As if holding out a water hose, I directed a shower of liquid rock down over its recovering form. From my place overhead, I did the same to any other ogres I believed needed a more thorough washing until the spell ran its course.
The Minor Light Orb had filled me with more mana than I’d used, so I was feeling bloated again. Now to let them cook for a minute.
I decided not to instruct Travis to wait. This was the first time he’d forcibly transformed, and I didn’t know how stretched his control was. After his first attack, it was unnecessary anyway, for he decided to wait by himself.
It was too soon to tell if the spell would kill them, but it was certainly having an effect. How many tons of molten rock did I just dump on them?
Little more than ten seconds later, I started to see movement. As the ogres appeared from beneath the magma, their flesh that wasn’t still covered was black and cracked. Creature Observation gave me a pleasant surprise. Their HP had been cut by as much as half.
Now to see if the Magma had any side effects. With the additional 100,000 MP that was inflating me like an overstretched balloon, I channeled all of it into a massive Alpha Bomb. Anticipating Travis would attack soon, I unleashed it on the far side of the room so the explosion wouldn’t harm him. The cow-sized purple ball of energy collided with an ogre. The monster was sturdy enough that it stumbled under the weight of my attack but didn’t fall. Then the neutral energy exploded.
My eyes bulged wide as I flapped my wings hard and fast, launching me away from the concussive wave. It struck me even though I had gained some distance and rocked me to my core. The cycling of mana that I’d tried to keep spinning as I fought faltered. It was annoying, but I was unharmed.
After recovering from the initial shock, I saw the aftermath of underestimating my magic. Half the room looked swept clean except for the truck-sized crater left in the grey-brown dungeon floor. All the magma and ogre pieces were tossed to the other side of the room where some were still moving.
Finding one that was on the brink of death, I cast Forced Learn so as not to lose my chance. With its essence stolen, I turned my attention to finishing the rest. Travis beat me to making the next move. His spear wall smacked into those closest to the entrance. He seemed more like a worker cleaning up than a fighter. Those closest to him had only a tiny bit of fight left in them. I stayed where I was to give him a shot at finishing them off. Even as they healed, he darted from ogre to ogre, reopening wounds until they couldn’t regenerate fast enough to keep up with his constant barrage.
The earth started to shake as a mound by the Earth Vein started to rise. A closer look revealed it wasn’t a mound at all, but another ogre, except this one, half-covered in Magma, was a head taller than all the rest. Observing it, I saw that its level was too high for me to examine.
Of course. There would have to be a boss monster of some kind.
It turned its attention toward Travis, who had now felled two of its ogres. My magma seemed to have affected this one much less. I knew I had to do something.
I was a blur as I flew at it. Instead of unleashing another spell, my shoulder hit it square in the chest, knocking it back. As it fell, my momentum took me in the same direction. We were feet away as it grabbed me instinctively. Its flesh had been hard as armor when I struck it, but suddenly it was hugging me to itself and I was sinking into its massive torso.
There was a piercing howl before all sound and light was drowned out. The pressure to crush me started immediately once I was lodged fully inside its body. It was a dirty situation. I felt mud start to go up my nose.
No time like the present to try out my new form. With five times the 10,000 Mana Per Minute it would normally take me to cast the Mud Ogre Form, I began to change. As I’d suspected, the form grew in size as it was provided with more mana. Hopefully, far too large for even the mountain of mud to keep me locked up inside of him.
I began to expand even as the boss ogre tried to roll me up into a small ball and press me into diamonds. It seemed to give way before the pressure stopped and my prison started to expand with me.
Fine. Have it your way.
