I faced the army of buzzing mechanical insectoids. They made no move to attack, so I just stood my ground, trying to work out how I was going to get out of this. I was struggling with a fusion of two of those things I couldn’t risk damaging anymore, and they were fusing to make more beetle dudes or worse. Still, I had no intention of getting placed in one of those pods. I was pulled by my thoughts by the sound of laughter. It was then followed by a steady clinking sound of something being tapped on the stone floor.
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My blood ran cold as an overwhelming sense of dread washed over me. The bugs parted, the big molten one bowing low as the monster I had seen earlier in the patchwork cloak entered.
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“Well, what have we here!” It said in its strange, slimy voice, the system conveying the meaning. The ugly thing licked its lips with a long purple forked tongue. Before I could answer, his four glowing eyes flashed a brilliant purple, making me blink a few times.
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“Interesting, a progenitor! I’ve only got two in my collection. You’ll make a fine addition, yes,” His face cracked in a toothy smile and spoke to his army of mechanical bugs “, Catch him and don’t ruin any more of my collection!”
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With that, it was as if a gunshot announcing a race had been fired. The tide of mechanical bugs surged towards me. I only had one thought in my head- I was not going to prison again! I leapt forwards, but rather than jump into the swarm, I dove through the hole in the ground the beetle had created earlier. The swarm all followed me through the opening, erupting out like a mass of angry hornets. I looked back and was glad to see that the molten beetle's flying abilities had forced it to stay back. That was until I saw it leap after me anyway. I cursed as I noticed the monster's bloody horn made it aerodynamic as fuck on the dive, coupled with its heavy build, and I knew it was going to catch up to me.
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Frantically, I looked around, spotting a pod nearby on its way up to another room. I used my tail to orient myself and landed atop the pod. As I did so, I cast my Dust cloud spell and reactivated my Tremor sense. Instantly, I could sense everything moving through the cloud. The only thing that had entered was the beetle bot; his molten exterior seemed to cool down as the cloud of dust peppered him. I sensed an opportunity and took it as soon as I noticed the molten ability wink out of existence, and it returned to its original rusted colour. I struck. I dashed across the top of the pod just as its upward momentum pushed it out of the cloud. The beetle saw me, and its eyes narrowed. Before it had a chance to react, I used a second Dust cloud and activated my Beastial Empowerment spell before leaping into the air, doing a mid-air rolly polly and slamming my tail down on its head. The attack was devastating, crushing the bastard's metal skull and exposing a glowing metallic object. This one was bigger than the one it had originally swallowed and glowed a fierce amber. I snatched it up and kicked the rest of the beetle over the side of the pod.
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I could still hear the buzzing of the swarm, and they were definitely coming for me. I needed an escape. I looked around, noting the pod was now in a different room. I wasn’t sure how this place worked, as I had assumed it would take me up to the room I had just escaped from. Instead, the pod entered through a black hole in the ceiling, and I found myself in a small room similar to the one in which I found the spellbook. As I entered the room, the opening behind me sealed, and the buzzing abruptly cut off. I was about to check out the object I got from the creature's head when I heard a clinking sound, and the pod underneath me began to vibrate. I leapt off it into the middle of the room. Getting ready for yet another fight!
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The pod opened, and inside was a weird creature that looked like a triop but the size of a large dog with a vicious-looking stinger at the tip of its tail. I stared at it, wondering if I should just kill it for its core, but the creature made no move towards me. Instead, it looked about the room and crawled away into a shadowy pocket with surprising speed. A minute later, a piece of parchment appeared. I picked it up and read the same weird language as I had in the room where I’d received the spellbook. This time, however, the meaning behind the writing was much clearer.
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Follow the little one. It will guide you to me. Do not face the four-eyed one; he is a being beyond your ability. You have done well, but the constructs will hunt you. Come free me, and I will grant you power.
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It wasn’t much to go off, but at least I had a goal. The question was what in tarnation was the little one. A question which was quickly answered as the trio reappeared ahead of me, waiting by a door I could have sworn had not been there before. I looked at the critter and made this weird warbling sound like a songbird. It almost made the critter cute, almost!
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I looked around the room, hoping my mysterious benefactor had left me some goodies, but was disappointed to find it was empty. I was about to make my way over to the door when I remembered what I had pulled out of the beetle bot's head. I pulled out the weird metallic object from my pocket, marvelling at it. I had no clue what it was. It was so different from any core that I’d seen, and I wondered if it was a case of constructs also having cores, but theirs being weird. Thankfully, the system answered that for me.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
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Lava Skill Core:- Skill Cores are used in advanced artificing. A creature with a high affinity with either Earth or Fire Magic can attempt to create a unique ability by consuming this core.
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Warning:- Failure to create an ability will result in death. Consume [Y/N]?
