It was now 118 days till the Earth Guild Conference. General Vich gave them a day to confirm that the props had been stored in the warehouse. Not everything was processed like he had hoped, but everything appeared to be there. Now they didn’t have to worry about the city as they trekked across the land.
They were 52 people in all. 1 group of 5 from each of the 8 war parties, Asher and his team, General Vich, and of course Deacia. Asher didn’t try too hard to keep her at the castle. Since they were on their way to potentially end the Gone he really hoped they could disappear before they came back to the Truskin city. Tiff wanted as much time with her as possible. He knew she was struggling through things with Prillish. He wished she wouldn’t get so attached to people in the trials. But he loved her. He would let her do what she wanted. When she got sad he would be there to prop her up again. That was his job, as she had done for him.
“Another horde!” The rogue group yelled as they ran back to them.
“Damn,” Asher cursed. Deacia on his shoulders smacked his head. Tiff had put her on the duty of making sure he didn’t curse. “Sorry,” he said as he set her down. She smiled as Tiff gave her a thumbs up. Asher willed his gear on. Charging his eyes with mana he saw far ahead of them. There was a Behemoth, some abominations, and a bunch of regular Undead.
“Gear up,” he yelled. The horde was directly on their way to the next town. People nervously nodded, and did as they were told.
This was their 4th such horde to kill. They had been able to skip a few, but Asher didn’t understand how there were so many. Back in medieval times on Earth there weren’t near this many people. They had killed over a quarter million people back in Truskin. He had been able to level to 51 there. Now that they were in just a Raid party he was getting more experience, but they were moving much slower. Having to stop for horde after horde was time consuming.
It took them 4 hours to clean them up. The undead were easy by that point. The zombie levels had increased to 35 so he and his people were getting experience points again. The groups they took along were quickly becoming elites as they too rolled in the XP. Most everyone could handle an Abomination, but only Asher focused on the Behemoths. Ready to watch out for their Mana Breath he could kill them in 2 hours now.
Digging through their chest for the Mana Heart then their heart for the Ision Lotus had become normal. One nice thing was the Lotus gave experience too. It was a level 42 Risk that he could 1- hit for an additional hundred experience. Unfortunately there was no Heart. He guessed the Lotus moved their own Mana Heart to the host before taking over.
When they were back on their way Asher pulled up his notifications.
| Congratulations |
| For reaching level 53 you have learned the skill |
| Kama Sutra (LVL 1) |
| Kama Sutra (LVL 1) |
| We've noticed that you're a 3 or 4 position kind of lover. There's nothing wrong with that, but sometimes your women want something new. Charge your body with Sex Mana to make it more flexible. |
Have my girls been complaining to the System? Asher thought. He didn’t think so, but he would have to practice the skill. There wasn’t a reason not to try it. Maybe Tiff had some ideas on positions to use. Charging your body with mana wasn’t unheard of. Asher had received a similar skill as a Warrior in the Roktai Trial. It allowed him to increase his range of motion and use more power within shorter bursts.
Bringing up his status screen it was getting long again. He removed the Policing, Regal Presence, Gun Fighting, and Smooth Talker skills. They were mostly passive anyway, and he didn’t want to risk another skill upgrade on them. He studied the status screen.
