Aries Floor 5, The Emperor’s Ascent - 10:51 AM
I watched as the Soul Shearer stepped out of a grove nearby. The creature was nearly seven feet tall and his dark robes open to show off a skeletal body. While he was humanoid, his head was like that of a ram, complete with two large, spiraling horns. Two small, black flames hovered in his eye sockets, and I could sense them fixated on me in the form of my imminent demise.
“Did Aries have anything to do with this?” I whispered to Sara, wondering how much the Patron had a say in this.
<<<>>>
[[Patron Message]]
No. Aries has apologized to me for your death, but says this was not something they were consulted about. This is all on Baltastasia as the administrator.
On the plus side, you are getting the attention of more and more Patrons. Just… be extra careful. You can’t, as Mercury has put it, face tank this fight like you can others. You have to be careful.
I’m working on a quest in between fielding all the messages from Patrons. Sorry, it’ll be a few minutes.
[[Notice]]
The Patron [Aries] assures you that it was never his intention to unleash a Soul Shearer on anyone.
<<<>>>
I nodded. “Okay, thanks. In that case, I won’t hold a grudge against your avatar once I’m done.”
This was an administrator thing, then. Baltastasia had gone above and beyond on this one; she had sent a piece of the Reaper after me, all because it happened to fit the theme.
“Anthony Franklin,” the Soul Shearer rasped, his skeletal hands clasped in front of him. “Well met. Given the amount of death I feel coming off of your soul… Well, some say that death is a constant companion, but should I say that you are a constant companion of mine?”
Barking out a laugh, I shook my head. “I would appreciate it if you don’t give the Patrons watching the wrong idea, Reaper.”
“Those who cannot be touched by death are not my concern, but yours,” he replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “However, I suppose you have earned some begrudging respect; you are almost as bad as they are. What a strange tapestry your soul has become, child.”
I was careful to keep my face neutral. Reapers were far more connected to the system than most other monsters. Maybe not as much as Sara and Aaron as world bosses, but certainly on the level of Ostwriter. He may not have been able to see my past runs, but he could see it in my soul. That was one of the things that made them annoying.
The Grim Reaper was a concept that every culture had. A personified force of death that went around taking the lives of those whose time was up, whether it was fair or not. Some stories said that people could escape their death by avoiding the Reaper’s visit, or fend them off with bribery or tricks, or even playing games for their soul.
This one was appropriate for the fourth scenario, but only if you tilted your head and squinted really hard. Certainly not fit for a solo fight. The Soul Shearer was a combatant, a Reaper sent to whittle down opponents and forcibly take their lives. I had fought them before, but I hadn’t considered that Baltastasia would throw one of them at me. Somewhere in my head had been the misguided thought that she would milk me for more ratings before going in for the kill.
Well, I was certainly going to be getting attention now.
I glanced towards Bethany and Glaraphel. Without his helmet, I could see the look of consternation on his face clearly. He would come to help me if I needed it even though I had told him to guard the Tea Witch and nothing else. She looked worried, but she only had an instinctual understanding of what was going on.
That must have been how she got away with summoning a monster this strong to fight me. Technically, I wasn’t alone; I had an Angel and another player by my side. It wouldn’t be her fault if they didn’t jump in. All the blame was squarely on my shoulders if I died here.
Taking a breath, I returned my gaze to the Soul Shearer. Other than his robe shifting in the wind, he hadn’t moved at all. “Well, your respect is appreciated,” I finally said. “Mind if I prepare?”
The Reaper’s hoarse laugh was nauseating to listen to, but he gestured towards me. “By all means. Patience is a virtue, so I’ll leave the first move to you,” he said amiably. I arched an eyebrow at his words and took a step back, and he raised his palm. “But, if you try to leave through the door, then I’ll have no choice but to go after everyone else. The girl first, of course, before going after the other players. I don’t care about the Angel.”
“Guess I can’t argue with that,” I grunted. And I really couldn’t; it was already more than I expected.
Then again, it had a reason to be sure of itself.
I didn’t waste any more time. After returning my fake shield to the Vambrace of Wires and sending my Khopesh into my inventory, I snapped open my menu.
After the administrator in Williamsburg dropped the Writhing Nautilus and Guardian on me, I had made a decision. I promised Sara that I wouldn’t hold back; the moment I came across something that could actually threaten me, I was going to bite the bullet and upgrade everything. With the fiends in charge of the world literally out to get me, I couldn’t afford to be complacent anymore.
