I've got the jitters. This will be my first real solo fight. This fight wont be for food or EXP... it will be for straight up survival. I've got no clue why I'm being targeted... maybe my good looks? Yeah... that's the only reason that comes to mind.
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Hades is getting some last minute sparring in with me when I feel Gaia summon herself.
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Gaia: User. I have crafted replacement protection for your eyes. Please use them.
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Without waiting for my response, She put some Visored Goggles on my face. I haven't realized how much I've missed having something protecting my eyes... feels good.
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{Synchronizing with Host Focus System...
Quantifying Health, Mana, and Bone Dust parameters...
Physical check up commencing...
Vision offline
Taste offline
Voice offline
Searching for other connections to Host...
Eidolon "Hades" found
Eidolon "Gaia" found
DKA Scythe "Bladeless" found
DKA Heavy Sword "Susanoo" found
DKA Duel Dagger "Hollow" found, "Pluto" Missing
DKA Pistol "ThunderWing" found
DKA Sword "Unnamed" found
DKA Orb "Treasure" found
"Gift of the Gods" Necklace found
HUD startup sequencing completed}
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In the top left corner of my darkness, a red, blue, and white bar slowly filled up.
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Gaia: The red bar is your bodies Health. The blue is the amount of Mana held within your body compared to the maximum amount it normally has. The white bar Is your Dust. Please keep watch on them.
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As I looked at my bars, my Dust bar was steadily declining.
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[My stored Dust I'd draining...?]
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Hades: Bladeless is still forming. It will use your dust until its formed completely. I guess this wave of monsters is a curse in disguise... you will be getting more dust then you know what to do with. Maybe your body will FINALLY unlock its battle mode. After years of pushing it to extremes... it just adapts.
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The floor started to rumble faintly.
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Hades: Here they come. Can you see them?
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Giving Hades a mental middle finger, I stepped on the ground hard with my bare foot. My Geomancy exploded from me like a nuke. My sensing distance is unreal. Over 5 miles came under my influence.
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[Holy crap!! I can see for miles! No I cant see them yet though...]
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Hades: Huh? I thought you could feel only a few meters at most?
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[I'm surprised too... the floor feels... easier to look through. Maybe it's due to the gravity horn being removed?]
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Gaia: That is a highly likely hypothesis. User, can you manipulate the ground within your viewing range?
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... let's find out. I've learned that I have control of the ground as long as it's still connected to the ground. I can pull ore out of the ground but I lose the ability to control it with Geomancy. I use my Crafting class to mold the ore after to make whatever I want. I move a stone by my foot and one at the edge of my range. They both moved but the one on my edge was MUCH harder to move.
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[I can move dirt from my range but it gets harder the farther from me it is.]
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Gaia: Understood User. Please make a mountain with a flat tip.
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Excuse me? dafuk did I just hear? MAKE a mountain? Am I an earthbender?
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Ok I kinda am.
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[Why would I make a mountain? Wouldnt that exhaust me before the fight?]
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Gaia: Affirmative User but it would also buy you more time and limit the amount of enemies that can get to you at once. The enemy will be tired from climbing up. This is your best course of action.
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Ok... she has a point. Who am I to argue with the smartest AI in this universe?
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If I'm going to try my hand at making a mountain... I'll do it in style. I float Bladeless horizontally behind my hips and Treasure floats between my sholder blades.
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I get into a horse stance like an idiot. I bring both of my hands infront of me with my palms up and tuck my head down.
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Next... I pull. I pull on the floor within my range aim up. I rocket into the air with my ears popping as I rose higher. The noise was amazing. I pulled up for hours. My nose started bleeding and I was getting lightheaded.
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Gaia: This is high enough User. You should rest. At most, you have bought another day but the plan to limit the number of possible enemies at once has worked out perfectly. Some of the larger signals cant make it up here and move freely.
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Hades: Silver Bone, hes already asleep.
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<------>
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I woke up with a mana hangover... My bar said Im at about 10% total mana. Using my skill sight, I felt the first enemies at the foot of my mountain.
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Hades: I'm glad your up kid. Hows the head? Silver Bone said your Regen is acting slowly to refill your mana. You over did it. this peak is almost twice as high as the craters walls. You caused the edges of your mountain to sink like sand and killed some of the enemies already. I have a question for you though... do you have a name for this beast?
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[I'll name this mountain... MT. Deathflags.]
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Hades: ... well get some more rest. Your still low on mana.
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[No need to tell me twice.]
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And asleep I go...
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<------>
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For the first time sense I've been in Purgatory... I had a lucid dream. The girls were in the palace with Lunafreya and Noctis. Lunafreya had a little boy in her arms as they watched the girls holding Pluto.
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Noctis: 6 months. At the rate you 4 have been charging it, Pluto will be ready in 6 months to be an anchor to bring him back 100% safely. If you try any earlier... the connection could snap mid way.
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The girls looked angry. Before they could yell, I spoke.
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Slate: Only 6 months more? I'll be ready. I hope you four are ready, I'm coming home to you... even if it kills me.
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The 4 of them instantly turned to my direction. All 8 of their eyes slightly glowing. They each had dark circles and bags under their eyes.
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Marina: If you die before you return to me... I'll kill you myself
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Ink: Tail Boy, dont EVER say that again
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Kareena: If you die, I'll revive you even if it's just to let Marina kill you. You dont get to die.
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Ruin: If you die... I'll chase you to hell and bring you back.
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Ink: 6 months. Be ready. Your coming back whether you like it or not.
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I smiled as I looked each of them in their eyes...
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Slate: I'm ready when you 4 are. Dont worry, I'm coming back to you 4. I'll bring Realm 9 to its knees then we can get married. After the war is over, I'll find the Impostor and live happly ever after with you. We will make Noctis a grandpa before he knows it.
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Their eyes damn near turned into colored flashlights before my dream started to fade.
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Noctis: Girls... what are you saying? Who are you talking to?
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Ink: Tail Boy. He knows about the 6 months. He will be ready.
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Noctis: Ink... Sweetie, how can he know? He cant hear us. You must have imagined it...
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Ink: He said he will make you a grandpa.
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Noctis: THAT LITTLE SHIT!! OVER MY DEAD BODY!! ILL END HIM THE MILLISECOND HE RETURNS!!!!
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Ahhhhhh trolling Noctis is the best feeling ever.
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<------>
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I woke up 100% refreshed and at 50% mana. I've got to survive for 6 months more...
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Hades: You look happy... had a wet dream?
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[6 months. The girls will pull us back to Zero in 6 months.]
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Hades started laughing.
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Hades: Took them long enough. Now we just need to survive. I've got all the food you need for years in my Storinum ring and I believe you have water in your belt.
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I nodded. I'm going home. The only thing standing in my way... is an army and 6 months of time.
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...
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Easy.
The itch... it cant be stopped. I went on a haunted tour in Chicago and all I could think of was to write.
Hope you liked the chap. Next chap will be hard. I plan for a metric butt load of fighting but that's hard to write. I'll give it my best.