Chapter One Hundred and Fifty - 150

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty - 150

The Larval Ravager teeth were many. Row after row of overlapping fangs twisted and clenched, some missing him by mere inches.

Others did not.

Armored Skin is level 49!

His arms and shoulders bore the worst of it, though the wounds started clotting almost immediately as the monster essence he held inside of him diminished rapidly. Minutes ago, he would have been confused perhaps terrified by that detail. Now it was nothing more than a fact, one that meant he might succeed.

Short, tight bursts of Reign of Vellus sent him careening through the Ravager's throat. It spared him more injuries, at least until he cleared the last row of teeth. Then he met the pulsating esophagus of the beast, the wet, purple-red organ lined with massive thorns that rattled with its panicked breaths.

The Larval Ravager screamed, and the thorns shook like a million maracas. Though he'd surprised the monster by his move, it wasn't taking it lying down. Half-summoned, his latest burst of kinetic force died on his fingertips, blown out like a match in a windstorm. A terrible buzzing crawled across his skin as Felix fell, ricocheting freely off the thorn-lined esophagus, a sound that pushed into his head like a drill. But all it found inside was the same inchoate noise, roared out from within his very Spirit.

Its (Her!) voice was a balm on Felix's senses, a music that somehow drowned out the deafening bellow of the Ravager. Felix heard the call in Her tone, the passion. Memories. Of all the beasts he'd fought, those few touched by Her song had formed a core of power. Solid and hidden, he somehow knew these cores fueled the abilities and transformation of Her progeny. Her children. This one was a fake, a pretender to the throne that She would not tolerate.

He knew what to do.

Blue lightning slashed to the rear, propelling Felix into the slick surface of the Ravager's innards. Talons of ebon night tore away at it, slipping at first, before catching and tearing. Ripping. Viscous, dark fluids poured out of the hole, and Felix couldn't help but laugh. He opened his mouth wide, teeth flashing in the after shocks of his lightning, and he let the tumult cover him. Power, swirling clouds of essence formed within him, drawn from the beast's flesh. It gave him strength, more than enough to keep moving.

What Dwells Beneath is level 21!

Bloodline Progression is 63%

The flesh around him quivered and shook, but it could not dislodge him. What it could do, however, was heal rapidly. The fissures he created sealed quickly behind him, new fat and muscle reforming as the Ravager bellowed and sucked at the ambient Mana. Like a weevil in a wall, he burrowed deeper, fleeing the closing flesh while seeking the one thing his Mind, Spirit, and Body all screamed for: sustenance.

What Dwells Beneath is level 22!

Bloodline Progression is 64%

A heat stopped him. Not anything from among the Larval Ravager's organs, but from within. His chest. A...calling?

STOP!

He couldn't stop. That wasn't possible. He was so hungry.

REMEMBER!

The memory of feathers and fur stirred in him, of a beak that nipped his fingers. It had been hungry too. Growing. He--

A pain clutched at his chest, and Felix curled up within the Ravager. Unnamed fluids pooled around him, drenching him, soaking his clothes. The pain was a hard, sharp stone jammed into his heart. No, five stones, gripping his chest as if to strangle. As if to rip something out.

The calling stopped, dimmed too dark, and so too did the pain. Neither faded, not completely. But it was enough for him to unclench his limbs and keep moving. Forward. Toward the core.

The Ravager's flesh was tough, resistant to all but the preternatural edge of his talons and teeth, so the going was slow. He moved like an eel, a snake, sliding his body along the path he forced open with the burning Strength in his arms and legs. His skin had become dark once more, rough like stone or bark, not quite scaled but a far cry from smooth. Spurs of bone jutted along his forearms and legs, sharp nubs that aided him in his crawling advance even as they tore apart his jacket and trousers. Had his boots not given him incredible traction in the slimy confines, he would have kicked them free. His feet felt cramped, talons pressed tight against the enchanted material.

He felt like a new being. Strong and tireless, even when the Ravager attempted to bear down and kill him. Creatures came for him, mostly small and formed of chitinous knots of appendages surmounted by leech-like mouths. The moment he attained greater space, an abscess within the Ravager, these things came for him.

Parasites, She whispered in disdain. They are nothing.

And She was right.

The parasites fell before his claws, their strange bodies broken with a single strike. He ate one of them to sate his Hunger, but the taste was foul. Whatever they were, they tasted of refuse and waste. He ate two more just to be sure. More came, relentless, endless, but he plowed through them, digging deeper.

Notifications flared and passed as he moved and fought, simple things that the growing storm within him fueled. Felix tore stubborn pieces of fat and muscle from his path, often eating it with a squirming relish, pushing himself ever forward.

Blind Fighting is level 25!

Congratulations! You Have Reached Apprentice Tier in Blind Fighting!

You Gain:

+5 DEX

+10 PER

Unarmed Mastery is level 33!

Unfettered Volition is level 22!

What Dwells Beneath is level 23!

Bloodline Progression is 65%

Meaningless words. All that mattered to him was moving, pushing, eating. And the core. Soft, whispered words floated through his Mind, just as his Hunger pulsed within his Spirit. The Body followed, urged by the cravings that could not be denied.

The screeching split his concentration as he entered another abscess, it's tone loud enough to distract. The parasite he fought, far larger than those previous, took the opportunity to slash open his chest. Felix flinched from the attack, hissing. A sense of desperation and fear inundated him, tumultuous emotions that muddled his mind.

STOP!

