-----Lilu Flauros-----
I wonder how they'd feel if they knew what was contained in that box?
Meh, not my problem. What is my problem is setting things up for Riser's Peerage. "So, you ready to go? Not everyone has to go, only those who want to go."
"Hmm, Riser shall go." Says Riser.
"I shall accompany my King." Says Yubelluna followed by much of the same from pretty much everyone else.
"Um, if it's alright, I'd rather stay here. I wouldn't be much good in a fight and I'd rather not take the risk of losing my virginity to monsters." Says Ravel. Interesting...
"Very well, you may stay here with Lilu if you so wish, provided Lilu has no objections." Says Riser, with a shit-eating grin. It's like he thinks that me and Ravel are gonna bone the moment he leaves.
The fact that I can't exactly discount the possibility out of hand says something, but fuck if I know what.
After Riser and co. enter the portal, Ravel turns to me and sits down in the chair that was just occupied by Riser. "You've totally got something planned. I don't know what, but you are scheming something against my brother."
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
"Intuition?"
-----Riser Phenex-----
If Ravel hasn't thrown her virginity away by the time we're done here, I'll... I don't know, I'll think of something. Going through the process of reading the rules and agreeing to sexual content like the trio of Fallen Angels before us, I step out of the spawn point and... find myself in a temple?
Welcome to the Grand Temple Chamber!
Here, you can choose from a number of Shrines to beings of great power in exchange for various boons!
Shrine of AkatoshMagicka regenerates at a moderately faster rate.
Magicka regenerates 10% faster.
Shrine of ArkayModerately increases your body's vitality and ability to endure and recover from injury.
Increases your health by 25 points.
Shrine of AzuraYou passively resist a quarter of hostile magic used against you.
Shrine of Baan Dar
Pickpocketing is 10% easier.
Shrine of BoethiahYou are intuitively more skillful with melee weapons, and they will deal more damage. This increase is the same as having one rank higher in the One-Handed and Two-Handed skill.
Shrine of DibellaPeople are more likely to subconsciously trust or view you favorably so long as you don't actively go against them.
+10 Speechcraft.
Shrine of Ebonarm
Armor rating of heavy armor pieces is increased by 10%.
Shrine of Hermaeus Mora
Your mental processing speed is doubled and you are able to read and comprehend written words at twice the efficiency.
Spells and effects you cast on yourself last 15% longer.
Shrine of HircineYou are passively aware of any animal's location so long as it is within range of your senses.
You can mark a single target and be able to effortlessly track it down no matter the distance.
Regenerate 2% of your maximum Stamina per second.
Shrine of Jephre
Carrying capacity increased by 25 points.
Shrine of JulianosModerately increases your natural intelligence and the amount of Magicka you can wield at one time.
Increases your Magicka by 25 points.
Shrine of JyggalagDeal 15% more attack damage and critical damage against daedra.
Shrine of KynarethModerately increases your body's stamina to allow you to perform for longer periods without tiring.
Increases your stamina by 25 points.
Shrine of Leki
Armor rating of light armor pieces is increased by 10%.
Shrine of Magnus
10% chance to absorb a hostile spell and recharge your Magicka.
Shrine of MalacathYour strength when wielding two-handed weapons will be doubled.
Your power attacks cost 15% less Stamina.
Shrine of MannimarcoConjuration spells are 10% more effective.
Shrine of MaraAll healing and restoration you cast or are cast on you are twice as effective.
Healing spells restore 10% more.
Shrine of Mehrunes DagonYour attacks will tear through enemy armor with significantly more ease, with all but the greatest defenses often crumbling to you.
Destruction spells are 10% more effective.
Shrine of MephalaYou are intuitively aware when someone is scheming or plotting against you and those who do are more prone to failure through unpredictable happenstance.
Shrine of Molag BalAttacks you land on an opponent have a 25% chance of causing intense agony, bypassing armor.
Destruction spells cost 10% less to cast.
Shrine of Morwha
Healing spells restore 15% more Health.
Shrine of NamiraFeasting on raw corpses provides health recovery, sealing wounds and regaining lost vitality.
Increases Poison Resistance by 50%.
Shrine of Nocturnal
You are more difficult to detect when actively trying to sneak or otherwise remain unseen.
Sneaking is 10% better.
Shrine of PeryiteSkeevers and other vermin will obey your commands and fall under your thrall when you approach.
Increases Disease Resistance by 25%.
