Chapter 3

I jammed my tail into the rock to gain more purchase as I slid down the sheer wall of the volcano. I had suddenly found myself in the steepest part of the descent, and daemons were falling all around me. They cried and screamed the whole way down before they were silenced, immolated, and consumed by the molten rock below. I continued along a slow and steady path that a demon below me was descending down, Its four arms and spear-like spider legs made it easy for it to traverse the sheer cliff. I used the holes it punched the rock as my handholds as I descended. 

I thought about looking for Roy among the throngs of demons climbing down, but I knew that he and I would meet eventually, so I didn't mind not seeing him now. For now, I focused on not dying a painful death as my body sank into a pit of magma. It wasn't too much longer before I got to the right depth, where I began to probe the walls to see if there was anywhere to dig through. I didn't have to search long before a demon to my right and a bit further down cried out in joy. Other demons then made their way over and began to help that first demon dig through a section of softer stone that would lead into the tunnels that would bring us to the Upper Abyss.

I made my way down and used my tail to punch through the soft stone while the other demons widened the holes I made so that we could squeeze our bodies through. Eventually, we were able to dig deep enough that we broke through into one of the many tunnels leading out of the volcano and deeper into the earth. A cheer broke out as demons began to file into the hole. I followed the other demons inside but stayed near the back of the group, but not too far back that I was a straggler. I walked along the small tunnel all the way until the air grew much thicker and the temperature rose dramatically. 

The smell of smoke and sulfur filled the air as we finally reached the end of the tunnel, and the Upper Abyss was revealed before us. The tunnel led to yet another cliff, but this one was smaller and gave a good view out into the hazy atmosphere of the abyss. Fossilized trees and black stone dominated the landscape in the area visible around us, but I wasn't paying much attention to that. Instead, I was working with the system to create something quickly before all the demons here dispersed. 

- - - Creation - - -

Item: Grenade

Description: A simple hand grenade that will explode a few seconds after thrown

Modifiers:

* High Explosive - A bigger explosion radius with more power

* Shrapnel Storm - A wave of sharp shrapnel will expand away from the site of the explosion

Cost: Souls: 15 low-quality souls

- - - Creation - - -

I frowned as I saw that I was missing a single soul to create the grenade, so I turned and punched a hole in the head of the demon beside me. All the demons in the area turned to look at me as the body hit the floor, and I grabbed the soul. Before they could react, I had the grenade in my hand and pulled the pin out. I tossed it into the most densely packed part of the tunnel up ahead near the mouth and threw myself to the ground behind a rocky outcropping. I just got a few looks of confusion, and a tall demon stepped forward, looking to claim my soul, but then the grenade went off.

 I heard a blast and felt a wash of heat blow over me as the [High-Explosive] part of my grenade took effect. I roared in pain as my skin burned due to the heat, but I knew that this was much better than being out in the open. I didn't hear the shrapnel ripping through the demons around me, but when I peeked around the corner, the tunnel was full of glowing souls and the moans and whimpers of some demons unfortunate enough to have survived the blast. I got up with a wince and looked down at the severely burned demons huddled on the ground, their melted flesh locking them into position. 

I ended them quickly with my tail and claws. I felt no pity for them as I collected a large score of souls from the tunnel, knowing that any of them would do the same in my position. I sat down on the edge of the tunnel, where it dropped off, the sheer cliff below me and the view of the Upper Abyss clearly in front of me. I couldn't contain my laughter as I saw that I had 75 souls in my inventory now. However, this brought a conundrum up for me. 'Should I invest in wings for greater mobility first, or go for some sort of body enhancement item to make me stronger?' I thought, stroking my chin with a clawed hand.

Wings would be useful for mobility, but a body enhancement item would make me more powerful and harder to kill. I continued to think for a long while until I finally decided that wings would be more immediately useful since I could manifest them immediately, while it would take me a while longer to get the necessary amount of souls for what I had in mind for enhancing my body. For now, I opened the system and began to define what I wanted for wings. 

- - - Creation - - -

Body Modification: Demon Wings

Description: Allows for increased mobility and flight

Modifiers:

* Flight - The wings are capable of flight

* High Speed - Able to reach high rates of speed when in flight

* Soundless - Beating your wings makes no sound

Cost: Souls: 75 low-quality souls

- - - Creation - - -

'Well, there goes all my souls, ' I thought as I confirmed my creation and felt my back suddenly begin to become extremely itchy. I groaned, then roared as I felt two stumps growing from my back. My skin stretched tight, then tore, allowing wet and bloody wings to emerge from my back. I grunted as I unfurled my wings and flapped them to remove the gore and get used to the feeling of flapping them. I was amazed that the wings felt even more natural than my tail. I assumed my increased instinctual mastery over my wings was due to the increased amount of modifiers I gave them, but no matter what the cause, I was happy. 

I looked down from the cliff I was still sitting on, then kicked off the ledge, allowing myself to fall toward the scorched earth below. At the last moment before impact I opened my wings, then glided high into the air. I passed over the dark and dreary landscape quickly, watching my shadow race along the ground below me. I then soared high into the sky and flew in and out of boiling crimson clouds that reeked of sulfur. I then dove down and landed on the ground without a sound. I looked all around me and found myself in a forest of dead and decaying trees. 

I couldn't see anything, but I heard the chittering of some sort of monster nearby. I jumped and flew to the top of the withered tree with one powerful beat of my wings, then scanned the surroundings carefully. Then I saw it, a monster shaped like a large wold ripping apart a little demon just like me not too far away. The little demon clawed and bit back at the monster, but its attacks were ineffectual as the monster ripped open the demon's stomach and feasted. I watched as gore and viscera poured from the wound while the little demon gradually lost strength, and then its arms stopped moving. 

Deciding to use my fellow demon's death as an opening, I flew forward on soundless wings until I was right behind the monster. It must have smelled my presence because it turned rapidly and was already biting at me when my tail blurred forward and buried into the monster's eye. It howled like a wolf as it thrashed and shook its head violently. Instead of keeping my tail in and getting thrown around, I withdrew my tail and circled around the wolf monster until it stopped thrashing its head. As soon as its head was still for a moment, my tail ripped out its other eye as well. 

I noticed the soul leave the little demon beneath the wolf's feet at that moment, so I swooped down and collected it while slashing through a tendon in the monster's leg at the same time. The monster suddenly collapsed as one leg buckled. It snapped wildly in every direction now that it was blind and immobile. I had plenty of time, so I took my time to circle the world, silently striking out at the monster and punching holes in its hide with my tail. It wasn't long before the beast lay in a pool of its own blood that leaked from a dozen holes in its back and sides. 

The monster fully collapsed and laid its head on the floor, letting out a single whimper before my tail punched through its skull, and I claimed its soul.