Chapter 66: Pride comes before a Fall
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Chapter 66: Pride comes before a Fall
"Where is she?" asked Priam.
"I don't know. Anatole, Anne and two Generals have been missing for several hours."
"Gone to set their trap, right?"
"That's what we think. The last order I got from the two present Generals was to tell the snipers to force an attack."
Priam watched his prisoner for a moment. He seemed to have made peace with his death, and was beginning to give him information on his own. Priam stood up slightly to allow Corentin to breathe.
"You're with me now. If you do anything, I'll kill you straight away. Between now and the end of this battle, you're going to help me destroy the Revenants. Okay?"
"Okay," replied the messenger in a clear voice. Either he's a good actor, or he's out for revenge and redemption.
"Swear on your Potential that you will follow my orders to the letter and do your best to destroy the Revenants."
Corentin swore, and Priam relaxed slightly as he felt the Concepts' magic. He stood up and held out his hand. Corentin took it, and Priam helped him to his feet.
"Good. Any idea where Anatole is?"
"No. There are underground passages beneath the camp. Some Abominations have been specially created to dig the ground, but the entrances are hidden. Even though we're linked by a common cause and a desire to live, information is pretty partitioned. In case one of us decides to betray the cause, I suppose," Corentin sneered.
Priam looked at him for a moment. The man in front of him was going to die, and he knew it. Yet he laughed. The pressure of death and the horrors he endured had made him unstable...
"Any idea how to find these underground passages?"
Priam had no desire to prevent Anatole from provoking the Earl's Tribulation, but he didn't want Anatole or Anne to run away afterward. After all, it was unlikely that Revenant officers would stay close to an Earl's Tribulation. The collateral damage promised to be titanic.
Corentin thought for a second before answering. "There may be a way. There are two guest officers representing factions allied with ours. They've invested a lot of resources, weapons, and cores in this conflict. I suppose if they asked to see Anatole, the Generals would lead them..."
Priam took only a moment to think. With every passing second, he risked being caught in the same trap as the Earl. I need information about their trap.
"Right. You're going to tell them that a Viscount is coming their way, so they need to evacuate. Then you leave and let them panic. They'll go straight to the Generals and ask them for a way out. Normally, one of them will warn Anatole, or he'll lead them to him. I'll just have to follow them."
Priam noticed Corentin's grimace.
"Is there a problem?"
"Why not do as you did with me? Threaten to kill them and tell them to ask the Generals to take them to see Anatole?"
"Because they come from a real faction," Priam explained. "The difference between them and you is that aliens who have been enslaving people for thousands of years don't want their recruits to betray them. They've undoubtedly signed a contract, taken an oath, or are hypnotized not to betray their faction. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't help me."
Corentin nodded. "These factions are deceitful!"Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
The System made you promise to kill your fellow man Corentin. It's this world that's deceitful...
"No time to lose. I'm watching you."
Silvio Bianchi was biting his nails in his tent as he heard the howling in the distance. These were not the howls of men, but of animals. Thousands of animals were howling to their deaths as they fought the chimera of the Revenants.
He'd seen the monsters those madmen had created. Those Abominations. The name suited them, and you'd have to be stupid to go near them. Anatole was insane, and Silvio wanted nothing to do with that kind of man. Unfortunately, his boss didn't think so. He'd gambled that the Lame di Randuo could take advantage of a schism in humanity created by the Revenants. So Silvio had loaned them dozens of Baron cores, as well as a rare treasure. A Spiritual Sapphire.
Silvio had been sent here to check that the Revenants were making good use of the Sapphire.
"Someone's coming," said Gloria. Silvio looked up for a second at the woman sharing his tent. He wasn't too fond of his temporary roommate. She was gorgeous but had firmly refused his advances. Silvio was honest enough to admit that this had hurt his pride.
The tent flaps opened, and a messenger entered.