Shrine of Phynaster
Potions and poisons you mix are 10% stronger.
Shrine of Rajhin
Lockpicking is 10% easier.
Shrine of Riddle'Thar
Unarmed strikes do 10 additional damage.
Shrine of SanguineYou are now intuitively and prodigiously gifted in seduction and giving pleasure to others.
Using beneficial potions and alchemical ingredients is 15% better.
Shrine of Satakal
Regenerate 2% of your maximum Health per second.
Shrine of SheogorathYou have a natural penchant for creativity and coming up with unique and interesting ways to accomplish a goal or task.
Grants a random blessing!
Shrine of Shor
Deal 15% more attack damage and critical damage against elves.
Shrine of Sithis
Whenever in the dark, your movements are unnaturally silent and your presence obscure. Striking an opponent from the dark will deal twice as much damage.
Sneak attacks deal 15% more damage.
Shrine of St. Alessia
Followers within 20 feet gain 50 points of armor and 10% magic resistance.
Shrine of StendarrShields now negate half of physical and magical damage and kinetic force when successfully blocked.
Block 10% more damage with your shield.
Shrine of Syrabane
Regenerate 2% of your maximum Magicka per second.
Shrine of Tall Papa
Items are enchanted 10% stronger.
Shrine of the All-Maker
Deal 15% more attack damage and critical damage against animals.
Shrine of the Hist
Tough scales increase armor by 50 points.
Shrine of the HoonDing
Stagger from attacks and bashes is 50% more effective.
Shrine of the Magna-Ge
Alteration spells are 10% more effective.
Shrine of Trinimac
You are 10% more effective with two-handed weapons.
Shrine of VaerminaYour strength, endurance, and stamina will all increase in proportion to how much fear your opponent is in, up to four times.
Illusion spells cost 10% less to cast.
Shrine of Xarxes
Scrolls are 25% more effective.
Shrine of ZenitharMerchants will feel more subconsciously favorable towards you to offer better bargains and deals.
Prices are 10% better.
Shrine of Z'en
Alteration spells cost 10% less to cast.
Shrine to Clavicus VileYou are intuitively gifted in doublespeak or twisting the truth in such a way that it favors you. People are subconsciously more prone to believe your deceptions.
Conjuration spells cost 10% less to cast.
Statue to MeridiaYou deal twice as much damage against Undead enemies and your attacks are able to effect undead even if your weapon is not otherwise suited.
Restoration spells are 10% more effective.
Why are so many of them crossed out? That's annoying. Maybe something to do with it being a beta test?
After looking through the options, my Peerage and I make our selections.
Riser Phenex (King)- Shrine of St. Alessia
Yubelluna (Queen)- Shrine of Syrabane
Mihae (Bishop)- Shrine of Syrabane
Karlamine (Knight)- Shrine of the HoonDing
Siris (Knight)- Shrine of Trinimac
Isabela (Rook)- Shrine of Riddle'Thar
Xuelan (Rook)- Shrine of Riddle'Thar
Ile (Pawn)- Shrine of Trinimac
Nel (Pawn)- Shrine of Trinimac
Ni (Pawn)- Shrine of Riddle'Thar
Li (Pawn)- Shrine of Riddle'Thar
Marion (Pawn)- Shrine of Nocturnal
Bülent (Pawn)- Shrine of Satakal
Shuriya (Pawn)- Shrine of the Hist
Mira (Pawn)- Shrine of the HoonDing
As the King, my Peerage are my followers, so granting all of them bonuses to armor as well as magic resistance is a rather smart move. Yubelluna has the strongest magic out of everyone but me, so being able to recover her magic power faster so she can use here spells more often is an obvious choice.
Mihae's usually playing a support role with magic to buff the front liners, so being able to recover her magic faster is also a good idea. Karlamine favors a one-handed sword and fast attacks, but having the extra stagger chance from stronger attacks could provide extra opportunities.
Siris favors her Zweihander in battle, so increasing her effectiveness with her sword is a solid choice on her part. Isabela and Xuelan are both unarmed fighters, so dealing more damage with their martial arts is a no-brainer. Same thing for Ni and Li. Ile and Nel were pretty stuck for a while, but it turns out chainsaws count as two-handed weapons.
