NOVEL NEXT 1.1. Forsaken
Book 1: Devourer
"Leave him. The Forsaken will finish him for us."
James felt his head loll to the side, his thoughts muddled as he was tossed to the ground, hitting hard enough to crack his ribs. He didn't know if he screamed as the world faded, darkness claiming him.
The world returned in fits. His breathing was pained as his bones ground in his body. Darkness threatened to reclaim him when a small notification appeared in his mind.
Skill gained: Regeneration: Level 1/10
What the hell is that?
It was the only thought he could manage before his head fell to the side and the world was swept away.
Feeling returned to his body, his mind slightly clear. Opening his eyes, he found the moon high in the sky. Hot wind blew across his body, baking his skin, causing it to crack and bleed. Quickly closing his eyes again, he bit his cheek as pain ravished his body. He didn't dare scream out, less he draw the attention of the Forsaken.
His body was cracking and shifting as more notifications were waiting for him.
Regeneration: Level 3/10
Skill gained: Pain Resistance: Level 2/10
What's happening? What are these screens? What are skills?
He couldn't open his eyes, more afraid of the heat from the night than the Forsaken that were likely hiding. He desperately wanted to find shelter, but his body refused to move. The bones shifting under his skin reminded him that the sect left him broken and for dead.
Resting his hand on his stomach, he gnashed his teeth as his skin was ripped open by the winds. But what rested in his abdomen was his worst nightmare. His core was broken, shattered into hundreds of fragments. The sect head wanted to ensure that he could never cultivate again and had succeeded.
A sharp jolt of pain made him gasp and his hand slipped from his stomach. Blood oozed from his body, but he could feel it replenishing just as fast. His bones were resetting and something inside him was growing. As his mind started to fade, another message appeared in his mind.
Emergency initialization has reached thirty percent.
Birds chirped around him, startling him awake. Gentle rays of sunlight warmed his body pleasantly as he opened his eyes. His body was no longer grinding and shifting as he pulled in a deep breath.
I'm alive?
Before he could take in his surroundings, another message appeared before him.
Regeneration: Level 5/10
Pain Resistance: Level 4/10
New skill: Heat Resistance: Level 2/10
Emergency initialization has reached fifty percent.
I don't understand.
Lifting his arm to his face, he found unblemished skin where he knew it was ripped open through the night. His bones felt repaired and unbroken as he patted down his body.
Dried blood flaked off as his fingers roamed his legs and stomach. Resting his hand over his core, he felt tears well up in his eyes. The sect head had taken everything from him. He had a solid core from years of study and cultivation. He was considered a prodigy and rose from a young age. Now he was twenty-three and all of his progress was erased.
Touching his face, he found his skin smooth and unbroken. The bruises from the beating he took were gone and his teeth fixed. Plucking a strand of hair from his head, he found it to be the steely gray that he was familiar with, although it would appear as most of it was burned off. None of that mattered as he thought of ways to live. Without his core, he couldn't even temper his body. He would need Aether to sustain him, and that was no longer an option.
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Sitting up, he took in his surroundings. His hopes of safety were quickly dashed as he found himself in the ruins of an ancient city. Towering, crumbling buildings rose all around him. Fragments of asphalt dug into his body, dropping from his back as he shifted.
Dead grass broke through the ground. Vines rose along buildings, holding some of them together as their withered stems lost leaves to the drifting wind. Glass lay littered across pitted and cracked sidewalks, ground and sparkling in the morning sun.
Being in an ancient city wouldn't have bothered him if it wasn't for the sound of shuffling claws over stone. Low growls spread around him, making him gulp as he did his best to quietly get to his feet.
Scanning the dead city, he prayed that he could find shelter in one of the buildings. His stomach was growling, reminding him that he had to eat once again, just like any other mortal. Even now, he could feel his spirit veins breaking down, undoing all of his hard work.
Emergency initialization has reached fifty-five percent.
There's another message. Why do they keep appearing in my mind? What does it mean?
Shaking his head, he focused on his surroundings. His weakened hearing was struggling to locate the Forsaken. He could only pick a building at random and pray that he could find something to defend himself with.
