The purchase processed, and as always, when the experience departed his body, he felt like joy was being sucked out of him. It was probably a deliberate psychological ploy to encourage everyone not to rush to spend the precious resource. Tom shivered slightly and noted that there was no download of information. Not that he had expected what should have been a passive physical skill to have something like that, through with Skills you could never really tell.
Tom mentally prepared himself for the impact of him gaining it. The body change was never pleasant.
He slapped his leg, and the noise echoed through the system room. This was nothing more than procrastination. The faster he got it out of the way the better.
He opened his eyes in the darkness of the real world, and then the skill he had purchased activated. His skin felt like beetles were burrowing through it and other times, worms with lots of teeth. They were not gentle in their endeavours to cut him open, and all his nerves complained simultaneously.
Your skin is strengthening. He repeated the manta over and over in his head. All you can do is to endure.
The process progressed, and then Touch Heal, the skill he had been about to lean on to dull the pain, seemed to slip from his conscious control and thread its way around his extremities. Overall, it was not helping. Sure, where it went, the metaphorical insects stopped their digging, but a short time later they started up again; and then, because the skin was not used to it, the pain was worse.
Persist.
The sensations were not slowing, and Tom knew from similar skills that the ‘acclimatization’ period could take hours. Not a single sound escaped his lips, nor a word of complaint.
Prevail.
When a wasp stung him now, he barely registered the prick of pain as it plunged its stinger into him. The sky was lightening, and the number of wasps seemed to increase, but that was expected. Regularly, he forced his mind to focus and created Sparks on the right part of his skin to fry wasps where they crawled, searching for a fresh spot to sting. The entire time he watched his mana pool and shuffled energy to the crystal whenever it got close to topping him up.
The venom being delivered was mostly ignored. His Touch Healing was only engaged sporadically to dampen its effect on his critical organs.
Survive.
Harry stood multiple times to reapply his various rituals or to use his spear to kill a wasp that had been trapped, and Tom sat and endured. The sun peeked over the edge of the horizon and the light sufficed to see the closest hives. The consistent shifting of his skin was getting to him. He distracted himself by checking out what Harry had been up to. It was a pretty simple design. Four draining fields with the narrow section of each butting against the mana recharge ritual that Tom sat in the middle of. It was clear his plan was basically to surround Tom’s position and operate personally from that safe location.
The first ray of sun hit him, and his skin settled. Suspicion flared in Tom. The events shouldn’t be linked, but when there were absolute powers like GODs out there, including DEUS, then small things like chance were thrown out the window.
Tom rolled his shoulders. His body felt weird. A good weird. When he flexed, everything moved more fluidly.
An insect flew at him.
Zap.
It fell smoking. Tom wondered whether they would get swarmed again today or if the hive that had targeted them was depleted and he was over the worse of it. Absently, he scratched his leg, and the skin felt thicker than it should have. He pressed down hard and released. The colour didn’t get lighter briefly like it used to. It had clearly changed.
Zap.
Four bodies burnt up and fell.
The sun was rising rapidly over the horizon, and Tom frowned. Black clouds were building on top of three of the nearby hives. One of them from the group that had attacked yesterday, and that one alone looked anemic.
That was a positive.
Two undamaged hives targeting them did concern him. That was twice as many wasps as yesterday, though his new titles would offset most of that issue.
Michael came out to stand next to him and passed Tom a plate of insects. The healer was decked out in thick clothes with no skin showing. It was prudent; after all, Michael had been healing him and probably had two or three ranks of enmity, which meant the occasional insect would try to get him.
Tom tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the nearby mounds. “It’s going to be bad.”
“Do you have any resistance to the poison yet? Because if not, we might need to change strategy.”
“I don’t know.” Tom admitted. “But I’m stronger than yesterday because of two titles I was awarded. We’ll probably be fine with these numbers. I also bought a skill that will help on the margins.”
Michael looked interested. “What were the Titles?”
Tom couldn’t help but laugh, remembering what they were. “Congratulations! You needed so much healing in a day that future healing spells have a greater effect was one of them. The second was a bonus for having been inflicted with sufficient venom to kill me five hundred times over. That one has a 25% venom and poison reduction damage.”
Both Michael and Harry chuckled with the former miming the word ‘Ouch.’
“I suffered, so it’s better to get something than nothing.”
“True.”
“The venom title has a nice additional benefit. I also have a 25% chance of gaining instant immunity to a poison or venom when first exposed.”
“That sounds powerful, but not one I’d go around actively trying to test.”
“You’re right, but it says exposure.”
