I released a breath I’d instinctively held and tried again. It would be embarrassing to fail now, especially after my bragging. But again, I couldn’t activate the pool.
I shook my head. It’s not working.
He chuckled.
“What’s wrong?” Hoshisu demanded.
I grimaced. “It’s a tad more complex than I thought.”
“I thought you said you had it all figured out.”
Malkyr came to my defense. “Give the guy a break, sis. He’s doing the best he can. It’s not like these things come with an instruction manual.”
A manual! His words sparked an idea. I opened my inventory and retrieved a book.
“What’s that?” Malkyr asked.
“A manual.” I winked at him.
It was the Book of the Damned, an item that allowed its holder to contact the lower planes. The same one Barska had used to gain his powers. I’d meant to browse it before, but until now, it didn’t seem that urgent. I leafed through the pages, seeing a long list of different demons, each with its unique summoning preferences, and some additional lore.
“Ah, here it is!” I exclaimed, finding a picture of a magic pool almost the exact copy of the one in front of me. “It says here each pool is attuned to a specific activation method.” I frowned, trying to make sense of that information. I was sure I got the Pyrolith guardian’s exact mana signature. What else would it be ‘attuned to’ …? I mulled it over.
I frowned. What did it do … Then it hit me. Of course! It roared!
“I think I know what I have to do now.” I closed the book.
“Can I have a look at that?” Hoshisu asked.
I thought of refusing her, but I needed to stay in her good graces for her cooperation. I gave her the book.
She opened it randomly, staring at the page, then looked up at me, her expression blank. “There is nothing readable in here. I only receive a prompt asking if I want to activate this item’s summoning power.”
Damn, I should have expected that. This was another aspect of playing a hybrid race. As part monster, I was able to delve deeper into the underlying logic that governed this world. In comparison, players only got to see the highlights.
Myriad possible answers ran through my mind, but it was clear the woman was already suspicious of me, so I simply shrugged, smiled, and held out my hand.
She stared at me for a long moment before finally deciding to let the matter drop, handing the book back to me.
“Get ready,” I said.
I concentrated and held the mana pattern firmly in mind, then I opened my jaws and roared, unleashing the power through my mouth.
A thunderous, monsterific roar erupted and a stream of cascading mana hit the pool surface, which immediately started to bubble up. It worked!
I moved back, Malkyr letting me pass him at the narrow path but then stood firmly at the pool’s edge. Standing at the rear, activating my shield would be counterproductive; it severely limited my mobility and could potentially interfere with my companion’s mobility.
The pool continued to bubble. A creature’s head popped out, then another, and another. They came slithering out of the pool. Dozens of Pyroliths, smaller versions of the one we had met before.
Pyrolith [Demon]
Level: 15
HP: 85 , MP: 140
Attributes: P: 2; M: 13; S: 0
Skills: Fireball 15*
Traits: Demon (summoned), Serpent (constrict), Regeneration (fire: 5)
Resistances: Fire: 100%, Cold: -50%, Holy: -50%, armor: 18
Description: The Pyrolith are hell’s combat acolytes and excel at wielding fire-based offensive magic.
Their level varied, though most were between level 13 to 15. They tried to climb over the piles of rubble, but only a handful of them found enough perch to slither up; the rest were forced to funnel toward the only exit, where we waited.
Standing firmly at the front, Malkyr held his axe with one hand, waiting for the creatures to come to him. Hoshisu was just behind him, crouching with her daggers at her sides.
Bek and I started bombarding the demons with spinning drilling arrows.
Three Pyroliths led the charge, opening their maws. Fireballs and other kinds of fire spells flew at us. Malkyr, however, was ready for them. Holding up his gauntleted hand, he intercepted the attacks and three flashes of fire were sucked into his palm. His axe flared bright orange. Clasping his axe with both hands, making the rune glow even brighter, he bellowed a war cry. Malkyr swiped his axe horizontally, hitting all three monsters. The axe easily cut through demonic flesh, cleaving two of them in half. Their remains sank into the pool.
