Qing stood in the demon hatchery, staring at the Alchemancer's back as the demon lord touched the portal, just as Qing cast Spell Interrupt.
Then, time seemed to slow as several things happened at once. A burst of magical cockblocking energy shot from his hand, smashing into the vortex just as the Alchemancer made contact.
Qing felt his own blood evaporate from the diagram, and with it disappeared part of the portal's magic.
The Alchemancer's body started stretching like taffy, and it tried turning, but it got sucked into the destabilised portal. A hooked hand slammed into the floor, but nothing could stop the portal's pull, and the demon's limbs elongated, skin tearing and reforming as it disappeared into the portal.
"You backstabbing piece of shit!" the Alchemancer screamed, its voice going all weird as it got yanked away. "I'll hunt you down across a thousand worlds! I'll turn your mother into a crap demon and force her to re-birth you!"
Then the portal collapsed like a dying star, imploding with a boom that made Qing's ears pop, and he was thrown away as a shockwave of energy blasted outward.
The gathered demon army went flying like bowling pins as the entire chamber shook, rocks falling from the ceiling as the ritual circle blew to pieces.
Qing stumbled backwards, his ears ringing from the portal's implosion. As the dust settled, a sickening feeling crept into his gut. Had he done the right thing? The Alchemancer was gone, but to where? He'd stopped the energy drain in hell, for now, and acting on instinct, maybe he had stopped the demon from invading another world, destroying it, or setting it adrift among the stars. But what if all he'd done was piss the alchemancer off as it travelled to some unsuspecting realm?
He shook his head, trying to clear the doubts.
No. This was the right call. The Alchemancer planned to conquer multiple worlds. At least in this way the army can't follow.
Still, the weight of his decision pressed down on him. He'd made a choice that could affect countless lives across who knew how many worlds. The responsibility was overwhelming.
Before Qing could dwell further on his actions, a chittering screech filled the air. The lesser demons, freed from the Alchemancer's control, surged towards him in a frenzied wave.
Mawlings charged forward, their multiple mouths gnashing hungrily while Skitter Imps scurried along the walls and ceiling, their insectoid bodies glistening in the chamber's eerie light.
Qing found himself surrounded, demons closing in from every direction. A Mawling lunged, its teeth grazing his arm. He ducked as a Skitter Imp leapt for his face, only to feel a metallic pole strike his armoured back.
Qing pulled back the curtain of the universe, filled himself to bursting with power, and cast Arcane Explosion.
The burst of pure magical energy erupted from Qing's body, vaporising the nearest demons, turning their forms into ash. Those slightly further away were flung backwards, bodies smoking and twitching.
The spell's radius cleared a small circle around him, with demons laying in pieces, their grotesque mouths stilled.
But hundreds, if not thousands more, stood ready to avenge their master, or how they were trapped in hell, and surged in.
Qing's heart pounded as he surveyed the horde of demons surging towards him. He knew he couldn't take them all on at once. With a deep breath, he focused his mind and activated Blink.
In an instant, he vanished, reappearing several meters away on top of a pod of unhatched demons. Skitter Imps rushed across the ceiling, but before they could react, Qing unleashed another Arcane Explosion. The blast tore through the demons and destroyed the unhatched ones below. Demonic screams filled the air.
Standing tall, Qing looked down at the horde, and like a vengeful pest control rep, he started annihilated them. With gritted teeth, Qing activated Shadowsight, and the colour of hell muted, and the air filled with the twisted souls of the dead. Coldness seeped into his skin as a rift to the land of the dead opened, but he ignored it as he reached out with his necromantic powers, channelling energy into the fresh corpses. The bodies inflated and then exploded in a shower of gore and bone shards as he cast Corpse Explosion, ripping apart the nearby demons.
Again and again he cast the spell, blasting apart demons by the dozens.
Yet they never stopped coming.
Soon, Qing was forced to blink again, this time appearing along the roof, grabbing onto a large tube, hanging by a hand. Skitter Imps scurried towards him, their mandibles clicking furiously, mawlings waiting below. Qing let go and cast Arcane Explosion mid-air. The spell caught the imps, turning them into a fine mist.
Landing amidst the carnage, Qing immediately cast Corpse Explosion.
