Apocalypse Tamer 2: A LitRPG Adventure, page 58
part #2 of Apocalypse Tamer Series
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Lightning brought her back. Now, it's her best weapon to survive the apocalypse... When the end of the world arrived, Elysia was already dead.Amid widespread destruction, collapsing cities, and dangerous creatures, strange lightning struck her grave. Rejuvenated by the violet lightning, life returns to her broken body. Elysia must find a way to harness the element in her veins or die as she's thrust into a dangerous new world. Better than being dead. She was always a free spirit, and survival is just another challenge. But as she powers up, something constantly nags at her... That maybe, just maybe, her family is still alive somewhere out there.
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In the West, there are worse things to fear than bandits and outlaws. Demons. Monsters. Witches. James Crowley’s sacred duty as a Black Badge is to hunt them down and send them packing, banish them from the mortal realm for good. He didn’t choose this life. No. He didn’t choose life at all. Shot dead in a gunfight many years ago, now he’s stuck in purgatory, serving the whims of the White Throne to avoid falling to hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his penance and fade away. This time, the White Throne has sent him investigate a strange bank robbery in Lonely Hill. An outlaw with the ability to conjure ice has frozen and shattered open the bank vault and is now on a spree, robbing the region for all it’s worth. In his quest to track down the ice-wielder and suss out which demon is behind granting a mortal such power, Crowley finds himself face-to-face with hellish beasts, shapeshifters, and, worse … temptation. But the truth behind the attacks is worse than he ever imagined … The Witcher meets The Dresden Files in this weird Western series by the Audible number-one bestselling duo behind Dead Acre.
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Also available on audio, voiced by Red Dead Redemption 2’s Roger Clark (Arthur Morgan)
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AUTHOR NOTES
And this concludes the second volume of Apocalypse Tamer. Special thanks to Daniel Zogbi for his wise counsel during the writing of this novel.
When I started writing Apocalypse Tamer, I had two major goals in mind: tying together my various LitRPG series (Kairos: A Greek Myth LitRPG, Vainqueur the Dragon, Never Die Twice) into a cohesive setting; and exploring a post-apocalyptic Europe, which is usually forgotten by the genre in favor of the United States. With the France arc finished, the next volume will focus on a trip across Europe and less explored countries like charming Bulgaria or Malta.
The focus of this volume was the System’s constant escalation and Basil learning to mature as a person; after spending the first volume more or less in denial about the apocalypse, he now realizes he can’t protect himself nor his party without going on the offensive. The losses of party members early reminds him that the apocalypse isn’t a game and that he has to treat it with the seriousness it deserves. His ongoing character development is symbolized by his change in classes; from a self-centered Berserker to a true Tamer and knight defending the innocent from harm. Basil also starts to open up more to others, as shown by his relationship with Vasi.
So how do we proceed from here? Well, volume III will probably conclude the saga, but it might be the longest of them yet. Major faction leaders such as the Horsemen of the Apocalypse Force and the Unity’s Dragonlords will take center stage as the competition for Overgod heats up. In the end, there can only be one.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed this volume and I hope to see you on the next one.
Best regards,
Voidy.
THE PARTY’S STATS
Name: Basil Jean-François Bohen
Type: Humanoid
Faction: Homeowner Revenge Association (The Bohens)
EXP: 1,538,600/1,600,000
Immune: N/A
Resist: Physical, Corrosion, Metal, Wood, Fire, Water, Ailments.
Weak: Manslayer, Soul, Wind, Lightning, Light.
Level: 52 (Tamer 20; Alchemist 1; Runesmith 9; Technomancer 3; Deathknight of the Sepulcher 10; Dragonknight 9)
Health Points: 2180
Special Points: 955
Strength: 66
Agility: 61
Vitality: 48
Skill: 43
Magic: 46
Intelligence: 45
Charisma: 59
Luck: 41
Physical: Strong
Mind: -
Soul: Weak
Corrosion: Strong
Metal: Strong
Wood: Strong
Life: -
Support: -
Ailment: Strong
Fire: Strong
Water: Strong
Earth: -
Wind: Weak
Frost: -
Lightning: Weak
Light: Weak
Darkness: -
Mythic: -
Passive Perks: Monster Charmer III, Runecraft, Alchemy I, Monster Lair II, Runic II, Duty Beyond Death, Monster Insight, All for One, Soulbound Weapon, Lethal Vigil, Dragoon I, Dragon Rider I, Dragonbane I, Double Jump I
Active Perks: Runestorm I, Magic-Eater I, Magitek, Spell: Fire Rune, Spell: Ice Rune, Fuel Technology, Monster Cure II, One for All II, Spell: Venomous Rune, Spell: Corrosive Rune, Spell: Savage Rune, Death’s Banner II, Elemental Orb, Dragonbreath I
Passive Perks
Alchemy I (Passive): you can craft alchemy items without need of a recipe and create your own through experimentations. The list of items you can craft includes potions, alchemy tools, mutagens, poisons and bombs.
