Being a leader, so many not only think they have what it takes, but eagerly chomp at the bit, for the chance to prove themselves.
A choice… so many inevitably regret, when the weight of power falls on their shoulders.
It’s a responsibility unlike anything most are capable of imagining, which is rather odd, when it’s so easy to pick apart someone else’s actions.
To see the mistakes or objectively wrong choices they make, but somehow, it all becomes so much harder, when the bodies are hanging by your hand.
When the right thing, sends good people off to die, forces some to suffer so that others will live, and asks you to place the lives of your people, before your own desires.
It’s only natural that at some point it will become too much, after all how many times can one really be asked to do the right thing, to bury friends, and loved ones, until the price is just too high?
How many beggars can one feed, how much suffering can one see, how much can one give, until one has to separate themselves from it all in order to survive?
Which isn’t to say that every leader once held a heart of gold, which slowly broke due to the cruelties of reality.
When there are absolutely terrible people in positions of power who use them to cause suffering, to advance their own interests, or are simply apathetic towards others, but… some of them were certainly just like you.
Like any aspiring person who wants to make a difference, and is it truly surprising that so many end up becoming cold, or are simply unable to keep holding onto such a heavy weight?
Being a good leader isn’t some prize, it may come with power, but it also places the lives of every single last person who follows you in the palm of your hand.
A child is sick?
Someone is suffering from a broken heart?
There isn’t enough food?
It’s too cold?
One of yours makes a mistake, angers some other group?
You, are the one who’s ultimately responsible, and the lives of your followers depend on your ability to lead them.
So, do you still believe you’re up to the task, do you have what it takes to be the fire, to burn yourself, to allow your people to see in the dark?
The words of a general, who has sent far too many to an early grave
____________________________________________
Hesto, and Katar two relatively small worlds slowly circling each while filling each other’s horizons.
Two planets always within sight of each other, but on Hesto, at least, things have rapidly changed over the course of the past couple of days.
Sprawling cities, which once glowed in the night, have done dark, spanning green forest have been reduced to little more than black scars on the planet’s surface, and then there’s all of the massive craters.
Oh, and can’t forget the shattered remains of what were once massive snow covered mountains ranges.
To say that Hesto has changed is perhaps a bit of an understatement, it has become a husk of what it once was, and only has two major cities still standing, out of hundreds… Aurisa, finds herself in front of the capital city, her retainers by her side along with a few orcs who have come along for the ride.
The city itself is still pristine, white faintly glowing marble as far as the eye can see, the shields being able to completely halt any attack, but the streets are jam packed with the injured, the homeless, and the survivors.
The streets split as she walks down the road, the crowd erupting in cheers, yet to Aurisa at least, none of this feels like victory, and frankly makes her all, but want to disappear.
As she gets closer to the castle the crowds thin out, and for some reason the area practically seems deserted, until she reaches the court yard.
The entire lower section is filled with Salazar covered in red metal armor, and on the balcony stands Osmond covered in golden armor.
Aurisa freezes in place, disbelief consuming her mind, before anger, fire begins to run through her veins, and steam starts to radiate from her body.
“What are you doing up there?” Osmond snorts, “Oh look, one of our so high, and mighty nobles has managed to crawl out of whatever hole they hide in.” Chuckles break out in the crowd, until Aurisa aurora smashes into all of them, and forces them all to fall onto their knees, with even Osmond knocked to the floor, but he at least has the banister to help pull himself back up.
“Where is Auralio? Where are the rest of the nobles, where is my family?!?” Osmond manages to find his feet once the amulet around his neck bursts with red mana, and quickly connects him to the Salazar in red plate.
Arrogance fills his face as he stares down at Aurisa “Dead, they’re all dead, the ones with even an ounce of courage in their spines found their deaths on the battlefield, but the rest?”
The red glow intensifies, all the soldiers manage to claw their way to their feet as the energy envelopes them, and their hands begin to grip their weapons.
“The rest of the cowards who were too afraid to fight as our people were slaughtered! The nobles, just like you Aurisa.” He actually smiles, it’s a full smile showing off his countless razor sharp teeth.
“Well, we gave them something new to be afraid of, we-” Fire, golden flames wash over the courtyard leaving only melted slag in its wake, but when it reaches Osmond, the flames encircle him, stopped by a red barrier.
For a moment the flames eat away at it, until Osmond erupts from the fire, diving from the balcony with his sword cutting through the flames, and his body surrounded by red mist.
“I’ve been waiting a-”
A golden beam of fire the size of a fist blasts into his chest, and erupts from his back.
Osmond for a moment is lifted into the air, with a smoking cavity drilled through his body, his eyes grow wide, and his arms flail in the air, before he falls to the ground, his body hitting the stone with a splat.
Aurisa’s retainers have varied reactions, the orcs seem to approve, but the salazar, mostly fall to their knees, some of them even beginning to cry, after all… it’s not every day you learn that your entire family is not only dead, but murdered by your own people.
Aurisa walks forward with her head held high, only stopping to rip off the amulet wrapped around Osmond’s neck, and then her voice rings throughout the remaining cities, as she stares up at Katar mockingly floating off in the distance.
