Augmented Aspects: Chapter 204 Cassiopeia's Curse (Patreon)

Chapter 204

Cassiopeia’s Curse

You ever have one of those days? You know, where you just feel that everything is going to go wrong, but you don’t know why?

Little things seem to call to you.

The way people talk, seems distorted through a vacuum. You have a hard time focusing, well a harder time focusing.

Even things that normally captivate you, like the ebb and flow of magic and the use of Qi by two different combatants going all out to see who can be the best ultimately feels hollow.

Tinnitus, that is the best word I can use to describe everything that I’ve felt all day.

Yes, I managed to get through my matches, all remaining participants survived. There was no talk of collusion, or bid rigging, everyone that won their match did so fairly and with my objective eyes, all three of them, watching to ensure fair fights were held.

Yet, despite all of that, I felt something cold creeping into my bones.

It was almost what my mother would call someone walking over my grave, though I don’t even know if I have a grave. So that analogy might be a bit odd to fully comprehend. You know what, even thoughts like that, random tangents can’t keep my attention today.

As everything just feels off.

Almost like I’m in the middle of a disaster movie, all cameras are zooming in, trying to get the highest definition shot of my face, when the disaster finally strikes.

I’m ready for anything, disasters, fires, floods, or even killer bees.

Ready for it all, yet all I feel is a mounting tension. A slow discordant note that rings in my ears like tinnitus, and slowly gets louder and louder as time goes on.

“Everything okay?” Zero asks, apparently feeling my own tension.

“No, I keep feeling like something is going to break.” I reply honestly. I originally thought about deflecting, but part of my want to improve my relationship with Zero depends on me actually being honest.

“Break, like what? Also, things have broken, but you managed to fix them all flawlessly.” Zero noted.

“Oh, you mean the spiral fractured femur and core? Yeah, that was pretty intense, though not the worst I’ve done. At least it didn’t feel like the worst patch job.” I answered, remembering how the pieces of the core were easily pressed together and a simple application of mana generated heat allowed me to weld the pieces of the core together into a form that was better and stronger than before.

Honestly it was one those things where you don’t even think about how much of an accomplishment it was, until after the fact.

“You mean the fact that you managed to set, heal, and solidify an ephemeral organ that most people didn’t even know existed a year ago? Yeah, that was pretty impressive, even if I’m the only one who gets to say you did it.” Zero adds.

His words are nice, though I think this is what any familiar would say about their bonded partner.

“Maybe, but no. It’s odd. I feel like something is about to break, though I don’t quite know what.” I respond, calming myself and letting my mind drift outward as I try to feel why the pulses of energy that are all around me, suddenly feel discordant for whatever reason.

“Paranoid much?” Zero asks.

“It’s not paranoia if it’s true.”

“It is Paranoia if you don’t have any idea of why you should act or feel anxious.” Zero retorts.

“But I can feel it though.” I say, then relaxing my mind I focus on that strangely odd sensation. The one that feels similar to when I was holding Zero and he gave me quests.

I feel that, there is a similar buzzing sensation that fills me, but it is far away. Just at the edge of my periphery almost, lurking there, waiting for me to let my guard down so it can pounce on me when I least expect it.

Then finally as if the system that even tried to use Zero to misdirect my attentions, finally gave in, letting me know that I was onto something.

New Skill Gained: Disaster Foresight is now level 1.

Disaster Foresight is a Perception X 7 based skill.

Yeah, just what I needed another Perception based skill that can further increase my already maxed out Base Perception Attribute by seven times more.

Also, this skill seems to both be broken and have the ability to be a broken skill.

Then after realizing the skill exists, I can’t help but feel that all my paranoia was completely founded. Not good, when you want to release the mental tension and not feel paranoid about things.

Now that I have the new skill, I feel a new form of sneaky energy. Or rather, I see an odd form of energy. This one seems to come from the world as a whole, and slink down like a slithering snake, ready to pounce and strike.

As I watch the new form of energy that my Disaster Foresight apparently has revealed, I can see the strands of energy building up. Worse, the more I watch, the more I see that the giant ball of future energy is already attached to me. I have the faintest strands of energy that tie my body to the ever growing pile of energy that is coming.

These strands are small, and feel tingly to the touch, almost as if I walked through a spider’s web and while I can’t see the web strands that bind me, I can feel the strands.

Physically I reach out, trying to grab the strands, to remove them, but just like the spider web strands, they stay put, that tingling sensation persists.

“What is that?” I ask Zero.

“What is what?” Zero replies, and I want to believe him, though again my paranoia is holding me back at the moment.

