My Recovery at least showed its usefulness, as I cautiously prodded the solid scales I had obtained with the Armored Spine. More than the defensiveness, I realized the benefits provided from the structure. The formation of my Interstitial Body Structure changed, without even a conscious thought. Cords of muscle and nerves wound together from the central position, giving me slightly more effective control over my body, even though my Stats didn’t change.
Body assembly matters much more than I assumed. I waved my hands and my fang, feeling the difference. I lose flexibility, that’s inevitable; I went from a slime to a spined creature. But in battle-
A rustling in the reeds brought my head up. To my surprise, Sage and Nightshade returned on time from their field trip. Sage bound over to me immediately and beamed at me. “Oh Tallum! I had thought I had deprived you of the opportunity, but your ingenuity continues to astound! What a lovely second tail.”
My eyes twitched; truth be told, the armored spine was so long that several inches of the bottom of the spine stretched out past the edges of my flesh, quite like a tail. If I hadn’t allowed the protrusion to happen, I would have probably torn myself in half trying to integrate the body part.
My Interstitial Body Structure crept down the exposed bone, creating a base on which I would eventually attach the serpent tail, but I wanted my Health to recover some before I expanded my body too much.
Your Skill (Species) Interstitial Body Structure has grown to Level 17.
It’s okay. Slow and steady wins the race.
Besides, wasn’t it slightly pleasing that, all at once, I had become the largest of the Chimera Cores…?
“We must address an unfortunate truth,” Violala announced, even as Sage prepared to bound away and I savored this small victory for team-Tallum. “My Stamina is insufficient to keep up with your speed. I believe… it will be the most efficient if I were to ride one of you, to preserve my energy for leadership.”
I could practically see Sage beginning to salivate at this new method of torture. “What a novel idea. Well, if you insist, I suppose this gallant female could shoulder the burden of your-”
“No,” Violala shook her head. “Lady Sage, you are the vanguard of our group. Obviously my weight is insignificant to you, but your current performance in battle is flawless; I could not bear to hold you back from your triumphs.”
“Oh.” Sage preened at the compliments. “Well, you possess some sense.”
Meanwhile, I sobered up. Violala’s reactions to the currency proved she can be obtuse in some situations, but she is also a monster that has survived and risen to High Leader of the Venom Mantises. She has the sophistication to create a ghillie suit. She gets to see our strengths by watching from the back, but also our weaknesses.
“Fine, get on this lug,” Sage slapped Nightshade with a tail. The squirrel heads pivoted and chattered their bloody teeth at the Venom Mantis.
“I believe Tallum is the best choice,” Violala said quickly. To my surprise, I heard in her voice the smallest flicker of an emotion; anxiety.
Oh, Nightshade scares you? Well… Nightshade and I exchanged a glance. He looked at me in askance, while I just observed the way mud and gore were smeared together across his form. Certainly, running into him at night would not be a pleasant experience. But… why does Nightshade seem so harmless to me…?
The squirrel mouths worked silently, chewing on invisible flesh.
…the perspective-warping power of relationships is a scary thing…
It had been nervousness about Violala and (if I’m being honest with myself) a bit of insecurity that had caused me to eschew the offer of leadership in the first place. But the combination of my new, very defensive-oriented body part and the compliment from the Venom Mantis softened my stance toward her.
Turns out, a lonely man who died on his keyboard and reincarnated on a monster is slightly weak to compliments.
Wait, am I just as vain as Sage?!
Nightshade looked away. I nodded at Violala, trying not to overthink. “Alright, fine. Get on and let’s get moving.”
My high Recovery Stat continued to replace my Health which gave me a bit of extra reassurance. As we began proceeding toward the forest, the larger source of pleasure was the way I could feel the shift in my Constitution and Strength, which made it that much easier to keep up with Sage without even relying on Inferior Adrenaline Rush.
Plus, the performance of the structured body continued to impress.
Soon, treeline the treeline loomed above us. Waiting below were a trio of Bloodthirsty Fae Squirrels. The monsters straightened and chittered at us in immediate anger. From the look in their eyes as they considered Nightshade and I, some sort of species-wide announcement had gone out.
We were public enemies number one and two.
Sage giggled and flexed her tails. I almost felt pity for our foes at her glee. And today, I suspect we will add three and four to the hit-list.
A wave of answering chitters came from the treeline. Due our small size, each tree towered above us, thick enough for a half dozen squirrels to hide behind, the canopy hanging above out of reach of all of us except for bouncy Sage
“Ready little bug?” Sage cackled as she landed on the ground. “The operation begins now.”
“Incapacitate those three and then move freely into the treeline. Break up the gathered groups, and keep advancing,” Violala answered from my back. I almost flinched when she tapped her serrated foreleg against the armored plates running down my spine, but I realized that she urged me forward. “Sir Nightshade. Follow in Lady Sage’s wake and take advantage of the chaos. We will bring up the rear and clean up the remnants.”
“Heh. Finally.” Nightshade’s head began to swell as he surged forward to catch up to Sage. “These hands of mine were beginning to shudder with hunger.”
