5 - One boss, one kill
"Well, well, well. It seems we have some neigh-sayers In the audience. Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie?" The performer began, pacing along the stage. "Do they not know that they are in the presence of the most talented Magi in all of Equestria?!"
The situation was getting worse, as several people were muttering stuff. Trixie definitely caught wind of those idiots' words.
"Let's be real. That Twilight girl had around double the amount of raw magic this woman has. Talent without the raw magical pool can only get you so far. Even I have just a bit less magic than her! ...Well, I'm kinda cheating." Absorbed as I was in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed that the show-woman had issued a challenge to the audience.
What I did notice, was that I couldn't see Applejack around me anymore. In fact, she had stepped up onto the stage and started performing tricks with her lasso, finishing her small performance by pulling an apple from a tree and taking a bite out of it.
"Top that, missy!" She taunted.
I honestly didn't think she could: from what I'd seen, even with telekinesis you'd need a big amount of coordination. She might've had it, sure, but she didn't strike me as such. She seemed to be an illusionist more than anything.
...Or at least I thought so until I saw AJ get hogtied by her own rope.
"So that's how she's going to play it? humiliate others? That's just pitiful. I'm out." I turned around and marched away, not interested anymore in the scene. "What should I do with my time, I wonder? Maybe work out a bit? I could use the extra stats. Now that I think about it, the stealing plan might not be without merit-" That was as far as my thoughts went, before a certain stage magician interrupted me.
"And who dares turn their back to the Great and Powerful Trixie? Are you perhaps scared, now that Trixie has shown how superior she is to you poor little hayseeds? Maybe-" This time it was my turn to cut her off.
"Ok, you're really getting on my nerves now. Not only does your modus operandi for hecklers consist of publicly humiliating others, now you also have to go and taunt others for not wanting to take part in it?" I started making my way back, glaring at the dumb girl. "I was enjoying your show at first, you know. I never had much experience with magic, so even just this was a novelty for me. But you just had to go and ruin the experience for those who were actually liking it!" At some point in my rant, I'd jumped on the stage, and was towering over her, menacingly.
"Yeah, tell her!" Came from the audience. I quickly turned around, spotting the culprit. It was, unsurprisingly, one of Applejack's friends.
Really, she was a smart woman. Why would she choose such imbeciles to hang out with?
I pointed over to the winged girl hovering a meter or so off the ground, directing my glare at her. "I have words for you all as well! Just wait until I'm done with her!" I turned back to Trixie. "I'd like to think you can be reasonable, so I'm giving you two choices. One, you apologize for your rudeness to the public and we go on with our lives. Or two, I'll have to knock some humility in you, and then you apologize."
Trixe didn't say anything for a while, but after a moment she started whispering. "Trixie is really sorry for this situation, but Trixie can't just drop the façade now! If the public were to see the true Trixie, her reputation would plummet! Is there really no alternative?"
My anger dropped severely when I saw her state. She was trembling lightly, craning her neck up to look at me, but fatiguing to look at me in the eye. "Dammit, what's going on with me lately? She's just a girl trying to do her job! But I can't just stop now, can I?"
"Fine then," I whispered back. "I suppose I've exaggerated too. How about this: you smack me away with some magic, and then we duel a bit? I'll hold back, but make it seem real, ok?"
I got a hesitant nod back, and then felt a force pushing on my stomach, flinging me to the side. I regained my footing in time to not fly off the stage.
"So that's how you want it?" I taunted, my hands lighing up with magic. "Let's dance."
I let a Mana Blast fly, though I did my best to use as little mana as possible when doing so. The effect was that the blast was much thinner than usual, to the point where Trixie's own blast completely overpowered mine. I made a show of being surprised, and barely being able to get out of the way in time.
Trixie was actually no slouch, it seemed, as whe kept up the pressure easily with multiple blasts. When I dodged all she threw, an even started taking potshots, she added some variety. I was pretty sure most of those spells were just illusions, but I still did my outmost to avoid them.
Just as I jumped to avoind a red blast, I was met with another hit to the chest. This one had enough force to send me flying a few meters, though I wasn't really hurt.
