Chapter 1 | Chapter 51
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Several moons, at least half a year, have passed since Galizur left the camp near the portal. After reporting everything he saw and heard there to the heavens, emphasizing the Emperor’s demands, he was relieved of his task. With nothing better to do, he spent his days roaming the heavens, trying to find anyone who could know something more about the portal and anything related to it.
To his surprise, the information was very scarce. His fellow diplomats were oddly clueless about the subject. That was a new one, since the heavens were always very knowledgeable about what was going on in Greadinall. All its races would gladly share the information with the heavens, hoping to earn their favor. However, this time, everyone was eerily silent. It seemed as if every nation had a plan of its own, and wasn’t willing to share it. Some were even so arrogant to claim there’s no need for them to tell anything since the heavens see everything anyway.
That was hardly the case, but it was an elegant way to get the mortals to confess their sins. Making them think that somebody is always watching made them much more talkative. However, it seemed as if the mortals got wiser about it.
And what made it so strange was that all of them got wise about it at the same time. In other words, someone had a hand in it.
The logical culprit would be the high elves. Seeing themselves as superior to every other mortal race, they never liked that they needed permission to do anything. They’ve been doing their best to undermine The Timkik Empire for centuries, with the excuse being that the timkiks were too selfish and incompetent to rule Greadinall.
The heavens agreed. After all, the high elven logic made sense, and their arguments were solid.
It all started slowly and in a small way. Creating special, minor tariffs for the timkik merchants who wanted to sell outside of their homeland. Making it slightly harder for the timkik church to project its influence outside the Empire’s borders. But, with each new century, the high elves got progressively more aggressive. Not directly, it never got to the point where the high elves would directly challenge The Timkik Empire, but every century they’d find a new way to chip away a small piece of timkik strength.
Sensing that the Empire’s strength was slowly waning, the hosagian kingdom rose, demanding that the land that timkiks took from it a few millennia ago be returned. So, the war started, which lasted for several centuries now.
The high elves joined the hosagians but were unwilling to send their own to die in a war. So, they supported the hosagians from a distance, with coin, resources, and a few of their highly-skilled, veteran mages and Pegasi knights. Their navy also played a significant role, especially during the siege of Qalo, supplying the city through the port.
Their involvement stabilized the war, making it impossible for any side to win, draining both timkiks and hosagians in the process. The heavens realized what the high elves were doing but didn’t seem to care about it. After all, the mortals have every right to play their games, just how the heavens play their own.
And now, with their biggest mortal competitors exhausted, it seemed as if the high elves were trying to limit the influence of the heavens, the only force remaining in their way to dominate all of Greadinall. At least that’s what some angelic diplomats have concluded.
However, the others disagreed, with Galizur being one of them. Cunning as the high elves are, there was no way they would ever trick timkiks into opening a portal to hell. Yes, the high elves are cunning and unforgiving, but they’d never risk another fall just to obtain more power. They aren’t fools, far from it. What would be the point of spending centuries carefully navigating through the obstacles, only to have the demons ruin everything when they pour through the portal? In Galizur’s mind, the high elves have invested way too much to make such an uncertain, stupid gamble. After all, they’re known for their meticulousness. Taking risks is simply not their style.
So, someone else was pulling strings in this case. And what concerned Galizur the most was that whoever was behind the portal could also be behind the discord the high elves have created among the mortals.
In other words, the portal could be just a tiny portion of a much, much bigger plan.
But, putting that thought aside, the mortals have finally reached an agreement. It took them many moons to do so, but they did it in the end.
The agreement was that there would be no agreement. The Timkik Empire has rejected the heaven’s proposal, hosagian and high elven kingdoms have rejected the timkik proposal, while the rest of Greadinall couldn’t care less about what was going on.
And, what that meant was that at least three-quarters of its people weren’t interested in opposing the demonic invasion at its early stage. While timkiks, hosagians, and the high elves had a major influence over the continent, that didn’t mean they were the most numerous. They were just the loudest and the most aggressive.
The situation would be alarming if not for the fact that the timkik Emperor didn’t come crawling on all four during this time, begging for help. Expecting exactly that, the heavens have created a plan where the hosagian army, with some high elven and angelic support, would swoop in to contain the demonic hordes. The idea was that, once the demons have started invading, the other nations would realize the danger they’re in and would mobilize their armies. The plan also counted on the fact that the remnants of the timkik military would also join the fight. After all, their own homes would need some liberating.
But, the moons passed, without any news of the demonic hordes reaching the heavens. Not only that, there were no further requests from the timkik Emperor. You’d expect the ruler in such an epic pinch to be far more vocal and concerned about it but, instead, the timkik government went completely silent.
So, since no information was reaching the heavens, Galizur was sent once again to examine the portal. The excuse was very simple. Officially, he was to report how the interracial summit went to the portal-garrison commander. That way, even if timkiks were to complain about the unannounced visit, Galizur would present it as a goodwill gesture from the heavens. After all, one doesn’t share useful information with enemies.
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Galizur didn’t have to land to realize that things have changed dramatically. First of all, there was no camp anymore! In place of the small camp with shaky palisade and ragged tents now stood a small town! Even from above, he could see its streets bustling with activity. Not wanting to spook the people, he landed some distance away, deciding it would be more prudent to approach the town on foot.
Before he has reached the town itself, he noticed two familiar faces approaching him, the dark-skinned military commander and his lighter-skinned knight companion.
“Ahoy!” The commander said heartily while raising his hand in greeting. Galizur gave him a deep nod as an answer, “I take it you want to speak with the royal archmage?”
“Indeed, can you please take me to her? I have some information she will find useful.”
“Please, come with us.”
Taking a better look at the commander, Galizur noticed that he was wearing some strange armor. It glittered in the sun, meaning it was made out of metal, but it wasn’t the plate armor he was used to. As strange as it sounds, it appeared as if the small pieces of metal were weaved together into an armor piece. However, he decided not to comment on it yet.
“Just the two of you came to escort me? I would expect you to have some more soldiers with you.”
“You didn’t come here to cause trouble, didn’t you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then, the two of us will do.”
As they approached the town, Galizur realized that most of the houses were made in a very simple manner, from wood. He couldn’t notice a single solid structure.
“Where did all these houses come from?” He asked, “I wasn’t here for a long time, but not so long for the houses to just pop up all over the place.”
Heartwell barked a small laugh: “The dwarves are to blame. Once they saw the trinkets the other world has to offer, they rushed to settle here. Most of the people in the town are dwarves.”
“Trinkets?”
“As it turns out, these demons are as good at creation as they are in destruction. But, Hazelmere will tell you more about it. I’m just a simple grunt, entrusted with your safety.”
Looking around, Galizur realized that what Heartwell was saying was true. Almost every second person he saw on the street was a dwarf. And it looked like all of them were busy, going about their business in a rush, not paying much attention to an angel who has descended from the heavens.
“We even have a market here now,” Heartwell said, “if you follow the clamor, you’re bound to find it. A lot of merchants from all over the Empire come here to trade. Dwarven merchants too.”
“So, people aren’t worried about the portal? About the demonic invasion?”
“Not at all.”
“I take it there are some good reasons for such enthusiasm?”
“Yeah, there are several of them. But our commander will explain it much better than I can. She’s far more eloquent than a simple peasant like me.”
They continued along the dirt-paths which acted as the streets, connecting the houses into neatly arranged rows. Even though everything about the town was simple, the orderly arrangement made it clear the dwarves have had a significant part in its construction.
The town was tiny, so it didn’t take long for them to reach their destination. It was a warehouse-sized building, looking far sturdier than the buildings surrounding it. It wasn’t made from stone, but the wood was clearly of the far more durable sort. It also had two floors, making it resemble a decently successful tavern in a way, putting aside the difference in size. Galizur noticed some very interesting details on it, like the Empire’s coat of arms, surrounded by several dwarven ones. He was also surprised to see that such a building, made from wood, had glass windows on it.
With perfectly transparent glass at that. Something Galizur hasn’t seen on the biggest, most luxurious mansions.
Entering the building, Galizur was greeted with more strange sights. There was an unfamiliar big, round object, high on the wall, with numbers arranged on its edges. Some strange, vertically placed, white tables, with all kinds of differently colored words written all over them. A big mirror with a perfect reflection, so perfect Galizur had to stop for a moment to check if another angel is in the building.
And, the strangest of it all were the people rocking in their chairs, everywhere around him. Some of them rocked themselves back and forth as if possessed, while the others would spin around. After some time, Galizur realized the people were perfectly fine. They were just sitting in some weird chairs.
“Oh …”
“Oh, no …”
Galizur realized what that meant but maintained his composure. He remembered Hazelmere warning him about this, and he did his duty reporting that to the heavens, stressing the logical argument the timkik mage has presented him with.
However, while the heavens were too busy sorting out the mortals’ disagreements, the demons have clearly opted not to waste any time and act as soon as possible.
“That explains why the dwarves got so invested in this place. And why they aren’t afraid of the portal,” he thought, “as long as their greed is satisfied, they are fearless.”
Heartwell and Vukasin led him to the upper floor. The stairs didn’t creak as they climbed them, confirming that this place was built with durability in mind.
“So, they are here to stay.”
Passing through the corridor, his escort led him into a very spacious, bright room decorated with a lot of furniture.
The furniture looked quite alien. The table and the chairs were too thin to support their own weight, let alone anything else, while the two sofas left the impression of elegant …
… nothingness.
Two white tables stood vertically, with all kinds of scribbles on them, identical to those on the ground level.
“Welcome! Welcome!” Cheerful Hazelmere greeted him, not giving him the time to take a better look around the room, “I was eagerly awaiting your return!”
“Ahoy,” Galizur responded politely, “I am glad for such a warm welcome, but I feel bad for making all of you take the time of your day just to greet me.”
There were quite a few people in the room. Not counting Hazelmere, Heartwell, and Vukasin, four archmages, an archpriestess, and three dwarves were also present.
“Oh, we would be here anyway! We are here all day, every day, examining the things from the other side!”
“So, the demons aren’t sending just the books now?”
“Yes! They became far more generous. Of course, we are sending some of our own gifts in return, like you have suggested we should do!”
“No, I didn’t…”
Galizur remembered, how he was the one to encourage Hazelmere to send some books to the demons as a sign of goodwill, saying that the goodwill the demons have shown should be returned.
It has certainly bought the heavens the time they desperately needed, but he never expected it to backfire like this.
“Is something wrong?” Hazelmere asked.
“No, I just … I am just surprised by how the things are playing out.”
“We are surprised too! We can’t believe it! For a bunch of frost-dwelling demons, these people certainly have a lot to show! And teach!”
“Teach?”
“Yes! The dwarves are obsessed with their mathematics! Especially the ones that calculate the behavior of objects! I heard that the dwarves have a racial affinity for math, but it looks like these demons have them beaten.”
Galizur looked at the present dwarves uncertainly.
Wyvernshield just shrugged: “Just like the lass says. They have a far better numerical system based on tens and have far superior logical operators.”
“They can even calculate the trajectory of celestial beings!” Another dwarf couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
For the first time, Galizur’s face showed the slightest of frowns. His big wings rose slightly.
“What did you say?”
“Don’t take it the wrong way, the lad is just too enthusiastic. We aren’t sure about that yet. We’re still experimentin’ with those equations.”
“Need I remind you that the demons are famous for their deceit?”
“Aye, which is why we’re testin’ everythin’ they claim.”
Hazelmere jumped between Galizur and the dwarves, an uneasy smile on her face.
“Anyway, I take it you bring us some news? What is going on with the other nations? Will they be coming to help?”
The joyful enthusiasm in Hazelmere’s voice made it easier for Galizur to forgive the insulting implication.
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Chapter 53
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If I’m being completely honest, Twisted Fate is probably the hardest time I’ve had trying to figure one of these builds and probably the least confident I’ve been on one, but mama didn’t raise no bitch and I’m shooting my shot.