I changed tactics before my Mud Ogre Form took full shape. The boss monster noticed the difference and started putting on the pressure again. Once I’d taken my intended form, the pressure no longer bothered me. Casting Forced Learn where I was, I searched the ogre and found what I was looking for. A Dark Mana Orb. I flexed the heat of my form and reached out for the orb with my claws. Like an Olympic swimmer, I pressed my arms toward it, pulling the mud and pushing it out of the way. My molten claws tore through it and my jaws clamped over the orb. With one final feline stroke, I ripped my way out of the ogre’s back. As my Primordial Cat head emerged, the monster’s will left its body.
Falling to the ground, I landed on my front paws. And turned to watch what happened to the creature after its orb had been removed.
I had already returned to my Crimson Incubus Form when the mob’s body started to spasm and teetered over to crash on its side.
Taking a good look at the orb I’d removed, I saw it was a Minor Dark Orb of abnormal size. Perhaps I’d be able to use it to cast some kind of Dark Magic…
The fight wasn’t quite over, so I joined Travis in beating down the last dozen or so Mud Ogres.
It had been a good take, even if there’d only been forty to forty-five monsters in total. I’d gained 36 levels, bringing me to level 960, only 40 from the big 1,000. I’d also gained an extra 92 Constitution from sucking the ogres dry. I’d hoped it would be more, but even though Vampire’s Might worked on them, Devour did not, so it limited my stat increase.
Once again, Travis and I stood there with Shamash and he asked if we wanted to change our minds and unlock Earth Magic as our First. We both declined.
There was another issue that I needed to address. “You said that I’d have to go all out against the ogres, but they didn’t take much mana to defeat. Did you overestimate how powerful they were?” I said, trying not to sound accusatory—at least not yet.
“Not at all,” he replied. “You constantly underestimate how powerful you are because you’re always holding back. There is wisdom in that approach, but it can also make things unnecessarily difficult. If you hadn’t gone straight to Magma and followed up with condensed Alpha, then this dungeon could’ve given you both a lot of trouble. Instead, you listened.”
A sudden bark drew my attention to my friend who had yet to transform back to his human form. He hadn’t spoken since he’d force-changed, so I wondered if he’d forgotten how. He was staring at me with his toothy grin.
We left soon after with our entourage in tow. It seemed Travis had decided he was going to take the lead while in this form and handle any monsters that were too slow, or dense, to get out of the way in time.
One or two more dungeons and I should reach level 1,000. Exactly what was in store for me, I could only guess.
Chapter 19 -The Armies of Undead
The Mud Ogre Form I’d received was surprisingly costly with some interesting benefits.
Mud Ogre Form
Level: 1
Cost: 100,000 Mana Per Minute (10,000 with buffs)
Strength: +25%
Constitution: +50%
Special Abilities: Mud Skin, Mud Blood, Ogre Regeneration
Mud Skin: You have the ability to manipulate the moisture present in your skin, making it as hard as stone, or malleable as clay.
Mud Blood: Your insides are filled with mud in place of organs, nerves, etc. You can use this substance as you see fit. Throw it, compress it, harden it, soften it…Mud pies anyone?
Ogre Regeneration: +1% HP per second
Next Level:
Cost: Remains the same.
Strength: +1%
Constitution: +1%
It wasn’t exactly unique except for its mix of Earth and Water Magics. Primordial Cat allowed me to manipulate my body in the same way Mud Skin would and Mud Ogre Form’s Strength and Constitution bu
ffs were decent, but not nearly the best I had. The most interesting part was the Ogre Regeneration. Werewolf Form was the only one that compared. It gave me a 3x multiplier to my natural regeneration, which was high thanks to my Ascension. At my current rate, though, my Mud Ogre Form was better. I’d have to give it serious consideration and leveling it up would be worth the effort.
I’d also gained new Blue Magic called Mud Slinger. It was exactly as it sounded, allowing me to throw mud as a projectile.
With our loss of contact with Sanctuary, Travis and I both found ourselves in a hurry to reach our destination.
