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Chapter 41: Demons and Nymphs
🕑 Added 2022-12-21 18:23:20 +0000 UTCI charged forward into the battlefield of Nymphs and Infernals, and Erani scrambled behind a tree. She may have gotten a defensive Spell, but her Health was still abysmal. The Infernal I’d shot had already noticed me and turned to face me, and the second Infernal saw me during my charge out of the forest. I began running along the muddy riverbank to intercept me, brown sludge splashing across its red skin as it stomped along. The third Infernal turned and went to pursue the two Nymphs that had fled into the forest. The Nymphs had been able to handle themselves for at least a bit against all three, though, so just one shouldn’t have been a problem for now.
I cast Crippling Chill on the Infernal that was approaching me.
You have cursed Level 26 Infernal with Crippling Chill. For the next 15 seconds, it loses 6.38 Health and 5.1 Stamina each second, and its Dexterity score is lowered by 12.8.
50.9 Mana Cost. Your Mana is 371.
However, I didn’t worry too much about it catching me. Just as it got close…
BOOM!
An explosion blasted against it, Firebolts pelting out from the trees against the Demon’s head. It turned and roared in anger at Erani, who was supporting me from the back lines. It charged toward her, and I was just left with the one Infernal. Not exactly an easy fight, but judging from the many cuts and wounds, slash marks and stabs from its previous fight with the Nymphs, hopefully it would be doable.
As I neared the hulking Demon, it held out its arms out in preparation to grab me. Just as I got within its reach, though, I shot a Ray of Frost directly into its eyes, blinding it with the bright blue light, and strafed to the left.
You have struck Level 26 Infernal for 50 damage using Ray of Frost.
You have cursed Level 26 Infernal with Ray of Frost. For the next 5 seconds, its Dexterity score is lowered by 6.38.
22.6 Mana Cost. Your Mana is 420.
It roared and flailed its arms wildly while it blinked away the flash. However, by that time, I’d already scrambled behind it. From there, I leapt onto its back, wrapping my arms around its meaty neck and activating Noxious Grasp. It roared and tried to reach around and throw me off, but its thick muscles worked against it, ruining its flexibility.
It roared and flailed, trying to buck me from it, but I held strong, the few extra points I’d gotten in Strength aiding me. Eventually, the Demon grunted and gave up on trying to throw me from its back. Instead, it crouched, then leapt up, leaning backward so it would land directly on its back – and consequently, me. I immediately pushed off, jumping to the side as it landed on the ground.
You have struck Level 26 Infernal for 175 damage and drained 88 Stamina over the course of 11.3 seconds using Noxious Grasp.
42.4 Mana Cost. Your Mana is 378.
It slammed into the muddy ground with a thud, and began clambering to its feet, taking wild swipes at me as I continued to back away. As it got to its feet, I received a notification.
Crippling Chill has worn off of Level 26 Infernal.
You have struck Level 26 Infernal for 96 damage and drained 77 Stamina over the course of 15 seconds using Crippling Chill.
I quickly cursed it once again with Crippling Chill, bringing my Mana down to 327. It may have been damaged, but I didn’t want to deal with this thing at full capacity. In the background, I could hear signs of the other two scuffles going on. The explosions of Erani’s Firebolts combined nicely with the roars of pain from the Infernal she was firing them at. As for the Nymphs, I could hear faint thwips and slices from their respective weapons coming from the surrounding forest.
I kept my distance from the Infernal in front of me, raising my hand in preparation to cast Ray of Frost. It was likely pretty low on Health at this point, and its Stamina must have been dragging after all it had been through. So, if I just kept out of its melee range and pelted it with Spells from afar, I could kill it with little effort.
But before I could even get my first Spell off, a rumbling came from the ground below me, and the dirt burst apart, a Hellion jumping from beneath the earth. Its head-sized mouth chomped onto my thigh, the circular rings of fangs digging into my skin.
You have been bitten by teeth. 57 damage.
Your Health is 109.
I screamed in pain as the worm longer than I was tall ripped into my flesh. Panicked, I aimed my hand at it and cast a barrage of Rays of Frost, the cold beams burning into its skin and coating it with ice.
You have struck Level 11 Hellion for 41 damage using Ray of Frost.
You have cursed Level 14 Hellion with Ray of Frost. For the next 5 seconds, its Dexterity score is lowered by 6.38.
