Servant Chicken glanced around surreptitiously. “I feel like we’re being watched...”
“Chrr...” Potato Tea nestled further in against Zaelen’s neck in its chicken form.
Velwraith paused, looking at the chickens, who were all sitting in a row on Zaelen’s back. “Hey, how bout we name the mystirin? It’ll lighten up the mood some.”
Aeries nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, let’s name the mystirin.”
“How about we name the mystirin -” started Zaelen.
“NO!” shrieked the rest of the group in unison.
Lyri jumped up, fur bristling. “ZAELEN, NO, NEVER AGAIN WILL YOU NAME ANYTHING ELSE!”
This simply made Zaelen want to name the mystirin more. Bu of course, fate decided to intervene. Well, not fate, technically. Just spiders. Gigantic, creepy black spiders with eyes that glowed white in the dark.
Servant Chicken flared his wings, sending blades of shadow shooting toward the first spider. Lyri flinched away from the spiders in a mixture of disgust and fear.
“WASN’T THE SNAKE AND BATS ENOUGH?! AND HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT OUR NAMING CEREMONY?! YOU LITTLE VERMIN!”
Aeries, on the other hand, lost it.
“Hey, the snake tasted pretty good,” muttered Servant Chicken. He did not succeed in calming the fuming wolf down. In fact, all the cetalis did was earn a painful whack on the head.
Arachnid: Carrion Hunter
HP: 2000/2000
MP: 500/500
Arachnid: Carrion Hunter
HP: 2100/2100
MP: 485/485
Arachnid: Carrion Hunter
HP: 1725/1725
MP: 600/600
Arachnid: Carrion Hunter
HP: 2500/2500
MP: 250/250
Arachnid: Carrion Hunter
HP: 1850/1850
MP: 550/550
Weaknesses: Bright light, fire, joints, eyes
Arachnid: Carrion Killer
HP: 3000/3000
MP: 1000/1000
Weaknesses: Powerful light magic, holy magic, dragonfire,
Is the last one some kind of boss of the other spiders? Oh, I get to see their weaknesses. Oh, this ability is so OP. I love [Analyze]
“DIE!” screamed Aeries, leaping at the spiders. The aerofang leaped through the air, throwing a massive fireball followed by condensed blasts of wind. The one in the front got absolutely decimated, clearly not expecting such a ferocious attack. The others scattered, moving surprisingly fast for their size. A glob of silk landed in front of Zaelen. The ground sizzled under the web. Oh, it will NOT turn out good if one of those hit me. He yelped, using [Dragon Breath] to incinerate the rest of the acidic globs into ash. He glanced around, counting seven carrion hunters and one killer. He locked eyes with the carrion killer for a few seconds, before the gigantic spider – even bigger than the carrion hunters – leaped at him.
Why me?! Zaelen sent several [Wind Slash]es soaring toward the spider, but it evaded by sticking out a strand of web to swing out of the way. Shadowy tendrils reached toward him. Yeah, those things don’t look very inviting... Zaelen arched back his neck, building up an especially strong burst of [Dragon Breath]. He waited till the carrion killer was almost on top of him, then fired. He rolled, dodging the tendrils as they lashed out at him. The carrion killer shrieked as it was enveloped in the blaze of violet fire.
Its body was ablaze with vibrant flames, but the damage wasn’t enough to kill it. The spider shrieked in pain and fury, and a tendril of shadow wrapped around Zaelen’s leg. Oh crap. Zaelen had forgotten that the tendrils of shadow existed for a few seconds. And in those few seconds, one of them had latched onto him.
Status: [Weakened] applied
Horned Phoenix Drake (Medium)
Name: Zaelen
Status: Ash-Risen, Alpha of [Pack], Weakened
Level: 87/1500
HP: 1092/1100
MP: 762/800
A flash of white suddenly streaked past Zaelen, slashing at the spider’s face. The carrion killer stumbled back, losing its focus. The tendril slipped off Zaelen’s leg and Zaelen sighed in relief. Velwraith leaped back to land beside Zaelen and the two of them faced off against the gigantic spider. The spider was the first one to make the move, firing literal spears made of acidic web before skittering forward. However, that didn’t turn out so well. Servant Chicken flapped in-between and then past the three of them, two carrion hunters chasing in his wake.
