Here we go.
There was something mesmerizing about watching a corpse burn to ashes. Seeing the flames lick at the dried wounds, flowing into the openings and charring the flesh laid beneath. The flesh, unsurprisingly, gave way to the fire surrounding the beast. Gaunt flesh and gray scales remained, clinging loosely to a skeleton, burning tongues of red and yellow dancing within the empty eye sockets.
Yet even as I watched the coolest shit I've ever seen in my fucking life, I couldn't keep my eyes off Bast. Before the burning visage of the monster that had killed her Children, tears did not shed. She had already spent enough time lamenting the loss of life, or so she had told me when I had first lit the dragon's corpse ablaze. Her golden eyes shone with color, as her expression was set in something I'd never seen before as she whispered underneath her breath.
Out of respect for her, my Goddess, and the ones who had died long before me, I left well enough alone. Some words are only for the dead to hear. But still, even as we enacted the closest thing to a warrior's funeral and revenge, she spoke softly to them.
I didn't ask their names. I didn't kill it for them, but for her.
Even so. Seeing the Warrior Goddess seeming so… at peace with herself and the ones she's lost, I realized something I'd always known but never put to words.
Her nature was healing and nurturing before killing and bloodshed. A guiding hand before the enclosed fist.
I continued my silence, until her head laid upon my shoulder. The one that had recently been fucked up by an assassin, and she immediately gave me a look of utmost concern when the still-tender flesh caused me to wince.
"What happened to you in there?"
"An assassin from Sekhmet's Familia tried to kill me after I finished with the dragon." The fur on her feline ears stood straight out at the goddess' name. "You know her?" A sharp smile grew on her face that matched the now-ferocious look in her eye.
"She's my sister."
"Oh." What could I possibly say to that. "... Wanna stay here for a while before we deal with that?"
"Took the words right out of my mouth, you lazy bum." She said challengingly as she leaned further into me, while I scoffed.
"Bitch, I was damn-near a cripple after this shit, don't even try me." My harsh words were slightly offset by the arm wrapped around me.
"... We aren't fucking until I'm sure you haven't been poisoned… and we move."
… are you telling me I need to get a new fucking house, and have an indefinite hold on getting my dick wet, because a bitch wanted to fuck around and find out?
I can already hear my Doom Playlist going off.
Having a team meeting was odd, considering Bast usually pretends not to care before giving advice without being asked, and scoffing at my praise. Here and now, she was officially taking point for discussion with me.
What was Anubis doing? Apparently doing her best not to will Sekhmet to death through sheer hatred, nevermind the fact Bast and I needed to calm her from immediately popping her Arcanum and erasing the Goddess from existence, immortality be damned.
So right now Anubis was currently staring a hole into reality to bring the soul of that errant Goddess before her to take due punishment, all while being swaddled in every blanket and pillow we had. And downing every sedative Bast had so we didn't have to regularly stop talking so she didn't again threaten to Raw Super reality.
I don't know whether to be flattered or terrified, so I went with both before moving on.
"Alright, so what do we know about Sekhmet?"
"She's a bitch." Anubis chimed in, and Bast nodded along with her.
"Emotionally charged words aside, my sister is very much cruel, aggressive, and petty. All traits that have earned her the title of Eye of Ra, the proverbial center of the Sun's Wrath. Despite both of us sharing our divine domains, she's more-so taken the idea of all medicines being poison of different doses and running with it."
I wrote down, Cruel bitch with a massive murderboner. Shitty sibling of Bast, rules over War and Medicine, but most likely mainly uses poisons due to having the unbridled aggression of a gacha player crossed with an abused pitbull.
"She has at least a few assassins, and high-tier Adventurers at that." It's a given that most competent Familias don't just have one high-tier, but multiple given the fact that the hardest Level Up is the first, given that Level Ones are usually too weak to survive a feat worthy of High Excellia.
Huh? Am I saying a lot of words wrong? I assure you it's all on purpose.
Anyway, Level Ups spread rapidly among Familias, for whatever reason. Because of this, and the knowledge that no one would only train one assassin if they were going to bother indoctrinating them to that extent. So, there's most likely multiple Level Twos in her Familia. Worst case, it's mostly Level Twos with a dash of Level Three for the express purpose of making dealing with her as difficult as possible.
… No, the worst case is there are several Level Fours running around assassinating people for some cultish purpose- cult of ego, not belief, despite the divinity at the head- and they've been murdering people in the Dungeon completely undetected since Zeus and Hera were relevant.
So I wrote, probably has a bunch more assassins, who are probably stronger or more competent than the first. Could have a Level Three as well.
