The Cosmic Cycle
Chapter Two
Monochrome
*Thump!*
*THUMP!*
*CLAP!*
*BOOM!*
A sharp breath passed his lips as he was rudely awoken. His body lurched forward slightly, preparing to attack an unseen enemy, before his sluggish mind registered what he was seeing. Now, don't get him wrong; living in a place like Terraria, one tends to believe in almost anything. He fought against the undead on a daily basis, walked across Hell Itself, and literally found unicorns and dragons; basically living the fantasy life of most children and a few adults. This though…
This was new.
His Guardian, who seemed to have protected him while he slept, was holding what he could only describe as a mutated wolf. Its body structure and hands indicated it was bipedal, and looked like it had bones protruding along its spine, arms, fingers and feet. Even the top of its face seemed to be solid bone with some red lines running across. Glowing red eyes stared malevolently at him, snarling all the while.
[Beowolf]
(Grimm)
Health:
300/300
…Comparatively it was pretty weak in terms of health. Maybe it wanders in a pack?
'I wonder if 'Grimm' is its faction?' He thought, going into research mode. Normally, it just told him their name, but now it was including subtext.
So something did change.
The man moved to stand, before stopping himself when he remembered the wounds on his body. Looking over, he found that his stomach injury had finished sealing the skin. Standing, he bent his body in various directions, and felt some pain, though little enough that he could still fight without it impeding him in any great respect. Peeling back the sleeve of his coat peeled off the dead skin that had fused with the fabric. Doing so with the other sleeve; as well as the pant legs just in case, he looked to the corner of his vision.
Health:
467/500
Mana:
200/200
[Weak] has worn off!
"Nice." A small grin grew on his face despite having bags under his eyes, before looking back to his new quarry. "Now what in the hell are you; part of a new event maybe?" Another growl came in reply.
*SNAP!*
…And apparently the Guardian didn't appreciate its answer, the Beowolf's throat now looking similar to a crushed can. The being threw it's corpse off in a random direction.
"Dude, why'd you kill it!? I wanted to see if it could talk!" The man pouted. His protector poked his fingers together, looking at the ground in embarrassment. A sigh worked its way past his lips, before scratching the back of his head. Chances were he'd come across another in due time, he just had to be patient. Didn't mean he wouldn't grumble about it though.
Looking up, the man finally took notice to the oncoming dawn; the sky bearing a lighter hue. The falling leaves from the tree and the cool air indicated an autumn biome, surprising him slightly as this was something he had never encountered in his days on this world. Could this be an after-effect of defeating The Moon Lord perhaps? Making the seasons flow naturally? Or maybe he simply unlocked a new area with different loot he… could…
…Wait…
The man stood straight as an arrow.
"LOOT!" He yelled, making the giant jump slightly. Manifesting the kaleidoscope he reached his hands through it, searching for something desperately. The feeling of a large, rough bag passed over his hands minutes later, making him grin in relief and excitement. Pulling his hands out, he found himself looking at a tan bag embroidered with green lines and an eyeball.
[Treasure Bag (The Moon Lord)]
"Open me!"
"Oh Fuck Yes!" The warrior shouted, doing a strange little dance in place while laughing like a maniac. Doing another spin, he froze in place when he noticed his summon staring at him what he assumed to be a slack jawed expression. The man blushed slightly, laughing sheepishly while he ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry about that. These little bags tend to have really good items in them. What you get varies from bag to bag, but it's still awesome."
The Guardian gave a slow nod, apparently still processing what it had seen. This is the one it has to protect now; a treasure addict, and possible battle junkie if what they gathered from his mind was any indication. They face palmed, mentally bemoaning their fate.
The man stood there, shifting his weight between his feet while he stared at the bag, his fingers holding its hem.
"Alright, come on baby, give me something good!" He said, before ripping the top open. A bright light engulfed the area, making him drop the bag as he covered his eyes. A loud *Clank!* was heard before the light started to fade. He let his arms slowly drop as his eyes adjusted, the blur slowly fading until he could see the large pile of equipment and items lying on the floor, the first of which being a tan brown ore that covered all the other items in great numbers.
[Luminite Ore] x104
"A pebble of the heavens."
"Nice." A large smile was plastered on his face. This would certainly help in repairing his armor and making more ammo. Placing his hand on the mass of ore, a whirlwind of starlight surrounded them to the point of being unable to see them, and when it faded, they were gone. The first weapon he saw was, what he assumed to be, a black and white gun of some sort. It had a large white base with a small circle in its center that lit up blue, with a slender black tube that also had a small see-through opening on top that glowed in the same color. The muzzle had a white piece located just below it, with three small prongs place around the opening in a circle.
[Portal Gun]
+Create two portals that will be linked anywhere within a distance of 1350 feet
-Needs 6 feet of flat space to place a portal
The man whistled, looking at the wicked little device. Grabbing the gun, the man located two triggers at its back. He turned around and placed one blue portal on the large boreal tree he had slept on and another at his feet, noting how the gun turned yellow while also making a yellow portal, before jumping into it. Passing through, gravity took hold; causing him to fall on top of his new toy with an "Oof!", irritating the wound on his stomach a little. The man laid there for a couple seconds before bursting out laughing.