I pretended to hold my chest in pain, and got up. I looked at Trixie for a moment, and then laughed. The onlookers seemed curious as to my actions.
"You know, I was wrong. I suppose that your bragging has to come from somewhere, and we just witnessed the proof. I'd say that you've definitely won this time. But I'm telling you!" I pointed to her with my free hand "I'll be back for a rematch!"
Trixie puffed up her chest, and turned up her nose haughtily. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will show you just how outmatched you are as many times as needed. But for today, the show is over ponies! Please come back tomorrow!" And so, she disappeared, a burst of smoke covering her retreat.
I made to turn away and leave, but I found my path blocked by a powerful pair of arms.
"An' where do ya think yer goin'? Don'tcha think ya owe us an explanaition?" Applejack sounded... rather angry. That wouldn't spell anything good for me.
"That's fair. But... can we not do it here?" I asked, hoping to prolong my time so I could come up with an excuse.
+2 Chaos Points for causing a big scene in a public place! (Big fan of your acting, have you considered a career on the big screen?)
"Fuck off."
As soon as the library's door closed I let go of all pretenses, and walked to the center of the room on my own, looking back to the others when I stopped.
"Wait, wait, wait," began Rainbow Dash, as my Analyze identified her, "you were pretending the whole time?"
I nodded. "I'm sorry to have made you worry, but I had to do it-" I put my hands up, signaling the horde of ladies to wait "-let me explain. You see, that Trixie woman is a performer. Her main way to attract audience is to brag, and spin grand tales: it's a penchant of many others in this line of work. Admittedly, humiliating you was the wrong way to react, but you are no better." I pointed at the group. "Stage performers of all sorts tend to embellish the truth, if not outright lie. You should have seen it coming."
Most of the girls looked offended at my words, as if I'd said unspeakable things about their mothers.
"Um... I think I understand..." Said a quiet voice from the group.
The rest of the girls turned to the owner of the voice: a pink-haired avian called Fluttershy. She didn't seem to be a fan of the attention, as she shrunk into herself as soon as our gazes turned to her.
"Yeah, I get where he's coming from too." added Spike. I honestly hadn't noticed the lad until now. He moved to stand next to Fluttershy. "She was putting up a performance, and we were very rude in interrupting like that. Even though she may very well have been lying, it doesn't make us any better than her to crash her performance like that-" He turned to the girl next to him "-right, Fluttershy?"
The pink-haired girl gave a more convinced nod, visibly glad to have someone else on her side.
"Glad we got that figured out. Now, if you will excuse me-" I went for the door, but was stopped again by an arm around my midsection.
"That still ain't explainin' why ya had ta go an' fight the gal."
I shrugged. "Had to come up with something to preserve her reputation and give her a reason to get away from everyone. That was the first thing that came to mind." I squirmed a bit. "Now, don't we have apples to sell or something?"
The arm lingered for a moment, before letting go. I heard a sigh behind me. "Fair 'nuff. See ya later, gals. Gotta make sure this numbnut doesn't get in any more trouble."
With that, we were finally off.
The rest of the day went by rather smoothly, if awkwardly. Applejack tended to most of the sales, though I did manage to sell a little bit and got 1 point in CHA for my trouble. After packing up, we pulled the cart back to the farm (+1 STR), took a quick lunch, and I excused myself.
Now, I was wondering what to do. I could train my physical stats, or try to study some more spells. As it stood, I really wanted some more magic. Thus, I started my usual slew of trial and error when it came to magic.
New skills learned:
Ember - active - 50 MP
* A weak fire spell used to start campfires
* DMG=(INT)/4
* 10% chance to inflict [Burn] status
Fire affinity (minimal) - passive - no cost
* Try not to get burned, ok?
* +5% Fire magic damage
* +1 INT
The spell was nice, certainly, but... weak. Was it worth to use my CP on it?
...who was I kidding? It was fire magic, of course it was worth it.
