To say it had been a busy night for Nenn was an understatement. He was making excellent time, with all things being considered. He was under a bit of a time crunch, after all. When a couple of the fires from the purged camps began to die down, the alarm would be raised, both in the fortress and in the other camps.

Nenn had been capitalizing on his advantage. Five camps had already been put to the claw without incident when one did not consider the tantalizing appeal of the siphon’s euphoric effects. Nenn had taken the eldritch tree’s words to heart and was trying his best to ignore and suppress the feelings, but they were strong, relentless, and primal in nature. It was a need that could barely be ignored, but Nenn persevered.

After two camps Nenn decided to switch gears and try to put the feeling to use. Rather than try to seek out more of the feeling, he tried to equate it to motivation, urging him onwards, reminding him that the job that he had already set out to do was not done until all of the naga around the obelisk were dead.

Complete and total annihilation was exactly what the situation called for. There was too much risk in allowing System-enabled naga to roam freely. If one got away, it was possible, if not ensured, that they would come back stronger and seek revenge. Nenn had no way of knowing if any of the System-enabled naga had made their way out of the valley, but, seeing as it had been four days, some of them had probably slipped away back to wherever they had come from.

Nenn approached the sixth camp. There were two watchers on duty, each tending their own fire. The camp was large enough to host two dozen naga or so. The naga had taken to erecting tents and temporary shelters between the two watchfires. It had been a mistake on the Naga’s part to put the two watchers out of line of sight of one another.

Nenn lined himself up with the far watcher’s blindspot and pounced. He took the head clean off of the trialborn naga, dropping it to the ground, and the body crashed into the fire it had been tending to a moment prior.

“Who’s there?!?” the other watcher called out. Nenn slunk into the shadows of the tents and watched as the other watcher made the horrifying discovery that their counterpart was now taking their final nap in the fire.

“Wake up! Wake up!” We’re under att-” the watcher cried out, interrupted as its throat was slashed through by Nenn, causing it to drop to the ground and twitch. The siphon from the first watcher hit Nenn, fueling his confidence in what was about to come next. His cover was not blown, quite yet, but at this point the other camps would be aware something was amiss tonight.

Nenn entered into [Ambush Predator], figuring that it was now worth the risk. He slunk off past the rim of light from the watch fires, and hid beneath the shrubbery of the forest. The second siphon hit Nenn as his confidence was now boiling over. He was doing his best to hold himself back. I have to be tactical, Nenn thought. I cannot risk exposure or unnecessary damage. I have to be quiet. I have to- Nenn’s thoughts were interrupted as he saw what had emerged from the tents.

Tent flaps flew open as trialborn naga slithered out of their place of refuge to face the threat. They were well armed, and their armor told the tale of experience. There was not a single newly integrated naga amongst them, and for good reason.

These were the trialborn naga who had brought their family to the battlefield. Nenn watched as smaller naga, who were clearly less than mature as seen in the smoothness of their faces amd bodies, zipped out of the tents and were ushered back inside by their parents' harsh orders.

The thought of killing kids was repulsive to Nenn. Sure, he had been ready to commit wholesale genocide moments ago, but now… Now the naga seemed too human-like to continue. The siphon’s effect hit like a drum beating in Nenn’s ears, urging him onwards.

It would be easier if I just gave in and let the feeling carry me through this atrocity, Nenn thought. But… No. If I am going to kill them all, then I will carry the burden knowing I did it sober and of my own volition. It’s a horrific decision and one that cannot be made lightly. I don’t want to explain away my actions by blaming the siphon’s euphoric effects.

The naga had organized a little bit in the time Nenn had been having his internal morality conflict. They had found the two watchers. The siphon effect was biting Nenn in the ass as they saw the watcher’s flesh evaporate into thin air, leaving their polished bones out on display. They knew their enemy was close by.

The naga had begun to pass around torches and were now probing the darkness for the enemy. Nenn was not too keen on allowing them to probe much further, so he casted [Entangling Roots] on one of the further naga. He willed 80% of the roots to ensnare his target, while the other 20% waited a half second before sharpening and lancing straight through the held in place target.

The effect was perfect. The naga in question had died instantly when the root lance punctured straight into its brain and hadn’t even managed to make a sound in the process.. The ensnaring roots held the body upright, while the lances held it rigid. A moment went by before Nenn’s handiwork had been found, eliciting a scream from one of the naga.

