[Ishmael]
image [https://i.imgur.com/gwVV834.jpeg]
Quest!
From Under the Thumb (Complete)
Congratulations! You have cast aside the leash that kept you chained in the yard. Will your decision lead you to greener pastures or will you be struck by traffic for your foolishness.
You have gained: Nothing.
I rose from the coals forged into a new instrument of violence. My body felt simultaneously stronger and weaker. Power I had never felt before coursed within me through surging currents, but, at the same time, I felt as though my body were slightly eroded. I assumed it was simply a result of being boiled and smashed like a potato for the last ten minutes.
“How do you feel?” Kowal asked hesitantly, his red-shaded eyes confirming that his first attempts at merging metal and blood worked as expected.
My claws clanged together like a cutlery drawer that was thrown across the room. Metallic coating on my teeth constantly washed my mouth with the flavors of iron. I slapped my tail on the ground, the reinforced spikes making a mighty thud against the floor of the forge.
“I feel improved,” I answered as the ceiling rumbled above us. “But, I think I will get to know for certain very soon.”
“That’s great,” Kowal gruffly said with a nod before reaching out an extended hand. “Now, pay up. 50000 XP.”
“Seriously? Right this second?” I questioned with more than a little annoyance in my tone as I transferred all the funds that I had over to the avaricious businessman. “Don’t you need me to go help protect your property?”
“Hmm, a couple thousand short,” the boar murmured in disapproval. Even the smallest loss in profits was enough to take his attention away from the ongoing battle just feet above us. “I suppose that you will just have to earn the rest of it when you go topside. I have a bunker to go wait in. And please, try not to damage my home.”
Kowal has enforced a debt contract of 5642 XP. Any XP you earn until that amount is reached will go directly to the owed party.
Kowal summoned a large iron box. I could briefly see a spacious room that was furnished before he quickly stepped in and disappeared from existence. Reminded of how poor I actually was, I stomped up the stairs and back into the basin.
Chaos surrounded me. Bodies of the invaders and Capitaine’s summons were strewn about the battlefield. To my left, Capitaine used Aurochs as a meat shield while they unloaded machine gun fire into a group of enemies that summoned a wall of vines to protect them. To my right, Culuur and Bonnie pair up to ward off a stampede of enemies. Bonnie’s rain slowed them down enough for the two to constantly give up ground without being overrun.
Crimson eyes spread out as far as I could see in front of me. Instead of the dreaded Corpse-Watcher emerging from the red portals, flashes of lightning shot across the gaps to turn its domain into a blender. Blood and insect limbs were turned into red mist as the demons fled without any semblance of organization.
After a couple seconds, Yoshitsune appeared from the portals short of breath and on uneven footing. She turned towards her attackers and all of the unnatural eyes faded away. A squid-headed demon fired several icicles at her to create a stalemate in the action.
A stalemate I was eager to shatter.
I held out my hand and activated the ability [Burning Rain]. Black sludge bubbled out of my skin and into my palm. The pool of black shot up into the sky and disappeared before raining back down charcoal-colored liquid onto the survivors. A familiar reek of boiling tar filled my nose and made it crinkle reflexively.
Seeing Yoshitsune flinch at my unexpected magic, I quickly barreled towards the remaining enemies like a bus rigged with explosives. They, like Yoshitsune, were exhausted from the previous exchange. The squid gathered ice on their tentacles and sharply flicked the sharp projectiles my way while a large man with the features of a gorilla slammed the ground to try to throw me off balance.
The ice shattered weakly against my improved scales and the violent shaking of the ground did little to deter me. My claws spread and burned white from infused heat. I leapt over the gorilla and swiped my claws through the soft head of the squid. Their gelatinous skull popped like a balloon as they died instantly.
With their spell caster dead, the remaining two enemies were no match for my overwhelming firepower and fresh legs. Only a few strikes and bites were required to finish them off.
I looked down at my blood-soaked hands as blood dripped from my mouth. Despite my unholy appearance, I could not help but grin widely. For the first time in a while, I felt unstoppable again. I had eclipsed my former self by embracing a new form of strength.
I felt good.
“Were you having all this fun without me, Yoshitsune?” I asked my out of breath partner.
“I’m happy to see that you made it, Ishmael-san,” Yoshitsune said through gasping breaths. “But, we need to help the rest.”
“Of course,” I replied as I sprinted to relieve Culuur and Bonnie.
Culuur and Bonnie were in bad shape. Bonnie had temporarily lost focus of her mana to allow for the demons to break through the slowing fields and charge directly into their out-numbered opponents. Led by a tiger-striped demon in leather armor, the demons assaulted Culuur, ripping a few angry gashes along Culuur’s body.