Slowing his breathing, he started walking as softly as he could. His body felt heavy and sluggish as grass and stone shifted underfoot. The soft cracking of asphalt filled his ears like a thousand hammers striking anvils.
I have to get off the street.
He only made it a few steps before he glanced back to where he had been laying. Blood stained the ground, and the remnants of the portal having burned the ground left blackened grass in its place.
They really did toss me out of a portal. How far am I from a sect?
He knew a city of mortals would live at the base of the mountains the sects made their homes on, but he didn't even know where he was. He had been to ancient cities in the past for training, but never like this.
Continuing his walk towards the nearby building, he took a deep breath before stepping onto the sidewalk. If the shifting asphalt sounded loud, then touching the glass was tantamount to suicide.
The claws scraping the ground all but stopped in the surrounding buildings. Shifting his foot, the grass ground, sending his location to all of the Forsaken. With another step, he was to the doorway of the building and winced when he found it filled with rubble. He had no way forward.
The scraping claws started up again. Only this time, they were drawing closer. He needed a weapon. Anything to defend himself with.
Searching the rubble, he frowned as he found loose rebar sticking out. It was rusted to the heavens, but when he grasped it, he found that it was solid enough for what he needed.
How many are coming for me?
He didn't have to wait long for his answer. Three grotesque hounds stepped out of the nearby buildings. Walking on their hind legs, their razor-sharp claws dug into the ground. With black, hairless bodies, they cackled as they sensed his fear.
If the claws weren't bad enough, their maws were dripping with saliva. Razor sharp teeth that would spread infection with one bite reflected the sunlight. The only thing he could be happy about was that there were three of the monsters.
Raising his rebar, he watched as the three hounds sniffed at one another before growling. He could sense something happening in their bodies as they prepared to fight for the right for fresh meat.
Why does it look like their bodies have flames in their chests?
That's exactly what he could see. Bright white flames burned in their bodies. A feeling of power came from the creatures as they tensed and started hunching in preparation to attack.
Pressing his back against the wall, he watched as all three of them leapt at one another. The white flames raced to their claws as they slashed. They showed no mercy as they tore into one another's bodies.
Black blood splashed on the ground, tinged with the same white flames that were quickly snuffed out. One of the hounds ripped its claws through the throat of another. The flow of blood quickly left behind flames spewing from the dying monster. Its internal fire withered and flickered before going out entirely. The corpse of the hound hit the ground a moment later.
The two remaining hounds slashed at one another, neither of them gaining the advantage when a message appeared in Jame's mind.
Hold out your hand. The flames are yours. Call them.
What the hell does that mean?
He didn't understand the messages, but something was keeping him alive. Raising his hand, he was forced to release his rebar. The metal sank to the ground until the tip rested against the sidewalk. Pointing his palm at the Forsaken, he felt something in his body stir. When that something leapt across the street and struck the monsters, he gasped.
The two Forsaken turned to him as their flames were pulled from their bodies in a thin stream. The flickering white energy touched his palm and was drawn in, infusing his body with some sort of energy.
The hounds stopped fighting one another to race towards him. Returning his grip to his rebar, he noticed the flames continued to siphon into his body. Raising his weapon, he stepped to the side as the first monster reached him and dragged its claws across the stone structure behind him.
Dust flaked into the air, but he didn't have time to stop as it impaired his vision. Relying on the stream of fire, he raised his rebar and blocked the second hound from ripping out his throat. Their howls of agony filled the air as their flames dwindled.
Shoving with everything he had; he pushed the monster back a foot before leaping to the side. Claws tore at the air where he had just stood. Hitting the ground hard, he felt his shoulder pop out of its joint and he screamed.
The hounds tried to capitalize on his weakness when their flames flickered out and they hit the ground. Grinding his teeth, he felt his shoulder shift of its own free will and slide back into place with a sickening pop.
What the hell did I just do to them?
He was answered by a message a moment later.
Souls absorbed. Soul Strength improved to 0.1
There was a lot to unpack from that simple message. Something was happening to him that had never been heard before.