by Phoenix Grey
Level 11 Oversized Spider delivers 55 damage to Greasy Summon.
Greasy Summon has been poisoned and will lose 6 Health per second for the next 6 seconds.
It didn't matter, though. Somehow, the lower-level summon was still able to outlast the spider, doing it in with a second blow.
Defeated Level 11 Oversized Spider. 66XP rewarded.
Curious as to exactly how much control he had over the summon, Azure tried to command Greasy to stay with the body instead of coming back to him. The black blob stopped in its tracks and turned around, snail-trailing its way back to the corpse of the spider. He ordered it to disappear, and it exploded into a puddle of grease, coating the spider in black gunk.
“Shit.”
Stupid move. He still needed to get in there and retrieve the head.
A bit annoyed with himself, Azure crossed the few yards to reach the downed spider. For several moments, he simply stared at it, thinking about how he’d take the head without covering himself in grease. It was quickly turning into a very messy day.
Finally, after a few more seconds of contemplating, he pussied out and decided to use his pendant again. If Azure didn’t get the venom sack this time around, he could only hope that he’d be able to cut off the next spider’s head without damaging the venom sack. Either that or that more than five oversized spiders were wandering about. There typically were in these types of quests.
There was no such luck in pulling the item he had wanted. This time, a bundle of white fiber appeared in his hands.
You have received the following item:
Spider Silk
Item Class: Common
Quality: Average
Weight: 0.1 kg
Uses: Crafting.
“Well hell.” Exactly how much of this thing was lootable? Every time, he got something new.
Disappointed, Azure placed the silk in his Bag of Holding and moved on. One last spider to go. One last chance to get the spider venom sack he needed to complete his quest.
The final spider appeared over the horizon as soon as Azure had finished putting the silk away. The good news was that he didn't have to go hunting for it. The bad news was that his Greasy Summon spell still needed to cooldown for four more minutes.
A thought occurred to him then. Every use of his Volatile Bolt spell seemed to have some type of slowing effect. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage.
Deciding to forgo summoning Greasy this time, Azure pointed his finger gun at the spider, praying for either the wind or water spell. Either would slow the spider down well enough for him to get in a body shot with his bow. That would leave the head intact for him to harvest it.
If this didn't work, however, he might end up scrambling for his bow. Or worse, have to engage in melee that would put him in close range of the spider's poison attack. Whatever the case, Azure was committed.
Heat flowed through his body in a torrent. Azure felt it begin at his core, then shoot out through his fingertip into a gout of flame like an overpowered flamethrower. The spider had just barely reached the range of the spell. It hissed and reared back, pawing at the flames with its oversized legs a few times before retreating. After the initial burst, a burning path was left behind. It led to the spider but did not consume it. Instead, the spider went around, angrily approaching at a fast pace.
Yup. It was just as I'd feared.
Feeling that a bladed weapon would be superior in this battle, Azure drew his Bergen's Glaive. As soon as the spider was upon him, it reared up and spit. Having watched the other four spiders fight with his summon, Azure predicted the move and dashed to the side to avoid being hit by the poison. He rolled inward, under the spider's legs, and brought his blade up to stab into the monster's torso, coming up short and severing off one of its legs instead. The creature let out a high-pitched half-whine half-scream before lifting its body again. Azure tried to get out of the way, but one of its feet came down on his heel, tripping him. Searing fire centralized on the back of his calf as one of the spider's giant fangs buried deeply into it.
Level 12 Oversized Spider delivers 60 damage.
Thankfully, it didn't poison him in the process.
There was a strange feeling of relief when the spider pulled its fang out. A hot throbbing sensation was left behind, and Azure's leg quickly became numb.
The spider was thoroughly ticked off, rushing forward to pierce him again. Azure rolled out of the way, putting all of his weight behind a weak upward slash. Damn was his Bergen's Glaive ever hard to wield when he was on his back. The attack did nothing besides cause the spider to take a step back and then advance again.
Azure tried with all of his might to scramble to his feet, but it was difficult when he could barely feel his foot. Even with his boosted Agility, the spider was faster, and it seemed like a constant struggle to stay out from under it.
A stab to the shin of his other leg rendered Azure immobile.
Level 12 Oversized Spider delivers 60 damage.
Fuck all. I should have just waited and used the summon.
The spider was on him again in an instant. It was all Azure could do to block the fangs from sinking into his chest. For the spider being several levels lower than him, this was not looking good. He needed to think fast.
Venom dripped from the spider's fangs as it bared down on him, trying to use the sheer weight of its body to push past Azure's defenses. The venom fell onto his chest, filling his nostrils with a chemical smell. Azure grunted as he fought with everything he had, his arms bowing inward from the difference in strength.
He wanted this to be like in the movies where the hero overpowered the monster at the last minute—pulled from some unforeseen pool of strength fueled by adrenaline. But that didn't happen. With one last show of force, the spider worked Azure's muscles to atrophy. Its fangs came down, the only respite the fact that his sword worked as a barrier between them to keep the monster from sinking its fangs all the way down into his heart.
