wkrrk posts
Posts: 317
Files: 34
Chapter 148: Plan (4)
World: MSS - Loading...***When she said that, I froze.It’s not something I did consciously. It’s like a kid being caught with his hand halfway already in the cookie jar and you heard your mom’s footsteps. Sometimes fight-or-flight response tends to get stuck somewhere in the middle. This happens because you don’t plan ahead. Why don’t people plan ahead?Because you get caught off guard, being thrust into a situation you didn’t account for. So when the Bishop’s bodyguard, whose name was apparently ‘Emilian’, accused me of being ...
Chapter 147: Plan (3)
World: MSS - Loading...***In a fight, you have to be aware of not only the opponent’s weaknesses, but your own strengths.Well, it sounds cool if I say it like that. What I really mean is that in MSS, type-match ups matter.They matter a lot.“He’s there! Get him!”“Sound the alarm!”A mage whose only discerning feature was the pointed hat with a wide brim pointed at me while her partner dashed towards me. She promptly lifted her hands into the air, chanting and dim points of light beginning to gather in between her hands.‘A spell mean...
Announcement
Happy Thanksgiving!Sorry about the late updates this week!My mom likes to pick cabbages at a friend’s farm during thanksgiving and none of my siblings want to drive her there except I. So i was away for a few days!But I’m back and the updates for MSS + Fabled Archives will be coming up today and over the weekend.Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!
Chapter 146: Plan (2)
World: MSS - Loading...***This… was going to be tough.I waited till the sun disappeared beyond the ocean’s horizon, its orange glow diving deep beneath the waves. The last brilliant waves stopped shining through the tent’s open flap which served as a makeshift window in my little tent. Even then, the island’s smoldering coal-like aura still lit the night air like dimmed red neon signs. So I waited longer.One hour.Two hours.Four hours.Five hours passed.Still, there was idle chatter around the camp that filtered into my tent. So I decided...
Chapter 145: Plan (1)
World: MSS - Loading...***On the way back, my thoughts were broody and dark. So much so in fact that my party members picked up on it.“Lock, you look worried.”“Mmm.” I replied thoughtfully to the Mage.I saw Kyrian and Skaris share a look. Skaris’ tongue flickered out, licking his lips before he spoke. Though his features were identical to a human except for the reptilian scales that spotted his body here and there, the motion was much too close to an actual reptile off of a documentary to be entirely human.“He’ssss regretting the ...
Chapter 144: Proof of Strength (13)
World: MSS - Loading...***In MSS, monsters have stats.And naturally, if a monster has stats, it means those stats can be buffed or debuffed. Up to this fact, World: MSS doesn’t stray too far from other games. Plenty of games have stat blocks for monsters. HP, MP, Attack, even things like Stagger Meters. But what’s unique about MSS is the fact that monsters have Cores, and those Cores have abilities.On top of that, there’s a chance that a monster can wield a Item.Not Sword or Mace or Shield. I’m talking items that are considered drops, o...
Chapter 143: Proof of Strength (12)
World: MSS - Loading...***“M-mister, Sis Aurora, her back… and Darwin…” Stole walked towards the two, each step dragging on the floor as if she was being dragged forward by something unseen.“Stole, get back.” I pushed past her.My heart was pounding and it made my head hurt.I’d made the right choice, hadn’t I?I did. But sometimes, the right choice leaves you feeling like shit.Walking past Stole, I kneeled next to Aurora. Usually in a situation like this, one would imagine that their heart would be threatening to beat right out of...
Chapter 142: Proof of Strength (11)
World: MSS - Loading...***“Kyrian, fry him.”Tiny marbles made of pure electrical mana filled the room. The air vibrated with latent power, all that potential power waiting to be released. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and static electricity caused the Samsoogook’s hair to stand on end like a porcupine-plush-wig. The monster stood still, its two sets of eyes on two different faces darting back and forth, trying to look for a way out.Kyrian answered with definitive prejudice.He pointed towards the monster with his sta...
