Cassandra

Year 820 | Month 7 | Day 9

As I run away from the large elite salamander down the tunnels, one idea after another pops into my head for how to not die in this situation.

From what I’ve seen so far, the salamanders aren’t friendly with each other. So I could possibly drive this elite salamander to another elite salamander and have the two battle it out while I escape.

I could also find somewhere to lose the thing if I can do that, but that option isn’t as likely to work. Even if I used Wrath Manipulation to manipulate the Wrath energy and throw it off track. Since I don’t know how sharp these elite salamander’s senses are. And the only salamanders I have seen so far have all been Tier 3 ones.

Which does briefly make me wonder where the Tier 4s are, but I don’t have enough time for that right now, so I quickly toss the thought to the back of my mind.

Other than escaping through one of those two means, I can also hope to hell that there is some sort of portal or something that can let me escape with ease. But hoping for sheer luck to save me is a bad idea. So that’s out.

In the end I resort to option one.

Finding another elite salamander and escaping while the two do battle. Maybe staying back out of sight to kill the winner if they get that weak and I feel comfortable enough to do it. Which I doubt I will since there is a much larger gap between Tiers 4 and 5 than there is between Tiers 3 and 4.

So without any hesitation, I activate The Calling of Wrath and turn into a beast.

But, to my surprise, I feel instinctively that I can at least manipulate which type of creature I turn into this time. Which makes me very happy, considering my situation.

It only takes me a moment to choose the direction through just a couple simple words.

Perception and speed.

Those are the two areas I want the transformation to focus on.

And immediately after thinking that, the transformation happens instantly. Unlike my previous transformations which took a bit more time.

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Not to mention that it wasn’t painful at all.

Guess there really are more benefits than just the stated ones for advancing my Wrath Transformation.

I try to smirk at that thought, only to find that my current body isn’t capable of it.

As for what my current body is? I can’t really tell without anything reflective down here. All I can tell is that I have bone wings, no eyelids or flesh at all, and seem to be in an avian form.

So I just fly off through the tunnels using my relatively narrow body while making a bit of distance between myself and the elite salamander hurriedly chasing after me. And to top that off, I feel my senses expanding outwards in more ways than one. Letting me feel the presence of another elite salamander some five or so minutes away from where I am right now.

Good.

I begin flying through the tunnels and caverns, navigating each one of them with my senses until I arrive at a large cavern with another elite salamander inside of it. One that locks its gaze onto me the moment I enter the cavern, only to turn its gaze to the elite salamander that’s finally starting to catch up to me.

And double good.

I continue flying through the cavern near the roof after the first elite salamander turns its gaze to the second before heading straight towards one of the lavafalls within it, where I end up digging out my own little cavern. Since there isn’t one there already.

And just like that, I perch inside of the little cavern while waiting for the battle to commence between the two elite salamanders.

The two Tier 5 Wrath monsters.

A small part of me feels a little excited at the thought of going in and taking one of them down after they finish their fight, and one dies. Just because of my success taking down a Tier 4 monster while at Tier 3. Even if I logically know that Tier 5 is a lot stronger than Tier 4 than Tier 4 was to Tier 3.

But when the two elite salamanders finally clash, that thought is instantly wiped from my mind as I sense large blades of Wrath energy being sent out in a shockwave after both of their claws clash in midair. With some of the blades coming my way, and one of them even cutting straight through my wing into the wall behind me. Cutting off a part of my bone wing in the process.

I don’t feel any pain though, seeing as I seem to be some sort of undead bird.

A clear perk of entering an undead form.

Regardless, I begin to manipulate the Wrath energy in the area around me to make both a protective barrier behind the lavafall and to make it so that there doesn’t appear to be anything back here to creatures outside of the lavafall.

Then I sit back in here and use my senses to watch the two elite salamanders clash.

And clash.

And clash for another few hours.

Eventually my transformation runs out and I’m left back in my usual form, still waiting inside of this small crevasse I made behind the lavafall.

But the two elite salamanders just keep on fighting.

Until another elite salamander joins in the cavern and both of the first two leave said cavern, fleeing to different caverns. No doubt not wanting to end up in a battle with an uninjured elite salamander.

Seconds pass after the third elite salamander chases after one of the fleeing ones. Then the seconds turn into minutes.

Eventually I let out a sigh of relief when an entire ten minutes has passed. After which I finally begin to leave the crevasse I made.

I need to be more careful from now on.