23 Finding the Formula

It doesn't take a genius to understand when shit has hit the fan. After making sure I wasn't crazy, I left my cavern towards Torix. I reached beside him, "Mind if I ask something?"

He turned towards me, "Does it matter if I mind? You will ask regardless."

"Most of the time that isn't true. This time it is. I've been having dreams, almost nightmares but not quite. They're less horrifying and more...haunting."

"And?"

"And I've been hearing a phrase in one of the dreams. Embrace me, my child. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but I started reading about Etorhma, Eater of Worlds. After a few passages on the subject, I thought it was a good idea to tell you about it."

He pursed his lip, "Are you absolutely sure the voice said those exact words?"

"Yeah. When I heard its voice, it was like my entire being was vibrating. Even if I was deaf and blind, I would still hear his voice in my mind. It was that peircing."

"Yes, you would. Etorhma is the most active of all the known Old Ones. He maintains a cult with an unknown goal. I've traded with them before. Etorhma contacting mortals isn't all that uncommon. He beckons those most likely to follow him. Do you have any desire to become his plaything?"

"Hell no."

"Good. He may keep contacting you, due to your unknown status. Ignore him, but do not openly defy him. Etorhma has made even rulers of worlds insane with just an utterance in their dreams."

I grimaced, "Noted. I'll see if I can avoid that."

Torix nodded, "Wise of you to tell me about this. Althea has been getting dreams with Etorhma beckoning her as well. That should ease your concerns. For now."

I sighed, releasing the tension in my shoulders. Knowing about Althea's involvement helped quite a bit with my nerves. Reading the scriptures had nearly given me a heart attack. As I turned to walk away, Torix said,

"Do you know what the cultist I spoke with said about Etorhma? Obviously not. Allow me to enlighten you. He said, 'They say there's nothing faster than light. Well they're wrong. No matter where light goes, darkness is already there...and it is waiting.'"

I gulped, "Sounds insane."

Torix shook his head, "He had the clearest eyes of anyone I've ever met. Be careful of Etorhma. He will change you if you let him."

I nodded, "Yeah, reminds me of Baldag-Ruhl. Honestly, Etorhma sounds like an overgrown eldritch."

Torix shrugged as he stared back at the wall’s runes, "If so, he is the largest and oldest of them all."

I left him before Althea and I had our characteristic spars. Without her spear cannon, she struggled against me, my usual wins happening faster and faster. I could tell her heart wasn't in it, so I said at the end of the session,

"Alright, you're done with the spars. I'm not fighting you anymore."

She frowned before hissing, "Now you want to quit? After all the beatings you want to just stop?"

"I can tell you're not putting your all into it anymore. It's like you've given up. Neither of us will learn anything from this. I'm better off just learning random skills for tree points than this shit."

She bit her lips before turning towards her cubby hole. She walked away, saying, "We will fight again. I will let you know when I am ready."

I grinned, "I'll be waiting."

After reaching back into my own side cavern, I created a list of various common skills that would help me with closing the gap with my foes. Reaching them was essential, and Blitz, burrow, and jumping were high up on the list for accomplishing that task. Throwing offered tons of utility as well.

Magic, on the other hand, seemed like a far off concept, and Torix had told me I should wait to learn about mana. Having too apt a feel for my current mana would make the process of using eldritch energy even harder.

With that in mind, I focused on charging into the wall for blitz and burrow. I used my captured bat, dodging his pathetic tackles every time I charged into the wall. Once enough crags of rock built up on the floor, I tossed them at the bat, aiming just over its head and between its ears.

I ended up hitting the bat once or twice, but the creature's innate tenacity shined through. After several hours of this, I tried molding my armor away from my face as I tossed the stones. I gained quite a few tree points from these tasks in dominion of soul, throwing, blitz, burrow, and jumping since I would leap into the wall.

After a few more hours, my actions gew far more fluid, like I wasn't doing a random set of tasks. The actions came together until I could pull myself from the wall, toss the stones, then charge back into the wall before the bat even charged twice.

Of course, this exhausted me over time. After seven or so hours of this training, I poured sweat and my limbs burned. This increased my skill gain remarkably. When my lungs began burning, the skills gained faster. When my limbs were like lead, they gained faster still. It wasn't until I fumbled with the stones and shot one into a wall that the skill gain slowed down again.

I breathed out before banging my head against the wall. The slight pain cleared my head, reminding me of what the training was for. Every twelve skill points was like gaining an attribute, and I needed them badly. I practiced long into the night, my stamina depleting as I heaved for breath. Finally, I was using the determinator tree to its fullest extent.