“The war is over, our people paid a price beyond anything we ever feared, but the tyrant king Salavadore is dead, his army crushed, and Katar will never again be a threat to us!” She hesitates, looking at the castle, which is now so much more foreboding.
“I’ll be giving a longer address tomorrow around mid day, once everything here is more settled, but know this, we will rebuild, and so long as we live by the very honor that shapes our people, nothing will ever break us.”
____________________________________________
“That’s odd…” The weather in the Renata is sunny, the winds calm, and relaxed, but off in the distance.
It’s the complete opposite, dark black clouds not only completely covering a specific point in the ocean, but also rapidly spinning in place.
The lightning bolts dancing among the clouds, yet the storm system is staying perfectly in place.
“I wonder what Vie could possibly be doing at that tower of hers to cause all of that?” A wooden sword slides beneath my ribs with enough force to knock the air out of my lungs, and send me to my knees.
“Distractions are deadly on the battlefield, or so I hear” I glare up at Veronica who is looking better?
Definitely at least recovered from whatever was bothering her the other night.
“Yeah, it sure seems that way, but you have to admit that’s weird right?” Veronica is sitting on a crystal chair, which she got from gods knows where.”It is, which is why I’ve already sent a couple of dozen mages to see what’s happening, but if it’s beyond Vie it’s probably something we won’t be able to do too much about.” My shade dodges the swords master, before their blade taps their shiny skull, and the skeleton shifts.
Moving from a slow, and steady, into something fluid, each strike being part of a combination that sends my shade spiraling to the ground.
Me, and my shade both sigh at the skeleton, who just stands there as a conquering champion.
My shade begins to meditate, while I turn back to Veronica “Well, even if it’s something she can handle there’s nothing wrong with giving her some help.” “That’s true, and I’ll let you know what’s happening, but until then, maybe avoid getting hit by the sword.” “Thanks for the tip.” I roll my eyes, and she shrugs “Speaking of tips, we have recently made advancements in the realm of evolution.” “Huh, Tides finally managed to figure it out?” She shakes her head “Not quite, we had another iron out the details, but either way, for double the cost of raising a minion of similar complexity, and grade our mages are willing to assist you with the ritual.” “That seems-” “And for a donation of materials equal to raising such a minion they will even allow you to skip the que, which is already in the hundreds.” She smiles, an odd look for a bag of bones, but quite clearly what she’s doing.
My eyes narrow at her, my bloody scamming minion, trying to rinse me for all that I’m worth but then I glance at my home, which is starting to look close to bursting from all of the materials straining against its walls.
“Maybe, after I’ve settled my notifications I have been putting them off for a while.” She then stands her chair vanishing in a wave of mana “Well the offers there, and you should know that every grade brings with it a rather significant increase in power.”
Veronica Tier Five Crypt Lord (Rare Grade, Shoddy Quality)
“Hmm, straight to rare grade?” She spins, her black dress sways underneath the glowing sun, while her perfectly white skeleton seems to almost shimmer.
“Perks of leadership, one of the few actual benefits.” She then sighs, deflating a bit “Well, better get back to it, the empire waits for no one.” “Try not to have too much fun.” We then head out separate ways, I head inside ready to face the music, while she goes back to dictating the lives of thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands?
Hmm, there certainly is a whole lot of undead running around.
____________________________________________
Things at the tower have gotten… more intense, with the increase in grade by the system making the center pillar epic grade, and the rest rare.
Oh, and the platform, along with tons of water that just floated off to god who knows where, being raised to an uncommon grade.
Definitely a missed opportunity there, but one that still went far better than it would have if Vie had simply attached her core to the first pillar, but maybe more importantly.
Mana, is visibly radiating from the tower purple wisps of energy drifting into the ocean illuminating the dark abyss, and drawing in far, faaar more animals.
Fish, sharks, entire pods of whales… they just keep coming, and in response the undead presence has grown.
Necromancers are constantly raising undead horrors made up the combined bodies of the dead.
While skeletons, covered in blood lurk through the dark killing whatever they can, and sending bodies floating up to the surface.
Where things are getting more explosive, but at least the birds have finally gone away.
“More lightning? How pathetic.” Thunder booms as the tower shakes, but before the bolts of electricity can get anywhere near the tower, undead mages redirect the bolts into the sea.
Vie watches the electricity harmlessly discharging into the sea with a shrug.
The system really made this seem like it would be a bigger challenge, but at this rate the world core has barely even slowed down production.
Vie is on the top floor, really just a case built above the platform to block the ever growing waves that briefly threatened to wash away all of the undead, but now?
The blowing hurricane winds, waves a hundred feet tall are nothing, but a distraction as Vie sits in her throne as waves of mana roll out of her body, constantly growing, and reinforcing the tower.
While the first floor of the tower is absolutely filled with arcane mages pouring their man’s into growing the tower, to fuel the creation of more epic grade crystal.
“Settling in well I see.” Vie’s eyes snap open, and there stands Veronica directly in front of her.