| Name: | Asher Whitmore | Skills: | ||
| Alias: | Quinten Hardly | Acting | LVL MAX | |
| System: | PORN STAR | STD Immunity | LVL MAX | |
| Level: | 53 | Roleplaying | LVL MAX | |
| Experience | 454/480,000 | 0+% | Prop Manifestation | LVL MAX |
| Title: | Lawful Good (10) | Relationship Screen | LVL 12 | |
| Guild: | Community | Ahegao | LVL 10 | |
| Syscos: | 4,188 | Survival | LVL 19 | |
| Tracking | LVL 20 | |||
| HP: | 210 | /210 (9) | Brawling | LVL 20 |
| MP: | 150 | /150 | Battleshout | LVL 19 |
| Intimidation | LVL 24 | |||
| Stats: | 0 | Powerstrike | LVL 24 | |
| Strength: | 70 | Justice | LVL 18 | |
| Dexterity: | 60 | Battle Instincts | LVL 21 | |
| Endurance: | 70 | Weapon Throw | LVL 20 | |
| Agility: | 60 | Full Body Control | LVL MAX | |
| Wisdom: | 50 | Mesmerizing Gaze | LVL 16 | |
| Intelligence: | 50 | Healing Touch | LVL 20 | |
| Luck: | 45 | Mana Sight | LVL 29 | |
| Charm: | 44 | Revenge | LVL 26 | |
| Role Immersion | LVL MAX | |||
| Custom Stats: | Mana Sense | LVL 21 | ||
| Dick Length | 9 Inches | Share the Love | LVL 7 | |
| Dick Diameter | 2 Inches | Cleanliness | LVL 18 | |
| Fertility | Off | Dragon Palm | LVL 10 | |
| Pheromones | 20 | Sex Bomb | LVL 17 | |
| Libido | 10 | Coupling Mana | LVL 5 | |
| Height | 6'-5" | Orgy Control | LVL MAX | |
| Empower | LVL 8 | |||
| Casanova | LVL 10 | |||
| Kama Sutra | LVL 1 | |||
Because he used mana better now Ash had begun to raise WIS and INT with the other stats. Since there was only so much mana that could be held in the body it allowed him to store more. As a human he was able to regenerate mana more quickly than monsters and bosses, but the bosses had a huge store of it in their mana heart.
Curious about it Asher brought out one of the fist sized hearts from his ring. He had received it from an Abomination he had practically 1-hit killed. Asher used Mana Sight on it. Mana was flowing out of it. Since he killed the monster before it could use up all the mana he wondered if there was a way to use it.
Mobry had explained that Ether Drive engines had a Mana Heart as the base. They ran everything on a ship and charged during runs through the Ether Streams. The Ether Streams were 100% mana. They were able to cycle that mana through the Mana Heart to make the ship go way faster than it could normally. Then when you left the Ether Stream the Heart was charged enough to do most anything you needed. If you spent too long away from an Ether Stream you could go to 0% on the drive and would have to charge it with ambient mana from a planet. But that could take a long time.
Touching the Mana Heart with his own Physical and Sex Mana did nothing. He then tried to draw in the mana from the Heart, but that yielded nothing as well. Then he used Coupling Mana. There was a slight pulse as the Synergy Mana touched it, but it didn’t last long. Synergy was a catalyst between mana types. Maybe the mana type of the Mana Heart was different. If he knew what kind of mana the heart had, there was a chance he could use it.
“Whatcha doing?” Tiff asked, walking up next to him.
“Experimenting,” he said, putting the Mana Heart away. He would watch the undead more to try to figure out what type of mana they had.
“Kinky experiments?” She asked with a smile.
“Could be,” he offered. “Got a new skill. We should try it out.” Deacia was now next to Tiff holding her hand.
“Tonight is always a good time,” she said. He laughed, she really was a different person when she acted as someone’s caretaker. He loved her for it.
“I’m really thinking about making a new skill.”
“How would you do that?” She asked. “Why not just use a Roleplay?”
“You know how I said the way you learn and use mana guides the skills you learn?” She nodded. “Well I have Coupling Mana now. I’m curious if I could direct my next skill to use Coupling. The one I just got was S-E-X mana.” He spelled it out for Deacia’s sake.
“What kind of skill?” She asked.
“What kind do I need?” Asher asked. “All of my Star skills are of the nightly activities variety. I would like to try something that could be used in the bedroom and battlefield.”
“So you want something that uses our pink mana and your Physical Mana?” Tiff asked. He nodded. “Atty, babe, how do you use your clones?”
Atty was a little away, cursing at Abby as they walked through the forest. She looked over to them saying, “I have no idea.” A few people were listening in on their conversation, but not all.
“Use it,” Asher said. Her body came alight with mana. Asher noticed the yellowish/green mana as her double stepped out of her.
“What the hell, when did you get that?” Abby asked, amazed.
“A few levels ago,” Atty admitted.
“Haven’t used it much,” Lanta lied. They really hadn’t had a need for it, and she had only practiced it in the bedroom. More than a few people stared at her shocked as she reabsorbed the mana of her clone and the twin disappeared. “What kind of mana is it?”
“Energy mana,” Asher said. “Maybe something you could learn Abby, since you focus on Energy. But in all honesty it might also be impossible. Everyone has affinities to mana. That is what directs the System to give you a specific System. There’s no way you could have Batman’s System if you didn’t have Shadow Mana. Like you Atalanta. You use Energy and Lightning Mana. You wouldn’t have got the skills with your Matrix System if you didn’t. Heck you may have not gotten that specific System if you didn’t.”
