Wan

Royal Road

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SomethingOtherThanRain

Nightmare Realm Summoner by Actus

Chapter 68: The Riftwarped

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Alex's feet pounded against the warped stone of the Mirrorlands and his breath came in short, poorly repressed gasps. He nearly tripped over a random root jutting out from the sidewalk, barely managing to hop over it in time to avoid coming into contact.

Claire ran just ahead of him. He was pretty sure she probably could have left him behind with the enhanced abilities her remaining blood could give her, but she hadn't pulled too far ahead. A fair portion of that was probably because, if Alex died, the way out of the Mirrorlands evaporated with him.

Alex couldn't risk throwing a glance over his shoulder. A moment of distraction would be enough to let him stumble into something littering the street, whether it was a random floating stone, a root, or a hole straight into super-hell.

He and Claire just ran. They kept to the edges of the buildings, trying to stick to the paths they'd already traveled through before, and praying that none of the City-Eater Centipedes saw them.

The memory of the Forsaken Revenant clung to Alex's mind like the wet sludge that made up a Blacktongue Drudge's body. Even though he couldn't see or hear it, the mere thought of the monster squeezed his heart in his chest with a hand of frost.

It was nearly five minutes before they dared slow. Alex and Claire drew to a stop in the shadow of a huge tree emerging from the side of an office building and doubled over, bracing their hands against their knees and scanning everything in sight for any traces of the Forsaken Revenant.

"What the fuck was that?" Claire rasped between gasps for air, wiping her brow with the back of a hand.

"I have no damn idea," Alex replied. He swallowed, glanced back in the direction they'd come, and shuddered. There was a difference between enjoying a good fight and… whatever that thing had been.

He had absolutely no desire to fight it. No desire to even see it again. Something about the creature was deeply twisted. A minute passed. He and Claire didn't budge. They remained in their hiding spot, but the Forsaken Revenant didn't make itself known again.

A slow frown worked its way across Alex's lips as his heartbeat started to return to normal and his mind pulled itself from the grip of the terror that had been gripping it.

I've seen some scary shit before. Why was that thing so bad? It actually had a name, unlike the Riftwarped monster that Berith killed. I wasn't nearly as scared of that thing — or Berith, for that matter — as I am of this.

His frown deepened. Now that he actually had a moment to think, he realized he couldn't remember what the Forsaken Revenant's face looked like, or if it had even had one at all.

"Bloody creepy," Claire muttered, pushing her hair out of her face and shaking her head. "Too creepy. Literally. Are you—"

"Yeah. Confused," Alex said. "I… do you think it had some sort of ability that made us want to run?"

"More like it just flipped a switch in our brains. Prey know a predator when they see it," Claire said with a shudder. "I don't know about you, but I think I'd like to head back just about now. I don't know if I want to be wandering around the Mirrorlands so soon after that… thing saw us."

Alex knew exactly what she meant. Even though the monster was nowhere to be seen, an edge of uneasiness still pressed against his spine. The only reason they were alive was because the Forsaken Revenant had gone after the higher Stage monsters before them.

If they met it again as they were now, they would die. There was no question or doubt about it. Even if Alex had been able to bring the absolute brunt of his strength to bear against the Revenant, it would have killed them.

"I think I'm with you on that," Alex said with an uneasy laugh.

"Decided you don't want to die fighting anymore?" The corners of Claire's lips twitched in amusement.

"I decided I don't want to get slaughtered. There's a difference between a fight that might kill me and one that definitely will. Anything with an unreadable level is definitely beyond what we can handle right now."

"Agreed," Claire said. "And getting back earlier rather than later is probably smart anyway. I don't want to miss the third Initialization Event."

Alex nodded. He glanced down at the deck at his side, slipping the topmost card free and turning it face-up.

