Looking back I saw a large wall of webbing sectioning of the cave. Periodically a hand, claw, or paw would break through the webbing before being cut off and the hole repaired.
Sending a tendril of my remaining mana to it I began erecting a castle wall using the webs as extra support. Finishing up fortifications I moved onto lodgings. Even though I was weaker in my Golem I continued using it because of the rats's Plague and now the mushrooms spores. With them filling the whole cave with them I didn't want to get a fungal infection or if I died become a puppet.
Creating a pocket of rock sealed from the air, I searched and found a nearby pocket of a cave creating a tunnel between the two just big enough for the air to enter and flow.
I entered slowly allowing my golem suit to mesh and enter the pocket. Exiting the golem I wiped off some sweat that had accumulated in my brow. That thing got really really hot when I was fighting. Unfortunately in my little cave Pocket I couldn't light a fire so I had to eat the still okay leftovers. Chewing thoughtfully, It dawned on me, I had only been eating once a day and I still felt completely fine. Typically I would have gotten famished and began feeling sick if I skipped a meal. Huh, I mean I could see the logic.
Opening up my character sheet, I scanned my stats, looking at my physical stats I noticed something missing. Where was Endurance? As if noticing my confusion a window appeared.
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[Alert!]
The Physical Stat Endurance has been made Redundant by a combination of your race [Daemon of Protection and The Depths] and your rank up. The Stat [Willpower] will act similarly to Endurance.
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Hey! I want my refund then! I invested points into that stat!
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[Alert!]
No refunds for already invested stats even if said stat becomes redundant.
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*Sigh* Well fuck you to system. Shaking my head I focused back on my new stat points.
Until I finished killing off these shrooms I needed to focus on my mental stats. I slammed 5 into both Intelligence and Wisdom.
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Mana:(3/119.5)
Mind Stats
Wisdom: 11.9
Intellect: 12
Memory: 5.8
Perception: 5.8
Intuition: 4
...
The energy of system struck outwards worming it's way throughout my brain. Falling like a puppet with its strings I stared at the cave wall. My mind failed to truly comprehend the pain like a giant sticking it finger into you skull and wiggling about.
Like waves lapping at the beach, slowly like a tide the pain receeded but by bit. Until finally I passed out.
...
'Boss Get Up Get Up' A load voice punctured my mind. My head throbbed angrily revolting against the idea of waking up. Slowly I sat up, rubbing my eyes trying to banish the pain the welled up inside my skull.
Shaking it off, I realized that Anastasia was trying to contact me telepathically.
'what is it Anastasia?' I asked I began repairing the scuffs, cracks, and pocket marks on the golem.
'Boss there's something breaking down the Wall, Get Your Ass Up!' she yelled sending spikes of pain throughout my head.
'okay, okay, I'm getting up Im Getting Up' I responded, before My brain processed the information. Cursing under my breath I jumped into my golem and allowed my golem to melt and the resurface through the rocky exterior.
Anastasia, was waiting outside, bouncing up she climbed up my golem suit.
'Oh, I see you remolded your Golem, it looks vaugely humanoid, what's it supposed to be?' she asked as I began moving towards the wall, I heard banging echoing across the cave from the wall but saw no signs of actual breaking in.
'It supposed to look like a late medieval to early renaissance era Knight' I explained.
'Uh, Understood none of what you just said Boss' she responded confusion clear in her mental tone.
'Didn't expect you to, and I unfortunately don't have time to get into Medieval European and Middle Eastern History right now.' I said before taking off.
We soon reached the wall and I could fractures where the creature on the other end was banging. I readied my self as I was surrounded by silk puppets with the spiders hanging on webbed fortifications hanging form the upper walls and ceiling.
*BOOM* flecks of rock broke of from the wall.
*BOOM* timing the slams against the wall I readied. Reaching out I prepared to lift this section of the wall.
Opening it, I saw a humongous bear barrel out the opening. Like the mole shelves of mushrooms and veins of its spores spread like spiderwebs across its bodies. One of its eyes was replaced by a colony of mushrooms and the other frothed with seething hatred.
It opened it Jaws and boom of sound echoed outwards. The sound reverberated through my golem into me. The thing took the opportunity to bash into me Chucking me like a ragdoll.
I slammed into the floor about 50 yards from where I was thrown. A small elliptical crater surrounded me. Reaching out with mana I patched and condensed the golem. Looking up I inspected the golem.
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[Cave Bear Cub(3rd Host of the Ophiocord Mushroom)] Level: 20
Rank Two Animated Undead
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Well fuck me, seriously that thing was a cub? On its paws the dam thing was ten feet tall and hit like a train. Reforming the shield on my golems left arm I readied myself. Lumbering slowly it rolled over Anastasia's silk puppets. They tried to pierced the things hide but it was futile effort.
"Ahaha, You know I couldn't believe my luck when I found this thing dead? I couldn't hope of piercing this thing's hide." The Mushroom goaded. The bear began picking up speed slowly, readying myself I fused the sole of my golems feet to the floor and erected a [Knight's Bulwark] and [Force Field].