Monster Charmer III (Passive): You can recruit monsters into your [Party]. The monster’s level must be equal or below yours to join, and they cannot outlevel you afterward. Monsters in your party gain a 20% boost to stat growth on level-up, but will also die if your HP hits 0. Recruited monsters cannot leave your party unless you allow them to. You automatically form a party with an original partner selected by the Trimurti System. You can unlock the hidden potential of a recruited monster, granting them an additional Perk they cannot access in the wild. Monsters will keep these additional abilities even if you kick them out of your party. When monsters reach the level needed to undergo metamorphosis, they will now choose between multiple options rather than having one forced upon them.You must validate the choice as their Tamer.
Monster Lair II (Passive): you can select a hideout or dungeon under your control as your personal Lair. Lairs offer benefits based on your level. You can select and improve your Lair by clicking on Status in your menu. Your monsters can now create Lairs of their own; however, they must have undergone a metamorphosis at least once. Your monsters will keep this ability and their lair even if they leave your party.
Runic II (Passive): you can now learn and cast [Runic] Spells up to Tier II. If you gain the ability to cast [Runic] Spells from other classes or Perks, the Tiers stack together.
Monster Insight (Passive): you can passively glean information from monsters by observing them closely, including their elemental affinities and useful trivia. Your chances of analyzing a monster depend on your Intelligence, their level, and the effect of secondary Perks.
All for One (Passive): Tamer class Capstone. You have proven that the bond uniting you to your monsters is unbreakable. All buffs and beneficial status effects affecting you apply to your monsters; however, status ailments and debuffs also carry over. [All for One] applies to your entire Guild.
Soulbound Weapon (Passive): Select a weapon in which you have an advanced or perfect proficiency. This weapon will be bound to you, allowing you to teleport it to your hand at will as long as you both remain on the same world; it will also gain new abilities and improve in quality as you progress into the Deathknight of the Sepulchre class. You can only select one Soulbound Weapon and cannot select a new one until the first is destroyed beyond repair.
Lethal Vigil (Passive): Nothing will disturb your vigil. You are immune to all status ailments that would either impede your ability to freely choose your actions (such as [Berserk], [Madness], [Charm]…) or physically acting at all (such as [Paralysis], [Sleep], [Petrification]…). Self-inflicted ailments, such as those activated by your Perks or equipment, will still affect you.
Dragoon I (Passive): you gain advanced proficiency with Swords, Spears and Shields (x2 damage, +10% Crit).
Dragon Rider I (Passive): you gain advanced proficiency in riding creatures, but only those with the [Dragon] Type (+10% damage to attacks when mounted, you cannot be dismounted by force unless you suffer a Critical Hit or Super effective attack, and you can both direct your mount and attack without splitting your attention).
Dragonbane I (Passive): all your attacks with weapons in which you have a Medium, Advanced or Perfect proficiency will inflict Dragonslayer damage super effective against Dragon types (x3 damage).
Double Jump I (Passive): not only is the distance of your jumps and leaps increased, but you can make a second one while airborne. Additionally, the damage of your Spear weapons is doubled while in the air.
Duty Beyond Death (Passive): not even death will stop you from fulfilling your duty. When your health points hit 0, you do not immediately die. Instead you gain the [Invincibility] status for 5 minutes, during which you cannot take any damage, nor suffer from debuffs and status ailments. However, you cannot regain HP and once the effect ends, so will your life. You also cannot be turned into an [Undead] type by any means, even willingly.
Runecraft (Passive): you can now incorporate runes to your crafting process, permanently empowering your equipment with their additional effects.
Active Perks
Magitek (Active): You can use the ‘refine’ option on a technological device to forge a rune on a selected item. The device must have an unused effect spot and you must know a rune spell to assign to it. This ability can apply to pieces of technology from forged tools to machines and vehicles, but cannot work on Consumables, Lairs, or Key Items.
Fuel Technology (Active): you can spend Special Points to power machinery instead of the normal fuel. The Special Points consumption rate is unique to each device.
Monster Cure II (Active): 50 SP, [Support], [Life]. The tamer heals a medium amount of HP for all monster members of his party (HP recovered: (Tamer Levels+MAG) x 2); the Tamer and other players do not benefit from the healing, but the effect applies regardless of distance. Additionally, the spell will heal status ailments affecting the targets. This replaces Monster Cure I.
One for All II (Active): if you are a party leader, you can teleport your party back to your Lair. Additionally, you can spend 1 SP x Level of a tamed monster to summon them at your current location; this ability works even if you have no Lair selected, but you can only summon one ally at once. You can now summon all monsters in your party at once instead of one at a time, though you must pay 1 SP x monster for each individual you are trying to summon. Neither teleportation effect works in dungeons or magically warded areas, and they cannot cross dimensions.
