Chapter 14: 13. Sand Devil

The demon scorpion burrows in the sand, attempting surprise attack after surprise attack. Lucky for us, there is enough evidence of where the scorpion is when it is underneath. We just need to focus on staying clear of its attack when it does surface. We dodge, run, and dodge some more.

Besides staying in the fight, our main struggle is keeping our spears ready for the attack. Though survival has been relatively easy, counter-attacking has been out of the question.

Frustrated with its lack of results, the sand devil changes its strategy and no longer attempts surprise attacks. We back peddle as the scorpion darts towards us.

Almost there.

We hold back our attacks until the ground below us gets firmer. A few more steps back. We are in place. When the scorpion steps onto our buried plate, Bones and I release our volley of burning short spears at the approaching fiend.

Thick chitinous plating prevents the spears from doing more than barely sticking. This works to our advantage. Flames spread quickly, hungering to consume more and more of the dry hair.

Covered in flame and smoke, the sand devil—Sande, panics. Roaring with rage and frustration, it loses focus on us and does all it can to put out the flame. A world-shattering screech consumes the air when the heat intensity becomes too much and again when Sande tries to burrow and finds that it can not.

Wanting to end all of this quickly, Bones and I start attacking both sides of the panicked monster. Sande, and its many eyes, easily track us as we attack from both sides and counters with its own attacks.

Three stingers—proving extra formidable—act like relentless spears being rained down upon. While the two claws simultaneously attempt to slash and grab. Adding to Sande's attacks are the sharp legs that randomly slice at no particular target.

Fortunately, we hold the advantage. Our solid footing allows us superior positioning, keeping us from the most threatening attacks. My armor and Bones' shield negate attacks that we can't avoid. On top of that, Sande is burning, giving the scorpion devil a minor buff in intimidation and presentation but consequently debuffing its focus, strength, and accuracy.

Constantly circling, we force the scorpion to focus primarily on Bones while I attack from behind.

Despite being unnatural in my hand, the spiked poleaxe keeps us in the fight. Bones deals with claws and mouth while I ward off the stingers and legs. The range of our weapons gives us the spacing we need, keeping us from serious harm.

Bones and I become systematic in the fight. We block blows and make desperate swings with our axes in retaliation as the scorpion weakens. Careful with our spacing. We are never next to each other. More often, we are on opposite sides of the scorpion. When one is being overwhelmed with attacks, the other attacks more aggressively.

Bones has the direct attention of our foe, proving himself to be more than a distraction. He's light on his feet, dodging razor legs and claws. I'm behind Sande trying to land a critical strike. What is actually happening is that I'm either too far away to attack or dodging and blocking the relentless strikes from the three stingers.

It's hot. Between the sand, sun, and Sande, I feel like I am in an oven. Sweat is pouring into my eyes, and my ears feel like bleeding.

Most of all, I'm tired of the scorpion getting the better of the exchanges. Though it has kept me in the fight, I'm getting nowhere with my poleaxe.

Stepping outside of the striking range briefly, I dismiss the weapon. Even though it is a small amount, I still feel refreshed as the mana returns to my core. With the freed mana, I focus my thoughts and, with my hands, summon a great sword.

At least my height in length, the pale gray sword is massive. Six inches wide, with sharp edges on both sides, the greatsword is complete with a long hilt that is comfortable to grip and balances out the rest of the sword. Tightening my grip on the handle, I step back into action.

Due to my quick respite from the fight, Bones isn't doing so well. One of his arms is clutched in the claw of the scorpion. A few of his ribs are looking out of place. Yet, he's still aggravating Sande, jabbing his spear with one arm. Due to his efforts, Bones manages to hold most of the beast's attention.

Stepping within striking distance, Sande—not knowing or not understanding the change in my weapon—carelessly launches a volley of piercing tails at me. We have tangled together long enough that I'm familiar with the scorpion's attack. Waiting for the perfect moment, I slice straight through an outstretched stinger.

Out of pain, the remaining two tails rear up. Before it can turn around, I step closer to the beast. Fueled with all my pent-up frustration, my blade slices into the remaining tails and severs them completely.

