New Life of a Summoned Demoness
Elania’s life is about to change in ways she could have never expected.
Summoned to a strange new world by demon-worshipping cultists, she flees before she is bound to their will by an unbreakable contract.
Forced to fight for her survival against creatures she thought would only exist in a D&D manual while adjusting to her new body, what can a girl do when status screens and system elements have the power to change her very being?
In this action-packed LitRPG Fantasy Adventure, we follow Elania as she tries to find her own way back to the surface while seeking a way home.
Available on both RR & SH - Read there if you prefer a certain site! Early Access Chapters are in this document. Chapter titles bring you back to the Table of Contents. ^^
RR - https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/36308/new-life-of-a-summoned-demoness
SH - https://www.scribblehub.com/series/184286/new-life-of-a-summoned-demoness/
===Public===
Chapter 10 - Mushroom Conflict
Chapter 13.5 - (Bonus) Darkwalker Hunting
Chapter 15 - Hunter’s Ascendance
Chapter 16 - King of Darkwalkers
Chapter 20 - Questions and Answers
===Cultist===
Chapter 29 - Two Steps forward, one step back
===Lesser Demon===
Chapter 31 - Final Push
Chapter 32 - Civilization
Chapter 33 - Waystation Four
Chapter 34 - Road to Neftasu
===Upcoming=== (Beta Readers)
Chapter 35 - Machinations
Chapter 36 - Checkpoint
Chapter 37 - Welcome to Neftasu
A whole percussion orchestra was performing inside Elania’s head. She distantly heard someone groaning, and it wasn’t until she found her way to consciousness that she realized the sound was coming from her. Thoughts stirred slowly in her muddled mind as she recalled the night before. The term paper for her history class was due, and she had spent the last two days suffering a procrastinator's fate, consuming an alarming amount of various energy drinks.
Why did her head hurt so much, and... her eyes sprang open, realizing that she was naked and not in her bed. Aside from soft flickering yellows that revealed the chamber's size, everything around her was shrouded in darkness.
‘Oh my god, I've been kidnapped by some sick freak!’
"She's awake."
"Send for the bishop!"
Panic settled in. There were two of them... no, from what one of the voices had said, there were at least three. She started groping for something—anything that might help her. As her eyes adjusted even more, she found she was nestled in soft pillows. Those sick freaks had stolen her clothes!
The floor was cold and hard, some type of stone and the cushions were laid out in a circle around her. As far as Elania could tell, aside from the pillows, the room was devoid of any other furniture, but the shadows weren’t helping her to be sure. Staying on the ground made her feel vulnerable, so she stood.
"What do you want with me?" she asked in a shaky voice.
"Please, mistress, wait for the bishop. He will explain everything! We are just devoted initiates who don't deserve your attention!"
Her eyes continued to adjust much more than she had thought possible, even muted colors somehow finding their way back into view as the darkness lifted and everything seemed to be bathed in a dim ambient light. She almost wished that wasn’t the case as the first thing she saw was that the circle and symbols around her were drawn with blood.
She looked around and didn't see a corpse as she half-expected. She hoped it was only a chicken or something. Maybe it was just something that looked like blood. Glancing back at one of the kneeling figures, the black robe and shady undertone didn’t lend much hope for that thought.
‘Insane. These people are totally insane!’
Taking a step back, she decided to make a run for it and escape the room. Except as soon as she touched the circle, a light flared, and a great pulse of something like static electricity burst up to burn her hand.
"Wait, Mistress! The summoning circle has not been dismissed yet. His unholiness was waiting for you to awaken!"
She would have thought they had put something like an electric fence around her to shock her... if a green screen with black text hadn't appeared suddenly for her to stare at.
[A Demonic barrier is unbreakable with your current power.]
She waved her hand through the image as if it wasn't physically present. This kind of holographic projection was too much. What was going on? She tried to press the black 'X' in the corner of the message, and a sudden stream of information appeared.
[Status update.]
[You have arrived from another world!]
[You have earned the title, 'Summoned from Another World!']
Elania felt her blood turn cold. An ex-boyfriend had been a serious closet Otaku and had introduced her to all kinds of anime and manga. She had actually enjoyed them herself, and long after they had broken up, she still sometimes indulged in a few favorite shows, but... she had never met Truck-san! Why was she here!
The panic and silly thoughts had her giggling madly at the insanity of the situation. All the while, the initiate that had remained behind began to sweat in fear.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up," Elania mumbled to herself as she bit her lip and tried to calm herself enough to think.
What was real, and what was imaginary? Her hand still hurt from the electric shock, and she hadn’t snapped awake or anything of the sort. At least she could feel pain along with a cold breeze that suddenly coursed through her body, making her shiver. It was hard to tell whether it was from the chill, fear, or both, but Elania had never felt so vulnerable in her life.
‘Take a deep breath, Elania,’ she advised herself, and doing so, she tried to take an objective inventory of what she knew. She had no clothes and was trapped in some kind of magic circle made out of blood. The 'cultists' were bringing someone called 'The Bishop' to talk to her and possibly let her out... she wasn't sure if she believed or wanted that.
It was like one of those bad Isekai LitRPG novels she had read in her spare time.
Weren't there commands or skills those characters could conjure up to their minds? What was it called?
Profile? Inventory? Attributes? Status?
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 1
Power: 0/100
Karma: 12
Attributes: [Locked]
Skills: [Locked]
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
A hand instantly went to her heart in a panic as she took in the words 'Lesser Demon' on the status screen. She checked her head, horns weren't present, and neither did she have a tail or wings. That was a relief. Her body seemed to be perfectly normal. Maybe that would have been a disappointment to some, but she had never been one to have a problem with her own body.
But what did this Status mean? She was absolutely weak: Level 1, no power, most of the functions locked. In every novel she had read, the protagonist had received amazing abilities and powers to wipe away whatever came at them. Apparently, she was so weak she couldn't even access all the functions.
The clink of something metallic striking stone drew closer as someone approached, and Elania glanced at the hall leading out of the chamber. She didn't have to wait long, though, as a few moments later, a man appeared in her line of vision. Her stomach turned.
The new arrival ticked off all her mental boxes for an insane cult leader. The man was older, age lines covering his face where his long gray pencil straight beard didn’t hide them. He was clothed in a black robe embroidered with red hems, but it was the accessories that stood out to Elania.
Staff topped with a skull, check. Some dark leather-bound tome for dark rituals, check. Antlered skull for headwear, double-check. Flanked by subordinates who looked equally terrified of him, check.
Elania barely contained her laughter. The costume might have been ideal for cosplay at some expo or convention. Only the precariousness of her position in this 'new' world and the man's serious expression kept her from moving or making any sound. Did the man realize how ridiculous he looked?
He came to a stop outside the circle. The lackeys spread out in a semi-circle around her and knelt, putting their heads down like the one who had been waiting all this time. The metal staff clanked against the stone three times, and then the 'Bishop' held his arms outstretched in some grandiose gesture.
"Great Queen, we welcome you to Eladu. We have awaited your arrival for countless years and are overjoyed that you have responded to our summons!" He lowered his arms and finally looked at her. "We beseech your greatness to sign a contract with us and lead us to victory against the overworld!"
Elania felt a slight twitch under one of her eyes. Everything was so over-the-top that she wanted to scream at them. Demon-worshiping cult ostracized and at war with the rest of society? Hell-no!
[Cult of the Black Candle wishes to make a contract with you!]
[Do you wish to see the contents of the contract? Y/N]
"No way." She waved her hand, and the screen obediently disappeared. "Send me back."
The prostrating followers immediately straightened up and looked at her in shock. Almost in unison they began to speak.
"N... no!"
"Please, mistress!"
"Don't abandon us!"
The sudden pitiful outcries could almost make Elania feel sorry for them. Almost. The fact that she was still naked and they hadn't offered her any clothes was a sticking point for her.
Unlike the others, the Bishop remained silent, but he couldn’t disguise the pained expression on his face either. Maybe his black book didn't have any suggestions on what to do in this instance.
Elania wasn't sure what her position really was... she desperately needed more information. She might have already made a huge mistake with her refusal, but something about the initial desperation of the lower-ranked members made her hope otherwise. Perhaps they would send her back to Earth or wake her up... although she wouldn’t hold her breath.
"Great Mistress, we did not summon you unprepared. We have much to offer you. In addition to our loyalty and obedience to your will..."
The Bishop gestured toward a dark wooden chest banded in metal. Two of the men rushed to the chest and then struggled to lift and bring it closer. When the lid opened, Elania expected a spill of gold coins, and she was correct. The majority of it was gold coins, but it was the captivating lights mixed with the precious metal that caught the eye.
‘Gems. Wait, no.’ Elania stared at the glittering stones and realized they were giving off their own internal light. Some brighter than others, but all of them possessed multiple hues that sparkled in the dim room. ‘Some kind of mana stones or something?’
Elania’s lack of reaction prompted an explanation by the Bishop. "Great Mistress, we know this must seem paltry considering the great wealth and abundance of mana shards in the demonic realm, but this represents years of our preparations so you might empower yourself quickly here on Eladu."
Elania decided she would play the role for them. Mainly because she was tired of being naked in front of the crowd.
"Remove the circle and give me some clothes, and I'll consider it."
Surprised and incredulous looks passed between the cultists, while the Bishop appeared shocked at her request. The silence that fell in the room was deafening.
Finally, the Bishop cleared his throat. "Great Mistress, I am but your humble future servant, but I have to ask... what is your name?" he asked apologetically.
‘Shit.’
Had her demand somehow given her away? Surely they didn't expect her to stay in the nude forever, and hell would freeze over if that was what they wanted! Maybe... they couldn't remove the circle without a contract? Or was it something else she had said?
They all looked at her expectantly, and a defeated thought whisked by. ‘Well, I doubt I could keep tricking them forever that I'm some Demon Queen. I should just tell them the truth.’
"Elania. My name is Elania."
She watched their faces for a reaction, and—much to her surprise—most looked relieved or excited.
The Bishop nodded and lowered his head. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Dark Queen Elaniaonbe'tila. I beg your forgiveness. I lack the power to remove the barrier without you signing a contract."
"I can help with that," said a voice from the hall, and everyone's head whipped around toward the entrance.
Elania’s eyes widened when she took stock of the newcomer. He was tall and broad-shouldered, clad in silvery-white plate trimmed with gold, complete with a full winged helmet. He had his sword drawn, and the blade gave off its own blue-hued light. She felt her breath catch in her chest when she noted red dripping down the tip. The blade had been recently used.
All of a sudden, the cultists snapped out of their haze, and a myriad of chants erupted. The thought that was he was here to rescue her was quickly dismissed. ‘He's here to kill me!’
Multiple orbs of different types of elements flung themselves toward the charging knight, but most of them missed or were useless as they struck and dissipated on the polished metal.
The cold fear filled Elania to the core. She didn't want to die, but she was at a loss of what to do, being naked and trapped in the circle.
The Bishop finished his incantation and pointed his staff at the man. Darkness sucked out the light in the room as a dark purple-hued tentacle rose from the floor and swung for the knight. He didn't seem to care as he continued forward. At the last second his blade flashed up and cleaved through the ethereal limb.
A second tentacle appeared and tried to slap the holy-knight-maybe-a-paladin, but a second slash took care of it just as quickly. Then he collided with the Bishop. Staff met sword, and sparks suddenly flew as the two objects resisted each other. Magical weapons? Elania thought the Bishop was putting up a good showing, the knight was a head taller and encased in metal, but the Bishop didn't give an inch.
As if the Paladin had heard her thought and sought to dispel it a gauntleted fist flashed through the space between the locked weapons and smashed into the Bishop's face. He flew back, and the horned skull flew off his head. The old man bouncing off the ground in a nasty impact.
‘Super strength?’ The thought was numb, and Elania was horrified as the knight then turned toward her and approached the barrier. He was getting dangerously close. Small bursts of the weaker magic orbs continued to hail down on him from the cultists, but they didn’t faze him. Raising his sword, he swung it through the air at the circle.
The blade stopped, catching in an invisible barrier for a moment before a bright light flared up from the indentations on the floor. The blood in the channels rapidly dried up into a mist and then nothingness before the light flickered and finally died completely.
Then he stepped over the empty circle. "Demon, you can show your power before I send you back."
If she had any powers to show, she would have appreciated the gesture, but Elania could only shake her head and take a few steps backward, trying to keep the distance between them. Another step back, and she lost her footing as she slipped on one of the pillows. A yelp escaped her as she fell backward across the now dead circle.
Elania struggled to get back to her feet, but she wasn’t fast enough. She went completely still as the cool tip of the blade pressed against her left breast. All she could do was look up at the metal-clad man.
Now that he was towering over her, he appeared even larger. Suddenly, the sword's pressure surged painfully, and she retreated until her back was fully pressed against the cold stone floor. In her daze, she thought she let out a frightened whimper, but his voice came out clearly.
"Eziel?" The confusion and question in his voice were evident.
The man paused and withdrew the blade for a moment before pressing it to her throat and then drug the metal across it. At first, she thought he had intended to cut through it, but the utter dullness to the blade saved her. The knight seemed confused and began to poke and prod her with the sword less than gently.
Elania had no idea how long that lasted. She felt tremors shake her body as the bastard continued to torture her with the length of steel. Thankfully, she was rescued when a whip-like crack erupted from behind the knight as a tentacle slammed into his back and sent him flying through the air and into a wall with a loud crash.
‘He totally deserved it.’
The impact left the whole room shaking as plaster, dirt, and dust fell from the ceiling. Elania coughed as she tried to regroup herself. The source of the attack was evident, and the whole room had filled up with dozens of the large tentacle arms. On the other side, the Bishop had gotten back to his feet and was waving his skull-topped staff around.
"Kill the Lightbringer!"
The command came out in a hoarse angry voice, and a volley of fiery red orbs flew into the cloud of dust, surrounding the area where the knight had crashed into the wall. Elania had no clue how he could still be alive. That kind of impact was surely enough to kill anyone.
‘I have to get out of here.’
No one was paying attention to her anymore, and she was no longer trapped. Quickly, she got to her feet and ran for the exit, only pausing when she saw one of the shining stones. Acting on impulse, she snatched it up as she was passing by.
There was shouting and dust swirling everywhere, but somehow, she managed to cover most of the distance without any problem. Elania was about to reach the corridor when one of the cultists stepped in front of her and held out his arms in an attempt to block her.
"Stop, Mistress! We—"
She didn't even have to think about it. Without slowing down, she drew back her hand with the glowing stone and slammed it into the man's face. She had expected to cause some damage but didn’t anticipate his immediate collapse.
[ ???? - Human - Lvl 33 has been neutralized!]
[You have gained multiple levels!]
[You have gained a level in Unarmed Combat!]
Ignoring the screen, Elania dashed into the hall, leaving the chaotic fight behind her.
Elania lost her sense of direction in the maze of the dimly-lit corridors. Numerous closed doors dotted the hallway, but she didn't bother trying them. The sounds of the battle echoed behind her, and she desperately needed to put some distance between her, the cultists, and the paladin. ‘Preferably a million miles and a rocket ride home, but…’
She was still naked, so once she made it around a few long hallways and turned what felt like a few dozen corners, she thought to try a door. It was unlocked, revealing a seemingly unused old furniture storage unit. She skipped that room and then tried another, and another. She was growing frustrated with each door she tried, the rooms all looking alike until the fifth door revealed a candle-lit room.
Elania didn't have time to waste, but she needed something to wear. Unfortunately, the closet only contained the large black robes the cultists had been wearing. The ground shook beneath her feet, and she hurried with her ransacking, putting the garment on in a hurry. The garment wasn’t close fitting, and despite how comical it looked on her, she managed to pull the corded belts tight enough to fit her… or at least stay in place.
In the dresser, she found a sharp-looking dagger and stuffed it in the robe's oversized side pockets, along with the mana shard she was still carrying. Elania grumbled inwardly as she looked for anything else that would be helpful, but the dresser didn’t have anything else in it except a heavy black book that she discounted as useless.
‘These guys are almost as bad as monks who have taken a vow of poverty.’
Since there was little else of value in the room, she focused on what she did have. Looking at the remaining robes in the closet, she thought of making some kind of makeshift knapsack, but another resonating shake of the room had ceiling dust falling on her head. Elania grabbed two extra robes from the closet and fled, she hoped she would find something to use them for later.
Racing down the halls turn after turn revealed nothing but the same never-ending dark walls and candles. Elania had lost count of how many turns she had been forced to make. Only when the combat sounds became distant did she feel some relief. She assumed that she was getting farther away from the battle.
Her elation was short-lived, though, because as she rounded another corner, she slipped and almost fell on a puddle of blood. She halted quickly, taking in the two bodies that were splayed on either side of the corridor. The knight had slashed them...?
Elania carefully stepped around the bodies and made her way to what appeared to be the exit. The cut stone of the corridor suddenly stopped as it poked out into a large cavern. Despite the size of the underground space, it was brighter than the candle-lit corridors.
All kinds of bluish-green glowing mosses hung from the ceiling, and in some places, the carpet of moss had begun to spread down the walls as well. The floor was spotted with patches of strange purple, fluorescent fungus. The colors were stunning, and under other circumstances, Elania would have loved to inspect their pretty luminescence closely.
Pushing into the cavern had her cursing after only a few dozen steps. The ground was mostly rock and pebbles, which had painfully poked at her bare feet. She didn't even consider stopping, though, she couldn’t afford to. The cavern was wide open and if anyone was chasing after her, they would easily spot her.
She preserved and as the first cavern opened up into a second, and then third she realized each one resembled the other, and that upset her a little. How big could the cave be? Shouldn't she be at the surface by now? Was that too much to hope for? Distance was hard to gauge, but she’d come at what she considered at least a mile already.
Elania had a vague idea she was slightly moving uphill, and she worried that she'd need a guide to find a way out. There had been several turn offs she had ignored along the way and she realized that the area might not have such a straightforward layout as she first surmised. The thought of being trapped underground for the rest of her life shook her.
‘Lead us to victory against the overworld.’
Elania frowned as she looked up at the continuously glowing ceiling. Overworld. Did they live completely underground? She had never been very religious, but she considered offering a prayer for her chances of finding a way out.
It felt like hours passed as she trudged through the caverns. Each section was slightly different in shape and size, but they all seemed to follow the same turquoise and purple hues. Elania tried to go in a straight line, but time and time again, she was forced to choose a direction at a junction as the caves began to branch out in different directions.
She was about to stop, rest, and try to make sense of her situation when the overhead moss went dark. It was like someone had flipped a light switch off, and the sudden dimness made her heart pound violently in her chest. ‘What is going on?’
Thankfully, the fungus was still glowing, so it wasn't absolute darkness, but she didn’t want to think what would happen if those lights went out as well.
For the time being, she decided to stop exploring. Quietly, she backtracked the way she had come a few minutes ago, until she found a smaller section of the cave with an elevated hump against one wall. It wasn't much, but at least she'd have the high ground if anything found her, plus there was fungus near both entrances, the light they provided there might help her spot anything approaching as soon as it entered the room.
Setting one of the robes she had been carrying on the ground, she sat on one. As soon as her feet were off the ground, she realized how badly they hurt. She had never been what one would be considered as an 'athlete,' but she was neither unhealthy nor overweight. Back home, she often ran or cycled for exercise—‘With shoes on, though.’
It wasn’t the first time her feet hurt or raw blisters were starting to form, but the hard surface and being barefoot had caused a lot of damage. Her feet hadn't been prepared for the pebbly surface, and she contemplated what to do about footwear. It was obvious she’d need to wrap them in something. She just hoped infection wouldn’t become an issue.
‘They probably don’t even have antibiotics here.’
She wasn’t sure what to do and a few moments later she decided to put it off for a moment and try to figure out the status screen again.
‘Status.’
[You have previously unread messages.]
[ ???? - Human - Lvl 33 has been neutralized!]
[You have gained multiple levels!]
[You have gained a level in Unarmed Combat!]
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 5
Power: 4/100
Karma: 12
Attributes: [Locked]
Skills: [Locked]
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
[You have sufficient requirements to unlock Skills. Unlock Skills? Y/N]
Reading over the information, she noted the small differences from before and swiped her hand over the 'Yes' button. The status screen suddenly disappeared, and a new one popped up in its place.
[Skills: Elania Reyes]
[Class: None]
[Affinities: Demonic, Mana]
[Magical: Demonic Aura Lvl - 1 (Activated), Mana Manipulation Lvl - 1]
[Physical: Unarmed Combat Lvl - 2, Darkvision Lvl - 2 (Activated)]
[Mundane: Identify Lvl - 1, Universal Speech Lvl - 5, Reading Lvl - 4, Writing Lvl - 3]
Her highest skills were in talking, reading, and writing. Great. That would be really useful in the current situation. Was it because she was a college student? If that was the case, shouldn't she have some more skills? ‘How about wake-up-quick-or-be-late, or survival-cooking-with-ramen!’ Granted, she didn’t really expect those to be skills, but what she had received seemed sparse. She frowned, unable to hide her disappointment while looking at the list again, trying to piece it together.
Four skills stood out to her—[Demonic Aura,] [Mana Manipulation,] [Darkvision,] and [Identify.] [Demonic Aura] and [Darkvision] appeared to be toggleable, but she didn't remember ever turning them on or... maybe she had them on all along. That would explain her sudden ability to see so well in the dark.
Biting her lip lightly, she decided to try and test things out. "Demonic Aura, Deactivate!"
The sound of her voice made her wince. Her words echoed around the room chaotically and the volume was amplified by the quiet silence that seemed to permeate the caverns. Fortunately, that quietnes quickly returned as the echo slowly died.
Even more disappointing was that nothing had actually happened with the skill. ‘Talk about embarrassing.’
So, she thought to try once more, but this time without speaking. ‘Demonic Aura. Demonic Aura!’
Still no response, and she checked the skill screen to make sure.
[Demonic Aura - Lvl 1 (Activated)]
Maybe skills didn't respond on command or thought. Somehow she was doing it wrong. The cultists had been chanting something to use their magic, hadn’t they? Did all the things follow the same set of rules? Did she need a secret set of words to turn off the skill? That seemed like it would be very unfair since the stupid thing did not come with a user manual.
A sense of defeat washed over her, and she pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her knees. She hadn't cried from the shock and fear of the events yet, but now it seemed to catch up to her all at once and her eyes watered.
‘I just want to go home.’
Time lost its meaning in the dark. Eventually, Elania wiped her eyes and glanced around the room she was huddled in. Without the hanging moss illuminating everything, it was much darker. She gave thanks to her [Darkvision] skill for letting her see at all, even though it did cast everything in a dark shade of purple or violet from the sparse fungi scattered around the room.
Absently, she wondered whether either the fungus or the moss was edible because, while she might not have been hungry yet, she was pathetically low on supplies and knew she'd need to eat and drink eventually.
The thought of trying to eat fungus made her stomach turn. The thought was highly unappealing and there was no way of telling if it was poisonous or dangerous. At least not that she knew of. Maybe if she had been a biology major...
If there was fungus and moss, that meant there had to be a source of water or humidity somewhere nearby to sustain them. At least she hoped so.
Not having moved in a while, Elania stretched out and felt the rigid form of the rock in her pocket poking at her leg. The glowy stone. Right! She could use that if she needed to see and keep moving, even without the moss.
She pulled it out of the pocket but then had to shield her eyes. It was much brighter than she had remembered. Had something changed in it, or had her eyes naturally adjusted to the darkness?
Holding the stone caused a tingling in her fingers, and the answer to her question seemed to be answered as colors slowly replaced the shadowy purple hues. Everything was mostly drab grays and greens, with only a few exceptions like the fungus and moss. She supposed color wouldn't matter much to cave species if it was dark most of the time.
She stared at the crystal and frowned. ‘I wish I really knew what this was...’
[Mana Shard (Condensed)]
Her eyes widened at the response from the [System] as she had decided to call it. Was this the [Identify] skill? She had used its somehow!
She hadn't called it by name. She had just wanted to know what something was. Even if the information was... lacking, she wondered if that was because of the skill's low level or her understanding of the thing was poor.
Pulling out the dagger from her other pocket, she repeated the process.
[Steel Dagger]
Again, not helpful, but at least it was a start. Quickly, she turned the rock toward anything she could find.
[Glow Moss]
[Black Robe]
[Rock]
[Fenicia's Fungal Growth]
The last tidbit of information surprised her a little. The purple-hued mushrooms had a proper name she had never heard of before. That at least told her the skill didn't just name things as something generic using her own knowledge. It was able to provide her with answers she didn't already know!
She wondered if leveling it up would increase information or add descriptions, but she wasn't sure how or even if she could level it up. She knew from video games that using the skill was the usual way of increasing their proficiency, and this entire [System] thing had that kind of flavor to it.
[Identify] worked when she asked information about something, so what about [Mana Manipulation], would it work in the same sort of way? She picked up the Mana Shard and the faint sensation of tingling returned to her hand. She wondered whether she could do something with that.
Cupping the mana shard in both hands, she closed her eyes and tried to make something happen. There was no response at all and she let out an annoyed puff. Maybe she needed some kind of intent. Trying again she pictured the tingling sensation moving up her arms and away from her fingers.
After a while, she thought she felt a change, but it was small—almost imperceptible. Frustrated, she put the crystal on the ground beside her. Elania realized that the tingly sensation in her hands hadn’t stopped. That gave her an idea.
She tried to picture the sensation in her hand being forced out of her hand and out of her fingertips. The tingling seemed to resist for a moment before it suddenly concentrated and her fingertips began to burn. She yelped and whipped her hand away from her as if she was burned and the sudden heat was released.
Dozens of sparks flew from her fingertips, small little glowing red embers that didn't put themselves out despite flying through the air. They started as dim white flecks that changed hue as they followed through their trajectory ending up a deep yellow-orange as they neared their end.
The sparks bounced off the far wall of the room, falling to the stone floor. Most of them sputtered out except for a few that seemed to cling to the wall. Her eyes widened when she realized they landed on the Glow Moss.
She watched with growing horror as dim sparks began to grow brighter. ‘The moss is flammable!’
The small sparks quickly grew into small burning patches, and a burnt chemical smell filled the room almost immediately. ‘What have I done?’
Scooping up her few belongings, she rushed for one of the exits and was glad she did, considering the fire behind her was growing stronger. Fast. The moss wasn't thick in the small corridors between the larger caverns, but that didn't stop the spread. The flames continued to rush along the ceiling and sides of the cave in every direction. Wildfire seemed like too tame a word to give the growing conflagration. ‘Am I starring in one of those volcano movies now?’
Despite Elania's head start, the light and heat began to catch up with her.
‘Fuck! You've really done it now, Elania.’
She struggled to pick up her pace, but the cavern continued as before, unsympathetic and unending. There was a lot of light to see by now, and she did her best to ignore the pebbles under her feet and run.
It seemed the corridors acted as choke points, and the fire slowed down considerably at them, but once it was in one of the larger chambers, all the moss rapidly caught fire. Was it some type of natural chemical in the moss, or was it just super dry and ready to burn? ‘The moss didn’t feel that dry, so it must be the former.’
As she moved through the next corridor, she froze. On the other end, there was a faint light, growing closer and getting brighter. She had either gone in a circle, or the flame had found a shorter path and somehow got in front of her.
Elania looked back over her shoulder. The cavern's ceiling and walls were brightly lit, and ash and burning tangles of moss were falling on the floor in small flaming piles. She needed to find another path!
Problem was that once in the cavern, she didn't see one. Wasn't this about time for a new, previously hidden path to be revealed so she could escape a painful and firey death? Trudging up to the middle of the room her only choice seemed to be a small depression. It was the furthest point from the ceiling, and had a bit of cover from the walls, so it seemed like the safest point she would find. Flames raced around the room and across the ceiling from every direction rapidly.
Elania didn't know enough about her skills yet to know if they'd be of any help. She didn't see how they could stop this. She hunkered down as the heat and light from the walls bathed her. Ash began to fall, and a small hot piece landed on her left hand. Quickly, she brushed it off, wincing in pain. She wrapped one of the extra two robes around her arm while pulling the other over her head, hopefully blocking any more debris from landing on her.
Several times, a burning jumble of moss fell and landed on her upraised arm and she batted them away. At least the robes didn't seem as flammable as the moss. ‘Probably because the moss burns itself out so fast.’
As the flames began to calm down and the raging heat was slowly replaced by a cloud of smoke, she had overestimated the danger of the fire spreading and burning her alive. Running out of clean air was suddenly at the top of her worries instead.
She still wasn't sure whether the fire had somehow spread around her faster or if she had been going in circles. And then another—more dreadful thought came to her. What if she had been going in circles the entire time and was still near the cultists' lair? That thought wasn't palatable.
As she came out from underneath the now slightly-singed robes and examined the aftermath, a new message appeared.
[You have met the requirements for Ash Demon evolution.]
[Do you wish to evolve your race to Ash Demon? Y/N]
Elania agonized over the choice presented to her. It seemed like an opportunity to increase her 'strength’ or gain new abilities, but she had no idea what becoming an Ash Demon or evolution entailed.
Ultimately, she swiped the message away. She didn’t want to change and become a monster no matter what the status screen said. She was quite happy with just being normal Elania. Becoming another type of demon might help her now, but what about later? Until she learned more, it wasn’t wise to jump into potentially irreversible things. Besides, she still had her own doubts about the [System].
The room's heat was slowly dissipating, but smoke continued to pour out of the few smoldering remains. The cavern's air was thick with the smoke even though most of it was swirling around the ceiling. Pulling out the Mana Shard for a bit of extra light, Elania decided to look for a more hospitable location.
As she passed through the next choke point, she remembered her earlier thought about going in circles and decided to test that notion by placing a small rock in the middle. Now she would know if that was the case.
Several more passages went by, all touched by the flame. The ash and soot in the air began to fall like snow on her head as it began to settle. The air quality that had been bad before managed to plummet further, and it made her cough and choke a few times. She might not have had a clock or any way to tell time, but she knew she was getting tired.
Frustration gnawed at her as everything around her was nothing but endless caverns that didn't change. She checked the junctions in both directions on the few times she came to one, hoping that one way or another might be different.
[You have gained the poison resistance attribute!]
Elania stopped suddenly and frowned. 'Why?'
She thought it might mean she was being poisoned, but how? She hadn’t had any encounters and was still not desperate enough to eat anything. Nor had there been any sources of water.
Then it dawned on her, the chemical smell in the air from the fire... Was the air turning poisonous then? Was that why she had begun to feel tired and sleepy suddenly?
The realization made her pick up her pace and continue through the caves.
She almost missed it. The staircase had been nestled behind several large boulders and was pretty well hidden halfway through the cavern. That was the point she was usually paying the least attention before hurrying to the next.
'Stairs.'
That wasn't natural, and it was the first sign of anything other than the 'natural' cave system she had found since leaving the cultist's lair. The stone of the steps was roughly hewn, or, rather, it looked like it had suffered abuse without repair for a long time. However, it didn't crack or crumble as she stood on the first step like she had feared. There wasn’t any evidence of the prevalent moss growing into the space and the air seemed to be a bit better. Elania didn’t see any other choices presenting themselves so with the help of the Mana Shard’s light, she carefully made her way up.
Stairs meant people, and she was worried that whoever she met might be worse than the cultists or the holy knight who had meant to kill her. Still, she wasn't about to give up this opportunity to possibly escape the monotonous caverns below. As fantastical as the caves had been she really didn’t like ones that went up in flame faster than a Cali brushfire.
The spiraling stairs seemed to go on forever, and in several spots, they had crumbled, forcing her to climb over the rubble to continue. Realizing just how old the steps had to be reassured her that she was unlikely to meet whoever had built them.
Her legs felt like jelly when she reached the first landing. The stone room wasn't large, and a second staircase continued to lead upward. There were openings where, at one time, there might have been doors, but they had long ago worn away.
Elania decided to explore the rooms and rest before continuing her ascent. Except for rubble, there was nothing in the rooms, so she decided to take over the one furthest from the staircase. She didn't find any other entrance or exit, so possibly the people who had made the stairs had used this place as a rest spot when traveling up or down just like she planned to do.
As she got off her feet a pained wince creased her face. If they had been sore before, now they were raw and burning in protest of her long march. She shined the light over them to take a closer look and gasped. Her feet were covered in grime and dried blood. She realized that the blood was probably from when she had slipped before. Luckily, she didn't see any open wounds or cuts. ‘That will change really fast if I don’t rest and find something to cover them with.’
With no water, she had no way to clean up. Not having any water or food would soon become a problem, even though she didn't feel thirsty or hungry yet. That seemed strange considering how long she'd been moving, but maybe it was because of how stressful everything had been so far.
Since she was finally off her feet and set on staying for a while she decided to improve the situation at least a little. Examining one of the extra robes closely, she made a few plans in her head. The dagger came out, and she began to cut the material.
Elania would never have claimed to have been a resourceful person, but after some work, she had three large serviceable strips of fabric along with a lot of extra scraps. Without any other tools, she wasn’t sure what the small bits would be useful for, but she stuffed them back into a pocket.
Taking up one of the long strips she had made she began to wrap it around the base of her toes in a weave that went up to her leg, ending above her ankle. It seemed to work well, although she found herself wishing she had an Ace bandage instead. She repeated the method around her other foot and after tying them off, they seemed like they'd stay in place. The third strip was wrapped around her chest, and she fastened it on the front. That was a relief as all the running had been quite unpleasant with her breasts completely unsupported.
[You have gained the skill Improvised Crafting - Lvl 1!]
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 5
Power: 47/100
Karma: 12
Attributes: [Locked]
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
She immediately noticed that the mention of 'Skills' being locked had disappeared, and 'Power' had increased substantially. She wasn't sure what power indicated or why it had risen.
She pulled up her 'Skills' next and confirmed that [Improvised Crafting] had been added to her list.
