9 Chapter Nine – Caught in the Web (1/2)

I gasped despite myself as Vigor sealed my wounds, long bloody gashes extending half the length of my body.

It had ripped me up pretty good, and bitten right through my left shoulder. Of course, it didn't have any eyes anymore, and was starting to pop and bleed all over the place over there.

The gashes hissed as Vigor washed through them, and flesh drew together into angry red welts, pretending it wasn't so bad. My arm was still useless as the traumatized muscles squirmed, but I was alive. Went to negative and 'died', but I made it.

Hah. Temporary damage and Soak were regained at a base of Level + Con bonus per hour. At higher Melee levels, it was faster, but, eh… would I get enough time?

Hackles rose on my neck, and I turned my eyes up.

Tiny red eyes up there were looking back at me, from the shadows above the beams crossing the ceiling.

Spiders, bodies the size of pigs. Lots of them.

I grinned despite myself. At this stage, minimum of a two-hit kill. I simply wouldn't be able to kill them fast enough, even if they weren't a true Swarm.

That said, I could still run and jump, and my feet worked.

I inspired for Thorn Stance, One Strike, Flying Kick, and Combat Reflexes, and as they started descending on dozens of silken threads, I ran to intercept some of them in midair with One Strike kicks that would make them explode.

Fight until the end, every time!

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I woke up inside a cocoon.

It had been a pretty nasty way to die. They didn't do much damage, but they didn't need to, as I wasn't in fighting shape. Even the extra attacks from Thorn Stance didn't let me kill them fast enough. I'd miss my target, have a chittering spider in my face drooling poison, then others to the sides, and down I went under their remarkably light weight, and then it was thrashing, multiple bites of poison flooding my system and finally overwhelming it, and all went black as it hit my brain.

Waking up inside a cocoon… a smart play by the Curse. Why let me just wake up in safety, when this was such a natural extension?

Versatile UA made every inch of me a cutting, smashing, or poking weapon. I could get out of this easily. But I didn't move, as that would alert any spiders nearby. I didn't know if this was a reboot, or the Curse chose to continue on from the last time. But I was physically restored, so obviously it couldn't stop that process.

Karma accrued, f-u.

I could take my Mastery advance before or after I took a new level. I definitely would need more ki, and getting lightfoot my next time around the cycle would mean needing Ocean Mastery. Speed was a thing, and of course all the other Ocean Feats to follow…

I waffled between Rogue and Soul Shaper. One would get me a bit of offensive power, the other more defense and staying power.

But that was what Inspiration was for. I clicked over Soul Shaper.

Fwoosh. I suddenly felt both hollow and full inside, as the power of my Soul began to manifest out through the chakra points in my hands and feet. It was white-hot agony as flesh and ki were pierced through to provide a conduit for the Essence of my Soul. Not writhing in pain was all I could do as my Essence was drawn through, like lancing the biggest blister you ever heard of, until it gushed out and began to surge through my cells, waiting for direction.

Essence and ki were the main energies Forsaken could work with. We just couldn't spend them or project them, our Souls were Hard. But there was a lot of things you could do with something that you could just allocate and let sit.

A Powered could directly shape Essence into usable tools made out of mana. I would need Tats or magical items to replicate those effects, meaning it was far more expensive for Forsaken to get truly good at using Essence.