Chapter 17
As Ashley and Cotner led the Valdemir’s into the room, Artemvian studied them carefully.They were both thin. Not terribly so, but just enough for clothes to look good on them in a sophisticated way that the wealthy tend to prefer. Not merchant wealth either, like old-money wealth. The husband, Mr. Valdemir, wore thin-rimmed glasses which sat perched on his beak-like nose. Artemvian studied the man’s hands as Mr. Valdemir slightly adjusted his blazer, fiddling with the buttons. The man had black hair that was graying at the tips. He was all ...
Chapter 141: Proof of Strength (10)
World: MSS - Loading...***“You have brought the sacrifice?” The monster repeated.The Monster’s three heads spoke as one. However, each tongue spoke at a slightly different pitch; adding onto the whole creepiness factor by threefold. Yet, when it spoke there was no emotion behind it. When someone speaks, there’s a hint of emotion and intent. When this monster, it had none of that.Like a recording, being replayed over and over again.Something inhuman disguised as human.It was just enough to make the party hesitate.Just enough.And in that ...
Chapter 140: Proof of Strength [9]
World: MSS - Loading...***That night, we regathered with Stole, Darwin and Doror in the middle of the city.“Watch yer step.” Doror said, leading the way.Skaris and Stole sniffed the air and looked at each other, than at the rest of us humans who didn’t share their sense of smell. They both grimaced like tasting something sour. Well, technically, I probably had a [Smell] stat just as good as them. But this acrid scent wasn’t something I recognized.It was Doror who answered my silent question. “This place is littered with traps. If ye v...
Chapter 16
Cotner gulped audibly. “H-h-here?”Ashley slowly put her gun together, holstering it with the safety off. Gary’s eyes were calm as he looked around.“That’s why we can never pin it down.” Celine whispered, “It was always listening in on us. Always one step ahead of us.”“The Valdemars.” Ashley said, her eyes flickering towards one of the doors.Artemvian quietly noted Ashley’s reaction, guessing that the ‘Clients’ lay that way.. “It’s fine, it’s not here with us right now.”“And you know this, how?” Gary’s ton...
Chapter 139: Proof of Strength (8)
World: MSS - Loading...***“You did what?!”“I offered to bring them with us.”“Lock, I don’t mean to offend you, I really don’t.” Kyrian’s tone was equal parts chastising and disbelief. “Are you insane?”“Sssslaveborn hassss never been ssssane.” Skaris said dryly.I did my best to keep the growing frown off my face. Kyrian hadn’t been this upset since… since I met him actually. The Mage had always been behind me every step of the way. The fact that he was actually scolding me spoke volumes about the weight of my decisi...
Chapter 138: Proof of Strength (7)
World: MSS - Loading...***My head went blank and I whispered, “Stole.”She was out there. Alone. With Darwin and the little girl, she wouldn’t escape even if she could. She’d stay behind.Skaris snarled, cursing, and made to get up before Doror stopped him.Even before I had spoken, the others had begun moving. Aurora ,especially, stood up so fast that her chair left grooves on the floor. Kyrian was looking out the window as well. It was just as well because we all had the same thought the moment that Doror had mentioned having a monster l...
Chapter 137: Proof of Strength (6)
World: MSS - Loading...***When we walked in the workshop-turned forge, Doror was already waiting for us.“Ah, I knew you’d be back. I’ve been waiting for you”The Master Smith sat slouched over a wooden table, the last bottle of Dwarf’s Blood before him. There was just a little bit of the drink left at the bottom, just enough for one more drink.“It’s good to see you again, Master Stonehammer.” I said in my best polite voice.“Bugger off with that shit,” Doror pointed at the table and gestured at the crates all around us. “Gra...
