Chapter 49: Watering a god
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Chapter 49: Watering a god
Priam looked down at his prisoner for a second. He couldn't speak because of his missing jaw. Sphinx sensed his annoyance.
"Do you want me to speak for you?" she asked telepathically. Priam thanked the Concepts for having a friend with this kind of talent. He didn't count sign language among his many talents. "Yes, please." Sphinx nodded and translated.
"Who do you work for?" she asked in an adorable voice as she continued to inspect the weapons on the table.
The man looked up at her, surprise evident on his face. After a few seconds, he finally answered. "For the Alliance."L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.
"You attacked me because of the senator's death? It wasn't me who killed him," thought Priam, raising an eyebrow. Sphinx repeated.
The brute spat on the floor. "I don't give a shit about that guy. I'm working for the future leader of the Alliance, E..."
"I'll stop you right there," Sphinx cut him off. "I don't care about the Alliance's internal problems. You're a tiny faction with no special roots, and the only question I have is: should I kill Alliance members on sight?"
Without waiting for an answer, Priam lifted the man before throwing him to the ground. He crouched and put his knee on the mans solar plexus to keep him down. The Baron began to apply pressure, and the prisoner struggled to escape.
Priam wasn't unnecessarily cruel, but he knew the man had been trained. He hadn't cracked even when he saw his comrades efficiently killed. Priam wanted to make him talk and to do that, he needed to frighten his opponent.
He also wanted to force his opponent to be polite. Being rude prevented someone from feeling fear or respect. Priam wanted to break the man's resistance.
"Are you ready to answer something intelligent?" Priam shifted his weight slightly as Sphinx asked. It was role-playing on his part, as he had no real intention of torturing the prisoner. Perhaps he should have, but he didn't feel like getting his hands dirty. Besides, torture didn't always provide the truth, and Priam was far from a specialist.
The man took a deep breath before answering through gritted teeth. "You're not protected by the Alliance. We were interested in the Revenants' offer, so we took a chance. That's all," he breathed, looking at Priam and Sphinx.
Priam nodded. "How did you find our position?" asked Sphinx.
The prisoner hesitated momentarily, and Priam slapped him across the face. He didn't want to give him time to think.
"How did you find our position?" repeated Sphinx. There was something comical and chilling about hearing a child's voice questioning an immobilized adult, but Priam forced himself to keep a serious face.
"The Revenants gave us the information."
Priam squinted. They already knew... Either they'd been aware of his movements since his arrival, or he'd triggered an alarm by climbing the cathedral. Priam riveted his gaze on the soldier as he perspired. He looked scared. Does he think the Revenants can torture his soul after his death? If so...
"What about this?" Sphinx asked while Priam pointed to the crates filled with grenades. "How did you get these?"
"... Will you let me live if I tell you?"
The two men stared at each other for a moment. Priam looked away and Sphinx continued. "If you tell me the whole truth and teach me something useful... I won't kill you."
Lvl up: [Manipulation] lvl 4
CHAR +3
The prisoner smiled. He must think I'm weak...
"The Alliance has a lot of ex-military people. We all arrived with a few weapons and asked for more as a reward from the Tutorial. Moreover, there are weapons caches scattered around the Domes. One of our diviners found one - here - filled with grenades,"
Sphinx approached the explosives and Priam stopped her. "Careful! It can explode, and given the number of grenades, it could hurt you."
"Those little things?!" exclaimed Sphinx in thought.
You're not very big either, thought Priam. Sphinx glared at him and the young man looked away as he realized his mistake. He still didn't know how to separate his formulated thoughts from those he sent to Sphinx. He looked back at the prisoner.
"Okay. Now you've got to teach me something useful," Sphinx announced after a moment.
"... The Revenants have a vault too," replied the prisoner after a few seconds of silence.
"We know."
The prisoner shook his head.
"Everyone knows they have a treasure room, they shout it everywhere. But they're not idiots. When their General briefed us about you, we passed before their vault. It was very well protected, they probably wanted to show us they were competent."