"Sir, Madam, I've come to warn you that the Abominations are overwhelmed. A Viscount has passed their surveillance and is heading this way. You should take cover," said the messenger before leaving the tent in a hurry.
"What? Wait!" Silvio leaped to his feet. He rushed to the tent entrance to look out, but the messenger had disappeared.
"He's fucking with us!" he exclaimed.
"No... The mist doesn't respond anymore," Gloria murmured.
Silvio turned to his livid comrade. Gloria was a Baroness and controlled part of the Moon's ubiquitous mist. If her power was ineffective...
"Shit. We gotta go."
"Where?! There are thousands of animals surrounding the camp," Gloria replied, her face contorted with fear. How could she have killed a Baron?
"Calm down. Anatole and his henchmen are preparing a trap thanks to the Sapphire. I have a method of spotting it in case of theft, and it's currently underground. Anatole is crazy, but he values his life. If we can get to him, we'll be safe."
Gloria nodded weakly and moved closer to Silvio. He smiled, sensing the Baroness's fear. If she sees me as a savior, maybe...
"Let's go," he said, opening the tent aperture and beckoning Gloria through. Maybe the whole thing wasn't so bad after all...
Lvl Up : [Focus] lvl 21
PERC +1
VIVA +1
DEXT +1
Priam sighed at his failure. He had tried to listen in on the conversation between the two guests by translating the disturbances running through his mist. When he spoke, the man's voice was deeper than the woman's, translating into a different frequency. Priam was able to tell who was speaking by observing the mist vibrations.
Unfortunately, even with a brief connection to his Potential, he hadn't been able to translate the disturbance in his mist - the sound - into information. It would have been useful for eavesdropping on conversations. I'll have to create a technique for that...
With one hand on the Urn and the other on the sapphire, he connected with his Abominations and used their deformed minds as spiritual armor. The next instant, he opened his eyes, seeing through one of his creations. The Viscount-rank chimera was currently on the battlefield, devouring its enemies while confronting a colossal rhinoceros.
Anatole looked away from the charging rhinoceros and up at the Earl. He stood regally at the center of the fray. No trace of blood marred his coat, and an invisible tornado swirled around him. This automatic defense was enough to cut through any approaching Baron-ranked Abominations. Behind him, Anatole could feel his human troops fleeing. The battle had only been going on for a few minutes, but it would take a dozen Revenants to defeat a single wild animal. Without the Abominations to slow their charge, the camp would already have been reduced to rubble.
The Viscount Abomination was brutally thrown to the ground by the rhinoceros' charge, and Anatole lost contact. The Viscount's horn must have penetrated the Abomination's protective cage.
Cursing, he connected with a second Abomination and quickly stood back. He turned his gaze back to the Earl and manipulated his aether to link with the Earl's mind. A Domain stopped his aether, and the lion came to a halt. Anatole concentrated on his urn and sacrificed a dozen Abominations to create a surge of aether. For an instant, the Domain folded, and Anatole sensed the Earl's spirit. [Deep Connection].
Anatole connected the Earl to the Spiritual Sapphire and gave the order to Anne. The rune glowed, and the ritual was activated.
The battle was a butchery. A hundred animals had died in the early stages, falling into the Revenants' booby-trapped trenches, which had annoyed the Earl. These were stupid losses that could have been avoided. If he hadn't been present and the Revenants had had more time to dig out defenses, the battle's outcome might have been different.
But there he was.
An island of calm amidst the storm, the Earl advanced slowly, pushing back the enemy lines. A few Abominations had tried to stop him but to no avail. His tornado had also repelled several explosives, but nothing dangerous.
He almost wanted to yawn. Of course, he wouldn't do that in front of his subjects - or he would cover the movement by miming a roar. Perhaps he'd reacted too quickly? The little man had frightened him by mentioning the Spring, but the Earl saw nothing dangerous here.
Suddenly, his Domain tipped him off. An enemy? As the Earl tried to locate the intruder, a wave of intense pollution appeared before him. His Domain bent, and he felt a spirit connect with his own.
