Undying Fury (2/2)

These forces would be more than enough to crush any remaining opposition, considering those pesky wolves were already taken care of. Suddenly a red light travelled through the room. A small fireball, shot forth by a woman's slingshot. The projectile hit a zombie with a painless thud to the chest. The Ghoul attempted to laugh at her fruitless effort when suddenly all the loose silk strands on the zombie caught fire! Those damn arachnids had set them up for another trap! In a moments notice 5 undead were burning bright and running back and forth, screeching helplessly. The Ghoul roared angrily, commanding his undead to follow him as he charged the black haired woman. Why hadn't his zombies dodged the slow moving missile? Come to think of it he was also becoming a little sluggish even though his undead nature didn't allow him to tire like the living did. This mist at their feet now seemed more of a moving torrent, slowing their pace and burdening their decaying muscles. The woman darted back into the cave where she had initially emerged from. "She must be retreating back to the Core!" the mad undead thought.

The cave following the main one however wasn't the Core Room, much to the Ghoul's surprise. It was a nightmare labyrinth of spider silk and watchful eyes, shrouded in darkness and no sign of the retreating woman. The Ghoul's vision peered through the lightless veil but whatever creatures lurked in those tunnels of webbing, were hiding from his sight and hiding quite well. The leader of the undead horde became impatient, throwing another of his minions on the silk, in order to trigger any traps. No traps were sprung but the zombie was immediately pulled up by a great force. The Ghoul looked up in surprise but couldn't locate the assailant. The zombie fell back to the ground, bones crushed and neck bent in an awkward position. The zombies spread out after being commanded to. They searched every crevice but most got stuck in the small tunnels of silk everytime they tried to investigate them. Soon, many zombies struggled against the sticky surfaces, trying to free themselves. The Ghoul released as many as it could with a swift slash of its wrist blades, cursing them for their incompetence. The rest he found already destroyed. Necks slashed open, eyes gouged out and skulls pierced. "More of your infernal insects!?" the Ghoul yelled at his surroundings, knowing that they were simply an extension of her. The Core.. his prize..

She was strong.. Stronger than he feared.. stronger than he had hoped! He would need to keep this one alive! With her Avatar he could produce countless offsprings, much stronger than his Vorska Zombies. The pathetic creatures died around him, one after the other, taking with them only a pair of Dire Cave Fishers. The Core Room had to be just ahead! It just had to be! If he could simply bypass whatever monster had.. His train of thought was cut short as a massive pincer bashed him nearly three meters back and off his feet. He luckily crashed against some stalagmites and not on the silk covered walls. This certainly hurt more but at least he wasn't trapped. Before him now stood a massive Cave Fisher, larger than even a full grown human. The Ghoul's laugh was a nervous one. He could probably slay the monstrous arachnid but not here, not while he was outnumbered. The undead dropped on all fours and dashed out of the caves of the Elgolar Dungeon. His few remaining zombies jumped in front of any and all incoming attacks, shielding their master with their sacrifice. He had underestimated his newfound love. A mistake he would not repeat. He would retreat to his cave for now, produce a massive hoard and come again the following night. Even she could not replenish all her forces in one day. The Dungeon would be weakened and he would finally have her..

* Minõa in the Altar Room *

I could feel my forces finally prevail after a hard struggle. The Ghoul had managed to reach my Boss room despite the damage we had inflicted upon his horde. His ability to instantly summon more undead out of thin air would certainly be a problem but now.. I knew how his ability worked! While he.. had no idea how stronger I had become in these few short hours. The fact that I could cultivate and even partially observe my surroundings was proof of that growth. My Aether Cultivation skill had reached Rank 4! Additionally, the excess experience I got because of my summons slaying the Undead horde was just enough to push me into level 9.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Race: Superior Dungeon Core Lv.9

Avatar: Arsani (Hermaphrodite)

Age: 29

HP: 76/180

MP: 34/89

XP: 006/1300

Aether: 89

Gold: 901

Physical - 12 (Beyond Peak Condition)

Mental - 3 (Average)

Social - 5 (Above Average)

Magic - 9 [+1] (Near Peak Condition)

Skills

1) Monster Summoning (Rank 2)

2) Dungeon Manipulation (Rank 2)

3) Aether Cultivation (Rank 4)

4) Bound (Rank 1)

Passive Skills

1) Fire Resistance (Rank 2)

2) Natural Allure (Rank 1)

3) Minor Regeneration (Rank 3)

4) Fire Manipulation Magic (Rank 3)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

With my breakthrough in Cultivation and investment in the Magic attribute, I could now generate 1 Mana point every 6 minutes instead of 8. This was multiplied by 2.2 times during Aether Cultivation. I had 15 hours until the next dusk. If I allowed myself 3 hours to prepare that would give me 12 to continuously cultivate. I had monsters to summon and strengthen, especially now after the losses we had suffered. Fisher and his remaining kin would immediately start laying traps while my Wyvern would keep an eye on the enemy as they retreated.

Fatná and Sumiré needed to get some well earned rest as well. The mother was becoming especially proficient with her sling and dagger. I wondered if she could level, gain skills or even a class. The experience gained after defeating the Terror Bird was split into six, probably meaning that my girls had also gained their share. I hadn't noticed any major changes in them however and I didn't possess an Identification skill in order to check their statuses. For now they were left to sleep in peace. My wolves guarded us all as they slept and I collected the much needed power to restore my Dungeon to 100%. For just this day, I had requested they once again sleep in the Altar Room, so we could all be together in case anything unexpected happened. They used my large bed and slept in each other's embrace. I really missed my mom.. especially when I sat back and watched how loving Fatná was with her girl. Would I make it? Would I win this crazy game of gods so I could have her join me here one day? What would she think of me? The new.. me.. What of the sacrifices I would have had to make... or the people I would have had to kill to make it happen!