Kal didn’t waste any time and immediately brought his Eyes of the Slayer onto the abyssal anchor. The shield bearer was so afraid that Kal was pretty sure even if he drew his sword it wouldn’t react. Rank certainly helps.
The abyssal anchor’s design was honestly far beyond him. It wasn’t an array, at least not in the traditional sense but he could see channels with the black crystal that obviously had functions much like his skill channels and an array’s channels. He couldn’t make sense of it but he could decipher the types of mana involved.
There were three main mana affinities present. Space, abyssal, and one he hadn’t seen before but recognized immediately for what it was. Sanguinium, blood mana.
It glowed crimson like vital energy but at the same time, it writhed in place like- join us…
Kal growled by reflex as a sharp pain radiated through his mind. His will flickered and he felt a memory surging toward the surface of his mind, “Damn it… Not now!”
His soul flared and his heart accelerated as the pressure built in his mind. Kal could sense Nyx, Ander, and the demons flinching as his soul’s anger amplified his fear aura.
A crimson hand wormed through the slurry of viscera, its congealed fingertips tracing a bloody circle on his chest. Tears streamed down Kal’’s cheeks as he felt her will enter him.
“Kill, ~~~~~~~. Kill, He Who Fractures.”
The churning red sea flickered as his eyes rolled back into his head. Blood became light and light became-
Silver light flowed from his chest to coalesce in the palm of her bloody hand.
Kal gasped and staggered away from the anchor. His stomach rolled inside him, threatening to rebel. A presence washed over him but he could barely feel it as his heart pounded in his chest and his sights flickered across the spectrum.
His soul flared and died with his own emotions as they rolled around in his mind barely contained. It was only when the new presence spoke that Kal managed to bring his mind back in line.
“Val… Kai zen shzak, Kel…”
Kal turned to face the new speaker and froze.
[Lord Knarzka Seeker Shadow Lord | Abyssal Spawn 159]
The message stone shook violently in his pocket but Kal didn’t dare to place his hand there now. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t a fight he could win if it came down to it, “Damn it. What did it say?”
Kal didn’t understand why Planar Linguist hadn’t worked this time. Was it because he was distracted?
The Seeker Shadow Lord stood at least as tall as the Lumixet Vorayx did well over a foot taller than Kal. The shadows seeping between its black plate-mail moved as if alive and its animated skull burned with maleficent purple light.
“Is your order always so quiet, disciple? Has your master sent you to join in the consumption of this new world?” The Shadow Lord rasped, its voice almost painful to hear as its skull cracked open to emit the words.
Thankful that Planar Linguist worked this time Kal shook his head, “My master’s designs are not to be discussed but I am disappointed to admit I will not be conquering this world.”
The Shadow Lord’s eye lights flashed as it stepped forward, its difficulty to judge gaze scanning him, “Tell me, Great Disciple. What path allowed you to conjure such potent wraiths? I detect no shadow mana within them and none within you either.”
Suddenly the shadow fiend shield bearer jumped up from the ground and ran from the room. Nyx and Ander watched him go but Kal didn’t dare take his eyes off The Shadow Lord, “I-” Before Kal could even finish his first word his soul exploded into a rage as the Shadow Lord moved.
Kal’s eyes widened as the demon moved far faster than he hoped to defend against but Flesh of Iron activated just as the demon’s fist bore into his chest. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his ribs and sternum shattered as he soared across the chamber into the wall.
Health:
3465/5100
Stamina:
6324/8290
Wrath:
4721
Kal’s vision flickered as he felt blood flow into them from the sheer shock of the blow.
The Shadow Lord’s skull parted slightly making Kal think it was smiling, “A real Disciple of Murder would have killed me for asking such a question,” He stepped forward casually, completely ignoring the wraiths, “You are the mortal…Strong…At least for your tier.”
Kal coughed up more blood as he activated Wrathful Regeneration and reached for the message stone.
Kal grunted as he clasped the stone and his ribs popped back into place, “Run! NOW!”
The Shadow Lord continued its slow stride towards him, its skull darkening as its shadows seemed to condense around it, “I have heard stories of your trial mortal. To disgrace a lumixet at such a pitiful level is marvelous. Vorayx pays for his failure even now, his soul bound into the flesh of a pitiful garghound,” The demon rasped sharply.
Kal wasn’t really listening as he watched Nxy’s wraith snatch up Ander moved towards the door. As he felt his sternum re-congeal enough so he could breathe Kal wrenched himself from the stone of the chamber wall and drew Exterminator’s Regards.
Health:
3805/5100
Stamina:
6336/8290
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Wrath:
3701
Health:
3915/5100
Stamina:
6348/8290
Wrath:
3191
His heart pounding against still broken bone and his soul roaring to life in the presence of a monster. Kal activated Slayer’s Intent and his falling wrath slowed as the skill counteracted it.
Health:
4085/5100
Stamina:
6360/8290
Wrath:
2839
[Entities Marked: Lord Knarzka Seeker Shadow Lord | Hostile]
The Shadow Lord didn’t even flinch as Slayer’s Intent marked it, “Ahhh, There it is. The quest from The Great Lord. Evolution… What a gift for the life of a pathetic creature such as you.”
