Trying a new thing. Instead of reading the update in full and then writing up a reaction at a later date, I'm trying to document my genuine first impressions of this update as I go paragraph by paragraph. Also, Index updated till latest threadmark.
Did a Curse strike already? Whether its Tyrant or Apocryphal, that's bloody quick.
The decision was made, the bargain complete. He felt the weight of each Curse settle upon him like leaden shrouds. But with them came a spark of power, swift and irrepressible, coursing through nerve and vein, awakening some part of the Hero that had been. Sublime electricity like a held breath, like the stillness before a storm, skin of the world so paper thin that with a fingertip's exertion he could brush through, touch the capillary-walls of the weft between realms.
He was not fully restored. Nowhere near the fullness of his power, still but a shadow of the man that he was, soul and memory tattered with holes. That was the cost in selfhood that he'd burned to strike down the overlord.
But it was strength enough to start again, and with strength came even a dull flicker of hope.
Oof. Pretty effectively establishes our hero isn't anywhere near fully functional, be it physically, mentally or emotionally. Especially with the strength focused mindset you'd expect from someone who forwent immediately resurrecting his family in favour of vengeance against their killers.
Assuming that its not just poetic language or him imagining things, it's strange that he could physically feel the Curses take effect. I just checked and Seram certainly gave no indication of such. Is that due to his purity of heart? The game-like nature of his interface?
Perhaps its issue of compatibility? Seram already lived a life where people despised him and he dreamed of going on an isekai adventure. Maybe he was just too excited by the magic powers to notice. That the Hero noticed his Remittance immediately when Seram had to reach for it is easily explained; can't miss what you don't have, right?
When entire world had abandoned him, this being - cosmic monster, impossible horror, whatever it was - had reached out its hand. Whatever its reasons or timing, it alone had given him a chance. Had offered respite, or vengeance, to a tool so thoroughly expended that even the dim shadow of a future had seemed a faraway dream. He would not forget, that every tomorrow onward was possible only because of this being today.
"Thank you," he said, as it turned to leave. "I'll pay you back one day."
The Accursed raised an eyebrow, slight amusement in its eye. "See that you do."
Somehow he felt, despite the vast gulf between them - transcendent overbeing and depleted wretch - that those parting words were no cosmic transaction, but merely an agreement between men.
Grace. Perhaps unasked for but certainly deserved*.
While maybe I'm naive to take this interaction at face value, I think the Accursed would find manipulating his own servants entirely beneath him, even assuming a Curse does not ban him from doing so. That the Hero could overcome the Brand and the two could connect despite the enormous distance between them on all levels but the physical is honestly quite heartwarming. That genuine resolve to repay his benefactor despite the power discrepency and supernaturally enforced ill will makes me like the protagonist already. I hope he can hold on to that resolve through the eons.
Amazingly, that's two mentions of positive emotion out of the Accursed we've seen so far, even if one only exists in the Not. That he's still capable smiling under the weight of his burdens is both staggering and reassuring. It certainly reinforces my belief that reality once he's freed will be a better place and that Odyssial's essential nature hasn't changed.
As a sidenote, is it weird we always call the Accursed Odyssial and not Ulyssian? He's gotta be the latter, the former fucking died. Yeah, yeah, perfect reincarnation or whatever but that's not really true though, is it? Uly's got us polluting Odyssial's hyperrationality, which is why we spent so long fucking around in Luseng. Just something I've been thinking about for a while.
*Insofar as anyone can "deserve" something like Progression, even at the price of Curses.
And then the Accursed was gone, the world resuming its mundane pace, footsteps thudding outside his door. Soldiers come to collect his presumptive corpse.
He inhaled deeply, the tug of the Geas like a hook through his chest, and let it carry him forward, to another world than this.
Can't wait for the aristocracy of the world to shit themselves to death at the idea that either the Hero is alive or has a supporter capable and dedicated enough to sneak his body out. Either way, there's someone out there with a very real grudge against them and the espionage skills necessary to carry it out. Can't wait till they spend way more than 5 to 7 times the cost of the assassination trying to find this invisible enemy and thinking it would have been cheaper and less aggravating to just go along with the reforms.
Poor, dumb bastards. The truth is worse than they could ever imagine. Or maybe better? Its not like they'll be alive by the time the Hero's strong enough to return for vengeance and unless something drastic changes along the way, he won't genocide their descendants or anything.