“Why are two of you chasing after me?!”
The cetalis apparently did not take kindly to the two spiders chasing after him.
|||Okay, Zaelen, I don’t think ANYBODY in their right mind would take kindly to two huge, murderous spiders chasing after them...|||
The carrion hunters intercepted the spears, the white strands clinging onto their exoskeletons while the tip of the spears imbedded themself in the spiders. They chittered in pain. Servant Chicken flipped around and jeered at them.
“Ahahah, that’s right, you idiots! Die!”
“Okay, I think I know why he’s being chased. I’d chase him too,” muttered Velwraith.
Zaelen agreed. “Kinda weird how the spiders don’t have resistance to their own acid.”
“I mean, I think the effect’s dulled. Their exoskeleton isn’t really melting. It still probably hurts though.”
A fireball suddenly flew past Zaelen.
“DIE, YOU VERMIN! DIE AND GO TO HELL!”
“...Okay, I think Aeries might need to go to a therapist after this. What did the spiders do to her anyway?” Zaelen looked to where Aeries was absolutely destroying a carrion hunter.
Aerofang
Name: Aeries
Status: Ascended [Rank 1], Enraged
Level: 291/325
HP: 410/410 + 250
MP: 400/400 + 200
SPD: 650 + 300
STR: 325 + 150
“...Of course she’s ascended to roast one spider...” muttered Zaelen. “I’d hate to be that poor carrion hunter.”
“Ascended...?” Velwraith looked at Zaelen curiously. “She does look quite different, with the wings and all.”
Aeries was currently a shimmering silver wolf with glowing white markings and three pairs of ethereal wings made of white feathers with wind and fire swirling around them. Her eyes, which had been golden before, had transformed into a fiery golden-red. Her tail had transformed into a plume of white-hot fire and her body looked more streamlined. She would’ve looked majestic, like a creature spoken of only in legends if it wasn’t for the less than regal words she was screaming.
“Have you not heard of ascension – ack, watch out for the spider.”
Zaelen leaped out of the way, sending a [Dragon Breath] at the Carrion Killer. Velwraith jumped out of the way as well. The spider dodged the blast of fire, melting into the darkness. Excuse me?! Why’s it able to go into shadows?! Unfair, I say! Unfair! Zaelen looked around warily.
“Zaelen! Under you!”
Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. Zaelen tried to use [High Leap], but some sort of weird black mist drifted around him, slowing down his movements. Along with the [Weakened] status effect that was still slowing him down, he wasn’t able to dodge in time. He felt a sharp point spear through his underbelly and into his flesh. He wasn’t able to feel pain, but even he knew that this was a major injury.
Status: [Weakened] stacked
Status: [Slowed] applied
Status: [Poisoned] (Severe) applied
Status: [Bleeding] (Severe) applied
Horned Phoenix Drake (Medium)
Name: Zaelen
Status: Ash-Risen, Alpha of [Pack], Weakened (Moderate), Poisoned (Severe), Bleed (Severe), Slowed
Level: 87/1500
HP: 763/1100
MP: 712/800
...I regret losing my focus. And that took out pretty much a third of my HP! Excuse me?! System, this thing’s too OP!
|||...It’s called not paying attention to your surroundings|||
Then what about the status effects?! I’ve never seen so many in my life! And they’re all severe!
|||Well, [Weakened] is only moderate...|||
That’s beside the point, old man! Zaelen swung around, his jaws clamping down on the spider’s leg. He tugged, not letting the carrion killer escape back into the shadows. He unleashed a torrent of [Dragon Breath], which – sense he was still holding onto the spider – flared out in all directions, completely engulfing the carrion . Velwraith lunged forward and slammed his claws down onto another of the spider’s legs, tearing at the vulnerable gaps in the arachnid’s armor.
