After making sure Althea had her dungeon cores maxed out as well, the three of us left towards the next dungeon. Apparently, the rift cracked open inside the local sports stadium, the echoes of past victories ringing hollow from the crumbling walls. The three of us crossed several streets on our way there before meeting up with two guards that Torix lended us.
The summons already tore several areas apart on their own, though they lacked my ability to sterilize territory. As we crossed an intersection and turned a corner, their forms came into view. Althea gawked,
“Woah. They’re like…Resummoned militia members.”
I turned to her.
“What kind of militia are we talking about?”
The two guards stood ten feet tall, both of them armored, enormous, and equipped to supply corpses for their maker. The first guard stood on hooves, patches of his fur glowing and runic markings painted onto his skin. Green, glassy armor covered most of his body, and his helmet had dual openings for each of his glistening antlers that jutted from his head and shoulder pads.
From under his helmet, the guard stared forward with floating, blue fires for eyes. Unblinking and soulless, he carried a sword ending in a chain. That chain extended to a sickle that the glowing elk carried in his other hand.
Aatrox Vernan | Level 1,223 – A summon of Torix Worm, this is a guardian spirit tethered to the corpse of a grand warrior. Using his sword and sickle, his attacks incapacitate foes at a distance before he pulls them in and guts them using empowered antlers. Specializing in constitution, dexterity, and strength, his lack of health leaves him vulnerable to explosive enemies.
The guardian spirit, while loyal in the utmost, lacks the adaptability of most mortal minds. This reduces his danger level drastically, but this summons still reaches the level of 1,223 off raw power alone. You would likely die if he faced you, so count your prayers that this monster stands with you.
The other guard was a heavily alien with cloven feet and eyes like a goat. His own horns twirled out to the side of his head like ancient seashells. The snout ended in a dense underjaw full of sharp teeth. On its back, two enormous barrels pointed downward. As we walked up to him, he lifted two staves, each of them held like two miniguns. They burned with magical power and overwhelming latent energy.
Kade Byle | Level 1,281 – A summon of Torix Worm, this is yet another guardian spirit tethered to the corpse of a grand warrior. Using the two staves mounted on his side, the offensive potential of this guardian can threaten monsters of a far higher level than its danger level would indicate. Despite the undeniable offensive prowess, Kade lacks any meaningful defenses.
He is the epitome of a glass-cannon.
Furthermore, the lack of an adaptable consciousness prevents his offensive potential from shining. Everything must be planned for this summon, otherwise he’ll be overwhelmed, either by numbers, sheer bulk, or explosive potential.
Having exposed those fundamental flaws, Kade could likely blow you away in a few seconds if you were directly assaulted. He will be a strong tool for your arsenal.
All in all, they looked imposing and regal. As we walked up, I gestured to them,
“I figured these are the guys we’re looking for, but who were they?”
Kessiah sighed,
“They were two old enemies from when Torix lived on the moon of his homeworld, Xanathar. Even if he lived there for centuries, it wasn’t as if he lacked an impact on his world. In fact, they raised many champions to kill him. Torix turned it into a kind of harvest for his summons. These are two of the finer ones.”
I blinked a few times,
“So…How many minions does he have?”
Kessiah leaned against Aatrox. She pointed a thumb at the unmoving beast,
“More than a few, from what I can tell.”
Althea chimed,
“It’s his mythical skill. It’s going to be powerful.”
I frowned, “Man. Makes my mythical skill look like spoiled grapes by comparison.”
Althea winced before reaching out a hand.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. He’s had a long time to fully realize his potential. We’ve just started.”
Kessiah hit my shoulder,
“Neither of you have even seen mine in action.”
I raised an eyebrow,
“I thought your mythical skill made you dense or something.”
Kessiah shook her head,
“Sorry toots, that’s the level 100 perk for constitution. My mythical skill is Hemomancy. I was, well…I was born with it.”
I spread my hands.
“Hell yeah. That's amazing.”
Althea murmured,
“Are…Are these two things our guards?”
