“Tinnie, enough relaxing, go patrol.”
Nodding, she left Fury to doze off and flew off to patrol the tunnel. I returned to work; I put on my vest again and tied the straps.
Changing the Cunning stat...
Item acquired: Amateur’s Vest
Durability: 28/40
Defense: 84/120
Resistance to fire: +10%
Resistance to acid: +10%
XP: +1,000
Inventor
Rank 1 (11/100)
Not bad, considering that the vest, which resembled a torn mosquito net, had only 7 out of 35 durability points. How it hadn’t fallen apart yet, I had no clue. Not to mention that the shirt I had under it, had long turned into rags. But, and this was the thing I was most thankful for, the new item smelled decently. However, letting it touch bare skin was obviously a bad idea, so the rags had to stay on.
In general, Inventor turned out to be a curious thing. I had gotten only one point for my first invention because I didn’t have the profession at that time. After that, each invention, no matter how small, grants one point to the profession. However, I got XP for this entire item. Having reloaded the Uniq with a new Crystal, I was about to move on when my gaze fell at the remains of skin that lay scattered on the ground. I looked at my pants and then at my boots; they were about to breathe their last. The metal lining had fallen off a long time ago; cold air seeped in through the holes. Still, I doubted that I could make a new pair of shoes as it was quite complicated. But some kind of greaves... Unless I wanted to become pants-less in an hour or so, I needed to try to salvage what was left. Also, the reward for my next “invention” might come in handy; level 12 was so close that I could almost taste it. Come on, 45,760 out of 46,130...
What bothered me was the unpleasant feeling that was growing stronger every second; like I had lingered for too long and overstayed my welcome. I had to hurry. I had to leave. Right away. I trust my intuition, but...
I started crafting the greaves posthaste.
I tested a suitable piece on the shin, making sure that it covered everything from ankle to the knee, and cut off any excess material. All the fuss with belts, knots and holes, and even the processing of concave surfaces without crafting pads in extremely “home-made” conditions, didn’t feel right since time was running out. But the solution I had found was simple and ingenious in its own way, considering what I had to deal with. I wrapped the work piece around my leg so that the inner, slimy surface of the skin was outside, and processed it with fire. Perhaps it would be less durable, but it was done quickly. After the third fire treatment, the greave hardened, enclosing the shin in a hard shell. It turned out to be a bit tight, and the edge under the knee had to be done lower so that it wouldn’t hit me in the leg when squatting. As I couldn’t cut it off, I straightened it and stamped my foot. Come on! Fit, goddamn it!
Item acquired: Amateur’s Greaves
Durability: 23/25
Defense: 69/75
Fire Resistance: +10%
Acid Resistance: +10%
XP: +500
Congratulations!
You have reached level 12!
Current XP: 130/55,360.
Changes have been made to the Cunning stat.
Cunning: +1 (5)
Bonus rewards: XP +5,000; intelligence +2
Without the slightest hesitation, I immediately spent all of my accumulated skill points.
Soulcatcher
Rank 3 (0/300; 0/25 SP)
Unique skill
Deals astral damage to the Forces of Chaos equal to PD x4 for 30 seconds, restoring 100% of damage dealt in HP and energy for the caster. Ignores any defense of the Forces of Chaos.
Cost: 1 Essence Crystal
Cooldown: 1 minute
Note: Further development is variable.
Well, I got what I wanted. And the fact that the system hadn’t yet decided what to offer me further wasn’t confusing; the local game features had already taught me patience. Not to mention that I had gotten tired of straining my brain with assumptions. Like, really tired, of assumptions, guesses, and of the den itself, goddamn it! I wanted some fresh air, damn it! It was cramped, stuffy, and it stank, and the earthen ceiling was putting ever more pressure on my psyche. Therefore, I better quickly make the second greave and...
...what was that message that I almost missed?
