You again?
Really?
I must figure out what spell or skill is giving you access to MY personal journals, but until then, enjoy my ramblings while you still can.
Now, where was I?
Oh right, the question of if those who do nothing while others suffer are worse than or simply monsters like those inflicting it in the first place?
A question, some find quite difficult to swallow, repulsed by even the idea they’re immoral, let alone something as extreme as a monster.
Yet, we all know life is so much more than simple clear cut lines, our reality instead filled with endless shades of grey, of choices, and consequences, which can lead us in so many different directions.
Paths, where the same tyrants who murder countless innocents, can also be responsible for providing systems, which are the difference between children living or dying, while the same heroes fighting for the greater good can be responsible for destroying everything people love, and so much death…
When Heroes commit evil, and villains do good, when both of these can be true, objectively true, what is right?
What is wrong?
The path that serves the majority?
Does the good of the many outweigh the few or do those lives also matter?
Is each individual choice weighed, measured, and judged or instead is it something simpler in nature?
Like a feeling, a line once crossed damning one for eternity, or maybe more importantly, where exactly does the average person end up, what exactly determines if you’re good or not?
Then again, when we are like children our views ever so narrow, and simply unable to truly grasp the consequences of anything, how could our views, what we believe, be more than just an opinion?
Right, wrong, fate, choice, all simply words we use to justify our subjective interpretations, and our morals nothing more than a bridge we use to live with the choices we make.
An undeniable truth, at least if one is willing to open their eyes, and look through history.
An endless tale filled with those who have good intentions, but ultimately go on to do the absolutely wrong thing, and when what we believe to be right, can in fact be the opposite, how can one ever truly know if they’re on the right path, instead of just the one they can live with?
The random musings of the Destroyer of Worlds
___________________________________________
Notifications
Congratulations!
– You’re the first human on earth to have reached the max level for your tier (50) as a special bonus you will have the opportunity to advance all of the elements, which make up your anatomy up a grade.
Please choose when you would like this evolution to occur, but also keep in mind that after you make any available tier choices, along with any associated bonuses, you will be rendered incapacitated as your body adapts.
Soooo, unless you want to wind up dead, it’s best to only evolve in a safe place, and lastly we at systems incorporated would like to thank you for being a pioneer of your species.
Hopefully, you won’t let it go to your head, while you leave your mark in history to a potentially bright new future!
Your class now has the potential to evolve into Tier two Commander, where the level will be reset to one, but due to all core abilities failing to reach the minimum level of advancement, any potential upgrades will be lost.
Alternatively, this evolution can be postponed to level abilities, but any class experience gained during this period will be lost.
Experience Earned
Class: Deploying bombs technically falls under the umbrella of your class, but you didn’t really use any of your class abilities, which was a bit of a waste on your part mate.
Combat: You?
Well I guess pushing a button counts….
You have managed to slay thousands of creatures, some of which or really almost entirely, were even a much higher tier than yourself!
Good job?
You fil-**********
Level up +49
Health Restored
Mana Restored
Stamina Restored
49 Assignable Attributes
Attributes increased
Intelligence +1
Talent Gained
I Am Death, Destroyer of Worlds!
– You have slain mor-
“Well that’s problematic”
“Who”
‘Whoosh’
‘Thud’
‘Drip’
‘Drip’
‘Drip’
A red metal boot slams into the chest of the headless body of the commander, slamming it against a wall, and causing a red smear to begin pooling down the white walls.
“Who could have guessed, such a primitive species would have such powerful weapons?” Luckily, at least so far they only struck the crystal forest, which has always been an unclaimed nightmare.
Osmond looks at the human he just dismembered, before tapping his chin in thought with his blood covered talons.
I guess now we will just have to track down the rest of their weapons, before they manage to draw any more attention.
“But how many of them could they really even have?”
A light shimmers in front of Osmond before quickly shifting into the form of Aurisa.
“There are approximately fourteen thousand nuclear devices, stored in various points throughout this world, but worse still, are the hundreds of thousands of other missiles, and chemical weapons which are just as capable, if not more destructive than some of their nuclear devices.” Osmond laughs “And to think Aurisa, you were worried about the little monkeys, when in reality they were just one bad day of completely destroying themselves.”