[Skills: Elania Reyes]
[Class: None]
[Affinities: Demonic, Mana]
[Magical: Demonic Aura Lvl - 1 (Activated), Mana Manipulation Lvl - 1]
[Physical: Unarmed Combat Lvl - 2, Darkvision Lvl - 2 (Activated)]
[Mundane: Identify Lvl - 1, Universal Speech Lvl - 5, Reading Lvl - 4, Writing Lvl - 3
Improvised Crafting Lvl - 1]
She had gained poison resistance as well, but it wasn't listed. Then she realized that the [System] said it had been an 'Attribute,' not a skill! However, according to her [Status], the attribute function was still locked, and when she tried anyway, nothing happened. What did she have to do to unlock it, and what about titles?
A yawn took her by surprise and she realized that she really felt tired and exhausted after stopping. Wrapped up in the oversized robe, she pocketed the Mana Shard and dagger. Then it was relatively easy to fall asleep in the quiet darkness.
It was the increasing warmth that woke Elania from her deep sleep. She quickly pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked around the dark room. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she felt like the air was incredibly cold as it touched her bare skin.
Despite the lack of light sources anywhere, she could make out the flat shape of the walls and ceiling and the small piles of rubble. The all-pervasive silence permeated everything.
Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she got her bearings but realized the heat wasn't going away. It didn’t come from the air either, but seemed to be coming from within her.
Was it somehow related to the poison? She went to check her [Status] to see if anything changed, and her eyes widened at the volume of messages she had received while sleeping.
[Your body is reaching the limits of its capacity for power!]
[Your body has reached the limit of its capacity for power!]
[Find a stronger body or reduce your current power!]
[Your body has exceeded the limit of its capacity for power!]
[You have gained a level in Demonic Aura!]
[Your body is experiencing slight thermal degradation!]
[Your body is slightly adapting.]
[You have gained a level in Darkvision!]
[Due to your excess power, your body is exceeding its limits!]
[Your body is experiencing thermal degradation!]
[Your body is slightly adapting.]
[Due to your excess power, your body is exceeding its limits!]
[Your body is experiencing thermal degradation!]
[Your body is slightly adapting.]
[You have gained a level in Demonic Aura!]
[Due to your excess power, your body is exceeding its limits!]
[Your body has greatly exceeded the limit of its capacity for power!]
[Find a stronger body or reduce your current power!]
The moment the status screen appeared, Elania knew the reason for this deluge of messages.
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 5
Power: 168/112
Karma: 12
Attributes: [Locked]
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
Whatever 'Power' was, there had been a dramatic increase since she had last checked. Even the maximum limit had increased. What she didn't know was why! She tried to think of a reason but couldn't come up with one.
There was no one to ask for an explanation, no helpful manual to explain concepts that were probably self-explanatory to someone who was a native of this world. Elania choked back a laugh as she pictured a school of children being taught what their status screen meant and wished she could participate in one.
Power, maybe it was like mana? The concept of health, mana, and stamina was familiar to her from video games, but they didn't seem to apply in this world.
She closed her eyes and wished someone would appear to help her. That, of course, didn't happen. She had no one to rely on but herself. Well, since she had made it this far, she wasn't going to give up.
Despite her slight nausea and the heat that didn’t go down, she felt well-rested. That had to count for something. Elania got up, rolled the last extra robe up, and carried it under her arm.
As soon as she stood, she smiled slightly and shifted her weight on her feet. She could tell the footwraps were already working, and that was enough to improve her mood. Since her vision had adapted so well while she had slept, she didn't bother taking out the crystal to help her see.
The other rooms were just as she had left them—bare, empty, and crumbled.
There was no other option but to continue climbing the endless staircase.
The ascent had turned into a mindless trudge, and Elania nearly missed the first signs of light seeping down at her.
Reaching the landing, she stopped and stared out in amazement. The colors were a feast for her eyes as she took in the multi-hued landscape before her. It was a massive cavern, dwarfing all the others she had seen so far.
The ceiling was a tremendous distance above, and a brilliant lime-green covering of moss dominated it. Massive stalactite formations broke the carpet up in spots, but even they shined with orange and reds of some other types of a plant.
[Brilliant Glow Moss]
[Red Tangle]
[Underground Creep Vine]
It lit up the entire landscape below.
She realized that not everything around her was natural. Far away, she could see the remains of stone buildings. It seemed pretty clear that they were not inhabited... or at least not maintained very well. Maybe whoever lived in them liked the ancient ruins vibe.
[Stone]
[Worked Stone]
[Ruined Stone]
A few of them had been nearly destroyed by the massive, towering mushroom trees that had sprouted inside them and continued to grow to be larger than the building. The entire landscape was dotted with those same 'trees' in various shapes and sizes. A few gave off their own vibrance.
[Fungal Growth]
[Fungal Wood]
[Tree-cap]
Bare rocks no longer dominated the landscape. Small groups of shorter plants—mostly mushrooms of various colors—formed a random patchwork pattern. Past the buildings, a small stream of water was flowing, and the space around it seemed to have the thickest growth.
[Water Spore]
[Fenicia's Fungal Growth]
[Rock Blight]
[Scour-Stone Moss]
[Itch Moss]
[Water]
‘Water!’
That was important, and she almost beelined for the stream, but she paused. It was almost a complete ecosystem, but where were the animals or other creatures? Shouldn't there be at least insects?
She scanned the terrain carefully, not wanting to get caught off guard because she was careless. After a few minutes of scanning for movement, she still hadn’t spotted a single thing.
‘Maybe they are shy.’
Elania decided to investigate the buildings before she went to the stream. Despite her long journey up the staircase, she still wasn't hungry or thirsty. She wasn’t sure why. The water wasn’t going anywhere though, and the buildings were closer.
She was sure of that as the sound of running water trickled through the air. It was a welcome change to the complete silence of the earlier caves. She made her way around the fungal growths and mosses, making a point to avoid the ones with Itch or the like in their name. [Identify] was a useful skill to have.
[Due to your excess power, your body is exceeding its limits!]
[Your body is experiencing thermal degradation!]
[Your body is slightly adapting.]
Elania swiped away the messages again. She frowned in annoyance, not needing a message to remind her. The heat in her core and the sweat that continued to drip down her forehead was reminder enough. It was enough to have already soaked the wrap around her chest and certain parts of her robe.
It was getting hotter. She desperately needed to find a way to stop whatever was increasing her 'Power' and bleed off the excess, or she’d burn up.
[Power 188/116]
[You have gained a level in Demonic Aura!]
‘The excessive power is affecting the Demonic Aura as well I guess... I still don't know what it does.’
Maybe it was because of the density of the buildings. Elania had hoped to find something useful in them. The first one was disappointingly bare, but the second contained something that sent a shiver down her spine.
Bones. Thousands of bones of all different sizes and shapes. Whatever had accumulated them had not been picky about the selection. A few seemed to stand out as a bit oversized to Elania, but that was because most were small or broken into pieces. She backed out of the building and hurried to the next one, hoping she wouldn't meet whatever called that building its lair.
The rest of the buildings were all bare, except that a few had some stone furniture remains. Judging from the size of it, whoever or whatever had created it had at least been about the size of a human. Maybe even a dwarf or elf! Elania managed a smile at that bit of knowledge. At least she wouldn't be surprised if she ran into someone from a race like that.
As she left the last building, it was only the faint sound of a few pebbles shifting and falling that alerted her. Spinning around, she lifted her head and came face-to-face with a pair of large blood-red eyes and a savage expression full of teeth.
It immediately leaped off the roof and fell straight toward her.
[ ???? - Lesser Demon (S Rank Monster) - Level 57]
The only reason [Identify] had fired up was that she had been making a habit of using it on everything she came across. There was only enough time for a single, “Oh Shit” before the thing slammed into her, knocking her off her feet.
As she fell it managed to grab hold of her shoulder as she tumbled, and a sudden burning pain erupted in her left bicep. Releasing a scream, she grabbed at the thing and tried to throw it off her.
That resulted in a bite on her wrist and then more bites on her arm as she rolled about on the ground, in a poor attempt to get rid of it.
‘It is trying to eat me!’
Blood poured out freely from the deep bites the jagged teeth had left. After another vain attempt to free herself from its grip she managed a solid punch to its head, and the thing flew off of her. It rolled as it landed coming to a stop on its arms and legs before levering itself up and dashing back at her.
Without thinking, Elania reached into her pocket and pulled out her dagger and pointed it at the demon. The imminent threat made it pause, giving her first good look at it.
[ ???? - Lesser Demon (S Rank Monster) - Level 57]
The monster was shaped like a short and stocky person akin to a dwarf, but the resemblance ended there. Its face was elongated and scrunched up in a snarl, revealing a bloody mouth full of sharp looking teeth. That was her blood, and it stared at her with glowing crimson eyes that stood out against its alabaster white skin, giving it a possessed look. It was wearing a single thin brown piece of hide.
‘It's the same as me? We are nothing alike!’
It snapped and snarled at her as it slowly circled her, eyes riveted on the dagger as it sought out a chance to lunge at her again. It made a few aborted attempts, and she realized it was wary of the weapon. Maybe it had fought against someone armed before. The creature couldn’t have known that she had no idea of how to use the dagger or fight.
Warmth trickled down her arm, and she noted she was still bleeding from the bites on her arm. She winced in pain as she shifted to keep the dagger in line with her assailant.
[Your physical Status is degrading.]
[Due to your excess power, your body is exceeding its limits!]
[Your body is experiencing thermal degradation!]
[Your body is slightly adapting.]
"I fucking know!"
The creature snarled back at her in response, making a longer dash straight at her, but it turned away right before it could come within reach.
Through the pain and frustration, she started to get angry. If she had so much fucking power that it was eating away at her insides, where the hell was it? She thought she might be able to do the spark thing again, but she doubted she'd be able to hit the thing with them while it was moving so much.
Suddenly, it lunged at her again, and this time it didn't dart away at the last second. Elania swung the dagger in a horizontal arc, hoping to slash it, but it was faster. As the demon ducked under the wide swing it jumped straight for her and grappled her. Despite the impact, Elania managed to keep her feet. Bringing her arm back down, she tried to slam the pommel into its head, but it latched onto her, immobilizing her arm with the dagger and then biting down on her robed arm again, tearing with its teeth.
Pain flared on her skin, and she tried to shove the thing off of her, but it held on firmly, claws digging through the robe and into her sides, adding to the pain.
Her other arm was already mangled, bloody, and weaponless. Elania attempted to punch it again, but it had a better grip this time and it didn’t seem to care if she punched it or not. Another painful bite ensued, this time on her shoulder. Finally, she grabbed the thing by the side of its thick neck and tried to push its face and teeth away.
‘I can't miss from here!’
She didn't have the Mana Shard in her hand, but she should have her own mana—at least that was what she was hoping for. She tried to repeat her earlier spark attack, but this time, she was in pain and desperate.
Rather than a few sparks, her entire hand was suddenly engulfed in a brilliant flare. That hurt even more than the bites. Her entire hand felt like it was burning away. The pain was intense but mercifully short-lived as the agony was rapidly replaced by a tingling numbness before turning to complete nothingness.
[You have gained a level in Mana Manipulation!]
The effect was tremendous, though, as she realized she had pushed her forearm through the creature's entire throat and out the other side. It immediately released her and scurried away, arms grasping at its head as it rolled wildly across the stone in a mad frenzy. It was eerily quiet as it did so, its throat and vocal cords totally disintegrated and missing.
[You have gained a level in Mana Manipulation!]
[Your physical Status is degrading quickly.]
Elania wasn't in very good shape herself, and she slumped down on the ground. The flare covering her hand went out, and she looked at the ruined limb in horror. Her hand was completely blackened and charred. ‘That is probably why the pain in my hand stopped. There are no nerves left to feel pain,’ her own relatively calm voice in her head offered.
Leaning over, she promptly threw up the contents of her stomach, which was mostly liquid as she hadn't eaten anything. She told herself to try and keep it together.
[Your physical Status is degrading quickly.]
"What about my mental status?"
[Your physical Status is degrading quickly.]
With her still-mobile hand, she reached into the front of her oversized robe and pulled at the knot holding her breast wrap together. It took a few tries, but it finally came loose. She considered the numerous bite marks that were still bleeding, although many had slowed considerably.
"I'm going to die of infection anyway."
Tears were streaming down her face, and she decided to use the wrap on her arm that was not a burnt crisp. It was the one the thing had chewed on the most, and the bites on her burnt arm had mostly stopped bleeding anyway. Wrapping her own arm wasn't easy, but she managed it with a combination of teeth and body movement. The exertion seemed to take the last remains of her energy and the adrenaline high from the fight was wearing off.
As she leaned against a boulder, trying to stay still and ignore the pain, a new message appeared.
[You have slain ???? - Lesser Demon (S Rank Monster) - Level 57]
[For slaying a being over 50 levels higher than you, extra experience is rewarded.]
[You have gained multiple levels!]
[You have reached level 10. The attribute function is unlocked.]
[You have gained multiple levels!]
[You have gained 12 Karma for slaying an evil aligned being.]
She looked over to where she had last heard the rolling and scrambling sounds of the creature. Sure enough, it had stopped moving and was lying still.
[Your physical Status is degrading quickly.]
The bandage wasn't helping much, then. Elania realized she was probably going into shock.
‘What about my [Status?] I unlocked the attribute function…’
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 11
Power: 112/124
Karma: 24
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
‘Oh, my power is fixed. I guess I only had to lose my hand to get it in check.’ Despite the fatalistic thought, Elania quickly called up the new screen.
"Attributes."
[Attributes: Elania Reyes]
[1 Available Attribute Selection]
[Current Attributes:
Demon Contract (1 Available)
Demonic Self-Sustenance
Enhanced Physical Abilities (Strength, Mana Capacity)
Immunity (Darkness)
Resistance (Poison, Mana)
Weakness (Holy)]
[Available Attributes: Weakness Negation, Resistance Improvement, Resistance Selection, Physical Ability Improvement, Body Manipulation, Regeneration, Reactive Adaptation, Power Absorption (Touch)]
Elania scanned the list, the reason she hadn't felt hungry or thirsty yet becoming clear. She already had several attributes that had been helping her, along with the poison resistance she had gained during the moss wildfire.
When she reached the available attributes, her eyes widened. Several of them looked rather impressive, although there was only one that she latched onto, considering her current rapidly deteriorating condition.
‘Regeneration.’
[Do you wish to select Regeneration as a new attribute? Y/N]
"Yes."
Nothing happened for a second, and she was about to try again when the message suddenly appeared.
[You have gained the Regeneration attribute!]
[You have spent all your available attribute selections.]
[Due to your high power, Regeneration is enhanced!]
[You have met the requirements for Bone Demon evolution.]
[Do you wish to evolve your race to Bone Demon? Y/N]
The healing wasn't instantaneous, but she felt better immediately. The bites and claw marks healed first, and she wondered if her body was replacing all the lost blood as well. Staring up at the ceiling of the cavern, she didn't even consider the question of becoming a 'Bone Demon.' Elania had no desire to be related in any way, shape, or form to that monster.
Sitting up, she looked at the charred remains of her hand and frowned. It was lifeless, and there was no sensation. If it was already dead, how would it heal?
As if to answer her question, the skin further up her arm near the burnt tissue began to bubble and then extend over the charred remains.
‘Oh.’
It progressed fast as the rest of her body finished healing itself, and then the pain started.
Curling up into a ball, Elania was distantly aware that her screams were echoing through the entire cavern before she passed out.
Elania traced the side of her face with her fingers as she stared at her reflection in the quick running stream of water. Her long hair had been braided like she usually kept it, but now was becoming a tangled and split mess, with debris thoroughly mixed with blood. What had put her in her current fugue was her eyes. Her irises glowed back at her, a deep crimson red. That was new, and disturbing.
She tried her best to clean up, but the results were less than ideal without any soap or brush.
‘We have to get used to new normals or go crazy.’
"Right, Mr. Rock?"
The mana shard continued to shine in silence on the rocky stream bank, although she had noticed it had begun to dim slightly since she had taken it from the cultists. She checked her Power for the fourth time since setting it down.
[Power: 102/128]
‘I was right.’
When she had finally regained consciousness, her Power had overflowed again, and she had been in a mild panic. It was when she had taken off the tattered bloody robe with the mana shard still in it that she realized the excess began to bleed off.
It was hard to tell the time in the caverns, but she thought it was taking about an hour for one point of Power to drain. That was with her [Demonic Aura Lvl - 4] and [Darkvision Lvl - 3] both active. She also suspected that her [Demonic Self-Sustenance] and [Regeneration] attributes were draining Power as well.
That didn't seem like much, considering the mana shard intended to boil her alive with extra 'Power' whenever she had it on her person. Mana and Power... she wanted to know if they were the same thing, just named differently, and if they were different, why didn't she have a mana stat in her [Status] screen? Where were her hitpoints?
And there was another thing. While she didn’t have the need for any food or water while she had 'Power,' what would happen when she ran out? Elania remembered she had started with zero Power, but she had a gut feeling she wouldn't survive for long like that unless she had food and water.
No, looking at it again she was certain the mana shard was getting dimmer over time as she used it. She needed to find another way to charge her ‘Power,’ or she'd end up having to try and find the cultists and make a deal with them for the mana shards... Not an idea she wanted to entertain.
There were no fish in the stream that she could see, which ruled out catching one and seeing if eating something would help. Even though she wasn't hungry, she still had the desire to try good food, and a picture of a nicely-cooked fish sitting atop a blanket of rice had her craving some sushi.
The sound of a rockslide echoed deeply from somewhere distant and the sound brought her out of her reverie.
‘Right. Keep it together, Elania. We aren't out of danger yet.’
She had thoroughly soaked the robes in the water along with her wraps. All the cloth had been drenched in blood and grime, and while she didn't have any way to get the stains out, she had been able to use her hands to wring and scrub the worst of it off.
The robe she had been wearing when the Bone Demon attacked was a tattered mess, so she would have to figure out something else to use it for. The extra robe she had been using as a blanket was in much better condition, and she decided to wear that one for now.
Still, she needed a place to camp out in and let everything dry. The idea of staying out in the open, exposed, and butt-naked wasn't appealing. After much deliberation, she eventually decided to try the nearby buildings again. She would be out of sight, and she was hopeful that she would somehow be able to rig some sort of line up to hang the clothes.
On the way back, though, she realized there would be a problem—the Bone Demon's corpse.
Elania didn't like the idea of touching it, but she couldn't leave it near the buildings. The thought of it attracting attention and drawing predators or carrion-eaters to her while she was sleeping was enough to strengthen her resolve to drag it away.
She was prepared to drag it by its feet, but a surprising message appeared when she touched a foot.
[Absorb the lingering Power from ???? - Lesser Demon (S Rank Monster) - Level 57's corpse? Y/N]
The question of how common Demonic beings were and if they often cannibalized each other for Power came to Elania. Since she didn't feel any kinship to the thing in front of her though and she decided to give it a go.
The corpse began to disintegrate into dust. Despite the seeming stillness of the air, it blew away in some type of wind as the fragments turned to ether and then disappeared. As the process continued, Elania felt her core warm up again. By the time the corpse was entirely gone, she felt like she was on fire and plagued by the same messages from earlier.
[You have absorbed 115 Power!]
[Your body has reached the limit of its capacity for Power!]
[Find a stronger body or reduce your current Power!]
[Your body has exceeded the limit of its capacity for Power!]
[Your body is experiencing thermal degradation!]
[Your body is slightly adapting.]
[Due to your high Power, [Regeneration] is enhanced!]
[Power: 211/134]
It was hotter than before but not as much as the numbers indicated. She idly wondered if that was because of how much her power had exceeded its capacity. Elania wished she knew the exact adverse effects and worried about permanent damage. However, the mention of [Regeneration] being enhanced calmed her a bit.
‘[Regeneration] heals me from the damage of being over my Power limit... then it’s a bit like power leveling. It just makes me a bit… sweaty.’
After returning to the building she had selected, she started to clean out a corner. She used her dagger to cut and tear off several long strips from the ruined robe and tied them into a line to hang the rest of her things on. That let her set them to dry just as she had planned.
Finding a spot in what she now considered her corner, she decided to check her full [Status] and decide what to do next.
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 11
Power: 211/134
Karma: 24
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
[Skills: Elania Reyes]
[Class: None]
[Affinities: Demonic, Mana]
[Magical: Demonic Aura Lvl - 6 (Activated), Mana Manipulation Lvl - 7]
[Physical: Unarmed Combat Lvl - 2, Darkvision Lvl - 3 (Activated)]
[Mundane: Identify Lvl - 2, Universal Speech Lvl - 5, Reading Lvl - 4, Writing Lvl - 3, Athletics Lvl - 1, Improvised Crafting Lvl - 1]
[Attributes: Elania Reyes]
[Current Attributes:
Demon Contract (1 Available)
Regeneration (Normal)
Demonic Self-Sustenance
Enhanced Physical Abilities (Strength, Mana Capacity)
Immunity (Darkness)
Resistance (Poison, Mana)
Weakness (Holy)]
‘I need to try and practice my [Mana Manipulation] skill... it killed the Bone Demon, but it almost killed me in the process. Really, I need to plan on how I can defend myself. I doubt that demon was the only unfriendly thing I will run into.’
---
Elania continued to experiment with her skills while camping out in the building. She had avoided exploring or looking for anything farther than the stream, other than one foray to gather some of the [Fungal Wood] she had spotted nearby.
After that short trip, she decided to use the excess 'Power' she had received from the Bone Demon to develop her skills and abilities. The mana shard was kept in the opposite corner of 'her' building. It provided something like a night-light which was comforting to her and useful to her as she practiced.
She passed two days like this, or at least she had slept twice. There wasn’t much distinction without any way to tell time that she could tell. She'd gained a new skill [Athletics] when she had done some pushups and sit-ups to burn some nervous energy. It had been put under the [Mundane] group, so she wasn't sure what it did other than act as a counter for how much work she had put in.
Elania had also made a lot of progress with her [Mana Manipulation], although she quickly realized that it was easily her most 'Power' intensive skill. The costs seemed to go down as it leveled, and she had finally managed to hold a spark above her hand for an indefinite amount of time around the time she reached level 10.
She wasn't exactly sure how useful controlling the spark would be, but she had found other ways to use the energy as well. It was difficult but she could direct the energy to specific parts of her body without setting them on fire, giving her a boost of strength. That was the kind of thing she thought would be really useful in an emergency.
Between practice sessions of her various skills, she had worked on the [Fungal Wood] to make a primitive spear. The wood turned out to be quite flexible, and it was sliced easily by her dagger, so she didn't think it would do well if she had to face someone with actual weapons. It was the best she could manage, though, and she did gain two more levels in [Improvised Crafting], so that was a bonus.
Nothing had prepared her for what happened when she figured out how to deactivate her [Demonic Aura], though.
The once quiet cavern erupted into all kinds of sounds, and Elania was sent scrambling to gather her things before climbing to the roof of the building and looking out at the landscape.
Elania gasped in surprise. The cavern that had been silent for days came to life before her eyes. Mounds of what she had assumed was moss-covered stone got onto their legs, letting out a strange “Garooo” sound that echoed everywhere. They each showed up as [Ralfot] and were actually some type of quadruped covered in moss. Was the moss part of their skin or did it grow on them as a symbiote? On a few the moss was getting quite long and she wondered if that made them into something like an underground sheep-cow.
Then something drew her attention to the ceiling, and she looked in amazement at the several wispy creatures floating there. They looked like jelly-fish but somehow were able to float in the air. The [Jellv] seemed to have some way of directing their movement and assembled to the brightest patches of glow moss, packing themselves as close as possible.
Shadow patterns began to form on the ground in the cavern, and as the Jellies moved in large groups, those patterns moved across the floor, adding another visual effect to all the luminescent flora.
'They don't have levels, and that seems to separate them from the people I’ve seen so far. Although I'm not sure I'd classify the Bone Demon as a person.'
Elania noticed smaller, less visible creatures as well. A small pack of scaled creatures about the size of rabbits came up from hidden burrows to hunt down and nibble on the [Fenicia's Fungal Growth] and the ground moss. The sheer number of them had her wondering if the people here had the same sayings for [Elnats] as people on Earth did for rabbits.
As she continued to watch all the creatures emerge and go about their business of... well, most of them seemed to be looking for food, she wondered about how they had all stayed hidden for so long.
Had her [Demonic Aura] made them all hide because they thought she was a dangerous predator? If these small creatures were so capable of hiding like that, then Elania didn’t even want to think about how the real predators in the caverns would be like. She doubted a human could have hidden for that long without making some noise, even if it was in their sleep!
[You have gained a level in Identify!]
Oh! That'd be useful. Maybe it would show more information. Much to Elania's dismay, there didn't seem to be any changes with a single level. 'I've been cheated!'
Even bugs and other insects came out, although they didn't seem attracted to her mercifully. She hated gnats, mosquitoes, and pretty much every type of insect that could fly. The biggest example she spotted was the small cloud that followed the Ralfots.
‘Another thing they have in common with cows. The creatures are a lot less aggressive than I’d expected.'
Looking down at her makeshift spear, she frowned. Should she try to hunt something? She wasn't hungry, and the thought of killing things to eat them when she didn't need food to survive didn't sit well with her. But what if she ran out of ‘Power’? She could absorb a demon's ‘Power,’ but what if that didn’t apply to other things? She needed to know.
Elania watched the creatures for a while longer before finally making up her mind. Since the Ralfots were too large, she'd go for one of the Elnats.
As she made her way down the roof, heading deeper into the cavern, she wondered if she should try to be sneaky about it. Maybe she'd learn a new skill? Trying it out, she picked her way around the rises and dips in the rock carefully, trying to keep out of view of her prey as she moved.
Arriving just one bend away, she sat down against a boulder for a moment. Disappointment at not earning any 'stealth' skill gnawed at her, and her heart was pounding faster than it had any right to do so. The approach hadn't been difficult at all, so it was definitely her nerves. She had never hunted anything before. She was a genuine city-girl.
The thought had her bite the inside of her bottom lip as the idea brought back memories she had struggled to keep locked down. She had been camping with her family, and she even remembered her father suggesting they go hunting once, just in case she ever wanted or needed to at some point.
'No time to think about that, Elania. No need to break down into tears right now, either.'
Taking a deep breath, she tightened her hold on the makeshift spear and quietly slid around the rock. She hadn't planned out what she intended to do, and she thought to throw the spear at one when they started to run. She had decided to try and get as close as possible before that happened, though.
The Elnats were still in the same group as earlier, each one spread out a few feet from the others, nibbling on moss and fungus. If they had been furry, she'd have called them cute. They looked more like grumpy lizards, though.
Inching closer, she got the feeling they already knew she was there. When one turned its head, and a single black bead of an eye fixated on her, she almost broke into a sprint. The thing didn't rush or stop its nibbling, though, and she continued her slow approach.
She got closer and closer with slight disbelief forming since the things weren't dashing off. As the distance closed to the last few yards, the thought that even she might be able to hit one with a thrown spear flittered by as she took the last steps. All of the little creatures had one of their eyes fixed on her, but none had moved.
Elania was at a loss and her plan was in disarray. She was close enough to simply stab the one she had approached, but it only moved slightly to get to a bit of moss that was out of reach.
'It wouldn't be right.'
Plan discarded, she crouched down, looking at the [Elnat] closer. The small animal didn't seem alarmed at all, and Elania impulsively scooped up some moss and held it out to the thing's nose cautiously. Her gesture was rewarded a few moments later when its tongue licked out, and then it moved closer to the moss Elania had offered. A stupidly pleased grin appeared on her face. "You're pretty much tame, aren't you?"
'Not everything is trying to kill me, at least.'
After feeding her new friend, she decided to explore the rest of the cavern. As she levered herself up, a strange musty odor reached her along with a sound she hadn't heard before.
"Glua-Glua-Glaa!"
Her head snapped in the direction of the sound, and her eyes widened as she took in the newcomer.
[ ???? - Mushroohum - Level 17]
'A mushroom man!' was her first thought. The resemblance was unmistakable as the human figure's head ended in the classical shape of a mushroom, and his skin seemed to have been made of wood. It was carrying a spear and shield, with some type of belt with other implements hanging off it. That was its only attire, though, and she guessed it worked fine considering the thing didn’t appear to have any genitalia. She was almost sure that ???? was a given name, or maybe a class. After seeing the Elnats and Ralfots, she was certain it indicated intelligence.
He seemed agitated, and although he didn't look very agile, he was striding toward her, aiming his spear at her. It continued to make the "Glua-Glaa!" sound repeatedly in a higher and higher tone.
As Elania took a step back, a sudden shriek erupted from below and realized she had stepped on the Elnat she had fed. 'Oh, that's why they are so tame.' She had almost hunted and ate someone's pet!
The Elnat seemed unharmed, but suddenly they all bolted away from her. Before she could try to communicate or explain, the Mushroom Man made a decision. Watching in horror, it pulled the spear back and then launched it at her like a javelin.
It was well aimed, but the distance meant she had just enough time to throw herself out of the way.
[You have gained a level in Dodging!]
"I'm sorry!"
Unfortunately, that didn't seem to suffice, or it didn't understand her because it continued its attempts to shout at her. At least, it had stopped approaching her.
That was until a second one showed up. Then a third, and fourth. Suddenly there were Mushroom Men all over, carrying spears and more than ready to come after her.
“I’m really sorry!”
She decided to retreat. As she rounded the last boulder she had hid behind before reaching the Elnats, a loud clack sounded near her head. One of them had thrown another spear, and it had bounced off the rock.
He had made damned sure that the entire complex was thoroughly cleansed, yet he had failed in his mission. The summoned demon had easily managed to escape, and the leader of the cult had nearly killed Anton before using a teleport spell to vanish.
It wasn't often that a cult's location was revealed to the Order, and he had fumbled the chance to eliminate them.
Scrubbing every bit of the thick cloud of demonic aura from the area had taken way more time than he had to spare. He had to go through each and every room to purify it, turning all the items, ingredients, and even furniture into scrap. Everything in the entire complex was now dust except for the final room where the main confrontation had taken place.
The ceiling in one corner of the room bulged down, having collapsed from the stress of the battle. He had already made gouges across the floor, turning the summoning circle grooves into an unreadable chicken-scratch of rubble.
Anton glanced over at the pile of lower-ranking initiates. The death of so many arcanists and the loss of a base and the supplies would set back the Cult of the Black Candle for quite some time he hoped. Only the fact that he had lost his chance to take out one of their seven 'Unholy Bishops' soured his mood.
There was a silver lining in all of this, though. The cult had not managed to bind the lesser demon to their service. Anton was sure that he had prevented any contract between them. The fact that the monster had escaped was unfortunate, and partly his fault, but having one more wild demon roaming in the Underdark was not that much of a concern.
The demon had taken the shape of a young woman, and her terrified face came back to him, as he remembered trying to end her. That had been a source of significant confusion.
Kneeling, he opened a heavily reinforced chest to reveal numerous Mana Shards of distilled essence, utterly free of any other influence. There were only two types of beings that could use that type of power without being harmed.
Drawing Eziel from its sheath, he placed the blade's tip on the mana shard, and the light immediately dimmed before the crystal suddenly disintegrated into dust.
It was the stuff meant for Seraphs and the divine. The fact that some demons had found a way to corrupt the power to their own ends was one more reason for Anton to put an end to their depravities and evil.
His sword wasn't just a typical artifact. Its blade had been forged from the soul of a dying angel, Eziel, The Judgement, Arch-Seraph of Light. It was one of the seven holy relics the Lightbringer Order possessed and was granted to Anton upon his anointment as Paladin.
Sometimes, the blade would send him premonitions or guidance in his dreams, but it had become silent as of late. Anton hoped the mana contained in the shards would help with the blade's fugue. The sword had never failed to harm a demon before, but it had prevented him from harming the monster. He had feared that the Cultists had somehow found a way to corrupt the weapon, but it hadn't had any difficulty severing their heads.
As Anton finished dealing with the Mana Shards, he turned to look at the rest of the room. With a wave of his hand, a pulse of light flared from his palm, and the corpses, along with what remained in the room, turned to dust. His work there was done.
He would have to return to the city he hated next, a place infested with corruption and demonologists, in order to hunt for clues and where the Bishop had gone to lick his wounds. Anton didn’t hold much hope on that front, but he would have to remain in the Underdark until the High Cardinal summoned him back into the light of day.
Elania's heart pounded as she tucked herself behind another boulder.
Clack, clack, clack, clack.
Another volley of spears missed their mark, but the fact that they fell so closely around her position meant that despite her efforts to throw the Mushroom Men off, they were still getting closer and had brought even more spears than she thought possible.
[You have gained a level in Athletics!]
She had been running from them for a while. She was fast enough to outpace them for a time, but whenever she stopped, they would catch up, and they were increasing in number!
Elania didn’t want to fight them. It wasn’t only because she was hesitant to seek confrontation, but also the whole thing felt like a misunderstanding. She never meant to step on the poor Elnat! She hadn't even known they weren't wild animals!
She had slowly come to understand the setup in the cavern... at least she thought she did. The Mushroom Men had domesticated the animals there at some point. She didn't doubt that the Elnats and Ralfots were probably their herd animals. Elania hadn't seen any predators in the cave, and the Mushroom man had seemed quite upset when she stepped on the Elnat.
Maybe they were so hostile to her because they had been acquainted with the vicious Bone Demon she had fought. The vast cache of bones she had found in one of the ruined buildings definitely suggested it had munched on more than a few Elnat and Ralfots at some point.
Having caught her breath, she jumped up and set off at a run again. The now-familiar "Glau-Glaa" cry went back and forth behind her.
She had already circled the majority of the cavern. There had been several large exits to other caverns, and two had been blocked off with large fungal growths. She wondered if those had been built or grown by her pursuers.
As she returned toward the stream and the ruined buildings, she drew back and slid to a stop. A Mushroohum swung heavily with his spear, the tip barely missing Elania's face.
[You have gained a level in Dodging!]
A second return swing came back at her without delay. This time, she raised her own spear, and the two wooden shafts collided. The Mushroom Man was larger than her by at least a foot, and she could feel the difference in their size and weight as it pressed down on her.