Also, interesting that he can sense the pull of the Geas where Seram was just whisked away to the Manifest Realm. I think their differences must come down to different interfaces and background; I don't see how purity of heart could account for this. The Hero's just more metaphysically sensitive because he actually lived in a world with magic, even if that magic is a far cry from a Curse.
Plenty of time for sentimentality if he survived. In the meantime there were other debts to pay. And these would not be so pleasant. To fulfill the mission of his vengeance, the first step was simple.
Live, and grow strong.
At least he has his priorities straight, even with the focus on Vengeance. Would be real rough if the build we chose made him suicidal depressed or something.
There was no jarring transition. Barely had the impression of passage touched him before he arrived. He was standing on a hill of green grass under blue skies. The sun was stark and brilliant, a mailed fist of light bearing down. A breeze was blowing, cool and soothing but with the faintest scent of charcoal. He raised a hand to cover his eyes and took his bearings.
Green grass, blue skies, the sun shining down, civilisation probably nearby. Does the Geas of Indenture have a type? Or does its babby tutorial mode have certain criteria for the types of world it'll send you to and the locations you get dropped off in? Probably not as pretty as the Manifest Realm though. The divergences between his and Seram's experience of the Curse seems to have ended, both equally unaware of the plane shift.
The mission of his Geas unfurled in his mind, the task upon which he'd wagered his life.
Conquer at least nine-tenths of the Human Sphere and rule for a period of no less than fifty contiguous years. Time limit: twenty-five hundred years.
He was unused to rulership, and his first attempts at politics would have killed him were it not for the Accursed's intercession. It would be a change of pace, to say the least.
Finally, a conquest mission. Dunking on Destined Heroes is fun but we did that shit twice in a row; we deserve to mix it up a little bit. On the other hand, conquest means we have to gather subordinates and manage organizations to enforce our will, even if most of the military power of our state ends up being concentrated in our person.
I'm honestly glad we've made diplomacy non-viable with our Doom; I have absolutely no patience for politicking, not in these quests. Why would you bother with soft power through influence and negotiation when you've got unbounded progression? Would probably be wise to pick up some retinue though; Prolessarch's Amouthanous(?)-tier scheming skills would be helpful to stabilise and maintain our rule, especially when we're busy dealing with would-be hero's coming out of the woodwork due to the Apocryphal.
2500 years though, fucking hell. For us to not be strong enough to defeat our nemesis after that long dealing with the Apocryphal means they must be some hardcore bastards. Human Sphere is a weird name too. That it needs the qualifier implies of course we're going to see races other than humanity pop up, likely as separate or even hostile powers. Sphere is weird too. Probably not just a weird way to refer to a planet. It brings to mind spheres of influence; perhaps we're to unite humanity under our rule?
But how much at all remained of the man he'd been? His name, his titles, half the memories that comprised his identity had been burned from his soul in the final conflagration of his battle with the Tyrant. He recalled that he had come from Earth, a planet of sophisticated technology, born in a land of the far East... or was it the far West? He had been a schoolboy, on the precipice of manhood. He had stumbled into a glade. The contours of his mundane life remained, but its details slipped like raindrops through his fingers.
Oh snap, another nameless protagonist. At least this one need not remain so. Seems like a very traditional isekai protagonist before he got turbofucked by the Tyrant. Interesting that he'd sooner forget the face of his father than the the ideals of his home. Shit, he can't even remember where he's from, except for probably being a 21st century liberal democracy.
Either his principles were tempered in the crucible of battle or he wasn't a perfectly normal highschool student after all. Maybe the dream of implementing them was what he clung to when times were tough and he started losing people. Bizarre that he's a twenty something though, especially after all the shit he's gone through.
All those memories he'd sacrificed in order to hold more tightly onto what truly mattered. The names and faces of those who'd fought besides him. Who'd given themselves so that he could live, shell of a man that he was. Those he'd befriended. Those he'd admired. And those he had loved.