“Huh, rather bold of you to show up here.” Veronica waves a hand through her head, and it shifts into the shape of another woman’s face.
“I’m not really here, but with the rather strange weather I did have to make sure you were alright.” Vie hope to her feet “Well as you can see everything is perfectly under con-”
‘Boom’
A chunk of crystal gets blasted off the side of the tower, before falling into the ocean, and Vie is made to stumble.
She then glares up at one of the weather mages “Under control, everything is under control.” “Clearly, I take it you took the quest then?” Vie hesitates, before resolve enters her eyes “And what if I did?” Veronica walks to the window, looking out at the raging weather.
“I was rather curious what would happen if I took it, claiming a world, after all is a tempting goal, but if anyone is to claim it, I’m glad that it’s you.” “That’s odd, don’t you want the world?” Veronica turns her hands linking together “A world claimed by a dungeon core, that’s maybe something rare, but not anything too shocking, but a world claimed by the undead on the other hand?
Now that draws attention” Vie waves her hands in the air “Hello, literally a necromancer, and this is literally a tower of bone!” Veronica chuckles “All true, at least at some point, but this world is one among a sea, another low tier world, and how many will really give it a second look?”
Vie’s hair begins to rise, and with a roll of her eyes a layer of mana covers the hatch as a thunder cloud engulfs the tower.
Lightning is spiraling across the tower like a spider web, but otherwise not accomplishing a whole lot more than looking like a light show.
The two of them stand there in silence, until it passes, and Veronica begins making her way towards the exit.
“Just remember Vie, if we both received the quest, then many others probably have as well.
Oh, and if you ever need any help, all you have to do is ask.” “Pshh, if I can take on the might of this world, what do I have to fear from its people?” She then raises a dozen more weather mages in a spray of mana, hoping that they will be enough to deal with all of this blasted lightning!
____________________________________________
“It’s a sign! God themselves is showing their righteous fury at the undead. Look at the clouds, how the lighting races through them yet, the storm stands unmoving.” Johnson, the local priest screams at the crowd while the faithful mummer to themselves as the clouds rage off in the distance.
The less faithful on the other hand have thoughts like, if god is so angry at the undead, then why exactly is the big guy flinging lighting at the ocean, and not actually at the undead?…
The sound of constant thunder disturbing what would be an otherwise peaceful day though, keeps most of them from getting into a pointless argument.
It might also be how Carter eyes some of them, and encourages them to keep it moving, after all more unrest can only be a good thing.
Even if some of the religious are getting a bit fanatical, besides they’re hardly the most unsettling thing growing in this prison.
That belongs squarely to some of the other prisoners who are starting to become powerful, too powerful stepping far beyond the abilities of mere mortals, and becoming otherworldly.
Capable of crushing rocks with their bare hands, and with every day that passes they’re only getting stronger as they drag more, and more mana out of people.
The worst part being, there isn’t much he can do about it either, like sure trying to convince people just to say no is theoretically possible, but the powers certainly have hurt, and even killed those who have.
The fact that the one who killed someone was quickly picked up by the undead, somehow being a small comfort to those who fear being next, and meaning absolutely nothing to the one who actually died.
With the undead also seeming to ignore minor injuries, or pure threats, who would want to take that kind of risk?
It’s also not like he can go talk to the undead about it, without completely destroying his reputation, but something has to change or maybe it doesn’t.
When at some point the powers will surely begin to make their own moves to escape, and just maybe they’ll open an opportunity that he can take advantage of.
Carter then looks at the raging clouds, as thunder continues to endlessly crack, it sounds like fireworks are being blasted practically every minute, and there’s no end in sight.
When his headache gets the best of him “Come on, its been hours, this god awful weather has to give at some point!” Shouting at the weather certainly didn’t help, but something has to give, right?
____________________________________________
“There are some undead, they’re certainly higher tier than anything else around, definitely organized, but not undead empire high, and something we can handle. We jus-”
‘sigh’
The communication stone cuts off, and the Nelka looks up at the elf standing in front of him, the elf he didn’t hear approaching at all…
“And what exactly are you two doing out here?” A pulse of mana then blooms outward quickly marking a dozen more bounty hunters, who are frozen in place, by threads of mana, and with a flick of her wrist are pulled into a pile in front of Sarah.
She stares at them with tired eyes wondering what new issues await, what fresh nightmares are going to haunt her dreams.
She kicks one, shaking the Nelka with her boot, until she notices a familiar emblem on one of their shoulders.
A phoenix, Sarah takes a deep breath, before the Nelka are crushed into the ground, their bodies reduced to little more than pebbles.
“Of course, the group I spared would somehow find their way here.”
It feels like Sarah can hear an ancient voice rambling in her ear Sarah, if you had just taken care of the problem in the first place, you wouldn’t have to worry about it now, but no of course you just had to be pretty sometimes I wonder why they ev-
Sarah shakes her head before muttering to herself “Damn old monsters, why are so many of them always right?” Whelp, one more problem to take care of, and here’s to hoping this one doesn’t manage to spiral into something, but with my luck… She then darts into the air, and begins her hunt for Nelka for bounty hunters.
