Infernopest

Infernopest.

It is a monster that has a wrinkled appearance and is deformed by nature. Its large, hairless head with a long appendage on top with spiderlike claws, and atrophied legs, were all said to be the result of the Fallen War.

They are believed to be the mortals who were mutated by the Fallen god's curse. They drooled and oozed a pungent ichor, containing a toxin that poisons the mind. They use their extremities to wrap around their prey and secrete the ichor into the person's mouth, thereby poisoning them into a nightmarish dream. While the prey delves into a deep nightmare, infernopests use the appendage on top of their head to suck into the flesh of their victims, draining their mana.

These monsters are classified under the Undead—humans who died in the Fallen War and are cursed to roam the lands with an unquenchable and destructive desire for life.

There are four known monsters classified under the Undead.

The first is the Wraiths, or ghost-like specters whose souls are already tainted to the point of no return. They are the lowest class of the Undead who roam the lands far and wide. To lure their victims, they shapeshift into a form familiar to their targets, and once they gain the trust of their unsuspecting prey, they show their true nature.

Though, their flaw is that they can still leave traces of their monstrous characteristics—a dead part of the body, which they hide from their prey as they lure them. Once they trap their victims, wraiths can inflict damage using their long, sharp bony fingers to strangle, kill, and slash their prey. Their fingers are the only visible part of their body. They are also covered in a murky, ragged cloak that gives the shape of a legless, slender body; and are also the only type of the undead who are able to fly.

Gravesnares, on the other hand, are monsters with a particular smell. They resemble decaying corpses; the stench, the appearance, and identity. Gravesnares have pale skin with undertones of blue and grey. They have black, hollow eyes and a mouth that can gape wide open which allows them to scream for their kind and feast on the flesh of their victims.

They are also fast, given that they use all their limbs to walk. Their protruding spine cracks as they walk on all fours, making it easy for their victims to know they are coming. Unlike Infernopests and Wraiths who feed on mana, Gravesnares seek nourishment from flesh, organs, and blood.

The last type of known monsters classified under the Undead are the Morphed Mutants.

Morphed Mutants are rare monsters that are mostly seen in high-level dungeons. They are creatures possessing great intellect, given that they can have multiple brains. Their bodies are large due to their numerous strong limbs. Normal morphed mutants have four arms and four legs. They are also thrice as large as an average human and much more aggressive than the other undead variants. Morphed mutants, like Gravesnares, feast on the flesh. However, these mutants do not do this for nourishment, but to quench their undying bloodlust toward any living mortal.

These monsters—the Undead, have been used to test the potency of Lumi's power.

To test if she can replicate the Saintess' power.

Lumi then stared at Siegren. He was sweating profusely. Traces of black ichor mixed with blood were evident on the corner of his lips. As the young priestess continued to heal him, the infernopest had already slithered away to the darkness.

**

Siegren felt as if he was in a bottomless pit. He sat alone in the dark, and when he has finally awoken, the image of his younger self looked back at him.

His lips parted to speak to his younger self.

"Kill."

The young Siegren looked at his older reflection in horror.

'No,'

"Kill everyone else."

'That's not what I want to say.' Siegren said to his mind, but his mouth spoke otherwise.

"Now."

"SIEGREN!"

Grey eyes fluttered open, seeing golden light. As he recovers from his daze, Siegren was able to see crystal-like blue eyes looking back at him.

"Thank the goddess, you're awake!"

Siegren slowly sat down, his head still spinning. However, he couldn't remember what happened. Books that are covered in black ichor caught his peripheral, as well as the tumbled shelves and the torn page of the book he held earlier.

'Wait.'

Scenes from him opening a book with a monster coming out flashed in his mind. His grey eyes then darted to the pool of murky ichor and blood he just vomited.

"An infernopest got into you," said Lumi. "It was a good thing that I didn't arrive too late. Those things are tricky if you're not too careful."

Why didn't he feel the presence of the monster? Siegren clenched his fist as he felt his nerves pulsating in his neck.

"But don't feel too bad. They're known to conceal themselves in unsuspecting places. You wouldn't have known."

Siegren sighed, fist unclenching. He then stood up, turning to Lumi. "Thanks for saving me," he said, and bowed his head before meeting her gaze again.

The two exchanged gazes, with Lumi pausing briefly before she grinned. "I didn't know you knew how to say thanks."

Siegren, for a second, was taken aback. Lumi noticed that he looked lost, unable to elicit a response. This made her smile—but only for a moment as reality dawned upon her.

"Though there isn't much time for joking," Lumi said. "It's highly likely that the templars will arrive here any minute now. I used my divine power to heal you—a strong one at that. They'll be able to sense it."

Siegren stared at Lumi, "before we leave… have you found a clue?"

Lumi only smiled.

"I did."

**

Slithering away in the darkness was a murmuring creature.

"Ah, you're here,"

The creature stopped as it heard those words. A person was in the corner, not visible to anyone. The infernopest slithered, dragging its atrophied legs to the ground as it held its drool. To its eyes, the person in the corner was just another prey.

But then…

Warm light surrounded the monster, and then suddenly its atrophied legs began to heal. Its wrinkled body began to change—evolving into something that resembled a snake peeling from its old skin. It let out a cry at the painstaking process that was taking place on its body.

In the middle of the slimy and monstrous insides of the monster came a child.

"Aa.. ah…" The monster stopped as it realized it had a voice.

It had a head. Limbs. Skin.

A human body.

"Hush," a smile crept from the mysterious person's lips. "It's been a thousand years since you became a normal person, right? It's okay."

The child, who was once a monstrous parasite, stared at his trembling hands. They were fair, flawless, and real.

Tears loomed from the corner of the child's eyes as the person knelt in front of him.

"You want to keep that appearance, right?" The person exclaimed.

The child nodded.

"Then,"

"You have to do something for me."