE, BONUS CAN APPLY TO THE NEXT SKILL CHANNELED THROUGH THE EMPOWERED BLADE. — EFFECT 2: ADDITIONAL FLAT SURGE DAMAGE ON HIT — STRENGTH SCALING: MAGICAL ]
[ COMMON C.L.A.S.S. PASSIVE UPDATED: ANIME / ELEMENTAL BREATHING — DEFAULT STATE: SURGE — STATES LOCKED: FIRE, FROST, GALE, JUICY, QUAKE, SHINE, VOID ]
[ CHANGE ELEMENTAL BREATHING STATE FROM UNIVERSAL CONSTANT TO SURGE? ]
I feel like I’m about to have a heart attack when I see the question amid the stream of exciting new notifications. I’ve never NOPE’d that hard in my life. Well… Maybe once. Okay, maybe twice. Yeah but still, seriously… No!
The wolf seems to twitch.
I wave my arms in negation. “No, no, no. I’m sorry. I can never change that Mod. Do you understand? Time control! I hacked my way into a version of it the Admins technically have to allow. It’s innately related to Atomic… Stuff. And hello? Electrons? You only have to connect a few dots to see that what I can do is closer to the truth of Surge than the default Surge setting on Elemental Breathing.”
The world tilts as Fulgora cocks her head at my quibbling.
A few seconds later, the tilting reverses and I’m dozens of miles higher in a moment as the lightning wolf snaps rigidly upright and her eyes FLASH a blinding yellow-tinged white. I don’t think my own eyes would’ve survived the damage if I wasn’t on something like a team with her.
Even the void cat two kingdoms over is driven to extricate itself from the desert it’s laying across and plop back down facing the other way.
The shine deer doesn’t seem to mind. In fact… Is it glowing brighter now? Trying to compete with Fulgora’s eyes?
But then, as each of her miles-long eyes stop flashbanging me from only a few more miles down her muzzle, the lightning wolf transitions into an even happier panting than before.
Looking straight down, I can just make out through the ever-changing lines of her nose that bits of her mouth are sloughing off and falling straight onto the ruined landscape below. Oh. She’s slobbering.
[ ATTUNEMENT MILESTONE REACHED: 3 — PROPHET OF FULGORA ]
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING UPDATED: SURGE — EFFECT 1: DISTANCE RESTRICTION ELIMINATED — EFFECT 2: SPEED INCREASED FROM EXTREME TO LIGHTNING ]
[ POWER BLESSING UPDATED: LIGHTNING BLADE — EFFECT 1: BASE SURGE DAMAGE BECOMES 25% OF NEXT DAMAGE DEALT — EFFECT 2: DISCHARGED SURGE ENERGY NOW INFLICTS PROPORTIONAL PARALYSIS DEBUFF ]
I don’t… “What…”
How was that any kind of reaction to what I just said? I haven’t even gotten around to processing being a Chosen. But… A Prophet? How? Well, that’s obvious. Because Fulgora said so. But why though?
Not that I’m complaining… “Lightning-”
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING: SURGE ]
“-WOAH!!!”
Jerking forward in a blink, I hold my breath to recover from the shock just as soon as I can remember to do that. The fact that I have to remember at all at this point is notable.
This time I make sure to hold my breath at the end of the callout. “Lightning-”
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING: SURGE ]
A bit wordy for a callout. But all I have to do is think of the direction I want to go, say the word, and hold my breath.
The next instant, I deactivate it right where I want. Well, almost. I overshot it a bit. But even that level of precision is only possible thanks to my breathing hack. Without it… Would this even be usable? But instead…
I look into Fulgora’s colossal doggy eye. “Did you know?”
The eye shudders. At this scale, from this distance, I can’t possibly tell what that means.
But then, through my elation, I connect the dots with the short pause before I fell to the ground after that last one. I even remember clenching my toes before I fell.
Getting an idea, I make it a point to relax my leg muscles. Then… “Surge!”
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING: SURGE ]
Oh my god… I’m floating.
Hesitantly, I start to draw my Magatana.
