Sworded Affair

Chapter 140: Like a Prayer

Slipping back outside, Emma found herself wandering slowly through town. Her main objective - reclaiming Blenheim Palace - was currently on halt, awaiting the assembling of a convoy due in two days. Even after the apocalypse put an end to rigid daily calendars, people still clung to old habits, including an aversion to work on the weekend.

That suited Emma though, because there were certain things she could only do on a Sunday; like wandering between buildings in search of organised worship, assuming it existed in town. That was far from a guarantee; from what she’d seen so far, Emma estimated the town population to be in the low triple digits, certainly no more than five hundred at most. Even accounting for a steady trickle of arrivals from the ruins of surrounding settlements, there was a reasonable chance that a member of the clergy or a lay preacher had been found by now, but still far from certain.

No quest had appeared either to guide her path; which Emma saw as a sign that the System didn’t consider the matter important enough, whatever the eventual outcome may be.

[Because it’s not. You have other candles you can make to advance the class; now, if Hallowed Candles were your only option to level up, it would be a different story.]

The town was small, so Emma co-opted the methodology of the security patrol she’d accompanied; starting with a circle around her home and immediate neighbours, and slowly expanding outward with every circuit she walked, all the while keeping listening for signs of prayer. She continued, even as her path left the residential area well behind and took her to the areas reserved for work. Only when she found herself back at the motor pool did Emma finally give up; religion, it seemed, was not on the cards in New Oxford.

[The population skews young after the apocalypse as well. Not great if you’re looking for faith, from a demographic perspective.]

Deeming the excursion a lost cause, Emma pivoted, beginning to ponder the practicality of stopping to loot a church on the way to Blenheim. That plan had its own drawbacks: would a church stock holy water as a matter of course, when it was typically only used at baptism? Even if the answer was yes, would the vials come with an expiry date attached, and still be ‘good’ as an ingredient? Her mind occupied with such questions and her feet moving on autopilot, Emma didn’t even realise she had company until a hand clamped down on her shoulder and the barrel of a gun was shoved in her face.

[Conspiracy Theorist - Level 0]

“Can I help you?” Emma deadpanned, not at all impressed by the balding, pudgy face and manic eyes staring intently at her.

“You can start by explaining why you set the Jones household on fire!” The man demanded, pressing the gun to Emma’s cheek. “Houses don’t just burn by themselves, so I knew something foul was afoot, and wouldn’t you just know it? The same day it all goes up in the flames, an unknown, red haired girl starts wandering around, when all the righteous are busy mourning. Red’s a dangerous colour, you know? Red like the pyre.”

“You have no idea who I am, do you?” Emma realised, thinking back to the few instances she’d gone out since acquiring the homunculus; even then, most of the time she’d been in armour.

“A devil, sent from below to torment us at the end times!”

That was about as much as Emma was willing to listen to, lest the conversation devolve to matters of fluoride and gay amphibians.

[Browning Hi-Power (13/13) stored.]

The gun vanished into Eden’s Echo, startling her assailant and buying Emma just enough time to draw back her arm. Strictly speaking, her homunculus had no combat abilities, but it was still modelled after a human body, and stronger than the average fifteen year old thanks to an infusion of demonic blood. When Emma’s punch connected a moment later, it wasn’t quite enough to knock the man out instantly, but more than enough to paint his face red from a broken nose. His head snapped back, pupils dilating as they focused on nothing; somehow remaining on his feet despite staggering back. That was fine for Emma though, as it left him easy pickings for a second punch, and a third, which finally knocked him flat on his back.

[Well that was pathetic. I’ll let you have it though, just this once.

50 EXP gained for killing a man with a non-combat class.]

“He’s dead?” Emma blinked, staring down at the prone mane. “I didn’t hit him that hard.”

[Getting in a fight is like flying a plane; it doesn’t matter what happens while you’re up, a bad landing will still kill you in the end.]

That got Emma to kneel, grabbing the man and rolling him over. Sure enough, the back of his skull was cracked wide open, staining the pavement bright red. All the while, the notifications continued.

[Level up!

Half-Demon Homunculus: Level 3 Chandler

HP: 100

MP: 100

EXP: 200/350

For levelling up with an act of violence, modifiers have been applied to skill selection.

Choose one of the following three:

Trait - Blood of the Enemy: Blood taken from those you slay may substitute for one reagent when making Candles.

Candle Attribute - Screaming: Wails unceasingly, inflicting Horror upon all who hear it.

Candle Attribute - Vital: Connected to a living donor, once lit, this candle burns so long as the donor lives.]

“Well that’s convenient,” Emma remarked, scanning the options and making her decision immediately. “Guess we won’t need a priest after all.”

[Trait - Blood of the Enemy selected.

Sacrificial Human Blood (1 Gallon) stored.]