It was finally time to do what I had been putting off for ages. I moved to my Status screen and made a very specific choice.
<<<>>>
[[Notice]]
Would you like to spend 15,000 points in order to increase the following stats?
Strength 40 -> 50
Dexterity 40 -> 50
Constitution 40 -> 50
Wisdom 40 -> 50
Willpower 40 -> 50
Yes
No
<<<>>>
I hit Yes, feeling the power flowing through me as I reached the next level. It was something I had put off for the challenge of it all, but I wasn’t about to play here. Not when the odds were already against me. While it wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things, every little bit helped.
It also wasn’t my only play. I pulled up my Warmind page and selected everything. Not before hitting the new button that allowed me to condense the screen, however. That was handy now that I had so many class abilities.
<<<>>>
[[Notice]]
Would you like to spend 3,520 points in order to upgrade the following abilities?
Push level 5 -> level 6
Pull level 5 -> level 6
Lift level 5 -> level 6
Shield level 5 -> level 6
Spin level 5 -> level 6
Drop level 5 -> level 6
Bend level 5 -> level 6
Force Field level 5 -> level 6
Orbit level 5 -> level 6
Construct level 5 -> level 6
Mental Link level 5 -> level 6
Yes
No
<<<>>>
I hit yes and a huge text box appeared in front of me. Some of the descriptors had gone away, and at this point I didn’t need them to know that things farther away took more effort to manipulate than things close by. Not everything was condensed, but it was still nice.
<<<>>>
[[Notice]]
Your abilities have been upgraded.
Abilities
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Push (Willpower) lvl 6: You may manipulate an inanimate object no more than Willpower*10 lbs. so that it is pushed away from you.
Pull (Willpower) lvl 6: You may manipulate an inanimate object no more than Willpower*10 lbs. so that it is pulled towards you.
Orbit (Willpower) lvl 6: You may manipulate an object no heavier than Willpower*10 lbs. to circle around any point inside your body. If this ability is used prior to Push, Pull, Lift, or Drop, increase the force behind the secondary ability by 5.2% per rotation to a maximum of 26%.
Lift (Willpower) lvl 6: You may manipulate an inanimate object no more than Willpower*20 lbs. to lift it off of the ground.
Drop (Willpower) lvl 6: You may manipulate an inanimate object no more than Willpower*20 lbs. to accelerate its fall.
Shield (Wisdom) lvl 6: Cover yourself in a barrier with an amount of hit points equal to your Wisdom*5.5. Hit points recharge at a rate of Wisdom*1.5 hit points per second after 5 seconds of not taking damage. Broken shields cannot be reactivated for 30 seconds.
Force Field (Wisdom, Willpower) lvl 6: Create an invisible barrier with an amount of hit points equal to your Wisdom*4. It can be placed no further away than a number of feet equal to your Willpower/2 and be no larger than Willpower*11 inch2 . Hit points recharge at a rate of Wisdom*1.4 hit points per second after 5 seconds of not taking damage. Broken force fields cannot be reactivated for 30 seconds.
Spin (Augment) lvl 6: When manipulating an object, you may reduce the power of the ability used by 20% in order to turn the affected object in any direction as long as the point of origin is inside of the object itself.
Bend (Augment) lvl 6: When using Push or Pull, you may reduce the power of the ability by 50% in order to apply the ability twice at up to 50% power at another point on the object, causing it to bend or possibly break. You may reduce the power of the first by up to 10% to increase the power of the second by the same amount.
Construct (Wisdom, Willpower) lvl 6: Create an item through sheer willpower. You can conjure up 3 items at the same time, which combined cannot be greater than 75% of your mass. Construction costs a small amount of Mental Points to create and maintain.
If the item is a weapon, then it will deal psychic damage equal to 100% of your Willpower in addition to the normal physical damage.
Mental Link (Willpower) lvl 6: Form a telepathic bond with up to two allies that can be sustained up to a distance of feet equal to Willpower*2.4. You always know where they are, what condition they are in, and their mental state. Concise thought cannot be sent through the Mental Link. You may connect with more than two allies, but every instance Splits your focus.
The following ability has automatically been upgraded.
Split (Focus) lvl 4: You may affect 4 different objects instead of only 1.
By raising your Warmind abilities, you have learned the following abilities.
