18 — The Colony (Part 1)
[Flashback — 10
minutes before entering the dungeon]
Vincent approached
Emet, who was checking his inventory, already in Scavenger
mode. Grey skin, white eyes, black teeth. The Primordial Scavenger no
longer transformed between dungeons. This was his default state now.
Emet looked up.
— What is it, pup?
Vincent hesitated for
a second. But it had to be
done.
— Listen. You can
eat everything in the dungeon. Soldiers, Legionnaires, Praetorians,
Princesses. Everything. I’m only asking for one thing.
Emet raised a grey
eyebrow.
— Which is?
— The Queen. The
whole Queen. Heart and body. I want her complete.
Emet stared at him for
a long moment. Then he smiled, his black teeth gleaming. He could
sense the revulsion in Vincent, the way he clenched his fists—ready
to accept any deal but loathing the necessity.
— You need the heart
to evolve, don't you?
Vincent nodded.
— Yeah. That’s it.
Emet held out a
cadaverous grey hand. Vincent stared at the hand, hesitating. Emet
let the silence stretch, then said with a predatory grin:
— You know, we can
kiss instead if you'd prefer.
Vincent stepped back.
— Shut the fuck up.
Emet laughed, teeth
flashing black.
— Exactly, pup. —
He held out his hand again. — Deal. Everything else is mine. You
take the Queen.
Vincent shook the hand
quickly, the cold, dead skin repelling him. Fuck, I hate
negotiating like this. But it was done.
— Deal.
[End of Flashback]
The dungeon entrance
looked like the maw of a scolopendra carved into the rock. The
developers of this one had
clearly never heard of subtlety.
Nova consulted her
interface, brow furrowed.
— Dungeon instanced.
The Colony. Level 10 Elite. Four hours max. Permadeath.
Remember the briefing.
Mélo adjusted his
backpack, pots and pans clattering nervously. Emet was in permanent
Scavenger mode—grey, corpse-like skin, milky white eyes, black
teeth. His long black hair fell over his bare shoulders. No shield.
No armor. Just his fists and a well-earned arrogance.
VoodUwU checked her
camera angle. She had lost 200,000 subscribers since her skin change.
Her Twitch chat was in a state of civil war. She didn't seem to care
much.
Vincent inhaled
slowly. He had been doing this since they
arrived. Emet's breathing technique. It worked. Slowly, but it
worked.
[Controlled
Breathing — Active]
[Psyche: 62% → 65%]
His three black holes
lingered on VoodUwU a second too long. The gothic dress hugged her
curves in a way that was objectively distracting. Focus, asshole.
You're not here for that. He didn't focus anyway.
Nova was watching him.
Again. That look she gave him sometimes, as if she were waiting for
something he wasn't providing. Vincent still didn't get what she
wanted.
— Let's go, Nova
said.
The group entered The
Colony. The interior reeked of mold, raw organics, and stagnant
death. The walls oozed a greenish substance that no one wanted to
identify. The ground crunched beneath their feet. Vincent liked it.
It smelled like the grind—and elite hearts.
The first group
appeared around a narrow corridor.
[Scolopendra
Soldier — Level 10 Elite] HP: 2400 (×15)
Fifteen
three-meter-long bugs crawling on the walls and ceiling. Clacking
mandibles. Chitinous shells gleaming in the green gloom.
Nova vanished without
warning. [Teleportation]
She reappeared behind
the first creature, her rapier piercing a joint with surgical
precision. [-320 HP]Flashy Flash vibes. I know he’s
a guy in heels, but the spirit is there.
Emet charged,
screaming.
— HEY, ASSH*LES!
COME SEE IF DADDY BITES!
[Massive
Taunt]
Strong
like Superalloy Blackluster. Stylish like Zombieman...
The fifteen creatures
pivoted toward him like a single organism. He smiled, black teeth
shining in the dim light.
A scolopendra lunged
at him. Emet slapped it. The sound echoed like a shotgun blast.
[-280 HP] [Stunned: 2 sec]
— FUCK, DID YOU SEE
THAT? MY C*CK HITS HARDER THAN YOU!
...Talks like Puri-Puri
Prisoner on parole. Ha.
Vincent pounced. No
spectacular charge. No war cry. Just economical. Precise. Brutal. He
was channelling his inner Watchdog Man.Total efficiency, zero
waste.
[Savage Rush]
Claws extended, he
slammed into a creature at the joints. The draining wounds activated
instantly, pumping life and Psyche.
[-180 HP] [DoT: 15/sec]
[Echo_Zero: +7 HP/sec]
[Psyche: 65% → 66%]
It’s already
rising. Keep it up.
He opened his maw—the
three holes merging into a hungry void that was anything but human.
[Devastating Bite]
Flesh, fluids, and
organic matter were sucked into the abyss of his mask.
[+85
HP] [Psyche: 56% → 57%]
Delicious. And stabilizing.
Perfect.
