Chapter 234: Provocation in the Dunes
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Chapter 234: Provocation in the Dunes
I strolled through the sandy dunes lit by the moon, eyes on the beasts in the distance. Erani and Ainash trailed distantly behind me, so I could attack first and be the sole person drawing the aggression of the animals.
The Sand Stompers and Sand Stingers took notice of me, glancing over in my direction as I approached, and I could occasionally feel the rumbling of the Sand Sifters worming their way through the ground beneath me, but there was no overt attack made. At least, not yet. They were apparently pretty territorial.
Sure enough, the closer I got, the more agitated they got. I saw the Stompers casually moving to form a sort of semicircle around memovements that might seem natural at first glance, but I could tell were coordinated.
Or you could just be paranoid, Index said.
Am I just being paranoid?
I dunno. Cant see far enough to tell how theyre acting.
Well, do I act too paranoid in general? Wouldnt you like it if I were less trusting of others, and stuff?
Hey, Im just pointing out possibilities. Its good to be aware of the self. Besides, even if you were paranoid enough to significantly improve your lifespan, that wouldnt really mean anything if it simultaneously decreased your quality of life.
Is that happening? Am I decreasing my quality of life?
See, I would normally say no, but now youre asking all these questions and are starting to get suspicious of me, which is ironically making you paranoid. And being paranoid about me will definitely decrease your quality of life. Im the smartest voice in your head!
You say that like there are more than just mine and yours. Also, I definitely think that out of everyone I know, youre probably the most worth being suspicious of.
See, look at how much youre distracting yourself already. Listen, I just think its worth it for me to be a figure that argues against whatever preconceived notion you may have at any given time, if at least to make you discuss it with me and come out more sure of yourself. Doesnt mean I think you should change your mind about every little thing I challenge you on.
So you just like to argue for the sake of arguing. Got it.
That would certainly be a way to put it if I were a flawed, fleshy Human. But Im not, so its inaccurate. I like to argue because it gets you into the habit of thinking through everything you
Right, right, got it. Werent you just saying I was the one distracting myself?
Just correcting your factually incorrect statement.
Thanks. Do you mind going underground to keep an eye out for Sand Sifters? I wanna know the optimal time to attack.
I get the distinct feeling youre just saying that because you dont want to keep talking to me. And by feeling I mean Im reading your mind and can tell for certain that its your intention behind saying that.
Are you stalling for a reason?
What?
You can read my mind, you know what I mean. Youre just talking for the sake of talking to keep this fight from happening, right?
And why would you think that?
Im in your head just as much as youre in mine, Index.
I justI dont know how to explain it. I dont like it when you get into fights where youre for certain going to die. I come from the Trailblazer Title, not the Minute Mage Class, meaning I wasnt really created with the reasoning shortcuts to see death as temporary and more of a minor setback than the ultimate failure, so, while I can logically reason through the fact that nothing bad is going to happenI dunno. Its a strange feeling, and I try to ignore it. Though, it feels like its only gotten worse lately. Just carry on and do your thing.
Listening to Indexs words, I supposed its reasoning made sense. At least, I could relate a bitit sounded a lot like a typical emotional response. It didnt want to see me die, even if it knew Id be fine in the end. It was kind of touching.
Well, anyway. It was time for mindless slaughter.
Now that I was up close to the Sand Stompers, I saw just how big the things actually were. They were around twice as tall as I was, with legs as thick as tree trunks and old, chipped tusks that curved up from their mouths. Their yellowed skin sagged from their bodies, jiggling with each step.
One of them had just barely gotten into range of Crippling Chill, glancing at me sideways as it roamed the dunes. The moment its foot crossed the invisible boundary, I cast my Spell.
You have cursed Level 17 Sand Stomper with Crippling Chill. For the next 15 seconds, it loses 8.15 Health and 6.52 Stamina each second, and its Dexterity and Strength scores are lowered by 16.3.
At the same time as I activated Regenerate, I reached back and grabbed the Sand Stinger around its head, using my other hand to force its stinger downward, leveraging its ridiculous length to keep it controlled. The thing attempted to flutter away with its translucent wings at least as large as my entire torso, but it seemed like these monsters werent capable of handling a full Humans bodyweight. My enemy unable to sting me again, I activated Noxious Grasp and Sanguine Bond to start draining away its Health.
