January 17th, 2022
***
['Trickster Level 19' killed. 0 copper awarded. 20% XP awarded]
['Trickster Level 19' killed. 5 copper awarded. 20% XP awarded]
['Trickster Level 19' killed. 0 copper...
['Trickster Level 19' killed 0 copper...
['Trickster Level 20' killed. 0 copper awarded. 20% XP awarded]
['Trickster Level 20' killed. 0 copper awarded. 20% XP awarded]
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[Name: Richter Maier || Mana: 50%/100% || Level 20: 50% XP || Unused Attribute Points: 0]
[Class: Swordsman (intrinsic)]
[Attributes: Strength: 25 || Agility: 28 || Constitution: 18 || Magic: 35(32 + 3) || Intelligence 14]
[Abilities: Transcendent Bloodlust (innate), Transcendent Sense (innate), Swordsman's Tenacity (passive), Swordsman's Agility (passive) || Skills: Sunder, Harden]
[49 Copper || 0 Healing Potions || 2 Mana Potions]
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'They even copied my level...'
Richter spat out a glob of blood and rubbed his temples from the oncoming headache. The memories of the drive played back in his mind, but he couldn't remember the faces of the people they passed. He hadn't paid attention; he didn't think it would matter. But what if he had?
Would he have seen any signs? He had no idea how many - if any - of the people were fake. All those bodies staring him dead in the face and nothing to show for it. And the looks they gave the car...
Brent was still hanging back, presumably. Richter would just have to hope that he wouldn't encounter trouble. If Brent was tricked or the car was stolen or—
Richter silenced his thoughts.
'Stop worrying. It doesn't even concern you. You'll be gone by the end of the day.'
He couldn't stick around forever; the explosion attracted too much attention. Even now, Richter Sensed the faint auras of two groups closing in to investigate. He darted out of the condensed property and toward an open parking lot beside a playground. One of the parties aroused his suspicion, consisting of around fifteen people.
He decided to step back and observe first. Two Richters was already too many. And a fight with that big of a group could be a disaster.
The second party he Sensed brought a slight smile to his face. A duo he'd long memorized the auras of.
Richter slinked over to a grey office building that overlooked the area. It was tall. Admittedly, a little taller than he wanted at around three stories in height. But good enough.
[Mana Surge - 5%]
Richter jumped up, grasping the edge of a windowsill and hoisting himself onto the ledge. He shifted his feet sideways and repeated, latching onto any ventilation or pipes he could manage as he got higher. His muscles burned slightly from the effort. Richter glanced over the edge, perched on the roof.
And for the finishing touch, he needed to give them another event to triangulate. Otherwise, they'd end up at the townhouse.
[Chain Cast: Sunder (5%) --> Mana Surge (10%)]
The orb impacted a corner of the playground's floor, launching rubber mulch like confetti in a small radius. The sound was muffled, but the wind would carry. And the two parties picked up on it.
Richter ducked down just enough to still peer over the side.
'Now, let's see how it goes...'
***
"You think it's Richter?"
"Probably. Explosions are sort of his calling card."
Reed scratched his head, trailing slightly behind Koga's rushed pace. "I didn't realize he could produce one so strong."
And Koga nodded curtly, "...Neither did I."
The two hadn't encountered another soul - monster or human - ince they set out. The more time that passed, the more antsy Koga got. And while he denied it, Reed knew better.
Something was bothering Koga.
And it was true; because this was supposed to be his moment. So when he felt the explosion, a feeling he hadn't come to terms with welled up inside him. This had to be it. This was his moment.
The pair rounded a privacy wall, drinking in the mess at the playground. A large group was already scouring over the area for clues. Their eyes shifted over to Reed and Koga immediately when they arrived.
If Koga had to describe the feeling, he'd say creepy. The way they turned together, like a unified or connected being. There was an implicit trust revealed in the small ways they interacted with each other. But the group was so diverse in age, it felt off. There were teens approaching adulthood, adults approaching old age, and several decades in between that he wouldn't traditionally associate as friends.