I neared level 1,000 by gaining another 20 levels in the next dungeon. Its vein was Dark in nature. Despite the level gain, it was rather dull with almost nothing unique about it. The one after was even more of a downer and I only gained 8 levels, placing me at level 988. We’d hoped to be facing much more difficult mobs by now. Arriving at the 6th dungeon, we finally got our wish.
There was already a battle going on when we peered through the dungeon’s entrance to see a grand cavern as large as the Belly. Spikes of dark stone as large as trees stood high overhead at random like headsman’s blades ready to fall at any time on unsuspecting victims. The location of the vein wasn’t immediately clear, but all indications pointed toward the middle of the room.
I studied the battle for a few moments to get my bearings. What I saw was something I hadn’t expected to see unless we returned to the Head Mistress’s Dungeon. An army of Zombies faced off with an army of Skeletons. I cast Invisibility immediately on our entire party. Armies of undead could mean only one thing. There had to be mistress-level monsters controlling them.
“What’s wrong?” Shamash said, beating Travis to it.
“Undead armies. I’m looking for the casters,” I replied.
“Who says there has to be casters?”
My head snapped to the side to look at him. “What?”
“You may have only seen summoned undead, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t natural ones.”
I mouthed something, but no words came out. This was just another thing I thought I knew that I really hadn’t understood.
“Well, at least this means it should be another quickie,” Travis said.
“Never underestimate the undead,” Shamash insisted. “This will be your first true test. The Vampires are superior in every way, except naturally spawned zombies and skeletons have ungodly Constitution.”
I began casting Creature Observation and had to swallow a knot forming in the back of my throat. “Even the lowest is too high in level for me to observe…”
“Yet they aren’t nearly as high as the Tammaro family that guards the vampire gate. This won’t be simple, but all undead share a common weakness.”
“Light Magic?”
“You have the tools for the job. It’s time you learn to apply them.”
We didn’t approach right away, but the lich pulled us back and discussed a couple of strategic options. I listened.
***
Approaching alone, I took to the sky. With crimson wings and a body covered in skeletal plate armor, I flew toward the center of the room, stopping when I had a good view of the vein below. There were thousands of zombies and skeletons on either side. Their size and dark power mocked the weakness of the undead that we’d faced in the Head Mistress’s dungeon. These monsters weren’t just reanimated humans, but the dead of other races—much more powerful in body. Minotaurs and giants, dwarves and elves, orcs and beasts on all fours warred against one another for the blessings the Dark Vein offered.
How long had this battle lasted? A day, or years? I couldn’t possibly know. What I did know was that I had to be careful. As powerful as I was at full strength, my normal approach would only get me killed. I had to do what only I could do.
I withdrew 5 Minor Light Orbs with each hand. My bone armor didn’t cover my hands, nor did any of my forms. Holding so many was awkward because of their size, but I would not drop them. I held 1,000,000 mana in each hand.
Vampire’s Might had only continued to climb as I’d followed the lich’s prescribed training of using it to deconstruct and absorb every other Light Orb that I created. It was now level 83, and I expected what I was about to try to give it even more insight.
I had no precedent for doing this, and the lich could only guide me with his knowledge of what should be possible. He couldn’t tell me exactly how I should do it. For all my experimenting, this would easily be the most extreme thing I’d ever tried. It wasn’t just casting a spell but utilizing multiple spells and multiple forms.
With death only a couple dozen meters beneath my feet, I closed my eyes. I knew what I needed to accomplish, but not how to blend my forms in the perfect harmony that I needed. My Crimson Incubus Form faded, but my wings remained, as did the muscles that drove them. I let the skeletal armor fall from my arms and only my humanity remained. Too much of one form and not enough of another and this wouldn’t work. I focused on what I thought I needed and held it in my mind with a vice grip. Now.