I ended up stopping the training after I slipped during one of my charges. I fell and crushed my training bat beneath me, blood splattering like a red tube of toothpaste. Whenever I walked up towards Torix, he said, "Even though I am undead, I am still disgusted by your hygiene. Have you no shame?"

I replied, "Shame is for the weak and people with low self confidence. That being said, I want to be clean for other reasons, like being able to eat without throwing up at the smell."

He cast a spell, the gunk all over me disappearing in an instant. I was impressed to say the least.

"Is there anyway I can learn that spell anytime soon?"

"It requires precise handling of spatial manipulation and a pocket dimension you enchant into a ring. It should only take a few months to master, if you're talented that is."

"So I'll take that as a no."

I left him before practicing the pull ups, push ups, jumping, and rock climbing. With a summoned skeleton from Torix, I sped up the process by avoiding the attacking bones as I did the tasks. I must have looked ridiculous during the whole ordeal. That didn't matter to me though. After a couple more hours, I finally had enough points for another rank in Obliterator.

I put all the points I could into the tree before the notification hit me like a barrel of awesome sauce.

As an obliterator, you give no mercy. You do not cull your enemy, you erase them completely. From this point onward, +2 attribute points per 5 levels. Effect is retroactive for all levels gained before 100.

Aw yeah. Another 20 points of sweet justice came sweeping my way. I invested 8 points into perception, and the other 12 into luck. The perk screen appeared deliciously.

[Clear-Sighted(Perception of 25 or more) - Your perception is incredible. Adds 1/10th of perception to charisma. Capacity for comprehension doubled. Radius of awareness doubled. Traps and enemies are color coded on your minimap.]

[All-Seeing(Perception of 30 or more) - Another 1/10th of perception added towards charisma. Additional comprehension, sensory excellence, and awareness per level. Very slight clairvoyance given for high perception.+5 mana per point in perception. Doubles mana cost.]

[Lucky(Luck of 10 or more) - Your luck is good. Doubles money found.]

[Fortunate(Luck of 15 or more) - Your luck is admirable. Doubles chances of rare events.]

[Rigged Dice(Luck of 20 or more) - Your luck is amazing. Doubles the increase of odds being in your favor. You're more likely to meet the right people at the right time.]

I had enough perk points for all of them, so I selected them all and finalized my decision. At that moment, it was like my eyes opened for the first time. Tiny sounds in the distance hummed in my ears. The current of air in the room became clear to me. I could distinctly feel the difference in temperature between the air near my feet and my head. When I opened my mouth, I tasted enough to single out materials, like the iron laden clay and dust wafting from my training.

Even as that rush of awareness saturated me, the arcane bonds in my blood strengthened further still. The most bizarre sensation came from a sudden change in mindset. When I glanced around, I picked up on subtle details. So many details, that a sort of idea of what would come next started to form. This was nothing like a prediction. I knew with absolute certainty what would come next, though only for a fraction of a second beyond the present.

With the sudden rush of comprehension, ideas sprang into my mind of how I wanted to fight from here on out. I grinned at my new found abilities. With that in mind, I checked out my status screens.

Daniel Hillside Totals Regen Buffs/Debuffs

Health 2606/2606 357.2/min Oppression Damage- 6000+20%hp/min

Stamina 1040/1040 31/sec Elemental Res - 96.5%

Harbinger of Cataclysm 360,067/4,000,000 0/per min Plasma Res - 96.5%

Phys Dam Reduction - 96.5% Rad Res - 96.5%

Phys Dam Bonus - 350% Mental Res - 96.5%

Level 103 Attribute Totals

Strength - Increases carrying weight, maximum speed, and physical power 30

Constitution - Increases hardness, density, and weight of your body 36.3

Endurance - Increases regeneration of stamina, health, and their totals 51

Dexterity - Increases ease of movement, flexibility, and reflexes 30

Willpower - Increases internal motivation, mana regen, and Mental Res 30.3

Intelligence - Increases memory, critical thinking, and total mana pool 30

Charisma - Increases likeability, persuasion, and decreases prices at shops 9

Luck - Increases money found, odds in your favor, and chance of rare events 21

Perception - Increases comprehension, the five senses, and awareness 30

This left only charisma and luck before I could focus on investing most of my points into endurance or willpower. According to Torix, once you didn't have any perks left, you gained attribute points instead. So I did some math and compared myself with the average Joe.