Aurisa tilts her head “There is a difference between a chance of something happening, and a certainty that we are responsible for.” Osmond scoffs “That’s certainly something a naive little soul like you would believe, but weapons are built to be used, and once they’re made it’s only a matter of time.” Aurisa looks down at the mangled body ” What an odd thing for you to say when you know for a fact that countless empires have weapons capable of destroying entire worlds and even-” Osmond gets within an inch of Aurisa’s shimmering image, looming over her.
“And that’s the difference between me and you, Aurisa.
I live in reality, while you live in the land of dreams, and what ifs.
Which is frankly pathetic, when we both know that countless worlds have been destroyed.
No one fears a bite, without any teeth, and these humans are showing that they’re more than capable of biting.
With access to mana they will give our enemies exactly what they deserve” Aurisa shakes her head, before floating above Osmond “And even when you disobeyed instructions, and appeared in front of the humans as Salazar, instead of a Nelka… pray tell, what do you think the humans will do with that little tid bit, and maybe more importantly, when all of this is over, exactly what will we deserve?
Oh wait, such matters are above your station, aren’t they?”
“I-” pressure pushes down on Osmond forcing him down to his knees, his legs becoming covered in blood, and for a moment Aurisa just stares down at him.
“You’re nothing more than a dog, who can’t even be trusted to do as you’re told, but luckily for you someone at least has a use for someone whose only purpose is killing. What a sad little existence, I wonder why Aurelio has a use for someone who’s so small minded?” Osmond just glares up, unable to speak, Aurisa just snorts, before shaking her head.
“Aurelio, wants you to rid this world of the larger stockpiles of weapons, lest too many of the portals draw attention, before the humans are ready. A task which could have honor, if only it was about protecting worlds from being destroyed or saving billions of lives, instead of just a concern over resources or humans being too weak when the Nelka empire discovers them, and this time actually do as you’re instructed.”
Osmond crawls to his feet, red energy buzzing off of his body, and begins shouting at Aurisa with uncontrolled rage, red mist flying out of his mouth with every word.
“You forget your place, how dare you-”
Aurisa scoffs, as the pressure doubles, slamming Osmond fully onto the ground, but this time his arms are straining, his hands pressed into the blood, and the only thing keeping his head from slamming into the floor.
“This war is without honor, but if lying to yourself makes you feel better about it, who am I to judge you? Oh wait, I am actually royalty…” she then floats down, and stares directly into Osmond’s eyes.
“In the meantime, Aurelio wants you to start striking the target’s command, send your way, leave nothing behind, and to keep in mind that if you see any mushroom clouds, leaving sooner, is probably better than later.
Aurisa then blinks away freeing Osmond who blurs to his feet, and mutters “Pampered little princess, it’s only a matter of time before you have to face the truth.” Osmond grins as his body begins to be covered in a red mist that condenses into a liquid that swirls around his body.
The liquid keeps growing, getting darker with every passing second, and compressing to the point that there are solid layers of red completely hiding his body.
Then it touches the ceiling of the military base, the walls ripple, before blasting outward tearing through the walls of the base like they’re nothing more than cardboard, and leaving nothing behind, but a crater.
“Power is the only thing that truly matters.”
___________________________________________
The butcher came to collect his due, everything hurts… My bones ache for christ sake, every muscle in my body feels as if it’s on fire, and tremors of pain race through my body whenever I even think about moving.
It’s like there’s a simmering fire burning beneath my skin, that’s slowly breaking down every piece of my body, and there’s nothing I can do to put it out.
“Ow” After a few minutes of just laying on the ground, staring up at the glimmering crystals, and questioning my every life decision.
I finally find the strength to start stretching, and stumble to my feet, where something unexpected awaits me.
Blood, so much blood, liters of blood, a small swimming pool worth of blood, just pooling in the middle of the tunnel.
Oh, and hundreds of pounds of ground together gray meat, filled with black coarse fur, and oozing yellow pus spread throughout the tunnel.
I take a deep breath, before gagging as it feels like raw sewage is trying to make its way into my lungs, and collapse back to the floor where luckily the air is slightly less putrid, but hey on the bright side, at least it wasn’t me that was smelling that badly.
‘Thump’
A rat-like creature with a head that’s larger than my chest shuffles over to the meat, for a few moments it even has a chance to dig in, but then in what almost seems like a single motion the bone golem is there.
