As I sunk below the waves I felt my mind shift once more something was happening....
I was warrior soaked in blood and guts.
I was a child forced to fight.
I was a stalwart protector.
I was a power hungry mass murder.
I was a despot and tyrant.
I saw visions of myself, from different perspectives and each one had its own emotional tint some where awe inspired some where pitiful and some where filled with hatred. I saw myself as an ant warrior watching as my world began to fall apart around me as the strange bipedal monster brought ruin upon my home. Next I was the Festering Patriarch watching as the final nail in my people's coffin slowly worked its way towards me. Then I was a Monarch in a lone garden forsaken by my father and the people who called me Lord before being destroyed by a usurper.
I felt my mind break and each one saw something different, a different place. One saw a flash of fire and screaming souls, another saw a man alone on an island in rags go slowly insane. Until eventually each one came back and everything snapped into place for a second.
...
[ERROR SYSTEM OVERRIDE.....]
An unknown entity has overwritten the system and lifted the hidden block on your ability to gain more racial Traits....Traits Selected... Processing please be patient....
...
[New Trait Gained]
You have gained the Trait [Split Aspect]!
-[Split Aspect]
[Standard]
You can spilt yourself into two bodies, each body will have its ability to think without input allowing you to be in two places at once. However when you do so each body will only be at 40% power.
...
[New Trait Gained]
You have gained the trait: [Strength of the Underlands]!
-[Strength of the Underlands]
[Domain: The Depths]
You gain a 15% boost to Strength, a 5% boost to Durability and [Sure Of Foot] when you are underground. You also gain the power to bless your followers with a lesser version of this called [Blessing of Earthen Strength].
...
I felt a flicker of something grander then my self for but a moment dismissing the notification I felt a surge of strength and deeper connection to the world around me. Then I burst from the ground wreathed in power my heart thumped in union with the world.
Then it faded the my enemy the Jarl seemed unafraid and ready with a shift of his wrist and a blast of invisible force slammed into me. Using a tendril of rock I stopped my fall and began to battle the Jarl with renewed vigor.
The fight had a background tempo to it a sort of flow, every parry had a beat, every dodge a pause, and every strike a crescendo. I reached out a tendril of earth brought my sword to me now undaunted by its weight I struck outwards the blade caught and bit at the wizened leather and still pristine copper.
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The Jarl Grimaced as I pulled my sword back the blade left a long thin triangle hole in the side of the Jarls armour. He backed away looking closely at me his grimace turned into a smile showing off black teeth.
The Draugur pulled back the long flowy sleeves of his cloth revealing deep black tattoo's strange geometric patterns lined his pale dead skin.
"nion" the Jarl spoke and I felt a shift, a long line with five branches pointing down glowed, lifting off his skin and it braised onto the head of his axe. As he lunged forward he swung his axe at me and the Timepiece screamed blocking with a wave of earth. The axe head but into it. The world, no reality shifted and the earth was turned into ash as the cloud of ash once again obscured my vision. It was only my skills that allowed me to dodge the following attacks. A trail of ash followed the axe and anything that touched would turned into a light gray dust.
"[Pseudo Domain of Authority: Rain of the Tyrant]" the ash came alive, it swirled around and blanketed down burning droplets fell down onto my armour. Like a dancer of desolation the Jarl's blows flowed like the smoke of a raging fire.
"[Psudeo Domain of Geomancy: Roving Tides]" underneath the ash the earth rose up to support me as it battled ethereal figures of ash as me and the Jarl battled, my sword had a longer range and allowed me to leave a series of shallow cuts in the Jarls armour as he tried in vain to attack.
"Sionnach" In the Jarls wake great trees of ash rose up, barren and without leaves they rose up against the wishes of the earth the large willow trees as they began to glow and they poured their power into the Jarl.
My position was being destroyed slowy an methodically by my enemy. Activating the boost of my fungal spores I marshalled my power. I needed a way to gain an advantage, the Jarl no doubt had me beat in experience and no doubt skill levels as his domain was beating my by a heady margin. The Frustration at my predicament, and the risks of my death. What would happen to my neighbors? I had yet to find my dad yet or my brothers. I couldn't afford to die yet.
Why had I excepted this fight? Why? I should have stayed fortified waiting for the perfect place to ambush and gain the upper hand! As I contorted my body away from the ashen blade of the Jarl I felt the growling beast sitting in my chest baying for blood. I heard my heartbeat in ears as my heart beat sped up as I had to summon a [Force Field] to block an attack. My limited Mana was straining.
Despair, uncertainty and anger from feeling them swirled around me feeding into each other. Just then I saw it an opening a minute one, but it was one, taking the gamble I summoned my dagger I brought into a exposed chink in the Jarls armour. As I did so however the Jarls voice whispered into my ear.
"Did you think I didn't know about the exposed weakness, no no no, I let you hit me I will crush you and your corpse shall be my loyal servant." The insidious voice of the Jarl Spoke out before I pushed back and the slow viscous blood of the undead poured from the Jarl. His eyes crazed and smile wide. Ash stopped floating and stayed suspended in the air.
"[The Dark Princeling's Vengeance]" ash sparked aflame, black flames rose around me, the willow trees burned. My armor did nothing as I was burned, pain flowed through my brain like water from a river.
Through pain birthed clarity.
I saw it a curse, weaved around me. It was complex but fragile designed to allure and remain hidden, but In turn fragile. Afterall the best defense against an enemy was the enemy not even knowing you are their. Pulling it apart the anger, frustration, and hopelessness dispelled and the weakness of my body and mana fell apart. All to late I was still afraid.
...
[Greater Curse of the Holmgang Dispersed]
You have dispelled the mid tier curse of the Holmgang. This curse causes and enforces unfair rules in a Holmgang, this curse only effects outsiders without the Holmgang Tradition.
System Generated Boundary Stones Dispelled.
...
"FUCK YOU! YOU SLY BASTARD" I yelled at him as true anger swelled up in me and blasted outwards as I charged him as black fire burned me and his Damnable smirk fell. As I struck outwards with a long sweeping motion feeling willow trees of ash.
The Jarl became an avatar of black flame he threw away his Axe and met my blades with tongues of flame and struck with his fists. My physical abilities now far outstripped his as he was no longer sapping my strength. Burning anger became my balm and push as my body screamed as my flesh blackened and charred form flames of Undeath. Yet I didn't care my pain joined my flames of injustice and anger. My Domain Swelled up beating back my opponents fire and ash.
Each of my attacks was a rudimentary cursed construct filled with my rage and desperation. Eventually my hands let go of my weapons as it became a fist brawl. I dodged a left hook slamming my own Into his spleen, memories of fighting my brother's came back to me. I smiled we where assholes to each other, and now an unpleasant memory became a fond one, or maybe as the edge of death and life became more and more blurry I was getting sentimental.
With a final push of my legs as they failed I tackled the Jarl my weight and the injuries I had Inflicted caused him to fall asleep I continued to pummel him. His flame clad fists kept on burning away my body even as I slowly caved in his face.