Michael nodded. “I guess you’re interpreting that, as it doesn’t need to be a lethal dose.”
“Yep. After they’re dead, I can prick myself with a bit. I can imagine at some point it might open some lucrative opportunities.”
Harry nodded knowingly. “In the gauntlet…” he stopped, looking embarrassed. “I mean… trial, there was an area with Ruby Empire Cobras. They were worth a fortune, but I stayed away because a single bite was lethal. You kill one, inflict yourself with a pinprick of poison if immunity dings, then they’re like fluffy bunnies you can go around plucking for profit.”
Tom laughed. “Fluffy bunnies aren’t easy. They trapped me in my safe area for three months.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Ouch.” Michael said. “But most of us aren’t useless.”
Tom glared at the healer.
Zap.
The insect died, and he was willing to use magic because all his mana pools, including the crystal, were full. “Yeah, the title is good. There are some scorpions, snakes, spiders, manticores out there that are going to be very disappointed when they sting me, and I’ll make a fortune harvesting them.”
Michael laughed. “Yep. I can see Jeffrey now. ‘That’s Useless over there. Don’t worry about him. The only thing he’s adequate at is getting stung by monsters.’”
“And Tom dressed in his solid gold armour not caring in the slightest.” Harry quipped, and they all chuckled.
Zap.
Michael looked at him uncertainly, and his eyes flicked over to the clouds that were heading their way. “Tom, can I ask a question?”
He nodded.
“You’re stronger today. Did you take a class or something, as well?”
“Nope, natural attribute points.”
Michael raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing further.
Zap.
Michael pointed at the crisped insect. “At the moment, it’s almost pleasant standing next to you.”
Tom laughed. “Happy for you.”
“What’s so funny?” An extremely swaddled Everlyn asked, emerging and pushing into the space between Tom and Michael.
Zap.
“Michael just told me I’m not Useless. Think’s I’m a good bug killer. But not for much longer.” Tom nodded at the closest mound where a thick cloud of insects was halfway toward them. Then at the other two, which were doing the same. “Show time.”
Calmly, Tom laid down on the hard-packed ground and then waited. There was the sound of wings. Stings covered his legs, and he organised his magic. Static electricity spread out, giving him a feel of where everything was. Instinctively, he tagged the bugs and avoided the humans.
ZAP!
Lightning arced around him, and all the wasps within three metres died. That was not his limit, but it was pretty close; but with so many insects, he had lacked the power to go further. The streams of insects kept sweeping in. Wind buffeted them away. That was Toni’s work, but it was noticeable she had used the ability to stop the wasps from getting past into the shelter rather than directly offensively. It was still effective. Maybe a third of the bugs got caught and pushed into the drainage traps. Most would not get knocked out, but it started the process.
Tom ignored all those considerations because the remaining wasps, literally thousands, were descending upon him with a wrathful hum.
Tom’s eyes were closed as every other exposed piece of skin was attacked. Healing Tranquillity kicked in, and he let himself float as he marshalled his defences. He did not use his magic to remove the pain, as that would be a waste, especially as within a minute he would not be able to feel his extremities, anyway. Plus, after the experience of getting his new skill, this was tolerable.
He cracked his eyes open, and Everlyn produced a smaller version of the net he had thought of purchasing.
“Let’s see if this works.” She started swishing the net through above his leg. One swing and then stopped. “Nine kills — not bad. Hang in there, Tom. I need you to lie there doing nothing like you usually do for a bit.”
“That’s Useless, the man who is too lazy to do anything, just lies there all day,” Michael said, laughing.
“Too lazy to even get up to walk when the ritual runs out,” Sven declared. “Instead, he’s like a princess getting everyone else to carry him.”
Tom had not quite lost control of his voice. “How many of you bought nets?”
“Only six of us could afford it,” Everlyn told him.
“Michael?”
“Yes, Tom. I got one too.”
“About to.” He coughed as his throat seized up. Well, when he couldn’t talk, they would figure out what he wanted to say soon enough.
“Lost your voice?” Michael asked.
“Ye…” Tom’s throat caught again, and he couldn’t even force out a single word. The venom had advanced a long way, and he could no longer feel any of the continuous stings. When he attempted to move his arms and legs, he found them paralysed. The throat muscles contracted, and Tom let them. He was back in survival mode. However, this time, he was in a better position. His mana ticked down slower, and he still had twenty-five in his crystal. He would only resort to using the crystal when his personal mana dropped below three.
He held the poison at bay, protecting his organs.
There was no need for supplementary healing.