"Oh I'm going to have a lot of fun with this."
Standing, he found a small button on the bottom of the barrel that when pressed made the portals close. Giving a small nod, the man dematerialized the item and walked back to the pile, locating a…
What in the heck?
"…Is that a dolphin?" The star knight muttered, eyes wide.
[Intimidating S.D.M.G. (Space Dolphin Machine Gun)]
"It came from the edge of space."
Durability: 8000/8000
77 Damage
14% Critical strike chance
Very weak knockback
Insanely fast firing speed
+50% chance to not consume ammo
+5% increased velocity
+15% Increased knockback
Said dolphin was grey, and had metal placed around its middle, going around its fins and ending just before its eyes. Leaning forward slightly he poked its tail and, to his relief, found himself touching a hard plastic. Hefting it into its arms found it rather weighty, having to be cradled to his side to be held properly. Further investigation revealed a small grip located beneath its fins. Grabbing the space dolphin, the man turned to a pine tree; all the while linking his new weapon with his ammo supply, feeding it through his inventory. He placed his left hand on top of the weapon, with his right arm circling around its side and meeting the grip.
Moving his legs into position, the man braced his legs, turning his head slightly and pulled the trigger. A loud *Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta* filled the air as the machine gun unleased lead at twelve rounds per second; its muzzle flash looked unending as the tree toppled over in less than ten seconds. An evil smile worked its way on his face despite wasting several dozen rounds as he let go of the trigger, letting it fade from existence.
Looking back to the ever-shrinking pile, he grabbed a small globe placed on a purple pedestal.
[Gravity Globe]
Allows the holder to reverse gravity
That's…Really good actually. He wouldn't need to make another Gravitation Potion again; which is good since materials are rather hard to come by since eliminating 'The Corruption' and 'The Crimson'.
Shrugging, he pocketed the item and looked at the last object, which seemed to be a red sword comparable in size to his Terra Blade; if not a little larger. Lifting it with his hands, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the blade weighed about the same. The sword was shaped like a Chinese Dao, with the hilt and guard more akin to a medieval western longsword. The front end curved, with the middle edge and back having yellow and red serrated teeth respectively. The center of its guard was shaped like a yellow star.
[Large Star Wrath]
Durability: 15000/15000
110 Damage
4% Critical strike chance
Strong knockback
Very fast swing speed
+Fires three stars at a designated location, dealing double the swords damage
+12% Size
A large, toothy smile and an evil giggle made the Guardian shiver, as the man stared at the weapon with stars in his eyes.
"Were going to be fast friends, you and I." He said, rubbing his cheek along the flat of the blade. "Making your sheath is going to be pretty interesting."
Finally finished with his new loot, the man took in the surroundings again, his new weapon dematerializing. A tree lay toppled to his right; probably the thing that woke him. It also showed him there was possibly more than one Beowolf that came here, meaning they might be fairly common in this region. Considering they haven't come loping over the trees remains, it was safe to say they were dead. Hopefully the next time he comes across them, he can get a better look for an accurate sketch.
The sky had changed from a dull grey to a vibrant light blue, with orange starting to crest the horizon behind them. He was still pretty exhausted. If the indication to his health was any indication he had only slept for a little over two hours. He was surprised to see the Beowolf corpse dissolving into particles; its torso the only solid piece remaining.
"So their bodies literally fall to pieces when you kill them." He thought out loud, watching as even the organs weren't spared. He chuckled to himself a bit. "Wish zombie corpses did that."
Taking one last look around – to which he noticed a few trees tipped over from what he assumed was Grimm being thrown at them. It was amazing he didn't wake sooner! – He grabbed his helm at his feet and placed it back on his head. He turned in a random direction and walked, motioning for his Guardian to follow, with them almost responding immediately by taking up position behind him. Having them around was all well and good, but he would feel safer if he found a cave or something similar he could hole up in without worrying about being attacked in his sleep. Not to mention with his armor in this massive state of disrepair, he would need to switch out to his modified hallowed armor again. Which probably meant his new friend would vanish.
Damn shame too. They're incredibly helpful.
They walked along the trail, listening to birdsong now that they returned, and the sound of fallen leaves blowing in the wind. It was serenely peaceful, and he was honestly surprised how much he missed the fall season. Kind of wanted to build a pile of leaves just to jump in it, but thinking about that made his heart ache with old memories of his family.
God he misses them.
They walked along for several more minutes, before a stray thought crossed his mind.
'Wait, do I still have my Terra Blade and Vortex Beater?' He thought with a bit of concern. True, the rifle was a recent addition during all the fighting, but that blade of his had been with him for years and honestly he built a pretty strong bond with the weapon. He even reforged it several dozen times to get a damn good bonus.
