Chapter 69: Raging Riposte
"Look at my puppets dance, isn't it just so cute?"
"Rinagi, this is no time for games; we have serious work to do."
"Aw, it's almost sad when I order them to die for me... that lady even killed three at once." Frowned Rinagi while staring at her game board with inquisitive eyes.
"And I told you to call me Rin, you're so formal... and such a killjoy." Whined Rin as she looked up at her companion for the first time since he entered the room.
"Yes, fine, but we have to go; this is no time to dawdle." Grumbled the man while gesturing to the pale, gray door across the room.
"We have to leave already, but we only just got here and my toys will suffer if we leave so soon."
"You know this group killed one of your generals like it was nothing right, it would be safer if we simply left."
"Oh you're always such a worry wart, it'll be fine, from what I'm seeing; the pests lost their biggest advantage at the start of the war... I'm sure the floor's lord will finish them off in no time."
"Fine, but if things go south, we're leaving at first notice."
"Naturally." Smiled Rin as she moved a large game piece forward.
~~~
Imogen swiped her halberd across the room, killing the three skeletons that dared to near her, but after their deaths; the remaining twelve charged recklessly at Imogen as if caution had been blown to the wind. Imogen then attempted to bring her halberd down upon the first foolish skeleton to charge at her, but her arms somehow couldn't lift the halberd.
"Why won't my arms move, I can barely hold up Execratus; darn... I need to fall back and figure this out."
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐌𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐲: You, fall back, the notorious hot head without a shred of intelligence; I don't think so
"Well I am."
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞: Hmmm, no you're not
"Yes I am!"
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐑𝐢𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞: Well... you're not because while you were wasting time talking to me, the skeletons surrounded you like vultures would a corpse
"I don't like that analogy, system, you sick fricker!" Grimaced Imogen while feeling a blade slash across her skin, opening up a small gash across her body.
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: I wouldn't talk to my salvation like that, now be a good girl and shut up
"SYSTEM YOU BI-"
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐌𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: I would dodge if I were you, I doubt your incredible defence will hold against an attack that does piercing damage... such attacks slide right past your DEF after all.
"Grrr, I'll get you for this system, one day... you'll regret all that you've done to me!" Snarled Imogen as she jumped backwards into a skeleton's attack and got her back scratched in more ways than one.
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤: Yeah, yeah... do you want me to help now; or...
"Frickin' fine, just shut up afterwards!" Snapped Imogen while attempting to punch a skeleton in the face, only for her fist to bounce off like it was nothing.
Name: Nameless
Race: Lower Raised Dead
Age: 176
Gender: Female
Bloodline: Branded Skeleton
Level: 8
Class: None
Hp: 78/78
Mp: 3.9/3.9
Str: 9
Vit: 6
Def: 7
Int: 3
Agt: 4
Skills: Slash, Lord's Wrath
Notes: Sets one's STR to 1 for 5 minutes after having been killed, though one becomes immune to it afterwards - Lord's Wrath
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦'𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞: What you just saw was a skeleton's status screen and the cause of your ailments
"You could've just told me that, you absolute scumbag; what the hell!" Cried Imogen as she dodged a slash to the neck, almost picturing her blood spilling out upon the ground below.
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦'𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: You said this was going to be boring, I was only being nice... not so boring now is it. All that defence isn't doing shit, for a normal person, this would be a piece of cake... but you don't know how to dodge. Do you even see how slow these skeletons are and I'm pretty sure you've had at least three near death encounters in four minutes... it's hard not to laugh at how bad you are sometimes. And even if you could use your halberd, your movement with it sucks, you only know how to use it from the muscle memory a skill gives you; that doesn't let you plan your attacks at all
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, did you know that I'm only trying to survive here, do I look like I have the time to learn how to wield a halberd properly without the use of a skill; or practice dodging!"
