The man fell beneath the water, his legs being pulled out from underneath him. Terror filled his eyes as the water filled his mouth and ears. The water was dark and murky; even Luna's glow was hard to see beneath the surface. He thrashed out, striking what held his legs; with the strike, the grip relinquished for a moment, allowing him to resurface. Gasping, he took a deep breath, refilling his lungs. Trying to run, he moved away, but to his dismay, the sound of moving water appeared behind him.
Luna, swimming in the water, dove out of it, wrapping her hands around the man's throat, pulling him backwards and causing both of them to collapse back into the water. Water sprayed through the tunnel, soaking the stone walls and roof that were not in contact with the liquid. It swayed violently, limbs thrashing in and out. Luna's hand still wrapped around the man's neck squeezed tighter, causing his already little amount of air he had left to betray him. His face contorted, and his eyes bulged; he reached out, trying to escape the water.
With the weight of a girl holding him, his vision began to fade, turning red before darkness slowly consumed it. With a final struggle, he grabbed at Luna's wrists, pulling with all his might. With his strength, he ripped her hands from his throat, quickly escaping the water.
Coughing, he spat out water. Gasping violently, he looked at his trembling hands. Still holding Luna's wrist, he walked to the shallow part of the water, dragging her out of the liquid and holding her face to face with him, her feet hovering above the water. "You fucking bitch, you're lucky that you're pretty, or I'd have killed anyone else who tried that!"
Not responding, Luna smiled at him, and with it, excruciating pain shot through his body. Instinctively, his hand opened, releasing Luna and allowing her to fall to the ground. The man, screaming in agony, brought his hand to his eyes; his palm was missing the entirety of its skin, and in some spots, bone could be seen through the muscle. What remained bubbled, and the aroma of burnt flesh got caught within his nose.
His body trembled as the hand continued to dissolve slowly on its own. Tears flowed freely as the muscle began to melt away, leaving his hand to fall limply to his side. His eyes fell upon Luna, who looked up at him in joy. Fear and pain mixed within his body, causing him to tumble back, falling into the water, which reached up to his knees.
"Impossible, wh-what are you?!" He yelled as he looked at the beautiful girl in front of him.
"What am I?" She asked, allowing a small chuckle to escape. "Well, I'm a demon!"
The man's eyes went wide, the word demon echoing in his mind. His body tensed, and he started to drag himself away as quickly as possible. He looked into her red eyes, and what stared back was a blazing flame.
"Stay away!" He screamed. Luna took a step forward. "Get away!" He kicked wildly at her.
She laughed aloud, grabbing one of the man's feet and activating Sticky Slime lvl 1. "Since you know now, I really can't let you escape. I'm pretty sure I would be as good as dead if people found I was a demon." Luna sighed. "I'm going to make you suffer, like you made that girl suffer."
She quickly converted her hand into slime through Gelatinous Form lvl 3. The man's foot was absorbed instantly; sizzling filled her ears as it dissolved within her gelatin. His screams echoed through the hall. Trying to pull free, he failed as his melting foot stuck to the slime. He thrashed violently, tears racing down his cheeks and falling into the water.
Luna smiled as the foot fell apart completely, being absorbed fully into her. Even though she wasn't eating the man's foot, she could still taste the sweet blood that came from it. The man writhed beneath her, but she wasn't done; her slime was working its way through the man's leg. Terror plastered his face as she grabbed onto the man's other foot. He tried pulling away but was already caught in her slime.
Minutes passed, and his screaming turned into raspy wimpers, the slime devouring up to both of his knees. His eyes ran dry, red and puffy; his mouth quivered; his once colourful skin completely drained of its lustre. His nails bled on his remaining hand as he had spent a majority of the time scratching at walls trying to break free, but now the hand lay limp at his side, too weak to move.
He looked at her, not able to speak, but his eyes expressed his thoughts. They screamed, please end me. Looking down at the defeated man, Luna sighed, pulling her gelatin away from him. "You deserve much worse..." She said, grabbing the robbed man's head with both of her hands.
His eyes widened as she did, but after a moment, relief washed over his face. The sensation of his skin and muscles begging to melt made him writhe, but no tears or screams came. He lay in silence as Luna's slime extended farther into his skull, until his movements fully stopped. Slumping, his body fell beneath the water, turning the bluish-brown liquid a deep crimson.
Acquired 80 exp
New skill acquired, Voice of Command, Lvl 1
The purple popped up in front of Luna, surprising her suddenly. Sighing, she looked at the screen.
Voice of Command? Was that this man's skill? This must have been how he was controlling everyone earlier!
Quickly, Luna opened the Demon System fully.
Name: Luna
Title: ####
Race: DemonBorn (Mythical)
Tier: 1 (fledgling)
Class: Devourer (Mythical)
Lvl: 2 (110/200)
Blood: (25/150)
Skills:
Intrinsic:
Tier 1
Gluttony lvl 1- ???
Gelatinous Form lvl 3- 17 blood
Body Density lvl 2- 11.3 blood
World's Knowledge lvl 1- ???