• Every champion in these posts is getting built to a level 20 fantasy, but that does not mean you have to be level 20 to enjoy most if not all the important gameplay mechanics of the champion
  • Twisted Fate is completely enjoyable with most of his core mechanics by level 11ish. The high spell commitment is very restricting though
• Basic Champion Information
  • Image
    • Twisted Fate
  • Lore
    • Twisted Fate is an infamous cardsharp and swindler who has gambled and charmed his way across much of the known world, earning the enmity and admiration of the rich and foolish alike. He rarely takes things seriously, greeting each day with a mocking smile and an insouciant swagger. In every possible way, Twisted Fate always has an ace up his sleeve. (Twisted Fate Champion Page.)
    • Twisted Fate’s lore has jumped around a few times, but he’s a swindler, a cardshark, a master grifter and a gambling man who in my favorite version, sold out his best friend and accomplice, Graves to acquire magical power.
    • TF’s only major cinematic appearance was in the 2013 trailer, A Twist of Fate but he also features very prominently storywise in the 2015 Lore. Destiny and Fate Double Down. I honestly think the 2015 Bilgewater event was peak League content.
• Goals/Gameplay Mechanics we want to emulate
  • Magical Projectiles with extra effects
  • Divination
  • Teleportation
  • Sleight of Hand
• Background/Race/Stats/Class
  • Charlatan
    • Proficiency: Deception, Sleight of Hand, Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit
    • Equipment: A set of fine clothes, a disguise kit, tools of the con of your choice (ten stoppered bottles filled with colored liquid, a set of weighted dice, a deck of marked cards, or a signet ring of an imaginary duke), and a belt pouch containing 15 gp
    • Charlatan Feature: False Identity: You have created a second identity that includes documentation, established acquaintances, and disguises that allow you to assume that persona. Additionally, you can forge documents including official papers and personal letters, as long as you have seen an example of the kind of document or the handwriting you are trying to copy.
  • Variant Human
    • +1Dex +1 Cha
    • Metamagic Adept: 2 sorc points, Subtle Spell, Twinned Spell
    • 5’11 Medium Sized 30 ft movement
    • Languages: Common and one of your choice
  • Stats 15/14/13/12/10/8
    • 8 Str (You fight with your head not your hands)
    • 15 Dex (You know every card in your stacked deck like the back of your hand)
    • 13 Con (You’ve probably been roughed up on occasion for cleaning many a tavern out of coin.)
    • 12 Int (Can’t con people without brains)
    • 10 Wis (You’re a gamblin man)
    • 16 Cha (Lady Luck smiles at you for a reason)
  • 18 Whisper Bard/2 Archfey Warlock reasoning
    • The best I could come up with was Eldritch Blast to flavor as a consistent magic card attack and due to the simplicity of TF’s basic spells, we can take the Eldritch Invocations: Lance of Lethargy to simulate red card, and Agonizing blast to make sure that our shifty shenanigans dont kneecap our damage. Also at level 11, Our eldritch blast can be cast 3 times to replicate Wild Card. Besides that, Warlock doesn’t have access to Teleport (the semiglobal jump part of our ult), Sorcerer doesn’t have Scrying (the vision part of our ult). Since we need a level 7 and level 5 spell from different classes but also need to play up stats important to the character, Bard with a slight Warlock dip seemed like a decent compromise. Bard has access to both spells, a good chunk of whatever they want and Power Word Stun… let me tell you getting Gold Card specifically is the most difficult part of his kit because of how high the bar to entry on Stunning is for non-monks (mostly 8th level spells). I swear if it wasnt for 5th and 7th spell level requirements though, TF would’ve been an Arcane Trickster 100%.
    • With that out of the way… Whisper Bards further fit the Charlatan aesthetic. Another big problem for sorc and warlock was that almost no subclass in either fit TF’s usual MO. Whisper Bards however use the positive connotation of bards to slip in, get important info and use it against people. It’s a way to get an upper hand, and “Cheater is just a fancy word for winner.”
  • Warlock (all that being said, we’re gonna take those 2 warlock levels out the gate to get eldritch blast and avoid a downright horrendous early game.)
    • 9 Starting hp (8+con mod)
    • hp/level 1d8+con mod
    • Hit Die 1d8/level
    • Proficiency: Light Armor, Simple weapons, Arcana, Investigation
    • Equipment: Simple Weapon, Spellcasting Focus (Flavor as your deck), Scholar’s Pack
• Lv 1 Warlock
  • Spellcasting
    • Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
    • Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
  • Cantrips
    • Eldritch Blast
    • Chill Touch
  • Spells
    • (Lv 1) Charm Person
    • (Lv 1) Sense Emotion (Read that poker face)
  • Otherworldly Patron: Archfey
  • Archfey Spell:
    • (Lv 1) Faerie Fire
    • (Lv 1) Sleep
  • Fey Presence
    • Starting at 1st level, your patron bestows upon you the ability to project the beguiling and fearsome presence of the fey. As an action, you can cause each creature in a 10-foot cube originating from you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. The creatures that fail their saving throws are all charmed or frightened by you (your choice) until the end of your next turn.
    • Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Lv 2 Warlock
  • Eldritch Invocations
    • Lance of Lethargy
    • Agonizing Blast
• Lv 1 Bard
  • Cantrips
    • Friends (you only need to keep your charades going until you leave with the money.)
    • Mage Hand (ngl I kinda took the subtle spell metamagic to see if I could pull some subtle mage hand shenanigans for pickpocketing or general cheating.)
  • Spell
    • (Lv 1) Heroism (Massage the ego of a teammate with some temp HP so they’ll tank for you.)
    • (Lv 1) Distort Value (Distort the value of whatever bargaining chip you have to get others to bet for more than it’s worth)
  • Bardic Inspiration (1d6) (Kiss one of your cards for good luck or play a song on the harmonica or something)
• Lv 2 Bard
  • Jack of All trades
  • Song of Rest (1d6)
  • Spell:
    • (Lv 1) Healing Word (You always know what to say)
• Lv 3 Bard
  • Eldritch Blast gets 2 shots
  • College of Whispers
  • Psychic Blades
    • When you join the College of Whispers at 3rd level, you gain the ability to make your weapon attacks magically toxic to a creature's mind.
    • When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to deal an additional 2d6 psychic damage to that target. You can do so only once per round on your turn.
    • The psychic damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 3d6 at 5th level, 5d6 at 10th level, and 8d6 at 15th level.
  • Words of Terror (Spook your opponents with a bluff they can’t ignore)
    • At 3rd level, you learn to infuse innocent-seeming words with an insidious magic that can inspire terror.
    • If you speak to a humanoid alone for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to seed paranoia and fear into its mind. At the end of the conversation, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you or another creature of your choice. The target is frightened in this way for 1 hour, until it is attacked or damaged, or until it witnesses its allies being attacked or damaged.
    • If the target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to frighten it.
    • Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short rest or long rest.
  • Spell
    • (Lv 2) Detect Thoughts
  • Expertise: Sleight of Hand, Investigation
• Lv 4 Bard
  • ASI +2 Cha (18 total)
  • Cantrip
    • Prestidigitation (Smoke and Mirrors)
  • Spell
    • (Lv 2) Hold Person (About as close as we’re getting to gold card for a hot minute)
• Lv 5 Bard
  • Bardic Inspiration (D8)
  • Font of Inspiration
  • Spell
    • (Lv 3) Clairvoyance (our first vision spell)
• Lv 6 Bard
  • Countercharm
  • College of Whispers Feature
    • Mantle of Whispers
  • Spell
    • (Lv 3) Slow (Red Card as intended, but no damage)
• Lv 7 Bard
  • Spell
    • Dimension Door (baby’s first Destiny/TF Ult lv 1)
• Lv 8 Bard
  • ASI
    • +1 dex (16 total) + 1 con (14 total)
  • Spell
    • (Lv 4) Freedom of Movement (It’s just too good)
• Lv 9 Bard
  • Song of Rest (1d8)
  • Spell
    • Scrying (Destiny part 1)
• Lv 10 Bard
  • Bardic Inspiration (1d10)
  • Expertise: Arcana, Deception
  • Cantrip
    • Vicious Mockery
  • Magical Secrets
    • (Lv 2) Misty Step
    • (Lv 5) Teleportation Circle
• Lv 11 Bard
  • Eldritch Blast gets 3 shots
  • Spell
    • (Lv 6) True Seeing
• Lv 12 Bard
  • ASI +2 cha (20 total/capped)
• Lv 13 Bard
  • Song of Rest (1d10)
  • Spell
    • (Lv 7) Teleport (Destiny part 2)
• Lv 14 Bard
  • Whisper Bard Feature Shadow Lore
    • At 14th level, you gain the ability to weave dark magic into your words and tap into a creature’s deepest fears.
    • As an action, you magically whisper a phrase that only one creature of your choice within 30 feet of you can hear. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. It automatically succeeds if it doesn’t share a language with you or if it can’t hear you. On a successful saving throw, your whisper sounds like unintelligible mumbling and has no effect.
    • If the target fails its saving throw, it is charmed by you for the next 8 hours or until you or your allies attack or damage it. It interprets the whispers as a description of its most mortifying secret.
    • While you gain no knowledge of this secret, the target is convinced you know it. While charmed in this way, the creature obeys your commands for fear that you will reveal its secret. It won’t risk its life for you or fight for you, unless it was already inclined to do so. It grants you favors and gifts it would offer to a close friend.
    • When the effect ends, the creature has no understanding of why it held you in such fear.
    • Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
  • Magical Secrets
    • (Lv 7) Plane Shift
    • (Lv 3) Fireball (Your choice honestly. I just picked Fireball for some accessible AoE)
• Lv 15 Bard
  • Bardic inspiration (D12)
  • Spell
    • (Lv 8) Power Word Stun (FINALLY! THE TRUE GOLD CARD)
• Lv 16 Bard
  • ASI +2 Dex
• Lv 17 Bard
  • Eldritch Blast gets 4 shots
  • Song of Rest (d12)
  • Spell
    • (Lv 9) Foresight (When you see all the cards, Destiny is truly in your hands.)
• Lv 18 Bard
  • Magical Secrets
    • (Lv 9) Gate (Kind of an easter egg since TF’s ult used to be on his E and called gate. It however is very precise teleportation/plane shifting that can take you to a specific person. So you can pretty much go anywhere)
    • (Lv 9) Wish (When luck is on your side, it’s really more of a command)
• Pros
  • Tons of vision to play around
  • Finding your way and tracking your targets shouldn’t be hard
  • If you can’t beat your enemies, cheat them.
  • Nice for roleplay
• Cons
  • Wonky Start
  • Probably bad in combat
  • I had a tough enough time thinking about this that I don’t think I very cleanly got him.
  • Needing such high level spells to emulate Destiny while trying to maintain his talents and personality felt really restraining. Definitely the most difficult feeling build I’ve had so far.
• As always, I look forward to your takes in the comments! Hopefully someone hits the mark on this one a little better.