Kessiah turned to her,
“Yeah, they are. Kade and Aatrox. Hah. Old times. You know, the old clans Torix fought had quite a few tricks up their sleeves.”
I peered up at her and them,
“How did Torix take them out?”
Kessiah laughed.
“He had longer sleeves and more tricks.”
Althea sighed, “Ok guys, come on…Let’s get this over with.”
Kessiah frowned,
“I preferred when you complained a little less.”
“I’m just tired of this. It’s no fun to just wake up, fight, train, sleep.”
I walked forward towards the entrance of a sewer,
“I know the feeling. I’m trying to get used to it. If we can kill all four followers of Yawm, then you can get a Sentinel’s rights. Probably. That’s an easy way out of Schema’s endless war I bet.”
I lunged down and pressed the tip of my armored finger between the manhole and its cover. I popped the lid up and caught it with my other hand. I turned back towards Althea,
“It’s a saying from my old world - where there’s a will, there’s a way. We just have to have the will to do it, whatever that may be.”
Althea locked her eyes on mine, a determination surging.
“Right.”
I leapt into the entrance of the sewer, sliding through the air while smoothly sliding the cover back onto the entrance. My ascendant mana flared, the red light letting me see the incoming ground. The circular, concrete walls slid past my face before my feet slammed into the ground.
The concrete didn’t crack as I landed. The telekinetic field around my feet dispersed the impact. My dexterity let me bend my knees as I landed in a fluid motion. If anything, I hardly even made a sound. I dashed forward, light on my feet as the fervor of ascendancy flowed within me. The others followed a few seconds after.
Even a portion of my mana lent me enormous explosivity and power. I wielded it as a tamed madman, holding the insanity in. Despite my surge, the others caught up in seconds before we bolted toward the dungeon. I dashed between the dappling undergrowth, the phosphorescent glow still as stunning as before.
I grappled along by using the growing green vines cropped up around bits of light. Hell, on several of the curved segments of the sewer, I picked up enough speed to run along the cylindrical walls. It was a blast just moving, and I relished it. Althea joined me, and we laughed together.
At one point, I analyzed Althea’s level, 467. She was nearly a hundred levels below me, and that didn’t even account for the distance my mythical skill made. In absolute terms, she’d fallen behind, though appearances could be deceiving. Despite my attempts at giving her some grace, I saw her descent coming.
Althea never liked fighting, and she exhausted herself when living the life of a warrior. If anything, I enjoyed it a little too much. Other factors mounted as well. She needed sleep and I didn’t. I gained eight hours every day that converted into training and study without any distractions. I even got doubled experience from unique bosses. It all added up to a growing lead.
I thought I’d relish my unspoken win, but instead, a lingering sadness came over me. Althea had entered some kind of funk. On the other hand, I…Well, I was thriving. A part of me wanted her to experience this same sense of purpose I had gained. How? I was too much a child and not enough a leader or man to know.
But I wouldn’t slack off. With my relentless approach to leveling and study, I was covering ground many times faster than a normal person. I wasn’t competing with normal people anymore either. I left that behind a while back. I was competing with monsters now, and that meant I had to be a little bit of a monster myself.
Those thoughts swirled in my head as we reached near the stadium. We passed under the broken streets and decaying, fungal bodies before finding a manhole cover. I walked out of the sewer first, and considering how tanky my build was, I was an excellent vanguard for the group. Althea and Kade decided to sit back, while Kessiah and Aatrox acted as their protectors.
I would run up and make a mess of the enemies ranks to act as a distraction from the real threats of our group. Even with my persistent proximity to the enemy, I didn’t mind our setup. I liked being up close and personal when I fought anyway, and it suited me in more ways than one. With that strategy in mind, I reached up above the manhole out into the street.
We were three blocks from the stadium. Before reaching the old fixture of Springfield, we crossed a few intersections. The streetlights still flickered in spots where the canopy cover didn’t smother them in shade. A minute later, the five of us were up a set of stadium stairs and walking inside.
