Symbiotic: Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The volcano’s heart chamber pulsed with molten light, shadows dancing across jagged walls as the magma lake churned lazily. Sara sat down, cross legged upon the scorched stone. She pulled the Greatworm Egg from her Pocket Storage and cradled it before her in a cocoon of Soul and spore energy. Its crystalline shell shimmered faintly as the Hatchling within continued to feed on the powerful ambient Fire and Stone energies.

Her Sporesight stretched outward, a vast net of awareness spanning two hundred feet, every flicker of movement catalogued. Danger Sense hummed quietly at the edges of her mind, but no threat pressed close. The Elementals had retreated, though she could still see restless shapes shifting beneath the magma’s surface on the far side of the molten lake.

Sara exhaled slowly, letting Infectious Cloud dissolve into nothingness to free up her focus, and slipped deeper into Meditation. Her focus narrowed to the Egg’s spark, bright, hungry, thriving. The hatchling within feasted greedily on the buffet of volcanic energy, its pulse resonating with her own Soul energies she continued to feed towards it.

She absorbed two of the fallen Elementals, their essence flowing into her network, filling it to brimming.

*Ping* [Compatible Biological Sample Detected: Volcanic Elemental]

Volcanic Elemental Sample 1 & 2 of 5 absorbed.

Effect: Stat growth stored to be triggered during Regrowth.

Note: Stat increases limited to 5 samples per biological source.

Condition: Growth only occurs if source stat exceeds host stat.

*Ping* [1550 Microbes gained. Current Network Capacity: 4500 of (4500) 5500]

Two Medium Fire Crystals vanished into Pocket Storage with a flick of thought. Then, on instinct, she pressed her palm to the third Elemental remains and opened the threadlike bond between herself and the hatchling.

The Egg shuddered violently. The hatchling within spasmed, throwing itself against the shell walls. Sara froze, spores wrapping tightly around the egg clutched in her hands. Had she pushed too far? In her eager guesswork to impower her future companion, had the harmed it? Stunted it? Her fingers tightened around the Egg, Soul energy wrapping it tightly, protectively, motherly.

“Easy now… I’ve got you,” she whispered, voice low and steady. “Don’t fight it. Take what you need, little one. I’ll take the rest.”, as she checked her System notification.

*Ping* [Compatible Biological Sample Detected: Volcanic Elemental]

Volcanic Elemental Sample 3 of 5 absorbed.

Effect: Stat growth stored to be triggered during Regrowth.

ERROR: GROWTH ENERGY LOST DURING ABSORPTION. NO GROWTH ENERGY STORED

Note: Stat increases limited to 5 samples per biological source.

Condition: Growth only occurs if source stat exceeds host stat.

The hungry little Hatchling had, indeed, absorbed the energy! “That’s good? Right? I mean, it’s got to be good… I think?”

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The spasms faded. The spark inside flared brighter, steadier, stronger. Sara’s worry melted into awe. It had not only absorbed the volatile fire stone essence, but the Elemental’s energy as well. Which should, Sara hoped, give it an even stronger foundation from with to grow. She Hoped.

She leaned closer, forehead nearly touching the Egg’s warm surface. Sara smiled softly, continuing her meditation, her voice a quiet thread in the chamber’s roar.

“You’ll be more than just a mindless Greatworm. You’ll be my Companion. My Valley Guardian. And I’ll be yours.”

Her Sporesight flickered, movement in the magma lake, restless shapes circling. She ignored them for now, trusting her Danger Sense to warn her if danger grew too interested.

“Feed, my little stony furball. Grow strong here. Stronger than anything else in this cavern. And when you hatch… I hope you’ll know me. You’ll know the bond we share. Grow. I’m right here.”

She brushed her hand across the Egg’s surface, feeling the faint thrum of its spark against her palm.

“Rest now. Feast. I’ll keep watch.”

The Egg glowed faintly, its crystalline shell underlit from within by threads of fire and stone. Sara closed her eyes again, sinking deeper into meditation, her whispered words lingering in the chamber like a promise, her focus fixed on strengthening the Hatchlings spark and their linked bond.

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The Egg had quieted, its spark, though seemingly stronger to Sara’s senses, dimmed to a steady glow, the hatchling within seemingly asleep after its heavy feast. Sara rose smoothly, bow in hand, the weight of the stone Egg tucked carefully under her arm.

The chamber’s air was thick with volcanic power, but she could feel it even stronger ahead. Closer to the magma lake the energy surged like a living tide. If there was a better place to hatch her Companion, it was there at the lake.

She flexed her grip on her bow and then stowed it away, summoning her Masterwork Mycorrhizal Spear in its place. Ice Energy Manipulation hummed through her veins, the weapon’s tip frosting over despite the oppressive heat. She envisioned the combinations: Spore Lance to cross the distance, Frozen Infested Thrusts to corrupt, Icy Infectious Cloud to spread, and Infected Icy Cloud Strikes to finish. The Egg would feed on the ambient energy as long as she could keep it out. If danger pressed too close, she’d tuck the stony furball into Pocket Storage without hesitation.

Her gaze flicked down to her armor. The Masterwork Mycorrhizal Platemail had knitted itself whole again, silver threads gleaming faintly beneath solid fungal plates. She summoned Infectious Cloud, weaving Ice Energy Conversion into its haze, the aura around her shifting into a chilling mist that hissed against the volcanic air.

