Chapter 156—An Uncomfortable Reckoning

AG. Second of 2 and a half

With a sigh, he continued on and focused on the two new entries of which only one of them was a surprise and it was not something he would ever have been able to guess.

Skill: Fate Suppression – Tier 3

Once every sixteen days you can target someone with less fate than you and suppress all fate protecting or aiding them for the duration the skill lasts.

This has zero cost and lasts for six seconds.

It had clearly been derived from his soul bound Mind Spike ring, but it was a materially diminished version of what that artefact had been able to do.

It was only a tier three ability, but was still potent despite the low power grade. The brutally long cooldown and tiny duration of the active effect meant that it packed a punch well beyond its tier.

For that critical six seconds that it lasted, which Tom had to admit would feel like an eternity in combat, whoever he used it on would have no fate to stop him and any fate buffer they had built up prior to the fight would also be unable to aid them. For that small period, every strike he launched would impact to maximum effect. If he stacked his own fate to help, it would be like the universe was on his side. Used at the right moment, the skill would definitely turn defeat into victory. 

It was an ability that he would use, albeit with its countdown he’d be forced to only turn to it sparingly, but that was not what he focused on. He finally got to see the curse that had left him incapable of controlling his temper for so long.

Skill: MAKROS’s Unhinged Fury – Tier 7

When you perceive something or someone to be unjust, you will be infused with the status of ‘Unhinged Fury’ until you successfully destroy the focus of your ire or are defeated by it. For the entire duration that this status lasts, you are forced to channel part of the rage of a GOD. This was crafted for you personally, Tom, and you will cower before it. Every time it triggers, you’ll tremble before its divine provenance and know your insignificance. Your tiny little brain will be forced to register the simple fact that no matter how far you run or how powerful you become you will never escape this, and it will bring about your end.

He felt like laughing at the nature of the text and he wondered if it had been personally crafted by a GOD or just generated by the system. He guessed it didn’t matter. The threat was real. It had been written in black and white in the description.

Unhinged Fury has the following properties.

·        Physical attributes after all other modifiers are applied are increased by a percentage related to the depths of the rage. This will be a minimum of a fifty percent boost but can rise to up to a three times multiplier if the fury is sufficiently intense.

·        Soul attacks are boosted by up to three times modifier depending on the degree of anger.

·        Soul defences are halved.

·        Capacity for rational thoughts and self-control are removed in proportion to the strength the blessing gives. May the rage conquer all.

·        No new spells can be cast or active traits utilised. The ability to manipulate existing spells and active traits are reduced by 90%.

·        Skills can only be used if they facilitate destroying the designated target and suffer a severe penalty to efficiency. Bash, maul and crushing skills are enhanced by the rage and not diminished.

The longer the skill goes between uses the more likely it is to be triggered and the intensity of the generated rage will increase.

This blessing has been applied as a curse by FAMES and can only be removed by that GOD.

Tom read the skill, and it was exactly what he had expected. The wording was different, but the practical application was the same. He guessed seeing that the boost occurred after all the other modifiers was interesting. If he was rank two and used a burst that would push him to rank eight and then this curse would increase that to twenty-four. It would only last a fraction of a second, but that was long enough to kill someone. Very briefly, him, a ten-year-old child would be able to harder than some adults who had been in Existentia for fifty-plus years. Likewise, if his trait Growth Equaliser activated to push his attributes up to close seventy percent of the gap between him and it and then the fury took hold his attributes could soar to above rank one hundred or even two hundred if he faced something powerful enough. There were no specified caps to the skills scaling which was extraordinary.

The benefit of the cursed blessing was real, and the massive surge of attributes could well save his life one day. But as the description said this was not a boon, it would bring about his end. It was not a good skill to have on his status sheet. 

The final thing he had to consider was the assigned name and the diatribe that had occurred in the description. It had been clearly targeted against him, and he was shocked that MAKROS had labelled the skill with his name, but then again, when he had done so, the GOD didn’t know about Tom’s unique situation.

That was a mistake that could be exploited.