Passing through the dilapidated, empty hallways, we kept our feet away from moldy hotdogs and plastic cups. The smell of fried oil turned rancid, a sour taste filling the air. My runes gave us a slight glow to see from, and in those tunnels, there was a slight echo in the distance. As we walked around a circular hallway, the sound grew in intensity.
The hallway stopped at a set of wooden, cracked doors. I open them before walking into a wide viewing room. Pillars lined the wide hall cast shadows across the glistening granite. Walls of glass provided ample vistas for VIP’s viewing. They exposed a football field smothered by writhing vines, gnarled tree roots, and encroaching fungi.
In the room, the ground trembled, and shadows dappled across the sheening stone floors, their polish lingering after all this time. An aquarium sat behind a series of broken seats and chairs. Broken glass littered the floor, and mana condensed in the tank behind us.
We stepped inside. I murmured,
“I wonder where-”
Behind the glass of the aquarium, a giant in a deep-sea diving suit walked up. A mass of sea urchins crawled from openings in his suit, and a blue light flashed from his head lamp. It sizzled anything it touched, and his steps caused cracks in the aquarium’s floor. Even the lightest touch from his massive foot shook the earth, explaining the echoes from earlier.
From within his helmet, a dozen eyes glowed yellow amidst the blue. Its right arm ended in a drill, the tip of it digging a trench in the aquarium’s faux floor. The left arm ended in a massive, gloved hand. Electricity pulsed from it, arcs of lightning streaking into the nearby area.
Along its back, the lightning created ozone that bubbled up to the surface of the aquarium. It wreaked metal and chlorine. The monster glanced up at us all, and we gazed back at it. The both of us remained motionless like a fawn and a wolf meeting each other's eyes. In that moment, we tried to decide who would kill who, and the tension rose.
Mauler, the Koshack Juggernaut | Level 877 – A converted species made to serve an emperor of their home world, the Koshacks live in the dark, pressurized seas below their homeworld’s endless seas. Having their kind enslaved by a forgotten empire, they now serve Yawm as juggernauts in his army. As the encroaching fungus consumed the surface, these monsters roam dark oceans for prey and sport.
After being born, Koshacks require a chrysalis and consistent stream of nutrients. Once a gestation period passes, they must be implanted with a thick suit to survive deep sea pressures. Lined by protective metallic plates, this monster carries two kinds of specialized attacks.
The arc reactor on its back powers the left-handed glove, letting it paralyze and destroy enemies at a distance. It can use electricity and magic as well. If an enemy somehow closes the distance, the drill on its arm acts as a piercing attack, letting it destroy armored foes with ease.
Be wary of this foe, for it may end you.
Kessiah pursed her lips,
“Shit…this is worse than I thought. Torix said the eldritch might have guards, but to send the Koshak. Yikes.”
Althea frowned,
“The Koshack?”
Kessiah pointed at the aquarium,
“Torix has done quite a bit of research on our enemy already, and so far, Yawm has destroyed four planets that we could find. The Koshack were on one of those planets, and they were a repurposed species designed to act as guardians for an ancient empire. Their machines continued working long after their rulers perished in a civil war, and the race made it despite their need for suits.”
Mauler revved its drill, the spinning metal blaring in the aquarium. Kessiah put a hand on my chest,
“We’ll let you handle this when you’re ready.”
In a decisive motion, I pushed her hand away.
“Althea and I can handle this. Besides, we need the practice.”
Mana surged in my chest, and my voice carried a slight hunger. Kessiah glanced at me, her face worried,
“It’s three hundred levels over you, and you seem a bit too eager.”
I calmed myself and shrugged,
“I probably have pretty even stats with the thing. I can handle him-” I grinned at Althea, “-With a little help of course.”
A reluctant grin grew on Althea’s lips before Mauler opened its left hand. Lightning burst from it, melting the glass ahead of it. Water poured forth, and Althea leaped to the roof. Spikes grew from her heels, and she ran along the ceiling in defiance of gravity and convention.
Before getting shocked, I created thin, telekinetic pads to keep me off the charged water. The Koshack warrior surged mana once more, the cyan blue energy coursing into its palm. Before it could peer at us using its acidic light, Althea spit out a glob of tarry liquid at the beast. The ink splattered against its facemask, eliminating one of the monster’s most potent weapons.
