Underworld proving gro.., p.10
Underworld - Proving Grounds: A LitRPG Series, page 10
It seemed he hadn’t had the chance to mana link with a creature to make a new tomb boss since I’d left. At least, there wasn’t any creature visible in the way the Rock Giant had been.
Aeris had attached herself to my back the best she could in her Wisp form. Her arms were wrapped around my neck and her legs were around my waist. It was like having a cloud for a backpack. I approached in the same way the Wraith had seen me before, in my skeleton armor. He’d been able to see out of the Rock Giant’s eyes last time, but it would surprise me if he didn’t have another way to observe anyone who approached. If he had, it would be hard to hide from him that I’d grown stronger. Even if he could tell what level I was, my mix of Light and Blue Magic allowed me to hide my true power—or so I hoped.
I didn’t slow my forward progress when entering the room but walked straight toward the tomb’s vault-like entryway. Reaching the bottom of the pearl stairs, I let Rock Giant transform my flesh under my armor without growing my body in girth or height. Magma Fist took hold of my left hand and a Fire Incubus Fist did the same to my right. Having them both cast in a partial manner would allow for a quicker transition into their full forms if the need arose. It was possible that the Wraith could see the distinction in mana types in my hands and body if he had the ability to see me in the mana realm, but beneath my armor, it would be difficult to discern what forms I was using.
With half of my mana per minute in reserve, I began to scale the stairs. I slowed when I reached the top, watching the door and the mana-infused pillars to either side. Nothing happened, so I neared the smooth obsidian door. My last time here, I’d simply pushed against the door and fell through its surface after it had mysteriously lost its physical substance. It had been the same when Lord Darius had entered the Head Mistress’s dungeon. His Lich had somehow made the walls blocking their progress change into something their entire army could walk through. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t interested in getting stuck in the tomb again.
Standing at the base of the giant door with bone covered knuckles, I knocked.
A spike of mana leaped from the closest pillar to my left. I leaped back from the doorway to the ledge of the platform at the top of the stairs. On the same platform, near its pillar of origin, a crystalline creature began to form. It had the deep blue of ice mana. Its form became apparent immediately. Unlike the terrifying image of an icicle-laden abominable snowman I’d always imagined, the ice elemental that took form looked human. It was tall and lengthy, with a long face and chiseled jaw. Its eyes were emotionless but didn’t lack intelligence.
Creature Observation revealed its true identity.
Master Ice Elemental
Level: 1,000
Health Points: 250,000
Mana Points: 10,000
Strength: 1,000
Dexterity: 500
Constitution: 2,500
Intelligence: 500
Wisdom: 500
Nothing about it surprised me. Just as Sanctuary had the ability to summon elementals at the cost of DP, there was little surprise that the Wraith had the same ability. Why the Wraith hadn’t summoned one last time I was here was the real mystery. Although, it might simply be that he hadn’t wanted to waste the mana.
“Deceiver. You have returned.” Even though the elemental’s mouth opened, it was the Wraith’s voice that spoke.
“I’m seeking answers,” I replied. “The kind that only you may have.”
“You will become my guardian, then?”
“No, but I can create one for you.”
He shook his head. “Another golem? That is but a shell—a machine. A stupid one at that. I require a living creature that I can feed my endless supply of power. One that will grow indefinitely. Do you not understand what I’m offering you? In a few millennia you could be ranked among the Lords of the Underworld.”
If it was that simple, why didn’t he already have a guardian that was that powerful? I saw the opportunity to have one of my questions answered though, so I took it. “Say I take you up on your offer. As I grow, how would you hide my power from the other Lords and Ladies of the Underworld?”
“You concern is an understandable one, and I can assure you that as my vessel you have nothing to fear, but don’t think that I don’t know what you’re doing, thief. Have you not already stolen enough from me?”
“I’m willing to pay. I’m the master of my own dungeon and have people I’m seeking to protect. Abandoning them is not something I can do.”