[You have gained a level in Blocking!]
The weight grew heavier as Elania's opponent gained more leverage, and she felt her crude spear flex perilously in between her hands.
[You have gained a level in Blocking!]
The unpleasant musty odor she had smelled earlier was thick as the Mushroom Man breathed down on her. It seemed like it was going to crush her if her spear broke, and the menacing look of its face had her frantically searching for options.
'I have other skills.'
She'd burnt off her excess power earlier when practicing, but she still had her reserves. It was time to put her rigorous training into practice.
Casting sparks and melting her own hand wasn’t her only option. Focusing on her power had become easier as the skill leveled. It did take a bit of concentration, which was hard when she was being pressed down onto a knee by the fungus. She forced it to work, anyway.
A white aura began to wisp around and off of her, and the pressure lessened. She was gaining physical strength, and the Mushroohum let out a "Glau-Glaa!" when Elania suddenly grabbed his weapon and then she shoved him with ease, sending her large opponent falling backward.
[Power: 112/142]
Elania let out a strained breath and released the mana coursing through her. She'd burnt over thirty points of her 'Power' just for that single feat of strength!
[You have gained a level in Mana Manipulation!]
[You have gained a level in Battle Concentration!]
'At least I got a new skill. I wonder if---'
She realized her self-distraction with the [System] had allowed the Mushroohum to start scrambling off the ground. It was still prone, and she could easily stab it with her spear while it was vulnerable.
A fit of anger took hold of her, and she raised her spear to do just that. Hadn’t it chased and cornered her when she obviously didn’t want to fight? Its ugly looks and musty smell, its sheer strangeness called out for her to do just that, but... Wasn't she the invader here?
"Let's stop fighting and be friends."
Unfortunately, the "Glau-Glaa" answer was cut short by a volley of thrown spears, one managing to scrape her shoulder. The others had caught up to her, and she took off in a random direction. 'Right, no mercy for Elnat stompers.'
She turned on her Demonic aura again hoping it would help. The Mushroohums closest to her slowed down and stopped for a moment, seemingly agitated. Their 'Glua-Glaa' screams reached a peak as the ones further away continued forward, passing them by quickly. Elania didn't wait to see how long they'd remained stopped.
'Well, all the armchair generals back home will be happy, but that wasn't as useful as I hoped!'
Fleeing once again, she traced a path around the stream to an area near the cave wall she hadn't explored yet. A few other water sources flowed together, and she realized a small pond was surrounded by various larger growths, although none of them came close to the size of the imposing [Tower-Cap] trees.
Elania found herself looking down at the rocky bank and she decided to go around it since the stone looked damp and possibly slippery. Unfortunately, when she turned to explore another escape route, there were a half dozen Mushroom Men in front of her in a semicircle. All of them let loose one of their spears at the same time.
The only thing that saved her was they had all thrown too accurately, and when she hurled herself to the side, the majority of them flashed through the space she had previously occupied.
[You have gained a level in Dodging!]
'Useful skill--- AH!'
Despite having managed to not be hit, one of the spears tangled up between her legs and robes. Elania tripped, twisting sideways as she fell, and then rolled and bounced down a slope and into the stream with a splash.
It was deeper near the cave wall, several streams had come together to fill a sizable pool, and she soon found out that it had a strong undertow as well when the water suddenly snatched her and pulled her under.
'I can't swim!'
As she thrashed around in the water, she was forced to let go of the spear she had been holding. Several times she painfully smashed into a rock or boulder. Even her [Darkvision] didn't seem to work underwater, as nothing but blackness greeted her.
The impacts with the rocks had knocked out what little breath she had managed to conserve, and the burning in her chest grew, causing her to panic even more.
Temporary relief only came when she suddenly found herself falling through the air amidst a giant roar.
'Waterfall...!'
Then she smashed into the shallow pool and rocks below.
The first sensation Elania registered was a chilling cold that seemed to be seeping into her core. It was enough to make her take the first steps toward waking up. Her first restless movement elicited a frantic grab at consciousness as she realized she was still face down in the water.
'I'm not breathing!'
Thrashing into the water, her hand landed on a nearby stone, and she found enough leverage to pull herself out of the calm pool she had ended up floating in. Her first reaction upon leaving the water was to try and take a breath. That had her choking and vomiting a copious amount of the water than had found its way into her lungs.
When she was finally finished, Elania crawled a bit further from the bank, finding a dry spot and sitting against a rock in an attempt to recuperate. A few new messages chimed for attention, but her eyes were fixed on scanning her surroundings.
It was dark, and she could still make out the faint luminescence of the fungus, but compared to before, everything was shades of purple and black that made it impossible to see anything. When she finally opened her [Status], the reason became clear.
[Your power is low. Your toggleable skills have been deactivated automatically.]
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 11
Power: 26/152
Karma: 24
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
[Skills: Elania Reyes]
[Class: None]
[Affinities: Demonic, Mana]
[Magical: Demonic Aura Lvl - 6 (Deactivated), Mana Manipulation Lvl - 13, Battle Concentration Lvl 1]
[Physical: Dodging Lvl - 4, Blocking Lvl - 3, Unarmed Combat Lvl - 2, Darkvision Lvl - 3(Deactivated)]
[Mundane: Identify Lvl - 4, Universal Speech Lvl - 5, Reading Lvl - 4, Writing Lvl - 3, Athletics Lvl - 4, Improvised Crafting Lvl - 3]
[Attributes: Elania Reyes]
[Current Attributes:
Demon Contract (1 Available)
Regeneration (Normal)
Demonic Self-Sustenance
Enhanced Physical Abilities (Strength, Mana Capacity)
Immunity (Darkness)
Resistance (Poison, Mana)
Weakness (Holy)]
Elania stared at the paltry amount of power she was left with, and it was no wonder everything was so dark! Reactivating [Darkvision], everything brightened into clarity. She needed to recharge her power, but a familiar "Glua-Glaa!" had her freezing in place.
Luckily, it had come from the other side of the room, and she quietly slid around the stone she was against to keep it between her and the sound's direction. 'Was it just one?'
She chanced a look, but what she saw wasn't what she expected. There were four Mushroohums, but one was bent over, holding a shining rock.
'No... not a shining rock! My Mana Shard!'
Panic and anger warred in her chest, she needed that Mana Shard to survive, and they were taking it!
More of the Mushroom Men arrived, most of them fixated on the stone, but one fished out a scrap of black cloth from the water with its spear. Elania frowned and checked her pockets. She still had her dagger and makeshift clothes, but that was all. Some of the remaining scraps must have escaped for them to find.
The noise from the Mushroom Men became louder, and she thought they might have been arguing. When they finally broke off into groups, her heart stopped as she felt they might scour the entire cavern looking for her.
She didn't have to worry for long, though, as they quickly filed off and left the cavern—the largest group of five taking the Mana Shard with them. The thought of chasing after them and somehow taking the Mana Shard back was quickly discarded.
She was weakened, and most of her 'Power' had been used up either from [Regeneration] healing her while she tumbled through the water or when it prevented her from drowning.
She wasn't going to let them keep it, though. She had a pretty good idea about where to find the Mushroom Men's lair.
---
Despite her frantic arrival, the small pool and cavern she'd ended up in turned out to be relatively calm. It had only a few choke points to enter, and while she had heard quite a few noises coming from the connected areas, she hadn't seen any wildlife.
Elania quickly got down to work, gathering lengths of wood from some of the larger growths nearby. When she had a half dozen, she set the largest length shaft aside and began to carve the others into javelins.
Each one gave her the same system message.
[You have gained a level in Improvised Crafting!]
Finished with the smaller javelins, she turned to the longer shaft. 'Let's see if those levels made any difference.'
The fact that the levels had been so easy to get made her doubt whether there would be much improvement. [Identify] didn't seem to change between levels one and two, but...
[Improvised Crafting Lvl - 8]
The making of the thicker spear went well, but it didn't look any different.
[Makeshift Fungal Spear]
It was the same as before, maybe there was some kind of threshold she had to reach before crafting better things, or perhaps the material was too poor. Sighing, Elania set it aside with the growing pile of javelins, her hand coming to a sudden pause over the weapons.
A telltale whisper of a sound had her look toward the entrance and in the shadows a dozen feet away, two yellow orbs glared at her. As soon as she met the predator's gaze, it pounced. Feline in shape, it was the size of a large dog, with black fur and thick limbs.
Elania reacted without thinking, bracing her spear against the rock behind her. As the [Darkwalker] flashed through the air, it impaled itself through the chest.
A loud growl and hiss let spittle fly into Elania's face as the enraged predator swiped and struggled to reach her. Instinctively she reached over and grabbed one of the javelins while trying to balance her rapidly bending spear.
That was a good move because the stressed fungal wood finally flexed and snapped, allowing the creature to close the distance. It did not move as fast as before, having been dealt a mortal blow by the impalement. Still, the snapping jaws were just as deadly, and it went for Elania's throat.
Wielding the javelin like a stake, she slammed the pointed tip into the creature's eye, and it went limp. It still landed on her, at least a hundred pounds of once lethal muscle. She could still feel the heat from the thing's breath on her face as her mind tried to catch up with her rapidly pounding heart.
[Do you wish to absorb the Darkwalker's Essence? Y/N]
It took a moment for her to shove the corpse off of her and then calm down. Thoughts whirled in her head. It wasn't the first time she'd faced death, but at least this time, she had not been badly hurt. The feeling that she was flailing her way through, attempting to survive in this horrible underground world, and not having any real idea of what she was doing, threatened to shatter her earlier determination.
"I guess the least you could do is give me your 'Essence' since you attacked me."
Almost immediately, the corpse began to disintegrate, just as the Bone Demon had.
"Wait!" She suddenly realized her mistake. Since she had finally hunted something, she should have tried to harvest some meat from it!
It was too late, though. Still, a few [Status] messages appeared and clued Elania in on just what absorbing 'Essence' did.
[You have absorbed 4 Power!]
[You have gained a level in Stealth!]
[You have gained Darkwalker Affinity!]
[Consume more Darkwalker Essence to enable Darkwalker Transformation!]
A roil of emotions and more questions assailed Elania. At the very worst, she could survive by hunting things and consuming their 'Essence' and maintaining her self-sustain attribute. She had no idea what 'Affinity' really entailed, but the fourth message...
Was the system telling her she'd be able to turn into a Darkwalker if she hunted enough of them? Did that apply to anything? Was that a unique skill of Demons, or could anything absorb Essence and transform into things?
Looking at the snapped spear, she knew what she needed to do. For what felt like the first time, she had an actual goal.
Grabbing her dagger, she got herself ready for hunting. She needed to get her power back up to maximum.
Elania gathered and crafted more spears to replace her broken one, and upon leveling [Improved Crafting] to level 10, she got an [Improved Makeshift Fungal Wood Spear], which seemed to be slightly more sturdy.
Then she started using the smaller lengths of wood to work on something new. After numerous tries with the remaining torn fabric, she was able to tie together a [Woven Fungal Wood Shield] that seemed sturdy enough to protect her while giving her the chance to maybe stab something back.
Other than the wood, there wasn't much else for her to use in the small grotto, and she had already used up most of the workable lengths. It was time to move on.
Hunting Darkwalkers had proven much more complicated than Elania first imagined. She half-expected to be able to find a field of them, conveniently located nearby with them spread out far enough for her to deal with one at a time, regroup herself, then move to the next.
The next cavern reminded her that she wasn't living in a game world. The smell of a rotted Ralfot carcass greeted her long before it came into sight. Small bugs and things that looked like worms wiggled, making their way out of the rot. Immediately, Elania dismissed the thought of getting near enough to touch it to see if she could still absorb anything.
Elania quickly realized that there weren't many caverns that were as highly populated as the Mushroohum one with the Elnats and Ralfots.
'Probably because things in the open, like me, get eaten...'
After that, she tried her best to stay between depressions in the rock or go through a more shaded area. She wasn't sure how much it would help her to actually be stealthy, but at least she wouldn't be silhouetted against the bright mossy ceiling.
[You have gained a level in Stealth!]
Elania wandered through several more caverns before her first encounter. The entrance to the cavern had her on a raised ledge that overlooked a small pool of water. A group of something that looked like the Ralfots was congregated, most of them head down while they drank.
[Ralfot]
The [System] called them Ralfots as well, but these seemed larger and more weathered. Taking another look, she concluded that the horns made all the difference. They were thick curved curls that looked like they'd make a good battering ram.
Despite their dangerous number, she realized they'd have a hard time going around the cavern to reach her elevated position. She was in a perfect spot for ambushing them with her javelins.
Elania had made a ‘lot’ of javelins. Some as practice, but also because she had no idea how many she'd need. The Mushroohums carried one to three each, but since there had been a bunch of them chasing her, she’d made a dozen for herself even if it had seemed a bit excessive.
Setting her shield, spear, and the bundle of javelins quietly on the ground, she untied the small scrap of cloth she had used to tie them together. A little shred of guilt had her pause, but a thought overcame it.
'You've never been a vegetarian, Elania! The supermarket only lets you pretend you were. These are just juicy hamburgers with giant fucking horns that'll crush you if you're not careful.'
She took up a javelin in each hand and carefully picked her target: a smaller [Ralfot] that was close to her position. Although she'd never thrown anything as a weapon before, she knew the basics. More distance meant less accuracy. She should start off easy.
Excitement coursed through her body as she tossed the first javelin through the air.
[You have gained a level in Throwing Weapons!]
Almost immediately, Elania could see that the throw wasn’t going to land anywhere near her target. Disappointment flashed, but she moved the second javelin to her main hand and tossed again before scooping up two more projectiles.
[You have gained a level in Throwing Weapons!]
The first javelin landed well past the herd of wild Ralfots, and their reaction was immediate. The whole herd let out angry cries and advanced toward the ledge she was on. That movement caused the second throw to miss a once stationary target.
On the bright side, the sound had misdirected the herd which had thought that the danger was elsewhere. In reality, though, they actually moved closer to her!
Not wanting to give up her chance, she tossed the rest of the spears in quick succession.
[You have gained a level in Throwing Weapons!]
[You have gained a level in Throwing Weapons!]
[You have gained a level in Throwing Weapons!]
[You have gained a level in Throwing Weapons!]
[You have gained a level in Throwing Weapons!]
She gained a level for each throw at first, although that quickly dropped down to multiple throws per level. Her accuracy didn't seem to improve much, and Elania found herself thinking that levels weren't all that great, even if they were easy to gain.
She managed to get two hits on the same Ralfot. That was her only success as the herd stampeded out of the cavern with the one she injured following, although at a slightly slower pace.
"Shit!"
She hadn't expected to hit something and it not actually die right away! She only had one javelin and her main spear left. She definitely wouldn't be able to take on the whole herd, especially if she didn't maintain the ledge advantage.
Still... Elania didn't want to just give up. The [Ralfot] was wounded, and as she made her way to the lower area, she noticed a significant trail of blood. Leaving the thing to suffer with her two javelins lodged in it seemed cruel as well.
She decided to follow after them, albeit stealthy as she could, and see if she could find another opportunity. The exit formed into an unfamiliar type of terrain. It was a long and wide tubular tunnel with impossibly smooth walls. The lack of rocks and fungal growth had her feeling exposed.
It led to a cavern highlighted in a completely different color scheme than what she had seen before. The ceiling was yellow, with hints of deep reds coming off the fungus. Elania blinked several times and rubbed her eyes as her vision adjusted to the brighter and more saturated colors. She found it easier to see, but everything was so vibrant it almost hurt to look at the cave flora.
It also made it harder to spot the trail of red blood.
[You have gained a level in Tracking!]
[You have gained a level in Stealth!]
Elania was racking up new skills and levels at a rapid pace, but it was hard to feel accomplished when they didn't seem to do much. Maybe she had set her expectations too high for the [System] to make things easy on her.
---
'How far does the stupid thing have to run? Why don't you just bleed the fuck out already?'
She followed the blood trail for a half dozen caverns and for what felt like hours. While pretty, the new caves seemed just as sparsely populated as the other areas she'd wandered through except for the Mushroohum cavern.
As she turned into the next cave, she finally ran into something which released Elania's worry that she'd never catch up to her wounded prey.
"Yes!"
The [Ralfot] was no longer moving, lying on its side near an incline up to another cavern entrance. Giving up her pretension of stealth, she broke into a jog to her prize. Except a loud "Glua-Glaa?" erupted as soon as she made a bit of noise, and Elania was sent scurrying for cover behind a rock.
[You have gained a level in Stealth!]
Taking a closer look, she cursed under her breath. A Mushroom Man had found her quarry, too. He was looking in her direction, sitting on a stone beside the wild Ralfot, a sharp-looking knife in one hand and a pile of skin at his feet.
Without wasting any time, he started skinning her kill! That angered Elania. She had worked so hard to bring it down. Looking back the way she came, she confirmed she hadn't been followed. That would give her an escape route if her new impulse led to 'Bad things.'
She broke out of cover and approached the Mushroom Man with spear and shield in hand. He didn't notice her at first. Was she moving that quietly with her increased stealth skill? Still, there was a limit, and when she entered a brightly-lit area, the Mushroom Man looked up and let out a familiar exclamation, immediately reaching for its own weapon.
Elania stopped and scanned the area, confirming there weren't any more Mushroom Men present. Then, she confidently pointed at the carcass.
"Mine!"
Rather than threaten her, it responded, although it still seemed wary of her.
"Glua-glaa?"
Unfortunately, her breakthrough in interspecies communication with the strange Mushroom Man was interrupted by one of the Darkwalkers pouncing from the shadows onto her conversation partner's back.
Elania froze in place as the Darkwalker pounced on the Mushroom Man. A rapid flurry of 'Glaa!' erupted as he was thrown to the floor, while the Darkwalker slashed and tore at his back.
Without weighing her options and acting on a sudden impulse, Elania decided to help the Mushroohum. Having discarded the idea of throwing something, she sprinted forward. The two combatants were struggling and rolling, and she didn't want to hit the one she was trying to help.
By the time she had arrived, the struggle had decidedly become less one-sided. The Mushroohum wasn't weak by any means and had managed to roll onto his back and place the shaft of his wooden spear in the Darkwalker's mouth. Unfortunately, that left the beast's claws free to rake and tear at the Mushroom Man's skin. Elania had just enough time to consider it strange that there was a distinct lack of blood from the wounds.
The Darkwalker was so preoccupied with its prey that it didn't notice her. She didn't let out a cry or warning yell, either. Instead, she tightly gripped the spear and held it in front of her as she charged. The spearhead slammed into the beast’s side, right behind its front leg. Elania felt the sharp point sinking deep into the flesh before the shaft began to bend and flex.
[You have gained a level in Weapon Mastery!]
The force was enough to throw the Darkwalker off the Mushroohum, who immediately gave up his spear and scrambled back to his belongings. Elania didn’t fault him for that retreat, she was pretty sure the Darkwalker had mauled him pretty savagely.
Elania let go of the spear as the Darkwalker lurched away. 'That should kill it.'
Unfortunately, her assumption wasn’t exactly correct. Despite the spear being lodged deep in its side, it didn’t collapse. Instead it turned, dislodging the spear and counter attacking. She yelped, doing her best to dodge the lunge and swing with her shorter javelin.
She managed to rake the sharp tip of the javelin across the Darkwalker's face, eliciting another hiss and growl. The spear wound had registered on the beast, and it was losing steam, moving slower.
Outnumbered and wounded, the black-furred predator turned to flee. Elania chased after it, but halted in surprise when a javelin arced through the air and impaled the Darkwalker in the neck.
'The Mushroohum! I completely forgot about him!'
Spinning around, she saw that the Mushroohum had rearmed himself with a spear, looking directly at her.
Right, she had helped him on impulse, but that didn't mean she'd accomplished her goal of communicating or claiming her kill.
"Glua-Glaaaa!"
"Uhh, yeah, those claw marks look like they hurt, but at least you don't actually bleed."
The Mushroohum tilted his head as she spoke. Maybe he could understand her after all?
"Glua-Glaa!"
Maybe not.
Gestures and hand-miming?
Elania pointed to herself and spoke slowly. "Elania."
Then she pointed to the Ralfot corpse. "Mine."
"Glaa?"
Elania held back an exasperated sigh. This wasn't working well, but thankfully, he hadn't stabbed her in the back when she wasn’t looking. In reality, he didn't seem eager to fight either. He was just staying vigilant.
Elania looked back at the Darkwalker corpse. 'Well, if he is claiming the Ralfot, I should get the Darkwalker.'
She kept an eye on the Mushroohum while backing up to the corpse, then placing a hand on its flank.
[Do you wish to absorb the Darkwalker's Essence? Y/N]
[You have absorbed 4 Power!]
[You have gained a level in Stealth!]
[You have gained Darkwalker Affinity!]
[Consume more Darkwalker Essence to enable Darkwalker Transformation!]
Like before, the corpse wisped away into nothingness, and she received the same messages from the system.
"Glaa!"
Elania stared back at the Mushroohum, focusing on the sound he made. Was that surprise she heard?
Elania still hadn't found any meaning in the seemingly two-word dialect of the Mushroom People's language, but she thought she noticed a slight change in tone. Slightly. Maybe she was going crazy and there wasn’t any connection at all.
The Mushroom Man seemed to tense up when Elania picked up her spear, although she wasn't sure why that should make a difference. She already had her javelin in hand.
"Hey. Uhh. I'm friendly and don't want to fight."
Elania looked at the Ralfot carcass again, trying to judge if it was worth claiming it. Despite her initial anger, getting the Darkwalker somehow seemed fair to her.
She used her javelin to gesture to the carcass. "I was hunting that one. Me. Javelin. Ralfot."
She did her best to mime her meaning.
"Glaa."
The same sound, this time, a slightly lower pitch came from him. She was losing hope that they'd be able to communicate when the Mushroohum moved to pick up one of the scattered items around his makeshift work area. Then he held up one of her javelins.
'Oh.'
Right, the Ralfot had one of her javelins in it. That proved her story. Not that she was sure how much it understood from what she had said. Perhaps he could tell that she had made both of them. The lengths of wood did look alike.
He held the javelin out to her horizontal, and it seemed like a perfectly understandable gesture. Elania cautiously closed the distance to accept her weapon back.
"Glaa."
"Yes."
"Glaa."
"Yes."
That went back and forth for a bit with no real meaning that Elania could discern. Eventually, he knelt and picked up the squares of rawhide he had produced.
[High-Quality Ralfot Skin]
Elania eyed the stack warily. While the idea of having some leather or cloth to work with appealed to her, she didn't have the skills. Raw hides and skins did not equal leather. They’d have to be preserved and tanned first and She hadn't the faintest clue of how to go about that. She dimly recalled it needing some kind of tree-bark… or animal brains? That thought was disgusting.
Grudgingly she accepted it, though, and that had the Mushroohum turn his attention to the carcass again, hopefully having decided that a peace accord was somehow reached.
Elania settled in a crouch nearby as she watched him work. The knife work was swift and efficient, although she couldn't judge the skill displayed. The system, however, thought highly of it.
[High-Quality Ralfot Steak]
[High-Quality Ralfot Skin]
[High-Quality Ralfot Steak]
Elania wasn't squeamish, but the work wasn't exactly clean. The thought that some of her girlfriends back home would have run screaming made her feel a bit accomplished. It was hard to imagine that this would upset her more than... well, everything that had happened since she arrived in Eladu.
"I can't just call you Mushroom Man. You need a name. How about Skinner? I think that works."
Skinner looked up at her when she talked, but didn't respond or show any understanding and was quickly back to cutting out what she assumed were the valuable bits of meat. It wasn't long before he was done.
"Glua-glaa."
The statement was followed by Skinner sliding a pile of raw meat on a square of skin toward her. Elania frowned; she had acquired animal skins and some meat, but what was she going to do with it? She could always cook the meat... if she could start a fire. Even thinking of trying to start a fire had her remember the horrible wildfire in the lower caves and set alarm bells going off in her head.
She didn't have the skills or knowledge to use these things. Then she noticed Skinner cleaning his knife and sliding it into a sheathe on his leather belt. That gave her an idea.
"Hey, what about a trade?"
The words didn't draw any attention, but she tried again more forcefully to claim Skinner's attention.
Gesturing to the skin and meat she had sitting in front of her, she then pointed to Skinner's belt and backpack. "Trade." She tried her best to mime the action of exchanging items and then waited.
At first, there wasn't a response, then what she thought might have been a surprise "Glaa?" erupted.
"Yes. Trade."
She pushed the skins and meat forward to him halfway, then stopped. There was a long pause as if considering her proposal, and then magic happened. Skinner took off his belt, removing the knife and copying her gesture of placing it halfway between them. She had hoped for the backpack too, but...
The scraps weren't worth much to her, and having a belt would be more useful.
Carefully, she took the belt and slid the scraps over to Skinner. "They're all yours now, Skinner."
"Glaa."
Elania sighed. For a moment, she wished they could speak, but eventually, she gave up. "Glaa, yeah."
Skinner's large eyes widened even more. "Glaa! Glaa?"
"No, I don't understand the Glaa."
Elania had left Skinner behind with his [Ralfot] carcass. She had decided that it'd be best to put some distance between herself and any distractions before she went on to fashion new javelins and make good on her idea for the belt.
Before long, she'd found an out-of-the-way cave with the [Tree-cap] she needed, and she went to work. She was quickly becoming very good at making javelins, carving the sharp points out of the staves she gathered with her dagger. For this bundle, she added a small notch to each javelin.
Then she got down to business on the leather belt. Taking a few scraps of her tattered robe off the bottom to tie small loops, Elania tug-tested them, making sure they didn't slide up or down. Satisfied, she slid one of her new javelins through the loop, and the small notch caught on it successfully.
A smile formed on her lips. Now she would be able to carry four javelins on her back, and everything she needed was somehow sorted. It was time to move on and look for more Darkwalkers.
After hours of wandering, she thought she spotted one, but whatever that creature was— much to her disappointment—disappeared immediately. She did gain a few levels in stealth, so there was that for a minor consolation prize.
Eventually, she found a herd of Ralfots, quite possibly the same herd she had molested earlier. Dejected by her progress at finding another [Darkwalker], Elania took a break to observe the herd while it idled and grazed on the glowing fungus in the cavern.
That proved to be a wise decision.
Her hiding spot was relatively quiet and it wasn’t long before she began to nod off. She was completely oblivious to a growing nervousness that began to spread through the [Ralfot] herd, at least until a sudden roar had her surging back to wakefulness.
A [Darkwalker] duo appeared suddenly, dispersing the frightened herd animals. Elania had pegged the Darkwalkers as solitary predators rather than pack hunters so she was a bit surprised. She certainly hadn't planned on taking on two of the beasts at the same time and hesitated. She briefly considered moving off while they were distracted chasing down the Ralfots.
But when one of said Ralfots was caught and tumbled to the ground right in front of her, the opportunity was too great to pass up. The [Darkwalker] was completely focused on strangling the young [Ralfot], jaws clamped tightly around its throat, in a bid to suffocate the poor thing.
That's when Elania let loose her first and second javelins. She was close enough that she could smell the blood from the rapidly exsanguinating animal. Both weapons flew true, impacting the Darkwalker's side. One bounced off, striking a bone, but the other sunk into a fleshy area around its flank.
The pained roar of the beast temporarily drowned out the frantic cries of the Ralfots. Immediately, the Darkwalker leaped away from its prey with a snarl. Yellow orbs snapped onto Elania as the beast sought out the source of the attack.
Elania didn’t hesitate and immediately threw her other two javelins. Both of these missed, despite the messages that she'd leveled up her skill twice.
'Bullshit!'
The wounded hunter let out a roar of challenge as it charged at her. Even though her heart threatened to beat out of her chest, she was prepared, spear leveled at it, she repeated the same tactic she had used for her first [Darkwalker] kill. They might not have tusks, but when charging, they resembled a rampaging boar.
That was fine with Elania as she had faith in a tactic that had already proved to work. She calmly held the spearpoint straight-on with the beast's chest and braced herself for the impact.
Just as before, the beast's weight bent the length of the spear, nearly snapping it as it impaled itself. The fact that she had chosen a thicker shaft than her first spear helped considerably. The [Darkwalker] spit a defiant growl at Elania one last time before going limp.
[Do you wish to absorb the Darkwalker's Essence? Y/N]
A startling roar from nearby had Elania snap her attention toward it.
'Oh, crap! The other one! Absorb! Quick!'
She struggled to pull the spear from the corpse as it began to disintegrate. The second [Darkwalker] charged at her in a mad frenzy.
'Shit, did I kill its mate or something?'
It reached her just as she gained control of the spear, but it was too late to set the point. Instead, she ended up sideswiping it in the neck with the shaft, in a quick deflection that sent it hurling to the side.
Except that the creature had the reflexes of a cat. Spinning around it and pouncing on her again before she could do anything but place the shaft of her spear into a set of slobbering jaws. The rumbling roar it let out as it tried to crush the soft wood in its mouth was deafening.
Despite the fury and onslaught, Elania was stronger than the smaller predator. Realizing she needed something for an up-close fight, she released one hand on the shaft and frantically struggled to retrieve the dagger from her pocket.
Claws raked her side and arm, and the next snarl from the beast elicited a scream in reply from Elania. She fell backward, the sudden tumble sending them rolling down a slick stony bank of moss and blood-covered stone.
Elania lost her hold on the spear, and the [Darkwalker] recovered first, darting in to chomp at her throat. She barely managed to raise her arm in time to intercept the bite. It felt like her bones would be crushed under the massive pressure of the Darkwalker’s bite. Ignoring the searing pain, her fingers finally found what she was looking for, and the steel dagger came flashing out of her robe.
The dagger's steel tip caught a glint of luminescent light as it plunged into the side of the Darkwalker's neck. It sunk through flesh and slid past bone in a sickening easily way before Elania pulled it free and proceeded to stab the beast over and over, screaming with all her might.
Only when the message came up did she stop, her chest heaving from the exertion and adrenaline.
[Do you wish to absorb the Darkwalker's Essence? Y/N]
She leaned down against a rock, as [Regeneration] finished its work and she was made whole. Checking her [Status], she realized the 'Power' cost of the healing was almost as much as she had taken from the [Darkwalker] duo.
'But I gained skills in the process.'
Closing her eyes, she allowed her mind and body to catch up with the events. Considering that she didn't know her options, she needed to increase her skills and be more prepared if she was going to keep doing this.
A mewl had her eyes snap open. It sounded like a [Darkwalker] but was strangely high-pitched. It wasn't hard to spot the source of the sound. It was a young [Darkwalker], only a quarter of the size of the ones she had seen.
It let out another cry and continued to search the cavern cautiously. Eventually, the kit noticed her and let out a howling scream.
Elania felt a roil of emotions at the sound. 'I killed its mom and dad.'
She didn't feel guilty at killing the two Darkwalkers, they had been predators themselves, and the young dead [Ralfot] was still lying nearby. But she did feel a sense of empathy for the little guy.
"I'm sorry. They're gone."
It cried back at her, whining. She didn't think it really understood what she was saying, but she knew that it somehow knew what had happened. It approached her, following its parents' scent trail, before stopping out of her reach and hissing at her.
"Yeah. I would hiss too."
Elania stood and took a step forward. The kit spun and started to scramble and run away. She was much faster and bigger, though, and caught it by the scruff of its neck. It hissed and struggled a bit as she held him up and determined that he was a boy. His upset wiggling intensified but instead of letting him go right away, she deposited him next to the dead [Ralfot.]
[Do you wish to absorb the Ralfot's Essence? Y/N]
She refused and watched him sniff at his parent's kill before she moved away. He spun in circles growling and hissing at first, but then seemed to get the idea as he began to eat.
"That's all I can do for you. I'm not ready to adopt."
She didn't leave immediately, though. Instead, she found a dark corner and used her ability to hide. Eventually, the kit finished its meal, then found its own spot along the cave's edge, curled up, and went to sleep.
That was enough for Elania. He'd survive or not, based on his instincts. Now she needed to remake her javelins and spear. The shield had been useless as she had not been able to switch to it in time, but she hoped to get better at handling the weapons.
Elania realized she didn’t need a camp. She could make do with what she had at hand, and anchoring herself to a spot wasn’t necessary. Once she caught some prey, she could search and stalk another without returning to a base.
It would have been nice to have one for when she slept, but that was a luxury. It wasn't going to make much difference if she found a hidden nook somewhere else to take the two or three-hour naps she required now.
Elania spent what felt like weeks practicing her ability to hunt. She had parted ways amicably with Skinner, but hoped that they would meet again. She felt lonely with little idea of what she should do, other than keep hunting and trying to memorize the caverns' layout.
She was grateful for the leather belt that she had turned into a sheath that went across her shoulder. Now she was able to easily draw up to four javelins from it, although it had cost her the last four scraps of cloth she had been carrying.
Still, it was well worth it because of how many projectiles she could now carry. That was important because she found that throwing javelins without a target didn't seem to help her level her [Throwing Weapons] skill.
She had figured out that it was essential to level those skills. She hadn't noticed much difference in them at first, but that was because the effect they had was terraced at every five or ten levels.
Calling up her [Status] screen, she looked at the results of her hard work.
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 21
Power: 125/152
Karma: 24
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
[Skills: Elania Reyes]
[Class: None]
[Affinities: Demonic, Mana, Darkwalker]
[Magical: Demonic Aura Lvl - 6 (Deactivated), Mana Manipulation Lvl - 12, Battle Concentration Lvl 1]
[Physical: Unarmed Combat Lvl - 4, Darkvision Lvl - 3 (Activated), Dodging Lvl - 18, Block Lvl - 12, Stealth Lvl - 16, Throwing Weapons Lvl - 24, Combat Mastery Lvl - 9]
[Mundane: Identify Lvl - 4, Universal Speech Lvl - 5, Reading Lvl - 4, Writing Lvl - 3, Athletics Lvl - 9, Improvised Crafting Lvl - 19, Tracking Lvl 4]
[Attributes: Elania Reyes]
[Current Attributes:
Demon Contract (1 Available)
Regeneration (Normal)
Demonic Self-Sustenance
Enhanced Physical Abilities (Strength, Mana Capacity)
Immunity (Darkness)
Resistance (Poison, Mana)
Weakness (Holy)]
She hadn't experimented any more with her [Mana Manipulation] because, without the Mana Shard, she wasn't ensured a free 'Power' ration. With her Aura off, the consumption of 'Power' had reduced below what she had measured before, so it had been easy to keep it climbing with each kill.
