(23.1) The 7th Crown
Aki's eyes burn. Liquid streams down her cheeks but she can't tell if they're tears or blood. Doesn't matter anyway. Her lips part instinctively upon feeling the rain against her skin, desperate to quench the dryness in her mouth. Her vision swirls like a rumbling lake surface and the sounds of battle sound muffled, as though far away.
A cold sting fills every corner of her body. A numb throbbing assaults her muscles as she attempts to move. In the corner of her eyes, she feels rather than sees the empty MP bar.
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[Witch title effect activated]
[Physical weakness doubled. MP regen time halved. MP regained doubled]
[1:00 minute remaining to recharge 2MP]
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She curses. Without MP, she can't reinforce her body with magic nor can she tune out her body shouting its demands for mana.
Not even forcibly trying to muster up the gift of precognition aids her. She isn't running on fumes, Aki is coasting purely on sheer will. Yet, the frail false acolyte rises to her feet all the same.
Because she must.
Rubble and debris are underfoot. Fire encircles her, steaming lightly from the rainfall. She convinces herself to move, unsteady and weak but forward. Only the thought of finding Phoebe spurs her along.
Broken stones grind together as she moves across the flame-enclosed space. She grips her right arm, massaging her muscles to move just a little more.
"So the illusionist survives? Are you some kind of cockroach that became a nalv?" Vira's spiteful voice sounds like it is being overlapped all at once. "Eh, if people can turn into objects when they're transmigrated, why not bugs into people?"
Aki looks to her right, her eyes immediately find Vira, almost literally a blackened husk silhouetted against the kneeling gashadokuro encased with bramble. The manic, ear-to-ear grin she wears sends chills down Aki's spine.
She has faced a fare of Dead, monsters, and even met an owrou before. Though the owrou was not an enemy, it is still a feat to have met one. The rest are not foes to be disregarded either, especially since she's won all by herself.
Even as a pretender, Aki has the knowledge written by an actual Acolyte of Mune in her possession to stand on her own.
So how is this woman, no, this monster before her even the same undead she fought earlier?
A surprised, multilayered gasp comes from Vira.
"I was thanking my luck that I needn't find you," Vira hisses. "But it seems you weren't merely misdirecting others but yourself as well."
Aki follows Vira's gaze. Her body, aside from the battle damage and shredded clothes, her body looked much thinner. She reached up a hand and brushed her cheek. She could feel her sallow features clearly. A stark difference from the full – if tired – face she had been presenting herself as.
She rolls her thin fingers into a fist. The illusion of physical health she had kept up for so long must have broken after she had run out of mana.
"That other woman will just have to do," Vira widens her stance, arms extended to her side and fingers outstretched like a bird of prey. "So do me a favour and die quietly."
Vira swipes her arms up and a barrage of shadow blades rush to dismember Aki.
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[Activating Gift: Reactive Adaptation]
[Adjusting body for optimal survival]
[HP, LE, and SP can now be used in place of MP for half the required amount]
[Alternatively, HP, LE, and SP can be spent in order to speed up MP recovery naturally up to a certain amount equivalent to amount spent]
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A half-dome manifests between Aki and the shadows. She had unconsciously raised her arms to defend herself, purely on adrenaline that spiked from the visceral reaction of rebellion. Her intense desire for defence finally triggering the Gift she believed a dud into action.
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Aki
LE: 10/55 HP: 5/200
MP: 81/300
SP: 0/50
[Starved: Lack of food dulls sense by a small amount]
[Skill Burn: Use of Skill Points prevents full LE recovery for some time]
[Blurred Vision: Temporary effect. If not healed, eyes will permanently worsen]
[Death's Door: All stats reduced until LE restored. All defences -200%]
[Final Journey: +10 to physical stats. +100% magic potency. -80% MP cost]
More: ⟲
Race: Otherworlder [Nalv] Affiliation: None
Title: Nudist, [Witch], {¬¬¬¬¬''¬¬'¬¬¬¬''¬¬¬¬¬¬'¬¬}
Gifts: Reactive Adaptation, Precognition, Empath
Strength : 20 (10)/50 (100) Toughness : 44(34)/50(100)
Agility : 59 (49)/50 (100) Speed : 48 (38)/50 (100)
Perception : 50 (55)/50 (100) Vitality : 5/50 (100)
Intelligence : 121
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Once more she stands on the razor's edge. However, this time it seems that her LE and SP had been drained in exchange for MP recovery.
Vira's chilling laughter brings Aki's focus back to the field. The tone of her laugh feels broken and full of pain. A humourless laugh of disbelief and anger.
"How could I forget that?" She growls at Aki, staggering forward slightly. "Your Otherworlder's Grace hadn't triggered before now? Great. Just fucking great."
Bones crack as she adjusts her body and stalks forward. "I've changed my mind. Instead of fixing this body, I'll just take yours. Would be handy to have one with a repair function as an undead."
"My what? Does what??" Aki doesn't have time to contemplate Vira's words.
Vira rapidly closes the distance and makes a grab at Aki.
Bobbing just out of reach, Aki manages to avoid getting grappled and tries to counter. Only to find she doesn't know where her amulet is. She is completely unarmed.
"Is this really how you want your revenge to go?" Aki challenges. "Your body doesn't look human! It doesn't even look like a Dead!"
"Do you know how long I've wanted vengeance?" Vira bears her teeth. The canines, a sharp white to contrast the blackened mouth and grey skin.
"N-no?"
"Neither do I!" Vira shakes her head, a strained look of uncertainty crossing her ruined features in a way that makes her look almost human again. "Has it been 600 years? 25 years? 40? When do I start counting? When do I exist and when does she?"
"Are these memories of a past life or is it still the same? Am I myself or the Witch of Disaster?"
Vira is starting to spiral. If it continues, she will be far too dangerous to take down and Aki is in no condition to win.
An idea comes to mind then. If she could experience Winter's memories from deep rooted emotions, then perhaps she could do the same to Vira.
Emotions of uncertainty, anguish, hope, shame, and a boiling rage wash over Aki. An idea comes to mind then. If she could experience Winter's memories from deep rooted emotions, then perhaps she could do the same to Vira.
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[Gift Activated: Empath]
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