Chapter 8 - Level Up (Patreon)

Echo continued to cough blood and reached into his pocket dimension, gripping one of the healing potions, and quaffing it.

Blegh! What the hell?

The flavor was a mix of the worst cherry cough syrup and the bottom of a tequila bottle. But the foul-flavored mixture did its job, healing his wounds and invigorating him. The aftertaste was somehow worse, like licking the top of the bar after a hard night of drinking.

Bertram had run alongside the wolf and ran his daggers in a gouge across the tendons under its right foreleg. This caused the creature to drop Rickard – much to Echo’s relief – as it turned to try and bite the Toskar rogue. But Bertram wasn’t there – he had vanished from sight.

Echo stood up and heard Ingrid from behind him. “Chill of Aqua, protect us from harm, Shield of Fervor!” Him and his allies were surrounded by a light-blue sheen of mist that would absorb damage taken.

Echo charged at the creature, yelling out as he swung his sword down on it. The blade carved through the shoulder-joint and the creature yelped, snapping its jaws at him. His body expertly maneuvered the shield to intercept under the guidance of his Perfect Defense, and even angled it to get stuck in the creature’s mouth to prevent it from chomping down.

He continued to chop at it, ignoring the pain from his arm as it was wrenched back and forth in the enormous maw. His blade cut deep; through muscle, sinew, bone. Blood squirted out and splashed across his face, and he screamed a battle cry as adrenaline coursed through him. “Just die already!”

More arrows thudded into the creature from behind – mundane ones – but they all hit around the face and head. The monstrous wolf shook its head and released Echo, turning to flee.

“Oh no you don’t!” Echo stabbed his sword into the ground, channeling the Quintessence within into his spell tool. “Reshape to my will, Transmute Substance – Worldbreaker!”

The silver energy shot down the embedded sword and into the ground, racing in a line until it was under the wolfish creature. The earth underneath formed a massive spike – right in the beast’s gullet. It was skewered on the spike of stone. A mournful howl resonated across the landscape as it breathed its last.

The group let out a cheer as Echo fell forward to one knee, breathing heavily.

I must be getting close to my limit on Quintessence.

Bertram walked up and gave him a clap on the shoulder, “Attaboy! Ye killed it!”

Ingrid cancelled her spell and walked over, checking everyone over for wounds. “And no one got hurt!”

Echo chuckled, “Speak for yourself.”

Velu went to the wolf and shot several more arrows into its face and neck, confirming the kill. “And its done. Let’s see if we improved from that.” She pulled out her identification, as did the other party members.

Echo followed suit.

Name   (Race / Rank): Echo Asheron (Human / A)

Strength: 120

Agility: 75

Fortitude: 320

Defense: 220

Offense: 70

Magic Resistance: 320

Magic Potency: 120

Equipment: Brightsteel Full Plate, Titansteel   Shield, Skysteel Sword, Spell Tool [Silver Rod], Pocket Dimension Ring

Active Abilities: Bulwark

Innate Abilities: The Dragon God's Blessing, Detect   Abilities, Detect Magic, Eternal Youth, Perfect Defense, Regeneration

Affinities: Transmutation

20 points across all stats. No new Abilities though.

Echo smirked. Was it really that easy to get stronger in this world?

Velu grinned and gave Echo a high-five, “That was a big jump! That thing must have been super strong.”

Bertram put his knives into the creature and tried to carve away at it. “Agh, ‘tis no good. She be too thick.”

Rickard nodded tersely and pocketed his identification. “We should move. We can track where it came from.”

The group agreed and packed up camp quickly. Echo pulled a lantern from his pocket dimension, and Velu put her hands on the wolf’s corpse. “Track Target.” Her purple hair pulsed as the Ability activated.

Echo could see – thanks to his Detect Abilities – that a light, purple line shot Northward to The Holy Wall.

Velu pointed, and the group followed her lead.

The once-combined child had finished its changes – becoming a blob with both heads blended. Arms and legs jutted out as it groaned out loud.