"Alright, any clue why she wants me dead? Because the only thing I got from the Ba was that my death was necessary to save the world." Which is bullshit, what have i ever done to the world? I've written… at least two characters who are actively trying to destroy the world, and I have no intention of acting out that bullshit myself.
Roll Failed. 400 points remaining.
The two goddesses gave each other a look, before turning to me. "You remember that spell you cast when you were fighting at the Monsterphilia?"
"Yeah, what about Night Parade?" I asked, idly confused about why they were asking about my Domain Expansion.
"When you used it, it gave off a feeling that…"
"A piece of reality had been carved away to give way to a terrifying simulacrum of existence that any God worth a damn would fear with all their heart." Anubis chimed in helpfully, and I blinked.
Even in an alternate dimension, even when Gods themselves are the only ones to witness it, the glazing never stops.
I shook my head and looked at the pair. "Are you saying I was targeted for using a spell that people thought was too scary?"
"No." Bast didn't hesitate to correct me. "You were targeted for using a spell Divinities thought was too scary." And I understood. I've written way too much shit online to not realize the disconnect between the actions of a mortal and a God. Divinities lack the impermanence of mortals, so everything is much more important, since because they're eternal they must be more important than everything else.
And considering their fickle, lazy natures, a threat that even seems to be capable of overpowering them must be eliminated as soon as possible. The worst part is I can't even blame them- if someone was walking around with an anti-me bullet when I was supposed to be immortal, I'd do everything I could to get rid of the thing.
Except for a singular proverb I know- "The best way to defeat an enemy is to make them your friend." - Master Wu, Ninjago.
But also fuck those guys, I could be in bed with Bast right fucking now if we didn't have to deal with assassins knowing where we live.
And considering they're masters of, y'know, silent and undetectable killing there's not a single place I can think of that would be safe for us to do the horizontal tango.
That's it, she's getting a new-technique to the fucking forehead the first chance I get.
I nodded to Bast, and sighed. "The only for-sure fact we know about her is that she's a bitch."
The tomcat Goddess grimaced while Anubis nodded vigorously, pitch-black hair bobbing in the air. I held my chin in my hand, and considered exactly what I could possibly do with all the nothing we know about this person.
I don't think you can call a War Game to a goddess you can't fucking find- also I'm not so sure about how I'd handle fighting multiple high-tier assassins at once. So how do you fight someone you can't find, but probably knows where you are?
You can't... unless you know a guy.
"Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility, nyah!" A catgirl in a maid outfit spoke, shaking me out of my contemplations on how to get Bast into one. "Are you here to see Ryuu?" She asked teasingly, scooting closer and nudging me in the arm.
"Yes, actually. Is she here?" A mischievous grin filled with misunderstandings I don't want to get into right now.
"Yes, just tell Mama Mia your order and head to one of the booths. It's quiet and secluded enough that you won't need to mouth sweet nothings to each other during work~" Oh merciful Anubis I could hear the tilde at the end there.
Sighing at the weird gossip shit going on, I thanked her for the consideration and went to order my food and sit down. The blonde elf quickly came to my table, tray held in her hands as the faintest trace of red on her ears betrayed her otherwise stoic expression.
I smile apologetically. "Sorry about the weird rumors, but I think discretion is the better part of valor here."
Ryuu gave a sharp nod, before surprisingly sitting down across from me. "It's fine, but considering you've already ordered, I take it you need something from me?"
I grimaced, immediately feeling bad that someone I respect immediately assumes I only reach out to them when I need something. The feeling only grew worse when I realized it was completely true.
"What's wrong?" She asked, noticing my shame instantly as I rubbed the scarred side of my face in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry I've only gotten in contact with you when I needed something." I apologized first and foremost. "I wish I could say this isn't that as well, but while I had planned to visit you of my own free will, circumstances got in the way."
I took out a pouch from my side, and handed it out to her. "This isn't an apology sack of coins, but payment for the favor you did." I held the sack in the air, and she lift up a hand to take it, but before she pulled it back I placed a finger on the back of her hand. She gave me an indescribable look, before I quickly wrote out Mil and her eyes widened.
"T-that much?" I gave her a smile.
"Think of it as… a tip, combined with the Friends and Family bonus." The almost imperceptible redness of her checks were the only acknowledgement given as she took the valis to her side. "Still, 6.7% ain't that bad considering the massive payday, even if I have to teach those idiots."
Ryuu blinked at me. "Selah, a single user grimoire costs 40 million valis."
My mind blanked as the offshoot of mana into the tattoo on my left wrist increased exponentially, while I struggled to not let my Villainous Aura leak out and give every Level One in the restaurant a heart attack.