I'm looking for someone to design a logo for my personal poker room. It's a logo that will adorn my table, and probably playing chips. I'd like it centered around the letter D. I like oil derricks, and it would be cool if that could be worked in. I don't need any overt pokegambling aspects to be included. I'd like it to look good small and large as well, and even in multiple colors. Please let me know if you have any questions.

I'm gonna preface this by saying in terms of hype for this game(that I had), I sit comfortable in the middle. I was keeping tabs on it but not digesting every ounce of media before it's release. I watched the trailers, small amounts of gameplay footage and such basically.
 
Character Creation
 
The character creation is severely lacking. As the game was originally advertised as an RPG(before cdkprbg pulled the bait-and-switch) and you expect a certain level of character customization. Even more so as this game has had nearly a decade of dev-time and was supposed to be the next-gen, ground-breaking RPG.
I can literally go back to 2008 and play Oblivion on launch day and make more unique characters(And I mean just using 1 race option as human). Fable has more character customization then this and they don't allow you to customize before play; just player actions that will change your appearance.
The sliders are uninspired, bad dev design and obsolete for the genre and year. The options are severely limited with only around 20 for most options; eyes, hair color, makeup, piercings, and genitals having even less.
There is no way to customize your height, weight, muscles or any options for deeper character design. You cannot choose a name(Just have "V" be your street name, no?). There is no options for voice(This is always gonna be a sacrifice for voiced protagonists but can easily still have pitch or other effects added in post.)
Simply put this is outpaced in every way from games that are over 20 years old and is unacceptable.
 