Spatial Mirror

Stored Energy:

High Grade Novice (Corpse Burrower) - 4

Low Grade Novice (Corpse Poker) - 3

Low-Mid Grade Initiate (Riftwarped Block-Eater Centipede) - 1

High Grade Novice (Root Fiend) - 2

Mid Grade Initiate - (Blacktongue Dredge) - 1

Bonded Creature: None

Even though each mirror only held a single monster, they shared the pool of souls. And sitting at the bottom of the list of potential monsters was the one Alex had just killed before they'd gotten the attention of the Forsaken Revenant.

The Blacktongue Dredge.

It had been one of the most annoying monsters to kill that Alex had ever fought. He'd been looking for something that could keep monsters off him and act as a tank for the party… and Alex was sure he'd just found it. He grinned to himself.

Between the Dredge's ridiculous strength and defense, it's perfect for my needs. Sometimes — on very specific occasions — I love the Mirrorlands. I'd have hated to be a summoner back on Earth. The monsters in the Mirrorlands are just cooler in every way. Then again, I don't think people are running into Forsaken Revenants back on Earth.

"You going to summon a monster before we try to get out of here?" Claire guessed, looking from Alex to the mirror in his hands.

Alex nodded.

"We could end up calling a strong monster when I open the portal back to Towntown. Intentionally holding ourselves back on Earth is fine when we're up against weaker monsters, but the Mirrorlands is insane. It's best to have every trick we can, even if we don't end up needing to use them."

"I'm not the one that has to be told that not everything we do has to be borderline suicidal," Claire said dryly. "I'll keep an eye out while you get ready."

"Thanks. I'm going to do it in my Mind Palace to avoid making a ridiculous amount of light and sound. We don't need more attention than we've already got."

Alex sat down, crossing his legs beneath him, and focused his attention inward. It was a little difficult to slip into meditation when his heart was beating so fast with the mixture of excitement, adrenaline, and nervousness pumping through his veins like a slurry of drugs, but he eventually felt the world fall away around him.

Darkness rose up to take its place. A black lake stretched out around Alex and a huge basin rose from its center, backed by a mantle and before a set of plain white stairs. Three pillars emerged from the lake at the edges of the lake, looming far above.

The gemstone that he'd set aside previously still rested at the top of the stairs. Beside it, blue mist swirled in a large orb.

Alex didn't let himself get distracted. He didn't have time to do a proper meditation right now, nor had he killed enough monsters to have a pressing need for it. Instead, he pulled the empty Spatial Mirror from his deck and placed a hand upon its surface.

Energy pressed into his palm as the glass rippled at his touch. Alex located the Blacktongue Dredge's Soul Flame. He drove his palm forward, pushing past the resistance, and it sank into the mirror's depths. Chilly energy prickled at his skin and raced down his arm as it worked into his body.

Alex's teeth clenched at the uncomfortable sensation. His fingers found the Blacktongue Dredge's Soul Flame. The chill became a biting frost, so cold that it almost burned. Alex's hand tightened around the energy. It twisted and leapt in attempt to escape him, but his hold on it didn't falter.

He yanked his hand back.

The Soul Flame burst free from the Spatial Mirror. It slipped from Alex's fingers and lifted into the air, condensing down into a tiny marble.

Thin lines of molten blue energy twisted around the marble as it started to spin, forming a miniature vortex within the air. Pressure blew Alex's hair back and sent small waves rolling out across the surface of the black lake.

Alex raised a hand before his face and squinted as the power coming off the marble grew stronger. The ripples turned to waves, lapping against the sides of his legs and the basin. Wind whipped past his head and gathered around the marble, spinning with such intensity that it turned a translucent white.

A dull hum filled the room. It grated on Alex's ears and made his jaw throb. The pressure changed; his ears popped. Alex's stomach clenched and he slid back across the surface of the water.

The light pouring out from the marble grew brighter until it was a deep ocean blue. It forced him to squint and peer past his fingers. His mindspace felt like it had been caught in a storm.

Waves crashed against his legs and the sound of rushing wind and water mixed into a cacophony. His hair whipped furiously around his face and the world almost seemed to tremble as more power gathered within his Mind Palace.