Mentally roaring, he used his Domain to crush the consciousness of the insect that dared to defile his sacred spirit. The insect faded, but another took its place. Then another. Suddenly, the lion felt himself being watched. A hundred deformed consciousnesses stared back at him.
What the...?
One of these consciousnesses shone brightly, attracting his attention. The lion detected that it was underground and attacked. A meter of rock, dust and earth flew with each stroke of his paws.
A second later, he had already dug a five-meter hole. At that moment, the consciousnesses disappeared as if blown by the wind. All that remained of them were auras, which merged into an arrow that flew toward him.
Passing through his domain and up through the link between them, the arrow struck his mind. The Earl froze, his consciousness paralyzed.
A foreign spirit took over his body and consciousness. The proud lion trembled with anger and drove the intruder away. But it was too late.
Tribulation summoned.
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 148
Constitution 258
Agility 164 (+3)
Vitality 284
Perception 297 (+1)
MENTAL:
Vivacity 176 (+1)
Dexterity 193 (+1)
Memory 50
Willpower 274
Charisma 150
META:
Meta-affinity 141
Meta-focus 98
Meta-endurance 90
Meta-perception 32
Meta-chance 114
Potential: 1081 (+5)
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge OFF. Reloaded in 6 hours 27 min 14s
[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.
Time: 10 hours 47 minutes 8 seconds.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 66: Pride comes before a Fall
"Where is she?" asked Priam.
"I don't know. Anatole, Anne and two Generals have been missing for several hours."
"Gone to set their trap, right?"
"That's what we think. The last order I got from the two present Generals was to tell the snipers to force an attack."
Priam watched his prisoner for a moment. He seemed to have made peace with his death, and was beginning to give him information on his own. Priam stood up slightly to allow Corentin to breathe.
"You're with me now. If you do anything, I'll kill you straight away. Between now and the end of this battle, you're going to help me destroy the Revenants. Okay?"
"Okay," replied the messenger in a clear voice. Either he's a good actor, or he's out for revenge and redemption.
"Swear on your Potential that you will follow my orders to the letter and do your best to destroy the Revenants."
Corentin swore, and Priam relaxed slightly as he felt the Concepts' magic. He stood up and held out his hand. Corentin took it, and Priam helped him to his feet.
"Good. Any idea where Anatole is?"
"No. There are underground passages beneath the camp. Some Abominations have been specially created to dig the ground, but the entrances are hidden. Even though we're linked by a common cause and a desire to live, information is pretty partitioned. In case one of us decides to betray the cause, I suppose," Corentin sneered.
Priam looked at him for a moment. The man in front of him was going to die, and he knew it. Yet he laughed. The pressure of death and the horrors he endured had made him unstable...
"Any idea how to find these underground passages?"
Priam had no desire to prevent Anatole from provoking the Earl's Tribulation, but he didn't want Anatole or Anne to run away afterward. After all, it was unlikely that Revenant officers would stay close to an Earl's Tribulation. The collateral damage promised to be titanic.
Corentin thought for a second before answering. "There may be a way. There are two guest officers representing factions allied with ours. They've invested a lot of resources, weapons, and cores in this conflict. I suppose if they asked to see Anatole, the Generals would lead them..."
Priam took only a moment to think. With every passing second, he risked being caught in the same trap as the Earl. I need information about their trap.
"Right. You're going to tell them that a Viscount is coming their way, so they need to evacuate. Then you leave and let them panic. They'll go straight to the Generals and ask them for a way out. Normally, one of them will warn Anatole, or he'll lead them to him. I'll just have to follow them."
Priam noticed Corentin's grimace.
"Is there a problem?"
"Why not do as you did with me? Threaten to kill them and tell them to ask the Generals to take them to see Anatole?"
"Because they come from a real faction," Priam explained. "The difference between them and you is that aliens who have been enslaving people for thousands of years don't want their recruits to betray them. They've undoubtedly signed a contract, taken an oath, or are hypnotized not to betray their faction. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't help me."