Ember (+1) - active - 200 MP
* A weak fire spell used to start campfires
* DMG=(INT)
* 20% chance to inflict [Burn] status
I still needed to cause chaos in the city, but with the little scene I caused in the middle of the town today I didn't feel like attracting attention to me any more than needed: I'd go get some more levels that night and then, just before returning, I would do some damage around town.
As one would expect of wooden beings, the timberwolves were very weak to fire: so much so, that as soon as their HP dropped to 0, they wouldn't regenerate anymore. It simplified my life by a lot, so I didn't complain. It was going so well, in fact, that I decided to keep pressing and conquer the dungeon. I'd been waiting for too long.
The labyrinthine structure of the den would have been difficult to navigate, but with my Compass spell it was beyond easy. Soon, I found myself in front of a great entrance, much bigger than the rest of the corridors: definitely the boss room. Before entering, I checked my equipment and stats again, just to be safe.
My magisteel sword was clutched in my hand, and I was wearing the Punk Gloves on, just for added safety. My Beastly Medallion was tucked under my shirt, and my stats were looking pretty good, all things considered.
Name: Nicholas Pascaru
Age: 23
Species: Human (+5% effect to all skills)
Class: Fighter [LV: 13] (335/380)
LV: 43
HP: [2.510/2.510]
HPR: [74/min]
MP: [2.540/2.540]
MPR: [50/min]
STR: 34 (+3) [37]
VIT: 36
DEX: 77 (+3) (+1) [78]
INT: 38 (+1) (+1) [40]
WIS: 25
LUK: 54
CHA: 20
My stats were rather biased towards DEX and LUK, but what could I do about them, really?
Anyways, on my way to the boss room I'd taken the chance to increase all of my classes: Rogue was at 15, Fighter at 13, and Mage at 10. Mage's tenth level increased Telekinesis' rank, increasing how many items and how much weight I could lift: still rather low, but better than before.
The most important thing was the spell I was casting on myself just now:
Oakflesh - active - 500 MP
* Strengthen your skin, be one with the wood.
* Take 25% less damage for one minute
There was no outward effect, except for a slight shimmer to my skin for a few seconds, but I could feel the change: my flesh 'contracted', becoming tougher and yet not blocking my movement in any way. It was disorienting, but I managed to get used to it after a couple of times using it.
With my preparations complete, I stepped in the room.
Looking at it, it was more of a cave, and less of a room. Stalactites and stalagmites extended from the ceiling and floor, making it look like I was stepping into the jaws of a predator. Inside, the cave was much bigger than I'd anticipated. I didn't need to create light here, as several luminous fungi served that purpose well enough. The ceiling and walls were riddled with roots, creating a chaotic weave that was in some way still pleasing. From the gaps in the roots, more fungi appeared. The floor, instead, was littered with leaves of all shapes and sizes.
And in the middle of all that, stood the elder.
Name: Arbore
Age: N/A
Species: Elder Timberwolf (As long as MP remains, the body can repair itself)
LV: 30
HP: 1.860/1.860
MP: 1.750/1.750
STR: 32
VIT: 36
DEX: 40
INT: 25
WIS: 45
CHA: 5
LUK: 2
I was overleveled for this, really.
Arbore and I kept observing each other, neither making the first move. It high INT probably meant that it could speak, but even if it did, it knew that I was not going to negotiate.
Neither was it, apparently, as it immediately lunged at me. For others, that would've been unavoidable and it would've spelled their death... not me, though. I made use of my full speed and used Blade Rush.
I reappeared behind Arbore, and heard scrambling behind me. I turned, and threw my free hand into a punch. The timberwolf didn't seem to register the hit, though it was enough to knock it off-course. Before it righted itself, I cast Ember at it.
I might as well have not done it, for all the good it did.
My attacks didn't seem like they were doing much damage, so I had to pull out the big guns. I stepped closer to the wolf, thanks to my DEX which was about twice its own, and used Drain Stab. Normally I'd have used that skill as an emergency heal, but with its defenses I needed something stronger.
My sword pierced precisely through the wolf's midsection, spilling yellow-green sap all over the floor.
I wondered: was this sap flammable? I just had to try. Thus, another Ember was cast.
Critical hit!
The resulting flames were absolutely beautiful.