Choose one of two awards for achieving Soulcatcher rank 3:
1. +25 stat points
2. +25% XP from current level (13,840)
Wait, what? Rank 3 unlocked additional rewards? Or did that only apply to Soulcatcher? If that wasn’t the case then, thinking logically, rank 4 would generously award me with 100 stat points or 100% of XP from current level, and rank 5, with a thousand for both. That sounded nice...
But that was a distant and clouded future. Right now I needed to decide which was more important to me — stats or XP? Stats, or at least, one would think so. Right now, I could gain the needed XP grinding mobs, but later, at higher levels, gaining XP would be more important. New levels bring skill and stat points, after all...
Fury gave out a warning roar, announcing that another threat was nearing.
I looked at her in confusion as everything seemed quiet. And then I froze as if spellbound. The best that had laid down to rest and digest its lunch and the one that now stood before were two entirely different beings.
Fury was one and a half times larger than before and reached to the middle of my thigh at the withers. As she walked, sculpted muscles stirred under the ashen skin; her stomach was deeply drawn, giving her the appearance of a dangerous predator, rather than of an overgrown cat. Fury snarled again, snapping me back to reality, curling her upper lip, revealing mighty fangs, and narrowed her green eyes. Discontent, she pointed with her head in the direction she wanted me to look at. Still fascinated by the sight of my magically updated pet, I slowly turned my head...
The deadlock blocked by the plants was coming to life again. The walls themselves seemed to be moving; hundreds of black and red shoots, fancily intertwined, crawled in my direction. The movement of the shoots was accompanied by a barely audible, ominous rustling and crackling. The flora wasn’t advancing as quickly as the vegetative explosion that had driven me into the tunnel, but it still looked dangerous and unequivocal and it only confirmed my guesses about there being a system against cheating. I couldn’t stay here any longer; otherwise the lair would devour the uninvited guests by itself, without any mobs’ help. It was time to end this slow-paced adventure! No more long stops, just onslaught and speed!
If only I could move my legs more vigorously. I was already stumbling over my own feet.
Since I wasn’t finished with my equipment experiments, I grabbed what remained of the skin and even remembered to dispel the Demon’s remains. Jumping away, I barely managed to catch the dropped esc. Shoots insistently tried to claim the tunnel, trying to snatch the loot from my hands.
Fury played her part brilliantly in our next battle. She defeated the Head-Eyes without breaking a sweat, smacking them around as if they were her punching bags. After such attacks, despite the difference in levels, enemies remained temporarily paralyzed, and the Uniq made quick work of them.
Quest complete: Population Control: Head-Eyes
Reward: 5,000 XP; 1 skill point.
My new armor made me more confident in myself. Several blots that had hit the carapace left almost no marks, unable to eat through it as easily as before. Immediately after the battle, I quickly made myself a second greave and a couple of bracers, greatly improving my defense. I had barely finished the last product, when my short rest was rudely interrupted — the hole began to overgrow again. The process had accelerated, which could have only indicated one thing — I had greatly overstayed my welcome, and there was not much time left till shit hit the fan.
So we took up the ruthless and unstoppable cleansing.
Chapter 25
“Tinnie, get back.”
The Fai
ry returned with a displeased expression on her pretty face and perched herself on my left shoulder, not reaching the end of the tunnel. Another half-hour was spent on tiresome skirmishes, and we finally reached it — the next hall. At first glance it was no different from the previous one; the same diffused yellowish light softened the twilight, and it had the same chest in its center.
We didn’t enter at once; I decided to take a breather and sat down a few steps away from the entrance. Destroying a dozen Head-Eye nests, each one with eight, level 14 occupants, takes a lot out of a man. Despite still having stamina, I was ready to topple over from exhaustion. I knew that an organism exhausted to the limit needed food, but I no longer felt hunger. But thirst was driving me crazy. My lips were chipped, my tongue felt like a grater each time it’d touch the roof of my mouth, and the skin on my face had tightened, as if sunburned. Meanwhile the system rewarded me with a few more endurance points, but this didn’t console the anger and despair that were gnawing at my soul. If this hall was no different from the first, then the “heart” wasn’t here, which meant this was not the end of our adventure.