Reaching his hand out, he closed his eyes to see if they were still connected to his hotbar. While he had his inventory, if he placed ten items within the forefront of it, he could pull it out simply by will. He hadn't been able to achieve anything higher despite a decade of practice, much to his chagrin. Would have made things even easier, but considering what he fought with shocking regularity, he won't look a gift horse in the mouth. A couple of seconds passed until he felt it's magic still connected, smiling as he found and materialized it.
Only to have it immediately die out as he inadvertently let a hiss out from between his teeth.
'Oh god…' Was all he could think while wincing, looking at a large crack that ran on both sides of the blade. It looked fairly deep as it ran from the root of the blade, to almost the tip. He would have run a finger along it to feel out the damage, if he wasn't worried that the slightest touch would cause it to shatter.
[Legendary Terra Blade]
Durability: 326/13000
109 Damage
9% Critical strike chance
Very strong knockback
Very fast swing speed
+Fires a magical projectile that penetrates three enemies
+15% Damage
+10% Swing speed
+15% Knockback
+10% Size
"God damn, that's worse than the last time…" The warrior said quietly, brows furrowed in thought. The previous time this happened it was around three months after he made it, and even then the damage wasn't this extensive. Almost got himself killed in the process because he didn't carry another sword on him as backup. After that he learned to keep a few hallowed and demonite bars for repairs, and a few extra melee weapons just in case, so all he really needed was an anvil to work with.
He just wasn't sure whether or not an iron anvil would work. Technically, it should, since the weapon itself is already constructed. But just in case, he'll have to reheat the blade and bars to make sure they become part of the blade easier, as well as use his mana in its repairs to keep it held together just in case. That, and make another mold for the weapon so they don't pour into its holes.
He'll be damned if he leaves a 'Legendary' weapon to break. After the two hundred gold he spent to reforge it to this state? He'd regret it for the rest of his life!
Carefully placing it back into his inventory, he pulled out his rifle, and winced lightly. The muzzle and front of the gun had melted considerably from the intense heat of the constant fire he laid out on the Moon Lords heart, looking akin to deformed plastic.
[Vortex Beater] {UNUSABLE}
Durability: 5582/7000
"The catastrophic mixture of pew pew and boom boom."
50 Ranged damage
4% Critical strike chance
Very weak knockback
Very fast firing speed
+66% Chance to not consume ammo
+Explosives are guided
'Ah shit, the barrel must've melted too.' He thought glumly, before sighing. Luckily, he still had the ancient manipulator on him; didn't have enough time to leave it behind after dealing with that psychopath. 'An easy repair, at least.'
He would need a small clearing in order to place it though. Maybe they should head back?
The distant sound of flowing water stopped him in his tracks. Closing his eyes and listening for a moment, he focused on where the sound was coming from before turning in its direction. A riverbank would be more than adequate for starting repairs on his gun; not to mention he could clean himself up. He was layered with ash, wood slivers, both his and the horror's blood and more.
Must look like someone who fought a one man war, which he did. It was too bad he couldn't repair his armor along with his gun, but he needed to turn the ore into ingots to remove impurities. Otherwise it might make the armor unstable, or god forbid cursed. He really didn't need a 'Moon Lord Junior' on his hands. Last time something like that happened, well…
He shivered at the memory, as the sounds of rushing water grew louder. Finally reaching it, he noticed its size was exceptionally large for a river. He would've called it something more, but his lingo for flowing bodies of water was always a little vague. Eyeing his surrounding carefully to make sure there were no hostiles, he walked over to the water's edge. It was calm enough to clean himself off; the water flowing gently to his left. Taking a moment to remove his armored glove, he put his hand into the liquid to find it cool; the river not having the time to warm up in the sun just yet.
Shrugging, he went to pull off his clothing before he heard yet another racket. It sounded as if it was coming from further up the river, but he couldn't place who or what was making the noise over the sound of flowing water. Slowly the hubbub got louder, making him inch toward the trees at a snail's pace, trying not to alert anything that might spot him through movement. Eventually it got close enough for him to spot two things.
First, he could understand what they we're saying.
And secondly, their voices sounded like that of children.
He grabbed his glove as quick as he could, and literally threw himself back into the trees as he had a small freak-out. It was one thing to be found by a monster; those he could handle if it were anything like the Beowolf he encountered. But other people, let alone Children? They'd take one look at him and run away screaming with how he looked! He didn't want to be considered as a mutant psychopath; and with the amount of dried green blood on his body, they just might! It was better to wait them out until they passed him; figure out whether or not there's a village close by he could go to for rest and repairs. His Guardian dimmed their glowing body, moving further into the forest to stay hidden.
"-on't see what their problem is Lily!" A tan-skinned, short black haired boy said to what he assumed was a little girl, throwing their hands wildly in the air. The warrior took the time to pull out a set of binoculars to get a better look at them. The boy was wearing a simple white t-shirt, along with blue jeans with a black fuzzy belt, and sturdy leather boots. "We didn't even do anything and their blaming us!"