The elderin dove down, its talons clenching around the spider. It dragged the thing completely out of the ground – the spider’s bottom half had still been hidden in the darkness beneath. Zaelen yelped, letting go. Of course, the spider’s leg was already burnt to a useless crisp. Hold up, they’re not going to have some overpowered regeneration abilities, right?
|||You know what, I’ll help you for once. No, they don’t have overpowered regeneration abilities. They DO have healers like the wolf healers in your pack, if I remember correctly, but the healers stay back in the broodmother’s den|||
There’s a broodmother of all things? What is that, the spider who makes the rest of the spiders? The queen of the spiders?
|||Pretty much. Also, since you’re probably going to end up killing this entire group or be killed yourself, you’re basically going into an entire war with the carrion spiders|||
Is ONE war with an entire legion of bugs not enough?! I need a second one?! Come on, system, why’d you program them to be this way?!
|||Hey! Don’t put the blame on me! I’m not the one who made them this way!|||
Then who did, huh?!
|||Themselves! Ever heard about something called adaptation, idiot?!|||
Okay, fine, that actually makes sense. But then, what DO you do?
|||Maybe FOCUS on the spider that literally JUST took out a third of your HP first?!|||
Alright, Zaelen had to admit that the system had a point in that. Still, he couldn’t help feeling that the system had used it as an excuse to evade the question.
The aetherin flew down and started to forcefully crack the shell of the carrion killer open with its talons, which were wreathed in some sort of ethereal mist. Hold up, doesn’t Potato Tea worry about its talons breaking off? Oh, never mind, guess it worked. There are cracks in the spider’s shell now.
Zaelen edged back; his work done.
Horned Phoenix Drake (Medium)
Name: Zaelen
Status: Ash-Risen, Alpha of [Pack], Weakened (Moderate), Poisoned (Severe), Bleed (Severe), Slowed
Level: 87/1500
HP: 596/1100
MP: 707/800
“Uh, Lyri, any heals here?!” Zaelen looked around to see the wolf being protected by Nirros from a Carrion Hunter. Ohhh, right, Lyri specializes in healing. Probably not that good in a fight. Zaelen glanced back at Velwraith, Chicken Nugget, Potato Tea, and the mystirin, who had apparently joined in too. Eh, they’ll be fine without me. It’s four against one. But if those four are taking down the carrion killer, and Aeries is dealing with one carrion hunter, and then Nirros and Lyri are dealing with yet another carrion hunter... where’d the last three carrion hunters go?!
Zaelen looked around. Oh. Poor Servant Chicken. The one in question was currently being chased by three spiders. I’ll help him later. Zaelen turned back to the carrion hunter currently harassing Nirros and Lyri. He snuck closer before lunging, using [High Leap] to propel himself faster. H smashed into the carrion hunter, both of them rolling around in a heap. He used [Flame Claw] and [Dragon Breath], before increasing the flames’ intensity with [Wind Surge], blinding even himself in a whirlwind of flames.
Arachnid: Carrion Hunter
Status: Burning (Severe), Bleeding (Severe), Panicked (Moderate), Confused (Slight)
HP: 1442/2100
MP: 287/485
The carrion hunter shrieked, its sharp pincers snapping inches from Zaelen’s neck. He yelped and rolled off of the writhing spider.
“Great gods, are you alright?” yelped Lyri, bounding over.
“Nope. I’m pretty sure my HP is ticking down by the second.” Zaelen smiled a completely insincere smile.
[Weakened Resistance Lv1] -> [Weakened Resistance Lv3]
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
[Traumatization Resistance Lv7] -> [Traumatization Resistance Lv8]
[Poison Resistance Lv1] -> [Poison Resistance Lv4]
Learned new resistance: [Bleed Resistance Lv1]
[Bleed Resistance Lv1] -> [Bleed Resistance Lv2]
Oh brilliant. Nice way to prove the point, system.
|||Isn’t the fact that your resistances are leveling up a good thing?|||
Zaelen ignored the system. Lyri had bounded over. “Oh gods, what did you do to yourself? Also, how are you not unconscious yet?”
“Because I’m not?”
“Oh wow, that was such an informative answer.” Lyri put her paws against Zaelen, a light flaring around them. Zaelen could practically feel the status effects just fading away. He checked his stats.
Horned Phoenix Drake (Medium)
Name: Zaelen
Status: Ash-Risen, Alpha of [Pack], Poisoned (Light),
Level: 87/1500
HP: 905/1100
MP: 707/800
I mean, I still have a teeny tiny bit of poison, but HP Regen should be able to handle that. HP Regen? Helloooo?
|||HP Regen automatically kicks in when you lose HP, I think. No need to turn it off or on. Also, it’s one of the few skills that don’t require MP|||
Nice, I guess. True to the system’s word, Zaelen’s HP was ticking up. It was very slow, but at least it was working. Zaelen bobbed his head in appreciation to Lyri, who now looked like she was dealing with a very severe headache.
