Blood sprayed across the stone as Mitch’s soul sword sliced clean through his own flesh. His left hand fell away. A useless, rotting mess. A scream escaped him–raw and strangled, echoing down the cavern walls. The notification from the upgrade fueled the power surging within him from Agony’s Embrace.

  Affliction Skill Upgraded

  Agony’s Embrace

  Level 4

  Pain is power. Harness every drop of suffering, turning agony into unrelenting strength. Your torment permanently fortifies your body and amplifies your strength.

  +Your acceptance of pain strengthens your resolve.

  Consume Souls or Flesh to heal your Body

  Rex, his Shadowshroud, pulsed in response, recoiling up his arm like a spooked animal. The swirling black shirt he appeared as had retreated from the self-inflicted wound. Mitch took the shock he felt from what he had done to himself and shoved it firmly into Devoid.

  Blood splattered around him from arteries sliced cleanly through. Mitch felt his mind haze at the sudden loss of blood as the Abyssal Snake tracked him, waiting for its chance to strike again.

  But then Rex surged down his arm, binding himself tightly around the fresh wound. Capping the severed limb with dark, shifting tendrils. A cold wave pressed over the exposed flesh, the gushing smothered as Rex shielded what remained.

  Good dog.

  Mitch staggered, the strength draining from him in a rush. His vision blurred, and he felt himself wobble. The snake moved in, shaking the mice that gnawed at it, its red glowing eyes gleaming with vicious intent.

  Agony’s Embrace flared to life within him. A surge of power born of pain roared through his veins, steadying him and strengthening him further. He gripped the soul sword harder, pressed the mice forward. His vision sharpened, the slight movements of the serpent as clear as fire against the dark.

  The snake lunged, fangs bared. Mitch twisted, slashing the blade across its scales, and felt the swing connect. The snake hissed, reeling back as dark ichor seeped from its wound. Mitch moved fluidly with his blade, every strike and dodge precise and cold. Each narrow dodge, each near miss of the fangs that leapt at him felt like survival etched into muscle memory. His body’s instincts guided him through every movement.

  The Abyssal mice continued their attack, hurling themselves at the snake’s face like small, dark missiles. They latched onto the serpent’s scales with sharp paws, scratching and biting. Tiny teeth sought its eyes. But the snake shook them off with ease, tossing the small creatures aside with every movement.

  Mitch clenched his jaw in a scowl, dodging another bite, before his mind sought another solution.

  He reached again for Dominion of Shadows. The skill unfurled within him, dark and quiet, and he pressed it on, searching.

  He found them.

  Small beacons of minds scuttled and slumbered within the walls. He could feel them. With his Skill, or his curse that latched him to the Abyss he wasn’t sure. But he knew they were there. All around him. Their dormant minds were always hungering, always waiting. It was an easy thing to instill his authority over them, once he knew how.

  Bugs, scurrying, or hiding, littered the cracks and shadows all around him.

  A cold smile formed onto Mitch’s mouth as he flexed his Affliction Skill. With a cold determination, he swept down brutally on their simple wills and implanted his own. The power thrummed within him.

  Souls in his core roared in victory as Mitch claimed their small wills. They already loved his power. Their internal cheers strengthened his resolve.

  Minions: Abyssal Mice: 7 (-2), Abyssal Bugs: 249 (+249)

  Come forth. Feast.

  It appeared that he had lost two more mice during his fight with the Abyssal Snake.

  A faint rumble grew in the shadows as dozens, then hundreds of Abyssal Bugs poured from the walls and shadows. Black-shelled, scuttling things with needle-sharp legs and glistening carapaces. They crawled toward the promise of a feast in a wave.

  Their tiny minds felt like pinpricks within Mitch’s Dominion of Shadows, each one a flickering light that pulsed with hunger. As the swarm reached the Abyssal Snake, Mitch felt their collective wills bending to his own. A relentless tide of hunger and obedience.

  The snake recoiled, its red eyes narrowing as the horde of bugs scrambled up its coiled, slashed body. The bugs began their gnawing. Biting and tearing, their mandables scraped against its scales, chipping away at the slide hide and drawing thin streams of ichor. The snake thrashed, throwing them off, but Mitch held their minds firm. He pressed the simple minds forward with a single command.

  Devour.

  The snake launched again, its hinged jaw snapping dangerously close to Mitch’s chest. He twisted out of the way, slashing downwards with his soul sword. The blade met its mark. It cleaved deep into the snake’s hide. The serpent hissed in pain, coiled body thrashing as the bugs burrowed into the fresh wound.

  Mitch felt his mind stretch as he managed the swarm of creatures under his control. Each one was a thread within his Dominion. The effort was taxing, but the newfound strength from Agony’s Embrace from his cut-off limb pushed him through. It turned his blood loss into simmering, raw strength.

  Warrick’s voice echoed from somewhere behind him, but Mitch paid him no heed. “What? That ain’t natural,” the orc muttered, fear flashing in his voice as he caught sight of the swarm crawling over the snake. His squadmate had arrived, to witness Mitch’s growing power.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  The snake whipped its tail at Mitch again, but he was ready. Dodging to the side, he drove his blade one-handed into the base of its jaw. The soul sword bit deep, and the serpent’s thrashing slowed. Its strength finally wavered.

  “Almost done,” Mitch said to Warrick, who was frozen at the display. He could tell the snake’s life was slipping away. With a flourish, Mitch yanked the soul sword out and spun in a vicious circle. A final, sweeping arc with all his strength came down. Mitch drove the blade through scale and then skull. The serpent seized. Then went still.

  The moment its life faded. Mitch released control over the bugs, letting them swarm freely over the fresh corpse with the remaining mice.

