This place is the Pits.

Oh, Dear. The gallows humour is showing.

You think.

Why yes I do, don't you?

The spot in the crevice she moved towards was only a double body length across. She figured it a safer pick than some others that one could still lose a car in. Hoping to find some playmates or at least a couple of punching bags; she'd moved forward carefully, hoping not to be heard by the tenants till she knew more.

No one likes people who drop by unexpectedly, especially not if they eat all the seafood. However, their relatives were eager to make it a dinner party. Maybe I should have prepared some Dip.

[Stealth (15 -> 17)]

Okay, so folks are home and eager for entertainment.

Peering over the edge, she could see the same style of holes in the side of this pit. Examining the holes one at a time, she eventually struck pay dirt when one some three metres below the surface provided what she was seeking. Within she could barely make a pair of Antennae tips, their colouration concealing them against the rock. Now she knew what to look for, she checked one after another; progressing her Perception and confirming she had at least four playmates again to deal with close to the surface.

[Perception (17 -> 20) ]

The ping of the notification had come through as soon as she had finished her inspection of the pit. It either agreed with her assessment or was trolling her, which again might well be possible. The hole itself ended maybe ten meters down from what she could estimate, without any massive entries cut into the side. So Julia hoped to avoid getting any unexpected big boys barging in on the festivities.

There were further holes in the crevice's side, but the angle prevented her from gaining confirmation on numbers. The antennae of the ones she had spotted were laying back a bit from the start of their lairs. The largest of them though at the base looked like something an Irish wolfhound could use to hole up, but at that point, the angle was too sharp to see far enough inside it.

J felt for the Ki pool she had unlocked, and she could sense the energy, lapping at its boundaries. The feel of the power took her by surprise; it was a mosaic of sensations protective, disciplined, focused, yet at the same time caring and patient. It felt almost relaxing even to consider it, the power in such opposition to this place, and the Abyssal heat that fueled her other abilities.

She held a Yin and Yang of energy types, her form's heat, fueled the Succubus Powers, drawn from or charged by the Abyss. The Ki energy was pure and tranquil, but it felt even stronger inside her Soul. She didn't force the Ki that she knew was wrong, though it made her stop and consider how she just 'knew'.

What the heck. Yeah, I trained in Karate, but that doesn't give me any knowledge on Ki pools.

But yeah, so something unlocks, and the 'system' in this place messes with my head. It installs what I need to know right into me to start my learning something, a Skill, or Power if I didn't already know it myself.

[Perception (20) ]

But I already had that!

Oh very funny, I swear you are such a Troll!

Why didn't you troll whoever cursed me, instead of sending me here? Next time someone calls you folks up with whatever Mojo. Just tell them they've got the wrong curse hotline. Then ask them to go to fuck themselves, that would work out. Cursing involved after all.

Focus J.

Mentally telling her notifications to turn off again, she set her mind to the task at hand. Following the guidance, she had received with the unlock she felt the Ki move through her body from its centre till it began to pool within her hands. When the energy had started to drift through her, it was in that pure tranquil state. However, as it had flowed, it started feeling like a power that promised destruction. To her, that sense of destruction felt like a false tiny veneer laying on top of a calm ocean. Almost as if something was disguising the power from the senses of others.

As the power finishing filling her hands, she could hear movements as the familiar click of Lurker claws on stone rose from the pit. Taking a quick peek over the edge, she saw the four playmates all seemed to want to join the party. Their antennae no longer laying concealed against the stone but twitching in the air as they led their way.

A Blink moved her away from the pit back; she certainly didn't want to crowd anyone as they came out onto the dance floor. The arrivals though weren't precisely what she had hoped for as while they weren't much more significant than other she had fought. The colouration of their shells was darker, and bigger pincers made them seem more dangerous. There was also one more than she had anticipated, and five on one didn't seem like it would be fun odds.

Analysis

[Demon: Scouring Plains Lurker

Level: 4

Class: None

Health: 100

Mana: 40

Defence: 32

Attack Power: 20

Combat Power: Claws [Ap] (6), Acid Shot [Ap] (1), Hunting Group Mind [B](1)

Details: As a Lurker gains levels, they can develop a hunting group mind, enabling them to operate as a team when others of their kind are in proximity. ]

Well gosh.