Marion was torn for a while on the [Shrine of Leki], but ultimately went with Nocturnal so she could serve the role of a forward scout. Bülent didn't really have anything special going for her, so she went with passive health regeneration so she could be a pseudo-Rook. Shuriya has basically no armor to speak of, so she went for the "tough scales" effect of [Shrine of The Hist]. Finally, Mira went with the bonus stagger and bash chance to complement her strength and fighting style.
With our selections finalized, we exit the temple and enter the labyrinth.
-----Lilu Flauros-----
"Hmm, decent selections all around. I can understand the logic behind most of them."
"Yeah, I'm a bit surprised that Riser went with the group buff though. It's not like him to be concerned about others as much." Says Ravel.
"It makes sense actually. He has no idea what exactly he's going to be facing. The addition of the Temple at the beginning signifies the possibility that there's been a great many adjustments compared to what the Fallen went through, so being able to ensure the survivability of his Peerage and keep his overall combat power topped out is the smart play."
"I'm not disputing that. I agree with you on everything you said, I just meant that it's uncharacteristic of him to be that thorough."
"I know what you mean. Honestly, I'm pretty sure that if all the Shrines had been available, he'd have gone for either Mehrunes Dagon or Molag Bal."
"Oh definitely. Still, some of those names feel eerily familiar for some reason..."
It's at that point that Jin, who'd been snacking on popcorn with the rest of my Peerage and not really interested in providing commentary, finally exclaimed. "Fucking sonofacockgobbler! 'Mehrunes Dagon', 'Molag Bal', 'Hermaeus Mora', those are Daedric Princes! Fuck! I knew those fucking Seekers looked familiar! They're from Skyrim: Dragonborn!"
Everyone else in the room looks at her like she's lost her mind, but she's looking straight at me with an almost pleading look. "Please please please tell me you've got access to Apocrypha!"
Then to everyone's surprise, I respond. "Yep. That was part of the deal I made with Hermaeus Mora. Unrestricted access to the Library of Apocrypha and the Black Books in exchange for giving his Seekers access to the knowledge of our world."
Ravel then looks back and forth between us before asking "what are you guys talking about?"
Deciding that there's no real point in lying about it, I answer. "So you know how I've got a Sacred Gear, right? Basically, my original Sacred Gear that I didn't steal is called [Kaleidoscope]. It's basically a Longinus-class Sacred Gear that let's me pull powers from other parallel worlds to use for myself, drawing upon other versions of 'me' if I understand it correctly."
That doesn't surprise my Peerage as they know this already. Ravel, on the other hand, is absolutely floored by the revelation of my Sacred Gear. "Oh, don't start freaking out yet Ravel, because it get even more ridiculous. See, I've always been a fan of games, and there's a particular genre of manga/light novel/anime that I like to indulge in that involves the main character gaining access to a game-like power in real life."
"So, by calling upon the combined power's of the Flauros Bloodline Magic, [All World's Creation] and boosted by the power of the Estate's Wards, I basically forced [Kaleidoscope] to unlock a Suspecies Balance Breaker called [The Gamer System]. It basically gives me access to game-like abilities, including the ability to travel to fictional worlds, usually ones based on video games, and gain access to any powers, items, artifacts, etc. that those worlds possess."
"So, most of my time 'training' was really me just taking trips to Skyrim to learn the magic system, max out the Skill Trees, etc." And now my Peerage are also floored by the revelation that I've been galivanting around in other worlds during my 'training sessions'."
"What the hell Master?! You've been hording whole other worlds from us?! That's no fair!" Pouts Jin, before I toss her a Spell Tome for [Elemental Flare].
"Is this-?" "Yes." She then reads the Tome immediately, then starts messing around with her new spell.
"So, how much of this other world did you explore exactly?" Asks Ravel.
"Oh, I've done just about everything there is to do. Hell, I even managed to wipe out all life in one version of that world with a Unique Spell I whipped up."
I then pull up a recording of the slaughter brought on by [Mass-Conjure Haunting Spirits: Night Parade of a Thousand Ghosts] and the 200 year speed run to global omnicide.
Once that's over, everyone just kind of looks at me with combined looks of "awe" and "terror".
"What? It's not like I could even realistically pull something like that off outside of a simulated Trial world. If I tried that shit here, I'd have the New and Old Satan's, the Grigori, the Archangel's, and basically all of the Gods and Dragon Kings after my ass. Nor would I ever even realistically want to go for full-tilt omnicide."
That seems to settle everyone down a fair bit. Shit, did they think I had some grand plan to exterminate all life or something? That would be such a fucking waste.