Azure screamed as fire bloomed in his chest. What he had done to the spider's outsides with his Volatile Bolt, the spider was doing to his insides with whatever it was injecting into him.
Critical Hit! Level 12 Oversized Spider delivers 70 damage.
Feeling panicked and desperate, Azure did the only thing he thought might save his life. He dropped his blade and cocked his hand back, blasting the spider with Volatile Bolt at close range.
At first, Azure wasn't sure if it was the stab to his chest that caused the increased heat flooding throughout him. It felt like he was about to be consumed by fiery death. But as soon as the sensation reached his arm, he had a new reason to panic. There was no stopping it now.
A gout of flames shot forth from his fingertip, the force of which was so strong that it blew the spider completely off of him. The next several moments were a blur of terror and pain. Heat surrounded Azure's body. Scorching heat. Blistering heat.
He tried to crawl away as soon as the realization hit him that his entire body was engulfed in flames. Red filled his vision. Then his eyes erupted in their sockets, adding to his overwhelming agony. Azure wasn't sure if the screams he was hearing belonged to the spider or him. In his now blindness, a notification announcing the monster's death flashed before a black background. His mental hysteria pushed it away.
Spell backlash delivers 75 damage.
You are burning and will lose 20 Health per second for the next 5 seconds.
An image of orange flames appeared as a status effect in Azure's peripheral vision. He barely had the mental capacity to notice its presence. With no sense of direction, he wasn't sure if he was crawling away from the sea of fire he'd just created or further into it. All he knew was that he was dying.
It took every ounce of his energy to keep moving. Azure's skin sizzled, the metal of his chainmail baking into his flesh. The scent of his body cooking filled his nostrils. It smelled like pork and burnt hair.
He h
ad felt pain before, but not like this. Nothing like this. Seconds ticked by like hours as he tried his best to escape the hell he'd created.
Remembering something he'd learned in elementary school, Azure rolled to put himself out. At least, he thought he rolled. He couldn't feel anymore. And soon, the rest of him succumbed to the pain, drawing him into unconsciousness as a merciful coping mechanism.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
THE REALM – Day 90
You have died.
Why did Azure always see that during near-death experiences? He hadn't died, of course. It just felt like he had. Hell, he wished he had.
Pain was the first thing Azure felt when he awoke. All over his entire body. Like he was just one big wound.
The next thing was panic. He couldn't see. Couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not. There was a cloying blackness all around him. A color of black he'd never seen before.
Air filled Azure's lungs in a whoosh, and he began to hyperventilate. What was this pain? Could he even get rid of it?
Despite the agony of moving, Azure reached for his Bag of Holding. Somehow, it remained intact at his hip. Just moving to touch it peeled off pieces of his charred flesh, opening sores. The intensity of the pain made Azure feel like he might pass out again. He knew that this was the only way to find relief, though.
Pushing through the most extreme discomfort he had ever experienced in his entire life, Azure felt around for the vials in his bag, grabbing a fistful of them. Numbers or quality didn’t matter at this point. He’d drink every last one of them if it made this pain subside.
Chugging down three at a time, Azure practically inhaled his stash of Potions of Minor Healing. Each round made him feel better, but the healing wasn’t pleasant either. His flesh and skin tingled as it regenerated. The buzzing pain in his eyes was almost unbearable.
It wasn’t until he was 10 potions in that Azure began to regain his sight. His hands trembled as he took stock of himself. Many of his items had been burned to a crisp. His Spiked Vambraces were gone. Black Barbed Whip, gone. Gnollish Club and Wooden Buckler, gone. Goblin Bow and all of his arrows, no more. Every stitch of clothing he’d been wearing that wasn’t made of metal had sloughed off from the fire, leaving behind patches of scarred skin. The loss felt monumental.
To add insult to injury, Azure was naked aside from his helmet, greaves, chainmail, and jewelry. He looked like a knight that had been raped out in the middle of the desert, set on fire, and left for dead. He didn’t feel much better than that either.
The sun was peeking over the horizon, which meant that Azure had been unconscious all night. It was a wonder that nothing had come along and eaten him. Or that bats or shadowlings hadn’t given him any grief. If that had been the case, he surely would have died.
“That was a close one.” He let his head fall to the side.
There was a path of black sand that led to the body of the spider he’d slain. It was turned over onto its back, its remaining legs curled inward in the classic dead spider position. The previously brown hairy body was as black as black could be. Azure imagined that if he tried to touch it, it would crumble into ash. So much for getting that last spider venom sack.
Azure didn't really give two shits about that right now. He was just grateful to be alive. He pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around as he lazily drank a few more healing potions to top off his health and get rid of any remaining scabbing. All he wanted was to feel better.
One thing was for certain, he'd never use that Volatile Bolt spell again. The memory of burning alive had him scared to death of it. Since he couldn't control what element came forth from him, it wasn't worth the risk.