The screeches grow from world-shattering to universe-shattering. Knowing it has lost the fight, the monster is now awkwardly sidestepping away from Bones and me.

Pressing our advantage, I follow closely. Bones, keeping a healthy distance from me and the attacking creature, steps to cut off the scorpions sideways retreat. In desperation, the scorpion swings two razor legs at me. I again time my counter-attack just right and cut the legs at their exposed joints.

The wounded scorpion tries to burrow one last time with few options remaining. It still can't get through our buried bone plating. Bones goes all in, rushing the scrambling scorpion.

Turning to face the oncoming threat, the scorpion strikes out at Bones. As Bones is caught up in claws, I step into position. A couple missing legs, lack of focus, and the missing stingers mean a very exposed back.

Quickly, I dismiss the great sword and summon a war hammer with a nasty spike on one end. Bones is being shattered by claw strikes by the time my weapon appears. Still attacking my minion, probably happy to be dealing its own damage, the scorpion is utterly unaware of me.

Closing the gap, I run and launch myself over the back of the scorpion. When I land, I bring the total momentum and weight of my hammer, pike first, onto the head of the monster. Sande staggers. The scorpion's remaining legs give out. With an exasperated stomp, I drive the pike in further.

Energy is rushing through me. More than what I felt from previous engagements. It is empowering. I feel stronger, healthier, and renewed. I can feel my death core being reinforced from the fight that has finally come to an end.

Looking down, I see the impaled creature. Oddly it seems like it is dissolving into my Warhammer. Rather than reacting, I pause and decide to watch what happens. Moments later, the scorpion, including the served tails and legs, is completely gone.

I might have been able to remove the hammer from the corpse. A lot of scorpion resources were drained into my pike. However, I wanted to see how this was going to play out. I'm rewarded with enlightenment.

Decay and Absorb: Using death mana, decay the corpse and absorb its perks. Decay and Absorb require mana to obtain skills. Summoning material can be upgraded with absorption. Skills can be upgraded, removed, and replaced.

More information comes to my mind:

Absorbed Skills: None.

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Available Skill Slots: Six.

Material Summoning: Improved bones.

Available Material Slots: Six.

More profound knowledge fills my mind as I'm filled with information about my new skill, Decay and Absorb.

Weapons summoned with death mana allow me to Decay corpses and Absorb perks. Perks come in the form of being able to upgrade my summoning material or gaining a skill. However, it takes a mana investment to acquire a skill. Sande has three options: minor earth manipulation, poison handling, or chitin upgrade to summonings.

Knowledge flows through me, allowing me to comprehend what is going on. Because of my skill Decay and Absorb—a skill I just accidentally discovered—I have the option to pick a perk from the monster I just decayed and absorbed. However, I need to have enough mana to claim the skill, and I can only pick one from a decayed source.

Minor Earth Manipulation: Minor earth manipulation based upon touch. Using mana, one can manipulate land, trees, rocks, and other earthly things in a minor way.

Poison Handling: Poison resistance and summoning. Pain-inducing poison can be summoned and used at the cost of mana. Also enhances poison resistance.

Blackened Chitin Summoning: Upgraded summoning material. Chitin is lighter and more durable than bones. However, unlike bones, chitin can't hold mana long-term. Blackened chitin is chitin exposed to flame. It is more durable than chitin.

Hands down, minor earth manipulation is the skill I want. Being able to shape my environment even in a small amount would be a significant advantage. Unfortunately, the mana investment for the skill is out of my reach. Poison handling and blackened chitin are the only choices I have to choose from.

Poison Handling could be a major advantage in a fight. Not only will it increase my weapons' lethality, but it will also increase my defensive power. The biggest detractor is that the poison is a pain amplifier. Having watched the scorpion suffer from fire the entire fight was enough to make me feel sick. Call me a ninny, but I don't think I can stomach causing more pain than necessary in a fight.

I accept the new upgrade to my material summoning. Blackened chitin is added to the list of my available options putting me at two. Similar to available skills, there is a limit to the number of material upgrades I can have. Right now, they are both at six.

Even though killing the scorpion replenished my core, the fight was physically exhausting. With no more adrenaline-pumping, I am starting to feel the wounds I received. Bruises mark where I had taken hits from the stinger and cuts where the sharp legs and claws slipped past my protection. Fortunately, none of the injuries are severe and should be healed by my mana within the day.

