Limitless by John Gold (best e reader for android txt) 📕

it in the portal ring. No, she didn’t sense people or gods there. They were taking a different route, and they were two hours behind the bookmakers. Anxiety, fear, strength, anger, happiness, hope, and expectation all jockeyed for position. And the closer Kilaya got to the tree, the louder the alarm bells inside her rang. As the guide, it was her job to decide when to call a halt.

“Wait here for thirty minutes. Get the offers ready for betting on the outcome of the battle. There’s something dangerous up by the tree itself.”

“Kilaya, are you sure? We’re still five kilometers away, and at our turtle pace, we’re going to lose the informational leg up on the divine alliance’s army.”

“Yes, I’m sure. Something up there is so strong that I can feel it from here. If we get any closer, the enemy will notice us.”

After settling into her meditation pose, the girl activated the ultimate ability for the spirit summoning skill: mental body fusion. This let her fuse with the totem spirit of a willing she-wolf. The two set off together toward the portal circle and the girl moved through the first astral layer, the one bordering reality.

Through the eyes of the wolf, the world appeared monochromatic, with the souls of animals floating about everywhere. The closer Kilaya got to the portal circle, the fewer of them there were, however. The totem wolf panicked when they got to a hundred meters away, finding that there weren’t any spirits there whatsoever. And the cube! It was radiating energy Kilaya couldn’t see, though she could still sense it through her totem. The wolf howled at the cube itself as well as the Tree of Worlds. The shaman, in turn, felt the intelligence and soul of the tree, which was unique in and of itself. But the fear, doubt, hope, and enormous power wasn’t coming from the tree; it was coming from something that hid within it.

The wolf lightly ran up the bark of the tree to the ledge. The totem warped, crumbled, and practically disintegrated just from being there, though Kilaya decided to peer carefully through one eye to see what was emitting the threatening sensation.

The ledge made out of bark was a bit more than five meters wide. Nearly invisible from the ground, it served as an improvised observation post with four players standing on it. A knight with an enormous sword made out of palirin had cornered a girl against the trunk. It was the agony of the souls trapped in the sword that told Kilaya it was made from palirin, while the vampire spells that gave it enormous power meant that it continually needed to be fed. And the knight didn’t appear bothered in the least that it sucked out his life force. The girl in his arms shrieked happily before suddenly falling silent. The two young men standing a little way away from the pair were smiling wordlessly, though something changed in their faces at the same moment the girl quieted down.

“What a curious spirit we have stopping by for a visit. And what big ears you have. The better to hear us with, I assume?”

As soon as she heard this, Kilaya realized that the voice was coming from behind her. Sagie! He grew directly out of the bark, grabbed the wolf by the scruff of the neck, and dragged her up onto the ledge. The totem went limp under the mental pressure. Still, as she was pulled closer to the second guy, Kilaya realized that he was the one sounding the alarm bells. The totem, sensing the obvious threat, tried to run, though all it could do was flounder helplessly.

“What are you talking about? Caught a seeker spirit?”

“No, much more interesting. Oh, right, you can’t see this. Materialization!”

The sensations from the totem started to change, growing more vivid, and then, they gradually fused with her own. Finally, the four players were standing face to face with a large she-wolf…standing on her hind legs. The totem spirit sat next to her and looked over at her master in surprise.

Gift received: Wolf shapeshifter

…

Chimeric pet received: Taargu the she-wolf

…

New class: Spirit vehicle

 

Hundreds of messages started showing up in the personal chat about new spells, abilities, and skills. Panic spread through the group chat. The shaman’s physical body, which had remained in the camp, withered away and disintegrated in front of her scared group mates. Everything the shaman had on her mind was expressed in a single outburst of invective that was interrupted by the inquisitive group.

“Oh, hey, a talking dog! Sagie, is that your pet?”

“No, it’s a player. The problem is that the spirit of the she-wolf, which is sitting there by its legs, should have been the one to materialize. I didn’t summon this furry beast. What do you need?”

It just wasn’t her day. Instead of a normal reply, Kilaya cut loose another stream of profanity.

“Judging by your voice, you’re a girl, so why don’t you behave yourself? If you do, you might make it out of this alive. Who sent you, and what’s your interest in today’s battle?”

Sagie was the only one talking. Everyone else remained quiet, though they stayed prepared for battle. The second guy, who was standing next to Sagie, started exerting such power that Kilaya involuntarily took a step away from him.

“I just wanted to see what was radiating the threat and strength, projecting emotions on everything nearby. But you’re Sagie! I saw you several years ago before the tournament in Kkhor. You look a lot stronger now…”

Damage received: 1000 (ignored: 1125486)

120118/120218

Sagie’s aura stretched out and tightened around Kilaya’s legs. The damage was completely ignored, while the shape was surprisingly square.

“You can control the shape of the aura? Oh, and judging by how vivid the color is, its density, too.”

“Hm, got it. So, it’s life force.” Sagie’s entire aura poured into his left arm, and the skin started drying up. “But why does it do damage even to me?”

“Because magic and life have the same starting