Zaelen glanced back toward the carrion hunter. It was laying on the ground, twitching. It had several holes literally peppering its body, and it was also in a puddle of quickly increasing blood. Nirros was triumphantly standing over the spider with a smug look on its face.
Arachnid: Carrion Hunter
Status: Burnt (Severe), Bleeding (Severe),
HP: 7/2100
MP: 23/485
“...Nirros, just put the poor thing out of its misery...” muttered Lyri.
“Chr!” The aquaerin raised its talons and crushed the spider’s head.
Zaelen winced. “God, that was... violent.”
[Nirros] killed Carrion Hunter. Calculating shared exp. Gained 500 exp. Converted to stat points.
“HELPPPPP!”
They all looked to where Servant Chicken was still franticly trying to escape the three carrion killers.
“Yeah, maybe I should go help him?”
Lyri stared blankly at Zaelen. “Do you want him to get turned into spider chow?”
“Right.” Zaelen whipped around and ran after Servant Chicken. He pounced on one of the spiders, using [Flame Claw] to bash its shell. The carrion hunter shrieked and a silky white web was spat from its mouth into the air above Zaelen. Gah! Does that have spider spit on it?!
|||SPIDER SPIT IS THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES, IDIOT!|||
The white membrane landed over Zaelen, and he yelped as it tangled his legs up together. He fell off the spider onto the ground. The spider shrieked angrily and raised a leg, which glinted with something very sharp on the edge. He used [Wind Barrier] to block the attack somewhat. The fierce wind knocked the spider’s attack off balance, and the tip stabbed into the ground next to Zaelen’s head.
[Wind Barrier Lv1] -> [Wind Barrier Lv2]
[Flame Claw Lv2] -> [Flame Claw Lv3]
Yeah, that doesn’t look like it’d go well for me! Zaelen thrashed around, but the white strands were stronger and more flexible than they looked. However, he managed to curve his neck enough to breathe a gout of fire on himself. The webs – not being fireproof and all – faded away and he managed to roll to the side in time to avoid another jab. He spat flames in the spider’s face.
[Dragon Breath Lv4] -> [Dragon Breath Lv5]
The carrion hunter screeched yet again, staggering back. The flames had hit it directly in the face; the proximity of the spider meaning it couldn’t dodge. That also meant the flames were searing into its many eyes. Yeah, I don’t think that spider is going to see clearly again anytime soon.
Arachnid: Carrion Hunter
Status: Blind (Moderate), Burning (Severe), Panicked (Moderate)
HP: 700/1850
MP: 355/500
The carrion hunter slammed its front legs into the ground, causing cracks to split through the rock. The cave shook, dust drifting from the top. Hey, are you TRYING to cause the cave to collapse?! Zaelen yelped as a giant web was flung into the air above him. When it touched the rock, the stone sizzled and hissed. Okay, that’s definitely acidic. Zaelen used [Wind Surge] to push the web aside, and it splattered into the cave wall. He conjured up a [Lightning Strike], followed by several [Wind Slash]es to the face of the spider. The carrion hunter lunged blindly, flailing its legs around. Hey! You’re going to slice off my face if you keep doing that!
|||Yeah, I think that’s the point...|||
A thick fog of acid-green mist floated up into the air. Zaelen was preoccupied with blowing the mist away, which gave the spider time for a sharp serrated leg to clip his side. It easily ripped through the scales, cutting into his side and left foreleg. Why are my scales so EASY to cut?!
Horned Phoenix Drake (Medium)
Name: Zaelen
Status: Ash-Risen, Alpha of [Pack], Bleeding (Moderate),
Level: 87/1500
HP: 756/1200
MP: 465/820
Zaelen swung his tail around, his tail blades slashing a deep gash through the spider’s face. The carrion hunter shrieked one last time, spasming. Then, with one last piercing screech, the spider collapsed.
Killed Carrion Hunter. Gained 1500 exp. Converted into stats.