Azure thanked the gods that he hadn't sold his Armor of Light. It had crossed his mind once he was fully decked out in new, better armor, but the sentimental value of it made him hold back. Also, it was a complete set of armor, and he figured that those were few and far between in The Realm. Maybe he was wrong, though. He had seen more than a handful of knights that donned, what appeared to be, matching sets of armor. Whatever the case, he now definitely didn't regret his decision to hold onto it.
Azure stood and slowly dressed, feeling much lighter. By the time he was done, the only thing missing was shoes. He'd have to buy some new ones when he reached Squall's End. The sand was warm beneath his feet but not uncomfortable to walk on barefooted thanks to the fact that night had done its job to cool things off.
Azure went over to the dead spider. It was definitely every bit as crispy as he predicted. There would be no looting it for its venom sack. Unless....
He pointed his Loot Automizer Pendant at the corpse. Instead of the body beginning to sparkle though, a notification popped up.
There is nothing to loot here.
Azure huffed, though he wasn’t surprised. As if to give him visual confirmation, the body of the spider slowly began flaking away.
“You held up for me all night just to do this now.” A soft chuckle escaped his lips, more so from the insanity of the previous day’s events than any amusement from his current situation.
Despite being fulled healed, Azure did not feel well. Certainly not well enough to fight any more monsters. He was shaken and unsettled by what had happened. All that he currently wanted was to return to Squall’s End and take a few days off to mentally recover. Thanks to the potions, his physical wounds had healed quickly. His mental wounds, not so much.
Deciding to abandon the quest for now, Azure summoned Flicker. There was no patience in him for practice. He made her lie down so that he could easily mount her, then he took off at a walk toward Squall’s End.
Azure enjoyed a leisurely pace until his Mana began to run down, then he galloped the rest of the way to Squall’s End. It seemed especially important to take in his surroundings today. Not because he was afraid that monsters might be lurking to attack, but because everything seemed so surreal. Somehow, he was still alive despite practically burning to death the day before. Passing out had been a mercy.
Had Azure been back on Earth, there would be no quick healing. He would have had to suffer the pain of his wounds for many months of recovery, and he never would have been the same after. That gave him a new appreciation for The Realm. It also made him want to take the time to notice all of the little things that he usually took for granted. The pleasure of a cool breeze on his face. The smell of clean air, something he hadn’t been afforded on Earth. The way that healing herbs grew all around him, even if he was too lazy to dismount his horse and Forage right now. The Realm was an amazing place, but it was also horrible.
Never on Earth would he have to worry about something like spell backlash. There wasn't magic on Earth. Nor would he have to fight monsters for money. Paychecks were doled out for day after day of monotonous desk work. Life here might be more exciting, but it was definitely harder and far more dangerous. Just in the few short months that Azure had been in The Realm, he'd had more near-death experiences than throughout his entire lifespan on Earth. Now that he thought about, there weren't a lot of old people wandering around. Certainly not any elderly Adventurers.
The Adventurers Guild was always filled with eager teens to thirty-somethings. There were a few people he might have pegged in their forties, but those were few and far between. If he kept on adventuring, Azure feared that one of his near-death experiences would eventually end up going beyond that. And for as boring as life had been on Earth, Azure was beginning to feel like he wanted out of The Realm. But he had no idea how to leave or if he even could. As far as he was aware, this was his life now.
By the time Azure arrived back in Squall's End, his Mana was almost on E. He had managed to level his enchanting skill one more time, though.
Congratulations! The skill: Enchanting has reached Level 4. This skill allows you to bring the elements into you to create something new or change the things around you. Continuing to level up this skill will unlock the ability to learn more s
pells of the same magic type.
It was a small consolation. A way to make him feel that the day hadn’t been so wasted.
Speaking of wasted, that was precisely how Azure planned to get. He wouldn’t be doing any more fighting for a while and could afford the hangover. But first, he needed to pay for more nights at the inn. And before that, he needed shoes. Walking barefoot around town just felt strange and uncomfortable. Now would be a good time to visit Cristopher, Bronna’s uncle.
The cobbler’s shop was tucked away in a corner of the town near the port. A few pairs of sandals and boots sat in the display window. Peeking inside, Azure could tell it was a small space.
Cristopher was sitting at the back of the room stitching two pieces of leather together. He looked up when Azure entered, then smiled when recognition hit him.
“Hey there. I wasn’t sure I’d be seeing you again. Almost didn’t recognize you without hair.” The barrel of a man pointed at his own head. “I take it this isn’t just a friendly visit.” His gaze fell to Azure’s bare feet.
“Shoes. I need shoes.” Azure wiggled his toes, not enjoying the grime that had gathered between them.
“Shoes, I can do. I fix them, and I make them. Take a look around and let me know if you see anything that you like.” The cordwainer warmly smiled at him. Cristopher was one of the few friendly faces in The Realm that was actually genuine. Azure appreciated that.