→ Aggressive Zeldritch Detected!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Creature: Fluzzerbrat
Species: Fluzzerbrat
Brief description: buzzing fly brat.
APeX: [2522 Units]
Attributes: [Xensect] [Sound] [Hazard]
Evolution Stage: [Fledgling] (F)
Current Variant Grade: [Common]
Alignment: [Preda-Praieon] [Aggressor]
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
KiAera growled, lurching with a step to glare at the Fluzzerbrat. The creepy fly resembled a bizarre mix of a gigantic fly, a hornet, and an ant. It buzzed angrily at her, its wings flapping furiously as it attempted to intimidate her.
She swiftly brandished her ears in preparation for aggression, as the Fluzzerbrat fluttered toward her. "If you understand me. I'd recommend leaving now. Fighting me would be death. So please turn back. This is your last warning."
The Fluzzerbrat hissed angrily, its red compound eyes flashing dangerously. Then, without warning, it lunged at her with blinding speed, its mandibles snapping together with a loud crack.
KiAera darted to the side. The Fluzzerbrat's mandibles missed her by inches, snapping through empty air with a sickening crunch.
"Have it your way," she muttered, her eyes narrowing in contempt. "You've had your chance to back off!"
She quickly charged it, closing the distance between them in an instant, and her ears elongated, launching a flurry of vicious blows at the Fluzzerbrat. Her powerful ears tore through the creature's chitinous plates with ease, sending chunks of shattered shell flying everywhere.
However, despite her best efforts, she failed to deliver a finishing strike due to the Fluzzerbrat's surprising durability.
THWACK! One ear struck its thorax, sending it spiraling briefly before it righted itself with an angry, high-pitched buzz. It refused to give up, instead continuing to attack by accelerating with incredible speed.
It became faster!?
The Fluzzerbrat darted toward her again, wings slicing through the air. It zigzagged unpredictably, a blur of greenish-black chitin and glowing red eyes.
"You're fast," KiAera winced as she ducked another swipe of its mandibles, her paws dancing across the ground as she swerved around the creature. Her ears lashed out like whips, cutting into the Fluzzerbrat's exoskeleton as she dodged its attacks. "But speed won't save you if you can't land a hit."
As it closed the distance, she spun, releasing a burst of freezing flames from her ears. The icy energy shot outward in a wide arc, forcing the Fluzzerbrat to veer away with a startled screech.
The creature's wings shimmered briefly, shedding frost as it hovered just out of range. Its red eyes locked onto her, enraged.
"Zzzz... youzzz... strong... Lordzzz willzzz knowzzz..."
KiAera's fur bristled at the mention of "Lords." Her tail lashed behind her as she took a step forward, her ears coiled tightly like springs. "Who's this 'Lord'? Why are you after me?"
The Fluzzerbrat's mandibles clicked ominously, but it didn't answer. Instead, it hastened the flap of its wings, releasing a high-frequency buzz that made KiAera's head throb.
She winced, clutching her head with one paw. The sound rattled through her skull, disorienting her.
"Ugh... a sonic pulse?" she muttered, gritting her teeth.
The Fluzzerbrat seized the opportunity, lunging again. This time, it aimed for her legs, hoping to knock her off balance.
KiAera sprang upward with a powerful leap, her LeapLeap-enhanced legs propelling her high into the air. The creature passed beneath her, narrowly missing its target.
Mid-air, she spun, extending her ears downward like twin spears. With a surge of heat, her Spectral Flame ignited them, turning them into blazing whips of fire.
CRACK!
The flames struck the Fluzzerbrat square in its back, eliciting a pained screech as its chitin sizzled and cracked. It tumbled to the ground, writhing in agony.
KiAera landed gracefully a few feet away, her ears retracting as the flames extinguished. She approached cautiously, her gaze fixed on the downed creature.
"Now," she said, her voice firm, "you're going to tell me everything. Who sent you? Why are you here?"
The Fluzzerbrat twitched, its wings buzzing weakly. Its compound eyes flickered, dimming.
"Zzzz... youzzz... cannotzzz... stopzzz... themzzz... morezzz willzzz comezzz..."