*Boom* It slammed head first into my shield [Knight's Bulwark] flickered for a moment under the Force of the attack. Rasing my Club I smacked it's snout causing it sputter as I essentially booped it in the nose.
Raising its paw it bashed downwards on my shield. The earth underneath me was giving way by the sheer force. Focusing I summoned a giant spear of rock and tried to impale the bear from its underside.
"Gah ha ha, you thought that would work did ya?" The mushrooms goading voice revirbated across the walls of the cave. As the spear I had summoned stopped dead In its tracks finding no purchase in the bears fur.
This time it raised both paws before slamming it's while upper torso into my shield. [Knight's Bulwark] cracked, before it shattered like glass and it's slammed down on [Force Field]. Desperate I mentally latched onto a nearby boulder sucking up 25 Mana to move the massive thing and have it slam like a sideways meteor.
*BOOM*
The sound of it crashing into the bear echoed as the boulders massive bulk pushed the bear successfully pushing it off me. Jumping upwards I elevated myself as much as possible before pulling my golem down as hard as I could slamming down on the bear 'cub'. This time there was a grunt of pain before it shoulder checked me into one of the few somewhat standing ruins of the once village.
Quickly I scrambled upwards, just to watch the bear lumber forward. With my supernatural perception I noticed something, the mushrooms seemed to be pulling its legs up slowly moving it. I had an idea.
'Anastasia, could you perhaps start a fire?' I asked her the plan forming in my head.
'Uh, why boss I know this is a large cave but the carbon dioxide is still dangerous' she asked sounding perplexed.
'the mushroom is having to forcefully move this thing, if I can push this thing into a big enough fire and keep it there I could cripple it.' I explained as I slowly circled the tanky creature.
'uh okay boss I'll Trust you on this one' she said.
Refocusing on my task I began to slowly backing away using my speed to my advantage, as long as I stayed away far away form the creature I should be fi—
I felt my self being kicked from behind right into the bear which bitch slapped me back into the ruins. Quickly raising my shield as I struggled to get up. I felt another blast of force, looking at the jackass creature I saw a 5 foot even jack rabbit with half it's face replace by mushrooms.
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[Rabbit Scouting Lieutenant(5th host of the Ophiocord Mushroom)] Lvl: 15
Rank two Animated Undead
...
Of course fucking of course. Snapping forward I tried to strangle the rabbit. Until the large paws of the bear slammed me into the ground. Gritting my teeth, I summoned a cacoon of rock around me before I blasted outwards. Cracking through the cacoon I tackled the middrift of the bear. Will a push of will I levitated my self and the bear into the air. Sucking up 50 Mana. Dropping the bear I pivoted off a [Force Field] toward the rabbit.
It turned twitched its ear and dodged my rightful smite. I began throwing spears and blockades in its path as it tried to regroup with its buddy.
Scanning briefly I saw a small growing bonfire being maintained by silk puppets. Mentally marking where it was I blasted off after the rabbit.
[Flow of Combat] picked up on the stumbling bear. Dodging out of the way of its attempted sneak attack I quickly prepared. Shifting my arm I caught the leg of the rabbit as it tried to push me into the bears attacks. Slamming it down onto the ground I swung it around like my club I bashed it into the snout of the bear. Barely affecting the bear but wiping the rabbit of the census.
Dismissing the XP notification I backed away dodging the creatures attack I continued luring the bear towards the location of the fire.
It was like a walking natural disaster, each and every step cracked stone under its massive bulk.
It was slow going, every now and then a mushroom puppet would try to assist. Thankfully most were pretty weak, weak enough to easily make them a hashtag.
Eventually the bear began to build up speed, its previous slowness washing away as it began running. Each step sent shockwaves through the air and rock. As I saw the shadows cast by the flame I smiled in my golem.
Standing right in front of the fire I made it look like I didn't want it going in, trying to goad the puppet. Dodging out of the way of the massive creature, it barrelled straight into the flames. As It began to burn the creature tried to escape. Summoning twenty Mana and a ten Divinity [Force field around the flame, I watched as it tried desperately to escape the flames until finally the outside layer of fungus burnt off. Unable to hold its weight It collapsed. Returning my attention the rapidly regrowing hoard charging through the front gates I jumped to assist leaving the bear go slow cook. Having enough Mana to manipulate my suit enough, I charged it to the center of the growing mass of creatures. Shield checking one I summoned a rock claymore to compensate for the club which had been left in the ruins.
Swinging it around I began a circle of corpses as I could sharpen the temporary claymore to supernatural levels.
"NO, NO, NO YOU STUPID UPSTART APE!" the mushroom screamed causing my ears to bleed form the nails on chalkboard quality that it's voice possessed. I pushed the flowing hoard of puppets back to the opening in the hall as the Spiders worked on reinforcing the wall.
...
[Alert!]
The XP you gained from the slaying of the level 20 [Cave Bear Club(3rd Host of the Ophiocord Mushroom)] has been converted into the [Flamekin Bear Pelt Cloak] a rank two rare item.
...