"Hehehehe you won't be hunting my kin any longer, Bat! You're going to die to the [Poison Rat] Von! The Plaguemaster of the Cave!"
The rat celebrated his victory, foolish Phaelyn thought one did not survive in The Cave alone as she had without being powerful in their own right. She may not have a Rare race like her daughter, but that did not mean she was weak. She was an [Echo Bat] merely an common evolution, she chided herself she had been happy to gain the Evolution. Being able to split off from the standard line without becoming a Giant Bat was a boon.
She couldn't help but feel the swelling of pride once more as she recalled her red furred daughter. But she couldn't focus on that, not now. She had to kill this Rat, because rare evolution or not, Alice was ill suited to fight such a foe as Von and it was a mothers duty to protect her daughter.
Phaelyn opened her mouth and shrieked! A booming wave of sound flowing out as she used [Sonic Blast 3] once more. However this time Von was ready for it, the [Poison Rat] scrambled away barely dodging the attack.
Phaelyn flew forward, claws cleaving through the air she was fast, her large wings allowing her to cross the space much faster than Von had expected. His muscles burned as they were suddenly exposed to the cool air of the Cave. However, it wouldn't be that easy.
Von bit down onto Phaelyn's leg as she clawed him, his teeth dripping with poison as he aggressively chewed on her, poison mixing with her blood.
Phaelyn grimaced as she read the notification that appeared, but she only spared it a moment's thought. It was an easy way to die in combat, notifications from the System were useful even life saving in some cases but they were also a crutch and a distraction. In a high paced fight you didn't have time to read out a notification especially if there were multiple. She could deal with it later, she had to kill now.
Phaelyn clenched down with her claws, hoping to crush the rat, only to cry out in pain and release him. She looked down to see poison flowing off of its fur, it cackled manically as it suddenly leaped up into the air, a magic circle appearing in front of it before a glob of poison was shot at her with such force it caused her head to knock back slightly.
She frowned, magic was dangerous, but there was a limit to it, she could survive this she could! She crashed down upon Von like a storm, ripping into him clawing and biting, all while he clawed back.
Things were not looking good for Von, despite poisoning and infecting this damned Bat with his Plague she was still fighting so ferociously! He wasn't a warrior he was a schemer, direct confrontation wasn't his specialty! It didn't help that she kept sending those sound blasts over and over!
He bit down activating his [Poison Fangs] again, but she swept her wings and a much louder blast sent him flying away.
She followed him quickly, coming at him with more attacks, claws cleaved air and sung songs of violence, pieces of rock crumbled and fell as the two battled it out, Von was sure he was going to lose, he only had one option! As he ran dodging [Sonic Blast] after [Sonic Blast], getting blasted away by the occasional one. He quickly spent his skill points that he had been keeping. He had wanted to level up his Poison Magic himself but this called for drastic measures!
Von grinned as he turned, magic circles appearing as he drained all his Mana! A spear of poison shot out slamming into the Bat, ripping into its flesh, a small ball of poison shot after, like a bullet, slamming into the wound, and then expanding and exploding inside.
The Bat screeched, a wave of sound slamming him against the wall as the Bat dug its claws into him, pinning him to the wall as it opened its mouth to bite down his head. Von attempted to cast more magic only to be met with a notification.
Yes! He screamed inwardly, he could feel himself grow weaker, but a
It stumbled back, gasping for air, but the air burned and she began to slump over. Von cackled, as he bled all over the ground, slowly limping away, he had done it! He had slain the Bat! Sure she was barely holding on but she was destined to die!
Alice glided through the air, she felt good despite everything. Even if she didn't have Mana now she had Magic for when she would get Mana! And it seemed to be special, gifted to her... by something. It was better not to think about, her head got fuzzy every time she did. She couldn't wait to tell her mother all about it! Well the parts she could.
There was a weird stench in the air as she approached her little alcove her nose twitched as she smelled iron and... sulfur? No, not sulfur... It was the smell of rot, and then she saw it... she shot down as fast she could, her eyes never turning from Phaelyn's limp body, blood and green sludge oozed from her wounds.
"No no no no MOM!"
Alice called out as she nearly slammed her head into the ground as she landed, she scrambled over clinging onto the bloody matted fur with her wing claws.
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Phaelyn gasped, and coughed, a weak gaze looking over to Alice.
"Oh... Alice... good... you're safe... I-"
She coughed harder, blood splattering across the cave floor.
"I'm safe, I'm safe! Stay with me!"
Phaelyn smiled.
"That's good... All I want... is... for you to be... safe"
She rasped out the words, each becoming harder for her to say.
"I will be, I promise! No matter what! I even learned Magic! So just stay with me, I'll figure out something I'll-"
Alice's tears flowed, snot coming from her nose as she pleaded for her mother to stay alive.