I couldn’t help but mentally applaud her quick thinking. In defiance of the distraction, the monster flared out, a spark of lightning coursing at me. I already darted sideways, landing on two chairs that groaned under my feet.
Singe marks burnt into the wall behind me. Glass shattered under Mauler’s feet, and spear bolts blasted through the beast. Lightning deflected most of them, and nearby trash caught fire. Tiny plumes of black smoke filled into the room, and I banged my fists together, the sound echoing.
I grinned before running forward across several chairs. The ascendant mana flooded my veins like liquid power. It engulfed my mind before I took it back. The telekinetic fields covered my fists, turning them into piercing drills. With an explosive speed, Mauler slapped one of Althea’s spears out of the way.
My hungry grin grew at the sight of it. This would be a good fight.
I reached within punching range, getting two hundred feet from the others. I activated Oppression as bolts of lightning streaked towards me. The electricity charged into my armor, traveling deep into my bones. It dispersed through me, almost like I was drinking it. At the same time, my muscles contracted in fits so strong that several of them tore.
My blood heated and boiled, steam oozing from my throat and nose. I fell sideways before the electricity in the water snapped the charge into me. Another burst of damage flowed across my skin, singing and burning my nerves. Innervating my body, the electricity burned my hair and tore several more muscles.
Face flat on the ground, I played dead. The monster raised a drill and whirled it. The sound shattered the glass behind us while my body shivered from residual shocks. While it celebrated my death, I fought for my life. Each second carried more energy into my body, but it carried a familiar feel.
It reminded me of mana, and once I caught some measure of its taste, I drank it in using my armor. My wounds healed from my own mana generation and the stolen inflow of energy. In seconds, I could feel my hands, feet, and arms again. Once the monster took a few more steps, I healed several torn muscles.
Althea slowed the monster down, but it carried an incredible ability to redirect projectiles. The bone spears either exploded or flung aside from its arcing electricity. At the same time, it held a tremendous momentum and weight. In a minute, it reached what it thought was my corpse. It raised its drilled arm, the engine revving inside the limb.
A notification sounded in my ears.
Skill level up! Gorger of Mana | Level 7!
As it slammed the drill down, I rolled sideways. It cracked stone while I channeled my telekinesis. Wielding a flash of my mana, I roared as telekinetic constructs formed over my fists. All of my power flooded my body as I stood in a sweeping uppercut.
I smashed the monster’s helmet using my fist. The bones in my arm snapped and my shoulder dislocated. However, the telekinetic pads held firm, and my hand rebounded back. The monster flew off its feet as my blood splattered onto the water surrounding us. I let out a growl while stumbling back, but Mauler’s head hit the ceiling, and concrete dust fell onto the ground.
A few more arcs streaked past my head as it fell. The electricity burned into my health, but my armor devoured the energy, starving for more. As I recovered, Althea rallied. She picked up shards of glass from the shattered windows and began tossing them like ninja stars. Mauler pulled himself upright and reached out with a gloved hand.
The sparks flared at the glass, but the material didn’t conduct electricity at all. The glass sank into his suit, Althea’s strength launching them like projectiles. After several pieces landed, she tossed a plate sized piece at the Koshack. It hit the side of the monster’s neck, and the beast's shrill cries erupted from within.
A writhing mass of urchins clustered to close the wound. They solidified into coral before the monster stood. It reared its fist back and lobbed electricity at Althea. She fired a bone spear at the lightning while darting sideways. Her form blurred, and portions of the concrete ceiling popped away as she fired bolt after bolt at the beast.
A firefight erupted, one of bone, lightning, and fulmination from both forces. Flashing streaks crossed the air, melting glass. Bones pierced through feet of concrete. Glass shot across the glistening granite, and blood poured from the beast. Althea streaked from chair to table to roof, her form shifting like a ghost.
Until a bolt of thunder hit her leg.
