Name: Nil

Race: Demon

Type: Transformed Deviant Soul

Age: Immortal – 5years, 4months.

Crystal Essence: [Crimson]- Lvl.3— 96.9esq

[Available Essence Points— 0]

Strength: 17

Agility: 56

Wisdom: 15

Abilities: [Faithless Absorption], [Faithless Mimicry]

[Available Trait Points— 7]

Traits: [Calloused Exterior]- Lvl.2, [Telepathy]- Lvl.3

Ascension Perks: [Reais Fiend]

Spells: Nil

Patron: Nil

Everyone stops to stare, Gerim who'd almost escaped the rain already bounds back towards us at speed while Hargoil steps close to me. A long spine held tight in his grip as he studies the demon buzz to a safe landing atop the Dawern it fell. The numerous Dawern spawn that attacked begin to flee, but the twins busy themselves stabbing the life out of them. The larger almost Crimson Crystal level Dawern are too much trouble though so they're let go.

I'd chase after those but I fear the new demon before us has other plans.

When Gerim lands in a plum of sand ahead of us I start asking the questions rushing through my mind "What should we do? It's dead...what parts are we meant to get? Are we still getting its crystal? We didn-"

Gerim's burnt, furious stare silences me in an instant, but Hargoil steps right up to reinforce the point, "He's right, we didn't kill it and that's clearly one of the Queen's demons."

"The Queen?"

Hargoil faces me and nods, "The Queen of Ticks and Fleas, one of many rivals to Calridian, but fortunately, she's a servant of our Demon Lord, her demons won't attack us."

"And how sure are you of that?" The demon's voice booms through our heads, it buzzes, shifting through the Dawern's massive corpse, tearing out pieces of it to eat. "The Queen could be rising even above the Demon Lord, and Demon Lords aren't bound by rules like we are." It tosses a torn piece of the Dawern at the twins, they don't hesitate to launch at it.

Rather than fight over who gets the bigger piece though, the two manage to split it between themselves. Envious, I catch myself salivating at the torn piece, the Dawern's slimy flesh wafts a scent of power I haven't caught from any other demon.

'There's something about it...'

My attention turns back to the newcomer. Unlike Gerim or Hargoil or the twins, I can't find an icon above its head and I'm having trouble placing its gender as well. But I suppose that bit doesn't matter as much as the fact that the demon wields a hammer and is stronger than Gerim— more so now that the quilled demon suffers a large gash along his torso from where the Dawern took a good bite of him.

It's unlike any of us in shape, resembling an oversized cockroach with muscular forelimbs capable of wielding a hammer— a weapon that radiates Essence of its own— and a large back covered in white spots and patterns. A tick.

"You've come for the Dawern as well, you're out of luck though, Fex, we dealt the most damage to the demon." Gerim snarls, Essence oozing through his injuries, stitching them up slowly but surely as he takes defiant steps towards Fex, "it's ours by right now, find another to bring to your Queen!"

Fex is left unfazed as it looks down on us all with its long red head, "I'm not here to challenge for it, but if I were...I could get away with it. You're even weaker than I thought you were, Gerim. Aren't you meant to be Calridian's personal aide?" It makes a sound I equate to a snort and continues digging through the Dawern's body, "I won't challenge your right to keep the part but let me have the Crystal and I'll escort you back to Calridian, you're going to need all the help you can get, aren't you?"

At the mention of taking the crystal, I can't keep shut any longer, "You're not taking anything! You interfered with our hunt, you don't get to take a single slice of the prize!"

Gerim sneers at me but doesn't rebuke my outburst, Fex's impression, however, tells me he isn't pleased with the disrespect. It snarls, back breaks open as its wings buzz it into the air, "You should know your place, this hammer is worth more Essence and Esq than you are." It continues buzzing above the corpse of the Dawern but faces Gerim once more, "and you should take a good deal when it presents itself, I would be doing you a favour."

Fex buzzes off without another word, leaving the squad alone with the Dawern corpse once more. I let out a deep breath, Hargoil steps from where he stood, "Well that was unpleasant. The Dawern aren't the ones we should be focusing on anymore, let's move on."

"What does that mean?"

Hargoil grunts, walking past me towards the giant Dawern corpse, "Gerim? Why don't you mentor your mentee for once?"

The quilled demon snarls at me but for once he gives an answer, "It means we have to finish cleaning up here and get moving with the Dawern's corpse. You must have sensed the power it's giving off."

I nod, "Of course, I can barely keep myself from jumping at it."

Gerim snorts, pleased, "A lot of demons won't try to keep themselves away, and why should they...the Dawern's flesh is...intoxicating." His impression quickly turns to one full of greed and even without a high levelled [Telepathy] I can tell what he's thinking. He shakes the greedy thoughts away though, and continues, "They will be here soon, and they will fight us for the Dawern. Demons from all around this desert will be on their way here. We have to chop it off into bits and then...well, you'll see."

"How can I help?" I ask, eager to pitch in as much as possible. The fight with the Dawern didn't have me contributing much at all, and I managed to get off with fewer injuries compared to Gerim and Hargoil.

"Keep watch, there are bound to be some tumbling their way over here already." He says without turning back, he beckons to Hargoil and the two of them get to work splitting the Dawern by every third of its stratified sections. Their spines and quills act to pull the beast apart.

I'm left with the twins, together we keep watch...or at least I do. The twins dedicate themselves to plucking the crystals out of the many littered bodies of the Dawern. I've already picked mine up, only a dozen Pink Crystals and a single Crimson. It's a disappointing haul when compared to the twins, who seem to find each crystal they pull out a prize worth celebrating. One by one, their arms fill with a glittering collection of precious stones.

