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SS:E Ch. 51 - Cheating

Amy leaped gracefully over the throng of dead, corrupted beasts, landing beside Calvin who was visibly fatigued from the relentless onslaught. His crystalline armor, once pristine, now bore countless scratches and dents. With each swing of his bladestaff, he cut down another monstrosity, but their numbers seemed endless.

"I don't know how much longer we can hold them off," Calvin panted, wiping sweat and ichor from his brow. "We may need to retreat deeper into the structure or find a way to seal this entrance better."

Amy flashed him a mischievous grin, her eyes sparkling with newfound power. "I think I might have a solution to our little problem."

She scanned the horde, her gaze settling on a hulking brute near the rear, just outside the entrance. Amy extended her hand, fingers outstretched, and a sickly green energy began to swirl around her arm.

"Let's see how they like a taste of their own medicine," she smirked.

With a flick of her wrist, Amy sent a pulsing orb of toxic energy hurtling towards the targeted beast. As it struck, the creature's flesh began to wither and rot, spreading slowly to those nearby after just a few moments. The contagion swept through the ranks, causing the corrupted monsters to collapse and disintegrate into putrid heaps.

Calvin watched in awe as Amy's new ability decimated the enemy forces.

"A little gift from a conduit I found back there," Amy said, flexing her fingers as the green energy dissipated.

As the trio caught their breath, the distant sound of more corrupted creatures echoed through the alien landscape. Calvin gripped his bladestaff tightly, determination burning in his eyes.

As the relentless horde of corrupted creatures pressed against the entrance, Amy felt a surge of power coursing through her veins. The Creeping Rot ability she had acquired from the conduit was proving to be incredibly effective in this dire situation. The sickly green energy continued to spread from one monster to the next, causing their flesh to wither and decay until they collapsed into putrid heaps.

Amy glanced at her interface and noticed that her experience in the pestilence skill tree was skyrocketing. The endless waves of enemies provided the perfect opportunity for her to hone her newfound abilities and grow stronger with each passing moment.

An idea sparked in her mind, and she turned to Calvin with a mischievous grin. "Cal, I'm getting a ton of experience on my path right now. What if we slow down their ability to get in here and use this chance to farm some experience? I don't know when we'll get another opportunity like this to grow so quickly."

Calvin nodded, immediately grasping the potential of Amy's suggestion. He surveyed the surroundings, his eyes searching for anything that could be used to fortify their position. Spotting piles of debris and the lifeless bodies of fallen creatures, he set to work.

Together, they began hauling the debris and corpses towards the entrance, stacking them high to create a makeshift barricade. The process was grueling, but their efforts paid off as the barrier grew taller and more formidable with each passing minute.

As the hours ticked by, the creatures continued to throw themselves against the barricade, their frenzied attacks fueled by an insatiable hunger for destruction. But Amy's Creeping Rot never relented, infecting each new wave of monsters as they clambered over the bodies of their fallen brethren.

The entrance became a bottleneck, forcing the creatures to funnel through in smaller numbers. This allowed Amy to focus her pestilence on each group, maximizing the spread of the contagion and the experience she gained from each kill.

Calvin stood beside her, his bladestaff at the ready, cutting down any monster that managed to breach their defenses. The duo worked in perfect synergy, their movements fluid and precise as they held the line against the unending onslaught.

As the experience points flooded in, Amy could feel herself growing stronger, her mastery over the pestilence abilities deepening with each passing moment. She knew that this was a turning point in her journey, a chance to unlock new heights of power that would serve them well in the battles to come.

And so they fought on, the hours blurring together as they pushed themselves to their limits, determined to seize this opportunity and emerge stronger than ever before. In the face of overwhelming odds, they had found a way to turn the tables, to use the enemy's own numbers against them and forge a path to victory.

As the relentless onslaught of corrupted creatures continued, Calvin seized the opportunity to focus on his own growth and advancement. With each passing moment, he could feel himself inching closer to a significant milestone in his affinity bar, the progress now nearing an impressive three-quarters completion.

Freya, ever attuned to her companion's needs, let out a powerful storm infused howl, calling down the destructive essences all around them.

