(11)
I interpreted, "Fiery Mists are of four types. A red one indicating low difficulty, yellow indicating normal difficulty, blue mists referring to medium difficulty and lastly violet fiery mists screaming with extreme difficulty!!"
She commented, "So presently, we're in front of a medium-level dungeon, right?!"
I said, "Exactly!"
She mumbled, "To think I started off a normal-levelled dungeon, so crazy!!"
---pew---
Suddenly, a yellow-shaded laser ray charged through the mist. Saki then saw her right arm pointing its index finger into the blue portal. She mumbled, "Did I produce a laser with my finger? Wait, first of all, I didn't even sense my hand moving!"
---beep---
| Special Note: You defeated the king of the fiery mist, 'Sabre Wolves' from outside of the dungeon. Its children are about to break out of the mist in search of the killer.
New Objective: Eliminate all the monsters.
Failure: The creatures' wrath will befall upon this entire earth, making you responsible for the chaos. Upon your fall, you'll be sent to the Hall of the High-Off Judges to be chosen by one of them as a permanent servant. |
__________
She cried out, "Aargh, damn it. F**k this responsibility!!!"
I commanded, ""Battle Stance!""
---flip---
She stood at once with her right hand and right leg on the front. She flinched, "Oh no, I don't have a weapon!!!"
I ordered, ""Focus!""
"...!", her expression became firm.
---rumble---
Countless footsteps resonated out of the fiery mist. She tightened her eyebrows, "Mr Drake, can you please tell me something about the foes?!"
I stated, "They're not that different from ordinary ones. What makes them different is their size matching that of a lion and their hard fur which could cut one's skin like sabres!!"
She asked, "Is that all?!"
I said, "Nothing much!"
She exclaimed, "Thanks for the intel, sir. Please, leave the rest to me!"
[She either requests or pleads. Is that her way of respecting elders?]
The woman mumbled, "If their fur cuts like sabres, stabs and slashes are useless in this fight!"
I started, ""Let your ears do the thing!""
---blob---
Orange liquid exploded out of her ears. She jumped, "Gross, the dirt in my ears came out!!!"
I said, ""Focus!""
She shook her head left and right to get rid of the dirt. I ordered, ""Close your eyes. Trust nothing else but my voice and your ears!!""
Slowly, she closed her eyes. The sound of footsteps rumbled into her ears. At a time,
---groooowwl---
three lion-sized wolves jumped out of the fiery mist. Except for their size, they didn't seem that different from normal wolves. However, their eyes gave off red liquid that was blood. Saki became puzzled. I explained, ""Due to loss of their leader, they entered into a bloodthirsty state. They'll charge at you recklessly, not giving a damn about their deaths!""
She commented, "This is worse than yesterday!"
She then asked, "But Mr Drake, aren't gonna spectate me from the shadows?!"
I was standing beside her, "Unfortunately, today's weather is awfully hot. I'll just watch you from the sidelines!"
She attempted, "What if monsters attack you instead of me?!"
I said, "You'll see!"
---growl(x3)---
The three wolves jump at her.
---beep(x2)---
| Commencing Sweeping Knives |
__________
| Commencing Blossoming Footsteps |
__________
Her system notified her. With a quick reflex, she picked two wooden sticks off the ground and,
---slash---
slashed the jaws of those wolves which tried to bite her, henceforth making their heads fly off their bodies.
---groooowwl---
An entire pack burst out of the dungeon. Their combined screams shook Saki. I instructed, ""Don't open your eyes however severe the situation may get!""
"Phew!!", she maintained her eyes closed tight. Without any hesitation, she charged into the pack of monsters.
---beep---
| Commencing Spriteful Evil |
__________
---clank---
She executed a sword strike at the wolf in front but failed to land the slash because of its iron-like fur. Saki flinched.
---slash---
Another wolf slashed her back, tearing off her red coat. She gritted her teeth, 'Mr Drake ordered me not to open my eyes. I need to trust nothing but his voice and my…!'
She then came to a pause. Taking advantage of the moment, four wolves jumped at her.
---flip---
She dodged them and landed near the wolves she beheaded earlier. The pack drooled with thirst at the sight of her.
Since her eyes were closed, she wasn't able to see the corpses. She touched one of the wolves' fur. In a hurry, her hand reached the front two legs of the dead wolf.
---rip(x2)---
Immediately, she ripped off those two limbs from the dead wolf. The pack charged at her. She started rambling, "Back to when I was alive, I had a doggie named 'Suzi' during my childhood. She was a pomeranian. A furry one at that!"
[... Pomeranians are furry wherever you see, you idiot.]
---slash(x2)---
She slashed the front two wolves by using the ripped limbs like weapons. She continued, "I cuddled her countless times but always wondered why she was slipping off my hand!"
---slash---slash---slash(x2)---
Another wolf got cut on the eyes, the one beside it lost two legs while the other two wolves on the back lost some of their ribs. She continued, "Then one fine day, I tried rubbing his hair out of curiosity!"
