Chapter 118: Reconnaissance of the Shadow Demon
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Chapter 118: Reconnaissance of the Shadow Demon
Vir flew through Aranya Forest. Not on the floor, but up on its many branches. Not only were the treetops far easier to navigate, but taking the high road saved him invocations of Dance of the Shadow Demon when skirting around enemies.
While Ash prana was relatively abundant in this area, it was always a scarce resource, and Vir didnt see that changing soon. Not unless he went to the Ashen Realm itself.
After his harrowing experience of infiltrating Dahas castle, Vir swore never to prematurely deplete Ash prana ever again. His escapades that night had only been so harrowing because he couldnt use Dance, having already depleted the Ash prana in that area.
Prana Vision and his elevation kept him safe, but it was nonetheless a stressful experience. The Brood Matrons scouts had an uncanny ability to sense even the slightest motion, and only by straining Prana Vision to its maximum was Vir able to avoid the groups of scouts.
At least initially. As he penetrated deeper into the forest, enemy units became more and more dense. The only reason he could proceed was because there were fewer scouts and more workers and hunter-gatherers.
While Haymis healing orb still protected his armor, it was only good for a onetime activation. The orb in his weapon was similar. Without Haymi nearby to power them, theyd spend themselves after a single use.
Vir paused on a branch to analyze a group of a dozen workers as they went about their business. Resembling oversized ants, they had none of the gelatinous features of their scout brethren. In fact, if Tia hadnt told him about the Brood Matron variants, hed never have guessed they were related.
The workers lacked pincers or sharp limbs of any kind and looked heavily specialized for transport. Even their senses were lackingVir had no trouble slowly approaching to within ten paces without them noticing.
He didnt risk going any further, but he didn't need to. After sizing them up, he determined they werent a threat. In fact, he doubted whether they had a Balar rank at all. Their prana signature was a hodgepodge of various affinities, and they didnt even have armored hides.
It made sense; workers were built for labor, not battle. That was left to their far more impressive brethren, the hunter-gatherers.
Vir soon came across a group of six, and this time, he hid with Dance. Knowing that they specialized in combat, he couldnt risk being detected.
The hunter-gatherers walked on six, bladed legs, had thick plates of natural armor, and a segmented tail that ended in a point suited for penetrating objects.
Virs ten counts of time ran out, ejecting him back into the world. He quickly reactivated the ability but this time, he moved slightly further away and left his legs out of the Shadow Realm.
Time passed at a third of its normal speed, allowing him to observe their behavior in detail.
It was only after watching these beasts for several minutes that Vir realized the true danger of their tails. Occasionally, a drop of green liquid oozing with Life, Earth, and Shadow prana would fall to the ground, sizzling when it touched the foliage below.
Venom.
And a potent acid at that.
Theyre gonna be tough to deal with. Vir felt confident he could defeat one of these in isolation, but they never moved in groups of less than six. Only rarely did they ever split up far enough to ambush one, but it was still close enough for the others to respond to.
He also learned why they were called hunter gatherers. Several of them carried corpses on their backs. Because of their size, they made good beasts of burden, and Vir suspected it was the hunter-gatherers who retrieved corpses from the front lines, bringing them back to safer zones for the workers to break down and carry the rest of the way back.
Which meant they were incredibly sturdy. While Vir was no expert at estimating Balar Ranks, he put them well above the scouts, which Tia had said were in the ten to twenty range. These hunter-gatherers couldnt have been anything less than double that.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com
The only deficiency Vir found was that their sensory range was less than those of the scouts; hed snuck up to within twenty paces of them without detection.
What intrigued Vir the most about their behavior was how they communicated with the scouts. Occasionally, a group of scouts would meet up with the hunter-gatherers, forcing Vir to retreat.
From afar, he saw the two clack and gesture to each other. Possibly the scouts communicating the locations of new prey.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally found it. A group of six hunter-gatherers, isolated from any of their brothers. Except these six were currently stalking a group of deer. Theyd spread out, with twenty paces between them, and their attention was focused entirely on the hunt.