More than ever, she was more appreciative of just how much having that Mana Shard had saved her life at first. She'd never have survived the encounter with the other Demon if she hadn't been jacked up on 'Power' like an addict.
As the amount of essence and 'Power' she had increased, so too had all her abilities seemed to expand across the board. She was faster, stronger, and didn't feel as much fatigue. It wasn't nearly as exaggerated as when she had gone over her power limit, but the effect was certainly easily felt.
Even then, she had almost been killed twice since meeting Skinner, and the cost [Regeneration] had meant that she couldn’t let herself take injuries needlessly. Luckily, like food and water, she needed little sleep, only bothering to take a nap for a few hours between long expanses where she stalked her prey.
'Absorbing the Dalkwalkers felt good.'
Ralfots had the same effect but immensely less potent. They did, however, have good use other than just absorbing. They made good bait.
The whole concept of absorbing the Darkwalkers began to scare her a little. Deep down, she knew that it had changed her... if only a little. She didn't want to lose herself.
By the time her ‘Status’ was reporting her ‘Power’ was nearly full she felt she had improved her skills enough that it was time to get back her Mana Shard.
Elania kept to the shadows as she made her way toward what she had started callingthe Mushroohum Fields, which was the place she had first encountered the Bone Demon… and stomped on the poor Elnat before being chased away. She'd avoided those areas mostly, not wanting to get in a fight with the Mushroom Men, despite her success dealing with Skinner.
The cavern hadn't changed, but she had. She'd absorbed enough [Darkwalker] essence that [Stealth] had become her highest leveled skill, and as her 'Power' had risen, it showed. She wasn't quite capable of sneaking up on the Darkwalkers yet, but she could get close enough to throw a javelin as long as she took her time.
Ralfots and Elnats were now child's play in comparison, especially since she kept her distance with no intent to hurt the Mushroohum's herd animals.
Elania was torn between contacting them and trying to communicate, or sneaking in and trying to make a plan on retrieving the Mana Shard.
'Both options suck.'
Still, she had to try, and scouting the outskirts would be the first step.
Except things didn't go according to plan. Once she got closer, it became clear that the Elnats and Ralfots she'd been 'sneaking' past were absent. The fungal growths that acted as the Mushroohum village’s gates had been torn apart somehow, with giant gaping holes in the fungal walls.
For a moment, Elania felt torn between wanting her Mana Shard back and worrying about the Mushroom People. Whatever their differences, she had never really wished them harm.
Elania didn't blame them for taking the shard or even attacking her when they found her with their animals. If the last few days had taught her anything, it was how predatory the caverns were.
As she moved closer to the breaches, she could hear sounds coming from inside. Growls and hisses and roars that she'd recognize anywhere.
'Darkwalkers?'
Why, how? They were predators that usually hunted alone or in small packs as far as she knew. It would have taken a dozen or more of them working together to tear down the wall. As far as she knew, they were just beasts that followed their instincts to stalk and hunt the wild Ralfots.
Slipping through a hole in the wall, she started up a narrow tunnel that slightly sloped downward. A musty odor filled her nose as the air turned more humid and warm. It wasn't long before the sounds grew louder, and the faint ‘Glua-Glaa’ of the Mushroohum's was barely discernible. Whatever battle lay ahead was still in progress.
When Elania finally reached the end of the tunnel and stepped out onto a small ledge, she felt her breath catch.
It was a circular cavern, with a steaming lake centered in the middle of the caldera-like formation. Numerous buildings, much like the one she had taken shelter in surrounded the water in a semicircle, while the rest of the cave was dotted with the all-familiar fungal growths. The glowing moss blanketed the ceiling thickly, although it looked like it had been pruned back from the wall edges purposefully.
The sight and sounds of the battle riveted her attention as she took in the rapidly evolving action. There were dozens of the Darkwalkers, and they were tearing the Mushroohums to pieces.
Little groups of spear and shield-wielding Mushroom Men still stood defiantly, huddled in small circles, or falling back into the stone buildings. Some had been cut off in the open and fought back to back, while others were pulled down as they attempted to run. Spears and javelins poked back against tooth and claw, but the Darkwalkers seemed to have the advantage.
It didn't make sense to Elania. Had she been totally wrong about the Darkwalkers being small pack hunters? What could have prompted them to work en masse to assault the Mushroohums? Judging from her previous encounters with the beasts, she never pegged them as the cooperating kind. So what was driving them?
'I should get out of here and come back later. There are too many, and the Mushroohums might even attack me.'
It was a very human emotion that held her captive before eventually winning out. Greed.
Dozens of [Darkwalker] corpses were strewn in lines, mixed with even more Mushroom Men. Elania jogged toward the battle. There was no sign of any rearguard or tactics on the part of the Darkwalkers, only pure fury and a forward driving attack. It left Elania free to come in behind them, making a beeline for the nearest corpse between her and the conflict.
She just had to reach the corpse and touch it. The sight of the body turning into essence and mist was no longer novel.
[Do you wish to absorb the Darkwalker's Essence? Y/N]
[You have absorbed 4 Power!]
[You have gained a level in Stealth!]
[You have gained [Darkwalker] Affinity!]
[Consume more [Darkwalker] Essence to enable [Darkwalker] Transformation!]
She sped down the line, repeating the same process for each corpse until suddenly she skidded to a standstill to stare at the new [System] prompt.
[Absorb the lingering Power from ???? - Mushroohum - Level 27's corpse? Y/N]
She'd absorbed a [Ralfot] and many Darkwalkers already, but she'd considered them animals, or in the Darkwalker's case, something more like a monster.
Mushroohum's were people. They smelled like old laundry, were awful to look at, and came with a terrible attitude, but they were still people.
The Bone Demon didn't actually count. It might have been a person at one time, but Elania hadn't discerned any humanity left in the thing as it tried to savage her. The thought of her becoming like that was terrifying.
She immediately refused the system's suggestion, leaving the dead Mushroohums alone, but continued to pick up the Darkwalkers in her path.
[Your body is reaching the limits of its capacity for Power!]
[Your body has reached the limit of its capacity for Power!]
[Find a stronger body or reduce your current Power!]
[Your body has exceeded the limit of its capacity for Power!]
[Your body is experiencing slight thermal degradation!]
That was fine. She felt the heat building inside her, but she could handle a little discomfort and trusted [Regeneration] to handle anything worse.
She came upon a [Darkwalker] that hadn't died yet but was still squirming on the ground, Mushroohum spear still impaling it to the ground. Elania paused briefly, just long enough to finish it off with a quick thrust from her own weapon.
She felt light on her feet. She was high on the 'Power' now that she had gotten used to how it flowed through her.
[Your body is slightly adapting.]
The shouts and noises of the conflict in front of her grew louder with every step she took, and for the first time, one of the Darkwalkers turned on her with a snarl. That seemed to alert the other beasts, and suddenly half a dozen monsters stopped attacking a haggard Mushroohum formation and charged at her.
Taking in the four beasts charging at her, Elania paused slightly. She should have turned and run or looked for some sort of high-ground that would give her a defensive advantage.
She didn't.
Instead, she continued forward before suddenly stopping and hurling a javelin at the one in the lead. Despite the Darkwalker’s zig-zagging course, the thrown weapon intercepted it just as it landed from a leap. Somehow she had known exactly where it was going to land and the sharp point of her weapon buried itself in the beast’s eye, causing it to stumble sideways and collapse before going still. The ability to predict its path shook her slightly. It was like instinct or an omniscient prescience that somehow came from her absorbing so much [Darkwalker] essence so quickly.
Elania took off in another charge to meet the second [Darkwalker] head-on, lunging forward with her spear and managing to impale it through the throat. However, the thrashing animal managed to pull her weapon out of her grip as it lurched away from her.
Pulling out her dagger, she spun around, raising her shield above her head. The snarl and rage of the [Darkwalker] pouncing on her from above was lost in the din of combat in the cavern.
The beast was heavy as it landed on her shield, digging its front and back claws into the wood even as it tried to rip it off her arm. Elania slammed her dagger right through the loose weave of the wood and into the beast's chest several times before she tossed it and her shield to the side.
She didn't have time to calm her breathing, though, as a sudden heat flared in the back of her left leg. 'Fuck!'
She tried to turn around, but the beast had a firm grip on the back of her leg and moved with her, claws raking forward to try and do more damage while toppling her over.
Two more Darkwalkers had abandoned the main attack on the Mushroohums and were coming for her. That was when it became clear to her that the one mauling her leg was doing its best to try and pin her down for them.
Elania couldn't let that happen. She kicked forward her leg the beast had attached itself to while jumping backward, landing on the ground. It was an acrobatic move that only worked because of the ridiculous strength coursing through her. Being on the ground with a ferocious beast with massive claws and daggers for teeth was at best a very calculated risk to take, and the [Darkwalker] immediately pounced at her going for her throat.
She had known it would, and she swung just at the right time to intercept it mid-air and pin it to the ground herself. Steel flashed, and she shoved her blade right behind an ear and into the beast's skull, forcing it to go still instantly.
'I'm turning into Lara Croft. Maybe I'll get a movie or a book.'
[Do you wish to absorb the Darkwalker's Essence? Y/N]
She didn't even think about it before accepting it, quickly repeating the process with the other two nearby.
[Your body has dramatically exceeded the limit of its capacity for Power!]
[You are nearing the absolute limits of your body!]
[Due to your high Power, Regeneration is enhanced!]
Next, Elania checked her Power. The overwhelming feeling of being invincible was warring with the fire that burned in her chest and the thick sheen of sweat pouring off her.
[Power: 295/160]
'I need to try something new, or I'm going to burn myself to bits.'
The thought of not absorbing the essence didn't come to her. It was like a drug that felt good. Better to burn off the extra 'Power' so she could absorb more than let it go to waste.
She drew another javelin and let it fly, impaling the first of the new attackers. The second [Darkwalker] wasn't far behind, but she went into a crouch with her dagger in hand. When it leaped at her, she pointed the blade at it and closed her eyes, and focused.
[You have gained a level in Mana Manipulation!]
[You have gained a level in Mana Manipulation!]
[You have gained a level in Mana Manipulation!]
Elania felt the heat lessen inside her as it poured out of her body and into her weapon. Staring down at it, she confirmed that the tip of the blade was glowing a brilliant white that suddenly surged and then leaped like an arrow at the Darkwalker.
The light punched through it like a ballista bolt, not slowing down at all as it left a bloody gaping hole left in the Darkwalker's chest. It continued all the way through and slammed into the side of a Mushroohum building before exploding into a massive cloud of dust and debris.
The cloud sent Darkwalkers scurrying away and yelping in surprise, and the beleaguered Mushroohums dragged their wounded companions inside.
[Power: 180/168]
Elania barely succeeded in suppressing a maniacal giggling fit as she considered the ridiculousness of the magic attack. As the dust settled, she had to admit it had been undeniably effective at suppressing the beasts locally. However, across the entire area, there were still pockets of Darkwalkers taking down stragglers.
Several more Darkwalkers peeled off from the group, and she moved to meet them. As the group and her dashed toward each other, she realized she had another skill that she had been neglecting to try.
[Demonic Aura(Activated)]
The effect was staggering. Every single [Darkwalker] in the cavern stopped and howled, homing in and rushing toward Elania. The ones closest to her were smashed out of the air and flattened against the ground like a massive hand had suddenly fallen and slapped them.
'Well, that pissed them off.'
That made it incredibly easy for her to go up to each one and stab her dagger into an eye socket as they struggled to move. She quickly absorbed their essence and eyed the rest of the pack rushing her. There were at least twelve.
'They aren't getting flattened as they get closer like these were.'
[Demonic Aura(Deactivated)]
[You cannot activate Demonic Aura for 30 minutes.]
'Dammit. I guess that would have been too easy.'
Tre'gat'aru was one of the most experienced hunters and skilled javelin throwers of the Mu'roya tribe. Countless young shrooms had tried to mimic him, only to be cut down before they could even complete their first hunt.
The [Ralfot] and Elnat caves did not prepare them for the harsh tunnels that were full of Darkwalkers and other cunning predators.
Despite his experience, the others had no wanted to risk him in the melee below, so he'd been forced to take his current position on the roof of the trade hall, with several thick bundles of spears while the younger warriors tried their best to stop the onslaught of the beasts attacking the village.
Tre'gat'aru had never seen so many beasts come together in one place before. Something must have smoked or burnt them out of the deep tunnels below where they mostly dwelled, but he had no inkling of what could have caused such a massive exodus.
Things were looking grim as the large numbers of the beasts slowly picked away at the more inexperienced warriors, even as he did his best to support them from afar. He never expected the sudden blast of blinding light to send the Darkwalkers scattering, or that he would recognize the source of the explosion.
It was the demon. The demon with the shape of a human that he had met in the caverns and traded with. The one that was reported to have haunted the cave before attempting to kill one of the village's Elnats.
Tre'gat'aru watched in awe as the demon sprang forward, thinking nothing of the six Darkwalkers charging at her. She threw her two remaining javelins with deadly accuracy and then spun and danced as the remaining four leaped around her, trying to find room to pounce and claim her, only to find themselves slashed or countered by perfect timing and grace.
Then he shivered as the demon consumed the beast's souls. He felt fear along with a slight amount of hope, though, as his eyes slowly rose across her previous path and noticed that the bodies of the fallen warriors had not been consumed. She had spared their souls. They would remain to nourish the next generation.
Elania's lungs burned as she took in great heaves of breath while she leaned on a rock, surrounded by a mound of corpses and staring at the plethora of [System] messages.
The sounds of the battle had settled off, but the cavern was far from quiet as "Glau-glaa!" was intermixed with the pained cries of the wounded. A few remaining Darkwalkers that still clung to life added their whines and growls to the battlefield.
[Do you wish to absorb the Darkwalker's Essence? Y/N] x16
Elania checked her 'Power,' and it was still dangerously high, although she knew that just by the burn in her chest.
[Power: 340/196]
She didn't know what would happen if she absorbed more, but she still wanted to do it. The pull of more [Darkwalker] essence called to her.
But a single message was enough to freeze her to immobility, an inner debate warring inside herself.
[You have achieved maximum [Darkwalker] Affinity, do you wish to take [Darkwalker] Transformation? Y/N]
She never hated the [System] more than now. Why didn't it explain to her what [Darkwalker] Transformation would do to her? Was it permanent? Would she become a Darkwalker? Did it increase her skills?
Would it use some of her 'Power' so she could claim more of the [Darkwalker] essence she craved?
She was dimly aware of the Mushroohums in the background. A few had taken up watch of her, a safe javelin's distance away, but the rest had set about looking for wounded and recovering their dead. They specifically avoided coming any closer to her unless they had to.
It was better than their first meeting when they chased her for stepping on the Elnat, and with her experience with Skinner, she hoped that they'd be friendly after helping them.
Before she could decide what to do about the offered Transformation, a larger group of the Mushroohums approached. She bristled. The new arrivals' posture didn't seem friendly at all, and they all were brandishing spears. Even in her jumped-up state, she'd be hard-pressed to dodge two dozen spears thrown in a volley.
A single large Mushroohum that dwarfed the others pressed its way to the front. Unlike all the others, he was wrapped in a crimson red cloth, which she decided meant he probably held some authority. A noble of some sort? Did mushrooms have nobility? If she went by Mario then they should have a princess at least. The new arrival didn’t seem to qualify though as he pointed at her and shouted in the loudest voice she had heard from the Mushroohums.
"GLUA-GLAA!"
The entire formation of Mushroohums raised their arms and aimed their spears, ready to throw at her.
Elania's first instinct to attack was restrained when she realized the group had just been ordered to be ready. When the spears didn’t come at her she wasn’t sure if she should bolt toward them, or try and escape. Her mind was muddled and leaped from one alternative to the other as the excess Power and the high concentration of Darkwalker essence made everything hazy. The constant incomprehensible shouting of rude mushrooms wasn't helping her state of mind, either.
"Glua-Glaa! Glua-Glaa!"
Elania watched their leader point its spear at her and shout angrily. At least she thought it was angry. That wasn't entirely clear, but the thing it was trying to communicate was: ‘Leave. Leave now.’ The threat with the ready spears was implicit.
Elania didn't move. She couldn't. A small rational voice was shouting at her to go, that it wasn't a good idea to antagonize them, and how she needed friends. She could barely hear it, for the other less-rational one was screaming with all the loudness of the ‘Power’ coursing through her, warning her that they were going to take her kills and the Darkwalker essence she hadn't absorbed yet. That it would be easy to leap forward and end them all.
The Leader's shouting reached a crescendo, and she thought he was about to throw his spear at her first in a mad rage. Ever so slightly, she altered her stance, so she would be able to leap out and slit his annoying throat first.
A larger Mushroohum finally managed to push its way to the front and grabbed the Leader's arm, pulling the raised spear down. An angry exchange began, but Elania was focused on the newcomer. She recognized him.
Skinner had some kind of clout over the other Mushroohums because the others in the military formation relaxed and lowered their spears as the two in front argued. The exchange grew in intensity, with the gestures becoming erratic. She frowned and felt frustrated that she would never understand the frantic 'GluaGlaa' they spoke.
Elania wasn't sure what she could do other than wait when a roar echoed throughout the cavern. It came from the path Elania had used to reach the village, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. It was easily two heads taller than her, and the dark feline shape was unmistakable. How had it grown so large?
[ ???? - Lesser Demon (S Rank Monster) - Level 87]
'Identify is useless! That's not a demon, it's a massive fucking Darkwalker!'
"Glaa!" erupted from the assembled Mushroohums, and they scattered and ran for the buildings. The massive Demonic Beast was fast approaching seemingly seeking revenge for the deaths of all the smaller Darkwalkers. No one was going to make it back to any sort of safety of the stone buildings.
Unless she somehow slowed it down.
Elania could only think of one thing: to use a [Mana Manipulation] attack. Pulling out her dagger, she focused. Somehow the beast sensed the threat immediately, and her eyes widened as it changed the trajectory of its charge straight toward her.
It caused her to panic and release the ‘Power’ before she had pooled enough of it for a massive attack like earlier, but the light shooting out of the tip of her dagger was still impressive. It was a thin stiletto of ‘Power’ that intersected the Demon Darkwalker's chest. Unfortunately, it cost a huge chunk of her 'Power' that she had stacked up.
Worse, it had little effect.
Elania accepted the messages to absorb the Darkwalker essences, just seconds before the beast slammed into her. She went flying and then tumbling as she landed on her back. She didn't manage to get back on her feet before the beast snapped its jaws around her arm, yanking her back and forth and dislocating her shoulder.
She realized she was screaming while stabbing at her assailant. Steel found flesh creating a shallow nick that came close to the beast's face, and it let go of her roaring as she fell to the ground.
[Your physical status is degrading.]
She heard and felt her shoulder pop as it went back into place on its own, and the seeping wounds on her side quickly knitted themselves back together. Except then, the Demon Beast raked her front with a set of massive claws.
It was much worse than the Bone Demon, the massive Darkwalker's claws cutting deep like razor-sharp knives. Her dagger was too short, her javelins used up, and she had no idea where her spear and shield had gone, not that the flimsy wooden weapons would do much good against a monster like this.
[Power: 320/200]
Despite absorbing the mound of corpses, her ‘Power’ was draining rapidly, and she hadn't even managed to scratch the Darkwalker Demon. A massive claw raked down again, but this time she managed to roll to the side and slash with her dagger, drawing a thin line of blood through the thick fur.
'It's like trying to fight a bear with a butterknife!'
She scrambled away, but pain flared as it caught her leg in a pair of jaws and tossed her again. This time she managed to lessen the impact by tumbling into a dodge-roll, but the assault didn’t stop as it quickly chased after her with a follow-up attack.
"Glua-glaa!"
Elania was unaware that the fight had led them close to the village, and the nearest building had a dozen Mushroohums atop the roof. Briefly, she got a glimpse of them brandishing spears before they let loose a volley. Straight at her! No, she realized, they were directed at the Darkwalker Demon; she was just where it was going to be when they arrived!
She continued her evasion, and sure enough, the Demon pounced after her, right into a thicket of falling spears. It roared in a fury, now ignoring her, and rushing toward the building in zig-zagging leaps that made further volleys useless. Elania cursed under her breath. If it got close to them, it’d destroy the Mushroohums.
They didn't heal as she did.
She summoned her ‘Power’ again, preparing for another magical ranged attack. The Darkwalker Demon paused immediately and sniffed the air, before turning and roaring at her just as before. But she was prepared this time, and even as it charged at her, she kept her focus.
Her dagger had long reached the blinding white light from before and surpassed it. It was so much that her hand felt like it was burning just from being near the metal. Still, she kept hold of the ‘Power’ until the last second, just as the Demon Darkwalker pounced.
The light leaped forward through the rapidly shortening distance between them. The blast was enough to physically lift the Demon back up into the air and send it flying away, with trails of smoke and the smell of sizzling skin and burnt fur filling the air.
Elania wasn't unhurt herself as the pain flooded up through her arm. The skin of her hand was knitting itself back together, and that was as nearly as painful as when it had been completely incinerated.
The Darkwalker Demon crashed with a heavy thud, and for a moment, she thought that the fight was over. Before she could celebrate her victory, the creature stood up and roared in warning. Elania felt the blood drain from her face. How could this be? It was wounded, and she could clearly see the massive gouge across its chest that continued all the way down its side.
It charged at her again.
[Power: 112/204]
She didn't have ‘Power’ for another blast. She'd used it all on the last one! Looking down at the remains of her ruined dagger, Elania felt a sense of defeat. The blade was no longer straight or sharp, but a rounded melted mess. She had no chance against it in close combat, unless...
She stared at the message she hadn’t answered yet, and a ray of hope tinted with a hint of fear overtook her.
[You have achieved maximum Darkwalker Affinity. Do you wish to take Darkwalker Transformation? Y/N]
[You have achieved maximum Darkwalker Affinity. Do you wish to take Darkwalker Transformation? Y/N]
Elania eyed the Darkwalker Demon barreling down on her. What other option did she have? Her heart pounded in her chest, and an icy cold replaced the warmth when she finally answered.
'Yes.'
---
Tre'gat'aru watched with a respectful silence as the Dark God barreled down on the smaller Demon. Only in the most ancient stories of the tribe was the Underworld God mentioned, always the forebearer of doom and destruction.
So it was with absolute awe that the Mushroohums had watched the smaller Demon challenge the massive beast with only a small blade. All had expected her to die from a single bite, and then the fury and death would be upon the village.
Tre'gat'aru wasn’t so sure because the smaller Demon had shown uncommon abilities during the battle. In all probability, she could have made short work of Jal'yar'tin and his hastily assembled hunters if she had wanted.
The fight went almost as expected with the Dark God pummeling the smaller demon to and fro. The hunters had even tried their best to help her which seemed futile until the little demon unleashed the massive blast of power. He even had a small hope that the Dark God would be dead. When it stood up, he released a breath he did not know he had been holding and watched as it began its attack anew, wounded but not hampered by the mighty blow.
Eyes turned to the little human Demon. Tre'gat'aru took in her tattered attire and now-useless weapon. She had done her best to help them, and all of the Mushroohums watching knew that, no matter their prejudices. They'd tried to help her in the fight by drawing the Dark God's attention with their spears, but it had shrugged them off, dodging them effortlessly.
It would come after them next, and the tribe was doomed to be devoured, just like the legends had foretold.
The younger warriors urged the older craftsman to flee, as groups ran piecemeal toward the far entrance and possible escape. All of them knew it was unlikely they would find safety if they left the cavern, but it seemed the only chance they had. Older warriors, or those who thought it would make a difference, stood around Tre'gat'aru and prepared for a final battle in the hopes of slowing the Dark God down.
A scream erupted from the human Demon, and she fell to her knees, holding her head. Tre’gat’aru watched on in confusion as a swirl of dark mist seemed to surround the small demon, and the Dark God roared in protest as it halted at the edge of the cloud.
Then the unbelievable happened. A second Dark God flung itself out of the cloud, straight at the other! No... Tre'gat'aru realized it wasn't a second Dark God but the human Demon! Somehow it had turned into a Dark God... or was it a Dark God all along and just now showing its true form?
It had helped the village through the entire attack... Why did it fight its own kind for the village? Tre'gat'aru didn't understand, but deep down he hoped the new one would continue to help them.
The two beasts clashed, tooth and claw flashing at one another. The... Human-Dark God was slightly smaller and seemed to be cornered at first, but her wounds healed while the larger Dark God was already wounded by the magic energy the human-demon had struck it with. There was no magical healing for him.
The two massive demons tumbled and rolled as they both sought to seek advantage. Tre'gat'aru’s heart went cold when the Human-Dark God got pinned on the stone for a moment, and the other clamped down on the back of its neck. She managed to roll loose, but only barely, and Tre'gat'aru realized the outcome was far from certain.
The Mushroohum warriors had a chance to make a difference. He raised his spear and let out a vocal cry along with a horde of spores that would communicate his meaning to the others.
"We must help the new Dark God defeat the Old if the village is to survive! Brave ones, follow me!"
---
The whirlwind of power and essence pooled around her, and then she felt herself change. It wasn't painful, but it was sudden and disorienting. It was harder to think clearly as she stretched her new claws and dragged them across the hard stone. She had four powerful limbs, a tail that seemed to swish on its own accord, and a powerful set of jaws.
A roar erupted from nearby, and her set of glowing crimson eyes snapped up instantly, seeing through the dark mist easily and locating the source. Her new instincts flared, and it was clear to her. This was an enemy.
The enemy. The one who hurt her. One she must bring down.
She lurched forward, leaping through the air effortlessly. The other had not been able to peer through the cloud of essence that had shrouded her, and the element of surprise was hers. She clawed savagely at its throat, snapping down on a shoulder before he threw her off and spun to face her.
Elania hissed and bared her fangs before pouncing again, but he was larger, stronger, and just as fast. They clashed together, and claws rent skin asunder as both endeavored to clamp down on the other with vicious fangs. They broke apart with snarls before leaping at each other again, but with the same inconclusive result.
There was a pause in the repeated clashes, and as they pulled further apart, the taste of blood filled her mouth, and the strong smell of blood overwhelmed her senses. Using her long tongue to lick her lips, she let out another roar in challenge. She felt strong, and her wounds were healing, unlike her enemy's.
She was winning. Leaping forward again, she went for his throat, but he spun and dodged while somehow pouncing on her from behind. She roared in pain as he clamped down on the back of her neck and then tried to shake her head off.
She struggled to dislodge him, the attempt seemingly hopeless, but she didn’t give up, sending them both in a tumble down a bank of stone. A cloud of dust shot up into the air, and she caught sight of him leaping atop a rock. She jumped after him, slamming into his side and sending him skidding sideways.
He spun and hissed at her, his claws flashing and barely coming short of her eyes. She fell backward, and then he pounced, managing to rake a set of claws down her side and pinning her to the stone. She roared and tried to regain her feet, but his weight was heavy. He growled, but the searing pain of a bite to her throat never came.
"Glua-Glaa!"
Little sticks clattered around them, and she noticed that it had distracted the enemy. Several of them had stuck into his skin, and he had turned to the new threat. She lurched back onto her feet and charged, teeth clamping down on his flank as she clawed at his back.
He spun, but she refused to release her bite until he finally rolled away. She came back up with a large chunk of his flesh hanging in her jaws. She swallowed what she could, and the wet meaty chunks warmed her throat pleasantly.
A small moving mushroom ran forward and thrust its spear at the enemy. It was the first time she realized that anyone existed but him and her. She marked them as 'they,' and as she moved forward to attack again, one got in her way.
She let out a furious roar that sent it tumbling onto its flank before she rushed forward to attack once more. He rose and let out a deafening roar that was powerful enough to give everyone pause, even her.
She stopped halfway through her attack and stared at him. Blood oozed out of dozens of wounds. Any other creature would have faltered from just a few of those deep rents left by her claws, but he stood powerful and still strong. The sound of his roar was undeniably male, just as she knew she was female.
Why was he the enemy? She should have been pleased to have such a strong mate to sire her kits. As if reading her thoughts, his tail slowly raised up straight into the air, an unmistakable feline gesture for peace and she felt a flush of warmth as her own responded to the gesture.
A Mushroohum shouted its war cry, then stabbed at him with a spear. Demon Darkwalker effortlessly dodged and pounced, jaws gripping the Mushroom Man's head before twisting and ripping it from its body.
He was the enemy! Despite the fog in her mind, she did remember. The small ones were to be protected as they had to return something to her.
She would not accept him as a mate! Fury coursed through her, and she charged with a roar. He whirled around toward her, and they clashed once more. Claws raked her shoulders, but she had darted in faster than he could react. He was getting slow from the massive loss of blood.
Her teeth found his throat, and he tried to shake her off. She roared into her clamped down teeth as she held on, refusing to let go no matter how much he battered her with his claws. She could feel him weakening, his strength draining as his lifeblood beat out into her mouth.
She forced him onto his back and pinned him down until his heart beat no more. Triumph overwhelmed her senses, and raising her head, she roared her victory.
[You have met the requirements for Darkwalker Demon evolution.]
[Do you wish to evolve your race to Darkwalker Demon? Y/N]
Why was that a question? She was a Darkwalker, guided by her new instincts. Just as she was about to agree, a sound drew her attention.
"Glua-Glaa."
She looked down from her kill to one of the Mushroohums. It had come much too close to her, and her kill. She leaped up and opened her jaws to tear his neck.
Before her teeth clamped down, the glint of recognition brought her to a halt as she stared at the two objects, he was holding up to her. It was a leather belt and a brightly glowing rock.
Her breath caressed the Mushroohum’s flesh before she bent her neck and took the belt, hooking it on a tooth. The stone belonged to her. It was her belt. She knew this.
Elania refused the Darkwalker evolution.
[Your ‘Power’ is low, all active abilities have been disabled, and your transformation will reverse.]
She felt herself shrinking, her body changing. A terrible cold filled her, and pain coursed through her entire body, from head to toe. She was now as naked as the night she was summoned, and brought her arms around her to protect from the cold.
"Glua-glaa."
She didn't respond as she collapsed against the blood-soaked body of the Darkwalker. Before she could read the message that appeared in front of her, darkness claimed her.
Skinner looked down at her, he was grateful for all she had done. A few moments later after directing the others he returned to where she had collapsed. She did not weigh much as he picked her up and carried her to the village.
"Glua-glaa."
A massive panther hunted her in the dark. No, she recognized the shape of a Darkwalker. It thought she had no inkling it was slowly creeping closer. Water dripped from the dark stone above, and a single drop plunking into a puddle was the hunter's sign to attack. Except she turned toward it as it pounced, and opened her mouth to reveal a massive set of deadly sharp teeth and swallowed the beast whole.
Elania snapped awake, the vivid imagery of the dream... or nightmare, staying with her. Everything seemed dark, except the flicker of white light near her. She decided to check her screens quickly.
Elania's eyes widened. The sheer number of level up messages filled the screen and threatened to spill out into separate pop-up boxes. Apparently, they didn't appear in moments of intense pressure once so many had accumulated. Instead, they had waited until now when she could deal with them. That was polite of them. She swiped them away, choosing to view her Status to get a general overview instead of trying to read them all out one by one.
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 36
Power: 56/208
Karma: 24
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
[Skills: Elania Reyes]
[Class: None]
[Affinities: Demonic, Mana, Darkwalker(Complete)]
[Magical: Demonic Aura Lvl - 6 (Deactivated), Mana Manipulation Lvl - 24, Battle Concentration Lvl 4]
[Physical: Unarmed Combat Lvl - 4, Darkvision Lvl - 3, Dodging Lvl - 28, Block Lvl - 16, Stealth Lvl - 31, Throwing Weapons Lvl - 34, Combat Mastery Lvl - 32]
[Mundane: Identify Lvl - 4, Universal Speech Lvl - 5, Reading Lvl - 4, Writing Lvl - 3, Athletics Lvl - 12, Improvised Crafting Lvl - 19, Tracking Lvl 4]
[Attributes: Elania Reyes]
[Current Attributes:
Demon Contract (1 Available)
Regeneration (Normal)
Demonic Self-Sustenance
Enhanced Physical Abilities (Strength, Mana Capacity)
Immunity (Darkness)
Resistance (Poison, Mana)
Weakness (Holy)]
Nothing seemed out of place. She felt fine, albeit tired, but her [Status] said she was okay. She was fine. Then why was her heart still pounding? Was it just the aftereffects of the dream?
Her eyes slid away from the [Status] window, and it blinked out. A faint light cast shadows across the dimly lit room, and she mentally flicked on her [Darkvision] without effort. Everything brightened considerably as she found herself in some type of primitive storage room.
The walls were lined with baskets made of some type of wicker, and spears sat in neatly tied bundles beside them. There were some shields stacked on top of each other as well. Elania recognized them as the Mushroohum's weapons.
The other side of the room had different tools and instruments, like hoes, pickaxes, and shovels. They had metal tool-heads and looked like something she might have found in Home Depot or Ace Hardware. Just with a self-made flair, as the tools didn’t have the machined smoothness that she remembered. As she took a closer look she realized they were all probably made by hand by real blacksmiths.
As she propped herself up and took in the remainder of the room she slid her hand through the simple bedding. It was soft to the touch, a mat made of some type of woven grass, or was it moss?
'Ralfot? Oh, it's made from the Ralfot moss.'
Elania stroked the fiber of the mat, it was better than straw, but it wasn't going to beat simple linen. It did make for the softest sleep surface she had experienced in the caverns so far though. The simple luxury had her thoughts turn inward and she wondered how long she had been unconscious, and she began to probe her last memories.
