Underworld - Proving Grounds: A LitRPG Series Read online

  A fine mix of hoots and chuckles followed in response. Everyone was there. This had originally been planned as a meeting just for the council members, but everyone showed up and, after our fight the day before, I saw no reason to limit what I had to say to a specific group of people. It was probably better this way.

  I looked around the room at the faces of my friends. Our group had grown if you counted Zorik the imp, Khun the dungeon spirit and Ujurak the dwarf. In the beginning, there had been cliques among us. Skyler and his group had gone their way. Aeris and I had gone ours. The attack of Lord Darius had driven us closer together. Necessity had forced our bashers together, as well as our casters, when we fled our starting dungeon to get away from Mistress Nava. The two groups had worked together, but there was a separation nonetheless. Now, things had changed. Fighting mobs constantly in the Outer Perimeter and relying on one another in the life and death battle against Waldemar had had more of a positive effect than just raising our levels.

  Wearing a suit of armor that matched Richard’s, Skyler stood there with his helmet inventoried, and Audrey hanging on to his left arm. She’d never hid her interest in him, though it had been mostly flirtatious until this morning. This was the first time I’d seen them acting like an actual couple. It looked like she had claimed him and, whether he liked it or not, he was now hers.

  At first, I couldn’t stand him and didn’t understand what she saw in him, but I slowly learned that he was more than just a hard nut that no Nutcracker could crack. Skyler could be fiercely single-minded, allowing him to focus on one thing with the tenacity of a pit bull. That and he was loyal to a fault. It made him a good natural leader for our bashers.

  The little black girl hanging on to him with her natural curls in a pixie bob looked almost comical hanging on our massive blond headed tank. I knew better than to let her size fool me though. Her wit was searing and only her Fire Magic burned hotter. She was as blunt as Olivia could be, but also as friendly as Aeris so her jabs usually didn’t sting as bad. She wore a crimson breastplate and orange crystalline bracers. There was a change in the irises of her eyes. Streaks of red seemingly erupted out of her pupils all around. She hadn’t changed to her true form like Aeris, or Ascended like me, but her Fire Magic was definitely having an effect as she grew more powerful.

  Our Earth Mage Clarissa stood to Audrey’s left. She was one of the few people in our group that still didn’t look to be affected by her magic. Her long blond hair wasn’t currently hiding under her helmet, but resting on her back, and she wore shorts and a t-shirt instead of the gown she normally might. She had an athletic build, but her height kept her rather petite.

  Kylie was next to her. I’d healed her, but she still looked exhausted. Even her freckles looked tired. It was probably from the mental stress of the fight yesterday and worrying about Travis all night. He was there with his arm wrapped around her. Despite his transformation last night, Travis looked like he had gotten a full night’s rest. Speaking of transformations, I remembered him as one of the strongest looking guys when we had first arrived in the Underworld. He had obviously grown taller and lost his gamer gut. His thighs were massive, and his shoulders looked as solid as small boulders.

  Perhaps I was wrong. If there were any cliques among us, we were split between the couples and those that were still single. That was natural enough.

  I couldn’t see them, but I suspected Chris was standing next to Lydia, behind the others in front. I saw Russ with Olivia standing behind Travis and Kylie. Next to them came the rest of our group. Mel, our Dark Mage, was standing next to Steve, our assassin and farmer. Zorik was close by. George, one of the sledge brothers and our swine breeder, stood next to the remaining sledge brother Perry. Kylie’s friends, Jess and Melony were at the end with Trevon. Ujurak the dwarf stood in the back with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. That wasn’t all of course. Richard stood at the front of the group in from of the dungeon map and I was off to the side with Aeris riding on my Skeletal General’s Horned Helm. Besides my skeletal armor, I was still in my human form.

  “And now, our shapeshifting, blood sucking, and flesh devouring healer, Elorion!” Richard concluded his introduction.

