Slapping my forehead, I wearily walked over to the chest. Upon closer examination, it became clear that this “piece of furniture”, too, like everything else in here, had been “grown” by the lair itself. Thin, luminous veins, pumping acidic liquid, embraced it from all sides. I didn’t see any sort of lock. Without thinking, I simply cut a hole in it with the Uniq. I then put my hand inside and took out a transparent, tightly locked bottle filled with scarlet liquid. My disappointment was immeasurable.
A stinkin’ Big Potion of Health.
It was a useful thing, there was no doubt about that, especially since my Tincture was no more, but I expected something more after such a difficult battle. In the background, the fruits of my painstaking labor were slowly growing...
My knees gave in. Back against the chest, I sat down where I was. Having given my pets the order to protect me, I closed my eyes. I deserved at least ten minutes of rest after those few crazy hours.
It did not work.
As soon as I closed my eyes, Fury hissed warningly, and Tinnie squeaked in fright. I sprang to my feet only to be hit with something elastic and hard and thrown a few feet away.
A curse froze on my lips when I turned around and saw the broken chest turn into something terrible. From its sides, wriggling like a bunch of snakes, sprung black shoots with red streaks. A slight tremor made me take another step back, look under my feet, and then quickly glance around the entire hall. Changes were happening everywhere. The hall was transforming with frightening speed; shoots seemed to sprout from the walls, floor and dome. They grew, branched and intertwined, filling all of the free space.
A picture of a passage flashed through my mind, and I immediately rushed after Tinnie, her glowing trail indicating the direction. The passage was already overgrown with intertwining roots that were about to close off the tunnel. Flamespear turned them into ashes and, for a moment, created a narrow path for us. I dived into it like a fish, and tumbled into the corridor free from the undergrowth. Fury leapt over the obstacle and landed nearby, hissing continuously. Tinnie circled over my head, unable to calm down from all of the excitement. We just barely escaped mortal danger. Blocking the passage, the vegetation stopped moving, forming an almost solid wall.
The hourglass icon finally disappeared. We managed to survive the hall, but now we had a new problem — surviving the tunnel.
Player detected. Imposed Curse of Idleness (8). You will lose 8 HP and energy every second.
Looking away from the “wall”, I hastily turned around. At that very moment, the Head-Eyes awakened from their standby mode and began to move from both sides of the tunnel.
Head-Eye
Level 14
HP: 324
Creature of Chaos
Eight heads covered in blue-black scales emerged from the walls and turned toward us, yellow irises glowing in the dark, like weak searchlights. We stood in front of them, right in the open, the “wall” behind us; we had nowhere to hide. They had already seen us and the only right thing to do was attack immediately.
A mental order sent Tinnie forward like a luminous arrow, and Fury and I rushed after her. Flamespear was still on cooldown, and there was no use of Windspear. Better for all the creatures to discharge at once.
Volley!
I ducked to the ground, rolled, jumped up and lunged at the enemies on the move, using speed for onslaught. Sword glittered, steel danced in dim lighting, and acid fountains burst from the “necks: of my victims. After dozens of fights, the Head-Eyes’ tactics and abilities had been studied thoroughly, and I acted as if on autopilot, chopping, dodging, and chopping again...
This time, the Demon guard appeared even before I finished off the last creature. Ground trembling under my feet informed of his approach. The fight against Imps had already forced me to use everything in my arsenal, and the “after party” with the Head-Eyes used up what little adrenaline I had left in me. I turned to face the new opponent with no strength to even swear.
But swear I did.
Horned Demon
Level 15
HP: 966
Creature of Chaos
Sending a wave of air in front of itself, the gigantic creature the size of a young rhino stomped toward me, seeming to fill most of the passage with its massive body. Tinnie didn’t have time to stop it with Enchantress, which was still in cooldown. Fury’s Poisonous Sting was also useless; it had been tested on the previous Demon, and the huge difference in levels was felt. I was confused for a second, not knowing how to dodge such an opponent in such a closed space. There was no way that I could stop something so massive with one blow; the creature would crush me like a paper cup. Soulcatcher... I nearly passed out from the debilitating backlash and was still feeling like shit. Could reactivating it in such a short period of time send me, if not to the grave, then into a short coma?