My chest, waist, and legs were gone in an instant. Light replaced them. I felt like a being of static electricity that was wearing the upper part of a human body like a coat. Opening my eyes, I found that the reality wasn’t much different. I shone in the glow of my Solar Mage Form, but my human arms remained, as did my shoulders and much of my back. I’d also left from my neck up human to utilize Master Mind Buff as best I could. It was at that moment, as I realized everything was working exactly as I’d hoped, that I began to comprehend what I was capable of. This was something that even Lilith couldn’t do.
It took more mana channeled to Master Mind Buff than normal, but with the manipulation of my forms, instead of the buff being 30% effective, it was over 80% because I’d left my human mind intact. With the benefits of 10,000 Wisdom and Solar Mage combined, I cast Vampire’s Might on all ten of my Minor Light Orbs at once. In Solar Mage, Blue Magic was supposed to be impossible, but thousands of strands burst from the orbs in my hands and started to fill me with an unprecedented amount of mana.
The battle below me slowed as I channeled almost three times more Light Mana at once than I’d ever dared before. My presence had been revealed, but it was too late.
Artificial Sun after Artificial Sun bloomed into life near the dungeon’s walls one at a time and began to create a great boundary of light, trapping every undead creature inside the dungeon with no escape.
When the zombies to the north tried to flee, an Artificial Sun as tall as the largest undead giant appeared before them, boiling their flesh and sending them fleeing toward the middle of the room. It was the same for the rest.
Placing the tenth Sun, my trap was complete. The undead had stopped fighting each other and rushed toward the Dark Magic Vein to make their stand.
I felt the bloating from excess mana. It was similar to what I’d felt in my human form, but in Solar Mage there was some unique distinctions. It wasn’t pressure, or warmth—there was just more. My glow was blinding, as bright as the brightest of my Artificial Suns, and it cost me nothing.
As the orbs I’d held finished dissolving, I no longer had need for human hands. From my chest up, I remained human, but Solar Mage took over the rest except for the wings on my back. I rolled my finger into fists of light and drew my Artificial Suns toward me.
Like an avalanche of light from all directions, the undead were stuck with nowhere to go. The closer to my light they were, the more damage they took. It wasn’t a quick death, but the zombies melted and the skeletons smoked, before turning into dust. The first few died only after my Suns began to close, then they fell in droves.
It happened unexpectedly. Time stopped. I sped through my popups to see that I’d hit level 1,000. It didn’t affect my Light Magic, but my Blue Magic was a different story.
Blue Magic: Full Spectrum is unlocked!
Creature Observation is no longer limited in its ability to discern creature information.
Note: Thi
s ability does not see past those hiding or disguising their levels and abilities.
Mana Sight and Forced Learn have partially merged to form the ability Time Crawl.
Time Crawl brings time to a stop for ten seconds so that the caster can better ascertain their circumstances. It can only be used once per minute, and channeling does not increase the spell’s capabilities.
Note: This does not allow you to actually stop time and act between moments, but to focus your mind with such intensity that time seemingly stops, giving you a chance to gain clarity.
Forced Learn remains the same but is much more cost-effective.
Mana Sight at full power was already what I’d consider overpowered, but Time Crawl took that even further. Somehow I’d cast it instinctively when I felt something inside of me had changed. It was limited by how often I could use it, but having ten seconds every minute to push pause and think through my next moves couldn’t be underestimated.
It wasn’t my most powerful change, but seeing that Creature Observation was no longer limited by a creature’s level left me even more excited. Since some creatures could hide their true strength, it wasn’t perfect, but for the convenience alone, I would give up bacon for a month. That probably wasn’t exactly true, although I was bound to be without it much longer than that as my mission progressed.
The timer was up, and the chaos below began again. With Mana Sight at full power, things still crawled along, and I began casting Observation like a madman. As the undead’s levels were revealed, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The lowest among them were in the 2,000s, but many were in the 3,000s and there were some as high as 5,000. The ones dying were mostly in the 2,000s, but Artificial Sun was having detrimental effects on even the highest level ones.
Underworld - Vampire Gate: A LitRPG Series Page 15