I have decided, Tiff psychically sent. You will be learning a cloning technique.
“Why’s that?” He asked aloud. She sent him an image of him Eiffel Towering her. One of him fucking her in the back, another at her mouth. He shook his head trying to get the imagery out of his mind. “No way, that would be…”
“Cheating?” She asked. He could tell she really liked the idea.
Slowly he began to admit that it was a good idea. If there were 2 of him he could potentially do twice the damage. “Atty, when you split. Are your stats split between your clones?” She nodded. Asher frowned. That wasn’t ideal. It also wasn’t the best that they shared pleasure and pain. If there was a way to disconnect them mentally, then maybe he could be in 2 places at once. He could double up on XP. One fucking all the time, the other killing. The idea wasn’t bad.
“Oh no, I would want your full attention,” Tiff warned. He mentally promised her that she would get it.
The more he thought about it, the more he thought it was possible. He used Sex and Physical Mana. Since he mixed them together to make Coupling Mana, maybe he could develop a skill to make another him. If he couldn’t figure it out himself, then maybe practicing it would give the System the opportunity to grant him the skill recipe with a Prime level up.
“You’re getting me all excited,” Tiff said. Deep in thought he knew he would need to practice. Batman had a Transformation skill. Maybe he would get lucky and that was Physical Mana as well. At the very least maybe he could change his body. Not sure if he would want an extra arm the only thing he could think of with his Sex Mana is making an extra dick. “Yes!” Tiff yelled. “Do it,” she said, grabbing his hand. Asher chuckled.
“You know it’s hard to plan your surprises if you read everything,” he said.
“Damn, you’re right. That would have been a way better surprise,” she said sadly. “Next time use our safe word and I’ll whistle in my head or something.
“Tiffany titty fucking Whitmore,” he said. She rolled her eyes and moved away to go talk with the others. Abby threw Deacia on her back as they walked. Asher thought more on how to practice his mana to direct his skills.
After a few hours the scouts announced. “Town ahead!”
“Finally,” Asher said as they sped up. They were in the middle of a forest but quickly they smelled the fires. At first Asher thought it was normal cooking fires but then he heard the yelling. Cycling more mana Asher dashed ahead. What he found was a much smaller village than he hoped for.
Surrounding the village was a palisade of wooden trees providing a defensive barrier. Asher leapt to the top to see inside. The village was pure chaos. Undead Gone shambled after human villagers. Fires broke out in the homes. People screamed as they tried to fight them.
Asher gathered mana in his chest and with his biggest yell yet cast Sex Bomb. Everyone dropped to the ground, thrown back. He jumped to the Gone and began cutting them in half. One group after another he sliced through them with ease, they were all low level anyway. “Gather up!” Asher yelled to the normal people. He began scanning through the houses. At the last house Asher found a person convulsing on the ground as mana leaked from their mouth. Huddled in the corner of the room was Prince Truskin himself.
Asher sliced through the turning Gone and grabbed the prince by the scruff of his neck. The blonde haired man squealed and shook. His eyes shocked and distant, he let himself be dragged. Asher used Mana Sense, but couldn’t find anyone else in the village. He moved the prince to the group of people from the village and waited for his team to join. It wasn’t long before Abby, Atty, and Tiff flew in.
“What happened?” Tiff asked.
“I was hoping you could find out. Looks like the prince came here, but I don’t know why there were zombies. The walls are still standing. Who is the village elder?” No one answered.
“He’s dead,” Tiff said, looking around. Asher cursed and looked to the oldest looking man.
“You, what happened?” The man shook, but slowly answered.
“I don’t know. We have only fought a few of the Gone. The trees are too thick, so the big ones haven’t bothered us,” he said.
Asher looked from person to person trying to find a falsehood. He finally landed on the Prince. The blonde man shook and wrapped himself in his dirty cloak. “Prince Ilonis Truskin. I am sorry about your parents, but what happened here?”
The prince shook more. The other people eyed him. They didn’t appear to know him either. Tiff walked closer to him.
