Drip-Fed

The forces of the void were a paradoxical horde of creatures.

That which surrounded the Omniverse existed only in contrast to it. Had the great silver tree never sprouted, those creatures would have remained in an unborn state for all of eternity. They yearned to return to it, to the total lack of all sensation that had preceded disparity.

It was will that made them manifest, the imagination of sapient souls that peered into the nothingness. That meant that there was no Parasyte to mount an offensive if the people that they aggressed upon did not define that piece of void into an entity.

Just as the Omniverse drew its foundational energy from the void, so too did the creatures of the void draw their energy from the Omniverse. It was an endless tug of war, one that both sides were determined to win by using seemingly endless resources.

If there was a final outcome to this conflict that could be achieved, none currently alive were capable of predicting it.

Important to the Inevitable party was that this mutual cannibalizing meant that Parasytes could only become as strong as the energy of the world they were absorbing.

Apexus’ fist crashed into the mass of black and tooth-flowers. The demons around him clapped wildly, not even bothering partaking in the match. Why would they, when the Parasyte was thrown back by the might of the Monk’s brawn?

‘Sloppy,’ Apexus criticized himself. He swayed to the side, dodging the blow of a sharp tendril. His weight swung too much to the left. The momentum forced him to follow a trajectory of steps. An equal opponent could have exploited this predictability. The Parasyte attempted to, but its lashes failed to keep pace with his strides.

Arm clad in light grey Ki, Apexus swung his fist horizontally. The life of the Parasyte ended silent and suddenly, the body losing cohesion and dispersing into black particles that were dissolved by the magic in the air.

It had been the second of the two Parasytes that had guarded this Black Root. No Spark Eater around this time. Apexus had singlehandedly dispatched of them both. “Very impressive, impressive indeed,” Bulubu remarked.

“It was sloppy,” Apexus denied. He had been training for thirteen days while waiting for the demons to find the next Black Root. It had given him confidence in his movements, but there was nothing around these parts that could properly push him. “I am trying to sharpen teeth on dirt.”

“Wow, he’s calling us dirt,” Reysha joked.

“If you identify with dirt, that’s a you problem,” Korith remarked.

“What is wrong with dirt?” Aclysia asked. “It is the wellspring of life. All is facilitated by the exchange of material and water that occurs within the soil.”

“The masochist thinks being dirt is cool, go figure.”

“…It is always about sex with you,” Aclysia sighed.

Apexus dispelled his frustrations with a slow exhale. He would learn to properly utilize his new strength in due time. Now, they had the opportunity to elevate someone else to his new level. “My melody, I must ask you to disrobe.”

“…Right here, Master…?” the guardian angel was shocked.

Not as shocked as her teammates though. Reysha broke out laughing, Apexus slowly blinked, Korith blushed, and the moment she realized that her own mind had been in the gutter, Aclysia turned an entertaining shade of red.

“This is your fault!” she declared and pointed at the tiger woman.

“Wha-ahahahhaa-t ever you say!” Reysha howled in amusement and fell to the unnaturally flat ground. “I’ll carry the cross of corrupting you! That shit is hilarious!”

For the sake of her mental health, Aclysia ignored the further mirth of the Rogue. “Why am I to disrobe then, darling?”

“I have meditated upon the procedure as experienced. The magic seeped through my skin. Therefore, any barriers on the skin are likely to be a detriment.”

“I see…” Aclysia slowly nodded, then removed her red Priest robes. She shot first Reysha, then the demons unappreciative glares. Both were doing the wolf whistle, the former because she was cheeky, the latter because they were literal demons.

Standing exposed in an alien world like this was neither an arousing nor a humiliating experience to Aclysia. She would have preferred to keep them on because of the constant, threatening hum of the Black Root. Those who saw her naked, however, were those that she did not mind seeing her and demons who had no appreciation for beauty anyhow.

Apexus presented her with a vial. The liquid within was white and green, the two colours swirling into each other but never quite mixing, It was the product of experimentation, the esoteric equivalent of the brew the humanoid slime had imbibed to benefit from his own ascension in level.

“Do not remove the lid until I have broken the Black Root,” Apexus instructed her. “Once you see it cracking, immediately drink the potion. I will channel the energies into you. Reysha, Korith, you two ready?”

“As ready as we will ever be,” Korith responded and raised up the cushion. It was a part of their couch, removed from the furniture and stuffed with all the extra feathers they had gotten their hands on during these past two weeks. Carrying it through the wilderness to the Black Root had felt silly to them, but it was the best idea they had.

“Ready?” Apexus asked.

“As ready as I will ever be,” Aclysia echoed the sentiment of her beloved kobold.

Gripping the Black Root was every bit as uncomfortable the second time as it was the first. The immense cold, the rushing of air through the miniscule space between the void and his palm, the high-pitched whistling, and the refusal of this forced existence to even creak, all of them were alien and bothersome. Yet, for as unique as the pain was, the Monk performed his duty to party, lover, and Omniverse.

The small crack turned into a full split near instantly. Aclysia pulled the lid off the vial and downed the potion.

Apexus let his palms regenerate. The Omniverse’s magic washed the infestation out of its veins. Black turned to silver and that silver, the Monk harnessed. Esoteric motions allowed him to manipulate the aerosol. Skill and telekinesis funnelled the ur-mana into Aclysia’s solar plexus.

The touch of the Omniverse’s mana had a different impact on Aclysia than it had on her beloved. For him, it had been hot and cold and neither. To her, it was like stepping into the homeland she had never known. A relieved inhale shook her to her core, as tears of silver began to pearl from her green eyes. That which she had been born from once more filled her veins. In that moment, she tasted the essence of her own creation. It was… enlightening.

All the same, when the potion’s effect ran out and her skin once more formed a membrane between herself and the world around, the ur-magic turned kinetic. Aclysia was ripped out of her blissful revelation with a supernatural punch to the chest.

Crude as a method as it was, the massive cushion did its job. Its sides burst open and feathers were sent flying everywhere. Despite their best efforts, Aclysia’s moth-like wings ended up getting crumpled. Still, that was a massive improvement to splattering on a stone wall.

The Omniverse closed its wound. Apexus carefully harvested what he still could, condensing the droplets in the air into enough liquid to fill a small vial. It was not a lot, but the essence of the tree was rare and he felt it useful to have in his possession in some amount.

“Did it work… again?” Korith asked.

Aclysia shook her head, returning to the present. “Yes,” she said, confidently.