I curb the growing combination of envy and greed rising within me as I watch the two. Encroaching on their well-earned and deserved kills wouldn't be right of me, especially when we're on the same team.

'Would it be a different scenario if we weren't?'

I'm not sure what I would do if the threat of being an outcast weren't there. Or the threat of Hargoil enacting swift retribution. I shake my head, 'Hargoil wouldn't even be the immediate obstacle, the twins would. Am I strong enough to toss them aside and rob them of their crystals?'

I catch myself for the second time at the thought and shake my head again, 'No, should I even be robbing people? Is that the kind of person I am?'

To be frank, I haven't the slightest idea who I am or what morals I'd act on in a situation that'd immediately benefit me. And looking back a few moments ago, I only asked Gerim if I could help because I felt left out on the haul of crystals. The Dawern's crystal could surely make up for where I'm lacking, get me to the next level.

I've spent a year too long only a [Crimson Lvl.4] and with my fresh injuries, I can't help wondering if I'll rise out of Crimson before something ends my life.

'I can't die before-'

A sharp clang snaps me out of my thoughts. A spine falls to the ground, stabbed through it are short but sharp spikes. By the time I turn to look the twins are already on the move, their large haul of crystals buried under the sand. The twins rush towards a figure in the distance, weaving through whistling projectiles with spines summoned in each hand.

A demon, not a Dawern. But still a demon, a male with a black body, red eyes, and a long curved spine growing from his lower back. A long horn juts out from either side of his head and two arms hang down his chest as if they're dragging him along the ground.

The male's spines aren't like Gerim's, more like sharp barbed spikes. One for every two feet of his body.

His face is a twisted mess, covered with scales, a snout like a snake's with sharp teeth jutting out between the scales. His skin has a bluish tinge to it, though there is a red patch in the centre. The red and blue together don't blend very well...it looks more like a blood clot.

[Hezurra]

The demon charges straight at us and his spikes whistle through the air. I have no doubt that if any hit me with force it'll rip right through and rend my flesh. Essence fuels me and I join the twins in the battle, all I have for weapons are my fists but should I get a good bite out of this demon I'd be able to imitate its strongest weapons...if it doesn't kill us first.

I rush up to the demon who turns on us as we near. It lunges for me with its teeth open wide but my gait allows me to duck under it's leap and slam my fist into its face. My punch slams right into its jaw and connects with bone-shattering force. Blood gushes forth, and I suffer a dull burning in the back of my hand, it'd managed to stab through my fist, worsening the burns from the Dawern's Acid Rain.

The twins follow my example and move against it. The demon is quick with his spikes but not quite fast enough to get us all. It flinches at their sudden charge and spins to hit them before they reach him, it misses and we each manage to land a couple of strikes. Its spikes impale both the twins in quick retaliation at closer quatres. But I quickly grab hold of its head while it's focused on the twin's gruesome assault and twist. A long barbed spike shoots through my hand and I hear a series of satisfying snapping sounds as the demon dies.

Its body tumbles backwards and I turn to see Gerim and Hargoil who are about done with the Dawern's body, only a two more sections left.

On the horizon though I find we're not nearly done. From afar I catch a glimpse of a [Bichu], an [Adar] and two other [Hezurra]. I'm sure there's more but these are the closest.

"Uh...Gerim! Might want to hurry it up!"

At my call Gerim groans and shoves Hargoil away. Hargoil doesn't retaliate, rather he runs over to us, summoning spines from his back to aid our defence.

"Are you ready for the fun? This is just one of the many ways to get Essence, Nil." He promises, twirling his long javelin spines in his hand.

I pluck out the dead [Hezurra's] burning Crystal.

[Crimson Soul Crystal]- Lvl.2(7Esq)

[Absorb] [Destroy]

I pocket the crystal and cast a side glance to the twins who've quickly fallen behind him and respond, "You can show me the other ways once we get out of here, right?"

His impression grows cold and murderous, but not at me, he pulls back an arm and launches the spine in his right hand. His arm swings through the air and the javelin flies at incredible speed, piercing into the head of the approaching Hezurra. The Hezurra tumbles to the ground and its head cracks open, blood spraying everywhere, it's not dead yet but another volley from the twins finishes them off.

"Survive, keep your Crystals rather than absorb them."

With the dead Hezurra's crystal safe in my pocket I go on to pick its corpse and take a bite of it while it's still fresh, it's salty. Energy flows through my body from the bony meal and my Essence latches onto the Hezurra's lingering fluids and little flesh. With it, I begin to forge my hands in a similar fashion to it.

"This might take a while, cover me?" I ask Hargoil with a mouth full of bone meal.

He doesn't bother with a response, leaping out to take on a raging [Bichu] and it's troublesome armour with the twins by his side.

With my shapeshifting underway I turn to watch what Gerim's up to. His eyes glow and so do his quills, becoming larger than they have before he uses them as one would chopsticks. With them he splits the Dawern completely, a large worm cut into seven large parts.

With that done his eyes stop glowing and he huffs, before pulling out a ring. The ring glows white and lets out a screeching sound as the light envelopes Gerim and all the parts of the Dawern until I can't make any of it out even by squinting.

The flash of light dies faster than it appeared and I can see again. There's nothing left, all the split parts of the Dawern as well as a good portion of sand have disappeared.

'More magic.'

A deep Blood Orange glow calls from where Gerim stands though, the Dawern's crystal. But I haven't the time to focus on that, my transformation is nearly complete and there's a round of demons coming my way.

'Fuck.'