Five pillars of flame shot out toward me in almost perfect unison. I’d come a long way since my first few weeks in the Head Mistress’s dungeon. Before, I wouldn’t have let their flames touch me—even if I knew they’d do little harm. But now, I beat my wings with the calm of a bee collecting nectar from a grand flower below. Their flames covered me, and my Fire Incubus Form barely indicated a change in temperature. My magma fist was even less impressed.
Before I made a move, I let Travis have the first kill. From nearly ten feet away, a shaft of energy flicked forward. His spear extended to its full extent, drilling into one of the fire monsters on our flank. Piercing it through.
-6,919 HP
I watched as the creature took a surprisingly small amount of damage. As his energy spear was retracted, the Faeastein melted the rock of its body with its own flames, restoring itself to its original shape. Even the rock had a red tint. I suspected it was a creature made of Firazite itself.
There was no need to tell Travis that he needed to take a different approach. His first attack didn’t even have any of his uncanny speed behind it. For his next attack, he took three quick steps.
A wave of energy spears crashed forward. It didn’t just hit the first fire mob, but all three of them that stood in a fifteen-foot radius.
I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. It seemed my friend still had some surprises he’d been saving.
The wave of spears wasn’t active as long as his other skills, but I counted far more energy spears than I’d ever seen from him. There were over one hundred. It battered the group as well as punctured their stony flesh, and they crumbled beneath the assault. Two of them took the brunt of the attack and their HP was depleted in seconds. A third one, near the middle of the tunnel’s opening, was thrown back, but his HP was only halved. It took him a moment to regain his shape.
Travis’s two attacks had happened in the span of a few breaths. He now had the full attention of the remaining fire mobs.
I was still a little in shock that he was able to cause so much damage to a creature that should have been fairly resistant to his piercing damage. I quickly observed my friend and saw how he was able to pull such an attack off. His stamina had been cut in half. No wonder I’d never seen this attack before. To use it put him in a dangerous position, but his friendly health-birdie was here to back him up.
I cast Heal with one hand, while summoning two enhanced Alpha orbs with the other that tore through the short distance between me and the Faeastein in an instant. The Neutral Magic’s high Force blasted giant holes in their chests and caused grand waves as the orbs exploded.
That left a single mob still alive, and its attention had returned to me. Before it could make a move, my tail, like the spine of a bone serpent, wrapped around it and pinned its arms to its sides. Lifting it from the ground, I brought it up to dangle in front of me. With Mana Sight at full power, time crawled and I got a closer look at the creature.
Unlike the Earth Elementals I was familiar with, this mob didn’t borrow human features in their entirety. Its eyes were much larger than a human’s and it didn’t have a nose that I could see. Its mouth was small with an obvious underbite. What surprised me the most was how its eyes trembled in fear. This was no elemental, but a living creature.
I’d wanted to test multiple elements on it to find its weaknesses, but I couldn’t help but pity it. In the end, I prepared Force Learn as my tail changed to a more appropriate tool. Using the hardened Fire Mana that made up my Fire Incubus’s armored skin as an example, I redesigned my tail without letting go of the creature. Saw-like barbs took shape along its edges like a double-sided blade. As easily as flicking my tail, I severed the fire mob in two at the waist. Following up with my fist, I crushed its upper half to deplete the rest of its HP.
Force Learn sent my consciousness into its crumbling form. From the outside it had been obvious enough, but I was able to confirm that it was a monster race because of its lack of blood. It wasn’t powerful enough yet to form its own mana orb, so that was out of the question. Unlike an elemental, I was able to steal this creature’s essence. Bringing up the many popups I’d received, I flipped through them until I found the one I was looking for—Faeastein Form.
The form had mana characteristics that matched others I already had. Just like Primordial Cat, it allowed me to take damage and revert back to my original shape, but my HP wasn’t replaced with the Firazite itself. It also had a decent Constitution buff and flamethrower-like ability. Ultimately, compared to what I already had, there was nothing about it that was unique. I’d eventually max it out to see if it evolved, but I doubted I’d ever make much use of it.