“There are these threads that are tying me to something that is coming. Something that I can’t help but feel will be a complete game changer for me, but not in the good way.” I reply, once again reaching out and trying to interact with the odd strand of energy, only to find that it is not of a type of energy that I can interact with, at least not currently.

Focusing, I try to touch the thread of energy, but I can’t. The threads are either too small to touch, or my control isn’t fine enough to be able to grab and identify the anomalous energy source.

For now, it seems that all I can do is see and observe the energy mounting.

Though now that I can see the energy, I reach out to the unknown but still growing form of energy. Then just as I reach, like an optical illusion, it moves out of the way. Every motion I take towards the growing pile of looming energy is the exact distance it moves away from me.

“You okay?” Zero asks, seeing me paw out at nothing.

“Yes, well no. As I now see that something big is coming, but it is just there, outside my reach unable to be touched with or dealt with, lurking there.” I say, pointing out the big pile of compiling and compounding energy but not being able to actually touch it.

That’s when I have a good idea. Speaking out loud and really dramatically, as if making an aside to anyone watching, I ask the ultimate question.

“Gee, I wonder if anyone would be able or willing to tell me what they think might be happening?”

“Um, who are you talking to?” Zero asks.

“Why my constant fans that stalk me and my actions all day.” I answer.

Zero then gives a dramatic pause, looking around to see that it is just the two of us, before giving a wide three hundred and sixty degree turn to say, whom?

“Just whom exactly are you talking about?” Zero asks.

“Uh, my fans. Actually, at this point I’d even take the people that hate me and want me to suffer. Knowing that they are able to tell me about an inescapable doom that is yet to befall me.” I respond.

“Do people often talk to you?”

“Actually no, in fact it is rather lonely being me.”

“Well maybe if you actually spoke to people, versus just talking to your familiar out in the middle of an open floor you might have more success.” Zero states being a bit too serious and probably not able to compute the fact that others can see me on the outside world and tell others about my actions.

“Right,” I respond, almost a little too sarcastically. Then I pause, as I realize there might be a reason people aren’t talking to me. Focusing inward, I make sure that my Confidentiality is not active, it isn’t. This means that others should be able to see this and hopefully someone will tell old clueless Cass what this looming threat is.

I pause, wondering if little Cassidy will come to me, asking for more advise.

She has apparently found a way to bypass both the restrictions in place, and the need for a premium membership by being able to reach out to me mentally. It’s great as she often tells me everything that is going on, though I do find it odd that she asks me what all of my Simulacrums are doing at any given time.

Though apparently, she has some new job, or at least a job she is helping her mother perform right now. One that that is close to being a paid informant on all things BiPrism. That was how I eventually found out that RaSean and Alilian were part of a team sent to try to get close to me, though she had no clue what country they were working for, or on behalf of.

Anyways, that is why I have avoided RaSean and Alilian here, even though they are the only two other humans on this floor. I have chosen to avoid them for the time being as they are clearly angling for something.

It’s sad honestly, the way that I can’t seem to trust most people, though I do fear being both taken advantage of, and obviously the random knife in the back.

Everything from the one student who randomly attacked me, to Rick “The Prick” Troll trying to kill me. Well, he tried to kill Mallory, but his plans were so large that I got caught up in his aftereffects. Now it seems that other than Mallory, Gwen, Jhonny, and a few others, I don’t really feel the need to go out and meet new people. Which is sad, as we are all here in this beautiful world that is designed for us to explore, build, and create the impossible with magic and people must ruin that.

Though, this tournament between mages and cultivators has shown me a few things that seem fun.

Namely external cultivation, whereby you can solidify your Qi and then extend it outside of your body and use it to for a semi-permeable layer that can help break down most spells.

Focusing inward, I try to do just that, first I focus on making my Qi denser, which effectively means that I cause it to move at a slower pace through my body.

Trickle of impending doom.

As I focus on trying to mimic the few skills and abilities that looked like they might be worth learning and expanding on, I see the slow and ever present ball of Doom Energy, official name for it, building outside of my periphery.

Shiver.

Again, just noticing it, causes chills to run down my spine as I know it is something bad that is going to happen, but I don’t know what. Worse, all I can do is see it, but not know how to access it, or make it relevant.

This is really like the curse of Cassandra, all except magnified to be the Curse of Cassiopeia, as I can see that danger is looming. The system even goes so far as to finally cave in, letting me know that I am not wrong in the fact that I am aware that something terrible is about to happen, but then I don’t even get the knowledge of what this impending doom will be.

The Curse of Cassiopeia, I absolutely hate that name and I really hope that it doesn’t stick.