He got moved one time and then again as Harry scratched out a new mana recharge ritual next to his current one. The drain on his mana was notably lessening. He had nothing left in his crystal, but his mana had built up to twenty.
Zap.
Ten mana vanished.
“We’re winning.” Everlyn called out in excitement.
More insects attacked him, and his mana got under pressure again. Hands shifted him. Mana grew.
Zap.
Mana reduced, and he was moved again. It was now almost effortless to protect his heart and lungs, and he started himself pushing the rest of the poison back. He had the energy to burn it out of his muscles. It was slow going, but importantly, none of the healers were needed to keep him alive. That was vital because as his team slayed more and more wasps, their personal Enmity would continue to increase, bring them closer to his level, and then the occasional wasp would target them instead of Tom. There were regular curses and calls for healing from the people guarding him.
Despite the occasional flurry of activity, he did not hear the desperation that he had grown to identify with people seeking magical healing and not getting it.
Tom opened his eyes. Three nets were being spun through figures of eight above him. When he looked to his right, he could see Harry refreshing a ritual, but there were about fifteen people out. They stood over the energy draining taps and smashed their weapons down to kill the wasps and gain their dregs of experience.
Extra muscle unlocked.
He sat up. The incoming wasps continued to approach. There was no hesitation as they swooped straight down upon him. His lightning was not needed, because nets spun around him. Every wasp seemed to get a couple of stings in before they died, but the fact that they were killed was all that mattered.
Without the need to use Spark, he kept Healing Tranquillity going to purge the last of the poisons. Healing Tranquillity was a special ability linked to Touch Heal that he had been awarded during the trial. He had been surprised that he had not been charged contribution points to keep it. Tom felt wasps sting his venom-free arm and neck. His consciousness swept over the area ready to erase the venom, but it wasn’t necessary. His body had defeated the poison, which let Tom know he was immune.
The gamble they had launched on the first day had worked.
He stood up.
Zap.
Eight wasps died.
“You got immunity to them now?” Michael asked, observing what he was doing.
“Presumably.” Tom looked around. There were only a few insects in the surroundings. Of course, the ones that hadn’t been cleared targeted him. Rather than frying more, he used ten of his mana to fill the crystal. They stung him, but he could barely feel it, and it was not because his skin was numb. The venom was no longer affecting him, and his elastic skin was doing the rest.
Tom shut his eyes and entered his system room.
“Changes to status.”
Attributes
Vitality: 49 (+ 4 natural vitality)
Mana: 14 (+2 natural mana)
Mana Pool: Mana * 2 = 28
Spells
Touch Heal: (94) (+1) (tier 0)
Skills
Elastic Regenerating Skin: (28) (+4) (tier 1)
Other
Acquired immunity to Trodaga Wasps’ venom
Enmity
Trodaga Wasps (VI)
Experience: 4133 (+ 3210)
They were all good gains — especially the Elastic Regenerating Skin, four skill points there got him closer to thirty-six and the bonus to penetrating attacks, and he upgraded his Enmity level, which when he thought about it, was not that much of a surprise; and it was useful, as it would make him more effective going forward.
He returned to the real world. “Just confirmed with the system I have immunity plus an enmity increase.” Mana kept trickling into the crystal while he studied the closest mound. He looked at it. Only twenty had been added to it. His natural regeneration was just under six per minute and standing on Harry’s recharge circle that got boosted to almost twelve. That means he could push at least 2 mana into the crystal per minute. It already had some mana in it, so only another eighty more were required. “In a little over half an hour, I’m going to go see if I can destroy that.” He pointed at the closest hive.
“Should we all go?” Everlyn asked.
Tom hesitated. Theoretically, they would attack him, but if they became frenzied, then his enmity wouldn’t be sufficient, and none of the others were immune to the poison. “No, you guys are not immune.”
“With the clothes, they can’t touch us.” Everlyn argued.
“What’s the chance we’ve only seen worker wasps?” Tom asked.
Michael snorted. “Knowing our luck, high.”
Tom agreed with that assessment. “If there’s a higher caste of wasps, then I’m not sure your clothes will protect you.”
Everlyn looked doubtful.
“Tom is right, Everlyn,” Michael said gently. “We’ll position twenty metres away, so we’re there if he needs it.”
“But that might be too far. We should aim to get closer.”
“No,” Tom said firmly, smiling at the girl. “We do what’s best for the long term. There is absolutely no reason to risk anyone else.”
He could see she wanted to argue, but she bit her tongue. The wasps kept coming, and Tom stood stoically, and then finally the crystal filled.