Kal’s killing sight exploded into a sea of burning light as The Shadow Lord’s intent changed and his soul exploded alongside it.
[Entities Marked: Lord Knarzka Seeker Shadow Lord | Battle Lust]
His falling wrath instead began to climb as the amount generated by Slayer’s Intent quadrupled and a burning surged up through his chest. At the same time, his mind thrummed with the building pressure of another memory.
Without thought he fell into a familiar motion. It felt natural as his will began to surge through him in a pearlescent wave.
Kal didn’t even see the strike coming but his step brought his blade down on the Shadow Lord’s left side as the entire wall behind him detonated. Shockwaves roared through the chamber and a thunderclap shattered the silence outside.
Health:
4012/5100
Stamina:
6350/8290
Wrath:
3012
Pain rattled through Kal’s body despite it missing but again he ignored it as he fell into another step, his blade arching around with all his might into the demon’s forearm. The Shadow Lord slowed in apparent surprise, a great hammer of condensed shadow in its hand.
Kal’s first strike did nothing to its armor but his second knocked its arm to the side by less than an inch but his blade cut into the arm to scrape against the demon’s true shell. Its hammer came back around again faster than Kal could react to but his will had already urged him into his next step.
The eastern wall exploded with another thunderclap reigning destruction into the sky as a wave of shadow followed in the wake of the strike. Kal’s next step took him from the path of destruction as the shadows arced through the air back toward him from behind. His head swung back and down as he pivoted to slam his knee into the side of the demon.
This time his strike was the source of the thunderclap as the demon’s leg moved slightly and a dust cloud bounced into the air. Kal felt the armor on his knee buckle under the power of his strike and twist around it, catching his leg.
That was where his luck ran out.
The Shadow Lord hissed in annoyance and as Kal’s leg failed to bend as it should his next step failed and the hammer slammed into his side. His chest plate was nothing before the strength of the Shadow Lord as he was once again thrown into the wall, his right arm snapping clean through and Exterminator’s Regards flying from dead fingers.
----------------------------------------
Nyx activated Shadow’s Grace the instant Kal’s burning eyes fell upon her and she was already moving when his command came to her. Panic held her by the heart as she snatched Ander from the ground, his obfuscated form strange to manipulate.
She needed to get away from the Shadow Lord but she wouldn’t leave Kalum behind. Nyx sped across the terrain, the effect of her Kalum’s cloak dominated the demons around them so they hesitated even as the building's walls crumbled.
In less than a minute she had made it down the cliff and among the waiting legions. Her nerves stood on end as the density of the shadow mana began to increase.“Shit!” She spat in anger through the fear and spun back to face the now wide-open building.
If she was going to do anything she needed to do it now. Nyx drew her bow and knocked a Charged Shot. The Shadow Lord was walking casually toward the western wall, just barely visible from her position.
----------------------------------------
Health:
1412/5100
Stamina:
4350/8290
Wrath:
6433
Kal gasped as his ribs tore themselves free of his punctured lung and back into place. He fell to one knee before falling to the ground, failing to catch himself because of his shattered arm. Blood poured from his chest as his own armor splintered and pierced his body under the power of the demon’s strike.
He didn’t have time to recover before The Shadow Lord was standing over him, its hammer warping the air as it came down toward his head.
*Boom*
*Boom* *Boom*
Three consecutive arrows slammed into the demon’s head with deadly accuracy but even with their intense potency none even left a mark as they shattered against the Shadow Lord's skull.
“Ha! Your attacks are pathetic…” The demon scoffed as it raised its hammer again. But once again the execution never came as it was forced to turn to protect the anchor as three more arrows shattered against its forearm just inches away from the anchor.
“You would kill yourself to merely injure me!?” It rasped but before it could say more the anchor glow darkened and a visible notification appeared before both of them. Kal’s a golden silver and the demon’s a purple black.
Warning: Quest Updated!
Behind Enemy Lines
An abyssal anchor has been destroyed and additional points for participation have been awarded.
Abyssal anchors established: 2 = > 3
Warning: Tears Opening
“Damn it. How was another constructed so quickly?!” Kal thought as he tried to draw air into his lungs.
The Shadow Lord turned its burning eye lights onto Kal, “You will get to live long enough to see my legions march into your world…”
Kal could hear the screams and hissing of the demons below as they all received the notification. Soon the sound of marching and the flapping of bat-like wings reached him. Kal’s chest began to burn more severely as his wrath climbed with no outlet besides his regeneration.
The message stone began to shake violently in his pocket again but before he could reach for it the Shadow Lord snatched him from the ground by his throat, Kal’s neck straining from the pressure of the demon’s gauntleted fingers.
Hundreds of demons flowed up the path toward the anchor as the purple space mana began to pulse faster and faster. Each pulse warped the air around it more violently until tiny cracks began to appear.
The Shadow Lord held Kal facing toward the anchor and the space mana licked at his chest, twisting the fragments of his armor into agonizing patterns that tore at his flesh. Blood continued to spray from his chest as he gazed into the forming tear but Kal gritted his teeth and focused his will on the space in front of him.
He hadn’t failed yet.