Moments after he said that, an indication popped up
[Troy Spraggan]
(Faunus)
Health:
70/70
'Cool name, but what the heck does 'Faunus' mean?'
"You know they can't help it right now." She said calmly, a soft lilt to her voice that confirmed her gender. She was wearing a loose orange hoodie that covered her face. He couldn't see much but there seemed to be small lumps at the top of her head. Maybe it's a part of her tradition? "With everything that happened, they're on edge-"
"Of course they are! Everyone is!" The boy began ranting. "How many died because of them?! How many were trapped in the mines when the rocks fell and they did nothing?! How many bodies are lost in those mines that they don't even bother to get back?!"
"Troy, calm down." Lily said sternly, grabbing him by his shoulders and making him face her. Looking at them both closely, he noticed, with slight surprise, one of the lumps on her head twitched briefly. Was he seeing things? "I get it, your angry at them for what they did, but acting wildly like this won't do anyone any favors. You know how they treat Faunus! And because of the White Fang it's only gotten worse!"
"I know that! I know, it's just…" The boy now known as Troy petered off, biting his lower lip as clenched hands shook. "I'm tired of us being treated like we're nothing more than animals and second class citizens, Lily. For Humans, if they make a mistake, it's usually a slap on the wrist or blaming the person who did it. But for us…" He went quiet again; only a small strangled growl working past his lips. "…If any of us make a mistake, then its Humans saying 'That's a Faunus for you!' and blaming all of us! And before you say it, I get it; not all Humans are like that, but it doesn't make it any easier of a pill to swallow."
The man's brows furrowed in concern as he saw frustrated tears run down his cheeks, before finishing in a wavering voice.
"Most could care less if we all died…"
They all stood there in silence; one quietly weeping, and the other two standing there with their mouth opened slightly. A set of hands swiftly wrapped him in a hug, cutting him off for a moment before he started to cry slightly louder.
"There are good Humans out there who would miss you if you died; I mean, Just look at our village! I know, without a doubt, that Miss White, Brick, and Auburn would miss us!" She whispered in his ear. The only reason The Warrior heard it was due to how close in proximity he was to them. He felt guilty for overhearing a private moment, but he didn't have enough time to get away.
'This is going to come back to haunt me, isn't it?' He thought blandly, as he noticed them break their hug.
"…I don't know if they count, Lily." Troy said with a small smirk, wiping the last of his tears with the back of his hand.
"They always count. Trust me, I know these things." She said smugly, pulling back her hood and revealing a shock of long, wavy blonde hair; though that wasn't what interested him now.
'What are those luuuohmygodTHOSEAREDOGEARS!' He screamed in his head; his mind freezing, unable to compute what it was seeing for several seconds.
Small blonde ears lay flopped over on top of her head, running to just before her human set of ears. The color reminded him of a cocker spaniel he came across as a kid. A notification appeared moments after pulling her hood down.
[Lilith 'Lily' Sensor]
(Faunus)
Health:
80/80
"That right? What about Mister Hazel, then?"
"E-err… I'm sure he'd miss us too! Anyway, let's go home, okay?" She asked quickly to get off topic, sweating slightly. "If we talk to them about how the way they were treating us made us feel, they'll apologize to us. Don't you think so?"
"I really don't know the chances behind that, honestly, but whatever you think works." The boy shrugged his shoulders, putting his hands in his pockets. They started to walk off in the direction they came. "It's odd, but your ideas seem to work most of the time. It's like your aura's already unlocked, and you ended up with good fortune as your semblance." She giggled at his sarcasm.
"That would really help our problems if I did." Lily replied, still laughing, if only a little bit. They jumped onto a random topic relating to a 'Scroll', until their voices were overpowered by the sound of the river, and he heard no more.
The man stood within the trees and brush, his mind still processing the revelation he had inadvertently come across.
'Oh. Oh my god. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.' The warrior thought excitedly. 'I just found animal people. Ho-lee Shit, dude, I'm freaking the fuck out!'
He started giggling, a large smile decorated his face; his excitement radiating off him in a flurry of blue energy, before realizing how he was acting, and taking several deep breaths to calm himself. Though he still couldn't help but smile a little, the last thing he wanted to do was cloud his mind and accidently put himself and others in danger due to his stupidity, but even then that couldn't completely remove his excitement.
Piecing the bits over information he gathered, he came to the conclusion that Faunus was the term for their race; and if that was the case, then maybe Grimm was the name of the race of those Beowolves. The only thing he could guess was that they were a subspecies of Humans that somehow gained the traits of certain animals. How this came to be was anyone's guess however, as well as how strong the traits were. Was it possible for them to appear more animal than man?
Were they more animal than man in appearance, and what he was seeing was them transforming themselves into a more human shape? Honestly, it didn't seem like the case. Considering how young the two looked, chances were they couldn't shapeshift that well, so that idea was made moot; at least until he had evidence to the contrary.
"God, I hope they're friendly…" He mumbled, slowly leaning his head out too see if they were still around.
