Time seemed to slow down as a ghostly red cloak materialized around his shoulders, boosting his attributes while providing a layer of defense that would sap some force from his enemy’s blows.
The hedgehippo bellowed in rage as it followed below, sending trees crashing to the ground as it tried to reach him. Its Power is off the charts, and its Speed is no joke. It still has plenty of fight left in it, even after taking a heavy hit. What’s my best move to bring the beefy bastard down?
While his skills could counter the monster’s quills, Edge didn’t want to pit Harden against its skill-enhanced bite or take a direct hit from its claws. The creature was stronger than he was and a great deal heavier to boot. It would bat him around if it managed to catch him, sending him staggering to regain his balance. And if it broke through his magical defenses with brute force, it could shear the limbs free from his body in a single strike, armor and all.
Besides, even with the protection offered by Harden’s diamond scales, his organs still had to withstand the kinetic energy conducting through his body. While Regeneration could heal internal damage fairly quickly, it was a massive waste of mana and hurt like hell. There’s also a chance that if the monster can’t bite me in half, it will try to swallow me whole.
Thus, rather than exchanging blows with his prickly foe, Edge intended to slay it in a single strike. Its spine-studded skin was too thick for his chakram to penetrate, but his naginata could get the job done. The polearm wouldn’t inflict enough damage on its own, but with a little help from his skills, the weapon could end the fight in a flash.
As he used Foebinder to swing down from the branches—deflecting some quills with his scales along the way—he drew upon the magic within and activated Elemental Blade, willing subzero mana to infuse his weapon.
The skill was stronger than ever after binding his Frostfury Medallion, and the runic item had changed its appearance too. As the magic flowed out from his core to encase his weapon in a frigid field, silver runes began forming like filigree. In between the drawing of one breath and the next, a thick layer of rime had spread across the blade of his naginata—so cold that it left a trail of vapor in its wake as it froze the moisture in the air.
Edge couldn’t afford to activate too many skills at once, due to the exponential drain that skill combos demanded, but he had used his powers in an order that maximized their efficiency.
Using Foebinder didn’t count as a combo, as long as the chain was already manifested. Passives like Penetrate Foliage could be used without restriction, and auras like Mantle only counted as combos if he ran more than one at the same time. Regeneration was technically an active skill, but he could turn it on and off with a thought, timing its use around his other powers.
It meant that Edge’s only skill combo would be Elemental Blade plus Double Slash, which wasn’t too costly with his current Generation.
As these thoughts passed through his head, he got ready to make his move. The next time the monster came charging for him, the chain of oblivion launched itself straight at its face, swatting another round of spines out of the air along the way.
While the hedgehippo was a tough opponent, it still reared back to protect its eyes… which was exactly what he’d been counting on. Foebinder swerved at the last second, wrapping its length around the monster’s jaws to hold its mouth shut while Edge went in for the kill.
He ordered the living links to retract, launching himself toward the fiend in a streaking blur. It was startled by the move but recovered with disheartening speed, firing a final set of spikes before he arrived.
He had known they were coming and cut three spines out of the air. One grazed his ribs, scoring a superficial wound, but he barely felt it with all the adrenaline flowing through his veins. The monster reared up, planning to claw him with both forelimbs the moment he flew into range.
But Edge had anticipated the attack and had already lined up a counter. He asked Foebinder to pull even harder, arriving a second before his enemy was ready. Body bolstered by Warlord’s Mantle, he wielded his polearm like a lance and struck a powerful blow, plunging the blade deep inside the monster’s chest as the subzero mana from Elemental Blade surged inside its body.
He came to a stop with his feet braced against the creature’s soft underbelly, then Double Slashed before its weight came down. The skill didn’t generate as much force when used from a stationary position, but it was already lodged inside the hippo’s vitals and tore through its guts when he Slashed again.
He released the black chain and Leapt off the monster’s chest, landing lightly on the soil as it came crashing to the ground with a thud that sent leaves raining from the trees.
Its organs were shredded and frozen, but the creature wasn’t dead yet. He Shadow Stepped out of the way when it lunged for him, then hit it with his naginata a few more times. By now, frost was spreading across its body, and its neck was nearly frozen, restricting the flow of blood to its brain and knocking the predator out.
Before the hedgehippo perished, Edge dropped his polearm, reached out with both arms, and willed Extraction to activate. Foebinder’s twin emerged from his right wrist, then both chains forced their way through the gaping gash in the creature’s chest before plunging into its core, dragging his mind along for the ride.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
By now, he had peered inside several monster’s cores, which all depicted a dying world that was rife with virulent corruption. The hippo’s central chamber featured a vast underground enclosure, with sickly black mushrooms lining the walls that glowed with a wan lilac light.
It was dangerous for him to linger, so Edge took a quick look around while deciding which skills he wanted to steal. There were five of them in here, and none of the powers seemed like a good fit for his skillset. In what had become a familiar process, he claimed the ones that were the highest rarity and rank, so that he could Absorb them to enhance the powers comprising his collection.
The first skill he stole was the one that let the monster fire its spines and guide them midflight. While he slid back into his own skin and scanned his surroundings for danger, the chains went to work, pulling the power free from the monster’s core after a brief but intense struggle.
