The monster’s desire to eat me protected me in the end.
My body dragged me underwater just as the mouths closed around me, cocooning me, yet again, along with as many gallons of nasty water as these things could hold.
When the explosion ripped through the cavern, I felt the tremors of the shockwave through the surrounding water, but the creature itself didn’t remain remotely still after that. Whereas last time, it tried to envelope me, entrap me, and digest me, this time it thrashed violently, bucking like a mechanical bull. My blood rushed to my head as I was flung up and around, colliding with something hard. Then I was moving again, whipped down to crash into the surface of the water, only to roll on my side and scrape along what I assumed was the bottom of the lake for who knows how long.
HP 10/83
You have been awarded 7,034 experience points. [16,210 base (+1,681 level, +2,111 camp, -12,968 non-combat class)]
Level up!
You are now level 8.
Max HP +5
Max MP +5
+1 attribute point.
Achievements awarded this level:
Inventor: You have created at least five new designs this level. [+1 Mind]
Ambitious: You have defeated a foe above your level. [+1 to lowest level ability]
Boss Killer: You have defeated a foe far above you in level. [+2 to all attributes]
Level up!
You are now level 9.
Max HP +5
Max MP +5
+1 attribute point.
Achievements awarded this level:
Spirit of the Warrior: You gained 51% of your experience this level from defeated foes as a non-combat class. [+3 spirit]
Ambitious: You have defeated a foe above your level. [+1 to lowest level ability]
Boss Killer: You have defeated a foe far above you in level. [+2 to all attributes]
The strange euphoria passed through me, so intense I started to suspect it was another spell, a last attempt by the plant monster to convince me to lay down and be devoured, but if I was getting experience, something just died. I just had to hope the thing’s death throes wouldn’t kill me.
Eventually, the violent motion ceased, and the petals lost their tough, slick texture, curling and shrinking in on themselves, their colors losing all their vibrancy. Then, the monster lost whatever energy it used to keep its mouth closed, going limp and practically dumping me out along with the rest of the bulb’s mouthful.
I fell maybe a few feet, crashing into the water and going under yet again, but I wasn’t ready to take the plunge, despite the soothing coolness of the water after my dip in acid. My remaining air tanks were empty, and I couldn’t swim worth a damn anymore. I needed to stay above the water line or risk death by drowning.
Detect Iron told me a lot of long, thin creepers grew in complicated braiding patterns along the wall here, so I used those vines, along with the paltry buoyancy the water offered me, to haul myself up and get some air.
Apparently, the monster had carried me to the far wall of the cavern before it died. This part of the lake was absolutely covered in greenery from the vines that let me climb out of the water to pale clusters of leaves with spikey looking red flowers growing from their centers.
The island where most of the fight had taken place still glowed in the distance maybe a hundred yards away, but it was a mess. The cavern’s roof was splattered with glowing amber fluid that slowly congealed at the low points of the rock and dripped down to the floor in with fat *splots.* The floor, similarly, was bathed in glowing yellow goo that ran in slow motion down the bank into the lapping water.
I hung there for a bit, catching my breath, taking inventory.
Loot Ancient Mockvine? Y/N
Oh, so that meant these vines were part of the larger creature too. I answered ‘no’ for now, though. I wasn’t in a position to collect any loot, hanging onto the wall like I was. I’d need some solid footing for that.
Summoning one of my two empty tanks, I got to Shaping, expanding the structure, thinning out the walls and enlarging the capacity until I figured it had enough air to compress and get me back to the island. Then I sealed the tank and shrunk it again. The process took much too long, and by the time I made it back to the island, I was so tired I thought I might actually fall asleep without magical assistance this time.
However, I had stuff to do. Loot stuff.
I crouched down next to the flaccid mass of rubbery plant matter that used to be the central pillar of this room, and gave it a poke.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Loot Ancient Mockvine? Y/N
The room practically exploded in rainbow light. The ground, the walls, the ceiling, underwater, all of it warped and wobbled as the cavern became a swirling display of garish color that boggled the senses. Then, the cave was back to absolute darkness.
Uh. Okay. Not sure I would have done that if I knew I’d kill the light.
I fished around in my spacial storage for something to use as a light, but I had nothing left to sacrifice. I had my air tanks, some bundles of Mendau, Hunty’s spear, and some of my ammunition worms.
Sighing with regret, I summoned a single round of ammunition. These things were too valuable to use as exploding candles, but I needed this.
Volatility [1MP/sec]
I didn’t put much power into it, just enough to have it give off enough light to see the immediate area. Maybe if I detonated it while it was buried in the mud I could salvage the pieces and Automate it once more.
The light was dim, but I was back to seeing with my eyes again.
In front of me was a pile of… stuff. Mostly, it was nasty, wet plant stuff, but the System said it was significant at least.
Mockvine Fiber Bundle x 400: Fibers gathered from the remains of an Ancient Mockvine. These fibers perform many duties while they are alive within a specimen, carrying nerve signals, nutrients, sunlight, and mana to all parts of the plant. With age comes sophistication, and mockvines are not an exception to this rule. These fibers are of the highest quality and conduct complicated patterns of mana nearly instantaneously over long distances.