Confirming they were gone, he walked back out into the clearing, letting loose a deep sigh. He truly didn't mean to overhear their conversation, but they did help to explain a few things about them. He frowned, ashamed of what this area's humans were causing onto others that were different. True, they didn't do so as a whole, but by the sounds of it, it's been this way for quite some time. The warrior really hoped they're friendly to outsiders, and a human no less. He shook his head, and slapped his hands on his cheeks.
"Well, in any case, I should probably get cleaned up. It'll make a better impression." The man said, giving himself a pep talk as he pulled off the remains of his upper armor.
His upper body laid bare revealed a great many scars and wounds, ranging from the beet red skin on his back, the various bruises and burn wounds he received from the beast he fought, gashes, bites and claw marks that came from both animals and undead. The regrown flesh looked white as snow; a stark contrast to the rest of his tanned, mutilated body. Pulling off his greaves and pants revealed similar, with the greatest of which appearing on his upper legs and hips. Pulling off his helm, he threw it over his shoulder and into the pile, leaving his underwear on as he cannonballed into the river.
"Oh, that's cold." He nearly screamed, his voice a few octaves higher. A shiver went up his spine as he got to work cleaning himself, materializing a sponge. A lot of grime had built up within the last few days to make him chafe and the blood wasn't exactly helping either. The small amount of green blood that had slipped into his armor was making the skin tingly, and that was worrying him immensely. Last thing he wanted was to turn into another Moon Lord.
…Or would it be Star Lord for him, considering what all those bosses called him before they kicked the bucket? Would he have pale blue skin with glowing white tentacles?
By the time the warrior got out of his head, most of the blood on his chest had been wiped away; the dried flakes drifting off in the current.
Finishing cleaning his body, he put away the sponge before dunking his head under the water; his hand scraping away at anything that might have gotten to his hair. He pulled his head out after half a minute, taking a deep breath of air into his lungs.
"Hoo-boy, mighta held off there a little too long." He said, panting slightly as he swam his way out of the river. When he returned to the ledge, he shivered slightly at a cool wind that passed over his body. Motioning with his hands, a blue corona flickered over his body briefly, before steam started to billow from him. Using his magic, he had dried off his body by heating himself up for a brief moment; avoiding accidentally roasting his body after many cases of trial and error. He even managed to dry off his underwear! Touching his hair, he laughed as he found it puffed outwards like an afro, and stroked his hands through his hair to flatten it.
Looking over to his armor, he grabbed it and decided to pocket it for the time being and clean it later. The moment he dematerialized it, his Guardian also vanished into starlight. A small frown appeared on his face for a moment, before looking back at himself and deciding to get dressed.
Suddenly, his body was surrounded by light for an instant before fading; revealing midnight blue pants with gold outlines on his legs. Several dark gray plates layered upon each other on his outer thighs, with modified dark brown leather boots that went up to just under his knees; and were layered with dark gray plates with gold embroider that covered the foot and shin, leaving a small opening on the top of the ankle. Dark gray Poleyns covered his knees, trailing down past the lip of his boots.
[Silk Leggings]
{Attachments: Light Hallow Plating, Gold Embroider}
{Dyed: Midnight Blue}
Durability: 400/400
3 Defense
+2% Increased damage
[Dark Leather Boots]
{Attachments: Hallow Plating}
Durability: 2000/2000
5 Defense
+4% Increased movement speed
On his upper body he wore a thin long sleeve black woolen shirt, with thin leather pads placed on his shoulders and outer forearms.
[Wool shirt]
{Dyed: Black}
{Attachments: Leather padding}
1 Defense
Durability: 20/20
It was one of a few neat little tricks that he discovered when he was younger; he honestly didn't even realize it at the time. When he was about fifteen or so he trained himself in leatherworking, and on random chance he decided to sew some padding into one of his shirts. When he finished and checked its stats, he found them labeled as an attachment, much to his surprise and later delight. There was a limit to it however, so he couldn't just keep adding on to it.
This did prove to him however, that you didn't necessarily need the interface in order to make an item.
Rotating his shoulders, he found it rather comfortable as he materialized a set of scale mail in his hands. The chest and shoulders were made of two layers moderately thick dark brown leather, with the chest-piece guarding his pectorals, abs, upper back and spine, connecting together from his waist. The plates were small, and covered over the sides of his stomach to allow more flexibility, and fell halfway down his shin. It was cut open from the front, allowing his legs the freedom to run unimpeded. The plates connected to the leather through small openings between the two layers of the latter, allowing for seamless protection. The arms allowed freedom of movement with the shoulders being made of leather, as the scales simply dropped down to the middle of his forearms, and were made slightly larger than his limbs to aid in their movement.
[Modified Hallowed Scale Mail]
Durability: 6000/6000
8 Defense
3% Increased critical strike chance
Although it may not look like it, this was a neat little loophole that he could use.
Using the interface, as long as he had the materials he could automatically have a set of armor made within a few seconds. And that's all well and good, not to mention it makes armor that protects most of his body; but the armor within itself is large and heavy. Despite the bonuses the armor gave him, it wasn't all that effective when he was already slowed down by its weight.