Stomper behind you still! Index shouted just as I heard a very close-by step. Right.
I ducked down just as a tusk the width of my forearm went whooshing above my head. Then I threw myself to the side as the monsters leg came kicking forward, still grappling onto the Sand Stinger as the Stomper continued in its charge that almost ran straight through me.
To my side, another Sand Stinger approaching through the air. I threw a Crippling Chill on it, hoping to slow it down so I could resolve the issue later, but the moment my Spell hit it, the thing fell right out of the air and to the ground, its spindly legs twitching on the ground. Seemed like these things couldnt handle the Stat debuff, then.
I was still holding onto the Stinger thatd hit me, and considered just casting Crippling Chill on that one as well and leaving it as dealt with, but before I could do so, I got a notification.
You have slain Level 19 Sand Stinger.
You have earned 213 XP. Your XP is 249.
Oh, I thought, letting go of the corpse. Itd only been a few seconds of Noxious Grasp plus Sanguine Bond, and the thing had died. They werevery fragile. That was good.
I cast about six more Crippling Chills on Sand Stingers thatd entered my range, immobilizing them instantly and hoping that their Healths were all low enough that the Spell would single-handedly kill them before its duration ran outthough, maybe that would be too good to be true. For now, I at least needed to stay alive long enough to get a few more kills and make this whole thing worth it.
Another Sand Stomper came charging at me. I tried to dive out of the way like last time, but a Sifter came rushing up from the ground at the perfect time, not even attacking me, but rather forming a lump in the sand that my foot caught on, causing me to trip right into the path of the approaching monster.
Its hoof, wider than my head, came crashing into my skull.
You have been crushed. 165 damage.
Your Health is 323.
I groaned in pain as my body was flung aside by the monsters powerful legs, crashing into the side of a dune. Regenerate had done a little to repair my past damage, but that was a really bad hit to take in my current position.
Right, so if the Stompers were tanks, and the Stingers were damage-dealers, then the Sifters were disruptors. In a way, they served the same purpose I didfuck with your opponent, make it hard to do anything, and generally be as annoying as possible.
Maybe it was about time I called in some reinforcements, then, if they were gonna overwhelm me like this.
Four separate Sand Stompers were charging at me from afar, two of them the ones Id scuffled with already. They stood in the valley of dropped insects, where all the Sand Stingers were lying around and slowly dying from Crippling Chill.
Ainash, I frantically messaged, can you and mother do something? Buy me some time and space to recover and catch my bearings.
Okay! she responded, enthusiastic as ever.
Instantly, Ainash burst into the crowd of monsters. She leapt through the air and wove between them, her flaming whip cutting through Stomper flesh like it was nothing. She occasionally spun through the air and swung her whip straight through the ground, kicking sand everywheresomething I initially assumed was just an accident, but I quickly realized she was doing that to attack the Sand Sifters lurking beneath the surface when I got a System message about it.
You have offered minor contribution toward the slaying of Level 15 Sand Sifter.
You have earned 46 XP. Your XP is 295.
Level 33 Draconiad has offered major contribution toward the slaying of Level 15 Sand Sifter.
Due to having a Bond with Draconiad, you have earned 12 XP. Your XP is 307.
Through the carnage, I caught a glimpse of Erani between the monsters. She wasdoing nothing. Id certainly anticipated her own entrance to be just as dramatic, explosions rocking the dunes and deforming the terrain. But she was simply watching. Had Ainash not messaged her, or something?
The four Sand Stompers continued in their charge toward me, and I cast Crippling Chill and Gravity Well on the ones that werent already afflicted to slow them down. Regenerate ran out, so I instantly activated it again in an attempt to keep my Health high. With Expedites new Stamina regeneration feature, I could be much more liberal with my usage of the Talent. But still, without the time for it to work, itd be useless.
But that was when I noticed something. Erani wasnt just watching. She was pointing. Her hand was outstretched, pointing straight at the pack of Sand Stompers headed for me. Shed mentioned getting a new Firebolt Upgrade, so maybe she was just waiting for the right opportunity to use the newly-improved Spell? But why hadnt she cast it yet?
I supposed Id just have to fight these things alone, and hope I lived long enough to get one extra kill, or something. Adjusting my feet, I readied myself for a fight.