New Questline Discovered: Curse of Cassiopeia (Ongoing): You have discovered a brand-new form of energy that has given you a warning that something terrible is about to happen to you. Try to find out what looming threat is set to befall you before you are made aware of the looming threat by traditional methods. Rewards: Experience, Bloodline Markers, Variables.

“That, that is just,” I trail off not quite believing that the world would go to this level of cruelty.

“What? What is it Cass?” Zero asks.

Pausing for a second I take a breath, and then share the questline with Zero.

“Huh, wow that is just…” Zero too is at a loss for words at that, as he opens his snout a few times to speak, but then just shakes his head and closes his mouth.

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

Silence.

“So any idea what the looming threat is?”

I pause and look at him, “clearly that quest prompt must have distracted you, as it didn’t say solved.”

“Okay, okay.” Zero replies back defensively.

Hearing him, I can’t help but wince as I knew I snapped at him, “No, I’m sorry. That was me. This quest got me. I can see that something is coming, something fairly big by the looks of it, something that will likely come to bite me hard, but for the life of me I don’t know what it is, which only seems to give this thing even more power over me.”

With that there is a slight silence, as all I can do is sit back and wait.

“Well, do you know anyone whom you might have ticked off recently?” Zero asked.

“No, as far as I know, I haven’t done anything truly offensive.” I admit.

“Nothing? Nothing like taking a normal soul of a dragon and forcing it into the body of a Pomeranian?” Zero all but hisses.

“Okay, okay. Again, sorry for doing that to your girlfriend.”

“She is not my…” Zero stammers out, but then catches himself.

“Well, you should try a little bit.”

“Kind of hard when I am constantly stuck with you.” Zero retorts.

“Well, when we go back, you can spend all day with her this week. In fact, if things work out, then I’ll be able to take care of things myself this coming weekend.” I state.

“Wait, that’s not what I meant.”

“No, I get it. Here you are in this normal avatar and have a chance at love. Whereas I am going to apparently be permanently stuck in this childlike form for the rest of my life.” I admit, as I wave my arms around, realizing that my increased core size has increased the time that I will be stuck as a minor for almost half a year longer.

“Sorry, I didn’t think that this would be all that bad. Though I guess from your perspective it might come across as me rubbing it into your face the fact that I can at least try to pursue a real relationship.” Zero adds.

“Oh, so you can? I thought you couldn’t.”

“No, I can,” Zero adds seeming confused for a moment.

“So, the reason why you haven’t even asked her out is because of what then?”

Then seeing the trap sprung, Zero just let out a long sigh. “Fine, fine. I’ll do it, I’ll ask out a dragon princess, and see if she would be willing to spend some time with me.”

“I believe you mean a Pomeranian princess that can shift into a dragon,” I state, trying to point out the fact that the princess in question might be punching up, thanks to an ill-advised attempt at casual necromancy on my part.

Zero of course just looks at me with a slightly frustrated face at my correction.

“Not funny.” Zero finally says.

“Okay.” I say, and mean it.

Then out of the corner of my eye I can almost swear that the slowly growing mass of a calamity got bigger during my discussion with Zero. I pause to turn my head and stare at the pile of energy, which is odd, as the energy should constantly be in one spot, but it seems to move with my head, as if it is just to be set outside my periphery.

“But seriously, did you put anyone else’s soul back into a non-approved storage device?” Zero asks.

“You act as if I create soul phylacteries out of the souls of missing animals or something.” I protest.

“Well, do you?”

“What? No, the Kujos don’t let the souls stay too long, as apparently that is where all the experience resides. All I can do is try to replicate how the soul holds experience when I create a new body.” I reply.

“Wait, you create new souls for the animals that you cure of the Blight?”

“No, no, of course not. I haven’t learned that process yet. There are too many lairs. Instead what I do is create a vessel and then eventually the world’s energy that forms souls just kind of goes in and fills the new body.” I reply.

At that Zero pauses as he contemplates my statement, one clawed talon under his jaw as he thinks about this new revelation. “This is oddly disturbing, the fact that you are apparently creating new life from nothing. And the fact that the world somehow allows this to happen.”

“Well, I didn’t want these species to die out.” I reply.

“No, I agree, though I just never thought about the full ramifications of your processes.”

“Yeah, I guess I have always been on the borderline of necromancy and cutting-edge healing.”

“A blurred line at that. Which again, brings me back to my original question.”

At that I pause as I look at Zero.

“Who or rather what did you offend to start a Looming Threat scenario. Also, probably most important…”

“Yeah?”

“Will familiars be caught up in this Looming Threat?”

With that I just stare at Zero, then smile as I realize he has helped me to at least not take this Looming Threat as seriously as it might be. Which can only be a good thing, right? I mean Looming Threats likely happen all the time and are easy to resolve, hopefully.