He would seek vengeance for them, and for himself. Whatsoever architects had engineered the misery inherent to their lives, he would cast them down. No matter how high their thrones, how unassailable their power, he would not rest until they lay broken before him. And he would bring back all who had died to the Tyrant, when he was strong enough to keep them safe. There would be power enough even for that, someday. Power enough and more, if he was to someday keep his promise to his benefactor.
vali's write in was gold. Its like watching a trainwreck in slow motion. You know this guy is gonna live a life of constant, unremitting violence against an endless calvacade of enemies. Its on a mountain of their corpses that he'll reach the heights necessary to avenge and then revive his companions. And he's certainly lose more companions if he lets anyone in on his endless journey Would he even bring them back? Their mere existence opens countless surfaces of attack and the enemies he faces at those levels could easily do worse than slay them.
How long would he delay until he feels they're truly safe? And what happens when he does bring them back after the endless years of strife he'll go through to gain that power? Will they look at him as he looked at the Accursed? As an ancient, incomprehensible god-thing wearing the face of their friend. Perhaps the Accursed was amused because this is what he foresaw. I don't think its likely and don't want to think its likely but that would put a very different spin on his interaction.
Here's hoping they can learn to connect to him as he did to his patron.
Someday. If he survived. If he completed this mission, and all the missions before him. So he was to be a tyrant? So be it. But the time for deliberation had passed.
Kind of tragic that the ideals that he held to through years of brutal guerilla war are the first things he casts aside on his quest for vengeance. He gave up so much to keep those memories intact. Wonder what else he'll feed to the fire before all this is done.
There were more pressing concerns. A short sharp bark behind him, unnaturally loud, and he whirled to see a pack of armored creatures loping towards him, hyena-like mouths tasting the air. The frontmost pair charged, leaping forward with uncanny coordination, fangs bared and slavering.
Casually he adjusted his stance. The creature on his left sailed harmlessly by as he drove his bare fist into the one on his right. Its chest all but disintegrated, the shock of his strike describing a perfect circle of sky where its torso once was.
He twisted, reaching back with his hand to grab the first creature by the scruff, hurled it with catapult force into the ranks of its fellows, and leapt, falling like cannon fire into their midst. The force of those twin impacts sent the beasts into brief disarray, and he killed swiftly as they gathered, slaying three more before the pack regained its cohesion. Retreating slightly, they coalesced around him with an easy, dauntless fluidity, the dozen disjoint appendages of a single mind.
He'd never found any enjoyment in killing the Tyrant's men, offering surrender when practical. But he'd no such compunctions about the Tyrant's monsters. Despite himself, the once-hero smiled. It'd been too long since he'd killed something properly.
They sprang at him again, a whirlwind of fang and claw, but he swung his palm outward, neatly bisecting the creatures at his front, and shoulder-checked his way to the other side of their perimeter. Encirclement broken, the rest turned to flee. They didn't get far.
Okay, that was sick as hell. Nice to see our boy still knows how to have fun. It'll really help accelerate our growth if we have Hunger. Definitely not a normal person now, no matter what he was in his youth. Not a complete monster though if he heeds quarter. Hope he can hold on to that mercy, even though his dreams of democracy are dead.
That pack hunting monsters targetted a stringy human and kept fighting with a quarter of them dead against an suggests they were bred for war and that they then fled when their change in tactics failed is a sign of either good training or relative intelligence on their part. Clearly not just mindless beasts to be thrown into the meatgrinder then. If we go by my earlier theory of this realm, footsoldiers of an enemy race raiding humanity, maybe?
Really glad we ended up with the King's Sceptre, the Sword would have died horribly here.
Supplies would be a factor, he mused. He wondered if these monsters were edible. But their bodies dissolved quickly, melting away in the few brief minutes of his scrutiny. Likely not edible, though it was unclear how exactly his status as a Cursebearer had altered his physiology.
Definitely a different interface to Seram's given the lack of XP, probably a relic of losing his memories of videogames and/or memes. What a tragic loss, though I'm curious to see what other forms it can take. The monsters' dissolving bodies is a sign that they're wholly artifical beings and not just tamed animals. What kind of natural creature would end up with such thorough resource denial? Probably summoned entities or something.
Also, look forward to the new hit reality TV show: Cooking With Cursebearers, where you see all the awful shit those guys can put in their bodies without dying horribly. Hosted by Guy Fieri.
