The first thing Bug does upon entering this new place is to order her minions to spread out and cover her, just in case of an ambush. There doesn't seem to be anything nearby, but Bug would rather be safe than sorry. No matter how powerful she is feeling now, she isn’t so foolish as to think that she can’t be killed. A blow to the head could still be lethal after all, and all it would take is one good sneak attack to take her out.
Once she is sure that everything is safe, she heads over to the waterway and looks down at the flowing water, grimacing as she gets a good smell of the dark waters. It doesn’t smell too bad or like it is full of anything harmful or filthy, but the color and smell still doesn’t give the impression of this being clean drinking/bathing water. Nothing like the crystal-clear waters that can be found in the Safe Rooms, the watering holes in the first layer, or even flowing through the rivers and waterfalls of the second layer.
Dipping a finger into the dark water, Bug gives it a taste and promptly spits it out.
“Yuck. Tastes like dirt and, salt? Definitely not taking a bath in this. Maybe I can find some clean water somewhere else around here. If not, then the next Safe Room should at least have a fountain I can use.”
Getting back up and running a hand through her dirty hair, trying to pull a tangle out of some dried blood, Bug turns and gets to walking, her escort of bony boys following in a loose formation around her with Sam the Shield Man leading from the front. When they eventually reach one of the little bridges, Bug has some of her skeleton move over to the other side of the hallway, her one remaining flying skeleton flapping around up by the ceiling or even latching onto the bricks to crawl around upside down like some demonic bat.
Looking up at it, Bug can’t help but to comment, “Oh, yeah, I never did manage to get back the other one from that frog, did I? Is it even still active? Hmm… Yeah, I think it is, it still has a pull on my Core. Must still be stuck in that frog’s mouth up there somewhere. Eventually I’m going to need to get a remote viewing spell or something…”
While still being under her control, Bug has no real way of reliably controlling any of her Undead that are too far away. Yes, she can still give them orders and they will obey to the best of their abilities. But if she can’t see where they are or what their current condition is, she can’t really give them accurate orders. Her flyer being stuck in a frog is a good example of this. She can order it too go somewhere, but being stuck, it obviously isn’t going to be able to obey her. She can’t even determine where her minions are, in case she wants to go and ‘unstuck’ them. At the very best, Bug can feel the general'ish direction of where her mana is going, basically being her leash on the Undead, but the best she can tell is it is just a vague, ‘that direction~’ for where her poor skeleton is.
Oh well. I would have liked to get that one back, but I might as well just cut it off. Keeping my new spiders under my control is already a serious drain on my mana reserves. No point in wasting more on one I’ll probably never get back…
Cutting off her connection to the lost skeleton and a few other random zombies that are still up there somewhere, Bug grimaces as her max mana hardly goes up, more than half of her mana still being eaten up just from keeping the Cleaner under her control.
----------------------------------------
Stats
Name – Bug
Age – 0
Race – Half-Undead Gremlin
Class – Little Bodily Horror
Level – 28
EXP – 420/8000
Free Stat Points - 0
Heath – 281/318 [Health loss from internal damage greatly reduced by 70%]
Stamina – 105/105 [Stamina consumption reduced by 50%] [Stamina drain: Sunlight]
Mana – 181/181 [Total = 470] [-289 From Control Upkeep]
Vitality – 53 [+1 From Equipment]
Endurance – 35
Strength - 35
Dexterity - 50
Magic - 50
Intelligence - 50
*Luck – N/A
*Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.
----------------------------------------
“Bit better than what it was. Darn thing better be worth keeping. At least it is already getting me kills up there. Now, about my health…”
Looking at her lowered health, Bug feels at her abdomen with one of her hands. Despite not being able to feel the pain, she knows that she has some internal damage and quite a bit of bruising. That fight had taken a lot out of her and despite being able to heal her limbs, she doesn’t have any way of healing the rest of her body. If it wasn’t for Pain Immunity and, from what her status is telling her, the fact that being Half-Undead means that internal damage just isn’t a big deal anymore, or at least not a huge one? Bug is certain that she wouldn’t even be able to move around right now. She shouldn’t be able to move around right now.
Pain Immunity, in lieu of just screaming pain signals and agony, is telling her brain that three ribs are broken, two on the right, one on the left, her stomach, liver, and a kidney are all bruised but thankfully not ruptured or torn, her internal bleeding has thankfully clotted for now, but is just one wrong move from starting up again, and the welt on the back of her head has also stopped bleeding. Oh, and Bug’s tail still has a broken bone. Even if she set it back into place, it’s not as if it has magically healed. For most people, all of this would have left them sprawled out on the floor and unable to move, moaning in pain or just plain passed out and dying. But Bug feels just fine, if not a bit concerned.