22.6 Mana Cost. Your Mana is 304.
You have struck Level 11 Hellion for 44 damage using Ray of Frost.
You have cursed Level 14 Hellion with Ray of Frost. For the next 5 seconds, its Dexterity score is lowered by 6.38.
22.6 Mana Cost. Your Mana is 282.
You have struck Level 11 Hellion for 39 damage using Ray of Frost.
You have cursed Level 14 Hellion with Ray of Frost. For the next 5 seconds, its Dexterity score is lowered by 6.38.
22.6 Mana Cost. Your Mana is 259.
You have offered major contribution toward the slaying of Level 11 Hellion.
You have earned 48 XP. Your XP is 210.
The Hellion fell limp off of my leg, its body splayed twitching on the dirt. I fought back the urge to lie on the ground and nurse my wound, struggling back to my feet as the dozens of tiny tooth marks in my leg leaked blood.
The Infernal was on its feet at this point, and running toward me. I limped backward and cast yet more Rays of Frost at the Infernal. The many beams shot into its skin, spreading patches of sleet across the areas of impact. After the many castings, my Mana had gone further down to 169. The Demon didn’t slow, though, stomping toward me. And considering my crippled state, it would reach me soon.
“Erani!” I called to my right, where I could still hear the explosions from her fight. I watched as she burst from the treeline, an Infernal of her own chasing after her. Its entire body was smoking and covered in scorch marks. She reached out as she ran toward me, launching a Firebolt at the Infernal pursuing me. It exploded against the beast’s head, knocking it aside and causing it to roar in surprise.
“Could use some help of my own!” she yelled back to me as she arrived at my side.
Understanding what she meant, I cast Crippling Chill on the Infernal that had been chasing her.
You have cursed Level 25 Infernal with Crippling Chill. For the next 15 seconds, it loses 6.38 Health and 5.1 Stamina each second, and its Dexterity score is lowered by 12.8.
50.9 Mana Cost. Your Mana is 118.
Obviously not expecting the sudden loss of mobility, the monster tripped and fell into the mud. In fact, it looked like it was almost dead from the countless cuts and burns across its body.
“Watch out for Hellions,” I said to Erani, who now stood beside me. “Got my leg earlier.”
She nodded, and cast another Firebolt on the still-standing Infernal. It fell back. “Running low on Mana. How’re you looking?”
“About a hundred. Might need to stick to Noxious Grasp for damage from now on.”
“Sure. I’ll cover you.”
I took a breath, bracing for pain, and then ran forward at the Infernal that had been chasing Erani – the one that seemed to be lower on Health. As it took the labored movements to get onto its hands and knees, I tackled it, knocking it back into the mud. We were close enough to the riverbank that its impact into the ground caused a splash in the water.
I activated Noxious Grasp and began draining away the remainder of the Infernal’s Health. It roared in pain and swung its arm at me. I tried to lean out of the way, but my position on top of the monster was awkward, and I couldn’t move as much as I needed to. Its oversized hand smacked into my body.
You have been knocked aside. 31 damage.
Your Health is 78.
You have struck Level 25 Infernal for 104 damage and drained 52 Stamina over the course of 6.7 seconds using Noxious Grasp.
25.2 Mana Cost. Your Mana is 92.
I flew off the Infernal, landing a few paces away. Hurriedly, I got to my feet. If the Infernal got up, it’d be that much harder to take down again. So as quickly as possible, I ran back over to it. As I half-sprinted, half-stumbled, I scooped a handful of mud into my hand, and flung it into the Demon’s eyes. It grunted and tried to wipe the gunk from its face, but just as it did so, grabbed onto its arm, and, using every bit of my strength and of my Strength, I dragged the gigantic monster over a pace, so that its head was in the water. Still blind, it roared and swung around at me, but I was able to dodge the wild strikes.
Its head was floating in the water, the water splashing onto the spluttering beast’s face.
“Let’s get that mud off you,” I said and lifted my foot, then stomped down onto the Infernal, pushing it completely underwater.
You have struck Level 25 Infernal for 12 damage using your Foot.
Before it could grab me, I lifted my foot again, staying out of its reach. But just as fast, I kicked down again, hitting it for more damage and keeping it beneath the water.
You have struck Level 25 Infernal for 5 damage using your Foot.