Before KiAera could react, the creature's body began to disintegrate, turning into a cloud of noxious green smoke. The stench of decay filled the air, making her gag.
"Damn it!" she hissed, stepping back and covering her nose. Despite the wretched smell, she absorbed the abyss particles into herself, feeling the creature's energy surge through her veins and empowering her core.
KiAera's [APeX +252]!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Name and Status: KiAera
APeX: [3300 Units] → [3552 Units]!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
As the smoke cleared, she stared at the spot where the Fluzzerbrat had been. Her mind raced.
"More will come..." she muttered to herself. "Whoever these 'Lords' are, they’re sending scouts after me."
She glanced in the direction Gilbud had fled, her ears twitching. She had to regroup with her companions and prepare for whatever was coming next. "Gilbud, you better not have run too far. We've got a lot to talk about."
But then, a new sound emerged.
BUzzZZ BUzzZZ BUzzZZ BUzzZZ
It started faintly—like a distant hum—but quickly grew louder.
"There's more of them..." KiAera muttered in dismay. The buzzing was becoming increasingly louder and closer—this time multiplied a hundredfold. "Damn it, how many of these things are there?"
A flicker of movement in her peripheral vision made her pause. A second pair of wings buzzed faintly, then another, and another.
Her heart sank as the surrounding forest came alive with the dreadful sound.
The ground seemed to tremble as shadows swarmed in the distance. Dozens—no, hundreds—of glowing red eyes emerged from the darkness, accompanied by a cacophony of buzzing wings.
→ Aggressive Zeldritch Detected!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Creature: Fluzzerbrats
Species: Fluzzerbrats
Brief description: buzzing fly brats.
APeX Range: [2366] → [3323 Units]
Attributes: [Xensect] [Sound] [Hazard]
Evolution Stage: [Fledgling] (F)
Current Variant Grade: [Common]
Alignment: [Preda-Praieon] [Aggressor]
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Suddenly, a swarm of Fluzzerbrats burst out of the forest, flying straight toward her. Each Fluzzerbrat varied slightly in size, but the rancid smell of decay was consistent among them. They buzzed angrily, their red compound eyes glowing with an intense hatred as they charged at her with murderous intent.
If there's one fly… there's always a swarm.
"Alright, you overgrown maggots. Come and get it!"
The first wave sliced through the air to reach her, a mass of snapping mandibles and buzzing wings. KiAera spun, her blue-black flames carving through the swarm like a scythe. Her ears lashed out, striking down those that got too close, but for every Fluzzerbrat she downed—two more seemed to take their place.
Fluzzerbrat defeated [APeX +250]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [APeX +237]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [APeX +237]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [APeX +259]!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Name and Status: KiAera
APeX: [3552 Units] → [4335 Units]!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
And as her power rose, she noticed that the incessant rules of Zeldritzon began to hinder her ascent.
Fluzzerbrat defeated [APeX +325]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [APeX +330]!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Name and Status: KiAera
APeX: [4335 Units] → [4990 Units]!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Fluzzerbrat defeated [APeX +244]!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
[ding! [Fluzzerbrat] defeated!]
[ApeX obtained: 244.4 Units]
[Conversion: 244.4 Units > 244 Units!]
[PENALIZED] [Reason: Double Power]
[Depreaciorl's Rule: 244 Units > 122 Units]
[Conversion: 122 Units!]
KiAera's [APeX]: 4990 Units > 5112 Units!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
[Nearing DOUBLE POWER [IN BATTLE] LIMIT…]
Shoot! The swarm wasn't just mindless. They were able to coordinate, splitting into groups to flank her. The strongest of the Fluzzerbrats remained at the rear as the weaker ones darted to the front and from above.
These same Fluzzerbrats swarmed around KiAera in a circle, closing in on her from all sides.
Her head swiveled as she tried to keep up with their ridiculous speed. A low growl escaped her as she found herself surrounded.
Her ears throbbed; head beginning to ache.
The buzzing they produced… incessantly dizzying. She could not focus properly; she continued to lash out. It was grating on her nerves.
With a snap of her paw, the ground erupted in a geyser of Spectral Flame, engulfing the swarm in a wave of freezing fire.