Thoughts flashed through my head like lightning, but I had to make a decision. And fast. The Demon approached me, closing the distance between us in leaps and picking up speed. Moving my right hand off of Uniq’s handle, I swung my arm, gathering my strength so that I could dodge and lean against the wall to let the racing body pass by once I use Soulcatcher...
The Demon then opened its maw and let a wild cry that started on a low note but soon turned into an ultrasound. I froze, feeling the paralyzing vibration pass through my muscles.
Stunned: 3, 2...
The Demon didn’t pounce, changing the habits of its predecessors. Without slowing down, the carcass built of hypertrophied muscles, fangs and claws rushed forward, bending its head low and aiming its crown of horns, as sharp as spearheads, at me. To stand and watch such a monster charge at you, unable to do anything... Fuck that. They say that your entire life flashes before your eyes at such moments; this is complete bullshit. What you feel and see are fear and rage; as well as the feeling of impending doom.
I got lucky; the Demon’s horns were placed slightly wider than my waist. As a result, they grazed my ribs, tearing into the meat like chainsaws all the way to the bone; the Demon’s head, as flat as an anvil, hit me in the guts. I don’t think it even noticed the obstacle. Knocking me off my feet, it carried me on its head until one of the horns snagged on the wall, thus making a fatal mistake. Having planted me on its head, the Demon restricted its sight and didn’t manage to properly maneuver around the tunnel and its turns. The charge was so powerful and abrupt that its head got twisted sideways at an unnaturally sharp angle with a loud snap. Carried by inertia, the body turned sideways and the second horn also got stuck in the wall. A man hit by a truck would’ve perfectly understood how I felt being stuck between the hammer and the anvil, pinned to the wall as I struggled to breathe and see through the purple haze that danced before my eyes. Pain overpowered everything else; Spiritual Link was the only thing preventing me from falling unconscious.
But the Demon was much less fortunate. Its own speed and weight finished it off and it silently fell to its side. Pulling a ton of soil with them as the Demon fell down, its horns freed me from the trap. I rolled to my side and froze on the ground face down, feeling powerless. Fury was right next to me, anxiously nudging my cheek with her head, as if apologizing for not being able to do anything.
Chapter 24
Horned Demon has been slain!
Received XP: 1,500
Current XP: 44,760/46,130
I was so close to reaching level 12. I somehow managed to force myself to rise and lean my back against the wall of the tunnel. With shaky hands, I rummaged through my backpack and took two sips of the Potion. Once the fire inside me started to subside, I poured the rest of into the flask. The Potion’s glass bottle cracked, and shattered. I didn’t think that I would need it so soon. My ribs ached, but the blood had already dried; my wounds were no longer bleeding and were healing. I gave myself a short break, but used the time to evaluate my condition and look up in the Bestiary what I missed about the Demon. I had lost a third of my HP bar but it was now slowly recovering.
As for the Demon; either its Leap changed to Stunning Roar at level 15, or it had a completely new ability. I made a mental note for the future — level 15 Head-Eyes and Imps might have nasty surprises for me. My gaze found my sword; it was lying about fifteen feet away, where the Demon knocked me down. I noticed that it was time to change the Crystal in the handle, as the blade had stopped glowing. Despite all of the expenses, the fight with the Imps awarded me with eight escs. I felt a pang of regret that I hadn’t managed to dispel the last Imp, but who knew if the hall itself would’ve gone mad, leaving Fury without dinner.
How are my pets anyway?
