Millibelle's POV
As I blitz through the sky towards Mount Fulgurite I go over what Shadow experienced in my absence. The moment the effect of that accursed Control Diadem ended, she managed to wrest control away from me and make me sleep.
Just as well. I'm pretty sure the castle would be leveled to the ground had she not.
Now it's her turn to rest. We're both running on fumes, mentally, and it's getting harder and harder to fight the urge to isolate from the World and just be with my Servants.
But...
If we do that, who knows what'll happen to Valena and the other Champions. Sure, they have the equipment I made them, but that will only get them so far. If they were to encounter Leicher, or gods forbid, my brother...
I fear they'd not be able to put up much resistance at all.
So I need to acquire a way to be immune to, or at the very least massively resistant to, the Malice. Then I can join them in the fight. Then I might be able to...
My thoughts are interrupted as a colossal thundercloud looms in the distance. That must be Mount Fulgurite, wreathed in black, roiling clouds. Even at this distance, I can see the occasional flash of lightning within it.
As I get closer, I notice that the storm hasn't moved despite the strong winds. It clearly isn't natural, then, as a normal storm-cloud would have been swept along by the wind. What's even stranger, is that the cloud looks to be disintegrating.
It starts subtly, with small parts of the cloud becoming more gray than black before turning white and finally disappearing completely. By the time I land at the foot of the mountain, the cloud is completely gone, and the sun is shining brightly, as if there never was a storm there at all.
The muddy, rain-soaked ground is all that's left to tattle about the storm's presence. Even that is absent just a few meters behind me, clearly marking the edge of the storm. What a bizarre phenomenon.
I look up at Mount Fulgurite. Its a sharply inclining mountain, most of its surface is sheer cliff-faces, but there's enough flat-ish ground to support a dense growth of trees that are present almost to the top of the mountain. It would probably be a beautiful sight in the spring and summer, but with all the bare branches now, it just looks depressing.
I sigh before walking into the forest of bare trees, noting how there's occasionally a taller, more jagged-looking tree that stands apart from the others. Their bark is reminiscent of charcoal in color and texture, but if I sense closely, I can tell it's alive.
A dense gathering of Lightning Element near one of these peculiar trees catch my attention. As I get closer, an ambling herd of monsters emerge, rapidly dispersing into the forest in no particular direction and without a sense of haste.
One of the smaller ones come up to me, letting me get a closer look at it. Its head is not unlike the cap of a mushroom, big compound eyes at the end of stalks emerging from beneath the brim. Its body is thin, noodly, seeming far too weak and spindly to support its head as it wobbles to and fro in an almost rhythmic fashion.
Where its body meets the ground, it widens considerably before tapering off into twelve tentacles which it uses to move around with. Two of the twelve are much longer, however, and are held much like arms would.
What on earth are you?
*Squinched Bodach*
*A strange Sprite aligned to Plant and Lightning. Little is known about them, as they only appear in remote areas far from humanoid habitation that are also often hit by lightning-storms. From what little has been observed, they seem to collectively huddle up near tall trees during storms, as if wanting to be hit by lightning. Once hit, the normally slow-moving and quite placid Sprite will become energized and lethal to the touch as it will unintentionally discharge Lightning Element when it comes into contact with any conductive surface, such as a metal-armored hunter. This state seems to last only a day or so, during which the larger specimens will fight each other, the victor being the one carrying the highest amount of Magic within it. The one that has the most 'wins' by the time the effect of the lightning wears off seems to become the leader, all others of the group now following its lead as it takes them to another location.
Due to its rarity, there is little research into the use of its parts, though its seed-like eggs have been found to contain a large amount of Lightning Element.*
*Rating: 3 Stars*
The small Squinched Bodach moves its eye-stalks, trying its best to make all six of them look at me at the same time. One of its 'arms' reaches out to me, the tip of it splitting apart, revealing that the inside of its six 'fingers' are lined with teeth. A radula moves about where these fingers join together, reminding me of the mouth of an octopus, despite there being a toothed tongue instead of a beak.
Just when it's about to touch me, a flash of electricity jumps between the little monster and me with a harsh 'spak' sound. The loud noise and the sudden light causes me to flinch involuntarily, my movement seeming to frighten the Squinched Bodach as it quickly wobbles away from me.
Every hair on my body stands on end due to the static electricity left over from that zap as I absentmindedly rub the point of contact, looking at the quickly disappearing forms of those odd monsters. If they prefer places far from humanoid habitation, what will happen once humanoids settle here?
*Squinched Bodachs are nomadic in nature, and will even construct simple rafts with which to cross bodies of water in search of suitable habitation. In the worst case scenario, it would be possible to round up the population and transport them to your Domain.*
Ah, so they'd just go somewhere else... But I can't help feel bad that I might end up chasing them away from this place. I push the worry to the back of my head. I'm not even sure this place has what I'm looking for in the first place.