But then I looked up and saw the meteor hurtling through the clouds, straight toward my enemies.
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Chapter 234: Provocation in the Dunes
I strolled through the sandy dunes lit by the moon, eyes on the beasts in the distance. Erani and Ainash trailed distantly behind me, so I could attack first and be the sole person drawing the aggression of the animals.
The Sand Stompers and Sand Stingers took notice of me, glancing over in my direction as I approached, and I could occasionally feel the rumbling of the Sand Sifters worming their way through the ground beneath me, but there was no overt attack made. At least, not yet. They were apparently pretty territorial.
Sure enough, the closer I got, the more agitated they got. I saw the Stompers casually moving to form a sort of semicircle around memovements that might seem natural at first glance, but I could tell were coordinated.
Or you could just be paranoid, Index said.
Am I just being paranoid?
I dunno. Cant see far enough to tell how theyre acting.
Well, do I act too paranoid in general? Wouldnt you like it if I were less trusting of others, and stuff?
Hey, Im just pointing out possibilities. Its good to be aware of the self. Besides, even if you were paranoid enough to significantly improve your lifespan, that wouldnt really mean anything if it simultaneously decreased your quality of life.
Is that happening? Am I decreasing my quality of life?
See, I would normally say no, but now youre asking all these questions and are starting to get suspicious of me, which is ironically making you paranoid. And being paranoid about me will definitely decrease your quality of life. Im the smartest voice in your head!
You say that like there are more than just mine and yours. Also, I definitely think that out of everyone I know, youre probably the most worth being suspicious of.
See, look at how much youre distracting yourself already. Listen, I just think its worth it for me to be a figure that argues against whatever preconceived notion you may have at any given time, if at least to make you discuss it with me and come out more sure of yourself. Doesnt mean I think you should change your mind about every little thing I challenge you on.
So you just like to argue for the sake of arguing. Got it.
That would certainly be a way to put it if I were a flawed, fleshy Human. But Im not, so its inaccurate. I like to argue because it gets you into the habit of thinking through everything you
Right, right, got it. Werent you just saying I was the one distracting myself?
Just correcting your factually incorrect statement.
Thanks. Do you mind going underground to keep an eye out for Sand Sifters? I wanna know the optimal time to attack.
I get the distinct feeling youre just saying that because you dont want to keep talking to me. And by feeling I mean Im reading your mind and can tell for certain that its your intention behind saying that.
Are you stalling for a reason?
What?
You can read my mind, you know what I mean. Youre just talking for the sake of talking to keep this fight from happening, right?
And why would you think that?
Im in your head just as much as youre in mine, Index.
I justI dont know how to explain it. I dont like it when you get into fights where youre for certain going to die. I come from the Trailblazer Title, not the Minute Mage Class, meaning I wasnt really created with the reasoning shortcuts to see death as temporary and more of a minor setback than the ultimate failure, so, while I can logically reason through the fact that nothing bad is going to happenI dunno. Its a strange feeling, and I try to ignore it. Though, it feels like its only gotten worse lately. Just carry on and do your thing.
Listening to Indexs words, I supposed its reasoning made sense. At least, I could relate a bitit sounded a lot like a typical emotional response. It didnt want to see me die, even if it knew Id be fine in the end. It was kind of touching.
Well, anyway. It was time for mindless slaughter.
Now that I was up close to the Sand Stompers, I saw just how big the things actually were. They were around twice as tall as I was, with legs as thick as tree trunks and old, chipped tusks that curved up from their mouths. Their yellowed skin sagged from their bodies, jiggling with each step.
One of them had just barely gotten into range of Crippling Chill, glancing at me sideways as it roamed the dunes. The moment its foot crossed the invisible boundary, I cast my Spell.
You have cursed Level 17 Sand Stomper with Crippling Chill. For the next 15 seconds, it loses 8.15 Health and 6.52 Stamina each second, and its Dexterity and Strength scores are lowered by 16.3.
At the same time as I activated Regenerate, I reached back and grabbed the Sand Stinger around its head, using my other hand to force its stinger downward, leveraging its ridiculous length to keep it controlled. The thing attempted to flutter away with its translucent wings at least as large as my entire torso, but it seemed like these monsters werent capable of handling a full Humans bodyweight. My enemy unable to sting me again, I activated Noxious Grasp and Sanguine Bond to start draining away its Health.