Tinnie
Level 7
XP: 4,045/7,300
Fury
Level 1
Childhood: 9,968/10,000
Amazing. Fury would soon become an “adult”. Maybe this was my chance to get out of here? She would level up very quickly once she leaves the “childhood” phase as she would start her “adulthood” at level 1 and would require less XP to level up; not to mention that creatures that now had to be felled were worth a lot of XP.
A meal would also benefit the Direcat. By the way, who said that she wasn’t getting her lunch? Right in front of me was a mountain of meat that had already been tested for edibility. I would have to flay the corpse anyway. Good equipment is an integral part of survival, after all. Such equipment was, unfortunately, almost impossible to find, but I was able to create something similar so I didn’t want to neglect this opportunity. Since the shield had slowed me down, I already knew what I was going to make next.
“Fury,” I said hoarsely, “I have an important task for you. Keep an eye out for Head-Eyes and break their Eggs. Tinnie, you’re in it, too; help her look for them.”
Having given orders, I threw off my backpack and set to work.
First of all, I cut down the carrying veins on both sides of the tunnel with Flash. I then went to take care of the carcass; Bone Slayer, although low-level, would still do the job. The process, now familiar, went faster. I no longer paid attention to the stench as the end result was much more important than temporary discomfort. I had gotten somewhat used to it anyway. As soon as the skin, oozing with mucus, was on the ground next to the corpse, I called Fury over. Looking at her tear the demon’s thigh with her teeth, greedily swallowing the pieces, I felt tempted to follow her example. There was a void in my stomach, and energy alone wasn’t enough to keep me going; my body needed proper nutrition to regenerate. Cutting some meat off the thighs, I sniffed it and immediately felt disgusted. It no longer smelled of acid, but of rubber, which was still sickening. I “cooked” it with a spark from the lighter turning it into a piece of burnt rubber. No, thank you, I can’t eat this.
Seemingly coming to its senses, the system, noticing my gastronomic torments, awarded me with a tiny bonus.
Endurance: +1 (60)
That’s it? A point for so many hours of fasting? What? Was I not hungry enough?
Endurance: +1 (61)
Wisdom: +1 (45)
That’s called “second thought”. Any more points? No? Well, okay, greed was never one of my vices.
Tinnie cruised along the tunnel walls, supervising the appearance of Head-Eye Eggs. After making sure that the two were doing their job, I returned to the skin. Spreading it on the ground, I took up the dagger again. Due to the fact that the Demon had successfully broken its own neck, the skin was almost intact this time, not counting a dozen holes left behind by unskilled skinning.
I chose a piece without holes and made a pattern for the torso, cut a hole for the neck, and then treated the pectoral and dorsal plates with fire without touching the shoulders as I needed the final product to bend. The end result resembled a flare jacket or a cuirass. I put it over my head and strapped it down on the sides through holes that I had previously poked with the dagger’s tip so that the straps wouldn’t end up just dangling there. I waved my hands; nothing hindered my moves. Sure, I had palm wide “trenches” of unprotected skin on both of my sides, but my back and torso were covered much better than before. It all looked clumsy and ridiculous but at least it offered some protection. Thinking, I took off the vest, cut out additional pieces from the remains of the skin, poked holes with the tip of the dagger at the edges, and again processed the material with a lighter. It was empty. I had to change the Crystal. I tied the ossified plates to the vest with straps, doubling the protection that the vest nod offered... So, where’s my achievement for invention?
Instead of it, I received a different notification.
Your pet became an adult! Take care of them!
Synergy is being adjusted...
I turned around in disbelief.
Fury was lying next to the half-gnawed Demon, squinting in a daze. Her belly literally swelled from what she had eaten. With a joyful squeak, Tinnie scurried past me, landed on Fury’s belly and began to jump on it like on a trampoline. So, the grub gave her the needed XP...