That naga had singled itself out, and Nenn repeated his [Entangling Roots] cast on it, abruptly ending its screaming. The camp was in chaos now. The naga threw caution to the wind and were now trudging through the underbrush in pairs looking for whatever hunted them. The children who had been shepherded away before, were now free from their babysitters. They broke out into panic screams and tears when they found the dead bodies strewn across the camp.

The confusion was just what Nenn needed. He moved towards the closest pair of naga and snuck up behind them. Without power boosting [Ambush Predator] Nenn took out the naga, lagging slightly behind its partner, cutting its throat. The body did not even have a chance to hit the ground before Nenn had shifted his momentum and leapt onto the other naga, dragging it to the ground as he shredded its back to pieces.

Now that there were six sources of mana funneling into Nenn from the siphon, its influence was becoming hard to ignore. The line between Nenn controlling his own body, and the siphon’s primal needs fueling his decisions was blurring.

The next pair of naga fell just as easily, their corpses collapsed onto one another as they reached out to embrace in their last moments. The panic in the camp grew to a frenzied pitch. Nenn noted that there were now tiny sparks of light coming from other camps towards this one now.

Torches. They are sending reinforcements. Nenn thought. He picked up his massacre into high gear. The sounds of panic did wonders for hiding Nenn’s movements. He had given up trying to be stealthy in favor of speed. Two more pairs fell within seconds. Then another pair. The remaining naga had retreated to the center of the camp and organized themselves in a defensive circle around the children.

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The siphons from the six newly dead naga hit Nenn like a brick through a living room window. There was a raw primal sensation building in Nenn’s chest as he came to a stop and unleashed the most guttural howl he had ever heard. It boomed and pierced through every living thing within the confines of the valley as the sound echoed off of the mountains. The sound died down, and the world was quiet. The children’s screaming had been replaced by the instinctual silence of existential dread.

Nenn moved without thought. He had lost control. His body’s primal instincts were now incharge, and they wanted to feed. He charged straight towards the gathered group of Naga, and cast [Rot]. Not on the naga defenders, but on the children. The look of despair that flashed across the naga’s faces as they realized that their offspring were dying before their eyes seemed to empower Nenn, as if he was feeding off of more than just the unattached corpse mana. A second passed and Nenn’s body followed up with a massive [Entangling Roots] cast that lanced the entire area where the cowering naga had assembled.

They cried out in pain, but had not yet fallen to their injuries. It was as if Nenn was playing with them, preparing them for their end. The fear in their souls fed Nenn, urging him onwards. Nenn felt his front claws lengthen slightly as his body leapt into the air and sailed through the field of root lances and impaled naga. His body contorted as he spun, his claws slashing through the naga without resistance. When he came to a stop on the other side, all of the area’s occupants were dead.

The siphon surged again, fueled by the biggest influx of unattached corpse mana Nenn had ever received. Another guttural howl ripped through Nenn’s throat, and out into the starry night. The hunt had begun, and the naga would be brought to measure.

The flickering light from the torches halted their progression towards the slaughtered camp, as the would-be reinforcements weighed whether it was worth it to continue onwards towards whatever was capable of making such a sound. Unfortunately they had already passed the point of no return. What they thought to be their protection was to be their anchor.

The torches were a beacon for the instinctually-fueled deathstalker. Nenn sprinted into the forest towards the closest torch, cutting down the three naga huddled around the flickering red-orange light. They offered no resistance as Nenn cut through them like butter. They were all trialborn, but it was clear they either were not System-enabled, or if they were, they had not progressed at all. Their torch fell to the ground and rolled into a dry looking thorny bush.

Nenn continued on, targeting the next group of sitting ducks. He did not even need [Ambush Predator] to catch the naga unaware. He was too quick, and the naga too unexpecting. They had spent too long living a System-less existence that they had not yet come to realize just how out classed they could be.

The siphons influence continued to roll through Nenn’s body. When one would taper off, it was quickly replaced by another two as Nenn’s rampage continued on. It had only grown stronger in intensity since the camp. The naga reinforcements were made of sterner stuff than the camp's occupants had been. Whether that meant they were higher in level or mana density, Nenn didn’t know at the moment. It was similar to the difference between a bear and a deer in terms of how much siphon effect they provided. It was much stronger coming from a bear than a deer. A single deer could not even refill more than half of Nenn’s reserves, whereas a bear could probably refill Nenn’s resources several times over.