"You get necrotic death. You get necrotic death. You all get necrotic death!" Energy surged from him as he ripped through the hatchery, until suddenly, a blessed energy rushed in and lifted him.
Level Up!
“Congratulations on reaching level twenty-two. Open character screen to distribute new stat points.”
As he was hauled up, he cast Chain Lightning. Empowered by the level up, the electric current came out golden, and it ripped through the monsters, chaining from one to another in an expanding circle. One by one the demons popped, until Qing dropped down in the middle of a quiet cave. He'd slain hundreds with a single spell.
"Back the fuck up!" Qing said, shouting into the darkness as the splattered remains of demons settled.
Qing surveyed the chaos around him, his chest heaving from exertion. The hatchery still teemed with demons, but he'd carved out a temporary reprieve. Without wasting a moment, he focused his necromantic energy on the nearest intact demon corpses.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
He seized the opportunity to damage the production facility, casting Corpse Explosions, tearing through pods, rupturing their fleshy membranes and spilling half-formed demons onto the ground all while destroying the tubing.
Yet the demons showed no fear, no instinct for survival, and they charged in. Qing kept his calm, turning his attention to the massive vat seemingly powering this entire room, its contents bubbling ominously.
Glad I didn't think of this earlier. The Alchemancer would have ripped me apart.
Qing planted his feet firmly and cast Earthen Bulwark, willing the stone beneath the vat to rise. The ground rumbled and cracked as a wall of lightning infused rock pushed upwards.
The enormous vat must weigh tons, filled to the brim with the horrid liquid, but the earth would not be denied. The cavern shook as gravity fought magic, and lost. The container lifted into the air, wobbled, and with a deafening groan of metal, it tipped over.
A flood of crimson liquid gushed forth, spreading across the chamber floor like a tide of acid. Everything it touched sizzled and dissolved.
Qing blinked, staying ahead of the crimson tide, glancing back to watch the devastation. While demons shrieked as they dissolved, a sobering realisation struck Qing. The hatchery stretched far beyond what he could see. With what the Alchemancer had shown him, it likely spanned an area larger than any city he'd known on Earth. He'd dealt a significant blow, but it was just a fraction of Hell's demon-producing capability.
Qing knew he couldn't destroy it all, but removing the Alchemancer and wrecking this section of the hatchery would have to suffice.
It'll have to do, giving us time to rescue Cleo.
He'd done what he could. Time to get the hell out of here.
But, he only knew of one exit, and that lay across the bubbling liquid. Fortunately, he had enough training with blink.
As demons rushed at him, Qing teleported into the air, appearing underneath the roof, falling faster and faster towards the acid with each blink. The ledge he'd entered from came closer, until with a last blink, he appeared on top, and slammed onto the ground with a crack as if he'd jumped from a four story building. He lay there, breathing hard, casting Healing Breeze on himself. Eyes closed, he focused on his thundering heartbeat as his bones re-knit and the pain faded enough for him to sit up.
Damn. Gravity doesn't pull no punches.
He rolled his shoulders with a sigh and turned to look down at the hatchery.
The demon army showed no sign of stopping, using zombie tactics, pushing their own onto the burning liquid, and scrambling across their backs as they died screaming. They were nearly across. More worrying were all the creepy-crawlers scrambling along the roof. He was nearly out of time.
But then, energy rushed into him, and filled his entire being.
Level Up!
“Congratulations on reaching level twenty-three. Open character screen to distribute new stat points.”
He laughed as he floated into the air. Just like the burning pitch outside Shadowgrove, it seemed the vat counted as environmental damage caused by him, attributing the suicidal demon's death to him, showering him in experience.
Not wanting to miss out on such a chance, Qing grinned evilly as he dropped to the ground. He cast Corpse Explosions among the horde, blasting their make-shift bridge apart. As those demons dissolved, he cast Chain Lightning and Magic Missiles on the creepy-crawlers, holding them back like a hero in a tower defence game.
Yet the horde was never ending.
By the time Qing turned to crawl back up through the tunnel he'd lovingly named Hell's Arsehole, he had hit level thirty, and despite the level ups he could barely stand or think straight.