The group continued to stare silently for a few seconds, prompting Reed to speak first.
"What do you know about that explosion?"
But they didn't respond. Instead, some of the group turned back to talk amongst themselves.
"These guys are dicks. I get we're strangers, but this is absurd."
Koga barely listened, taking a few steps closer to try and eavesdrop.
"Koga?"
"Hold on."
Koga pumped mana from his heart to his ears, straining his mind from the effort. But the mana obeyed. It wrapped around his eardrums, infusing his hearing just enough to make out their words.
"...His form is good. It's better than what we've got. It'll do for a while."
"I think we should hold off. There's no reason to be hasty."
"Our numbers went down earlier. I know we all felt it. It's the first time we've suffered a loss like that since we broke out. We need something better than mediocre."
Koga reached his limit, letting the mana coast back to his heart. Form? Numbers? What the hell were they talking about?
The group reached an agreement, turning back to the duo.
"Very well, he'll do."
Koga got that sinking feeling in his stomach.
"What are you—
He didn't get to finish. Water erupted from the group, flooding up to their ankles. Drops of the slimy liquid splashed in their eyes before draining down the sewer system. But that was nothing to what awaited them.
The thirteen had changed. Thirteen now identical men, tall and lanky, with glasses covering blue irises. Thirteen of himself. Reed couldn't hide his shock, and Koga couldn't stop the shaking.
"Koga? This wouldn't happen to be that form you were talking about? Like some kind of super cloning?"
Koga shook his head vigorously. But everything was still fine. It was still under control. He wanted to show off, and this was an opportunity to do so. He just got a bit flustered at their appearance.
"It's not, but I'll show you what I've promised."
The temperature dropped. The slick surfaces froze over around them as it plummeted below freezing. Ice condensed on Koga, working up his legs and across most of his torso. By now, the mana in his body was unrecognizable, taking on a chilling, icy blue. It wasn't the tranquil navy color of a human; it was something else. The density thickened like syrup, infusing into his muscles and tissue fibers while the layer of ice on his body hardened, etching a scale pattern onto him like a second skin. And finally, a small singular horn sprouted on his head.
[Ice Dragon: Partial Transformation - Humanoid]
"Holy shit Koga, that's awesome!" Reed's teeth chattered in the wind. He had to take several steps away to keep the feeling in his body.
Koga clenched his fists experimentally. The burning sensation was still there, but it was milder. He could make it work.
Honestly, he expected an attack, perhaps mid-transformation. But it didn't happen. The copies were staring at him with pleased expressions.
"Seems we lucked out on this one. Much better than expected."
And then a familiar sight took hold as one by one, their mana changed.
[Ice Dragon Partial Transformation - Humanoid]
The surge in power in such a small area dropped the temperature even further among the group, clouding the sky with a thick fog. They started to realize too late that they weren't immune. The three fakes in the center froze solid before they could get away. The rest spread out to avoid the same fate.
Koga was struggling to understand what he was seeing. A mix of horror, rage, and frustration welled up inside him. He was charging forward before he even formed a plan. Icy mana flowed smoothly into his arm as he waved it to one side.
[Ice Dragon: Humanoid - Tsunami]
The mana gushed out like a raging sea, enveloping three more fakes before they could counter it.
[Freeze.]
And it did, all at once — creating a giant ice sculpture that coated half of the playground and a couple benches. Half of the fakes were down, but the cold was starting to catch up. Koga's mana was rebelling, fighting for control.
Reed noticed the stagger in his step and rushed forward to help him.
[Double Strength]
His muscles contorted a second time, pushing to the limits of what he could manage.
It was time for the fakes to counterattack... Or so they thought, until three of their heads popped like balloons — exploding in a bloody mess. Both sides looked equally confused. But an answer dawned slowly on the duo. And before they could do anything, the heads of the last four fakes splattered across the cold ground. Reed didn't notice, but Koga had spotted brief flashes of black punching through the sky.
Even the dense fog couldn't stop him from finding his targets.
***