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐥: Yes actually, you spend more time sitting around and twiddling your thumbs than anyone else I've ever seen, come now Imogen; you don't have the motivation... raw stats will only 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨 you so far
Imogen hesitated a moment before lifting her halberd up and pounding a skeleton's skull in. She dashed across the battlefield slicing skeletons in two like it was nothing and soon, there was no more skeletons left to kill.
As Imogen sat atop the splintered bones of the skeletons, a group of seven people came running up to her.
"Sorry for taking so long Imogen, a group of skeletons flanked us from behind, lucky Auden's primarily a mage so he was unaffected by whatever rendered us unable to use our weapons... but if I may ask; how'd you kill the skeletons being a melee user yourself?" Inquired Clarence while looking down upon the expressionless Imogen who wasn't even looking at him.
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐧: Oh that's right, I almost forgot you had magic skills, don't you feel dumb right about now... it's important you remember all tactical options in a fight; or do you still think you're too good for that. Just because you grow faster than those around you does not mean you should work less, it actually means you have to work more to ensure that your gift goes to use... that is your purpose
"..."
Imogen gradually pushed herself up and walked past Clarence and the rest without even the aloof word, or two.
"Imogen? "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine darnit, now shut the hell up!" Screamed Imogen and suddenly the whole room was silent.
"Please, just leave me alone for now... I really don't want to see anything that walks."
"I swear, I don't even know why I travel with you; you're always yelling at me."
"Hey, I'm not always yelling at you; it's more like half the time and who's fault is that!" Shouted Imogen as Clarence silently shook his head, turned and sighed, calling for the rest of the group to follow.
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦'𝐬 𝐄𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫: ...Oops, didn't know what I said would hurt you so much, you've never truly taken insults to the heart before, I made a mistake; not really sorry though
"You shut up too, I hate everyone, you all expect so much of me and eventually I get frustrated and yell at you." Muttered Imogen as a rare tear dripped down her face.
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: By everyone I'm guessing you mean Clarence and Auden, yeah, you're a real jerk to them; but that's a mistake. We all make mistakes, whether they beest big, or small. You can try to avoid one... some will, but just as many won't and when the next possible mistake comes; it's the ones who fell before that will make it through
"I have to say... you're very charismatic system, you can cut people down and bring them up almost just as easily and I hate you for it."
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞: I assure you that if I were here in person, I wouldn't be nearly as convincing.
"Sure and pigs can fly." Laughed Imogen while brushing the tears off her face with her thumb.
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐭: They can, they're called Valkyrie Boars and the feathers on their wings go for extraordinary prices
"Luck be darned, I hate pigs now, I bet they're so smug flying above all their troubles." Sighed Imogen while wiping her face with the back of her hand and reaching for a yellowish bone laying upon the ground.
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Actually, Valkyrie Boars have a very hard time surviving, having been able to fly; their bodies are weak. When they land to eat, they're prey to just about anything with teeth; not to mention all the hunters almost driving them to extinction
"What're you trying to say, system, that I'm pathetic." Frowned Imogen as she snapped the bone she was holding in half and tossed it on the ground.
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭: Nah, not today, what I'm saying is that all creatures have problems in some way, most without the luxury to surpass them. What do you think a Valkyrie Boar would do if it suddenly formed a soul and gained the ability to surpass what it would call fate?
"It would do all in it's power to break past it's fate?"
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: No, it would defy the natural order and take it's hate out upon all those who once hurt it... the pig will almost never be able to comprehend that it's above fate now, that if it plays its cards right, it can become more than it ever wanted to surpass... sound familiar at all. You've become complacent, you've achieved your goals and surpassed what was humanly possible on your home planet, to you; there is no reason to keep climbing up the staircase. You do keep climbing, but there's a limp in your step and a hitch in your pace, I bet you could die now and have no regrets other than not killing the bastard who killed you. If you keep going like this, climbing without a driving force, a reason to keep going other than the fear of death; you will take a misstep and you will fall.
*𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: For now, until you can find true motivation of your own, go higher because you can, because you're not bound by the limits they are; go higher to achieve the goals they cannot... and know your potential is on par with what mine once was
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone