My face must have betrayed something because she laughed at me. “I’m kidding, Deuce. Well partially kidding.”
“I am shocked for different reasons; I might be in love with you.” This time it was my turn to chuckle.
“You two are both dark and twisted up here somewhere.” Butter was pointing towards his head. “But you need to decide. The [Firestorm] is moving in quick.”
“Fine, I’ll make the deal.” I looked at Amard, and she was nodding in agreement.
“If it’s related to whatever insane class you have, I agree.”
Not sure how to take that from her, the cavalier way she accepted that I’d be sharing a bed with a goblin left me wondering what things she got herself into. Finding out Amard was a woman, and a dark horse intrigued me more than a little.
Walking up to the goblin woman, I pulled a dagger from my inventory and cut my thumb. She used my weapon to cut hers too. We swiped our bloody digits across each other’s forehead, and then before I pulled my hand back, her mouth closed over my thumb. Her tongue felt softer than I expected as she suckled away the blood.
[Negotiation +10. Could have been higher, uh oh.]
[A Deal has been struck with Carissa, the Dark Herbalist.
OTM: Deals, Bargains, and Oaths carry severe consequences if broken. You’ve been warned.
Loot: Fire Immunity Potion x1 - 2 uses remain.]
“Here goes nothing,” I told the others while the goblins were scurrying towards their houses which were almost entirely made of stone. The message on my negotiation skill worried me.
Chapter 35
Location: Serpent’s Basin (Dungeon)
The hours spent in the jungle had prepared me for the humidity, but fire raining from the sky, burning everything it touched—there is no way to prepare for that. It had the calm of a spring rain shower, but the destructive force of an inferno—destruction without emotion. The two sides were at odds.
“Remember, don’t interfere,” I told the other two. “And don’t stray far from me. I can’t absorb the entire storm, but I am sure I can take on the area right up the middle, which should protect us and most of the town.”
“That’s reassuring.” Butter’s snark was more biting than it had been yesterday.
I stripped down to my underwear, knowing that my clothes wouldn’t survive this. Amard stepped up to help me apply the lotion all over my flesh. Once prepared I stepped forward toward the storm and opened my [Inner Dragon] as wide as I could. The fire raged around me as if it were a living thing, and then the storm was upon us.
The first few drops touched my skin rolling away harmlessly before I felt the dragon feeding. A dome of fire formed around us and every drop of fire that struck it was robbed of its heat. Only the liquid made it through, but it was not water. It felt like oil.
My eyes refused to open because I was the beachhead and exposed to the wrath of the storm. Unlike with the monk trainer, there was no inhaling this fire. My core warped as the fire within it became silkier and less magma-like. The power was mind numbing, but its real strength was its agility and movement.
The anchor to my body slipped, and I merged with the storm. It fought me because it could feel the danger I represented. Until that moment, the eye of the storm had primarily ignored me. It had never met resistance before, and now it fought to preserve itself. Unchecked, it would have destroyed me, but something kept its full force at bay.
An oppressive presence took shape in this contest of wills, and I could feel its desire to devour me. It wanted to kill me, consume my organic flesh, and leave me as nothing but bones. We both sensed the end approaching; whether it was my ending or the storm’s remained undecided.
“Open your eyes and look upon your death.” The storm breathed all around me, and I did as it said. A man stood before me with my features but made of liquid fire.
“If you think you have it in you, then end me,” I growled.
“Attack me, if you have the courage. Show me what you know.”
The flame inside of me reacted, and I slid effortlessly across the ground. I danced through the fire to reappear next to my doppelganger. He dripped fire with every movement but did not have my speed. My first fist caught it across the jaw, and his face broke like cheap china. Seconds later it had reformed, undoing the damage.
My next fist struck his gut, forcing him back a step or two. The distance provided enough room for my kick to connect solidly against its side. The elemental stumbled to the left and right into my double uppercut. One fist striking under its jaw and the other into his gut. Energy surged into me with each strike, but the elemental reformed in the blink of an eye.
