Rock Falls, Everyone Dies

Chapter 11: [Avalanche]

Time.

It was finally time.

A long journeyseveral hundred years in lengthwas finally coming to an end.

The rock saw the destination of its fate.

A gleaming city, nestled under the great mountains shadow. Hundreds of little buildings all arrayed, behind circular walls, like a waiting crowd, anticipating the rocks arrival.

It shouldnt disappoint them right?

If one were to arrive to a party long awaitedone should do it with style. It was one of the most important qualities of a true hero. No half measureswhen the quests completion was in sight, it should be completed right.

So that nobody would argue about the aftermath. Nobody would doubt that yesit had indeed been a hero that had done that.

Sobefore embarking on its final journeythe rock first looked over its quest counter.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 1823 m

It had some space to work with. A bit under two thousand meters of altitude to gather a worthy party to advance with it. Because... this rock would not be arriving alone. It looked over its new skill again.

New Ability Gained!

Avalanche

Gather the other rocks and stones around you, and bring them along for your journey.

A skill to bring other rocks with it a novel concept. But the rock liked it. If it was to become the largest and greatest of all rocks, of course it should have an appropriate amount of followers tagging along!

It had seen how the party of [Adventurers] had operated, a group of fourunited in purpose. But their fault had lain in their poor coordination. Rocks were much better at teamworkjust push them all down a cliff, and they would gather up more and more support as they went along.

Sothe rock finally stopped braking along its pathstarted speeding upand started looking about.

It was in a forest now. Trees, grass, bushes, animalsall manner of new things to observe, but also a place where it had to constantly [Steer] this way and that, bobbing and weaving between the trees.

Butit was not a forest of solely green. The rock felt at its cultivation, and it had a sense of its burgeoning next stageof what would come after core formation. It was a shift in focus, away from the rock itself, and toward its environment.

So, it reached out for the simmering embers of that slowly forming sense and threw out a presencesearching for its kin. Other rocks.

And it found them. All over the forestunder moss and under brush, forgotten by time or newly arrivedthere were rocks. Big ones, small ones, medium ones. Different shapes and sizes, different materials.

The rock got a vague sense of their locations, and set out towards the largest collections, activating its new skill at the same timeslowly beginning to form a true [Avalanche].

Quest:

Current Altitude: 1425 m

First, it passed by a field of gravel, and the bits started billowing around it, in a growing storm. The rock gained followers, and moved on, searching for its next target.

It carefully used [Steer], [Pivot Point] and [Energy Shift] to skillfully weave through the woods, and the cloud of gravel followedthinning slightly against the brush.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 1215 m

Next, the rock passed by a trio of large standing rocks, and collided against them, activating [Diamond Skin]. The first cracked into smaller pieces at the hit, and the rock pivoted around to the other two, smashing them to bits too.

Smaller stones, about head or torso-sized ones were left behind in the aftermath, and they all joined the rock in its pilgrimage. A congregation of gravel and stone, steadily advancing, gaining on the town below. Already sensitive animals could feel a growing rumble in the ground, and the wise ones were fleeing to the sides, well in advance of the advancing tide.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 1128 m

The forest cleared for a bit, as the rock entered a clearing of exposed bedrock, where [Miners] would pass long days prying off bits of stone to be worked. Now it was a weekend, and the quarry laid abandoned, resting, a batch of freshly crushed stones ready for the taking.

The rock rolled past, its growing herd around it, and the siren call of [Avalanche] rang out. The new rocks shifted position slowlyalmost hesitantly, but then the congregation reached them, and the sheer momentum of it all swept them along.

The horde grew.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 1000 m

It was another batch of denser forest, and the avalanche of rocks crashed and stumbled against trees and brush, but still moving forward with the iron will of gravity. It was not just larger or more notable rocks that joined alongbut lone travelers, lost ones too. The odd rock here or there, that had ended up in a lonely spot in the woods, surrounded by naught but greenery.

Gradually, all these sleeping warriors were swept up by a heros momentum, leaving their resting places behind, swords sharp. Like an army of the dead, rising up from their graves to challenge the world above once more.

Many of them had rolled oncefelt that intoxication of motion. Such a brieffragile thing. An instant of blinding speed and strength, all to end up in an unlucky instant of ending on the wrong side of gravitys well.

But a level 9 [Rolling Stone] would not stop. It would lead its people ontoward their final destination.

That gleaming city that was not so far below anymore. The golden city of dreams so many rocks had dreamed of reaching once before.

So closeso far.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 811 m

The avalanche broke through the treeline, ending up at the cliffside right before the City. Like the condemned walking off a gangplankthey bravely advanced past the cliffside, daring the unknown deeps below.

For there were dangers ahead. Even the rock leading the charge knew it.

This was where the [Heroes] came from. Even if a demons banner would soon rise above the city, this was still the city below a great mountain. A city used to dealing with dragons flying above it.

There were defenses.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 650m

The rock met the first of themsensed it a hundred meters before hitting it.

The rock had a growing sense of how mana and the energies of the world worked, so it could make out an outline. There was a small brick wall laid out, to protect against the dangers of the mountain.

Deceptively small.

The rock could sense the shield of mana emanating from it and knew special measures would be needed here. It alone could maybe break throughbut its followers were different. The other stones did not have the power of [Collision] and [Diamond Skin].

So the rock focused on its mana sense, searching for the source of energy for the shield. It felt almost like the dungeon core hadand the rock had had ample time to analyze the aftereffects of that aura afterward.

It found the source. A single brick shack behind the barrierno windows to it.

The rock took aim, and increased its speed just a bit more for good measure.

Current Velocity: 35.7 m/s

Pivot Point activated!

