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Chapter 124: Making Progress, and the Thing?
🕑 Added 2023-04-03 01:55:00 +0000 UTC[You have increased Atrophy of the Mind to Proficiency 2]
[You have increased Cower to Proficiency 2]
Drake paused, holding his hand up to stop his sparring partner, hearing the sound of the proficiency notification in his ear, a smile creasing his face.
Nice. These ones took way longer than they should have, but can you blame me when I can one-shot everything already? Haven’t had to use the debuffs too often because of it. Drake thought before another notification promptly came following the others.
[You have increased Tyrant’s Indomibility to Proficiency 2]
The third notification he received was one that he felt. His mind cleared noticeably as if dirt was scraped from a windshield, giving him more clarity. He felt his thoughts move more quickly and precisely, his breathing felt smoother and more relaxed. Overall his being felt. Well, felt better.
Drake took a long breath, exhaling out with a similar length before he looked back to his sparring partner, feeling genuinely refreshed.
“Wow, that was amazing. If only every skill up felt that good,” Drake said, taking his stance again.
On the other side of Drake was Shigure, his foot tapping impatiently on the ground as he sighed finally seeing Drake ready once more. Shigure took his own stance as he looked Drake in the eyes questioningly.
“You have just increased a skill?” Shigure asked.
“Yeah. Are you surprised? I’ve been using them the entire time we’ve been sparring on and off,” Drake answered.
“Yes but Proficiency two to three takes a significant amount of time… Are you saying that you still have Proficiency one skills?” Shigure asked again, his stance slackening as he was overcome with surprise.
“A few, some of them I still can’t increase really. I have one that I’m sort of cheating on,” he said, thinking about his ‘Fully Loaded’ skill.
The skill required all of his equipment slots to be filled, and he technically was able to do so because of his Hoarder skill. Drake wasn’t wearing any necklace, but he had an extra ring on each hand, which apparently counted for the missing slots. But Drake could observe the noticeably slow progress the skill made compared to his other passive skills, leading him to believe he needed to properly equip every slot to make the skill properly progress.
“But that’s all you are getting out of me, now get your dukes up pretty boy,” Drake laughed.
Shigure scowled back and lunged forward, his stance low as he went for a takedown.
Drake had become accustomed to Shigure’s opening for the fights. The teen was a good fighter, precise and strategic. Almost too much so as he continued to use the same maneuvers over and over as if he was reading from a book.
Shigure looked for a grip on one of Drake’s blocking arms as he closed the gap. Drake knew it was coming, and stepped to the side, instead grabbing Shigure’s arm instead to Shigure’s surprise.
And in one swift motion, Drake used the move that Shigure had been practicing on him for the past several hours. He pulled Shigure in close, bringing his arm over his shoulder as he gripped his Hakama by the flap, flipping him over his shoulder.
Shigure slammed to the ground, air removed from his body in a huff.
Drake pressed the counter, jumping into the air comically as he laid his elbow down on Shigure’s stomach, resulting in Shigure yelping as he bent into the impact.
Drake got up laughing.
“Shigure, you really need to work on your hot-headedness. That's like the tenth time I’ve flung a comment at you and gotten you to charge first. What’s the deal? I understand you don’t like me, but this is going a bit far man,” Drake said offering his hand to the teen.
Shigure wiped the drool from his mouth, slapping away Drake’s hand in the same motion.
“Bro, that's not only rude, it's unsanitary… Your mouth is already dirty, and who knows where it’s been,” Drake joked, waving his hand to clean it from the spit.
“Fuck you, all you’ve done is insult me since you have gotten here! That’s more than enough reason to dislike you,” Shigure spat, standing shakily.
Drake used one of his hands to summon water to clean his hand, looking back at Shigure, Drake dropped an eye, his expression saying ‘really’?
“If that’s what you are sticking with, it’s whatever. Just know I don’t believe you,” Drake sighed, “Are you ready for another round, or do I have to go find someone else more motivated to really kick my ass?” Drake laughed, raising his arm to beckon Shigure again.
Shigure roared and lunged forward.
“Did I not just explain this?” Drake scoffed in disbelief.
—----
Several more hours passed as Shigure and Drake went back and forth with sparring, only being stopped by angry gluttons demanding their dinner.
As one would expect Shigure refused to stay, opting to go back to his camp and eat whatever the leader of the Coalition eats.
“He really doesn’t like you huh? Rocks up every time to try to kick you into the dirt, but won't eat none,” Jacqueline said, bringing a spoon to her mouth.
“Yeah, Sir, it seems that he has a particular hate for you. Do you happen to know why?” Amire asked, sitting down at the table next to Hudson.
Drake pursed his lips rocking back in his chair.
“If I had to guess? I really don’t know. It could be almost anything. I had a guy hate me before because I talked to a girl he had a crush on. I’ve had people hate me because I like a show they don’t. Hell I’ve had people hate me for saving their asses from death camps,” he jabbed, a few weary chuckles sounding, “What? Too soon?”
“I thought we were past that?” Chelsea said, frowning.
“Oh we are, I’ll die for anyone here, but that doesn't mean I can’t be petty and bring it up once in a while,” Drake smiled.
“Mr. Shot, you should really be more humble with those things,” Harley admonished shaking her finger at him.