Nova danced between
the monsters, her rapier and main-gauche dagger finding every weak
point. When a scolopendra got too close, she vanished in a puff of
smoke. [Clone] The illusion exploded under the
creature's mandibles while Nova reappeared three meters away to
impale another target.
She’s really
good. Too bad she’s so damn bossy.
VoodUwU raised her
staff over the first scolopendra corpse.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
[Hirudic Resurrection]
The corpse twitched,
then stood up. Eyes glowing with a sickly red light. Leeches swarmed
under its cracked shell like maggots under dead skin.
[Resurrected
Scoloptera — Minion] HP: 800
The minion threw
itself at its former kin, mandibles snapping indiscriminately.
Fubuki. Definitely
Fubuki. Man, I’m just waiting for her to get drenched for the
effect...Vincent, shut it. Focus.
Mélo strummed his
Celtic harp, the strings vibrating in a strange melody that made the
very air hum.
[Harmonic Resonance] [ATK +15% | DEF +10% | Regen +5
HP/sec]
Samwise with a
harp. Don’t hate me, Mélo.
The fifteen
scolopendras fell in less than three minutes. Vincent had killed five
on his own. No wasted effort. Every movement mattered. [XP Gained:
900]
Emet headed toward the
corpses that VoodUwU hadn't resurrected. He knelt before the first
one, opened his maw—much wider than any human jaw should allow—and
bit down. The crunch of the carapace echoed through the room.
[Scavenger’s Feast] [HP Emet: 2200 / 2200] [Passive
Regeneration Activated]
Revolting. But at
least he’s keeping his word. Everything but the Queen.
VoodUwU resurrected
seven more corpses while Emet devoured the rest. [Active Minions:
8/10]
— Easy, VoodUwU
commented, filming the minions as they waddled around her like
gore-puppets. Her chat was likely eating it up.
— Wait for it, Emet
replied, wiping green slime and bits of shell from his mouth.
They moved deeper into
the Colony.
The next room was
circular, the vaulted ceiling disappearing into darkness. Cocoons
hung from above, pulsing like diseased hearts. Vincent didn't like
it.
Things moving
inside cocoons are never a good sign.
The cocoons burst in a
spray of greenish fluid.
[Scoloptera Legionnaire — Level 10 Elite] HP: 3800 (×10)
Ten. Bigger than the
Soldiers. Faster, too. Their shells were reinforced with an
unsettling metallic light.
— Shit, Mélo
muttered, his pots and pans clattering louder.
Nova didn't panic. She
never did.
— Staggered
formation. Emet center. Vincent and I rotate. VoodUwU, Mélo, rear
support.
The Legionnaires
charged as a single coordinated organism. Emet planted himself in the
middle, arms spread wide.
— COME ON, YOU
MISBEGOTTEN SONS OF B*TCHES! I’LL TEACH YOU HOW TO SH*T STRAIGHT!
[Massive Taunt]
The ten creatures
lunged at him. He deflected the first attacks with palm strikes,
slapping away those that bypassed his guard. [Devastating Palm
Strike]
A Legionnaire flew
back three meters, its shell cracked. [-280 HP]
— F*CK, YOU MOVE
LIKE AN OLD MAN WHO SH*T HIMSELF! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!
Vincent and Nova
worked in tandem. No need for words. Just a natural synchronization.
Nova teleported, creating openings; Vincent exploited them with the
cold precision of a predator.
Nova fired her fire
rune pistol.
[Rune Shot — Fire] [-420 HP] [Burn: 20 HP/sec]
Vincent immediately lunged at the burning creature, claws
shredding the scorching shell, maw sucking in flesh and flames.
[+140
HP] [Psyche: 67% → 69%]
Even fire tastes
good.
He inhaled. Hold.
Exhale. Hold.
[Controlled Breathing]
[Psyche: 69% → 70%]
Breathing + Leeching.
He was finally finding his rhythm.
VoodUwU's minions
harassed the Legionnaires—weaker, but numerous and distracting. Two
Soldier minions fell under the reinforced mandibles. [Minions
Destroyed: 2/8]
VoodUwU resurrected
two freshly fallen Legionnaires to replace them.
[Active Minions:
8/10]
(6 Soldiers + 2 Legionnaires)
Mélo strummed his
harp with increasing intensity, then pulled out his mouth harp.
[ATK
+20% | DEF +15% | Regen +8 HP/sec]
[Harmonic Resonance]
[Crit Rate
+30%]
The last Legionnaire
fell under Vincent’s claws.
[XP Gained: 1500]
Emet immediately threw
himself onto the corpses, devouring what was left. Cracking shells.
Wet chewing sounds. [Scavenger’s Feast]
VoodUwU resurrected
three more Legionnaires.
[Active Minions: 8/10]
(3 Soldiers +
5 Legionnaires)
Emet wiped green drool
from his mouth, smiling with his black teeth.
— Getting hot in
here.
