I knew I had to intervene, and I got right to work by spiking and rolling mana together. The neutral cyan became a lime-green of my own with the power of my angry, clingy thoughts, arrow of acid solidifying in my managrasp. I shot it off without a word, Arrow weaving through my perception towards the moledragon. The trio of imps spread out as the mole dragon spread it's wings. a green hue glistened along it's black scales, leaking orb of fire welling up in the dragon's mouth. Without even rising up it shot the flame towards Mazrar, the imp dodging to the side and extending his wings to glide. The lime green... molefire clung to the stone wall, burning away at the stone with hungry digging force. My attention meanwhile was on forging another acid arrow, pouring out my mana for an extra chance at victory.
This made too much sense. Moles liked to dig, so of course everything about this creature would be centered around digging. It's wings looked more like muscly arms, and the claws that tipped every limb it had menaced in the pale light. Looking closer on it, I recognized this light. The core of this mole was within reach, and the only thing standing in our way... was a fucking mole dragon. Moles weren't even that scary- "Where did it go?" I questioned, moledragon parting the ground and sinking in like a mouse in a tub of peanut butter.
"Fly!" I ordered my imps in desperation. "Don't let it catch you!"
All three took off, flapping quickly when the moledragon breached the surface. It slammed a claw on the ground, pushing off into the air to chase after Irnuuth. He laughed calmly, pointing with his swordstaff, and I could see half his mana drop with one gesture. That gesture however was all he needed, as even I could recognize where it was going. The moledragon's snapping head slid right through a portal back to the nether, crashing into and shattering a wall of soft rocks. It wrenched aside, portal digging into it's long neck before stretching too thin and destabilizing-- but giving mazrar enough time to strike. My first bound weapon but far from my worst one, scraping on the moledragon's wing with force. Thoguzod grunted a battlecry, pulling his hammer back to impact the moledragon's back leg. It swung through the air, but missed wildly as the moledragon regained it's senses. The monster swung it's tail, stabbing through Mazrar with all too clean of a hit.
"That's it for me boss" he croaked, redscaled form dissolving into hellbound smoke. All I had was my fighter and my mage, and I was determined to make them count. Irnuuth was on the defensive, wings beating fast in his string of dodges towards the ceiling. With Thoguzod waiting on the ground like a batter and Irnuuth unable to attack, I made my move. Under my will, the first corrosive shot struck the wide flank of the dragon, distracting it to breathe a wave of green molefire at the next spell. My acid arrow mostly held together, rod of corrosive gunk splashing onto the dragon's portal wound. It roared loudly, pain registering, and fell to the floor. Thoguzod almost fell from the dragon's impact, but threw his body forward for an impact of his own. The hammer sailed through the air, striking the acid-weakened scales with a satisfying crack. The dragon sunk into the ground like a crocodile, protecting it's side as another acid arrow splashed against merely the stone, and lashed out a wing slam at Thoguzod. he braced for impact, ground under him cracking along with some part of his imp anatomy. Irnuuth gestured downward, summoning a larger cloud of dark bees to annoy the moledragon, but plunged halfway to the ground as his wings began to give out from the strain.
"I need more magic, mistress." He pleaded, making my ego twitch.
"Sending you a refill, get in there"
Skill: Patronage has risen to level 3. Learned: Mana skim.
I'd have to investigate that later.
Reluctantly I took a break from acid arrows that the dragon knew how to counter, blowing raw mana out of my core in a cyan bubble and making it float towards Irnuuth. Thoguzod ducked out of the way of another wingstrike, parried a claw swipe with a satisfying crack, and bit towards the imp warrior with it's excessively long teeth. They dug into his sides, brave trooper of an imp bashing from this awkward angle while Irnuuth uselessly stabbed at the dragon's flank.
I needed to get out there. To intervene. To actulally fucking move instead of living out my days as a mana crucibl-
I felt a lurching feeling as I was pulled out of my own basin. No skin to bristle, no bones to ache, no muscles to flex, the raw essence of Scarlet sailed towards the moledungeon core. I grabbed towards the mana orb, reaching the mole dungeon in seconds and basketballing it towards Irnuuth. He gasped, looking at me in awe, and I noticed the dungeon's light clash from green to half that and half red.
