The ma.s.sive creature had grey skin and a white belly. Inside its mouth lay another mouth with another row of razor-sharp teeth. I knew exactly what lay before me. This was a tremor worm, a monster of the Rift!

Monsters were different than demon beasts. Where demon beasts eventually developed intelligence as their realm increased monsters did none of the sort. Ferocious and savage, these creatures only grew larger and more horrific as their realm increased.

All they did was hunger and consume to grow more powerful. Eventually becoming gargantuan ent.i.ties unmatched in the same realm. Fortunately, the one before me was freshly hatched. It was only recently born but already a low-Baron at birth.

From the tilled earth, I surmised it must have feasted on the unsuspecting Barnacles when it hatched. The reason it didn"t attack when I first got here was it was digesting its pirate buffet. Now it was staring me down and planned to make me it"s afternoon snack!

"Jax, Blinker. Give it all you got," I said as I activated my u003cHollow Aurau003e.

This fight would take everything I had, even though I was a mid-Baron a monster that was barely sufficient to take on a monster. These things were true engines of destruction. Luckily it was freshly hatched, if it was a mid or high-Baron my only coa.r.s.e of action would be to run for Summer Flash.

After quickly running the situation through my head I decided I would take my chance against this monster. A monster soul was premium material. Worth much more than other creatures souls. I just hopped my soul orb would be able to contain this ferocious monstrosity.

"Foal monster. Receive my strike."

u003cPrecision Strikeu003e

I jumped into the air and channeled my devil essence throughout Judgment. Fire and Thunder encircled the weapon as I drew near the monster. The monster briefly paused feeling my u003cHollow Aurau003e just enough for me to land the first strike.

*Bam*

My hit connected with the ma.s.sive creature, and it recoiled to my strike.

"BRAWRHWRHWRHWRH," said the tremor worm as a bloodied bruise appeared on its back. Its head wriggled around disoriented, spewing acid all over the surrounding area with its scream. Trees, tents, and houses visibly decayed after being hit by the corrosive spit.

A little grazed my right arm, burning through it quickly. I channeled my fire essence swiftly to remove the acid, before it could eat through my flesh. The pain was unreal, and my right arm lay limp. I hastened my guard.

In the middle of a battle with this acid-spewing monstrosity, Sybil could not heal me. I ran around the battlefield, dodging the torrent rains of acid. If I stood still for even a second I would die under its acid spray.

This fight had become much more difficult. I was right-handed, that"s where most of my strength lay in my strikes. No matter, I"ll manage. The middle of battle was not the time to start second-guessing my decisions. I would see this fight through to its logical conclusion, with this young lord victorious.

"Jax see if you can restrain it," I said.

"Blinker aim for its eyes. Blind the creature before it lands a solid hit with that acid. If it succeeds in its a.s.sault we will become rotting corpses."

"THIS ISN"T BOOTY," said Jax as he disappeared into his ball u0026 chain.

"d.a.m.ned unreliable ghost," I thought as I moved Judgment into my left hand while running away from the torrents of acid rain.

"On it, young lord," said Blinker as he unleashed his true form and began moving with incredible speed.

u003cFlashu003e

Blinker started teleporting around the jungle battlefield, jumping from tree to tree, avoiding the spews of acid from the tremor worm. The spews were quick and precise.

"If only I could slow down this beast," I thought.

Fighting with Blinker, I could not use my area curses. u003cWithered Landu003e was indiscriminate between friend and foe and I didn"t have the heart to stake my neck with u003cEnfeebleu003e since I was already injured.

u003cSlashu003e

Blinker landed his attack!

Blood gushed forth from three of the tremor worms six eyes. A large gash mark laid atop the tremor worms monstrous head. Thankfully, Blinker had been successful with his attack. Now that the tremor worm was blinded on one side, it would be harder for it to aim its corrosive acid at us now.