"I don't have all day. I want facts." Telling anything to divert the audience's attention to think about something else - a lie, an escape plan, etc - was a well-known technique. Politicians did it all the time, but Priam wasn't about to be fooled. The prisoner cleared his throat.
"I have a talent for detecting valuables. This talent was triggered when I passed the treasure room. However, it was pointing toward the floor. The real vault is below the fake one," the prisoner revealed.
Priam spat out a little blood. He had tried to laugh, but the pain had called him back to order. Clever, he thought. Two treasure rooms. With the new skills in this universe, who's to say his stash is untraceable or impenetrable? At this point, a decoy with a reward attached is the best defense technique...
"A handy skill for a loser like you. One last question. Where is this general?" asked Sphinx.
"He was protecting the treasure room. There's always one of their generals there. But they take turns, so I don't know if he'll still be there."
Priam nodded. Having a high-ranking officer stationed to protect the vault made sense.
"Can I go now?" the prisoner asked.
Priam looked down. Sphinx had said she wouldn't kill the prisoner, and if Karma was as present in this Universe as Sphinx implied, he intended to make sure she kept that promise. However, Anne, Albin and Claire had taught him never to let an adversary go. One always regretted it.
Priam stood up and turned to Sphinx. "Can I take care of it?" he asked.
Sphinx nodded and Priam recalled his spear. He stood up and before the prisoner could articulate a word, the spear pierced his heart.
Priam gave him a sad look. Sorry. In this new world, mercy is the privilege of the powerful...
Looking away, he indicated the grenades to Sphinx. "Do you have a way of carrying them?"
Sphinx looked at him for a few moments before answering. "If they're really useful, yes..."
"That doesn't seem to enchant you but I have a use for them."
Sphinx began to grow rapidly and Priam stepped back. A second later, Sphinx was almost three meters tall without having regained her true size. The room couldn't have held much more.
The monster headed for the crates of grenades and swallowed them. If Priam still had his lower jaw, it would have fallen off. He was that surprised.
"Spit it out! It's explosive!" he shouted telepathically.
Sphinx finished swallowing the crates in a few seconds, followed by the weapons, before shrinking.
"My skill is sealing my stomach. With no air, no reaction and no aether, I'd be surprised if anything happened. Anyway, with Micro, I'll feel it if it moves."
Synergy detected. [Humanity adapts], [Veteran], [Axolotl or Hydra?], and [He Who Eludes Death] have reacted.
Lvl up: [Consequence Resistance] lvl 2,3,4
CHAR +9
META (Chance) +18
Lvl Up: [Focus] lvl 19
PERC +1
VIVA +1
DEXT +1
WILL +2
Achievement - Gold: You have defied a god, insulted him and performed an iconoclastic deed before his very eyes. In his wrath, he sought to capture your soul. A fate worse than death.
You fought for your freedom without flinching.
Message for humanity:
Priam Azura refused to obey the tyranny of a minor god.
The Seven Concepts congratulate you.
Willpower + 50. Potential + 500. Title received. Talent received.
[Iconoclast - Gold] - You urinated on the statue of a god, while he was watching you. You risked something worse than death. Was it courage, madness or idiocy? In any case, you survived after desecrating Viracocha. He's not all-powerful. No one is.
You become more resistant to auras.
Your soul begins to crystallize.
Skill received. [There is no Heaven - Epic] WILL +10%
CHAR +10%
META (Chance) +50
[There is no Heaven - Epic] -You don't like your enemies to be resurrected. When you use this skill on a defenseless enemy, part of their soul is damaged.
This error is recognized by most Wheels of Reincarnation. To avoid errors, damaged souls are often crushed.
The effects of a shattered soul are manyfold.
WILL +9
[He Who Eludes Gods] - Your soul belongs to you. You are now unique. The one and only Priam Azura.
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 130
Constitution 197
Agility 146
Vitality 212
Perception 279
MENTAL:
Vivacity 168
Dexterity 153
Memory 38
Willpower 187
Charisma 135
META:
Meta-affinity 118
Meta-focus 85
Meta-endurance 61
Meta-perception 7
Meta-chance 114
Potential: 736
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.
