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-I have had enough.
Black sludge splashes under my my paws, as I stomp angrily through the canal.
We are currently headed towards the centipede nest. I was planing to leave it alone - at least until the whole backlash thing was gone. Waiting until we are back at full power would be a smart thing to do. But the damn things keep nibbling at the roots of my roses, and have been doing that for the past week. A minor annoyance at first, they soon became a pain in the ass when more of them started to show up.
I was actually fine with that at the start, since they provided a great fertilizer for my flowers. But they soon learned how to target the roots while avoiding the lashing thorns. Not to mention it's not just level 1 - 2 critters anymore. –Why is there so many of them coming, and what's with the sudden increase in difficulty?
I've learned from watching the spiders. Sound muffling formations were set up around the tunnels with the roses, to avoid the damn vermin calling out for help. An application of the knowledge granted from both Illusions and Enchanting skills. Problem is, I can barely keep up with refueling them with mana, when the shitty bugs just keep coming anyway, and screeching like if they were being murdered —well they are, but that is not the point. It drains the enchantments; and until I'm able to coax the roses into supplying the runes with magic not much can be done about it, unless I finally figure out how to turn miasma into mana with some kind of arcane formation. That would be so helpful, but finding such knowledge around hell won't be easy... I shake my head at the prospect.
Jumping over some debris and squeezing past a a half broken wall I'm forced to burn away some old spider webs, their owner long gone - this part of the maze is in particularly bad shape.
-Never mind that, we will figure something out.
Those assholes act like fucking ants, even when they are just damn worms with legs. Oversized, two meters long, armored demonic worms. With horns and spikes - and big mandibles dripping with venom... But still just worms.
Yesterday I've had to rush and kill an evolved one, a proper demonic centipede —thankfully not a giant one. I'm guessing they evolve after reaching level five in Hell Beast; similar to how I've evolved my Class after hitting that mark in my own Race, so the theory is solid.
I keep rambling angrily in my head while jumping over some broken masonry, making my way towards the centipede's room.
This wasn't a thing before we have killed the big fucking bug. Only weaklings were roaming the surrounding tunnels back then. Seems like they are truly dedicated to this whole ant game-plan, and are trying to produce another 'queen centipede' if that's what it was. Although I don't think you are supposed to send your queen out to the front lines, so I might have it all wrong.
-Maybe those bigger ones were always around and just stayed with the swarm?
Also demons aren't supposed to reproduce like this! so something fishy is going on with all of them looking like almost exact copies of each other. —The answers should lay in the nest, no point mulling over it. I pick up my pace, as things are the sooner I deal with them the better.
There is a blockade ahead —I don't care, can't be bothered right now. The tunnel in front of me has collapsed in the past, but the cave-in is only a dozen steps long and I will be taking this shortcut instead of going around. Magic gathers under my paw - then explodes through my body in an instant, when it hits the ground. I Blink past the obstacle and continue toward the room where the vermin stays.
> Blink Step (digitigrade): Your innate magic allows you to teleport short distances with a single step.
-A very odd Ability that brings an impression of Hunt, and an image of a wolf to my mind - if that makes any sense, Shrug.
The cooldown is pretty long at around five minutes. I wish the description included that bit of important information before I actually got it. But it's still very useful and works across walls, even if range drops when there is something in the way.
I wonder if this is what that fake dwarf 'Kammi' used back in the dungeon before shoving a dagger in my back. If so, my little suicide bomb stunt back there might not have stopped her for very long. —Not a damn peep from the idiot after all this time; Is she seriously unable to find a secluded place to perform one small ritual to update me on the situation and get us my share of loot?
...
The big chamber that the creepy crawlers appropriated is just ahead at the end of the tunnel. The entrance a big arc at the junction of two main corridors. Whatever it served as in the past took a lot of space. Big gate doors once blocked it but they were ripped out of their hinges and lay to the side.
Watching from a safe distance hidden by skills I observe them swarming inside. The sight would be seriously traumatizing to anyone with a phobia for these, if they were unlucky enough to find their way here. Big centipedes crawling all over each other; wriggling and writhing while making these awful sounds of chitin carapaces rubbing against each other, and the *clicking of their mandibles. Not to mention the noise produced by thousands upon thousands of legs scraping on all the surfaces in the room, including the centipedes themselves — add the miasma filling the room with black haze and a complete lack of light, and you have yourself some serious nightmare fuel. Shudder.