Learned new skill: [Bladewind Tail Lv1]
Hey, new skill! Haven’t gotten a new one in a while. Zaelen looked to where Servant Chicken was fighting off two spiders. One of them looked pretty much dead already, strips of flesh hanging off its mutilated body. The other... well, it was better than the first one at least. Oh, never mind. Servant Chicken just kabobbed it with a couple of swords. Well, there goes the first one. Well, he’ll be fine.
A pained yelp drew him to where the four were fighting the Carrion Killer. Velwraith skidded across the ground, slowing to rest before Zaelen. Oh gods, what happened to Velwraith?! Analyze, do your job!
Frost Wolf
Name: Velwraith
Status: Paralyzed (Slight), Bleeding (Moderate), Poisoned (Severe), Weakened (Moderate)
Level: 167/300
HP: 57/700
MP: 123/300
That’s not very good. He’s on the brink of death! “LYRI!” He spun toward the flamiris but she was already beside him in the time it took for him to turn around.
“I have this under control; don’t worry about it. Zaelen, quick, go help the others!” Lyri summoned a now-familiar glow around her paws and got to work.
Zaelen focused his gaze on the carrion killer.
Arachnid: Carrion Killer
Status: Enraged (Severe), Panicked (Slight), Ascended [Rank 4], Bleeding (Slight), Frostbitten (Slight),
HP: 2340/3000 + 3000
MP: 786/1000 + 1500
...YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! SERIOUSLY?! BOTH ITS HP AND ITS MP ARE DOUBLED! COME ON, HOW DOES A SPIDER ASCEND TO RANK 4?! Zaelen shot toward the fray, where Chicken Nugget, Potato Tea, and the mystirin were still fighting it. The mystirin looked badly injured from the looks of it. Considering how much the carrion killer outranks those three, I’m surprised they’re still alive!
Mystirin (Shadow/Darkness)
Name: --
Status: Bleeding (Moderate), Poisoned (Severe)
Level: 19/150
HP: 45/325
MP: 104/425
Eldirin (Time/Space)
Name: Chicken Nugget
Status: Bleeding (Slight), Poisoned (Moderate), Weakened (Moderate),
Level: 24/200
HP: 132/650
MP: 42/250
Aetherin (Aether/Illusion)
Name: Potato Tea
Status: Poisoned (Slight), Bleeding (Severe),
Level: 21/150
HP: 234/450
MP: 141/450
Bwah! My poor, poor chickens!
|||YEAH, SO DO SOMETHING, IDIOT! DON’T STAND THERE GAWKING!|||
Zaelen followed the system’s advice for once. He leaped forward, using [High Leap] horizontally to propel himself in front of Potato Tea, who had several shadowy tendrils reaching for it. He sent a blast of [Dragon Breath] at the nearest ones, making the tendrils draw back. The carrion killer chittered in anger, clearly recognizing him from last time. Some sort of black goo flowed out of the carrion killer’s damaged legs. As Zaelen watched with narrowed eyes – wary of getting too close – the goo solidified into a new, completely dark leg. That clearly isn’t biological – it’s probably a temporary measure until the actual leg grows back. It probably uses MP to maintain, but we can’t depend on that to drain the spider’s MP. It has WAY too much MP for that to make a difference in any short period of time. And we can’t drag this out forever.
Zaelen slowly crept closer just in time to see six fireballs fly over his head and smash directly into the spider’s face. He swung his head around to see Aeries streaking toward the spider, still ascended. Servant Chicken and Nirros followed not far behind.
“Y’all baby chickens get to safety. We got this!” Servant Chicken paused to shoo Chicken Nugget toward Lyri and Velwraith. Nirros squawked plaintively, hovering in midair. It clearly wanted to contribute to the carrion killer’s demise. “Oh fine, you can come along. But the rest of you, go to Lyri.”
The carrion killer chittered, and a serrated leg sliced through the air toward Zaelen. He ducked, the blade slicing the air above him. Something suddenly emitted a hissing sound, and he had to leap out of the way of a shadow tendril turned shadow snake. Great, if the tendrils weren’t bad enough, they JUST had to turn into snakes. Zaelen arched his neck and breathed a great long burst of [Dragon Breath] at the slithering snakes. They faded away into nothingness, which was perfectly fine to Zaelen.