[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.
Time: 24 hours 11 minutes 36 seconds.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 49: Watering a god
Priam looked down at his prisoner for a second. He couldn't speak because of his missing jaw. Sphinx sensed his annoyance.
"Do you want me to speak for you?" she asked telepathically. Priam thanked the Concepts for having a friend with this kind of talent. He didn't count sign language among his many talents. "Yes, please." Sphinx nodded and translated.
"Who do you work for?" she asked in an adorable voice as she continued to inspect the weapons on the table.
The man looked up at her, surprise evident on his face. After a few seconds, he finally answered. "For the Alliance."L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.
"You attacked me because of the senator's death? It wasn't me who killed him," thought Priam, raising an eyebrow. Sphinx repeated.
The brute spat on the floor. "I don't give a shit about that guy. I'm working for the future leader of the Alliance, E..."
"I'll stop you right there," Sphinx cut him off. "I don't care about the Alliance's internal problems. You're a tiny faction with no special roots, and the only question I have is: should I kill Alliance members on sight?"
Without waiting for an answer, Priam lifted the man before throwing him to the ground. He crouched and put his knee on the mans solar plexus to keep him down. The Baron began to apply pressure, and the prisoner struggled to escape.
Priam wasn't unnecessarily cruel, but he knew the man had been trained. He hadn't cracked even when he saw his comrades efficiently killed. Priam wanted to make him talk and to do that, he needed to frighten his opponent.
He also wanted to force his opponent to be polite. Being rude prevented someone from feeling fear or respect. Priam wanted to break the man's resistance.
"Are you ready to answer something intelligent?" Priam shifted his weight slightly as Sphinx asked. It was role-playing on his part, as he had no real intention of torturing the prisoner. Perhaps he should have, but he didn't feel like getting his hands dirty. Besides, torture didn't always provide the truth, and Priam was far from a specialist.
The man took a deep breath before answering through gritted teeth. "You're not protected by the Alliance. We were interested in the Revenants' offer, so we took a chance. That's all," he breathed, looking at Priam and Sphinx.
Priam nodded. "How did you find our position?" asked Sphinx.
The prisoner hesitated momentarily, and Priam slapped him across the face. He didn't want to give him time to think.
"How did you find our position?" repeated Sphinx. There was something comical and chilling about hearing a child's voice questioning an immobilized adult, but Priam forced himself to keep a serious face.
"The Revenants gave us the information."
Priam squinted. They already knew... Either they'd been aware of his movements since his arrival, or he'd triggered an alarm by climbing the cathedral. Priam riveted his gaze on the soldier as he perspired. He looked scared. Does he think the Revenants can torture his soul after his death? If so...
"What about this?" Sphinx asked while Priam pointed to the crates filled with grenades. "How did you get these?"
"... Will you let me live if I tell you?"
The two men stared at each other for a moment. Priam looked away and Sphinx continued. "If you tell me the whole truth and teach me something useful... I won't kill you."
Lvl up: [Manipulation] lvl 4
CHAR +3
The prisoner smiled. He must think I'm weak...
"The Alliance has a lot of ex-military people. We all arrived with a few weapons and asked for more as a reward from the Tutorial. Moreover, there are weapons caches scattered around the Domes. One of our diviners found one - here - filled with grenades,"
Sphinx approached the explosives and Priam stopped her. "Careful! It can explode, and given the number of grenades, it could hurt you."
"Those little things?!" exclaimed Sphinx in thought.
You're not very big either, thought Priam. Sphinx glared at him and the young man looked away as he realized his mistake. He still didn't know how to separate his formulated thoughts from those he sent to Sphinx. He looked back at the prisoner.
"Okay. Now you've got to teach me something useful," Sphinx announced after a moment.
"... The Revenants have a vault too," replied the prisoner after a few seconds of silence.
"We know."
The prisoner shook his head.
"Everyone knows they have a treasure room, they shout it everywhere. But they're not idiots. When their General briefed us about you, we passed before their vault. It was very well protected, they probably wanted to show us they were competent."