Its large bladed arms dive into the creature, cleaving through its body, and sending its head flying through the tunnel, before it can even make a sound.
The golem then begins to eviscerate the corpse, ripping it to pieces, and it’s the most brutal thing I have ever seen.
Something around the size of a large dog, just torn into pieces, blood, and flesh raining throughout the tunnel.
Then a wave of gray light begins to wash over the body, causing white flakes to fly into the air.
A small blizzard of white bones completely envelopes the golem, and the cloud pulses with grey light, with every pulse it shrinks, until it’s just the golem.
Its bones have changed, it has become smoother, its bones no longer as grainy, and the bone plates that make up its body are denser.
I stay frozen against that wall, until it’s done, what probably only took a minute feels like an eternity.
Nothing, the size of a bear should have been able to move that fast, my eyes drift to claw marks in the stone.
“Well, at least when I run into whatever did that, it will probably be fast.”
Then I take another deep breath, suddenly, the foul air doesn’t seem that bad, and my entire body screaming at me in pain, isn’t the most important thing in the world.
Clarity sinks through me with every breath I take, and after a few minutes, I’m once again stumbling to my feet.
“All I can do is focus on what I can control, everything else, the madness that is life, all of that there’s absolutely no point in worrying about it, and besides, what’s the worst that could happen?” A dark chuckle escapes me, one quickly replaced by a groan of pain, but it doesn’t stop me from turning away from all of the gore, facing the bone golem who is silently staring down the tunnel, and stretching until I finally feel human.
“I’m definitely not safe, but also not currently in danger.” Something which of course can change at any moment, but until it does, all I can do is prepare, be ready for when it inevitably finds its way to me, and besides it’s not like I’m helpless.
I have materials, blood, flesh, and a bunch of mana crystals that are currently out of reach, but a lack of cores never stopped me before.
I glance at the walls, a sea of shimming crystals greet me, a shimmering forest of glowing crystals of all colors.
That only grows larger, more numerous, and brighter the further they’re on the ceiling.
Some of them are even shining so brightly that my eyes can’t even look at them directly.
It’s beautiful, and rather different from the horror show currently going on in the tunnel.
I wonder what I’ll be able to do with all of you.
Raise The Dead, Blood Elemental CC: Tier Zero 15, Tier One 45, Tier Two 135, Tier Three 285, Etc
Raise The Dead Human Blood Defender CC: Tier One 95, Tier Two 215, Tier Three 425 etc
Good, it seems, like prices are still the same “Mana”
Mana: 136/330
Less than I would like, but “Maybe tier zero minions have a use after all, assuming of course that I’m not limited to just physical minions, and ghosts should be able to float right?”
Raise The Dead, Human Ghost CC: Tier Zero 10, Tier One 25, Tier Two 85, Tier Three 190 etcetera
Huh, why are these ones cheaper?
That doesn’t make sense unless…
Raise The Dead, Bloody Flesh Golem CC: Tier Zero 20, Tier One 65, Tier two 185, tier three 380 etcetera
Minions become more expensive to raise with each element they’re made of.
I wonder if that makes them stronger or if different materials give inherent benefits?
That’s something I definitely will have to test later, but until then, operation ghost is definitely a go.
(Raise The Dead, Tier Zero Human Ghost)
Mana pours out of me, before spinning into a dark web, and with each passing second it becomes thicker, until a little black crystal is floating in the air. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Then the crystal begins to spin, as a dark shroud bleeds out of it, and slowly shifts into the rough outline of human features.
Ending up as little more than a dark misty creature, with a pulsing black light on the upper left side of their chest.
Tier Zero Human Ghost – Spirit, shade, ghost, the dead just minus the fleshy bits, these specters are something the living fear above all other forms of undead, above the ghouls, zombies, skeletons, and even the monstrosities… for these beings remind them what awaits them.
The endless void of death or it could also be their ability to fade through materials that are of a lower tier then they are, resulting in the ability to completely bypass armor, weapons, floors, walls, and ceilings.
When fortifications are made meaningless, and death or something ripping out one’s dangly bits can happen at any time, fear is the only natural response, there is no such thing as safety when the dead walk among you.
“Hello (creepy ghost thing) I have raised you with a single purpose in mind.” Their eyes lock onto mine, and they drift a bit closer to me.
“To gather these crystals, and bring them to me.” I point up at the crystals, while the ghost’s dark misty eyes lift up, and trail after my hand.