Though it was critically wounded, the third Pyrolith survived the hit and was coiling to pounce. Malkyr’s swing left him open and vulnerable for a counterattack. Before the demon could lash out, Hoshisu shot forward. Rolling between her brother’s legs, she came to her feet with her daggers leading the way and intercepted the injured monster. Her daggers flashed, doing enough damage to finally kill it. She then rolled back again as more Pyroliths prepared to launch their fiery attacks. Malkyr was already waiting for them.
I nodded in approval. Once again, the twins had shown me what an effective duo they made.
Bek and I continued to rain drilling arrows on the monsters, softening them up for Malkyr to dispatch in a single stroke. The pattern repeated itself. The dimwitted creatures couldn’t seem to grasp that their own spells were being absorbed and used against them. Again and again, they were caught by Malkyr’s sweeps, his sister darting forward occasionally to finish off stragglers.
“Now this is fun!” The big man declared, killing four injured Pyroliths with another swipe of the humming axe.
A single Pyrolith got lucky and managed to sneak a Firedart spell past Malkyr’s defense. The fiery bolt hit his sister for 20 damage that Bek quickly healed.
“Had to jinx it, didn’t you?” Hoshisu berated her brother.
“Sorry!” he boomed jubilantly.
Meanwhile, five Pyroliths had found a perch on the steep piles of rubble and were extracting themselves from the pool.
We couldn’t allow the creatures to get the high ground. Our advantage lay in boxing them in. So far, I was content with using drilling arrows only; it was the most mana-efficient strategy when working together with a party. Now, the situation called for something more extravagant.
I targeted the climbing Pyroliths, and since they had no magic resistance, I hit them with Freeze. With my Dark Mana skill at level 30, I could only affect two of them at once. The two Pyroliths I selected stopped moving. With a flicker of thought, my dagger soared through the air, cutting their throats, sacrificing both.
Pyrolith. +14 Faith Points (Cult of Nihilator)
Pyrolith. +15 Faith Points (Cult of Nihilator)
Unlike their greater kin, these Pyrolith didn’t have magic resistance, which made them susceptible to my abilities. The situation presented a golden opportunity to farm them for some much-needed Faith Points and void crystals.
The twins, assisted by Bek, were holding their own, but the pool was swarming with even more demons. The other three Pyroliths were still climbing and would reach the top in seconds. I repeated my tactic, freezing two and sacrificing them, but the last one managed to reach the top. It opened its maw, targeting Malkyr. From that high angle, the big man would be unable to intercept the attack. Luckily, I still had options available to me. Concentrating on the creature, I poured my own mana into its mind, claiming it. The damn thing was a caster, causing me to spend a whopping 140 MP to activate the ability. Luckily Freeze and Dominate didn’t stack when determining the number of creatures I could affect.
A bead of fire started to form inside
the creature’s maw and then it became my hand puppet.
Target the pool, I ordered. The creature obeyed and the spell meant for us was launched at the center of the pool. The fireball exploded, covering nearly the entire surface with flames. The Pyroliths contained within were immune to fire, but the force of the blast still pushed them back, staggering many of them. The twins were quick to take advantage of the chance to rain more blows on the disarrayed monsters.
We killed 20 more of them before their numbers finally started to dwindle. With over 60 percent mana remaining, I allowed myself to be a spendthrift and started freezing and sacrificing the Pyrolith at every chance.
In less than a minute, it was all over.
Altogether, we killed over 50 demons, not including the one I was still dominating. Everyone received a decent amount of XP and skill progression, but there was hardly any loot. As summoned creatures, the Pyroliths didn’t drop equipment, and their bodies simply vanished once they were killed. Still, there were some mementos left behind.
Pyrolith Scale
Description: Light, tough, and naturally fire resistant, it is an ideal component for crafting armor.