Stomper behind you still! Index shouted just as I heard a very close-by step. Right.
I ducked down just as a tusk the width of my forearm went whooshing above my head. Then I threw myself to the side as the monsters leg came kicking forward, still grappling onto the Sand Stinger as the Stomper continued in its charge that almost ran straight through me.
To my side, another Sand Stinger approaching through the air. I threw a Crippling Chill on it, hoping to slow it down so I could resolve the issue later, but the moment my Spell hit it, the thing fell right out of the air and to the ground, its spindly legs twitching on the ground. Seemed like these things couldnt handle the Stat debuff, then.
I was still holding onto the Stinger thatd hit me, and considered just casting Crippling Chill on that one as well and leaving it as dealt with, but before I could do so, I got a notification.
You have slain Level 19 Sand Stinger.
You have earned 213 XP. Your XP is 249.
Oh, I thought, letting go of the corpse. Itd only been a few seconds of Noxious Grasp plus Sanguine Bond, and the thing had died. They werevery fragile. That was good.
I cast about six more Crippling Chills on Sand Stingers thatd entered my range, immobilizing them instantly and hoping that their Healths were all low enough that the Spell would single-handedly kill them before its duration ran outthough, maybe that would be too good to be true. For now, I at least needed to stay alive long enough to get a few more kills and make this whole thing worth it.
Another Sand Stomper came charging at me. I tried to dive out of the way like last time, but a Sifter came rushing up from the ground at the perfect time, not even attacking me, but rather forming a lump in the sand that my foot caught on, causing me to trip right into the path of the approaching monster.
Its hoof, wider than my head, came crashing into my skull.
You have been crushed. 165 damage.
Your Health is 323.
I groaned in pain as my body was flung aside by the monsters powerful legs, crashing into the side of a dune. Regenerate had done a little to repair my past damage, but that was a really bad hit to take in my current position.
Right, so if the Stompers were tanks, and the Stingers were damage-dealers, then the Sifters were disruptors. In a way, they served the same purpose I didfuck with your opponent, make it hard to do anything, and generally be as annoying as possible.
Maybe it was about time I called in some reinforcements, then, if they were gonna overwhelm me like this.
Four separate Sand Stompers were charging at me from afar, two of them the ones Id scuffled with already. They stood in the valley of dropped insects, where all the Sand Stingers were lying around and slowly dying from Crippling Chill.
Ainash, I frantically messaged, can you and mother do something? Buy me some time and space to recover and catch my bearings.
Okay! she responded, enthusiastic as ever.
Instantly, Ainash burst into the crowd of monsters. She leapt through the air and wove between them, her flaming whip cutting through Stomper flesh like it was nothing. She occasionally spun through the air and swung her whip straight through the ground, kicking sand everywheresomething I initially assumed was just an accident, but I quickly realized she was doing that to attack the Sand Sifters lurking beneath the surface when I got a System message about it.
You have offered minor contribution toward the slaying of Level 15 Sand Sifter.
You have earned 46 XP. Your XP is 295.
Level 33 Draconiad has offered major contribution toward the slaying of Level 15 Sand Sifter.
Due to having a Bond with Draconiad, you have earned 12 XP. Your XP is 307.
Through the carnage, I caught a glimpse of Erani between the monsters. She wasdoing nothing. Id certainly anticipated her own entrance to be just as dramatic, explosions rocking the dunes and deforming the terrain. But she was simply watching. Had Ainash not messaged her, or something?
The four Sand Stompers continued in their charge toward me, and I cast Crippling Chill and Gravity Well on the ones that werent already afflicted to slow them down. Regenerate ran out, so I instantly activated it again in an attempt to keep my Health high. With Expedites new Stamina regeneration feature, I could be much more liberal with my usage of the Talent. But still, without the time for it to work, itd be useless.
But that was when I noticed something. Erani wasnt just watching. She was pointing. Her hand was outstretched, pointing straight at the pack of Sand Stompers headed for me. Shed mentioned getting a new Firebolt Upgrade, so maybe she was just waiting for the right opportunity to use the newly-improved Spell? But why hadnt she cast it yet?
I supposed Id just have to fight these things alone, and hope I lived long enough to get one extra kill, or something. Adjusting my feet, I readied myself for a fight.
