u003cFireballu003e

I tossed a fireball at the incoming wolpertinger Knights. There were 3 of them surrounding me in this cavern.

u003cThunder Boltu003e

I sent out bolts of thunder to stun them. It was ineffective. They simply ignored my a.s.sault and all came at me with their claws and fangs.

u003cScratchu003e x3

u003cBiteu003e x3

I was heavily blooded from the interchange. My clothes were torn, and I could feel their poison seeping through my veins. These pests just refused flat out to die!

I channeled Electric essence through my u003cSoul Eyesu003e to create a new ability. Maybe this ability will stun them? Soul seems to be the only catalyst I can use the effect them.

u003cSoul Shocku003e

It was a success they were temporarily dazed from the u003cSoul Shocku003e.

u003cEnfeebling Bloodu003e

u003cSoul Burnu003e

I channeled all my essence to take out a single Knight while the others were dazed from my u003cSoul Shocku003e. He was cooked extra crispy. Now I only had two wolpertingers left to deal with.

u003cScratchu003e

u003cBiteu003e

u003cFleeu003e

One of them staked his life against mine while another got the h.e.l.l out of dodge. With only one left to fight me, I gave it everything I had. I would make quick work out of him.

u003cSoul Shocku003e

u003cEnfeebling Bloodu003e

u003cSoul Burnu003e

He could not take the brunt of my three techniques and was left a crispy carca.s.s like his departed friend.

Now that this chamber was empty, ahead of me lay the nesting ground of one of the low-Baron wolpertingers. Making it this far was a monumental effort. It had taken me two weeks of fighting through a myriad of wolpertingers to make it this far.

Taking down this low-Baron wolpertinger would be my last fight within this G.o.d-forsaken Bloodfang mine. This place was a waste of time, with nothing of note. Wolpertinger s.h.i.+t crusted the walls of this mine.

During this journey, the only thing of value I had found were the veins of Tier-1 and Tier-2 metals. There"s no way it was worth the time and effort I had spent clearing this mine, to only find such useless veins. They couldn"t even be excavated.

Maybe after clearing out the Baron nested here I would have a new discovery. I longed to find out why the wolpertingers choose to inhabit this cave.

Did they just like s.h.i.+tting all over the mine? I felt this mine was a glorified litter box. Do I look like a s.h.i.+t peddler? Maybe that d.a.m.ned Osmin tricked me!

I walked into the low-Baron wolpertingers cave, I stared at the wolpertinger sitting within its s.h.i.+t-filled cavern as it looked at me. I could see a bit of intelligence within its eyes, and pride from s.h.i.+tting all over this cavern.

"Why have you intruded on my cavern devil?" rang a voice in my head.

"You can talk? I thought only Viscount demon beasts can talk," I said as I readied my weapon against the wolpertinger.

"We wolpertinger have a much tougher evolution than other demon beasts when we reach the Baron realm our intelligence is heightened," said the wolpertinger.

"Why do you infest these lands?" I said.

"This is our nesting grounds. We have noticed you have taken up residence in that farm estate where that ghost resides," said the wolpertinger.

"We have never intruded on your home. Why do you come to ours and kill our children?"

"This land has been given to me, and I am tasked with clearing out you wolpertingers," I said.

"There"s no problem with you residing in the farmhouse devil, the other ones like me already avoid it. This mine has become our home however, can we come to some type of agreement," said the wolpertinger as he lifted his big flappy ears up.

"Interesting, the halflings never told me you could speak. I will parlay with the Baron wolpertingers in the mine if you agree to serve me," I said.

"Wolpertings are a proud race, we serve no one. Our invulnerability is known far and wide, nothing is stronger than a wolpertinger at the same realm devil." said the wolpertinger with pride as it wiggled its nose and began eating a carrot.

"This invulnerability comes at a devastating cost, however. For us to progress takes far longer and a momentous amount of resources compared to other races."

"If you can defeat me, I will speak terms with you, if not I will leave your corpse here to rot."

The wolpertinger tossed the carrot to the side and attacked!

u003cSlashu003e

A large gash appeared on my chest as blood gushed forth. He was so fast with his sneak attack, I could not react.

I countered immediately to not be snuck attacked again.

u003cHollow Aurau003e

u003cSoul Eyesu003e

"Cleansing races that have a false sense of superiority is this young lord"s specialty," I said.

My b.l.o.o.d.y hollow aura slowed down his movements. While channeling my u003cSoul Eyesu003e allowed me to keep up with his location.

u003cSlashu003e

Another b.l.o.o.d.y gash was placed on my chest next to the last one.

"Devil, you are too slow. Leave and never come back or your bones will join the rest of the ones who have intruded into my cavern," said the wolpertinger as he circled me. Flas.h.i.+ng from place to place.

He was very insistent on me leaving. These wolpertingers must be hiding something down here, he"s stronger than me but does not want to go all out with me. No matter, when I have his soul cooking he will spill all his secrets to this young lord.

I had to use my most powerful techniques to take on this thing.

u003cWithered Landu003e

The landscape of the cavern changed as my curse qi embedded the grounds. I may not be able to attack you directly but inside u003cWithered Landu003e I will exhaust you.

u003cSlashu003e

The wolpertinger dived to slash me again.

u003cExplosionu003e

A blaze of fire exuded off my body. This technique was one I never wanted to use. It was a sacrificial technique that exploded out Fire Essence around me. The grounds in the cavern had become a burning h.e.l.l.

My flames however did not distinguish between friend or foe. My flames injured me. The wolpertinger was none the better.

With the combination u003cExplosionu003e and u003cWithered Landu003e while he was so close to me he was injured.

"Do you wish to stake your life against mine, wolpertinger?" I said, looking at the cornered animal.

"That will be enough, you deserve the right to speak. My life is more important than my pride." said the charred wolpertinger.

"Swear on your devil heart that nothing we say leaves this cavern, and we will begin talking terms," said the wolpertinger as he attempted to extinguish my fel flames.

"I don"t see the need to talk terms with you, when your soul is in front of me I will lay all your secrets bare," I said.

u003cLightning Strikeu003e

This was my most powerful attack. It weaved Soul, Fire, Curse, and Electric Dao all into one strike. Using it drained the last of my essence as the wolpertinger lay injured on the ground.

"Sybil, see to my wounds," I said.

"Listen! Codex of Souls, my true salvation, please grant me your audience. Guide me so I may lighten enc.u.mbrance," said Sybil.

"I beg this you as your faithful child, o divine shepherd. Support me with your divine power!"

u003cHope"s Lightu003e

A greyish-white light descended and my wounds were no more.

"Using Hope"s Light to heal you drains me, I will need to rest for a while," said Sybil as she disappeared back into the Codex.

I had knocked the wolpertinger unconscious with my u003cLightning Strikeu003e. Any other low-Baron would be dead from my most powerful attack.

I sat and recovered my essence and began channeling a curse to bind him.

u003cFire Binding Chainsu003e

It took me two hours before the curse was done. Now there was a nice fire leash around this beast. I picked him up and headed out of the cavern, I would recover the rest of my essence at the Bloodfang Estate.

This young lord captured a new pet!