The drowning Demon flailed out at me, but I kept at it, stomping my foot onto its face repeatedly while keeping far away when it tried to reach for me. My still-bleeding leg ached in pain with each kick, but the adrenaline kept me steady.
The other Infernal had gotten to its feet by now, and started to run toward me, eager to save its drowning kin, but before it reached me, an explosion launched it off its feet and back into the mud. Erani nodded at me as I finished the job. And, soon enough, the Infernal stopped moving.
You have offered minor contribution toward the slaying of Level 25 Infernal.
You have earned 122 XP. Your XP is 332.
By the time the Infernal drowned, the other one had gotten to its feet once again, but Erani blasted it once again. It groaned, but didn’t seem like it was capable of getting back to its feet again. I trudged over to it, and grabbed onto its head with Noxious Grasp active. Its bloodshot eyes shot open as the last of its Health drained away from it, and it slumped over.
You have offered moderate contribution toward the slaying of Level 26 Infernal.
You have earned 304 XP. Your XP is 636.
Threshold reached. 450 XP.
Your Level has increased to 9.
Due to achieving Level 9 in the Minute Mage Class, you have been granted the following benefits:
-You have gained 1 Endurance.
-You have gained 2 Conjuration.
-You have gained 1 Intelligence.
-You have gained 3 Stat Points.
-Recursive Growth has activated. You have gained 1 Dexterity and 1 Conjuration.
-Time Loop Talent Rank has increased to 9.
-You may choose a Spell to learn.
I smiled at the Level-up, but the battle wasn’t near over. In fact, before I could even take a solid breath, I heard a noise from the trees. As I glanced over, I watched the two Nymphs leap through the treeline, coming toward us with desperate looks on their faces. They’d done some damage to the Infernals, too, so they must have gotten kill notifications for the two Demons and realized it was safe to come over, now. Not that Erani or I would be a lot of help to them; we were both too low on Mana to cast many Spells.
Still, I had some, and now I’d have the two Nymphs to back me up. I ran forward and stood next to them, all three of us preparing to fight the Infernal. The two Nymphs were covered in bite marks – I guess that was where the other Hellion had been. The Demon slowed down when it saw me and Erani. In fact, it came to a complete stop when its eyes met mine. I remembered that the entire reason these Infernals were out here was because they were looking for me, so seeing me would have given them pause. Why didn’t the other Infernals have a reaction like that, though? Were they seriously so dumb that they didn’t recognize me?
This Infernal was doing something strange, though. As it stood, it seemed to be struggling to do something. Its sunken eyes were shut tight and its forehead wrinkled. Did the Infernals have an ability I wasn’t aware of? Well, if the Demon wasn’t going to approach me, I’d take the fight to it. I wasn’t going to just stand by and let it do whatever it was trying to do.
I ran forward at the Infernal, but before I could get to it, its eyes snapped open. Whatever it was trying to do, it seemed to have done it. I didn’t notice any change, though. Whatever. I’d figure it out eventually.
The Nymphs charged behind me, the taller one with its claws held out, and the shorter one with its whip in its hand, wound up and ready to strike. Just as we reached the Demon, the clawed Nymph leapt high, soaring over my head and stabbing its claws into the Infernal’s chest. It hung there by its claws, but the Infernal grabbed the Nymph and flung it away. The Nymph landed on its feet, though, and dashed right back at the Infernal as the other Nymph with the whip lashed out at the Infernal, strafing to its side.
The Infernal grabbed the Nymphs whip and flung it in the other direction, the Nymph going flying into the ground, but as it did that, I collided with it and activated Noxious Grasp. It didn’t seem bothered by me, either, though, and kicked me away.
You have struck Level 38 Infernal Commander for 22 damage and drained 11 Stamina over the course of 1.4 seconds using Noxious Grasp.
5.26 Mana Cost. Your Mana is 87.
Oh shit, I thought. Infernal Commander?
The thing was Level 38, over 10 Levels higher than the other Infernals I’d faced. It made sense that it didn’t seem bothered by our attacks, and why it had been giving the Nymphs so much trouble. Still, why was it going so easy on us? It almost seemed disinterested, like it was just waiting for something to happen.
I backed away. In our state, it wasn’t likely we could take on an enemy like that. But as I backed away, it followed, its eyes locked onto me.
“We need to go!” I called back to Erani. “It’s Level 38. Something called an Infernal Commander.”