Oh, and so was the HP slowly ticking down. I'd inflicted a Severe Burn to Arbore, so it was suffering quite a lot. It still hadn't given up, though, and a glow came from its body... aside from the fire, that is. The eerie green glow surrounding the wolf caused it to grow big, way bigger than me. At the apex of its growth it stood around ten feet tall, and was peering down at me with fire all over its back. Not a pleasant sight.
I jumped back as fast as I could, narrowly avoiding a bite.
"It got faster... but is MP is dropping even faster. I just need to play this defensively." With that plan in my mind, I kept dodging.
Claws, bites, charges. Arbore tried all that, and then more, but it was useless. The fire was weakening it as it went, and I was always a step ahead of it. I managed to get another couple of nicks in with my sword, before it finally collapsed. The flames covered almost all of its body, only part of its face being spared for now.
It looked at me with its glowing eye, the light slowly fading. It spoke, in a wizened and raspy voice.
"What... what are you? What are you, who hunts our kin so savagely?"
It would've been a great moment for a one-liner, to proclaim a new title for myself. But I couldn't come up with anything. I stepped closer to the timberwolf, and gripped my sword tighter.
"The dead have no right to ask questions." I swung my sword down, ending the old wolf once and for all.
Just as the head stopped rolling and the flames simmered down, notifications appeared in my sight.
Battle log
Elder Timberwolf: Arbore LV: 30 slain!
Gained: 925 XP
Class: Fighter leveled up! (13 - 16)
+6 STR, +6 VIT, +3 DEX
You have completed the [Timberwolf] dungeon!
You gained +5 to all your stats!
"...I expected something better. Maybe a little more fanfare, or a cool item. Oh, well. Now I need to find myself a better place to train at. Great." I began trudging out of the dungeon. Before I could go far, another notification popped up.
Warning: leaving the dungeon without obtaining the boss' [Magic core] will result in its permanent loss.
Leave anyway? [Y/N]
I blinked. So there was something else to be gained. Immediately, I turned around and started poking through Arbore's body. Or rather, the pile of charcoal that was left in its place. After a few seconds, I found the stone. It was about as big as my fist, and radiating a pale blue light.
I picked up the stone carefully, avoiding the last few dying embers. I turned the stone this way and that, trying to work out what I was supposed to do with it. Discord's Game came to my aid once again.
You have found a Magic core! Will you assimilate it? [Y/N]
Without thinking, I pressed 'yes'. The stone shattered, and my head felt on fire like I'd never felt before. I clutched the sides of my head in agony, fearing that it may explode if it were to hurt even a tad more.
After an hour, or maybe a minute, the pain lessened. It was still there, but I could think again without much of a problem.
"Why do I do these kinds of things to myself?" I wondered.
When the pain finally left, one last notification appeared.
Skill assimilated:
Nature's wrath - active - 1% MP/second
* The primal energy of the world at your call.
* Multiplies your physical stats by 1.5
* Cannot be upgraded
New class unlocked: Druid (prerequisite: Mage LV MAX)
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Frankly, I'm curious about what Discord gets out of this.
Entertainment, certainly, but what else?
A chance to escape seems likely, perhaps a decent scapegoat for later actions?
It's been a while, so anyone who knows more, feel free to correct me!
Eh. At least it's not dead.
So there is a schedule?
10127738
Probably entertainment and an ally
Ponies aren't creatures of chaos and can't think like him, are blinded, etc
Humans are both order and chaos, balance
So human is the closest to being similar to him
10127804
Makes sense. That said, for all we know Discord (or the author, technically) has an unspoken reason.
I do like the idea of him both sub-contracting his work while sitting back with a bag of popcorn.
Get's his job done while occasionally helping out the hapless intern (of Chaos!).
DexFag
This post was made by strength gang
Not a bad story. its too bad its updated so infrequently, not even sure if I'll add it to my tracking list.
I wonder if there's a necromancer classs..
Interesting. I usually go for more of a battlemage setup (50% mage, 50% fighter). I'm a bit of a berserker in games, so I tend to use magic in combination with fighting skills without bothering with shields.