“Fury, come here,” I ordered the Direcat that was, together with Tinnie who was hovering next to her, cautiously studying the hall, without stepping over the invisible line that separated it from the tunnel. My throat was sore and my voice sounded hoarse. My pets had grown noticeably smarter and it made me happy; I didn’t have to worry anymore. “Rest while you have the opportunity. Tinnie, same goes for you.”
Noticing my gloomy mood, Fury turned away and obediently approached me, treading softly and almost silently. She lay down beside me and leaned on me. I pat her neck, and she sniffed dismissively; a fighter doesn’t need such tenderness. I somehow felt calmer when I was around her, as if she was sucking the negative energy out of me. Maybe that was Spiritual Link at work. Before the wording changed, its description said something about “stimulating positive emotions”. Perhaps it alone was keeping us from completely losing heart. During our last “hallway” run, Fury had grown significantly and was now about three and a half feet at the withers, and weighed, perhaps, no less than I did. She was now level six, after all. Her stats had risen substantially and she accumulated six skill points. Looking at her and Tinnie, I felt warm around my heart. The Fairy and I also had something to be proud of. She had long reached level 8 and was confidently approaching level 9, while I had less than a quarter left till level 13.
However, Fury had suffered a lot as well. Her skin was dotted with bald spots on the places where the acid managed to hit her. The burns had already healed, but fur didn’t grow as quickly. She was now much stronger than her childish version, but since the way she moved had also changed, she was now having a hard time dodging. Our best bet was her strength and high damage rate. I had already invested a couple of skill points into Mortal Sting and Burst Attack and unlocked their rank 2. The remaining points I decided to save up for Metamorph as I had a sneaking suspicion that this one might be crucial for surviving this ordeal. Mortal Sting hadn’t yet been tested as we were saving it for an extreme case, and Burst Attack, which was learned at level 3, greatly helped Fury preserve her skin. It was a shame that we couldn’t use it more often as it required quite a bit of energy. Fury had already lost a couple of pounds during the half-hour run, and her ribs were now visible. Also, her continued growth drained her energy, tiring out the body too quickly. We were, again, having issues with feeding her. Honestly, I was afraid to face another Demon, as the previous one had almost broken my back. Of course, my assistants had become much stronger; however, the mobs had grown in levels and power, and the increasing fatigue will inevitably lead to errors. I was afraid to tempt fate once again.
I hadn’t yet used up my saved up stats. Right now I had four and a half dozen free points — the reward for gaining two levels and unlocking Soulcatcher’s rank 3. Surviving the lair wasn’t becoming any easier and it was time to get things done. There were no noticeable problems with HP or energy and their recovery rates, and my damage output was decent as well... It remained to deal with intelligence and dexterity. Intelligence seemed a more complicated stat to deal with as it increased both magic damage and magic based crits. I hadn’t yet noticed it affect my ability to think faster, but I was certain that the two were connected; it was no wonder that it got increased as a reward for improving cunning, which was, in turn, connected to inventiveness. I was therefore tempted to invest in intelligence and see where that takes me. However, I was already lacking in dexterity; I missed more often or failed to dodge. Sure, this could’ve been attributed to fatigue, but... In general, I needed to make a decision.
And yet, I got distracted, further delaying the inevitable. I wanted to check if there really was a bonus for every third and subsequent ranks. Only two abilities were close to reaching rank 3, everything else that had reached rank 2 did so recently and this still had a long way to go till rank 3.
Two-handed Weapons (sword)
Rank 2 (161/200; 4/5 SP)
Searing Flash
Rank 2 (97/200; 2/5 SP)
It was clear that I would achieve what I wanted with Two-handed way before with Flash; all that remained was to land two hundred strikes on living targets. I could spend a skill point to level Two-handed even faster, I had enough in the reserve to do so. On one hand, that’d be a waste of a skill point, but on the other, 25 stat points could come in handy... Tempting, so tempting...