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I looked at the core and decided I was not going to risk it. As awesome as the lava lasers that beetle dude was firing were, I was not ready to risk my life so callously. Maybe I could find some intelligent monster that wasn’t out to kill or trap me to trade with. I popped the lava skill core into my pocket.
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I followed my new little guide out of the room, pushing open the door, expecting to find myself in another of the giant pod rooms. Instead, I fell on my face onto a stone floor. The bloody door was a couple of feet off the ground! I picked myself up, ignoring the weird look the trio was giving me. I found we were in a circular, dark room with a single pod, this one completely transparent and surrounded by rings of pale blue light.
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Encased in the pod was a colossal reptilian creature. It was twice as tall as I was, and its muscular form was covered in sapphire blue scales. A mane of powder blue feathers tipped with black surrounded its neck before cascading down its spine. Snaking around each of its arms were black tattoos in the form of a serpent's skeleton. Even trapped in its pod, this creature radiated an aura of pure power. I looked down at the creature's name plate, and my eyes bulged at what I read.
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Bakanda the Primal One - Progenitor A Rank
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Bakanda is the ancient king of the Razareem. This great warrior kept his world safe for over ten thousand years, but was defeated by Mr Pink and gifted to The Collector.
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I looked at it in shock. Not only was this motherfucker an A rank, but he was a progenitor. He had battled Mr Pink, the weirdo who had turned the earth into this weird, deadly world. I looked at his form, realising that I was in way over my head. I was not ready to deal with all this A-Rank drama. I needed to get out of this place and get as far from this island as I could, goblins be damned.
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I took one more look at the creature in the pod before turning back to my little guide that was chirping impatiently. He led me out of the room and through a dark opening. This led to a downward-sloping path that looked more like the inside of a cave. The path spiralled downwards. Every step I took, the path grew darker, with lights growing sparser and sparser. After about twenty minutes of walking, I was forced to rely completely on my tremor sense to ‘see’ where we were going.
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It felt like an age before we reached the bottom. There, at the end of this path, was a large stone door. The triop creature scuttled past me and tapped on the weird door excitedly. I guessed that was where I was going.
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“Okay, okay, little dude, I’ll get it open,” I said, chuckling as I watched the critter.
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I pushed the stone door, and it swung open easily, revealing a long path over a pitch black drop that led to a single pod on a platform suspended over the gaping void. I hesitated, but my little guide rushed across the path, climbing atop the pod, attempting to sting it multiple times. It let out a wailing song as it stood atop the pod, then was absorbed into it!
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My eyes widened at the sight, and I immediately went on the defensive. This whole situation was getting weird. I made my way across the narrow path, trying my best not to look down at the jet black void. I stopped on the platform, mouth agape, at the thing that was within the pod. A mass of triops filled the thing, and in the centre there was the silhouette of something that suggested the shape of a woman. It was weird; while it appeared to be a woman, it was clearly not human, with too many limbs and a thick, shrimp-like or lobster-like tail. I was looking for a nameplate when the pod started to glow, and my vision was filled with strange writing like that I had seen on the notes before. Their meaning hit me straight in the mind.
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Finally, you arrive! Quick, now set me free so that I may seek my revenge! I have been waiting thousands of years for this chance. Release me from this prison, and I will grant you a gift, power!
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I had thought I’d been doing the right thing rescuing some innocent creature from its unfair incarceration, but seeing the creature in front of me, I started having doubts. I mean, this thing hadn’t even introduced itself.
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“Before I release you, would you at least tell me your name?” I said, crossing my arms. “Also, I’m all for freeing inmates, but you know the deal, I need to see your paperwork. What are you in for?” I said with more confidence than I felt. The writing in my vision grew more intense, and my head felt as though it was going to explode.
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You dare to ask me my name?! You little progenitor with no progeny dare to insinuate that my incarceration is just. I have devoured stars before your ancestors crawled from the mud. The abomination that calls itself pink, the offcut of a dead multiverse, is responsible for this weakened form, but release me, and I will bring him down. Despite your insolence, I will grant you power if you release me. A queen does not lie.
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I was forced to my knees from the force with which the words slammed into my brain. Slowly, I rose to my feet, my knees wobbling. I walked closer to the pod, internally knowing I was going to regret this decision. Still, I didn’t see an alternative. I did not want to make an enemy of this bug bitch, and seeing that she had helped me a little, how bad could it be? Luckily, or more precisely, unluckily, that was when the familiar sound of buzzing greeted me.
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I looked up and saw the collector standing atop a huge mechanical dragonfly, surrounded by hundreds of his mechanical insects, including several of the beetle bots and even a couple of leaner, mantis-looking things.
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“Now, now Xerapha, that’s enough games, but thank you for the addition,”
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“Ah, Shit!” I said this time aloud.