What was not fine was that, soon, more shadow snakes popped up from the shadows in the corners of the cave. He glanced at Lyri and the others, momentarily worried that the snakes would go after them. But surprisingly, the sakes seemed to only be focused on the ones who were actually attacking the carrion killer, AKA Servant Chicken, himself, Nirros, and Aeries. The carrion killer shrieked in rage as it was pelted with yet more fireballs. It shrieked again, and the miniature shadow snakes swarmed on top of each other. What are they – oh. Great.
The miniature shadow snakes became one gigantic cobra, who struck out at Aeries with such speed that – along with the advantage of shock – it managed to clip Aeries’s side. She gave a yipe of pain and darted away. Aeries’s ability to apparently be able to walk on air now made no difference to the giant snake, who was as tall as the cave’s ceiling.
Aerofang
Name: Aeries
Status: Ascended [Rank 1], Enraged
Level: 291/325
HP: 400/410 + 230
MP: 375/400 + 280
SPD: 650 + 300
STR: 325 + 150
Look like the extra HP for the ascension took most of the hit. Still, she needs to be careful. If the additional HP or MP runs out, she won’t be ascended anymore. And for someone of her power level, she likely won’t be able to use ascension again for quite some time. If I needed to estimate, probably around five days. Zaelen used [High Leap] to reach the snake’s head. He violently smashed it with [Flame Claw], sending the head smashing into the side of the cave. It hissed, shaking its head around. He glanced toward its eyes before realizing that it was a shadow – it had indents that looked like eyes, but no actual eyes. How does it see then?! Does it just... not?
Zaelen raked his claws along the snake’s head before leaping off. He didn’t want to be crushed, after all. Oh right, what does that new skill do? Curious, Zaelen flicked his tail. A slash of wind imbued with flame materialized and shot in the direction he’d flick his tail at, AKA at the snake. The slash actually did decent damage considering it was only level 1. However, to Zaelen’s dismay, the snake’s wound healed quickly after.
|||That thing’s likely being powered by the carrion killer’s MP. It’s not a living thing – it'll probably only ‘die’ when the carrion killer dies or runs out of MP|||
Zaelen took the system’s word for it. Besides, even if it wasn’t true, he’d been planning to kill the carrion killer anyway. Apparently, Servant Chicken had realized it too because the cetalis was targeting the carrion killer with blades of shadow, ignoring the snake completely. The carrion killer seemed to finally get enough, and it suddenly skittered along the wall with immense speed. Servant Chicken swerved, barely dodging a bite from the sharp mandibles of the spider. Zaelen threw a few [Wind Slash]es at the spider, but it managed to dodge all of them, its body blurring as it moved erratically around.
Servant Chicken glanced at Zaelen before shouting, “That won’t work! Do AoE attacks! It’s too fast for precise strikes!”
Uhhh, I could try [Blaze Strike]? I’m pretty sure I have enough MP for that right now...
|||Your MP SHOULD be enough for one or two uses of that skill|||
What? Only one? Last time, it only took like, 50 MP!
|||That was because it was a less powerful version. Considering how powerful the skill is, it’ll likely take around 200 MP|||
Horned Phoenix Drake (Medium)
Name: Zaelen
Status: Ash-Risen, Alpha of [Pack], Bleeding (Slight),
Level: 87/1500
HP: 724/1200
MP: 425/820
Yeah... Maybe I’ll just use it once and see how it turns out.
|||Then get on with it! You won’t always have time to just stand around thinking, you know!|||
It was just a few seconds?!
|||And in those ‘few seconds’, you could’ve been killed!|||
Zaelen grumbled under his breath. He glanced at the carrion killer just in time to see it speeding toward him. Crap! He tensed, wreathing his claws in flame with [Flame Claw]. Just as the spider was about to reach him, zig-zagging all the while to avoid Servant Chicken’s swords, the ground reddened so rapidly that the spider didn’t have time to react before the entire portion of the sizzling ground burst into flame. It screeched, its form burning and blackening. Still, it wouldn’t be defeated that easily. It lunged out of the flames, still smoldering, its eight eyes focused firmly on Zaelen. Zaelen, however, had other plans. The flames had bought him enough time to get distance between himself and the spider. He activated [Blaze Strike] and watched as 200 MP disappeared from his MP bar. He winced, feeling the tiredness that came with spending such a large amount of MP so quickly.
