Bel has a purpose in life – if only someone could tell her what it was. Her adopted sister rescued her from Technis' High Temple to use as a weapon against the despotic god of Satrap, but since then Bel is sure that she's been nothing but a disappointment. She is frail, clumsy, can't harness the essence of Olympos as nearly every living creature of the world could do naturally, and her head is covered in dead snakes instead of hair. Thinking that she can fight against a god powerful enough to trap an entire nation inside of an impassible barrier defies all reason.
The only person who sympathises with her plight is Bel's former whipping boy, a hapless teenager who was pulled into Satrap from a mystical world of airplanes, soft beds, and endless food. But he is almost as helpless as Bel, and neither of them can guess Bel's origin or Technis' plans.
Is Bel as helpless as she feels? Or is she a potent weapon against the god, as her sister believes? Bel and her siblings will have to search far and wide to find their purpose in this strange world, but they may not like the answers they find.
A few years ago some friends and I, as many friends do, talked about making a video game. We never did, but I had already made this nifty setting, so eventually I thought that I shouldn't let it go to waste.
Outside Influences is a weak to strong progression fantasy about a confused gorgon in an enormous fantasy world. I've always enjoyed when fantasy has some really surprising elements – stuff like babies growing on trees – so expect a bit of that.
The setting has game elements, such as levels and abilities, but no blue boxes or disembodied voices announcing level ups. It takes until around chapter 10 for the game elements to show up for the MC, but the prologue is told from the viewpoint of someone who does have abilities, if you need a quick look to see what they're like.
Updates will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with an occasional weekend chapter. This work is only being published on royalroad, if you see it somewhere else then it has been copied without the author's permission.
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Outside Influences | 1 | 4 | Interlude 4 – Clark (book 1 end) | RoyalRoadL |
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Outside Influences | 66 | Chapter 66 – Divine Tongue | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 65 | Chapter 65 – Calling Home | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 64 | Chapter 64 – A Disagreement with a Tree | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 63 | Chapter 63 – Portal of Fire | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 62 | Chapter 62 – Bear Necessities | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 62 | Chapter 62 Interlude – Crecerelle | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 61 | Chapter 61 – Family Matters | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 60 | Chapter 60 – A Land of Heat and Smoke | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 59 | Chapter 59 – Serpent Circumvention | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 58 | Chapter 58 – A Desperate Search for Useful Abilities | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 57 | Chapter 57 – Obstacles | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 56 | Chapter 56 – Fishing Break | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 55 | Chapter 55 – The Best Volcano | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 54 | Chapter 54 – The Siren | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 53 | Chapter 53 – No More Free Lunch | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 52 | Chapter 52 – Crab Dinner | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 51 | Chapter 51 – Crabtastic | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 50 | Chapter 50 – A Rampaging Hippo, Full of Hot Air | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 49 | Chapter 49 – First Layer First Impressions | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 48 | Chapter 48 – Outrageous Accusations | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 47 | Chapter 47 – Tension | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 46 | Chapter 46 – Iron Age Slideshow | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 45 | Chapter 45 – Awkward Introductions | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 44 | Chapter 44 – Ups and Downs | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 42 | Chapter 42 – Good Surprises | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 41 | Chapter 41 – First Layer First Impressions | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 41 | Chapter 41 – A Bath | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 40 | Chapter – 40 Chaos Breaks Loose | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 39 | Chapter 39 – In the Mountain | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 38 | Chapter 38 – Spearheads | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 37 | Chapter 37 – Alone | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 36 | Chapter 36 – Desert Eagles | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 35 | Chapter 35 – Unwanted Revelations | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 34 | Chapter 34 – Bad News | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 33 | Chapter 33 – Stoking the Flames of War | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 32 | Chapter 32 – Compatibility | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 31 | Chapter 31 – Birds of a Feather | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 30 | Chapter 30 – Meeting the Locals | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 29 | Chapter 29 – A Delicacy | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 28 | Chapter 28 – Water Predator | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 27 | Chapter 27 – Preparations | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 26 | Chapter 26 – Second Core Decisions | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 25 | Chapter 25 – The Barrier | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 24 | Chapter 24 – Sacrifice | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 23 | Chapter 23 – Hoping for an Opportunity | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 22 | Chapter 22 – Battle to the Death | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 21 | Chapter 21 – Not-Birds | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 20 | Chapter 20 – Hot-Blooded Hatred | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 19 | Chapter 19 – Helpless | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 18 | Chapter 18 – Dashing Through the Woods | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 17 | Chapter 17 – Stranger Danger | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 16 | Chapter 16 – Leveling Spot | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 15 | Chapter 15 – History Lesson | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 14 | Chapter 14 – Opportunities | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 13 | Chapter 13 – Making New Friends | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 12 | Chapter 12 – Scratte Attack | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 11 | Chapter 11 – Aspirations | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 10 | Chapter 10 – Level Up! | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 9 | Chapter 9 – Action Scene | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 8 | Chapter 8 – Head Full of Snakes | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 7 | Chapter 7 – The Perfect Place for a Ceremony | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 6 | Chapter 6 – Bad Timing | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 5 | Chapter 5 – Flight and Fight | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 4 | Chapter 4 – Mistakes Are Made | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 3 | Chapter 3 – Fortune Favors the Crazy | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 3 | Interlude 3 – Clark | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 2 | Chapter 2 – A Bad Idea | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 2 | Interlude 2 – Clark | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 1 | Chapter 1 – A Sudden Change in Plans | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | 1 | Interlude 1 – Inquisitor Clark | RoyalRoadL | |
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Outside Influences | Prologue | RoyalRoadL | ||