"I don't have all day. I want facts." Telling anything to divert the audience's attention to think about something else - a lie, an escape plan, etc - was a well-known technique. Politicians did it all the time, but Priam wasn't about to be fooled. The prisoner cleared his throat.
"I have a talent for detecting valuables. This talent was triggered when I passed the treasure room. However, it was pointing toward the floor. The real vault is below the fake one," the prisoner revealed.
Priam spat out a little blood. He had tried to laugh, but the pain had called him back to order. Clever, he thought. Two treasure rooms. With the new skills in this universe, who's to say his stash is untraceable or impenetrable? At this point, a decoy with a reward attached is the best defense technique...
"A handy skill for a loser like you. One last question. Where is this general?" asked Sphinx.
"He was protecting the treasure room. There's always one of their generals there. But they take turns, so I don't know if he'll still be there."
Priam nodded. Having a high-ranking officer stationed to protect the vault made sense.
"Can I go now?" the prisoner asked.
Priam looked down. Sphinx had said she wouldn't kill the prisoner, and if Karma was as present in this Universe as Sphinx implied, he intended to make sure she kept that promise. However, Anne, Albin and Claire had taught him never to let an adversary go. One always regretted it.
Priam stood up and turned to Sphinx. "Can I take care of it?" he asked.
Sphinx nodded and Priam recalled his spear. He stood up and before the prisoner could articulate a word, the spear pierced his heart.
Priam gave him a sad look. Sorry. In this new world, mercy is the privilege of the powerful...
Looking away, he indicated the grenades to Sphinx. "Do you have a way of carrying them?"
Sphinx looked at him for a few moments before answering. "If they're really useful, yes..."
"That doesn't seem to enchant you but I have a use for them."
Sphinx began to grow rapidly and Priam stepped back. A second later, Sphinx was almost three meters tall without having regained her true size. The room couldn't have held much more.
The monster headed for the crates of grenades and swallowed them. If Priam still had his lower jaw, it would have fallen off. He was that surprised.
"Spit it out! It's explosive!" he shouted telepathically.
Sphinx finished swallowing the crates in a few seconds, followed by the weapons, before shrinking.
"My skill is sealing my stomach. With no air, no reaction and no aether, I'd be surprised if anything happened. Anyway, with Micro, I'll feel it if it moves."
Synergy detected. [Humanity adapts], [Veteran], [Axolotl or Hydra?], and [He Who Eludes Death] have reacted.
Lvl up: [Consequence Resistance] lvl 2,3,4
CHAR +9
META (Chance) +18
Lvl Up: [Focus] lvl 19
PERC +1
VIVA +1
DEXT +1
WILL +2
Achievement - Gold: You have defied a god, insulted him and performed an iconoclastic deed before his very eyes. In his wrath, he sought to capture your soul. A fate worse than death.
You fought for your freedom without flinching.
Message for humanity:
Priam Azura refused to obey the tyranny of a minor god.
The Seven Concepts congratulate you.
Willpower + 50. Potential + 500. Title received. Talent received.
[Iconoclast - Gold] - You urinated on the statue of a god, while he was watching you. You risked something worse than death. Was it courage, madness or idiocy? In any case, you survived after desecrating Viracocha. He's not all-powerful. No one is.
You become more resistant to auras.
Your soul begins to crystallize.
Skill received. [There is no Heaven - Epic] WILL +10%
CHAR +10%
META (Chance) +50
[There is no Heaven - Epic] -You don't like your enemies to be resurrected. When you use this skill on a defenseless enemy, part of their soul is damaged.
This error is recognized by most Wheels of Reincarnation. To avoid errors, damaged souls are often crushed.
The effects of a shattered soul are manyfold.
WILL +9
[He Who Eludes Gods] - Your soul belongs to you. You are now unique. The one and only Priam Azura.
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 130
Constitution 197
Agility 146
Vitality 212
Perception 279
MENTAL:
Vivacity 168
Dexterity 153
Memory 38
Willpower 187
Charisma 135
META:
Meta-affinity 118
Meta-focus 85
Meta-endurance 61
Meta-perception 7
Meta-chance 114
Potential: 736
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.