Ah Nightshade. The things you say…
Well, I guess his hands are heads? So actually-
Sage exploded from her position, kicking mud in every direction. She crashed into the foremost of the squirrel trio. The thin and whip-like tortoise tail I had brought her curled around its neck. With a sharp wrench, she broke its spine and dropped the body to the side. Even as the squirrels next to her had begun charging up their little mana bolts, a snake tail swept sideways and knocked their skulls together.
Sage moved on just as quickly, entering the treeline. Nightshade followed, leaving the stunned Fae Squirrels for me.
Violala tapped my armor again. “You can heal by absorbing their life force, yes?”
Yea, she’s too smart for her own good. But also… quite reliable as an ally?
Just as one of the Fae Squirrels staggered back to its feet, I drove my blood-soaked fang through the front of its skull. The other remained on the ground, so I just used a heavy tortoise leg to stop on its chest-
Its whole body burst. I winced at the blood spattering across my skin. Quick note: Higher Strength turns simple kicks into fatality cutscenes.
But I didn’t miss the opportunity to drink.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +13.
Your Skill (Temp) Mana Feed has triggered! Restoring 18 Health and 9 Mana over the next 30 seconds.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +14.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +16.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +9.
Your Skill (Temp) Mana Feed has triggered! Restoring 18 Health and 9 Mana over the next 30 seconds.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +10.
Your Skill (Species) Absorb Anima has grown to Level 36.
I left the husks of the squirrels behind and raced forward. Already, Sage had tumbled and cartwheeled her way into the massing opposition, smashing into the groups of Bloodthirsty Fae Squirrels that raced down the tree trunks to engage with us. My alarm mounted as I spotted at least a score of the bastards, with quite a few remaining in the lower tree branches. The ones sitting above began charging up their Mana attacks.
My Detection Skill pinged, warning me of threats in every direction. Enemies revealed themselves to the point I felt my awareness growing… shallow. I felt the encroachment of panic; in smaller fights I had gradually gotten my bearings, but this wild melee was overwhelming.
Chitters, Sage’s laughter, the sound of my own legs hitting the dirt, the spitting sparks of Mana
Almost as though she read my gaze, Violala whispered in my ear. “How accurate are you with that Blessing?”
Ah, good idea.
I activated Spray Mud. As I did so, the strangeness of the Blessing struck me again; the Mana flowed different with this spell. However, I focused on the outcome for the moment, as Sage skipped into danger and Nightshade slammed into those left in Sage’s wake.
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +2 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +5 Proficiency!
My first shot went low, striking the branch beneath one of the squirrels. But the impact was enough that its fae bolt missed Sage.
My second socked the dumb squirrel in the jaw and knocked it off its perch. It flailed and twisted as it fell to the ground, blinded by the mud. Almost casually, Nightshade stretched out one of his snakehead arms and bit into the stunned squirrel after it crashed down next to him. The jaw flexed and I could see the squirrel die.
Twenty threats might be surrounding us, but only a few were imminent. Some of my panic faded. So long as I prioritized well..
Any sense of ease I felt was pushed to the backburner by the insistent tapping of Violala. I couldn’t stop and savor the victory, there were too many enemies. My feet dug into the ground and we were off.
Although I wasn’t particularly sensitive to temperature, the shift was noticeable as I moved beneath the treeline and into the shade. The tree trunks seemed to warp the noises of battle. A wave of noise and information slammed against me. My thoughts became smaller and smaller in the face of the sensory overload.
Level 9 Bloodthirsty Fae Squirrels chittered in rage, howled as they charged up their fae bolts, and screamed in pain as either Nightshade or Sage brutalized their bodies. Both Mana Sensitivity and Detection activated almost constantly. More squirrels sinuously rushed out of the darkness of the woods and ascended higher into the trees, so they would have a better angle to fire their projectiles.
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 24.
I felt smaller and smaller, crushed beneath my own awareness.
Violala tapped my side three times. I tore my senses away from Sage, who ricocheted off of a tree trunk and smashed into a group of squirrels from behind. Even as the count of foes arrayed against us percolated through my brain and I began to sweat, I followed Violala’s instruction.
One step at a time. The key to a leisurely life… focus on what’s directly in front of you.
I called my Mana and activated Spray Mud, targeting the group indicated by Violala.
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +1 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +1 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +2 Proficiency!
…were my first attempts just beginner's luck? I couldn’t help but grimace as the first two mud chunks only smacked against leaves. The last struck the trunk near to my target, but didn’t prevent the entire group of squirrels from raining a wave of fae bolts down on Nightshade’s back. Guilt gripped my heart until Nightshade’s flesh swelled right before the impact. In a massive display of power, he twisted out of the way of both the bolts from above and also avoided a bite from a squirrel directly in front of him.
He also took advantage of the surge of power to leap to the side and impact a tree trunk. I believed he was going to imitate Sage and launch himself back into the fray, but instead he used those swollen snake-head-arms to bite into the bark.