Backstory
 
The backstory makes no real or even slightly significant difference on the story or the overarching gameplay. The first 20 minutes are different and that is all, you still meet the same people, have the same missions and have the same experience. (Was V always a street rat? Who's to say?)
The game forces you to have Jack as your side-kick which is really annoying cause I(The player) does not care about him in the slightest. You have this really awkward, 2 minute, adventure-montage that I guess is supposed to make you care about him. This terrible design and blatant rail-roading just annoyed me and made me dislike him more as I'd have liked to just play through that and organically like him.
You get around 3 quests with him totaling around 10 hours if you take it slow and do all the optional shit.
 
Voice-Acting For Characters/NPCs/Dialog
 
I'm going to start by saying I'm running a high quality pair of studio headphones into a Amp/DCA and by and large; the voice acting sounds very hollow and uninspired. Action/Adventure games that have good voice acting: Metro Series, Portal 2, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Dark Souls, Doom, fuck even Fallout 4's voice acting was better then this.
I'm just gonna use Metro 2033/Portal 2 as my comparisons as they are quite old at this point and have some of the best voice acting I've ever had the pleasure to eargasm to. But, in those two very different games; they nail voice acting in two very different, yet, distinct ways. That I really think Cyberpunk 2077 could take notes from.
Metro 2033 very accurately takes environmental and physical context into account when a character speaks. If you are sneaking they^whisper, if you are gunning down Nosalis in the snow-rad storms, they shout. They give you important info accurately and quickly. They don't annoyingly repeat themselves and they seem to understand what voice they need to use as current environment calls for it.
The characters have very short times with Artyom but you care about every single one, they go out of their way to help your mission and those around them. They are bad-ass soldiers that are specifically tailored to enrich the story. The supreme voice acting serves as yet another way to immerse the player in the world.
In Portal 2 the characters voices very clearly show emotion. The way the characters articulate and the unique way their voice sounds fits their characters to an absolute T. There is simply no game that can pair characterization with voice so well.
As Portal 2 is much more scripted they don't talk depending on the context near as much(or well) but if you take the time to do all the bonus things throughout the story the range of emotion on these actors is astounding and could not fit their characters better.
In Cyberpunk 2077 the characters lack context. Jackson repeatedly saying the same things over and over again kills the immersion. If I am sneaking he will very loudly "whisper" that an enemy can spot me and he will say it again, and again, and again, and again, and again; every. Single. Fucking time a camera is on me or an enemy even has line of sight for .0000001% of a second.
Most of the NPC's dialog is limited to around ten of the same voice-lines whenever you interact with them. The game was advertised as an open-world, RPG; where you can talk to anybody. The voice acting for minor characters is on par with the first Fable and the voice acting for main characters is a cut above garbage. The only exception is Dexter Deshawn. His voice acting was actually very damn good for the short amount of time you get to enjoy it.
The dialog is very forced with no matter which way you talk to someone you have to answer how they want. Seriously, why is V such a cunt? Dialog is this: (What they want), (More info 1), (More info 2). No matter what you have to answer how they want. This feels more like a low-budget TellTale game mixed with the worst parts of Call of Duty, GTA, and Borderlands.
 
Design For Characters/NPCs
 
I gotta give credit where credit is due. Overall the character design is top-notch. They look and seem like the exact types of people you would see in a Cyberpunk world. The random citizens, the gangs in their dens, the high level security officers, the characters throughout the story and the random npcs you have minor convos with. They all fit their respective "mini-themes" very well and could honestly not be better.
Not much more to say about this, I don't got a long winded paragraph as, well, it's good design and it fits. Ideally every category would be this short. I gotta wonder why these random ass npcs, quest characters and others all seem to have had access to a much better character creator then the player though.🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️
 
Characters Progression/Skills/Etc
 
The leveling system is a joke. You are unable to respec your attributes and that alone makes respecing talents obsolete. Most of the perks are just... Not good. They do little to help and it's usually some minuscule number increase for some random thing.
The looting system is terrible and you're mainly just grabbing junk and bullshit as much and as quick as possible while people talk and walk around you. The crafting is uninspired. The armoweapon system is bad. You can't transmog stuff so it turns into a Fashion Souls balancing act. Players won't care about weapons, equipment or armor at all if every encounter you replace it with another piece that is a .0001% number bump. And there isn't a way to look good and have armor that works.
The skills are okay though, for the stealth system/hacking/combat the bones are there but in it's current form it needs more work. There needs to be a distinct way to increase your stats beyond perks/attributes or change it up so there is more of a reason to choose 'x' over 'y' it really feels like the best thing is to just rush every single stat to 7 at least and you can basically do anything.
 
Ai
 
Ooooh boy here we go. The AI. Ohmyfuckinggod so bad. So so so so bad. For starters the random NPCs in town seem to have no real schedules like what was promised, you can literally pick anyone and follow them after a certain point they 180 and walk back to another spot and repeat.
They only sometimes seem to react to combat around them and if you come to their rescue during a crime it seems like they forgot that they can stop cowering. If you attack them, sometimes they employ a very big-brain strat of running straight through walls. Can't kill them if they are unreachable, GG kek.
Jackson in combat will routinely vault over things that don't need to be vaulted over. Sometimes he vaults over something that makes sense, will change his mind; and vault right back again. Repeating as needed. The enemies seem to exhibit this behavior as well.
They lack the ability to contextualize how fights work. Halo: CE came out in 2001. Enemies in this game do not have the ability to flank, they don't realize if they have a shotgun they should get closer to you. Most enemies stand right out in the open because they know it takes five clips for them to die. Sometimes they stand there and muse about the wonder that is life; not caring they are being shot. Sometimes melee enemies continually attack where you were just standing even if you left a solid 45 seconds ago.
There is no driving AI of any kind. The cars seem to go along set paths and if you interfere in any way they freak out and go down the path with zoom. If you block their way they patiently wait. I was curious and sat in place for around five minutes and they didn't seem to mind either.
 
Combat/Difficulty
 
I've already touched on it but the enemies are mega-dumb. Throwing grenades at each other, standing in the open, not reacting to combat and unable to understand where the player actually is.
You don't receive an indicator when you are being shot and on the hardest difficulty it seems to take about 2-4 shots(depending) to kill you. And you don't realize you're low until you are very low. At that point you must heal right then, right there or you die.
The enemies aren't actually harder either, the difficulty just does the Bethesda thing where it really means these enemies have a lot of health, you're gonna be standing here for days shooting this dude. And then they 2 shot you.
The cover system doesn't seem to work well at all. There is no way to do anything except crouch and lean. They really could benefit from crouch, prone, and lean controls like RS: Siege or sum. And where is the wall running they advertised? The players should have more options for how to approach direct assault combat. Sometimes the cover can be shot through and it's hard to tell what is and isn't intentional. For instance at the hotel I was able to kill the "boss" robot by spam shooting him through the window with an LMG while he just stood there and his bullets hit the wood partition, but did not penetrate, yet, mine did.
 