A second pack approached, larger in numbers, though little more bothersome than the first. Still it seemed wise to track down and eliminate the source of these creatures before he began to tire. As he crested another hill, he could faintly make out a city on the horizon, smoke in countless tendrils twisting upwards from its walls. Grand spires of white stone jutted upwards from the fortifications.
Looming above were two grander figures still. The first was an wurm-like monster covered in armor plates, towering and vast, its top a grotesque cross of dragon and jackal, lower half a single muscular tail. It was locked in the throes of battle with a vaguely humanoid abomination, bipedal and armored as well.
A pang struck him at the sight of that second giant, as if the marrow in his bones had gained magnetic charge, to orient now in its direction. There was an affinity between them, not that of friends, not quite allies, but... a sense of camaraderie, as if in all of the vast, lonely universe they were the only two of their kind.
Oh shit, fantasy mecha anime world, I'm so down. Does that mean Catherine won? I really, genuinely hope that mecha are the only avenue of supernatural power these guys have access to because then we can be the absolute madlad using a sword to beat the shit out of giant monsters.
Or wait, is that another Cursebearer? God damn, that would be so cool, if spectacularly unlikely given the Geas. Obviously not Combat-type and probably not Progression either. I'm very curious to find out about what other classes exist. Alternatively, that might be another Destined Hero and like calls to like, even if one wasn't all that Destined after all.
Also, forget the raiding, this seems like a full on invasion with giants dueling with canine dragons over a city on fire.
Here ends the "live" reactions.
[ ] Humanitarian Efforts - The city is being pillaged or simply butchered by that creature's spawn. It appears to be struggling against its opponent, so there should be no need for you to intervene. Save as many lives as possible, rescue and evacuate civilians from the city and cull the ranks of the creature's horde. Best keep your distance from both abominations until you learn more. You don't quite trust this unnatural affinity. [+Charisma]
[ ] Cut Off The Head - The wurm-beast shares too many similarities with the hyena-creatures that attacked you for this chain of events to be a coincidence. Likely it sent those hunting packs because it could sense whatever link exists between you and its opponent. If it so badly desires to be your enemy, you will oblige. Though you wouldn't be confident against a monster of that scale at your current strength, you should at least be able to avoid becoming collateral damage. And it has little attention to spare for the likes of you. Helping your... comrade kill it should address the root of the problem.
Of the two, I lean strongly towards the Red Option (for serious, non meme reasons). We're completely ignorant about the world; that giant it could be an armoured flesh golem made from humans that calls soldiers to merge themselves with it for all we know. Probably not the case but I'd absolutely not trust any kind of unknown affinity until we develop sufficient defenses against hostile mental effects.
Besides, the Tyrant needs significant charisma if he wishes to interact with human society, especially if we plan to rule it one day. We'd best begin as we mean to go on. Moreover, we can immediately begin gathering strength, knowledge and resources this way. We're at our most vulnerable now, it's not the time to pick a desperate fight with an obviously superior opponent.
This is a Rihaku quest, there will be plenty of that later.
This was a highly contested vote, but after reviewing everything the King's Scepter faction had an substantial lead in fanworks. Please decide the nature of your final build. You will meet any companions shortly (would have been present for the first battles with Sword, but Scepter crushes them easily).
In the hero's estimation he is still far from his peak, but his current strength is very respectable. Roughly equal to his power halfway through his journey against the Tyrant, more than enough to subdue a force of hundreds with his bare hand. Your decision below may modify this.
[ ] King of Sorcerers - Expansive versatility at the cost of some direct power.
Seven Seals, Gisena Allria, Retinue, Forebear's Blade
*The most popular elements in one build
*Numerous sources of Curse mitigation
*Ability to bring in Retinue members and capitalize on character-unique synergies across Seals, Null Sorcery, and any magics or special technologies present here
*Powerful active defense and counterattack potential. Great utility from Seals.
*Direct offense slightly lacking.
The Nameless 2: Fantasy Mecha Harem Anime Boogaloo.
Letting Gisena actually keep up with us is no small thing, a scaling companion specialised towards mitigation is a serious advantage as is antimagic in a fantasy setting. Her engineering abilities and our seals might both be applicable to the "mechanical" part of biomechanical, providing leverage she can use with her social competence in any negotations we engage in. With those and Progression we could easily build of Retinue of powerful and influential figures to help us subvert existing power structures and fully take advantage of possible synergies.