“Then I will help you by making the decision for you.”
The Elemental’s arms flew forward. Blue energy blasted toward me, seeking to engulf me.
I didn’t move out of the way. As the magic reached me, it burst into a mass of ice that gripped me from head to toe. It was impossible to know how thick the ice was from where I stood. I already knew it wouldn’t hurt Aeris, but if I remained in it long enough it would probably cause me some serious damage. Aeris hadn’t tried to move either but remained snuggled against my back. We were sticking to the plan.
“Cold makes me tired,” Aeris whispered against the back of my neck.
Even in Rock Giant Form, a lesser version, I could feel the cold of ice. It had encased my joints, so movement was difficult. The Wraith had learned little of me during my last visit, and I had only grown. Asking nicely had failed, so it was time to begin showing him what I was truly capable of.
Instead of casting a spell, I called on my inflated stats. I struggled to pull my hands into fists. My Magma and Fire Incubus Fists didn’t react as muscle and tendon would. Instead, my Magma began to glow red hot and Fire Incubus began to swelter with heat. With little effort, my hands seared through the ice, allowing me to form two tight fists.
All that it took to cause the first crack was the swelling of my forearms and biceps as I began to flex against the block of ice that enclosed me. Bringing my fists forward, I flexed my chest, sending a series of cracks through the ice in front of me. If the ice hadn’t pressed into my face, I would have grinned. I was growing tired of holding my breath.
Rock Giant Form didn’t increase my Strength, only my Constitution, and it would double my size if I let it. There were some interesting additions, like Stone Skin, which was the only reason I was using it now. I actually had a Stone Skin spell, but the form was only 500 Mana Per Minute even when I was using it as a partial form. Besides, if I was using the Blue Magic spell Stone Skin, it would have taken me longer to do this.
I let my mana flow freely into Rock Giant Form and I began to grow. One crack became many until the ice shattered like sugar glass and fell off of me. My size only continued to increase until I stood twice as tall as I normally did.
Looking down upon the Ice Elemental, I gave it a rocky smile from beneath my skeletal helm. My armor had grown in size to match my form. Holding up my Magma Fist, I saw what I’d expected. It hadn’t grown with the rest of me. It was the same with my Fire Incubus Fist. I was a big rock giant with teeny tiny hands.
The Master Ice Elemental cast another spell. His magic was already flowing toward me. I threw out my hands, opening them wide. Unable to help myself, I began wiggling my little fingers, mocking him.
He didn’t exactly take it well. An even larger spike of mana joined with the spell he had already cast.
And this guy expects me to be his guardian for the next couple thousand years? He has no sense of humor.
Ice began to solidify around me once again. Before it took my arms, I summoned a spell that the Wraith had seen once before.
Rhyolitic Magma
Spell cost – 500,000 MP (100,000 MP with bonuses.)
Only using 10,000 MP, liquid rock spurted out of my mini Magma Fist.
The elemental had to cut its spell short to jump out of its path. Magma missed its arms and torso but blanketed the monster’s knee.
Ice creeped over me, blocking my view. The last thing I’d seen was the meat of its leg disintegrating into a cloud of steam when it met the liquid rock. It was an opening. No more playing around.
I lunged forward, and the ice crumbled when faced with my full strength. Even with the 30% penalty to Dexterity, I still had over 1,400. The Ice Elemental had 500. It wasn’t nearly enough to react in time—especially with an injured leg.
Rock Giant Form may not have added Strength, but it did add mass. With all that weight behind my tiny Fire Incubus Fist, my hand punched into its chest, puncturing it like the end of a rapier.
The Ice Elemental fell. As it lay with its back pinned against the pearl platform, I saw the cracks my fist had caused heal before my eyes. But it couldn’t regenerate fully with a fist in the chest. My hand remained lodged there as I held it against the ground.
It reached for me with both hands. “You will join me!” the Wraith growled.
I was growing bored.
