The green light of the floating lamp flickered before dimming substantially. It was as if something was eating away at the light itself.
The slimy sounds were getting closer and closer. Looking at the lamp, Tacha wasn’t so sure of herself anymore. A boss battle with limited visibility was just crazy. To think that some psychopath developer put such a thing so close to the start of the game… A poor inexperienced soul like her could stumble upon it!
Tacha felt a rush of air coming straight at her. Without thinking, she moved her head to the side.
A black sludge rushed past where her head was just moments ago, splashing onto the stairs loudly.
She didn’t dare to turn toward the bubbling sludge behind her, for the boss had made its appearance.
Corrupted Chthonic Emissary - Layla
It was almost touching the ceiling with how big it was. Black goo spilled everywhere as its dark golden eyes stared at the little granny. It had an humanoid form with strange purple markings moving all over its skin, as if they were alive.
Tacha glanced at the ureadable name of the boss. Was it a bug?
However she had no time to contemplate, the humoungous ooze hurled itself at her. She rolled out of the way, but the boss was too big and some of the goo splashed onto her arm, sizzling painfully.
A cluster of muck is clinging onto you. You reiceive -3 Hp.
Tacha quickly shook it off, but the notifications didn’t stop.
Endurance check.
Value is lower than 23.
You have been inflicted with Voidblight. Your Hp will decrease by 2 every minute.
Voidblight
This status effect will cause Hp loss for a prolonged period of time. If not treated in time, various rendom debuffs will be applied.
A plague that decimated an ancient and prosperous empire. Those infected would be left alone to die, for fear of spreading the malaise.
She was horrified. The guy just grazed her and she was already in danger of dying in just a few minutes. But the worst had yet to come.
Due to the foul air the Voidblight will grow more severe the more you are exposed to it.
It looked like losing a few Hp every minute wasn’t even that bad. In time she might even get worse debuffs.
She didn’t even do anything and her Hp were already down to 14!
Tacha took out one of the radishes in her inventory, brandishing it like a sword. Punching the disgusting goo was a nono. It was safer to squat it away with a makeshift club.
The boss slowly got up from the ground. Earlier, when it had thrown itself at the granny, it had fallen clumsily to the ground with a splosh sound. When it turned around, a radish was ready to meet its face. With a gruttal screech it tried to grab its assilant, ignoring the strange weapon. But it was a grave mistake.
When the radish came in contact with the ooze, it started to boil, and then evaporate.
The spirit attribute of the Spirited Radish has clashed with the void attribute, dealing 53 damage.
Tacha quickly stepped back, but the trashing of the disgusting ooze got some goo on her clothes and skin.
Some goo has attached itself to you. -4 Hp.
Without waiting for anything else, she chomped down on her Wild Stuffed Chestnut Rabbit, recovering all of her health that she had lost.
Name: Tacha Macha
Level: 2 (Alter)
Race: Human
Hp: 19/19
Mp: 20/20
Strength: 7
Endurance: 9
Wisdom: 11
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Intelligence: 10
Dexterity: 19 (+2)
Speed: 18
Luck: 10
Charm: 7
Unassigned Points: 0
Temporary Effects: Hp Regen: +5%
Due to the effect of Voidblight, the effect Hp Regen is reduced.
Unfortunately the health regeneration bonus from eating was greatly reduced due to the Voidblight affliction. But for Tacha, the imediate Hp recovery was enough.
The boss violently trashed around, sprinkling goo everywhere. Tacha smirked. With the two extra point of dexterity coming from her delicious meal, she could easily avoid the falling sludge while she rushed closer to give it a good beating.
You have inflicted 54 damage.
You have inflicted 48 damage.
You have inflicted 61 damage.
However, before she could give it one more blow, an horrible notification appeared.
The Voidblight has grown worse.
All stats decreased by 2.
Hp will decrease by 3 every 40 seconds.
With the loss in strenght, the radish in her hand grew heavier and she couldn’t smack it around like before. With a slimy arm coming her way, she promptly abandoned the radish to the ground.
The boss smacked its hand to the ground, covering the radish with filth.
