Skill-Eater: Prison World Saga-Chapter 0: Quick Recap

“Hello everybody, Edge here. Before we dive headfirst into my next adventure, I decided to pop in before the fourth wall came up and remind everyone what happened in volume one. I know that it hasn’t been all that long for some of you. But not everyone will read these books back-to-back, especially as the series gets longer.

“I was hoping that some of Trapper’s crew could join us for today’s recap, but they’re off on a hunt and weren’t available on short notice. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to make this run-through informative and fun!”

“You aren’t as alone as you think, Edge Vasher. I am always watching from within, waiting for my moment to consume all that lies… I mean, lend a hand when you need it.”

“You woke up from your nap, Skill-Eater. That’s perfect. It will be great to have you along for the ride to provide color commentary. Now that this isn’t a solo act any longer, let’s get this review rolling.

“My story began deep underground—in a ruined city sitting at the bottom of a mysterious chasm. Our hero, yours truly, was in some serious trouble at the start of page one.

“After being caught up in a magical disaster than fried my original body and stranded me on the most dangerous planet in inhabited space, I was uncored, dead broke, and starving to death. Not to mention, lost in a hostile wilderness—a land filled with predatory beasts, fearsome monsters, and lethal alien weather. But we’ll get to that part in a minute.

“If I didn’t find something valuable enough to buy more of the magic-infused food my new body needed to survive, it was going to be game over. I needed to loot the ruins and make it back to Puppet Town on the double. At least, that was the plan. What happened was something far beyond anything I ever could have imagined.”

“That’s enough of the boring parts, Edge. The parts about you. Get to the good part, the part about me. Tell them about when I arrived in the story.”

“Easy there, my big scary friend. We’ll be there just as soon as I finish setting the stage. On that note, I made it to the end of the ruins without finding anything to sell other than an antique silver necklace. But there was one more place to explore—a temple that was bigger than any of the other buildings.

“When I made it inside the temple, it was empty too. I thought that I was done for, but then I found a secret stash hidden below the altar stone. Inside was a rune-bound reliquary—a legendary chest rumored to hold the rarest and most powerful of cores.

“Before I could crack it open, trouble arrived at my doorstep, or the doorstep of the temple at any rate. Two cored jailbirds appeared and demanded that I hand over my find… along with my life. Since they were the type who enjoyed playing with their victims, I was able to buy some time while waiting for the reliquary to open. Just when it seemed that my plan would work, a monster showed up and started slicing us to ribbons.

“We were all grievously wounded, and I thought that I was dead for sure. But then the reliquary unsealed, and I dragged my battered body over to it. Inside was…”

“Me! You opened the door to my prison, and we forged a blood pact. A contract binding our fates together. At least until the end of your life.”

“That’s right, big guy. Since you’re in the story now, why don’t you tell everyone what happened next?”

“My pleasure. With my powers you were able to steal the delicious skills of the wounded prisoners, gaining the ability to heal yourself and conjure a subzero blade. Your injuries were no more, and the jailbirds lay dead at your feet, but the shadowreaver was coming back soon.

“Through an impressive display of cunning and a fair amount of luck, you tricked it into drawing near, then slew it with your newly-stolen skills. But not before we devoured the rare skill lurking in the monster’s core. Ahh, what a marvelous feast that was.”

“I can’t argue with that, it really was quite a meal. Now that I had a core of my own and didn’t have to worry about starving to death, it was time to get off the Ivory Plains and make it back to Puppet Town. The problem was, the anomaly had rearranged the surface of the planet, leaving me several days further away from the settlement than I’d realized.

“I started walking, looking for my next meal and something to fight that would let me cycle-up and grow stronger along the way. I was able to kill both birds with one stone when I came across a weasel guarding a mana seed in the form of a mushroom. After a tough fight, I slew the beast and ate the mana seed, refilling the magic in my core.

“I spent the night in a tree, then continued on my way. I ran into a natural disaster called a seeker storm—a nasty bit of weather who’s lightning sought out living creatures. I barely survived by running to the Guide’s Fingers and jumping into a cave. My next ordeal occurred just a few hours later, when a pair of wooden beasts called nymphs ambushed me on the plains.

“After a desperate battle, I was able to kill them both, thanks to the reaver’s rare skill Shadow Step. I gained some more cycles and stole Entangle along the way.”

“That was a good choice. The vines made it easier to catch our prey and dine at our leisure. It was satisfying to see you become… not strong, but less pathetically weak at any rate.”

“Err, thanks, big guy. That’s not really a compliment, but I’ll take what I can get. Things were looking up, and I was able to make good time all the next day. But before I could make it back to town, five more shadowreavers showed up, hunting the rare skill I had stolen from their progenitor. They were only stage one, but I was still stage zero, so there was no way that I could fight them all. I was forced to flee, using the Conceal skill I stole from a river rat to stay one step ahead of the pack.