  Minions: Abyssal Mice: 4 (-4), Abyssal Bugs: 0 (-249)

  Why no upgrade to Dominion of Shadows? Hmmm.

  Still cold with Devoid, he reached for the snake’s soul.

  He seized it, latched onto it, and pulled out the dark tendril into his core. It joined the others. A frenzied, animalistic energy, full of spite and instinct.

  It was heavier, denser, and more volatile than any he’d absorbed before.

  Settlement Amount: 37 Souls, 1 Beast Soul (+1), 0 Credits, 109(+81) Flesh

  As Mitch straightened from the kill, blood-streaked and cold, Warrick’s voice broke through the quiet. “How? How is that possible?” His tone was wary, almost disbelieving. The orc’s eyes darted between Mitch and the swarm of bugs devouring the serpent’s remains. “What happened? I swear I saw something go into you. I think.”

  Mitch forced a casual shrug, despite the pain pulsing through his severed limb. “They must have been drawn to the smell of blood, I don’t know,” he responded, keeping his face neutral. Warrick’s eyes lingered, suspicion lurking. The orc must have seen some of the black tendril sink into Mitch’s core, and he could sense his distrust.

  Can't fully see souls. Good.

  Sable’s footsteps echoed, and she appeared in the cavern. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene. The remains of the snake corpse, the bugs feasting, and Mitch cradling his capped stump. She crossed the distance quickly, focusing on his wound.

  “Thank the Stars the Shadowshroud capped it,” she muttered, touching Rex’s dark form and his arm with a hint of relief. Mitch felt her warm touch through Rex. “Rex, you beautiful thing.”

  There was warmth in her voice. She met his gaze, concern in her eyes. “You’ll need to be careful about blood loss. This isn’t something you can just–”

  “I know,” he replied, swallowing the apprehension that twisted in his gut. He watched Warrick warily out of the corner of his eye.

  Warrick’s gaze remained fixed on the bugs. “Those creatures, they followed you, didn’t they?” He glanced sideways, eyes unreadable. “Almost like they were waiting for you to order them around.”

  Mitch forced a chuckle, masking the tension thrumming. “They were just bugs, Warrick. Probably just smelled something they liked.”

  Warrick’s eyes narrowed, not buying it, but he didn’t push further. Mitch felt the weight of the orc’s suspicions pressing down like a physical force, a sharp contrast to Sable’s soft concern.

  No way I’m telling them I controlled the bugs.

  Mitch’s mind buzzed with possibilities. As well as a nagging sensation that he’d just crossed a line. The realization settled over him with a strange discomfort. He was more bound to the Abyss than he’d ever admit.

  Sable wasted no time. She took his good arm, her grip firm but surprisingly gentle as she led him back toward their campsite.

  “Come on,” she murmured, her voice carrying a mix of urgency and something softer. “You need to sit, catch your breath.” As they moved, Mitch felt her eyes flick to his wound now and then, her face etched with concern. Mitch felt the warmth bubble inside him as he admired her.

  “Yeah, well…not planning to go anywhere,” he replied, voice gruffer and more awkward than intended.

  Bloodloss.

  Mitch felt the mice nibbling alongside the bugs in his mind on what little remained of the snake. Pinpricks of tiny wills he felt like beacons. With a thought, he ordered them forward, Dominion of Shadows reaching out.

  Enough. Scout ahead, and stay hidden.

  The mice gave one last nibble and darted forward, fading into the shadows like echos of his own dark thoughts. Each one was a silent, small tether. A sense of satisfaction pulsed back, a reminder of the dark power and authority he wielded. Even if that authority was over small creatures.

  Yet as they reached the cavern, the iron hold of Devoid began to crack. His emotions slipped in, slow at first, then surging. The memory of severing his own limb seared itself into his mind. A brutal reminder of his cold desperation. His heart pounded as he stared down at his Rex capped stump.

  I…cut off my own hand.

  The sound of parchment scratching had returned, itching his nerves further. Remnants of shock and fear hammered against his small measure of control. The realization attacked him.

  Can I heal this?

  His Abyssal Vault was powerful, yes, but could it grow a missing limb? Was that even possible?

  Souls in his core pulsed in response. They shifted, aligning in readiness. Each one was a potential piece of himself, brimming with energy.

  Within his Abyssal Vault, the souls ganged up on another. A particular soul.

  The serpent’s.

  They grouped around it, containing it in their number, and pressed it forward to the front. The souls roared at the chance to offer up the twisted beast in the shared space.

  He felt Sable’s hand on him, her warmth steadying him as she sat him down next to a sleeping and snoring Urgar. She watched him, concern etched in her eyes. Mitch barely saw her, but her presence was welcome.

  “I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours…but you’re here. Focus on that.”

  She’s right.

  He nodded, and closed his eyes, feigning going to sleep. Warrick had offered to take the next watch, a suspicious gaze settling on Mitch before departing down the tunnels to watch for more threats.

  The notification of the Abyssal Debt couldn’t have come at a worse time.

  Credits

  Debts: -1,001,998* -> -1,002,664*

  Assets: 127 Credits, 0 Souls*, 0 Flesh*Interest: -666/day

  Cashflow: 0/day

  The weight of what he’d done hung heavily. The edge of terror approached at the realization that he was losing pieces of himself. One limb at a time.

  Rex sent worry through their bond, disappointed that he couldn’t protect his master from the fangs of the serpent.

  It’s ok, Rex. You did great to seal it. Let’s hope you don’t need to do that forever. We’ll keep getting you stronger. Mitch sent Rex the thought, and he felt the Shadowshroud curl more tightly around him in protectiveness.

  Mitch reached for his Abyssal Vault, the sacrificial souls cheering within him. Their numbers had the serpent’s soul surrounded. It stuck out like black lightning within him.

  Let’s see if I can heal this.