  I felt Aeris pat me on the side of the head from her perch above. She knew these kinds of things were embarrassing for me, especially after Richard did his thing. I had nothing against his lunacy though. Humor went a long way at a time like this.

  I laughed with the others and waited until everyone had calmed down. “Good morning,” I began, not really sure how to broach the topic of my leaving. “Congratulations I think are in order after what we faced yesterday. Outstanding job, everyone.”

  There were no cheers in response, but I saw the looks on everyone’s faces. I couldn’t entertain them like Richard, and I didn’t need to. Honesty was something they’d always appreciate. “We faced the impossible and we overcame. Take some time to enjoy our victory. You’ve earned it.

  “I almost hate to say it, but we aren’t finished facing impossible odds. Mistress Nava has yet to come after us herself, but now that her apprentice and the captain of her guards have fallen, it’s likely that we won’t be facing her minions any longer. It’s needless to say how powerful she is. She’s an opponent that I don’t think we can defeat. Not yet. Which brings me to the question at hand. What must we do to get powerful enough to defeat her?”

  The room was quiet. Skyler, our bashers’ captain, looked deep in thought. Olivia, our lead caster, was looking at me intently. I knew she would have much to say, but she was graciously holding it back until after I gave my own explanation. There were a few others who would normally be more than happy to share their opinions, but they also remained silent.

  “Very well,” I said. “I have come up with a plan that I ask that you let me explain in full before you ask any questions. It’s based upon my suspicion that Waldemar found us because I was training my Light Magic.”

  I held up my hand to stop everyone who started to object. “I know Clarissa walled me in, but the minotaurs found us within days of me starting my power leveling. Continuing it here is a risk I don’t feel comfortable taking. Before I leave, there is much that needs to be done to prepare.”

  I began to explain to them that I wanted to plant an entire field of wheat grown using my Light Magic. The small amount of mana I used when raising crops was only a fraction of a fraction compared to when I was pushing my Light Magic to the limit so it shouldn’t draw Mistress Nava to us. My reason for wanting us to only use Light Magic and not any of the other schools was the universal stat buffs it gave. Especially since, as it became a daily part of the swine’s diet, it was possible that the buffs could improve. We’d already found out that eating magic bacon two days in a row extended the length of the buff. Doing this would give Sanctuary enough food for them and the cave swine for a few weeks. We’d be back by then so that I could help raise another crop.

  I also planned on teaching Russ and Clarissa Arcane Engineering. They were in many ways more suited to it than I was, at least for now. Besides, one of the main stops I planned on making was the Wraith’s tomb. Perhaps I could learn more secrets that could help us defeat Nava. It seemed that utilizing Arcane Engineering would be a more than one person affair.

  “The first stop I’m going to make is to investigate our little goblin problem.” If there was a colony of them close to us, it needed to be taken care of before it became a real issue. Remembering Feuer, the Incubus that had been leading the imps, I feared that they might have a powerful evolved monster leading them. I didn’t voice my fear so as to not cause unnecessary worry.

  “I won’t be going alone. Aeris is coming with me and we’d like to take one other person. Travis will have to stay here.” I watched him as I spoke. As disappointed as he was, he nodded that he understood. “Olivia and Skyler will be in charge. We can turn on the Dungeon Aura to attract creatures as soon as they’re ready. I’ll leave the timing up to them.

  “So that
’s a general explanation of what I have in mind. Russ will continue breaking down the minotaurs’ gear and advancing his blacksmithing. Clarissa will finish the construction projects she started. Breeding the cave swine is a big priority and harvesting the wheat will take work. Lydia has her alchemy projects in the works—those health potions worked great by the way. We all have some leveling to do. Any questions?”

  Like a blast of Aeris’s Wind Magic, everyone responded at once. My little Wind Sprite’s assessment of how they would respond was right on the money, as usual. I waded through the first onslaught before looking for a question to answer.

  “Why does Aeris have to be the one to go?” Skyler said. His deep voice carried above the others.

  “Because she’s prettier than you are,” I replied, surprising myself.

