Level 1 Material Deconstruction- Weapons, armor, and even ore can be broken down and added directly to your inventory. Mana usage depends on the amount, quality, and speed of deconstruction. Complexity of deconstructed materials does not matter.
Level 1 Organic Deconstruction- Identical to Material Deconstruction, but with living matter. This can be used on sentient beings, but will affect your Alignment negatively if used on non-hostile neutral or positively Aligned intelligent creatures.
Level 1 Force Slash- Condense mana into a powerful shockwave. Damage and power of the slash is equivalent to (mana used * 5)* Level of spell.
"Shard, this stuff is insane! But why did I have to come here for it?" I waited for a few minutes, and was about to start playing with my new abilities when Shard finally spoke up.
"A stampede is coming, and you are going to stop it."
Oh boy. That doesn't sound good. I didn't hear any stampede-esque noises, so I reached out to some nearby leafy bushes with Organic Deconstruction.
"Holy shit!" The bush compressed into itself until it formed a neat, tidy bundle of stripped leaves and cordage. A notification appeared asking if I wanted to put it into my Inventory. I accepted, and was shocked at how comforting the feeling was.
(You have Deconstructed a sapling!)
(You have gained 15 leaves, 5 cordage!)
(You have gained 10 Exp for Deconstructing a bush!)
I wasn't expecting Exp for the Deconstructing process, but it sure was welcome. On the downside though, it cost 8 mana for something as simple as a little bush. There was a little stump left behind, sticking about half a foot into the air.
I repeated the process twice more, depleting my mana until the Exp from it pushed me to Level 3. "Hell yeah, I'll be back on top in no time!" I shouted to the air. After that, I put 4 points into Wisdom and 1 point into Intelligence, bringing both to 8. I could feel myself enhancing, thank the lord. This low Level stuff sucked.
But my maximum mana was up to 32! I couldn't really do anything with the leaves as of yet, so I didn't Deconstruct any more bushes. Instead, I went for a nearby sapling that was only a couple feet higher than I was and about a foot around.
(You have deconstructed a small sapling!)
(You have gained 23 leaves, 19 twigs, 4 branches, 2 logs!)
(You have gained 28 Exp for Deconstructing a small sapling!)
Ugh, that one took a lot out of me. My mana dropped down to only 3 points, and I could feel an invisible weight on my shoulders as I grew closer to my carrying capacity. "Hey Shard, how long till the stampede comes? And what exactly does a stampede consist of?"
"You'll see. Good steel is not forged with a blueprint."
"Whatever that means." I muttered. With nothing else to do, I sat down. I had half a mind to try out a few of my new abilities, but there was nothing to do with them. Even if I could see anything, I didn't really have the mana to do anything with the stuff I could find.
Out of curiosity, I pulled up the Shard of Creation power. A crafting interface appeared with crafting times, mana costs, and resource requirements. It was also segmented into different categories, like Weaponry, Clothing, Tools, Miscellaneous.
The first thing that caught my eye was the clothing, obviously. I was sick of being naked, but it would have to wait until I had leather or hide of some sort. The menu mentioned that even goblin skin would work. I honestly almost went back to the goblin bodies to make myself some clothing.
Then a 30ish pound rat stormed down the hill toward me. And another, and then some more still. In just a few seconds the whole northwest side of the hill was covered in the massive things. Shard's overlay marked them as (Level 1 Massive Rat Horde)
I activated my Warrior's Sight and winced as my vision exploded into a myriad of shifting color. I checked their Health before closing it to avoid a headache. It'd have to wait until I fought a solo enemy. Well, if I survived anyway. My mana was nearly full again thanks to the few minutes I spent browsing the Crafting options instead of using it, though, so I wasn't entirely defenseless.
(Level 1 Massive Rat horde (Small), 1000 Health)
(Individual Member Health, 10)
As they got closer, I powered up Force Slash with 2 mana. I honestly had no idea how big of an area each slash would cover. 2 mana would do enough damage to at least kill one of them, possibly more if the slash was long enough. If not, I'd just have to dump some more mana into it.
"If it is easier for you, you can mold the shape and size manually. The mana will be deducted accordingly."
"That's actually really helpful, thank you Shard." I tried to imagine what Force Slash would look like; a nearly invisible thin line of power that created a ripple in the air, like a heatwave. It took a few precious seconds that I didn't want to lose, but the spell eventually formed.
As the rats got closer, I backed to the edge of the forest clearing. All the while, I kept expanding Force Slash until it was as large as I could make in the limited space. It took 22 mana to make it that size and still do enough damage to kill the ever advancing members of the horde and provide me with precious time to think of a plan.