Chapter 136: Proof of Strength (5)
World: MSS - Loading...***I waited in [Darkness], watching as the next [Chuu-in] leaped by, its powerful legs propelling it forward towards Delas and his party in the distance. For a moment, it paused to sniff on the ground and pointed its nose towards me, the old man's face leering in my direction. My heart froze for all but a moment and I thumbed my sheathed sword. But there was another scream –or battle cry– from Delas’ direction and the monster turned, losing interest in me and loping towards the battle.Finally letting myself brea...
Chapter 15
“We call ourselves,” Artemvian repeated for the hundredth time, his expression serious, “the Grimms.”No one spoke for a moment. Artemvian turned to the side, looking out the passenger seat window of the unmarked police car. Buildings flew by as the car picked up speed, the people becoming indistinguishable from the background as if they were just strokes of paint. His reflection slowly turned into a smirk.“I swear, if you-” Celine began.“AHAHAHA! YOU WERE SO SERIOUS! AHAHAHAHA!” He mimed wiping a tear from his eye, one hand on h...
Chapter 135: Proof of Strength (4)
World: MSS - Loading...***I was leading the way with Stole following close behind.“Mister, are you sure you don’t want me to warn you about monsters ahead of time?”“Just tell me when we’re getting too close.”Aurora was the next in line, with Kyrian and Darwin sticking close to her. Of course, as the Tank, she would have to protect two people. Skaris brought up the rear.“Ok, if you’re sure.” Stole said and then stood behind me. A moment later, I could sense that she was focused –a sort of calming air coming from her general a...
Chapter 134: Proof of Strength (3)
World: MSS - Loading....***“Get your hands off of my healer.”The priest whose arm I grabbed froze, eyes wide. For half a second, I could imagine myself losing control. It would be easy. Just a snap of my wrist and it would be done. A clean break, and the message would be clear.And at the same time, I’d probably make an enemy out of this entire camp.Yeah, I could imagine Zenom’s reaction. My party would be banned from leaving the camp premises, our privileges for hunting revoked. The other adventurers might even join in, trying to earn b...
Chapter 14
“I think you’re being Haunted.”Artemvian took a moment to get a better look. This time, his intent wasn’t just to admire her figure. No, Artemvian was very specific in what he scanned for. He studied her as a Mage would, searching for potential signs of danger. He looked for metallic-seams that might be invisible to the ordinary eye, listening for any sound of gears whirring as she shifted her stance, tilting her hip and putting one hand on the side.He looked into her brown eyes, trying to focus on what she was saying.Those sweet, luxur...
133: Proof of Strength (3)
World: MSS - Loading...***Zenom set out some basic rules.One. Every party needed to bring three fruits per member. If you had five members, you had to bring in 15 fruits. If you had six, you had to bring in eighteen and etcetera. If you failed, you had two more chances to leave for the hunt. But the catch was that you still had to make up the quota from the previous day, on top of that day’s quota. Parties who failed to meet the quota would be held back and stuck on guard duty.In my opinion it was more than fair. The Special Field effect of t...
132: Proof of Strength (2)
World: MSS - Loading...***“You’re mad.”The bodyguard who spoke to me had bluish hair peeping out from underneath their veils. It was the same bodyguard who had summoned the Amphiptere before. “You are absolutely mad.”“Say the word, Bishop. And I’ll take his head off.” The other bodyguard whose name I didn’t particularly care to learn, took a step forward. He brandished a sword menacingly, his other hand glowing with black and green light.The Kojisa Bodyguard had taken out her weapon too, a small scythe. They both took a step c...
Chapter 13: Renegotiations
“Megaboy? This seems fun.” Artemvian was laying down on his couch with the phone raised above his face.“Jack in!” The tiny blue character shouted.Artemvian, the rising star mercenary of Nero City, stayed there.Once every few hours, he would switch positions. But his head was always attached to some part of the couch, while his legs stayed stretched or folded. The Mage would get up to grab water once in a while. Other than the kitchen and the bathroom, however, he never strayed too far. The sounds from the show changed, from Season 1 to...