Driving/Vehicle Missions/Missions
 
The driving is bad. I'm using mouse+keyboard so I'm obviously not expecting much, it doesn't have to be as good as GTA: V or anything. I was just expecting something slightly better then Jet Moto from '96. It's very tight yet loose at the same time.
If you are moving very slow the turning is so tight I have to routinely make 800 degree turns or back up and retry my entries like I'm driving a 46 wheeler or something. If you are at speed even tapping 'a' or 'd' makes you fly to the right/left at mach 100. Coupled with the fact that, pedestrians, buildings, decor and other cars routinely pop into existence directly in front of you, as you drive; makes for a very difficult mini-game experience.
The missions with vehicle combat could not be more scripted. I tried to reload my driving mission as I wanted to shoot out the motor bikes wheels before he jumps on the car and no matter how many bullets I put into it, he still does it. Doesn't matter if I turn down to the easiest difficulty and only tap his dome. He doesn't die till the crash.
The Keanu Reaves mission in the helicopter glitched for me and one of the soldiers managed to get wedged between two pipes in a very hard to reach spot for the helicopter's gun. Causing the mission to take much longer then necessary on that part. The helicopter followed the same path everytime so I could only shoot him 1-2 times, then have to wait to re-sweep around. When you got that long to focus on the vehicle missions the pre-set paths are laughable in quality.
The fact that there is no driving AI explains why the police pop into existence behind you, it is very sad to see a game with so much 'GTA' potential ruin one of the best parts, fighting cops and being in crazy gun-fights in cars. They lose you the second you turn the corner and don't even try to attempt a pursuit.
Most of the missions feel very copy/pasted with it usually being go here, kill 'x' return, go here get 'x' return, go here escort 'x' return. There needs to be more uniqueness in the side quests to give players entertainment off the main story.
Furthermore even just driving down the road to do a mission you are getting constant phone calls every few seconds for many different missions, and the player can't not answer the phone. Which is asinine. Why can't I refuse to answer? It rail-roads you into the character they want you to be, it rail-roads you into their quests, it rail-roads you into the story. As soon as you 'accept' a new mission(even if you are currently doing one) it tracks the newest mission as your current one one. Which forces you to re-track your current mission. Every. Time. This leaves the player feeling like this
 
NPC Interactions/Romance/Crime
 
This is kinda of a mix-match of the AI/NPC shit and the driving. You can literally rob an NPC blind and they don't care. The fact that there is no jail/prison system or some sort of punishment for crime is a huge oversight for an RPG. The fact you can't pick-pocket/hack random people is a huge oversight. The fact that cops can exist and teleport at will is poor design and about as immersion breaking as games can get.
With only 4 different people to romance(A huge selection of 1 person for each person on the sexuality spectrum) I can't help but feel cheated. Maybe Skyrim and Fable spoiled me but I'm used to games allowing us to romance whoever the fuck we want. It's asinine, lazy and bad game design.
 
World Design/Exploration/Adventure/Downtime/Player"Services"
 
I'm gonna start by saying there is a distinct difference between seeing the art and the ability to interact with the art. Most if not every building is just that. A building. You can not go into it, you cannot interact with it. There is no exploration to be had with it. There is a lot of places you can go, yes. But I'd say most areas you get to go, most places and most settings are simply empty backdrops for a cutscene/dialog.
The world from what I've seen is a vast emptiness with no real reason to explore. You don't get anything out of it and it all looks the same and leads to some dead end alley with another assault underway. You are decentivized to explore, in every sense of the word.
There is a very jarring lack of services for the player. I was under the impression(and I'm sure many others were) that there was gonna be loads to do in your downtime. There isn't. Only a handfull of stores all selling around the same shit, can't buy from most vendors or vending machines. No way to get haircuts, body-mods(I mean cosmetic not ripperdocs), plastic surgery or anything really.
There is no way to spend your downtime. No games, no gambling, there are no activities, you can't work out, you can't play fetch with dogs(are there even dogs?), there are no sports. No braindances(literally infinite missed possibilities with this one). No drugs(seriously wtf was this design decision?). Only 2 prostitutes(that I know of, has to be said give me the bonk if you must).
There is no taxi system(Delamain is just for the missions?) No subway system that spans the city that we were promised in leu of fast travel. It sucks that the only way around is to run, fast travel(I fucking hate fast travel) or the shit tier driving. Immersion breaking, bad, bad design.
 
Sound/Art/Atmosphere/Graphics
 
The sound is very hollow and lifeless, it feels like the sound isn't really "3d" it feels more like a faux 3d or someone shoehorned stereo to fit headphones. I can't ever really tell which side a sound is coming from if it is behind/in-front of me. It is either a very hard right or a very hard left.
Disappointedly the atmosphere sounds are quite bad, I don't think wind is even in the game and weather seems to only be triggered by certain missions? The rain sounds like the noises that come from a child's toy from the wallmart isle. Very hard edges if that makes sense.
The radio is very well done with many stations full of absolute bangers. The Cyberpunk music is absolutely gorgeous to my ears and makes my cock rock hard everytime I hear it.
The graphics on the other hand are quite bad. Everything is blurry and every single light sends shafts directly into your brain.(I recommend turning off: Motion blur, Film Grain, Chromatic Aberration, Depth of Field, and Lens Flare. These are mostly just preference but it makes night city look much better without all this blurry bullshit blocking your way and lights don't interact with your eye like it's a camera.)
It takes a while for graphics to "snap-in" when you enter a new area either through a loading screen or at speed in a car. And when they do I still can't tell if I'm looking at original doom or the newest triple a title from the year 2020. And this is at max settings 4k mind you.
 
Optimization/Lag/Bugs/FPS/Technicals
 
We've all seen't it by now. It runs like ass on last-gen consoles despite being a last gen game. It doesn't run much better on next-gen either. With good cards like the 3080 even struggling to run above 50 frames.
It's sad, stupid and unacceptable from a game being made for so long and from a large studio. The lag is real, people can barely play on any graphics. Personally I have to play 1080p on my 1080ti which sucks ass. Game just can't handle 4k and that's that. It needs to be said. It's a legit criticism.
Bugs. On par with some bethesda games and that's really fucking saying something. Personally I've seen: Tits/dicks clipping through clothes, being naked when I have clothes equipped, T-poses, People walking on nothing. Floating objects, obstacles that aren't corporeal, floating guns that shoot themselves, dead ragdolls exploding when bumped too much, a guard died when he walked into a pile of bodies I made. Multiple crashes. Jackson didn't give me the reality chip. Having underwear on in the showephoto mode(can't tell if this is censoring on purpose or an actual bug). Mouths not moving when people talk. Many combat bugs, being stuck in scan mode. Unable to change equipment sometimes. Floating UI that won't disappear.
Just all over the place with bugs really. I'm 100% sure there is more. Bugs are just part of a game but this shit is unacceptable from a triple a studio at launch of a game in development for 10 years.
The UI is very bad, the bright red color is annoying and a good QOL would be allow us to pick the color and scaling because, the text is very small sometimes and hard to read. The minimap is pretty bad and too far zoomed in to be of any help outside. I find myself constantly having to look through the map when I'm going somewhere.
 
Lies/Deception/Illegal Marketing Tactics/Left Out Content.
 
It has to be said. This game was said to be an RPG. They hammered this point home, again and again and again. Now they've quietly relabeled it as an Action/Adventure game. This is a bait and switch and is illegal.
Here's a good list of missing features.
Here's a good overview of the deception.
 
Conclusion
 
In conclusion; this is something you would expect from an Indie studio that hates their fan base. It has no soul, no love. And it seems the only people on the team that cared were the art and music department. Major props to you guys. Sorry you had to hard carry the group project.
I'm tired of typing so I got to give this game a final score of.....
 
1/5
And don't mistake my hate for rail-roads being the reason for the low score. All RPGs rail-road you into the main storyline. That's kinda their whole schtick. Cyberpunk takes the 'RPG' and shoves it firmly into a trash compactor. The are doing the one thing an RPG should never do... Rail-roading you into approaching the story how they want.
 
But it has Keanu Reaves so that actually makes it a 10/5. Happy gaming.

