Never have I tried to throw my spear. I mean, when you’ve only got one weapon, why the hell would you throw it? Now I am making my own spears, I don’t have that problem any more.

I throw my spear at Legion. At the apex of its arc I will it to split. Thin spears rain down on Legion, forcing him to concentrate on dodging and blocking. With his attention diverted, I charge forward. Energy from my Core swells in my muscles, pushing me forward with explosive speed. A lot of the energy is just swirling around doing nothing though. Makes me wonder why my muscles can’t use all that fuel. Is the energy not pure enough? Is my capacity too small? Will being distracted during a fight get me killed? Probably.

I wash my mind of excess thoughts, and focus on my battle. The battlefield around me blurs as my pounding feet lead me explosively forward. Explosively… Maybe if I have ice boots and create explosions beneath them I could… NOT NOW DAMMIT! One does not simply improve astronomically during battle after trying some crazy idea! Survive first!

I run straight into Legion. Thankfully, muscle memory is enough for me to keep my shield in front of me at all times. If anyone is watching, it definitely looks like I shield bashed him on purpose…. Probably.

“I’d rather burn myself away than submit to a piece of shit like you!” Legion screams, black flames leaping from his mouth. Dark flames rise up from the horde of mob level creatures waiting in the wings. Starting from the back of the horde, the flame rise. Like a wave, they roll forward, leaving their burnt-out host bodies dead behind them. The wave crashes toward us and I prepare to absorb all that emotion. I’m scared fucking shitless, honestly. I’ve never fucking seen a visual representation of emotions before, but I know for a fact I’ve never felt that much emotion. Fucking tidal wave of emotion, fuck that.

To my surprise, the wave didn’t come for me, but instead split apart and sought out more powerful host bodies. A smaller wave of flame bombards the front line of the horde, the rest of the flame passing over. The screams of the front line, the Floor Champions, fill the air. Try as they might, their bodies can’t handle the strain of that much emotion. At this point I don’t think it even matters that it is negative emotions. If you got hit with that much love or happiness, it would surely kill you. Oh! The Great Bear is still alive.

The gigantic bear roars in pain, but the flames use the opening to force their way into its body even further. Skin rends, forced open by the internal pressure. Long gashes open on the bear’s skin, leaking flames. It stands on its hind legs, roars rising in the air. Pain and fury radiate off its frame, taking the shape of an even larger version of itself, but skeletal and armored. The skeletal bear’s vacant eyes lock on me. The bears move in sync, charging my direction in unison.

More screams fill the air as the Floor masters undergo the same treatment as their subordinates. A third of the remaining wave shoot their direction. I hope my party is okay, but I have my own fight to focus on. At least I know Nevasca will be fine. She knows how to handle my emotions. She’ll probably just give the flames a look of disappointment until they calm down and fizzle out.

“Stall him!” Legion orders the Great Bear, a bit redundantly. The lion’s share of the wave crashes into him, causing his body to shudder. A pleasured moan rips itself from his throat. He retreats from my reach with a creepy grin. “Try to survive long enough to face my wrath, Creator.”

Oh no! While I fight this powered up minion, my true enemy will gain unspeakable power! What do I do?! Obviously, I HAVE to have a drawn-out battle with this creepy ass bear thing. It’s only right that I defeat all the minions before fighting the big bad boss, right? Yeah, fuck that.

With my standard roll, I dodge the charging Great Bear. Wisps of flame land on me, but I pay them no mind. I scramble to my feet, my shield held in both hands. The bear scrambles to face me, but I am in no mood to wait. With both hands, I push my shield at the creature. The shield slams against the bear and explodes, knocking it off balance. At my command, the shards whip into a vortex. The pieces of ice scratch and cut at the armored skeleton of flame covering its body. The ice absorbs energy rapidly, turning into steam.

Knocked back by my own explosion, I kneel on the ground. The further away the magic is from me, the more source it consumes. My Source reserves are rapidly draining. I have to finish this quickly. I raise one hand in the air, using my other hand to steady my arm.

“Wisp!” I shout, summoning my creation. Five dancing orbs swirl above my outstretched hand. I force my Monster Core energy into the orbs, utilizing as much of the extra energy as I can.

“Master, command us,” Wisp says in its strange cadence. I grin at its obedience, pleased that it is being so well behaved.

“Devour this beast,” I command, pointing my palm toward the recovering great Bear. “Condense into a point for me and I’ll give you a boost. Consume it and grow stronger for me.”

“We will devour, Master!” Wisp shudders in excitement. The five orbs cluster together, spinning rapidly. Wary of my half-cooked idea, I grow a crude ice gauntlet over my hand. With a magical push, I send Wisp toward the bear, but to give it an extra oomph I cause an explosion right behind it.

The gauntlet shatters. Sharp pieces of ice lacerate the length of my arm. My hand is a mangled mess of frozen and burnt flesh. The screams of the Floor Masters have faded, but a new scream fills the air. Mine.

Almost as soon as it started, it stops. I can feel my Blood energy drain as it knits my flesh back together. I stumble to my feet. I don’t have a lot of time to waste. I don’t bother looking at Wisp and the bear. Either it will get handled or I’ll die. No use worrying about it. I’m also going to shelf the explosion propelled ice boots for now. I’m not quite there yet.

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My right arm cradled, I limp toward Legion. He is sitting cross legged beneath a giant wheel of the black flame. Mystical runes inscribe the surface of the wheel. Above it, a cloud of the black flame hovers. Piece my piece the flame flits down through the wheel. Something happens when it passes through the wheel because on the other side single drops of black liquid drip into Legion’s mouth.