____________________________________________
“All of the scouts we sent west are dead…” Theo says as the little lights on the board forever go dark, and in their place images of a crystal city are projected above the table.
The only thing the scouts managed to transmit, before they died “I guess we have our answer then.” Dagon crushes the map on the table, and of course they had to be so close, a couple of hundred miles away, barely a sneeze away.
Undead at the very least capable of killing tier fifteens, well a dozen of them while even being able to block them from transmitting anything else back, which means at least a tier twenty to thirty.
He begins tapping one of his feet, and now they know we’re here, or at the very least will begin hunting us.”
Theo begins to shift the papers on the table, until he locates the item manifest, and slides it over to Dagon.
Luckily, it shows that all of their undead hunting supplies made it through.
“A trap, we were already ready to face the undead, so if we prepare we should be able to handle one monster, and if it turns out to be too strong or if there’s more too many of them, then we will get the hell out of here, but one should be fine. Theo, ready the undead weapons, we have a guest who should be on their way here.” And while he’s doing that I’ll set up a little contingency, just in case.
____________________________________________
My minions, ten shades, have been pushing my abilities for days, helping them to reach unimaginable heights or at least far further than any notification yet.
Notifications
Experience Earned
Combat: Does an execution really count as combat?
Well, either way you personally killed a higher tier!
Congratulations.
You personally managed to actually do something while your minions fight endlessly, sometimes against foes significantly bigger than them, but hey you’re doing your part, right?
0_o
Class: Hitting nine milestones at once, most of them even being somewhat related to your class, shows how committed you are to mastering the necromantic arts….
Just you know, don’t forget your class is about raising minions, and NOT material production.
Profession: A brand new path, a craft you’re using to bend, and break souls to your will, even binding souls to the very items you make, which totally doesn’t have any evil implications… totally.
You also keep splitting your very soul, which is certainly a choice.
Level up +10
Health Restored
Mana Restored
Stamina Restored
Attributes Increased Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Strength +11
Dexterity +9
Constitution +7
Charisma +1
Intelligence +2
Wisdom +4 (+10)
ERROR
Wisdom is at attribute cap for tier/grade only six attributes could be allocated with four points remaining free.
Spells Leveled Up
Blood Manipulation +13
Bone Manipulation +13
Flesh Manipulation +11
Harvest +5
Mana Manipulation +11
Raise The Dead +3
Soul Drain +3
Soul Shape +14
Skill Gained
Swordsmanship
Skills Leveled Up
Analyze +2
Anatomy of The Risen +3
Athletes +18
Forbidden Knowledge +2
Meditation +20
Pain Resistance +10
Sense Mana +6
Swordsmanship +17
Milestones
Athletics – Body
Blood Manipulation – Creation
Bone Manipulation – Creation
Flesh Manipulation – Creation
Meditation – Core
Pain Resistance – Resistance
Sense Mana – Sense
Soul Shape – Soul
Swordsmanship – Martial
New Skill
Swordsmanship – Learning the blade, a noble endeavor or rather a practical one when a number of people want you dead, but what about when gods want you dead?
Then is this then still a skill worthy of a necromancer’s time?
Who knows, but in time you’ll surely find out, and besides gods do tend to have a whole lot of paladins, who…
Spend their entire existence mastering the blade.
Milestone Reached
Athletics has unlocked the level ten body pathway choice (Warning! Pathways impact all branches of their related abilities, and this choice will be the first step in determining how all body pathway abilities grow, after all, pathways are a lifestyle, and not an arbitrary choice!)
Bro Do You Even Lift?
– You have begun getting those oh so sweet gains, but as any gym bro worth their salt knows it’s never enough, particularly given there just never seems to enough hours in a day to keep just keep pushing for more.
This milestone changes that or at least DOUBLES all of your workouts.
So, imagine you picked up the heavy rod for ten hours, now bro if you pick this pathway it’ll be like you picked it up for TWENTY hours.
Is that sweet or what?
(Class Exclusive)
Wasn’t Me – Far, faaaar too often, one’s nightly endeavors result in one needing to flee, and worst of all, often with minions who shall we say aren’t the fastest of the bunch.
This milestone not only increases your speed by ten percent, but even increases the speed of all of your minions in your area of influence by one percent, perhaps even allowing you to keep a few more of your minions alive the next time you go grave robbing.
(Class Exclusive)
Yeah Nooo – Minions?
Loot?
Those things come, and go, but sometimes?
You just REALLLLY, need to book it, and now your minions will be even better at ensuring that you’re the one who makes it out.
It allows you to temporarily drain speed from minions, impact is relative to the minion size, and at most grants ten percent of a minion’s speed, but draining speed from a hundred minions certainly can make one zippy.
Only one choice can be made, what shall it be?