I grit my teeth. "And this is why I'm so glad we're friends, but let's move on before I start going on a warpath through the Twilight Manor and ensure that Donkey-Rimmer never sees another sunrise."
Modus - I Can Do It By Myself! - Yuki Yuna Is A Hero (400 points)
Roll Success! Purchased! 0 points remaining.
You've been spending that time fighting for giant Vertexes by yourself, you don't need other heroes to fight by your side. In fact, all you need is your sword or some other similarly shaped weapon or object to act as a fellow hero when sealing. And now you possess this skill in other ceremonies or spells. You need multiple people in any ceremony or to help you cast a spell? Not anymore! You can do it by yourself! All you need is a sword or some other sword-sized object to hurl down to act as another person to fulfill the requirement of multiple people needed. Of course...a typical sword can't provide for the power of friendship or love. Or magic if there's no magic inside the weapon.
… Bright side. I don't need other people to use Revivification now.
Fuck there goes all my points.
I can feel the joints in my knuckles popping from how hard I'm squeezing them right now.
Abracadabra.
I sighed as the feel-good magic gave me 50 CCs of whatever the fuck Kris is on- hope, probably- and I refocused on the conversation.
"Ignoring that, I need everything you know about the Sekhmet Familia. Please." I asked her, and something hardened in her eyes as she spoke.
"The Sekhmet Familia is a Mercenary Familia- they take hits from anyone, God or mortal, and they get the job done. Largely underground, the only people who know of them are people who've hired them or survived their attempts."
… I shrugged my shoulders. "I've always been a survivor, I guess."
"How did you get away from all of them?" She asked, and I was confused.
"All? There was only-" My breath hitched.
No. I only noticed one. Hell, I'd only noticed the first one because of random bullshit. I could've gotten shanked afterwards, while I was guzzling potions while my guard was down.
Was there only one? If there was, did they expect this to be much easier?
No, no way someone would send an assassin after someone and just… fought them one on one like a fucking tournament arc. Were they underestimating me the whole time?
No, think. I only got attacked after fighting the Infant Dragon- the assassin was the backup plan. I'd probably been followed the entire time, and they were waiting for me to be the most distracted possible if a monster didn't do the job for me.
Risking it all in the Dungeon is practically second nature for me. But it gave them the opportunity to take me down, and they could've won.
Wait, if I did have experienced assassins after me, why didn't they go after me in my sleep? They couldn't possibly know about Bloodline Blockade, and I straight up don't have any ability to protect myself while I'm asleep.
I absently cast Fortune and gave Sekhmet a curse out of spite-
And my mind expanded, as an idea suddenly came into mind, thanks to Mage Voice.
"Ryuu, you are the smartest woman I've ever met." I thanked her profusely as I stood up. "And I'm blessed that I got the chance to meet you." I told her earnestly before turning over to Mama Mia. "Mama Mia, make my order to go, I got a plan to make!"
The woman laughed boisterously at my ill-hidden murderous urge, and did as I asked.
Name: Selah
Race: Human (Variant)
Level: 1*
Ability Scores:
STR: G - 250 - D - 532
END: G - 280 - D - 559
DEX: F - 302 - C - 646
AGI: F - 357 - B - 757
MAG: B - 769 - S - 934
Developmental Abilities:
Magic:
Skills:
Black Sheep - Increases the growth of stats in proportion to the risk being undertaken.
Mad Dog - Increases Mind regeneration in proportion to ill will and negative emotions.
Dragon Scales - Effectiveness of Endurance stat increases in proportion to damage currently taken. Endurance's applications have broadened.
An Update after an extended period of time not getting one revealed many things, one in particular giving me a good reason to ask a very important question.
Should I Level Up now? I know that beforehand, I wanted to at least have C across the board so I didn't have to deal with obvious weaknesses. But circumstances have changed, and I now have abilities and concerns I didn't have before.
Specifically the assassins that are after me and the ability I'd definitely gained from that fight. I now have an active threat after me, and isn't confined into the hell pit I call my place of employment. Because of the terms of Dragon Scales, I'm assuming the knife I yoinked had more to it than being extremely sharp. Possibly poison or something, which would be concerning if it had actually done anything.
… Maybe using all of Bast's products when she gave them to me had actually saved me there.
Either or, my Endurance… training my Endurance involves me getting hit, and considering my Rogue/Mage build, that means I'd have to actively try to get hit or fight something able to hit me at my best. It had been lagging behind compared to the other stats, and I'd been fine with just letting it increase in time.