So he dug around in a few dungeons, got some help from his merchant friend Gilbert, and found some books on blacksmithing to start making armor and weapons with his own hands. It took a great deal of trial and error along with a great many wounds, and he wasted a great deal of copper and iron armor, but he eventually nailed it down after about five years.
He carefully slid it over his shirt, tugging it to stop it from catching on his leather padding. This was another thing he found in recent years; equipping without the interface. It was incredibly simple thinking back on it, but it was understandable that it was never considered. After all, what young kid wouldn't consider this a game world that lets him use an inventory and game-like systems?
Rolling his shoulders again he was happy to find it felt rather snug, but that was to be expected considering the care he put into making it; last thing he wanted was to waste such rare materials. Once he made sure it covered his body properly, he pulled out a midnight blue overcoat and placed it over the armor. Its large coattails covered the armor; hanging just above his ankles, with the only piece visible being the leather gorget covering his neck. Like the Scale mail, they were cut open from the front, leaving his legs free to move. Layered metal plates similar to his legs covered the outside of his upper arms. The coat also had gold embroider that was meticulously stylish, with an inscription in his language written along a gold line in the middle of his coattails. Caramel colored fur lined his neck and waist wildly, with three decently sized yellow buttons traveled along the chest and stomach.
[Silk Overcoat]
{Attachments: Light Hallow Plating, Gold Embroider, Inscription (English), Wolf Fur}
{Dyed: Midnight Blue}
Durability: 400/400
2 Defense
Making small adjustments, he attempted to get the last of the wrinkles out of his jacket. True, he was probably overthinking this, but he really did want to make a good first impression. Didn't mean he wouldn't go in without protection though; that would be foolish.
The last thing he donned was thick, dark brown leather gloves that went to just before his elbows, with the charm placed over it; fitting rather snugly.
[Dark Leather Gloves]
2 Defense
Walking over to the river he found himself looking at, what he thought to be a nicely dressed individual. The armor made his chest and shoulders stick out, subtly emphasizing the build of his body while – Hopefully – accentuating his style of clothing. With any luck, they wouldn't look at his clothing and think he's some sort of rich human prick trying to ruin their lives.
Satisfied with what he saw, he turned from the river's edge; finding a flat area of land and reaching a hand out palm first. A small gathering of light appeared in the middle of his hand, before launching toward its target. The light hit the ground without a sound before it began to grow and take on a shape, the glow eventually fading out and revealing a six foot tall, five-legged stand.
Two large prongs stuck out from the back, with the ends holding onto a large sphere just below chest level. Smaller beads were placed in the prongs, and petals on the underside of the sphere, all of which were shifting colors in sync; from purple to sky blue, spring green, and orange.
[Ancient Manipulator]
"Used to craft items from Lunar Fragments and Luminite."
He never really got a chance to look at it before considering the last time he used it he was in a pretty big rush, but getting a moment to look at it now, the color-shifting was actually rather…calming…
…
…What was he doing again?
…
Oh! Right!
Shaking himself away of the edge of his personal oblivion, he placed his hands upon the sphere, getting a white glow in response. Focusing his mind, his rifle appeared after a couple of seconds hovering over the top of the sphere, the manipulator glowing green in response. Three small swirling lights materialized around it; the weapon giving off a pulsating glow from their proximity.
[Vortex Fragment] x3
"Swirling energies emanate from this fragment"
The warrior motioned with his hands, the lights moving closer to the weapon in response, and causing the pulsating to increase in frequency. When they came into contact with it, it lit up a solid white and green, and the fragments seemed to have been absorbed by it. Placing his hands closer to the weapon, he poured some of his mana from the palm of one of his hands, and continuing to make motions with the other. Ever so slowly the rifle started to return to normal from its partially melted state. It took several minutes, but when the light faded, the weapon looked to be back in its original shape.
[Vortex Beater]
Durability: 7000/7000
"The catastrophic mixture of pew pew and boom boom."
50 Ranged damage
4% Critical strike chance
Very weak knockback
Very fast firing speed
+66% Chance to not consume ammo
+Explosives are guided
A small grin worked its way on his face as he looked it over, finding it to be in its original state. All he really needed to do now was test it out to be completely sure. The interface may say that it's in primo condition, but he's well aware that it doesn't exactly display the faults in a weapon unless it's been made unusable. On more than one occasion he's had a weapon explode in his hands, leaving him to regenerate his limbs in dangerous territory or face a great deal of scolding from the locals who took care of him. Sadly, it was wholly necessary to learn how to make proper weapons; incredibly uncomfortable without a doubt, but needed for his survival. He was a bit embarrassed when Darryl came along though. Guy picked on him for weeks.
Unfortunately, he couldn't repair his other set of armor for the time being until he finds or makes a forge to turn them into ingots. Grabbing hold of the sphere, he went to return it to his inventory when he heard a rustle in the bushes behind him. He spun on instinct; his weapon pointed toward where he believed the sound originated from.