But then I looked up and saw the meteor hurtling through the clouds, straight toward my enemies.
Chapter 234: Provocation in the DunesI strolled through the sandy dunes lit by the moon, eyes on the beasts in the distance. Erani and Ainash trailed distantly behind me, so I could attack first and be the sole person drawing the aggression of the animals.The Sand Stompers and Sand Stingers took notice of me, glancing over in my direction as I approached, and I could occasionally feel the rumbling of the Sand Sifters worming their way through the ground beneath me, but there was no overt attack made. At least, not yet. They were apparently pretty territorial.Sure enough, the closer I got, the more agitated they got. I saw the Stompers casually moving to form a sort of semicircle around memovements that might seem natural at first glance, but I could tell were coordinated.Or you could just be paranoid, Index said.Am I just being paranoid?I dunno. Cant see far enough to tell how theyre acting.Well, do I act too paranoid in general? Wouldnt you like it if I were less trusting of others, and stuff?Hey, Im just pointing out possibilities. Its good to be aware of the self. Besides, even if you were paranoid enough to significantly improve your lifespan, that wouldnt really mean anything if it simultaneously decreased your quality of life.Is that happening? Am I decreasing my quality of life?See, I would normally say no, but now youre asking all these questions and are starting to get suspicious of me, which is ironically making you paranoid. And being paranoid about me will definitely decrease your quality of life. Im the smartest voice in your head!You say that like there are more than just mine and yours. Also, I definitely think that out of everyone I know, youre probably the most worth being suspicious of.See, look at how much youre distracting yourself already. Listen, I just think its worth it for me to be a figure that argues against whatever preconceived notion you may have at any given time, if at least to make you discuss it with me and come out more sure of yourself. Doesnt mean I think you should change your mind about every little thing I challenge you on.So you just like to argue for the sake of arguing. Got it.That would certainly be a way to put it if I were a flawed, fleshy Human. But Im not, so its inaccurate. I like to argue because it gets you into the habit of thinking through everything youRight, right, got it. Werent you just saying I was the one distracting myself?Just correcting your factually incorrect statement.Thanks. Do you mind going underground to keep an eye out for Sand Sifters? I wanna know the optimal time to attack.I get the distinct feeling youre just saying that because you dont want to keep talking to me. And by feeling I mean Im reading your mind and can tell for certain that its your intention behind saying that.Are you stalling for a reason?What?You can read my mind, you know what I mean. Youre just talking for the sake of talking to keep this fight from happening, right?And why would you think that?Im in your head just as much as youre in mine, Index.I justI dont know how to explain it. I dont like it when you get into fights where youre for certain going to die. I come from the Trailblazer Title, not the Minute Mage Class, meaning I wasnt really created with the reasoning shortcuts to see death as temporary and more of a minor setback than the ultimate failure, so, while I can logically reason through the fact that nothing bad is going to happenI dunno. Its a strange feeling, and I try to ignore it. Though, it feels like its only gotten worse lately. Just carry on and do your thing.Listening to Indexs words, I supposed its reasoning made sense. At least, I could relate a bitit sounded a lot like a typical emotional response. It didnt want to see me die, even if it knew Id be fine in the end. It was kind of touching.Well, anyway. It was time for mindless slaughter.Now that I was up close to the Sand Stompers, I saw just how big the things actually were. They were around twice as tall as I was, with legs as thick as tree trunks and old, chipped tusks that curved up from their mouths. Their yellowed skin sagged from their bodies, jiggling with each step.One of them had just barely gotten into range of Crippling Chill, glancing at me sideways as it roamed the dunes. The moment its foot crossed the invisible boundary, I cast my Spell.You have cursed Level 17 Sand Stomper with Crippling Chill. For the next 15 seconds, it loses 8.15 Health and 6.52 Stamina each second, and its Dexterity and Strength scores are lowered by 16.3.At the same time as I activated Regenerate, I reached back and grabbed the Sand Stinger around its head, using my other hand to force its stinger downward, leveraging its ridiculous length to keep it controlled. The thing attempted to flutter away with its translucent wings at least as large as my entire torso, but it seemed like these monsters werent capable of handling a full Humans bodyweight. My enemy unable to sting me