A Mysterious Transformation
I threw my knife at the old gobling. "Black Aura, Black parade, Black Lightning Javelin," I called and fired it off after my knife bounced off the wiseman gobling's shield. The green aura once again surrounded me, and green lightning surrounded the javelin. The shield shattered before the might of my empowered Black Lightning Javelin. It speared through the wiseman gobling's head.
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Critical 6140 Dark/Shock
The skull of the wizened gobling rotted away before my eyes. Electricity gathered before shooting out of his eye sockets in a gooey mess of gore and jelly. The bones yellowed and rotted into dust.
"Whew, look at that guy. We make a great team. Don't worry buddy, I won't leave you hanging." The voice said.
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Level Up
HP and AP Restored
Jacob lvl17 Darkling
+10 HP and AP
+1 to all stats
AP 1179
I pulled my bow up just in time to block a dagger from the seductress that would have pierced my heart. The troll charged like bull swung his club like a baseball bat. I ducked under the club and felt the feathers of my head dress shake.
To call it a club didn't do it justice. It was a flail made of bone and jagged teeth. I dodged back further from the swinging swift giant. The troll chieftain was faster, stronger, and moved like a choreographed fighter. The green aura made me just fast enough to dodge the return stroke.
I stabbed an arrow into his elbow joint and dodged a down swing. The Troll Chief yanked the arrow out and continued attacking. Something was missing. The seductress had disappeared. I felt the cold steel of the seductress's knife slip between the owl feathers before the club smashed into my side cracking most of my ribs.
For a second, I lost control of my processes. I stopped calculating and processing odds. The quests ceased to matter to me. Pain unlike anything I'd felt in decades shot through my side. Blood flowed quietly down my back slick and sticky. It wasn't closing anytime soon, and my vision had grown blurry. The blood kept flowing.
"It seems you need another handout. Alright, I'll give you a loan. Don't worry about paying me back, I believe in you little guy. You have what it takes to put those two in the ground." The voice said.
I didn't know who was helping me and I didn't care. Without help, I'd die here.
Breathing was difficult. Every breath cracked my ribs and blurred my vision more. "Black Lightning Javelin," I called to the spell that was growing more familiar every day. Instead of using it to fight, I used it to stand. Junk decayed below the point of the javelin as I forced myself up.
In moments my aura ran dry and the javelin vanished leaving me naked on my feet. This was it, the flail smashed against the side of my head and I saw stars. I flew into the side of the pile and junk avalanched on top of me. Broken beakers, corpses, and mysterious liquids poured down burying me deep.
"Don't worry champ, I have your back. This one is going to hurt." The voice said.
Vast amounts of energy filled my body. My aura increased ten times its original limit. Force from my aura pushed the junk back from my body. More strength than I've ever felt filled my body. I pulled a javelin from my aura.
The javelin knocked like any other arrow. I pulled it back and felt the spells will to fire. I aimed for the seductress first. Junk rose from the ground until my target was in sight. I released my draw and let the arrow fire.
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Critical: 25000 Dark/Shock DMG
She looked confused when the arrow split open her chest. The plebe clutched her chest and stared at me in confusion. She turned to the chieftain who paid her no attention. Then she saw the broken body of the wisened golbing. Her mouth opened then she looked at me. Brown eyes bugged out of her head while her chest rotted away. It was a testament to her strength that she still lived.
The sudductress stepped forward, her body a rotting mess. Flesh fell away exposing ribs. I prepared to fire another shot as she reached for her dropped dagger. Before touching it, she fell to her knees and died.
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Level Up
Level Up
HP and AP Restored
Jacob lvl19 Darkling
+20 HP and AP
+2 to all stats
AP 1341
I raced through the falling junk just after my arrow fired. The troll chieftain swung his flail. My bow deflected the first blow. The force jammed my shoulders and picked my feet off the ground.
While the force carried me to safety, I had time to look the chieftain in the eyes. The eyes of the chieftain were glazed over, there wasn't anything left of him. He was a Gwen's puppet. What did she do to him? Was it what she tried to do to me? Why did she go so far? Why did she try so hard to stop me?
"This is the last one. Kill him with the power I've given you." The green aura gathered around me with greater force than ever. As I studied it, I gained a little insight into it. This was the aura of a gobling. I accepted those thoughts and shut them down. All my attention focused on the level 40 Troll Chieftain.
I retreated from from the charging chieftain and peppered him with arrows. Most only dented the steel plate he wore. The few that managed to find joints in the armor fell out and the wounds healed over. The Troll charged with a mighty roar. I dodged the first swipe of the flail.
A green aura surrounded the behemoth. It moved faster. The green aura surrounding me just wasn't enough to keep up. My mind raced for something, anything that could help me.
"Oh, you need another bail out. Don't worry, I have your back. Didn't I tell you that already. Unfortunately, your body can't handle much more of my aura. So, I came up with a plan. Do you see that beautiful corpse over there green and mostly melted why don't you try cultivating it?" That was easier said than done. The mass of muscle shot at me.
I dodged the first swing. The Troll Chieftain turned on a dime and smashed his club into me. I blocked with my bow and the screws snapped. My bow folded in half. The momentum carried me back. I barrel rolled down hill. I threw myself over and grabbed ahold of the seductress's corpse.
"I have it, now what." I yelled.