The flames covering Legion’s flesh recede, showing the visage of a half-naked, handsome man with long hair and almond shaped eyes. His frame is lithe and graceful, despite torn clothing and rope like scars. I can see two bulges pulsing beneath the flesh of his forehead. Around the bulges, black runes pulse. The rune crawl on his skin, spreading out. The whole thing is giving me a bad feeling. No. More than a feeling. I cold knot of fear is growing in my heart.

If there is anything I’ve learned in the last ten minutes or so, it’s that I can put my emotions to work. I will the blood crystal necklace to absorb the fear as it grows, convert it into energy, and then use that energy to fuel my healing. To my surprise, the emotion provides a very pure source of energy, filing my Blood energy reserves with surprising speed. I note that down as something to experiment with later.

I lean my weight forward, forcing my legs to move faster in order to keep up with my falling body. Grimacing, I flex my injured hand. A spear crystalizes out of the moisture in the air. The cold shaft soothes my burn injuries, but it still fucking hurts. On my left arm, my new ice shield condenses. Ideally, I’ll finish this quickly, nonetheless it is better safe than dead.

As if sensing my approach, the steady drip of black liquid increases to a stream. The bulges on Legion’s forehead pierce through his skin, rapidly growing into long horns. Slightly curved and pitch black, the horns have an ominous air. The runes on his skin burst into localized flame. The flame doesn’t spread from the surface of the runes, but somehow that’s worse. Legion’s eyes snap open to watch my advance, despite more than half of the flame cloud remaining. Below his light absorbing eyes, his lips twist into an irritated snarl.

“Have it your way,” he growls, rising from his seated position. The runes on the wheel above him change. The cloud of flame rushes through the new wheel, forming into two long, curved swords that fall into Legion’s waiting hands.

With each step, I gain confidence. Dumb bastard just sealed his own doom! I guess it is true what they say about anger making you stupid.

With a roar, we clash. I thrust at him with all my might, but he deftly bats it aside. I deflect one of his swinging blades with my shield, but he uses the opening to slip in close. Face to face, we stare into each other’s eyes. The sword he used to deflect my thrust runs through my stomach and out my back. His black eyes stare into my red ones.

“You belong to me now,” Legion whispers.

“No,” I smile at him, baring my fangs. “YOU belong to ME.”

With a laugh, I drop my weapons. My left hand grabs his wrist, keeping him from withdrawing the sword from my gut. My right-hand shears through his wrist, my claws making short work of his soft flesh. Tough he may be, but Ra’hel’s defense he does not have.

Legion scrambles backward, reflexively holding his maimed arm to his chest. I cackle manically, licking the blood off my hand to intimidate him. Well, at first. Then I realize it tastes really fucking good. Like damn. Did blood always taste this good?

Energy fills me from the blood, but it’s nothing compared to the rush of energy I get from absorbing the sword. My Blood works over time to heal the wound, but its arduous work is rewarded as I convert the emotion directly into energy, filling my Blood energy reserves with gusto. Ever since I gained this Blood, I don’t think it has ever been sated. Now that I’ve had a delicious meal, I realize I’ve been hungry this whole time.

Achievement Unlocked! Just Like a Bad Relationship- Drain a significant amount of emotion. Adaptability +1

I gnash my teeth at Legion, enjoying the feeling of power and control. Honestly, since I entered this world I’ve been steamrolled time and time again. I deserve to vent a little.

With a laugh, I leap forward. I don’t bother to create more weapons, but I make thick boots of ice instead. As soon as both of my feet hit the ground, I leap forward again, setting off explosions beneath my feet. I can feel my legs being ripped to shreds, but my blood knits me back together faster than ever before.

In mid-air, I form a heavy gauntlet of ice around my right fist. Legion, stunned by my ‘explosive’ speed, doesn’t have time to dodge. My ice-covered fist crashes into his face, backed by the full power of my body weight. The ice, one of his horns, and my fist shatter. The claws of my left-hand sink into his side, keeping him from getting away.

His screams reach my ears, punctuated by the pounding rhythm of his sword slashing at my back. I ignore it and bite into his neck. My teeth sink in with ease. Warm, delicious blood, rich with dark fire, floods my mouth. I close my eyes, enjoying the depth of flavors. With an enormous amount of self-control, I release the screaming Legion once my energy reserves are topped up.

“Run,” I grin at him, blood and gore dripping from my sharp teeth. “I want to vent more.”

“I surrender!” Legion sobs, looking a lot like a deflated balloon. Well, like balloon someone punched a bunch of holes into.

The skin between Legion’s eyes split like a third eye opening. For a second I think it is actually a third eye, and that Legion will level up somehow, but I’m proven wrong. The runes on his body swirl and condense into the black orb emerging from Legion’s forehead.

“Master, please forgive me,” the orb crackles. “I had a lapse in judgement. Honestly I-“

“It's fine,” I cut him off, peeved. “That’s what happens when you let your emotions control you. Now come here.”

At my command, the orb hovers over, reluctantly. I wouldn’t blame Legion for thinking I might devour him and destroy his consciousness. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t considered it. But no. These are my emotions and I will take responsibility. With no fanfare, I absorb Legion into my body, just like I did Wisp and Fear.

Achievement Unlocked! Definitely Not a Crazy Person- Beat yourself in a fight. Adaptability +1

Adaptability has reached level 10! Initializing mini evolution 2/3. Racial path ‘Experimental Race’ chosen. Randomizing racial benefits…

Lesser Psionic Enhancement selected!

You’ve unlocked the power of your mind! Selecting an ability based on your traits.

Congrats! You’ve become a Lesser Empath