Continuing to walk through the forest, I soon come across another strange denizen of the mountain. At first I thought it was some sort of weird spider-type monster, but as I got closer, it's more apt to call it a kind of beetle instead. I can't count how many of them there are, but they coat the steep sides of the mountain.
Their body isn't too big, their abdomens are the size of my fist, but their most striking feature has to be their legs and antennae. They're long. Like, one leg is easily over a meter (~3.2 feet~) in length. Their antennae are even longer, and constantly whipping back and forth, seeming to measure the space between its own legs and those of its neighbors.
As I observe them, I notice that their abdomens all glow. It's hard to tell in the daylight, but at night, the entire mountain-side would no doubt be illuminated by the hundreds of thousands of beetles that crawl across it. They all seem to be eagerly grazing on some sort of lichen.
*Volt-Nova Beetle*
*An Uncommon Insectoid, a part of the Nova Beetle family. When a Nova Beetle feeds on plants and fungus high in Lightning Element, it eventually Evolves into a Volt-Nova Beetle to better cope with its diet. Like all species of Nova Beetle, it possesses the Last Hurrah Skill, letting it let loose a devastating final attack once its HP hits 0. In the case of the Volt-Nova, its Last Hurrah inflicts not only Lightning Damage, but also Paralysis.
Its droppings are a prized treat for Kechi, especially for Thunder Kechi who use it to supplement their diet.
Since there is an area of effect to the Last Hurrah Skill, Volt-Nova Beetles are always cautious about getting too close to each other, only getting close when it is time to mate.
Their bodies are destroyed when they die, only occasionally leaving behind a Magic Lightning Crystal that has formed in their gut during their lifetime, meaning they're most often only utilized as an environmental weapon when hunting other monsters.*
*Rank: 2 Stars (though their Last Hurrah Skill can effortlessly kill even C-Rank Hunters if they get caught in the blast.)*
Ah, so that's why their legs are so long. It probably helps them determine how big their explosion will be, so it's safe if your legs aren't intersecting with the neighbors legs.
I pause, watching one Volt-Nova Beetle lift its rear, a golden orb being ejected from its butt before it resumes eating. There's a light 'tink' each time the sphere hits the cliff-side on the way down, before embedding itself in the muddy ground in front of me. So that's beetle poop, hum...
Just as I bend down to pick up the strange orb, a gray blur whizzes past me. With it, the golden orb. Annoyed, I look in the direction of travel, and see a gray... gargoyle?
It's certainly gargoyle-looking, with leathery gray skin, a bat-like nose and piercing yellow eyes. Its large ears, almost like those of an Indian elephant, wave back and forth as it stares me down, jealously gripping the Volt-Nova Beetle poop in its paws. A long, fluffy tail twitches in anticipation of my next move.
*Kechi*
*A Rare Goblinoid. Appears in places with high concentrations of a single Element, such as Mount Fulgurite. Has also been reported to inhabit the Domains of Elder Dragons. Shares but a few similarities with Goblins, suggesting perhaps that the Kechi is a product of convergent evolution.
Seeks out food with high amounts of Magic, using it to grow stronger and more proficient in manipulating their chosen Element via Skills rather than via Spells. Highly competitive with other members of its species, they nevertheless adhere to a form of companionship, with the weaker Kechi obeying the stronger ones.
Their hides can fetch a small fortune due to the difficulty in procuring them, and the incredible Magic Armor it provides to equipment made from it.*
*Rank: 3 Stars (one - add a star for each additional Kechi fighting together.)*
The child-sized monster bares their teeth at me, exposing a set of dentures not unlike those of a baboon. I'd not want to get bitten by that. Honestly, I'm not even that interested in that poop. You can keep it.
I turn to leave. I still need to find those crystals Seul mentioned.
*Scan complete. Source of high Lighting Element concentration found near the top of the mountain. It is considerably faster to simply fly up there.*
All right. Spreading my wings wide, I send the Kechi scurrying for cover. Ignoring it, I take off towards the top of the mountain. It wasn't visible from below, but the top is remarkably flat though devoid of any foliage. Tall crystalline spires jut out of the ground, some deviating and looking more like trees or... coral.
I swoop down next to the tallest crystal. It's practically humming with Lighting Element to the point I'm fearful of touching it. Let's see what you are...