VoodUwU checked her
interface. — One more group before the Praetorians.
— Praetorians?
Vincent asked, though he already knew the answer.
Nova nodded, brow
furrowed.
— The mini-bosses. They're different.
— Great. Because
normal giant scolopteras apparently weren't funny enough.
A
hexagonal chamber. Red runes were etched into the walls, pulsing like
an invisible heart. Five creatures waited at the center.
[Scoloptera
Praetorian — Level 10 Elite] HP: 6200 (×5)
These
weren't typical bugs. They had the massive lower body of a centipede
and the upper torso of a humanoid mantis. Serrated blades served as
arms, long as broadswords. Compound eyes glowed with cold,
calculating intelligence. Insect centaurs.
— Dammit, Mélo whispered.
VoodUwU
ordered her eight minions to strike. [Minions: Charge]
The
three Soldiers and five resurrected Legionnaires lunged at the
Praetorians in a chaos of clacking mandibles and chitin. The
Praetorians moved like trained combatants—not like monsters, but
like warriors. Their blades spun, carving the minions into pieces
with surgical precision.
[Minions
Destroyed: 8/8]
In less than five seconds, VoodUwU’s entire
army had ceased to exist. Only fragments of shell and dead leeches
remained scattered across the floor.
— Dammit!
VoodUwU hissed. — Going full heal.
[Role Swap: Pure Support]
— Good
call, Nova replied.
Emet roared, throwing
himself forward.
— COME HERE, YOU
MALFORMED PIECES OF CRAP! I'LL TEACH YOU HOW TO S*CK LIKE YOUR
MOTHER!
[Massive Taunt]
Four
Praetorians pivoted toward Emet. The fifth completely ignored the
taunt and charged straight for VoodUwU and Mélo.
— He’s
resisting! Emet growled, already busy parrying the other four.
Vincent
didn't think.
[Savage Rush]
He
slammed into the Praetorian head-on, claws sinking into its chitinous
thorax. The creature spun with terrifying speed, blades whistling
toward him. [-120 HP]Breathe.
Control. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Hold.
[Controlled
Breathing]
[Psyche: 70% → 71%]
Stable.
Keep going.
Nova
blinked behind the Praetorian, her rapier finding the joint between
the mantis torso and centipede abdomen. [-340 HP] The creature
shrieked—a high-pitched sound that made the walls vibrate. Nova
vanished instantly, leaving a clone in her wake. The creature struck
the illusion, which exploded into light.
— Together,
Nova said from across the room.
Vincent
and Nova attacked in perfect sync. Claws. Rapier. Bite. Ice rune
pistol.
[Rune Shot — Ice]
[-380 HP]
[Slow: 40%]
Vincent
bit into the frozen flesh, draining organic matter and vital energy.
[+120 HP]
[Psyche: 61% → 63%]
We’re
actually good together. Damn, we should do this more often. Too bad
she doesn’t give me the time of day outside of combat.
The
Praetorian collapsed. One down. Four to go.
VoodUwU
tried to raise the Praetorian’s corpse.
[Hirudic
Resurrection — FAILED] [Target Level Too High]
— Shit,
I can’t rez them. They’re too high level for me.
Meanwhile,
Emet was struggling against the remaining four. He tanked, parried,
and struck back, but even for a Scavenger, it was brutal. [HP
Emet: 1650 / 2200] VoodUwU had abandoned all hope of
resurrection, switching back to pure healing.
[Continuous Drain —
Maximum on Emet]
[+25 HP/sec]
Mélo
strummed his harp like a man possessed, stacking buffs. Then he
pulled out his mouth harp.
[ATK
+20% | DEF +15% | Regen +8 HP/sec]
[Harmonic Resonance]
[Crit Rate
+30%]
Emet
groaned under the assault, his grey arms trembling slightly. [HP:
1450 / 2200]
— YOU’RE NOTHING BUT BURST-CONDOM SCRAP! I’VE PL*WED COLD MEAT WITH MORE F*CKING LIFE IN IT THAN YOU!
[Ultimate Taunt — Rage Generated: MAXIMUM]
The sheer foulness of the taunt left even his allies recoiling in horror, their blood running cold with a mix of shared fury and absolute revulsion. All but Vincent.
The
four Praetorians lunged at him in a blind fury, all tactics
abandoned. Emet grinned, black teeth shining. Exactly what he wanted.
He slammed his palms together toward them with monumental force.
[Pressure
Wave — AoE Cone]
[Paralysis: 8 sec]
The
four creatures froze in place, muscles locked, blades raised but
motionless.
See? That's the fucking King Engine right there.
— NOW!
Emet roared.
Vincent
and Nova didn't waste a heartbeat. They fell upon the paralyzed
creatures in perfect synchronization. Nova teleporting, blasting,
hitting the joints; Vincent clawing, biting, draining. Total
efficiency. Maximum results.
The
four Praetorians fell before the paralysis even wore off.
[XP
Gained: 3100]