But I also start to fall midway through the motion. Am I canceling it somehow? This’ll take some practice for sure. But I can do it. I’ve got all the time in the world. But what about…
“Go!”
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING: SURGE ]
“Go!”
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING: SURGE ]
“Go!”
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING: SURGE ]
It’s a nearly instant recharge…
I look back up with a raspy voice. “Oh my god… Fulgora, I’m never leaving you.”
The doggy’s eye does the thing again. Unless the Apex of Lightning is way more sadistic than she seems, I think I can guess the ballpark of the emotion now.
Belatedly, I remember that I have another new Blessing. I try to keep my new lightning-teleport in mind as I brace myself for the inevitable disappointment of whatever just replaced my Dash.
When I think of the number of times I literally dodged death over the past year… “Now.”
[ POWER BLESSING: LIGHTNING BLADE — INTENSITY: 37% ]
Both my sheathed katanas jolt with vivid yellow electricity for a moment.
My eyes widen. “Oh my god.” Wait a second…
I draw them, then whisper. “Now.”
[ POWER BLESSING: LIGHTNING BLADE — INTENSITY: 4% ]
Both blades spark to life with what is, unmistakably, lightning. Like one of those Star Wars things. Not a lightsaber. Closer to those sticks with energy stuff on them. Only these are yellow. Well, for the brightblade, it is. For the magatana? Like the lava chainsaw was a powerup for an electricity sword and not the other way around. That’s already way better than I thought I’d get from a Power Blessing. But what if…
Sheathing both again to snuff them out, I get a nonliteral jolt at not getting a literal jolt when I touch both blades directly to guide them in like I always do. I’m immune to electricity?
No, probably not. I’m probably just immune to my own electricity. Like the lava. Which is still amazing.
Already tearing up a little, I unsheathe each sword just a bit with either thumb, lick my lips, take a deep breath, and spend several minutes psyching myself up for… “NOW!!!”
[ POWER BLESSING: LIGHTNING BLADE — INTENSITY: 342% ]
Both blades EXPLODE with lightning.
I unsheathe them completely. Like lightsabers on steroids. Curvy ones.
I mean I can still see the shadows of red and white blades in there. Especially the Magatana looking like a lightning-covered lava chainsaw. But…
“Oh my god…” No MP cost. “Oh my god…”
The doggy’s eye reflexively blinks. Not from pain, mind you. I’d never point a sword at my new best friend’s eye. But the effect is just that bright. From this distance, it must be like I flashbanged my poor new bestie like she did me.
Thankfully, it only takes me a few minutes to immediately resheath them both. And I’m about to immediately unequip them to stop the glowing entirely.
But before I can, the effect immediately ends on its own.
Oh yeah… I forgot about that part.
I’ll be the first to admit, I got a little ahead of myself there. But even without truly broken combo potential from it staying active between sheathes…
I’m crying.
My new Blessings are already broken anyway. I broke them with the build I already have. And the synergy is better than I ever hoped.
I thought maybe I’d get to shoot lightning. Or summon it. Or something. Any of that would’ve been cool. I was really only hoping and praying not to get a lightning-themed quality-of-life thing like most people seem to come away with. That’d suck for sure. But this? A straight katana Damage multiplier? And it works on Skills? That means it scales. With EVERYTHING. Or at least with enough to where there’s no way it won’t be key to my endgame build.
I feel like it’s my birthday. Which, to be fair, it might be. I can’t exactly do math right now, but… Fuck it. It’s my birthday. E-day in the first week of Agni. Wasn’t that the day I first spawned in? Met Oneshot? Fucked myself out of a free Mythic katana probably? Okay, so my last birthday wasn’t the best. But this? Fulgora just gave me my favorite present I’ve ever received. TWICE.
“BEST!!! BIRTHDAY!!! EVER!!!”
Which reminds me… Guess the decision is made on the Strength thing, huh?
Time to start building up my magic power.
[ S.T.A.T.S UPDATED — STRENGTH: MAGICAL=17 - PHYSICAL=32 — TENACITY: DEFENSE=16 - SPEED=33 — APTITUDE: MANA=23 - STAMINA=26 — TILT: CONTROL=32 - LUCK=17 ]
It hurts a little to break the minmaxing I had going on. Even if my effective Physical Strength is over 40 between the glove and a few other runes. Should I change that up..?
