(2,412 words)
I teleported from Marcus' shop and went to the secret building in New Haven that can only be accessed while the quest to go to Trash Coast and receive the Vault Key is still active.
The door seemed to be open for some reason, but I ignored it since I had gotten the loot from the super secret Red Chest, I had wanted the stuff inside more out of curiosity.
I think at one point in time only 4 or 5 people in the whole world actually knew about this secret chest, that was how well hidden this Easter Egg was for years!
And lucky me, I had gotten a Fire Hellfire and a 92% Sham Shield, kinda sad it wasn't a 94% variant...but hey! Still better than nothing I suppose!
Sirin can analyse it and improve it to be 100% so I don't need to constantly maintain a spatial-multilayered barrier around my body, for a constant defensive measure.
I left the secret building and made my way to the Rust Commons West region and then to the Rust Commons East as I made my way south.
I didn't immediately teleport there since I wanted to go over the [Dragon Priest Ahzidal Template] I received.
The first thing I immediately noticed was that the Dimensionality and Cosmology scaling of the Ahzidal Template doesn't exist.
What I mean by that is the power scaling has been removed and nerfed to my level of power.
For note, any single being in the Elder Scrolls verse can easily one tap any character in all fiction because of the absurd lore and scaling of the Elder Scrolls verse itself.
However, even with the power level being removed, I would still gain his accumulated knowledge, skills and 'magic nerves' so I can be attuned to the magic he uses from the Elder Scrolls Verse.
Or I could summon him as a subordinate using the template but that would be a waste.
Having already chosen what I would do with the Ahzidal template, once I've returned to New Haven, I continued my travel until I reached Trash Coast.
I encountered many Spiderants, but they all perished under the onslaught of bullets I unleashed upon them, there was no need to use my power on them, and I didn't want to slack up on any of my skills.
As I came across tattered tents and cloth from what was once a temporary structure meant as a shade, an all too familiar voice echoed in my head.
"No! Raime! Don't go there! It's dangerous to go alone! Stop and turn back!"
Angel's intense yelling and sudden pleas took me by surprise and would have caused me a headache if I hadn't gotten used to this telepathy.
"You worry to much Angel." I tried to ease her worries but that was mistake since her yelling in my head only grew louder.
"No! You don't understand there is an-"
"Raak hive? Yes I know, if the hairy mound that looks like it has holes in it over there isn't obvious enough. Calm down, you saw my earlier display at Sledge's Mine didn't you? Im more than capable at handling a lot, if not every threat i come across now."
"I-…"
"Just watch, I promise you that if I ever encounter a danger or threat I can't overcome, I'll retreat immediately. At least let me show you that you can be assured of my words."
Angel didn't reply after that but I could feel she was watching.
I made my way down the slope and to the small & abandoned encampment upon a large, flat and barren ground the size of a football stadium.
Taking my handgun Calamity out, I fired a shot up into the air, announcing my presence.
Almost immediately after, the ground began to shake and tremble as the once hairy mound had began to rise as it burst outwards.
The large and intimidating form of a Raak Hive revealed itself as it stood on its four legs, as a great many Raaks, aerial alien creatures that possessed a tail and two wings, left the holes in the Raak Hive's back.
Soon a large number of more than a hundred Raaks emerged and circled around the Raak Hive almost like it was in the centre of a tornado.
With a calm demeanor, I faced the approaching swarm as they charged towards me, allowing Angel to witness my capabilities firsthand through our telepathic connection.
Just before they arrived at my position, I lazily raised my hand, focusing my power over space to manipulate the molecular structure of the ground beneath me.
The sand and dirt began to coalesce, swirling together into a dense, unyielding mass of stone.
The wall grew taller, reaching a towering fifty feet, its surface rippling as if it were made of water before solidifying into a solid barrier. The Raaks, unaware of the sudden change in the landscape until it was too late, continued their frenzied charge.
As they reached the edge of the newly formed stone rampart, the air filled with the sickening sounds of their bodies colliding with the unyielding barricade.
Some of the more agile creatures tried to dodge and fly over, but Raime anticipated this. With a flick of his wrist, he sent out a wave of spatial distortion, creating a dome over the area.
The air thickened with the pressure of my power, and the Raaks above the wall found themselves unable to ascend higher, trapped within the confines of the spatial barrier I had erected.
As the first wave of Raaks slammed into the barricade, their kin behind them grew more frantic, their cries and shrieks piercing the air.
With a casual gesture of my hand, I sent a ripple through the ground, creating a series of spikes that shot up from the earth.
They pierced through the swarm, skewering dozens of the creatures instantly.
The sound of their dying cries was music to my ears.
'These fuckers annoyed the Hell out of me when I fought the Raak Hive in the game.'
The remaining Raaks grew more cautious, hovering in the air around the perimeter of the area trapped by my spatial dome.
Raime took a step forward, the ground trembling slightly with each movement. He raised his hand, and a fiery blade of pure energy materialized.
The blade grew longer and wider, reaching the size of a greatsword. He swung it in a wide arc, carving a path through the air as a crimson flame erupted from the blade, setting a swath of the trapped Raaks ablaze.
The smell of burning flesh and the screams of them dying filled the space within the dome, painting the sky with a macabre dance of fire and shadow.
With a snap of his fingers, a pulse of energy emanated outwards that shattered the stone barricade, sending shards flying towards the remaining Raaks. They tried to dodge, but the speed and precision of the attack were overwhelming.