“Hmm. A failure.” He turned to the once-woman wolfish creature. “Sorry, I was going to let them eat you, your last motherly act to be their food and fuel for evolution.”

He sighed and shook his head, “Tsk. There’s nothing for it.” He pointed to the blob.

“Kill. Consume. Evolve.”

The wolf-creature launched itself at the blob that used to be its children, rending the fleshy ball apart and ripping and tearing down to the heart.

In one gulp it swallowed the organ.

The wolf spasmed, howled in pain, and collapsed on the floor as the remainder of the blob creature slowly began to decay.

The shadow man smiled as his newest addition to his menagerie went through the painful transformation. It grew; muscles becoming larger as skin burst from trying to contain the rapid growth.

“My interpretation must be right.” He went over and pet the creature as it finished transforming. “There, there. All better now. Join the pack. Find me more subjects.”

The now-much-larger wolf covered with chitin and spikes howled, running out into the tunnels.

The shadow man grimaced at the refuse left behind by the blob.

I need to find better material.

He smirked.

Maybe I should pray for such a bounty to arrive.

“It’s a lair, lads,” Bertram said as Velu led the group to a flat piece of ground about fifty meters from The Holy Wall.

“How can you tell?” Echo asked.

Bertram smirked, “I dun have yer fancy skill, but I got me peekers.” He walked forward to where Velu’s trail ended, and put his hand on the ground, gripping some hidden mechanism under the dirt, and pulling.

Echo braced, raising his shield and sword as the ground opened – an enormous trapdoor that led to a tunnel, descending into the depths.

“Lemme lead, lad,” Bertram said. “I’s got an eye fer traps.”

The rogue led the company down.

Down into the dark depths.

The shadowed figure held the odd cube with reverence, and traced his long fingernails along the chest of a prisoner.

A chime went off and the man looked back towards a wall. "Grant me sight beyond sight, Minor Seeing."

A flat image appeared on the wall, showing a group of five adventurers descending through the tunnel marking the entrance to his labyrinth.

"Ahh…more test subjects!"

He cackled madly as the strapped-down, captured people screamed against their muzzles and tried to break their binds.

Echo kept a ready posture as the group descended through the tunnel, shield raised and sword at the ready. Bertram found several traps along the way which he quickly dealt with.

Echo sheathed his sword and grabbed Bertram by the collar, pulling him back.

"Eh? What be?" The startled rogue asked.

"We are being watched," Echo said as he pointed.

Above and in front of the group he saw a hovering, brown-as-mud orb that was invisible to the naked eye. Thanks to his Detect Magic, he spotted the thing.

"Tsk, spotted my spell, did you?" The figure holding the cube tutted.

"Then let's see how you handle this. Reshape to my will, Transmute Substance," he incanted as he cast a spell, using his Minor Seeing as the origin point.

Velu was the first to notice and shouted out, "The floor is changing!"

It flattened and they began to slide downwards.

Echo felt it too and stowed his shield, spreading his arms out to stop the others from slipping as he decided to cast a spell without his staff. "Reshape to my will, Transmute Substance," he incanted, attempting to only affect the area directly beneath him.

Uh oh.

Echo felt his Quintessence being consumed by the spell near-uncontrollably as the whole tunnel erupted in stalactites and stalagmites, providing handholds against the now-slick ground. With sheer force of will he was able to cut off the Quintessence, but he felt winded from the effort.

The company caught themselves on the spikes and shared a laugh at the weirdness of the whole situation, the anxiety they all were holding onto being released if but for a moment.

"Tsk. You've got a transmuter as well." The shadowed man seemed annoyed as he sighed.

Wait a second.

He looked closer at the image that was broadcasting from his magic sensor. "That man in the gold armor…”

Is he escorting them?

For the first time in a while, he felt a twinge of fear before he calmed himself down.

The memory of his God's words rang through his thoughts.

Keep your work hidden. Especially from Lux and her champions. She hates monsters the most.

"The armor marks him as one of hers,” he remarked with disgust, knowing that if word of his machinations reached that Goddess’ ears, she would take immediate action.

And he could not fight a God…yet.

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