I'm really tempted to just throw a giant fireball in there, and be done with it. Mana cost be damned...
There are dozens of them - hundreds even, more likely. Most look weak, but with them all tangled together and forming a fucking heap in the middle of the room it is hard to tell for sure what are we dealing with here. I can see some of the bigger ones on occasion as well. Damn.
—It's actually much worse then I though at first. When checking this place out earlier from far away, I didn't reach across the whole room with my senses - only picking up on the very edge of the swarm. I'm now sure that not much was left from the abomination if it were stupid enough to get close. Charging in as I currently am is a big No. So it seems like another change of plans is in order -Fuck. I'm angry, not suicidal.
Floor inside of the room is lowered so I don't even have a clear visual of what's inside —Fine, you guys get to live this day. But I will be back...
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
In pure spite while on my way back, I kill one of the bugs that was returning to the nest with a Lemure still wriggling in its mandibles. Its head exploded with a bit of Implosion magic, killing both. Taking the corpses with me to feed to my garden, I decide on our current course of actions. At least until the rose spawns can handle a level 4-5 demons I will have to constantly keep an eye on them. I'm reconsidering getting them the black bark ability.
> ...time remaining: 11 days
We have time to figure something out.
——
Sitting in the basement of my tower pondering about how are we going to wipe out a swarm of demonic bugs I go over all my skills an abilities, trying to get a better idea of what can be done.
> -Mana Channels: Your body developed mana channels, making it easier to control magic and increasing your inner reserves. Magic coursing through them strengthens your body.
>
> -Magic Affinity: Your body has high affinity for magic, learning and performing magic comes easier and at lower cost. Your inner reserves are increased.
>
> -Sense Mana II: Your horns can detect mana in the surroundings at greater distance and with increased accuracy, allows you to read mana signatures. You are able to send a pulse of mana in a sphere around you to gain awareness of everything in your vicinity.
>
> -Magi Focus: Your horns can serve as a focus for magic, increasing your precision and power efficiency, and assist with spell formation by stabilizing your constructs.
>
> -Amplify Magic: Your magic is amplified by your Magi Focus, its power is increased and it is able to overcome resistance more easily.
>
> -Spell Matrix: Your demonic horns' high magic affinity allows them to hold precast magic and spells, that can then be instantly activated. Their capacity for magical constructs and recharge rate scales with Magic x Intellect.
>
> -Mana Channels: Mana channels spread over your wings, making it easier to control magic with them and increasing your inner reserves. Magic coursing through those strengthens your wings.
>
> -Dexterity: You gain high degree of control over your tail, precise movent is now possible.
>
> -Mana Burn: Special formation has developed in your tail, allowing you to disrupt mana in a targeted area, making it hard to control. Rampant mana can cause damage.
>
> -Quick Feet: Your legs move faster; allows for quick bursts of speed by channeling magic through your paws.
>
> -Blink Step: Your innate magic allows you to teleport short distances with a single step, helping you hunt or escape danger.
>
> -Rip and Tear: Chaotic energy fills your thorns making them grow, granting the ability to shred magic constructs and flesh alike.
>
> -Vampiric Embrace: Roots gain the vampiric ability to drain energy from their target.
>
> -Magic Affinity: Your symbiote has a high affinity for magic.
>
> -Mind Barrier: Your symbiote is able to protect your mind from external influence.
>
> -Rhizone Spawn: Spawns a demonic rose sapling armed with thorn covered vines; you retain a degree of control over the separated flowers; it can take root to grow and will protect its territory. The spawns can be reabsorbed at any given time to join the main body.
>
> -Dark Ice: Your ice magic takes mana from the surroundings and from your target to strengthen and support its effects. Ice you create won't melt as long as there is mana to be taken.
>
> -Ice Mastery: Increases your proficiency with Ice Magic. (disabled)
>
>
>
> Hell Born: A set of skills inborn to all spawns of hell.
>
> Identify: Allows access to information about the target. Depends on Spirit + Magic + Intellect. High perception may grant additional information.
>
> Mischief II: Imps are infamous for their pranks. A set of rogue abilities, from picking locks to hiding in the shadows is a must if you wish to live through the consequences of your actions. Increases Luck slightly.