Releasing the flow of mana to Fire Incubus Fist, my hand began to expand to catch up with the rest of my body. I gave him a wink just before his torso shattered into three separate pieces.
As much as I tried, Forced Learn didn’t work on the artificial creature. In its last moments of life, I entered into its being through the mana realm, but instead of an orb of life, the strand of mana from the tomb’s pillar retracted and left the being to die.
Standing up, I returned Rock Giant to its lesser form, and I shrank to my normal size. Fire Incubus Fist retracted as well.
Despite it being close to 250 levels higher than me, the Master Elemental only gave me 7 levels for defeating it. It was the first time I’d beat one as well. Without looking, I added the additional 35 stat points to my Wisdom bringing it to 3,865.
Drain was as useless as Force Learn had been. This Wraith really didn’t want to give me anything.
“That was easy,” Aeris whispered.
I nodded my head but didn’t respond. Instead, I addressed the Wraith, unsure if he could hear me now that his elemental was gone. “I’m willing to pay for information, but I will not let you take me. I make a good ally. I’m sure I can find a way to help you. What do you say?”
“What do I say?” rumbled a voice from behind the tomb’s vault. “How should I respond to a mere slave?”
The room began to shake with power as all four elemental pillars glowed with flowing mana. Another Master Ice Elemental started to form, but this time it wasn’t alone. A second elemental was filled with Earth mana. He had only begun. Two additional elementals started to take shape after them. A Wind and a Fire one.
“Do you need my help?” Aeris said, her voice uneasy.
“Not yet but be ready just in case,” I replied in hushed tones.
“This time—” the Wraith spoke. It first spoke from the Ice Elemental. Then each following word came from a different elemental like they were taking turns.
“You—”
“Will—”
“Not—"
“Get—”
“Away!”
As they finished uttering the last word, the entire group of them attacked as one.
Mana Sight spiked up to full power and I leaped high into the air as my Fire Incubus Wings sprung from my back. Rock Giant Form faded from my body as I rose high into the upper reaches of the room. I had wanted to keep from doing any real damage to the Wraith or his Tomb, but if I had to, I’d leave it a pile of rubble and strip it of every useful material I could find.
I saw multiple spells starting to take form. I had no plan to run. Instead, I dived right at them.
Chapter 13 – Knock Knock
Creature Observation told me all I needed to know. There were four Master Elementals below—one of Wind, Ice, Earth and Fire. They were looking to beat me into submission. Each was level 1,000. I would have kicked myself if it would have done any good. I’d already face multiple mobs at a time at higher levels than me, but I had rarely faced casters. I’d hoped to run into some so that I could Drain them and improve my Intelligence and Wisdom stats, but these guys just happen to be undrainable. Of course they were.
Despite the part of me that just wanted to rush in and finish them, there was another part that warned me that doing so would be a mistake. I remembered how Rock Hard, the Earth Level Overseer to the Head Mistress’s Bone Palace, had been able to move through the walls and easily pinned the Hell Hound, saving our lives. He was also a Master Elemental and if these things had the same intelligence and ability, this might be a tad dangerous. The first thing I needed was a battery.
“It’s about to get hot,” I called to Aeris.
“Yay!” she cried.
Swerving toward the Fire Elemental, I released all my partial forms to let Fire Incubus transform me entirely. Ice, wind and rock flew through the air to knock me from the sky, but it was a fireball the size of a giant eagle that hit me square in the forehead. I punched through it. Appearing on the other side of the blast, I slowed myself while coming face to face with the fire creature. Flames covered every inch of its humanoid form, but its red hot coal-like flesh was solid enough.
“Hugs!” I cried as I swooped under its outstretched hands and drove my head into its chest. With my arms firms around its waist, I launched into the air, using Succubi’s Caress to suck the mana from its body.
