Lair Carl Stubblefield (bts books to read .txt) đ
- Author: Carl Stubblefield
Book online «Lair Carl Stubblefield (bts books to read .txt) đ». Author Carl Stubblefield
Time seemed to move even more slowly and Gus caught fleeting glimpses of the Mantids still frozen in place as he briefly stopped screaming to pull in a ragged breath.
It feels like an eternity, how can they still be frozen? At long last, it was over, and Gus hung there in a daze, throat raw, staring in mute wonder at his changed body; his arms had become larger and more defined, his shoulders widened, and his chest expanded and became more solid. A glowing light enveloped him and suddenly he was⊠more.
Simultaneously, Gus felt heat build up inside of him. He winced as the heat became acutely painful, then relaxed as it began to subside. Turning, he saw the Mantids frozen mid-step. No, not exactly frozen, but moving incredibly slowly.
Nickâs voice spoke, âAssembling Nanobot Interface Construct.â
âReviewing a suitable framework based on scan history and personal preferencesâŠâ Nick continued. Gus felt a pang of loss, knowing this Nick would soon be gone.
âEvaluation complete, assessing suitable mentor frameworkâŠâ Nick said then hesitated, British accent melting away. âSecondary nanobot interface construct will be patterned after everyoneâs favorite anti-hero!â a snarky voice exulted.
âNext evolution set at level twenty, just in case youâre bad at math and couldnât figure that out.â
âHuh?!â Gus asked incredulously.
âHey, itâs weird for me too, ok?â Nickâs new voice said. âIâm used to having voices in my head, not being one. I like what youâre doing with the music, but you know you donât have to use the word âfightâ in the song title to make that skill work, right? I added some songs to your playlist. Ready?â the new Nick quipped.
âReady for whaââ Gus started to ask as time snapped back to normal.
X Gonna Give it to Ya by DMX. Success rates x 6.
âNow THATâS a fight song,â Nick said, pleased with himself.
Gus felt suffused with power from whatever happened at level ten. He knew he was outnumbered and outclassed, but if he was going to go out, he was doing this one solid. He spun his naginata around him in an impromptu kata and then attacked. He dashed forward, smashing the face of one of the Mantids with his shaftâs metal band, knocking it backward in surprise. A chime rang:
Skill unlocked: Bash (Level 1)
(5 x n)% chance of staggering and briefly stunning a foe.
100 XP awarded
200 FP awarded
5600 XP to level 11
Gus spun, burying his blade in a Mantidâs neck, then activated Dodge and backflipped away before the Mantids closed in on his previous position. A neck slice hobbled three of the Mantids now facing away from him. By instinct, Gus stabbed one of the Mantids and stomped the otherâs head simultaneously. Unlike the Shamblers, this oneâs head popped quite easily. Possibly since these were agility based Dark Nth, instead of constitution-based. Getting back to business, a new song started. Gus continued to fight but found no openings and defended against the attacks as they came.
Thunderstruck by AC/DC. Success rates x 24.
Gus activated Bash and dashed toward another Mantid. This time the head popped from the impact and Gus dodged to the left, avoiding an attack from behind that he sensed from a TimeSight-assisted perception boost. âMy own little spider-sense! That TimeSight is pretty versatile!â Gus cheered.
Gus dashed back, picked a target, then alternated stabbing and using Bash as the skill refreshed. He was concerned that the weapon would break in two as the naginata cracked into their hard bodies, but Gus gained confidence as it held. The new skillâs only downfall was that he had to be so close to trigger the ability. Still, it stunned them enough to give him time to dance out of reach and attack unhindered.
Grabbing the weapon from a fallen Mantidâs head, he launched it at another Mantid, burying it to the hilt in its neck. Gus grimaced. Stupid! Never throw your weapon away! The Mantids shook briefly and stood still. After five seconds, the remaining Mantids retreated to the trees and fled. Gus blinked as they disappeared back into the jungle. He quickly recovered the thrown weapon. He had gotten too much into the thrill of battle and reacted on impulse. He resumed a fighting pose while staring at the jungle. Is this some kind of a trap? It feels like these things are getting smarter, and I donât like it!
Turning, Gus noticed one of the blueish creatures placed within a recess of a dead tree. Gus hadnât noticed it on his exploration into the jungle. He once again became transfixed, unable to turn away from the eye-studded blob.
âAnd we didnât even make it to â9 to 5â in the playlist,â Nick whined.
Gus was ready to chase the zombies into the forest, but thought better of it, not wanting to get caught in another ambush.
But you chased them off this time, why not?
âGUS!â Nick yelled.
Gus shook his head, realizing he was standing a mere armâs length from the blob. When did that happen? He quickly stabbed the blob, easily popping it, and he felt a dreamlike torpor evaporate.
You have defeated an Observer (Level 12)
300 XP awarded
600 FP awarded
âHello, McFly? Are you back with us?â
âYeah, what was that?â
âLook at your logs, dummy! That mob was influencing you the whole battle. You werenât listening to any of my suggestions to make a hasty retreat. Letâs get back to the manor, that was too close,â Nick gasped in exasperation, ââŠkids these daysâŠâ
Heading back down the path, Gus felt awkward and a little dazed from the mind control. To break the uncomfortable silence from Nick, he decided to get to know the new persona.
âSo why was this persona chosen, Nick?â
âFirst of all, youâre welcome for the playlist suggestions, itâs kind of a thing when
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