With Obliterator maxed out, I'd probably have 4 extra attribute points per 5 level. Once my perks were maxed out, I'd be getting another 1 attribute point for every perk I didn't need. I'd be getting 10 attribute points per 5 levels all in all. Most people would gain 6 attribute points per 5 levels, including their perk point every 5 levels. I'd also have extra multipliers on endurance and willpower, giving me even more free attribute points if I invested in them. All things considered, I'd be getting over twice as many attributes as someone of the same level.

Combine that with my armor and my two extra leveling perks, and I wouldn't become something just unmovable. I would become something unstoppable, like a walking storm.

Still, I needed more than just attribute points for beating the shit out of my enemies. I needed to harness my skills and get the fighting prowess of a master.

With that in mind, I paced up towards Torix, "Yo Torix."

He frowned as I approached with a grin, "What is it then?"

"Can you lend me a deathknight? I need one for practicing a new skill."

"Fine. If you kill it, I will kill you. Remember that."

I tapped my temple, "I've been forgetting things less lately. Sure thing."

He squinted his eyes before saying, "You're self confidence is even more disgusting than the blood from earlier. Do tone it down, or I will be forced to humble you."

I rolled my eyes, "Come on man, give me a chance to feel good about my progress."

"Feeling smug and good are two very different things. One may help you focus, the other will make you lazy. Anyways-”

He lifted a hand before spawning a deathknight much like the one I faced before. With a black slit for an eye, interlocking plates, and a sharpened sword at his side, he made for an intimidating sight. I beamed at him with a childish joy. It was time to unlock another unique skill.

The knight and I walked over towards the center of the arena, saying, "Can you understand me?"

The knight nodded.

"Good. Charge and try slashing me. Do it slowly at first. I need a bit of practice before we ramp things up."

The knight nodded once more before dashing towards me. Instead of dodging his blow, I angled the back of my fist towards the edge of his sword. The blade slid off my sleek armor. We did this a few dozen times before I got the hang of it. I would use the very slight precognition from the all-seeing perk to predict the angle of the attack. After lining up my opened hand with the deathknight's sword, I would bang the sword away mid swing, hitting the sword on the flattened part.

With a few more tries, I gained a skill for my efforts.

Skill gained! [Deflection(lvl 1) - You force what fights you to move, instead of moving from what fights you. +1% to hand speed and reaction times while deflecting strikes.]

Of course a well thought out skill would give more benefits than a haphazard one. With that in mind, I deflected and redirected the knight's blows time and time again. His speed increased as I gained level after level in the skill.

What do you do if a strike comes towards your neck? You lean away from the blow and shrug the shoulder closest to the blade. The sword rides up the armor of your arm and flies over your head. What about a long slice towards your feet? You palm the sword’s flat part away from you, smashing it towards the ground. The sword digs deep into the earth, ruining the enemy's weapon. I learned these tricks and many more little tidbits for helping my parries.

The knight’s blows grew in volume, speed, and intensity as we trained. Without my increased perception and dexterity, redirecting his blows would be impossible. With these enhanced attributes however, I kept pace as I adjusted my form time and time again. His strikes never blurred in the air anymore. I could see their every shift in movement, like I had the eyes of an eagle. It was awesome.

After a few more hours of this, the knight collapsed from exhaustion. Apparently the undead had stamina just like the rest of us. I heaved the knight over my shoulder before carrying him towards Torix. The lich glared at me as I said, "He just passed out from exhaustion."

"You had better pray that you are right, Daniel."

I scratched the back of my head, my armored hand scraping my helm, "Is it okay if you lend me another knight, this time experienced in archery?"

"Oh but of course. Why not just waste all my stores of the undead? It is so simple to find a fresh corpse, bring it to life before it decays, and train it for servitude. Not a problem at all."

I raised my palms, "Jesus. I get it already. Can you please lend me one? I need him to practice catching."

Torix's gaze turned curious, "Catching? You intend on catching his arrows?"

"Yes."

"Well then, let me know if he gouges your eyes. I have several potions I planned on trying out, and a few of them require the eye of a troll. Your eyes should suffice."

My face dulled, "Thank you so much for your support."

Torix grinned, "I do try from time to time."

A portal appeared before another knight wearing the same armor walked out. In his hands was a crossbow with several bolts in it. A loaded quiver hung from his back, and he turned towards me with the same competence as the knight before him.

We walked into the middle arena before I smashed my hand into the ground. The stone cracked under the force of my blow. The edges of the stone bent upwards in sharpened crags. I cupped a few of them in my hands and tossed them toward the knight.