Again, I brought my searing wrath down from above. Before they had a chance to see who had summoned the spell, I had already swung my tail around to lacerate the nearest demon across the face. One of their four eyes was forcibly dislodged from the creature’s head and it shouted in anger at me.
But, I did not give it the opportunity to get any revenge. My endless assault forced the disorganized demons back and allowed for Culuur to take a more confident position. Bonnie brought her rain down to combine with my own molten ability to create sizzling steam.
From the steam, the tiger leapt at me. Their fur burned from the attack and their eyes were fierce with anger and desperation to turn the tide back in their favor.
Fang met fang and claw met claw. My reinforced armor and added elemental damage made my opponent quickly realize that they were outmatched. But, before they could regroup, Yoshitsune’s explosive support ended them in an instant.
Yoshitsune and my support quickly turned the tide of the battle in our favor. Culuur plunged his spear into the final survivor and a look of relief crossed his face as he exhaled heavily.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Thanks for the help,” Culuur said with a small bow of appreciation.
As I attempted to respond cockily, I fell to my knees in wheezing breaths. The power that flowed through my body felt like it was twisting in knots. A blinking blue bar in the corner of my eye informed me that I had exhausted my mana bar in that short amount of time. No longer could I replenish health with my teeth.
“Ishmael-san!” Yoshitsune shouted as she rushed over to support me. “What happened?”
“Just, out of mana,” I wheezed in reassurance. “I’ll be ready to finish the rest of these fuckers off as soon as I get recharged.”
With a look of bewilderment, Yoshitsune summoned a blue vial and handed it to me. I greedily drank down the contents to feel immediate relief like I was in an infomercial for a new, cutting edge, medicine. My mana bar quickly moved back to full and the power that tried to suffocate my veins were reined back in.
“Thanks, I’m fine now,” I said as I waved Yoshitsune away from me. “Let’s go bail out the damn hyena.”
Assisting Capitaine was the easiest. All I had to do was summon some more rain to melt away the barrier of foliage. After that, Capitaine’s bullets, Yoshitsune’s blade, and the teeth of the Corpse-Seekers were enough to turn the rest of the invaders into corpses.
“You got new toys, my friend,” Capitaine said with a large, inviting smile. “Though, you seem to have scorched your coat.”
“Fuck the coat,” I said, mostly to myself, as I unsummoned the smoldering cloth back into my inventory.
image [https://i.imgur.com/FwcJIpg.jpeg]
Notice
Congratulations! The Aspect of Wrath has noticed your treachery and has gifted you a final gift.
Unlocked Passive Ability: Pheromones of the Enemy. Now, any Disciple of Wrath will instantly know that you are a traitor and may become immediately hostile!
“We couldn’t just let bygones be bygones, huh?” I asked rhetorically. Anything short of a declaration of war would have been a disappointment for me. Only the most ruthless and brutal could be considered as someone allowed to hold the mantle of Aspect of Wrath. In a way that would be bizarre to most, I was thrilled that such a high ranking demon wanted me dead the same way that it would want a rival dead.
Brushing that aside, I opened up my stats to check just how much I changed.
image [https://i.imgur.com/kwx1Yxz.jpeg]
Name: Ishmael
Level 15
HP: 610/610 MP: 155/155
Title: The One Who Betrayed the Aspect of Wrath, Friend of the Follies
EXP: 7278/22500
Transformation: Reptilian: Draconic Focus (Stage 5)
Stats:
Strength: 81.57 (+18.43)(+20)
Agility: 64.84 (+15.76)(+20)
Magic: 41.25 (+0)(+70)
Body: 85.72 (+17.95)(+40)
Armor: 50 (Natural)
Passive Abilities: Taken in One’s Prime. They Don’t Make Them like They Used To. The Body is the Best Weapon. Lernaean Blood. Spirit of the Drowned Giant. Crimson Eyes. Aura of Fear. All Things Must End. Draconic Heart. Pheromones of the Enemy.
Active Abilities: Flaying Tail. Sanguine Bite. Acid Spit. Limb Regeneration. Burning Rain. The Great Decay. Nothing.
Notoriety: Primal Hunter: You faced down a beast that none had had yet subdued and survived to tell the tale. Such indomitable creatures will be wary of your approach. They will smell the death of their kin upon you.
+20% Damage against Untamed Beasts.
image [https://i.imgur.com/zJ5FTeK.jpeg]
Pheromones of the Enemy - Debuff (Permanent)
Chemical signals in animals can be used to signal many different things. Food, shelter, death, and identify enemies to attack. Another powerful user has declared you their enemy.
Set by another user at great cost. Chosen User: Aspect of Wrath.
All followers and allies of Chosen User will receive a notification that user is the enemy.
Draconic Heart - Passive
Unlike lesser reptiles, the proud dragons have burning hearts that can sustain them even through the coldest of environments and can act as powerful mana batteries.