The Demon still just looked at me.
I turned and ran. The Nymphs seemed to get the message, and they fled too. But the Infernal chased after us, jogging along as we sprinted at top speed. It was obviously holding back. Its sunken, beady eyes stared on with a scowl.
And then, there was a crash. And another. And then, the entire forest felt like it was collapsing. Through the trees, dozens upon dozens of Infernals came charging straight at us.
My eyes widened at the sight. “It called in reinforcements! Run!”
Erani and I ran into the river, the strong water tugging at our feet and threatening to topple us. The Demons chased after us, wading into the pool. At this point, the Infernal Commander had stopped running and was just standing by, watching our struggle. I realized what it had been doing. It was lazy. It just didn’t feel like killing me, preferring for its underlings to do so instead.
The river slowed down the hoard of Infernals, but it slowed us down just as much. The rushing water tripped us, sticks and loose rocks knocked into our legs and tripped us, and the loose footing underneath the water made it impossible to move quickly. The two Nymphs were more easily able to move through the water, their nimble bodies cutting swiftly through the river, but even they were having trouble.
Eventually, we made it to the other side, panting from the effort. The water and sticks made my leg hurt more than ever. But just as we stepped onto dry land, there was a familiar rumbling from beneath, and a Hellion burst from the ground. Not just one, actually – two. One of them, a big one, came from directly underneath my leg, its gigantic maw enveloping my foot, then shin, then thigh as it moved up my skin like a sleeve. Then, just as it reached the top of my leg, it bit down.
You have been bitten. 65 damage.
Your Health is 13.
You have been dismembered.
My entire leg had been eaten by the Hellion. I screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground as the limb was carried off into the ground by the gigantic worm. The other Hellion had aimed itself at the taller Nymph with the claws. It’d burst out of the ground from afar, and was currently soaring through the air, aimed so that it would fall with its mouth directly around the Nymph’s head. The Nymph didn’t seem to notice, too distracted by the attack on me, and I watched as the Nymph’s demise headed straight for it.
But the shorter Nymph didn’t let that happen. It lunged forward, pushing the taller Nymph out of the Hellion’s arc, but in the process, it became the new target. The Hellion completed its arc, falling directly into the Nymph’s chest, pushing it to the ground and then tearing a hole straight through. It burrowed back into the ground, leaving a gigantic wound behind that let you see more internal organs than external.
The Nymph gasped, its white eyes fading darker and its grip loosening on the handle of its whip. A sickly yellow sap leaked from the massive hole in its torso. The taller Nymph fell to its knees, cradling its companion’s face in its hands. I could see a white liquid leaking from its eyes. The dying Nymph tried to say something to the taller one, but it could barely move its mouth, much less speak. Instead, it just settled on a smile. One that was loving, but tainted by the intense pain it must have been experiencing.
The taller Nymph had burst fully into tears at this point, and choked out a phrase that I couldn't understand, repeating that phrase over and over as it cradled its companion’s bleeding body.
The shorter Nymph’s pained smile grew at that, its own ever-darkening eyes tearing up. And then, they went fully black. And it stopped moving.
I was snapped back to reality by the roar of an Infernal as it crossed the halfway point of the river. The pain in my leg – my stump – shocked back into my brain, and I realized I’d been groaning in pain that entire time.
“Mana?” I gasped to Erani.
“A hundred,” she answered. “About enough for two Firebolts.”
“Use them on their legs,” I said. “Try to knock down the nearest ones once they get close.”
I cast Crippling Chill on the Infernal closest to us, spending over half of my Mana. The Demon tripped, getting washed away by the river and even knocking over one of its compatriots, but it wasn’t enough. Even if I had a thousand Mana, I wouldn’t be able to curse them all – let alone kill them.
I used my one good leg to start pushing away from the riverbank. The still-living Nymph didn’t even seem to remember its surroundings. Instead it just crouched, cradling the corpse of the other.
There was an explosion as one of Erani’s Firebolts blasted the legs of one of the Infernals. It tripped and fell into the rushing water, but was quickly overtaken by five more. My leg hurt more than anything had ever hurt in my life.
We weren’t going to win this fight. And I wasn’t interested in seeing it through to the end.
I looked over to the grieving Nymph. I wasn’t interested in prolonging the suffering of my companions, either.
I was going to do this again, and I’d do it right.
I activated Time Loop.