“But first.” Their head snaps back to me, it’s jarring in a way, kind of like a dog, just less well cute.
“Absorb tier one crystals, until you become a tier one ghost, then gather crystals, and bring them to me.” (Assuming you’re actually capable of carrying things) “You’re free to start now.”
The ghost drifts through the air, quickly reaching a crystal, and its hands grab ahold of it.
The crystal pulses, with every flash getting dark, until there isn’t any light left, and it shatters leaving nothing behind, but dust.
Two more crystals fall after the first, and then a golden light wraps around the ghost.
When it clears the ghost is more defined, its features more human in nature, but still quite misty, and most importantly of all, it is now tier one.
A technical saving of life fifteen mana, or actually maybe technically a loss given creating the crystals would cost more mana to create then the ghost seems to get out of absorbing them… Either way, it’s saving my personal mana, by not much in the grand scheme of things, but it all adds up.
The ghost continues on, grabbing another crystal, their hands sinking into it, and plucking it from the wall, without any resistance.
All that’s left is a small hole in the wall, and a faint crystal with glowing tree-like roots that is placed down next to me, before it heads off to gather more.
Raise The Dead, Human Ghost CC: Tier Zero 5, Tier One 20, Tier Two 50, Tier Three 155 etcetera
It seems like having higher tier materials makes everything cheaper to produce, or does it?
When my tier zero ghost ate three of them with a raw mana value of seventy five?
Then again that could be a mixture of my traits, given the tier two, and three also dropped, but still in raw mana value, overall it’s probably better to just make higher tier undead directly, at least when I have the mana to spare, but until then, efficiency be damned!
I grab ahold of the crystal rolling it around in my hand, it’s surprisingly warm, and its light seems to sink into my hands.
“What should I do with you, with all of you?
Mana core detected, would you like to absorb it?
“Hmm, absorbing materials evolves my minions, why wouldn’t it have the same impact on me?” My eyes are drawn to the pool of blood.
“Then again, there’s so much I don’t know.” And it would really suck to be stuck with the bloodline of the rat or the poorly constructed mana core just because I rushed into things.
“Bah”
I glance up, and the ghost seems to be struggling with a large blazing dark green crystal.
It keeps trying to sink its hands into the crystal, but as soon as it gets a few inches in, wisps of light green pulse out of the crystal, zapping its hands.
The ghost though is undaunted, it keeps trying, again, and again, even though they in no way seem to be making any kind of progress.
I wander a bit closer to it, and focus on it
Tier Four Mana Crystal – A naturally formed concentration of mana that is on the brink of reaching its first major milestone, it produces far more mana than it consumes, and can only be found in areas with an extremely dense concentration of mana.
Minions… “Ghost, only collect crystals which are the same or a lower tier than you are.” It pauses, its body seeming to sink in disappointment, before drifting to another crystal.
I stare at the crystal, and with a shrug mutter “Harvest” my mana drifts over to the crystal, and tries to shake it out of the wall, but it doesn’t even so much as budge.
“I guess that would just be too easy.”
Raise The Dead, Tier One Ghostly Mining Foreman
Raise The Dead, Tier Zero Ghost
Raise The Dead, Tier Zero Ghost
Raise The Dead, Tier Zero Ghost
Raise The Dead, Tier Zero Ghost
Raise The Dead, Tier Zero Ghost
Raise The Dead, Tier Zero Ghost
Raise The Dead, Tier Zero Ghost
Raise The Dead, Tier Zero Ghost
The ghost quickly forms in front of me, eight, almost completely blank shades, and another that not only comes with a pickaxe, but even looks a bit more human with wispy long hair.
“Foreman, you’re in charge of the other ghosts, get them to tier one, and then absorb every crystal that’s the same tier as yourselves, while gathering the lower tiers, and place them down next to the bone golem, do you understand?” The foreman nods before waving to the ghosts, who then drift towards their own sections, and I lean against the wall, practically completely empty of mana once again looking around the tunnel.
“Is there anything else I can do to make it a little less likely that something murders me?”
Well, in stories, there is usually a way to increase the rate one increases their mana, good old meditation, but how closely does fiction mirror reality?
I sit down against the wall, it’s smooth, cold dry stone, close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and just sit there.