10128122
It's my favourite of the franchise.
10128020
That yorick pfp makes this all the better.
10127848
STRFag
This Message was brought to you by the WIS Gang
10128020
Wouldn't you like to know, huh?
Well, I'll tell you this much: each base class has three advanced classes. The druid in an extra. So... could be anything there. Place your bets, people.
10128005
It is what it is, mate. I have another story that I'm more committed to on FanFiction, so this one is not my priority. I tend to write on this whenever I hit a dry spell on my other one. When that one is finished, though, I might get something more done here.
If I were you, I wouldn't get my hopes up too much.
10128467
I never do.
10128476 Sorry to hear that.
10128328
Gross, All I need is one hit WISfag
It would be interesting if after getting CHA to 25 he getting a passive skill "Silver Tongue" and at 50 "Charming".
WIS at 30 getting "Fast Thought" and at 40 get "Deep Thought", then maxing both makes them merge into "Unparalleled Thought" and also giving him "Minor Mental Resistance", which changes as you max it out (Minor to lvl 10, Adept to lvl 25, Expert to lvl 50, Mastered to lvl 100 and Supreme to lvl 1000)
10129450
Sorry, but the perks begin at 100 for any stat. Gonna have to wait a bit more.
A nice way to deal with Trixie, I have to admit. Also, now I've got a question. If he waits long enough, will the dungeon repopulate?
10130074
It all ties in with a longer 'quest' of sorts. Yes, it will. And he'd better hope it doesn't.
10130080
Ooh, ominous. I like.
10130034
Will you need help? I have some bestiaries from Pathfinder, ponyfinder and DnD.
10136572
I... just what? I barely understood anything from that. I can understand if english isn't your main language, really, but please try to be a bit more comprehensible when you write. I'm getting a headache trying to decipher what you're trying to say.
Please keep in mind that I'm not trying to be offensive, but I'd like being able to talk to all of my readers without going cross-eyed.
10136737
Thanks for polishing it up. I did kinda get what you meant, but the grammar (or lack thereof) was throwing me off something fierce.
10136929
Twilight cried in the corner. She saw Chaos and it painted her with purpose and despair.
Welcome to my LAIR!
*Ahem* That Aside. This is pretty god damn nifty, my jolly fellow! Keep up the good work!
this is enjoyable
I think you f up the game here, Nichol mp regen is 2% per second meaning he can keep Nature's wrath on indefinitely and still recover mp.... but maybe that was the intent, still makes the gamer unbalanced especially when he gets a futher 5% bonus from the wrath and in all the skills (ehich include the passives I think).
Also dragons are OP AF, not as Op as humans but still.
10176433
Gender, or biological sex to be more precise, is never irrelevant.
Nice
My name isn't Nicholas, completely unreadable.
10275928
Ha, ha-ha, ha. You're funny. You'll die last.
Oh this is a lovely little story. *Sips Tea* I always have had a soft spot for chaos.... I wonder of Wild Surge style magic may be a potential in the future? *Grins widely* I even happen to have a link to this lovely database full of fun chaos effects if the author should want to check it out. Just let me know.
10280882
Oh. That gives me ideas. Please do share.
10281123
Happily my dear author.
10,000 Chaos Effects
Hey when will the next chapter come out?
10343737
I'll tell you when I know that myself.
10344622
Lack of inspiration? it happens to all of us pretty often.
To be honest, it's kinda looking like he should be able to cause as much chaos unintentionally as he does intentionally. In addition, anything involving the CMC or going against someone's nature/mark should cause chaos by default... Twilight is especially good with that sort of inadvertent thing (see: the Smarty Pants Incident), and often really needs a push in the wrong direction... but Rarity's skill with that is nothing to scoff at, either. ;-]
Is this a dead story or do you simply still have no inspiration
10708462
Maybe dead because It has not bean online for 2 months
10769477
Well, I’ve seen non dead stories come back after a year
10770359
not the story but creator
But then again this guy came back after a few years Orthoros - Fimfiction
RIP dead story
Good story, would like to know if or when it gets finished though.