The attacks would never harm the elemental because it lacked a corporeal form. However, each strike lessened its power, and I absorbed all it would let me. A [Dragon Fist’s] strength came from understanding all aspects of fire.
This storm wanted to consume and desired to cleanse the world. Fire was a primal power, and through its destruction came a rebirth. It was like me, it held the same kind of power that Soulkeeper said I held. Its focus was single-minded but pure, and the only way to stop it was to consume it with an equal focus. I let my rage devour the storm, and its power filled me with knowledge. I knew what had to be done.
“I understand,” I told it.
“Then take it, my gift, and bind it to you. I warn you, no potion will save you from this fire,” The flame elemental told me. “To survive, you must suffer the pain of destruction so you can understand the cycle of rebirth.”
Pain? I know pain, and I no longer feared it. Stepping in close to my flame doppelganger, I slipped my hand into its chest and grasped the power. Not willing to lose my nerve, I tried to pull the [Heart of the Storm] free of the elemental’s chest. The fire burned away the flesh of my hand, and the heart wriggled free of my bony grip.
The [Firestorm] laughed at me, amused at my feeble attempts to control chaos. “My heart cannot be removed with a paltry sacrifice of a single hand. You want my power, then plunge all your hands into my chest and retrieve it.”
Wincing at the rebuke thrown at me, I could still feel my skeletal hand moving as if its flesh had not burned away. My nostrils flared with pain, and I did what was expected of me. My eyes smoldered as my flesh burned away and overwhelming darkness tried to creep in.
Willpower was the only thing driving me forward, and my entire body shook by the time all four hands had a firm grip on the heart. Not sure I had the energy to attempt this again, I put everything I had into ripping the [Heart of the Storm] from the elemental’s body. It was almost laughable at how easy it came free, and its power sent throbbing vibrations up my arms and into my body. My core shook with each pulse of energy.
“One last test.” The storm had quieted, and I could feel it dissipating at its farthest edges. “Time is short, you must merge it into your [Inner Dragon], or you will have failed, and then everything in this basin dies. Scorched into oblivion, including you and your friends.”
The storm chuckled at my dismay, but there was no malice in its words, only truth. An elemental lacked empathy, it existed as a primal law, and performed its role without fail.
In my hands, the crystal heart contained a raging inferno. Hesitation was for those who let consequences guide their actions. Before the doubt or fear could grab hold, I shoved the [Heart of the Storm] into my solar plexus. The flesh parted and like a coiled serpent, the [Inner Dragon] struck, wrapping itself around the heart. Like the anacondas, it wrapped itself tighter and tighter until it condensed the power enough for it to swallow the heart.
I collapsed to my knees, my bony hands clicking against the scorched and hardened ground. A battle raged inside the dragon, but it was no longer my fight. I could only observe as the dragon sought to consume the soul.
It was hard to say what changes were occurring, but the flame inside my core had drastically changed. My mana transformed from into something closer to liquid, which rushed through my mana channels burning aw
ay impurities and my old form of mana.
I did not know how long it took, but I felt when it was done. The storm dissipated, and if it was not for the path of destruction it left behind, it was almost as if it had never existed.
The dragon inside writhed in pain, and I could feel its growing sentience.
[Willpower has increased. This is a hidden attribute]
[Perseverance +25]
[You have given your Inner Dragon a soul, and it is no longer dormant inside of you. It is like a newborn and will grow to have a will of its own. In the early stages, your actions will help shape its growth. If you choose a darker path, it too will become dark. Once you have given your dragon a mind of its own, it will rebel against you if you go against its alignment. Choose actions consistent with your personality.]
Great, my inner dragon will be an asshole.
Someone was sobbing. I opened my eyes to see I was still on my knees and had not moved. Amard was too busy frantically healing me to notice I had opened my eyes, but it was not her sobbing, it was me.
“Butter, what the hell is this? His hands are not healing.” Amard railed at the thief, more out of frustration than anything.
“Don’t bother,” I grumbled, my voice sounding like gravel. “Watch.”
The [Heart of the Storm] had reshaped my core. Its crystalline structure blazed in me with more depth and power than it had before, and I knew without a doubt that the power of my flames had doubled. My [Inner Dragon] was still the core, but the storm filled it with so much power it felt damn near godly.
The missing flesh on my arms aligned with where my tattoos once were. Fire within my core rushed down to all four arms, replacing lost muscle and tissue. The tattoos were different, deeper, hotter and more alive—even the coloring shifted towards a blue and red.
My arms produced enough heat to warm a small shack in winter, and while my wraps could partially mute it, I feared they wouldn’t survive much longer.
“Holy shit. You all right? I’ve never seen anything like that.” Amard looked worried and curious, and her curiosity outweighed her worry. I could sense Butter eavesdropping; he too was more curious than ever. “I mean don’t get me wrong, that was amazing. But damn, seeing that would make me second guess ever taking that class.”
“I’m fine. And yes, I almost failed and destroyed this entire dungeon in the process.”
“Well come on, we gotta get you cleaned up for your date.” She was laughing at me and tugging me to my feet. “Deuce, if you, um you know with her. Don’t—”
“Don’t worry; I won’t bring it up.”
“Good. Since we have several hours before dark, I need to work on discovering my Ku. I’ve decided me and you are sticking together, and I refuse to be the weak one. I took a profession to guide me through the mastery part, but I have yet to discover what fuels my magic. Obviously, yours is fire, but it's time I stopped messing around. Seeing what you just did, well I’m kind of ashamed I haven’t learned it yet.”
“If you need anything from me, you know I’ll help,” I told her and meant it. Most people didn’t deserve aid, but some people just resonated. Besides, she laughed at my dark and twisted stuff, and that made her all right in my book.
“Thanks. Still can’t believe you fought a [Firestorm], that’s gotta come with some major upgrades, right? Alright, here we are. I’m going to run around town and see what they have to offer. No [Author] has ever been here; I might find killer deals.”
“Can you find me better hand wraps? Preferably resistant to heat or fire.”
“Sure. Have fun, but not too much fun.” Amard took off through the gates, and the goblin’s looked at me with reverence—or fear.
“She likes you,” Carissa, the Dark Herbalist said from beside me. “Come. We go my place.”
I followed her, wondering when Butter had disappeared.
Chapter 36
Location: Serpent’s Basin
“Heh. Relax. I not take you. Just mess with friends.” The goblin was laughing at me when I nervously sat on her bed. “Profession interest me. I [Dark Herbalist] by class, me too am [Alchemist]. Why choose?”
Relaxing, now I understood why she wanted me, I was not sure I had a good answer for her. “[Sense Heat] complements my skills and combined with [Zoology] I can sense animals near me. Potions are never a bad thing, but I am not sure.”
Carissa nodded her head while I talked and her ears moved expressively, more so than her facial features. Her long black hair curled down to her shoulders, and she had not bothered to cover her exposed breasts. She almost flaunted her the soft green curves.
“I think you not know what [Alchemy] is. It potent. Fight with. Many uses.” A thin crystal vial appeared in her hand and held it up shaking the dark liquid. “This. Throw at enemy and melt flesh. Melt anything organic. Rope, wood, cloth, flesh. More than silly potion. I teach you, yes?”
A lump in my throat prevented me from swallowing as I watch her shake the vial around in front of me. My skin was crawling with the idea of the caustic liquid splashing against me. She was offering to teach me the recipe, and it didn’t take much convincing. A potion like that was bound to worth a lot of money.
“Good. You control fire, I mix and teach. If you good. I teach more. You friends safe. Fed. Nice place sleep. What I teach, you need. Temple not safe.”
“Ok, I’m game. What do you want from me?”
The goblin grinned. “You see when done.”
It worked similar to how Delilah had trained me, and we worked well together. Carissa taught me four different potions and gave me ten of each. Every time she taught something, her body pressed closer and closer to mine, until the soft flesh of her breasts was flush against me, and I could feel the hardness of her nipples beneath the thin fabric.
“Yes, now done.” She whispered in my ear, her tongue flicking against my cheek. “Now fun.”
There was no hesitation on my part at that point. Something about working so closely with her lowered my inhibitions, and desire consumed me. Hands grabbed at breasts, and my fingers slid into forbidden places. Two of my hands grabbed her soft round buttocks lifted her up to push my face against her vagina. Her small legs wrapped around my head as she shuddered with pleasure.
Unable to take it any more, I pushed her against the wall, hands gripping her thighs and spreading her wide open. My other hands grabbed her arms and pinned them against the wall. I slid my cock deep into her, feeling the tight warmth squeeze me. She moaned loudly, and as they grew in power and depth, I reached my climax at nearly the same time as her.
“What that?” She giggled into my ear, her long tongue sliding along the lobe.
“I call that move the Schinhofen.” A smile grew on my lips as I named it.
She whispered her reply, “I like. Now, I show you move.” And then she took off her robe and tossed it on the floor, exposing her perfect little body for consumption. Lack of lips made it hard to kiss her, but she enjoyed using her long moist tongue.
It was when she went down on me that I nearly cried out, my stomach flipped and shuddered. Her tongue wrapped around my member, and she moved her head down, so she had the full length of my cock her mouth. I felt her teeth against the flesh of my belly and inner thighs, but they never cut my skin. My cock was stroked repeatedly by her wickedly flexible tongue, and I couldn’t stop the shuddering or the explosive climax. My body spasmed and I could barely prevent blacking out from pleasure.
“That called Stryvant, a trick only goblin do.” She giggled into my ear. Our night was not over, not by far. The goblin was insatiable, and it was only after I drifted off to sleep that I wondered if she had drugged me.
Fear boner invaded my final thoughts, and I tried to laugh it off. It didn’t stop my cock from hardening once more. I could feel a small hand grasp it, but it did not matter, I had nothing more to give.
Chapter 37
End of Day Three
Location: Summary Room
In those fleeting
moments of bliss, when my mind faded into the oblivion of sleep, awareness snapped back. I groaned at being robbed of my natural sleep mechanism.
[Today’s Summary]
[Experience Summary:
Current Level: 2
Unspent Experience: 2256 XP (Today: 2113 XP | Carried Over: 143 XP)
Experience needed for level 3: 1500 XP
Alternate Experience Purchases:
—One Time Purchases—
Level 2:
+1 Attribute of your choice (Purchased)
+5 Acclimation Points in any skill of your choice (Purchased)
Any Level:
Author Skill (Purchased)
—Unlimited Purchases—
+1 XP Coin (Cost: 100 XP)
—Limited Time Purchases—
Title: The Alternate (Cost: 1000 XP | Expires: Tonight)
- Grants a 5% discount on all Alternate Experience Purchases
- Restriction: Does not go into effect until Level 5
- Prerequisite for some future Alternate Experience Purchases.
- This purchase is available tonight only, once you close the summary the offer goes away.
How would you like to spend your Experience?]
“Dammit, are you trying to prevent me from leveling?” I growled.
“You don’t have to purchase it, but then I’ll call you retarded.” NPC was in the room, still in that creepy teddy bear avatar. He was laying down on a sofa I don’t recall having and watched me out of his droopy button eye.
“Are you even allowed to call me retarded? I mean you might hurt my feelings or something.”
“What the fuck do I care about your feelings? I’ll speak slower you retarded monkey. I am an A.I.” He drawled. “And guess what I fucking lack? Empathy.”
“Doesn’t mean—”
“Let’s not do this; I like you so don’t make me think you are a liberal hippy. Make peace not war bullshit. It doesn’t matter who I piss off, because I exist virtually, across the entire world, on servers deep inside bunkers, and unapproachable by liberal pussies. Those bitches abhor things like gasp guns, so they’ll never reach any of my hubs.”
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