Step by step, she began to circle the magma lake looking for trouble, senses stretched wide. Sporesight mapped every ripple of the molten surface, while her eyes followed every flicker of movement beneath, where Sporesight could not reach.

Then, the expected flare of Danger Sense.

The warning struck like a hammer blow as the trouble she sought found her. A geyser of magma erupted, spraying molten stone across the chamber. Sara pivoted, spear raised, ice crystals forming along its tip in defiance of the inferno. She sent a blast of Infested Icy Cloud Strike out to pierce and slow the magma blast, giving her the precious split second she needed to evade the flying wave of molten magma and avoid winning first place in a Han Solo Carbonite costume contest.

From the blast, a shape surged upward, glowing veins of molten flame running through its obsidian body. A Volcanic Elemental, its molten fists dripping with liquid stone.

Sara’s breath steadied.

“Alright, furball.” she murmured to the Egg under her arm, voice low but resolute. “Feed if you can. I’ll handle the rest.”

The Elemental roared, magma cascading from its body like a waterfall. Sara lunged forward, spear gleaming with frost as Spore Lance crossed the air between them to pierce into Elemental’s chest, Infectious Cloud swirling around her in a storm of icy spores.

The next battle for Magma Lake had begun.

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Sara shifted her stance, spear leveled, the Egg tucked firmly under her arm. Every movement kept her body between the molten behemoth and her hatchling.

The Elemental surged forward, molten fists raised, and with a roar it unleashed a Firestorm, a torrent of blazing projectiles arcing across the chamber. Sara’s Danger Sense flared, and she pivoted sharply, sliding across scorched stone as the blasts detonated where she had stood.

Her spear glowed with frost. She thrust forward, releasing an Icy Spore Lance that streaked into the Elemental’s side, freezing spores burrowing into cracks in its molten hide. The creature staggered, magma dripping from the wound, but its core pulsed hotter in defense.

The Elemental swung a massive fist. Sara ducked low, rolling backwards away from the lake edge, twisting to keep the Egg shielded, and countered with a chilling Infested Thrust, spores latching onto the molten surface and spreading icy corruption.

Another Firestorm erupted, and another. She spun aside, shards of molten rock grazing her armor, razor sharp obsidian slicing flesh where they met. Her Masterwork Mycorrhizal Platemail hissed as fungal threads absorbed the heat, repairing themselves even as she pressed the attack.

Back and forth Firestorms and Spore Lances were traded across the magma chamber. She dodged and waited, patient, until the Elemental exposed its glowing core. Then she struck with Infected Icy Cloud Strike, her spores piercing deep, and frost exploding inward. Chunks of molten stone froze solid, then shattered under the pressure.

The Elemental bellowed, enraged. Its body flared with Core Surge, magma veins blazing brighter than ever as it repaired the Ice damage even as it burnt up its own energy from within. It charged recklessly, fists hammering down on her in a molten barrage. Sara gritted her teeth, taking several punishing blows across her armor, but never yielding ground. Always keeping the Egg behind her protectively.

The reckless assault carried the Elemental straight into the radius of her Ice empowered Infectious Cloud. Frost spores clung to its molten body, spreading rapidly. Every strike it threw only drove it deeper into the freezing haze.

Its movements slowed. Cracks spider webbed across its form. With a final thrust, Sara drove her spear into its chest, and the Elemental collapsed, its molten body shattering into a heap of obsidian shards.

Breathing hard, Sara glanced at the Egg. The hatchling’s spark pulsed faintly, but she sensed it was not ready for another full meal. She absorbed the Elemental remains herself, refilling her microbe network, storing the growth energy, and pocketing the Medium Fire Crystal.

Adjusting her grip on the Egg, she resumed her slow circle around the magma lake, Sporesight stretched wide, ready for whatever else stirred beneath the molten surface.

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Four more times, Sara encountered, and eliminated, Volcanic Elementals around the Magma lake as she continued to feed her Hatchling egg her Soul and spores while it gathered up the cavern's powerful ambient energies.

*DING* [Your party has killed a Volcanic Elemental x4

600 Experience being divided evenly among your party.

Error: Party size (5502) exceeds limit. Negligible experience gained.

[Current Experience to next level: 1127.51 of 2000]

“5502 Party Members? Hey! Did you see that, little one? The System says you are a party member!”, Sara cheered to the Greatworm Egg

*Ping* [Compatible Biological Sample Detected: Volcanic Elemental]

Volcanic Elemental Sample 3-5 of 5 absorbed.

Effect: Stat growth stored to be triggered during Regrowth.

Note: Stat increases limited to 5 samples per biological source.

ERROR: NO ADDITIONAL STAT GROWTH MAY BE GAINED FROM VOLCANIC ELEMENTAL SAMPLES

Condition: Growth only occurs if source stat exceeds host stat.

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Having filled her own growth energy reserves, Sara was able to sense that the Hatchling was capable of feeding on the Elemental remains again, and happily fed one of the bodies to the Egg.

ERROR: GROWTH ENERGY LOST DURING ABSORPTION. NO GROWTH ENERGY STORED

“That’s my hungry little monster!”, Sara cooed proudly as the Hatchling within the egg seemed to gobble up the volatile volcanic energy of the Elemental with far less difficulty than the last time.

Four more Medium Fire Crystals Pocketed and the caverns seemingly clear of Elementals, Sara began pushing he senses out to see where exactly it is that the Volcano’s ambient energy was strongest. And it did not take much triangulating to determine that what she expected was in fact true.

The strongest energy was at the bottom of the lake of Magma.

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