Kal dashed after where he last heard his sword, the dark serpent slithering behind him silent despite its size. His resources were lower than he would have liked but Kal was still confident he could finish the serpent off, as long as he could find his bloody sword. He had been avoiding the serpent for several minutes now while scrambling the area where he thought the sword had landed but he couldn’t bloody find it. Neither his mana sight nor his new killing sense helped him here. He was sure that if given time he could probably refine his mana sight enough to be able to see through the darkness properly but right now he didn’t have time. He growled finally giving up on finding his weapon for now. He needed to kill this snake before any more trouble came up so he could refine his mana sight some more.
What options did he have? Punching the thing to death was essentially impossible, even with his strength he struggled to get the serpent's scales with a sword. There was no chance he could do enough damage with his bare hands. He could probably go for the eyes, but he doubted that would kill it with its high vitality and endurance. As for items, all he had now was his pants and some useless potions…Might as well give it a shot.
Kal turned back towards the serpent who seemed surprised at his sudden change in tactic. Its slithering position didn’t allow for it to quickly swing its tail so it simply tried to snatch him off the ground with its fangs. Kal was expecting this however and dodged to the side of the snake's giant head and grabbed hold of its neck as it drew it back once more. He held on tight as he was pulled through the area and swung himself behind its head and onto its back or neck, whatever. It tried to throw him off but Kal held on and inched his way up closer to its head and started slamming his fist into its right eye. After the fourth strike, the eye had completely vanished from Kal’s sight but he could feel the bloody mess of what was left of it with each additional strike.
Mutilation bonus added to total.
Mutilation bonus added to total.
Mutilation bonus added to total.
The dark serpent hissed in obvious agony, swinging its head savagely. It was now or never. Kal unclipped the belt of potions and with a smooth fling flung it into the serpent’s open jaws. The moment the belt landed in its mouth the serpent slammed its jaws shut, uncaring of what it had just consumed. Kal went to leap free of the serpent as he heard the vials shatter, hopefully leaking their contents into the demon’s throat but he didn’t get far. Just as he left the back of the serpent its tail slammed into his back producing several sickening cracking sounds as he flew into the side of one of the stone spires. Stunned, Kal fell backward, unable to protect himself from the next attack either.
This time it wasn’t a simple swing from the serpent’s tail or a bite from its fangs. This time the serpent closed in around him, its huge body tightening around him constricting him. Kal came to with his body already constricted to the point of agony but he fought with all his strength to separate himself from the demon. His broken bones tore through muscle as his chest was squeezed and his arms were quickly losing ground against the dark serpent’s overwhelming strength.
Health:
254/1880
Stamina:
897/3080
Wrath:
0
His plan hadn’t worked and now he was fucked. Blood began to pour from his mouth as he felt several of his ribs break as he was forced to use his arms to protect his head and neck.
Health:
123/1880
Stamina:
582/3080
Wrath:
0
Kal bit down hard on a patch of the serpent’s scales that was now touching his face. He felt the serpent flinch slightly with his desperate attack but the constriction never faltered.
Health:
93/1880
Stamina:
432/3080
Wrath:
0
Desperate Kal could feel his birthright deep within him and suddenly his core was before him. If he just broke it again he could destroy this demon easily. The crimson flame of his birthright glowed almost mockingly. All he had to do was let it free.
Health:
24/1880
Stamina:
234/3080
Wrath:
0
Suddenly the overwhelming pressure crushing him vanished and he found himself falling to the ground as the serpent began to spasm. Its hiss became a series of agony-induced gargles as its body flailed. Kal fell to the ground like a wet rag, his legs were broken and his back wasn’t much better. But he didn’t have time to waste checking his condition, the serpent’s flailing had stopped and it simply lay there breathing as it tried to recover from whatever the punishment for using the potions was when you didn’t meet the requirements. Kal’s plan had worked but not without costs. He just hoped he could finish the job. Kal used his arms to drag himself over to the still-stunned serpent. As he got closer he gasped as a stabbing pain shot through his hand as it came down on something sharp. He felt around for a moment then grinned as he picked up what had stabbed him. It was one of the serpent’s fangs. It must have broken it off during its punishment. The fang was about as long as his forearm and it would be perfect for his next step.
The serpent had begun to stir as Kal reached it, its tail starting to coil again. Kal slammed his fist down hard on the demon’s head to keep it down for a second longer as he climbed onto its neck again. Then with a two-handed grip, he buried the fang deep into the top of the serpent’s skull. The serpent spasmed for another moment before it finally fell still and Kal half rolled half fell from the serpent's back as the notification he had been waiting for finally came.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
You have slain [Seeker Dark Serpent | Abyss Spawn 42] Bonus experience earned for slaying a higher level entity.
Level up!
Level up!
