[Tiny, retreat and eat something, restore your strength!]
The limiting factor here is our stamina. I might have taken less damage than Tiny, but his robust physique will provide him a lot more energy. After constantly using my advanced physical skills, I’m beginning to run out of gas.
My two sub-brains are currently tasked with maintaining the Domain. A constant flood of Gravitational Mana flows out of my gland and into the construct powering the spell. Thanks to the bottomless upgrade, I don’t need to worry about running out of Mana in the short-term. My feet are sucking up energy from the floor every passing second, but the rate of transfer into Gravity Mana is still painfully slow.
Tiny shakes his head but ultimately can’t refuse my order. He throws himself behind me and starts stuffing his face with the plentiful Biomass littered across the tunnel floor. The food will help accelerate the healing of his wounds and give a little extra fuel in the stamina fire.
[Crinis! Go with him, this is going to get dangerous!] I yell as I flick the little ball of dark rubber at Tiny as he runs past.
With all of these attacks raining down on me, I don’t want the little one to get squashed by accident with her not being combat ready. Vibrant at least is a proper monster, with a carapace to protect her from any glancing blows.
With Tiny gone, the monsters descend on me like locusts. I can’t even tell how many there are or if we are whittling down their numbers. My impressive, nearly three-sixty degree vision is giving me a wonderful view of monsters mouths trying to attach themselves to my person!
I continue to absorb the battering, laying out with my mandibles at every opportunity. In an effort to avoid complete exhaustion I stopped using my skills and instead started channelling Mana into my mandibles to add a bit more punch to my bite.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
The horrific sounds of my jaws at work mix with the howls and savage cries of the beasts. I felt like I held on for hours, but it was probably only a minute before Tiny’s furious voice rang in my mind.
[FIGHT!]
Sounds like he’s had enough eating. I bolt to his location at the rear of the fight as he charges into the fray once more. I try and stay close behind him while stuffing my face with Biomass and activate my healing gland to recover from the battering I’d just received.
I hope Tiny can hold on for a while, I’m knackered. This is the weakness of my body right now. Mental power for days but not enough combat effectiveness yet. I need to start practicing the water transformation construct as soon as possible!
Tiny re-joins the fight with relish and pounds his opponents into the dirt with rising glee. The electricity on his body is still crackling away, blasting the occasional monster into a deep-fried version of itself. Does he ever run out of electricity?
Apparently not! With a mighty bellow, Tiny raises both hands over his head, bringing them together for a slam. Once his fists rise into the air all the electrical energy crackling over his body floods up his arms, concentrating on his fists, and they shine so brightly I wish I had eyelids.
As the electrical energy intensifies, a static whine grows in pitch until it rises above the register I can hear. I can still feel it though, causing the hairs on my antennae to violently shake.
The monsters around him don’t seem to know what is coming as they charge, leaping at Tiny, desperate to take a bite out of him.
Then those fists come down and the tunnel is filled with lightning.
The entire tunnel shakes when those fists impact the ground, knocking most monsters off their feet. The electricity contained in the strike erupts, rolling outward from the point of impact in a forward arc. Crackling over the floor, it slides along the ground like a wave. Every monster it touches gets thoroughly cooked. Dozens of monsters collapse as the tide of lightning explodes through their ranks, decimating the foes in a blinding flash.
That. Is. Hot. To. Death!
Tiny, you the ape!
74. Crinis Unleashed
I haven’t even finished celebrating Tiny’s spectacular Lightning Wave technique—named it myself—before my joy is quenched by more monsters rushing up as the ones in front collapse from being overcooked.
How many of these damn things are there going to be!
I hurriedly make use of the room Tiny bought us by stuffing my face full of Biomass. Every bit counts! I also snap up my status to check on any skill changes. I want every edge I can get in this critical fight!
Hmmm.
I’ve gained a Level of Shattering Bite and two Levels in Advanced Exo-Skeleton Defence. Letting myself get battered by a horde of trash seems like a good way to train that skill, if painful. Looks like I’m going to get battered to hell all over again in a minute. The next wave of shadow beasts will be on us soon.
Seems I also managed to gain two Levels from the conflict as well. Not too helpful at the present moment, but nice to know!
[Master!]
[Crinis, what’s up?]
[I’m ready!]
Those monsters are closing in quick. I don’t have time for a chat!
[Ready for what?]
[To fight!]
[Fight what!]
I really need her to get to the point here.
[…I’ve finished my growth phase,] she slows down to explain to me clearly. [If you point me at the enemy, I can fight them.]
Oh… Ohhhhhh! AWWW!
[Quick, grab on!]
I shift an antenna over in her direction, and the little tennis ball sized glob of dark rubber latches on. She’s still the same size as she was before.
[Are you sure?] I ask.
[Positive, Master.]
[Ok then… Here you go!]
I flick her into the air directly at the onrushing beasts. Tiny watches as she sails over his head, tracing a graceful arc through the air. As she travels, something remarkable happens. She starts to grow. From a little tennis ball she expands. By the time she reaches the apex of her arc, she’s inflated to basketball size, and as she descends, she continues to become larger. Just before she vanishes into the crowd of monsters, the central sphere of her body unfolds and dozens of powerful, barbed tentacles appear, surrounding a horrific, open maw.
Dis gon be good!
Almost giddy with anticipation, I skitter up the wall to get a better view of the action.
Just in time too!
Once that inflated ball vanished from sight, sunk into the middle of the onrushing horde, a few seconds passed and then… chaos!
Tentacles flailed wildly as Crinis unleashed the true power of the Jellymaw! Mowing down monsters like a scythe or gripping them, lifting them into the air and crushing them before they are tossed into that endless mouth.
Monster after monster vanishes into Crinis’ gullet. She doesn’t seem to change size at all! Whatever dimension they’re travelling to, I hope their end is a peaceful one. The monsters do their best to fight back, slashing at her tentacles or dashing in to bite at her. I’m sure they’re doing damage but I can’t see it.
At the rate she’s eating them she might just be healing it right back up anyway.
Between the shredding and I, Tiny stands quite still, squishing to death any monster that gets close enough or tries to slip past him. I think he might be enjoying the show just as much as I am!
[How’s it going, Crinis! Do you need help?] I enquire.
[No need, Master. You don’t need to sully your mandibles with this trash.]