39 Vermist (2)

The Vermist was a combination between a worm, a centipede, and an insect. It loomed over her, about half the length of the log it crawled on and a third of its height. It crawled on a dozen legs without joints, clawing at the log's bark to move forward. Its side and back were covered in scales with a mix of reds, blues, and browns. On top of its head was a milky white color, with two black, flimsy-looking antennae protruding out. Its mouth was concealed by two scythe-like mandibles.

All this time, and without her knowing, she had ceased her breathing, fearing it would alert it—her heart pounding in her ears. When it vanished from sight, Lilith rose slightly in the bush for a better view, wanting to see whether it had noticed her.

It hadn't. The Vermist was almost out of sight as it approached the area where she landed. The other Vermist hadn't either. She gasped, regaining her breath as sweat dripped down her back.

That was a close call. Too close for comfort. I need to leave. They will notice that one of their prey has escaped. There's no guarantee they won't find me. She retraced the steps she had taken to get into the brush, leaving it.

And I don't know anything about them.

She watched her steps as she walked in the direction where the Vermist had come from.

…

Several minutes flew by, and Lilith reached the top of a tall, stone-covered, slippery plateau, expecting an easier climb. The plateau was steep with natural-formed grooves for footing, though some were less stable or deeper than they had appeared at first glance. Others forced her into awkward positions or were too far for her to reach. This made her ascent up the plateau treacherous.

She panted, crouching with her hands on her knees, using the time to regain some of her spent energy. Her muscles ached, begging for her to rest. When her breathing returned to normal, she glanced around.

In front of her, the plateau sloped into a steep and unpleasant descent, connecting to a hill below with various plateaus, some resembling mountains and others small and smooth. Behind her, she saw the log she hid by in the distance, where dense bushes and smaller logs separated them. There were no Vermists, or there weren't until one emerged from above, searching around until its large, beady, black eyes locked onto her.

How did they...?

[Vermist]

[Type: None]

[Level: 34]

[Class: Warrior]

C-Rank. Should I fight it? Can I kill it before it notifies the others?

The Vermist clacked its antennae together and charged toward her. Several Vermists emerged from the tree, all C-Rank, and rushed towards Lilith.

Two, three... there's seven. Lilith bolted down the steep plateau without her previous hesitation.

Running down the plateau at her fastest speed was worse than she had expected, with each stride increasing the risk of tripping or suffering another injury. But she ran anyway—she had no choice but to.

Upon reaching the base of the plateau, she slid under the brush blocking her path and leaped into the air, exiting it and landing halfway up the side of the next plateau. She discovered that the smoothed rock was not easier than the steep one, but the footholds and leveled areas provided some relief, allowing her to jump to reach the top. At the top, she dove forward, feeling something fly past her head.

Her dive turned into a roll, and she jumped to her feet, leaping off the plateau's edge as she felt the Vermists closing in on her with them at the top of the plateau.

Landing on the next plateau, she maintained her momentum, leaping from one plateau to the next, accelerating until she reached the bottom of the hill. There, the ground leveled out, leading her towards a vast, rugged, and jagged brown wall. She changed direction, sprinting to the right, as the Vermists shot dark-gray liquid streams at her from the hill.

She dove to the side, missing most of them, but the last one grazed her foot, causing her to fall as the liquid hardened. She slammed head first into the ground.

Lilith raised her head, feeling dizzy, but it cleared up seconds later. She clutched her hand and realized her dagger had slipped out. She found it with a quick glance.

The dagger had not fallen far—a few feet in front of her, out of her arm's reach. She crawled towards it, grabbed it, and rolled to the side. Another spray was shot at her. As she dodged it, she noticed that the liquid had created a black boot on her foot.

She tried to stand but slipped, catching herself at the last moment. The boot lacked traction, throwing her off balance and preventing her from running. She turned to face them and shifted all her weight to her left leg.

In the time it took to stand, the Vermist had encircled her, leaving the wall and a few small gaps as her escape routes.

Her body felt numb, and she realized she might not survive and could fail to save Ayin. She didn't dwell on those thoughts for long, as she had no time to spare. Live or die; it was that simple, bringing clarity to her mind and helping her assess her surroundings.

Lilith noticed something she hadn't seen on her way down.

Through one of the gaps in the Vermist, she saw a large crevice on a gentle, low portion of the plateau near the base of the hill. It seemed she could fit in it, but she wasn't certain.

What other choice do I have? Try it and risk it to get there, or fight them. My chances are slim either way.

With her decision made, she saw that the simplest approach was to bulldoze through them, but she dismissed it as an unrealistic ideal. Instead, she rushed forward, attempting to use one as cover to protect herself from the others, ensuring her safety.

She failed to make it underneath. Her feet slipped under her due to the boot, causing her to crash onto her stomach, near Vermist's legs. The Vermist spat, hitting her left ankle, but before the other Vermist could shoot, sealing her in place, she forced herself up and continued her run, making it underneath; her limp was even greater than it was before, but she managed.

Above her was the Vermist's underbelly, which was covered in white smooth, flesh-like, plated scales. If it were alone, or if she were to fight, she would've stabbed her dagger into it, but she left that for later. Soon, she reached the other side.

The Vermists behind her noticed her attempt to escape and shot streams of liquid to stop her. Despite constant attacks, she managed to reach the crevice, where their spit was too thick to pass through. Since their spit couldn't reach her, they tried to grab her with their mandibles, getting closer but failing as she moved deeper in.

I should give them a farewell gift. One Ayin taught me. Maybe due to her newborn demon nature, she felt compelled to follow through with this out of spite. After failing to vent earlier, it might just do the trick.

She created a sphere of unstable eldritch energy on her hand, filled it with as much energy as she could, and hurled it at the center of the Vermists. She turned around and ventured deeper into the crevice, getting as far away as possible before...

Boom~!

The sphere exploded, collapsing the crevice's entrance, as a few screens flickered before her eyes.

[Vermist (Lv. 30)—Defeated!]

[+150 exp]

[180/1500 EXP]

A wonderful gift, indeed.

She chuckled in relief. She had failed to kill Damion, leading to serious injuries and Ayin's current condition, and now she was forced to flee from the Vermists. After facing multiple failures, she was thrilled to finally succeed.