Alex squeezed his eyes shut just in time to avoid a brilliant flash of light and a loud whump.

A final wall of pressure slammed into him with such force that it lifted him off his feet and knocked him to his backside. He skidded across the surface of the lake — still largely unsure as to how he was sliding on top of water — before he managed to get his feet out under him.

Alex blinked furiously to rid his eyes of the dots floating before them and jerked his head to look in the direction of the Soul Flame.

Oh, hell yeah.

Standing in the center of Alex's Mind Palace was a Blacktongue Dredge. The monster stood two heads taller than Alex and was made of familiar black sludge packed into a muscular, vaguely humanoid form.

A bleached white mask with two horizontal crescents for eyes and an inverted one for a mouth covered the monster's face.

Deep blue veins ran just beneath the monster's skin, pulsing with dull light. Those were definitely new. None of the other Drudges had anything but sludge in their bodies.

Alex clambered to his feet, swaying unsteadily for a moment but not letting his gaze break from the newly summoned monster.

"Hello there," Alex said, a smile stretching over his face as he approached the Dredge. The monster watched him silently, waiting for a command. Its presence was intimidating, just like nearly every monster from the Mirrorlands.

This thing is great… but what if it was even better? I've got one new ability that I haven't had a chance to test out yet and a few extra souls to work with. The normal Blacktongue Dredge was already ridiculously strong.

Alex glanced back over the souls in his mirror, and his eyes locked on one as another thought struck him. He fought to keep his excitement from running amok. It would be a huge let-down if the idea didn't work, but it was too late to stop his racing mind.

How powerful would my Blacktongue Dredge become if I combine it with another monster?

There was only one way to find out if this would work.

Alex drew on his magic and activated Harmonious Evolution.

Crackling energy raced through his veins and gathered in his palms. The world shifted around him, falling into grayscale in an instant.

The Blacktongue Dredge lifted into the air, its body twisting in and collapsing on itself until it was a black and blue ball of rippling flame floating in the air before him — the only source of color that wasn't a pure shade of gray.

Alex blinked in surprise, then glanced down at the Spatial Mirror in his hand. The flames within it each still bore their color. He reached into the mirror and plucked a Root Fiend's flame free.

It was a blackish green, like the color of rotting moss. A faint hum filled his ears as he held the flame up before him, and it started to tremble in unison with the Blacktongue Dredge's flame.

He quickly returned the Root Fiend's flame to his Spatial Mirror. Swallowing back his excitement, Alex grabbed a different flame. This one was also black but had streaks of angry purple and red magic arcing through it.

The Riftwarped Block-Eater Centipede's flame.

It started to tremble. He couldn't summon a Riftwarped monster… but perhaps there was a different way he could harness their power.

My Dredge might get stronger if I combine it with another monster… but how powerful would it become if I combined it with the Riftwarped Block-Eater Centipede?

His excited grin grew wider.

I'm going to find out.

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Royal Road

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SomethingOtherThanRain

Nightmare Realm Summoner by Actus

Chapter 69: Hideous

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Alex held the Riftwarped Block-Eater Centipede's Soul Flame in the air before him, his gaze fixed on the mote of black light that was his Blacktongue Dredge. Gray stretched out in every direction, toning out the rest of his Mind Palace so the only things that still remained in full color was the energy of his monsters.

He fought to keep his excitement under control and remain focused. He didn't know how much concentration Harmonious Evolution would take, and he didn't want to risk potentially damaging two of his strongest Soul Flames and creating a worthless monster.

I suppose I'll just have to —

Wait.

Alex would have slapped himself in the forehead had he not been holding a Spatial Mirror in one hand and a Soul Flame in the other. He had quite a few monsters. Nothing in Harmonious Evolution said there was a time limit on how often he could use it.

There was absolutely no reason for him to use two of his strongest Soul Flames on his first attempt when he could test out how the ability worked on something far less important first.

Almost got ahead of myself there. That would have been stupid. I can't let myself make impulsive decisions just because they're cool… too often. A few cool decisions don't hurt anyone.