You are now no longer weakened by cold environments.
All attacks and abilities that deal damage will now deal additional fire damage.
+25% Fire resistance.
The Great Decay - Active (Unique)
Time is the only supreme power that leaves all as dust floating in darkness. You are borrowing but a fraction of its immense power.
When activated, the target's stats will decay for as long as mana can be supplied.
Target must be touched physically to activate ability.
Targets that reach 0 in any stat will die or break.
Nothing - ???
This ability is blank.
I clicked my tongue as I read the unsurprising description of my latest reward. However, something bothered me much more. My physical stats had regressed to below where it was at Level 11 to allow for my magic stat to return. Only by virtue of my accruing bonuses did I exceed those numbers in actuality. I flexed my arm and frowned now that I discovered the source of the weakness I felt after my transformation.
Besides, I rationalized that the upgrades to my body more than made up the deficit to my stats. I had to remain committed to this new direction. Allowing my mind to wander over the what-ifs would only sour what was otherwise a beautiful fight.
Through the lack of sounds of fighting or some other trinket in his possession, Kowal emerged from his cabin. Without speaking to us first, he made a quick loop around his cabin to appraise the surface. Outside of a few projectiles lodged into the wall, the structure seemed to have been mostly unaffected by the attack.
“Wait, who are these fuckers?” Kowal asked with a look of surprise as he regarded the invaders. “These aren’t the bandits that I’m usually accustomed to.”
“Just some new upstarts in the area, probably,” Capitaine offered a non-committal reply. “I’d be surprised if Shānshén’s group would have attacked you again after you rigged your forge to spray him with molten metal as soon as he set foot down there. I could hear the screams as I retreated from the scene.”
“If his followers hadn’t lost their nerve, they could have robbed me blind. I was out of traps by that point. Oh well, it doesn't matter who these people are, I guess,” Kowal said with a shrug. “Pile them up so I can get rid of them.”
We hurriedly brought all the bodies into the center of the basin. A couple revived before the work was finished and a few stabs and slashes brought them back to the same peaceful death as their comrades.
Once all of the bodies were stacked in a messy pile, Kowal summoned a jar of powder from his inventory. He popped the cork off with his thumb and sprinkled it in a circle around the pile of bodies. The gray powder was guided to the ground with magical force. What I expected to be unruly piles arranged themselves into an intricate pattern. With a snap of his fingers, the powder started to sizzle and the bodies slowly slipped down into a portal.
“So, where do all the bodies go?” I asked Kowal as the pile of bodies sunk into the ground and the circle disappeared.
“Like I give a fuck,” Kowal replied, wiping his hands on his pants. “All that matters is that it is far away from here.”
We stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment as we stood around the patch of rock where the corpses used to be. Kowal was the first to act. He clapped his hands together and arrested the attention of the rest of us.
“Well, it was nice meeting you all, but I think I’m going to go back to Brunswick,” Kowal announced. “I’m tired of dealing with the wild bandits and would rather work with the civilized ones.”
“Brunswick?” I asked curiously.
“Christ, you’re greener than I thought,” Kowal replied with a laugh. “Brunswick is a city crafted by the hands of the demons that came before it. It acts as the gateway to the next region of this infernal place. There are powerful creatures that enforce strict rules to maintain order. If you’d like, I can bring you with me.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to know what we are dealing with,” I said as I scratched my chin absent-mindedly.
Kowal looked towards Culuur and Bonnie. The weasel and siren exchanged quick glances before Culuur shook his head.
“There are a couple other dungeons in the region that we would like to explore,” Culuur responded. “We appreciate your offer.”
“What about you, Capitaine?” Kowal asked hesitantly.
“Oh, I’m not allowed there anymore,” Capitaine said apologetically. “Besides, there are some other beasties that I’d like to get my hands on. It seems that we part ways here. Don’t worry, I’m sure this isn’t the last of our meetings.”
“That does worry me,” I heard Yoshitsune say beneath her breath.
Capitaine, Culuur, and Bonnie have left the Party.
We watched our former allies wander into the mist before we turned to face Kowal. The boar was tapping his hammers against the sides of his cabin. Where there was damage and debris, a soft glow banished it and created a pristine surface. With a nod of satisfaction, Kowal unsummoned his hammers and brought his attention back our way.
“So, what supplies do we need to reach Brunswick?” Yoshitsune asked.
Kowal ignored the question and summoned a black box from his inventory. He pressed down on a button that made a loud clicking noise. A circle of red light opened up around the cabin, reminding me of the Portal I took to leave the Bowels.
“What, did you think I was going to walk all the way there?” Kowal asked with a confused expression. “I’m rich, we’re teleporting straight there.”