(Note the only way you can currently change this decision is by resetting or changing your class)
Milestone Reached
Blood Manipulation – Master of The Arcane is now in effect
Milestone Reached
Bone Manipulation – Master of The Arcane is now in effect
Milestone Reached
Flesh Manipulation – Master of The Arcane is now in effect
Milestone Reached
Meditation has unlocked the level twenty five core pathway choice (Warning! Pathways impact all branches of their related abilities, and this choice will be the first step in determining how all core pathway abilities grow, after all, pathways are a lifestyle, and not an arbitrary choice!)
Three Fold – You’ve already managed to increase the rate your mana, and stamina return to you.
So why not increase the rate, which your health fills back up too, which of course naturally comes with a bit more burning oh, and an overall decrease in the speed of your other resources returning at least when your health isn’t full, but what’s power without cost, and surely you’re not afraid of a bit more pain?
Right?
Mix And Match – Mana?
Stamina?
What’s the difference?
At the end of the day they’re both just bits of energy shaped to a specific purpose, but why should they be fixed in that position particularly if one resource is so much larger than the other?
Allows you to convert one resource into the other at a two to one ratio.
Only one choice can be made, what shall it be?
(Note the only way you can currently change this decision is by resetting or changing your class)
Milestone Reached
Pain Resistance has unlocked the level ten resistance pathway choice (Warning! Pathways impact all branches of their related abilities, and this choice will be the first step in determining how all resistance pathway abilities grow, after all, pathways are a lifestyle, and not an arbitrary choice!)
Nothing – Sensations, pain, heat, cold or the sting of electricity, who needs all of those fancy feelings, when one can instead feel absolutely nothing.
A thing to remember though, is that being numb to something doesn’t mean that one isn’t impacted by it, although if one manages to get their resistance levels high enough that too can change, and that sure as hell is easier when one feels absolutely nothing.
(Class Exclusive)
Resist This!
– Woh, bro stop throwing fire at my minions!
Your resistance turns into a shroud granting protection to all of your minions that fall within its area of influence, and scales based on your individual resistance ability.
It also doesn’t stack or grant any resistances to those who already have a higher resistance.
(Class Exclusive)
Minion, Does That Hurt?
– Your resistance abilities are now shields!
Well, for you at least, the abilities have an inherent 90% reduced effect, but you will not be impacted by anything, which can be resisted if you have minions if they are functional, instead they will take all of the damage.
In cases where a minion is immune to something, but you’re not for example pain or fire, that damage will be converted into the equivalent true damage, the same is true if they would have a higher resistance to the damage than you.
Only one choice can be made, what shall it be?
(Note the only way you can currently change this decision is by resetting or changing your class)
Milestone Reached
Sense Mana has unlocked the level ten sense pathway choice (Warning! Pathways impact all branches of their related abilities, and this choice will be the first step in determining how all sense pathway abilities grow, after all, pathways are a lifestyle, and not an arbitrary choice!)
I see Everything – It’s amazing how even when we have eyes there is still so much we don’t see, with entire shades of color existing, yet due to our own limitations we aren’t even truly able to imagine something which objectively exists.
Now, you will no longer be so limited mana expanding your senses, and allowing you to see more of existence as it truly is.
(Class Exclusive)
Painted Black – Sure, existence is vast, but does any of that noise really matter when death mana is what gives life to your constructs?
Why would you need to see more or want anything more than painted black?
Which, of course, would grant you greater insight into death mana.
(Class Exclusive)
I See Death – Like a scavenger, who somehow always manages to locate the body of a corpse, you will now see death rising into a sky like a beacon calling to you in the night.
Allowing you to always find materials or find those battlefields, which you might have just walked right past never knowing that you were right next to a treasure trove.
Only one choice can be made, what shall it be?
(Note the only way you can currently change this decision is by resetting or changing your class)
Milestone Reached
Soul Shape has unlocked the level ten Soul pathway choice (Warning! Pathways impact all branches of their related abilities, and this choice will be the first step in determining how all Soul pathway abilities grow, after all, pathways are a lifestyle, and not an arbitrary choice!)
Soul Realm – Unlock the hidden realm within yourself, and begin molding it into something which truly reflects yourself.
(Class Exclusive)
Pick Me – Not all souls are equal, a harsh truth, but one we are all aware given the geniuses who roam our cosmos.
People whose potential is just so much higher than others, for some unknowable reason, and now you will be able to see it.
See the quality of the materials for your class, and even profession.
(Class Exclusive)
Soul Beacon – Normally, when something dies it heads off into the great unknown relatively quickly, but if you’re around with this handy little milestone they will instead be drawn towards you to face a fate which who knows, might not even be that terrible…
Only one choice can be made, what shall it be?
(Note the only way you can currently change this decision is by resetting or changing your class)
Milestone Reached
Swordsmanship has unlocked the level ten martial pathway choice (Warning! Pathways impact all branches of their related abilities, and this choice will be the first step in determining how all martial pathway abilities grow, after all, pathways are a lifestyle, and not an arbitrary choice!)
Ever Blade – Anything can be a weapon if you just have enough imagination, and now will even begin to flow with the weapon forms you already know.
Turning any item into a potentially deadly weapon, granted at a significantly reduced effectiveness depending on how unrelated to the ability you’ve trained in, but something is always better than nothing.