The torches had begun to turn tail and hightail it back towards their original camps, once they started to realize that they were being targeted. Nenn followed his next target back towards their camp. He managed to gather the reins on his body now that the siphons were starting to dwindle. He was out of breath, or at least it felt like he was. He didn’t have lungs in his deathstalker form, but this was one form of stamina exhaustion. His instinct-lead behavior had spent stamina without concern for the limits of Nenn’s body.

Nenn ached, but he knew deep down it was just a feeling. His reserves of health, stamina, and mana were still completely topped off. None of the naga had been offered the opportunity to attack Nenn before they had been cut down.

Nenn refocused on the task at hand. He entered into [Ambush Predator] once more and began to creep into the riled camp. Every naga in the camp was on their feet, dressed, and ready to fight. Torches were being passed out as the group pulled into a tight circle. They looked out in all directions looking to see if they could spot the rampaging night predator. A couple of times a naga would look straight at Nenn, but they wouldn’t react, and would continue their scan of the treeline.

Nenn moved in closer. He could see the glittering reflection from each of the naga’s blue-green scales. They truly were a cross between a snake, a fish, and a human. They had long powerful tails that grew in thickness as it snaked upwards towards their torso, which broadened out and took on more exaggerated human proportions. The masculine naga looked like they were jacked bodybuilders, with the thickness of their shoulders and arms. Their torso was also lined with thick rippling cords of muscle. The feminine leaning naga were thinner, but they still had an impressive set of pipes on them. Both variants featured a thick neck, with gills that flared open and closed in the dry air, like a system of bellows. Their faces were human-like. The scales became finer to the point at which they seemed to blend into one another. They had huge lips with rows of sharp teeth hiding behind. Their yellow eyes were much larger than a humans, but the solid black iris looked out of place. Their bodies were covered in places with colorful fins that helped to differentiate individual naga.

I wonder if there is a large body of water nearby? There would have to be. I don’t think the naga, like hanging out on dry land if they can help it. But, am I ever glad there isn’t a lake in the valley. I don’t know if I could take another underwater battle right now, Nenn thought.

“What do we do,” one of the naga said. They spoke with a low hissing sound.

“We need to go to the fortress,” another one said.

“They won’t help us. The Helkis is probably laughing his ass off right now as his slaves are killed.”

“Fuck the Helkis. If we stay out here we are dead. Our only chance is if we can get into the fortress.”

“No,” there was a long hiss. “We can’t, the Helkis’ guards will kill us instead. It's either death here, or death at the gate.

“What if we ran away?”

“Are you stupid, we can’t. He’ll just activate the crests.”

“You all should be so lucky if the Helkis deems you worthy enough to activate your crest.” This came from one of the few trialborn naga in the group. “If it were not for him, you would still be asleep in the Obelisk.”

“Be quiet, whelps,” Another trialborn hissed. “We don’t want to attract the attention of the night predator.” The trialborn naga shoved one of the recently integrated naga back, causing the decidedly feminine form to fall over.

“You will learn your place soo- ugh.” The naga let out a groan of pain.

“Fuck you and your Helkis. I didn’t come here to be a slave to you cunts,” one of the integrated naga said as he twisted his blade in the gut of the trialborn naga.

“You dare defy us and the Helkis? Your lives are forfeit before the Hel-” All of the trialborn naga stopped moving in that moment as a thick root lance punctured through their head, showering the gathered integrated group of naga in blood and brain matter.

A scream ripped through the crowd as the naga began to process what had happened. Nenn had seen enough to change his mind on his mission objective. Upon seeing strife between the two naga factions, it was clear that the newly integrated naga deserved a chance to be free. That freedom of course depended on how they responded to Nenn’s proposal.

Nenn emerged from the shadows, and dropped [Ambush Predator], causing further shouts and panic to pass through the integrated naga. So Nenn did the least threatening thing he could imagine doing and sat down.

The naga who had taken the initiative to overthrow his captors came forward and lowered itself down onto the ground in front of Nenn.