When they were about five feet away, I unleashed my spell.
Destruction plowed through their ranks like a semi, obliterating almost half of them. The shockwave blew the rest back, but didn't do much in the way of damage.
(You Force Slash a Level 1 Massive Rat Horde (Small) for 537 Damage!)
That was great and all, but I was basically out of mana now, and the rats were regrouping. It would take me at least four or five minutes before I was able to make another Force Slash like that. As it was now, I could make one roughly half the size. That would help, but would it be enough? There's only one way to find out.
I braced for the next wave, but a disgusting revelation saved me. The rats were eating their dead and severely wounded in a massive frenzy, no matter how rancid they may have tasted. I used the time to shape Force Slash and position it just like I wanted, before unleashing it once again.
(You Force Slash a Level 1 Massive Rat Horde (small) for 336 Damage!)
At this point, about a score of the original 100 rats remained. Multiple were wounded, some severely so. I might have a chance now, even if I was entirely out of mana.
While they were still dazed from the attack, I charged forward with a simple but effective technique; kick the shit out of them. I stomped the first one's face in, grimacing as shards of its skull pierced my foot. The second one went just as easily, but I was careful to hold back a little to avoid more bone in my foot.
The plan worked well, until I broke my foot about half way through and they started to regain their senses.
(You injure yourself for 8 Damage!)
(New Condition- Broken Foot! Your movement speed is 75% slower than normal, and walking causes extreme physical pain as well as minor damage to your Health.)
As much as I wish that my previous encounters with pain readied me for this, they most certainly did not. It felt like someone had set off a shrapnel grenade in my foot, then let the flak sit there and grind together at every movement.
I recoiled out of shock more than anything when it broke, tripping over the body of a dead rat and slamming onto my back, which didn't do me any favors. I risked a glance down at it, and immediately wished I hadn't. I could see fragments of splintered bone pushing against my skin from the inside, stretching it in a way that made me sick.
Then the pain hit, and it was all I could do to keep myself still enough for it to heal. As soon as I thought that, a notification appeared.
(Condition Broken Foot will last for 1 week (1 week remaining) unless properly splinted or until a Level up.)
"Well shit. Let's finish off these rats and hopefully Level up. If not, we'll have to see how to make a splint." A furry body launched itself at me, intending to rip into my chest. It was one of the few healthy creatures left, but they still only had half the health of a goblin.
I backhanded the thing wit
h a closed fist, sending it tumbling to my side. It was an awkward motion to make while laying on the ground with a broken foot, but I managed. It didn't get back up.
Most of the other rats were injured, whether from fights over food or my own handiwork. They weren't coming to me though, so I had to pull a branch out of my Inventory to use as a makeshift cane. Whenever I got to a rat, I just balanced on one foot and crushed them with the branch.
(You have defeated a Level 1 Massive Rat Horde (small)!)
(You have gained 1472 Exp for defeating a Level 1 Massive Rat Horde (small)!)
(You have earned enough Exp to Level up 4 times!)
(Congratulations on reaching Level 6!)
Now that's more like it! I sighed in relief as my foot melded back into place. "What the fuck was that about Shard? Why the hell were there massive fucking rats on the surface?"
"I told you before we came here that things are not well here. This world is fractured, possibly beyond repair. I can only hope we are able to leave before that happens, but knowing your personality you will try to fix this place. It is admirable, but stupid."
"That was kinda harsh Shard. Remind me to never ask you for emotional advice. Ever." I ignored whatever witty comment the thing shot back at me, and pulled up my character sheet to distribute my 20 new points. I wasn't sure exactly where I wanted my stats to go yet, so I kept myself fairly balanced.
Name- Donovan Hawthorne
Level- 6 (Experience to next Level- 17/379)
Health- 56/56 (2% regen every 10 seconds)
Stamina- 45/45 (1% regen every 10 seconds)
Mana- 45/45 (2% regen every 10 seconds)
Strength- 10
Endurance- 10
Dexterity- 10
Perception- 10
Intelligence- 10
Wisdom- 10
Luck- 10
Condition- Healthy, Nude (Intelligent creatures may be perturbed by your lack of clothing), Poorly Rested (You have slept in far from optimal conditions. Stamina regen is halved)
Humanity- 9/10 (10% regen per week. When Humanity reaches 3 points or lower, you will develop sociopathic and psychopathic tendencies. If Humanity is at 0 for a month or longer at a time, the effects are permanent and gradually worsen.)
Alignment- Neutral (Your actions to other sentient creatures and nature will affect your Alignment. Positive Alignment will generally endear you to civilians and other do-gooders. Negative Alignment will endear you to more unsavory characters. Neutrally Aligned beings do not care who they deal with.)