A few minutes pass with a whole lot of nothing happening, thoughts begin to race through my mind, and I can feel myself getting more agitated with each passing second.
“This isn’t working” I crawl to my feet, and watch my ghosts, who already have a decent pile of cores by the stone golem, but it doesn’t hit me, until I watch another one of them evolve, that maybe I was just going about it the wrong way.
The ghost’s mana core blazes with energy, before leaving it one step closer to just looking like a regular person, well a person made of energy, rather than a blank doll.
Then I pick up a mana core, and stare into its pulsing violet depths.
“Unless I actually focus on my breathing, it doesn’t really impact my lungs, so why wouldn’t it be the same for mana?” Ignoring of course that it’s a core, which seems more like a heart thing, then again anxiety sure as hell can influence the heart, so there’s probably some way to make this thing tick too.
I close my eyes again, but this time focus on my chest, at first the only thing in my mind is darkness, but slowly, black light begins to grow along the edges of my mind, and suddenly it feels like something is slowly pulling threads through all of my pores.
A slow trickle of heat, of mana entering into my body, and I pull on the threads.
Fire, my body begins to burn, begins to itch every inch of me feels like I’m covered from head to toe in biting ants that are trying to rip my flesh apart, and naturally I stop pulling.
Notifications
Experience Earned
Class: Look at you intentionally evolving minions, actually exploring your powers, and basic skills!
Wow, it’s almost like you’re becoming a necromancer who has a chance of living past 24 hours, but that’s certainly not a bet I would take.
Combat: Filth!
Tried to take a bite out of you, but found faaaar more than they bargained for… you know, the whole golem that ripped them to shreds, and flung their entrails for all to see.
Kind of messy, but hey if it works, it works.
Level up
Health Restored
Mana Restored
Stamina Restored
1 Assignable Attribute
Skill Gained
Meditation
Spells Leveled Up
Raise The Dead +1
Harvest +1
Mana Manipulation +2
New Skill
Meditation – Zen, peace, and enlightenment, are certainly things that can be found within the depths of meditation.
Well, if one is able to get past the burning, but as the saying goes, no pain, no gains, and for some reason nothing worth doing is ever easy.
Meditation, in the simplest of terms, is an exercise for one’s mana channels, which leads to all kinds of wondrous things like increased mana capacity, regen rate, and power output.
On the bright side, I leveled up, and definitely discovered meditation.
Just… even the notification mentions the burning, which probably means it’s not something that’s going to go away any time soon.
“Fuck my life, why is nothing ever easy?” Like why on earth, does the thing that might just be the difference between me living or dying have to make me feel like my skin is being peeled off with a butter knife?
“Ughhhhh!!!!” I stare at the meditation notification again “An exercise that Increases mana capacity, regen rate, and power output” I have to use it.
I have to, but not right this moment.
Thank the gods for leveling up.
Umm, I guess one more point into wisdom, given how unlikely my mana is to be full anytime soon, but at least I can now address the mess.
Raise The Dead Human Blood Defender CC: Tier One 60, Tier Two 180, Tier Three 390 etc
Raise The Dead Human Flesh Golem Defender CC: Tier One 60, Tier Two 180, Tier Three 390 etc
And there goes, almost all of my mana… but with mana cores even these are cheaper.
“Raise The Dead, Tier one Human Blood Defender” Black mist pours out of my hands covering the mana core in a dark crimson, before cutting off, and sinking into the pool of blood.
The blood begins to bubble, for a moment it even warps into a perfectly round circle of blood as a wave of heat fills the tunnel, but then it grows completely still.
“Rise?” Something instantly bursts from the pool, a wave of red that instantly shifts into a humanoid shape, about six feet tall, and made of what seems like solid red crystal.
It’s face, and really it’s entire body is smooth, without any textures like chiseled abs or facial expressions, just smooth red crystal, glowing red eyes, and a build that would make a linebacker feel jealous.
I flinch “I swear to god! why is everything here so fast, and built like they could rip me apart without even trying. That being said… you are kind of cool.” I poke the Elemental, and it just feels like a cool hard crystal.
Tier One Blood Elemental Defender – A creature that’s typically born of horror, of conquest, of an ungodly amount of blood being spilled.
These beings normally only rise from a tier four or above core being bathed in blood, until it becomes something more, much like how other elementals are formed.