"I'm so proud of you...."
Phaelyn began to speak, hushing her child, she knew she didn't have long to speak.
"My baby... learning magic, unlocking a rare evolution. You're going to soar so high Alice, I just know it. But you have... you have to be careful"
More blood was coughed up.
"The Humans... they're dangerous Alice, be weary... they hunt us... they hate us... it's not about survival its about hate..."
Alice was sobbing into her chest now, Phaelyn wrapped her wing around the young bat.
"Listen Alice... no matter what... I will... I will always lov-"
Alice screamed, Phaelyn had gone limp, no longer breathing, the light fading from her eyes. Their time together had been so short, yet Phaelyn loved Alice unconditionally, she had... she had never felt that kind of love before, she still remembered the last conversation she had with her old mother, all the vile poison she had screamed at Alice.
The smell was rancid, but Alice didn't care, she pulled Phaelyn's body close, as she continued to cry into it. Now she was left alone, truly alone.
Von smiled as he got the notification.
Of course he selected yes.
[Toxic Rat (Continuation of Poison Rat)], [Awakened Rat (Unlocked through affinity for Magic)], [Undead Rat (Unlocked through reaching evolution near death)]
[Dark Arts Rat (Unlocked through profane magic actions)]
[Decay Ratkin (Unlocked through profane actions that please The Decay)]
For Von it couldn't be more obvious what he would choose. An Epic Evolution? One that was associated with The Decay? He would return to The Rat Kingdom not only as victor... but as its new leader!
He selected the [Decay Ratkin] and closed his eyes in his little crevice, slowly drifting off.
Alice gazed at her mothers corpse, she felt numb almost. She looked at her wounds, there was obvious poison on her. She needed to find out what happened and she needed to avenge her. She opened the Skill List, she didn't care how much she had to search through it she would find something to help her.
It took her fifteen minutes before she found what she was looking for. She smiled as she selected the [Investigation] skill. Suddenly her mind was filled with information, it was a [Passive] skill, which meant she didn't have to activate it, and didn't need to think about it. It would do all that for her.
[Investigation]
- Passive Skill
- Your ability to notice details is increased, you'll be able to see a faint outline around clues towards what you're searching for.
- You will occasionally get a hint that you are missing something if you are not actively searching for something.
Alice focused, staring at the area and that's when she noticed it. The paw marks made of blood, she instantly recognized them, those were Rat paw marks. The Rats had done this to her mother, not only killed her but made sure it had been a slow and painful death. Hatred boiled in her chest, before they had just been the most common Prey. But now? She would purge them from this Cave.
"Don't worry Mother, I won't stop... until I've drained the blood of every last fucking rat. They will pay."
Alice moved, ignoring the two notifications she had received.
Alice flapped her wings and took off into the sky, and for the first time she used [Echolocation] shrieking out as she sought out Rats.
She found her Prey quickly, she swooped down upon a group of rats that was skulking about, she slammed into the first with so much force that it exploded into guts and blood, splattering the cave floor and its companions. Her gaze turned to the others slowly.
"Which of you is going to tell me about the Rat that uses poison?"
Her voice had a dangerous edge, the Rats trembled before one spoke up.
"We will never betra-"
It didn't get to finish, Alice cleaved into his body with her teeth, its blood gushed out so quickly that it coated the fur on her face. She fully drained it before spitting it out.
"Which. One. Of. You."
Her every word dripped blood as Alice glared at the Rats.
"T-The Plaguemaster! He's a green rat with poison!"
One squeaked out, his voice full of fear.
Alice shot outward, ripping apart the remaining Rats, the one who had spoken closed his eyes, knowing it had no chance. The sounds of flesh ripping, of bones snapping, of blood dripping all fill his ears, his friends screaming out in pain. But then he felt... a pressure on his head.
"You little rat are going to tell this Plaguemaster that his days are numbered. That Alice is going to drain his corpse dry of blood and throw it in a ditch where he will never be found, and he will be forgotten."
Alice's clawed wing was resting on his head, the rat quickly nodded before scurrying off, not daring to look at the massacre that had occurred all around him.
Alice felt mixed emotions as she watched him run off, she was angry but she had never been this cruel before, even in the past when she was angry she couldn't bring herself to be cruel towards others. She would be no better... no better than her old mother if she did that. Yet now she had terrified this Rat, to ensure it did as she wished, that... that wasn't good was it? The System seemed to disagree, she let out a dry laugh at the notification that came right after her thoughts.
Alice flew off, she would need to rest and plan for how she was going to kill, no that wasn't right, she needed to plan how she was going to slaughter this Plaguemaster.