*Fulgurum*
*The crystallized refuse of a colony of single celled life. Despite their simple bodies, the sheer number of them working together to create and shape the Fulgurum makes it hard to not consider each Fulgurum spire one single organism. Shards of Fulgurum that break off the main spire due to erosion or damage from lightning-strikes quickly germinate where they fall, creating a new spire in a short amount of time.*
*Analyzing...*
*Analysis complete. The strange weather phenomenon is in fact caused by this colossal Fulgurum spire. It might be more apt to call it a Fulgurum mountain, considering the entire mountain is one giant Fulgurum geode. All these spires are actually part of the same supermassive colony.*
*By utilizing Ethereal Phase, it is possible to reach the center of the mountain. Depositing a large enough Perfect Magic Gem within will start the first step of reviving the Demigod of Lightning.*
So... this entire colony of protists can become the Demigod of Lightning?
*Correct.*
Wow. I take a step back from the spire. Makes one wonder, though, since Lightning Element is needed to feed the Fulgurites, and this colony can create its own weather... how did the colony appear here in the first place? It might be self sustaining now, but it wasn't when it first started out.
A voice, low, slow and more like a deep rumble in my head than anything else, speaks. I was too preoccupied with the Fulgurum to notice his presence, but now that he's talking to me, I pinpoint his location at once.
I turn to face the monster. It looks like a giant gorilla but with the head of a mandrill, though it still has those strange elephant ears and fluffy tail of its younger form. Its skin isn't leathery, but instead coated in a pitch black fur interspersed with bright- nearly gold- yellow stripes like that of a tiger.
It has three horns, one on its forehead, jagged like a bolt of lightning, whilst the two others look more like oversized cow's horns, one on each side of its head. Intelligent, bright yellow eyes peer at me from their deep set position in his face.
*Thunder-Lord Kechi*
*An EXRare Goblinoid. Only a Thunder Kechi that was strong enough to be the undisputed leader of its troop for many many years has the possibility of Evolving into a Thunder-Lord Kechi. It is the most feared form of Kechi due to its raw strength and shocking intelligence. As it ages, it might even become capable of Telepathy. It jealously guards its territory from both younger Thunder Kechi and other monsters that might intrude into its Lair. Members of its own species are sent scampering, badly hurt but alive, other monsters foolish enough to oppose the Thunder-Lord are torn to shreds and eaten. It will warn off humanoids, but shows no mercy if its warning isn't heeded.
Although it is fiercely territorial, it often inhabits remote areas, so there is almost never a need to hunt a Thunder-Lord, but its parts are said to grant equipment unparalleled protection against Lightning. Some even claim weapons forged from the third horn of a Thunder-Lord grants the wielder the ability to summon lightning at will.*
*Rank: 7 Stars*
"Who was your master?" I ask, keeping a close eye for any sign of hostility.
The Thunder-Lord settles onto his haunches, his face serene with recollection.
Nue... the japanese chimera, its roar is said to summon lightning, even from a clear sky. Getting the required Lighting Element must have been easy for him, then. I tense slightly as I notice the Thunder-Lord's face shift slightly, his expression becoming angry.
He swallows back an angry growl, a mix of frustration, sadness and anger within.
"I'm... I'm sorry for your loss." I offer my condolences. It seems like he means no harm to me, at least.
His question, no, his entire way of being seems odd to me. To just appear like this and tell and ask like this...
"I plan to revive the Demigod of Lighting. In fact, I plan on reviving all of them-" I sidestep as the Thunder-Lord launches a punch towards me, his movement so fast I wouldn't have registered it without my Predict Movement Skill. A cloud of dust is knocked into the air as the whiffed punch creates a sizable dent in the largest spire.
The shadow of the Thunder-Lord comes alive, snaking up toward his neck, wrists and ankles before solidifying and taking the form of Dark Shackles. I activate Royal Presence to its fullest potential, my presence becoming so powerful that gusts of air emanate from my body and my mane flows on its own.
The Thunder-Lord Kechi is only able to take the smallest of gulps of air, his tail between his legs and fangs bared in a display of fear.
His voice is distorted, an unpleasant crackle to it, as if it's from a poorly tuned radio.
I smile, retracting my aura slightly. "That one never died. How can I revive something that isn't dead?" A misunderstanding... that's all... "I've already revived the Demigod of Plant. I'm currently scouting suitable hosts for the other three. Your colony of Fulgurites are the perfect host of the Demigod of Lighting, as I'm sure you're aware."
He nods, the movement stilted and stiff.
"Yes. Faith is needed for the Demigods to thrive. Monsters cannot produce Faith, so I'm forced to rely on humanoids for it." I withdraw my Royal Presence almost completely, leaving it ready to spike just in case.
"My Domain is able to host any biome. If you desire, you can settle there. Or, you can become my Servant, and I'll ensure your troop will be safe."
*Note: Entering a Servant's Bond with this Thunder-Lord Kechi will convert their Lair into a part of your Domain. All Minion Status eligible monsters within the Lair will become Subordinates of the Thunder-Lord Kechi.*
*Thunder-Lord Kechi wants to become your Servant. Accept?*
Yes.