"Show yourself!" He barked, charging up his rifle with a *VREE~*, pocketing his Manipulator with one of his hands. Overgrowth rustled, making him place his finger on the trigger. The rustling continued to get louder, as he saw the underbrush slowly shake toward his directi-
*Snort Snort*
...
'Say what now?'
He froze for a moment, his mind going blank as he heard the sound of what sounded like a pig or wild boar wandering in his direction, more than likely from the sounds of the river. Seconds passed as he stood there; still as a statue until his mind finally caught up with him. The man sighed, lowering his weapon as he scratched the back of his head.
"Getting frightened by a god damn pig now!" He mumbled, a light blush on his face from his overreaction. Though this could work to his favor. If it was a farm animal from a nearby village that escaped from their pen, he could bring it back in for them and show he was friendly. If it was a boar, at least he could use its fur, tusks, and meat for materials and ingredients. Silently stood there listening as the sound grew louder, keeping his weapon on him on the off chance it wasn't a farm critter.
When they finally broke from the tree line, he noted with slightly wide eyes that the little beastie was the furthest thing from a pig; not to say it didn't have some similar features to one. He'd seen Melanistic animals before, so it wouldn't have been all that strange to find a black pig.
What set this little abomination apart from them were the four glowing red eyes and the mouth full of canines they had.
Like the wolf he had woken up to, this little beastie had a skull mask on his head and snout, along of a set of fangs that looked as if they belonged to a snake. They seemed to have two sets of tusks; the smaller set growing from the bone on top of his snout, whereas the other set reminded him more of an elephant with their shape and size. Bone plates grew along the sides of their back and sides, leaving enough room for fur to grow out wildly along its spine. Red lines ran across its face and tusks, with a marking in the shape of an eye between its own.
[Boarbatusk]
(Grimm)
Health:
500/500
"Another animal with 'Grimm' in their name…" He muttered, raising his weapon towards them. "So it's not the name of a Beowolves race then. But what does it represent then? Its faction?"
His chain of thought was cut off when the beast squealed at him furiously. Maybe it was territorial and he intruded on their land? He pointed a finger at the creature, catching its attention and getting another squeal in response.
"Don't suppose you can talk?" The man asked with a bland tone. The beast snarled in reply, making him sigh as they charged toward him with the intent of goring him through his chest. "Yeah, I thought as much."
In a practiced motion he pulled the trigger, letting loose a single bullet and plasma explosive. The bullet hit its target first; landing in the center of its forehead, puncturing the eye tattoo before the explosive round caught up.
*BOOM!*
A loud explosion tore its way through the air, throwing up dust and smoke. It made him wince despite how often he heard the sound. Hopefully that wouldn't frighten the locals too much. A minute passed before the smoke finally cleared, and The Warrior whistled when he saw the Boarbatusk laying on its side, dead. The upper half of its head had turned into a bloody crater; parts of its brain, teeth, and tongue still remaining, although horribly burnt.
'Not bad at all…' He thought looking at his weapon. It was the first time he used it on an enemy other than those of the Lunar Invasion, so it was quite surprising to see it in action. The sounds of fast-approaching footsteps made him focus as more beasts broke through the tree line; all of which were following the black and white color scheme he'd been encountering for most of the day.
A pack of five Beowolves broke into the clearing first, all of them looking the same as their departed brother; with the exception of one. It stood a foot taller than its brethren, and had bone plates covering the sides of its lower jaw and what looked to be its ribs sticking out of its body. Jagged spikes had grown on its shoulders, with small plates covering its knuckles, outer biceps, and thighs. Its upper jaw looked properly fused with the bone now; looking more like a mutation than a mask. Eyes that once glowed red now were a bright orange.
[Beowolf Alpha]
Health:
700/700
The group growled at him, though if it was because his Guardian murdered god knows how many of their pack or because they just found themselves a new chew toy he'd never know. The man let out an impish grin from the thought that was floating through his head
"Quick question to you lot then." He started. "I don't suppose you're willing to just walk away?"
The group howled suddenly before rushing him, claws played out in what looked to be an attempt to rend him to ribbons.
"Thought at much…well then…"
He raised his left hand, materializing a massive sheathed dark gray sword, with a large ruby placed in the center of the guard. In a blurred motion he raised it over his head, his grin turning into a feral smile.
"Let's play fetch, doggies!" The warrior shouted, his arm swinging at an incredible speed. The sheath of the blade went flying off in the wolves' direction and tore through the chest of one of the lesser wolves and impaling itself halfway into the dirt, leaving a gaping hole in the animal. The beast fell over, either dead or dying. The wolf following to the left of its victim froze in place, staring in what the man thought was shock of how easily one of their own was murdered.
The blade was unique in the face that the blade was hexagon shaped; three of which were lined up, and appeared to have a few layers. The outermost looked akin to an opaque dark gray crystal, but changed between blue and magenta under the dawn's sunlight, with the other two layers looking gold and silver respectively.
