Chapter 115: A Stroke of Unluck

Enjoy!

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"BLAHHHHH!"

Sphinx rolled in the grass, repulsed by its taste. As Priam watched her, a memory resurfaced in his mind. At age four, he decided to sample some grass in a park. Before his parents could stop him, he had stuffed a handful into his mouth. All kids had a great sense of timing to cause before they could be stopped.

[Eidetic Memory] reminded him of the taste of the grass - a kind of raw salad. He had promptly spat it out on the ground - who liked salad at four? - before searching for an earthworm. Fortunately for him and the potential protein source, he found nothing. A child's body was resilient, and he hadn't fallen ill. He would later learn that most grass species were edible.

In the background, his parents, too busy arguing, had not noticed a thing.

As if sensing that she was no longer the center of Priam's attention, Sphinx had gotten up. She seemed torn between sulking and being concerned. Was Priam upset that she had disobeyed?

A reassuring smile lit up Priam's face as he approached and took her into his arms.

"Blue grass tastes awful," Sphinx whispered in his ear.

"That's because you're a sphinx. Rabbits like it," Priam replied. To divert her attention, he gave her a bowl of fresh sap. A few moments later, the adorable creature had forgotten the taste of the grass and was lapping up the contents of the bowl.

"Kazuki, meet Sphinx, my best friend. Sphinx, this is Kazuki, the Hoplite Champion," Priam introduced Sphinx to the hoplite who was stowing his lance. Lips full of sap, Sphinx gave a big smile.

"A child?"

"I sense the judgment in your voice from here, but I'm pretty sure she could give you a run for your money."

Upon hearing these words, Kazuki's demeanor changed. "Nice to meet you, noble Sphinx," he said with a nod. A hoplite always respected strength.

Sphinx emptied the bowl before sniffing in Kazuki's direction. Tilting her head, she blinked her eyes. One of her ears twitched cutely.

"I sense your karma rumbling," Sphinx declared.

Kazuki looked at Priam, who shrugged. "What does that mean?" Priam asked.

Sphinx abandoned the empty bowl and leaped onto Priam's shoulder. A second jump allowed her to reach his head. Perched like an oracle on a promontory, she proclaimed:

"Clad in power armor, you march to the fight,
Spear in hand, under a grim, starless night.
In the grimdark future, where all hope seems lost,
You’re the Hoplite's wrath, at a terrible cost."

For a few seconds, the spectators remained dumbfounded. Instead of admitting his incomprehension, Priam decided to applaud. After all, there were some nice rhymes in there. He smiled as he heard Sphinx purring.

Suddenly, he stopped. "Is that a prophecy?" he worried.

He hated prophecies. Most were just self-fulfilling paths. Above all, he refused to have his destiny written in advance.

Sphinx shook her head. "Karma doesn't create prophecies. At least, I think so…" She seemed to be searching for her words. "The karmic weight on his shoulders is immense. I think my bloodline inspired me?"

Sphinx didn't sound very sure. Priam scratched her head to reassure her. "Don't worry. If you knew everything, life would be dull."

If a mythological creature specializing in karma manipulation couldn't say more, Priam decided he wasn't the best person to dwell on it. Kazuki didn't seem to agree.

"What do you mean? Is my civilization in danger?"

Sphinx brushed the question aside with a sweep of her paw. "Perhaps. If so, there is only one solution."

"Which one?" Kazuki asked. All his attention was focused on Sphinx, and he didn't notice the bear struggling to emerge from the portal Sphinx had opened.

"Become stronger!" Sphinx declared.

"..." Silence greeted her declaration before Kazuki respectfully nodded.

"A simple but unrelenting truth. Such is the path of the hoplite. Thank you for reminding me."

Sphinx nodded solemnly, and Priam suppressed a smile. There was something amusing about seeing a hoplite over two meters tall seriously listening to the advice of a child sphinx. In one final groan, Blueberry slumped into the clearing, and Kazuki turned towards him.

"You humans don't all look the same," he commented.

"What? He's not a human. Blueberry is a bear."

Blueberry grumbled as he got up. "You could have done better with the introduction."

"... A big bear?"

Kazuki smiled. "Kazuki, Champion of the hoplites, pleased to meet you."

"Blueberry. Bear extraordinaire and..."

A brief cry cut him off. Priam turned abruptly to the portal. Alain had tried to pass through the portal before losing consciousness. A feeling of horror washed over Priam as he saw the old man convulsing, face down on the ground.