The battle was a haze, but she did remember the transformation or at least part of it. One specific part set her cheeks aflame and she was extremely grateful no one would ever know it had happened. She hugged herself just to confirm she was still human before looking for some clothes. There didn't seem to be any in sight. What did finally catch her eye was the singular light source in the storage room. It was her Mana Shard; it had been returned to her.
'That's how I got more power after running out. I'm lucky they put it close enough.'
'Why do I keep ending up naked? This world sucks.'
She did see her belt, javelin loops empty, hanging near the crystal. She sighed, then choked back a laugh at picturing her running around naked wearing nothing but the belt, armed with javelins hunting Darkwalkers. ‘Ok, not funny, what if they don’t have any clothes?’
She collected her things before heading to the single door. She hesitated as her hand went toward the latch.
'It isn't safe to transform or absorb essence. I almost lost myself.'
Most of it was a haze even if she had picked out a few details, but the one thing she remembered clearly was how she'd almost really become a Darkwalker. The worst thing about it was that it had all felt so... right to her at the time.
'I have to be more careful, I'm just fooling around with things I still don't understand fully.'
She eyed the Mana Shard; it seemed a little dimmer than when she had first taken it. How long could it sustain her? If she had to go back to absorbing essences, she'd have to be more careful. She'd compared it to a drug before, but it was a drug that, instead of fucking you up, would make you super strong and turn you into a monster.
Taking a deep breath, Elania finally settled her thoughts and turned the latch. She pushed through into another, bigger room. Three Mushroohums turned in unison toward her. She felt herself tense up, but they didn’t offer any sudden movement or hostility to her which was a relief. Maybe they would actually talk to her now? She wasn’t sure of her status at all, was she a prisoner, or a guest? She had helped them, which she hoped might give her a little status and maybe make up for stomping the poor Elnat, or whatever she had done to piss them off at first?
The silence lengthened, and they seemed to look between each other, a faint scent of musty odor filling the room. She wondered about that, did they release some kind of smell when they got nervous? As the silence lengthened Elania began to fidget, and she wrapped an arm around her front in a poor attempt to cover herself. ‘Great, so much for finding something to wear before having an audience.’
Finally one of them stepped forward to speak.
"Glua-glaa."
'At least they don't look angry. That has to be an improvement.'
"Where's Skinner?"
"Glua-glaa."
"Fuck."
---
On one of the roofs, Elania discovered a rather comfy place to sit and watch the cleanup. She hadn't found Skinner, but the other Mushroohums treated her with an almost reverent deference. Thankfully, she’d convinced them to give her a set of leather, and she had spent a few hours converting it into a simple sleeveless top and skirt.
Having a needle and some thread made everything so much easier, although the outfit was far from fashionable and made her look like a cavewoman.
From her vantage point, she watched the Mushroohums work. They had tied ropes around the Demon Darkwalker and were dragging it out of the cave. She had considered going after it and trying to absorb it for the power, but she felt a bit wary. Even if it was still absorbable after however long she’d been asleep, she didn’t want to risk going native again. At least not without a really good reason.
Other movements in the cavern caught her eye, as others carried corpses to a large mound. There were already a dozen bodies stacked up, while others had some powder they were throwing on them.
"What's the purpose of that?" Elania murmured.
Her eyes widened when she tried to identify it.
[Fungal Spores]
[You have gained a level in Identify!]
[Identify has gained the ability to reveal additional information.]
'Ask, and ye shall receive.'
[Fungal Spores (Mushroohum)]
Elania eyed the mound and then the Fungal Spore dust. 'Oh.'
They were going to grow new Mushroohums from the dead. Did they even have females? She hadn't been paying attention to it, but she did realize that despite being mostly naked, the Mushroohums looked mostly the same, and she couldn’t think of any instance of seeing a Mushroom Woman. ‘I guess Mushroom Men is literal.’
Her thoughts on Mushroom Man's gender were suddenly interrupted when a horn sounded. It was near the entrance, where the Mushroohums were pulling the Demon Darkwalker's corpse.
The horn was not a Mushroohum sound. The Mushroom Men had formed a line, allowing the party of newcomers to pass by.
Elania stood from her seat and stared at the entrance trying to get a better view. She couldn't see much yet, but what she saw filled her with hope, dread, and anticipation.
The newcomers were human.
---
Taniel stared at the massive Darkwalker that the Mushroohums had been dragging out of the cavern. It was obviously a demon variant, and he had no idea how the poor fungus people had managed to bring it down with their primitive weapons.
A laugh at the head of the group had Taniel shiver. Of course, Marcus would laugh, their leader would find a dead demon pleasing, his bound-demon had been devoured earlier on the route by this very monster when it had ambushed them.
She had been caught outside the wards that had protected the rest of them. The loss was a relief in Taniel's mind as Marcus loved to taunt the rest of them with her. He'd actually set her on poor Tanyan, in an attempt to break his vow of chastity, which would have ruined his [Holy Monk] class just to see if the monk was serious about it or not. Considering she’d been a succubus-type meant that resisting her was harder than it sounded.
Tanyan looked back at him and pointed at the Darkwalker.
"Look at the wounds. Looks like a bigger beast found it and mauled it to death."
Taniel looked again and saw what the other man meant. He had expected the body to have an array of puncture wounds from spears and the like. It was clear that the Mushroomhums hadn’t been the ones that killed it. "What could have done that?"
Another laugh came from the front, and Marcus was looking back at them.
"Don't worry, lads, I'm sure we will find out when we meet the village chief. If it’s scarier than the Demon Dalkwalker, I'll protect you."
Taniel tried to hide his distaste for the man. Marcus was the expedition leader, but he wasn't a member of the Conclave of Neftasu. He was a mercenary, one of the rangers hired out by the monks to lead them through the Underdark's winding caverns.
In Taniel's mind, his only redeeming quality was that he was exceedingly capable of doing his job. The man's character wasn't a concern by the elders who desperately needed the special moss the Mushroohum's could supply. That meant it was up to Tanyan and him to watch over the novices.
Looking at the village, it appeared to be undamaged, or at least mostly intact from the Darkwalker's attack. It was hard to tell because the Mushroohums lived in the ruins of a lost Underdark city that had been forgotten long ago.
Two red dots glinted in the distance, and Taniel blinked and looked again, a sudden fear sending his heart beating faster. He blinked and looked again and saw nothing. He was seeing things. There surely wasn't an unbound demon in the village. The Mushroohums were still alive.
Elania had retreated from the roof and into the building to gather her things. She had no idea what was going to happen, but she wanted to be prepared. Being on the run was exhausting, and even more so when circumstances and monsters conspired to kill her.
For all she knew the newcomers would try to kill her as soon as they saw her, like the paladin. Somehow she thought that was a bit unlikely, the Mushroohums had gone through the trouble of keeping her alive, so it seemed like it would be counterproductive to let her stay if the new arrivals were going to start a fight with her in the middle of their village.
The new information from [Identify] was interesting, though. She had taken the chance to use it on them before turning away.
[Novice Monk - Human - Lvl 43]
[Novice Monk - Human - Lvl 39]
[Novice Monk - Human - Lvl 41]
[Novice Monk - Human - Lvl 37]
[Holy Monk - Human - Lvl 87]
[Martial Monk - Human - Lvl 95]
[Ranger - Human - Lvl 276]
Gathering up several of the Mushroohum spears she had worked on, she slid them into the loops on her javelin harness and fetched an extra spear. They were much better than the ones she had made herself. In all probability, the village had someone who spent their time leveling their crafting skill on them.
She did her best to sort her outfit she had improvised. It was barely acceptable in her mind, but it was better than having another encounter without any clothes at all.
She looked over to the Mana Shard and scooped it up, going to put it in the new backpack they had given her. It had been a pleasant surprise, and its craftsmanship gave it away as one of the items the Mushroohums imported. It certainly had plenty of pockets along with metal clasps to keep them closed.
She turned her attention back to the Mana Shard, and [Identify] gave her some further information on it as well.
[Mana Shard (Condensed) 701/1456]
She frowned because, according to that, it meant it had already used half of its stored Power. She didn't want to waste the Mana Shard’s power, but that meant figuring out a way to absorb monsters' essence without the side effects… or a way to charge the Mana Shard?
There wasn't anyone present in the storeroom, and once she was ready, Elania decided to wait. So far, the Mushroohums had been friendly, and she was going to have to put her trust in them, so she found a chair in a corner and sat down.
It was a while later when a knock came at the door, and then Skinner entered. Seeing him again reminded her of just how big he was compared to the other Mushroohums. There was a discolored scar on his head from the wound he’d received when they had fought the Darkwalker and it almost sent her down a theory-crafting trip about Mushroohum biology.
"Glua-glaa." He made a beckoning gesture as if he wanted her to follow him which put her out of her woolgathering.
"Right. I guess it’s time to meet the guests."
She had always been anxious when she had to present something in front of the class in school. Elania wasn’t exactly one of the social butterflies in her peer group, but she was fine with her small circle of friends.
Meeting other humans that might or might not want to kill her turned out to be just as anxiety-inducing as the class presentations she despised.
'Kidnapped to a strange world and given superpowers, and they couldn't bother to cure nerves. The fucking gall.'
Mercifully, it wasn't far to their destination. The red-clothed Mushroohum was sitting atop a ramshackle looking wooden throne. She wanted to quip about petty tyrants, but it was the man standing at the front of the party of humans that caught her attention.
There was a murmur of 'Glua-Glaa,' upon her arrival but the humans remained silent. The man at the front was holding out some type of a glowing golden ball. The Mushroohum chief had a similar item in his hand, but his was silver and considerably less bright.
Was it magic or an item? Elania honestly couldn't tell because of the magical hue around the orbs. She tried to use Identify.
[???????]
It spit out a useless array of question marks, although that at least told her it was an item. What did quickly become apparent was that it was allowing some form of communication between them. The ranger talked, but no voice seemed to carry through the air, but the Mushroohum’s responded as if they understood exactly what he was saying. A fit of petty jealousy blossomed in her.
'I really needed one of those. I wonder how common magic items here are if they show it off so blatantly? Or is that just some type of show of strength?'
As she settled into place beside Skinner, the monks noticed her. They reacted like they had been prodded with a hot poker. One looked terrified, and the man beside him actually had to grab his arm to hold him still. Another pointed at her, and a quiet whispering made her ears burn.
Elania couldn't make out what they were saying, which was exceedingly annoying. At least they hadn’t suddenly attacked her, although one of the monks glared at her hatefully as if he were ready to try and kill her at a moment's notice. She was glad that Skinner was standing just in front of her. Even if she couldn't speak to them, the Mushroohums felt a lot safer than the one who was staring daggers at her.
The monks had brought packs of metal tools, like the ones she'd seen in the storage shed. Some type of trade was taking place, and judging by the looks of it, there was an argument over price. The more baskets that were brought into the hall, the angrier the chief Mushroohum became.
Elania's gaze fell back to the man with the orb, who looked like he had little in common with the others. He was plastered with belts and pouches and what she assumed were sheaths for knives, whereas they had poofy oriental looking outfits that were in a completely different style.
The Ranger had two swords hung on his belt, and a bow strung across his chest and a quiver was peeking out from behind a shoulder. It was almost humorous because he looked like a video game character that fit the armed to the teeth trope. This wasn't a video game though, and the fact that he probably knew how to use them all was a bit worrying.
He was older than the others as well, maybe in his thirties or early forties. The monks looked like they were much closer to her in age, if not a bit younger.
The ranger must have noticed her staring as he glanced at her and offered her a smile before turning back to the negotiations. Somehow, that didn’t reassure her much.
More and more baskets arrived until finally, the angry Chief Mushroohum stood up and shouted, "Glua-Glaa!" Then pointed directly at her. Everyone's attention was directed at her, and she shifted uncomfortably.
What, were they going to argue about her??
The ranger relayed something to the monks, and the one that had glared at her started yelling at him. When the ranger conveyed whatever was said to the Chief a gesture from the Mushroohum suddenly had baskets disappearing.
That elicited a panic from the two monks that seemed to be in charge as they seemed to change their tune, and yelled for the baskets to return.
After another exchange of ‘orb talk’ the baskets returned and some type of settlement seemed to be reached. Elania noticed that Skinner was now highly agitated. He stepped forward and suddenly shouted out a loud ‘Glaa!’ that set the other Mushroohums to silence.
The musty smell she had learned to associate with the Mushroohums filled the room, and she suddenly realized what it meant. ‘Do they communicate via smell or something?’
Skinner and the Mushroohum Chief seemed to lock their attention on each other, but whatever struggle going on between them was silent. Eventually, the others began to speak up and the smell intensified. Whatever argument there had been, the Chief seemed to have lost when he picked up the orb and started to hammer at the arm of his throne with a fist.
Whatever had been discussed was relayed to the two monks in charge, and the one that disliked her shouted. “Like hell we will!”
Elania had even been able to hear it clearly, despite the murmuring Mushroohums.
Another furious exchange occurred and the Chief became livid. Another basket came forward to be added to the village’s offering. The ranger relayed that to the monks, and the two were divided on the response before the older man seemed to break the tie. With the argument decided the losing monk settled into an angry glare at her. He didn't seem happy that he had lost.
Skinner's hand settled on her shoulder lightly and urged her to step forward. She let out a breath that she hadn't known she had been holding and followed his lead. Looking over the monk party again, they seemed to all draw inward and avoided meeting her gaze.
Except for the leader. He smiled at her again and started to talk.
"They tell us you killed the Demon Darkwalker... and you have a bit of a communication problem with the locals."
After an awkward pause, Elania found herself struggling with what to say.
"I guess it intruded into your territory...?"
Her territory? Demons had territories? Maybe the area had been the Darkwalker Demon’s territory, and when it had sensed her, it had come up to investigate. She had her Aura on for a while without knowing what it did, plus the whole moss-fire escapade… she hadn’t really been subtle with her exploration and escape from the cultists.
When she didn't answer and only looked more confused, the hint of a frown appeared on the Ranger’s face.
"You do speak common, don't you?"
"Yes, I do."
‘Seems like English to me, but maybe that’s what Universal Speech does, but why doesn’t it work for the Mushroohums? Because they use smell or something?’
For a moment, he was taken aback by her curt answer, but the next tidbit was something she had been worried about. Other than skinner, she hadn’t failed to notice the local inhabitants' wary looks, even if few were outright hostile like the chief.
"They want us to take you away. The chieftain doesn't want you remaining in the village regardless of however much you aided them. Naturally, we would take care of you if you refused to leave."
The implied threat and statement that they could take ‘care’ of her was worrisome. Elania wasn't entirely surprised about the threat or the Chief’s reaction. Skinner wasn't the one really in charge, and he had likely taken a considerable risk when he saved her from the spears. She owed him a fair bit for that. Causing any trouble would not be the best way to repay him.
“That’s not all. Your friend managed to convince most of the others that simply throwing you out wasn’t right after you fought for them. He basically coerced the chief into forcing us to accept payment for escorting you to Neftasu.”
“What’s Neftasu?”
“The largest city you’ll find in the region.”
She had so many questions to ask.
“You’re a new one aren’t you?” He glanced at her as he asked, and Elania felt a little apprehensive.
“A new what?”
“Demon.”
Right. She wasn’t sure how much information she wanted to give away to him. Something about his vibe screamed at her to be careful, but lying about her experience wasn’t going to help and she didn’t know enough to make it convincing anyway.
“Yeah.”
“I’m surprised you were able to gain a new form so quickly.”
She frowned, although the story of her fight with the Demon Darkwalker was probably the first thing the Mushroohum’s had told him. She wasn’t sure why her turning into a Darkwalker was the first thing he brought up though.
“I’ll go with you. I don’t want to overstay my welcome here, and a city sounds like a good place to go. I do have some questions I’d like to ask you.”
The ranger looked at her for a long moment, as if he was measuring her, before nodding. “Yes I imagine you do. The village is hosting us until tomorrow, they’ll want you to stay with us until we leave.”
She nodded in acceptance, yet couldn't help but give an accusing glare at the red-robed Mushroohum Chieftain. He was an asshole, and she was now sure that this trait extended to some Mushroohums just like humans. As she stared at him he shrank in his throne before looking away from her.
“Glaa.”
She turned away and looked at Skinner who was still at her side. She owed him a lot, and while she wasn’t sure how traveling with the monks was going to go, she felt very thankful that he had put himself forward to negotiate for her. Being cast back out into the wilds alone would have felt like a step backward.
Suddenly she stepped forward impulsively and hugged the big Mushroohum. He didn’t really react, but he didn’t push her away either. They’d never been able to talk, but somehow they had managed to communicate at least a little.
“Thank you, Skinner.”
“Glaa.”
The monks had already left with their baskets, and the Ranger was waiting impatiently at the entrance. She turned and followed.
Elania followed a few steps behind the Ranger--- Marcus was the name he had given her, as they stepped out of the Mushroohum Chieftain's hall. The Mushroom Men who had not been able to fit themselves into the building were out and about doing whatever business or task they had. As she studied the ranger’s back she wondered why having the strange non-human people about felt comforting to her. Shouldn’t she have felt relief at finding some other humans that she could talk to?
A little voice of doubt filled her as she continued to follow along. The memory of the Paladin trying to kill her wasn’t that old, but the monk party hadn’t reacted the same way. The one monk made his dislike of her very obvious, and that was actually a good thing; she’d prefer outright antipathy rather than covert maliciousness.
The monks were already well ahead of Elania and the ranger, carrying the baskets toward one of the buildings she assumed was going to be their quarters for the night. The thought that she didn’t actually need to sleep much meant that she’d probably be able to spend some more time around the village with the Mushroohums if she chose. That would be good if she found the company of the monks unbearable.
One of the novices tripped over his own feet and fell face first. The lid to his basket flew off and the familiar turquoise hue of the Glow-Moss spilled out of the wicker. ‘Seems like they are going through a lot of trouble for some flammable moss stuff.’
“So, Little Demon, how’d you end up out here? Some poor group accidentally summoned you? Group of unlucky cavers run into you and you turned them into snacks?”
Marcus’ questions distracted her from the Monk’s mishap and the contents of the basket.
“I was summoned. On purpose, though.”
“Ah, yes. A group of incompetents dealing with something well beyond them. Probably didn’t even realize a newly summoned Demon’s favorite snack is essence-brimming sapients. And now here you are.”
Elania didn’t want to mention the Paladin or the Cultists yet as he theorized her history. What did surprise her was the realization of what had been meant by the ‘New Form’ comment from earlier--- they thought she ate humans and became one of them! Before she could say anything he was already continuing.
“You’ll want to be careful around the monks. Their Conclave doesn’t have much love for demons--- especially ones that have slipped their contract. Too many orphans with demon-gobbled parents there. Fix your unbound status and most won’t care enough to give you trouble.”
“Unbound? What does that mean, and how do you know I don’t already have a contract?”
He smiled at her like he was glad that was her question. Had that been his intent to steer her toward it?
“As a fresh off the circle demoness, you’ll probably not have any experience with contracts yet, since you ate your summoners. Your eyes are red, so at the very least you aren’t under a contract at the moment.” He paused and grinned at her which set the skin on the back of her neck prickling. “One thing a demon can’t do is hide their eyes.”
[Identify] that told everyone she was a demon, eye color based on contract status, Elania started to think that being a demon had a lot of inconvenient tells.
They had caught up to the monks who had fully filled into the building with the baskets. It didn’t even have a front door, if the party tried anything, she’d be able to yell for help she told herself. From what she had observed, she didn’t think Skinner or the Mushroohums that had supported him would have sent her into an ambush, and there was that huge deal about adding an extra basket to ‘pay’ them to take her away.
If it was the chieftain she wouldn’t have had much hope, but she didn’t think Skinner would have allowed her to go with them if they were going to turn on her as soon as they left the village. She really wished she could borrow the communication orb and ask the Mushroohum.
“The thing you used to talk to them… could I borrow it to talk to Skinner?”
“Skinner? You mean the old one that argued for you? And no. It’s a bound item that only works for the user, they are quite expensive. It’s half my business from those who need to converse with Demi-humans who can’t speak.”
“So there’s more than just the Mushroohums?”
“Oh, you’re lucky that you didn’t get caught by the Arachums. They’d have webbed you and kept you that way until you dehydrated… or I guess in your case ran out of Power.”
“Sounds like a fun bunch.”
The conversation had delayed them at the entrance, but then Marcus finally moved inside. Elania took a breath and crushed the bit of doubt she was having. Mentally it was easier than entering a spider nest at the very least. Mushroohums suddenly didn’t seem so bad.
As she entered the room was much the same as the storeroom she had been in before, just without the supplies and goods stacked along the walls. The monks had placed the baskets full of Glow-Moss along the back wall and were setting up bedrolls. The one who had been glaring daggers at her most of the time was kneeling at what Elania realized was a firepit, doing his best to send a spray of sparks on some kindling.
“Hey! Isn’t that dangerous?” Elania looked between the sparks and the baskets full of moss with alarm. The ‘wildfire’ incident wasn’t one she was about to forget anytime soon.
He stopped and looked up at her in surprise, and the small flame he had almost coaxed to life went out. He almost immediately realized his mistake and then glared at her. “What the fuck are you on about?”
The others had stopped what they were doing as well and Elania realized they were all staring at her warily. She cleared her throat and pointed to the baskets. “Aren’t those really flammable? Is it really safe to have fire in here with them?”
‘Angry monk’ stopped glaring at her and went back to striking the sparks without answering. The other monk that seemed to be in charge answered instead.
“The Glow-Moss is only reactive to mana. Regular flame won’t set it off which is why Taniel is using the flint instead of the sparker.”
“Oh.” That was good to know, having a campfire without the danger of everything turning to ash was nice. She hadn’t wanted to consider eating anything raw, and a campfire had seemed like a bad idea even if she had had the tools to make one herself before.
Marcus had set down his pack on the single table in the room, and out came what she assumed was the company’s mess kit. One of the novices brought out some potatoes and other staples, it seemed a meal was on the menu and the prospect pleased her. Even if she didn’t need to eat, she missed it.
While the monks worked on cooking, Elania found a spot against the wall near the entrance and watched the efforts play out. The group seemed organized in their manner of unpacking, which probably meant they were well experienced. Marcus didn’t bother to help them with the stew preparations and had his bedroll unpacked. He noticed she was standing off to the side and patted a spot near him. “Come sit and talk.”
“I’m fine standing, thanks. How far is it to the city… Neftasu?”
He shrugged, “About a week’s travel, depending on the Razorscale migration. It isn’t the best time to be traveling through the area between here and the city.”
A week, depending on how much travel in a week they could do, that meant the city was probably way too far to find on her own without a map or guide. She considered that sticking with them until then would be the best bet for her to find civilization, but she wasn’t sure how much she could trust them.
The issue of time brought up another thing she really wanted to know and had been driving her crazy. “A week, ok. How do you tell what time it is? I didn’t see you having anything like a clock or watch…?”
“Just look on your system screen.” One of the novices interjected, looking at her like she was stupid.
“She doesn’t have a clock yet. There’s no binding stone around here, the nearest one is in Neftasu and the clock is based on that.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” The novice offered a sheepish apology before being pulled away by Taniel to work on the food preparation.
“Binding stone? Don’t tell me if you die you resurrect at those?”
Marcus shook his head. “Fun idea, but no. It’s an artifice that provides certain functions to those who reside in the area. Clock, maps, the ability to call the guards, among other things.”
That did sound useful but Elania couldn’t help feel a bit skeptical of getting all that for free, and the word ‘binding’ seemed to suggest being stuck with it somehow.
“I guess I will be without a way to tell time for a while then… just to confirm there are twenty-four hours in a day, and seven days in a week, right…?”
Marcus nodded, “Four weeks to a month, thirteen months to a year.”
‘Thirteen? Oh well, that isn’t so bad as to be too confusing.’
Before she could ask something else, Taniel interjected.
“Why are you bothering answering her stupid questions? Just offer her a contract before she gets hungry and decides to have one of us for a snack.”
Elania did not like his suggestion or where it led. She had no intention of signing any contract until she knew it wasn’t some sort of slavery thing. She’d rather take her chances escaping into the caves and hiding with the Dark Walkers than anything like that. She held up a hand.
“I don’t plan on making any contracts until I understand everything more,” she paused mid-way to frown at Taniel, “And I am not going to eat anyone for a snack. The only thing I’ve absorbed is another demon, some Ralfots, and Dark Walkers.”
“So she’s lying to us too, Tanyan, don’t you need some extra karma for your next skill? Why don’t we just dispose of her so you can earn that.”
What made him hate her so much that he would suggest killing her? Marcus had mentioned the orphan thing, but the hostility radiating from the man was chilling. Tanyan, the other senior monk, along with the novices looked like they were taken a bit aback at the sudden suggestion as well, although no one came to her defense. There was a moment of quiet only broken by two of the novices working on stirring the stew.
The sudden silence was too much for Elania and she offered another question.
“What’s Karma do anyway? I only have 24, but I didn’t see anything relating it to skills?”
“See, she killed 24 people already if they were all -1s, just get rid of her.”
“No, I have positive 24, I started with twelve points and I didn’t kill anyone unless you count that other Lesser Demon which gave me positive twelve.”
They all seemed to stare at her, except two of the novices who were doing their best to ignore the conversation. Marcus and Tanyan looked at her with skepticism, while Taniel only continued to offer a defiant glare.
Marcus eventually asked, “24, and not -24? You didn’t actually kill anyone when you were summoned?”
“That’s not possible.”
Marcus looked at Taniel and shook his head. “It is, although rare.” He looked back to Elania and asked, “So, you were a human before being summoned?”
“Well, yes.”
“She’s lying, obviously,” Taniel said immediately.
There was another awkward moment of silence, but it was the other senior monk that broke it.
“Elania, show us your ‘Status’ screen,” Tanyan said.
“Eh?” Her confused look prompted an explanation.
“Normally It isn’t polite to ask, but in this case it’s an easy way to prove what you’re saying.”
“I don’t actually know how.”
Marcus chuckled, addressing the others like she wasn’t even there and Elania felt an instant dislike toward him.
“She’s like a kid who doesn’t know the way around her own system.”
He turned back toward her with a condescending smile.
“I assume you know how to open your status? Do that and then simply will it to be visible to us the same way you open it. Nothing’s easier.”
Showing them her Status didn’t seem to be too bad. She would have worried more if they had wanted to see her skills or attribute pages, though.
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 36
Power: 56/208
Karma: 24
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
The page in the air appeared obediently. The next part was a bit more complicated, but after a few seconds of ‘willing’ it to appear to the others a few of them reacted. She noted that each person seemed to have their own way of accepting the request, as the screens suddenly appeared in the air in front of them.
It was weird, being able to see her own status screen floating in the air for each person.
“Woah! Look at her ‘Power’ cap! It’s over 200!” One of the novices commented, and another pointed out her level.
“Level 36? It’s a bit high for just being summoned?”
“I killed a bunch of Darkwalkers, that seemed to give me a lot of them. Is killing things the only way to level?”
Marcus gave her that same condescending smile and she felt really glad she wasn’t sitting anywhere near him.
“Killing things is the main way, yes. Non-fatal combat will give some eventually as well, especially at lower levels. Crafting is a safe way, but it takes years. A lot of skilled artisans go adventuring early on to gain attribute points they can use to boost their trade of choice.”
“So leveling gives attribute points, I got one at level ten, but none since then?”
Tanyan offered the answer, “One, Ten, Fifty, and then every Fifty levels, 100, 150, 200, etc.”
Elania looked at Marcus and frowned, he was the highest level and that meant he had seven or eight attributes? She remembered the list that had been offered her, and some of those had seemed pretty powerful. She’d picked [Regeneration] in a hurry, but considering how fast she had been leveling, it wouldn’t be long before she got another chance to choose another.
“Does everyone get the same attribute choices?”
A loud clunk interrupted, Taniel hitting the now boiling stew with the metal scoop.
“Why are you all entertaining her? The levels, the high power-cap? She’s obviously older than she is letting on and probably just picked up the good karma by farming it off some negative people.”
Nothing seemed able to convince Taniel that she was anything other than an evil demon, and Elania tried to tamp down the worry that a lot of people would react the same way. That was starting to seem more likely, though. She hadn’t been able to read much off Tanyan although he was at least not hostile. Meanwhile, Marcus was giving off all kinds of red-flags despite all the very useful information.
“I don’t really get the whole Karma thing. It seems like you gain it by killing people? I got it from killing that other demon, but it seemed really evil that seemed normal?”
“Oh, people learned how to game the system long ago, girl. Killing a fellow sapient will earn you one big ol’ negative point. Kill someone with negative points and you’ll get half that many as positive points. It’s a shit system for keeping track of who’s good or bad. There’s slave markets in the west that have whole stables for sale that aren’t based on anything other than their merchandise’s negative karma.”
“And something like that unlocks a [Holy Monk] skill? That seems a bit off…” She looked to Tanyan and frowned.
“Well, we can write a letter and send it off to one o’ the gods with the complaint they set the world up wrong.”
“What’s your highest skill, Elania?” Tanyan asked, and it almost surprised her, he had been pretty quiet for most of the discussion. He seemed the most friendly of the three and she thought about it.
“[Demonic Aura] and [Mana Manipulation] in the Magical tree. [Throwing Weapons] and [Combat Mastery] in Physical now after the big fight. For Mundane it’s [Athletics] but [Universal Speech] and [Identify] are at five now. Oh! [Improvised Crafting], I leveled it up a lot so far making spears. Maybe [Reading] and [Writing] are good too?”
“Well, with [Universal Speech], [Reading] and [Writing] were you a noblewoman? Those aren’t very common skills.”
“Uhh, no. I was a University student.”
“So from a rich family then.”
Her family was middle-class back home, but that probably would count for rich here, considering all the modern amenities middle class Americans enjoyed. She didn’t think they would be much interested in that though so she just nodded. There was one question that she hadn’t asked yet that was very important to her.
"How do I get home?"
Elania waited for what felt like way too long as Marcus paused, looking at her, considering his answer.
"Normally, you don't. Can I ask how you were summoned?"
She took a deep breath, and briefly went through the course of events from her arrival in the summoning circle up to the point where she escaped the cultist compound.
“So, that explains how you got out without a contract then. I’m more surprised that you didn’t end up dead.”
Elania wasn’t going to argue, she knew exactly how lucky she had been to survive up to this point. The monks looked to Marcus. Elania realized that he knew a lot more about Demons than they seemed to.
“I don’t know any way to send Demons back. I’ve never even heard of it being attempted. Most Demons are animals or monsters when they are summoned or form naturally. Wild Demons that live long enough generally evolve into the demon form of whatever they devour. Summoned ones evolve into whatever their master’s feed them. It’s not hard to form a contract with a summoned demon, most are quite stupid and easily tricked into accepting anything as long as they get more essence from their summoner.”
“So… people summon demons and turn them into slaves with a contract, then turn them into whatever they want? That’s… terrible.”
“Ahh, it’s more tolerated than the Karma markets of Ravost. There’s a Demon market in Neftasu. Every major city, really.”
Her race was generally regarded as useful slaves, or as a dangerous monster. Marcus gave her a smile that made her feel hunted. “Don’t worry, Little Demon, contracts aren’t always one-sided. You have a huge advantage in negotiating a contract compared to a beast whose only desire is essence.”
“Stew’s ready,” Taniel announced.
It had taken only one bite of the stew for her to realize something was wrong. Marcus had warned her, and the looks from the others had hinted at what was about to happen. She had ignored them anyway, the enticing smell teasing her as she poured herself a bowl of the still steamy stew. She refused to hesitate as she brought the spoon up to her mouth and even managed to chew for a few seconds before reality came crashing down on her.
It had smelled like real food, it was warm like real food, but it tasted like dirt and she barely managed a single swallow without throwing up. Tanyan had hurried over and given her a waterskin of some type of sweetened drink to wash the taste out of her mouth.
At least the drink hadn’t made her sick, apparently sweet drinks were fine. Alcohol, she had been informed, was fine. Any type of vegetables or cooked meat? Bad. She was now an obligate sweet-tooth and drinker. Oh, and essence muncher. When raw meat was mentioned she had wanted to plug her ears.
Taniel had brought up that her ‘Power’ was only a quarter full, and she would be a danger to the group. That led to Marcus suggesting she make a nice contract with him to keep her fed, but she’d declined immediately. She told them she would go hunt some Darkwalkers instead. In reality she found a quiet place to think outside the village and spent some quality time with her Mana Shard. She still hadn’t disclosed it to them and was pretty sure it was going to remain her secret.
Looking out at the cave, she watched the Ralfot and Elnats go about their business while a few Mushroomhum’s stood watch. They knew she was there, and she wondered what they thought about having a scary demon perched on a rock nearby.
Elania thought if she ran for it, they would not bother to hunt her down as long as she stayed away from the Mushroohums and avoided contact with anyone. She’d be able to survive just hunting things in the caves. Where would that leave her though? Maybe eventually she’d be able to find civilization on her own, but from what she understood there were things in the Underdark that were much more dangerous than Darkwalkers.
Then there was the fact that surviving on her own would be lonely. Even if she didn’t trust the monks or Marcus, at least she could learn about the world from them. Even if the Mushroohums had invited her to stay with them, they couldn’t talk to her.
The stories about ‘Civilization’ and how demons were treated did give her pause. Becoming a slave was not something she wanted to experience. She also needed to be careful not to get tricked into becoming a slave or worse. That meant getting stronger so others couldn’t take advantage of her, too. Maybe get a set of magical armor or a magic sword? That seemed like the proper RPG thing to do. ‘Need to be careful not to mistake this world for a game. It’s way darker.’
At some point, she had made the decision to accompany them to the city. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe it was not. Most of all, she did not want to be left in the caverns alone again.
Elania kept pace behind Marcus, with Taniel and Tanyan leading the monks behind her. She wasn't sure what the purpose of putting her second in line was, but she suspected it was because the monks wanted to keep an eye on her.
That suited her purposes just fine, Marcus or Tanyan were the most likely to answer her questions, and the novice monks had avoided talking to her altogether.