Type: Component
The twins graciously let me take the five scales we found. The fight was rewarding for me in other ways as well. I had gained 150 Faith Points and ten level 15 void crystals. Not a bad haul.
“Next pool?” I asked the twins.
“Sure.” They grinned at each other then followed me toward our next target.
The next pool looked different; it was dark green with patches of yellow. Only a single pile of debris lay at its side. We would not be able to bottleneck the demons as before. The energy fluctuation coming from the pool was also different. I took out the Book of the Damned and started leafing through it.
“This is going to be rough.” Malkyr rubbed his neck, eyeing the pool. “No choke point here.”
“We’re going to have to change our tactics.” I closed the book, having found the answers I was looking for. “Since there’s only one pile, then …”
“Then we take the high ground,” Hoshisu completed my words.
I grinned at her. “Exactly.”
Unexpectedly, she flashed me a smile. Facing overwhelming odds, fighting back to back, always tended to bring people together.
“We’ll be sitting ducks up here,” Malkyr objected. “They can just shoot at us from below.”
I shook my head. “This pool is different. It won’t be Pyroliths this time around. It’s a demon called Stalker. They’re like blobs of flesh with spear-like appendages. Melee type.”
“Sounds creepy. I guess that means they won’t be casting any fire spells. Damn.” Malkyr patted his axe. “I got used to being able to juice up this baby.”
I pointed at the dominated Pyrolith that was trailing us. “That’s why I brought this guy with us. I’ll station him on another pile and instruct him to fire a spell at you every time you raise your hand.”
The big man brightened at that. “Fire on demand – I like it!”
Hoshisu rolled her eyes. “Boys and their high-powered, fire-sucking toys.”
We climbed the pile. It took a few attempts as we kept sliding down before we finally made it to the top. We stared at the pool beneath us. Only one side of our pile was relatively climbable. The other sides were sheer drops, five meters high.
Malkyr moved to stand in front of the climbable side, blocking it.
“Everyone ready?” I asked.
The twins nodded and Bek piped, “Yes, Dread Totem.”
As before, I concentrated on the pool below us, forming the required mana and releasing it through a thunderous roar.
The pool’s water started bubbling. Everyone tensed, getting ready for the enemy to show itself.
Then the pool’s surface exploded outward, spitting out dozens of creatures.
The book description was accurate. The creatures looked like a mass of amorphous flesh with dozens of spear-like legs protruding from all sides, like giant, fleshy pincushions. Their bodies spread and contracted, making their many ‘legs’ move in chaotic patterns as they crawled forward.
Stalker [Demon]
Level: 17
HP: 160, MP: 95
Attributes: P: 15, M: 2; S: 0
Skills: Stab 23, Death Plunge 12
Traits: Demon(summoned)
Resistances: Fire 100%, Cold -50%, Holy -50%, Armor 25, Mental 100%
Description: The reincarnation of tortured souls who have lost all sense of self. A Stalker knows no fear and operates on pure instinct, seeking to spread the pain they endure every waking moment onto others.
I shuddered as I read the description. If I hadn’t managed to outsmart Barska, my tortured, broken spirit could well have been reincarnated into one of these vile demons.
Unlike the Pyroliths, these creatures had high mental resistance, meaning I could not dominate them. That made sense, as nothing about them suggested they had any kind of coherent mind to dominate. They were also higher level than the Pyroliths and had more health. We had a tough fight ahead of us.
Seconds after appearing, the Stalkers noticed us and swarmed over the pile, trying to reach us.
Not helping, Vic.
Without waiting for their vanguard to reach us, I unleashed the empowered drilling arrows I’d prepared in advance. Three spinning projectiles hit a Stalker, gouging deep holes in his fleshy body and doing over 100 points of damage, but the damn thing wouldn’t go down. If anything, it tried to climb on some of its friends in an effort to reach us faster. I froze one creature and coup-de-grâce’d it with the dagger. Their higher level meant I could only sacrifice one creature at a time.