“He came and took charge a couple of days ago,” she said sadly. The Prince began to spasm. “There’s something not quite right…” She walked closer still. The Prince screeched at her and lunged. Asher was on him instantly. Grabbing the neck of his cloak he pushed the prince against the wood stakes in the ground.
“You are my guard!” The prince spat. Asher looked down to his body. His hands were gray. His once clean clothes were tattered and bloody. Asher used Identification.
*Wesrall Turned*
Level 27
Asher hadn’t run into these yet. There were asterisks so he was a Risk. Or about to turn into one. He had gained a lot of levels too. Asher doubted it was done the old fashioned way. Ripping off the man’s clothes Asher could see black veins around his chest. The prince spit and bit at him. There was a faint blue glow coming from his mouth.
Tossing him to the side Asher ripped off his cloak. On the man’s back was a gray Lotus. Tendrils stuck from the round body into the Prince’s back. “He’s turning into an Behemoth,” Asher said, stepping forward. His sword in hand he was ready to finish the royal line.
“Wait!” Tiff said. He watched as she moved next to him and started channeling Mind Mana into the Lotus. The Prince shrieked and shook as she did. Suddenly a fire broke out on the back of the Lotus creature. It shrieked more. The fire intensified. The Prince’s body spasmed and an unholy scream escaped.
“Tell me!” Tiff screamed at it. The fire made the alien’s skin boil. The flames on its back spread to the prince.
“Tiff,’ Asher said as the Prince screamed louder. Her brow furrowed, sweat broke out on her forehead, but slowly she lowered her hands.
“It won’t let go,” she admitted. Asher nodded. Time for his level of surgery. Raising Dragon Slayer he wondered where the best place to attack was. Lowering it back down he did a sweep across the Prince’s back. The body of the Lotus was cut in half. Leaving the base attached to his back and the tendrils sticking out like spikes.
The inside of the Lotus was a green goo. Asher noticed a large hole in the Prince’s back. It appeared to be a mouth of the Lotus drilling into his spine. Tiff and Atty blanched from the view. The fire out on the prince now the man shed a few tears. With a long sigh he died. Asher hadn’t liked the prince, but no one deserved to be controlled like that.
When the other’s calmed down and his party had joined them Tiff spoke. “I think I know where we have to go.”
It was now 118 days till the Earth Guild Conference. General Vich gave them a day to confirm that the props had been stored in the warehouse. Not everything was processed like he had hoped, but everything appeared to be there. Now they didn’t have to worry about the city as they trekked across the land.
They were 52 people in all. 1 group of 5 from each of the 8 war parties, Asher and his team, General Vich, and of course Deacia. Asher didn’t try too hard to keep her at the castle. Since they were on their way to potentially end the Gone he really hoped they could disappear before they came back to the Truskin city. Tiff wanted as much time with her as possible. He knew she was struggling through things with Prillish. He wished she wouldn’t get so attached to people in the trials. But he loved her. He would let her do what she wanted. When she got sad he would be there to prop her up again. That was his job, as she had done for him.
“Another horde!” The rogue group yelled as they ran back to them.
“Damn,” Asher cursed. Deacia on his shoulders smacked his head. Tiff had put her on the duty of making sure he didn’t curse. “Sorry,” he said as he set her down. She smiled as Tiff gave her a thumbs up. Asher willed his gear on. Charging his eyes with mana he saw far ahead of them. There was a Behemoth, some abominations, and a bunch of regular Undead.
“Gear up,” he yelled. The horde was directly on their way to the next town. People nervously nodded, and did as they were told.
This was their 4th such horde to kill. They had been able to skip a few, but Asher didn’t understand how there were so many. Back in medieval times on Earth there weren’t near this many people. They had killed over a quarter million people back in Truskin. He had been able to level to 51 there. Now that they were in just a Raid party he was getting more experience, but they were moving much slower. Having to stop for horde after horde was time consuming.
It took them 4 hours to clean them up. The undead were easy by that point. The zombie levels had increased to 35 so he and his people were getting experience points again. The groups they took along were quickly becoming elites as they too rolled in the XP. Most everyone could handle an Abomination, but only Asher focused on the Behemoths. Ready to watch out for their Mana Breath he could kill them in 2 hours now.
Digging through their chest for the Mana Heart then their heart for the Ision Lotus had become normal. One nice thing was the Lotus gave experience too. It was a level 42 Risk that he could 1- hit for an additional hundred experience. Unfortunately there was no Heart. He guessed the Lotus moved their own Mana Heart to the host before taking over.