“If reading isn’t a common skill, how do people use their system? You implied everyone has one?”
She directed the question toward Marcus, but it was Tanyan that answered. “Everyone has their own way of interpreting the [System]. One person might hear a voice in their head while another reads the information on a scroll that only they can see. Scholars debate about the efficacy of different methods, but generally, it’s accepted that everyone’s [System] adapts to what is most efficient for that person and can even change as they get older.”
‘So, I get blue RPG screens, how traditional. Wait. When I showed everyone my ‘Status’ screen, did they get to see my screen or their own? Because I saw them looking at mine.’
“When I showed you my screen---”
“We each saw or heard our own version of it, yes.”
“It looked like you were all reading it, though? I thought that was a rare skill?”
“It is. I can read, but the others cannot. If you send a screen to Taniel, he gets a talking head that conveys the information to him.”
Elania glanced at the other monk and had to stifle a laugh. No wonder he was so grouchy and angry. ‘If I had to worry about floating talking heads suddenly appearing, I’d glare at everything, too.’
Tanyan cleared his throat. “I have a question for you myself.”
Elania smiled and almost tried on a rock which caused Marcus to turn and frown at her. She offered a sorry wave before looking back to Tanyan.
“Sure, you’ve all answered a lot of mine, what do you want to know?”
“What’s the demon world like?”
“Eh?”
“Your world. What’s it like?”
“My world… there aren’t any monsters other than the human-type. There is not any [System] that people use. We have technology instead.”
“No [System]? How do you do anything? You would not even be able to cook! You’d all starve to death!”
“You just cook. There isn’t any numerical skill or anything that affects your ability to do or not do anything, it just takes your own talent and well… skill into account.”
“So, there are skills in your world?”
That was not what she meant, ugh, it was hard to explain without using the ‘skill’ word, which obviously had a different implication in Eladu.
“Skill in my world is just what you practice. It doesn’t help you do anything better or worse, and there is no numerical value or way to see it.”
“So, you have hidden stats in your world?”
“I guess.”
“Most demons don’t remember anything of their old world by the time they become sapients. So, it isn’t common to be able to ask.”
“Do you deal a lot with demons, Marcus said your ‘Conclave’ deals with them or something?”
“The Conclave is a holy order that protects the city. We only really get involved with criminals the Watch or Guard cannot handle. Sometimes that’s a rogue demon.”
“Rogue Demon?”
“If a demon somehow gets out of its Contract, they usually have a lot of resentment and go on a rampage until dealt with…”
Elania did not answer immediately. ‘Maybe those Demons have a reason for having so much resentment if they are enslaved and then controlled by their masters?’
Taniel decided to interject into the conversation.
“Don’t forget that, Demon. You will be watched. There isn’t anyone who doesn’t associate those red eyes of yours with carnage.”
Taniel’s words were a reminder and painted a poor picture of what she could expect when--- if they reached the city. She was not willing to stay in what amounted to the wilderness forever, and she didn’t want to live as a cavewoman running around hunting things with spears either.
That meant she was going to have to deal with navigating around people who didn’t like her, or were looking to abuse her, and if she couldn’t do that with a small group like this… Elania didn’t think it would be any easier with more people around.
The flow of the conversation died, and she focused on her feet and following Marcus. That didn’t stop her from getting lost in her thoughts again.
Neftasu. The city had a whole series of waystations and travelers’ camps spread through the region for parties like theirs. She had learned that the flora and fauna of the caves frequently changed, and this influenced the caverns' layout. That meant there could be danger on any of the well-traveled routes in the Underdark. The way they had to go to get back to the city wasn’t even on one of those ‘well-traveled’ routes.
Most travelers or caravans relied on guides who moved about frequently enough to keep up with any changes to a growing and stupidly complex web of waystations. When she had commented that Darkwalkers weren’t much trouble for her it was hinted that they weren't the worst creature they could end up meeting. Traveling through the Underdark caverns was a perilous undertaking.
That underlined just how important this [Glow-Moss] was to the group. That had piqued her curiosity and apparently, it was an important alchemical ingredient. Healing potions, ‘Mana’ potions, energy potions. Apparently, they were so expensive that only the very wealthy could afford them, but Elania could see why such items would have a lot of value.
The [Glow-Moss] didn't grow anywhere there was a sizable population nearby, and only in the deeper caverns.
'Probably because it vaporizes if someone spills ‘Mana’ on it.'
After all the ordeals earlier, the hike was not that arduous. Even with her power level only at three-fourths her max, she found it easy to keep the pace. She had been checking her [Status] periodically and keeping an eye on her ‘Power’ level. It had been slowly creeping up thanks to the Mana Shard, but she had managed to acquire a bedroll before leaving the village and had stuffed the Mana Shard inside of it. The insulation seemed to help prevent her from absorbing the 'Power' too fast.
Elania did not want to drain the Mana Shard, not until she knew if it could be recharged or how she could get another one. Overcharging her 'Power' slightly and increasing her maximum capacity might have been a good idea if she was not worried about draining it completely, but she was apprehensive about the long-term prospects of relying solely on hunting for essence. There were still the ramifications of transforming into a Darkwalker to consider...
She didn’t want Taniel’s input again so she sped up her step a bit until she was closer to Marcus so she could ask him her question.
"So, acquiring a lot of a single essence will turn me into what it came from?"
"Generally, yes. Although it would take a lot of concerted effort, the majority of your 'Power' would have to be compatible. I'm told it’s like a compulsion, you become whatever you absorb. That is why I'm surprised you didn't totally become a Darkwalker Demon; you must have a strong sense of self or familiarity with your current form."
Well, she was born human, so she hoped she had a lot of familiarity with being herself. The suggestion that it was possible that she might devolve into a monster or animal was alarming, even if she had suspected it from all the effects she’d experienced from absorbing the Darkwalker essence.
Marcus raised a hand and cut her off with a quick hush. The whole party came to a standstill, everyone becoming fully alert. Elania heard the noise just as Marcus urged them against a cave wall. It was faint, but Elania swore she recognized the sound.
"Flatten yourselves!"
Hooves. It sounded like a stampede of thousands of hooves, and the roar was getting louder with every passing second. The group found a usable indent along the wall.
A herd of wild Ralfots, the largest she had yet seen, were hurling themselves down the tunnel like their lives depended on it. Despite their speed, Elania had no trouble tracking their movements and her eyes fell on a few specific ones she realized were slower or weaker than the others.
The strongest of the beasts passed them first, then the mid-sized ones. One slammed into one of the novice monks, pushing him back and smashing his nose on the rock.
Elania could smell the blood immediately despite them being a good distance away. The way the smell hit her was not normal. 'What the fuck?'
The massive herd continued to pass them by, slowly thinning out. No one else got hurt, and Elania did her best to ignore the injured man and focus on the Ralfots. The few smaller ones had a hard time keeping up with the herd.
Elania found herself leaning forward singling one Ralfot near the back out. She already knew the distance and trajectory she needed to pounce on it. She felt her muscles tense up. She was ready, it was time...
A hand fell on her shoulder, and she froze, looking to her side. Marcus shook his head.
'The Darkwalker essence is affecting me. Was it triggered by the herd?'
She swallowed and stilled herself. Marcus had already looked past her, dismissing her momentary predatory lapse, and was signaling the monks.
"Come on, we need to get out of here before what was chasing them catches up. There is not— Dammit. You fool!"
Marcus glared at the novice monk with the bloody nose. Elania didn't think there was much to do about that, Tanyan was wiping the blood away with a bandage. She had been wondering if he had healing magic of some sort because of his class of [Holy Monk], but either he did not or this was too trivial an injury to warrant it.
They did not have time to respond before a deafening roar had Elania pulling free a javelin, and the others also whipped around to look at the source.
Elania found herself more immune to gawking at all the strange things she'd been seeing, but as she took in the tan-colored fur of the three heads, and what seemed to be giant bat wings on the torso of a giant lion, she couldn't help herself. ‘That’s a fucking monster.’
[Manzitore]
It flew past the group on its wings, intent on chasing the Ralfots when it banked and came to a halt midair... The monster landed smoothly somehow, then whipped around on its four paws and roared once at the bloodied novice.
"Taniel! Get the others to the next waystation. Now!"
The monks scattered, and the beast went after them, but Marcus already had his bow out and an arrow readied. Elania's eyes widened when the arrow burst into a blue flame when it launched itself at the Manzitore and adjusted its flight in midair to slam into an eye on its middle head.
She raised her weapon, ready to hurl it towards the monster, but a hand touched her shoulder.
"Mundane weapons aren't going to hurt that, get going with the others, or you're going to die!
Elania turned without missing a beat and hurried after the monks. If Markus didn't need any help, he didn't need any help, and she didn't want to have to fight that thing herself anyway!
It didn't take her long to catch up to the monks who hadn’t hesitated to flee, and the sounds of battle behind her gave her sprint a little more speed. There was an explosion behind her, followed by more roars and a gust of wind, interspaced with what sounded to be falling rock and heavy thumps.
'What the fuck is going on back there?'
"Maurice! Hurry up, we can't slow down."
"I'm sorry, Taniel! That rock took a chunk of my HP, it's slowing me down."
‘H-fucking-P?’ Elania almost brought up her status screen to confirm she hadn’t missed anything. Why didn’t she have any HP?
"Dammit!"
The novice complaining was slowing the group down. She knew that the higher her ‘Power’ was the stronger she was, did the others have the same sort of thing with a hitpoint mechanic? She hadn’t noticed anything refusing to die because it had some HP left in a bar, but then again, she hadn’t seen any health bars at all--- maybe the system somehow awarded damage perfectly… or something? If so, why was he complaining that a broken bloody nose was slowing down his legs.
A thunderous shake of the cave walls sent everyone scrambling for balance, including her.
"Come on, we need to go!" Taniel shouted from the front. The group started to move again, Elania now at the back. It wasn’t long before the others outpaced Maurice and she was the last one behind him.
“I can’t keep up!”
The group stopped again and Tanyan looked at the novice in a near state of panic. “There isn’t enough time to heal your HP! Just try!”
Seeing that Maurice wasn't going to pick up the pace, Elania stepped forward. “I’ll carry you.”
That got a range of reactions from surprise to Taniel’s dubious glare. Maurice wasn’t huge, but Elania wasn’t a large woman herself, but she knew she’d be able to handle it. Tanyan shook his head.
“I don’t think you---”
Maurice didn’t resist as she lifted him up and over her shoulder. It was a strange feeling to her as she easily lifted him up, despite him being larger. Taniel looked like he was about to protest, but a hand on his shoulder from Tanyan had them moving again. His weight settled and the party continued their escape.
Despite the bulk and weight, he held still and held on, and the bouncing didn’t slow her down. The group was able to move even faster, as they had been slowing themselves slightly trying to let Maurice keep up.
The offshoot from the tunnel they had been traveling along quickly reached another section, and they continued in what Elania hoped was the right direction. She didn't really have any choice and had no idea how Tanyan was navigating for them.
As they rounded a corner, a Darkwalker roared as it stood in their path. The group momentarily slowed, but upon seeing their number, the beast did the sensible thing and fled in another direction.
Suddenly, there was a mighty rumble, and the cavern roof exploded downward just behind them. The Manzitore slammed onto its back before it recovered and stood to challenge them. Rocks levitated around the monster and then flashed forward at an alarming speed.
Elania only caught the glint of an arrow flying down to intercept one of the rocks before it erupted into a massive explosion sending the group flying off their feet. A whirlwind of hot air and dust filled Elania's senses.
The pit in her stomach told her they were all going to die. Sure, the fight with the Darkwalker Demon had been more visceral, but she had been hopped up on monster essence at the time. This time she was just trying to get away, and the monster was using magic. The Manzitore seemed intent on her as well, as one head’s eyes unerringly glared at her. ‘Or the bundle on my shoulder? Was it really after Maurice because of his little nosebleed?’
The answer was seemingly yes as the Manzitore batted at Marcus sending him dodging away before leaping toward the group of monks and singling her out. She had the sense to leap away just in time, and claws on raked through air.
Before she landed though, she suddenly felt herself being yanked to a stop mid-air.
‘What!?’ She was being levitated in the air, although she was still able to spin in place. The Manzitore was getting closer. In the background she could see Marcus fighting and dodging stones as one after another hurled itself at him. It looked like he was trying to find a space to fire his bow, but the incessant barrage wouldn’t allow him the time.
The weight of Maurice on her shoulder suddenly lifted and only a instant reaction allowed her to grab at him as he was suddenly yanked away. She managed to get hold of his ankles, and he screamed as his body was pulled taut between her and the Manzitore.
The monster was using more of its telekinesis or whatever it was to try and steal the novice from her!
Maurice’s screaming reached a terrifying pitch as she was forced to tighten her grip or lose him. Elania had the sudden horrifying realization that he was going to be torn in half--- or at least something like it if she didn’t let go.
“Help!” She wasn’t sure anyone could hear her over Maurice’s screaming. Her entire view seemed to be taken up by the Manzitore’s three maws as Maurice and her were dragged toward it.
One of the novice’s ankles suddenly popped out of place and she had an extremely brief glimpse of his expression before a final tug pulled him out of her grasp and into the jaws of the Manzitore’s middle head.
It bit down on the man’s midsection, blood and viscera exploding out far enough to splatter her face. She could still hear the man screaming as it flipped his body up into the air and then swallowed him.
Everything seemed to stop as the realization that it had eaten the novice soaked in, but the momentary pause was broken when the Manzitore re-focused on her and she realized now she was flying toward a open mouth.
There was a short list of things to do that came to her in that short second, but the first was trying her [Demonic Aura] to somehow break the monster’s telekinesis.
[Demonic Aura (Activated)]
The now familiar surge of energy flooded through her, but she remained trapped in the air hurtling toward a set of massive bloody teeth. A tremor ran through her and she thought to try and grab one of her flimsy javelins off her back, but there was no time.
A heavy impact smashed into the side of the Manzitore in a fiery explosion that sent it flying toward a cavern wall. Elania suddenly found herself falling out of the air. She didn’t have time to brace herself before she landed hard on her side on a rock which sent her tumbling down a pile of stone rubble.
Dazed, she slowly started to sort herself when a hand suddenly pulled her up onto her feet. Taniel’s furious face was only inches from her own and she realized he was screaming at her.
“---et go of him, you stupi---”
Elania only caught the last part of what he was shouting as he cut off abruptly when Tanyan pulled him back. She wasn’t sure what he was angry at her for; She had done her best to keep hold of Maurice, but the monster’s telekinesis was way too strong.
A roar from across the cave prompted the three to look toward it, and Marcus was standing atop a rock, nocking another of his elemental arrows. He looked back at them and repeated his earlier order.
"I told you all to get out of here! GO!"
He did not need to tell her again. Elania pushed past Taniel, and toward the direction the group had been fleeing. The three remaining novices were already further ahead, and she set off in a jog that had her catching up to them. Another enormous crash and explosion erupted behind her, but she didn’t look back. She just wanted to get away.
Taniel pulled off the basket-backpack and strapped it to his front. Elania thought about offering to carry it for him, but despite its bulk, it was not heavy enough to slow him down.
They pushed through to the next cavern and the next one after, finally making progress at leaving the sounds of battle behind them.
---
The two senior monks caught up to her and the novices eventually, and Elania realized Taniel had a second basket of moss strapped to his front. Evidently it had been important enough to go back to get it from where Maurice had dropped his pack.
She settled at a pace that left her at the back of the group. She realized she was shaken and had to fight back a tremor in her hand. She had fought the Darkwalkers, but it was another thing to watch another person be eaten and then come so awfully close herself to that same end by the maws of the massive beast.
The fear of running into something else, equally as terrifying kept her from falling too far back. She realized that she very much was an outsider in the group, being forced to stay with them now, unless she wanted to try and find her own way. That didn’t seem like such a safe option anymore.
She was not sure how long it had been since they had last heard the combat. It must have been hours, at least. It felt like longer, even if nothing noteworthy had caught her attention other than making sure she was keeping up with the monks. The group trudged through the caves in a morose and defeated silence.
"Here!"
Elania looked up at the shout.
She realized the fungus and mosses had changed hues again at some point. Vibrant purples and reds filled her vision as she looked around the cavern. A small stream passed through the middle of the space. The others were ahead and stopped, and she realized there was an opening that was almost hidden against the wall.
As she caught up, she realized that Taniel had been giving orders to the others. He looked at her with a frown.
“This is it. The room in the far back is yours.”
Looking through the entrance she saw that the others had moved dispersed into the chamber. It was shaped like a small bubble, with the single entrance as a choke point. Elania realized that the walls were not just raw stone. They were smoothed, and all around the room, there were carvings and other small decorations. It was a ruin of some sort that had been repurposed into a campsite. A ‘waystation’ is what they called it.
She started to ask about the ranger, but Taniel had already turned his back on her and was walking away. She felt a spark of annoyance toward him but was ultimately too emotionally exhausted to do anything but follow him and enter the waystation to find her room.
Around the chamber there were rooms cut into the circular wall at regular intervals. A central area had stone benches and a depression for a campfire. A metal spit was built into the stone above where she assumed the fire would go. There were already bundles of the spongy Tower-cap wood set against a stone slab. She assumed they were meant for firewood. The waystation seemed well taken care of and if what she had gleaned from them earlier, they had just stayed here a few days before. So that made sense.
She doubted she would have been able to find this place on her own, and she didn’t think she would even be able to find her way back to the Mushroohum village if she wanted. The route became jumbled and maze-like after the Manzitore attack. She stopped and frowned, looking over to Tanyan who was inspecting the Glow Moss baskets.
"Tanyan, what about Marcus?"
He looked at her and there was a long pause as he considered.
"I don’t know if he could manage to kill a Manzitore. They have a lot of powers and are easily S-ranked, even when they are young. That one had three heads so it must have been ancient. It would probably take a whole party of experienced mercenaries to take it down. I think he probably waited until we got out of the area then escaped."
“Do you think he would be able to do that?”
“Escape? I think so. He’s a ranger and it’s hard to pin that type down.”
"How do you get a class? I don't have one."
"You need someone from the class you want to train you in the right skills. That or find a manual with details on the class. Once you have the skills needed for the class you need them at a high enough level as well.”
“What’s the requirements for [Holy Monk]?”
Tanyan smiled at her. She did not really expect him to answer, the requirements for classes were probably well guarded secrets but she ended up surprised.
“For starters you need [Elemental Manipulation (Light)] Level 500 and [Meditation] Level 250. There are a few others, but those are the main ones.”
‘Level what?’ Elania blinked and realized she had her mouth open and quickly closed it. Level five-fucking-hundred? Her highest skill was not even level 50!
“It actually isn’t that high, but the evolved class of [Holy Monk] has a lot higher requirements. Those are a secret, unlike the base class.”
“Just how high do levels on skills go?”
“It isn’t like all skills have the same limit. Some only go to level five, and you’re stuck with whatever level it is when you get it. Others go up to twenty-five or fifty and level very slowly. Those often evolve into other skills, too. Most go up to a thousand, and usually evolve into a more advanced skill once they max out. Some go up to five thousand, especially the menial or general ones that don’t usually evolve into advanced versions.”
So, she was starting from rock bottom, skill wise. [Darkvision], [Demonic Aura], and [Identify] were definitely in the ‘special’ category on levels. [Reading] and [Writing] also. The magic and combat ones she had picked up seemed to be the high-caps, which suddenly made sense why they were leveling up so quickly. She’d pushed them up a lot in a few weeks, but the levels needed to get a class meant no one would probably get a class without planning and working toward it.
“So, there are class evolutions, too? Does it replace your old class, or do you get multiple?”
“Neither. A class evolution does replace your old class. You can also have multiple classes, although it is not recommended unless you know what you are doing. It slows your leveling down considerably.”
Multiple classes sounded overpowered, but Elania realized she did not actually know what classes did.
“Tanyan, this might seem like a silly question, but what do classes… actually do?”
He smiled at her and chuckled.
“They increase the effectiveness of their class skills. A mage might practice with a sword or bow, and he can be quite skilled in it, but if a warrior or ranger puts the same amount of effort in, they’ll be much better at the same thing. Especially if they both max out the same skill.”
Elania considered the ramifications of that. If someone didn’t care much for attribute points, and base level in general, would it make sense to take a bunch of classes for the skill boosts? What if found out that base level was important for something else? Well, none of her skills were anywhere near what seemed to be needed for a class, anyway, so she would have plenty of time to figure it out. She hoped so, at least.
She was still theorizing when someone else stepped into the conversation.
“Tanyan? Set these out for me?”
Taniel pressed his pack into Tanyan's arms and nodded to one of the rooms. The [Holy Monk] looked at her and gave her an apologetic smile before heading to unpack.
‘He just did that to keep Tanyan from answering more questions.’
There were three different side chambers that were meant for guests. The novices had all piled into one room, and she guessed that Tanyan and Taniel were going to share another. That left her with the third one. She was suddenly glad that Marcus was missing; she would have a space to herself.
Elania left Taniel with the baskets and made her way around to her chamber. There were hooks above the entrance for some type of tarp to be hung for privacy, and the novices had already finished the process of setting up one for themselves. She didn’t have anything to hang up there, though, so she would have to do without.
She heard a faint sobbing sound come from the novice’s room and she suddenly felt her insides go cold. Maurice was dead, and he had been the novice’s friend. Elania had a flashback to the scene with the Manzitore’s open mouth, about to eat her and shivered. And she had been asking about fucking skills and classes just after they got to the camp? She looked over toward the room Tanyan had went to. He probably knew the novice, too. What was wrong with her?
Taking a deep breath and trying to push that thought aside she examined the furniture in the room. It was carved right out of the stonework, being part of the room itself. What she had assumed were bricks or blocks were actually engravings made right into the raw stone to make it look constructed. There was a bench and chair, that were little more than slabs. In a corner there was a larger slab she assumed was meant for a place to put down her bedding.
Elania pulled out her bedroll, leaving the Mana Shard in her backpack. The roll was little more than a sewn together wrap of leather. It was a far cry from the modern sleeping bag she remembered from camping with her family. It was a gift from the Mushroohums so that made sense, but she thought she was going to have a hard time resting on it.
She had companions she could talk to now, even if they did not trust her. Somehow that made her feel lonelier than when she had been alone. She did have hope that they would warm up to her, though. With no sleep since she woke up in the Mushroohum storeroom, she realized that she was tired. It was not a physical tiredness, but an emotional one. As soon as she laid back on the leather bedroll, she was fast asleep.
Elania managed to sleep for a few hours before waking up. She wanted more time to simply black out the world and tried to go back to sleep for what felt like an eternity, but her new body refused to cooperate. The stone walls seemed too close around her and a feeling of claustrophobia hit her, so she decided to step out.
The monks seemed to be fast asleep, she could hear snoring coming from both rooms. She peeked into the novice’s space. Their bedrolls looked a bit plusher and more well-made than hers, but she did appreciate the fact that she had an entire room to herself. The hanging leather curtains gave them an illusion of privacy, but it was not much better than simply being open like hers.
The campfire had been banked with just a few glowing embers remaining. She stepped up to the cave entrance when a voice to the side surprised her.
"Going somewhere, demon?"
Elania's head whipped around to find Taniel sitting on a rock just inside the entrance. He had taken up a position there, and she had to admit it was a decent hiding spot to ambush anything entering--- or leaving if they weren't looking up.
"Everyone else is asleep, and I just woke up."
"Go back to sleep. There’s still plenty of time until morning."
Elania frowned. "I can't. Already tried. I don't need much sleep anymore. What about you, don't you need to rest? I could keep watch instead."
"Like I'd trust a demon to keep watch. Who would keep watch on you?"
That stung slightly. She shouldn’t have expected anything else from him, and she kicked herself mentally for even bothering to suggest it in an attempt to be nice. It probably just made him suspect her of being the horrible monster he kept assuming she was.
"Well, I can keep watch with you then. Do you mind if I ask some questions?"
"Yes. I do, actually."
Elania bit her lip, suppressing her annoyance. No matter how wary of demons Taniel was, she hadn't done anything to warrant his behavior toward her.
"Well, I'm going to collect some wood to restart the fire, and work on my crafting."
"Suit yourself."
Ugh! She wanted to hit him, but that wouldn't solve anything, so Elania decided to be the bigger person and walked away. She could work on her own project while waiting for the others to wake up.
The cavern connected to the waystation was mostly bare except for moss on the ceiling, but the next cavern over had a water source, and there was a plethora of [Tower-Cap] for her to harvest. Having a knife or hatchet would have made the job more comfortable, but she managed to find smaller ones to manage with her bare hands.
'If people only knew that Minecraft got it right.'
Once she had a pretty sizable bundle under her arm, she headed back. Taniel let her pass without comment, and she deposited it by the fire. Then she went and collected several more. She'd have plenty of material to work with.
Satisfied with the four wood bundles, she broke one up into shorter sticks while laying them on top of the still red glowing coals. She didn't have to wait long before the fire was crackling again.
The first task was completed, and Elania turned with a frown to the other stacks. She wanted to practice making spears, but her dagger had been discarded when it had become a molten mess. She'd need a knife.
She'd have to ask Taniel, who watched her warily as she approached.
"Hey, I need a knife to do some carving."
"No."
It took her a second to register the flat out refusal.
"You don't have one?"
"I have one in my things, but you can't have it."
"Why?"
Taniel glared at her and didn't respond, which just irked her further.
"If you don't give me a satisfactory answer, I'm going to go wake up Tanyan and ask him for one. I don't know why you're acting so childish all of a sudden."
When he didn't answer immediately, she turned to do just that, but he stopped her.
"Wait. I'll get it. Don't wake Tanyan up. They're all exhausted."
Elania realized he didn't look too perky himself as he got down off the rock and headed to his sleeping spot. She followed along and waited on the other side of the leather tarp for him.
It didn't take long. Taniel handed her a small blade with a polished hilt.
"Here."
"Taniel, you should get some rest, too. You're going to be exhausted tomorrow if you don't. I can keep watch."
When he didn't respond right away, she continued.
"I can keep watch, and if I see anything, all I have to do is yell. I'm not tired because I only need a few hours of sleep each day, and I'll be busy carving so I won't be bored."
She saw the moment he finally gave in on his face before he said anything.
"Fine, but if you see anything—and I mean anything—wake us up immediately."
She nodded confidently, although inside she was ecstatic at the prospect of building a little trust between them. She definitely wasn't going to mess up now.
---
Guard duty had gone splendidly while she made short work of the wood bundles. Most of it had been usable. The ones who’d been a bit too misshapen or short for her use, she added them to the fire. It took a few hours to finish them all.
Elania wasn't sure how much time had passed while she had worked. She needed to ask how the others told the time because the lack of any timepieces really bothered her.
Settling down, she waited and waited… and waited. Sitting idle was not one of Elania's strong points. The thought of going and getting another bundle of wood crept up, but she discarded it as being a violation of her duty to keep watch. She wasn't that childish.
She decided to check her [Status.]
[Status]
Name: Elania Reyes
Race: Lesser Demon (S Class Monster)
Level: 36
Power: 53/208
Karma: 24
Titles: [Locked]
[Some functions are disabled due to insufficient requirements.]
Titles locked, power pretty low, everything else the same, blah blah blah. She'd left the Mana Shard with her bedroll. Nevertheless, she figured she could practice her [Mana Manipulation] skill as an idea popped into her head. Maybe, at the same time, she could level up her Battle Concentration.
Holding up one hand, she worked on forming a spark of light in her palm. It didn't take long, and then, while focusing on not losing her concentration, she took the knife and pressed the tip into the top of her knee.
She drew a little blood. It hurt a bit as she kept up the pressure. It certainly made it a lot harder to concentrate on keeping the spark alive and in her palm. After a short period of time that felt like it took forever, she was finally rewarded.
[You have gained a level of Mana Manipulation!]
[You have gained a level of Battle Concentration!]
She smiled and focused on sustaining the effort. The amount of power it took was not that much, although it did drain her a little. It was nice to see the level ups come every so often. She eventually realized the amount of time was increasing between each one, but she couldn't tell what the exact increase was without a watch or timer.
Eventually, she became so focused on the exercise that she blocked out every other thought.
---
"Hey."
The voice startled Elania, and she dropped the spark, which went out as it fell onto the stone. A thin trail of blood was dripping down her leg as she redirected her focus on the source of the voice.
It was Tanyan who was looking up at her with a worried look on his face. "You can take a break now if you want. The others should be getting up soon. If you want, you can help make breakfast."
"Okay."
Elania quickly put away the knife and mopped up the blood, but she worried what Tanyan might think of her. She wanted to smack herself. She'd been so focused on the skills that she would have failed as a watchman except for something loud and obvious enough to break her concentration.
The level increases weren't anything to scoff at, though.
[Skills: Elania Reyes]
[Class: None]
[Affinities: Demonic, Mana, Darkwalker(Complete)]
[Magical: Demonic Aura Lvl - 6 (Deactivated), Mana Manipulation Lvl - 36, Battle Concentration Lvl 28]
[Physical: Unarmed Combat Lvl - 4, Darkvision Lvl - 3 (Activated), Dodging Lvl - 28, Block Lvl - 16, Stealth Lvl - 31, Throwing Weapons Lvl - 34, Combat Mastery Lvl - 32]
[Mundane: Identify Lvl - 5, Universal Speech Lvl - 5, Reading Lvl - 4, Writing Lvl - 3, Athletics Lvl - 17, Improvised Crafting Lvl - 24, Tracking Lvl 4]
At least it wasn't Taniel that had caught her unalert. She doubted she would have liked his glare. She did feel a little guilty for not doing her best, but she'd know better than to volunteer for watch duty next time.
It was way too fucking boring.
Elania had managed to pry a bit more information out of Tanyan that morning before being shut down again by Taniel.
'Seriously, what is his deal?'
The basic information of knowing that levels unlocked attribute points at 10, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, etc. was an important well-established fact and wouldn't hurt anyone for her to know. Yet when Taniel had heard Tanyan explaining, he had all but torn the man away from her blatantly, hidden under a veil of trying to hurry the group out of the waystation.
Still, it was a really important tidbit of information to consider. Suddenly, base levels seemed way more important. Grabbing multiple classes would be a huge drawback… especially as a demon. Her attribute choices seemed to be very powerful, and she wanted more of them. Grinding experience to level right now though, seemed like a bad idea, since hunting would mean leaving the group and crafting wasn’t nearly as effective as killing things.
While the others scarfed down their breakfast, Elania went to sort her things. Not that she had much to go through, but while the others were eating she needed to restore a bit of her 'Power' before they left. It was pretty much as low as it had been since she had first started keeping track of it. She had noticed feeling a bit… weak. She missed the feeling of lightness and effortless movement she had when it was close to max.
[Power: 24/208]
The difference between having about 50 power and now being below 30 was stark. She had concluded that her level of power acted as some type of multiplier, and while she hadn't figured out the exact multiplier ratio, the multiplier 'Power' gave her was logarithmic. Since it seemed to affect everything, she was fairly sure that was how she had managed to fight and keep up with the Darkwalkers. She wasn’t sure about the Bone Demon and Darkwalker Demon she had faced, but she though maybe she had managed those because she had more ‘Power’ than they did. She hadn’t seen them actively absorbing any corpses, but from what she had gathered that was also a natural demon ability.
The scary thing was, what if she had high skill levels too? She’d be super strong or good at… well whatever skills she had leveled. Why didn’t demons overpower everything? The only hint she had was that the others had considered her maximum ‘Power’ high. Maybe other demons had much lower power capacities, or couldn’t increase their maximum? The Bone Demon had given her a big chunk of power, but if it had been near max, it was still a lot less than her power limit was now.
'I hate math. High power good, low power bad.’
She hoped not to be affected the same way by using the Mana Shard as she had been by the Darkwalker Essence. That the shard might have been a pure form of energy, but she only had her gut feeling and guesses to guide her.
Picking up the crystal produced the same tingling warmth in her hand than it had in the beginning. But she didn't have time to absorb it slowly this 'morning' so she wanted to test out a theory.
Closing her eyes and focused on the mana—the tingling warmth from before filling her senses as she tried to draw it deeper into her body. There was a slight resistance, but then, like a dam breaking, the energy surged through her.
It took several seconds as she worked to slap an improvised wall down between herself and the crystal.
[Power: 55/208]
[Power: 68/208]
[Power: 79/208]
When she finally managed to rebuild the barrier, the power transfer rapidly came to a stop. Elania could feel the difference between the natural wall she had been relying on before and this new one that she had formed out of her own will, and she was able to slowly make the barrier slightly more permeable.
That was much better, a steady constant stream of energy flowing into her at a rate of one or two per second. She brought up her status and watched the power counter tick up until she cut it off when she was about 90% full.
[Power: 190/208]
Elania smiled, everything having worked out mostly to plan. She'd learned how to block the slow radiation of energy from the crystal as well, so she'd not be forced to wrap it up in a poor attempt to stop it from overcharging her.
Not that she had anywhere else to keep the crystal yet, she wrapped it back up in the bedroll and put it in her backpack since it was probably the safest place for it.
"We're going! Elania, hurry up!"
"Just a second!"
Annoyed, she blew a wayward strand of hair and checked the straps on her backpack and javelin bandolier before sliding a few of the spears into place on her back. That done, she headed out to join them.
There was a big pile of spears at the entrance. She'd leveled up her crafting skill by making them, but there wasn't a real way to bring them all. Maybe someone who used the waystation someday could use them, even if it was just for kindling and firewood.
As the group moved through the caverns again, Elania didn't have much to do but glower at Taniel's back. If he picked up on her mood, he didn't show any hint of it, and eventually, lost herself in her own head, thinking about what she should spend her next attribute point on.
There had been two selections that she focused on: [Reactive Adaptation] and [Essence Absorption (Touch)].
At some point, she remembered something concerning [Reactive Adaptation] from some comic she read about. If she remembered correctly, some super-heroine had it, and it provided the ability to protect against anything... or something.