It's getting hotter now. The sun will be directly above me in an hour. I want to sleep, though that's not too realistic. The screeching scorpion undoubtedly attracted unwanted attention, and I have been here too long already. Ditching the notion of sleeping, I turn towards the mountains and begin my trek back home.

Unlike my previous version, I am not impressed with this environment and want to get out of here fast. Besides, Ken was mostly afraid of the bear, and there is no way it is more terrifying than the sand devil we just defeated.

While I walk out of this forsaken paradise, I focus on my cultivation to pass the time. My second core, the one holding death mana, feels fuller. Sure it could be my imagination. On the other hand, I have been using the core and pushing it to its limits. Not only that, the scorpion was no regular beast. Upon killing it, I felt an abundance of mana transfer into my core.

A smile sneaks a way to my lips. Turns out what kills you also makes you stronger.

"Oh man, that was awful," I admit out loud.

Realizing I don't have to be miserable alone—I strain my core and channels once more—summoning Bones to my side. Bones arrives eight seconds later, pale gray fists raised victoriously in the air. For the next hundred yards, he keeps his arms in the air extending his lavish celebration. Side by side, we walk through the desert. Bones transfers his celebration to his legs, putting an extra skip in his step.

I continue to focus on cultivating the pale energy running it through my three channels and into my core, where I work to compound the mana into a dense ball. When I can't compound the mana anymore, I let it return to my channels. I keep the mana flowing until I am ready to compound the mana some more.

If I am fortunate enough to slay a few more monsters, I risk the mana expanding from my second layer into my third. Usually, that would be good...I think. A higher layer means more power and abilities. That is not what I want.

I'm not sure if it is possible, but having non-mana attributed layers could mean I have a chance to bind with other energies. If that is the case, I don't want death mana to expand into other cores. To me, that would be a waste of opportunity.

So instead of letting the mana expand from the second core, I work to compact the pale energy tighter and tighter in the core. Miles pass while I repeat this process over and over. Slowly the mana becomes denser creating room in my second core for more.

Pilgrimages, it turns out, are good for the soul.

Half a day and a night of walking cultivation later, I'm finally out of the desert. The peaceful trip was very productive in cultivation and practicing material summons.

I have got a good handle now on summoning gear. Naming items appropriately and giving them mental images has gone a long way to reducing casting time. Summoning a short sword and shield are now only a second away from being instant. I even got to practice with the chitin.

Lighter, more durable, and sharper when formed into a blade, chitin is better in all ways than bone except for mana efficiency. As it is, with Bones summoned, I can equip myself fully with chitin armor, shield and blade and have thirty percent of my mana left to spare.

Lower Forest Camp is similar to how I left it, except it lacks a fireplace. Admittedly that was the only thing Lower Forest Camp had going for it that made it a camp, and now it is more of a Lower Forest Sight. What it lacks in fire pits, it more than makes up for in bear vacancy.

I'm exhausted and starving. Lower Forest Camp is as good a place as any to make camp. No scorpions, no bears, and far from scorpion battlegrounds. I feel comfortable making this my resting spot. Though it is morning, I don't feel comfortable traveling the last few miles to my home. Fighting a bear in my current condition, if a bear is still around, will not end well for me.

Mind made up, Bones is equipped with a black chitin spear and shield and sent out to scout nearby, ensuring our safety.

At camp, I don't bother making a fire. Instead, I summon two walls of bones, a foot longer than my height in width and length, and create for myself an A-frame shelter. Stabilizing the wall and keeping them from slipping, I dig a slot in the ground for each side using a pick that I create out of black chitin. Though the work is quick, I can't help feeling envious of the Minor Earth Manipulation skill I had to leave behind. A skill like that could have done wonders for Lower Forest Camp.

When Bones returns, I have him stand guard. Creating the shelter pushed my body to its limits. Physically and spiritually, I am drained. The only thing keeping me from collapsing is insecurity. Inside my cover with Bones standing guard, I feel somewhat safe. No more time is wasted, and I quickly fall asleep.

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