8. Fluzzerbrat defeated [APeX +238]!
[Depreaciorl's Rule: 238 Units > 119 Units]
9. Fluzzerbrat defeated [APeX +239]!
[Depreaciorl's Rule: 239 Units > 120 Units]
10. Fluzzerbrat defeated [APeX +240]!
[Depreaciorl's Rule: 240 Units > 120 Units]
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Name and Status: KiAera
APeX: [5112 Units] → [5400 Units]!
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
[10] Zeldritch defeated...
[CONQUER'S LIMIT] REACHED...
[CYCLE POWER CAP] REACHED… reason… maximum APeX attainable for KiAERA = [5400]…
Drat. I had one of those as well.
Those flies deliberately used the weakest members of their swarm as bait while the stronger ones zoomed away from KiAera's position to ensure she would not gain too much power. She hit her limit for the day, which meant that the other creatures that fell gave her nothing in terms of growth.
KiAera swallowed hard, but she willed her flames to flare brighter as the other members of the Fluzzerbrat swarm closed in. Planting her paws firmly, she lashed out her ears to cut down any that came too close, combining the might of her [Ear Slash], [Spectral Flame], and [Ignite].
However, despite her efforts, some creatures managed to slip through her defenses, their mandibles snapping at her. She dodged as best as she could, but she wasn't fast enough to avoid them all, and they managed to slash at her limbs, head, and torso.
The wounds stung terribly, but she ignored the pain that agonizingly felt like glass shards and needles striking her from the swift, zigzagging pest, focusing instead on trying to survive the onslaught. She lashed out with her ears, slicing through the chitinous exoskeletons of the Fluzzerbrats, but they were far too numerous—too fast for her to keep up with. They were like a swarm of locusts, cutting into her in a frenzy.
It was only a matter of time before they overwhelmed her.
"Damn it!" KiAera cursed as she [Headbutted] a [3323] Fluzzerbrat. "ENOUGH!" Flames of blue erupted in a vortex, enveloping her entire body and whipping around her like a blazing tornado.
★ [Fire Twister] - Fire - TECH: 29 → TECH: 30
The flames burned away at the Fluzzerbrats, incinerating them on contact. The intense heat scorched their chitinous exoskeletons, melting them both externally and internally, and their numbers were dropping rapidly. Soon the swarm collapsed in an unpleasant, sludgy mess.
The smell was absolutely atrocious, but KiAera ignored it, concentrating instead on destroying as many of the Fluzzerbrats as possible while maintaining her focus on the particles in the atmosphere that belonged to them. KiAera wasn't going to let these particles go to waste as she recalled the conversion approach. Would it work? How would it work?
She thought back to her training.
Remember, KiAera… Revise, right? Think of it as revising—altering it elsewhere. There was an option to store the residual ambience alternately. If I recall correctly, all I have to do is draw it in…
Fluzzerbrat defeated [AP +33]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [AP +26]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [AP +31]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [AP +29]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [AP +32]!
Er, it's nothing like APeX when it's drawn to you automatically, you have to force it toward yourself. Or else it'll easily slip away!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [AP +28]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [AP +32]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [AP +32]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [AP +33]!
Fluzzerbrat defeated [AP +33]!
So, from what she understood about AP. They were called Ambience Particles. And they were valued at a hundredth of a defeated monster's APeX. Thus far, she had defeated more than [30] Fluzzerbrats, which granted her a total of [1035] AP.
She delved into this concept while training under GamaGen. These particles were considered lesser than APeX and were harder to interact with. There was still the nagging question about its application. Where could she apply such particles? She could see where it was stored. The Stored AP.