"Throw these at me. I'll be catching them. Toss them harder and harder over time."

He set his crossbow down on his side before tossing the stones at me. The process repeated, just like with the deflection training. I gained the skill for catching before he was chunking stones like a pitcher in baseball. A few more hours of this passed before he swapped towards the arrows.

I took a few arrows to the knee before I started catching them far more frequently. I continued this routine for several days that turned into weeks. Torix's friend still hadn't shown up, and Torix was far more than just displeased at the fact. Althea tinkered with her gun during this time, discovering different means and methods for recreating it. She would leave for long stretches of time, coming back ravenous. I assumed she was working on her aim.

Who knows. It hadn't taken too long before a single knight of Torix's couldn't challenge me anymore. I needed two then three before they posed a challenge. I'd reached a sort of plateau. All these skill came together somehow, I could feel it. I just hadn't taken the final step for a unique skill's completion.

Just such an opportunity presented itself when Torix announced,

"It's time. That doctor of Althea's has sent his other bounty hunters here."

I said, "Anything noteworthy about them?"

Torix opened his hand out, creating a sphere pure white with jagged edges. It spun with great force, until the edges of it no longer blurred. Torix pulled his hand back, recoloring the sphere with an area outside the cave. Two robed beings inspected the area near where Althea and I fought. One was as massive as an elephant, with massive veins throbbing underneath his robe. He was gross.

The smaller one glowed a reddish aura with a fist-sized, black crystal in his hand.

Above their heads were two messages.

Elthodriss, Berserker of Yawm(lvl 672) - Elthodriss is a follower of Yawm of Flesh. Yawm is a worshipper of old ones, forming a religion and cult around them. Elthodriss is one of his upper advisors, and a member of very rare giants. Elthodriss specializes in strength and constitution, being a brute for Yawm.

With his overhwelming stature and brutality, he can crush most enemies with ease. He also knows of dark magic, the kinds forbidden by Schema. He connects with unknown old ones for excessive flows of energy. He becomes madness incarnate, a being without any control during his tantrums.

He often fights with Kelto Drainer who controls him during this berserker state. At your current level, one swipe of his fist would splatter you against the wall. Pray that is what happens to you, else you will be taken back to Yawm of Flesh. Far worse awaits you there than a simple death.

Kelto Drainer, Endower of Yawm(lvl 459) - Kelto Drainer is a Follower of Yawm of Flesh. He acts as a sort of puppeteer of the brutes within Yawm's ranks. He uses mind magic for controlling them when they are channeling the magic of the old ones.

Despite his role, Kelto is more than able when it comes to fighting on his own. He uses mind magic mostly, focusing on bending the user's will to his own. His elemental and dark magic are of particular note as well. He can overcharge a user with old one's energy, making them go insane. This makes him very dangerous in close combat.

Avoid facing it at all costs. You are but fodder for him.

Torix sighed, "Althea is aligned with a mad doctor who worships Yawm of Flesh. Of course you would draw in this kind of company." Torix grabbed his forehead before pushing up a pair of imaginary glasses, a habit of his when he was deep in thought. After a moment, he enhanced his voice with magic,

"Come, Althea. We need to talk."

Althea stood from her cubbyhole and jogged over towards us. When she was beside Torix, the lich said, "Do you know anything about this doctor of yours?"

She shook her head, "No. I know nothing. I was...less than a lab rat. I was just one of many experiments."

Torix cupped his hand, "In fact, you may have been one of the few successful ones. Perhaps even the only one who was sentient."

Torix narrowed his eyes as I said, "Who in the fuck is Yawm of Flesh?"

Torix met my eyes with his own, "A worshipper of the Old Ones. He believed that being touched by them makes you a superior being, someone above normal beings. I know of them as I was once in contact with Etorhma as well. They view him as the absolute truth."

I frowned, "If this Yawm character is trying to get back Althea with two fighters of this level, then why did they send her out in the first place?"

Althea replied, "The doctor looked at me as his treasure. He may not have spoken with the others of my abilities."

Torix nodded, "So he was greedy then...Hah, now he's probably dying to get our little Althea back. I wonder why they were trying to assimilate the eldritch with her. The Old One's and the eldritch are two very different forces."

I shrugged, "Maybe they aren't quite as different as you'd believe."

Torix tapped the edge of his dark energy chair, "Or maybe Althea is more than just part eldritch. She may be something more like the Old Ones."

I grimaced, "Then what kind of energy is my armor eating?"

Torix's fire eyes flickered as he solemnly said, "Honestly? I...I don't know anymore."