Next time throw something into one of the holes. Don't go luring them out with any energy.

The five spread out and moved towards her in an arc spread out from each other. Forming a nice little enclosing net, one could even say they were trying for a natural pincer movement. The shortcoming was with five of them the line wasn't very long, and she'd have no problems even now getting one end to the other. Still, she waited drawing back more with care as they continued to approach. Once the line had drawn in enough, and shortened further, she decided it was time to start the music.

I don't think this is what they mean by line dancing, but I'm a city girl.

With a Blink to the left end of the line, a stomp pinned a leg, and before it could even try to get free, she dropped to one knee and punched downwards in the same motion. The pooled power snapped out of her hands as the punch made solid contact, and the shell segment she aimed at didn't so much crack as shatter, the pieces spraying the nearest Lurker.

A rapid double punch followed striking at the same location, against the now unprotected soft flesh. Her hands had sunk deep into its body, but it continued to thrash about, and she felt the legs under her foot, torn free by the strength of it. She didn't get up but just Blinked again, and shifted another thirty feet away to assess how they'd respond.

Unlike the last group, they didn't gang up on the injured Lurker. They didn't even mill about, but rather quickly changed formation. The injured Lurker moved into the middle of star formation. A leading and trailing Lurker, and one out to either side and their tail end charlie looked to be the biggest of them. Most concerning was the injured one in the middle facing backwards.

Girl, they're demons not purely mindless bugs.

If I attack the rear, the one in the middle can back it up - I go for the middle one, then its buddy at the back has an opening. The one on the side you go for to turn towards you and the front fellow has two supporting it.

Doesn't work on me boys, you aren't scary enough.

Sprinting forward she came at them from an angle, causing them to turn to fire at her. The middle man even brought into her frontal attack and committed itself to turn to attack. Her Blink took her past the globs, and to the far side of the formation, leaving them all out of position. She landed with one foot planted on the broad exoskeleton back of her target. Turning on her toes, she let loose with a stomp kick whose impact struck at the junction between a leg and torso; severing a limb and leaving a gaping wound.

A mental image of an Anglerfish let a lure whip downwards from her torso. The line responding to her intention spiked itself into the gaping wound before the Lurker's regeneration could seal it over. Another mental shift turned its end from an initial spike into a four-pronged grappling hook that tore deeper into exposed soft flesh and she headed skywards.

Imagination is the key to Shapeshift.

So many useful ideas in Comics that can be applied with Shapeshift and a bit of imagination.

The massive pincers of the Lurker kept its head downwards, but when it tried to curl its body inwards to get at her. She spun them in circles, and let her playmate experience the joy of an amusement park ride. The tendril playing out playing it out like a fishing line, her imagination changing the hook lodged inside it into coral.

While shapeshift is not the skill I hoped to level at present, I'll take it.

Compared to the mass taken up by the wings she had been 'spawned' with a roll of her fishing line, and enough coral to fill the Lurker's inside was little mass indeed. The major challenge was keeping both the Flight and the continual adjustments in Shapeshift going at once. Just as well she was a woman and could actually handle multitasking.

As the surge of energy from the Lurker signalled its death, at last, she shifted her focus. A quick Blink downwards to lose altitude faster, rewarded her with an annoying discovery. Literal deadweight apparently was fine to Blink with, and the momentum of the spinning Lurker yanked her off her mental flight path. Fortunately, it didn't pull her into the globs of Acid Shot the others had been firing skywards if anything it caused them to miss by an even wider margin. Quickly timing the spin, shapeshift removed the hook and tendril and its momentum sent it bouncing along the Plain away from the risk of any Pit.

Guess I'd do better at Pool now

1 down, 4 to go

Apparently, these guys don't do well with flyers that aren't straightforward in their attack paths.

Mentally 'stalling' her flight, she let just let herself tumble groundwards, giving a sideways 'push' partway down as they adjusted their targeting and started firing again. Inviting the Ki to move to her feet as she resumed falling, monitoring the Lurkers' firing patterns as she did so.

You guys are worse shots than a stormtrooper.