Green aura swirled around me and the corpse. "I've always wondered if this was possible. Hang on this is going to feel weird. Black/Green/Red series, Temporary Rank Up." My eyes widened as a monumental amount of aura pushed into me.
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Ranking Up: Plebe transformation
Noble Imp
The seductress's flesh turned into aura leaving behind a single purple shard. It glowed with purple aura before shooting into my chest. Then I felt myself change rapidly.
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Lust Shard Acquired x 1
+5DEX
DEX 28
My black aura overtook the green and my body transformed. It was fast, dirty, and fragile. The form felt like putting on a coat that didn't quite fit. I knew it was temporary. Still the power was incredible.
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Plebe Rank Reached
Traits Gained: Mage, Scholar, Gentleman, Diabolist
Mage: Tier 2 spells unlocked
Scholar: Written spells can be learned 100% quicker.
Gentleman: The ladies adore your dashing personality. +25% charm opposite sex.
Diabolist: +100% Dark DMG can form contracts with demons and eldritch.
Ping!
Jacob lvl19: Noble Imp
+380 HP and AP
+38 to all stats
HP 190 – 570 (4206)
AP 190 – 570 (6463)
STR 23 – 61
DEX 28 – 66
CON 20 – 58
END 19 – 57
AGL 22 – 60
INT 56 – 94
PER 29 – 67
LUK 33 – 71
When the aura finished its work, I felt powerful. Aura rose at my command. My aura was a black well with practically no end. I raised my hand. "Black Lightning Javelin," Even with the 100AP/s draw a single breath was enough to satisfy the requirements. I could pull enough qi into my new form to fully mitigate the price of my spell.
"Purple thoughts, Black Aura, Black Parade," I called the spells and felt them move into place. I met the troll chieftain head on and held my own. It was far stronger and faster than me. I stepped away just before the teeth of his flail could cut my throat. A shift in my grip and a precise jab brought the tip of my javelin through a gap in my opponent's knee plating.
Decay and electricity fought against the troll's potent healing. With my transformation, I gained height, a neat set of a horns, and a feeling of certainty. I never doubted my victory.
My javelin quickly pulled from the troll chieftain's knee and found its home in the troll's elbow. Another weakness in the steel armor, I could exploit. The troll swung with his good arm. I leapt before the blow began.
With a hop my feet found purchase on the troll's shoulder pauldron. The beast had been a giant. By my measure, I was eight feet tall with my horns, but the troll was much larger. If not for the green aura before, I'd have died from a single blow.
I aimed my javelin and stabbed true. The Troll chieftain's neck split open and decay quickly festered the wound. Black putrid blood spilled from the wound. I leapt from my foe and landed gracefully on the ground. This body was incredible. It was so fast and precise. Saving Gwen was a certainty now. I could do anything, I was invincible.
A red shard glowed from within the troll chieftain. It rose high in the air before shooting into my chest.
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Level Up x 6
Jacob lvl25: Noble Imp
+120 HP and AP
+12 to all stats
Ping!
Wrath Shard Acquired
+5 STR
STR 34 – 84
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Quest Completed: Defeat the three Plebe leaders of the Gobling Town
Rewarded: +10 STR +10 DEX +10 INT
Strength 44 – 94
Dexterity 44 – 94
Intelligence 72 – 122
"Incredible, it was a fifty-fifty chance you'd suffer from the weakening but that wasn't the case. Well champ you just confirmed a theory of mine. Why don't you ransack that old town behind you? You know more than the mindflayer did already. I'm sure she left you some scraps during her little feeding frenzy." The snobbish voice said.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Not so fast you owe me remember. But I understand, I'm just a spooky voice in the dark. Well, when we meet face to face, I'll introduce myself. Bye now."
The voice cut off. I was left with a lot of speculation and no hard evidence. That was something that couldn't do. I could deduce the source of the voice, but I didn't want to believe it was him. I knew but I didn't want it to be true. If it was true, then I'd betrayed Gwen or at least endangered her.
In this new body, I was faster, stronger, and my aura was unstoppable. I needed to hurry. The faster I made it to Gwen the better. She had given me warnings to back off but I thought she was scared. I knew she needed me, so I'd fight for her.
I straightened my crooked headdress and looted the troll chieftain's flail before racing towards the gobling town. No guards protected the towers. As much as I wanted to go racing after Gwen, I needed to reach the next level of refinery. In this new form, I could sense a vast well of qi within the walled city. After I absorbed that, I'd be in the second stage of refinery.
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Quest: Investigate Qi Source
Reward: +3 PER + 2 INT
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Quest: Endure heavy qi concentration
Reward: +3 END + 3 CON
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Quest: Absorb Mysterious Qi
Reward: + 3 STR + 3 DEX
I kicked open the gate and a wave of Qi blasted me. A myriad of clashes between the heaven and the earth filled the city to the brim. The second the door open I heard their call.
"Brains," it was unmistakable. Goblings gathered each with holes in the top of their heads. Their eyes were glazed over, and I sensed something stranger further ahead. As I prepared to unleash my unstoppable aura upon these undead, my fragile form shattered.
I looked down at my familiar claws. I was back in my youngling form. The masses of undead charged. My aura dropped down to 0 and I ran for the nearest guard tower. Hundreds of goblings and rats spewed out from the gate on my trail.