Such a shame, but I was bound to run into this problem eventually. Games were different in that they limited their magic systems like Blue Magic. If there was no real use for an additional Shapeshifting form, why would a game designer go to the trouble of developing multiple forms that did the same thing? Real Blue Magic wasn’t limited in the same way. It was up to me to decide what forms to seek out. Some might be upgrades to ones I already had, and others wouldn’t. The possible evolutions that some forms might possess made things even more interesting. Eventually, I’d have countless forms that I’d never use.
The best approach seemed to be to just collect every form I ran across. I wouldn’t seek out any lesser forms though. Especially from creatures whose elements I already possessed. My time and effort would be best spent only seeking those that I knew I’d use.
“You make it look too easy,” Travis said, laughing as he glanced up at me. I didn’t miss the hint of displeasure in his voice. It wasn’t directed toward me but himself.
“I do?” I said. “You just went from doing 6,000 damage with your first attack to close to 500,000 damage with your second. Sure it was over a large area, but you saw that they were strong against piercing damage and immediately switched to something more appropriate. How was that not making this too easy?”
“But—”
“Yeah, yeah. It cost a lot of stamina, but you have me. Also, I’m assuming that skill of yours can level and it’s still rather low, right?”
“That’s true.”
I saw something in his countenance flip like a switch.
“Then use your new stats and make it quick.” I pointed out into the depths of the dungeon.
He looked in the direction I indicated and saw the swarm of Faeastein that were headed our way. The fire dungeon wasn’t made up of small rooms, but one gigantic chamber that reminded me of the Belly—at least in size. I hadn’t gotten a good look because we’d been engaged as soon as we arrived, but as I’d been encouraging Travis, I’d had the time to take it in.
A natural cavern made up the dungeon. It was round in shape and had to be at least a mile across. I’d half expected rivers of lava, but instead of melted rock, there were pillars of fire that shot into the air in numerous places throughout the dungeon. Only the closest creatures were heading our way. I could easily make out thousands of mobs that had yet to give us their attention. Near the center of the room was a ramp that led up to a plateau. The mobs there were harder to make out, but they were much larger than anything I saw on the first level. Their mana was denser too. The second floor wasn’t the end of it. From what I could tell, there were at least five levels in total. At their peak, on the far side of the room, was what looked like a fortress with two imposing towers made entirely of what I guessed was Firazite. It didn’t take any guessing to know that the Fire Vein was waiting inside.
I glanced at the loot that the Faeastein dropped. The ground was littered in ore. Most of it was Firazite. There was no surprise there, but each one also had a few odd ores along with it. Casting Drain did nothing on the ore-dependent monster’s remains but had been worth a shot. I couldn’t steal any stats, but hopefully we’d run into some Light Magic materials if we killed enough of them.
Before the enemy arrived, I transformed my tail into a Light Mana strand that belonged to my Light Sur
geon true form and snaked it into the gap in Travis’s armor between his breastplate and neck-guard.
He looked up at me, lifting his brow while stretching to get at the tingle that went up his spine.
A steady flow of Light Mana, like his own personal IV of never-ending Heal, flooded into his system. It was an Intermediate flow, but it should replenish his stamina almost instantly.
He shivered before nodding then turned away. He knew exactly what I was thinking.
I brought up my Character Sheet and added two new levels’ worth of stats to my Wisdom.
Travis surged forward to meet the army of fire mobs. This time he had more room to build momentum. When he finally struck, the range of his one hundred spears extended out even further, crushing half a dozen Faeastein in a single strike. I watched his stamina. It would take about eight seconds for him to fully recover.
I wasn’t about to let him have all the fun—and experience. Some of these creatures had high enough levels to make it worthwhile and there were so many of them. I was almost getting the same feeling I’d gotten when the Belly had risen up to devour me. Despite a twinge of fear, my excitement overrode it many times over. Travis and I had come a long way since our first visit to the Belly. The prey had become the predator.