Kneeling amidst the chaos, Calvin turned his attention inward, focusing on the swirling essences that surrounded him. He marveled at the raw power of the storm, the way the rain crashed against the unyielding stone and the lifeless bodies of the fallen. Lightning danced across the ceiling, striking out at the creatures with a fierce intensity, leaving their charred remains scattered in its wake.

As he delved deeper into his meditative state, Calvin's mind expanded, his awareness heightened to a level he had never before experienced. He could sense the intricate interplay of the storm's energies, the way they coexisted and yet remained distinct. The wind, the rain, and the lightning – each a force unto itself, and yet together, they formed a symphony of destruction that was as beautiful as it was terrifying.

With a gentle tug of his mind, Calvin reached out to the nearest arc of lightning, drawing it towards himself. The energy surged through his body, a tingling sensation that raced along his nerves and set his cells alight with power. He could feel the electricity coursing through his veins, branching out like a vast network of pulsing energy before finally terminating in the depths of his titanic core.

As the lightning essence swirled within him, Calvin reached out once more, this time to the wind and water that raged around him. He drew them in, marveling at the way they interacted with the lightning, the three essences dancing and weaving together in a mesmerizing display of raw power.

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With each passing moment, Calvin could feel himself growing stronger, his understanding of the storm and its component parts deepening with every breath. He knew that this was just the beginning, that there were still untold heights of power waiting to be unlocked. But for now, he reveled in the sensation of the essences swirling within him, a testament to his growing mastery of the forces that shaped this strange and wondrous world.

SKILL CREATED. EYE OF THE STORM. AFFINITY WITH THE SPARK OF STORMS HAS INCREASED BY ONE POINT. THREE POINTS REMAINING UNTIL SPARK EVOLUTION.

EYE OF THE STORM (1): This ability remains active until deactivated. While active, consume storm essence to maintain a chaotic storm around you. Damaging winds, rains and lightning surround you, damaging all enemies who draw near. Storm essence drain can be increased to increase the size of the storm. As an active skill, you can detonate the storm for a large essence cost, sending the energies out in all directions. This ability gains experience independently and can be made more powerful through continued use.

Calvin studied the description intently, his mind racing as he grasped the immense potential of his newly acquired skill. The implications were staggering – with Eye of the Storm, he could harness the raw power of the elements to devastating effect. More than that, he realized that this ability presented an opportunity to exploit the system in ways he had never before considered. Simply put, he was going to cheat.

With a knowing glance and a subtle wink directed at Amy, Calvin activated the skill, focusing his will on expanding its influence to encompass the entirety of the entrance. As he knelt amidst the chaos, he reached into his pouch and withdrew a storm-infused behemoth core, its surface pulsing with energy.

Just as he had suspected, Calvin discovered that he could draw upon the energies stored within the core to fuel the raging storm that surrounded him. The drain on the core's reserves was surprisingly minimal, and he estimated that a single stone of this size could easily sustain the tempest for hours on end. And he had dozens.

Inspired by Amy's example, Calvin settled into a rhythm, his mind focused on the task at hand. He would farm these corrupted creatures, using the power of the storm to tear through their ranks while simultaneously drawing upon the behemoth core to maintain the maelstrom's fury. It was a strategy that promised to yield immense rewards, both in terms of experience points and the opportunity to push his newfound abilities to their limits.

As the storm raged on, Calvin lost himself in the flow of battle, his movements fluid and precise as he directed the elemental forces at his command. Lightning crackled from his fingertips, arcing through the air to strike down the monstrous hordes that surged against the barricade. The wind howled and the rain lashed at the corrupted flesh of his foes, each droplet infused with the essence of the storm itself.

Time seemed to blur as Calvin and Amy worked in tandem, their powers complementing each other perfectly. The experience points flooded in, a testament to their efficiency and the effectiveness of their chosen tactics. With each passing moment, Calvin could feel himself growing stronger, his mastery over the storm deepening as he pushed himself to new heights.

There was a certain thrill in this type of combat, a rush that came from wielding such raw, primal power. Calvin reveled in it, his senses heightened and his mind clear as he focused on the task at hand. This was what it meant to be truly alive, to stand on the precipice of greatness and stare into the face of oblivion itself.