He looked up at the sky and then winced with his courage failing him.

“This is a terrible idea, Tom,” he whispered to himself. “Terrible.”

It was one of his crazier flights of fantasy… but his analytical mind couldn’t help but salivate at the opportunity.

He went to speak and stopped. The words wouldn’t come out and it wasn’t Social Silence at work it was the memory of his soul being torn apart in the face of a GOD’s anger.

Baiting a being like that was worse than suicidal.

“I can’t,” he whispered to himself, his heart thundering. “I also can’t leave an avenue of future strength untapped.”

The choice loomed like a chasm that he was about to topple into. Kilometres below him, he could see the sharp glint of the spear points that poked up, waiting to greet him if he lost his balance and fell off the thin rope he had to walk across.

To take a step, was to commit suicide.

The feeling of his soul being torn apart as a result of witnessing a GOD’s anger. It was not a thing to taunt and threaten and try to trick. That moment when only DEUS intervention saved him was seared into his memory and it had been pain that Mr Cricket had never got close to inflicting.

Could he do it?

“I won’t leave an avenue of future strength untapped.” He said defiantly into the air.

He glanced up and prepared to talk, but the words still would not come out. Maybe he could progress a little more cautiously than usual.

He stepped sideways to find himself standing on blue grass. This was primarily DEUS’s domain. If there was ever a place, to express what he planned out loud then it was here.  He looked up at the sky. “DEUS, I’m about to do something stupid. If you don’t want me to take the plunge, then give me a sign.”

Nothing happened.

Not a gust of wind, a swirl of distant movement or even a single noise as far as he could hear.

He licked his lips.

“I can’t… I can’t stop.” He whispered even though it made his stomach almost jump out of his throat to state so clearly that he wasn’t about to abandon this moment of insanity. He felt faint such was the thunder that was being unleashed with every beat of his heart. Memories assailed him and he wanted to throw up.

He kept going in acting on the plan that he had set in motion.

“I won’t accept anything but my best.”

He pulled out his trusty disk that was inscribed with a heads and tails. The Danger Sense ritual captured within the wood was fully charged.

His fate lacked precognition abilities beyond a four-minute window. But why would his plan need longer than that. The GODs were not tardy in dealing with mortals they didn’t like. Even a couple of seconds would be sufficient for them to apply judgement. Tom tried not to think about that as he focused on forming a simple image. In his mind, what he needed was crystal clear. He wanted it to land four consecutive times and show heads if what he was going to do was not going to cause him any harm in the next four minutes.

He did four quick flips, knowing that he was on the timer and every second of delay was potentially costly.

All four came up heads which was exactly what he had feared.

His fate was committed and he hoped that the GODs weren’t tricking him by delaying punishment by five minutes.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t not claim a potential benefit especially when he had done what he could to test the waters and make sure he was not walking into a trap. The potential benefits were too great to ignore, and that mind set drove him on. He returned to his real body and looked up at the ceiling. “Guys, I’m not addressing anyone specifically or anything crazy like that. I’m just going to talk out loud for a bit… um… well, I can see my status sheet now… and… um… how can I say this.” He could feel sweat forming under his armpits as he reacted to what he was doing. He just hoped DEUS’s love would keep protecting him. “Well, I have a curse called MAKROS’s Unhinged Fury that I totally didn’t expect to see. Like I had felt the effects but and I suspected it was a skill or trait but I didn’t know and I do now. In hindsight, it’s almost killed me multiple times already and it’ll probably be the death of me, eventually. Well, if I’m being honest it will be, it will be my death because it states that explicitly. And as I just found out about this and based on why I was awarded the Known Heretic title originally I can’t help but thing that this extra skill wasn’t factored into the rewards the title is giving.”