But I have a threat that could come at any time on my ass, and replicating Bell's feat of maxing out all my stats before Leveling Up isn't feasible anymore. I don't have the safety or security that being on the surface brings anymore- if I were more paranoid than I already aim I'd be jumping at fucking shadows at this point. Except I'd actually notice one of them.
Dragon Scales, however, gives me the consolidation that I'd get tougher after getting hit no matter what. And while my Strength is still going to be lagging behind… I have an idea on how to deal with that, especially if I don't have to worry about my Endurance at this point.
Still, even when I'm measuring potential gains over immediate security, things are different even as they repeat before me.
Is it wrong to risk it all in the Dungeon? Yes, but I do it anyway.
Is it wrong to let a risk linger, when it threats more than just me, and follows me home? Yes, and I can't allow it.
Roll Failed. 100 points banked.
Yeah yeah.
"Anubis. Level me up." I requested, focusing on death and murder and not at all on the shapely thighs and ass on my back.
"Good, I would've revoked your cuddle privileges otherwise." She said firmly, and was duly reminded that yes she could force me to Level Up. Eh, it comes from a place of love-
There's a door. I was standing in front of a door.
There was nothing else- my eyes refused to see anything other than the door. My body refused to do anything that didn't involve moving closer to the door.
The door had become my world in an instant, every drop of blood in my veins screaming that it was now time. That this was the moment to open it. Open the door. See the truth.
I did everything in my power to not open the door. I tried to scream, to move, to bite off my tongue, to do anything except doing the one thing everything was telling me to do.
My hand grabbed the knob, and twisted.
The door opened, and I was seated at a desk, paper laid out in front of me.
There were two boxes. A pen with only enough ink to mark one.
Do you have any complaints about the Celestial Grimoire?
[X]Y
[]N
The ink shifted.
Oh no! We're sorry that the version you've selected hasn't been working for you! Unfortunately alterations to the 'New Package' will increase the necessary {
An eldritch, unknowable scrawl was laid out before me, and while a part of my hindbrain comprehended this, the rest of me forgot every letter as soon as I looked beyond it. Even that portion would forget as soon as this was over.
What options would you like added or returned?
[X] Gain points per roll instead of per loss (Factory Error and Automatically selected at no further increase in [{}]. No refunds for prior rolls, due to Policy)
I stopped reading to preserve my eyesight, before continuing.
[ ] Option to Deny Successful Rolls
[ ] Option to Sell Kept Perks at a 50% Discount
My hindbrain whispered to me, telling me to only select one as I couldn't pay the price any further than that. I nodded, looked through the options.
I breathed, and contemplated.
What did I gain? What did I lose?
The first allowed the opportunity to gain what has been lost, even if at an increase in cost. The third gave me the opportunity to deny rolls even if I had the points. The fourth allowed me to give away what I had for more points.
The first was an incentive to return to how I was, waiting for a 'perfect' opportunity at the expense of doing everything I could right now. The third… if I had had that ability at the beginning, how many of the abilities I had originally gained and written off that I now used constantly would not have? Most of them, if I was being honest.
And the fourth option… merely disinterested me. I've made the best of what I had, and I've proven my first impressions aren't always the best. What about second impressions? Thirds? Fourths?
All this contemplation, and all it took was a sudden question that came from nowhere to put it all together.
What did I want?
I wanted what I didn't already have, and I didn't want to give up what was mine. Even if it's useless.
So, option one it is. Can't believe I'm gambling on my ability to not backslide into a serial timewaster.
I'm a magical hoarder at heart, apparently.
Thank you for your one-time service review! May you live in interesting times, and remember- no refunds!
And then I was back beneath my Goddess, reeling from the fucking Mind Walk I'd just gone through, as Anubis spoke like nothing had ever occurred.
"Hmm, Selah, would you rather- what's wrong." She demanded an answer from me once she noticed my discomfort. My first, gut instinct was to lie and say I was fine, but she was a living lie detector.
So I told her what I knew to be the truth. "My power reacted funny to the whole Level Up thing, probably won't happen again though. Go on."
A comforting hand patted my shoulder as Anubis moved on. "You have some Development Abilities you could get, and you need to choose one. Hunter makes you stronger against monsters you've already killed before, Mage makes it so you have the Magic Stat of someone a Level Higher, Mystery lets you make magic items like potions and staves, and Luck-" She stopped herself as she read on, and I looked up from behind my shoulder to see what was up.
"Luck makes it so good things are more likely to happen to you." She said, and for the very first time I wondered if Anubis was lying to me. But Moth Voice said she was just being weird about Luck, so I sighed.