The rush from the multiple level-ups made Kal gasp in pain as his broken ribs were once again put under stress. He immediately activated Wrathful Regeneration and groaned as he felt it immediately go to work on his broken bones. While the skill did its work he pulled the fang of the serpent from its skull and dragged himself between the coils of its body, hoping it would at least hide him from any other dark serpents in the seeker's territory. If every fight he had in this zone was going to be against creatures this strong he was going to have a tough month.
With the mutilation bonuses from his attacks against the serpent's eye, he had received seven hundred and thirty-five wrath. Which with the inefficiency of his Wrathful Regeneration only amounted to one hundred and eighty-three health. It wasn't great but at least he could feel his bones getting better.
Health:
207/1880
Stamina:
234/3080
Wrath:
0
He would have to siphon for a while before doing anything else so he got into the most comfortable position he could considering his condition and started the equally painful process of converting abyssal mana into usable wrath.
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Vorayx sneered at the retreating shadow. The damned fool had dropped all interest in his bargaining all of a sudden and excused himself. An irritation but ultimately it was likely good news. The shadow had said it had located the mortal and that it was willing to trade for a price but if Vorayx knew one thing about seekers it was that their prices were never worth it. Vorayx had wanted to kill the shadow but again it wasn't worth making an enemy of its master. The Great Lord would not have been thrilled if he became aware of such a brash action either. Perhaps in the coming centuries, the time would arise when he could get his fill of seeker slaughter but for now, he would need to wait.
This mortal was becoming more and more interesting. Vorayx had paid attention to what forces had entered the trial while he listened to the Bestial Lords begging. The seekers had only sent one variant into the trial other than the shadow. They were far weaker than him but even he had trouble with the dark serpents during his rise to power. If his suspicions were correct it was likely the mortal had managed to defeat one of them and escape the shadow’s clutches for now. The memory of the powerful aura he sensed that he had mistaken for a dreadlord came to mind. An anomaly indeed, but a calamity? Hardly, Vorayx thought as sat down on his temporary throne once more. But perhaps there was more to this mortal than he had originally expected. Vorayx waved his hand, summoning the description of the quest The Great Lord had given him and all the demons on this level.
Quest Received: Devour the anomaly
An anomaly has manifested on this plane, seize it for the great lord and you shall be rewarded.
Reward: Abyssal evolution, 10 levels.
Any ideas further than devouring the mortal vanished when he read the reward for the quest again. They were far too tempting to ignore. Just receiving ten levels at his current level would have been a tremendous boon, but the real prize was the Abyssal evolution. Granted power from The Great Lord himself was an amazing honor, not something even the dreadlords of the first universe commonly received. It was a chance to ascend to greater power. A chance to stand above his kin. A prize like that would be wasted on these lesser demons, he would not allow that to happen.
For now, however, he could do nothing but hope for the mortal to thrive. It would need to if it wanted to survive the coming waves. But the moment it achieves its victory, it would fall right into his maw. Now content with how things were proceeding Vorayx relaxed into his throne and awaited for the kuroxet messenger to return. He had plans to put in place.
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Kal was forced to stop his siphoning twice over the last few hours as another two dark serpents moved through the area. Luckily for him, they barely glanced at their dead kin on their way past. Apparently, their perception wasn’t one of their decent attributes because the second time one came past it had been so close that he was sure it should have been able to smell him or even sense his heat assuming they had a similar sense to normal snakes. Then again perhaps hiding between the body of the one he had killed might have been doing something he didn’t understand. He couldn’t see the dead one anymore, the moment it died it had vanished from his new killing sight. The living ones appeared once they were within about fifty feet or so. It had happened automatically now that he was aware of his ability to do so. His birthright definitely had a few perks but it counterbalanced those with several negatives. For now, he would just be happy that he gained a new ability and leave all the dark connotations that came along with why he could see a creature's killing intent and how it resonated so strongly with him alone. Yeah, I’ll ignore that for now.
Kal distributed his free points while he had the opportunity, deciding to continue with his relatively even distribution of points, splitting the free points between his agility and intellect. With all his bonuses from his class and skills doing it this way meant that at every level his attributes grew across the board.
Kalum Lesta
Status
Class:
Slayer of Fate [Epic] [Anomalous]
Level:
28
Race:
Human?
Health:
1940
Stamina:
3240
Wrath:
0
Attributes
Strength:
279
Agility:
137
Endurance:
324
Vitality:
194
Intellect:
126
Perception:
168
Will:
334
Wisdom:
153
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
Skills
Soul Forge [Rare], Wrathful Regeneration [Common], Wrath Incarnate [Uncommon], Abyssal Consumption [Rare], Flames of Wrath[Uncommon] [Soul Forged]
Race
Birthright: Confined
It looked like endurance and will were going to be his highest attributes for the foreseeable future. He was fine with that, both had definitely kept him alive up until this point. If his endurance was any lower that serpent would have been his end. Now to prevent any kind of catastrophe like the end of his last fight from happening again next he wanted to improve his mana sight. At least enough so he could find his bloody sword.