Ashley
I start off by creating a barrier of destruction mana around my own person. One that’s just directly above my clothes, surrounding me entirely like another layer of skin. Except above my clothes. And crimson in color.
The reason why I haven’t done this before now is the massive drain on mana. Which is an important substance to me since I have a limited amount of it.
But now, as I’m being fired at by arrows from the distant kobolds along with more from the kobolds on the walls, it’s necessary.
So now with the destruction mana barrier up disintegrating most of those arrows except some of the mana infused ones. The stronger mana infused ones. I go ahead and begin sending one arrow of destruction mana after another at the kobold guardsmen who is currently trying to stand up.
The creature raises his arms to block my shots, but even just that applies more effects to him. Making it so that it grows more and more difficult for the kobold to keep going with as much ease as it is.
And while it’s focusing on blocking my arrows, I go ahead and teleport straight down to my shadow on the ground before grabbing the kobold guardsmen’s weapons and stashing them into my ring. Then I quickly flap my wings and fly back up into the air again while sending feathers to attack the guardsmen right when he swings his fist at me in anger.
Despite my speed and my feathers, though, the fist still manages to hit me. But all it does is break some ribs in my gut and send me higher into the air, making it easier for me to get away.
So thank you for that, guardsmen.
Now if you would just die, that is all I ask of you.
I continue feeling arrows hitting my barrier while occasionally moving with my wings to avoid the more dangerous mana infused ones. With my broken ribs slowly repairing themselves through my health and Minor Regeneration skill while I also send more feathers and arrows of destruction down at the guardsmen in the process.
But the brute just refuses to die for some reason.
“At this point he’s just being rude,” Chaos comments, and I can’t help but agree.
I’m actually starting to pity the thing. Because it can’t be comfortable being pummeled by attacks while getting one affliction after another piled onto you.
Not my fault he won’t die though.
My mana slowly drops more and more as I grit my teeth, starting to wonder if this was a good idea or not.
But then it finally happens.
The kobold guardsmen stops moving entirely while his face is planted in the ground, and I get the System Messages I’ve been waiting for.
{You have been granted 3 Skill Points for killing a monster within a Unique Domain.}
{You have slain a being while Assimilate is active. You have now unlocked the Skill Tree: Destruction-Touched Kobold Guardsmen}
{You have unlocked a new Skill Tree, therefore the root skill of the Skill Tree, Moderate Destruction Resistance, is now unlocked for your usage.}
{Congratulations, you have now reached level 48. Your PHY and MEN have increased by 1 point, and your MAG by 2 points. Please choose where you wish your 1 Free Point to be allocated.}
{Congratulations, you have now reached level 49. Your PHY and MEN have increased by 1 point, and your MAG by 2 points. Please choose where you wish your 1 Free Point to be allocated.}
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I let out a sigh of relief while the corners of my lips raise ever so slightly. Then I rush straight over to other side of the fortress, where I sneak in through a window and begin making my way through the fortress looking for somewhere to hide. All while avoiding any kobolds I see through my Enhanced Perception skill.
Of course, I don’t leave the walls. Because the livestream I saw from Blake showed that the kobolds only get stronger the deeper in you go.
And I’m not strong enough to take on a kobold guardsmen alone without any sort of advantage like I had earlier, so there’s no way I can take on the others I vaguely remember him fighting.
Actually, I should go ahead and review his fights when I find a nice place to hide.
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It ends up taking me a good half an hour of running around the fortress walls while occasionally almost having a heart attack when a kobold nearly catches me, but I manage to find a nice hiding spot. One in the form of a storage shed filled with… actually, I’m not sure what it’s filled with. But no one ever comes in here.
The shed is right inside of the wall, and I saw it through a window when passing at one point. So I did the reasonable thing and jumped through the window and into the window of this shed.
There aren’t really many things inside of this shed, to be honest. Just a strange shrine. And some crates.
Out of curiosity, I crack open one of the crates. Quietly, of course.
Then I find some… weird… gunpowder? I think?
It’s gunpowder that has a faint crimson glow to it.
The uniqueness of the stuff in appearance makes me identify it. Just in case it’s an item.
And lo and behold, it is.
Gunpowder of the King of Destruction
Description: A special type of gunpowder created from the ashes of those killed by the King of Destruction’s gaze. This gunpowder is incredibly potent and will kill any who touches it should they be less than one entire Class above the King of Destruction.
Affects: True Death to those below Class C
And then I proceed to very carefully close the crate again.
Because yeah.
“It shouldn’t harm you,” Chaos comments as I carefully walk away from the crate, only to pause. “True Death is a type of True Damage. And if this was created by his gaze, then that means his True Damage skill must be connected to his eyes.”
Oh.
Wait, so does that mean if I take his Skill Tree, I’ll be getting my eyes mutated?
“That’s what you found important about this?” Chaos asks, sounding amused. And even more so when I nod my head. “It is most likely true. If the King of Destruction’s True Damage skill truly is attached to his eyes, you will be gaining said eyes yourself.”
Right.
On that note, how is this sort of skill fair? True Death? Seriously?
“It likely isn’t as dangerous as the flavor text makes it out to be,” Chaos says, making me almost raise a brow. “No, seriously. If I had to guess, someone would have to bathe themselves in this gunpowder for the actual untouched gunpowder to kill them. And the King of Destruction would likely have to gaze at someone for an extended period of time to kill them. It most likely simply applies True Damage of the destruction affinity constantly while he is looking at them.”
Okay, that makes more sense.
Still unfair though.
“It’s a Unique Monster,” Chaos states as if that explains everything. “It does explain everything. Unique Monsters are generally considered impossible to take down without an entire team of people with True Damage resistance or immunity skills.”
Oh.
And I’m stuck in here on my own… or rather, with one other Successor.
Actually, does Blake even have-
“He does have a True Damage resistance skill, albeit a weaker one than you,” Chaos answers. “His is a simple barrier that blocks it, unlike yours which reflects it towards a random enemy. A skill I’m rather proud of.”
Hmm. That’s good then.
I move to sit down next to the shrine, leaning my head against it.
So what are the chances I’ll die against the Unique Monster?
“If you fight the King of Destruction alone, you will die,” Chaos states simply and with more than a little distaste and worry about that in his voice. “If you fight the King of Destruction with your twin, you will have a four percent chance of victory should you remain as you are now albeit with a higher level.”
That doesn’t sound good.
Wait, if I remain as I am now? Do you mean if I don’t unlock new skills and take more Skill Trees?
I feel a sense of pride coming from him through that annoying bond as he answers, “Yes. Your chances against the King of Destruction will rise depending on what skills you’re able to take from the elite monsters of this Unique Domain, and what skills you’re able to unlock with the influx of Skill Points you will obtain here.”
Good.
So there’s a chance.
A chance I can live.
And so can Blake.