Stalker. +17 Faith Points (Cult of Nihilator)
Malkyr raised a gauntleted hand and my dominated Pyrolith obediently launched a fireball at it. The fireball was sucked in by the gauntlet, making Malkyr’s axe glow a dim orange light. Malkyr clasped his axe with both hands and raised it above his head. The axe glow changed, and the blade almost looked like it was repelling the very air around it. The host of Stalkers continued to swarm over the pile, even climbing on top of each other, drawing thick yellow blood in their eagerness to reach us.
Four creatures reached the top. Roaring, Malkyr chopped down hard, striking the pile. A wave of force burst out, hurling the nearby Stalkers away and pushing others below us down the pile. In the chaos, the rolling demons stepped on and stabbed at each other, doing even more damage than my drilling arrows.
“Level 25 Prime skill, bitches,” Malkyr shouted merrily.
“That’s pretty handy. What’s it called?” I asked.
“Concussive Strike.”
Over 50 demons were spread below us. They staggered in their weird, wavering gait, but it was a matter of seconds before they recuperated and rushed us again.
Seeing them all piled up together was an enticing target. I cast Shadow Web on the densest part, trapping 20 of them under a web of dark tendrils. Devoid of magic resistance and lacking overwhelming strength, the demons couldn’t escape. The Stalked started to writhe and thrash against the bindings, stabbing one another in the process.
The other 30 demons paid them no heed and charged on our position.
“Can you do that again?” I asked Malkyr, using Freeze and sacrificing a Stalker while sending a trio of drilling arrows that felled another.
He shook his head and raised one hand. “At my current skill level, I can only do it once every five minutes.”
A fireball hit his outstretched hand, just as the Stalkers reached us. Malkyr swung his axe in a wide arc, hitting three of the creatures, his howling weapon tearing into their amorphous flesh. Hoshisu darted in, her daggers a blur, dispatching one of the attackers.
The other two retaliated, thrusting their sharp limbs at Malkyr, piercing armor and flesh, and reducing his health by 30 percent.
“Damn, they’re tou
gh bastards,” Malkyr grunted. Bek’s healing spell hit him, restoring his health back to 90 percent.
The Stalkers I’d trapped continued to stab at each other and several were dead already. The other 30 kept climbing, trying to find a perch on the narrow ledge to reach us.
We continued fighting. Malkyr concentrated on killing single opponents before moving to the next one, with Hoshisu occasionally darting in to deal a finishing blow or to intercept a strike intended for her brother. But for every Stalker dead, two more took its place. We were destroying them too slowly. The demons had no regard for their own lives and carelessly charged in for the chance to attack us. Their erratic assault patterns hit us repeatedly. Poor Bek was healing us as fast as he could, but his mana drained swiftly, and he had to cast Drain Mana to replenish his dwindling reserves.
Time for a reprieve, I thought and cast Shadow Hound.
Three shadow mastiffs emerged out of the darkness and charged down at the Stalkers. Their attack gained the demons’ attention, reducing the pressure on us. Under my Shadow Web, over half of the trapped Stalkers lay dead and the rest looked halfway there as well.
Taking advantage of the reprieve, Malkyr took a potion from his inventory and downed it in one gulp. His eyes flared for a second, and his many bleeding wounds began to close.
Targeting the closest Stalker, I concentrated, freezing and sacrificing it, then launched a volley of Drilling Arrows at another.
Meanwhile, my mastiffs were doing the best they could. Their lower level meant they could barely damage the enemy. Still, their invulnerability to physical attacks made them an excellent distraction, and many of the mindless demons continued attacking them.
We were going to make it, I could tell. The first onslaught was the hardest to withstand, but we’d endured. Now it was only a question of time.
Just as I came to this conclusion, a heavy mass of stabbing limbs fell on top of me. I’d been jumped by one of the stabbing horrors.
Life Reset- EvP Page 19