The difference though is their medium, blood, which fills them with a hunger to become more, and reach the pinnacle of their bloodline.
They are fierce warriors, worse when they become monstrosities, but the worst part typically isn’t facing them, it’s knowing that their existence is most likely the direct result of your friends, family, and or countrymen dying in a conflict that’s turning entire rivers red.
Onto the next one, a gross meat puppet which will probably smell, and might even keep rotting vs just tossing the meat.
An action which might not only reduce my chances of living, but might even actively draw more creatures here… It turns out that I don’t really have all that much of a choice.
The meat is just sitting there, and I can practically see the rotting mist wafting into the air, as the yellow puss pools around it.
“Gross, Raise The Dead, Tier one Flesh Golem Defender”
The rotting flesh rises into the air, leaving a stream of yellow pus raining onto the floor as it twists, and crunches.
The different types of flesh are crushed together to form a dry grey ball that stretches into a large eight foot humanoid shape, with solid balls of flesh for hands.
It looks like a dry empty husk, but when it hits the ground the crystals covering the floor shake with its weight.
“Well, you don’t look that gross anymore.” The floor, the walls, the rest of the meat, and blood on the other hand are all pretty much covered in yellow puss…
You two?
You three, absorb any blood, meat, bone, and any arcane crystals that are your tier or lower, while keeping me safe from any hostile creatures.
The blood elemental sinks into the pool of blood, the six foot being disappearing with little more than a splash, while a faint shimmer begins to grow in the pool, and it’s the only thing indicating that there is anything more strange about a pool of blood in the middle of a tunnel.
“And that! is really concerning puddles shouldn’t just be able to burst into monsters!”
The meat golem on the other hand just sits in the middle of it all, CLEARLY able to be seen, and releases waves of brown energy, slowly breaking apart the meat, and adding it to its body.
The bone golem on the other hand just remains perfectly still, but I have no doubt that if anything with bones makes its way down this tunnel, they won’t keep them for long.
Let’s see around thirty mana left “Hmm”
Raise The Dead, Tier zero Ghost
Raise The Dead, Tier zero Ghost
“You two! Follow the instructions of the mining Foreman!” Delegation, there really isn’t anything better, which means it’s time for me to get back to it… meditation waits for no man!
___________________________________________
I make it half an hour, sweat is running down my entire body, my pores practically turning into fascists, as every liquid that has ever graced my body somehow seems to endlessly pour out of me.
I’m left panting on the ground, laid out on the cold stone floor, and the best part is, my mana has only risen by about forty, which sure is about twice as fast, but is it truly worth it?
0_0
‘Plop’
Another crystal joins the small mound of a bit more than a dozen tier one, and two crystals.
‘Growl’
My hand runs across my stomach “Right food, water, those are kind of necessary things aren’t they?” Then I stretch out on the floor staring up at the stone ceiling, and the crystal walls that are getting darker by the minute.
‘Growl’
I glance at the rotting gray meat covered in ooze, and still slowly being consumed.
“Nope” that’s not happening, but maybe there’s a way to just conjure up some meat, with flesh manipulation, but eating raw meat is… questionable?
Even if medium rare is pretty close to uncooked, it’s still not completely raw, and who knows if magically conjured meat is parasite free!
Then again, what’s the alternative?
Hope to run into some mushrooms, which if I’m lucky will send my bowels on a journey that I will never forget, and if I’m not, will instead be the last thing I ever eat as blood drips out of my eyes or as some fungus takes over my brain.
Then there’s hunting for some unknown creatures, which could also be filled with magical worms that will eat my eyeballs or are filled with pus like those rat creatures.
Conjured meat is definitely the better choice, I just wish there was some way to cook it, then again fish is meat isn’t it, and fish is cleaner?
Then regular meat for some reason right?
Otherwise sushi wouldn’t really be a thing probably?
A rare smile graces my face “I could have unlimited sushi!” If only I knew how to make sushi or had any seasoning or rice alas.
‘Sigh’
At least there’s something to eat that probably won’t kill me.
Flesh Manipulation Tier Zero Tuna (Yellowfin) .25 mana per pound
“But mana is life”
‘Plop’
My eyes instantly lock onto the crystal “God I can be such an idiot sometimes.” In a moment I’m on my feet, and walking over to the crystals, when of course my foot instantly jams into the pointiest rock in existence.