The light in the tunnel flashed, and I felt the familiar, unpleasant feeling of invisible fingers gripping my throat. The hourglass image reappeared, but half of the sand had already poured into the bottom compartment somehow. Realizing what this might mean made me sweat. The timer didn’t refer to a specific room, but to the entire den! Judging by the speed with which the grains fell, I had... How much? An hour or two left?!
I jumped up, quickly checking my equipment and weapons. Tinnie flew off my shoulder. Pale and horror stricken, I beckoned her with my finger.
“Tinnie, remember what happened last time? No more surprises. We tiptoe by. No chests. No Imps.”
She folded her arms and puffed her cheeks. She was being stubborn so I had to be more severe.
“I said — we’ll do without it! Otherwise, your little butt will be slapped hard...”
Hearing the familiar, ominous rustling and crackling behind my back, I swore, but didn’t look back. It was clear that the lair no longer wanted to give us a break, the burrow would grow faster and faster with every passing minute.
“Forward!”
We rushed through the hall, aiming for the opening on the other side.
The plan failed.
We had to overcome only a dozen more steps, but the passage got shut, instantly covered by a blanket no different in color and texture from the surrounding walls. Halting, I turned around, and raised my sword.
Tinnie, damn you!
A single moment of distraction and the Fairy disappeared from my sight. She was now standing on the chest, the culprit behind the triggered trap and a slave to her nature, pretending that she had nothing to do with it. She was simply unable to pass up a chance to miss some loot.
Followed by the sound of paper being torn, six opponents jumped out holes in the wall and into the hall.
Imp Bully
Level 15
HP: 550
Creature of Chaos
Horns, hooves, tails and fireballs — the whole package! This time I didn’t wait to see how things would turn out and immediately used Soulcatcher on the nearest creature on my left. Without looking at it, I rushed to the right, ordering Fury to attack my next target.
Flying over the colliding fireballs in the same manner, Tinnie hung in the air and sent me a bird’s eye view image of the battlefield so that nothing could sneak up on me. Time was of the essence; the fight had to be finished as quickly as possible, with minimal losses. I had to try to get them to gather in one place so that Tinnie could bewitch them with Enchantress and so that I could finish them
off before they woke up.
One of the Imps laughed mockingly. But instead of rushing forward, as the one in the first hall did, it quickly waved its clawed paw and threw something at me. An intuitive jump to the side came a second too late, and a blow to my shins knocked me onto the ground. Having landed on my face, I pushed off with my hands and, already rolling away, saw the Imp leap behind me, and wave its paw, grinning malevolently with a mouthful of small, sharp fangs. Nearing my face, the claws flashed with a red glow...
“Burst Attack!”
Fury flew over me as if carried by a gust of deadly wind. The Imp disappeared with a desperate screech, carried away by a furious onslaught. Before getting up I had to cut the bola that had bound my legs. Fury had already raced over to her next target, and all I could do was finish off the creature that was twitching in agony, black liquid gushing from its torn throat. All of the other Imps turned their attention to Fury, which turned the battlefield into a hellish landscape. Before my eyes, another Imp flew to the center of the hall, slammed its head against the chest and froze, stunned. The next flew up into the air like a rocket; I managed to get close enough to hit it with Uniq. I shook the lifeless body off the blade.
Unable to keep up with Fury’s speed, the two whirling bolas hit the wall behind her, showering her with debris. The fight felt completely different now that my little helper had turned from a helpless kitten into a mighty warrior; the Imps no longer looked like formidable opponents.
But I relaxed too early.
The fifth Imp turned out to be quicker than its fellows, or maybe it just adapted to the situation. Its bola reached its target and Fury tumbled over. Snarling indignantly, she tried to leap up, but fell back on her side. Her front paws were tightly tied and the two Imps that still remained on their hooves ran toward her, triumphantly waving their clawed paws.
You wish!
Upon my order, Tinnie released her pollen over the Imps. And just in time, too, as they were about to chop Fury into tiny little pieces.
Synergy effect has been interrupted. Energy required...
Keymaster Page 17