My Light Magic buffs were completely drawn back so as not to bleed too much Light Mana. Mistress Nava was no longer hunting us, but that didn’t mean there weren’t powerful creatures out there that might want a snack. Besides, at this stage of the dungeon, my mana per minute was more than enough for the likes of them.
An outpouring of Water Magic like a water hose from my palm drenched over fifteen Faeastein, causing catastrophic damage. Their bodies hissed and cracked, but the spell didn’t kill them. An Alpha Bomb landed among them, showering the area with ore.
I didn’t know if there was a cooldown to Travis’s skill, but that was soon revealed a few seconds later. I had to fly forward to keep up with him. The cord I attached to him could reach a length of hundreds of feet if I wanted it to, but it would cost extra mana, so I flew above him, playing the role of a caster-healer. His speed kept him well out of physical reach, and he ran through their flames as if they weren’t even there.
After that wave was finished, I cast Battle Horn. It wasn’t because we needed the buff, but it drew the attention of more mobs. It hit level 2, so I decided I might as well keep casting it. Like the beating of a drum, it filled the air with a frightening tempo. Less than a minute later, it leveled again.
It wasn’t the only thing leveling. My experience bar was rising nonstop, and Travis’s level was soaring.
Our first dungeon raid had begun. All the while the ancient lich floated fearlessly behind us—calculating…
Chapter 8 – Her Majesty
The creatures on the first floor of the fire dungeon weren’t just waiting around for someone to come along like a bunch of guard dogs. These were creatures that had been attracted to this place because it was rich with fire mana. Exactly what they were searching for was still a mystery, but I suspected the Faeastein fed off the firazite that was rich in the surrounding rock.
I was keeping an eye on our drops as we swept through the immediate area. Travis needed little help now that he didn’t have to worry about his ability’s stamina drain. The loot was literally just piles of ore. It was all that was left of their bodies after the life had been knocked out of them. There were many things I could do with such ore, and I already had a few plans for it that didn’t include lugging it around with us. The first thing we’d need to do was sift through it to see if there was any of the Light Magic variety. There was so much of it—it was going to take a while.
Faeastein weren’t the only creatures on the ground floor, but all of the surrounding area was swarmed with them as if it was an entire clan. After we’d mowed through a couple hundred of them, it was as if the alarm was finally sounded and the whole lot ran at us like a bunch of possessed lunatics from every direction. With the increase in number, Travis’s skill did more damage as they packed closer together, but the temperature was also rising. He’d been putting them down fast enough that their flames hadn’t been bothering him. Twice the number that we’d already faced were about to hit him all at once.
Preparing tens of thousands of MP, Aqua was ready. As they were about to crush Travis from all sides, I let loose. My jet of water was so powerful that it didn’t just drench them, but also knocked back small groups of them. With one flank now momentarily safe, Travis dove at them in the opposite direction, dropping nearly twenty of the creatures at once. It wasn’t enough. The fire of the incoming mobs threatened to roast him.
My water hose swung to the other side, but I feared I’d have to do more to keep my friend safe. Countless streams of flame rose up to cook me as well. I ignored them.
There were too many of them. Even if I left large patches of them as cool as waterlogged coal, there were a hundred more fire monsters right behind the group pushing forward.
Before I could make a move, Travis darted back out of the cloud of flames toward the safer flank and drove a wall of energy spears into their fallen ranks. He then ran back the way we’d come, leaving me all alone with Shamash a little further back in an awkward position.
I gave the lich a moment's glance to watch his response. The swelling of mana proved he was ready to defend himself. Interesting...
Like a bolt of lightning, Travis returned a few seconds later. He used the couple hundred feet we’d earned to gain momentum. When his wall of spears was activated again, it was no larger than before, but it hit the ranks of fire monsters like a batter hitting the perfect pitch. The impact turned an entire row of the creatures into shrapnel that blasted into those behind them. Close to fifty of them were pushed back and in bad shape if not dead or dying.