  The laughter that followed slowed the number of questions being asked. He just shrugged and didn’t argue the point.

  “That’s not the only reason.” The remaining voices ceased momentarily. “If Mistress Nava finds us, Aeris is the only one fast enough to get away and warn everyone else. There is also something that she can help me with that no one else here can. I need someone to teach me to fly.”

  Everyone’s mouths seemed to drop open as one.

  That’s right. Everyone had seen me in my Incubus form, but I hadn’t told them that I’d been holding back one of my form’s most interesting features. “Aeris, could you hop down for a moment?”

  She levitated off my helm and slowly drifted down to stand at my side. Seeing her knowing grin, I gave her a wink.

  My skeletal armor vanished, and I took off my shirt. Unable to help myself, I lifted both of my arms out to the side and began to flap them like a bird. With my ascended body, it was hard to be embarrassed. I gritted my teeth and started to flap faster.

  I watched Aeris raise her hand to her face to hide behind it while the others watched intently.

  Unable to hold back any longer, I literally fell to my knees as those that had been trying to hold back their laughter let loose. Richard was starting to wear off on me. Glancing up, I saw everyone’s faces twist into scowls as they realized it was a joke. Faceplanting on the floor, I couldn’t stop snickering as I tried to apologize. It was a long moment before I could pick myself up and stand.

  With both hands up in surrender, I felt the heat of everyone’s glares.

  “So who wanted to go in my place?” Aeris said.

  I could see the mirth hidden beneath her frown. Holding my hand up to my mouth, I acted as if I was about to sob. My hands curled up into fists as I threw them down, flexing my arms, chest and abs with a smooth jerk of strength. Mana exploded from my back at the same moment and my blood red Incubus wings shot out to span six feet in either direction. I’d kept my human form other than my new addition. It wasn’t just the wings that had formed though, but the powerful back muscles that controlled them.

  It seemed everyone was tired of the facial gymnastics my charade had led them on. I didn’t see the surprised looks I’d hoped. They just stood there blinking.

  Aeris’s voice cut through the silence. “Seriously. Who wants to take my place?”

  Chapter 3 – The Tail

  The conversation continued for another hour before everyone’s questions were satisfied. Satisfied might not be the best word for it, but no one came up with an alternative that changed my mind about leaving.

  Olivia and Skyler didn’t even wait for everyone to leave the room before they had Khun turn the Dungeon Aura on to attract monsters. About half of our people headed toward the Outer Perimeter. It looked like they had decided their break from fighting was over.

  I got started on planting and growing the crops that would keep the others going while I was gone. It was more tedious than difficult. I had to plant the grain and feed it Light Magic until it reached maturity. At that stage it would survive while I was gone and not lose its magic properties. One thing I wouldn’t be able to help the others with was the daily harvest that would have to be done in order for our grain to keep its potency.

  Just because my job was tedious didn’t mean I couldn’t do other things while I worked. I was limited in what I could power level because I didn’t want to use Light Magic. 7,386 Mana Per Minute still gave me a lot of room to work though. Fire Incubus Form cost almost twice as much MPM as I had, but with my mana pool I could still keep the form going for about half an hour. I already missed amping up my Mind Buff.

  Fire Incubus Form had reached level 97, so it wouldn’t level quickly no matter what I did when I was limiting my buffs. There was something I’d been toying with in the back of my mind that I’d been wanting to try out. As a shapeshifter, there were no rules saying that I had to stick with a single form. I could mix and match as I pleased within the natural rules of what each of my forms allowed. There was much to consider. Just as Magma Fist had seared the flesh of my arm when I’d first tried to cast it in my human form, pain awaited me if I didn’t respect my magic. I needed to figure out how well the different aspects of each of my forms would work together.

  I cast Stone Skin over my left hand and wrist before Magma Fist took shape a moment later throughout my hand and fingers. I had perfected the skill enough that it only took 2,000 MPM. Primordial Cat Form was still only level 10, but it was practical experience from playing around with this sub-spell of the form that allowed me to cut 1,000 MPM off of its casting. It made me question all my other manipulations of other forms and spells, but I’d get to those when the time came.