She frowned, stretching her memory. She hadn’t been a massive reader of classic comics, and she couldn't be sure. She doubted whether it’d have the same effect anyway, considering it had been fiction from Earth. Although she had noticed a lot of similarities between Eladu and the portal fantasy fiction. Maybe someone had visited Eladu before her, and then found a way back and that was how people came up with the idea? The thought of someone getting back was encouraging.
The second skill she thought she had a much better read on. [Essence Absorption (Touch)] would allow her to gain essence from touching things, she thought. That would mean another way to gain 'Power' without killing things. That would be extremely useful when or if her Mana Shard ran out of energy. She didn't think essence from a person would affect her like monster essence seemed to. Although she was worried about whether it might hurt them permanently. She wished she knew the specifics, and of course someone who actually knew the exact effects or was willing to help her test it.
With a sigh, she decided to cross those bridges when she got to them. The other attributes looked useful as well, and the physical attribute ones looked like they would easily make her even more superhuman than she already was when her ‘Power’ was over-maxed. She wondered if normal people got the same choices she did for attributes, but she did not think she'd have luck asking that at the moment. Not with Taniel blocking most of her questions right now.
A halt had her snapping out of her thoughts and looking up. At first, she wasn't sure why they had stopped before she noticed the obvious rockslide. The tunnel between the current cavern and the next had partially collapsed, leaving only a narrow way through, wide enough for only a single person, and that was being generous. They were going to have to squeeze through, and not with packs on their backs either.
Taniel looked back at her and the others, assessing them, although for what she wasn't sure. Combat ability? His eyes settled on her, and she frowned. He wasn't going to send her first, was he?
Elania shifted uneasily on her feet until she had her answer. Thankfully, he didn't.
"I will go first, then Elania, Herrik, Garen, Berrick. Tanyan, you'll be last and keep watch while the others cross."
Elania found herself agreeing with the order. She didn't want to go first, and she probably was stronger than the novices at fighting. She didn’t have much to base that guess on other than their attitudes and status. It was hard to say how strong Taniel or Tanyan was compared to her. If her estimations were right, they were around her age but seemed to have had a lot of training. They were a lot higher level than the others, which probably meant they had killed more monsters than she had at the very least.
Still, while she was inexperienced, she wasn't weak. The lightness of her body from the power rush would not easily let her forget that.
Elania watched closely as Taniel started through the narrow space. He had to drag the basket of [Glow-Moss] alongside him as he went. Other than that, there wasn’t any trouble getting through. She wasn't precisely claustrophobic, but the thought of an earthquake at the worst moment did worry her a bit. At least her backpack would be a lot easier to manage than one of the baskets of moss the monks were saddled with.
"It's clear, come on through."
Taniel's voice echoed a little as it came back to them. Tanyan gave her an encouraging nod, and then she started through. At first, it wasn't that difficult, but once around the corner, the rock pressed in tighter.
The current state of her attire--- two pieces of leather didn't cover up much, and each time she bumped or scraped into the rock, the event was not pleasant. She didn't, or rather couldn't actually get harmed by the scrapes because of [Regeneration], but they still hurt. She wasn't sure how she would have managed one of the larger baskets or if she had a less athletic form.
'I guess all those track-meets paid off. I wonder how self-sustenance affects weight gain or loss? Maybe it’s possible to eat all the chocolate I want without worrying about getting fat?'
As she made it past the tightest point, things began to open up again. That was when she had a horrifying thought.
'What if chocolate doesn't exist in this world?'
"Hey Taniel, do you know what cho—"
"Quiet, there is something in the cavern with us."
"Wha—" Elania cut herself off and hurried to push through the rock. While she was pressed in the narrow passage, the idea of something attacking had her rapidly reconsidering her previous thought of not being claustrophobic.
The cavern wasn't as lit up like the ones they had been traveling through. The moss was absent, and there was very little of the glowing fungus. Should she call for the next person? She didn't want to call someone into danger.
Taniel was crouched nearby, peering over a rock, and Elania hurried over to him. The lack of ambient light meant everything was shades of black and gray, but her vision had adapted nicely, and she didn’t have that much trouble seeing.
"I can't see what it’s. It's too dark, my [Darkvision] isn't working, and the torches are with Tanyan."
Elania heard the worry in his tone and scanned the cave, looking for the source of the sound. ‘So he has Darkvision too, it isn’t just a demon thing.’
All her worries dissipated when she spotted some movement at the opposite end of the cavern.
"Don't worry, I can see just fine. It’s just a few Ralfo—"
[Ralfot Alpha]
[You have gained a level in Identify!]
Easily three times bigger than the others, and glaring straight at them as it scraped the ground with a massive hoof.
It was the biggest Ralfot she had ever seen.
[Alpha Ralfot]
The massive Ralfot even had a unique prefix! Considering the stupidly large size of the thing, it did seem to warrant the particular moniker.
"It's... an Alpha Ralfot with a few Ralfots scattered about. Taniel, it... knows we are here and isn't happy."
"Demon-cursed luck."
It took Elania a second to realize he wasn't referring to her but swearing. She didn't have time to fully appreciate the ramifications of her race being a swear word when the [Alpha Ralfot] began to charge.
"It's coming!"
"Obviously, I'm not deaf!"
Elania readied one of her javelins, but she was quite doubtful that the rampaging Alpha would notice the puny weapons. She found herself wishing she had a real weapon.
'A rocket launcher or a machine gun would be perfect.'
Unfortunately, while this world seemed to have magic in abundance, useful items were in short supply.
"Get back, let me deal with it."
Right. If the monk thought he could handle the two- or three-ton bull rushing them he didn't have to tell her twice, and she scurried back to the passage to watch whatever plan he had come up with.
A bit of doubt filled her as he just stood there for a moment. Then he started to do monk-things, starting with his arms stretching out to trace a circle in front of him before clasping them together at his chest. His hands flashed into a blur, moving so fast that Elania couldn't track his fingers.
'Oh, I've seen this before on Netflix. It's like Iron Fist! Magic Kung Fu!'
A faint orange glow surrounded Taniel as he continued to stand in the same spot. Elania loved kung-fu tv shows and Chinese martial arts movies and was fully expecting the monk to go full Shaolin on the charging animal.
She wasn't disappointed.
A second before the thick curled horns reached Taniel, he stepped forward and punched, fist impacting directly between the two protrusions of bone and into the beast's forehead. A shockwave of sound erupted from the impact point with a resounding thunk that Elania could feel in her chest.
'Wow. Scratch Iron Fist, maybe One-Punch Man?'
Elania couldn't believe her eyes, the punch had stopped the charge entirely and the massive Alpha Ralfot fell back a bit before shaking its head, seeming a bit disoriented. She found herself gawking as it slowly regained its feet. She had not entertained the idea that it might not be dead after the massive impact. 'It must have a really thick skull!'
The disorientation didn't last long as it suddenly surged forward again in an attempt to trample Taniel. He wasn't prepared for a second 'epic monk punch' and was forced to dodge backward to avoid getting skewered by the massive horns. Taniel landed a few normal punches before spinning around the beast's attack, but those hits had nowhere near the oomph of the first, and Elania began to get worried as his dodges turned into more of a frantic scramble than deliberate evasion.
Moving forward, Elania cast one of her javelins, aiming for the beast's flank. She doubted it could do more than bother the bull, but it was the only place she could aim without risking hitting the monk.
The bull bellowed in pain and spun as the projectile embedded itself in a hind leg. She'd thrown the javelin with as much strength as she could and was surprised by just how deep the projectile penetrated.
'It's the 'Power.' I'm a lot stronger than normal.'
The Alpha zeroed in on her and charged. Elania didn't waste any time, pulling out another javelin and throwing it with the same extraordinary force as before, aiming for an eye. She wasn't quite that good yet, and she let out a curse as the point struck one of the massive horns instead and shattered.
That didn't slow it down at all. Her eyes widened as it quickly devoured the space between them in a stampede of one. She locked down her shock and surprise at the Alpha's speed and came up with a plan.
"Elania! Get out of there!" Taniel was sprinting after it, an orange glow forming around his fist again as he did so, but he didn't have a chance of catching up in time.
'Nice to know you care at least a little.'
Elania braced herself, and just before the Alpha smashed into her, she hurled herself to the side in a powerful leap. There was a massive crunch and the whole cave seemed to shake, stone and dust spilling from the already damaged passage.
'Just call me Elania of Rivia!'
Elania was just a little giddy; the Alpha had done exactly as she wanted, smashing its head into the cave wall, leaving it stunned and disoriented. As she pulled herself back onto her feet, Taniel caught up to the Alpha and smashed a glowing fist into its side.
The blow was enough to cause the Ralfot's body to lift up off the ground before settling again, and Taniel followed up with a flurry of blows that seemed like overkill, thrashing what Elania quickly realized was a corpse even without the system message.
[Your party has defeated an Alpha Ralfot!]
[You have gained a level.] x4
'Those punches must have been strong enough to rupture its internal organs.'
The loud rush of a stampede drew her attention to the herd of Ralfots, they didn't seem to want to stick around after their Alpha died, and the dust cloud they kicked up began to spread and fill the cave.
"Taniel? Elania? Are you alright, what happ---"
Tanyan had hurried through the crevice next in a hurry to see if he could help. Elania shook her head; she wasn't sure she would have wanted to be stuck in that narrow passage while the cave was shaking.
"I'm alright."
She answered, then looked to Taniel, who was manhandling the [Alpha Ralfot] corpse. She watched as he forced the beast over onto its side before drawing a knife and starting to carve away at its chest. She wasn't sure what he was doing or even if he heard Tanyan's question. Elania took a step forward and frowned; what was he doing?
"Taniel?"
"Stay back demon, this one isn't for you."
He shoved his arm into the bull's chest and pulled out a red glowing rock, but Elania had lost interest in what he was doing and was pissed off at how he ignored Tanyan's question. Plus, he'd dropped back to calling her a demon again after she had just helped him beat the thing!
She reached down and set her hand on his shoulder, "Tanyan wants---"
To Elania's complete surprise, Taniel whirled around and punched her in the face. Hard. It lifted her into the air, and she flew backward. She realized with dawning horror that her nose and front teeth were shattered. He wasn't stopping either, he was sprinting after her, and the orange glowing energy she had seen him use on the Ralfot was accumulating around his fist.
“Did you think you’d get away with that? Trying to collapse the cave on them?”
That was bad. She didn’t have time to process the words he spit out even as another fist came flying toward her. Elania rolled away the second she touched the ground; Taniel's fist exploding the rock just behind her in an eruption of stone fragments. He wasn’t holding back.
'He's trying to kill me!'
Outrage warred with anger, and Elania gained her feet and tried to punch him back. The levels in combat mastery had helped her learn the flow of combat, and she had done very well against the Darkwalkers, but she quickly found that she was ill-prepared for this kind of fight.
Taniel seemed to move fluidly around her awkward punch, and a rapid flurry of jabs and punches followed that was very one-sided. Taking advantage of her graceless movements, he grappled her and locked her elbow joint before painfully forcing her forward and slamming her already bloody face onto the ground. She let out a scream of pain, and she could hear Tanyan distantly shouting.
"What the hell are you two doing!?"
Elania struggled against his joint lock, and she felt a blow slam into her back. She was stronger than him; she could feel him struggling to keep her pinned down despite the massive advantage his combat technique gave him. Pressing with all the strength in her free arm, she wrenched herself around as hard as she could. A sickening snap of her elbow followed an audible pop of her shoulder, the searing pain threatening to overwhelm her.
It gave her the leverage and position she needed. She only had a split second to see the surprise on Taniel's face as she kicked him in the side with a knee. Somehow despite the close quarters, he managed to intercept it with his arm, but the power of the blow was enough to send him hurling off of her.
He landed with a roll and then did a fancy monk stance. She was in too much pain to be impressed, only having managed to roll onto her knees as she felt every single bone fragment in her arm trying to wiggle its way back into place along with her face trying to reconstruct itself.
Then he started for her again. She wasn't sure what to do as she fumbled for her borrowed knife to try a mana attack. She knew close combat was not going to work; he was a bonafide fucking Shaolin-super-monk and she was not ready for this kind of fight.
A frantic plan to try and drop him with her aura and then melt his face off with a blast thankfully wasn't put to the test when Tanyan interposed himself between them. Taniel's fist came to a stop inches away from Tanyan but the [Holy Monk] didn't flinch or offer any resistance.
"Peace brother, unless you mean to kill me."
Taniel was frozen, and Tanyan reached up to the other monk's still clenched hand and pried his fingers open. A glowing orange orb fell into Tanyan's outstretched palm. The color around it flared brighter for a moment before it slowly turned a deep ethereal blue.
Whatever it was taken from Taniel, it suddenly caused the fight to go out of him. Tanyan opened his arms and took a step forward to catch the other monk in a hug as the other man collapsed.
Elania let out a curse as she felt her shoulder pop back into place, with the needles in her elbow settling into a dull ache. She was idly aware of the rest of the novices having arrived through the collapsed passage and the trio was goggling at the bloody battlescape.
Tanyan looked back at her and frowned as he set the other monk down. "Are you alright, Elania?"
"No."
Elania was in a foul mood as she hauled not only her backpack but also Taniel's basket of 'probably-won't-explode-moss' as well. Her teeth still hurt, although she thought that might have just been ghost pain because her injuries had all magically corrected themselves. The suddenly erupting new teeth to replace the missing ones was a horrible experience she was not in a hurry to relive.
Tanyan's explanation of the other Monk's sudden attack didn't exactly sit well with her either. She had put Taniel’s words together after the fact as meaning he thought she had attempted to collapse the cavern on top of the other monks as they went through the collapsed passage. That was horrifying, and she realized he did have a point, the passage was unstable, and she had caused it to shake more than just a little with the Alpha’s crash into the wall. That hadn’t been her intent, but she saw how he could have come to that conclusion… if he thought the absolute worst of her, which he obviously did.
Tanyan had handed her the once-orange-now-blue orb that came out of the Alpha Ralfot and told her it was a Monster Core. They formed in certain monsters near 'dungeons' and could amplify people's emotions and powers while being especially useful as crafting ingredients. It was hers now, as an apology for the attack.
Her first question as he handed it to her was if it was going to suddenly turn her into a giant like the Alpha or make her go off on a bloodlust filled rage like Taniel.
"It shouldn't affect you like the Alpha Ralfot, and you should be immune to the other effects."
Elania still wasn't completely appeased and glared at the little blue orb for a moment before tossing it in her backpack. If what he said was true the little blue orb had caused a lot of trouble, even if it was valuable.
In this instance, the ‘Core’ had affected Taniel’s animosity toward her, and not for the better. She had slightly zoned out during Tanyan’s long explanation about emotional resonances and how ‘Monster Cores’ worked, even though she should have paid attention. Elania found herself glancing over to the unconscious monk repeatedly, wishing she could shake him awake and shout at him.
That was a fun, but bad idea, but each time her arm bothered her, she couldn’t help but glare behind her at the novices and Taniel. It still felt like little bone splinters were working their way back into place.
The party continued on the stony path for several more hours, the monotone trudge being broken when one of the novices stumbled his hand catching on her backpack for support. That brought the ragged party to a stop. Tanyan looked back at the three novices, concerned about the unconscious Taniel who had almost spilled out onto the stone while Elania shot an annoyed look at the younger novice stammering an apology.
The Martial Monk still had not woken up since the fight, and although Tanyan had done some fancy healing magic that made his hands glow with yellow-white light, Taniel wasn't expected to wake for a day or two. That was highly inconvenient for the novices, as Elania had refused to help carry him, and Tanyan had to stay at the front as he was the only one left that had any inkling or clue about what path to take to reach the next waystation.
"How do you know we’re going the right way?"
"It was just a few days ago we went through here."
"Why didn’t we go around the cave-in then?"
"That was new. I might not know the way as well as Marcus or Taniel, but I can get us to the next station. It isn't much farther." Tanyan smiled at her in what seemed to be an attempt to reassure her, but Elania found it forces. Everyone was aware how tattered things had become with the downing of another party member.
Reaching the waystation was a good short-term goal, but Elania saw it as just a stepping stone to making it to the city of Neftasu. From what she understood, it was a small underground city, with thousands of people. It had some type of triumvirate system with three guilds overseeing the day-to-day workings with some type of noble council of mages being the rulers.
"What about an adventurer's guild?"
"A what? Why would adventurers have a guild?"
"Well... to do quests? For the nobles and other people who need things done?"
"No one would want to have a guild of adventurers. Those sorts are not well-liked anywhere. They cause all sorts of problems, looting ruins and unleashing undead curses. Riling up sleeping dragons in their lairs and causing them to go on fiery rampages. Ruining local economies with gluts of money. Consorting with d...”
Tanyan cut himself off before finishing his sentence, obviously for her benefit. He explained with such a matter-a-fact deadpan that made her have to accept it as not a joke—riled up dragons? Undead Hordes? What kind of fucking world had she ended up in?
“Most cities ban adventurers.”
The path was becoming less and less smooth, and now they struggled up multiple three-foot-high ledges. That was slowing them down, especially with Taniel lying comatose on a litter.
Right, so adventurers had a bad rap. Do not associate with adventurers, got it. Elania wanted to ask what the Conclave's duties were but skipped over it. Far more important was finding a way to earn some money and take care of herself while she figured out what she needed to travel to the surface.
"So, no adventurer's guild. What about the rangers? You said they act as guides for groups that need to travel?"
"Well, yes. There are guilds for various important professions. Ranger's guild. Mage's guild. The biggest is the Mercenary guild which contains all sorts. You generally aren't permitted to join more than one, they usually demand loyalty from members."
"But no adventurer's guild," Elania said, finding it a bit silly that specific one, which was the cornerstone of probably half the literature on earth, didn't actually exist.
"No, none of those."
She kept pestering him, trying to get a feel of what the city was like, and was relieved when he informed her she wouldn't be banned from the city for being a demon. Although they were all bound by contracts to mortals in general, demons were not that uncommon.
Being an unbound demon would cause issues because demons like her were considered a danger—mostly because they were not under someone's control. From what Elania had picked up, the authorities didn’t actually check to see a contract’s specifics, so it was entirely possible that it was often the demon who was pulling strings anyway, usually, to steal someone's soul. Classic. That, she had to admit, was a shitty thing to do, and probably why she had been getting such a cold welcome from everyone she met.
Why exactly Demons wanted to ‘steal someone’s soul’ wasn’t exactly made clear to her. The only thing she could put together and guess at was that it had something to do with Power and Essence and probably improving themselves. She wasn’t exactly sure how that worked nor had she any mechanics in the [System] that indicated a soul would be desirable to steal.
People had two general ideas about her race; She was either a cunning-soul stealer that tricked people, or a barely sentient monster that was only held in check by commands.
She eyed the [Demon Contract (1 Available)] attribute on her sheet. It was considered a potent magic that could enforce anything contained in them. Soul Magic.
'Don't sign the dotted light without reading the small print and making sure the other party isn't some super-genius lawyer-devil. Got it.'
Elania wasn't sure if souls and essence were the same thing, but if other Demons had 'Power' and needed it to survive, then it made sense they'd need a way to acquire some without killing everyone. Although that was exactly what she had been doing, which probably would not be an option for any demon living inside the city. It also made her wonder if demons had the same attributes she did.
Elania doubted it. The demons she had fought didn't have [Regeneration] at least. The bones the Bone Demon had left behind indicated he was often eating something… so he probably didn’t have [Self-Sustenance] either. She wondered just how that changed the equation of needing Power to survive for him as opposed to her. She already knew she could survive without breathing much less eating or drinking, as long as she has some Power in reserve.
Since it had come up, she wanted to figure out how the [Demon Contract] thing worked, so she tried to bring up the ability. She was getting better at manipulating and working with the menus and popups over time, and she was a bit surprised there wasn't a skill for 'System usage' in her list.
With a frustrated breath, she took a moment to figure out the exact process for bringing up the screen she wanted. When it finally complied, she quickly noticed drop-down boxes and open fields that could be filled out.
'Oh, that's handy... and it seems really free-form. I wonder what limitations it has?'
The screen was split into two sections, one for the 'Contractor' and the other for the 'Contractee,' which both had areas for requirements and failures. The default contract was a bit distasteful.
[Spoiler]
[Contractor: Elania Reyes]
[Contractee: None Specified]
[Duration: Indefinite]
[Essence Upkeep: Contractee 0.04/hr]
[Contractor Requirements]
[Contractee Requirements]
[Contractor Penalty Clause]
[Contractee Penalty Clause]
[/Spoiler]
The Contractee would instantly die and give up their soul if they broke the contract? She didn't like that—and just as the thought crossed her mind, the field suddenly turned blank. Seeing how easy it was to manipulate the contract terms, she immediately started playing with it and found everything completely customizable.
'Why can't everything else work this easily?'
A few minutes and one tripping accident later, she had a new contract that made her smile.
[Spoiler]
[Contractor: Elania Reyes]
[Contractee: None Specified]
[Duration: Two Hours]
[Essence Upkeep: Contractor 1/hr]
[Contractor Requirements]
[Contractee Requirements]
[Contractor Penalty Clause]
[Contractee Penalty Clause]
[/Spoiler]
The only thing she couldn't change was the 'Essence Upkeep' field, although she could change who had to pay it. However, the upkeep cost was exponentially higher if she paid for it. Her customized contract 'Questions!' contract would theoretically cost her one 'Power' per hour.
"Hey, Tanyan."
"What?"
"Want to sign a Contract with me?"
She almost felt bad as he stumbled and nearly fell as he turned to look at her in horror.
'Oh well, I should have expected that kind of reaction.'
"N—no. Members of the Conclave aren't permitted to consort with demons!"
How was she supposed to offer the contract anyway? Then she realized she still needed to fill out who the Contractee was.
[Contractee: Tanyan]
She filled out his name, which resulted in a green box with a checkmark forming at the bottom of the screen. She smiled and pressed it without hesitation. Her finger went through it without any tactile sensation, but it worked in any case.
'So easy! It’s nice to have something to press, too.'
The box flew away from her rapidly and settled in front of Tanyan. Judging by the way his eyes bulged, he could see the screen now, too. Or whatever version of his [System] showed him. That was neat.
The whole party was brought to a standstill. The novices all stared at Tanyan, murmuring to each other with disappointment.
"Senior..."
"How could he—?"
"Don't do it!"
To his credit, he did seem to consider the contract and read it before the screen turned red. He reached up and then spun it around in the air then pushed it toward her. Elania felt her jaw drop.
"Wow! You can move the screens around like that?"
Tanyan looked at her warily and turned away, gesturing for the party to keep moving.
"I told you, members of the Conclave aren’t permitted to consort with demons. Just ask your questions!"
Elania sat on a boulder just outside the Waystation entrance, humming her best rendition of Misty Mountains Cold. One of the novices had been in-and-out a few times to fetch water and had looked at her with a funny expression. Well, not everyone had her taste in music, or maybe he didn’t appreciate her mangled attempts. Even if she didn’t have a Singing skill, which was unfair, she was doing her best. Although as she thought about it, she wasn't sure if the look was for the humming or because she was spinning the contract screen like a spin-top balanced on her finger.
Learning that the [System] screens could respond to touch and direction was an incredible revelation. Most of the screens had been misaligned, as if they were for a taller person, and had forced her to lift her head or get in other uncomfortable positions. It wasn't just moving the screens; she could resize the screens, their colors, along with the text size and font. She could even move them a reasonable distance away.
She happily continued humming while rearranging elements and building what she considered her ‘Hud’ which was placed at a comfortable location in her vision and included some basic stats, but most importantly her ‘Power’ gauge. It was nearly full as she had topped up after the fight with the Alpha and Taniel. She was still angry about that.
[Power: 194/208]
She wondered if there was any magic that could replicate songs from her memory. There was a whole library of songs from Clamavi De Profundis that she'd like to import. The thought had her smiling; maybe she'd eventually be able to play boss music when fighting?
Sighing, she gave the contract screen another spin. The whole setup might have been mistaken for a really realistic VR setup, complete with customizable screens and tactile sensations. Except that wasn't possible. The technology for that kind of thing wasn't even on the horizon except in fiction, and nothing so far had given her any hint of this being a setup.
"Elania."
She looked up to see Tanyan, who was wringing his hands and looking a bit worried. He hadn't stopped being skittish since she'd brought up the contract. She had ended up feeling a bit guilty for teasing him and had stopped with all the questions.
Still, it wasn't her job to put him or the others at ease, "What's up?"
She restrained a smile when he actually looked at the ceiling for a second before shaking his head and continuing, "Taniel's still unconscious. I wanted to try a few herbal remedies to see if they would help. Could you go and find a few mushrooms for me?"
"Sure, but only if..."
"...if I answer a few of your questions. Right. Alright, I can do that. Are you sure you aren't some kind of Question-Demon?"
"No, I'm just an urban girl that fell down the rabbit hole further than Alice could have ever imagined."
"Right... I get it."
He didn't, but that was fine, and she closed her screens and hopped down off the boulder.
"So, what do you need exactly?"
"Most important ones are [Fenicia's Fungal Growth] and some [Bright Stem.]"
He pulled out a leather pouch, along with a leather glove.
"You'll want these. Don't get the Fenicia anywhere near your eyes, nose, ears, mouth or..." His gaze crept downward and then his cheeks turned a bit red as he failed to finish the list.
Elania wanted to know just who Fenicia was and why she had been sticking mushrooms between her legs, but she didn't figure the poor embarrassed monk would know. Scratch that. She didn’t want to know.
"I've seen the Fenicia before, but what does the [Bright Stem] look like?"
"They are the small ones that like to grow on the sides of rocks near the water, long spines with a bright glow that comes from underneath the cap."
"Right, got it. I think I saw them when we crossed the stream... but I think they were called [Green Caps] though...?"
"Right, they look almost the same, but the Green Caps have a slight green hue. You don't want to mix them up as the Green Caps are mildly poisonous."
Elania smiled and nodded as she took the glove and the leather pouch. 'Don't pick the poison mushroom, Elania. Don’t get the obviously capital B bad Fungal Growth between your legs either.’
"Ok, I'll be back in a bit."
"I need about half and half of each, the whole pouch full."
"Got it."
---
Elania scraped the stupid [Fenicia's Fungal Growth] with her leather glove with a frustrated scowl. The [Glow Stem] had been relatively easy to find when she knew what to look for; even if there was only one or two in each patch of [Green Cap], there were plenty of those along the stream, and they were simple to pick.
The [Fenicia's Fungal Growth] was not as common, but the real problem was it wasn't quickly plucked off the rock. It had grown like a coat of flaky paint. She was able to pull some off, but that left most of it still adhered to the stone surface.
She had considered using her knife, but after Tanyan's warning, she didn't want to risk contaminating the blade with something that might be... problematic later. Although if the stuff was as bad as he alluded to, it would probably make a nasty surprise for anyone wounded by it.
She'd been scraping at the stubborn stuff for what felt like forever and only had two-thirds of the amount Tanyan had asked for. She considered taking a break--- her hand was getting stiff--- when a shout drew her attention.
One of the novices was by the stream, and something with green scales and about the size of a bear was gnawing on his leg, trying to drag him into the water.
[Razorscale]
Elania hastily attached the leather pouch to her belt and stood. She didn't have her javelins or spear, just her knife. In just the few seconds it took her to take in the situation, it became clear the novice wasn't going to survive for much longer. There was no way she'd reach him in time, even at a sprint. That only left two options.
She slammed on her [Demonic Aura] and raised her knife. The [Razorscale] roared and spun, releasing the badly mauled novice and glaring at her. Elania didn't waste any time. She channeled her mana and her small knife began to glow. She was getting much better at directing the energy, and a slim stiletto of energy flew at the monster.
It struck it on the side of its massive jaw, spraying a bit of blood into the air, but that only seemed to anger it more. The [Razorscale] lunged forward and charged at her, and she looked at her power gauge warily.
[Power: 176/208]
[Mana Manipulation] was too expensive. She had kept the blast as small as she could just for that reason, but it still ate up a considerable amount of her reserve. She didn't want to make herself any weaker for the physical confrontation.
The [Razorscale] couldn't match the sheer size and weight of the [Alpha Ralfot], but it seemed fast and had a terrifying mouth full of teeth, along with a set of long wicked looking claws on each limb.
'Razorscale is a good name for it, I wonder if those teeth could be used as spearheads.'
She was used to things charging at her by now, and the [Razorscale] did not disappoint her expectation. Instead of waiting for it to reach her, she took off in a sprint to the side.
A little bit of self-doubt crept into her. Was she really doing this? She'd drawn the monster away from the wounded novice, but now she would have to find a way to deal with it herself.
"Elania!" Tanyan's voice sounded clearly through the chaos; he had her spear. He tossed it toward her, and she diverted her direction slightly to bring her closer to its trajectory. It didn’t quite reach her but as soon as it skidded to a stop on the ground, she scooped it up. It was just in time, as the [Razorscale] had quickly caught up to her.
She yelled as she changed direction and rushed forward, aiming the point of the weapon for its throat. It didn't slow down its charge at all, and she felt satisfaction as the point impacted exactly where she had aimed. Which instantly turned to horror as the wood point was deflected to the side and slid off the polished green scales.
It was on her instantly, claws stabbing into her arm as it bit down on her shoulder. Instinctively she turned the impact into a backward roll and planted her feet on the thing's midsection before throwing it off. It hurtled into a stone pillar with a resounding crash.
Her arm and shoulder burned like fire, and she realized the wounds weren't healing immediately. Blood seeped down her side in a light trickle, but the fire seemed to be expanding. Poison? Did poison slow down her [Regeneration]? Didn't she have Poison resistance? Why didn't that help?
A hand fell on her shoulder from behind, and she had to check herself as she whirled and almost punched Tanyan.
"Come on! You can't fight that thing!"
He was right. Her pathetic weapon hadn't stood a chance at harming the armored scales. Elania let him pull her toward their camp, a glance at the wounded novice she had saved causing her to place a hand over her mouth in shock.
The places on his body where he had been wounded looked like they had melted as if he was wax put to flame, a massive pool of blood and melted flesh forming around him. His eyes had disappeared in their sockets, and his face looked like it was frozen in a scream.
Mercifully, she did not have time to stare as a roar from behind sent Tanyan and her into a sprint. She could hear the stone crunching under the monster's feet as it closed the gap quickly. One of the novices had a terrified look on his face as he gestured for them to hurry.
The other was fooling around with a carved stone pillar. It looked like he was desperately trying to rotate one of the stones on the top of it.
"Wait! Wait for us to---" Tanyan was cut off as the activation stone on the pillar finally gave in to the novices frantic attempts and rotated into place. Suddenly a white bubble erupted at the entrance to the Waystation.
Tanyan skidded to a halt before Elania could, and she bounced off the now shimmering, nearly transparent but solid barrier, her eyes widening in the realization of what had just happened. The novice had trapped them outside with the [Razorscale] with some magic device.
Elania turned and shoved Tanyan as hard as she could manage in the few seconds she had to react. Time seemed to slow down for her, and she could see the shock on his face turn to understanding as he rotated through the air. She worried that she had pushed him too hard, but she didn't have time to watch to see if he recovered.
She pushed off the ground and dodged backward an instant later. It was barely in time as the [Razorscale] slammed into the spot they had just been occupying with an angry hiss. It didn't seem to notice the barrier and as it slid forward it impacted the invisible wall with a heavy thud before it began to batter the shimmering energy with its clawed limbs.
Somehow it was taking more offense at being stopped by the shimmering air than it wanted to chase her and Tanyan down for the moment. That was fine with Elania. The novice's horrified screams from just inside the barrier probably was helping draw its attention, and she was pretty sure the man would have to clean his pants later.
Tanyan didn't waste any time recovering from his tumble, and she realized that she needed to move while the [Razorscale] was preoccupied as well. They both angled their retreat so they would meet some distance from the raging monster when she felt a twinge of pain in her shoulder.
Elania wiped some of the smeared blood off of the new skin there. The injury had finally managed to heal itself, but it had taken much longer than expected. She suspected that it had been related to the novice. Was it poison or acid? She didn't think so; actually, she wondered if it was something like bacteria, like the Komodo dragon used back home. Just accelerated and on a ridiculous monster scale like the [Manzitore] and Darkwalker Demon.
"We need to get some distance and wait for it to lose interest." Tanyan breathed heavily.
She wasn't going to argue at the moment, although she did want to wring the one novice's neck for locking them out of the Waystation. The thought of leaving them there crossed her mind, but her Mana Shard was there. Taniel was still unconscious from the fight, and she still needed to yell at him for attacking her when he woke up.
A roar interrupted her thoughts. Tanyan put a hand on her shoulder and directed her toward one of the cavern's entryways. It was the path they had arrived from, and she tried to pull up her mental map of the route they had taken for a nearby hidey-hole. Tanyan took the lead, and after some time after the roars had become distant, he pulled her aside to an alcove that she hadn't noticed.
"How long until it goes away?"
"It took an entire night before. It's the same type of monster that ate Yena."
"Yena?"
"Marcus's demon. Same thing happened to her almost at the next Waystation. Got stuck outside of the protective barrier, and Marcus wouldn't lower it to let her in and a Razorscale ate her. Wasn't expecting to see it at this one though."
"Shouldn't it be getting safer as we get closer to the city? Cause it sure doesn't feel that way."
"There are different bands of danger, and the cave ecology moves around a lot. There aren't any set areas that are 'safe' or 'dangerous' ; it is all dangerous, even right up to the city entrances."
If the caves changed as much as he seemed to imply, it made sense to her. She wondered how much of a nightmare it made to guard the city, though.
Elania winced as her shoulder twinged again, and she rubbed at the sore ache that seemed to have developed. Tanyan noticed her expression, and a frown formed on his face as he eyed her bloody shoulder.
"It... didn't manage to bite or cut you? You did that banging into something?"
"Uh. No, it mauled me pretty good when the spear snapped."
A look of horror crossed his face, and he suddenly moved beside her. Elania looked at him warily but sat still and let him inspect her shoulder. "What?"
"It bit you and you're still alive somehow."