Vir chose the hunter-gatherer at the very edge of the group and moved in for the kill.
With his Talents, there was no need for a flashy charge or the warrior-like roar Vason was so fond of. In his case, he wanted to attract his enemies attention. Vir was the opposite.
He Empowered his legs and shot into a shadow, emerging with an Empowered Prana Blade right under the hunter-gatherer.
Even with a seric katar, he normally couldnt penetrate the beasts thick armor, but with prana wreathing his blade and Empower accelerating his thrust, combined with the momentum he carried through the shadows, his blade sunk deep into the hunter-gatherer.
Unfortunately, while it penetrated the armor, the blade wasnt long enough to reach the prana nexus buried inside it. It was a brutal reminder of the deficiency of his reach.
Maybe I ought to consider getting a longer weapon. But that was easier said than done. The only reason his Prana Blade worked was because of the short length of his blade. Any longer and it destabilized.
Vir rolled out of the way and Leaped in for another attack. The hunter-gatherer immediately repositioned itself, opening its maw. In it, Vir saw green liquid, ready to shoot out.
He threw himself aside, narrowly dodging the acid that flew through the air and landed on a tree, burning away its bark.
So it can throw venom from its mouth, too? Apparently, the Brood Matron wasnt a picky eater. He didnt imagine acid-washed corpses tasted any good.
Vir Leaped again, using the momentum to throw himself into a forward roll. Right under the hunter-gatherer. Vir extended his Prana Bladed katar to the side, rotating as he rolled.
The spinning blade sliced into the hunter-gatherers foreleg, then its midleg, and finally, aided by an Empowered thrust, bisected its hind leg as Vir exited his roll.
With all of its legs on one side out of commission, the beast slowly fell over. Its massive weight meant it couldnt right itself, making it vulnerable.
Vir jumped up onto its back and drove his katar down, right into its heart.
The beast quivered for a moment, then lay still. The forest was silent for a single moment.
Its remaining five brethren had noticed the fight and had surrounded Vir while hed fought.
It hardly mattered. With Dance, no enemy could ambush Vir.
Glaring at his foes, Vir sunk into the shadows.
This, too, had been a probing test. Not only had his fight shown him the capabilities of the hunter-gatherers, but if the Brood Matron was as intelligent as he thought it was
Then she ought to send reinforcements to this area of the forest, where a threat lies.
Except, Vir was currently far south in the forest. Their camp was to the north. If the Matron sent her hunter-gatherers here, it would mean less resistance for Spears Edge. It meant the Matron would leave herself open to attack.
With a satisfied smile, Vir set a course for due north to return to base.
It was only then did he notice a strange smell. Its source was none other than his own upper arm, which burned as searing hot acid numbed his pain and ate into his skin with each passing second.
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Chapter 118: Reconnaissance of the Shadow Demon
Vir flew through Aranya Forest. Not on the floor, but up on its many branches. Not only were the treetops far easier to navigate, but taking the high road saved him invocations of Dance of the Shadow Demon when skirting around enemies.
While Ash prana was relatively abundant in this area, it was always a scarce resource, and Vir didnt see that changing soon. Not unless he went to the Ashen Realm itself.
After his harrowing experience of infiltrating Dahas castle, Vir swore never to prematurely deplete Ash prana ever again. His escapades that night had only been so harrowing because he couldnt use Dance, having already depleted the Ash prana in that area.
Prana Vision and his elevation kept him safe, but it was nonetheless a stressful experience. The Brood Matrons scouts had an uncanny ability to sense even the slightest motion, and only by straining Prana Vision to its maximum was Vir able to avoid the groups of scouts.
At least initially. As he penetrated deeper into the forest, enemy units became more and more dense. The only reason he could proceed was because there were fewer scouts and more workers and hunter-gatherers.
While Haymis healing orb still protected his armor, it was only good for a onetime activation. The orb in his weapon was similar. Without Haymi nearby to power them, theyd spend themselves after a single use.