Enough! Felix snarled in his mind, ducking away from the parasites that tried to flank him. Multitudinous limbs flashed with sharp claws, their many eyes glowing in the fetid dark. Their bodies were knots of bone and gristle, large as they were, like skeletons made to an insane man's vision. But the creature in his mind could not be stopped. The wet world around him faded as light bloomed, and suddenly Felix was outside, looking through someone else's eyes.

He stood amidst the horde, now surging toward him and two others. Two women, different in many obvious ways but similar in conviction. Each held their weapons at the ready, their bodies low and grounded, ready for the fight. His not-eyes flicked between the oncoming monsters and the women, while surges of wild emotion flared in his chest.

Remember, Felix!

Etheric Concordance is level 33!

Etheric Concordance is level 34!

Tightness enveloped his heart, his connection. That tunnel of light flickered out once again, strangled by Her dark hand. Soft assurances snaked through his ears, redirecting the snap-back of foreign rage and dismay. Turned outward, toward the parasites that still accosted him.

Pain bloomed from his chest and hip, and Felix discovered more jagged wounds where his toughened flesh did not quite reach. Roaring in pain, he barreled forward, pushing off a slick protuberance and launching himself, talons first at a parasite. The creature flailed defensively, scoring strikes against Felix's shoulders and arms, but their claws scraped harmlessly off. A flurry of wild swings eventually caught them, tearing off one of their many limbs and dumping their foul ichor into the cavity. Felix landed at the far end, injured but healing.

A flickering sensation ignited within his chest, just left of his tortured screams. Worry, doubt, fear, and a deep affection spilled out from that light, though something tried to cut it off. Furious, Felix sought the connection, pulling back at it. Something resisted him, something strong, but he pulled hard enough that a flash of blazing light burned through. Felix could feel the desperate passion of his Companion. Briefly, his Mind cleared.

Etheric Concordance is level 35!

Etheric Concordance is level 36!

PIT!

FELIX! His name was bright upon Pit's mind, though the rest of his intent was merely a jumble of images. A collection of stars in the sky, of a bonfire burning in the dark, and of...of lightning...

A desperate, pained hiss sounded all around him, and the connection with his Companion dimmed once more. Unable to spare it any thought, Felix bore down on Pit's message. It was clear what the tenku was saying, buy why...? Felix dove into his core, Fire Within flaring.

And he saw an immense nebula of shimmering essence, literally crackling with a virulent potency above his core fire. His Skills revolved around him, each of varying brightness and intensity, each humming a slightly different tone. The essence was pushing at the darkness, straining it as it grew with every passing second. And--

And tendrils of that smoke were being siphoned off. Directly into--

What Dwells Beneath, Felix breathed. You piece of--MAW!

A delighted chuckle rose from the darkness, pulsing from his Bastion of Will like a whisper of wind. The siphoning did not stop, only increased.

What Dwells Beneath is level 25!

Bloodline Progression is 69%

Congratulations! You Have Reached Apprentice Tier in What Dwells Beneath!

YoU? //)N>>

ERROR!

ERROR!

ERROR!

Synergy Detected!

What Dwells Beneath Is Compatible With Multiple Skills!

Do You Wish To Evolve?

Y/N

No! Felix reached out and grasped part of the essence himself, pulling on it to redirect toward his core fire. Tendrils of the essence dipped below and were consumed almost instantly, but it was too little. The pressure kept building, threatening to rip him apart.

What Dwells Beneath is level 26!

Bloodline Progression is 70%

What Dwells Beneath is level 27!

Bloodline Progression is 71%

Stop! You can't do this!

I can, hissed the Maw, an edge to its voice. This is my power, after all!

Felix gripped the clouds of essence and wrestled with it. Flaring his Willpower, he maneuvered great chunks of the power into his core flame, digesting the condensing essence as fast as he could.

Fire Within is level 41!

Fire Within is level 42!

Fire Within is level 43!

What Dwells Beneath is level 29!

Bloodline Progression is 73%

Felix felt the shift covering his body more and more completely. The pain spiked through him, terrible schisms within his bones and muscles as altered composition. Something much deeper than a few claws was happening, and Felix felt his knees weaken. He couldn't contain it, neither the essence or the rapid progression of his monstrous nature. Even the pieces of essence he'd managed to digest were too condensed and wild for him to do much more than store within himself.

I have to hold it. Lights flashed across his eyes, his Skills revolving ever faster as the pressure built within his core. But the rest...

The rest of the monster essence, still streaming in, was too much for him. Too much for anyone, he wagered. And the taint to it, the corruption that stained the essence was not something just anyone could take into themselves. Not unless they were already infected by it. It was a stroke of luck that he could handle this much at all. That he--

What Dwells Beneath is level 31!

Bloodline Progression is 75%

His core shuddered.

What?

The blue-white fire below, surmounted by bolts of azure lightning, had shifted its radiance. It had taken on a distinct purple hue. Whirling his perception, Felix saw that the essence funneling into his Unique Skill was overflowing, it's power spreading around his core like a crimson stain. And it was growing.

What have you done! Felix shouted.

Only what I must, the Maw whispered back at him. This is not my end, Felix Nevarre. I am...sorry it must be yours. But at least you will not be alone.

It was trying to make him into a Revenant, or something like it. Trying to stain him. Turn him into a perfect Vessel, once and for all. And--his vision split, Felix's Mind snapping into place with a resonant thrum. Silver strings were all around him, more than a few connected to himself. The corruption had started to creep along his Oath strings too...steadily corroding them.

Heading for his friends.