Emma made sure to store all the blood spilled, both to remove the evidence as well as ensure a healthy stockpile for her crafting. As for the exsanguinated corpse, she had no need for it, so decided to use a trick she’d learned while playing with Saint. Slipping into her armour, she grabbed the body and activated Ephemera, shoving the now intangible corpse beneath the ground before ending her ability.

[-500 Anima.]

Sure, it cost her an arm, but it would regenerate, and unlike Saint, the body wasn’t going to climb back up. Satisfied with the results of her random encounter, Emma decided to call it a day and go home to consolidate her gains.

[Return activated.]

—

Status update

Practitioner Emma Knight

True Form: Level 14 Damned Apostle

Anima: 5000

EXP: 7660/8000

Abilities

Summon Unholy Sword {Epitaph} (Cost: 20% current Anima)

Toxovolia: Epitaph can transform into a Bow, firing arrows made of anima. The more anima invested, the more powerful the shot; the arrows can also apply the effects of other Weapon Enhancements.

No Pal of Mine: Capture the souls of the worthy, gaining a simulacrum of equal level to the User. Maximum 1 active per 10 levels, rounding up. 1 hour cooldown when simulacrum is defeated. Captured:

The Leech King, Sir Bearington, Earthbound Immortal, Antipode

Weeping Scar: Wounds inflict periodic poison damage until they are healed.

We’re All Mad Here: The first Wound dealt to an enemy inflicts 1 of 3 Status Conditions (User’s choice).

Angel of Extinction (Cooldown: 12 days): Summon an Angel within line of sight. The Angel is invulnerable and departs after 12 seconds, inflicting Instant Death to anyone who saw it.

Oversoul: Instantly possess the body of a living, lower-level target within the user's line of sight. No component of this ability will activate unless the target can be possessed.

Ephemera (Cost: 1% base Anima /second): Become intangible while active.

Null and Void (Cost: 5% base Anima): Disrupt a spell before casting completes.

Parallel Lives (Cooldown: 1 minute): Swap places with your active Summon.

Return (Cooldown: 24 Hours): Teleport Home. Cooldown resets when Home is in danger.

Traits

Arcanivore: Enemies restore Anima when wounded or slain.

Wolf, Ram and Heart (TOGGLE: ON): When active, attacks are imbued with Death magic, significantly increasing damage and carrying a [Level]% chance of inflicting Instant Death.

One with Everything (Cooldown: 1 hour): If Anima would be reduced to 0, stop at 1.

It's About Time: Immune to Time Magic (ineffective against casters 30+ Levels higher).

Babble Fish+: You are fluent in every language known by the System, with newly encountered languages added retroactively.

Rorschach's Blot: Attempts to observe you remotely produce inaccurate, nonsensical images to those bearing ill-intent towards you. You will be alerted when observation commences.

Home Is Where the Hearth Is - Experience gains are doubled for 1 hour after eating a home-cooked meal.

Divine Conduit (Anathema): ?

Inventory - Eden's Echo A ring containing fifty cubic metres of storage space, capable of instant transfer. Living beings stored are held in stasis and slowly heal. All sapient creatures are less likely to attack the wearer. This item is invisible except to the wearer, who cannot wear other jewellery. Currently contains:

5050 Thrones

Victorian Gown (3-piece)

Lighter (Full)

5x Black Candle

Black Candle (5/6)

6x Candle

Browning Hi-Power (13/13)

Sacrificial Human Blood (1 Gallon)

Quests

It’s the Green You Need

Objective: Raise the Potted Hydra until it blooms.

Objective: Convince the Hydra to give Saint a vial of its blood.

Bonus Objective: Form a summoning contract with the Hydra

Reward: A powerful ally from the Age of Myth, Saint’s Divine Item

Bonus Reward: ???

Vae Victis (Fails unless completed by the Summer Solstice)

Objective: Reclaim control of Blenheim Palace for the Empire.

Objective: Assess the condition of the teleportation gateway in the catacombs beneath the Palace.

Bonus Objective: Find and capture the saboteur.

Bonus Objective: Restore the connection to the mainland.

Rewards: 5000 Thrones, 500 EXP

Bonus Rewards: Commendation (Order of the Empire, Third Class), 1x Ticket to Ride (The Ghost Train)

Penalties for Failure: 1000 Thrones, Named and shamed for incompetence by imperial newsletters.

Half-Demon Homunculus: Level 3 Chandler

HP: 100

MP: 100

EXP: 200/350

Appearance

Red hair, green eyes, plain complexion.

Clothing

Pink Leotard

Traits

I’m a Candle: A modern understanding of non-magical candles.

Noncombustible: High resistance to heat and fire from all sources.

Blood of the Enemy: Blood taken from those you slay may substitute for one reagent when making Candles.

Candle Attributes

Black: Consumes nearby light, leaving impenetrable darkness.

Hallowed: Repels beings of evil alignment or intent.