Mockvine Flower x 140: Mockvine flowers grown by an Ancient Mockvine. While attached to a living specimen, these flowers produce hallucinogenic pollen that can be deployed as the mockvine lures and ultimately devours its prey. Has multiple medicinal uses.
Mockvine Heartstrings: The “heart” of an Ancient Mockvine. This part of the plant served as the central nervous system and resource distribution center for the entire plant. Not useful on its own but highly sought after by alchemists and collectors alike.
Okay. So, I have weird plant stuff now. Hurray.
I didn’t see an immediate use for the loot, but I wasn’t about to argue with the System over this. Besides, that’s why I had spatial storage right? I put my hand on the bundles and willed it inside… only for a small part of the pile to disappear.
Right. Gotta do it one piece at a time.
It took a while, but I was able to whittle the pile down to where I was nearly able to see the ground again, and with that I made an exciting discovery.
Ruined Chain Hauberk: A suit of chainmail once worn by a caravan guardsman. Pitted, rusted, and ripped, this armor has seen better days.
Plate Helmet: Steel plate helmet once worn by a crusading hero.
Underneath the pile of plant loot there was an assortment of real, actual, no bullshit loot, and it was mine. My metal heart warmed at that. It was about time I got some good stuff, or at least some interesting stuff.
Broken pieces of armor, broken weapons, bits of jewelry, gemstones, and gold pieces were everywhere, scattered over the mud, while the heavier bits sunk down to where I had to fish them out. There was even a skull in there, generally humanoid but made of some kind of clear crystal.
One by one, they went into my storage. The space, while not bottomless, didn’t seem to mind the influx of mass I was sticking in there. It felt like I was dropping things into a swimming pool, and I’d only just now covered the bottom.
It was when I found a smooth orb of crystalized something or another that I ran into a problem. Placing my hand on the orb, I willed the spatial storage to swallow the thing up, but nothing happened. I tried again.
Vost’ralixal
What? That’s it? No description about a giant that lost his glass testicle or anything?
I picked the orb up and brought it up to my face, peering into it to try and determine what made it special. Why didn’t it behave like the others? It didn’t feel particularly heavy or-
“Waaaaaaaaaa-!” A bone chilling wail like something out of a nightmare shook the orb and my hand, as green and white fire erupted from the crystal surface.
I dropped the ball into the muck and leapt backward, holding my charged iron worm over my head in preparation for my next life or death struggle, but the fight never came. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” The orb just screamed and screamed, the unnatural fire blazing on its surface. The fire gave off no heat, I realized, confirming that was the case by checking my hand for fresh burns but finding none.
“Hello?” I called to the orb. “Excuse me… Hello?!” I was shouting now, trying to get through the ceaseless wailing to be heard, but if the orb was capable of communication, it gave no indication. It just screamed… forever.
It was bright though. Nice and bright. The whole cavern lit up for me from wall to wall, even illuminating a few feet down under the water… where something shined.
“Okay, so I’m gonna go,” I said, my attention split between the flaming orb and the new shiny thing in the water. “Good luck with… whatever this is. Yeah.” I could barely hear myself at all, and I doubted the orb could hear me either.
Broken Brightsteel Blade: A broken blade wielded by an ancient crusader who met his end, not in war but in peace. The brightsteel still holds much of its power even after its sundering and long years underwater.
It was part of a sword or something similar. It was about three feet long, as wide as my palm and mirror smooth. The edges weren’t overly sharp, not molecularly exact like the edges I could make, but I was willing to bet this was as good as you could get with a whetstone. Strange markings crawled up the center of the blade with lots of loops and curves that flowed all the way to the point.
Detect Iron wasn’t giving me anything for this, but it certainly felt like metal.
Shape [4 MP/sec]
I let my mana flow through my hand and wrap around the blade. If I could saturate the metal, I would know more about its nature and maybe what I could do to use it, but I didn’t get that far.
The metal accepted my mana. Violently.
I’d surrounded the broken weapon with my mana and was beginning to squeeze in between the molecules when suddenly my power was wrenched away from me. There was a horrifically bright flash of light and a burst of energy that enervated my nerves, burned my skin and blew me backward to fall to the ground in a twitching heap where I finally got that nap I’d been craving.
This was as good a spot as any.
—--------------------------
When I came to, the orb was mercifully silent, and the cavern was pitch black.
You take 20 points of light damage from brightsteel feedback.
You take 4 points of magic damage from Volatility.
HP 6/103
“Gaaaah,” was all I could say, in the most painful of groans. The air smelled like smoke and burnt hair, and my ears rang constantly.
Okay, System. I’ll never complain about extra points in Body again.
In fact, I dropped all five of my points I’d been saving into Body right there, spiking it up to 24, observing as my current and max HP rose with every point.
HP 14/115
Moving was a study in pain. My flesh felt brittle and crispy. I had to use my metal arm to do most of the work of dragging my body away from the water’s edge. From there, it was just about sitting there and letting the System fix me over time.
I was in too much pain to go back to sleep, so it was all about watching my HP tick up over time and observing as the light levels in the cave slowly rose.
Hang on.
Indeed, the farthest wall, the one where I’d been dumped as the mockvine died, was visible, slightly lit from underneath in pale white.
Sunlight. Outside this place was sunlight.