Travis didn’t take any time to appreciate his accomplishment. He was gone again before returning seconds later and knocking another large hole in their ranks.
I drew back the amount of mana I was using with Aqua but kept the chaotic front line of the ever-encroaching horde nice and wet. Doing so drew more flamethrowers in my direction, but they did me no harm.
It was when most of the clan of Faeastein was finished that a spear of flaming firazite flew toward my heart at a frightening speed. It was too fast to easily dodge, so I whipped my tail forward and flooded it with mana. A wall of bone sprouted from my tail, appearing between me and the spear.
Punching through my defense as if the bone wall weren’t even there, the spear sped for my chest. I held up my Fire Incubus armored hand in front of me to block its path as I tried to get out of the way of a direct hit. I felt a stab of pain as the spear jabbed into my palm. I cringed as the spear’s blade sank in and came out the back of my hand. Letting out a deep sigh, I was relieved that my armored skin had at least stopped the attack, even if two inches of spear point had made it through. My Fire Incubus skin was ever impressive, but this attack had been dangerous.
I found the creature that had attacked me before another spear left his grasp. About fifty feet away, at the back of the throng of mobs, was a Faeastein that looked slightly different than the rest. He was about the same size but had a smoother texture to his red body and something that looked like a crown on his head. I observed it quickly.
Faeastein Queen
Level: 1,433
Health Points: 708,700
Mana Points: 9,300
Attributes
Strength: 6,345
Dexterity: 514
Constitution: 7,087
Intelligence: 93
Wisdom: 121
The mob wasn’t a male, but the Faeastein’s queen. Seeing its mix of Strength and Constitution, I had to give it a second glance. Its stats were far greater than should be possible for its level.
With one smooth movement, I yanked the flame spear out of my hand and noticed the density of the firazite the item possessed was unlike anything I’d seen. If the queen was made of the same stuff, sh
e was likely much less susceptible to the race’s weaknesses. Had she evolved?
It boded well that the Faeastein form might one day be worth something, but it wasn’t time to appreciate the discovery. Healing my hand, I called out for Travis to stay back. He’d already killed more than half of them, so I didn’t feel bad taking care of the rest.
Seeing another spear was being prepared, I launched myself even higher into the air. Holding out my now healed hand, my mana pulsated. Like a Gatling gun, micro Alpha Bombs blanketed the entire area as I swept my hand back and forth.
I stopped firing as the queen sent another spear flying. This time I was ready for it and easily dodged despite the excessive speed. As it darted by, I threw out my hand and snagged it by its shaft. Spinning the spear around, I placed it in my other hand where I then held two of them. Even if the queen seemed to be creating them on the spot, the unique way they were formed, and their incredible hardness, made them real keepers. I returned to carpet-bombing the place. Within thirty seconds the queen was the only one left alive.
When she saw her subjects had fallen, she walked forward, glaring at me. She wasn’t injured and neither did she seem to fear. She didn’t even seem to care that she was kicking through ore that had belonged to the Faeastein that had just died.
I drifted down until my feet would have grazed the top of her head if she’d been standing close enough. Halving the distance between us, she stopped. I was able to see her body’s curvature this close up. She looked like the mix between a rock golem and a stocky lady MMA fighter in spandex. Showing her rock teeth as her bottom lip trembled with anger, she waved me forward with her spear.
With one last flap of my wings, I folded them behind my back and dropped to the ground. Landing at the ready, she was already running at me. It was then that I saw her low Dexterity in action. She would have still been fast for a normal human, but against someone with 7,400 Dex it was painful to watch. Still, I wasn’t worried about defeating her necessarily. What I really needed to do was test her hardened flesh against my Fire Incubus Form.
Underworld - Vampire Gate: A LitRPG Series Page 6