Direction: Up

Rotation: 20

Diamond Skin Activated!

Power: 100 000W

It crashed into the barrier of manaand felt resistance in the air against it. Butthe rock had and on its side.

Collide activated!

[Unnamed] Dealt 13.2 * 16706.7 / 4 = 55132 dmg to [Greater Mana Shield]

New Velocity for [Unnamed]: 21.3 m/s

The shield broke, useless against the stones , and the rock pierced right through, towards the shack.

It hit the wall, still keeping up its [Diamond Skin], and the shack stood no chance. It blew into pieces, and the rock hit the rich mana crystals sheltered within, absorbing them inside it.

They would be processed laterbut cultivation could wait for now. The rock had things to do.

The [Avalanche] followed.

The wall and shack broke down under the torrent of rock, and the broken and battered bricks were scattered into bits, which started following along with the rockslide, growing its mass even further.

And the rock saw the outskirts of town. The walls were not wide enough to hold everyone who needed housing within, so shacks and loose housing had been hastily scrounged together outside, rising high up the cliff.

The citizens of the slums saw the rock break through the barrier, and the landslide that followed. Mass panic erupted, people fleeing desperately towards the walls, abandoning their meager houses.

The rock sensed victory.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 405 m

The rock did not bother to aim for the panicked people running aboutit only focused on moving forward, to that eternal goal. It had a more precise estimate now. The citys wallsjust on the other side of it. That was where altitude 0its goallay.

And the rock advanced, an [Avalanche] following it.

The rock had no need to killfor its congregation was a willing enough gang of raiders. The old rocks, finally moving after years of rest, ran eagerly towards the slaughter, facing classes and combat abilities, creating a carnival of blood worthy of a heros arrival.

Assist Experience received:

23 x [Civilian] & 89 x OTHERS

Adding...

Quest:

Current Altitude: 200m

Shacks were battered down, people were crushed into bits, bones were split in twobut the [Rolling Stone] only saw forward. It abandoned its congregation, leaving them to their bloody task

Assist Experience received:

89 x [Civilian] & 231 x OTHERS

Adding...

The rock launched itself over a moat, now seeing the terrified citizens arrayed on top of the citys walls. Its sudden advance had taken only a scarce two minutes, but already the city was reacting, and people were rushing atop the wall, led by a withered old man in a huge billowing wizards cloak.

His veins thrummed with energy, and he stared disdainfully at the rock.

But the rock did not see him. Only the number. Almost there.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 78m

[Supreme Grand Magus Oldivar] pointed a finger at the [Rolling Stone], beginning to cast a spell, and the stone launched itself up, using all its held energy, pivoting for a great leap over the wall.

Pivot Point activated!

Direction: Up

Rotation: 60

Quest:

Current Altitude: 62m

The rock could see the other side of the wall, and it was like an ethereal hand was guiding itit knew the exact place to land. A small plaza with a fountain and a jade statue of a beautiful woman. But the rock saw not the womans beauty, only the shine of the jade.

The level 5 [Cultivator] finally beheld a true jade beauty, and it hungered for that landingfor that reward.

[Supreme Grand Magus Oldivar] finished gathering energyand began casting the spell.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 35m

The end was in sight.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 25m

[Supreme Grand Magus Oldivar] began speaking.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 20 m

[Greater Reverse Gravity].

The stone felt a great jolt go through itall its gathered momentum suddenly flinging it up.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 60m

It saw the ground shrinking below itand desperately threw out every ability it could, using every bit of energy within to reach that promised land. But the spell was stronger, even [Pivot] did not work.

Was this finally the vengeance of the system?

Quest:

Current Altitude: 200m

But it only accelerated even more upward. Every action led the rock further and further up, and it felt the energy leaving it.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 600m

So fastit was accelerating too fast. It was all ruined.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 1200m

The rock cried out in despair, reaching forward with hands it did not have, at that land that was growing more and more distance below it.

But still, it kept accelerating.

Quest:

Current Altitude: 2400m

It finally gave up, growing dulljust blankly watching the number go up and up.

And oh how up it went

Quest:

Current Altitude: 15000m

Far above the mountains now, and the rock finally saw that the peak it had started on was merely one among many, just one speck along the great spine of the continent. It finally beheld how tiny it truly was, and fell still.

It waitedfor something to happen. Surely there would be another chance?

Quest:

Current Altitude: 200 000m

It was so far away now But as long as it was patientsurely patience would be rewarded? Surely it would get another chance at that promised land?

It could see the curvature of the surface now and understood that so much of what it knew was just an illusion. A brief spark of adventure started to light up inside the desperate soul. If it kept going up what could it find?

Could it find a way to become stronger, to face that horrible man once more and laugh?

And thenas if hearing a pleasomething answered.

Class Advancement unlocked!

Conditions fulfilled!

You are now eligible for the class: [Meteorite]

Upgrade Class [Rolling Stone] to [Meteorite]? Y/N

The rock saw something new. A chance.

A new branch in this journey.

Full Status:

[Unnamed]

Title(s): Line-Ender, Patient Ambusher, Bane of Demons, Grandmaster of Closed Door Cultivation

HP: 55/55

Mana: 0/0

Level: 9

Experience: 0/2000

Class: Rolling Stone

Sub-class: Cultivator 5

Race: Gneiss Stone

Gold: 100%

STATS

Diameter (d): 2.31m

Mass (m): 16706.7kg

Energy Level (E): 100000W

Core Temp (T): 700K

ABILITIES

Collide

Steer

Energy Shift

Pivot Point

Just a Rock

Meditate

Diamond Skin

Stolen Cultivation

Avalanche