"Knowing me, I'll probably never get the chance to get Luck again… does Hunter work against animals, like deer?"
"No, only monsters." Monsters from the Dungeon, she means. Which means it'd be useless on anything from a different setting, or even other humans. While everything wanted me to get Mage or Mystery, despite the fact I somehow knew Luck wouldn't do shit for the CG… Luck is a skill, a tool.
Sung Jin Woo said that, and the best-dressed Gamer Protagonist has never steered me wrong before.
200 points banked. Roll Failed.
Huh. That's… different.
"Hit me with Luck." I said, before Anubis went ahead and handed me my new stat sheet.
Name: Selah
Race: Human (Variant)
Level: 2
Ability Scores:
STR: D - 532 - I - 0
END: D - 559 - I - 0
DEX: C - 646 - I - 0
AGI: B - 757 - I - 0
MAG: S - 934 - I - 0
Developmental Abilities:
Luck - I
Improves Luck
Magic:
Skills:
Black Sheep - Increases the growth of stats in proportion to the risk being undertaken.
Mad Dog - Increases Mind regeneration in proportion to ill will and negative emotions.
Dragon Scales - Effectiveness of Endurance stat increases in proportion to damage currently taken. Endurance's applications have broadened.
I sighed, the sight of the new sheet feeling like a fresh start for all of my adventures. Adventures that would start anew tomorrow, where I'd begin my assault against… Sekhmet, Loki, and the Dungeon itself.
… Eh, I got this.
"Hello, Mister Adventurer! Would you like a Supporter to help you?"
Bell you had ONE FUCKING JOB.
A/N: Here we are at Chapter 10. About halfway through the Fool's Journey (referencing the fucking snippet thread that gave birth to this shit). I hope everyone enjoy this, and the realization the SI has when he realizes that part of what ruined his CG was his own influence.
Hope you enjoyed, Peace.
[ Enchanted Zippo]The blade is covered in glowing blue runes and feels much easier to handle, making the weapon more quick. If it could not before, the weapon is now capable of dealing damage to beings that are not susceptible to mundane weapons like spirits. If it already could, it becomes far more powerful against these creatures. (CG Note: Requires Daemon Weapon: Lord of Change or Daemon Weapon: Drach'nyen first.)
SI: Motherfucking 100 point perks with a fucking prerequisite. Anubis, I swear those shits are more annoying than being broke.
[ Magnifying Magic]Your magic is exceptionally potent- Even compared to other monsters. All of your magic abilities purchased in this jump are amplified by this perk twofold, to the point where even your basic White Magic attacks are complex and capable of causing potent damage to a potential foe. Even magic purchased outside of this jump is slightly amplified by this ability, if only in raw power. In addition, movement-restricting magic becomes much more potent.
(CG Note: The next part of this perk requires You're Blue Now - Undertale first.)
With You're Blue Now, you can manipulate your opponent's gravity based on your perspective- You can force them to the ground, send them flying up in the air, or careening to the left or right. While this technique is potent, it does have a maximum range of around 10 meters, at which point your opponent just lands on the air as if it were a solid surface. It's also very draining and can exhaust the user quickly if overused.
(CG Note: The next part of this perk requires It's Not Easy Being Green - Undertale first.)
With It's Not Easy Being Green, your opponent gains two independent shields they must manipulate- And your ability to output attacks doubles. You may now attack from two directions at once, forcing your opponent to concentrate on two avenues of attack instead of just one.
(CG Note: The next part of this perk requires Purple Suits You - Undertale first.)
With Purple Suits You, your opponent's movement is further restricted to the intersections and vertices of your web- Attempting to move along the web instead zips them to the next intersection. Use this to your advantage and set up traps for them.
SI: What- why would someone make a perk like this, with fucking three prereqs inside of the default perk?! Also I'm getting Snas Nutdealer flashbacks. The torrid origins of my fanfic career are flashing before my very eyes…
[ Oghma Infinium]The Daedric Artifact of Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of Knowledge, this is an ancient tome of knowledge written by Xarxes, the wizard sage and scribe also known as "The Ageless One." Upon reading it, you gain the eldritch knowledge of one of the three paths of Magic, Might, or Shadows. Each person may only be affected by this artifact once, as more than that can and have driven men to madness.
SI: Ah. Is now a bad time to say I never finished Skyrim. Or any Elder Scrolls game? Also what is with today and Eldritch knowledge?!
SI:... Huh? Why am I still around- right, I'm the one who knows all of the failed rolls for the new shit… hindbrain my fucking ass. Anyway, I'm storing the God-Killing Pistol, for fucking obvious reasons.