Death’s Banner II (Active): [Support], 10 SP per minute. Your faith empowers your party members, granting them the following benefits as long as they benefit from [Death’s Banner II]: All their attacks gain the [Deadslayer] effect (x3 damage against Undead types); immunity to the [Terror], [Zombie], and [Insta-Death] ailments; they do not take damage from ailments such as [Poison], though it doesn’t cure them of it; and their critical hits will inflict [Insta-Death] on the victims. This replaces [Death’s Banner I].
Elemental Orb (Active): Variable element, 60 SP. You can throw a deadly orb of elemental energy from your hand; you can choose the elemental affinity of the orb, but it must be an element in which you have a Strong affinity (Base damage 130 of the selected element). This power is the equivalent of a Tier VI Spell.
Dragonbreath I (Active): select an element in which you have a strong affinity. You gain a weak breath attack (60 base damage) of that element which you can use at will; the breath will also pierce through Resistance. Element selected: Corrosion.
Runestorm I (Active): [Support] 10 SP. You can empower any melee weapon you wield (such as swords, axes or daggers) with an elemental infusion for five minutes, changing the damage Type to the chosen element. Available elements: [Fire], [Wind], [Earth], [Water], [Frost] and [Lightning].
Magic-Eater I (Active): When you have Runestorm active on a weapon, you can redirect any spell of the channeled element within twenty meters to your weapon, absorb it, and regain an amount of SP proportional to the spell’s power. You can only redirect Spells, and not Active Perks or standard attacks.
Spells
Spell: Fire Rune: Runic, 10 SP, [Fire]. Empowers one of your weapons with the power of flames, inflicting an additional 20% [Fire] damage for 5 minutes. Multiple applications of [Fire Rune] do not stack and the weapon loses its properties if you no longer wield it.
Spell: Ice Rune: Runic, 10 SP, [Frost]. Empowers one of your weapons with the power of ice, inflicting an additional 20% [Frost] damage for 5 minutes. Multiple applications of [Ice Rune] do not stack and the weapon loses its properties if you no longer wield it.
Spell: Corrosive Rune: Runic, 20 SP, [Corrosion]. Empowers one of your weapons with the power of corrosion, inflicting an additional 20% [Corrosion] damage for 5 minutes. Multiple applications of [Corrosive Rune] do not stack and the weapon loses its properties if you no longer wield it.
Spell: Venomous Rune: Runic, 20 SP, [Ailment]. Empowers one of your weapons with the power of poison, inflicting an additional 20% [Poison] chance for 5 minutes. Multiple applications of [Venomous Rune] do not stack and the weapon loses its properties if you no longer wield it.
Spell: Savage Rune: Runic, 20 SP, [Support]. Empowers one of your weapons with savage power, increasing its chances of inflicting a critical hit by 20% for five minutes; the Berserker’s favorite tool. Multiple applications of [Savage Rune] do not stack and the weapon loses its properties if you no longer wield it.
Name: Plato (Rakshasa Kitten)
Type: Beast/Demon
Faction: Homeowner Revenge Association (The Bohens)
Experience: 1,538,600/1,600,000
Immune: All illusion effects, Mind.
Resist: Soul, Wind, Wood, Darkness, Mythic, Ailments.
Weak: Beastslayer, Demonslayer, Corrosion, Metal.
Level: 52
Health Points: 2030
Special Points: 990
Strength: 30 (C+20%)
Agility: 71 (A+20%)
Vitality: 32 (C+20%)
Skill: 71 (A+20%)
Magic: 52 (B+20%)
Intelligence: 35 (C+20%)
Charisma: 41 (C+20%)
Luck: 70 (A+20%)
Physical: -
Mind: Strong
Soul: Strong
Corrosion: Weak
Metal: Weak
Wood: Strong
Life: -
Support: Strong
Ailment: Strong
Fire: -
Water: -
Earth: -
Wind: Strong
Frost: -
Lightning: -
Light: -
Darkness: Strong
Mythic: Strong
Passive Perks: Sharp Claws, Somnonapper, Birdbane, Nine Lives, Swordsmanship I, Pawerful Dao, Manbane, Illusionist IV
Active Perks: Focus Up, Windfang, Catnapping, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A
Personal Perks:
Sharp Claws: Plaot’s claws inflict SKI-based damage. He gains advanced proficiency with unarmed attacks, fangs and claws (x2 damage, +10 Crit).
Somnonapper: while under a [Sleep] effect, Plato recovers HP as if he benefited from the [Regen] positive ailment. Additionally, his body will act on its own to dodge attacks and retaliate.
Birdbane: Plato’s attacks with natural weapons inflict [Birdslayer] damage (x3 damage against [Avian] Types).
Nine Lives: when Plato would die, he instead benefits from an [Auto-Revive] effect bringing him back to life at critical health; this also purges Plato of ailments. Plato can be revived eight times before the Perk becomes inactive. 6/9
Swordsmanship I: medium proficiency with swords (x1,5 damage).
Pawerful Dao: Plato can run on vertical structures, and even ceiling so long as he remains in motion. Additionally, the length of his jumps is doubled.
Manbane: Plato’s attacks with natural weapons inflict [Manslayer] damage (x3 damage against [Humanoid] Types).