Our last protagonist got the true ending. Why mess with success?
[ ] Twice-Great - Magus-knight and apprentice.
Seven Seals, Caethlynn of Amarlt, Hunger, Forebear's Blade
*Pay forward the Accursed's gift.
*Advance rapidly with Hunger, use the fruits of that growth to improve your seals of enhancement. Use said seals on yourself and Catherine to produce two formidable combatants. She scales as you do, and Hunger scales quickly.
*Catherine with your buffs is a superior physical force, while you retain the utility of sealing for support and counter-utility.
*Decent mitigation with the Forebear's Blade.
*Would be awfully convenient if one needed a spare pilot for some form of biomechanical abomination.
The Nameless 2: Suizhen Route Edition.
This gives us someone to watch our back immediately in this vulnerable period. Moreover, we could potentially double up on buffs; apply seals to both the pilot and the mech, a serious advantage once we've established our power base. Unlocking her Soul Evocation through the Blade could add yet another layer of synergies to her piloting ability. Her as a champion of your armies would provide any number of benefits to morale, reputation and our goal of conquest. This is probably the best option for actually fulfilling our Geas imposed task.
Besides, don't you already want to give her headpats?
[ ] Luna Conquerer
Accretion, Gisena Allria, Hunger, Forebear's Blade
*The highest synergy of the popular Accretion elements
*Very high power, but somewhat lacks proactive utility. Accretion + Hunger + Forebear's Blade allows for a rapid rate of advance which means easier access to findross for Gisena if you can figure out the method.
*Strong through every stage of early, mid, and late game, so long as you have straightforward challenges.
*Accretion gives some natural resistance to the Apocryphal Curse which Gisena can also mitigate
RIP Transcendant Shounen Murderhobo.
For everyone else though, it's quite good. The key thing about this build is how thoroughly it dunks on the Apocryphal Curse. The Accretion-Forebear's geometric synergy helps develop the plot armour we need to survive the endless conga line of rivals on the way to us while Hunger lets us make bread from their bones. Should it even get too much (and it will), we can even fine tune it to a degree by empowering Gisena, whose company we'll actually be able to enjoy because of the ring. Of all the options, this one probably leads to the happiest version of the Hero, no small thing for such a broken man.
Look on the brightside Orm, this version of her isn't a completely worthless coward. Why not give her a shot?
[ ] Muscle Wizard
Accretion, Intensify, Retinue, Relinquishment
*The ultimate option, the destined path
*Just look at the thread tags
*Use Intensify to magnify the power of Accretion while narrowing its scope...
*Allows the power of Accretion to be applied to one's body itself, at the cost of locking it otherwise. Grants a broad and powerful defense against esoteric and mundane attacks.
*The hero's missing bodyparts make his body more unique and recognizable, and thus most suited to this unique path.
*Lategame, uses Retinue synergies to magnify his training in the pursuit of supreme perfection of body.
*Retains the fighting style he displays in this update, though with higher parameters when he gets serious (otherwise, this update is just the hero fooling around)
*Very powerful early and late, but weak midgame. Will more effectively complete the objective in this update.
*Extremely degenerate
There were gonna be a few other votes, like the hero's pseudonym and logistical issues, but we'll sort those out when they come up.
Obviously the best choice, if you think otherwise, prove me wrong by catching
THESE FISTS
More seriously, actually pretty good. Our current main objects are immediate survival and our ultimate vengeance, something with a good early and lategame is ideal for us. Immediate defenses against esoteric abilities do much to mitigate the information decifit we're suffering since we'll have an answer to most of the bullshit people can pull out. Retinue makes our current task of conquest much easier and the training syngeries are just icing on the cake. This power is by far the most likely to remain useful across Geas tasks, unlike the sciences and sorceries of this world.
Moreover, who doesn't wanted to suplex a mecha?
--
Note 1: Less entertaining than reading the update in full
Note 2: Does give more room to build connections and think of theories and stuff though.
Note 3: Helps me appreciate the fight scenes a lot more.
Over all, I enjoyed this and thought it was relatively successful on my end. While it's not as fun as abreezing through, putting down your thoughts like this really forces you to pay attention to the update and over all improves the experience. I don't know if this reaction reads differently to the previous one I did though or if its basically the same.
And now to look at the comments.
P.S: 2464 words.