“Puppet Town was right in front of me. Just before I stepped through the gate, the shadowreavers showed up again, along with Trapper’s crew. It was my fault the monsters were there, so I couldn’t just leave the hunters to fight on their own. I came running to the rescue, and we began a fierce melee. Everything was going well until a monster ate one of the crew’s beasts and evolved to stage two, spawning more of the little ones at the same time.

The situation looked grim at that point, and I knew I only had one shot left. I needed to evolve my core then and there, and pray it was enough to even the odds. It was quite a gamble, but I managed to pull it off. I acquired the power I was seeking, and I got a lot more than I bargained for in the process.”

“I assume that you are referring to me and the bond we forged. Your heart was delicious, by the way.”

“You got it in one. I’ll just pretend that I didn’t hear that last part. When my core finished evolving, I was dragged into a space that I’d never seen before—a violent landscape far bigger than my central chamber. There I came face-to-face with a giant bound in endless black chains. But that was nothing compared to the surprise I felt when it turned to me and spoke.

“When my conversation with Skill-Eater was over, I gained a new ultimate ability, Overdrive, which grants me unlimited use of my skills for thirty seconds once a week. With it, I was able to defeat the stage-two shadowreaver and save Trapper’s crew. I was even able to keep my secret hidden thanks to some quick-thinking.

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“I had finally made it to Puppet Town. Just when I thought I was safe at last, I learned that an insane bounty had been placed on unique cores and that Warren the manslayer was already suspicious of me.

“After meeting with the mayor and the sheriff, I was a offered a place in Trapper’s crew, if I could pass a final exam after ten days of training. Before it began, I managed to hunt a jobo on my own—a big kangaroo-like beast with way too many muscles and a bad attitude. I stole Leap and Double Strike, then sold the meat to Izzio the butcher, who taught me how to take beasts apart.

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“I used the Credits I’d earned to buy some better gear, then started my training with the crew. First up was Riller and his stealth education. I learned how to put myself into the mindset of both predator and prey by playing hide and seek. Around that time, I realized that I could use Regeneration to rapidly condition my physical attributes, which is definitely the right way to use healing magic.

Jumo showed me the value of hunting as a team, and we battled another jobo together. Sasha and I really hit it off when she took me out into the field and taught me the art of tracking. On our second day together, we ran into a giant lizard and almost got eaten.”

“I’m glad that you survived. I’ve invested a lot of time and energy into you, and it would be inconvenient to find another host.”

“Thanks, big guy. It’s nice to be appreciated. Our encounter with the padamas stirred things up in town. I picked up my custom polearm at the Forge—an awesome naginata with an adjustable shaft. Then I got my first implant from Lilly’s Mortium exchange. I spent a day learning from Violet and Blue, and Trapper gave me a crash course in live combat.

“The day before my final exam, Warren jumped me in the grasslands. Apparently, I wasn’t quite as subtle with my powers as I had thought.”

“I have noticed that subtlety isn’t your strong suit.”

“Touché, and right back at you. If I hadn’t been warned that the manslayer was coming by someone named Sakura, that would have been the end of our story. As it was, I received just enough of a heads-up to keep the bounty hunter from killing me outright.

For the first half of the fight, I struggled to keep my head above water. Quite literally when he fired an Ocean’s Prison spellshot at me, although Inferno was no walk in the park either. After refilling my mana with a seed I’d been saving, we both got in some good attacks with our powers. But it wasn’t enough to take Warren down. That chatty bastard was remarkably resilient.

I let him think that Heart-Render had finished me off to lure him close. Then I activated Overdrive and hit him with everything I had. After a fierce exchange of blows where Skill-Eater’s ultimate battled Warren’s Disruption Pulse, I was able to land a fatal blow.

But the manslayer had one last trick up his sleeve. He had a bomb implanted inside his body and tried to drag me into the grave with him. I got away in the nick of time, stealing Repel Water along the way. I earned a bunch of cycles, ten Mortium, and best of all, Warren’s custom spellslinger, with three spellshots left in the chambers.”

“That last round is going to be important to the plot of book two, isn’t it?”

“You bet, big guy. But no spoilers or our audience will riot. Now that the manslayer was out of the picture, it was time to head into the field on my final exam to join Trapper’s crew—a big game hunt for the colossal lizard that Sasha and I ran into earlier.

“Our first few days went smoothly. It was great to be part of the team and watch the crew in their element. I learned a lot and deepened my friendships along the way. All the warm fuzzies vanished when we entered the Painted Lands, where we were ambushed by a swarm of crab monsters called cancerous blightlings.

“It was touch and go for a while. Trapper’s devices kept the monsters from overwhelming us while we held back the swarm, and I managed to steal Harden. She tricked the crabs into bunching up and blew them all to bits with another trap, netting everyone a ton of experience.