Corentin nodded. "These factions are deceitful!"Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
The System made you promise to kill your fellow man Corentin. It's this world that's deceitful...
"No time to lose. I'm watching you."
Silvio Bianchi was biting his nails in his tent as he heard the howling in the distance. These were not the howls of men, but of animals. Thousands of animals were howling to their deaths as they fought the chimera of the Revenants.
He'd seen the monsters those madmen had created. Those Abominations. The name suited them, and you'd have to be stupid to go near them. Anatole was insane, and Silvio wanted nothing to do with that kind of man. Unfortunately, his boss didn't think so. He'd gambled that the Lame di Randuo could take advantage of a schism in humanity created by the Revenants. So Silvio had loaned them dozens of Baron cores, as well as a rare treasure. A Spiritual Sapphire.
Silvio had been sent here to check that the Revenants were making good use of the Sapphire.
"Someone's coming," said Gloria. Silvio looked up for a second at the woman sharing his tent. He wasn't too fond of his temporary roommate. She was gorgeous but had firmly refused his advances. Silvio was honest enough to admit that this had hurt his pride.
The tent flaps opened, and a messenger entered.
"Sir, Madam, I've come to warn you that the Abominations are overwhelmed. A Viscount has passed their surveillance and is heading this way. You should take cover," said the messenger before leaving the tent in a hurry.
"What? Wait!" Silvio leaped to his feet. He rushed to the tent entrance to look out, but the messenger had disappeared.
"He's fucking with us!" he exclaimed.
"No... The mist doesn't respond anymore," Gloria murmured.
Silvio turned to his livid comrade. Gloria was a Baroness and controlled part of the Moon's ubiquitous mist. If her power was ineffective...
"Shit. We gotta go."
"Where?! There are thousands of animals surrounding the camp," Gloria replied, her face contorted with fear. How could she have killed a Baron?
"Calm down. Anatole and his henchmen are preparing a trap thanks to the Sapphire. I have a method of spotting it in case of theft, and it's currently underground. Anatole is crazy, but he values his life. If we can get to him, we'll be safe."
Gloria nodded weakly and moved closer to Silvio. He smiled, sensing the Baroness's fear. If she sees me as a savior, maybe...
"Let's go," he said, opening the tent aperture and beckoning Gloria through. Maybe the whole thing wasn't so bad after all...
Lvl Up : [Focus] lvl 21
PERC +1
VIVA +1
DEXT +1
Priam sighed at his failure. He had tried to listen in on the conversation between the two guests by translating the disturbances running through his mist. When he spoke, the man's voice was deeper than the woman's, translating into a different frequency. Priam was able to tell who was speaking by observing the mist vibrations.
Unfortunately, even with a brief connection to his Potential, he hadn't been able to translate the disturbance in his mist - the sound - into information. It would have been useful for eavesdropping on conversations. I'll have to create a technique for that...
With one hand on the Urn and the other on the sapphire, he connected with his Abominations and used their deformed minds as spiritual armor. The next instant, he opened his eyes, seeing through one of his creations. The Viscount-rank chimera was currently on the battlefield, devouring its enemies while confronting a colossal rhinoceros.
Anatole looked away from the charging rhinoceros and up at the Earl. He stood regally at the center of the fray. No trace of blood marred his coat, and an invisible tornado swirled around him. This automatic defense was enough to cut through any approaching Baron-ranked Abominations. Behind him, Anatole could feel his human troops fleeing. The battle had only been going on for a few minutes, but it would take a dozen Revenants to defeat a single wild animal. Without the Abominations to slow their charge, the camp would already have been reduced to rubble.
The Viscount Abomination was brutally thrown to the ground by the rhinoceros' charge, and Anatole lost contact. The Viscount's horn must have penetrated the Abomination's protective cage.