[Dangerous True Excalibur]
Durability: 8742/9500
67 Damage
6% Critical strike chance
Average knockback
Very fast swing speed
+5% Damage
+5% size
The alpha trailed behind their compatriots, possibly sensing the danger he posed from killing his minion with a sheath at high speed. This rang warning bells that some of these creatures were more intelligent than others; to what degree he didn't know, but it was safer to assume they were about as smart as him.
Two of the wolves jumped him at once from right in front. Unfortunately for them, the speed of his swing could more than compensate for how close they were. He crouched, swinging his blade upward. Two heads cleanly departed from their bodies less than a second later, their bodies flying over him and landing in the edge of the river.
The two remaining targets blinked, horrified and dumbfounded as the human rested his sword on his shoulder. The only thing they saw was their heads suddenly parting from their torsos. The man took a step forward and, to his satisfaction, the two backpedaled.
"Now now, no need to be so scared guys!" He said in a jovial tone, giving a large toothy smile. "I'll be quick, I promise! You won't feel athing."
Shivers ran up the wolves' spines; their instincts all but screaming at them to get as far from him as possible as quickly as possible. The lesser turned and made a beeline for the forest, only for a blur to become visible for a moment before everything faded to black.
The blade of his weapon had been firmly embedded in their skull, cutting the brain in half and killing them instantly. He placed a foot on its shoulder, yanking the sword out from its body; black blood and brain matter pouring out from the corpse, and his blade. The remaining wolf stared slack jawed, unable to properly respond with its mind or body.
"No running." He said, his voice sharp as steel, and just as cold. The man's eyes turned to the leader, flashing a dangerous blue. "You lost that chance the moment you picked a fight with me."
The last thing the alpha saw was a blur before they dropped to the ground, staring at their now headless body, before knowing no more.
The man stood there silently, a frown on his face as he watched the bodies of his enemies dissolve. He sighed, swinging his blade to remove any ichor or the like that had stuck on it before walking to his rooted sheath. His gun faded from his hand as he ruminated on recent events.
It was strange, but if there were multiple types of creatures roaming about, and they were all considered to be 'Grimm', then there seemed to be more going on here that he didn't understand. It was entirely possible that this was another event in progress, a 'Grimm Invasion'. However, he couldn't be too sure on that, since it was just as likely that they lived in this biome.
"Hmm. Maybe the village those kids came from can tell me?" He mumbled to himself, wrenching his sheath from the ground; shaking any loose dirt and organs before sheathing his blade. "Maybe they can give me a map of the general area too. That'd be a bonus…"
The sound of more rustling and the faintest flicker of red grabbed his attention, with him almost responding instantly by taking an Iaido style stance; waiting for his next opponent to show themselves. Moments turned into a minute and still nothing else rushing through the brush to attack him. The warrior raised an eyebrow in confusion when the red lights and sounds vanished, wondering why they weren't attacking him before realizing what direction they were running in. His eyes widened and face paled, as the man bolted in the same direction with the aid of his mana, a small crater being left from his starting point.
The village was about to be invaded.
Hopefully it was well defended; then these little bastards wouldn't be that much of a problem, but there was always that 'What if…' scenario playing out in his head. What if they didn't have any warriors? If they were mourning the loss of life from their village, would they pay attention as much when it came to guard duty? He grit his teeth, hoping to god he could get there before the village was razed to the ground.
'Never again.'
It wasn't a forest he was looking at any longer, but rather a ledge showing a hellish landscape, with a pool of lava beyond the edge; with a man in a gray hoodie smiling towards him as tears ran down his cheeks.
'NEVER AGAIN.'
The man sped up, leaving tiny craters wherever hit feet landed; the leaves blowing a split second after he passed them. His eyes changed; the sclera and pupil had turned blue, with his iris turning snow white. The trees became sparse, opening up to rolling yellow hills. He slowed to a stop, taking a look around him to see if he could spot the settlement. He stopped when he noticed a faint line of smoke rising off in the distance behind a large hill, making his blood run cold. White tendrils sprouted from his back as he launched himself into the air. A corona of blue surrounded him, making him look like a shooting star. The man mumbled to himself, his face the epitome of determination.
"Never again."
Well hot tamales, this one took a bit.
Apologies for how late this was everyone, I've been a little busy these past few weeks, so I haven't had much time to focus on this story's production. It's been a mix of doctor's appointments and job interviews, so yeah.
Anyways, as for this chapter:
The interface/inventory/etc. is what I'm calling the system he's operating under. If you can think up any other names, give me a heads up.
As for the loopholes I'm using, the inspiration that this came from was the show 'Log Horizon'. It's been a rather heavy inspiration for some of the things that'll be done here.
Magic is going to get a little wild here, as it'll be kind of following the way the maidens use it. Of course, there's more to it than that, and it will be shown, just not for a while.
Understand that the Terraria bosses WILL be making an appearance. It was never a question of if, only when.
Give me a critique on things I could improve or change, and I'll do what I can!
Stay Sober!