[1.71] Unleashed (Part 2)
Gelic braced for impact the best she could as she crashed into the ground. Fortunately, thanks to Wallop Resistance and Punching Bag, she was built for such a crash. What she wasn’t built for, though, was the leaking gash across her gut. Now that her body was at rest, all the pain really hit her at once, making her squirm and whimper.
Her Named Order acted again, once more grabbing fistfuls of dirt around her, rubbing it all into the wound. Then Second Stomach made the transfer on its own, filling it to the brim with her previously procured pre-poisoned dirt. She would need to remember to empty it with Starvation later, or going to the bathroom would surely suck. Apparently her subconscious thought that dirt was a cure-all, but it was definitely helping. And despite what looked bad, her Health had only dipped down to 25%, not even what the DGS deemed as “critical.”
“Are you alright?” Xinder flapped down, landing next to her on the ground, what sounded like actual concern in his voice for the first time. “Shall I call Vystal to heal you?”
“Naw, I’m good.” She didn’t really lie, but played off her pain, hiding it way more than she was feeling it. But she knew that a heal from a Summoner ate up a lot of mana, and would rather save such a vital crutch for when she was actually dying. “Got my trusty dirt.” Gelic then began to dump more poisoned fistfuls into her mouth like a lazy bear slurping on honey, replenishing her coffers a good bit. Using this much Toxic Imbuement in such a way was very inefficient for her MP, though, so she didn’t fully cap it off again.
More importantly, now that the daze from the hit had subsided, Angelica desperately got her sights on the Malignant again, just in time as she watched the last of her Toxic stacks fade away, getting her all important data.
[Malignant Lv.189 | Health 75%]
Her Toxic stacks had worked well for their short-lived lifespan, but now that they were cleared, the eel’s Health started climbing back up again. It returned to 80%, where it was before her mostly failed assault. There, it flickered between 79 and 80, balanced between the output of the collective Summoner-Demon alliance and its own natural health regeneration. So unless the good guys drastically increased their damage output, killing it at all was seemingly out of the question. Maybe if they wore it out or got critical hits on more vital spots, it could hamper its ability to recover, but for now, things weren’t looking good.
Still, Gelic knew the key. But that knowledge was useless by herself, and since she wasn’t part of a Sect, she had no reason to keep secrets. When she made it back to the frontlines, she shouted at the top of her lungs, squeaking in her gravelly voice, “Poison works!!!” Hopefully she was able to cut the noise. It was at least enough of a disruption for her comrades to briefly glance back at her, along with some wandering eyes nearby.
But nothing really happened, at least for a moment. Did they not hear, not believe her? Too proud and stubborn with their own tactics? Maybe the path of poison wasn’t popular, not an Attunement that many resonated with in the Skill Weave. Steadily, though, several of the flashy colors flying at the monster shifted to a familiar Pestilence purple. Yes, yes, yes! The Imp practically tapdanced with glee as she watched the eel’s health plummet. Regrettably, it didn’t go too far.
[Malignant Lv.189 | Health 63%]
The switchup of tactics brought the Malignant down to hovering in the low sixties, significant progress, but back to a stalemate. Actually, it was much worse now. Since damage was ramping up again, the eel had finally decided to fight back. It had lowered its body slightly, so that the edge of its claws scraped across the ground. Then it started to spin, flailing its fins back and forth, scratching all around itself, like a blender liquifying the clearing and the trees at the outer edge.
All groups had to retreat just a bit, some literally blown back by the intense wind and forces generated, but the assault didn’t end. Because everyone knew that if they didn’t beat the damned thing here, it could be a major problem. At the very least, though, while there were definitely some fritsy Summoners out in the world, it was comforting to know that at least a good chunk of them took their roles seriously.
But Gelic still had to play her part, feeling bad now that everyone was still fighting their hardest while she was staying back, licking her wounds. Figuratively. They were filled with dirt, and she didn’t want more mouthfuls while making it appear as if she were grooming herself like a cat.
