But first, I had to tame it. Tame Lesser Insectoids only worked from a very short range and while it didn't require actual touch, I still had to get close enough to it that I practically could touch it. And that was a problem because I was sure that the spider-scorpion’s perception had to have risen too after it had grown. I had time but not an infinite amount of it. I inched close to my target, watching for any twitching or stiffening that indicated that it was waking up.
\\Minor Stealth is now level 5!
I almost jumped at the notification but Cold Blooded stopped me. Now that I was closer, I noticed that over half of its tail was caked in dried blood. A mental image of that appendage stabbing through the guts of hapless victims rose unbidden in my mind and I was once again reminded that these creatures were originally made to destroy civilizations.
\\Minor Stealth is now level 6!
Wow, it had to be really strong if my stealth was levelling this quickly. No, now was not the time to be distracted. Any moment now. And done, I was in range and I had managed to do it without waking up the monstrosity before me. I gently set my crutches down until I was sitting at roughly eye level with the slumbering Insectoid. It was even more terrifying up close than I had thought from afar. I didn’t need Intimidation, taming this was enough.
“Tame Lesser Insectoid” I whispered. My mana almost halved itself.
And it didn't work.
And the thing began to stir. Its massive tail was uncoiling itself with the sound of a heavy corpse being dragged across a floor as the bulk of its mass began to rise. Its many eyes focused on me and I could see black slits in the middle of the crimson orbs. The hair that covered its body bristled and its mandibles clicked. Every inch of its body promised my death and it would not let me even attempt to resist that fate. And I understood it, understood that I would die before I could force myself to even move. I was in the presence of a far greater predator than I was equipped to handle.
Cold Blooded activated instantly and my body could respond again. My mind split, one operating perfectly and doing what I knew had to be done, and another that just observed disinterestedly. Which one was I? I couldn’t ever answer that. I knew that there was only one option left that wasn't an absurd gamble. My eyes tracked the stinger racing towards my face and my lips quickly and silently formed the words.
\\Cold Blooded is now level 7!
\\Tame Lesser Insectoid is now level 5!
\\Dead Quiraion’s Blessing is now on cooldown. Cooldown remaining: 365 days.
\\[SWARMCALLER NOVITIATE] is now level 5!
\\Spider-scorpion worker successfully tamed. You can now command it.
\\You can now see the status of your spider-scorpion worker.
\\You can now cast your swarm magic by using your spider-scorpion adult as a catalyst.
The tail froze in mid air just inches away from my face and then retreated as the spider-scorpion curled it back around itself and then relaxed its legs. I supposed it was a gesture of surrender or supplication. And thank Quiraion for that, my mana tank was almost entirely depleted and I had no other tricks left. Nothing a measly 10 points could accomplish unless I planned to fight it off and I doubted it would have worked. My trump card was unavailable for a year now. Even though I believed the creature was a worthy investment, I hadn't wanted to use up the blessing so soon but it was pointless if I died right here and now. I noticed that I had a new option in my interface that read “Tamed Companions”. I ’clicked’ it.
NAME: [NONE]
CURRENT RACE: [SPIDER-SCORPION WORKER]
TIER: 3
AGE: 2
MANA: 40/40 (REGEN 8 PER HOUR)
BIOMANA: 189/330 (REGEN 132 PER HOUR)
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STATS:
STRENGTH: 32
CELERITY: 27
VITALITY: 34
ACUITY: 8
WILLPOWER: 6
PERCEPTION: 20
ATTUNEMENT: 8
SKILLS:
PASSIVES:
- Ravenous: 28
- Ambush Predator: 21
- Wild Terror: 12
- Omnivorous: 9
- Poison Resistance: 19
- Rapid Healing: 18
- Biomana Converter: 21
- Hunter of Men and Monsters: 28
ACTIVES:
- Inject Venom: 29
- Perpetual Molt: 15
- Genetic Assimilation: 4
- Burst of Speed: 27
- Paralyzing Gaze: 13
- Sharpen Limb: 23
TRAITS:
- The Herald of Ruin:
- Blood of the Third Calamity:
- Tamed:
I assumed the traits were because of the history of the species as a superweapon. I doubted a 2 year old monster that had earned the moniker of “The Herald of Ruin” was not even six times as strong as me. A sufficiently determined child could kill me! Whatever the Third Calamity was, it had to have been powerful to have earned that name. I hoped it was not around anymore.
My Diverse Insectoid Physiology Knowledge was constantly trying to tell me about this Third Calamity but the train of thought just fizzled out every time. It died before it could even get going, evidently its power or age made it beyond the purview of the skill at the moment. All I got from it was that it happened a long time ago and the idea of desolated cities and even the gods being involved.