I avoided Vegas for all of 2020, not because I have any fears whatsoever regarding COVID, but simply because I felt that it was just going to be depressing and annoying combatting the virus hysteria. (Following the Vegas sub didn't help, as those folks pounce on anyone considering visiting as being selfish, despite tourism being the town's only export.)
I was pleasantly surprised that the Strip wasn't as post-apocalyptic as I was expecting. There still appear to be plenty of people visiting... the crowds weren't as thick as they normally would be, which some would say is a plus, but there also wasn't a dearth of people, either.
I was comped at both Caesars and MLife, so I booked at both. I stayed at the Paris and stuck my friend at the Grand. FWIW, the $20 trick worked at Paris (I figured it was an especially good play when the staff's income has taken a hit), and I was upgraded to a corner suite overlooking the Bellagio Fountains.
Onto the craps play... Sunday through MLK at noon, we failed to find anything below $15. I submitted my edits to the minimums spreadsheet that is stickied here. Oddly, Linq and Park MGM just did not open any tables at all... I'm not sure what the rationale is for that. We decided to stick mostly with Caesars properties, as they don't have Plexiglas dividers at the tables. All MGM properties have these, and it makes the casino look like a house of mirrors.
I had brought a $1k bankroll, but bought in for $300 each time...I tend to be very frugal, even while gambling. My strategy was to play the pass line, place the 6/8 for $12 each, and take 1x odds for 4/6/8/10. (I hate taking odds on 5/9.) After a place number hit 3 times, I would press on the 4th hit. That was usually a great way for the next roll to be an SO.
MLK afternoon at Paris I did "OK," but the recently lowered $10 minimum was raised back to $15 again. This depleted my bankroll faster than I expected, but I guess it makes sense, as my strategy went from costing me $44 to $66 per swing. There were a lot of PSOs, too. For reasons I can't understand, my friend and I could never get a good roll going, but there were two shooters at our table that we knew we could count on for recovery. I don't know how that is - the dice are the dice - but these two guys could always go on heaters for a long time. The dice would be passed to us, and after a few 2s and 3s, we'd PSO. After some ups and downs, I finally walked away with $250.
MLK evening, after some Beef Wellington at Gordon Ramsay Steak, the table was back to $10 again, and had no players, so my friend and I opened it. As with the above, our rolls were miserable. PSO after PSO. Other players would come and go, seeing how bad the game was going. I tried to switch to the DP when my friend rolled ("nothing personal"), and then he'd magically start making points. It was awful. I finally got down to my last $10, and bet the line with him, and he caught his second wind. Gradually brought me back to $292, and we colored up at 1am.
Although Paris doesn't have table dividers, they insisted on sanitizing the dice between shooters. Even when it was just my buddy and I, and I said we were in the same party, it wasn't necessary, they responded "well, it's for our safety." I bought that for a few minutes until I realized they hardly touch the dice, yet they don't mind grabbing everybody's chips that are getting intermixed with different people's germs.... whatever, it's all stupid theatre.
Tuesday afternoon, my friend headed back to Phoenix and I was waiting for a late flight. I stumbled upon a $10 table at Aria, and since it was just me, I decided to deal with the Plexiglas (which turned out to be wildly ineffective when I could still fist bump and talk to the player immediately left-of-stick from my catty-corner of the table, 3 feet away). My bad luck shooting dissipated. I hit several good rolls, and since it was my last day, I decided to loosen the wallet a bit, and would go up to 3x odds, particularly on 4s and 10s since they pay 2:1. I would also press 6s and 8s, which I had a real affinity for hitting, earlier than customary for me. (This probably still sounds like low rolling to many of you, but it's a big step for me!) I ended up more than doubling my buy-in, negating my losses from the other two sessions and putting me up slightly on the trip.
MGM has two sets of dice they can rotate between, and one goes in a golf ball washer while the other is in play. This seemed a lot smarter and didn't affect the game's momentum as much as Paris did, scrubbing them down with a ratty cheesecloth and diluted Clorox.
I still had 4 hours until my flight, which was bittersweet, but I'm glad I colored up when I got off of a good high shooting. It felt good, actually, that other players were disappointed that I was leaving, because I was making them some good money, but it was time for me to step back and enjoy my winnings. I bought my kiddo a T-shirt at the ABC store, waited an hour for the Centennial Express (told you I was frugal), and sat in The Club LAS until my flight boarded.
Both MGM and Caesars sent me e-mails asking me to book another complimentary trip before either room's folio arrived. I'm considering it.