Something hit me in the side as I flew up, but I took no damage. The Fire Elemental turned up his flames to burn himself from my grasp, but its only effect was to drain itself of mana even quicker. So many ideas came to mind of how to handle the four of them in as silly a manner as possible. I was still new to flying, so my mind was having fun with the many possibilities. Tossing the Fire Elemental from the air screaming meteor, or meteorite if I wanted to be technically accurate, was almost too good to pass up. I could also give each elemental a free ride to the chamber’s ceiling and let them drop to see which one would bounce the highest when they hit the ground. I could, let it snow, get a rock massage… I had to shake my head clear of all the nonsense for the Wind Elemental appeared in the air on my flank with a surge of power.
With an impromptu casting of Hell Hound’s Tail, I flooded it with extra mana to extend its size. Wrapping it around the Fire Elemental twice just under the arms, I let him drop.
A bone chilling Gust hit me like a man-sized fly swatter, threatening to slam me into the side of the room. A strong swipe of my wings sent me up out of the onslaught of air, but it placed the Fire Elemental in its path. Instead of pulling me with it, my tail snapped in two, sending a bolt of pain through my spine.
The Fire Elemental was blown against the wall and started to fall.
Through gritted teeth, I healed myself and dove toward the Wind Elemental. Another Gust met me head-on. Folding my wings against my back, I made myself as aerodynamic as possible and pushed against it headfirst. It was enough for me to make it close, so I cast a 1,000 MP Alpha Bolt out of my mouth. The recoil pushed my head back just enough. The Gust caught me, and I was diverted up, off course, and over the Wind Elemental’s head. Alpha Bolt did its job, smacking the elemental in the gut and forcing it to cut off its spell.
I spun in the air above it to grab it by the head, when an intense spike of mana accumulated in its hands. There was no build up or cast timer like I’d grown to expect from normal creatures. Even with Mana Sight the elemental’s control of its magic was too perfect to respond to in time. I’d seen Aeris’s Wind Slash enough times to know the spell would surge toward me at point blank range. Just as she had figured out how to condense its power to make it even more deadly, the elemental did the same.
The Wind magic tore through my Skeleton Titan’s breastplate and hammered into my chest. Though I couldn’t see the damage done beneath my armor, the damage indicator told me all I needed to know.
-17,415 HP
It had actually punctured my Fire Incubus Form’s armored skin. This guy was no joke. I immediately thought of Aeris. If this thing could hurt me, what was she capable of?
Master Wind Elemental
Level: 1,000
Health Points: 250,000
Mana Points: 10,000
Strength: 500
Dexterity: 2,000
Constitution: 500
Intelligence: 1,000
Wisdom: 1,000
Creature Observation said that their Intelligence and Wisdom stats were on par, but I knew without having to see anything more that Aeris’s Master Rank in addition to her true form put her on another level entirely. That meant she had the power to seriously hurt me. I half wanted to release her upon it to watch how she dealt with it. Instead, it was time I stopped underestimating these things.
It had impressive Dexterity, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Instead of grabbing ahold of it, I slammed my fist into the top of its head. It seemed I’d get my wish. A Wind Elemental Meteor rocketed toward the ground at the base of the pearl stairs. A shockwave of power made them crumble on impact. The Wind Elemental immediately started to dissolve into nothing. Even though it hadn’t worked on the Ice Elemental, I tried Force Learn once again, only to be disappointed. It had been worth a shot though. At least I got another 7 levels.
With one of the elementals down, I saw the Fire one had recovered from its fall and rejoined the others. It seemed I had inadvertently avoided a lot of pain by taking to the air and getting my distance. If the Wind one could hurt me, that meant the others could as well. It was probably the Wraith’s desire to catch me that drove the Ice one to first try to freeze me instead of attack. That would explain why they weren’t casting anything at the moment and waiting for me to come. It seemed the Wraith still thought he could catch me even after what he’d seen. Should I play it safe, or play into his hand and overwhelm him with force… I still hoped he would see that I was already too powerful to capture and change his mind about answering my questions. Breaking through his trap might do just that. His remaining confidence still gave me pause.