The last notification was also welcome as I hadn't had the ability to test out my two swarm spells yet. Hasten Swarm sped up every action of the swarm by 10% with the perception (not the stat) and reaction speeds to match for five minutes while Molting let insectoids heal to full health over a few hours as long as they weren't dead by forcing them to molt their exoskeletons. Both required a target insect and cost 25 and 50 mana respectively so I hadn't had the means to see how effective they were but now I just had to wait for my mana to recover. The spells were already a force multiplier for another force multiplier and they weren't really that costly compared to my regular skills.
A cracking noise brought me back to reality and I noticed for the first time what the spider-scorpion was resting on. Eggs. At least half a dozen of them and they were all hatching as one, as if magically knowing that their mother was no longer going to protect them. They were all ugly and slimy as they attempted to crawl out of their eggs. My knowledge skill hadn't told me that it was a mom earlier. Spider-scorpions didn't have any sexual dimorphism and reproduced asexually using the prey they consumed to introduce genetic variation so as far as I was considered, they were all potential moms.
Before I could order my totally not a minion to deal with them, its tail lashed out and crushed them all, egg shells and chitin both squelching instantly under the sheer mass of the serpentine limb.
\\Spider-Scorpion Hatchling x6 slain
\\[SWARMCALLER NOVITIATE] is now level 7!
Wait, I got the experience for the kills it made? That solved a lot of problems. Oh yes, forget whatever I thought about its appearance. It was the best pet ever. I looked at it in a new light, the spider-scorpion’s body was slack and its eyes had lost the spark of a predator that it had before, and I just knew that it would never regain it. I won't ever allow it to.
In some ways, it was a lot like me, wasn’t it? Disfigured, broken, and condemned to being alone. It too, like me, was made for a war that it had no real stakes in but was forced by its nature to fight and die in. And it too, for the scary exterior, was just trying to survive. And if not for my needs, it wouldn't be shackled and made to fight. To it, I was not that different from Quiraion was to me. I didn't feel sorry for magically enslaving it, oh no, I wasn't that nice. But I understood it. And by understanding, I empathized with a man eating spider. And that was, in its fucked up way, a beautiful thing too.
Almost unconsciously, I raised my hand and touched the hairy head of my new partner and gently rubbed it, carefully avoiding its eyes. It was a friend now and friends didn't poke each other's eyes out. It felt coarse and hard under my fingers but I didn't mind.
“Want to hear a story? Back where I came from, there was a tragedy about a princess who fell in love with a man. They had two kids before the man foolishly decided that he wanted to abandon her for another princess.” I whispered lightly as far too many red eyes stared blankly at me, not really comprehending what I was saying. That was fine. This felt important.
“Now the first princess had sacrificed a lot for the man, including her very birthright and family. So do you know what she did?” I couldn't stop now even if I wanted to. Something was compelling me, something that I knew that I could only stop by rejecting the creature before me in every possible way and I wouldn't, couldn’t do that.
“She decided that she would take away everything from the man and make him bitterly rue his unfaithfulness for the rest of his wretched life. She had given him his life, his fame, his power. And she would take it all away. She poisoned the second princess and then killed her own children and then finally, she fled before her deeds could be discovered. In just one day, one flash, the man had lost his wealth, his family, his love and the person he was attempting to court and he only had himself to blame.” I leaned closer as I felt some power build up in the air like static. An alien blue light seemed to shine down upon me for just a moment.
“That princess’s name was Medea. And from now on, you too shall be known as Medea and together, dearest Medea, we too shall have our revenge.”
\\Tame Lesser Insectoid is now level 8!
\\Medea, the spider-scorpion adult is now your familiar.
\\Skill Enslaved Familiar’s Bond learned
\\Enslaved Familiar’s Bond: 1
Familiars are base creatures that a person may bond with to form a life long partnership. A familiar is the closest friend of its owner and together they form a team that's greater than the sum of parts. A familiar and its master are one unit and betrayal of that bond is anathema to both. You don't have that kind of bond and now you never will. You have broken a creature's mind and warped its very nature at the fundamental level to serve your own ends and thus, somehow, you have a ‘familiar’.
With each level, your familiar has 1% more stats rounded down when in your proximity. The range at which it is considered to be in proximity to you is 0.333 meters per level +5. Any beneficial effects on your familiar will be 5% stronger if you apply them yourself. Furthermore, you can mentally order your familiar to perform any task and it will attempt to do it to the best of its ability. Your familiar can also deliver touch based effects for you. Your familiar can never disobey you. Current bonuses: 1%, 5.333 meters and 5%.