The acrid smell of burning fur was thick in the air, bringing moisture to Domison’s eyes. The smell stung even more deeply due to his heightened senses gained from his bond. A melodious popping filled his ears as the flesh and fat along the Area Bosses form melted away at the touch of the ghostly red flames that had appeared. As the monster shuddered and squirmed at the devastation being wrought upon its body, eerie red lights shone from the dying creature's eye-sockets. Domison readied himself, unsure of the best way to approach this evolving threat.
He spaced his feet shoulder-width apart and staggered, tilting his body to present the smallest target to the new threat. As soon as he had taken up his stance, the sound faded out and a black box with red lettering appeared in his vision.
**Sponsor Gift**
-Optional Quest: Demon Slayer-
A Dire Bear was transported to Terra via the Omnicrux System. After being designated as a System Boss, the near-sentient Dire Bear was saturated with Mana at an appropriate level for its new designation. Unfortunately, this broke the poor creature's mind and it has been ruled only by instinct and hatred since initializing. The severe regret within the semblance of sentience that the, now, Demon Bear retained only grows. This deep regret in conjunction with System interference has created a heart Demon within the creature, which is now being released completely due to fatal injury.
Objective: Kill the System Area Boss - Demon Bear, Grimfur
Rewards:
* Unique Skill: Abyssal Embrace
A grin spread across Domison’s face as he nodded his agreement and the screen disappeared with a chime. He had already been planning on killing the Area Boss, but the extra incentive was nice. The infernal flames dripped from the beast’s body and created a pool of flame around the burning form. The flames seemed to stop eating at the beast when they reached its musculature, however, and Domison could make out individual strands contracting as Grimfur rose to all four paws once again.
In an attempt to utilize the new ability he had uncovered, Domison focused his will on the shadows around him and pulled. The gloom intensified as shadows began to practically drip from the plant life and buildings around the battlefield. Semi-transparent black tendrils began to slither and reach out toward the monster, already straining to submit to their master's unspoken will.
They didn’t have to wait long, and when Domison clenched his left fist the sea of squirming shadows leaped forth like spears. For a moment, the entire visage of the Boss was shrouded in a sea of black spikes, then a swirl of infernal red flames exploded toward the sky in a column. Domison’s eyes widened a fraction as he watched, what he had thought to be an overwhelming attack, dissolve into motes of mana visible to the eye.
“Well, shi-”
A wave of infernal fire smashed into the man mid-sentence, not only scorching his flesh but seeming to also burrow into his channels and disrupt the flow of mana there. The heat hit him almost as hard as the blast itself, and his smoking form was shot backward. Domison’s body impacted a tree behind him with such force wood splintered, and for a split second, the man was dazed. The short time his vision was doubled was all the time the boss needed and when Domison could finally see straight, a Demon Bear was standing above him. Its maw spread wide and Domison could see an ember of infernal energy begin to grow at the back of the beast’s throat.
With a snarl Domison sat up and thrust his blade forward, calling for Pabu’s aid across their shared bond. Shifting his weight forward as he plunged his sword towards the Boss’s exposed throat, Domison focused on splitting a stream of mana from his core to spread between his Gauntleted arm and his Abyssal blade. A fiery black energy plumed along the blade and the taloned armor became darker and more tangible. Infernal flames began to pour around the Boss’s fangs before the man’s blade had the chance to strike home and in a last-ditch effort, he thrust his left arm forward, attempting to divert the rush of infernal breath.
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For a moment Domison thought his plan had worked, and his sword began to sink into the monster's wet muscles. Then the infernal flames started to eat away at the black armor along his hands and burrow into the flesh beneath. Gritting his teeth he shoved his way forward, embedding his blade hilt deep in muscle no longer protected by thick skin, and gripped the top of the Demon Bear’s snout with his left hand. Fire spilled across the left side of the man’s face as he pulled down with all his might and drove his knee into the bottom of the bear’s jaw. The pain was excruciating as infernal flame ate away at Domison’s face but he knew that he would heal, and the satisfying sound of the monster’s maw clicking shut and extinguishing the flame made every second worth it.
Pabu took the Boss at its throat immediately after the torrent of flame dissipated from the creature’s jaw, and he hit Grimfur with such force it toppled the massive monster onto its side. Domison stumbled to his feet, the left side of his face was heavily burned, left arm twitching and charred. His wispy gauntlet was flickering in and out, seemingly having trouble keeping its form, but still, the man reached his left hand forward. He knew instinctively that his companion, Pabu, would be protected from his abilities, so he didn’t hold back.
Deep within his inner core, a floodgate opened, rushing through the man’s body, raging for an outlet. An aura bloomed within the courtyard and pulled shadow to his will. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Domison forced his fingers closed and his fingernails dug into the weeping flesh of his palm.
“I’m going to take more than your other eye.”
The Demon Bear stopped struggling to regain its footing. A heavy-set, muscle-wrapped skull looked over at the man, some semblance of intelligence returning in the depths of its fiery eyes.
“But don’t worry…”
A dead glaze passed over the man's face. The seared flesh was healing in patches, having to work harder on the burrowing infernal energies. His left eye was different though, the sclera was black and cracked like charcoal and his Iris was a glowing violet.
“I’m trying my best to preserve your body's integrity. From the neck down at least.”
The storm of mana building up within Domison snaked out of him in a rush, slithering into all of the shadows already straining toward Grimfur.
“Relieve your despair in the dark.”
It was like a cord snapped, and at once every single cast shadow within the loading bay area of the warehouse tore from their prison on the ground. Even the shadow cast upon the Area Boss by Pabu snapped to attention and began slithering its way around the Demon Bear’s neck. Domison blinked slowly, and by the time he opened his eyes again, the Area’s boss's head was suspended in the air by a sea of spears fashioned from shadow. Its heavy body had fallen away, its neck pulverized to a point that the weight of its own form had snapped away the remainder of the spine, muscles, and tendons holding the two together.
Domison released his clenched left fist and the shadows retreated. Suddenly a weariness washed over him as the drop of mana in his inner core settled in. He had used well over two-thirds of his mana in that final attack, and its sudden loss weighed upon the man like physical exhaustion. Before he even had the chance to whoop in exaltation, a chime filled his ears and a black box dominated his vision.
**Quest Complete**
-Optional Quest: Demon Slayer-
A Dire Bear was transported to Terra via the Omnicrux System. After being designated as a System Boss, the near-sentient Dire Bear was saturated with Mana at an appropriate level for its new designation. Unfortunately, this broke the poor creature's mind and it has been ruled only by instinct and hatred since initializing. The severe regret within the semblance of sentience that the, now, Demon Bear retained only grows. This deep regret in conjunction with System interference has created a heart Demon within the creature, which is now being released completely due to fatal injury.
Objective: Kill the System Area Boss - Demon Bear, Grimfur - Complete!
Rewards:
* Unique Skill: Abyssal Embrace:
* Description: Claim dominion upon the spirit of a target and convert to an Abyssal Affinity ally. Domination of the spirit can be difficult, but the difficulty level can decrease due to many factors, including but not limited to, current vitality, power gap, target suffering spiritual ailment, etc. The mana cost for ability usage is determined by the target and while summoned in a non-controlled domain, mana cost is devoted to the summoned ally and cannot be regenerated until the ally returns to a controlled domain.
* Flavor Text: A premature return to the embrace of the Abyss may be jarring… but in the end, it is always welcome.