If all of this isn’t enough to get my health to drop more than forty points, then what would? How important are my organs now, do I even need them? How much damage would I take if I get stabbed in the heart? If I die, will I actually die, or will I just become fully Undead? I would rather avoid that; I do like being alive…
Still, even if Bug can’t feel any pain or discomfort, she doesn’t like knowing that she is injured. Not to mention that she can feel her broken ribs shifting as she walks, and it feels weird. Without the blinding presence of pain to block it out, she is weirdly aware of the fact that these bones are just, wrong…
“Screw it.” Bug says to herself as she and her minions take a turn and head down a sloping tunnel, following the water as it flows deeper into the Dungeon.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Throwing open the Item Store, Bug reluctantly spends the few points that she had managed to save up and buys a cheap potion. It’s nowhere as expensive as the last one she bought, or as strong, but it should help mend up her insides somewhat and give her body a jumpstart on healing.
Carefully reading the label this time to be sure that this isn’t going to lead to Bug shitting herself again, Bug drinks only half the bottle and then recorks it, storing it away in her inventory.
“Hmm, another tasty one. So, this is what raspberry tastes like? Hm?”
Bug looks down at her feed and finds a concerning warning.
//Warning! User has ingested a Life infused product. Undead Users are advised to avoid this action.
//Error: User is not Undead.
//Error: User is Undead.
//Notice: Ailment Immunity is attempting to prevent [Healing]. Projected damage is [Error]. Would you like to-
//Error: [Healing] is not an Ailment. Attempting to resolve…
//…
//…
//Notice: System solution found. Ailment Immunity updated for [Half-Undead] special User case. Errors resolved.
//Notice: User has ingested harmful/non-harmful product. HP recovered [12 points].
//Warning: User will now eject harmful material. You are advised to not consume harmful material again in the future.
Bug barely manages to finish reading the stream of System notifications before her body is suddenly filled with a variety of feelings. The warmth of healing soothing some of her bruised insides and of her broken bones being set back into place, but not fully healed. The nausea of her Core suddenly reacting violently to this warmth and making her break out into a cold sweat. And then finally and worst of all. The sudden gurgling in her stomach as her entire body wrenches and she can feel as her guts practically flip inside out.
“Uahha~”
Bug barely manages to turn and stumble over to the side as her legs give out beneath her, her hands finding the edge of the waterway she is walking beside like she is trying to hold the rim of a toilet bowl. Vomit and blood escape her mouth in a violent wave of burning discolored fluid. Gagging, her body continues to try and work up the remaining contents of her stomach as tears come to her eyes and her body quivers.
Another release of bile into the flowing dark waters leaves her shaking on her hands and knees like a newborn faun, her eyes wide and shocked at what just happened to her.
Spitting into the water to clear some of the filth out of her mouth, Bug has to just sit there for a moment on her knees as she watches the colorful vomit get carried away by the gentle currents, not able to form a single thought for a while as she just sits in shock at what just happened. Eventually, the shaking subsides, and she is finally able to get a hold on herself again.
“What, the, FUCK!?”
Can I not drink a potion without my body violently expelling filth everywhere! This is the second time!!!! What the hell is wrong with these damn things?!
Bug collapses back onto her butt, exhausted and in need of a short break after all of that.
“So, what? I can’t drink potions anymore? Or I can, sort of? It did heal me at least a little. Are potions harmful to the Undead? But I’m only half, so… I can and I can’t… ahhhhhhh, that's so stupid…”
Bug put her face in her hands and rubs at her temples.
“How am I going to deal with healing then? I can recover limbs and my eyes just fine with magic, but what about the rest of me. Because I’m certainly not drinking another potion ever again if it means throwing up! I guess my only option is through spells…”
Hmm, I have the four Skill Points I just got for killing the Cleaner…So, I’m up to eight now with the four I got while traveling with the others. I don’t want to spend them yet. If I save up some more, I can get a spell that will fix most of my problems anyways instead of buying several small ones. I could just finally get Body Modification and make myself taller, but that won’t handle my healing issue… Hah, I really want to get it, but I need to prioritize what I actually need for survival, not just what I want. I’ll just have to take it easy for now and let my minions do all the fighting while I let my body heal. It will be worth it in the end.
With a sigh, Bug pulls a canteen out of her inventory and drinks some water to clean the taste of vomit out of her mouth. With her stomach still complaining about its abuse, she huffs and gets back onto her feet.
“Alright, let’s keep going. I want to see what this layer has to offer. Hm?”
Noticing something in the corner of her eye, Bug turns and looks towards the water, finding a green head and a pair of black eyes looking at her.
“Kaw!”
Looking like a Goblin had a kid with a turtle, the weird creature with an indent in its head squawks at Bug with all the rage of an indignant crow.
“Kaw?” Asks Bug as she tilts her head at the mysterious being of the waterway. “What are you?”
//Congratulation! You leveled-up a Skill!
//Identify Lvl 1 is now Lvl 2!