No. Not right now, at least. Physical Strength is still the best thing I have going. And it will be until at least Level 30 or so. The rest of what I have is fine for now.
No. More than fine. Fucking INCREDIBLE.
I don’t leave for a while.
Fulgora doesn’t seem to mind.
But even before I step out of the glass lotus chamber, I can tell that everyone in the long line very much does.
[ NEW PATH QUEST: FIRST STEP — DESCRIPTION: OBTAIN 1,000,000 XP OR 1,000,000 FSD WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF FULGORA — REWARD 1: ADVANCE TO SECOND STEP — REWARD 2: STORMLANDS ACCESS ]
Oh… That’s a lot of… Stuff. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen that much money. Or XP, for that matter. Although I certainly have more than that much accumulated debt. Good thing only half of all XP earned goes towards the debt or I’d just give up and go back to Central. Okay, maybe not Central. But somewhere other than here. A third stage Attunement is already more than I hoped to get before the next tournament. But now… Could I get it to four?
Even distracting myself with all that, the further I advance up the staircase and past the line, the more I’d like to just zip out of the thing and out of here entirely.
But I don’t. Raijin said that was illegal. He said a lot of things were illegal, if unenforceable beyond the bounds of Fulgora. The city, not the section of the kingdom or my new best friend.
And once I do pass the line, I quickly start to feel much lighter than I did going down the same staircase.
Speak of the devil… My ‘friend’ is here with the royal guards. I guess he didn’t trust me to show up. Smart of him… Or maybe just stupid of me. This is the only place he could’ve known I would be.
[ HERO TARGETED: RAIJIN ]
I never bothered targeting him before. Or giving his name much thought. But seeing it spelled out like that? In retrospect, it’s kind of fucking obvious. His name is literally just ‘Lightning Man’. Not a lot of people would know that offhand. Especially these days. It’s like I’m uniquely qualified to uncover whatever kind of dystopian thought-crime-police he’s clearly been this whole time.
But that’s as far as I get before I run out of breath trying to think of a way right the fuck out of this.
“Hello, Jessie. The Crimson Bitch. Killer of Oneshot. Newest prophet of Fulgora. I’m sure you’re surprised to see me here. And my escort as well.”
All my hackles raise. “How do you know that name?”
Raijin and his guards look from me, to each other, back to me. “All those in the know are alerted the moment Fulgora has a new Chosen. Or Prophet. But I will admit, it’s rather rare to get one without the other, only to be followed by an upgrade.”
“Not that name.”
“You refer to the fact that you killed Oneshot? Of course we know about that. I was even watching at one point. What do you take us fo-”
“No, the other one.”
Raijin blinks. “I… Only said four things. Are you referring to your name or title?”
My face twitches. “Title?”
“‘The Crimson Bitch’, yes.”
I can’t help it. I start to laugh.
The world speeds up around me.
Standing halfway out of the staircase, a few blurs zip past me while my laughter turns into uncontrolled bawling.
But I do get control of it. Sooner or later.
Eyes wide, Raijin makes as though to comfort a mental patient. “Now, now. Not to worry. It’s good you’re here. It’s even good you’re a Prophet. But that only makes it all the more important that I clarify some things now that you’re… Attuned. So let’s just hold on a second and talk about what you, and I, are both doing right here, right now. Let’s make sure we both understand exactly what is happening before either of us, or my friends here, do anything else. Sound good?”
Flashbacks. Brown. Other colors.
It’s a little awkward, but at least the minutes I take to micromanage my impression seem to make it look like I’m coming around. “Okay… I can do that. Let’s talk.”
The guards relax for the first time since I stopped laughing.
I start walking towards them.
The guards relax more.
So does my new friend. “I knew you were too smart to-”
“Good talk.”
[ MOVEMENT BLESSING: SURGE ]
Becoming a lightning bolt traveling at what probably isn’t actually the speed of lightning, I’m still out of the city and nearly off Fulgora herself before they seem to realize I’m gone.
At least that’s when I lose my still-unmoving target.