My Life As A Reborn Monster

I looked up just in time to see the lumbering stone giant.... ant... raise its giant tower shield and begin to slam it down towards me. I was still in a state where everything was slowed down but I was starting to notice that the golem was starting to glow a faint purple more so as the seconds went by.

'Shit, boss this thing has the properties of the unrefined mana crystals. Its getting faster and stronger the more you use your magic. I can keep the absorption going but who knows what will happen when that thing becomes fully refined.'

'Yea I know, But we can't just not use our power. That's the only way we can survive, so for now we will just have to take the ant on at full strength and try our best to survive. Go ahead and go full force with the absorption and let's get this refinement process over already, hehe just think of the amount of experience we can get for killing this guy.'

'oh lord, just please focus on the fight please. I want to go back to sleep.'

I just shook my head and jumped out of the way of the shield smash. I ran up and tried to use lightning slash on its legs to topple it over, only for my claws to get bounced back as if they clashed with something much harder. I was a bit shocked as earlier the bars were easily destroyed by my attacks, but now I can't even so much as scratch this thing. 

Is it because it's gaining my mana affinity and not just absorbing the pure mana? That thought scared me a bit as I continued to dodge multiple attacks at once. Thankfully when it attacked it would aim for one specific spot, so It made it easier for me to get out of the way.

I was trying to think of what to do but as it started absorbing more and more from me I noticed that the stone making up its body had begun undergoing a slight transformation. I would notice a faint shimmer when it moved its spear like limbs to attack, and I would have to move faster because of the speed increasing. I also noticed that after an attack its stony mandibles would clack together and then It would feel like the air was being sucked out of the room for a few seconds.

Is this thing really developing space attributes? If that's the case then things are going to get a whole lot tougher. So I used up a good chunk of my power and released my Breath of light attack.

It was actually super effective, not because of the elemental difference but because it was so hot that it actually seared straight through the parts that weren't fully transformed. I was a bit sluggish afterwards, it seems that attack still took alot out of me. Maybe the amount of mana used is to blame, but pushing that thought aside I decided that until I figure out another way to damage it I would just dodge as best I could and keep unleashing that skill.

Or so I thought until I blinked and a shimmering purple sword came from the side almost in an instant and almost sliced off my head. I barely had enough time to duck and narrowly miss the decapitation. A cold shiver went straight down my spine as I could feel the pull from the sword itself. It felt just like my spatial spells did as they impacted with enemies. The gust of wind that followed behind the slash was enough to almost knock me into the air.

"Holy hell Digger, this thing is to crazy. I think you need to recall this guy." I said while keeping an eye on the stone ant. Well I should say the Spatial stone ant. I had forgotten whatever name that Digger had called it as I didn't really give a shit what he said.

"I don't think so you prick. Just because you can't handle something like this doesn't mean that I'll give you a handicap. I want you dead so I can use what's left to become the perfect creature. Now enough talk, Stone Guardian, Finish him this instant!"

I then had to quickly duck and roll away from 2 of the spear like limbs almost impaling me. Fortunately they got jammed into the stony ground and it was now having trouble pulling them free. I took the chance and jumped up onto its head. I used a technique that I had seen a certain overgrown lizard do to overgrown moth like creature. I braced myself and unleashed a full-powered Breath of light directly into its head. 

I was running on pure fumes at this point but I did not give up. I pushed past my limits and used up everything thing I had and infused it all into this breath. The attack started to take on a purplish color and increased in intensity, As it came into contact with more of the spatial stone ant's body. a suction force started to form and it was getting hard to hold on. I kept up the attack for a few more seconds before jumping off and trying to get away as far as possible, I had realized something as I was attacking.

What happens when one spatial element encounters another spatial element and then proceeds to overload.... Yea well I was thinking the same thing and that's why I tried to get the hell out of there. But it looks like It was too late as the force that was drawing me in was becoming almost to much to handle. I was losing ground, even being forced to drag my claws straight through the stone floor itself. I couldn't think of anything else to do so I used my mana hands to start digging through the floor itself as fast as I could conjure them. 

I never looked back and only focused on surviving but I could hear muffled screeches coming from the direction I was being dragged to. I could only feel sorry for the ant that was at the center of all this. I finally got a decent foothold that I could use to keep myself steady enough to dig deeper, But the force suddenly stopped sucking me in, that's when I really started to panic as the air itself started to heat up almost to an unimaginable degree. I used everything I could use to get as deep as possible before what I feared was going to happen, happened. I had dug roughly half of my body length before I was forced to just hunker down and try and harden the earth around me as much as I could.

Then everything went silent, not even my breath was audible as shortly afterwards a force that was a 2 times as powerful as the one that was dragging me was now pushing me into the earthen wall infront of me. It was like an explosion of epic proportion had just gone off only a few feet behind me. My scales and bits of my flesh had started to deteriorate, my tail was completely burned away. and my back was starting to bubble and crack from the heat that was cooking me like a steak.