A rock so fierce it would make a lego look like a piece of silk, leaving me jumping on one foot, and when I pull it out of my foot, a faint trail of blood leaks out of me.
‘Plop’
I look at the ghost, the ghost looks at me, and I tilt my head.
(Soul Drain)
A thin line of mana bursts out of my body and connects to the ghost.
The ghost recoils from me, releasing a piercing wail that echos into my ears, but luckily it calms when the red line putters out as the hole in my foot closes, without leaving a blemish, scar, or any indication that I came to harm at all, even the blood fades away in a little puff.
The ghost then wanders off into the darkness as if nothing had happened.
“Ghosts experience pain, that’s good to know, even if they don’t seem to hold a grudge, but who really knows what’s going on in their see through brains.” My eyes narrow at the ghost, watching it float off without a care in the world.
Still, there’s nothing quite like instant healing, even if morally, it’s questionable, like is this worse than killing an ant, or eating meat?
“Ehh, either way, with shoes it won’t be an issue, and if it’s ever a question of pain vs death one of those is worse.” I throw the rock down the tunnel, and pick up a tier one mana crystal (Nelka Appraisal)
Tier 1 Mana Crystal – .2 credits per
Tier 2 Mana Crystal – .5 credits per
Tier 3 Mana Crystal – 1 credits per
Not worth a whole lot, but neither is food “System store.”
Galactic System Store
Buying
Selling
“Huh, this is different.”
Galactic System Store
Selling
Enter Item / Sorted By Best Available Offer
Tier One Mana Crystal – .3 credits per crystal
Tier Two Mana Crystal – .7 credits per crystal
Tier Three Mana Crystal – 1.5 credits per crystal
And, the prices seem different too, but I am in a different world, maybe even a different Galaxy?
“Odd, but hey the prices are better” twelve point six credits quickly joins my account, almost thirteen thousand USD, not that USD is worth anything, but hey it’s still nice to keep it in perspective.
Galactic System Store
Buying (Note, there is a .5 credit shipping fee on any total orders less than five credits
6x Tier One Water Bottle (1 complete serving) – .1 credit per
2x Tier One Ready To Eat Meal (1 complete serving) – .2 credits per
1x Tier One Leather Boots (Enchanted with auto size) – 2 credits
1x Tier One Leather Backpack (Enchanted with reduce load) 2 credits
Rip five credits, a wave of mana swirls in front of me, much like when I received my system reward, but this one is much less intense.
It’s just smooth blue waves that condense into my items, the water bottles turn out to be about thirty two ounces.
I still manage to quickly down one, before moving onto the meals, and when I pop open the top of the containers… they’re steaming.
Meat, assorted vegetables, and some grains that look a lot like rice, all covered in a dark brown gravy.
I devour them both, they’re the best things that have ever graced my lips, and collapse into a perfectly content blob.
It’s amazing how having a hot meal can make everything seem so much better.
I just keep laying on the ground, with every crystal being placed next to me my smile growing a bit wider, when a blinding light flashes before my eyes.
One of the ghosts has changed, no longer a listless shade, but now fully looking like a human being.
Short straight hair, a narrow face, and a thin body covered in plain clothes.
Tier Four Human Ghost
For a moment, she just stands there, but then she blurs from one crystal to the next, going further, and further down the tunnel snatching the last of the crystals on the wall leaving only darkness in her wake.
A few moments later the rest of the ghosts begin to burst into light, in the end the ghosts land at about an even split between men, and women, but the interesting thing about them is how their clothes come in different styles.
Some formally, others in silks or thick leathers, another mystery of my class or perhaps a hint of who these souls were, but I can’t help but wonder how they’ll continue to grow.
That’s enough procrastinating, I better get back to it, but first, the boots don’t seem to be anything too special, until they slide onto my feet.
They fit perfectly, like sliding into a personally tailored suit, and the boots are a warm embrace.
When I stand up, and start taking a few steps around, it feels like I’m walking on air.
The cold stone floors don’t even seem to exist, and the boots just feel like extensions of myself.
The backpack on the other hand is well, a backpack just made entirely of leather, and maybe large enough to fit a medium sized pillow.
I toss the water bottles into it, and get back to meditating.
Time becomes a bit of a blur as I switch between meditating, until the pain becomes too much, and watching the ghosts drift further down the tunnels as the crystals become more scarce.
