6 Baldag-Ruhl, of Many (1/2)

I awoke the next morning with dried snot all over my face. That, and in a thick, black bile from the bear's corpse melting. Agony had disintegrated the corpse. All the insides had spread out until I laid in them. I lifted myself with a nice, quick snap up. The crusty black gunk made it difficult.

After rinsing off in a pink pool, I found the leftover skin of the bear. Instead of melting, it remained pristine despite agony. After a few seconds of observing it, I figured out why.

BloodHolllow Bear Skin - A tough, resilient skin with damage reflective qualities due to the external spines.Uncommon Rarity.

This would do nicely if I could cut it. Maybe I can learn how to before I try doing it myself. The bear skin's reflective qualities would help quite a bit, especially with my current out-tank them build.

I carry the skin across my shoulders as I go on towards the next area. No point in staying here much longer. Passing further into the cavern, bats continue fighting me as I travel from these disparate pools. I smash them down now. My new fighting style helps quite a bit.

Before, I dodged without really fighting back, at least until agony incapacitated them. Now I can land blows that deal meh damage during the initial stages of fights. I dodge and duck before swinging in another heavy hit. If I had more strength and constitution, I might be able to do some real damage. For now, agony served as my primary dps source.

As I approach another pool, I gain a very unexpected skill,

Skill Gain! Travel(lvl 1)

Travel(lvl 1) - The world is vast. You know this now. +1% to self travel speed. Not effective during combat.

Welp, always helpful having extra skills. Even if they level super slow and don't do much. Far off in the distance, I spot the next source of light pools. They're like little stars at first, before growing into whole rooms full whatever light the pools have.

This pool's color ebbs like crimson, a darker red than the pink of before. In the distance, I spot a pile of insects writhing beside the pool. A bat swoops down for water, but the insects reach out, dozen's biting it before it touches the pool. They swarm over the bat as it howls before covering it completely.

A second later, a dripping, bloody skeleton falls from the giant pile of insects. The bones fall into the pool with a plop, right as I gulp. This thing's a monstrosity. As I sneak closer, the schema identifies it for me.

Baldag-Ruhl, of Many(lvl ???) - Baldag Ruhl is a hivemind that gained sentience hundreds of years ago. Slowly it has gained intelligence, learning to control more and more insects. Now it is a horde of flesh eating beetles, centipedes, and locust. Resists elemental damage by 80%, and does % damage of health as physical damage when coming in contact. Avoid at all costs.

I want nothing to do with this thing, so I turn and begin skulking away when a deep, ancient voice says,

”Cease your steps, little one.”

I freeze in place as it continues, ”Good. You own words. You will be useful for more than just food here.”

I turn as the insects form a vicious mouth, with centipedes for teeth. It speaks,

”How did you wander into my den then, little one.”

I frowned before saying, ”I'm trying to get out of here. This place really doesn't want me to though, so now I'm lost.”

”Hah, hah, hah. You've lost your way like a little lamb then? I can help you, little lamb, but for a price paid in blood and flesh.”

I frowned as I said, ”I'd rather keep my flesh, thank you.”

”Not your flesh. You are soft and delicate, but small. I require something more...substantial to feed my growth. I can see you've met a bear here. They're skin is very difficult for me to deal with. You see, the spines tear my children apart. You have slain them, and eaten them. A part of its flesh is still in you. I can smell it.”

I shiver as it continues, ”Bring me the flesh of these bears. If you do so, I will consume them instead of you. What do you say, soft, little lamb?”

Feeding a Monster: Baldag-Ruhl has offered you to feed it BloodHollow Bear meat instead of fighting it. Do you accept? Yes? | No? (Quest time limit of 1 week)

Without even thinking about it, I click yes. I barely killed the bear, and this thing was an unknown level with a backstory to boot. It killed the bat in seconds, and from what I could tell, the bats had 700 hp or so. They also had a bit of Damage Resistance as well. Baldag-Ruhl chewed through that much hp in moments, and his % based damage countered my high health pool. Fighting him was suicide.

Baldag-Ruhl said, ”You are a wise one for such a foreign creature. I will give you seven cycles to collect enough bears to make me full. Fail me, and I will find you wherever you hide. You will scream for centuries and all will be torment.”

I nodded before turning around. Baldag-Ruhl said, ”Stop. Past me are far more of the bearkin. This way.”

A tentacle of insect bodies points past him, so I hug the wall as I pass him. I lower agony's range until it wouldn't touch him, keeping him ignorant of the ability. Better off he didn't know.

As I started towards the bears, the hivemind said, ”You should fear me. Use that fear for power.”

I nodded as I gained a skill

Skill Gained! (Fear lvl 1)

[(Fear lvl 1) - Your terror makes you faster and stronger. +1% strength and dexterity, +3% to stamina consumption while afraid.)

Normally the skill would be awful, but with my limitless stamina, it was a nice little bonus. I wouldn't be using it for long though. Agony's area of effect would wreck all his little bugs, giving me a massive edge versus him. He'd be the bane of mages with that elemental resistance, but agony's damage wasn't elemental. It liquified your body at a basic, primal level. The pain tears your mind apart. The aura eats away at what keeps your bones and blood together. It was like...hatred given a physical form.

I doubted the monster resisted the damage, so I'd strengthen myself versus the bears before killing it. That was the plan at least. As I set out for the pools, no bats came out to stop me. Baldag-Ruhl's aura must be keeping them at bay.

Once I passed a few minutes from him, the bats returned, but with a slight difference in build. The black skin on their wings extended towards their belly. The inside of their mouths were black instead of red. If they dove from above, the only way to sense them was hearing them or seeing their teeth. It made them far more challenging to fight against.

Of course, agony still beat them down in a few minutes. Whenever I killed one, a new notification rang out.

BloodHollow Bat(lvl 45) - This fodder, while weak, can catch unsuspecting adventurers by surprise.

As one dove for me, I ducked below the teeth before pushing off my heels. My torso rotates, my hand building force before slamming into the bat's stomach. Like hitting a pillow of organs, the bat belches blood. Collapsing on the ground beside me, the bat squirms around. I don't bother killing it. Agony will do the job for me.

Another swoops down, then another. I miss the second bat. When the third one neared me, I charged towards its teeth. Tucking my fist against my side, I turned my body. My feet pressed against the ground hard when my fist smashed into the bat's open mouth.

The bat's teeth sliced into my arm, but my whole forearm was lodged in its throat. I grip its insides before smashing it into the ground, over and over. A thin sheen of bat's blood coats me before I toss the corpse aside. Two notifications greet me.

BloodHollow Bat Slain - 900 exp*1.5(Ancient wisdom) = 1350 exp gained.

BloodHollow Bat Slain - 920 exp*1.5(Ancient Wisdom) = 1380 exp gained

While nowhere near the bear's exp levels, the boost in exp was appreciated. I'd have to kill over 50 of the other bats to gain a level before. Now it would still take 20ish bats, but it wasn't quite the same level of grinding. After two hours more of beating bats to death, I leveled up to 41. After placing the attribute point into constitution, I reached another pool of pink water. A bear much like the one I faced was there, slumbering next to the water.

BloodHollow Bear(Lvl 74) - An enormous, terrifying creature. Fight with caution as it's red aura and monstrous strength are very effective tools for dismembering adventurers.

I hit my forehead with my knuckles a few times to psyche myself up. A part of me still feared the bear, even though I already killed one. I got slightly stronger since then, but this bear would still be a challenge. I heaved out a breath like a madman before sprinting towards the sleeping bear.