(Class Exclusive)
Death Blade – Every sword you wield now naturally has death mana flowing through it, not only amplifying any death abilities you cast through them, but also inflicting extra damage on every attack scaling with your affinity with death mana.
(Class Exclusive)
Serve me – Any foe you personally strike down, rises again, and becomes a minion under your banner.
They are unclassed, and the materials they’re made of will degrade in order to fuel the animation.
Only one choice can be made, what shall it be?
(Note the only way you can currently change this decision is by resetting or changing your class)
A lot of advancement, but one thing is painfully clear, I’ve been robbed!
The three already completed milestones reveal a truth, which should have already been apparent… The first ability to hit a pathway sets the road, which means I could have had completely different milestones, perhaps even ones that were closer to my class if I just had different abilities.
Which isn’t to say that my milestones are necessarily bad, well all of them, but they could have been so much better.
What could my build have been, with just a bit more planning or different options?
Then again, these are just the tier one abilities, and with the exclusive milestones being tailored towards my class perhaps I’m not on the worst path, but what could you have been?
‘Sigh’
No matter, there’s no point in crying over spilled milk, leaving me with my choices, increasing the rate my physical attributes grow, a speed increase even if it sounds a tad nefarious or basically another sacrifice skill.
Faster physical growth could be good, but long term pointless, particularly with attributes having a cap, leaving, wasn’t me… next up meditation, having it increase the rate of another resource or conversion both have merit, but if I need to convert things, then everything has already gone badly Three fold is chosen.
Nothing, resist this, and minion does this hurt, three options to turn pain resistance into something new.
The first option could make my crafting, and training easier, perhaps even allowing me to focus in the middle of a battle if I take a wound, but numbing myself could also cause me to ignore something, turning it fatal.
Potentially beneficial, but dangerous.
Resist this, a shroud, encompassing my minions, a solid benefit particularly as I gain new resistances, and pretty much entirely pro, and then there’s minion does this hurt… potentially immunity to damage, until all of my minions are slain.
Now, that is powerful, I take a seat on the cold arcane floor on the porch of my home, and look at all of the undead passing by. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
More of them are starting to build homes, mostly draugr who are the only undead so far who seem to be blessed or cursed depending on who you ask, with the need to sleep.
They’re so normal though, sure some of their skin is in different shades, and most of them have eyes that glow in various colors, other than that though, they’re basically human.
True damage, and a reduced effectiveness to my resistance abilities.
“Ugh, I guess it’s not really a choice then is it?” Three more milestones, nine choices, each with their own pros, and cons, but expect soul shape easy clear options, even if they’re not class aligned.
I see everything, allowing me to see more of the world, and well I probably won’t need to see more of death mana.
The only temptation being a soul realm, an unknown potentially new path to power vs improving my ability to craft, and see the potential of souls, but with the word unlock being included that probably means that in time I’ll be able to gain access to it at some point, regardless of what I choose.
Leaving just death blade, amplifying my magic, and turning my weapon into the equivalent of mage’s staff.
Clearly the best choice, and at long last the final choice.
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My eyes they burn!
It feels as if someone is slamming a flaming hot poker directly into my eyes, and then twisting it about or at the very least like someone managed to spray lemon juice directly into them.
Truly, an experience unlike any other, but when the tears stop coming out of my eyes the world is changed.
Colors are richer, deeper, and my eyes can make out little details even when they’re more than a few feet away from me.
Apparently I’m no longer near sighted, good bye glasses that I actually haven’t worn for years!
The piles of materials though is where the real difference is though.
The small piles of soul dust have transformed into raging bonfires of tiny little grains of light, not only in every color residing under the sun, but so many that I’ve never experienced before, which is certainly an experience.
Seeing shades, and nuisances, beyond anything I’ve ever seen is just something that’s strange.
Like, how would one even begin to describe something that’s like red, but also nothing like it?
There are countless shades like this, that are also in different intensities, and when I pull up my last remaining piece of pride out.
In a word, it’s a mess, a combination of not only different colors, which might be fine, but also light radiating different intensities… which could also be fine, but doesn’t scream well made to me, and when I look at my sword.
Let’s just say that it’s worse, significantly worse than the solid piece, but hey maybe that’s on Vander, and totally his fault…
A shade then brushes past, and drops off a block of bone, which unfortunately is also looking quite the mess, but more importantly.
Shade of Morthes – Soul quality shoddy
“Hey, what exactly is that supposed mean!” The system of course keeps on ignoring my outrage, and I’m inevitably drawn back to the system page filled with all of my growth, massive growth, almost larger than how much my bounty has increased.
Well, maybe not quite that large, but still, so many of my abilities are just chugging along, yet the four attributes just wasting away remind me of my latest issue, attribute caps.
I have to raise either my tier or my grade, something I’ve been planning on doing, but wasn’t exactly in a rush to do, well more didn’t know how to do, and still don’t without being extorted.