They flung the avatar into his mouth, then retracted through his wrists while Edge played his own part in the process. The skill was thin and prickly and featured a sharp, minty taste. After Hardening his mouth, he could bite down without piercing his tongue, and the avatar turned to goo a few solid chomps later.
After the pureed power slid down his throat and entered his core, a message from the System appeared.
You have extracted the skill: Fling Quill (Uncommon, Rank 3).
Digestion is complete.
When extracting a skill higher than Rank 1, a portion of its experience will be retained if you choose to keep it.
Would you like to slot Fling Quill now?
“No. Thank you.” Edge Absorbed the skill and stepped into his core, watching as Fling Quill’s avatar was drawn through the grate of his reactor—consumed by the vast realm of flame roiling beyond its bulbous black grill. The spikes burned before vanishing like smoke on the breeze, then a trickle of skill experience came flowing back out.
Now then, how should I spend it? After considering the environment he was travelling through and the nature of the challenge ahead, he decided to give Quill’s experience to Penetrate Foliage, which took the form of a floating eyeball with a piercing stare.
If he concentrated, Edge could sense how close his skills were to advancing to the next rank—a process that he visualized as cup that gradually filled as the power came closer to acquiring its next upgrade.
Absorbing Fling Quill was sufficient to fill the eye’s cup halfway to the brim. Stealing one more should do the trick. With that goal in mind, he returned to his body—pleased to see the monster was still alive. Extraction caused considerable damage while working its magic, and most creatures expired before he could plunder more than one or two of their powers.
He used another charge of Extraction and sent the chains of oblivion back into the hedgehippo’s core. They crossed the distance with a series of ghostly clinks, before invading its inner world.
Since he already knew what he wanted, Edge avoided exposing himself to the corruption swirling within, drooling with anticipation after issuing his command. The living links came snaking back out a few seconds later, holding a squirming snout in their coils.
The black chains hurled the skill into his mouth, before returning to their home beyond the black door. After peeking inside the hippo’s core, he was pretty sure that this power had helped the monster find the Savage Garden’s corrupted resources, so it wouldn’t be of use to him now.
The moment that the avatar touched his tongue, Edge began to gag. It was squishy and tasted unimaginably fucking foul—like shit-studded garbage left to rot in the sun. He pinched his nostrils shut, then forced himself to chew as fast as he could.
When the power dissolved, he swallowed hard, trying not to retch as it entered his core.
You have extracted the skill: Sense Tainted Seeds (Uncommon, Rank 3).
Digestion is complete.
When extracting a skill higher than Rank 1, a portion of its experience will be retained if you choose to keep it.
Would you like to slot Sense Tainted Seeds now?
“Fuck no.” That was awful, let’s not steal that one again. Edge stepped inside his inner world and Absorbed the power as bile rose hot in his throat. When Sense’s experience flowed out of his reactor and into Penetrate Foliage, the floating eye began to glow.
Just as he’d hoped, it was enough to advance the sensory skill to rank two. When his Guide appeared to display the list of upgrades, he eagerly began to read.
The skill Penetrate Foliage has advanced to Rank 2.
Its mana efficiency has been enhanced.
Please choose between one of the following options:
- Penetrate Foliage can now identify plants with unusually high concentrations of mana.
- Penetrate Foliage can now peer through bestial and monstrous plants.
- Penetrate Foliage now offers a moderate thermal vision effect.
Warning: If no option is selected, your skill will remain unchanged and gain a slight bonus to mana efficiency.
Edge rubbed his chin as he considered his options.
For starters, he crossed number two off the list. While he had run into both plant monsters and beasts—most notably nymphs and sniper lilies—he couldn’t deduce any advantage in being able to see through them. It must have some value, or the System wouldn’t have offered it, but it’s not the upgrade for me.
The first choice was solid, since it would help him find mana seeds and fruit in the wild—valuable resources that could top off his energetic reserves on demand.
But since Edge was about to take on a small army of convicts, he needed something that had a direct combat application. Besides, I just invested heavily into Generation. I should be able to refill my reservoir quickly enough for now. Thermal vision it is.
Many core-wielders on Ord had some manner of stealth skill, which operated via a range of different mechanisms. Perception alone wasn’t sufficient to counteract them all, and the more methods he had for spotting his foes, the safer he would be.
Adding the ability to sense heat to Penetrate Foliage would reveal enemies that were using optical camouflage—a defense that the rank-one version couldn’t counter. Being able to perceive heat should come in handy in other situations too, so it’s a solid upgrade all-around.
When Edge made his selection, the floating eye representing Penetrate Foliage began to change. The eyeball’s emerald iris gained a thin band of red, and its gaze seemed even more piercing than before. The transformation was subtle compared to some of the others he’d witnessed, but he could sense the upgrade clearly through the link he shared with his powers.
The newly-enhanced skill turned this way and that as it bobbed in the air, and the avatar seemed pleased by its advancement. Since his bonds with his powers now enhanced their output, he spent a few minutes playing hide and seek with Penetrate Foliage, although he didn’t have a chance in hell of winning.
Then Edge bid the skill avatar farewell and got ready to resume his journey. “Looking good, my strange little friend. I’ll be counting on you during the days ahead.”