It lasted for what felt like years as eventually the pain I felt on my back started to numb away before stopping all together. I was thankful for it finally stopping but not really thinking much of it, as far as I was concerned in that moment, maybe one of my skills went into overdrive to keep me alive.

I tried to move but was still unable to and only when I forced myself to turn my head with all my strength was I able to feel the immense heat once again. I was horrified that the heat and pressure was still ongoing even after the huge amount of pain that had finally stopped. Then It clicked in my head as for what happened and I went slackjawed. I quickly infused as much mana as I could into Regen and started fighting back against the damage. I knew I had to outlast this even if I was reduced to nothing but bones. I would find a way to live through this.

----------Sondar POV----------

I was still trying to get over how my sworn brother had willingly let himself become essentially a combat slave for that madman of a mole. I couldn't believe it, but when I took a look at Hannah who was at the moment sleeping while getting her hair brushed by the twins, I could see how he gave himself up like he did. I can feel what he feels and the sheer determination coming from him as he looked down at his adopted daughter was awe inspiring. 

I smiled while trying to get up but failing to do so as I grunted and crashed back down to the floor.

Shorunt came over and after scolding me about not resting well enough, he helped me up and led me to the families that were still milling around in one corner of the base.

"Hey, My names Sondar, I know that what you went through was very traumatic but we have to figure out who wants to do what. Now like our leader Vexsus said, you guys can choose to either leave and try and find the exit on your own, or become our companions and help us to get stronger and fortify this area and one day go back to rescue him. So what's it gonna be?"

I stared at each one for a moment trying to get a read on them, I saw a few potentials but otherwise I was a bit disappointed. The majority of them had looks of submission on their faces, as if they had given up on living and was just waiting for the reaper of souls to come and take them from here. I was shaking my head and about to turn and go back to eat before being stopped by the Lizardman who Vexsus said was his brother.

"Hi, my name is Gaia, Like Vexsus said I am his brother. Although I betrayed him while we were younger He still gave me a second chance and in his own way, he rescued me and so I decided. I will once and for all swear my loyalty to my brother and follow him until death!" He said while pounding his chest proudly.

I nodded and smiled. "Good, good, We could use someone like you. He said something about you being a 'Fallen Dragonoid?' Can you tell me a bit about that?"

"Ofcourse, but first I want to introduce a couple other people who want to help. This is Jasper and his younger brother Victor. They were captured shortly after I was and then given to that moleman for experiments. Vexsus had promised them to help but even after leaving, they were impressed by his personality and want to be a part of his party aswell."

"Hey names Jasper, Don't forget it, My job before being captured was a Scavenger for hire."

"He-Hello... My name is Victor.... I am a Scavenger to like my big brother..... But I'm not as good as he is though.." He said while shyly looking down and looking ashamed.

Jasper then hit the back of his head before yelling. "HEY, WHAT'D I TELL YOU ABOUT LOOKING DOWN ON YOURSELF, Ugh I told you that if you work hard, you could easily surpass me. I'm sorry about Victor, he has so much potential but he has a confidence issue." 

"HAHAHA, well it looks like we gained another pair of trouble makers. Good, good, I accept all 3 of you, If you will go with Shorunt here along with any others who want to join and go over to meet Sylvania, our inhouse co-mastermind behind this operation. She will give you a once over and then place you in the jobs that are most befitting of your skills." I said before turning around and walking over to the campfire that we had kept going all this time. I stared at it for awhile and then over to the still body of Kitsoma that was being preserved by a constant stream of magic from Shorunt and Sylvania combined. 

Sylvania had conjured a ice coffin for her, while Shorunt would regularly go over and inspect her body to make sure nothing was wrong. We all wanted her back, Vexsus seemed so eager to charge in and get her soul back. I looked down at my arms, one was still broken while the other was healed up but was a nub from the elbow down. I smirked before jumping up. If Vexsus can overcome everything that's thrown his way than so can I.

Then A loud BOOM echoed though out the cave, and the cave shook and quaked before settling down after a few minutes. Then the temperature around us all started to rise and some of the people who were near the ant tunnel entrance even started coughing before collapsing from the heat. I quickly turned my head over to Sylvania and shouted.

"SYLVANIA, CONJURE A THICK ICE WALL OVER THAT TUNNEL NOW, I WILL FOLLOW BEHIND AND CLOSE OFF THE TUNNEL. EVERYONE HUNKER DOWN AND GET READY FOR A HUGE EARTHQUAKE. PARTY MEMBERS CAST PROTECTIVE SPELLS OVER AS MANY AS YOU CAN, VEXUS HAD JUST SET OFF ANOTHER BOMB!!!"

Everyone panicked but the original party members knew what to do and quickly got to work. The ice and stone walls were erected with haste and anyone without a protective spell cast over them were then placed inside another ice/stone room. Minutes went by as we waited for the blast of intense heat and flames to come blasting through, but as we waited nothing happened, then as if an explosion had gone off in my head, I knelt down and screamed in pain. I knew this wasn't from my body, It was from Vexsus, and he was in incredible pain.

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[Earth Manipulation] 10 - 12

[Earth Wall] 0 - 2