I'll do a quick combination of two random monsters just to see how it works, then meld the Dredge and the Block-Eater Centipede right afterward.

Alex returned the green and black flame to his Mirror. He then plucked out two more Soul Flames — one from a Corpse Burrower, and one from a Corpse Poker. They both had corpse in the name, but he was pretty sure the combination would be terrible. There wasn't much actual synergy between them.

And that's fine. The best way to learn is to fuck things up. Once I know what doesn't work, I can figure out what does.

He released his Spatial Mirror, which vanished and returned to his side. The typical grey energy that marked its passing was invisible in the grayscale that ruled the world while Alex had Harmonious Evolution active.

Lifting the two Soul Flames, Alex held them out before him. Faint energy pulsed from both of them, pressing against his hands and each other. He tried bringing the flames closer together and the resistance increased — though not by a significant amount.

Both of the flames started to glow as they drew closer still. A faint purple aura emanated out from them and bit into the gray around them, tinging it with color. Alex squinted as he moved the flames until they were nearly touching.

A high-pitched hum rose up into the air and the Soul Flames started to tremble in his hands, trying to fling themselves from his grip. Arcs of energy popped off their surfaces and formed into a miniature storm between them.

It feels just like combining Title Fragments, but a bit easier.

Let's see how this turns out, then.

Alex brought his hands together like he was clapping. He slammed the two flames into each other and squeezed his eyes shut as a brilliant flash lit up the gray world. A wave of electric energy washed over him and buzzed across his skin. It was followed by a wall of pressure that drove into Alex's gut like a punch.

He stumbled a step back and opened his eyes to find a brilliant ball of white light floating where the two soul flames had been. It pulsated with shifting energy, sending ripples of purple and black light washing out in waves.

Alex held a hand up to block the light and squinted past it. He could see the vague form of… something within the light. The shadow of a pointed beak the length of his arm. Dark limbs, each one nearly as tall as him, shifting and warping.

The buzzing filling the air turned into a deep, thumping bass. The monster within the light grew darker, taking a more concrete form. Limbs snapped into place with loud cracks and flesh bubbled within the light, sliding to form over a new body.

There were several loud splashing thuds as something heavy dropped down onto the dark lake that stretched across Alex's Mind Palace. A pop filled his ears and his stomach clenched as the pressure around him abruptly shifted.

The light vanished, the world returned to grayscale, and Alex's face twisted in involuntary disgust.

A horrible mass of flesh and feathers sat on the ground before him. The monster, like the Soul Flames, arrived in full color, but it almost didn't matter. It was a pallid whitish-gray, with black nails at the end of gangly, clawed limbs jutted out from it at odd angles.

A long yellow beak stuck out from a birdlike face, a thin blood-red tongue lolling from within it. It had a bulbous body that sagged under its own weight. Weeping wounds covered its surface and the sickly smell of rotted meat wafted from its body. The monster rose to its feet unsteadily, its beak clacking as it got its bearings.

Corpse Mass (Novice 5)

Fire erupted across its body no more than an instant later and it twisted in on itself, forming into a Soul Flame to float before Alex.

Mid Grade Novice (Corpse Mass) - 4

"Right," Alex said, wiping at his nose in a fruitless attempt to remove the lingering stench that still assaulted it. "Combination… successful. They combined, but that combination was fucking awful. Also looks like it ended up at Mid Grade, while the components were High and Low Grade. It must have averaged their strength. That's good to know."

I did want to see what happened when two monsters I suspected wouldn't mesh well together were merged. I guess I got my wish.

The Corpse Poker and Burrower had both been tangentially related in what they ate, but their actual forms were very different. The former was a tiny scavenger bird, while the latter was more of an ambush predator.

Their fighting styles and general traits were definitely too different, then. So the skill functions pretty much how I expected, and it doesn't look like just being a Mirrorlands Monster is enough to make them similar.

He nodded to himself. That lined up with what he'd originally expected, but it was good to confirm his guesses. His thoughts turned to the two monsters he actually wanted to combine.

