Health:
2490/2490
Stamina:
943/5480
Wrath:
320
To prevent reaching zero wrath the Slayer ended Wrathful Regeneration and checked his status. He could feel the weakness of his body in an indirect way, like a loss in potential more than a physical sensation.
Kalum Lesta
Status
Class:
Slayer of Fate [Epic] [Anomalous]
Level:
53
Race:
Human?
Health:
2490/2490
Stamina:
943/5480
Wrath:
320
Attributes
Strength:
519 [-43]
Agility:
220 [-27]
Endurance:
556
Vitality:
252
Intellect:
198
Perception:
240
Will:
579
Wisdom:
366
Available:
0
Titles
Ascendant, Core Bane, Core Smith, Defier of Dhinir, Planeswalker, Planar Appetite, Slayer of the Strong, Endurance Elite, Strength Elite, Will Elite, Demon Slayer, Paragon of Man, Planar Binding I, Soul Seer
Skills
Soul Forge [Rare], Wrathful Regeneration [Uncommon], Wrath Incarnate [Uncommon], Abyssal Consumption [Rare], Flames of Wrath[Uncommon] [Soul Forged], Slayer’s Intent [Rare] [Soul Forged], Slayer’s Apathy [Rare] [Soul Forged], Edge of Malice [Common] [Soul Forged]
Race
Birthright: Confined
Any loss of attributes would lower his potential, which could not be allowed so the Slayer opened his amulet and withdrew the concentration array. Setting it up was a simple task but he did so rapidly to ensure its use would be worth the effort before more demons arrived as they always did.
With his mana sight active he could easily see the atmospheric abyssal mana accumulating within the array. With no time wasted, he stepped into the array and began siphoning the mana and converting it into wrath.
The usual pain of siphoning could not reach him now so activating his regeneration was a simple task and the scar tissue weakening his muscles and organs soon began to fade.
The wrath he could siphon inside the concentration array seemed to be nearly twice as fast but the speed of the absorption was leaving visible marks on his flesh. It likely would have been too painful for his lesser self to maintain for any serious length of time.
Healing the scar tissue took significantly longer than healing when the wound was fresh but as the first demon since the royal guards entered his fear aura the last of his detriments were gone and he was ready to continue the slaughter.
Kalum Lesta
Status
Class:
Slayer of Fate [Epic] [Anomalous]
Level:
53
Race:
Human?
Health:
2490/2490
Stamina:
5480/5480
Wrath:
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4323
Attributes
Strength:
562
Agility:
247
Endurance:
556
Vitality:
252
Intellect:
198
Perception:
240
Will:
579
Wisdom:
366
Available:
0
Titles
Ascendant, Core Bane, Core Smith, Defier of Dhinir, Planeswalker, Planar Appetite, Slayer of the Strong, Endurance Elite, Strength Elite, Will Elite, Demon Slayer, Paragon of Man, Planar Binding I, Soul Seer
Skills
Soul Forge [Rare], Wrathful Regeneration [Uncommon], Wrath Incarnate [Uncommon], Abyssal Consumption [Rare], Flames of Wrath[Uncommon] [Soul Forged], Slayer’s Intent [Rare] [Soul Forged], Slayer’s Apathy [Rare] [Soul Forged], Edge of Malice [Common] [Soul Forged]
Race
Birthright: Confined
More demons entered his aura as he packed away the concentration array and sort about snapping several ribs from the royal guards and their large fangs. Each would have its uses over the coming days until he could locate a more appropriate weapon.
The slayer glanced around the chamber one last time. The script covering the pillars likely contained useful information on the forgotten one but it was irrelevant to his goals so he ignored them and with a burst of Wrath Incarnate he leaped up to the hole and pulled himself through.
The enemy was close and getting to more open terrain would make tracking down more would be preferable. He needed power and for now, the best path was through slaughter.
----------------------------------------
Scaling the rock to reach the surface was child’s play and The Slayer was soon on his feet scanning the terrain that was once the butcher’s domain.
The flesh-like growth that had covered the entire area was now a rotted and desiccated mess. His feet crushed the dead flesh into powder as he looked up at the roof of the dome.
Now instead of a simple stone ceiling, churned a savage storm of swirling abyssal mana and curiously a variety of primal affinity mana. Mainly light, dark, and lightning.
The three primal affinities seemed to clash against the abyssal mana in thousands of tiny collisions that each ended with rolling explosions of like and darkness.
A pack of sky hunters flew overhead scanning the terrain, likely looking for but before they got the chance to spot him a flash of intense light lanced through the air and faster than the slay could see the entire pack was simply gone.
The enemy losing the ability to scout from the air was useful but The Slayer did not intend to hide.
The feedback from his fear aura suddenly spiked as he stood watching the sky and The Slayer heard the sound of charging demons he knew what they were before even looking. The distinct sound of bipedal legs assisted by the occasional clawed hand made it all too obvious.
His soul flared but again its urges did not reach him, they were irrelevant emotions. As each enemy fell he would feel nothing.
Kuroxet died in droves as the slayer moved through those who opposed him. Their corrosive attacks meant nothing and only the strongest of their kind could scratch his indomitable flesh. The slaughterer variants were always the first to die, their irritating habit of killing off their own kind while ultimately in line with his goals worked against the speed he could grow in power.
The other two remaining demon types had quickly reacted to his more aggressive tactics and soon the rest of their kind would fall upon him as was intended. Soon he would face the final elites but the desiccated plains were not the location where he would destroy them.