When they were back on their way Asher pulled up his notifications.
| Congratulations |
| For reaching level 53 you have learned the skill |
| Kama Sutra (LVL 1) |
| Kama Sutra (LVL 1) |
| We've noticed that you're a 3 or 4 position kind of lover. There's nothing wrong with that, but sometimes your women want something new. Charge your body with Sex Mana to make it more flexible. |
Have my girls been complaining to the System? Asher thought. He didn’t think so, but he would have to practice the skill. There wasn’t a reason not to try it. Maybe Tiff had some ideas on positions to use. Charging your body with mana wasn’t unheard of. Asher had received a similar skill as a Warrior in the Roktai Trial. It allowed him to increase his range of motion and use more power within shorter bursts.
Bringing up his status screen it was getting long again. He removed the Policing, Regal Presence, Gun Fighting, and Smooth Talker skills. They were mostly passive anyway, and he didn’t want to risk another skill upgrade on them. He studied the status screen.
| Name: | Asher Whitmore | Skills: | ||
| Alias: | Quinten Hardly | Acting | LVL MAX | |
| System: | PORN STAR | STD Immunity | LVL MAX | |
| Level: | 53 | Roleplaying | LVL MAX | |
| Experience | 454/480,000 | 0+% | Prop Manifestation | LVL MAX |
| Title: | Lawful Good (10) | Relationship Screen | LVL 12 | |
| Guild: | Community | Ahegao | LVL 10 | |
| Syscos: | 4,188 | Survival | LVL 19 | |
| Tracking | LVL 20 | |||
| HP: | 210 | /210 (9) | Brawling | LVL 20 |
| MP: | 150 | /150 | Battleshout | LVL 19 |
| Intimidation | LVL 24 | |||
| Stats: | 0 | Powerstrike | LVL 24 | |
| Strength: | 70 | Justice | LVL 18 | |
| Dexterity: | 60 | Battle Instincts | LVL 21 | |
| Endurance: | 70 | Weapon Throw | LVL 20 | |
| Agility: | 60 | Full Body Control | LVL MAX | |
| Wisdom: | 50 | Mesmerizing Gaze | LVL 16 | |
| Intelligence: | 50 | Healing Touch | LVL 20 | |
| Luck: | 45 | Mana Sight | LVL 29 | |
| Charm: | 44 | Revenge | LVL 26 | |
| Role Immersion | LVL MAX | |||
| Custom Stats: | Mana Sense | LVL 21 | ||
| Dick Length | 9 Inches | Share the Love | LVL 7 | |
| Dick Diameter | 2 Inches | Cleanliness | LVL 18 | |
| Fertility | Off | Dragon Palm | LVL 10 | |
| Pheromones | 20 | Sex Bomb | LVL 17 | |
| Libido | 10 | Coupling Mana | LVL 5 | |
| Height | 6'-5" | Orgy Control | LVL MAX | |
| Empower | LVL 8 | |||
| Casanova | LVL 10 | |||
| Kama Sutra | LVL 1 | |||
Because he used mana better now Ash had begun to raise WIS and INT with the other stats. Since there was only so much mana that could be held in the body it allowed him to store more. As a human he was able to regenerate mana more quickly than monsters and bosses, but the bosses had a huge store of it in their mana heart.
Curious about it Asher brought out one of the fist sized hearts from his ring. He had received it from an Abomination he had practically 1-hit killed. Asher used Mana Sight on it. Mana was flowing out of it. Since he killed the monster before it could use up all the mana he wondered if there was a way to use it.
Mobry had explained that Ether Drive engines had a Mana Heart as the base. They ran everything on a ship and charged during runs through the Ether Streams. The Ether Streams were 100% mana. They were able to cycle that mana through the Mana Heart to make the ship go way faster than it could normally. Then when you left the Ether Stream the Heart was charged enough to do most anything you needed. If you spent too long away from an Ether Stream you could go to 0% on the drive and would have to charge it with ambient mana from a planet. But that could take a long time.
Touching the Mana Heart with his own Physical and Sex Mana did nothing. He then tried to draw in the mana from the Heart, but that yielded nothing as well. Then he used Coupling Mana. There was a slight pulse as the Synergy Mana touched it, but it didn’t last long. Synergy was a catalyst between mana types. Maybe the mana type of the Mana Heart was different. If he knew what kind of mana the heart had, there was a chance he could use it.