Push Level 6 + Pull Level 6 + Lift Level 6 + Shield Level 6 = Flight
<<<>>>
Getting Flight was nice, but since my plan was to Break Free into a form that gave me wings, I didn't bother with it just yet. Death was patient, but I didn't want to push it too much.
Taking a moment from looking through my menu, I glanced at the Soul Shearer. He was still, his hands clasped behind his back, just as patient as he was before. From my inventory, I pulled out the Staff of Raphael and my Golden Bowling Ball.
<<<>>>
[[Item]]
Boss Anthony Franklin’s Golden Bowling Ball
When used as a shield, this bowling ball allows the bearer to block blows as if their Strength were three times higher than it actually is. (Seven-Tenners Blessing)
When used as a thrown weapon, you can choose to envelop this bowling ball in fire. This adds fire damage equal to your Dexterity stat on top of the bludgeoning damage it would already deal. You may use this skill up to 12 times per day. (Iron Anchor Blessing)
Once per day, the spirit of Boss Steener will inhabit the bowling ball in order to block a fatal blow against the wielder. Every time this ability is used, there is a small, stacking chance that Boss Anthony Franklin’s Golden Bowling Ball may shatter completely. This ability may be activated when the item is in your inventory, but this will cause the bowling ball to shatter immediately after use.
More abilities may unlock as certain conditions are met.
Win 2 more crew battles against gold-ranked crews to upgrade this item.
Authorized wielder: Anthony “Perfect Game” Franklin (Adopted Filbin Elite)
<<<>>>
This was as close to Glaraphel’s sword and board fighting style as I was going to get. The bowling ball was the right way to go, though. Damage mitigation was going to be key for this fight. Like Sara said, I wasn’t going to be able to tank hits with my face since healing wasn’t going to work. The Staff of Raphael’s +17 to Constitution didn’t even bump me up. That didn’t feel good.
“By the power of Enigma Hemingway!” I yelled, activating an item that had laid dormant in my inventory for weeks now.
Thousands of pages from the world’s worst manuscript appeared out of thin air and adhered to my body, creating a suit of armor around my body. Each one hardened like armor to make the protection I encased myself in worth it, and I spun my staff in my hand. I lost no Dexterity with it, even though it was thick in most areas.
<<<>>>
[[Equipped]]
Ostwriter’s Plot Armor
(Unique Item; +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom, +1 Willpower, The Plot Thickens skill acquired)
[[Skill]]
The Plot Thickens
Use the phrase “By the power of Enigma Hemingway,” to cause the manuscript to become a set of armor specifically sized for the wearer. Use the phrase “Good night, Jezebel,” to cause the armor to return to a manuscript. This ability can be used even if the item is in your inventory.
<<<>>>
“You’re certainly using your time properly,” the Soul Shearer remarked. He didn’t sound impatient, only like he was stating facts. “I’m interested in what tricks you’re going to pull out to defeat me.”
“Some,” I said, resting on the Staff of Raphael. “I’ll be honest, I fought a boss that was a bit tougher than you recently. Almost instantaneous healing, learned the moves used against it almost instantly, and I couldn’t damage it enough to kill it myself.”
The Reaper tilted his head. “And yet, here you are.”
“And here I am,” I agreed, nodding. “Because I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve. Is this going to be a cake walk? Nah, I know better than that. You have all the knowledge you need at your disposal. But am I going to die by your blade? The answer may surprise you.”
“Will it now?” he asked, amused. The black flames in his eye sockets became a little larger. “Are you suggesting you might actually win?”
“Don’t have much of a choice, do I?” I returned. “I’m all that stands in the way of you and my friends. Outside of this extradimensional space, there’s an entire world waiting to be saved. What kind of hero would I be if I was waylaid by something like the personification of death?”
The Soul Shearer had the audacity to chortle at me. “You? A hero?” he asked. “With all the death and destruction you have left in your wake? You may have the soul of an Angel, child, but that is the only thing keeping you from being a twisted, rancid effigy of a man.”
“Rude.”
“It’s as clear as day to me that you’re holding onto the last bit of kindling you can in the hopes that, when you finally burn out, your life will have been worth something, anything.”
“Are you having fun playing psychiatrist, Soul Shearer?” I asked.
“What else am I supposed to do when you’re making me wait like this?” he replied, gesturing towards me. “If you wish for me to stop, then make a move. If you think of yourself as some Heavenly Hero, then all you have to do is prove it and thwart death itself. A simple matter, don’t you think?”