Fury (1)
Species: Direcat
Rare pet
Specialization: aggressor
Stamina: 100/100
Current XP: 33/1,000
Note: Pet receives 15% of owner’s XP
Seeing the main stat numbers, I was both stunned and surprised. Did the Spiritual Link and the close bond between us allow Tinnie to copy my stats onto the Direcat?! But how else could this have happened?
Strength: 31
Dexterity: 31
Intelligence: 25
Wisdom: 45
Endurance: 61
And she was just level 1... How will she level further, I wonder? Still... Why am I surprised? When I first saw Fury, then untamed, in the sandbox, she was level 10 and had more than 800 HP. If, of course, memory still served me. Maybe she won’t grow to match her previous level 10 stats. However, it was already clear that the tamed one would do just as good as a wild one. Apparently, several factors were at play here; not only Spiritual Link, but also the beast’s unique potential. The assimilation must’ve passed practically painlessly for Fury precisely due to her low level. The very cat nature of the beast certainly helped her suffer such changes much easier than other creatures. This truly was a unique set of unique circumstances.
As I expected, her Poisonous Sting transformed into something more serious.
Mortal Sting
Rank 1
The tail-blade’s piercing, neurotoxin filled strike causes damage to the enemy’s nervous system. The attack’s DPS is equal to 10% of the pet’s PD
Duration: 1 minute
Cooldown: 1 hour
Burst attack
Requirements: level 3
Rank 1
The pet knocks the enemy down with a rapid onslaught and causes a series of penetrating blows to vulnerable parts of the body, causing prolonged bleeding.
Cost: 25% of energy
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Metamorph
Requirements: level 7
Rank 1
Transforming its body, the pet increases its defense and damage by 50%.
Cost: 75% energy
Cooldown: 1 hour
Mount
Requirements: level 10
Rank 1
The pet can now serve as a mount.
The new Sting seemed to no longer ignore defense. Why? Because she now had a chance to insta-kill the enemy? The rest of the abilities were all right. Only the significant ones were described; simple ones such as a Bite and Claw Strike weren’t even taken into account, although my beast strove to use them constantly. Of course, cooldowns and energy costs made their use somewhat limited, but the main thing was that things were finally getting somewhere. Fury could now develop at a normal pace, and all these limitations could certainly be overcome in the future. I checked out the updated information about Spiritual Link.
Spiritual link
Rank 2 (99/200; 2/5 SP)
Supporting the lives of its host and its allies, the pet strengthens the energy exchange of united souls by
30%.
Additional effect: Synergy
Activated (main mode)
Automatic selection of the current aura. To maintain this aura, pet [Tinnie] requires an Essence Crystal of the corresponding rank every 6 hours. In case of death of a player or any of the pets, as well as if there’s a lack of energy, the process will be interrupted until the conditions have been met or until the missing links have been restored or new ones have been added.
List of available for auras:
Acceleration
Growth rate for animals or plants is increased by 30%.
Hot Blood
HP Regeneration: +10%
Fighting Spirit (active)
Energy recovery: +10%
Acceleration apparently didn’t work for adult pets anymore, so it got turned off. Perhaps it will be needed later, when Tinnie gets Mystic Lore and starts growing some plants; another curious, but so far incomprehensible ability. Judging by the fact that the ranks of the available auras were not indicated, they probably developed with it. Well, automatic choice suited me. With Fury all grown up and us having plenty of HP, I kept the skill active. While I’m digging through help section, I might as well take a look at my recent achievements and other stuff...
Achievements
Chaos Beast Hunter
Rank 2 (10/200)
Damage done to members of the Chaos faction increased by 6%.
Active Quests
Population Control: Head-Eyes
Progress: 96/100
Population Control: Horned Demons
Progress: 2/50
Population Control: Imp Bullies
Progress: 6/50
I was close to finishing the Head-Eyes one, but Imps and Demons... I wasn’t sure if it was smart dealing with them without a proper party, as they were dangerous creatures. My guess was that I would have to forget about these two quests.
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