“But it’s not like these resources just sitting here are doing a lot, particularly given they all seem to be of questionable quality” Still, basically three times the cost of raising an uncommon grade minion, the same complexity of a human, along with the materials is a thousand eight hundred worth of mana, and materials.
It’s a lot, around four hours at least when I’m meditating… That can’t be right, can it?
But, that’s around how often I burn through that much mana, wisdom really is showing its true worth, and honestly not even that bad, maybe it is even possible for me to jump straight to rare, which would only cost around thirty six thousand mana, or not…
I then glance around the room, materials filling every single room, common grade materials, every single last one of them, and my intelligence is nowhere near high enough to hold twelve hundred mana even, without the shades, which means my next four hours are going to be pretty boring ones.
“Bah, shades start making enough uncommon materials for the evolution. Then sort all of these materials by quality, and after that only make rare materials for now. When I go get robbed by my minions.” I then touch a wall sending my mana through it, and after a moment a screen shows up on the wall, a screen with a negative balance!
Mana Account of Thomas Morthas
A Negative Balance of 747 mana
Expenses
Rent 500 Mana Per Month
Food 150
Other Services 100
“Vie was right, I’ve created a monster!”
____________________________________________
A few hours later mostly spent with me meditating, and listening to music I’m headed off.
Around two hundred pounds of each material trailing behind me as I make my way towards the core, with almost half a ton of materials floating behind me.
My baggage attracts some looks along the few mile journey, but little more than that, and before I know it I’m standing in front of a building, which on the front of it has something glowing, which could send fear even into the heart of a saint.
A massive number, a que number currently on 536, but out of how many, and when my hand touches the door a screen appears.
Evolution Chamber
Current Que 536/6749
Costs:
1.
2x The Cost of Raising x whatever tier you are
2.
If skipping a grade, the previous grade still needs to be paid for
3.
Providing the resources allows you to skip the que
4.
Adding new elements, will depend on a consultation, but at minimum expect it to increase the price by 5x
5.
Quality upgrades are currently unavailable due to demand.
For now full grade evolutions or nothing
Example:
A common grade ghost to uncommon grade costs 300 mana, but if they wanted to skip all the way to rare it would be 6,300 mana.
More realistically though, only a tier 5+ would be trying to buy something so the cost would instead be 1,500 mana for uncommon grade or 31,500 for rare, and if the ghost wanted to become an uncommon skeleton it would potentially be around 7,500 mana.
The cost is essentially 300 per material for uncommon 6,000 per for rare, and 240,000 per epic (No we aren’t currently doing loans for epic) then multiplied by their tier.
Loans for the mana payment, have a 100% interest rate or instead of it costing 300 Mana Per it will cost 600 etcetera, all of which will have to be paid back daily, and failing to meet those fees will incur additional fines.
Please state your order.
“Umm, human common grade to uncommon grade, and I have the materials, along with the mana on my account.” The door slides open, and out walks a ghostly manager, who looks at me with narrowed eyes, before looking at the floating materials, and waving me through.
The building, like everything else in this city, is made of arcane crystal, but seems to be little more than a long glowing white hallway lined with doors on both sides.
The manager brings me to one before silently waving me in, and vanishing with all of my materials, while I stand in a small square room absolutely filled with engraving that I don’t have the slightest idea of what they do, and a glowing white circle in the middle of it all.
A bored voice which sounds like it’s coming from a microphone then fills the room “Please step into the middle of the circle” I hesitate a moment, before stepping in, and at first absolutely nothing happens, but then the room begins to hum.
The sigil ignite, in an instant it feels a wave of warm water crashing into my body, and that I’m slowly sinking under water.
The pressure rises as I sink into the deep as the surface gets further, and further away as the pressure wraps around my body.
A constant squeeze, that grows into a growing ache, as it all becomes too much, my blood throbs in my veins too thick to flow through my body, bones start to crack, and the mana makes me feel like I’ve been lit on fire.
Pain fills me, an uncomfortable feeling worming its way through my skin, but much like after one pulls a tooth it passes with a pop, and leaves me feeling better.
So much better than I’ve ever felt, my body not only lacks any clicking or pain, but feels like it’s ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Uncommon Grade Human
Health 360
Mana 585
Stamina 315
Power, the grade jump is definitely having an impact, but surprisingly it’s not the doubling that I was kind of expecting, instead each attribute seems to represent around fifty percent more power, but if grades represent an exponential growth in power… exactly how much does Vie currently have?
“Hey! The procedure is complete clear the room! I swear some people have no respect, bloody lazy… Huh, this thing is still on? My bad, then again, YOU’RE STILL IN THE ROOM! MOVE IT!”
I make my way out, and start making my home with a skip in my step, when my mind manages to do something amazing, remember!
The attributes that are just wasting away.
Charisma 5
Constitution 18
Dexterity 17
Intelligence 24
Strength 17
Wisdom 54
No longer, constricted by a cap of fifty, but what could the new cap be?
Hmm, regardless, when I make it home my house it’s not only still filled with materials, which I’m still not quite sure what I’m going to do with, but piles of soul energy, which something certainly can be done with.