Violet flames tinged with white roared to life around him, so hot that the very air around the blaze wavered and blurred from the heat. It circled around him. Uh, why’s it not doing anything? Was this a scam?
“Fire, it’d be great if you could, ya know, kill the spider?” Zaelen felt very childish for uttering those words, but hey, it was worth a try, wasn’t it? Besides, it wasn’t like anyone else could hear him over the crackling of the flames.
To his surprise, the flames followed his command. The carrion killer screeched in a defiant tone, but Zaelen could hear the fear in it. The spider screeched again and the shadow snake (who’d been chasing Aeries) swerved in its path to block the flames. Zaelen was scared for a few seconds that it wouldn’t work but as he watched, the flames somehow split into two as if it was sentient. Half of the flames wrapped around the snake, completely engulfing it. The other half arced across the terrain, still after the spider. The carrion killer turned and ran for its life, but it was too late. The flames wrapped around the carrion killer and seconds later, the spider turned into nothing but ash.
To his surprise, the flames followed his command. In a fluid motion, the fire slithered across the ground, rapidly drawing closer to the carrion killer. The spider screeched, flinching back. The snake stopped in the middle of lunging at Aeries to swerve around and use its body to block the violet blaze. The serpent swung its tail in a wide arc, sending the flames flickering and sputtering back. Zaelen winced, wondering if the snake would be able to stop the flames from advancing further. But he shouldn’t have worried, for the flames, after a brief second of stillness, flared even brighter. They rushed forward in a sudden barrage, completely engulfing the snake. Tendrils snaked out and continued to go after the spider. The arachnid chittered in fear, turned, and ran. But while fast, even its speed couldn’t outmatch Zaelen’s flames.
Ah, if only I had popcorn. Zaelen watched with great satisfaction as the fire burnt the spider into a crisp.
Killed Carrion Killer. Gained 3000 exp. Converted into stats.
Horned Phoenix Drake (Medium)
Name: Zaelen
Status: Ash-Risen, Alpha of [Pack]
Level: 87/1500
HP: 1300/1300
MP: 900/900
SPD: 350
STR: 400
Skills: [High Leap Lv3] [Analyze Lv--] [Dragon Breath Lv5] [Space Pocket Lv--] [Wind Slash Lv6] [Lightning Strike Lv4] [Roar Lv3] [System Interference Lv--] [Phoenix’s Light Lv1] [Flare Wind Lv1] [Blaze Strike Lv1] [Inferno Wings Lv1] [Shadow Tentacles Lv1] [HP Regen Lv4] [MP Regen Lv3] [Avian Language Lv--] [Wind Surge Lv4] [Wind Barrier Lv2] [Flame Claw Lv3] [Bladewind Tail Lv1]
Resistances: [Traumatization Lv8] [Fire LvMax] [Acid Lv1] [Lightning Lv4] [Wind LvMax] [Light Lv15] [Death Lv5] [Poison Lv4] [Weakened Lv3] [Paralyze Lv1] [Cold Lv5] [Bleed Lv2]
|||Just an entire colony more to go, Zaelen! Great job!|||
Zaelen could literally hear the sarcasm as if the system had said it out loud. Great. Just great. I forgot the part where we’d have to go into an entire war or something. Why, system. WHY?
|||Oh, considering that you took down that group without any causalities, the broodmother will likely deem you a threat that needs to be eliminated lest you kill more of her soldiers|||
How will the broodmother even KNOW who killed her soldiers? Or that her spiders died.
|||The broodmother has a ‘link’ to each and every one of her children, so she’ll be able to know when any of them die. Also, via that link, she can look through any of her spiders’ eyes, to know what they are doing. And, additional info, the broodmother won’t be able to feel any of what the spider she is looking through is feeling, including pain|||
Mind telling me why you’re suddenly sending me all these vital pieces of information?
|||Oh, that’s simple. Because you won’t be able to survive without this information. Also, to get the bounty of your head, you have to either kill the broodmother or just go to a place where the spiders can’t find you|||
Great! Problem solved! I’ll just head out of this freaky cave!
|||But you still have to find the other wolves|||
Zaelen’s eye twitched. Well, they technically aren’t MY wolves!
|||I believe that your status will tell you otherwise|||
...Just great.