Tier 2:
One With Acid lvl 2- 4 191.5 blood
Regular:
Tier 1:
Demonic Regeneration lvl 7- 82.8 blood
Heightened Perception lvl 4- 24.5 blood
Earthen Sense lvl 2- 11.3 blood
Sticky Slime lvl 1- 7.5 blood
Voice of Command lvl 1- 7.5 blood
Tier 2:
Pain Nullification lvl 6- 67 352 blood
He really gave me a lot of blood and EXP too! For a man with only one trick, he was sure difficult to take down, but definitely worth it! Looking at the corpse, she activated World's Knowledge lvl 1. I should have used this earlier when he was still alive, but I completely forgot.
Human, lvl 5
It still worked! Even on a corpse. And level five- no wonder he was so strong. And no wonder he gave me such a large amount of rewards.
Thinking of rewards, Luna looked at her skills, focusing on her new one.
Voice of Command lvl 1 allows the user to control someone at a lower level, provided the user is looking directly into their eyes when issuing the command. The skill can also affect higher-level individuals, but the effects will be greatly diminished if it does take effect, making it likely that the targeted individual will break free of control. Has a limited number of uses in a row based on the user and the targeted users. Commands must be simple.
"Wow, so this is how it works..." Luna said aloud. "Amazing."
Looking down at the body submerged in water, she sighed, only if I could test it on you...
Her eyes fell upon the two holes in the man's head, and for a moment her stomache growled, and her eyes glowed slightly brighter. "Well, I can't leave you here like this," She said.
Placing her hands upon the man's head, she began eating away at the corpse. First she devoured his head, then moved down to his torso, eating away at the bones, flesh and organs. The taste of the man's blood almost made her salivate, but she held it in, instead just enjoying the bliss that his flesh gave her. Finally, she finished with the arms and legs, absorbing them until nothing remained. Luna, with a final lick of her lips, stood up; where the man's body used to be was now an empty silhouette.
Nothing left that can lead back to me being a demon... She closed her fist tightly while looking at her skills again. Her eyes moved from one skill to the next, her mind pondering each one. I need to boost my less attention-grabbing skills so I can defend myself better, especially when people are around me.
A few skills came to mind as she looked at her options
The first being Body Density lvl 2,where it increased her total mass by 20%! This was an overall strength boost that allows for her body to weigh more without actually changing its size; it also doesn't affect her speed at all. This skill allowed her to be deceptively strong for her size without the drawbacks of being too bulky.
Another two options were Earthen Sense lvl 2 and Heightened Perception lvl 4, but those were more for locating danger and avoiding attacks. Even if she could avoid more, it wouldn't change things if she could not defeat what was assaulting her.
The final option was Sticky Slime lvl 1, where she can still use the skill by converting her palms to slime while grabbing onto her opponents without them realizing that it was a skill, reducing their ability to get away. This could be very beneficial in certain situations, which is why it was considered.
Thinking about all of the options, Luna listed all the options from best to worst. Last was Earthen Sense, useful but only for detection. Next was Heightened Perception, a skill better for spotting enemies and reading their movements, a more evasive ability. The second-best was Sticky Slime for its usefulness, but the first was Body Density, as it can be used for far more and its effects seemed slightly superior to the other options.
Looking at the screen, she saw the number next to the skill; with a simple thought, she felt as if some of her saved blood was being drained away.
Body Density lvl 2->3 Increase total mass by 30%
With the skill upgraded, Luna fell to the ground, causing the water to splash throughout the hall, covering the roof and walls. Her core felt like it was on fire, and her body felt heavier. Breathing hurt, and her movements were sluggish. It felt as if she was being crushed beneath her own weight. The heat inside her was building, as if it could explode at any moment. With a ragged scream, her core combusted, the heat spreading through her entire being. As it faded within her, the weight that had crushed her vanished; with it gone, she let out a pained gasp, deeply breathing in the rancid air around her.
Slowly standing, she could feel the difference almost immediately; she felt more powerful, more explosive. "I feel amazing." She whispered. Pushing her foot into the stone ground while clenching her fist.
Breathing out, she looked back at the purple screen, realizing that the next upgrade cost was too expensive. 17 blood! Shit, I wanted to upgrade it one more time... Sighing, she closed the screen. I guess I'll save up for it then.
Beginning to move, she walked back into the water, going deeper with each step until her head was submerged completely. With a small stroke of her arm, the water spattered, droplets flying in every direction. She swam through the liquid with ease, reaching the other side in a matter of seconds. Stepping out of the water, she looked down.
"My clothes are ruined!" She shouted, pouting while holding the ends of her linen shirt. Suddenly, with Earthen Sense lvl 2, she could feel chaos coming from behind the shelf door at the end of the hallway. It seemed as if five people were destroying the room. Rushing forward, she reached the entrance, her Heightened Perception lvl 4 allowing her to hear what they were saying clearly.
"Luna! Where are you!" the voice that she recognized as the commanders yelled out. Followed by four other unfamiliar screams.
Heat bubbled in her chest as the words entered her ears; with a broad smile, she clamped her hands around her mouth and shouted as loudly as possible. "I'm right here!"