[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.
Time: 24 hours 11 minutes 36 seconds.
Chapter 49: Watering a godPriam looked down at his prisoner for a second. He couldn't speak because of his missing jaw. Sphinx sensed his annoyance."Do you want me to speak for you?" she asked telepathically. Priam thanked the Concepts for having a friend with this kind of talent. He didn't count sign language among his many talents. "Yes, please." Sphinx nodded and translated."Who do you work for?" she asked in an adorable voice as she continued to inspect the weapons on the table.The man looked up at her, surprise evident on his face. After a few seconds, he finally answered. "For the Alliance."L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Nvl--B1n."You attacked me because of the senator's death? It wasn't me who killed him," thought Priam, raising an eyebrow. Sphinx repeated.The brute spat on the floor. "I don't give a shit about that guy. I'm working for the future leader of the Alliance, E...""I'll stop you right there," Sphinx cut him off. "I don't care about the Alliance's internal problems. You're a tiny faction with no special roots, and the only question I have is: should I kill Alliance members on sight?"Without waiting for an answer, Priam lifted the man before throwing him to the ground. He crouched and put his knee on the mans solar plexus to keep him down. The Baron began to apply pressure, and the prisoner struggled to escape.Priam wasn't unnecessarily cruel, but he knew the man had been trained. He hadn't cracked even when he saw his comrades efficiently killed. Priam wanted to make him talk and to do that, he needed to frighten his opponent.He also wanted to force his opponent to be polite. Being rude prevented someone from feeling fear or respect. Priam wanted to break the man's resistance."Are you ready to answer something intelligent?" Priam shifted his weight slightly as Sphinx asked. It was role-playing on his part, as he had no real intention of torturing the prisoner. Perhaps he should have, but he didn't feel like getting his hands dirty. Besides, torture didn't always provide the truth, and Priam was far from a specialist.The man took a deep breath before answering through gritted teeth. "You're not protected by the Alliance. We were interested in the Revenants' offer, so we took a chance. That's all," he breathed, looking at Priam and Sphinx.Priam nodded. "How did you find our position?" asked Sphinx.The prisoner hesitated momentarily, and Priam slapped him across the face. He didn't want to give him time to think."How did you find our position?" repeated Sphinx. There was something comical and chilling about hearing a child's voice questioning an immobilized adult, but Priam forced himself to keep a serious face."The Revenants gave us the information."Priam squinted. They already knew... Either they'd been aware of his movements since his arrival, or he'd triggered an alarm by climbing the cathedral. Priam riveted his gaze on the soldier as he perspired. He looked scared. Does he think the Revenants can torture his soul after his death? If so..."What about this?" Sphinx asked while Priam pointed to the crates filled with grenades. "How did you get these?" "... Will you let me live if I tell you?"The two men stared at each other for a moment. Priam looked away and Sphinx continued. "If you tell me the whole truth and teach me something useful... I won't kill you."Lvl up: Manipulation lvl 4CHAR +3 The prisoner smiled. He must think I'm weak..."The Alliance has a lot of ex-military people. We all arrived with a few weapons and asked for more as a reward from the Tutorial. Moreover, there are weapons caches scattered around the Domes. One of our diviners found one - here - filled with grenades,"Sphinx approached the explosives and Priam stopped her. "Careful! It can explode, and given the number of grenades, it could hurt you.""Those little things?!" exclaimed Sphinx in thought. You're not very big either, thought Priam. Sphinx glared at him and the young man looked away as he realized his mistake. He still didn't know how to separate his formulated thoughts from those he sent to Sphinx. He looked back at the prisoner."Okay. Now you've got to teach me something useful," Sphinx announced after a moment."