From what she’d seen so far, it looked like her poison was more potent than the others. She couldn’t count their stacks with Scrying Eye, so it was impossible to do the math. But just by gauging the damage over time compared to the health regen, even when scaled with the lower health, she was pretty confident hers had done more. Maybe it was rare to have Toxic levelled at all for low-ranked Demons, if that was even the type of poison they were using. If Gelic wanted to contribute, that was the key, but how could she inflict it consistently? Getting past the fin gusts while also attacking from a safe distance?
Angelica let out a deep sigh. She knew the answer, but kind of wished she didn’t. Do I have enough Essence for two Demon Rank levels? She’d better with all the Malignant massacring before this point.
[Yes]
Then make it happen.
[Demon Rank: Imp Lv.17]
Before making her next move, she had to take a moment to mourn. Auto-Color… my precious Auto-Color… I’m sorry. But I swear… I’ll come back for you!
[Hybrid Skill: Seeking Projectile Lv.1 unlocked]
A few bounces to gain some height, and Gelic perched up on an even higher branch than Sperado. First, Frostbite. A tainted icicle spawned in the air above her. Then as part of the new Skill, she expended a bit of MP to build up its force while it stayed inert. Just looking at it, the pointy ice was clearly building energy, vibrating and spinning in place. She then locked onto her target, spending more MP to subvert the Passive aspect of the Skill. And finally, Seeking Projectile: Launch!
The icicle blinked out of her sight, zooming forward at intense speed. It arced well above the terrorizing fins and dug itself deep into one of the gaps that had previously been riddled with Eliah’s bones. Gelic giggled with glee as she watched her Toxic Stacks continually refresh themself to the max since the icicle was constantly applying the condition. Eventually, it did break, just from the agitation of the Malignant’s movements. But even that one hit was enough to shift the tide, bringing its health down to the fifties briefly.
Yes, that was the strat, but her MP would be a bit of a problem. “Hey, Vystal.” She triggered their telepathy for the first time since making their Contract. “Can you hit me with some mana? As much as you can spare. I promise good returns!”
A second later, the numbers on her screen started to climb, so she stopped watching it, ready to deliver on the promise. She spawned several icicles at once this time, revving them all up at once for a proper volley. Apparently, the MP issue wouldn’t be as bad as she thought, because the addition of multiple projectiles was enough to trigger a new combination.
[Combo Skill: Biting Hailstorm Lv.1 Unlocked | Create sharp, poisoned ice projectiles with Frostbite and launch them succinctly through Seeking Projectile for a deadly hail that will make any foe wish they’d stayed indoors]
It really felt like the DGS improved that description on the fly. Maybe that meant she was the first Demon to use it. That was a fun idea. And what was even more fun was the surge of power she felt as she launched her barrage, watching them all soar and swerve in different directions, striking the Malignant from a myriad of different angles. Volley after volley, Gelic kept up the assault. More confidence and mettle took deep root while she watched the eel’s health teeter on the edge of the forties and thirties. At some point, her max stacks jumped to thirty, doing even more damage, meaning she’d gotten a Toxic Imbuement level.
But there was a new problem. Despite the Skill, too many were missing. The projectiles were just being destroyed before they could make impact. She needed to hit higher up the monster’s body, out of range of the batting fins. Plus, she was decently confident that she could possibly score some critical hits if she managed to zing it in the face. But the amount of MP it would cost to send them soaring to such an altitude with enough force to still make an impact was too damn high. Time to test the power of friendship!
“Xinder, can you take me up higher so I can get better shots?! “
The bird leered at her, but he quickly had no choice. “Do it, Xinder,” his master commanded. With his stony talons, the gargoylic Demon latched onto the Imp and flapped into the air, carrying her well above the rest of the carnage. If it were any other scenario, Angelica would be terrified. Captured and in the clutches of a bird of prey? Yeah, new irrational fear for sure.
But their teamwork was amazing. Xinder kept the pair safe, maintaining its distance while circling around the area, allowing Gelic to get new angles to imbed her ice spikes into. They’d become a flying mobile turret, one that was doing more damage than all the ground forces combined. At the very least, Angelica had to thank their efforts, because they were keeping her from losing each inch of ground she gained.