The arm bubbled energetically before exploding all over the place.
Corrupted Chthonic Emissary is overloaded.
Tacha did not have the time to get to cover. So, in a last disperate attempt she rolled herself in Molly’s bedroll, becoming an oversized caterpillar.
Ooze covered everywhere, and her lamp lost the last flicker of light. Darkness enveloped the place, and she could hear the boss falling to the ground.
Magical Sprite Lamp (Exhausted)
The alchemy magic that powered this lamp has been completely exhausted.
It has become a useless, but pretty prism.
Tacha skeptically put her head outside. Before she could check further, she heard rushed footsteps coming from the entrance.
The newcomer was a teenager with black hair and light blue eyes, with a purple magical sprite lamp floating around him. Tacha squinted at him. He looked weirdly familiar.
His expression distorted and with a hand he covered his nose and mouth. Right. This place was stinky like death itself. She had been rolling around the goo so much that her sense of smell had died a while back.
Hp -3
The newest notification reminded her of her situation. She had no time to waste on just watching, so she tried to get out of the bedroll but she found herself stuck, squirming helplessly.
Attracted by the noise, the guy got closer while holding a sword. He pricked the thing moving on the ground weirdly, to make sure that it wouldn’t jump on him once he got too close.
“Hey! Don’t poke me!”
The black haired man jumped in surprise before realizing that the thing that he had in front of him wasn’t a weird monster. He tried to help the person out, but a lot of grime got on his hands.
A notification informed him that he had lost some health by touching that thing.
“I’ll cut you free” He got ready with his sword to cut the bedroll open. “Noooooo! Don’t you dare! It’s a present!” He stopped. “How am I supposed to do it then?” “I don’t know, but absolutely not by cutting!”
Tacha poked her head out, just to glare at the young man. The two stared at each other for a moment before their expression turned in surprise.
“You’re the thief!”
“The NPC guard!?”
They talked in unison before staring blankly at each other. The man was the first to recover “I haven’t stole anything. You’re mistaking me for someone else” “No no, you’re the guy that was trying to rob the store in the village. And I’m no guard, I just happened to pass by!” Tacha quickly accused him. She might be old, but her memory was still working as well as the old days.
“I wasn’t robbing the store! I was just… searching… something…” He realized only halfway that he sounded like he was just there to make a robbery, the old granny looking at him with judgment. He simply looked away, guilty.
Hp -3
Tacha looked at the notification and froze when she saw that her Hp were just 4. “AAAAAH! I don’t care! Get me out of here!” “But you just said…” he hesitantly looked back at her. “Just do it! I’m gonna die!” Reluctantely he cut the bedroll, and the little granny was quick to take out from nothingness some food and scarf it down.
He became surprised at seeing the granny. A player, she was a player!
He became quickly alert. This might be the individual that was hunting down Layla.
In the meantime Tacha was too busy recovering her lifepoints. She went for the better looking Salted Spirit Mushroom. As soon she ate one portion, her Hp went back to 14, but she started seeing weird shapes floating all around.
You have been inflicted with the Mirage status.
Mirage
Those afflicted by this status effect will see illusions and things that can’t be normally be seen.
Even the fake will be real if you believe in it strongly enough.
Well, it was better than dying from the dirty ooze poison.
She smiled towards the young man, only for it to be frozen when she found herself at swordpoint. “This is such a weird place to be rolling around. What are you doing here?” Tacha snorted “I should be the one to ask that. This is such a remote place for a thief to be” the guy scrunched his eyebrows “I’m not…” “That’s wasted breath for the guy holding the sword, isn’t it?” The youngster looked at her, saying nothing. It was clear by looking at the granny that he wasn’t getting out without a fight.
He raised his blade, but Tacha threw a radish at him, making him catch it unconciously.
Throwing away the vegetable, he got ready to chase, but an angry cry reverbrated into the enclosed room.
Corrupted Chthonic Emissary is now in enraged status.
Frӧst light flickered before dimming significantly. A human-like black figure with one arm and purple markings was staring at him with its golden eyes. They glowed in the dark as they stared at him, no. At his sprite lamp.
“Sh*t”