Conditions For Mutation

Looming high over the wall was the Elder Spawn. It towered larger than the junk hill and any junk hill around it. If it could keep growing it would soon reach through the trash shoots into the human cities above. Roots of flesh extended from the creature throughout the city splitting stone buildings in two and pushing against the walls. It was like a massive flower in a pot too small for it. There was something about the walls resisting its roots.

Glyphs covered the other side of the city walls. By their machine precision and repeating pattern, no hand carved them. They contained the qi within this town. Something was producing the qi and it wasn't the Elder Spawn. The glyphs on the walls weren't made to contain the qi of an elder spawn. It was clear by their detail that they weren't placed here by Gwen. They were always a part of the wall.

Something gathered the power from heaven and earth and refined it into qi. How did Gwen find out about it? Well, she could have known about it all along. She directed me here. Did the qi have something to do with her ascension? I was missing something and only killing the elder spawn and investigating the source of the qi below could satisfy me.

Small fleshy bulbs covered the bark of the elder spawn. They expanded like boils before bursting open spewing yellow fluids on the ground. Creatures with bulbus heads, spindly bodies, and no mouths emerged from the pods. The single eye on their forehead glowed a sickly yellow. They turned to me and fired beams of light from their eyes. I took a step back and marveled at the glyphs.

A small invisible membrane blocked out the aura lasers fired from the creatures.

Elder Drones lvl100

Rank: Plebe

Together they were equal to a level 100 enemy. I resisted the urge to look into the giant yellow eye. Its light and aura had dulled since I'd first seen it. This creature was reaching the highest point of its life cycle then it was all downhill. The wall prevented it from making use of its full might. Aura couldn't pass beyond the wall in or out. I tried sticking my hand through to fire a javelin, it didn't work. Touching the membrane of the forcefield cut out aura control.

One made a run for the outside of the barrier. I flapped my wings and engaged Aura Rush. Diabla bisected the creatures bulbus head. Armageddon's chainsaw ripped through the tiny barrier it tried to form. Several flew out at the same time. They had all flown out while I rushed to kill them before they could organize.

Elder Drones lvl40

Rank: Plebe

Four bunched together. Their large eyes glowed a sickly yellow. For a second before they fired they needed to charge. From my observations once they committed, I had a few seconds to dodge. Four cones of sickly yellow light blasted out after I moved to the side.

I moved to keep the elder spawn in view. More bulges covered the Elder Spawns bark. I realized then that it could keep this up indefinitely. I'd circled the area three times and only found the remnants of a supply chain. Either prey was too far now to carry back, or it had all the brain matter it needed. Sitting on top of a well of qi might give it practically infinite aura.

I needed range. Swords were great for crowd control or PVP but were shit for long range. That's why I wanted to crossbow or a better normal bow. Either would have made this easier. They had giant easily sniped eyes. Any magic I used would be sensed before I fired it.

I flew behind avalanching junk while more flew through the barrier. "Wyrm x5," I sent out 5 wyrms to distract them. Nothing was showier than giant flaming metal snakes. Fortunately, commands from the Elder Spawn ended at the wall. Sickly beams of yellow blasted while my wyrms did what snakes did. Two died right away while I gained some distance.

While three were distracted by their attempts to flush one of the wyrms from a pit of molten metal and plastics I flapped my wings and pushed Aura Rush. They didn't hear the roar of Armageddon's engine until it was too late. When they fired, they were frozen in place until they finished firing. It took two seconds to fire, one to recharge, and two to prepare to fire. I let myself fall while three sets of beams blasted where I had been. My wings shot out to stop my descent before the beam aimed below could land. They made up for that weakness with volleys.

The wyrm in the molten pit sprung out and constricted around the barrier of a nearby drone. I They turned to the captured drone and fired as a group. I flew just as they fired and cut into another one. My wyrm died leaving me with only two left. More of the drones poured out of the barrier.

A wyrm managed to snatch one of the drones just after it crossed the barrier. The wyrm burned the drone alive and absorbed its ash. I noticed two tiny growths on the wyrm's back. The remaining wyrm made its way to the edge of the barrier as well.

The drones were adapting, and their numbers were ridiculous. Drones blasted from the ground, high in the air, and hidden behind cover. For everyone I killed, the elder spawn produced another batch. A blast shot into my wing. I screamed and plummeted. A round hole had opened in my wing and it burned worse than any wound I'd ever received.

I face planted in the ground and knew I had to move. If they were smart, they would converge on me. Aura Rush gave me only enough speed to roll into the second volley. I pushed Diabla in front of me and felt the skin on my knuckles melt. More gathered and fired.

Light after sickly yellow light flashed and burned through my body. My skin was tough, but they had numbers and when one finished another began. "Wyrm," another wyrm appeared and wrapped around me long enough to tank a few hits. My wings were useless, there wasn't enough muscle left in my arms to hold my sword, and my nerves were firing at random.