Vir paused on a branch to analyze a group of a dozen workers as they went about their business. Resembling oversized ants, they had none of the gelatinous features of their scout brethren. In fact, if Tia hadnt told him about the Brood Matron variants, hed never have guessed they were related.
The workers lacked pincers or sharp limbs of any kind and looked heavily specialized for transport. Even their senses were lackingVir had no trouble slowly approaching to within ten paces without them noticing.
He didnt risk going any further, but he didn't need to. After sizing them up, he determined they werent a threat. In fact, he doubted whether they had a Balar rank at all. Their prana signature was a hodgepodge of various affinities, and they didnt even have armored hides.
It made sense; workers were built for labor, not battle. That was left to their far more impressive brethren, the hunter-gatherers.
Vir soon came across a group of six, and this time, he hid with Dance. Knowing that they specialized in combat, he couldnt risk being detected.
The hunter-gatherers walked on six, bladed legs, had thick plates of natural armor, and a segmented tail that ended in a point suited for penetrating objects.
Virs ten counts of time ran out, ejecting him back into the world. He quickly reactivated the ability but this time, he moved slightly further away and left his legs out of the Shadow Realm.
Time passed at a third of its normal speed, allowing him to observe their behavior in detail.
It was only after watching these beasts for several minutes that Vir realized the true danger of their tails. Occasionally, a drop of green liquid oozing with Life, Earth, and Shadow prana would fall to the ground, sizzling when it touched the foliage below.
Venom.
And a potent acid at that.
Theyre gonna be tough to deal with. Vir felt confident he could defeat one of these in isolation, but they never moved in groups of less than six. Only rarely did they ever split up far enough to ambush one, but it was still close enough for the others to respond to.
He also learned why they were called hunter gatherers. Several of them carried corpses on their backs. Because of their size, they made good beasts of burden, and Vir suspected it was the hunter-gatherers who retrieved corpses from the front lines, bringing them back to safer zones for the workers to break down and carry the rest of the way back.
Which meant they were incredibly sturdy. While Vir was no expert at estimating Balar Ranks, he put them well above the scouts, which Tia had said were in the ten to twenty range. These hunter-gatherers couldnt have been anything less than double that.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com
The only deficiency Vir found was that their sensory range was less than those of the scouts; hed snuck up to within twenty paces of them without detection.
What intrigued Vir the most about their behavior was how they communicated with the scouts. Occasionally, a group of scouts would meet up with the hunter-gatherers, forcing Vir to retreat.
From afar, he saw the two clack and gesture to each other. Possibly the scouts communicating the locations of new prey.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally found it. A group of six hunter-gatherers, isolated from any of their brothers. Except these six were currently stalking a group of deer. Theyd spread out, with twenty paces between them, and their attention was focused entirely on the hunt.
Vir chose the hunter-gatherer at the very edge of the group and moved in for the kill.
With his Talents, there was no need for a flashy charge or the warrior-like roar Vason was so fond of. In his case, he wanted to attract his enemies attention. Vir was the opposite.
He Empowered his legs and shot into a shadow, emerging with an Empowered Prana Blade right under the hunter-gatherer.
Even with a seric katar, he normally couldnt penetrate the beasts thick armor, but with prana wreathing his blade and Empower accelerating his thrust, combined with the momentum he carried through the shadows, his blade sunk deep into the hunter-gatherer.
Unfortunately, while it penetrated the armor, the blade wasnt long enough to reach the prana nexus buried inside it. It was a brutal reminder of the deficiency of his reach.
Maybe I ought to consider getting a longer weapon. But that was easier said than done. The only reason his Prana Blade worked was because of the short length of his blade. Any longer and it destabilized.
Vir rolled out of the way and Leaped in for another attack. The hunter-gatherer immediately repositioned itself, opening its maw. In it, Vir saw green liquid, ready to shoot out.
He threw himself aside, narrowly dodging the acid that flew through the air and landed on a tree, burning away its bark.
So it can throw venom from its mouth, too? Apparently, the Brood Matron wasnt a picky eater. He didnt imagine acid-washed corpses tasted any good.