He teleported next to his father. Using [Kinetic Control], Priam lifted him and leaped toward Log-a-rhythm.

*

The tree inside had changed, but Priam paid no attention to it. "Log-a-rhythm, help him!"

A sort of bathtub formed in the ground, and clear liquid began to fill it. Anxious, Priam gently placed his father into it before forcing himself to breathe deeply.

His Domain covered the unconscious man and scanned him without resistance. It was a bad sign because the mind was supposed to resist this type of intrusion. [Human Anatomy] activated to assess the damage. Over the next few seconds, Priam's face turned pale.

Lvl Up: [Human Anatomy] lvl 2
MEM +1

"A stroke..." he diagnosed. His voice trembled, and he couldn't react. His instinct growled at him to wake up.

His father wasn't immortal. A stroke could leave serious consequences. Mortality after the first month was about twenty-five percent. It might be the end if Priam didn't pull himself together quickly. The terror he felt at the thought of losing the man who had been his role model for so many years was counterproductive.

Resolutely, Priam activated [Emotional Discipline] and [Frozen Meditation]. His fears receded slightly, allowing his reason to analyze the situation. A stroke was a serious matter, and every second counted. There must be a course of action that would maximize his father's chances of survival. His Vivacity combined with [Human Anatomy] to find it.

The first question was: what had happened? The temperature was bearable, and the aether density was an advantage rather than a problem. That left Elysium's gravity, which was significant but not lethal. Earth's gravity was equal to 1G, and Elysium's was 5G. A person lying down could withstand 25G for several minutes. Standing was a different matter.

When passing through the portal, the change in gravity must have surprised his father and caused him to fall. That was the real cause of the stroke. Despite the improvements of the System, his father remained an old man.

Now, first aid. The aether-rich atmosphere was a good thing, as was the regenerative sap bath. However, the gravity was still too high. Priam sent a quick request to Log-a-rhythm before growling. The Comfort theme was needed to change the gravity of his base. Unfortunately, he was too poor to afford it.

Seventeen. Eighteen. [Eidetic Memory] counted the seconds since his father lost consciousness. Each one increased the risk of complications. I need to do something now!

He didn't have any medicine, but... One of the treasures he had stolen during the Reunion could potentially heal his father. According to the guards who poorly protected it, the pill could multiply a Tier 0's Vitality by a thousand.

[Eidetic Memory] activated and reminded him of his early [Hemorrhage Resistance] level-ups. His Vitality hadn't helped him reduce his bleeding - quite the opposite. The increase in vitality had raised his heart rate, exacerbating his bleeding.

Vitality without control was madness - hence the importance of Micro. Surpassing a hundred in Vitality had given him the ability to regenerate his amputated limbs. To heal a stroke, he would certainly need to reach the next level: five hundred.

There was no chance his father had five hundred Vitality. The pill was a temporary resource, not a Title. It wouldn't allow him to exceed thresholds, only to increase the efficiency of his current Vitality. According to his Domain, his father's stroke was an intracranial bleed. Absorbing the medicine would multiply the bleeding.

In other words, the miracle pill would kill his father as surely as a bullet to the head. FUCK!

Lvl Up: [Emotional discipline] lvl 6
WILL +3

While calming down again, Priam searched his memory. His Talent then showed its greatness. Eight years earlier, while riding the bus to school, he had overheard two students discussing the need to oxygenate the brain properly with a mask during a stroke.

[Kinetic Control] was nowhere near high enough to pull off this kind of trick. But if Priam was powerless himself, he knew someone who could help.

Without a moment's hesitation, Priam leaped outside of the tree. Kazuki watched Sphinx and Blueberry bickering loudly. His friends knew how much his father meant to him. Priam teleported next to Kazuki and fell to his knees.

"Help me save my father, please! You can ask me for anything!" His father's life was priceless.

"... What do you want me to do?"

Priam looked up at the hoplite, a wave of gratitude filling his heart. "Can you help him breathe with your mastery of the wind?"

The hoplite hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I’ll do it."

*

Lvl Up: [Frozen Meditation] lvl 9
PERC +1
WILL +2

Kazuki, one hand on his father's chest and the other against his face, was deep in concentration. He remained perfectly silent while drops of sweat beaded on his forehead. A symbol of focus, the warrior's discipline was awe-inspiring. The hoplite took several seconds to master his skill but was now able to make Alain breathe easily.