First Part: here||Previous Part: here
​
Lux
It had been four days, but Nil still hadn’t woken up. Ever since Ein’s birthday celebration, he just laid there in the bed breathing. His brother had checked in on him occasionally. Nil’s mom refused to leave his side. Azzeck stopped by once in a while, along with his grandparents, but I think they were covering her work. I had barely seen his Uncles, but I imagine they were given a time sensitive job. Julius, Cesar, and the mother visited once.
I checked on Nil’s , and Orga did an amazing job repairing them. How Nil didn’t die was beyond me. He was breathing, his heart was beating, but Nil was not waking. I poked him a few times; nothing. I laid on him, keeping him warm as I had these last couple days. Nil used that really scary to save us; it clearly had a heavy toll. Please wake up soon. What happens to me if you die? I don’t want to be alone.
*
Nil
All around me was blank. An empty nothingness in every direction. Where am I? I remember using that , immense pain, then this. I tried walking around a little, despite the empty gray all around, it was actually a room, roughly thirty feet by thirty feet.
I waited around for two days, and nothing. This was so boring. For some reason, I wasn’t hungry, thirsty, sleepy, or needed to use the restroom. I did not find this comforting. Am I dead? Or just really close? I do not want to die for the second time this young.
On the start of what I think was the third day (maybe the late second day?) someone appeared. Or something. It was roughly my height, and was a walking outline of a body; it was honestly unsettling to look at. After a few minutes, it finally started moving.
“What the forl are you?” I asked, trying to figure out what I was looking at.
“Swearing? What a naughty child.” a feminine voice replied.
“Do you have any idea how unsettling you are to look at? This is going to haunt me for a while.” I replied.
“I figured this form would be best for trying to put you at ease.” the voice said, sounding mildly confused.
“What was your sample? Blind children? People with no cognitive ability? Those so desperate to live they were willing to say, ‘this odd outline form is honestly pleasant to view’?” I asked.
“You are quite a smart mouth. Wait, how does a kid know those words?” the voice asked confused, before an immense pressure washed over me.
“That explains it, and what is wrong with your soul. Or nothing is wrong with it, you simply came from another world and got reborn in this one.” I the voice explained.
“You are a Lord, or the representative of one. Given the circumstances, I think you might be Lord Utol.” I replied.
“Correct, I am Lord Utol, you learned some of the history and religion of Tenebrae while you were here. So, what is your name?” Lord Utol questioned.
“Nil Sathanas Crowthorne. How close did I come to dying to be seeing you?” I responded.
“Using the name from Tenebrae, bonus points. Nil, you honestly came into a pretty gray zone. Your mother and that other one healed your body before it actually died. The from whatever that quite literally shattered your body. You held on just long enough for your body to be brought back from the brink as you passed out. Now, as a precaution, your soul was grabbed in case your body was actually dead, as putting a living soul into a dead body does not end well and is quite the mess. Now I have to decide whether you should be dead or not.” Lord Utol explained.
“. Are you going to be less cryptic than Kron was on the criterion on whether I live or die?” I asked.
“You have met Kron? That explains why you always pray to his statue. And if you want to live, I make the decision based on what I feel you deserve, but before anything else, when have you talked to Kron?” Lord Utol asked, with a surprised tone.
“When I got his we talked a little and he? she? they? decided to let me live, and then when I pulled off a pretty powerful Kron and I had a chat and made a deal to talk at Temple when I prayed at his statue. How do you know I only prayed to his?” I answered.
“We do watch some of the major figures and their children at Temple, see if any donations are going to spring up, or we might get a change in representation. A lot of us noticed you praying to Kron, and thought it was weird because he is overwhelmingly neutral and virtually never talks to , or anyone else for that matter. Kron is quite the loner. Thank you for telling me why. That is helpful.” Utol replied with a happy tone to her voice.
“How is that helpful?” I asked.
“Simple, you matter to Kron. You are someone with a direct connection. Kron might have even given you as a .” Utol taunted.
“You want to use me as leverage.” I concluded.
“You catch on quick.” Utol complimented.
“What do you gain from this? Aren’t the Lords a collective group that work together?” I asked. Utol erupted in laughter.
“Not even close. We made Tenebrae, among other things working together. Generally, there are two factions and Kron is a neutral arbiter who generally stays out of things.” Utol told me between fits of laughter.
“I would rather not put Kron in an awkward spot because of these unfortunate events. Why not impartially judge whether I should live or die on my own merits.” I offered. Utol just laughed more.
“I am a Lord, not a perfect being. The fact you matter to Kron is definitely going to make me want to keep you alive and use the leverage.” Utol taunted.
“I mean, I am a Crown Prince of a good size empire. I could kick something your way to help you. You aren’t exactly popular among the people.” I offered. I could feel a powerful gaze burn into me.
“Good size empire, that’s a good one. Speranza is massive. I guess you repaying me with support in Tenebrae is pretty tempting, and given you prayed exclusively to Kron’s statue ever since you entered a Temple, you seem pretty good on your word. That does not seem satisfying though, as Kron owing me is much better in my opinion.” Utol replied.
“So, while I think, is there a way to stop my likelihood of returning? Other than increasing my and more?” I asked.
“So you your and your mind to withstand the taxing effects of and have not thought about doing the same to your body?” Utol asked.
“Like working out?” I asked.
“My bad, you are not from Tenebrae. Training your body can help increase your resistance to , its effects, and make it a lot more durable.” Utol explained.
“Why have I not been doing that then? Someone should have told me.” I pressed.
“I am guessing your problem is typically immense or repeated from casting ? is much more efficient for withstanding its effects, as your body helps more with than , unless you go well beyond like you did.” Utol elaborated.
“So, I have a for and , what about for my body?” I wondered.
“Yes you could obtain a for . What’s with this line of questions?” Utol asked.
“In the few times it was explained to me, I thought was for your body?” I asked.
“I got time to kill; I did make you wait two days after all not realizing what a chip you were. is for your body to withstand and it being expended. That is through the way of your . is for your body to become its namesake tougher, faster, and stronger. As most from basic to even ones work off your body, so if you want to be a faster runner for example you can either practice running and run day after day or increase your . Increasing one will slightly increase the other. Obviously, practice and training like actually running are still necessary.” Utol elaborated.
“That makes some sense. But how does doing one slightly increase the other?” I queried.
“When you a you expend through your , and your body supports your . The other way is true, when you use a you are putting the into your body directly, so your body is taking the stress of the while your support and supply. As far as I can tell by your questions, you primarily cast , so your teachers likely focused on increasing the main portion enduring the cast, rather than the supporting. And again, why are you asking me?” Utol described.
“I am almost there. My is , and I have been told it is quite pure, where there is not a lot I can do to make it better. I have a pretty neutral for my , and the oriented for my , what could you give me as a for my that would not influence that fact?” I asked her.
“Trying to figure out what you can get from me? You are a bold one.” Utol replied.
“I get that a lot, or something similar at least. But is it possible?” I pressed.
“Yes. I can give you a to use as a . Now, despite it’s name, it is neutral, and does not possess the . But what would possess me to give that to you?” Utol asked.
“How about a wager. I win, you give me a and let me return to the world of the living where I do you a favor to help your position on Tenebrae. You win, I become your bargaining chip to use as leverage against Kron and I take my chances he is willing to save me.” I propositioned.
“I don’t have to make a deal with you. That deal seems to favor you more than me. And I like being able to have leverage on Kron, that is so incredibly rare you could not even fathom.” Utol retorted.
“You win either way. I either give you support in Tenebrae, or you get leverage on Kron. One outcome favors me more than you, and the other favors you more than me. It is fair.” I replied.
“I could also just choose you should be dead and let this all be over.” Utol pointed out.
“That is no fun. How many chances are you going to get to make a wager against a person from another world where one of the outcomes is leverage on Kron?” I asked.
“I can get that either way.” Utol laughed.
“What if I choose death? Just deny you the chance?” I asked. Utol paused for a second.
“What makes you think that is an option?” Utol asked, her voice icy.
“I believe your exact phrasing included, ‘if you want to live’ and you mentioned putting a living soul in a dead body is problematic, so putting a soul that doesn’t want to live into a living body should be problematic as well. So, I can choose death and deny you what you want as well.” I explained.
Utol went silent, and turned the outline away. A minute passed. More silence. Bullseye, I was right. Dangerous game for sure. Utol still can just say death and cut her losses, but I think she wants the leverage on Kron too bad. A terrible sensation washed over me when the outline turned to face me.
“I pick the game, and in return for that I want to change the terms. You win, you get a and one of your choosing, within reason. I win, you become a powerful bargaining chip against Kron to get a favor from him and generate support from me on Tenebrae, and are not allowed to tell him of this wager.” Utol countered.
“What guarantee do I have that you will pick a wager I could even win? And you do realize I get to live in both cases?” I asked.
“Same could be said to you, you have knowledge from another world I never seen. You could just as easily picked a trick game. Don’t worry, it will be something obviously possible for you to win, I am not going to try and cheat to beat a , that would be disgraceful. And I realize that, as I deemed the feat of dodging the lances while saving the other three and realizing that loophole as worthy of living. You are going to be one entertaining person to watch, and I don’t want you to die this young over such a cowardly attack.” Utol replied.
“That’s good, I guess. So what is the game we are going to play?” I asked, to which Utol smiled.
“We will be playing Realization. There is a deck of cards, we take turns shuffling and drawing a hand of three cards. You use what you draw to make something to defeat the Realization of the other person. We will play an example hand first. I want to know what someone from a foreign world can do.” Utol explained.
*
Lux
Nil began sweating; his body was twitching violently. I turned and faced him, his was fluctuating violently. It was compressing, expanding, surging, and waning all on its own; it was forming a maelstrom in the room. Senna opened her eyes, and ran over to Nil’s side. She did a quick check, and shook her head.
What’s wrong? I asked her. She looked at me, and then back at Nil.
“I do not know. I do not know why he is not waking up, or why his is fluctuating like this.” Senna cried.
Nil will be okay. He is still breathing. I replied.
The fluctuations became much more intense. Nil was beginning to toss and turn, moving around violently. His eyes shot open, but the white part was pitch black, making the amber portion haunting. Blood began seeping from his eyes, as his absolutely exploded. Something was horribly off.
