Levi opened his eyes, turning to take in the situation fully. His heart still nearly skipped a beat as he turned back toward the Soul-Seeker, but he needn’t have worried. His guess was right, his position below and behind it prevented it from turning toward him.

Gremlin Two lay limp, trapped by five of the shadow tendrils. A quick check of his health showed it dropping, but not terribly fast.

Another two tentacles hung severely shortened, ragged at the end from where Gremlin Two had slashed them free, twitching and straining but unable to reach either Levi or the gremlin. Another, currently wrapped around Levi’s wrist, ended just as abruptly though not quite as short. The other two held Levi’s hands and arms, preventing him from doing any more clawing.

Level 1+

(Soul-Seeker)

Health 48%

The Soul-Seeker had been taking damage from all those punches and kicks after all. Good.

Levi considered his options, while he shifted to grab the tendril cluster more tightly with his other leg, just to be sure the eye couldn’t shake him off.

The last thing he wanted was to end up caught in its nightmare again. He’d take this fight as long and slow as necessary to prevent that.

He didn’t have anything in the way of a weapon, so he resorted to biting again. Leaning up and tearing out chunks of shadowy tendril was strange, the texture slick and only partly tangible, more like congealed gravy than anything else, except it tore like cardboard and wasn't liquid at all. Thankfully, as the shadows weren’t entirely physical, they also had no flavor. He could only imagine how disgusting it would be if they were made of swampy plant matter, or raw monster meat.

Level 1+

(Soul-Seeker)

Health 43%

The room blurred and spun around him dizzily as the Soul-Seeker tried its best to shake off its irritant. He liked to imagine that if it had a mouth it would be screaming at him in impotent fury. Instead, he only squinted against the spinning view and got back to biting through the tendrils at the base. One came loose, dissipating before he could finish spitting it out, with an oddly disconcerting sensation of sudden absence.

The next he tore free had been holding his left hand, leaving only the damaged tendril to maintain its grip. Levi twisted his arm free, grabbed the next tendril, and yanked hard. It resisted for several long seconds, then disconnected with a faint pop. It faded to intangible mist in his hand, disappearing within a moment.

This one had been one of those holding Gremlin Two, leaving one of his legs free.

Level 1+

(Soul-Seeker)

Health 37%

Levi reached down to grab another, but the Soul-Seeker had had enough. It hurled Gremlin Two away, much as it had discarded Levi earlier, and sent all its remaining tendrils to grab him instead.

“A bit late for that.” Levi laughed, grabbing the shadow tendrils with both hands, tearing two more free.

Then something flipped. Levi’s grip with his legs slid, the tendrils escaping as the Soul-Seeker tilted itself to aim straight up. Levi slid down, grasping wildly at the shadowy things as they slithered away from him.

He rolled when he hit the ground and dove for Gremlin Two’s weakly mumbling form.

The gremlin still held his dagger.

Levi slipped the weapon from his minion’s loose grip, then closed his eyes and spun back to face down the Soul-Seeker.

He stood, ready, tense, dagger held ready.

No tendrils of shadow slipped forward to grab him, nothing tried to constrain him.

He tilted his head, trying to hear any change in the ambiance, but apart from his own heavy breathing and Gremlin Two’s weak hisses nothing broke the stillness.

It seemed the Soul-Seeker had learned to be cautious.

Levi gritted his teeth, wishing he dared to peek at his foe. Not knowing where it was or what it was doing made his skin crawl. He slowly backed up, ready to be assaulted at any moment. It seemed this dungeon liked luring its visitors into a sense of security with its empty rooms and silent waiting.

Levi wouldn’t be taken in again.

He reached Gremlin Two, and nudged him firmly with his foot. “Don’t open your eyes. Reach a hand up if you can.”

His minion did so, tapping Levi’s leg weakly.

“Good. Here.” He grabbed a restoration potion and handed it down to him. “Keep your eyes closed. Signal me when you’re ready to go.”

He waited, listening, waiting for any attack while he mentally reviewed his options. Silent flying enemy, which could only be fought blind. He had himself, his gremlin, and a dagger. If he had an area attack, or some swarm-type minions… but he didn’t. He had an unset wand and no spells to put in it. A handful of potions. Not even a vial of acid or poison.

Nothing disturbed the air as he mulled over his situation, no attack came. Then Gremlin Two tugged at his frayed pant leg. Levi had been hoping to come up with a brilliant plan before then, some trick he’d been overlooking. At this rate, the Soul-Seeker could continue to stay out of reach until it healed fully, then they’d be right back where they started.

There was no choice. He had to try something before it was too late. He had one thought, a pretty desperate gamble, but… what other choice did he have?

“Split up and go the other direction. I’ll attack it head on. If it gets me, bring it down, but I have a plan so that shouldn’t happen.”

Gremlin Two made a concerned sound.

“You can do it,” he said, lowering his voice. He wasn’t sure if the eye could hear, or interpret vibrations, but caution was rarely unwise. “It’s almost down to a third of its health. Just keep your eyes closed until I give the signal, then charge in. It can only focus on one of us at a time, so you should be safe. If it goes after you instead, I’ll slash it apart before it can finish you off. Go now, call when you’re in place.”

His gremlin’s footsteps pattered away, circling the room.

Levi took out a mana potion. He didn’t need to open his eyes for that; knowing where your potions were stored was an essential skill. Grabbing health in a high-pressure situation when you wanted stamina could be a deadly mistake. All the potions had different dangerous side effects, and only stamina potions were remotely safe to use in a combat situation.

For a moment, Levi second guessed his decision. He trusted his minion, but if this went wrong he doubted Gremlin Two could take on the plus-level Soul-Seeker alone.

But his options were this or retreat, and he refused to back down so easily.

Levi backed up until he felt the wall behind him, guaranteeing he’d have a clear view of the entire room. He’d only get one shot at this.

He swallowed the mana potion in a single gulp, then opened his eyes.

“Now!” Levi shouted, as the Soul-Seeker’s eye met his.

It floated in the center of the room staring straight at him, its shadow tendrils spread out to either side like arms ready to grab.

For an interminable instant, he couldn’t look away. The Soul-Seeker gleefully swooped in for its prey. Levi stood frozen, heart stuttering in dread. If he’d been wrong…

Brilliant dazzling light completely whited out his vision and filled his ears with static. The side effects of ingesting concentrated mana overwhelmed his senses completely, shielding him from the Soul-Seeker’s deadly gaze.

Exactly as he’d hoped.

The instant he could move again Levi closed his eyes against the mana-induced brilliance - not that it helped - and sprang forward, dagger leading. He met the giant eye mid-dive.

The two of them slammed together in an impact that drove his dagger hilt-deep right into the center of the rubbery creature’s pupil. Hot sticky fluid burst out, covering Levi’s hand and splattering against his face.

Tendrils grabbed at him to yank him away, but one by one they dissipated as Gremlin Two hacked at them from behind.

Levi laughed in exultation, drawing his dagger out in another flood of eye-creature goo, then stabbed it in again.

The last tendril fell away, dropping him back to the floor. He didn’t have far to fall, they’d drifted lower as they fought, and now the eye floated at barely chest height.

Twice more he struck, and the eye drifted lower and lower. Then, finally, it splattered to the ground like a popped water balloon.

Levi waited another moment after it stopped moving to be sure, then poked it with his foot before opening his eyes to the proof of their success.

Gremlin Two has reached level 3!

Gremlin Two has 1 stat point available.