<<<>>>
[[Patron Quest: Survive!]]
I’m sorry for the delay. You have over 80% of the Patrons watching the Emperor’s Ascent keeping an eye on this fight, and 9 of the Zodiacs including Aries. More may show up, but it doesn’t matter; you’re going to be something of a legend after this. Openly, at least.
That being said, you don’t need me to tell you how incredibly dangerous this is, but I’m going to remind you anyway. You can’t simply outlast the Soul Shearer like you did the Writhing Nautilus and Guardian. Heavenly Hero might make you invulnerable for a few seconds at one hit point, but if you get to that point then you’ve probably already lost. He clearly knows about that contingency.
There are no tricks to this quest, no extras. Your only goal is to survive. If that means making a mad dash for the door, then so be it. Marishiten and Skuld already know what’s going on. Bethany is in a bad place, but Glaraphel should follow orders. He’ll probably leave before you do.
Anthony, don’t die.
Objective: Survive.
Reward: 40,000 points.
<<<>>>
“Damn,” I said, snapping away the quest. “My Patron just gave me a 40,000 point reward if I simply survive the fight. It’s a tiny bit bigger than what I’m used to, so I’m a little excited at the prospect.”
“It matters not to me,” the Soul Shearer replied.
“No, I don’t suppose it would, but I’m sure the rest of the Patrons are in a tizzy over it,” I replied. Around the bottom of the Staff of Raphael, I Constructed the head of a thick maul. I Lifted my Golden Bowling Ball out of my hand and took the weapon in a tight grip. “So, it’s a little early, but let’s show off a little.”
The Soul Shearer made a gesture telling me to get on with it, and I breathed out the words of power.
“B?r?e?a?k? ?Fr?e?e? F?r?o?m? ?T?h?e? ?S?h?a?c?k?l?e?s? ?O?f? ?M?a?n?.”
Energy flowed through my body as my orange hair burst into flames. My skin took on a bronze quality to it similar to my beloved Patron’s, and my armor shifted to accommodate the new form. Not only did it let Esaraphelscion’s Ring escape to become my halo, but six slits appeared in the back.
My wings burst forth, cutting through the Seven-Tenner Bowling Shirt and my Trench Coat of the Mad Captain. I flexed them, feeling their physical forms. Before now they had been incorporeal but functional whenever I used Break Free. They had manifested in Hell, but that was for other reasons. It appeared as though I had reached another ancestral milestone when I upgraded my stats.
Twenty Starstones floated in a circle behind my back, no longer emulating wings now that I had them for real. I rolled my shoulders and shifted my feet, getting used to the form. Having more appendages meant my fighting style needed to change at least a little bit, but that was something I was mentally prepared for. It had only been a matter of time before I got my feathers.
“An Angel of Death, in the flesh,” the Soul Shearer muttered. “Fitting. I’m looking forward to—”
That was all he got to say. There was no warning as I shot forward from a dead stop on my Heelies, the ground flat enough to do so. I took to the air the moment I hit top speed, the world blurring around me except for my target. I used Orbit on the staff’s hammer head, spinning wildly to get as much force behind my blow as I could.
Just as I was about to swing, I set my foot on the ground. It sank deep as I put all my weight onto it, and the rest of my body went into making this initial attack as strong as I could make it. The Soul Shearer’s dark fire eyes widened in the split second he had to react, and by then my hammer was slamming into the side of his head from above.
If my enemy were level appropriate, that blow would have absolutely destroyed it. The horns and skull would have shattered, breaking into a thousand pieces and scattered over the landscape. My momentum would have continued for a few more rotations until I got a handle on my body. Such was the force of the blow I wanted to strike.
But my enemy was not something else. It was a Reaper.
My body lurched to a halt as the newly improvised Hammer of Raphael was stopped. The Soul Shearer had been bent over at the waist from the force of the attack, his arms out and his feet planted in his successful attempt not to get slammed into the ground face-first. His skull and the horn on this side of it was cracked, but not shattered.
“Not bad!” he praised enthusiastically, his flaming eyes focused on me. He reached up, and I jerked backwards just a moment too late. Bony fingers grabbed the faceplate of Ostwriter’s Plot Armor and pulled me close. His eyes bored into mine, and a deathly feeling of dread welled up from the pit of my stomach. “That was your one. Now, it’s my turn.”