Chapter 131: Proof of Strength (1)
World: MSS - Loading...Once the message was sent to the fleet, things moved quickly.I showed them to the place that Doror had marked on the map. Since it was my first time heading there in person, it took awhile. But my memory held true and successfully found the place that Doror was talking about.There was a small spot that resembled a beach where the fleet could make port. Surrounding the beach was a trough valley, a U-shaped formation of rock that surrounded the entire place like the inside of a crescent moon. The slope wasn’t steep and ev...
Chapter 12: Which One's the Golden Goose?
When Artemvian woke up, he didn’t follow his usual morning routine.Instead of lying in bed to watch MeowTube, he slid his legs over the side and walked to the bathroom. After cleaning himself, he moved onto the kitchen, his movements well and practiced. Quickly fixing a cup of coffee, Artemvian sat himself at the dining table. Turning on a tablet (courtesy of Riley after his last job), Artemvian checked his messages.There was a message from Riley.[Let’s talk. Drop by the Joint later. -Riley]He took a few more minutes, leisurely enjoying his...
Chapter 130: Hunt (End)
World: MSS - Loading...***Leaving the underground city of dwarves, I organized my thoughts.One. There was no doubt about it, this was a ‘Hidden Piece’. To be more specific, an underground City containing a Master Smith.Two. There was a quest here.Three. If I wanted Doror to forge something, I’d have to get to the bottom of that quest.It might seem strange to other people, that I’m so fixated on Doror when this city is literally full of dwarven smiths. But in each Dwarven Community, there can only be one Master Smith: and for the Stoneha...
Chapter 129: Hunt (7)
World: MSS - Loading...***Doror Stonehammer led the way, the tiny little hairball of a girl on his heels. She clung the hem of his pants with one hand and gave me the occasional glance, her gaunt cheeks a stark contrast to the dwarf’s stocky build. Her eyes held the gleam of curiosity that only kids her age could have. Could she be his daughter?Deciding it wouldn’t hurt to get some brownie points with the daughter of a Master Dwarven Smith, I smiled and gave a soft wave.“E,e,eep!” Immediately, the girl turned around and hugged Doror’s...
Chapter 128: Hunt (6)
World: MSS - Loading...***｢ +11 EXP ｣｢ +9 EXP ｣｢ +2 EXP ｣｢ +14 EXP ｣The EXP was rolling in.At this point, there were so many monsters that the [Rot Slimes] couldn’t keep up anymore. I was running low on Mana as well, so I recalled the [Darkness] skill, dancing between the stalactites. I stopped blowing on the Neung-uh’s Ocarina, stemming the tide of monsters. Then I danced between the last few, making sure to get the last hit in for the experience.My body exploded into light as the last monster died and I felt my body grow s...
Chapter 127: Hunt (5)
World: MSS - Loading...***Arrosh would be safe. The entrance was blocked off from the infantile Myung-sas and there was only one way in there. He’d catch up.Right now, it was just me.I stepped softly, enjoying my [Superior Hearing] and [Darkvision]. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it. Darkness had become a friend to me before but with the absence of Lucky Beckoning Cat, I had been little more than helpless. But walking in the lightless cave with only the faint glow of magic stones to light my way, I felt in control. Because being in con...
Chapter 11: We are Eldritch~
Artemvian stuck out his lips, crossing his eyes in opposite directions. An impressive display of facial control. He mocked the fallen Eldritch Mage, “Wei. Wam. Weldritch. Well, I gotcher Eldritch right here!”He raised the dagger again, ready to start the slap the Mage in another fit of annoyance.Right as he did so, he sensed a spike of mana in the area around him. Artemvian whirled, his hands already spinning and neatly drawing three neat circles in the blink of an eye using his mana. Eyes focused once more, Artemvian hissed out his spell w...