At the entrance, Qing paused to survey the destruction he'd wrought. The chamber was a scene of utter carnage. Broken pods oozed viscous fluids, demon corpses littered the ground, and he left a different person than he'd entered.
With demons closing in behind him, he scrambled in and began his ascent.
* * *
Qing sleep-blinked across the icy wasteland of the Howling Expanse, his body screaming in protest with each teleportation, forcing himself to open his eyes only every now and then. The frozen landscape stretched endlessly before him, the visions pulling firmly on his sleep starved brain. It was all he could do to keep moving while resisting their pull. The wind howled, carrying with it the laments of countless souls trapped within the ice, yet his boots kept him comfy and warm. Dangerously so.
His vision blurred, fatigue overwhelming him.
Qing stumbled, falling face-first onto the unforgiving ice. He caught himself, squeezing his eyes shut.
He checked his quest log, giving himself that sweet drip of dopamine.
Quest Complete: [Thrive to Survive]
Hell’s atmosphere slowly drains your life force and magical energy. Find a way to counter this effect and maintain your strength in this hostile environment.
-Objective [Complete]: Counter Hell’s draining effect
-Optional Objective [Complete]: Discover the source of the drain
-Optional Objective [Void]: Create or find a protective ward against Hell’s influence
Current drain: 0% (increases by 0.5% every 12 hours)
-Reward [Received]: Permanent resistance to Hell’s drain
-Optional reward [Received]: Two level five skill-books
-Optional reward [Void]: The Eternal Sentinel’s Armour
-Optional reward [Void]: Dawnbringer’s Battlegear Set
It had triggered the moment he exited out of the tunnel, and while it was a shame about the equipment, having the protection against the drain, even if it re-started was a boon.
He'd completed the quest he set out. All he needed now was to make it back.
Keep moving. Just... keep... moving.
The mantra repeated in his mind, a desperate attempt to maintain focus.
He blinked again and again and again, until suddenly, the ice wasn't there waiting for him.
He opened his eyes to find the ground far below, as if he'd jumped out of an airplane.
Without a parachute.
In his flight, he had blinked straight off the Howling Expanse.
Adrenaline shot through him like a quadruple bowl of matcha, and he twisted in the air, suddenly fully awake. He blinked back to the cliffside, slamming onto a rock.
"Holy crap. That was close."
But he knew he couldn't afford to rest here. You don't lay down to sleep in hell with the expectation of waking up the same person, if you wake up at all.
So he forced himself up, staring down at the momentous descent.
Then a big smile stretched across his face, and he equipped his glaive.
This wouldn't be so bad after all.
Flight of the Blood Claws: Once an hour, gravity’s effect on the wearer may be reduced, allowing them to soar across the battlefield. Their mass is unchanged.
With a cry of joy, Qing sprang into the air and activated his glaive's ability, soaring across the Field's of Fallen Grace, slowly descending towards the ground.
* * *
As Qing soared through the air, the wind whipping past his face, he felt a surge of exhilaration. The Fields of Fallen Grace stretched out below him, a sea of black feathers rippling in the hellish breeze. For a moment, he allowed himself to revel in the sheer joy of flight, a welcome respite from the horrors he'd endured.
Then he spotted them.
On a distant ridge, two figures waved frantically. Even from this distance, Qing recognised the unmistakable silhouettes of Morgana and Jenny. His heart leapt in his chest, a mixture of emotions flooding through him.
His friends were alive! After the harrowing journey through the Howling Expanse, seeing familiar faces felt like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man. Qing waved back, a grin spreading across his face despite the grim surroundings as relief washed over him.
He'd been so focused on his own survival, he hadn't allowed himself to dwell on the fate of his companions. But now, seeing them safe and whole, he realised just how much he'd been carrying that worry.
Yet, as he drew closer, a knot of anxiety formed. Why only Morgana and Jenny? Where were the others? The Fields of Fallen Grace were no place for anyone to wander unprotected. Had something gone wrong?
The ground rushed up to meet him.
Have they been separated from the group? Are they fleeing from some new threat?
With practiced ease, Qing blinked, teleporting the final distance. He dropped to the ground next to his friends, his glaive at the ready, eyes scanning for any immediate danger.