Vir Leaped again, using the momentum to throw himself into a forward roll. Right under the hunter-gatherer. Vir extended his Prana Bladed katar to the side, rotating as he rolled.
The spinning blade sliced into the hunter-gatherers foreleg, then its midleg, and finally, aided by an Empowered thrust, bisected its hind leg as Vir exited his roll.
With all of its legs on one side out of commission, the beast slowly fell over. Its massive weight meant it couldnt right itself, making it vulnerable.
Vir jumped up onto its back and drove his katar down, right into its heart.
The beast quivered for a moment, then lay still. The forest was silent for a single moment.
Its remaining five brethren had noticed the fight and had surrounded Vir while hed fought.
It hardly mattered. With Dance, no enemy could ambush Vir.
Glaring at his foes, Vir sunk into the shadows.
This, too, had been a probing test. Not only had his fight shown him the capabilities of the hunter-gatherers, but if the Brood Matron was as intelligent as he thought it was
Then she ought to send reinforcements to this area of the forest, where a threat lies.
Except, Vir was currently far south in the forest. Their camp was to the north. If the Matron sent her hunter-gatherers here, it would mean less resistance for Spears Edge. It meant the Matron would leave herself open to attack.
With a satisfied smile, Vir set a course for due north to return to base.
It was only then did he notice a strange smell. Its source was none other than his own upper arm, which burned as searing hot acid numbed his pain and ate into his skin with each passing second.
Chapter 118: Reconnaissance of the Shadow DemonVir flew through Aranya Forest. Not on the floor, but up on its many branches. Not only were the treetops far easier to navigate, but taking the high road saved him invocations of Dance of the Shadow Demon when skirting around enemies.While Ash prana was relatively abundant in this area, it was always a scarce resource, and Vir didnt see that changing soon. Not unless he went to the Ashen Realm itself.After his harrowing experience of infiltrating Dahas castle, Vir swore never to prematurely deplete Ash prana ever again. His escapades that night had only been so harrowing because he couldnt use Dance, having already depleted the Ash prana in that area.Prana Vision and his elevation kept him safe, but it was nonetheless a stressful experience. The Brood Matrons scouts had an uncanny ability to sense even the slightest motion, and only by straining Prana Vision to its maximum was Vir able to avoid the groups of scouts.At least initially. As he penetrated deeper into the forest, enemy units became more and more dense. The only reason he could proceed was because there were fewer scouts and more workers and hunter-gatherers.While Haymis healing orb still protected his armor, it was only good for a onetime activation. The orb in his weapon was similar. Without Haymi nearby to power them, theyd spend themselves after a single use.Vir paused on a branch to analyze a group of a dozen workers as they went about their business. Resembling oversized ants, they had none of the gelatinous features of their scout brethren. In fact, if Tia hadnt told him about the Brood Matron variants, hed never have guessed they were related.The workers lacked pincers or sharp limbs of any kind and looked heavily specialized for transport. Even their senses were lackingVir had no trouble slowly approaching to within ten paces without them noticing.He didnt risk going any further, but he didn't need to. After sizing them up, he determined they werent a threat. In fact, he doubted whether they had a Balar rank at all. Their prana signature was a hodgepodge of various affinities, and they didnt even have armored hides.It made sense; workers were built for labor, not battle. That was left to their far more impressive brethren, the hunter-gatherers.Vir soon came across a group of six, and this time, he hid with Dance. Knowing that they specialized in combat, he couldnt risk being detected.The hunter-gatherers walked on six, bladed legs, had thick plates of natural armor, and a segmented tail that ended in a point suited for penetrating objects.Virs ten counts of time ran out, ejecting him back into the world. He quickly reactivated the ability but this time, he moved slightly further away and left his legs out of the Shadow Realm.Time passed at a third of its normal speed, allowing him to observe their behavior in detail.It was only after watching these beasts for several minutes that Vir realized the true danger of their tails. Occasionally, a drop of green liquid oozing with Life, Earth, and Shadow prana would fall to the ground, sizzling when it touched the foliage