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Seth, Tank, and Reaper crowded around the drone control station, their faces bathed in the eerie glow of the holographic display. The flickering images revealed a nightmarish hellscape - a desolate wasteland crawling with countless corrupted creatures. Twisted abominations skittered and slithered across the ruined landscape, their malformed bodies pulsing with unnatural energy.

"This is really bad," Seth said quietly, his eyes narrowing as he focused intently on the nightmarish scene unfolding before them. "The drone's almost reached the location, but look at those numbers. There's got to be tens of thousands of those creatures down there. And dozens of behemoths too. I don't see how they could possibly survive against odds like that."

Tank shifted his large frame closer to the display, carefully studying the sensor readouts scrolling rapidly along the side. "Calvin's one of the most resourceful people I know, and he's got Amy and Freya backing him up. If anyone can find a way through this, it's the three of them together."

Reaper's keen eyes scanned the holographic display, his finger tracing through the air as he pointed out an anomaly in the monsters' distribution pattern. The twisted creatures seemed to converge on a single point, their numbers growing denser and more concentrated the closer they got to a massive, looming structure in the distance.

Seth leaned in, his eyes widening as the realization of what Reaper was suggesting struck him like a lightning bolt. This was it. It had to be.

"We need to check it out," Reaper said, his voice steady and sure despite the dire circumstances they faced. "Whatever's drawing them there, it's important."

Seth nodded sharply, his fingers already flying across the control panel in a blur of motion. "Switching to energy detection," he announced as he worked.

A moment later, the display shimmered and shifted, the visual feed replaced by a pulsing, glowing map of energy signatures. Two blinding points of light radiated out from the distant structure, the intensity of their power nearly searing Seth's retinas as he stared at the screen.

Tank shifted his weight, the big man's eyes narrowing as he studied the readings. "Storm and toxin essences," he rumbled, his voice a mix of relief and apprehension. "That's gotta be Cal and Amy. No doubt about it."

Seth exhaled heavily, the tension draining from his body. They had a location. Cal and Amy were still alive. But the hard part was just beginning.

"Alright, we know where they are now. But getting to them..." He shook his head. "It's not going to be a cakewalk. We need a solid plan."

Reaper stepped back from the display, folding his arms across his chest. His eyes narrowed as he studied the pulsing swarms converging on the distant structure.

"Hmm. A straight up assault would be suicide. We need a distraction - something big enough to draw those monstrosities away and buy us a window."

Tank rubbed his chin thoughtfully, gears turning behind his eyes. Then they widened with a spark of inspiration. He turned to Seth.

"Hey, didn't you say those behemoths are attracted to high concentrations of essence? Like moths to a flame?"

"Yeah, that's right," Seth confirmed with a nod. "The more power, the stronger the pull."

A slow grin spread across Tank's face. "Then let's build a bonfire those uglies can't ignore. We trigger a massive energy surge - something that'll grab the attention of every freak in a hundred mile radius. Yank 'em away from our people."

He jabbed a finger at the structure. "And while they're chasing ghosts, we slip in quiet-like and get Cal and Amy the hell out of there."

Seth's fingers flew across the keyboard, lines of code streaming across the screen. "I'll create a remote essence detonator," he said, eyes locked on the display. "We can trigger it from a safe distance and draw those monsters away like moths to a flame."

Tank gave a sharp nod. "Good. We need our top fighters for the rescue. Reaper, you're in charge of the infiltration team. Pick a handful of our best and get them ready to move. Find Cal and the others, then get the hell out fast as you can."

"Got it," Reaper said, already mentally selecting his team. "I'll get them up to speed on the plan." He turned and strode out of the room, purpose in every step.

Seth and Tank's gazes returned to the drone feed, the ominous structure filling the screen. Swarms of corrupted creatures circled it like a maelstrom of claws and teeth.

"Hang in there, Cal," Seth murmured, hands clenching into fists. "We're on our way."

Tank squeezed Seth's shoulder, the gesture conveying reassurance and resolve. "They're going to make it out of there. We'll make damn sure of it."