“Why’s that?” Drake asked, raising his hands in mock surrender.
“What do you think will happen when they get dirt on you?” she replied.
Drake winced.
“Good point. Alright everyone I take that back, I am a reformed individual that will never bring up again how you all hated me, even though I saved you all, gave you food, skill stones, and tolerated you being insulting and disrespectful,” Drake said sarcastically, bowing his head slightly.
“Ain’t that a bit much there pup? Something got ya on edge?” Hudson asked, tearing a piece of bread from his loaf.
“I can always count on you to be emotionally in tune with me, Hudson. You sure you weren’t a therapist before all this?” Drake smiled, “Or perhaps an FBI agent?” Drake added, squinting his eyes at him.
Hudson stayed silent, bringing his food to his mouth.
“I knew it!” Drake joked, “But really. I don’t know, I have been getting a bad feeling. Like someone is testing me,” he finally offered giving a serious answer as his eyes wandered to the surroundings.
“Such as my Lord?” Theodore asked.
Drake summoned a small bolt of lightning to the end of his finger, pointing it upward. A bullet of earth falling from his pinky the next moment that embedded itself into the ground. The earth behind him, molding into a slab.
“I’m going to be very clear about this. So here’s a visual,” Drake winked, “Here is me,” he said, putting a scorch mark on the slab, “Here is the area I can sense with my skill,” Drake explained, putting a circle around him that took up most of the slab.
“Now, here are all of you next to me,” Drake began again, putting extra dots in the circle close to the original one, “And here are the people around us right now,” he said, putting several dots on the edge of the circle and some within the circle.
“Anyone notice what’s going on here?” Drake asked.
The faces on the table looked intensely at the slab, others blank.
“That’s a lot of dots on the edge there,” Claire offered, pointing to the cluster on the edge.
“Good,” Drake nodded, bringing up another slab to his right, “Here is what it looked like yesterday.”
Drake took a moment putting a circle and dots representing people around a larger dot in the middle. This time the dots were more scattered and less oriented at the edge of the circle.
“Notice the difference?” he asked.
“The dots of said person's art less centered than the one's today. As if thy do not understand they are within the sensory circle,” Theodore offered.
“Good Theo, this is why your my #2. And not that number two, you would need an eyepatch for that, not the monocle. But yes, what I’m getting at is. I can’t tell who these people are, or if they are monsters, my skill does not differentiate, but I can tell when a living being is within a certain distance. What I didn’t know is that the sensing itself gave off any sort of notification that it was being used. I believed that it was just when I used the full extent of my Aura that I was influencing my surroundings. But apparently, I am wrong, and someone is trying to find out where my limit is,” Drake said, his eyes thinning.
“Is that what that weird tingling is? But, you think someone is planning something?” Tom asked, a spoon poking out from his mouth.
“I don’t know. I don’t think Shigure is stupid enough even if he is angry. But I don’t know enough about the other members of the camp,” Drake thought aloud.
“What will you do if it is someone from the camp and not just monsters?” Megan asked.
“Shh, you. You’re a probation member, you don’t get a say,” Drake snapped jokingly, her face frowning.
“I’m only hazing you a bit, Megan. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m an acquired taste,” Drake said, grinning.
“Very acquired,” everyone at the table said, outside of Theodore who looked around confused.
“Hmm? My Lord is a splendid individual!” he exclaimed, “This one does not see the problem with his humor? Is it not obvious he is merely jesting?” Theodore asked a brow raised.
Harley nudged him with her shoulder, whispering in his ear, but thanks to everyone's enhanced senses she might as well have been speaking normally.
“No love, it’s not…” she said.
Drake scoffed, and brought the attention back to him, “Anyway. If it’s just monsters, but I’m kinda doubting it, I’ll take care of them when they decide to do something or get closer. But if it’s not…” Drake sighed, looking off distantly as he stared at his two titles.
[Murderer]
- Kill Five of your own race. This title marks you as a murderer.
[Serial Killer]
- Kill Ten of your own race. This title marks you as a serial killer. Though the world may not approve the system smiles upon you and your forthright taking of those below you.
Drake cringed at the explanation of the titles, but refocused, answering Megan’s question.
“But if it really is someone and not something trying to harm us. Then I will make the decision I have before,” he said, his eyes turning to points, his aura flaring, “I will protect mine. Whatever may come.”
Bjorn plopped his bowl down on the table, breaking the tension immediately.
“Shot, I know where you are coming from, but tone it down there bro,” Bjorn said, chuckling, “You're going to scare off the dude you were looking for if ya do that,” he said pointing over to the space between their camp and Shigure’s.
In the open space between them, a hulking figure lugged itself over. The outline of the person, or thing, twice the size of even Bjorn.
“The fuck is that thing?” Jacqueline asked.
“Don’t look him in his eye, he doesn’t really like being stared at,” Bjorn said nervously, “ He’s pretty sensitive about it, and it took a bit of convincing to get him out,” Bjorn explained, scratching his beard.
“Wait, you weren’t kidding when you said thing?” Drake said incredulously, his brows raising as he identified the person or thing.
[Lamar Youngston Level 14]
Comments
Oh you're right that is a typeo ty
Pratish Sungum
Shouldn't it be "Murderer" instead of "Murder"? Its sound more like a group of crows otherwise...