‘Lvl20 Kappa. A river monster native to the lands far to the east. Loves cucumbers and is known to eat children and any halfling races that stray too close to its river. Typically avoids fighting adults.
“Finally! This damn Skill finally leveled up! Not much of an improvement though? It just gives me more of a description now, I guess? Meh, who knows, maybe level 3 will be better…”
“Kaw!” The Kappa crows again from its yellow beak.
“Yes, yes. Kaw, to you to… Let me guess, you want to eat me because I’m little? Why does my size keep ending me up in situations like this? First with those birds, and now this. I can’t wait to make myself tall. Hannah is going to be so surprised to see me then. Maybe I should make myself taller than her? Then she won’t be the one looking down at me, but I can look down at her. That could be fun. Or maybe the same height? Then– Hmm?”
Bug’s mussing gets interrupted as another Kappa pokes it’s head out of the water, its black eyes peering up at her.
“Kaw!” “Kaw!”
“And now there is two of you… Bob, shoot them.” Bug orders her archer Skeleton as the Kappa keep crowing at her from the water.
Bob takes aim at the nearest of the two and fires, but the green creature quickly dives under the water, dodging the bone arrow with a splash of dark water. It quickly pops up again elsewhere and angrily crows.
“Kaw!” “Kaw!”
Bob continues to fire, the two Kappas diving and dodging the arrows every time as they continue to make a racket and splash about. Bug has to hop back from the water's edge as she avoids some of the water, not wanting to get wet.
“Just hold still and die already! You’re making so much noise!”
“Kaw!” “Kaw!”
The Kappa don’t seem to care to listen to Bug’s demands and continue in their noise making.
After a few more shots, Bug eventually orders Bob to stop wasting arrows. The Kappas resume crowing at her from the safety of the waterway, but at least they aren’t splashing around anymore.
“Shut up you damn Kappa! I’d like to see you fight us on land. What are you, too scared to get out of the water!? Come up here and fight me!”
“Kaw!” “Kaw!”
“Kaw, kaw, kaw, is that all you can do, you oversized turtles? Get up here and-!”
Bug goes wide eyed as she can feel Water mana gathering in one of the Kappa. A moment later, it opens its beak, and a blast of water shoots out as a sharp beam. Bug dodges on instinct, the blast passing right past her head not a second later and splashing against the brick wall of the Dungeon.
“You fucker! Inflict Pain!”
Pointing at the Kappa, it screams and writhes in the water as its mind and soul are made to suffer imaginary pain, the creature screaming like Bug had just pulled the turtle out of the water and threw it into a boiling pot of hot oil.
With the creature being unable to move out of the way, Bob launches an arrow at it, the bone white shaft burying itself into the chest of the green being and piercing its heart.
//Killed lvl 20 Kappa – 60 exp gained!
The kill notification comes a moment later and the body goes still, floating on the water with a long red tongue lolling out of its beaked mouth.
The other Kappa blinks at the violent death of its companion and then quickly dives into the water, disappearing from view.
“Good. Dang turtle Goblins yelling at me… Just because I’m little, it doesn’t mean that I am food! Hah…”
Running her hands down her shirt to work out some wrinkles like she is trying to wipe away her annoyance, Bug goes to use Raise Undead on the Kappa corpse that is slowly floating away, but stops as a green head pops up again a bit further downstream.
“Kaw!”
“What, you want to die too? Just try me!”
And then another one pops up. And another. And another again…
“Kaw!” “Kaw!” “Kaw!” “Kaw!”
“Kaw!” “Kaw!” “Kaw!” “Kaw!”
“Kaw!” “Kaw!” “Kaw!” “Kaw!”
Green heads continue to pop up out of the water until there is more than a dozen of the ugly things, each one angrily crowing at Bug.
“Uhh! I swear, I’m not food!”
More of them pop up still and their numbers swell further.
“Well, shit… Kill them! Kill the Kappa!”
Deciding that she doesn’t like where this is going, Bug quickly orders her skeletons to attack. She has a feeling that the longer this will take, the more annoying it will become.
The waiting skeletons quickly run forward, not caring in the slightest as they all fall into the waterway and sink into the water. With how tall all of them are, they are apparently still able to stand in the water, but it is deep enough to where the water goes up to the shoulder on most of them. The skittering insect like skeleton just completely disappears underwater, but Bug knows that it is fine down there. Even if it can’t swim, skeletons don’t need to breath after all.
The water way quickly turns into a splashing brawl of Kappa wrestling and trying to drown skeletons or blasting them with water, the skeletons tearing the green creatures apart whenever they can manage to catch one of the slippery critters. Bug, still up on the walkway and not getting any closer out of fear of getting splashed, continues to point at Kappa and cast Inflict Pain on them to try and keep the slippery things from moving around so much.
“Kill them! Kill them alllllll!!!