By his side, Priam felt both relief and shame. According to Log-a-rhythm, a strange portal had opened in the hoplite's soul. Priam was fairly sure Kazuki was consuming his Potential to master his skill.

Forty-six seconds. Forty-seven. They had to find a solution without delay. In Elysium, every blade of grass was special. There had to be a fruit or a rock that could save his father!

Alain's forearm trembled faintly. Despite [Emotional Discipline], Priam felt an almost physical pain in seeing it. What could be worse than watching a loved one suffer while being powerless to help?

Lvl Up: [Emotional discipline] lvl 7
WILL +3

"Do you know of a resource that could help him?" he asked Kazuki. "Either directly or by allowing me to enhance Log-a-rhythm to increase the potency of its sap?"

Kazuki hesitated before shaking his head. "Not one you can gather on your own. And it may not be necessary. I feel like he's breathing slightly easier."

The announcement had the effect of an electric shock on Priam. His Domain covered his father, and [Human Anatomy] tracked his vital signs. Using [Eidetic Memory], he compared the current situation with his initial scan.

Priam's eyes regained a glimmer of hope upon discovering that his father's constitution and vitality had slightly increased.

"I think his racial talent is fighting against gravity. He's gaining resistances, and his attributes are helping him withstand the damage!" Priam exclaimed. Maybe all hope wasn't lost!

"If your racial talent helps you fight against gravity, how did he get injured in the first place?" Kazuki asked, furrowing his brows.

Priam shook his head. "Sorry, I explained poorly. [Humanity adapts] allows us to adapt, not to directly resist. If he survives long enough, he'll develop a resistance to gravity, asphyxia, and bleeding!"

His father’s body could then heal itself. Log-a-rhythm's sap would provide the nutrients for nourishment. They just had to wait and...

"I'm not going to be able to hold out like this for much longer," Kazuki admitted through gritted teeth. "If your father isn't able to breathe on his own within an hour..."

"If it's a matter of Potential, I'm ready to..."

"I'm not trying to conserve my Potential. The problem is that I'm going to run out of aether. Despite the ambient density, my regeneration can't keep up."

It was a race against time. Priam clenched his fist. "Please... Give me the location of the resource that could help."

"You'll die in vain. Even if you make it, you'll bring a calamity back here."

"Damn it!" shouted Priam.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed down. "Then there's only one solution. We have to remove the blood to relieve the brain."

"You are a doctor?" Kazuki asked.

"Not yet." Closing his eyes, Priam selected his rewards. Humanity had received ten skill points, and it was time to use them.

Lvl Up: [Human Anatomy] lvl 12
MEM +10

A surge of information reached his brain, and Priam welcomed it by unlocking his Potential. He would have only one chance and no possibility of turning back. Activating Micro and [Focus], Priam entered the zone.

His Domain scanned his father's brain, mapping the damaged area. His Vivacity monitored the changes and devised plans. [Kinetic Control] and [Moon Mist] activated to form ice scalpels. The silence was disturbed only by his father's breathing.

Two hundred ninety-nine. Three hundred.

"Let's do this," Priam decided.

The operation began.

*

A few kilometers from Log-a-rhythm, Esmée was desperately trying to understand what was happening. Her chances of survival over the next week had fallen drastically. There was almost a one-in-two chance that the First would kill her. But why?

She hadn't done anything yet and didn't intend to approach him so soon. Sacrificing Potential, she used one of her two legendary skills. [Spoilers].

Seconds later, she swore as she understood. It was unworthy of a princess, but she refused to die because an old man had stumbled. Yet that was what would happen if Priam was unlucky. His wrath would destroy everything in its path.

She had to do something and she could. Esmée didn't manipulate luck. She manipulated probabilities. Chaos.

"[Loaded dice]."

A hundred points of Potential went up in smoke. Closing her Grimoire, Esmée set off again. She'd done what she could. You owe me one, First.

*

Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)

PHYSICAL:
Strength 318
Constitution 451
Agility 308
Vitality 466
Perception 535 (+1)

MENTAL:
Vivacity 288
Dexterity 357
Memory 87 (+11)
Willpower 488 (+11)
Charisma 410

META:
Meta-affinity 252
Meta-focus 186
Meta-endurance 164
Meta-perception 77
Meta-chance 207
Meta-authority 12

Potential: 983 (+17)
Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

[Tribulation]: One Tribulation pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 179 days 22 hours 59 minutes 57 seconds.

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A chapter inspired by a recent family event. Take care, everyone!