New Varmint

Hendrix woke up the next morning by the light of day. He quickly got ready and put on his custom full body armor. Once he finished this, he entered the citadel with a new goal in mind.

'Guide, how large is the citadel?' Hendrix asked as he wanted to try to kill everything inside and destroy it.

[I don't have access to that information, Hendrix. You are on your own with information, as I'm not allowed to tell you any.]

'That is unfortunate. Oh well. It's not like I'm against using the trial and error method when I can revive and restart whenever I want.' Hendrix thought as he reached the end of the staircase.

Hendrix wandered around the citadel while staying away from the water. He looked at the alien landscape and environment with awe as he gazed at it.

He walked at a languid pace as he wanted to enjoy the scenery. As he did, he pondered how else to increase his grade. As in his warped logic, the higher the grade he earned in the Tribulation. The higher the chance, he could go to the afterlife and be at peace and possibly free from his horrifying memories.

While Hendrix was walking, a large brown shape was watching him. Its dark, eerie eyes seemed like a hawk as it gazed at him. It then walked out slowly, and as it did, its form came to view.

"What is that?!" Hendrix yelled as he backed away with wide eyes.

The shape looked like a giant wood-covered Axolotl varmint. It had strange amethyst, hexagonal bulbs on all of its joints. At the same time, it seemed to move very slowly.

Its face was bulky, its mouth lined with sharp wooden fused teeth, with a smaller group of natural teeth hidden deep inside. Its claws were extraordinarily long and jagged, and its steps left deep footprints as it walked.

Hendrix got defensive as he watched the varmint in front of him as he planned his next course of action.

The new varmint suddenly stopped walking as it dug its claws into the ground. While this occurred, its bulbs all began to glow brightly. As it did so, a large group of barbed roots broke through the dirt, forming a circle around it.

Slowly the root's range expanded towards Hendrix as they approached him. Hendrix backed away at a moderate pace to avoid the root's grasp. Once he backed away five meters, the roots stopped spreading.

The new varmint bellowed in a deep tone as it pulled its claws out of the ground. At the same time, its hexagonal bulbs lost their shine. It then moved towards Hendrix again slowly. Its pace is not much above a turtle.

'This thing looks durable and can attack from afar.' Hendrix thought as he looked at what was unfolding, as he put a needle from his straps into his tiny bow. At the same time, he pulled off the strap the needle used to inhabit and put it in his pocket.

The new varmint looked at Hendrix as he fired a needle at one of its bulbs. A small watery shield materialized and stopped the needle before it hit the targeted bulb.

Hendrix noticed this and thought that the bulbs could be a possible weak point. As he thought this, he grabbed another needle from one of the straps, and he loaded and aimed his tiny bow at it.

The new varmint started to move towards Hendrix again slowly.

Hendrix began to run at the varmint and try to cut off a part of it and eat it as he wanted to get some basic info on it. He didn't care about the danger as he saw this as his highest priority.

The varmint abruptly stabbed its claws into the ground as roots again broke through the soil. The roots tried to entangle Hendrix and stab him.

Hendrix grabbed a needle and placed it in his tiny bow, aimed it at a root closest to him, and fired it. Though the needle missed the root, it was aimed at and instead hit the one behind it. Though this caused no substantial damage, Hendrix continued to run toward the varmint.

The varmint stared at Hendrix as the roots it created got extremely close to him.

'This is going to be bloody. I can't avoid all of the roots.' Hendrix thought as he dodged a root from a twenty-degree angle to the right.

Hendrix would try to dodge as many barbed roots as possible. Though he couldn't avoid them all, moderate gashes began to accumulate on his body. At the same time, his armor started to get destroyed.

[You have taken 0.1 damage]

[You have taken 0.1 damage]

[You have taken 0.1 damage]

'Please stop these notifications until I restart.'

[Noted]

Hendrix's pace increased, and the number of injuries he suffered rose along with it. Once he almost reached the greenish varmint, he leaped at it and swung his wooden pole with all the strength he could muster.

The aftermath of this attack disappointed Hendrix, as his wooden pole assimilated into and caused no harm to the varmint. At the same time, roots began to wrap and constrict around Hendrix.

Hendrix took one last gamble as he bit into the closest root as hard as he could without hurting himself. Though he quickly realized he didn't damage the root. He then bitterly bit as hard as he could without caring about the consequences.

His action caused his teeth to shatter while the barbs pierced his mouth. As this occurred, he felt a piece of the root break off, and he quickly ate it alongside the shards of his teeth.

'I hope my gamble worked." Hendrix thought as he felt all the barbs pierce his skin as they quickly pierced and constricted him to death.

Hendrix looked around after waking up where he had saved last. After finishing, he got up and sighed. He then checked his notifications.

[Varmint Info

Species: Citadel Symbiotic Root Axolotl Varmint.

Rarity: Crimson

Length: 15 feet

Height: 7 feet

Level: 0

Stage: N/A

Stats are not available

Skills:

Debilitated Water shield: This corrupted magical skill blocks any physical or magical damage that hits it first. It can take three points of damage before its destroyed.

There is no time limit or cooldown.

False Limited Root Manipulation: This corrupted magical skill is more potent the more bulbs are on the user. It imitates the floral skill Root Manipulation, roughly by using the bulbs as a medium to do so. Destroying one or more bulbs will weaken this skill. And destroying all of them will render this skill null.

-It requires the user to force their front limbs into the ground to activate.

-Its range is five meters.

There is no time limit or cooldown.

Axolotl Healing: This corrupted passive, normal skill will heal any injuries. Including amputated limbs, organs, or even parts of the brain. All health restores completely, when activated.

It will not heal an injury while an object is in the wound.

Root body armor: This corrupted passive normal skill will cover the user in a wooden armor shell indefinitely. It will allow the user to have one to seven times as much Vigor. It will assimilate all wooden objects that touch it.

The drawback to this ability is it makes the user one to seven times slower, depending on the thickness of the shell.]

'It seems whoever made this Tribulation doesn't want me to continue.' Hendrix bitterly thought as he saw the unreasonable skills the Root Axolotl had.

[All your extra kills have been deducted from your main quest since you died.]

'Really, why?!' Hendrix thought in alarm, thinking all that effort was a waste.

[This serves a dual purpose. It functions as a lesson to not get too greedy and to keep newly awakened from spending too much time here. Remember, the first Tribulations purpose doesn't include achieving great things as you have. But to teach you how to kill.]

'Well, I won't let this keep me from getting the highest grade in this.' Hendrix thought as he stopped thinking about this and began pondering about the Root Axolotl again.