The centipede thrashes around, slamming itself into the barrier. The barrier barely holds under the slamming of the centipede. The creature scurries back into its portal. There is no way it gave— The centipede bursts out of the portal like a fright train. Its mandibles, which are now glowing, slam into the barrier, causing it to buckle and shatter. The fragments of the shattered barrier fly throughout the air before dissipating.
The centipede’s head flashes past my tree and its body continues to run out of the portal. How long is it? I crouch on the branch I’m standing on and watch the final portion of its body slide out of the portal.
The centipede is about as tall as my waist and longer than I can tell. I scan it.
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Malevolent Blind Crawler - E rank - Level 143
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It wraps around a tree not too far from me. Its mandibles glow once more and it bites into the tree’s bark ripping off a chuck of wood. It sticks its head into the hole and pulls out a baby squirrel. It swallows it whole and goes back in for more. The crunches of its eating resound through the forest.
I hear a squirrel shriek in pain and anger. 2 larger squirrels leap from a tree adjacent to the one the centipede is on. They jump onto the centipede’s back. The centipede removes its bloody mandibles from the tree and faces the new squirrels. Chunks of meat, which I can only presume comes from the baby squirrel, litter its mouth.
The two squirrels climb the shell of the centipede but stop on the way up. They stare in a random direction. Not a random direction. They’re staring at the tower. A dense wave of power comes from the direction of the Tower Dungeon and hits the squirrels. The squirrels merge into one and I lean forward in avid curiosity. The new form of the squirrel is much larger and more imposing. Its sleek dark red fur glistens in the rays of the morning sun. An aura imposes itself onto the forest coming from the enraged, merged squirrel. I flinch backward.
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Merging Death Squirrel - E rank - Level ?
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It’s still much weaker, but this aura. It’s familiar. Like the Void Heralds and my own except different and much much weaker... The squirrel lets out a scream. A shockwave ripples out of its mouth, stunning the centipede. Taking advantage of the centipede’s disorientation, the Squirrel dashes upward to the soft tissue between the centipede’s shell and head.
The centipede becomes aware once more and tries to shake off the squirrel. Its desperation increases tenfold once the squirrel bites down on the soft flesh of its neck. Do centipedes even have necks?
The centipede’s head contorts and mandibles snap at the squirrel, doing its best to dislodge the squirrel. The squirrel’s body suddenly gives out as if it’s a puppet whose strings have been cut and collapses onto the floor.
The centipede screeches, a high-pitched, grating sound that pierces the air. Its body writhes, and it slams its head into the ground. It rubs the bitten portion of its body on the floor as if trying to remove something. Dark, lustrous veins crawl all the way down the centipede’s body.
Slowly death encroaches on the thrashing centipede, until every inch of its body reeks of death. It stops moving and I can tell it’s passed away.
Thistle who is still nestled in the fabric strap around my chest, stirs slightly but continues to snore on, unbothered by what just occurred.
I jump down and slowly walk to the dead animals. I unsheathe my sword and halfway to them the centipede twitches. Ah, man. I run to the nearest tree, climbing up once more as an aura of death becomes excluded by the centipede. Its feet start twitching and its eyes open wide.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
It’s white Irises move frantically and I can see the gears in its bug mind turn as it realizes it’s alive.
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Undead Blind Crawler - F rank - Level 1
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My crow feet crinkle further and I stare at the screen. The behemoth in front of me, as if on cue, contracts its body that’s wrapped around the tree and snaps it into two.
If that thing is level 1, then I’m crazy. It runs off into the desert region, digging beneath the sand to god knows where.
I shudder and jump back down. I walk toward the dead squirrel and examine its decaying body. Finding nothing weird except its large size, I cut it open to find its essence stone missing. An artifact shines through the squirrel’s fur. I reach in and find a small silver scythe made fully from metal and set with a dark, gleaming onyx stone. Intricate runes are etched around the handle, faintly glowing with a sinister light.
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The Lich’s King Death Embrace - Soul bound
The Lich King's Death Embrace is an artifact corrupted by the Lich’s soul. By trading its entire soul and life, the creature/s once attached to this artifact gained immense power and the ability to turn others into undead. Once bound, the user will switch a piece of his soul with the corrupted beings and will either die and/or turn into an undead minion.
Skill:
* Death SEED: Grants the user the Lich’s understanding of the death aspect.
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I drop the ring as soon as I read its description and take a step back. Yeah, nope. It isn’t for me. I rip off a piece of my pants and wrap the ring around it. The wave of energy came from the tower. I look down at the wrapped scythe, playing with it in my hand.
I decided to leave the dead squirrel where it is. Not feeling tired, I continue my trek, making my way toward the beam of light.
I go around the sand region, deciding it’s best to walk around it. I’m not entering because I’m scared, but because I don’t want sand to fill my shoes. I look down and notice I’m barefoot.
The rainforest region to my left eventually gives way to an ashy, dead plain. The entire air is filled with ash, and I can’t help but debate whether to stay here or enter the sand region to my right. Better ash than dead centipedes that magically come to life.
I continue to walk across the soft, ash and soot-filled floor. My mouth, ears, nose, and eyes become clogged with ash the longer I travel, forcing me to tear more strips from my already tattered pants to cover my mouth. A sombre air hangs over the area, and I can't seem to find a single thing that’s alive. Everything is deathly silent as if the world is holding its breath. My nerves are stretched taut, and I can't help but wonder if it was the right call to head toward the beam of light that shines brightly, even through the ash-filled air.
Countless more hours pass by, and Thistle finally awakens but decides to snuggle deeper into the fabric strap because of the atmosphere. The ashy mist grows denser, coating my skin and clothes in a fine, gritty layer. Every step feels heavier as if the ground itself is trying to pull me down.
As I move forward, the air becomes drenched in a thick acrid smell of burnt flesh. The smell worsens the farther I go, and I can’t see the beam of light anymore. I pull out my flask of water, letting Thistle drink some, before taking a swig myself. The burning in my throat lessens, but I feel my stomach grumble in hunger. I’ll make it there soon. Hopefully.
I see the light once more as the ash-filled air thins. I run toward it, a hope-ridden smile filling my face. I make it to the clearing, and what awaits me shocks me to the core, wiping the smile off my face. The corpses of a huge brown bird and a plant giant lie in battle in the middle of a monstrous crater. In the middle of both of them is a dungeon portal that’s the origin of the bright white light beam.
I sit at the edge of the crater. I guess the ring on my finger does belong to Thalanda. Tears fall from my eyes, but I quickly wipe them away. I barely knew him. He doesn’t mean anything to me. I nod to myself and push down the sour feeling in my chest, which burns more than the acrid smell that fills the air. I let out a smile at Thistle and lay down.
Clouds fill the sky above me, floating carelessly. For some odd reason, the clearing is a perfect bubble that doesn’t have any ash in it. I lie still for a couple of minutes, and a thought flashes through my head, rejuvenating me. They both should have an artifact, shouldn’t they?