The pile of crystals next to the bone golem turns into a multi-colored bonfire, with the blood all, but disappearing into a ring that surrounds me, and the meat is fully absorbed by my other golem who silently watches the other tunnel.
Strangely, no more of the rat creatures have shown up, perhaps it has to do with the brutal way in which they were dying or maybe the yellow puss that is still spread throughout the tunnel serves as some sort of warning system.
It could also be that the creatures simply have eyes, and know to avoid giant golems.
Who knows, but for a while, nothing of note happens, I even manage to make it to half mana, before summoning a dozen more ghosts, because why not.
Over time, meditation begins to feel different, it’s still hot, but no longer quite an overwhelming inferno.
It’s the difference between a drink that instantly burns your mouth, and one you can slowly sip.
Turning meditation from what it was a sprint that terrorized my very soul, to a decent workout, that still requires significant effort, and is a far cry from easy, but it’s bearable.
When right as I’m really starting to get into a real groove.
‘Thump’
My eyes snap open, as the walls of the cavern begin to shake.
‘Thump’
The pile of crystals collapses, scattering into a sea of glowing lights covering the floor of an otherwise dark cavern, but more importantly, the end of the tunnel begins to glow like the sun cresting a mountain.
‘Thump’
A pulsing light comes blazing down the tunnel.
A light held in the arms of a ghost, who is flying down the tunnel, without a care in the world, while a sun seems to be rising behind them.
‘Thump’
The creature makes it around the bend, it’s humanoid in shape, covered in glowing golden crystal plates that completely illuminate the tunnel, with arms that end in razor sharp claws, is about nine feet tall, wide enough to almost entirely block off the tunnel, and with every step it takes the walls shake.
More a slowly moving boulder with claws attached to it than an actual creature.
‘Thump’
I blink, the ghost blurs next to me, absorbs the crystal it was holding, and bursts into a light that morphs into a smooth egg sized crystal shell.
‘Thump’
‘Thump’
Tier Eight Arcane Elemental – Once nothing more than a mana crystal that was living a charmed life, stuck in a wall, and just endlessly producing mana, until something changed.
Causing it to become more, to no longer be satisfied with scraps or willing to bear the vultures who want to steal what rightfully belongs to it.
This mana crystal has gained a new form, and aggressively pursues what it wants.
“I don’t suppose that you want to be friends”
‘Thump’
“Or that you’re above eating one composed of fleshy bits?”
‘Thump’
One of my ghosts tries to pass by the elemental, and it’s slashed out of the air.
Claws bursting through the ghost, before fading away into nothingness with a crunch.
“So not the peaceful sort”
‘Thump’
(Mana Bolt)
A wave of dark mana blasts into the elemental, but it just slides off of the crystal plates, without even leaving a mark.
“Well that’s not going to work, Soul Drain” Black lines burst out of my body, shooting towards the elemental, before instantly being repulsed once they contact the crystal plates, but undeterred the lines of energy, begin to explore the elemental’s body, until they locate its eyes, and pierce into them.
‘Roaaaar’
The walls of the tunnel shake, stones are dislodged, and I’m even pushed back by the vibrations of this thing’s voice.
It begins to glow, its body being enveloped by a golden light, the black threads connecting us, deflate as the mana bursts outward, and scorches the surrounding walls, but only managing to make it a few feet, before fading away.
‘Thump’
“You two golems, break that elemental!”
The golems too large to be side by side rush into the elemental, the bone golem is instantly impaled, a claw going right through its chest, and is slammed against the wall.
The flesh golem has a bit better luck… it at least gets to strike the elemental, it’s hammer hand slamming into it with a wind up punch.
The hundreds of pounds of force shatters one of the elemental’s arms, yet the elemental doesn’t even stumble, instead, using the same arm the bone golem is still attached to, it slashes the flesh golem cleanly removing one of its arms.
As its other arm begins to grow back in a golden wave of mana.
A manic smile covers my face as I throw the egg into my backpack, before shouting at the blood elemental “It’s time to go! Wakey, wakey, sleepy time is over! Blood elemental lead the way down this tunnel, and any ghosts that can hear me, follow me!” I then start sprinting down the tunnel, not even bothering to gather any of the shining crystals as the arcane elemental keeps tearing apart my golems, and showing no signs of slowing down.
‘Crunch’
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!