... The Revenants have a vault too," replied the prisoner after a few seconds of silence."We know."The prisoner shook his head."Everyone knows they have a treasure room, they shout it everywhere. But they're not idiots. When their General briefed us about you, we passed before their vault. It was very well protected, they probably wanted to show us they were competent.""I don't have all day. I want facts." Telling anything to divert the audience's attention to think about something else - a lie, an escape plan, etc - was a well-known technique. Politicians did it all the time, but Priam wasn't about to be fooled. The prisoner cleared his throat."I have a talent for detecting valuables. This talent was triggered when I passed the treasure room. However, it was pointing toward the floor. The real vault is below the fake one," the prisoner revealed.Priam spat out a little blood. He had tried to laugh, but the pain had called him back to order. Clever, he thought. Two treasure rooms. With the new skills in this universe, who's to say his stash is untraceable or impenetrable? At this point, a decoy with a reward attached is the best defense technique..."A handy skill for a loser like you. One last question. Where is this general?" asked Sphinx."He was protecting the treasure room. There's always one of their generals there. But they take turns, so I don't know if he'll still be there."Priam nodded. Having a high-ranking officer stationed to protect the vault made sense."Can I go now?" the prisoner asked.Priam looked down. Sphinx had said she wouldn't kill the prisoner, and if Karma was as present in this Universe as Sphinx implied, he intended to make sure she kept that promise. However, Anne, Albin and Claire had taught him never to let an adversary go. One always regretted it.Priam stood up and turned to Sphinx. "Can I take care of it?" he asked.Sphinx nodded and Priam recalled his spear. He stood up and before the prisoner could articulate a word, the spear pierced his heart.Priam gave him a sad look. Sorry. In this new world, mercy is the privilege of the powerful... Looking away, he indicated the grenades to Sphinx. "Do you have a way of carrying them?" Sphinx looked at him for a few moments before answering. "If they're really useful, yes...""That doesn't seem to enchant you but I have a use for them." Sphinx began to grow rapidly and Priam stepped back. A second later, Sphinx was almost three meters tall without having regained her true size. The room couldn't have held much more.The monster headed for the crates of grenades and swallowed them. If Priam still had his lower jaw, it would have fallen off. He was that surprised."Spit it out! It's explosive!" he shouted telepathically.Sphinx finished swallowing the crates in a few seconds, followed by the weapons, before shrinking."My skill is sealing my stomach. With no air, no reaction and no aether, I'd be surprised if anything happened. Anyway, with Micro, I'll feel it if it moves."Synergy detected. Humanity adapts, Veteran, Axolotl or Hydra?, and He Who Eludes Death have reacted. Lvl up: Consequence Resistance lvl 2,3,4CHAR +9META Chance +18Lvl Up: Focus lvl 19PERC +1VIVA +1DEXT +1WILL +2Achievement - Gold: You have defied a god, insulted him and performed an iconoclastic deed before his very eyes. In his wrath, he sought to capture your soul. A fate worse than death.You fought for your freedom without flinching.Message for humanity:Priam Azura refused to obey the tyranny of a minor god.The Seven Concepts congratulate you.Willpower + 50. Potential + 500. Title received. Talent received. Iconoclast - Gold - You urinated on the statue of a god, while he was watching you. You risked something worse than death. Was it courage, madness or idiocy? In any case, you survived after desecrating Viracocha. He's not all-powerful. No one is.You become more resistant to auras.Your soul begins to crystallize.Skill received. There is no Heaven - Epic WILL +10% CHAR +10%META Chance +50There is no Heaven - Epic -You don't like your enemies to be resurrected. When you use this skill on a defenseless enemy, part of their soul is damaged.This error is recognized by most Wheels of Reincarnation. To avoid errors, damaged souls are often crushed.The effects of a shattered soul are manyfold.WILL +9He Who Eludes Gods - Your soul belongs to you. You are now unique. The one and only Priam Azura.Status: Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0PHYSICAL:Strength 130Constitution 197Agility 146Vitality 212Perception 279MENTAL:Vivacity 168Dexterity 153Memory 38Willpower 187Charisma 135META:Meta-affinity 118Meta-focus 85Meta-endurance 61Meta-perception 7Meta-chance 114Potential: 736Tier 0He Who Eludes Death charge: PRIMED.Tribulation: Tribulations are coming.Time: 24 hours 11 minutes 36 seconds.