The limb exploded, and she rolled towards the water. My arm had healed, and I stomped the ground. A burst of telekinesis pushed her to the ceiling, and she landed on the roof. I charged forward and reached the monster.
With a mighty swing, the monster launched out its drill to me. Keeping cold and calm, I diverted the drill using my shoulders and by hitting it at an angle. Telekinesis stopped it from tearing my body apart, and sparks streaked off the drill. Lightning danced in a display of sound and light.
I torqued my hand, twisting my hip as I turned my fist. Mana flooded me once more. With a heavy hook, I drilled my own punch into the side of the monster. The telekinetic point pierced the suit, digging inches into the armor. My arm and shoulder held despite creaks and cracks of protest.
With my hand lodged in the monster, splinters of my armor expanded, gripping into the flesh of the creature. It swung again, and I stepped back, ducking around the blow. In tandem, I pulled my fist out its wound. Splinters sheared the Mauler’s insides. A thick, blue blood covered my hand and dripped onto the floor as it stabbed its drill towards me.
I slammed my front foot into the ground, using the force of the step as I deflected the drill once more with my right arm. My telekinetic pads shattered, and my mind flashed from the disruption of focus. My nose bled, and the drill tore my elbow skin while ripping through my armor.
The drill veered off towards my right side, sparks flying off my armor. The drill carved trenches in my armor and flesh, the weapon piercing through parts of my armor. However, it hadn’t broken any bones. The monster embodied no skill or fighting style, and that was something I exploited.
It swung again. I formed another pad of telekinesis. This time, it held. When deflecting the blow, my arm bounced back. Using that change in momentum, I ducked down, following the rebound’s flow. As if gliding on my heels, I smoothly guided the inertia from the hit as I lunged up. Keeping my left elbow tight against my side, I rotated on my heels, weight building in my left hand.
Using a flash of mental effort, I formed the telekinetic spike and flared my mana. Like a train wreck, my left fist punctured the monster’s gut. My back groaned. My knees wobbled. My mind carried the hunger of mana and the rage of battle, two insanities I quelled. Despite everything pulling me apart, I walked along a thin line, and I held it all together.
And I was rewarded with power.
The beast shuddered as its insides pulped. I held my fist in the writhing mass of Mauler’s body. Spines expanded as I jerked my fist out, turning the monster’s insides into outsides. The organs, blood, and bile flopped onto the ground, pouring like a thick mush. The monster stumbled backwards, unable to handle the agony anymore.
The generator along its back flared with light, the energy coalescing into its palm. The ball of energy detonated forward, creating a flash of blue electricity. The bolt hit me, burning my armor and searing my flesh. I convulsed, the electricity causing my muscles to tense again. As the lightning left me, I fell forward.
Before landing on my face, I caught my fall as I fell into a lunge. I pushed myself up, half of my health missing. Even with my ascendant mana burning in my runes and forearms, my health readily climbed in an endless rise. I smiled at the monster, almost feeding off its fear. Taking a second, I shook off that madness, my mana trying to rob my sanity.
I pushed forward, slamming my fists together. The monster fell onto the ground, blood pouring from it’s the two gaping wounds on its sides. As it landed, the earth quaked. I kept steady, my steps timed before reaching beside it.
It stabbed its drill towards me, but I lifted my foot and stomped on the contraption. Right before I did, two of Althea’s spears punctured its motor and wrist. The drill and the metal wires along the engine of it caved in from her bolts, and my stomp crumpled the metal drill. It required a burst of mana, and it flared through my runes in a red wave.
Again I stomped, and again the drill caved. I pushed down more of the anger and hunger. The monster let out a rumbling whimper while sliding back. Two spears hit its legs before I stamped again, crushing it under my heel. I continued stomping, and its body crushed under the onslaught.
Within seconds, it turned into a blue sap spread all over the floor. I turned back around, facing the group. Part of my hair singed off my skull. Steam floated off me, and burns crossed my body like spots on a dalmatian. Mana roared in my veins, a corrupting force. I held it down as hair regrew and wounds closed.
I walked forward after battle, my body restored and ready,
“I told you we could handle it.”