Cursing, he connected with a second Abomination and quickly stood back. He turned his gaze back to the Earl and manipulated his aether to link with the Earl's mind. A Domain stopped his aether, and the lion came to a halt. Anatole concentrated on his urn and sacrificed a dozen Abominations to create a surge of aether. For an instant, the Domain folded, and Anatole sensed the Earl's spirit. [Deep Connection].
Anatole connected the Earl to the Spiritual Sapphire and gave the order to Anne. The rune glowed, and the ritual was activated.
The battle was a butchery. A hundred animals had died in the early stages, falling into the Revenants' booby-trapped trenches, which had annoyed the Earl. These were stupid losses that could have been avoided. If he hadn't been present and the Revenants had had more time to dig out defenses, the battle's outcome might have been different.
But there he was.
An island of calm amidst the storm, the Earl advanced slowly, pushing back the enemy lines. A few Abominations had tried to stop him but to no avail. His tornado had also repelled several explosives, but nothing dangerous.
He almost wanted to yawn. Of course, he wouldn't do that in front of his subjects - or he would cover the movement by miming a roar. Perhaps he'd reacted too quickly? The little man had frightened him by mentioning the Spring, but the Earl saw nothing dangerous here.
Suddenly, his Domain tipped him off. An enemy? As the Earl tried to locate the intruder, a wave of intense pollution appeared before him. His Domain bent, and he felt a spirit connect with his own.
Mentally roaring, he used his Domain to crush the consciousness of the insect that dared to defile his sacred spirit. The insect faded, but another took its place. Then another. Suddenly, the lion felt himself being watched. A hundred deformed consciousnesses stared back at him.
What the...?
One of these consciousnesses shone brightly, attracting his attention. The lion detected that it was underground and attacked. A meter of rock, dust and earth flew with each stroke of his paws.
A second later, he had already dug a five-meter hole. At that moment, the consciousnesses disappeared as if blown by the wind. All that remained of them were auras, which merged into an arrow that flew toward him.
Passing through his domain and up through the link between them, the arrow struck his mind. The Earl froze, his consciousness paralyzed.
A foreign spirit took over his body and consciousness. The proud lion trembled with anger and drove the intruder away. But it was too late.
Tribulation summoned.
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 148
Constitution 258
Agility 164 (+3)
Vitality 284
Perception 297 (+1)
MENTAL:
Vivacity 176 (+1)
Dexterity 193 (+1)
Memory 50
Willpower 274
Charisma 150
META:
Meta-affinity 141
Meta-focus 98
Meta-endurance 90
Meta-perception 32
Meta-chance 114
Potential: 1081 (+5)
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge OFF. Reloaded in 6 hours 27 min 14s
[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.
Time: 10 hours 47 minutes 8 seconds.
Chapter 66: Pride comes before a Fall"Where is she?" asked Priam."I don't know. Anatole, Anne and two Generals have been missing for several hours.""Gone to set their trap, right?""That's what we think. The last order I got from the two present Generals was to tell the snipers to force an attack."Priam watched his prisoner for a moment. He seemed to have made peace with his death, and was beginning to give him information on his own. Priam stood up slightly to allow Corentin to breathe."You're with me now. If you do anything, I'll kill you straight away. Between now and the end of this battle, you're going to help me destroy the Revenants. Okay?""Okay," replied the messenger in a clear voice. Either he's a good actor, or he's out for revenge and redemption."Swear on your Potential that you will follow my orders to the letter and do your best to destroy the Revenants."Corentin swore, and Priam relaxed slightly as he felt the Concepts' magic. He stood up and held out his hand. Corentin took it, and Priam helped him to his feet."Good. Any idea where Anatole is?""No. There are underground passages beneath the camp. Some Abominations have been specially created to dig the ground, but the entrances are hidden. Even though we're linked by a common cause and a desire to live, information is pretty partitioned. In case one of us decides to betray the cause, I suppose," Corentin sneered. Priam looked at him for a moment. The