Hungry Necromancer - Chapter 261: No Respite (P2)

[Death Grip] tendrils lift me far above the battlefield, or rather the soon to be battlefield. Dozens of the tendrils extend outward, plucking and tossing stray monsters wherever I can spare my attention.

It’s a flood. My Blood Shower continues to torture the monsters and they seek escape and reprieve, but as they run blindly down the long wide corridors they fall into Shaco’s set traps. Smaller showers, flurry of spikes and wide slices.

Between the two of us, my familiar and I, we’ve cut the bulk of the enemy in half. All that’s left to bother at the seemingly extra large Lindworms and the evil eyed white snakes spitting lava out at us.

Looking down at them from my height doesn’t keep me safe. Three whites gather their mouths together and in some sick breakage their jaws split and fuse together. The sight sends shivers through me but the boiling ball of lava forming above their open maw frightens me.

All around the slope I find other sets of snakes doing the same, forming up and combining their strengths to create massive balls of lava. A Lindworm lets out a roar, the giant scaly one, the one I’m presuming to be the mother of them all.

At her roar the others get on moving, some rushing out in great bounds, leaping from one rocky platform to the next in an attempt to get to me. Cautious and wary of the four giant balls of lava forming to be sent out at me, I maneuver around the Lindworms, sending them a gift of Blood Shards when I can.

A few fall at my attacks but I realize too late that I’ve been tricked. More than what I’ve thrown off, made it past me to counter Jungle and the Spirit Warriors.

‘Fuck!’

My focus turns for a split second and an impossible heat encroaches. Not pausing to think, I sacrifice my pool of blood to save my rear, but that’s only one ball of lava extinguished.

Another torrents its way towards me and yet another comes at me from the right. And waiting patiently for me below is a bulk some white snake, perhaps the result of all three combining. Its eyes fix on me and I find the faintest smirk on its wide mouth.

“Screw it.” I let the tendrils go, there’s nothing I can do to counter the flaming balls of lava but the giant snake below I can work with. Breathing out deep necrotic breaths on my dagger I free fall into the dancing snake’s embrace.

The beast lashes out, looking to tear off my head in one go only to have a bite of necrosis when my blade slices its black forked tongue.

“Ah!” I grunt, landing rough on the ground with Drakes awaiting, Lindworms overhead and a ball of lava unaccounted for. The Drakes lunge, claws looking to tear flesh and teeth sharp as razors aching for a meal.

Several stoop and gurgle before they have the opportunity, long crystalline shards of Blood stick out of their chests, ceasing them in their tracks. Those that manage to get at me claw at my abdomen before losing all their lifeforce from [Soul Drain]

Shaco slithers over to my side and helps me up, but we’re quick to separate with an incoming ball of lava. Leaping to the side I’m fortunate to get away with the seams of my clothes charred. Shaco doesn’t share the same fortune.

Half of his body is gone and the sixth sense I share with him dulls, “Shaco…”

I haven’t the time to take care of him just yet as the giant white from before lashes out with its tail, slapping me into a pillar. Groaning, I mourn the several broken bones I’ve surely gotten from that hit and duck the beast’s next attack.

It’s tail sweeps over my head, a hair’s breadth away from my head. Thick, strong and scaly it tears down the pillar, knocking it into the midsts of some poor Drakes. But it doesn’t pause to consider its comrades, it raises its tail for another strike and I’ve only gotten to my feet to skitter away.

Tendrils launch me at its face, it opens its maw to swallow me whole. Not what I wanted a moment ago but it is now. I quench the spell on my dagger and take a deep breath as I tumble into the white’s mouth.

It swallows immediately and I’m pushed down its slimy tract, a heat rises from below. The white is massive but not enough to swallow me whole like nothing, in the darkness of its belly I let out a breath and plums of sick dark mist spill out, instantly liquifying the beast’s insides.

Suddenly I have all the room I could ask for as it’s body disperses as ash. I’m left standing there wet and slick with slime and baked in ash.

The fighting lingers on and my enemies haven’t lost their fervour. There are three other large whites, four Lindworms and their massive mother all roaring for a piece of the freshest meat left. Jungle.

‘Fuck.’

Amassing all that I’ve got left in my tank and pulling on the [Mana Empowering Soul] I begin moulding various spells into one. The aching in my core and pathways, blisters and sears, blackened veins streak down my arm and mana whispers off my body.

With this much mana at play I easily catch the attention of the larger threats. The white snakes turn to hiss and the Lindworms waste no time throwing fireballs at me.

‘Fuck, I don’t have any-!’

A long row of bones slides between me and the onslaught of attack, I wince and flinch away from the blast of bone and fire but even in my concentration I can’t mistake the throb of life from my familiar.

With the time he’s bought me I connect the spells together, stitching them best I can with my mana, some already begin to unravel but that’s something I’ve come to expect when chain casting.

The dust and smog from the blast doesn’t have the chance to settle before three white snake heads burst out from it looking to snap me in two. At that moment I can’t keep the spell contained and ready any longer, and I don’t have to.

The ground splits and cracks, taking away their momentum and slamming them onto the ground as hundreds of corporeal arms lunge at them from below. Arms gifted with the boiling effect necrosis has on organic matter. Below everyone’s feet is a pool of darkness, malevolent shadows periodically slashing at victims and the sinking pit vomits black mists that take the flesh off bone in the blink of an eye.

Falling to my knees panting desperate for a cup of air and hopefully some mana I spill onto my back as Shaco slithers onto me, weakened and hurt the same as I am. My pathways are drained of the last bits of mana and the beginnings of Mana Exhaustion start to set in.

Despite the foreboding consequence that befalls me for the callous use of mana, I can’t help the smile that touches my lip at every single monster either sinking into the darkness, losing their flesh or flailing desperately at the shadows that stalk them.

‘I’ve outdone myself…literally.’

Choking on the absence of mana I start to understand what Leriva must have experienced in those days.

‘I’ll lose consciousness if I don’t do something…’

Weak, I reach into my pouch, scattering for the smooth orb that houses what remains of the Soul I’ve captured. My thumb reaches it and a menu pops up in my face as always.

But this time, I haven’t the slightest bit of mana to pull out a Soul much less convert it into a [Mana Empowering Soul]

‘Fuck, need mana to get mana.’

The agony begins, my pathways stretching out and bulking up as it swallows external mana.

“Asher!” Jungle sprawls right next to me, shaking and disturbing my stiff body, “What’s wrong?”

Gritting my teeth through the pain I haven’t the strength to answer him but then Eldwin comes into view, along with other Spirit Warriors. All of them looking down at me with concern.

They begin to murmur about my health and Jungle looks for injuries but I’ve already found the solution to my problem.

Shutting my eyes I feel out for my grip and connection with each Spirit Warrior and access what they’ve got left. Shaking my head, I breathe out a sigh and disperse them all, sure to pull on every bit of mana that previously gave their forms physical properties.

The change is immediate but slow. The pain and agony ceases, leaving me with a persistent aching and Jungle still shouting out questions in my ear.

“Enough, Jungle, I’m fine…or I will be in a minute. I just need to recover my mana and I’ll be with you.”

“Eldwin, keep everyone that wants to stay here, I might take awhile.”

Unlike with Anselm, I can’t tell if he’s even around to hear those words so I simply trust that someone is and close my eyes again. My body throbbing with pain, veins bulging and for the first time in a very long time, I’m lacking mana.

“You know Jungle? I’m really starting to hate this place.”