____________________________________________
Mana is flowing into Renata, the evolution center, and the thousands of humans buying food or knick knacks every single day fueling unimaginable growth, but it’s also resulted in a consequence the undead didn’t quite expect.
A shanty town has begun to form outside of the cities walls, as the humans endlessly crowd around an area providing resources, which frankly can’t be gotten anywhere else, like for some reason beef isn’t even on the menu in the system store.
Not quite an issue at least yet, even with the build up of trash, and buildings of questionable quality gathering around the city.
It might eventually grow to being one though, particularly with the uptick of violence occurring in the area…
Something, which will of course have to be dealt with, but not today particularly with the mana still flowing.
Resulting in not only all of the layers of walls being fully formed, the core is completed at least physically, and all other allocated buildings are slowly beginning to slowly rise.
An architect’s schematic, coming to life right in front of Veronica’s eyes, while she stands on a balcony, and watches her city grow.
The flow of mana pulsing through the walls, before concentrating in the center, and turning it into a vortex of power.
She taps along the fully engraved railing, the lines pulsing with light, before entering the chamber?
Bunker?
Castle?
Each room holds something vital to the undead empire, everything from the necromancers, to shall we say the more interesting projects.
Like the room filled with soul mages toying with the souls of the birds, animals, and insects who tried to take a bite out of the arcane crystal.
Oh, and along with some humans, who either decided to get a bit fresh or choose to interfere with one of the retrieval teams.
Veronica makes it to her room, half of which is filled with a massive glowing holographic map.
The center being Renata, filled with the glowing dots of its people, and the swarms of undead birds patrolling the sky, then it stretches outward.
The largest concentrations of humans being marked by square dots, and within a hundred miles of the city there’s thousands of squares, typically all of them surrounding a circle.
Threats, or points of interest, like graveyards, those of course being marked with Xs, and being priority targets, but then there are other marks for things like Vie’s tower.
Dungeon cores or other points, which for some reason have some greater concentration of mana.
Oh, and then there are the columns, the lines of undead headed right towards those graveyards encountering countless humans, and monsters along the way.
One of the columns glows, before Veronica waves her hand over it, and a massive bear appears in the room.
It’s the size of an elephant, and surrounded by undead covered in armor stabbing it with spears, before the light fades away.
Then one of the squares surrounding a circle glows, it’s a birds eye view overlooking a hole in the ground.
People are surrounding it, swinging weapons, pouring fire into it, and throwing things at the Bugs?
Which are the size of people trying to crawl out of the hole, but their size is working against them.
“Hmm, dungeon core or simply a natural evolution?” She taps her desk as the earth begins to shake, and another hole erupts from the ground, bringing with it a swarm of bugs, and sending people running for their lives.
Either way, it could be a good experience, and a source of new souls.
She then taps on of the city, before sending out a new column towards the square.
She then sits back in her chair monitoring the city, everything being reduced to numbers, with one constantly fluctuating number determining everything, mana, the difference between life, and death.
____________________________________________
Tides is surrounded by , who with, but a wave of his hands he’s now capable of raising, and not just of the common variety.
Power courses through his very veins, and a craving begins to grow in heart, after all, why should his power not be his own?
Why shouldn’t he be able to push himself to untold heights instead of just following the orders of another?
He is a necromancer, the necromancer, why shouldn’t all of this power be his to command?
A mad cackle erupts from his mouth, while unknown to him a pair of eyes narrow at an orb that’s… observing him.
____________________________________________
Every day people are able to regenerate mana faster, at least if they keep burning through their mana, which means that so should their taxes.
Olivia, taps a list, before rolling a orb in her hand, thousands of mana held inside of a little ball.
Now, what to do with you, another tier or pour more power into my abilities?
“Tier ten does have a nice ring to it.” Power pulses through Olivia’s body, a blue haze encompasses her, before it clears, and leaves her in a word, solid.
An energy radiates from her body, and a weight begins to push down on the world.
Olivia lets out a sigh, blue mist drifts from her mouth, and her brown eyes now have a faint glow.
She then flexes her hand, and stone armor covered in engravings start to grow over her body, until she’s covered from head to toe.
In stone armor that looks like a demon, at first grey, but then it slowly starts to fill in with reddish color “Well, time to collect.” Her voice comes out as little more than a growl. https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oYbv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d162df8-2557-4385-8d81-c973d12824d6_631x769.jpeghttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_bZJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7c60f1ac-04b7-4359-b8dd-6b5a7cd5dca6_631x274.jpeghttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FdbX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3ab5980-6c51-497c-a73b-8bf49500cbf6_631x320.jpeg
Due to formating issues this story doesn’t quite look the way it’s supposed to 0_o and you can read an updated version on Kobo, or other platforms. https://litrpgandpolitics.wordpress.com The story is also at around chapter 60 with around 400,000 words, and will posted once per day, until it’s caught up.
Then it will either be weekly, or twice a week, with that being said, I still welcome any feedback, after all I’m still editing everything 0_0 and different perspectives can so often help one see the things we take for granted.
Thanks for reading, and I hope that you have a great day!