again, I activated Noxious Grasp and Sanguine Bond to start draining away its Health.Stomper behind you still! Index shouted just as I heard a very close-by step. Right.I ducked down just as a tusk the width of my forearm went whooshing above my head. Then I threw myself to the side as the monsters leg came kicking forward, still grappling onto the Sand Stinger as the Stomper continued in its charge that almost ran straight through me.To my side, another Sand Stinger approaching through the air. I threw a Crippling Chill on it, hoping to slow it down so I could resolve the issue later, but the moment my Spell hit it, the thing fell right out of the air and to the ground, its spindly legs twitching on the ground. Seemed like these things couldnt handle the Stat debuff, then.I was still holding onto the Stinger thatd hit me, and considered just casting Crippling Chill on that one as well and leaving it as dealt with, but before I could do so, I got a notification.You have slain Level 19 Sand Stinger.You have earned 213 XP. Your XP is 249.Oh, I thought, letting go of the corpse. Itd only been a few seconds of Noxious Grasp plus Sanguine Bond, and the thing had died. They werevery fragile. That was good.I cast about six more Crippling Chills on Sand Stingers thatd entered my range, immobilizing them instantly and hoping that their Healths were all low enough that the Spell would single-handedly kill them before its duration ran outthough, maybe that would be too good to be true. For now, I at least needed to stay alive long enough to get a few more kills and make this whole thing worth it.Another Sand Stomper came charging at me. I tried to dive out of the way like last time, but a Sifter came rushing up from the ground at the perfect time, not even attacking me, but rather forming a lump in the sand that my foot caught on, causing me to trip right into the path of the approaching monster.Its hoof, wider than my head, came crashing into my skull.You have been crushed. 165 damage.Your Health is 323.I groaned in pain as my body was flung aside by the monsters powerful legs, crashing into the side of a dune. Regenerate had done a little to repair my past damage, but that was a really bad hit to take in my current position.Right, so if the Stompers were tanks, and the Stingers were damage-dealers, then the Sifters were disruptors. In a way, they served the same purpose I didfuck with your opponent, make it hard to do anything, and generally be as annoying as possible.Maybe it was about time I called in some reinforcements, then, if they were gonna overwhelm me like this.Four separate Sand Stompers were charging at me from afar, two of them the ones Id scuffled with already. They stood in the valley of dropped insects, where all the Sand Stingers were lying around and slowly dying from Crippling Chill.Ainash, I frantically messaged, can you and mother do something? Buy me some time and space to recover and catch my bearings.Okay! she responded, enthusiastic as ever.Instantly, Ainash burst into the crowd of monsters. She leapt through the air and wove between them, her flaming whip cutting through Stomper flesh like it was nothing. She occasionally spun through the air and swung her whip straight through the ground, kicking sand everywheresomething I initially assumed was just an accident, but I quickly realized she was doing that to attack the Sand Sifters lurking beneath the surface when I got a System message about it.You have offered minor contribution toward the slaying of Level 15 Sand Sifter.You have earned 46 XP. Your XP is 295.Level 33 Draconiad has offered major contribution toward the slaying of Level 15 Sand Sifter.Due to having a Bond with Draconiad, you have earned 12 XP. Your XP is 307.Through the carnage, I caught a glimpse of Erani between the monsters. She wasdoing nothing. Id certainly anticipated her own entrance to be just as dramatic, explosions rocking the dunes and deforming the terrain. But she was simply watching. Had Ainash not messaged her, or something?The four Sand Stompers continued in their charge toward me, and I cast Crippling Chill and Gravity Well on the ones that werent already afflicted to slow them down. Regenerate ran out, so I instantly activated it again in an attempt to keep my Health high. With Expedites new Stamina regeneration feature, I could be much more liberal with my usage of the Talent. But still, without the time for it to work, itd be useless.But that was when I noticed something. Erani wasnt just watching. She was pointing. Her hand was outstretched, pointing straight at the pack of Sand Stompers headed for me. Shed mentioned getting a new Firebolt Upgrade, so maybe she was just waiting for the right opportunity to use the newly-improved Spell? But why hadnt she cast it yet?I supposed Id just have to fight these things alone, and hope I lived long enough to get one extra kill, or something. Adjusting my feet, I readied myself for a fight.But then I looked up and saw the meteor hurtling through the clouds, straight toward my enemies.