"BRAWRHRWRHRHWRH," said the tremor worm as it coated the surrounding area with more acid rain. It didn"t expect to be injured so soon from unsuspecting prey. Now it had to be on the defensive. It choose to target me over the speedy blinker. It jumped out of the ma.s.sive hole and dived back into the tilled earth burrowing towards me.

"d.a.m.n I wish I had learned those elemental Daos," I thought as I came on guard for its next strike. If I knew Earth Dao, I could attack it while it lay under the ground. I held my ground. Attempting to keep my balance as the earth shook from it"s digging.

u003cSoul Eyesu003e

I channeled my u003cSoul Eyesu003e to view the underground creature. It was tunneling at a fast speed around 10 feet underground right at me. Its mouth was wide open. It planned to swallow me whole when it came up.

"Not today, vile monster," I said as I readied Judgment in my left hand.

I channeled all my essence through my hammer-ax. When that vicious monster came up I would give it all I had, knocking it straight into oblivion or dying within its jaws. There was no time for running or second-guessing myself. The battle was at hand. I would stake it all on this!

*Tremble*

The earth quaked as it increased its speed torpedoing towards me. I lifted my hammer over my left shoulder at the ready. Lightning and Fire began entwining around Judgment from all the essence I was spending for this strike.

*Boom*

The worm burst forth from underground with its mouth wide open and immediately spewed acid straight at me.

I immediately leaped into the air towards the worm avoiding the acid spray. And lifted my hammer-ax above my head. I then turned Judgment around in my hand. Aiming the ax side right at the tremor worm"s head!

I planned to cleave this worm in two with one definitive attack!

u003cJudgment Slashu003e

I entwined Lightning and Flames around my entire body. I looked like a young G.o.d sailing through the air with all the essences circling me. I then bared down my hammer-ax, unleas.h.i.+ng everything I had channeled over the past few seconds.

A ma.s.sive red and yellow slash of essence came out of the hammer-ax as I gunned straight for the tremor worm.

"Take my blade!" I said.

My slash landed true! Chunks of flesh and blood rained down on the surrounding jungle as I cleaved the tremor worm"s head in two.

"This is true power!" I said as I raised Judgment to the sky in victory while the tremor worm kneeled over in death. I then plunged my ax within its corpse so Judgment could begin absorbing its soul.

My mastery of Soul Dao had come a long way. No longer did I need to slowly refine fresh souls, I could now refine them in real-time.

The monster"s soul struggled, as it was gripped by the cursed vines of Judgment and a.s.saulted by fire and lightning. The resentment spilled out, empowering my weapon. I could feel Judgment growing stronger in my very hands.

Right when my refinement was ending. The d.a.m.ned book immediately grasped the freshly refined soul.

"d.a.m.ned gluttonous book, this is the first Baron soul I have ever gotten and you want to take it from this young lord," I thought.

[Host can not store monster souls]

"Why the h.e.l.l not?" I thought.

[Tier-2 soul orb is insufficient, Codex will store soul for host at 10% efficiency]

"d.a.m.ned book, that means you are taking 90%!" I screamed.

It wasn"t this young lord"s fault he didn"t have a better soul orb on hand. The d.a.m.ned book never gave me instructions for anything past a Tier-2 soul orb. I had attempted to forge a new soul orb the past year, but had been unsuccessful. The book was more tyrannical than an Emperor; it wanted it"s cut of everything I got!

"Sybil see to my wounds," I said as I wallowed in my defeat to my gluttonous book.

"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.

The flesh wound was healed however, my arm was still sore. I would have to avoid combat for a bit to recover my strength. My options were to either set up a camp on this island, hoping no other tremor worms had infested these grounds or head back out into the dangerous seas while injured.

I surveyed under the ground with my u003cSoul Eyesu003e. I could not see any tremor worms in the vicinity. I would try my luck staying the night!

[Quest Issued "Investigate the Chasm Below".]

"Why do you always seek this young lord"s life?" I thought.

[Quest Reward: Capacity to store souls within the Codex.]

The book definitely was scamming me, if it would allow me to store Baron level souls then there was something it wanted within that Chasm.