man in front of him was going to die, and he knew it. Yet he laughed. The pressure of death and the horrors he endured had made him unstable... "Any idea how to find these underground passages?"Priam had no desire to prevent Anatole from provoking the Earl's Tribulation, but he didn't want Anatole or Anne to run away afterward. After all, it was unlikely that Revenant officers would stay close to an Earl's Tribulation. The collateral damage promised to be titanic.Corentin thought for a second before answering. "There may be a way. There are two guest officers representing factions allied with ours. They've invested a lot of resources, weapons, and cores in this conflict. I suppose if they asked to see Anatole, the Generals would lead them..."Priam took only a moment to think. With every passing second, he risked being caught in the same trap as the Earl. I need information about their trap. "Right. You're going to tell them that a Viscount is coming their way, so they need to evacuate. Then you leave and let them panic. They'll go straight to the Generals and ask them for a way out. Normally, one of them will warn Anatole, or he'll lead them to him. I'll just have to follow them."Priam noticed Corentin's grimace."Is there a problem?""Why not do as you did with me? Threaten to kill them and tell them to ask the Generals to take them to see Anatole?""Because they come from a real faction," Priam explained. "The difference between them and you is that aliens who have been enslaving people for thousands of years don't want their recruits to betray them. They've undoubtedly signed a contract, taken an oath, or are hypnotized not to betray their faction. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't help me."Corentin nodded. "These factions are deceitful!"N00vl--1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.The System made you promise to kill your fellow man Corentin. It's this world that's deceitful..."No time to lose. I'm watching you."Silvio Bianchi was biting his nails in his tent as he heard the howling in the distance. These were not the howls of men, but of animals. Thousands of animals were howling to their deaths as they fought the chimera of the Revenants. He'd seen the monsters those madmen had created. Those Abominations. The name suited them, and you'd have to be stupid to go near them. Anatole was insane, and Silvio wanted nothing to do with that kind of man. Unfortunately, his boss didn't think so. He'd gambled that the Lame di Randuo could take advantage of a schism in humanity created by the Revenants. So Silvio had loaned them dozens of Baron cores, as well as a rare treasure. A Spiritual Sapphire. Silvio had been sent here to check that the Revenants were making good use of the Sapphire. "Someone's coming," said Gloria. Silvio looked up for a second at the woman sharing his tent. He wasn't too fond of his temporary roommate. She was gorgeous but had firmly refused his advances. Silvio was honest enough to admit that this had hurt his pride. The tent flaps opened, and a messenger entered."Sir, Madam, I've come to warn you that the Abominations are overwhelmed. A Viscount has passed their surveillance and is heading this way. You should take cover," said the messenger before leaving the tent in a hurry."What? Wait!" Silvio leaped to his feet. He rushed to the tent entrance to look out, but the messenger had disappeared. "He's fucking with us!" he exclaimed."No... The mist doesn't respond anymore," Gloria murmured.Silvio turned to his livid comrade. Gloria was a Baroness and controlled part of the Moon's ubiquitous mist. If her power was ineffective..."Shit. We gotta go.""Where?! There are thousands of animals surrounding the camp," Gloria replied, her face contorted with fear. How could she have killed a Baron?"Calm down. Anatole and his henchmen are preparing a trap thanks to the Sapphire. I have a method of spotting it in case of theft, and it's currently underground. Anatole is crazy, but he values his life. If we can get to him, we'll be safe."Gloria nodded weakly and moved closer to Silvio. He smiled, sensing the Baroness's fear. If she sees me as a savior, maybe... "Let's go," he said, opening the tent aperture and beckoning Gloria through. Maybe the whole thing wasn't so bad after all...Lvl Up : Focus lvl 21PERC +1VIVA +1DEXT +1 Priam sighed at his failure. He had tried to listen in on the conversation between the two guests by translating the disturbances running through his mist. When he spoke, the man's voice