He scratched his head, sweat was dripping down his face, and the isolation rooms were generally kept at an unpleasantly low temperature. It was fear that was making him drip with sweat. “This skill has to be judged as explicit GODLY interference. I’ve been trying and I can’t think of another way to interpret it. And if it is and if it wasn’t already factored into Known Heretic, which I don’t think it was and since it’ll kill me… um… well because it says it’ll kill me I think theoretically that’s probably sufficient interference to fund so to speak an upgrade of my title and if you guys agree with that… um… well I understand the title’s already pretty strong and I’m a member of the competition so options are pretty limited. So, I’m just spit balling here and I don’t want to overstep but maybe it could be upgraded to keep everything fair, but I only receive a small effect at least during the competition term. Maybe something to make it easier for me to gift things to others and a little extra… you know like if something has gone through multiple hands and it comes back to me then it’s counted as a new gift. Like I know that’s powerful in the long run, but you know it also shouldn’t distort the competition too much in the next twenty five years.” Tom tapped his leg. His throat was so dry it was hard to force sounds out. “Or if that’s not acceptable, and I can see why there might be objections, then if the curse is removed then no harm no foul, and we leave the title as it is and I pretend I’ve never read it.”

He looked up at the ceiling. “I mean, I’m just a mortal, but that seems like a reasonable approach to me. This is a curse that shows a GOD is messing with me, so either it gets taken away and you know no harm no foul, or I get the benefit of the interference. It’s up to you guys what ever you guys decide.”

For long seconds he sat there staring at the roof, expecting to be smited at any moment. He remembered his other encounters with GODs, the rage that consumed him whenever this curse triggered, a rage that was supposed to be part of a GODs, but having that force of nature apply not to a rank two body but to an infinitely powerful one

That was what he was provoking.

And it was real. The terror he still felt from just the residuals of previous interactions reminded him of that. “Shit,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

Suddenly, he wasn’t in his body. Instead, very briefly he was elsewhere with the warmth of feathers and a mother’s love surrounded him. “I have been explicitly told not to let you witness this. But keep doing what you’re doing. The path of success is a tightrope across the abyss.” He wondered whether she knew what he had been imagining and then laughed at himself. Of course she did. “It’s fine to feel doubt and don’t mark yourself too hard because you’re setting up the conditions for victory. Your courage and desire to do what it takes is admirable. That praise is coming from a GODESS and usually would be enough for a mythical title, but unfortunately not while you are in the competition. Because then the ability would be abused. But know my words are true. Go back and check your title. Be proud.” The voice had spoken slowly but it swept over him like a summer gust there for a moment and gone the next.

Then he was back in his body, feeling bereft of meaning. The lingering love thankfully warmed him back up.

Once more, he stepped into his system room and the details of the title was displayed on the wall. He focused on the changes.

Title: Known Heretic (5): The regard of GODs is a heavy burden especially when you are aware of it, and it must be balanced by positives.

….

·        Benefit 5: When gifting items affected by this title the receiver and all observers will not attribute the gift as coming from you unless you specifically wish to receive credit.

·        Benefit 6: Any item that has passed through more than three hands will be considered as new if it is gifted back to you. Note: GODs scrutiny applies to this and any personal explicit attempts to exploit the method will result in all associated items being destroyed.

Relief flooded through him.

He didn’t want to imagine the reaction of the hostile GODs, but the important bit was that it had worked. He had taken an educated risk, and it had paid off. How much value he could wring out of it was unknown. But if he executed his plan and Kang acted how he expected him to, then the benefits could be massive. Selling the idea to Kang was going to be critical, but he was confident he could pull it off.

Tom returned to the isolation room and the memory of DEUS had tears running down his face.

It had been risky, but it had worked and now that he had access to his system room there was so much to do. He could research spell trees by himself and he’d be getting an oracle question every month to plan the future.

There was always more to do but he was more than half way to being an adult and already he could see that his foundations were going to be better than anyone elses.

Excluding possibly Corrine. She had benefited from the darkhole trial as well. The two of them would be a new breed of powerhouse and they would drag humanity kicking and screaming over the finish line if they had to.

"Dragons, insects, giants, wador just know that I'm coming for you." he proclaimed while tears ran down his face and neck and a massive grin worked out his cheek muscles.

He would succeed, nothing not even the terror of the very GODs would stop him.