He scanned the terrain as he fought and eyed the conduit that fed the nearly endless horde of garghounds into the trial. He would need wrath to defeat the elites and the Bestial Lord so his choice of terrain was simple.
Continuing his slaughter The Slayer began his journey of blood to the center of the dome. The trial would end where it began, and the abyssal spawn would know his wrath.
----------------------------------------
“Something is wrong!” Melisia cried out, her face paled even further and the glowing in her eyes pulsed, shedding light out into their strange terrain, “Everything is twisted, frayed. Like an old rope about to snap.”
The strange distortion of the area around them darkened and Melisia gasped and before Dalen could react she had pushed him from his saddle. He cried out in surprise but before he had even hit the ground the air his horse twisted, then shattered, leaving a gaping rent in the space he had just been. Dalen hit the ground hard but he managed to stop his bombs from striking the ground. His horse wasn’t so lucky, however, as the air shattered and expanded into a tear of nothingness it neatly bisected his horse.
Dalen was immediately soaked head to toe in blood as the horse was nearly instantly drained from the massive damage. Dalen spat a mouth full of the stuff out before he could yell another shout of surprise.
As fast as it had appeared the tear vanished, leaving no sign of it ever being there. Leo was by Dalen’s side the moment he noticed something had happened.
“You alright?” Leo said evenly as he pulled Dalen to his feet.
“Uh, yeah. But what the fuck was that? It reminded me of what took Kal,” Dalen said, wiping some of the blood from his face.
“I don-” another shout of warning interrupted Leo before he could reply.
“It’s not over! Something came through!”
Those of the order who hadn’t already raised their guard did so and the elders fanned out as they watched Melisia who was constantly scanning the area, clearly seeing something Dalen couldn’t.
Pop..
Crack.
Dalen glanced at the corpse of his horse and paled as it began to move, its meat twisting and rolling beneath the skill. Leo had heard it as well and interposed himself in front of Dalen just in time as the corpse exploded into a flurry of long disgusting tendrils of bloody flesh and gore.
[Gorefiend Shaped One | Abyssal Spawn 65]
Leo grunted as the tendril slammed into his chest plate and knocked him backwards a step but he wasn’t the only target. A tendril snapped towards Melisia’s face but an instant before the attack landed Nyx appeared throwing Melisia away from the attack. She paid for it though as the tendril whipped around and a needle-like protrusion pierced her right shoulder as she tumbled away.
Melisia’s horse was torn apart as the three tendrils pierced its torso and wormed their way out the other side before moving toward one of the other elders. A plane of projected fire disintegrated the limbs before they could continue their rampage but it didn’t end there.
The shredded horse wiggled as worms the size of Dalen’s forearm burst free, launching themselves all over the place. Some were killed before they could do any harm but others landed on other horses or the unprepared guard. The order exploded into chaos as the just-calmed horses began to scream once more.
Horses and people alike soon began to fall and their corpses writhing with grotesque corrupted life. It had happened so fast that there had barely been any response from anyone. Leo was first to act as flames coated his sword as he drew it from his side. Dalen was far behind, drawing as many bombs as he could hold from his pouch.
Melisia’s horse twisted and exploded into another flurry of tendrils like the first but Dalen had already seen the insane speed of what it was that was spreading in front of him so he had already lobbed two bombs into that gory mess before trying to get clear of the chaos.
A satisfying thud and spray of blood told Dalen the bombs had at least hurt the thing but he didn’t get a kill notification and he wasn’t about to turn around and check. If these things could kill the horses that easily he would be minced meat faster than he could blink.
Leo brought his sword down and through the monstrosity, it parted and then exploded with a burst of flame but he didn’t as Dalen saw him dash to the next gorefiend in the corner of his eye.
Several order guards had finally entered the fray and got between Dalen and the gorefiend he had mostly blown up. It wasn’t just him they had protected though, Melisia and Nyx were on the ground and Nyx was ghostly pale and gasping in pain as her arm squirmed.
Melisia was nearly over her with her hands aglow with golden light. She noticed his approach and without turning away from Nyx she grunted, “Dalen! My healing spell isn’t working!”
“What’s wrong with her?” Dalen asked but he when he saw her arm twist again it was obvious, she had one of those fucking worms in her, “Dammit! Maybe!”
A pillar of flame from one of Leo’s skills followed by a lightning bolt made him flinch but Dalen ignored the combat and started digging through his pouch. He wasn’t useful in this fight if his bombs weren’t enough to kill the things outright, and with so many people nearby Dalen didn’t want to risk injuring them as well.
What he could do, well hopefully could do, was help Nyx. Dalen had a few recipes he had used in the past that had cleansing properties. The question was would any of those work here? Since gaining his alchemy class his potion had drastically increased in potency especially when he added his anger into the mix. Would that make it work better or kill whoever drank it?
The worm beneath Nyx’s skin burst from the meat of her bicep and quicker than any of them could react it launched itself into her rib cage. She screamed and fainted as the shock of the continuous injury kicked.
“Fuck!” Dalen didn’t have his cauldron which would mean what he made now would be horribly inefficient and impure but he didn’t have time for anything else. In his pouch, he had several vials of essences that he had separated from their base ingredients. Grabbing three different vials between the knuckles of his right hand and a small bottle with his left he pulled the cork stoppers with his teeth.
In one single pour, he combined the three vials into the bottle leaving about half a vial of blood cap essence which he simply discarded. As the essences swirled together in the vial Dalen felt an anger rise in him as he watched Nyx’s limp body writhe as the thing inside tore her insides apart.
On an impulse, Dalen glared at the thing's movements as he pictured it in his mind and willed his anger into the vial in his hand.