>
> Imp Magic: A set of magic skills and tricks, perfect for any imp to make the lives of those around you more miserable.
>
> Alchemy: A set of alchemy related skills to assist in your craft.
>
> Enchanting: A set of enchanting skills and knowledge to assist in your craft.
>
> Magic Pockets: A personal inter-dimensional space, just big enough for that extra something but quick to access. Number of pockets depends on owner's Magic + Intellect.
>
> Illusions II: Your talent in magic allows you to create strong illusions that can fool even those with special senses. Scales with Magic + Intellect
>
> Elementalist III: You have mastered the elements and they follow your will. Conjure and manipulate them with your power. Scales with Magic x Spirit.
>
> Empower: Strengthen your Hellish physique with mana. The effect scales with user's Magic, cooldown depends on Spirit.
>
> Overcharge: Instantly overload your magic with mana. The effect scales with Spirit + Magic + Intellect. Stability of the magic construct suffers with the amount of excess mana used.
Alright, lets get this over with—
*Wham!
"What in the actual fuck is going on now?" I close the long list, and focus on the Mana Sense.
*Crash! *Thud. There is some commotion on the ground level. I can hear sand spilling in, and something heavy is wrecking the place.
-Upstairs?... Can't I have a bit of time for myself to plan a massacre and a mass extinction of a species?
My confusion gone in a blink of an eye I grab the sword I've left by the sewer entrance and sprint up the stairs. -I don't need no beast of hell in here. The sight that greets me in the room above makes me pause at the final step though. The gate doors were thrown off the hinges, and a huge mass of sand spilled in through the now broken entrance. But that's not all that came in.
—What in the name of all that is pink, is this thing?
There is a violent and aggressive, aggressive-pink something, that just busted through the gate. -That's one ugly motherfucker... A horrific, five meters long mix of an antlion and a morbidly obese human, covered in spike like bristles. And it is bleeding all over the floor. Sand is sticking to its bloated, bloodied, pink form as it tries to get up from the ground with those fat stubby hands as it lays turned on its back - it has four of them and they look like maggots ending in short fingers.
—Whatever this thing is I will put it out of its misery, hell will be a better place without that - it's practically dead already, almost no mana left. Awful, deep gashes run through its body exposing some important bits that shouldn't be hanging out like this; green and black twisting lines are spreading from some of the quickly darkening wounds, flesh around there is rotting at a fast, visible rate. Something did a number on the-
> Genie (18) Myrmedemon Dao (24)
—This.
Fuck.
The sword drops from my hand—
Not waiting a heartbeat after this horrible revelation and without even thinking, we teleport— Blink brings me right behind the creatures head with my hand already raised and Empower flares through me. -Those spike covered mandibles look nasty dangerous. It manages to tilt its face and look up right back at me, bringing the scissors jutting from its maw closer to my head. -It has good reflex even near death, faster than it looks. Its tiny eyes look into mine and widen in fear...
"WA—" I stab my dagger straight through its narrow forehead, "-it..." Enchantments on the blade activate as I pour a sizable amount of mana through them and it detonates inside. *Whoosh! - an explosive pulse of disruptive, compressed mana runs across the demon making a visible shock wave travel over the body, under the magic's pressure blood erupts from the deep wounds like a macabre fountain .
*ting - the black scimitar hits the stone floor.
—Oh, it can talk.
Walls are splashed! with fresh blood and one of the beady eyes bounces of the ceiling. The sand keeps spilling into the room in a silent whisper as the heavy body falls lifeless, head hits the stone with a muffled thump.
-Well... not anymore.
> Level up.
>
> Class: Red Rosen-Maiden Imp (5).
I take a deep breath as time seems to return to normal, damn that was a rush.
-Hmm, now that I look at the thing sprawled there on the ground, it... he? -Damn I didn't need to see that bit. He wears some expensive but gaudy looking jewelry; rings, bracelets and chains of gold decorated with rubies and other gems on all four limp hands. Golden loop earrings hang from stretched lobes. Thick golden chain over its neck looks heavy. —But what's the deal with this comically short silken vest? Well, it was a very well made vest. Shrug.
I have a very, very, very bad thought demanding my attention: Where is the thing that trashed this guy so badly?
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