Inventory- 85 stripped leaves, 15 cordage, 19 twigs, 4 branches, 2 logs
Spells-
Level 1 Shard of Creation- A sentient artifact from a lost age. By channeling mana through it, you can warp and fuse materials into something else entirely. At higher Levels, mana can be used to make something out of thin air. Mana usage depends on the amount, quality, and complexity of both materials and the end product.
Level 1 Force Slash- Condense mana into a powerful shockwave. Damage and power of the slash is equivalent to (mana used * 5)* Level of spell.
Abilities-
Level 1 Miner's Sight- Ore veins, refined metals, and even coins will be highlighted in your vision, as well as other, unorthodox crafting materials. for no extra mana cost. Higher Levels will highlight ore at further distances. Can be deactivated and reactivated at will.
Level 1 Smith's Sight- When physically forging an item, the location, power and frequency of your needed strikes will be highlighted for no extra mana cost. Can be deactivated and reactivated at will.
Level 1 Architect's Sight- When creating a wall, room, or entire building, the needed and most effective supports and basic directions will be displayed for no extra mana cost. Can be deactivated and reactivated at will.
Level 1 Hunter's Sight- Organic, sentient beings capable of nourishment or harm are highlighted for no extra mana cost. Can be deactivated and reactivated at will.
Level 1 Warrior's Sight- When in combat, soft and vulnerable locations will be highlighted on enemies and yourself for ne extra mana cost. This can be used to cover your most vulnerable points, as well as target those of enemies. Can be deactivated and reactivated at will.
I was nowhere near as powerful as I used to be obviously, but I sure wasn't hopeless any more. I also had, as revolting as it was, plenty of resources to make some clothing now. Or, well, I would when my mana was recovered a bit.
"You have enough to make a knife. From there you can skin them yourself. No matter how useful our powers may be, it is important to keep your physical abilities adept as well. Your Smith's Sight will help with leatherworking as it can technically correlate with smithing, and Miner's Sight will help as well."
"Uh, okay. Cool. I guess I'll just look for a stone then? You know what, fuck that Shard. I've done nastier things than mess with dead rats, I'm just going to play dentist here real quick." I walked over to the nearest rat, prying open its mouth and activating Miner's Sight.
(Level 1 Giant Rat Tooth- 2-4 slashing, 5-7 piercing damage.)
(Level 1 Giant Rat Fang- 2-4 slashing, 8-10 piercing damage.)
I ignored the Teeth, going instead for the obviously better Fangs. I reached into its mouth and grabbed hold of one of the two and a half inch fangs. With a rather sickening squelching sound, it came free of its roots. I nearly gagged at the rancid saliva that covered my hand. This was going to be a major pain in the ass.
(You have learned the ability Mentally Hardened!)
Level 1 Mentally Hardened- Due to prolonged exposure to gruesome and distasteful smells, sights, and sounds, you have developed a resistance to such things. Potions or curses related to mental afflictions have a less profound effect on you.
The ability was cool, but I had more important things to do at the moment. I opened the crafting menu.
(Giant Rat Fang Skinning Knife requires 6 Rat Fangs, 4 twigs, 2 cordage, and 15 mana. Do you wish to create?)
I mentally confirmed the message, and could feel the materials disappear from my Inventory. A blue progress bar appeared under the knife's image, just like a video game.
(Giant Rat Fang Skinning Knife- 7% finished. 3 minutes, 54 seconds remaining.)
I pulled more teeth while I waited, not wanting to waste more mana. I thought about converting some of the stripped leaves to cordage, but thought against it. There were a few projects in here that interested me that might just need the leaves, but I wasn't sure yet.
(Giant Rat Fang Skinning Knife is complete!)
(You have earned 17 Exp for creating a Giant Rat Fang Skinning Knife!)
I could feel a little more weight settle into my Inventory, and I quickly called the knife into my hands so I could look at its stats.
(Giant Rat Fang Knife- 10-14 slashing, 15-19 piercing damage. 25/25 durability.)
"Little bit better than a stone, huh Shard?" No response. "Whatever." I drug a few rats over to the stump of my deconstructed sapling, and sat down. Activating Smith's Sight, multicolored lines appeared on the rats' skin, so faint that I could barely see them without intense concentration.
The lines ranged from bright green to yellow, to blood red, and I wasn't sure whether they meant how deep to cut or where and where not to cut. There was only one way to find out, apparently. I pulled one of the rats onto my lap and lightly pierced one of the green lines.
Lord of Creation Page 8