was deeper than the woman's, translating into a different frequency. Priam was able to tell who was speaking by observing the mist vibrations.Unfortunately, even with a brief connection to his Potential, he hadn't been able to translate the disturbance in his mist - the sound - into information. It would have been useful for eavesdropping on conversations. I'll have to create a technique for that...With one hand on the Urn and the other on the sapphire, he connected with his Abominations and used their deformed minds as spiritual armor. The next instant, he opened his eyes, seeing through one of his creations. The Viscount-rank chimera was currently on the battlefield, devouring its enemies while confronting a colossal rhinoceros. Anatole looked away from the charging rhinoceros and up at the Earl. He stood regally at the center of the fray. No trace of blood marred his coat, and an invisible tornado swirled around him. This automatic defense was enough to cut through any approaching Baron-ranked Abominations. Behind him, Anatole could feel his human troops fleeing. The battle had only been going on for a few minutes, but it would take a dozen Revenants to defeat a single wild animal. Without the Abominations to slow their charge, the camp would already have been reduced to rubble. The Viscount Abomination was brutally thrown to the ground by the rhinoceros' charge, and Anatole lost contact. The Viscount's horn must have penetrated the Abomination's protective cage.Cursing, he connected with a second Abomination and quickly stood back. He turned his gaze back to the Earl and manipulated his aether to link with the Earl's mind. A Domain stopped his aether, and the lion came to a halt. Anatole concentrated on his urn and sacrificed a dozen Abominations to create a surge of aether. For an instant, the Domain folded, and Anatole sensed the Earl's spirit. Deep Connection. Anatole connected the Earl to the Spiritual Sapphire and gave the order to Anne. The rune glowed, and the ritual was activated.The battle was a butchery. A hundred animals had died in the early stages, falling into the Revenants' booby-trapped trenches, which had annoyed the Earl. These were stupid losses that could have been avoided. If he hadn't been present and the Revenants had had more time to dig out defenses, the battle's outcome might have been different. But there he was. An island of calm amidst the storm, the Earl advanced slowly, pushing back the enemy lines. A few Abominations had tried to stop him but to no avail. His tornado had also repelled several explosives, but nothing dangerous. He almost wanted to yawn. Of course, he wouldn't do that in front of his subjects - or he would cover the movement by miming a roar. Perhaps he'd reacted too quickly? The little man had frightened him by mentioning the Spring, but the Earl saw nothing dangerous here.Suddenly, his Domain tipped him off. An enemy? As the Earl tried to locate the intruder, a wave of intense pollution appeared before him. His Domain bent, and he felt a spirit connect with his own. Mentally roaring, he used his Domain to crush the consciousness of the insect that dared to defile his sacred spirit. The insect faded, but another took its place. Then another. Suddenly, the lion felt himself being watched. A hundred deformed consciousnesses stared back at him. What the...?One of these consciousnesses shone brightly, attracting his attention. The lion detected that it was underground and attacked. A meter of rock, dust and earth flew with each stroke of his paws. A second later, he had already dug a five-meter hole. At that moment, the consciousnesses disappeared as if blown by the wind. All that remained of them were auras, which merged into an arrow that flew toward him. Passing through his domain and up through the link between them, the arrow struck his mind. The Earl froze, his consciousness paralyzed.A foreign spirit took over his body and consciousness. The proud lion trembled with anger and drove the intruder away. But it was too late. Tribulation summoned.Status: Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0PHYSICAL:Strength 148Constitution 258 Agility 164 +3 Vitality 284Perception 297 +1MENTAL:Vivacity 176 +1Dexterity 193 +1Memory 50 Willpower 274Charisma 150 META:Meta-affinity 141Meta-focus 98Meta-endurance 90Meta-perception 32Meta-chance 114Potential: 1081 +5 Tier 0He Who Eludes Death charge OFF. Reloaded in 6 hours 27 min 14sTribulation: Tribulations are coming.Time: 10 hours 47 minutes 8 seconds.