“Whatcha doing?” Tiff asked, walking up next to him.
“Experimenting,” he said, putting the Mana Heart away. He would watch the undead more to try to figure out what type of mana they had.
“Kinky experiments?” She asked with a smile.
“Could be,” he offered. “Got a new skill. We should try it out.” Deacia was now next to Tiff holding her hand.
“Tonight is always a good time,” she said. He laughed, she really was a different person when she acted as someone’s caretaker. He loved her for it.
“I’m really thinking about making a new skill.”
“How would you do that?” She asked. “Why not just use a Roleplay?”
“You know how I said the way you learn and use mana guides the skills you learn?” She nodded. “Well I have Coupling Mana now. I’m curious if I could direct my next skill to use Coupling. The one I just got was S-E-X mana.” He spelled it out for Deacia’s sake.
“What kind of skill?” She asked.
“What kind do I need?” Asher asked. “All of my Star skills are of the nightly activities variety. I would like to try something that could be used in the bedroom and battlefield.”
“So you want something that uses our pink mana and your Physical Mana?” Tiff asked. He nodded. “Atty, babe, how do you use your clones?”
Atty was a little away, cursing at Abby as they walked through the forest. She looked over to them saying, “I have no idea.” A few people were listening in on their conversation, but not all.
“Use it,” Asher said. Her body came alight with mana. Asher noticed the yellowish/green mana as her double stepped out of her.
“What the hell, when did you get that?” Abby asked, amazed.
“A few levels ago,” Atty admitted.
“Haven’t used it much,” Lanta lied. They really hadn’t had a need for it, and she had only practiced it in the bedroom. More than a few people stared at her shocked as she reabsorbed the mana of her clone and the twin disappeared. “What kind of mana is it?”
“Energy mana,” Asher said. “Maybe something you could learn Abby, since you focus on Energy. But in all honesty it might also be impossible. Everyone has affinities to mana. That is what directs the System to give you a specific System. There’s no way you could have Batman’s System if you didn’t have Shadow Mana. Like you Atalanta. You use Energy and Lightning Mana. You wouldn’t have got the skills with your Matrix System if you didn’t. Heck you may have not gotten that specific System if you didn’t.”
I have decided, Tiff psychically sent. You will be learning a cloning technique.
“Why’s that?” He asked aloud. She sent him an image of him Eiffel Towering her. One of him fucking her in the back, another at her mouth. He shook his head trying to get the imagery out of his mind. “No way, that would be…”
“Cheating?” She asked. He could tell she really liked the idea.
Slowly he began to admit that it was a good idea. If there were 2 of him he could potentially do twice the damage. “Atty, when you split. Are your stats split between your clones?” She nodded. Asher frowned. That wasn’t ideal. It also wasn’t the best that they shared pleasure and pain. If there was a way to disconnect them mentally, then maybe he could be in 2 places at once. He could double up on XP. One fucking all the time, the other killing. The idea wasn’t bad.
“Oh no, I would want your full attention,” Tiff warned. He mentally promised her that she would get it.
The more he thought about it, the more he thought it was possible. He used Sex and Physical Mana. Since he mixed them together to make Coupling Mana, maybe he could develop a skill to make another him. If he couldn’t figure it out himself, then maybe practicing it would give the System the opportunity to grant him the skill recipe with a Prime level up.
“You’re getting me all excited,” Tiff said. Deep in thought he knew he would need to practice. Batman had a Transformation skill. Maybe he would get lucky and that was Physical Mana as well. At the very least maybe he could change his body. Not sure if he would want an extra arm the only thing he could think of with his Sex Mana is making an extra dick. “Yes!” Tiff yelled. “Do it,” she said, grabbing his hand. Asher chuckled.
“You know it’s hard to plan your surprises if you read everything,” he said.
“Damn, you’re right. That would have been a way better surprise,” she said sadly. “Next time use our safe word and I’ll whistle in my head or something.
“Tiffany titty fucking Whitmore,” he said. She rolled her eyes and moved away to go talk with the others. Abby threw Deacia on her back as they walked. Asher thought more on how to practice his mana to direct his skills.
After a few hours the scouts announced. “Town ahead!”