Senna was visibly panicking. I could feel myself breathing fast. Azzeck, Nez, and Nox burst into the room, and hit the wall that was Nil’s . There was pure confusion on their faces. His was becoming even more violent, and his back arched all the way out, which did not seem natural. There were several cracking and popping sounds, which only made them panic.
Please stop. Wake up! I pleaded with Nil.
*
Nil
Utol moved us to a much larger empty space, and produced a comically oversized deck of cards. I tried counting the number of cards, but it kept shifting. This was not good; I challenged a Lord to an immense gamble, and it was a game I had never played. She said this game should be possible to win, doesn’t mean it is probable.
She shuffled the deck, and dealt us each three cards. My hand was a card that had a letter A, a field, and the number sixty. What kind of deck is this? Utol revealed her hand, which was a mountain, a scale, and fire.
“I will make a .” Utol told me. Beneath us, a massive dragon appeared.
“Question, are we safe from whatever we make?” I asked.
“Of course, they are made in a separate dimension from us, that space down there we can see but are completely separate from.” Utol explained.
“Does time pass normally in this dimension?” I asked.
“It can be forcibly reset if need be, if the side getting defeated just wants to concede to avoid waiting a long while.” Utol replied.
“And say for example, I set a super long timer on something, you won’t wait it out so my soul dies from the passing time?” I questioned.
“As I stated earlier, I am not going to resort to cheap tricks to beat you. You have my word.” Utol swore.
“Good. Field of absolute zero temperature for sixty millennia.” I replied. Below, the dragon was frozen solid after struggling for about a minute.
“What is absolute zero?” Utol asked, confused that her dragon was so easily defeated.
“Foreign world knowledge. So, this game is somewhat fair. How do we determine a winner?” I answered with a smile.
“First of us to get two consecutive wins. Dealer is the defender, meaning they go first. We each get sixty seconds to think, and then fifteen seconds to say our realization.” Utol explained.
“I agree to your terms. The game is on.” I replied, and felt a powerful shiver of , that was somehow comforting.
Utol flipped a coin, where we were each a face. It landed with Utol up. She shrugged, and when she grabbed the deck, it shrank down for her as she shuffled it. She dealt us each three cards. I took a deep breath and looked at my hand. The letter H, a piece of metal, and the sky. My mind raced, thinking of options. Time expired. Utol revealed her hand, showing a letter M, a tree, and the number one hundred.
“One hundred thousand year old .” Utol declared, and in the pocket dimension a massive tree bloomed.
“A Hydrogen Bomb dropped from the sky.” I answered, revealing my hand.
It appeared, fell down, and detonated, shaking the dimension. The tree survived the initial impact, showing immense damage, but clearly still alive. Utol smiled, and made a scoreboard appear, and marked it as a win for her.
“Hold on a second, the worst part hasn't even started. Can you fast forward time in the dimension?” I asked.
Utol looked at me, and made a motion. Time elapsed in the dimension, and the tree decayed to nothing. Radiation poisoning, even can’t save you from that, good to know. That was definitely a gamble. Utol looked at me in shock, erased her point, and put it on my board.
“What kind of world did you live in?” Utol questioned, with wide eyes.
“I will tell you after one of us wins. No giving you any hints on what to use.” I replied.
“Foreign world knowledge. This game is going to be fun. Your deal.” Utol said with a smile.
I grabbed the deck, and a maelstrom of possibilities entered my mind. This is weird. I did a classic couple bridge shuffles, cut the deck, and dealt us each a hand. It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I shivered. What was with that deck?
“Interesting feeling isn’t it? All the possibilities, all the variations, all of what it can become. It is exhilarating isn’t it?” Utol replied.
I looked at my hand: a rock, a shell, and the sea. I went through what I read, thinking. There had to be something. What if I tried something imaginary? Or something theoretical? Something once thought to have existed? Time expired.
“I choose an ancient .” I replied as I revealed my hand. Below, the turtle appeared.
“A true myth from Tenebrae. Luckily, if enough people think something is enough to have existed, or believe in the myth, it will work. Something you just make up won’t work. I make a ten ton hammer.” Utol replied, revealing her hand of a ten, an H, and a metal symbol.
A massive hammer appeared, crushing my turtle, shattering the shell, and ending its life. This was going to be difficult. We looked at each other and smiled; neither of us were going to win this quickly.
“Before I deal the next hand, what is ?” I asked.
“An incredibly rare metal from space with an immense conductivity for , is great for making weapons out of, but it is quite heavy unlike normal . Now, deal the next hand.” Utol snapped.
*
Lux
Nil suddenly stopped shaking violently, and his body collapsed back into the bed. All the that had been rampaging through the room suddenly stopped. He was immensely still. He had stopped breathing, and I didn’t hear a pulse. Senna and Azzeck went ballistic, trying to heal him, but the did nothing. His eyes shot open, just as black as before, and another maelstrom of started rampaging through the room. For some reason, his thumb was bleeding.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Nil roared into my mind.
He’s speaking to my mind! That’s good, isn’t it? I told Senna. A wave of relief flooded over her.
“Was it coherent?” Senna asked me. I shook my head.
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL! Nil roared. More gibberish, which gave me a small hope.
*
Nil
I was starting to lose track of how many games we played. The scoreboard was moved to the walls, each one littered with our score. Utol and I glared at each other. No matter the outcome, I at least put up a valiant fight.
“This game has been quite intense.” Utol replied.
“I am shocked there wasn’t a trick.” I shot back.
“Shut up and deal .” Utol ordered.
I picked up the deck, now used to the sensation of handling it. I shuffled it, cut it, and dealt us each a hand. I was on the defense. I looked at my hand. It was a one hundred, a sixty, and a one thousand. Three numbers? This was not good. Wait, time for a last gambit. I might have this. This might work; it was either going to cost or win me this wager.
“Sixty to the power of operator one hundred to the power of operator one thousand Joules of heat.” I answered, revealing my hand, Utol looked perplexed, as nothing appeared to happen in the pocket dimension. There was a hint of fear in her eyes.
“A colossal .” Utol said, revealing her hand of a C, some horns, and a black square.
The demon was reduced to ashes within seconds. I won as defender! That is the first time either of us did that! A wave of excitement rushed through me. Wait. THAT IS TWO WINS IN A ROW! I jumped up in victory.
“Now, what kind of world did you come from?” Utol pressed.
“One without . A world based entirely on science and technology. Tenebrae relies entirely on , not an understanding of how the world around them works. Mine relied entirely on understanding the surrounding world. Then again, we had nothing anywhere near as dangerous as , just a penchant for fighting with each other in innovative and brutal ways.” I explained.
“YOU CAME FROM A WORLD WITHOUT ?!” Utol asked incredulously.
“Both of you reacted like that.” I replied.
“Both of who?” Utol asked.
“Kron and you both reacted with immense shock at that fact.” I explained.
“You used a lot of things from . How much did you read?” Utol pressed.
“A lot in my free time. Now, I won, so the is mine, along with a of my pick. And the is absolutely neutral in ?” I snapped.
“What’s the rush? And yes, the is absolutely neutral, much like your . They themselves are neutral, but have other properties and abilities they can bestow or augment, like how the interacts with your you have for an .” Utol explained.
“Wait, I never told you that. How did you learn that? And the rush is I was almost dead, I am sure my family is quite distraught.” I replied.
“I am a Lord, and in some of the matches I did of you, to see what made you tick. I am willing to throw in a , plus the one you got naturally from this, to assist with making that more difficult in the future for such a good game. Eight thousand eighty four matches, sixteen thousand one hundred sixty eight hands. It was way beyond what I was expecting. Now what do you want for a ?” Utol elaborated.
“That , you said it was rare, how rare?” I asked.
“Immensely. You could rule Speranza for centuries and never see an ounce.” Utol answered.
“How difficult is it to forge with? To make into a weapon?” I questioned.
“Astronomically.” she replied with what I could imagine was a smirk.
“Can you get it made into the weapons I want?” I asked.
“Weapons? How much do you want?” Utol snarled.
“Just two. A sword, and a flintlock barrel.” I answered.
“What is a flintlock barrel?” Utol asked.
“Can we still do the Realization game thing? Just no need to make it in a separate dimension.” I replied.
“Imagine it.” Utol ordered.
“Flintlock pistol, with a rifled barrel and a minie ball.” I said, and one appeared in my hand along with the minie ball.
“That does not seem dangerous.” Utol said, and I could feel her disappointment. I loaded it, cocked it, and fired it. The bullet shot out, embedding itself in the ground.
“It does wonders, the precursor to a much more dangerous weapon, but for practical purposes, this version is what I need.” I said calmly.
“Yes, the ball leaves fast, but I fail to see the danger.” Utol replied.
“Now, imagine the ball infused with , I can use to rapidly load it, and use to increase the volume in the explosion, thus increasing the strength of the shot, I have been trying to learn and practice the for this for a while.” I explained.
“You know just because the weapon can withstand the abuse doesn’t mean the can. Fine, I see the potential of that being quite dangerous. If you help me get some support in Tenebrae I will get you both weapons.” Utol offered.
“Deal.” I answered. Utol vanished for about an hour, and then returned, barrel and sword in hand.
I tried picking up the barrel, and couldn’t even make it budge. It felt like I was trying to lift a mountain. I put my hand on the sword, and it didn’t budge either. How heavy are these things? Wait, she said quite heavy as a Lord, the weight of these has to be incredible. Utol started chuckling.
“Put a drop of blood on each of them.” Utol explained.
“I am a soul, how can I bleed?” I asked.
“Good point. I will get them from the source.” Utol replied, and my thumb started hurting. She put a drop of blood on each.
“Now put a bit of into them.” Utol instructed. I did as she requested, and the two of them shined for a split second, which was odd because of how black the metal was.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Security. If anyone other than you, or someone with your temporary permission, tries to wield them, they will be unmovable. The longest someone can borrow one of these is ten minutes. I was not going to risk someone stealing these from you. Now, I already began the into your body, but there was a minor side effect from you coming so close to death, the , or the . It will be permanent, but nothing major.” Utol explained.
“What? Define ‘minor side effect’ for me please.” I pressed.
“The whites of your eyes may now permanently be a black color. All in all, a pretty small price to pay.” Utol replied. I sighed. I guess I could live with that.
I picked up the gun barrel, and nearly dropped it. It required both hands to lift it. Utol tossed a small to me, and smeared my blood on it. I channeled into it and it glowed. I didn’t recognize the on it. I put it on, and went near the barrel, which vanished.
“A .” I concluded out loud as I added the sword to it.
“Correct. Now, I have spent a lot of time here, so I must be off. Now when you return, I will still be the , which might be a bit painful, but I think you’ll survive.” Utol explained as she snapped her fingers, and my world dissolved into pain.
​
Next Part: here