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
[Innate Status]:
Status Aiment: [Poisoned]
Name: KiAera
Age: [24 Cycles] [25]
Race: [Merecritt]
Species: [Merecritt]
Innate: [Human 𓆩♡𓆪]
Class: [Unselected]
Evolution Stage: [Fledgling] (F)
Variant Grade: [Common]
Attribute Influence: [Beast] [Fire]
Dominions: [Revise] [Virtuoso]
Stored AP: [1035]
Current APeX: ⚠︎ [5400 Units] ⚠︎
Power Limit Cap (APeX): [5400 Units]
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
STR Parameter: [30]
DEF Parameter: [10]
PWR Parameter: [10]
WIL Parameter: [360]
RES Parameter: [22]
SPD Parameter: [95]
Important: Total cannot surpass the max APeX
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Insight [Rank E] — Progress [32%]
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
It did nothing when she applied the AP to her APeX—[Rejected] [Incompatible]. The same occurred when she tried to apply it to her technique's TECH—[Rejected] [Incompatible]. But when she gave her Parameters a shot, particularly PWR…
PWR Parameter: [10] → [20]!
Stored AP: [1035] → [1025] remaining.
It startled her, but it also exhilarated her when it happened!
Yet, that joyous moment blurred from sight as the last of the Fluzzerbrats fell to her flames. She couldn't stop herself from collapsing to her knees—they felt weaker than usual. Exhaustion began to creep as her breathes came out as sharp gasps.
KiAera's muscles were on fire, each throb of pain echoing the fierce battle she had just fought. The bites stung accursedly like a thousand angry hornets. She hunched forward, palms pressed into the ground, trying to catch her breath as the last wisps of smoke danced away, leaving behind the acrid ghost of charred chitin in the air.
She stared at the smoldering remains of the creatures, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"That was too close," she groaned, staggering to her feet and taking a moment to catch her breath. Her movements became sluggish as she felt their poison working its way through her system.
She felt faint, and her vision began to blur, but she pushed through it, gritting her teeth and forcing herself to stay conscious. Fainting in an area like this would be dangerous, but more importantly, she needed to find the others. What were their predicaments, if there were more? Was the Crystal Shelter in danger? Before she knew it, the Fluzzerbrats' toxin dropped her to a knee.
[STATUS AILMENT: Poisoned]
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
★ KiAera's Status:
APeX [Reduced] [-20%]: 4332 Units
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
After a few seconds, the effects of the poison began to fade, and she regained her strength, though it was somewhat less than before.
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
★ KiAera's Status:
APeX [Reduced] [-16%]: 4536 Units
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Poison Resistance = TIER: F (0%) → TIER: F (4%)
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
She tried to rest a bit longer. If she could shut her eyes and catch her breath…
"Help…"
Her ears twitched upon picking up the smallest trace of a shriek. She turned toward its direction, subsequently hearing another squeak.
"No! Stay back! Don't eat us! Please! I'm begging you!"
"Get away from us!"
"Oh no, they're coming for us!"
"They're here! They're here!"
"Someone help me, please! Let me go! HELP!"
Frightened cries echoed further from within the forest, causing KiAera's ears to perk and locate the source of the pleas.
"It's going to eat me!"
Lifting herself from her daze, she dashed, accelerating at high speed with her [MereSwiftness]. Her eyes scanning the area.
Not long after, she could see movement in the undergrowth, but she couldn't make out what it was. Her paws scurried over the ground, bringing her closer to the edge of the forest. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look.
Suddenly, the trees parted to a rocky outcrop, revealing a group of frightened caterpillar-like creatures.
→ Zeozons Detected!
→ Estimated Numbers: 5
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Creature: Mezmeics
Species: Mezmeics
Brief description: little mesmerizing caterpillars.
APeX Range: [80 Units] → [94 Units]
Dominions: [Manifest]
Attributes: [Xensect]
Evolution Stage: [Genesis] (G)
Alignment: [Praieon] [Neutral]
Current Variant Grade: [Common]
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
KiAera heart sank as she spotted them huddled together as the Fluzzerbrats drew closer toward the quivering creatures.
Like their namesake, they were mesmerizing to behold. They—the Mezmeics—were small creatures no larger than her feet, covered in various shades of fluffy green fur. They were pressed between the crevices of an overhang. Their big, round eyes wide with fear, and the leaf-like scarves wrapping around their necks fluttered with their trembling.
"Help!" A Mezmeic cried out. It struggled toward its peers as a Fluzzerbrat's mandibles snagged had caught on its scarf, attempting to drag it out of the crevice.