What would this be like if I had an ally? Could I win if Gwen and Star were here? No, they would get pinned down too. I needed allies that could keep up with me. What would it be like if I had three or four others just like me? Where were the other darklings? I couldn't be the last one free.

I sucked in a breath and used my AI mind to do something other than give quests. With my processing power, I tracked the direction of the beams of light. With little margin of error, I targeted them at their only points of weakness. "Black Parade, Aura, lightning Javelin Tier 2, Purple thoughts, from my aura javelins emerged.

They fired the second they emerged following beside the path of the lasers. It was aura intensive, but I didn't care. Every shot fired was observed, a flight plan was calculated, and a javelin was fired. They had to commit once they fired, I didn't. A beam attack was simple, and I could calculate when it would hit and react before they could fire. Physically their speed was relative to mine, but the power of their beam attack lent its own weaknesses.

I raced across the ground firing javelin's rapidly. Whenever a beam fired my way a javelin fired to into the eye. That moment when the beam fired their shields opened a tiny hole. I hadn't been certain of that before. But when I didn't have any other options.

This wasn't something system AI did. We didn't make our own apps or assist our hosts in such an active way. I waited for a reprimand while I dumped thousands of aura points and came out ahead to an enemy slain for every javelin thrown. Soon the bodies of the drones covered the ground. The Javelin's scored a critical every time and exited the skull.

That left the drones free of rot. I lowered my face to one of the downed creatures and opened my mouth wide. Wounds covered my body, and I hadn't eaten in quite some time. I was so hungry.

Blood, meat, and brains slid down my throat as I devoured their bodies. Bones snapped like wet sticks while I chomped through them. Every bite filled me with a euphoric joy. No matter how much I consumed, I never grew full but while I ate, I could feel something expand within me. My shoulders felt thicker, my scales flexed easier, and the ridges on my tail widened.

Ping!

Level Up

Level Up

Jacob lvl22

HP and AP restored

+60 HP and AP

+6 to all stats

AP 23.232k

Lifting Diabla felt significantly easier. I flexed my wings and soared upward under the eruption of my aura. A large bulbus boil of flesh stood out on the Elder Spawn. This one was different from the others not only was it larger, but I could sense its power even through the walls. I slipped through the barrier to a wall of laser fire.

I dove behind what buildings remained and fired at the nearest drones. Each shot of my javelin was a kill. The use of my javelin had become more a automated program than a active attack. When I moved beams fired and I traced the line of the beam attack back to their target.

The building crumbled under the onslaught forcing me to scurry like a rat. Doppel Spawn had been increasing her numbers for a while. High atop her above the eye I dared not look at the stems of fruit began to grow. She was closing in on the end of her life.

I could have waited and let her reach maturity at her rapid rate and decay. The zombies would have died but I needed power. It was selfish of me but even with my new tools, I doubted my chances. Someone had to have created the glyphs on the gate. If not Dol then it had to be someone even more knowledgeable about magic. There was also the chance that they found this place.

The mountain of junk was ever rising. More junk fell from above every day. The machines below melted it down and sent it up with heat. Tensmith was on a flattened side of the junk hill. That took a lot of manpower and planning. Four gobling plebes might not have been able to pull it off alone.

The buildings were made of junk often welded together. The wall and ground were industrial concrete. Unless multiple tons of this stuff were dumped here, then someone else built this. Why and for what purpose would they build this under a laboratory?

The building of welded steel and old wood exploded under laser fire. I dashed for the nearest building while the lasers rained down on me. One tagged my leg just as I threw myself through a boarded-up window.

I was killing them by the score and my aura was recovering faster tier 2 javelins could drain it. The elder spawn seemed to be incapable of growing more drones while it focused on the giant boil. All I had to do was thin their numbers and then I could focus on the Elder Spawn.

Just as I caught my breath and eased back to my feet, I felt an explosion of aura. While aura poured out of this creature, I could sense the drones' aura vanish one by one. I slammed open the window to see the creature.

Doppel Gwen lvl2 Mutated Elder Praetorian

Rank: Knight

The drones were feeding themselves to her. More grew from the Elder Spawn in ever greater numbers. They burst out only to line up to be devoured. Doppel Gwen was easily 15ft tall. Tendrils from her mouth stabbed into the minds of the drones. The drone's heads crumpled like empty soda cans. While it devoured its level increased. Each level was its own milestone. But its raw power was immense. Even at a low level its aura was greater than its blessed one state.

Doppel Gwen lvl2 Mutated Elder Praetorian

Rank: Knight

"Jacob wait for me. When I finish my meal, we'll continue our conversation." Doppel transmitted to my thoughts.