“Finally,” Asher said as they sped up. They were in the middle of a forest but quickly they smelled the fires. At first Asher thought it was normal cooking fires but then he heard the yelling. Cycling more mana Asher dashed ahead. What he found was a much smaller village than he hoped for.
Surrounding the village was a palisade of wooden trees providing a defensive barrier. Asher leapt to the top to see inside. The village was pure chaos. Undead Gone shambled after human villagers. Fires broke out in the homes. People screamed as they tried to fight them.
Asher gathered mana in his chest and with his biggest yell yet cast Sex Bomb. Everyone dropped to the ground, thrown back. He jumped to the Gone and began cutting them in half. One group after another he sliced through them with ease, they were all low level anyway. “Gather up!” Asher yelled to the normal people. He began scanning through the houses. At the last house Asher found a person convulsing on the ground as mana leaked from their mouth. Huddled in the corner of the room was Prince Truskin himself.
Asher sliced through the turning Gone and grabbed the prince by the scruff of his neck. The blonde haired man squealed and shook. His eyes shocked and distant, he let himself be dragged. Asher used Mana Sense, but couldn’t find anyone else in the village. He moved the prince to the group of people from the village and waited for his team to join. It wasn’t long before Abby, Atty, and Tiff flew in.
“What happened?” Tiff asked.
“I was hoping you could find out. Looks like the prince came here, but I don’t know why there were zombies. The walls are still standing. Who is the village elder?” No one answered.
“He’s dead,” Tiff said, looking around. Asher cursed and looked to the oldest looking man.
“You, what happened?” The man shook, but slowly answered.
“I don’t know. We have only fought a few of the Gone. The trees are too thick, so the big ones haven’t bothered us,” he said.
Asher looked from person to person trying to find a falsehood. He finally landed on the Prince. The blonde man shook and wrapped himself in his dirty cloak. “Prince Ilonis Truskin. I am sorry about your parents, but what happened here?”
The prince shook more. The other people eyed him. They didn’t appear to know him either. Tiff walked closer to him.
“He came and took charge a couple of days ago,” she said sadly. The Prince began to spasm. “There’s something not quite right…” She walked closer still. The Prince screeched at her and lunged. Asher was on him instantly. Grabbing the neck of his cloak he pushed the prince against the wood stakes in the ground.
“You are my guard!” The prince spat. Asher looked down to his body. His hands were gray. His once clean clothes were tattered and bloody. Asher used Identification.
*Wesrall Turned*
Level 27
Asher hadn’t run into these yet. There were asterisks so he was a Risk. Or about to turn into one. He had gained a lot of levels too. Asher doubted it was done the old fashioned way. Ripping off the man’s clothes Asher could see black veins around his chest. The prince spit and bit at him. There was a faint blue glow coming from his mouth.
Tossing him to the side Asher ripped off his cloak. On the man’s back was a gray Lotus. Tendrils stuck from the round body into the Prince’s back. “He’s turning into an Behemoth,” Asher said, stepping forward. His sword in hand he was ready to finish the royal line.
“Wait!” Tiff said. He watched as she moved next to him and started channeling Mind Mana into the Lotus. The Prince shrieked and shook as she did. Suddenly a fire broke out on the back of the Lotus creature. It shrieked more. The fire intensified. The Prince’s body spasmed and an unholy scream escaped.
“Tell me!” Tiff screamed at it. The fire made the alien’s skin boil. The flames on its back spread to the prince.
“Tiff,’ Asher said as the Prince screamed louder. Her brow furrowed, sweat broke out on her forehead, but slowly she lowered her hands.
“It won’t let go,” she admitted. Asher nodded. Time for his level of surgery. Raising Dragon Slayer he wondered where the best place to attack was. Lowering it back down he did a sweep across the Prince’s back. The body of the Lotus was cut in half. Leaving the base attached to his back and the tendrils sticking out like spikes.
The inside of the Lotus was a green goo. Asher noticed a large hole in the Prince’s back. It appeared to be a mouth of the Lotus drilling into his spine. Tiff and Atty blanched from the view. The fire out on the prince now the man shed a few tears. With a long sigh he died. Asher hadn’t liked the prince, but no one deserved to be controlled like that.
When the other’s calmed down and his party had joined them Tiff spoke. “I think I know where we have to go.”