After enough flapping, they got up to where she could properly unload into the thing’s head. One even went straight into the monster’s eye. That had to have been a crit, right? But since her notifications were off, it wasn’t confirmed. Regardless, the attack undoubtedly made an impact, sending the eel reeling.
“Sorry, I’m tapped out!” Vystal’s voice suddenly chimed in Angelica’s mind. Apparently, she’d been supplying mana this whole time, having never cut the connection, letting the dynamic duo have their fun. Gelic hurried to check her MP, down in the double digits. She had another volley or two left in her at best. Damn, and just when they finally had it on the ropes.
“Gelic!” Rastille’s booming voice reached her ears even high up in the sky. A second later, she glowed, and the number quickly ticked upward. Oh, so not just her Contracted Summoner could provide her with Mana? Any of them could. Sperado also held up his hand, providing his own stockpile. She had to thank them. While she’d burn through it quickly, that at least let the fight continue.
Eh? Gelic was confused when she glowed again after resuming the assault. And then again and again. Glancing down, more Summoners on the ground had their hands raised toward her. Maybe someone from Zenmoon had convinced them, or they could be the backup that had been promised, but as the seconds passed, more around the area caught on and began replicating the act.
Damn, they’re gonna make me cry. They were putting their literal power in her hands, trusting in her to put it to better use. At start, a good few had discounted her abilities, but now so many were believing in the little Imp that could. And then there were a few who seemed a bit confused by who was actually doing the attacking, because Xinder glowed a few times too. Hey, it was the thought that counted. Or they could’ve just had bad aim.
Gelic wouldn’t let them down, though. Every drop of MP was converted into another icicle, allowing her to keep up the bombardment, letting her Toxic stacks stay capped out, doing the most damage. She heard yelling and cheering down below when the Malignant’s Health dropped below twenty percent, blasted with another bombardment herself of MP top-ups. As the number dropped toward the tens, she suspected that threshold would lead to an even rowdier celebration. But it never came.
The massively injured, clearly hurting Malignant stopped moving suddenly. Well, except for a slow spin toward its attacker. With its one good eye, the eel locked onto the Imp, staring directly at her, like it was gazing into her soul. And then, the monster fled, back down the hole from whence it came, slithering down into the subterranean mines. Was it really just going to run away? Maybe it hoped to recover and then come back for round two. Sadly, Gelic’s poison stacks wouldn’t be enough to finish the job, but hopefully its regen had been reduced enough thanks to all the external damage it had taken. Maybe they could send an expedition after it.
When the flying pair touched back down, there was a lot of grumbling and confusion, even a bit of arguing in the distance about what to do next. And of course, to interrupt the talks, the original problem re-presented itself. Malignants, comparatively pint-sized Malignants started to clamber out of the whole again. They must have stopped after the big boss took the stage, lest they be shredded like the area. It didn’t look like too many, the last dregs that hadn’t been blasted out with the geyser eruption, but enough that action needed to be taken.
Gelic readied herself. Her MP was still full, having likely drained a good amount of the entire fighting force, so it was only right that she put it to good use. And her adrenaline was still pumping. There was no sitting still. She was the first to rejoin the fray, re-arming herself with rapiers and bouncing toward the closest malignant in the clearing-turned-crater, which would surely become a landmark once all the Runestone had been mined dry.
“Wait, Gelic, come back!” Rastille called after her. Good thing it was him and not Vystal, because with that much enthusiasm, the DGS surely would have considered that an Order. Maybe he didn’t want her breaking rank and going off on her own. But these were small-fry, so she’d be fine, and someone had to keep the peace.
Except… Oh no… The ground shook again, and her body shivered once more, undoubtedly Suspecting Skin going haywire, but the warning came too late. While she was mid-bounce another hole appeared directly beneath her, the dirt and stone vanishing into the gaping maw that followed. Angelica thought she had a big mouth as an Imp, but it couldn’t even be compared, getting a first-hand glimpse as it snapped around her, followed by darkness as the eel swallowed her whole.