The Blacktongue Dredge and the Riftwarped Bock-Eater Centipede.

They weren't as different as the previous two had been. Alex wasn't entirely sure which traits were the most important to share, but he didn't feel like they had anything that would be directly in opposition to each other.

The Riftwarped aspect might cause some something to shift, but I have no idea what and won't have a way to find out until I test the combination. I don't think there's any way to figure out what that'll be beyond just saying fuck it and seeing what happens.

Eh. Fuck it. I've got a basic grasp on the ability now. Let's see what this ability can really do.

Alex drew a Spatial Mirror free from the deck and plunged his hand into its chilly depths, pulling free the Riftwarped Centipede's Soul Flame once more. The black and purple fire crackled and buzzed in his hand as he dismissed the mirror and strode over to the Blacktongue Dredge, grabbing its Soul Flame.

The pressure between the Soul Flames was immediately evident. His hands were pushed apart like he was holding massive magnets. Alex's arms tensed, halting the monsters attempts to fight back.

I wonder what a stronger opposition means. The last combination was bad and had an easy combination… that could just be because they were weaker, though.

Only one way to find out.

Gritting his teeth, Alex brought the flames together. They fought back against him and desperately tried to slip free of his grip. He didn't let them. Slowly, steadily, he pushed the two motes of light closer and closer.

Energy ignited between them, a crackling storm surrounding his arms and buzzing as it brushed across his skin. Light spilled out as Alex brought the Soul Flames closer still. It burned the grayscale world away, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut as the flames grew closer and their energy grew brighter.

The resistance the monsters put up grew stronger the closer he brought them together. He could feel the warmth from the energy pouring out of them heating the air and warming his skin. It felt like he'd stepped out into a hot summer day.

His teeth clenched tighter and Alex let his hands slack slightly, drawing on as much strength as he could muster. Even as the flames slipped back an inch, he drove his hands together.

The momentum slammed the flames into each other.

There was a brilliant flash. Pressure slammed him back several steps and he raised his hands before his face to protect it.

Wind buffeted his hair and bit at his eyes. He squinted past his fingers. A ball of purple energy floated in the air around eleven feet in diameter, arcs of black lightning racing throughout it. The huge orb pulsated, thrumming with power.

Something moved within the orb. The shadow of a centipede's leg, connected to a huge, dark mass. Alex grit his teeth as the light grew brighter. Crunches and squelching, ripping noises tore through his Mind Palace.

He fought to try and make out what the new monster was, anxiety twisting his stomach. It was hard to make out any details within the light. All he could do was wait.

Seconds slipped by.

The pressure finally pulled back. All the light vanished, sucked into the monster, and Alex drew in a sharp breath as he laid eyes upon his new monster.

A towering, hunchbacked humanoid made of thick black sludge loomed before him. The monster was almost twice as large as the original Dredge had been. It was wider and taller, easily making it Alex's biggest monster by a wide margin.

Its mask was still made of bleached white bone, with two horizontal crescents for eyes and an inverted one for the mouth.

Along its chest, running from just below its mask and down to its hips, was a gaping line. A ripple passed down the line and sludge-like flesh pulled back to reveal a vertical mouth running through the monster's center. It roiled with rows upon rows of small, pointed teeth that would rip anything unfortunate enough to be caught within it to shreds.

Two extra undulating arms rose up over the monster's back, curling over its shoulders like Dr. Octopus' robotic limbs. They rippled in eerie unison, made up of dozens upon dozens of undulating centipede legs.

Purplish-red energy crackled like a miniature storm behind the eye holes of the monster's mask. Ripples of it occasionally passed through its vicious body like a slow moving storm before being swallowed by the darkness once more.

Riftwarped Devouring Dredge (Initiate 2)

Alex swallowed heavily before his lips were pulled apart in a mixture of delight and revulsion. The monster was horrifying. It looked like it had been ripped right out of somebody's fever-induced nightmare.

It's hideous.

I love it.

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