Chapter XXIX – Day 535 (3) – The Ritualist Versus The Astrologer?

Chapter XXIX – Day 535 (3) – The Ritualist Versus The Astrologer?

The Astrologer finally made his move. How foolish of him. I had striped scorpions teleport in his way. He spun around them, like a bird. Yes, come closer and you will be within my grasp. I clenched my left hand. Tethers snapped across multiple wavelengths.

The Astrologer swung out with one hand. All the formed tethers shattered, but he still kept coming right at me. I clenched my right hand. The energy shifted around me. I was nowhere as good as the Refraction Orb I had defeated. The astrologer swung his other hand into my barrier.

There was an intense grinding sound. Energy materialized as white blasts of heat and energy, shooting away from where the Ritualist was trying to penetrate my defenses. My left hand was already moving, more tethers formed. This time he was unable to dodge.

He struggled, but he was at once stronger and weaker that an actual person. A person just arrived, would have their mind taken over, but the body would resist by twitching occasionally. The Astrologer was completely immovable but I was unable to penetrate his mental defenses.

I dropped my defense since it was longer needed and forced my depression aura on him. He shrugged it off. Well, I had captured him at the very least. I had a werewolf approach. “Astrologer, it seems the tables have turned,” I said.

“Ritualist. You won’t be able to kill me,” the Astrologer said.

“Oh, I know. A projection. Once you know what to look for it is obvious. Your technique is quite impressive,” I said as I layered more tethers upon his body.

“Just some minor tricks. You won’t be able to trace my real body or harm me,” the Astrologer said with confidence.

“Oh, I know. You are independent aren’t you?” The Astrologer didn’t reply, but that was all I needed as confirmation. “But you also have all the knowledge of the original.”

“So, you wish to torture me somehow? Don’t make me laugh. There is only one person I fear, and she isn’t here the last I checked,” the Astrologer said.

“I want a trade. Information. I have crossed the level 4 threshold and have captured you,” I said while keeping my anger in check.

“But for some reason there are no level 4 summons or hybrids. Also, you have learned some tricks. But the threshold is much greater. Summoning won’t work to do what is needed. You have nothing to offer me.”

My metal men were already in the way. The glowing triangles embedded into them. One flew past my head. It had missed me. The Astrologer then disappeared. The glowing triangles disappeared instantly without a fuss or an effect. There one moment and gone the next. The Astrologer was running away like a rat. Well at least I wounded the man. I felt pain from the left side of my head. I brought up my hand, blood was pouring out of my head. It was hard to control my arm.

I looked down on the ground. My left ear had been sliced off. That wasn’t too bad. Then my left arm fell to the ground as well. “Ahhh!” I screamed. Even as the tortured cry left my throat. I began to lose focus. I felt my energy shifting without my command!

I gasped for air as I clutched onto all my tethers with everything I had. I couldn’t afford to lose my army. I couldn’t lose! Heat and energy radiated from the level 4 crystals embedded into my spine below my head. They shrunk slightly, pulling bone and flesh they were imbued in, towards them, holding them in place even as they shrunk.

My spine was bent collapsed to the ground, unable to move or feel anything below my neck. I never let go of my tethers. At least I couldn’t feel the pain anymore. Material formed where my left arm should have been. The glow from the energy and the angle of my head made it hard to see. It was too difficult to focus through my monsters.

“AHHH!” I screamed even more when I felt my spine shifting some more. It was all I could do, to hold onto my mind and my tethers. I was Chase. I was the Ritualist! A few moments later the pain was gone, and I could feel my body again. It was weird.

I slowly looked at my body through the eyes of one of my monsters. A left arm was back on my body, but it was no longer my arm. It was a puppet arm, similar to what the Puppet Master had. It had a metallic sheen to it, like the refraction orb. Four eyes opened on the arm, and my head felt like it was going to split. White tears dripped down from the pure white eyes. Eyes like the Weeping Child.

The hand had ten fingers. I forced the eyes on the arm closed while I forced my body to breath. I got back to my feet with the help of a couple of my summons and placed into a spare travel box. The box was closed up and I focused all my attention on my army.

My left arm and body felt weird. Everything felt off. My left arm twitched, and I could feel the eyes moving outside of my control. I frowned and exerted my will and brought my movements under control. I had transformed.

Even while I controlled my army, most of my attention was focused on dealing with what had just happened. I had undergone a partial hybridization. How was that even possible? I doubted the store would still be available to me, but there was hope that I could be fixed.

Or perhaps, this wasn’t a bad thing. I was evolving into the next form. I flexed all ten fingers on my left hand and my tethers sand. The control I had was immaculate. My mind could process all the changes happening with my monsters even more easily than before. Shifts of energy were available to me. I could project my depression aura out even further.

The Astrologer had screwed up. He had just progressed my power more than ever before. Soon, the world would weep before my strings. All dancing to my tune, unable to harm me. I mentally embraced the changes.

During my distraction there had been some issues, but I still had control. Champion Michael had struck during my distraction, dealing damage to my army before retreating into the city. I scanned the skies for the Astrologer, but there was no sign of him.

Now that I was even stronger, I dared him to try attacking me again. Soon Purgatory would be no more, Champion Michael hunted down like a dog, and I would stand on top of the world.