Horrifying hydra that he was, he began to climb up the tree trunk (using fangholds). The Bloodthirsty Fae squirrels who had fired at him seemed to realize the threat, but a little too late. By that point, Nightshade had thrown himself up onto the branch and swung out the five-headed squirrel arm in their direction. Those uncaring mouths of their former companions began to bite-
Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 21.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“It is my role to manage how all of our actions fit together. Yours is to remain vigilant in regard to your own circumstances.” Violala said right as three fae bolts rushed at my chest. I felt a flash of irritation with myself falling back into bad habits, but just as quickly recovered and shifted to the side; with some extra Strength, I could brute force my way through these last-minute dodges.
Only one of the bolts ended up hitting me, and I only lost 3 Health from the impact. I felt confused before I remembered how much a boost I received to Defense and Constitution with my new body part.
…there really are benefits to be found within suffering…
Wait, no, Tallum, don’t let the twisted ideology of this world influence you…!
The constant array of threats made me dizzy. My legs dug into the dirt of the forest floor. Sharp screeches signaled Sage’s continued attacks. Above me to a tree to my left, five Bloodthirsty Fae Squirrels began charging up their bolts. A few staggering squirrels got back to their feet only a short distance in front of me, still dazed by Nightshade’s brutal advance. To my right, I heard an increasingly loud wave of chittering as reinforcements arrived.
“They set up a perimeter,” Violala observed, mirroring my realization almost simultaneously as I had it. “Which means there is leadership. And likely, because you antagonized them in the past, a countermeasure to your horrifying abilities.”
Exactly because of these things, and because we had plunged into the breach, I could not stop now. Adrenaline rushed through my body as I galloped forward to follow my siblings.
Your Skill (Temp) Inferior Adrenaline Rush has grown to Level 19.
Before the dazed squirrels on the ground could recover, I stomped on the legs of the front one. Its three companions whirled around to address the new threat, but I had already slammed into a second of the squirrels. I flicked my left wrist and raised my bloodthirsty fang, feeling like a jousting knight as I charged. To make sure my wounds would stick, I activated Weak Secretions and allowed poison to seep-
Damn that word!
-out across the weapon.
I thrust out three times, needing two attacks on the last squirrel because it possessed enough agility to jerk backward away from my first strike. Once all four were on the ground, the tentacles I had been stretching out from my back happily stretched and stabbed into their wounds.
Anima filled my body and Mana Feed triggered. A little bit more of my anxiety drained away, but before the squirrels were finished off I had to kick off the ground and avoid a volley of Mana projectiles.
The blitzkrieg continued.
I lowered my head and used the waning power of the Inferior Adrenaline Rush to charge around the wide base of the tree. On the other side, Nightshade had crawled across branches and had crossed to a new tree, but the Bloodthirsty Fae Squirrels had learned their lesson; as he moved to engage them, they turned and fled. Their sinuous grace meant that he couldn’t catch up.
Slowing my charge, I aimed upward and unleashed a few more blasts of my Second Blessing.
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +4 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +1 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +7 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +1 Proficiency!
Of the four shots, two missed entirely, one smacked into a squirrel leg, but one did hit center of mass and knock the fleeing chitterer off the branch. Nightshade gobbled up the one I slowed and the one I had dislodged hit the ground with an ugly-sounding crack.
Fae bolts hissed as they bit into the dirt right behind me. Violala tapped my side and pointed. I followed along the trunk to my right, granting myself more cover as I scanned the surrounding area for Sage. With all the noises and Mana attacks-
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25.
“Do you feel that?” I asked aloud as Mana loomed large enough in my senses to push away the noises of violence around me. Honestly, I needed it; the presence helped order the surrounding chaos.
Without waiting for an answer from Violala, I curled away from the current treetrunk and across to one forward and to the right. For one, I believed from the noise that Sage had gone in that direction. But also, the tight ball of Mana I sensed hung in the tree canopy ahead of us.
Even more clarity cooled my consciousness. My monstrous instincts didn’t like that hunk of Mana, not at all.
“Sir Nightshade! We are moving!” Violala called. I felt a heavy tremor only a few seconds later as Nightshade hit the ground and slithered forward to stay by my side.
As we rounded the tree trunk, seven Bloodthirsty Fae Squirrels jumped out in ambush from behind a nearby root. Five screeched and rushed for Nightshade (an obvious mistake). Which left two aiming for me.
I kicked the first one in the face as it attempted to close the distance, feeling the bones of its skull cave in on contact. The other leapt into the air and arc’d toward me, but I felt Violala tap my side.
I didn’t even see her move. One moment the Bloodthirsty Fae Squirrel was screeching and the next its body tumbled headlessly through the air.
…am I an aircraft carrier and she’s an F/A-18 Super Hornet?
It was nice that I had calmed down enough to make jokes. However, my attention snapped back forward as the concentration of Mana in the tree shifted.
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25(+1).
“Sage! Above you!” I yelled.
Sage bounced back and forth between tree trunks as she functioned as a wrecking ball for the groupings of squirrels. Her path took her beneath that strange concentration of Mana I sensed. She heard my words just as the Mana accelerated down out of the foliage-
She pivoted around just as a koala bear made from leafy tree branches fell down and swiped at her with sharpened claws.