below.Venom.And a potent acid at that.Theyre gonna be tough to deal with. Vir felt confident he could defeat one of these in isolation, but they never moved in groups of less than six. Only rarely did they ever split up far enough to ambush one, but it was still close enough for the others to respond to.He also learned why they were called hunter gatherers. Several of them carried corpses on their backs. Because of their size, they made good beasts of burden, and Vir suspected it was the hunter-gatherers who retrieved corpses from the front lines, bringing them back to safer zones for the workers to break down and carry the rest of the way back.Which meant they were incredibly sturdy. While Vir was no expert at estimating Balar Ranks, he put them well above the scouts, which Tia had said were in the ten to twenty range. These hunter-gatherers couldnt have been anything less than double that.This chapter is updated by novelbiin.comThe only deficiency Vir found was that their sensory range was less than those of the scouts; hed snuck up to within twenty paces of them without detection.What intrigued Vir the most about their behavior was how they communicated with the scouts. Occasionally, a group of scouts would meet up with the hunter-gatherers, forcing Vir to retreat.From afar, he saw the two clack and gesture to each other. Possibly the scouts communicating the locations of new prey.After what felt like an eternity, he finally found it. A group of six hunter-gatherers, isolated from any of their brothers. Except these six were currently stalking a group of deer. Theyd spread out, with twenty paces between them, and their attention was focused entirely on the hunt.Vir chose the hunter-gatherer at the very edge of the group and moved in for the kill.With his Talents, there was no need for a flashy charge or the warrior-like roar Vason was so fond of. In his case, he wanted to attract his enemies attention. Vir was the opposite.He Empowered his legs and shot into a shadow, emerging with an Empowered Prana Blade right under the hunter-gatherer.Even with a seric katar, he normally couldnt penetrate the beasts thick armor, but with prana wreathing his blade and Empower accelerating his thrust, combined with the momentum he carried through the shadows, his blade sunk deep into the hunter-gatherer.Unfortunately, while it penetrated the armor, the blade wasnt long enough to reach the prana nexus buried inside it. It was a brutal reminder of the deficiency of his reach.Maybe I ought to consider getting a longer weapon. But that was easier said than done. The only reason his Prana Blade worked was because of the short length of his blade. Any longer and it destabilized.Vir rolled out of the way and Leaped in for another attack. The hunter-gatherer immediately repositioned itself, opening its maw. In it, Vir saw green liquid, ready to shoot out.He threw himself aside, narrowly dodging the acid that flew through the air and landed on a tree, burning away its bark.So it can throw venom from its mouth, too? Apparently, the Brood Matron wasnt a picky eater. He didnt imagine acid-washed corpses tasted any good.Vir Leaped again, using the momentum to throw himself into a forward roll. Right under the hunter-gatherer. Vir extended his Prana Bladed katar to the side, rotating as he rolled.The spinning blade sliced into the hunter-gatherers foreleg, then its midleg, and finally, aided by an Empowered thrust, bisected its hind leg as Vir exited his roll.With all of its legs on one side out of commission, the beast slowly fell over. Its massive weight meant it couldnt right itself, making it vulnerable.Vir jumped up onto its back and drove his katar down, right into its heart.The beast quivered for a moment, then lay still. The forest was silent for a single moment.Its remaining five brethren had noticed the fight and had surrounded Vir while hed fought.It hardly mattered. With Dance, no enemy could ambush Vir.Glaring at his foes, Vir sunk into the shadows.This, too, had been a probing test. Not only had his fight shown him the capabilities of the hunter-gatherers, but if the Brood Matron was as intelligent as he thought it wasThen she ought to send reinforcements to this area of the forest, where a threat lies.Except, Vir was currently far south in the forest. Their camp was to the north. If the Matron sent her hunter-gatherers here, it would mean less resistance for Spears Edge. It meant the Matron would leave herself open to attack.With a satisfied smile, Vir set a course for due north to return to base.It was only then did he notice a strange smell. Its source was none other than his own upper arm, which burned as searing hot acid numbed his pain and ate into his skin with each passing second.