Irnuuth jumped back, spinning his staff through the air. Dark spikes hung in the air around him, shooting as one in time to dodge a lance of molefire. The spikes wove through the air, aiming for the trio eyes of the moledragon. I willed my manipulation into a fingergun, spending dwindling mana on a corrosive shot just above. The dragon roared and reared back in pain, my acid magic eating into it's one good eye and the reinforced skull behind. I turned aside, letting Irnuuth dispatch the blind dragon on his terms, and gathered all my mana together. He flew upwards, landing on the dragon's snout and sending a black beam from his spear. It bore into the dragon's face, amplified by dangerous levels and leaving a dark mark from out the other side.
Your imp has slain: Moledragon. +150 EXP
That was fucking it. Actual power exerted on the world. I felt my nonexistant stomach pang in hunger, memories of this power forcing the acid arrow together as I poured more and more magic into it, aimed for my foe-
My spell never went off.
A massive green silhouette of a mole burst from the crystal dungeon core, jumpscaring me into dropping my spell. Whatever I was doing, I was no longer alone, and it knew it. The mole opened it's mouth, and swallowed my essence in one gulp.
Everything went black with a hint of green.
"Is this how it feels... to be broken down for mana?" I thought, feeling a sudden looseness at the edges of my consciousness. It was just like the last seconds before falling asleep, rather than the painful dissolution I expected. No two ways about it, the mole was eating me.
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So I was going to taste disgusting. Be as bitter as the world told me I was for not taking their shit.
It ate from the outside in, so I was going to armor myself in disgusting thoughts.
Image issues from the body I no longer piloted bubbled through my essence to the outside, poisoning my skin.
Emotional distance layered over it, creating space like a camera zooming out.
Arguments spiked outwards, animosity intertwined with my desperation to win.
My life was on the line. I was worth nothing if I succumbed, and everything if I defended it.
Cheap therapy knockoff words fell off like dead skin. I felt my hand, or memories of it clasp around hilts. Of blades glowing crimson, pulsing orange with my desire to prove myself. Blades of my desire to live stabbed and slashed into the mole's innermost ego, showering me in viridian blood that melted in the fires of my vengeance.
I needed hotter than fire.
I needed lava.
The forge of my desires cracked open under me, bubbling heat of every whim: love, warmth, and to eat something decent for once- burned the mole alive. I pointed defiantly to the heavens, stomping my foot on defiance, and a geyser of my victory shot upwards. It screamed, writhed, and descended all around me, melting in crucible of my determination.
You have slain: Ferrous Hill. +300 EXP.
"Screw you, mole master!" I taunted from the collapsing dungeon expanse.
You have slain your first Dungeon! Bonus skill level acquired
I knew I wanted that to put it towards one of the fives, to get over that wall. Or enchantment, but I'd figure that out later
You are no longer fighting a dungeon. Commencing evolution.
EXP: 636/135. Evolution threshold exceeded by: 371%. Evolution selection greatly enhanced.
ha ha! I wasn't wasting all that EXP after all, I was hoarding it. And about to cash in. About to be something that would rock the world.
My status window:
Scarlet Brimstone, ??? Core Attributes Skills Actions Life force 77 / 120 Command 5/10 Rune analysis 100 mana Focused infusion 80 mana Mana 32 / 200 Observation 5/10 Infuse equipment 33 mana Spawn Monster 20 mana Mana gain 55 / Hour Inscription 4/10 Conjure block 5-10 mana Break block 1-5 mana Mana wages 5 / Hour Enchantment 3+1/10 Corrosive shot 3 mana Promote monster general EXP 636 / 135 Patience 3/10 Cantrips (1 mana) Runes 5/8 Level 9 / 9 Patronage 3/10 Place block Drain blood Efficiency rune x0 40 mana Perk points 0 Selection 3/10 Poison Spray Tremor Stomp Thirst rune x2 20 mana Bonus levels 1 Dark deal Range rune x3 10 mana Summon Monsters Conjure Blocks Spawn: Imp (30), Zombie (20), Dark slime (10) Stone brick (2), Cobweb (5), mossy cobblestone (10), Grass (25) Monsters: Dark slime x4, large earth slime, poison slime, imp x3 Inventory: empty Perks: Well-armed (monster), Blackening magic (zombie), Arcane tutor (magic), Well-crafted (itemcraft), Arcane blacksmith (itemcraft) Expand Status Window by trial and error