We crossed into a region known as the Breadbasket, following the tracks of the stealthy lizard. We passed by several farms along the way, including a few ruins that were pretty tragic to witness. When we made it to the last farm on our list, we found signs that the padamas was laired nearby, along with clues that another sizable predator was in the area.

We were almost ready to battle the colossal creature, and spent a day and a half setting traps, laying bait, and getting our heads in the game. At last, everything was ready to go. All that was left was to draw in our prey and spring our ambush.

“After some tense waiting, the sneaky lizard appeared. At which point, Trapper unleashed her magic and all hell broke loose. We had one heck of a battle, and even dropped a building on top of the lizard’s tail. But it broke free and turned invisible, leaving us in a tough spot.

“Before anything else could happen, an even bigger beast appeared—a behemoth bipedal dino called a garax that was armed with the epic skill, Intimidating Roar. Its Roar paralyzed everyone, causing the padamas to reappear. Just before the garax could steal our prey, Skill-Eater showed me how to break free from its power.”

“I really saved you that time. You’re lucky that I have your back.”

“I can’t argue with that. Anyway, I darted in and Extracted Regulate Temperature from the dying padamas, claiming the kill in the process. Losing the experience really pissed the garax off. It came charging straight at me, so I led it away from the team by Shadow Stepping and Leaping like mad.

“After shaking its pursuit and rejoining the others, the System made us an offer that we couldn’t refuse. If we killed the garax in less than an hour, it would give us rewards that would boost our power through the roof. It seemed like an impossible task, but with that much loot on the line, we were willing to give it a shot. We would either grow stronger at an incredible rate or die in the attempt.

“In short, it was time for our final showdown of book one—Trapper’s crew versus a dinosaur the size of a building. It was a bad matchup right from the start. We tried our best, but we couldn’t bring the big bastard down. We managed to hold our own, right up until Trapper got swallowed whole after pushing Riller out of the way of the beast’s jaws.

“I knew in that moment that I had a decision to make. I could reveal the full extent of my powers and risk my life trying to save Trapper. Or I could keep my secret, fail the mission, and let the crew get wiped out.

“I made my choice, and I have no regrets. I activated Overdrive and used every power I had to survive Leaping down the beast’s throat before it was too late. After we met up in the garax’s stomach, I started slinging skills like mad while Trapper unleashed a barrage of stink bombs, smoke bombs, flashbangs, and flares.

“We couldn’t do any serious damage, but our efforts made the big bad sick to its stomach. It threw us up, right as Overdrive wore off. We only had a few minutes left to complete the System’s quest, but I had one last trick up my sleeve—the spellshots I’d stolen from Warren.

“The first round stunned the garax and trapped it in ice, which let me get close enough to use Extraction. I was ready to steal my first epic skill, but I had one last brawl on my hands before I could claim it. This time, I battled beside the black chains as we fought to subdue Intimidating Roar, which took the form of a mini-garax.

In the end, we were able to pull it off. I claimed the skill and returned to my body. We still had to eliminate the garax, so I fired another spellshot—one that created a gigantic, white-hot buzzsaw that took its head clean off.”

“That skill was delicious, and the fight was quite amusing.”

“I’m glad that someone is enjoying my near-death experiences. We had completed the quest and claimed the reward, and now it was time for the moment of truth. I told Trapper’s crew everything, laying my secret bare. Well, everything except Skill-Eater being alive and able to talk. It was a scary moment, but the hunters decided to keep my secret. They also accepted me as a full member of the crew, which was great.

“That just left scouting the borderlands before we could return to Puppet Town with our mission complete. We climbed a big hill called the Titan’s Nose, where we could survey the bordering terrain, only to receive the shock of a lifetime.

“The biomes we were expecting to find were gone, and a crystal jungle and carnivorous wasteland stood in their place. At that point, we realized that the Ivory Plains had been moved to the other side of the planet, and that Puppet Town was in even more trouble than we’d thought. Before long, powerful beasts and monsters were going to migrate into the biome in mass.

“We made it back and reported our findings, leaving the town scrambling to get ready for what was coming before it was too late. When we reached the last chapter, we found out that one of the other crews had discovered a dungeon. They wound up triggering a quest that would draw Puppet Town into a confrontation with a settlement full of dangerous prisoners, which both sides would receive in one week’s time.

“That it for today’s recap. I hope you found it helpful. Now it’s time for our adventure to continue with the start of book two. See you later, everybody. Say goodbye, Skill-Eater.”

“Goodbye, Skill-Eater. See, Edge. I can make human jokes too. I have a great sense of humor.”

“Of course you do, big guy. Now help me find the off-switch for my microphone and let’s go find something tasty to eat.”