He put his hands over her shoulder and closed his eyes, and the white glow thing surrounded his palms and spread over to her shoulder. She wanted to ask how magic worked in general but managed to stay quiet as he seemed to focus. She didn't have to wait long before he stopped.
"There is a bit of a problem, while it seems the wound healed over, there is a... pocket of bad humors left from the beast that is sealed in your shoulder now. That's why you're still feeling pain. I'm not sure if it will heal on its own or not, and I don't think I can use my healing on you since it is Holy based."
Elania listened. Bad humors? Right, she was in the stone age, and she guessed they didn't have a concept of bacteria or microbes. At least that was her theory; the world did seem to work the same way, mostly.
"Uhh, right. An abscess or something from the Razorscale's bite. I do have a weakness to Holy, but can’t you lance it or something? Pretty sure if we drain out the pus I will heal naturally."
'Well, as natural as a demon with [Regeneration] anyway...'
She smiled at him as he looked at her in confusion.
"Uhh, what?" Tanyan stammered.
She almost sighed, pulling out the knife. She made sure to thoroughly wipe the blade off and make sure it was clean of any of the Fenicia residue before offering it to him.
"Here, you can use this. You were able to tell where the abscess was, right? Poke it and squeeze the pus out. Normally that's a bad idea and can spread the infection around, but I have Wolverine levels of healing so I should be fine."
"Uhh." He still looked at her blankly, like he only understood a bit of what she had said. She didn't want to push him, but she had noticed another consideration. Her 'Power' meter that she had managed to set up as a 'Hud' element was ticking downward at an increased rate.
"Look, I can't reach around my back and do it myself. I think it would heal on its own eventually, but it is sore and I think it is draining my 'Power' slowly. So drain the 'bad humors' out and everything will heal on its own."
It took a few more moments of him considering, but he finally agreed.
"Alright, I think I can do it, it is a bit deep and it is going to hurt a lot, but I should be able to 'lance' it with the blade then draw out the bad humors with magic. There isn’t any way I can ‘squeeze’ it manually. It'll be uncomfortable, but since you only have 'Weakness' and not 'Anathema' to Holy, the knife will probably hurt more."
New term. ‘Anathema’ --- things to avoid. Elania filed it away with all the other things she needed to learn as he took the knife from her and she turned away.
"This is going to hurt, going to need you to stay still."
"Don't worry. It'll be fine, Tanyan. Just do it."
---
Everything was not fine.
The knife had hurt, and without the rush she usually got during a fight, it was a lot harder to ignore.
But that wasn't the issue. No, when Tanyan used his magic to pull out the pus, pure agony radiated out of her back and through her entire body. She'd stifled a scream and tensed up, but that wasn't the worst of it.
She felt every little trace of his 'holy' magic as it spread inside of her, each little droplet of magic a small star of pain, until suddenly something rose up inside of her and started actively trying to force it out. Thankfully Tanyan had already pulled away his hand away and informed her he had been successful at getting the goopy crap out.
“It’s…done…”
She caught him as he leaned forward into her, suddenly passing out.
"Tanyan?"
He didn't respond, and she wasn’t sure what had just happened, but she adjusted his position to be more comfortable with his head on her lap. Did the magic use up all his energy? Was mana exhaustion a thing? He didn’t seem to be in any distress, he’d just suddenly fallen asleep. She decided she’d let him rest like this for a while. It was the least she could do since the primitive surgery had worked; her shoulder felt fine now.
'Fuck. Let's not try Holy Magic again though.'
She looked down at him and studied his lines. His face was a bit softer than Taniel's was, and she thought either of them would have easily been considered handsome. 'Not my type though... maybe if he grew a beard.'
Wait. Why was she thinking of something like that right now? She looked away in a hurry before fighting back a yawn. She realized she hadn't had her nap in... a day or two. She sighed and looked around the small cave to make sure everything was fine and then closed her eyes.
---
Ralfots were fleeing in a mad stampede through the caverns. She raised her nose and sniffed the air, their scent coming to her clearly, despite the stillness of the cavern air. Suddenly, she was a flash of movement, leaping from stone to stone, as she relentlessly devoured the distance between her and her prey. A young Ralfot suddenly yelled in fear as it turned a corner and almost ran into her.
She was the one in danger, as it nearly ran into her, and the stampede was right behind it. She leapt upward and perched herself on a rock, claws digging into the stone to keep her from falling into the mass of bodies below.
She waited. The timing needed to be perfect, and when the herd had mostly passed, she pounced. Flinging herself into the air and slamming into one of the slower Ralfots. It weighed more than she did, but the force was enough to knock it off balance. Her claws raked its side as passed and she clamped down on the beast’s throat. The sense of blood in her mouth filled her with a sense of success. The hunt was good.
Elania felt something stirring against her and she shifted her weight and stretched from head to tail as best she could. A small noise nearby had her ears rotating as she deduced it’s location and then something was yelling and tugging at her and making a lot more noise. She realized that the pliable warmth she had plastered herself against while napping was squirming fiercely. She wanted to ignore it all and nap a bit longer as she let out a large yawn.
The noise grew louder, and she cracked an eye open, but it was the sudden hand pulling an ear that caused her to act. It was a bit too rough! She twisted away from the hand and then headbutted the source of the twisting. The yelling stopped and she rubbed her cheek on his face before getting up and stretching her back pleasantly.
She moved over enough to sit on her rear haunches while licking a paw. The thing scurried away. It finally stopped some distance away in a sudden halt. She didn't chase after it; if she had been sleeping against it, it clearly wasn't a threat. Besides, she felt the need to clean between her claws.
"Elania?"
Elania tilted her head to look at the man, his face plastered with an unhealthy bit of worry. It was Tanyan. She remembered who he was though and tried to answer.
"Tanyan?"
The only thing that came out was a feline call through the filter of an oversized female Darkwalker. Tanyan obviously didn't understand her, if anything he looked even more worried, so she got up and approached him.
He looked torn between trying to flee and in amazement as she gave him a friendly nuzzle.
"Ha...Ha...Ha... Elania, why are you an oversized Darkwalker?"
She didn't know. She started to try and vocalize that when he held up a hand.
"I don't understand you, let's try yes and no questions, alright? Tilt your head left for 'No' and right for 'Yes,' alright?"
Ha! This was easy. She settled into a relaxed posture on her haunches and tilted her head to the right.
"Are you Elania?"
Head tilted to the right. 'Yes.'
"Ok... umm. Do you know why you are a Darkwalker?"
Hmm. Elania thought about it. She did know why--- it was that stupid transformation option she used in the big fight, now it was activating on its own--- but she didn't think that was what he wanted to know precisely.
She didn't know why she had transformed this time, so she tilted her head left. 'No.'
"Alright... do you know how to transform back?"
Uhm. Right, transform back. Elania wasn't sure what to do, and when she tried to call up her 'Status,' nothing appeared. Apparently, the [System] was now broke, or maybe it just didn't work when she was transformed?
'No.'
"Alright... well, just wait a moment. I'm going to try and see if the Razorscale is still nearby."
Her ears pricked up at the mention of the Razorscale. If he wanted to find it, she thought she could sniff it out now; everything had a much more distinct smell. Maybe she could even hunt it down. Her claws were sharp. Even if it was larger, she thought she would be faster.
She let out an annoyed breath out of her nose, she had no way to tell Tanyan this, so she had no choice but to let him do as he wished.
Tanyan sighed and looked toward the exit, and she watched as he traced his hand in the air, fingers taking on a white glow. He closed his eyes and seemed to focus, but Elania quickly lost interest in the scene.
She wasn't hungry. She could take a nap.
Unfortunately, whatever he was doing didn't take long enough, and he started to bug her right after she had made herself comfortable and closed her eyes.
"Nothing as large as the Razorscale between us and the Waystation. The barrier is still active, but that's to be expected. Let's head back." He reached forward toward her side as if he was going to wake her.
Her ears went back and she growled at him in a warning. Tanyan jumped backward and tripped, falling on his rear, which was a bit of an overreaction and uncalled for in her opinion.
"Elania, you remember not to eat me right?"
She tilted her head left.
His eyes widened, but then a bit of indignation formed. "That's not funny!"
She tried to laugh, but it came out as a deep purr instead. She tilted her head to the right.
Tanyan went to collect her things left on the ground, including her primitive leather outfit. Watching him pick up the scraps caused a surge of unhappiness to swell up in her, and a distinctly human thought came through clearly.
'I'm going to end up naked again when I transform back. Fuck.'
It was distinct and otherwise clean compared to the muddiness the Darkwalker transformation made of her mind.
One thing was sure though, Tanyan stayed a reasonable distance back as she passed him by; her now sour mood somehow conveying itself in her movements.
That mood didn't last long as they continued, and Elania found the ease of movement liberating. Suddenly she padded ahead to scout the next cave with a light step.
Elania felt the growl escape as she pawed the barrier in annoyance. Tanyan had been arguing with the frightened novices about not letting them in for an extended amount of time, and she wanted to get in and shake them until they knew their place.
"Elania! That's not helping."
Her grumble came out a bit more intimidating than she had meant, and the novice stepped back, looking at her with worry. The one who had been terrified was nowhere to be seen.
'Probably hiding in the back with his blanket over his head.'
The acerbic thought made her realize that it was getting a bit easier to think. They weren't going to be able to break in, and her antagonizing the novice was just setting things back. She needed to change back into a human form, but how?
She sat down on her haunches and did her best to imitate a good cat while trying to think of a solution. Tanyan continued to argue, but he didn't seem to be having any luck; the frightened man inside was way over his head and still terrified.
The desire to be a human didn't seem to be enough. How had she changed back last time? Running out of 'Power' then... That didn't seem right because that would be very troublesome.
"I'm not letting you in! You know the rules about demons, and you were alone with her! You might be under her influence already!"
Elania suppressed the rumble in her throat. The man's voice was annoyingly high pitched and frantic. There wasn't any reason to be so ridiculous. Rather than answer him, Tanyan looked toward the device's control.
"Taniel..."
Elania's gaze followed, and she stood up excitedly. Taniel was awake, turning the magic shield device in what Elania hoped was the off position.
The novice turned in a panic. "Nooo! Don't do that!" The man started over to stop Taniel, but then the barrier winked out of existence.
Elania surged forward and pounced on his back.
"Elania! No!" Tanyan's yell reminded her not to use her claws as she pinned the novice to the ground, and she let out a growl right over his head before she decided to sit on him.
When the other monks realized she hadn't pin cushioned the man, they seemed to relax. The same couldn't be said for the novice, who was sobbing. Elania couldn't muster much sympathy, though; he had kept them waiting outside and in possible danger for at least an hour.
"Calm down, I think you just made her mad."
"Get off of him." Taniel ordered, and Elania glared at him, just barely restraining a snarl. The novice underneath tensed up, sensing that she was about to leap.
"Elania, please."
Elania turned to look at Tanyan. She wasn't sure she owed him anything--- she sure didn't owe Taniel anything, but tormenting the novice didn't really accomplish anything, and she had gotten back at him.
Not wanting to cause further drama, unless it involved pummeling Taniel like a mouse for a bit, she moved off and found a spot to settle near the magic device. It looked interesting, and she could smell a faint... electronic smell?
She moved closer, and she noticed a faint light escaping from the base of the pillar. Surely magic devices weren't lit up like a nerd's LED-lighted PC case?
As she got closer, she realized the light was coming from crystals contained within the stone. It was held in a chamber inside, and there was a little stone grill that allowed her to see inside of it. [Identify] didn't activate when she tried it, and she wanted to sigh. The crystal seemed like a larger version of her Mana Shard.
She pressed her nose against the stone, trying to see more, when a sudden shock zapped her. A laugh followed as she jumped back in a hurry and hissed.
"A curious cat lives 7 times shorter."
Elania peered at Tanyan, who had made the joke, or was it a saying? It was different than the one she remembered on Earth, but she guessed that cats were the same no matter where you were. The thought comforted her that things were at least a bit similar.
She wanted to know what the device was, and she couldn't ask because she was now a giant black panther, [Darkwalker] thing.
'I'm not a cat, I'm a fucking human, goddammit.'
Something seemed to snap, and suddenly the black mist flowed off her skin, and she felt her body respond to her will. It was just as disorienting as the first time she transformed, even if it was in reverse from [Darkwalker] to human.
"Fuck!" Elania cursed and shivered as the air suddenly seemed cold, and she felt the sudden drop of temperature all the way to her core. The important bits of her 'Status' screen that she had designated her 'Hud' appeared, and she noticed her power had dropped from the fighting and transformation, although not as drastically as she had feared.
[Hud]
Power: 53 / 208
Level: 40
When she checked her skills, though, she was surprised. There were New Things, and she had not seen any mention of the skills being gained!
[Transformation Acuity Lvl - 1]
[Transformation Control Lvl - 1]
Was that because she was transformed when she got them? That seemed likely; she had not had access to her status. She felt a bit of relief. If she accidentally transformed again, at least she would be able to... not lose herself so much.
One particular memory was a bit fuzzy, and she felt her stomach turn in a bit of disgust as she remembered thinking the big Darkwalker would have made a suitable mate. Having kits was a good idea?
'Fuck. This transformation thing is dangerous.'
"Uhh... Elania?"
She looked up and Tanyan had a cloak in one hand and a bundle of clothes in the other. He held both out to her; the set was the same kind as the others were wearing.
"Your clothes were kind of ruined after you transformed, you can have one of our spares to wear."
She looked down and realized she was naked again. Sigh.
She did her best not to be embarrassed--- the world seemed intent on stealing her clothes, half the time with an audience--- but she felt a bit of heat on her cheeks as she realized everyone was staring at her. She pulled the cloak around her first and then took the bundle. Retreating to her room, she quickly got dressed.
The outfit was much more decent than the two-piece leathers or the cultist robe. It even came with footwear. The boots were fur lined, and while the pants were baggy and pooled out slightly, they were easy to tuck into the boots. The top was a cloth doublet, with a larger wrap covering her torso, before being topped by a cloak that covered her entire shoulders and chest. She’d have to manage to salvage together a breast wrap and smallclothes though.
It was a complete outfit, and she felt a bit grateful to Tanyan for giving it to her although it was somewhat tinted by being sort of a bribe for the other monk’s treatment of her.
'If there are any enchantments for clothing, I want durability first.'
She thought of how the transforming worked and worried.
'Would that even help? I'd need some kind of enchantment that made the clothes survive the transformation, and those kinds of things always seemed implausible to me, but who knows in this world?'
She sighed and pulled a length of her hair forward and examined it with a frown. While putting on the outfit, she had noticed a sliver of red highlights in the strands. Her long hair was becoming more of a problem as her braid had come undone at some point. She had it tied back in a ponytail, but it desperately needed shampooed, brushed, and rebraided.
Elania wished she had a mirror as she looked closer at the new color; she had always kept her hair its natural black color. She had never been one to go crazy with dying her hair. The change seemed to be the same as her eyes. Well, she hoped those amenities would come with Neftasu.
Elania decided she needed to top off her power again and went looking for her pack. She had left it in the Waystation before she had gone to look for Tanyan's mushrooms. She bit her lip; now that Taniel was awake again, the work she had done to get the Fenicia and Glow-Stem was probably wasted.
Her pack wasn't where she left it. It only took a few seconds to confirm it wasn't in the nearly empty room, and she checked the rooms to either side of hers with a frown, finding them empty as well. She turned to ask if someone had moved her things when her jaw dropped.
One of the novices was holding her bag, but more importantly, he held up her Mana Shard and was in the process of showing it to Tanyan.
'Oh the fuck no he didn't.'
Elania was furious and started marching over to them.
"HEY! That's MINE."
Everyone's attention snapped onto her at the shout, and the novice pushed the stone and backpack into Tanyan's hands with a terrified expression. Taniel, seeing her angry march toward them, jumped up from the campfire and placed himself in front of the two.
"Elania, calm down---" Taniel cut off as she ignored him and tried to brush past him, but then his hand came down and clamped down on her shoulder.
She was tired of people taking her things. Especially the Mana Shard. His attempt to stop her gave her the perfect excuse to respond in kind. She tightened her core and twisted, slamming her fist right into the center of Taniel's surprised expression as hard as she could. The blow wasn't as powerful as if she had been at full 'Power,' but it was more than enough to send him flying backward in a tumble.
He might have still been slow and recovering, or the strike came as a complete surprise as he didn't manage to mitigate the hit in any way. He didn't recover or get back up.
She whirled back around and glared at Tanyan and the novice.
"Elania---"
"Give it back."
Tanyan held up the backpack and [Mana Shard] without further protest and she took them back.
"Listen---"
She ignored him and tugged on the stone. Hard. It flashed to life with a bright light and she felt the rush of energy wash over her. Her 'Hud' counter went crazy, numbers spinning upward thirty to forty at a time. She went over her limit. She knew that was a bad idea, but she was angry.
[Mana Shard (Condensed 351/1456)]
She cut it off when she felt the heat in her core, spreading out through her body. She dismissed the normal warning messages that appeared, and then reached forward and grabbed the novice by his tunic and lifted him off his feet.
The asshole began to sob, and Tanyan started to try and repeat something when she let out an angry hisssss that silenced them both. "If any of you go through my things again without permission, I'll make you regret it."
She set him down with a bit more force than she intended, and he fell unceremoniously on his ass. She could smell the fear rolling off of the man, but she was too angry for that to unsettle her. Wanting to make some space between her and the monks before she ended up pummeling them, she turned and started to walk away.
"You should go check on Taniel and make sure he didn't die or something."
She didn't look back as she headed toward her room. The other novice was peeking out from one of them but promptly disappeared when she glared at him on the way to hers.
'Maybe they won't bother me for a while.'
---
It had turned out that the bit of fungus Elania had gathered was useful after all. She'd been coaxed out of her angry isolation when she saw Tanyan begin to work with a mortar and pestle, creating some type of salve. She was interested in that sort of thing, even if it wasn't particularly useful to her now that she had [Regeneration.]
Tanyan eyed her warily as she approached, "What?"
"I want to watch. How's Taniel?"
"He's unconscious again, so I'm making the poultice. It should wake him up, but it would have been far better if you hadn't have hit him again."
"He attacked me the first time, and he shouldn't have touched me the second." The conversation was already veering off onto a course she didn't like and she pointed to his work.
"How's the powder going to help wake him?"
"Elania, that Mana Shard you have is unbelievably valuable. You sho---"
Elania held up her hand and stopped him. Why couldn't he just answer her question instead of bringing up the Mana Shard?
"Tanyan, any of you touch my stuff again, we're done. I'll try and find Neftasu on my own. I appreciate that you all have been letting me tag along so far, but you've all treated me like shit. Taniel actually attacked me. Herrik and Berrick act like I killed their parents. Marcus --- some guide he turned out to be --- looked at me like I was a piece of meat. You..."
She paused to think, nothing Tanyan had done to her coming to mind right away. He picked up where she left off.
"I...? I'll take that as a compliment, then. Taniel's parents were killed by a demon, the others have never been out of the Conclave before. I don't know where Marcus is, but he's failed his charge and any payment he was due is going to be severely reduced when the Masters hear what has happened."
Tanyan sighed as he stopped with the mortar and set it aside, frowning at her.
"Elania, you told us that you were a human before you were summoned. Maybe you're a rare case, but almost every demon is a monster or demi-human at best when first summoned. That isn't to say there aren't a lot of human demons--- they are very common. That's because once they have taken enough soul essence from them, they can evolve, and humans are very rich sources of that essence."
He paused to let that sink in.
"Most people will think that you are a Darkwalker Demon that ate enough humans to transform, not the other way around."
"Now, can I explain about the Mana Shard, without you being angry? We aren't going to try and take it from you. Gerrick wasn't trying to steal it; he saw it glowing in your pack and wanted to show me because it can be dangerous."
Elania let out a long breath as she tried to unpack. It was a lot to process, even if not all of it was new. If everyone thought she ate people to become a demon, then maybe they were a little justified in being wary, but still... hadn't she proven she didn't have any ill intent for them? How devious were other demons to make them so guarded?
"Ok. What about it? I got it when I escaped, and I need it. It keeps my 'Power' up so I don't have to go hunt Darkwalkers so much."
Tanyan nodded. "Well, you are a demon so it makes sense that you can use it. Mana Shards contain pure essence energy that can't be directly used by normal races. Demons and Seraphs are the only two that can actually use it without harming themselves. At least not without making a construct with it first."
Construct? Oh! Elania looked over to the device used to activate the barrier for the Waystation. "The barrier uses the same energy as the Mana Shard? So it has a Mana Shard inside of it?"
Maybe she'd be able to get energy out of the object?
"The barrier is an example and uses the same type, yes. They often contain the Artificer's own elemental additions as well in the device. They are very expensive which is why the Waystations further out didn't have a barrier, and why someone might--- will try to steal that Shard from you if they know you have it."
He must have noticed her look toward the waystation’s power source as he continued, "No, you won't be able to use the power from it if that was what you were thinking. Part of the construction process the Artificer uses seals the crystal and trying to pull energy out will unravel the work... usually with an explosion."
That was what she had been thinking of, and she felt her cheeks heat up a little in embarrassment. She was a bit thankful at the warning, as she probably would have tried to pry out some extra power or transfer energy to her stone if she had been left to her own devices.
"Thank you for explaining. I'm really not like you think, I didn't eat any humans to be me. I didn't even absorb the Mushroohums... I was a human before coming to Eladu."
"I don't know if many will believe you or even care, but I think I might. You wear your feelings on your sleeve, you know."
"Ehhh."
"Let me show you the process to finish this powder into a Wakening Powder."
"Wait."
Tanyan held up a hand, and the party came to a standstill. Taniel looked back at them with a frown.
"What?"
"There's a group ahead in the next cavern, non-human. Maybe ten or twenty. Small, can't really tell other than that. A little too small to be Ralfots, but maybe Elnats."
Elania wanted to know exactly what type of skill or magic the monk was using to see ahead. If he was able to know what was around them, why hadn't he spotted the Manzitore or the Razorscale before they attacked?
"Should we go around then?" She didn't know what to expect, but avoiding more fights was high on her list of things to accomplish. Ralfots and Elnats didn’t sound dangerous, but she’d noticed how often predators went after them.
Tanyan and Taniel looked at her with a frown. There had been an uneasy peace bridged in the group, but it felt like it was razor-thin, and she had thought about going off on her own rather than stay with them.
Taniel shook his head, "No, that won't be possible. We'd have to back track almost to the previous Waystation, and the other route probably would be worse. It goes through a swamp-type biome that has a lot of Razorscale nests. We're right on the edge of it as-is."
Tanyan nodded and looked between her and Taniel up toward the direction of the big cavern ahead, "I think you and Elania should scout it out ahead of the rest of us. It's a big cavern, so there is a good chance we could find a way through without meeting them. The biggest danger would be if they ambushed us at the entrance. Herrik and Berrick aren’t going to do well in a fight."
‘That’s for sure.’ Elania frowned, her immediate thought about the novices was uncharitable, but accurate.
She didn't want to go with Taniel, and from the look he gave her, he wasn't excited by the thought either. "Tanyan, shouldn't you and Taniel go scout, or you and me? You can sense them, so I think that would be invaluable?"
"It doesn't work that way. I can't do it repeatedly, and it becomes hazier the closer to whatever it is I am trying to sense. Once in the cavern I'd only be able to sense that they were there, not any sort of location. Someone needs to stay with the novices, also."
'Maybe they don't want to leave me with the two dolts.'
Herrik was okay, she thought, even if he was a bit skittish. Berrick, however, she would have been happy to strangle after the barrier incident. She would have preferred being locked up in a room with Taniel than have to deal with the novice who even now was still jumping at every little shadow.
"Fine, I'll go with Taniel. If he thinks he can keep up."
"I'm going to be the one leading, what do you mean keep up? Aren't you the one who has no experience?"
"I seem to remember the score being 0 to 2 so far. Maybe I should take Tanyan since he hasn't been knocked out by an inexperienced girl twice already?"
Elania thought she might have gone a little too far when his eyebrow twitched, and he spun on a heel, heading up the path to the next cavern. Tanyan was watching her with a frown, but she just shrugged and followed after Taniel.
The thought of having to go back and go through a nest of Razorscales made her unhappy. They had to make it past whatever was up ahead because she was pretty sure that if the Razorscales came after them, she might be the only one to escape, and then she'd be lost and have no idea how to get to Neftasu.
A dozen small-sized humanoids didn't sound very good either, but maybe they wouldn't' be hostile? The only thing that came to mind was something like the demon who had ambushed her and tried to eat her, only for her to absorb him instead.
That made her think about the Karma she had got when she had killed it. She'd killed a lot of things since, but her Karma hadn't changed since. It didn't move when she killed the other demon, either. What was up with that?
"Pay attention."
She looked up to Taniel, holding up a hand for her to stop. They'd reached the tunnel to the next chamber. It wasn't as massive as some others, but it was pretty large, which suggested that the layout around the corner would be pretty open.
That meant they'd need to be careful instead of happily walking out in the open for whatever was in there to see. Right.
"We'll stay close to this side of the wall. Depending on what cover there is, we might switch or have to go prone."
All of that seemed reasonable to Elania, and she honestly didn't have any experience with this, other than her [Stealth] skill, so she hoped that would help a bit.
"Alright." She nodded and followed his lead. When she accidentally disturbed a rock on the wall that sent a shower of dirt falling on the ground, Taniel stopped to glare at her. She could only offer an apologetic shrug. 'One with the ninja, Elania!'
She managed to avoid further mishaps as they moved through the tunnel; about halfway through, Taniel gestured to the other side, and they switched to it. When they were closer to the edge, she saw why. There were ruins in the cavern. Massive ruins.
The chamber had just started to come into view, but there was a wall that managed to cut off the view of the rest of the cavern. A massive stairway traveled parallel with the wall to grant access to the top of it.
When they reached the end of the tunnel, Taniel peeked around the corner before disappearing around it. When she looked around the edge, she saw he had moved toward the broken ruins of a tower that was little more than a circle of stone now.
That wasn't what had her staring in awe, though.
They were near the top of the cavern, but the wall was bigger than she could have imagined. The wall itself was a massive ramp that lead down into the rest of the cavern, splitting it in half. The massive, crumbled gatehouses dotted it at regular intervals, and one had nearly fallen in on itself and off into the lake below.
'You could fit Pittsburgh's rush hour traffic on that.'
A massive waterfall was spraying through an arch to the lower side of the cavern, and formed an enormous lake that took up a considerable portion of the cavern. Elania hurried to catch up, and when she did, she tugged on Taniel's sleeve.
"What the fuck is all of this? Why didn't you mention it? What is that wall?"
He looked a bit taken aback, before looking away and scanning the stonework across from the tower.
"It's a Nevedun ruin. They are all over this area, it was built by a large Dwerven civilization a long time ago. Just the stonework left, though you'll find a lot of Dwerves in Neftasu in the Artisan's district."
Dwerves? Dwarves? The way he pronounced, it was funny, and she felt herself mouthing the word. Nevedun. Dwerves. Artisan's district. Right. She filed away the information for later. That wasn't as important as figuring out about the group supposed to be in here with them. The cavern was massive, but the wall acted as a choke point.
"Why didn't you mention any of this before? Don't you think you should tell me if there is going to be a massive fucking wall? Where do we have to go anyways?"
"Opposite end of the wall, upper section. Last time we just went over the top, but there is another ramp halfway through that leads to the same plateau with our exit on it. The wall all the way would be faster, but I think we might want to take the other way as it has more cover and isn't as obvious."
"We should get the others,” Elania looked back the way they had come, before looking back at the wall that went on far enough to disappear into the haze, “by the time we scouted that far ahead, we'll be way too far to support each other."
"The biggest concern was getting ambushed as soon as we came though. I'll go scout the top of the wall, you go call the others up." He turned away and started looking out at the wall immediately.
Elania frowned and stared at his back as she bit her lip. She didn't like being bossed around, and he had just assumed she would do as she was told, but in the end, she turned around and headed back to the others.
Without the need for stealth, it didn't take as long, and when Tanyan and the two novices were in sight, she waved them forward to join her.
"Why didn't you tell me there was a huge wall?" She repeated the question unhappily to Tanyan, who thought for a moment before answering.
"They are pretty common in the region around Neftasu. It was the center of a whole civilization. The city is built on top of the old capital of the Dwerves. It even has one of the Deep Dungeons."
"Right, what about the Monster Core? You mentioned they come from monsters or animals that are influenced by a Dungeon,” She sighed as her mind started to turn in a myriad array of directions at once, each one forming another question, “What's a Dungeon exactly? Are they built or naturally occuring? Monster spawner machines? Big Boss at the end?"
By now, Tanyan took her questioning in stride and simply answered as best he could.
"New Dungeons form naturally, but it is a rare occurrence. More often a new one will form where a old one was destroyed. The Dwerves built a massive complex on top of the dungeon inside their capital, turning it into a sort of training grounds. Somehow that dungeon expanded on their work and it isn't really known how deep it goes--- or where the core of it is. Monsters, especially the lower tiers of demons will form in them, so exploring them isn't exactly safe. Gathering Cores is probably the only reason anyone bothers with it now."
"Great, so add ‘Dungeon Core’ to the world. The Dungeons don't talk and go crazy while trying to murder you, do they?"
"Dungeon core, what?" That did get her a look of confusion from Tanyan, and she sighed.
"Nevermind. Do they talk?"
"No? What? How could a dungeon talk? Maybe an intelligent monster will infest one and turn it into a nest, but generally mercenaries are hired to clear those out."
The 'Mercenary' guild sounded like the place to be if you wanted to be an Adventurer. Elania didn't point that out, though, considering that Adventurers seemed to have a bad rap, according to Tanyan. Well, whatever they named themselves, it didn't really change their function? She'd have to see for herself, of course, but it sounded like it would be an excellent place to start if she wanted--- needed employment. Although if a demon like her could work without being attached to someone was another question.
It would have to wait, though.
"Where is Taniel?" Tanyan asked. They had reached the other side, and everything looked the same as before, but the other monk had disappeared. Elania scanned the background, but she didn't see him anywhere either.
"He said he would go ahead and scout out the wall." Elania offered.
"We better stick together; I don't think it would be a good idea to get split up more."
Elania glanced back at the novices. They were staying together a bit behind Tanyan and her. One thing she had noticed was that Tanyan and Taniel didn't talk much to the novices. She had been thinking of them as all being close together after Maurice dying had hit Taniel pretty hard. The last two days and the incident with the barrier had her rethinking that.
With the dwindling of the party, the extra burden of carrying the extra baskets of moss had fallen on the novices. She realized that while they weren't struggling with the extra bulk yet, they did look like they had been through a heavy workout already.
Elania thought she could help them carry a bit but decided to wait until after finding Taniel. If she needed to fight, it would be better if she wasn't saddled with anything extra.
They crossed the open area between the cave entrance and the wall without issue and reached the steps. The massive stonework towered above her, and she had to bend her head back to see the top. The stone had splotches of moss and fungus growing on it in a spotty patchwork of greens, blues, and vivid violets.
The steps were worn in places, a few having cracked or had chunks taken out of them. The center was in the best shape, the edge opposite the wall in the worst, so the group stayed away from the edge as they began the climb upward.
Elania decided to count steps as they climbed. 6.. 12.. 18.. 24.. 28..
The novices were slowing down as they ascended, but she didn't want to wait, excited by the prospect of seeing everything from the top of the wall. 48..60..62..64..68..
She reached the top at seventy-three, which put her somewhere around five or six stories up, and she wasn't even out of breath. Even with everything that had happened so far, that was a bit surprising.
'Never would have made it up that without breaking a little sweat on Earth!'
On Earth. She frowned as she looked down off the wall to the now-familiar cavern landscape below. The floating jellies were casting a strange light over the field of multi-hued fungi in the distance, and she wondered when she had accepted all of this as her new normal.
If she had been given a choice, she would have jumped at the chance to come visit and see such wondrous colors and scenery in person. It was the fighting, killing, and demon bit that held her back from thoroughly enjoying the lights.
What was she even planning to do? Make it to Neftasu? She didn't think she would have it easy there because of her 'race' and how everyone had reacted just to the sight of her. Demon markets and most of her race weren't even intelligent until humans or 'sapient' races enslaved them. Not to mention that the ones like her didn't have a good reputation because everyone thought they ate a village's worth of people.
So, travel to the surface? That was her first thought upon leaving the cultist's den, but would she be treated any better there? If the monks and paladin were anything to go by, she'd have better luck trying to make a deal with the dramatic cultist leader.
She sighed; really, she didn't have enough information to make detailed plans. She'd have to play everything by ear until she had a solid understanding of the world... the people... and her place in it.
"Elania? Elania!"
Eyes widening, she turned to see Tanyan waving her to follow. She'd been lost in thought, looking out at the scenery, and hadn't noticed the others catch up.
"Sorry."
"It is a pretty sight, isn't it?"
"I've never seen anything like it before."
"Well, I think you'll like Neftasu. Let's keep looking for Taniel?"
She nodded. "You don't think he fell off and into the lake, do you?"
For a second, he looked at her with a horrified expression which turned into a frown, "No, if he did, I imagine we'd already be hearing the shouting."
One of the novices looked over the edge toward the lake to check upon hearing her thoughts, and almost lost his balance. Tanyan reached out and pulled him back while steadying the man. "Careful, we don't need someone to actually fall down there, that'd be a nightmare."
'Not to mention they'd probably be dead as soon as they hit the water, even if they did miss the rocks at the base of the wall.'
She didn't say it, though. She felt a little bad for how much trauma the novices had been through so far.
The party continued down the wall and their destination. Elania was beginning to feel a bit of concern the further they got. Why had Taniel not waited at the top of the wall, and why had he gone so far ahead?
Something didn't feel right to Elania, and she noticed Tanyan was periodically looking over his shoulder and scanning the area. 'I'm not the only one who noticed.'
One of the massive gatehouses situated on the wall began to loom over them, and Elania thought she saw a shadow move inside the structure.
"Tanyan."
"I know, I saw it too."