---growl(x6)---
Six wolves surrounded her. She continued, "As I started rubbing, my fingers felt a slight sensation!"
---slaaaassh---
With maximum effort, she rotated herself while swinging the ripped limbs. It led to a huge slash cutting down the six wolves in half. She then exclaimed, "I felt her warm skin alongside her heartbeat for the first time!"
[She's right. To feel the touch of a furry creature, you'll have to rub them until your skin comes in contact with theirs. She noticed her swords unable to cut the wolves and used two limbs of the enemies.
The claws of those ripped limbs went through their fur and damaged the skin.]
I commented, "It's my first time seeing you use your brain!!"
She yelled, "Please, stop teasing me!!!"
---groowl---
A second pack broke out of the mist. With an angry face, she ran into them. Her Artificiary panel surprised her.
---beep(x2)---
| Achieved Senseless Spider |
__________
| Senseless Spider
I may be senseless but I'm still a spider.
Effects - The host loses her sanity and vision in exchange for heightening the extent of the remaining senses.
__________
She cried out, "Great, I have achieved an insane trait!!!"
---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---slash---___and so on---
The latter followed her endless slashes upon the wolves and their packs popping out of the dungeon one after another.
…
The fight lasted for an hour. Saki was standing on a mountain of dead wolves, panting non-stop, "Pant, pant, pant, pant, pant, pant, pant, pant… Phew…!!"
She was covered in red blood of the monsters. The fiery mist did not vanish, "Mr Drake, fiery mists wither away after they're cleared, right?!"
I agreed, "Yes!"
She chuckled, "Heh, to think there's still so much to do. I wish I could enter the mist!!"
I said, "They're coming. Get it together!"
She opened her eyes, "I'm sorry for opening my eyes but you stood there since the beginning and no wolf attacked you. Can I know why?!"
I said, "I erased my essence and tricked their eyes into believing nothing was here!"
[Of course, that's a lie. Every creature keeps freaking out of my superior aura and avoid contact with me. I can't tell her that fact.]
Saki commented, "You're a bigger monster than this pack of wolves!"
---thud---
A sudden vibration brought her back to guard. She threw away the ripped arms which she used to kill the pack and got hold of two heads of dead wolves under her feet. Her hands were dipped deep into those ripped heads which made them remain stuck.
---thud------thud---thud(x2)---thud---thud(x2)---thud------thud---thud(x4)---thud------thud---
The next instant, five Sabre Wolves walked out of the mist. They seemed larger than the ones she fought earlier. Their footsteps were the cause of the vibrations. Saki was glaring them in the eyes. She asked me, "Mr Drake, you never told me about them being 10 feet tall!"
I corrected her, "Stupid, they're wolves but of a different kind. They too have hierarchy like normal, elder, queen and king!"
She asked, "So these five wolves who are as large as elephants must be elders!!"
I stated, "The king and queen are as large as dinosaurs!"
She attempted, "But you already made me kill their leader!"
I said, "We'll see!"
---growl---flip---
The elder wolf on the front charged inwards. Saki clenched her ripped weapons tightly and leaped forward in a crazed state of mind.
---whoosh---
A second elder wolf tried to devour her while she was travelling in the air.
---beep(x2)---
| Commencing Senseless Spider |
__________
| Commencing Blossoming Footsteps |
__________
---flip------splash---
By twisting her body, she flipped away from that wolf and gauged off the eyes of the wolf she landed onto. She then got a sudden reward.
---beep---
| Special Note: Senseless Spider and Blossoming Footsteps match with 100% compatibility. |
__________
---beep---
| Commencing Harmonization |
__________
She cried out while trying to dodge the elder wolves, "Mr Drake, can I know what 'Harmonization' means?!!!"
I said, ""That's the term used by the Artificiary system when fusing two character abilities. Why, did you get one?!""
She shouted, "I'm about to!!!!", and her pad announced.
---beep(x2)---
| Achieved Blossoming Spider |
__________
| Blossoming Spider
Senseless Spider and Blossoming Footsteps have unified.
Effects - Host loses her vision in exchange for heightening her other senses beyond the limits and exhibiting high-level footwork. |
__________
She made an evil grin looking at the monsters.
---beep---
| Commencing Blossoming Spider |
__________
Right after activating the ability, she turned blind but felt a different sensation.
---lub-dub---
At the sound of her heartbeat, she began to view the background with nothing more than some white lines. It seemed as if she was in a space with no brightness but white lines which depicted the view around her. Moreover, time seemed to be moving slowly. The elder wolves near her were in slow-motion. She then looked at me. I and Kendor were stuck like statues. Her grin exuded laughter, "Hahahaha-!!"
I commanded, ""Hey silly, you're losing sanity!""
She gasped, "Oh my god, how are you unaffected when everything is in slow-motion?!!!"
Kendor emphasized, ""He ain't a deity for nothing!""
She gasped again, "Even the bird?!!!"
She gritted, "I have a long way to go!!!"