  There was another form I had to add to the mix. My skeletal armor once again receded from my torso and my Fire Incubus wings sprouted from my back. At level 97, Fire Incubus Form cost 232 Mana Per Second, or 13,920 MPM. The wings were only one aspect of the form, but they were huge in size compared to my Magma Fist and yet they cost nearly the same amount.

  I wouldn’t try flying while I was working, but I wanted to have my wings out just so that I could get used to how it felt to move around with them.

  Stretching them out to their full span, I could feel the leather-like membrane tighten as it became taut. As I leaned from side to side, they naturally shifted with my weight to help me balance. They had more mobility than I would have guessed. The new muscles in my back were the oddest part of the experience. It wasn’t like working out and feeling the muscles that you normally use. These were powerful, flexible, and ready.

  Pulling my wings in tight to their rest position, I couldn’t help but think they became surprisingly compact. The joint at the top of their reach where they folded in two hung over my head at about the height of where the horns of my skeletal helmet would be. I didn’t think they would get in Aeris’s way, but I was curious what she would think of them being there.

  I moved to a different plot of soil that Steve had already seeded and let Light Magic flow out of my still human hand at a steady pace into the ground. He was already three plots ahead of me and would probably be done with the entire field before I got halfway finished.

  With just over 3,000 MPM left, I took a moment to look myself over. My chest was bare, showing off the tight muscle and more durable skin my ascension had left me with. Skeletal armor covered me from the waist down with thick sheets of solid bone and rounded joints where the sheets connected. My Magma Fist had its heat contained, so it looked like a sculpture of igneous rock. It was still a little creepy watching my own hand move in its solid state.

  I didn’t currently have my helm equipped, so all that I saw were my own wings towering behind me when I twisted my head to look back. Curious, I loosed them from their position of rest and wrapped them around me so that I could see what the membrane felt like. As I gently touched it with my human hand, a chill went up my spine as I felt the sensation through both my hand and wing. I didn’t feel anything through the membrane directly, but the smallest pressure pulled at the nerves along the bone of my wing’s frame. What I felt with my hand didn’t feel natural. It was as if the armor-like skin of the Fire Incubu
s had been stretched across a canvas. It was much more elastic than I’d realized.

  Another use for my wings became immediately apparent. Wrapping myself with them would give me an entire new layer of armored protection to hide behind.

  I manipulated my skeletal armor to solidify over my chest and took my time experimenting with how best to shape it on my back so that it wouldn’t interfere with my wings’ movements.

  There was another non-form spell that I’d been thinking about for a while now.

  Tail Regrowth

  If your tail is severed, at the expense of mana, you are able to regrow it.

  Note: If you do not have a tail, or want to manipulate your tail to possess talons, claws, or pinchers, this spell must reach its final level.

  At first look, this spell seemed worthless since I didn’t have a natural tail of my own, but the promise of being about to grow one when it reached its final level was like a hidden challenge that had me intrigued. Since I was going full shapeshifter mode, adding a tail to my repertoire seemed like a must. On the practical side of things, I already knew the utility of having extra appendages. Having a fifth limb would take practice, but it could give me another advantage. Besides, I could just uncast the spell whenever I didn’t want to walk around with it.

  I sifted through my shapeshifting forms, looking for the best one to steal a tail from. Many of them I could forget about entirely. Slimes didn’t have tails, and neither did werewolves. Primordial Cat had one but using Tail Regrowth probably wasn’t possible since Magma Manipulation allowed me to reshape the magma however I desired. Minotaur was a no go and so was the Rock Giant Form. Hell Hound was the only form I had with a good solid tail, and this one could burst into flames—it looked amazing. The only problem was that it was much shorter than I had in mind. If I was right about Tail Regrowth, though, in time that would change.