Saturday, January 24, 2015

Page 962

--Friday donation bonus (Page 2/3)--
Asad eyed the young Lord Goffe. “Are you sure?”

Hector’s expression suggested he was. “I just... I would like to know more about this aberration.”

“I see no problem with that,” said Salvador, slapping a huge hand against Hector’s shoulder. “He held his own against Darktide, didn’t he? And myself, of course. I’d say he qualifies.”

The lone Sandlord frowned. Salvador and the others didn’t know about the shield, but Asad recognized his brother’s work well enough. Hector and Garovel hadn’t explained the details--which was their right, of course--but it still left Asad slightly concerned for them.

He held his tongue, though. He certainly understood the desire to keep one’s true strength a secret. He’d been able to do something similar in his youth, thanks to his tattoos. Without a doubt, they were the greatest gift his mother had ever given him, though he certainly hadn’t thought so while receiving them.

And while Asad reminisced to himself and watched the Elroy children hovering around their sleeping father, his hands drifted into the pockets of his still-tattered robe.

Something metallic was there, he realized. Small and round. A ring.

He pulled it out and stared at it with wide eyes. It was simple enough in design--featureless tungsten carbide on the outside, concealing a row of tiny black spikes on the inside. They would tear into his skin if he put it on, Asad knew, but it was indeed meant to be worn on either one of his middle fingers.

Qorvass noticed the item. ‘A new ring?’ he said privately and in Valgan. ‘When did you get that?

...Before we left Kuros,’ Asad said, also in Valgan.

And what does this one do?

It enhances the effects of my tattoos.

The reaper paused. ‘Enhances how, exactly?

It allows them... to absorb more damage and reflect it back at my opponent.

What?! You had something that useful on you this whole time?! Why didn’t you ever use it?!

...I forgot about it.

Asad! Are you kidding?! Do you know how helpful that would have been?!

I... yes.

Why didn’t you just show it to me when you first got it?! I would’ve remembered it for you!

...I’d already forgotten by then.

That quickly?! Asad!

I’m sorry! I remembered it later, on the plane to Rheinhal, but then I forgot again!

40 comments:

  1. I’d say he s.” ???

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  2. Was supposed to say "he qualifies." Fixed now, thank you.

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  3. And while Asad reminisced to himself and watched the Elroy children hovering around their sleeping father, [he>his] hands drifted into the pockets of his still-tattered robe.

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  4. OMG, Asad is the worst! I really thought that he was using his Trump Card this whole time!

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  5. I love how HUMAN these demigods are. "What do you mean you forgot about it? Do you know how much trouble that was to foreshadow properly!"

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  6. Depends on the effects. Like the shield's effects on hector, that ring might only be good for a short time. Plus, it might have harmed his reaper. Something like that he might have put out of his mind because he didn't wont to think about it.

    But talking about the shield did bring up an interesting thought. Since the shield works by increasing passive soul defense by drawing heavily on the reaper, do you think it might also artificially accelerate there soul synchronization? It would be like pumping a large amount of water into a balloon that was supposed to be inflated slowly over time, stretching it out. Once stretched out, it would be able to except the normal flow of water more easily.

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  7. Also, the rubber would be weaker.

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  8. Okay, new to this, so I have a question to you George, sorry to bother you.

    When do you upload usually, and in which time zone are you? Because generally it seems pages appear a day later for me (I'm CET / UTC +1).

    Also I thought the donation pages (that's 2 additional pages to the usual 1, right?) would appear on Friday, but this one did on Saturday and one is still missing?

    Though, I love that Asad is having an eye on Hector. :D It seems most Rainlords think that Hector is a fair deal older / stronger than he is. Hope Hector can keep up with their expectations.

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  9. I'm hoping for an artificially accelerated soul synchronization as well. :D It certainly is not normal to force their souls into such a state, so it might have such a side effect. Of course a drawback might be, that they are missing out on something unknown. Like a slow acclimatization that makes fine-tuning possible.

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  10. We don't know what the ring does, only that it might be similar to what Asad's tattoos do...

    And I think just bout everyone immediately thought of the shield forcibly increasing soul synch ;)

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  11. Yeah, sure, you "forgot". You're terrified of that thing, aren't you? Servant or not, spikes on the inside of a ring just screams "artifact of doom."

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  12. This chapter reveal some interesting things.
    A Servant can leave some of their power to their chosen person, like how Asad's mother did to him.
    Now I wonder what kind of user his Mother was?

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  13. I think we need more info before going on that tangent...

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  14. I thinks that's just to make sure it won't slip off by accident.

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  15. On the other side of the morality spectrum, Geoffry's grandfather (whose name I forget at the moment, fittingly) forgetting about having turned Geoffry into an aberration. Of course, the ring would have help so much to show that wall who's boss.

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  16. Asad always kind of reminded me of myself, but now he definitely does. I could totally be that stupid and forget something that obviously important, and have on several occasions.

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  17. Was it not obvious that the tattoos were a cheat when it first showed them flashing and absorbing damage, and when Asad described them as being a "trade secret"?

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  18. Of course they thing so. He lied to lots of people about his age, and he has emergence and the shield making it so he's that strong in everything except soul-power to other things. Heck, he's actually got the same soul defense as the most powerful of the lords (I assume).

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  19. How has nobody made the link between the tattoos eating damage and them possibly eating his memories. Great power and at great cost etc. Or does asad suffer from a mental disorder......Alzheimer's for an immortal would be hell :|

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  20. I'm guessing that they are sort of like the shield, and his mom was an Integrator. After all, aside from the weirdness of them glowing when used, they deliver a similar product (make the user more resistant to damage)

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  21. For all we know, it might cause permanent damage by stressing a bond that works at a specific level for very good reasons. I don't think so, but this is definitely a RAFO kind of situation.

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  22. Imagine Lynn with a sheild like that. She needs it more sense she doesn't have a reaper to sync with but that abberation tool

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  23. It doesn't increase Asad's resistant to damage. It absorbed the damage then return it to the attackers.

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  24. What Lynn need the most is the sword Octavia was using,

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  25. But Asad wtfpwned that wall...

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  26. What Lynn needs the most is to somehow be able to have (Hector's) kids...

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  27. Hector's shyness is the last villain that Lynn needed to defeat to be with Hector.
    Ahahahaha

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  28. That ring sounds pretty suspicious.

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  29. Never fully trust gear that actually needs to plug into you to work. Even it you know the maker. ;P

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  30. Oh, Heck. You do realise what the challenge rating on that is, right? ;P

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  31. Your pain...I know it well :(

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  32. Well, never trust anything that plugs into you without needing a preinstalled socket.

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  33. Reminds me of something Mr. Weasley said. It went something like, "Never trust something that talking if you can't see its brain" lol

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  34. Noooo!!!!!!
    I caught up...

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  35. That's kinda ironic since I don't fully trust wireless gear.

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