The shards tore through their wings and bodies, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The ground was now littered with the broken forms of the once-threatening creatures.
The gigantic Raak Hive, the source of the smaller ones, was left standing, untouched by the carnage I had unleashed.
It roared, a sound that seemed to shake the very fabric of the air around it. It was clear that the creature knew who the true threat was. Raime, unfazed, strode towards it, as he snapped his finger and the world around him stopped.
Time had frozen, and I was the only one who could move freely. I approached the foot of the towering Raak Hive, each step echoing in the unnaturally still world. As I reached the base of the monstrosity, I took a deep breath and dragged my finger across its rough, metallic-like skin.
I moved away from the Raak Hive to a sufficient distance away. I unpaused Time, which I had stopped within a certain area.
The Raak Hive, now unfrozen, continued its previous stomp with its front legs, and the very leg I had traced my finger across.
*Boom*
*Squelch*
The thunderous sound emitted by the stomp of the Raak Hive's feet had reverted throughout the region, but it was immediately followed by a disgusting sound of squelching flesh.
The Raak Hive was confused as to what happened as it fell forwards crashing into the ground until the pain registered as soon as it realised what happened.
A geyser of blood erupted from its severed stump.
What I had done was channel the power of space into the area my finger traced, acting like an invisible-telekinetic-spatial-claw/blade, which was how the Raak Hive had been reduced to this state.
The severed chunk of its leg fell to the ground with a thunderous boom, the impact sending tremors through the earth.
I made my way leisurely towards the creature's head. It attempted to spit a stream of corrosive acid at me, but the spatial barrier I had created around my body held firm, the acid splattering against the invisible shield like water against a hot skillet. I could feel the heat, but it did not touch me.
As I approached the monstrous head, I waved my hand in a dramatic arc. The very fabric of space around its neck area distorted, and the neck of the Raak Hive began to follow the motion, as if it were a mere toy in my grip.
The creature's eyes widened in terror, realizing it had no control over its own body. With a swift flick of my wrist, the head was cleanly severed from its body.
The decapitated Raak Hive staggered for a moment, its body spasming before collapsing to the ground with a thud that sent dust flying into the air.
The silence that followed was eerie, as if the world itself was holding its breath in anticipation of what would come next. I stepped back, watching the lifeblood of the creature seep into the ground beneath it.
Angel's voice, now filled with a mix of shock and awe, echoed in my mind, "Raime...what...what did you just do?"
"Did you forget, i have controol over both space…and TIME. Obviously i stopped time."
Her voice was faint but the amazement in her tone was clear even in my head. I smirked to myself, proud of the spectacle I had just put on.
"Raime…I…this kind of power is just….unbelievable."
I chuckled at Angel's reaction, "You're just saying that because you haven't seen a lot yet."
The dust from the Raak Hive's collapse began to settle, revealing the grisly scene of the battle. The once-menacing swarm of Raaks was now a pile of lifeless carcasses, and their Hive lay defeated before me.
"Of course not! I know a lot and seen plenty!"
"Yes, I know, but have you ever seen anything beyond the reach of technology. People often hide their power until they accumulated enough of it that no one can oppose them before it's too late."
Angel remained silent in my mind, processing the sheer display of power I had just shown her.
In her head, she agreed with Raime's words. Her father is still an employee at Hyperion but he was using Angel to help him climb higher in the corporate ladder whilst secretly accumulating wealth, power and influence so he can take over and replace the current CEO of Hyperion.
I turned to the looming form of the dead Raak Hive and walked up to it, the warmth of its lifeblood seeping into the ground beneath my boots. I reached out and touched its head and using my Psychometry, feeling the residual energy coursing through its veins.
The creature's final moments played out in my mind - its fear and rage, the pain of its death, and the memories of its kin. Not only that but a lot of lore and history across hundreds of years it has lived here also entered my mind.
The Hive was not just a mindless beast, but a creature with a purpose and a connection to others like it. This one had been controlled by a Siren in the past, the PhaseShift Siren to be precise and she had hidden a piece of the Pandora Vault Key here.
It was interesting to say the least, and I will certainly go over all the memories I just acquired at a later time.
After that was done, i ripped off a small bit of flesh and chucked it into my mouth, devouring it with my Vishnu Honkai Beast Gene.
The flesh was bitter and metallic, but the power that surged through me was anything but. The Raak Hive's life essence filled me, and with it, I felt a new power condense throughout my body.
Though I found it useless except for the increased vitality and physical strength i had gained.
I turned around and faced the sealed doorway made of organic webbing from the Raaks. A snap of my finger and the webbing combusted in flames and cleared the way forward.
Upon entering I saw a chest which was surrounded by the bones from various creatures across the centuries.
I approached the chest and opened it only to reveal the second piece of the Vault Key.
I reached over and grabbed the Vault Key fragment, which I stored inside my Spatial Domain and made a portal back to New Haven.
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(A/n - I have begun using A.I. To help with story writing my fics. Now holds up! It's not what you think! I had to do a lot of testing but I finally am able to predict how A.I. Will write a story according to what I want. Reason I am using it is because it can both lessen the Worl load but also just objectively overall is better to use. I can use it to write out certain scenes such as descriptive things I may struggle on or even a fight scene before I amend it, that way the scenes will have more detail and grammar, while I can amend it with far greater ease while at the same time focus on building up character development and worldbuilding. There is no shame in using a tool, because that is its purpose, to be used. Art is made of combining techniques and various ideas together and even copying and pasting stances and positions to create an artpiece.)