A last-second Blink as she neared ground level sent her crashing feet first into the vulnerable back of the injured Lurker. The Ki energy exploding from her feet as she impacted sent up a gross spray of guts. The energy rush that announced its death didn't completely cheer her up, as she was covered in the Lurker's guts, and wondering how long a broken leg would take to heal. She had to Blink away in a hurry from the shots, and even with her heightened quickness, she'd still managed to land on her arse.

This is gross now I feel like I just landed at the end of a garbage chute.

2 down, 3 to go.

Aware of the pain in her leg, she spared a glance for her the health bar on the hud and mentally shook her head. The twenty points she took from that stunt even with her resistance to mundane materials, explained why the bug went splat.

I must have still been falling faster than I had expected. Note to self: Maybe, practice Flight more before using it for stunts like that. Three uninjured, each likely over double my max health, time to play tag for a bit.

Flitting about airborne while her health bar crept upwards, she was glad for the improved regeneration she'd acquired. Shortly after she was back up to full health, the Lurkers had slowed down on the rapid shooting they had been doing.

Blinking to the furthest away she broke off its leg and skewered it with a tendril, as she smashed a Ki laden fist into its back. She wrapped a second tendril around the legs on its other side and hammered blows down across the junctions of its chitin as it struggled to get loose. A few Acid Shots impacted harder than she had expected, and their stronger acid actually caused her chitin to bubble and crackle as the fluid slid off her.

It was hurt but still moving, she Blinked away to land on her feet beside one of its Allies and not aiming for a leg just smashed a low kick into its back. Before Blinking away again to gain distance and let the spike of dizziness fade. She could see the black blood still leaking out from the Lurker she had skewered, although the leg hadn't started to regrow the flow of blood had slowed.

Okay, so three is fine now, four is doable, but five makes it linger longer.

Her regeneration topped her back up again as she kept playing tag with the Lurkers. It was becoming more obvious that their own healing wasn't keeping up with the inflicted damage. Sections of broken chitin littered the ground and while they had repaired some injuries she had inflicted on them, their armoured backs hadn't been sealing up.

A Blink put her into position atop the broken exoskeleton. Riding its shift into position, she dropped to one knee and felt its shell shatter further but her focus was the spear hand strike that plunged deep into its torso. With fingers sunk into its soft lobster flesh, Julia willed a Power she hadn't tried to activate.

Energy Drain

Heat rushed into her arm, as a black web of energy dove deeper into the cleaved flesh. Around her arm a spider-web of phantasmal energy licked across the broken shell and the Lurker staggered and its flesh withering wherever the blackness touched A Blink took her away again, feeling as if she needed a bath to wash herself of the sensation, that hadn't been like the rush of energy she had felt on killing Lurkers before.

I want to take that one off the combat list, given I'd throw up now if I could, but it's too fucking effective.

Focusing back on the fight, she tried to settle herself even as she acknowledged the impact it had seemed to have had on the Lurker. Its movement seemed obviously slower and clearly pained; the other two seemed to be almost counting it out already. Either their shared 'Hunting Group Mind' Power had deemed it expendable, or they were trying to bait her with its weakness.

Though Julia expected it was most likely the former, cause well hello they are demons. It wasn't as if the other two weren't also sporting injuries and if she could finish one of them off, the last two would quickly be done.

Changing her chitin with another Shapeshift, she gave a pleased smile. It would have made her look cute if she'd still been in her human body. Instead clad in alien urban camo chitin, with the dental additions only a mother could love. It came off more like a creature, well a beast of the Abyss showing fangs as Blink moved her.

When she reappeared, it might have seemed an odd spot, directly in front of the lead Lurker's head. If she had misjudged it, then it would have gone very wrong. Instead, as her feet landed on its pincers, she 'flew' herself downwards, driving them to the ground. The extra weight too much for its limbs, they remained grounded, despite its attempts to thrash and turn. Most of the pincers' muscle was for crushing power standing on them as it also removed the spikes' danger.

The modification she had made came into use as she dropped a knee strike towards its skull. The knee strike drove an armoured spike she had added into the side of its head. While the Lurker didn't have eyes, their antenna base was still a weakness in their skulls. Stiletto heels, well, you never want even a tiny lady to step on your foot with one by accident. She'd formed the spike added to her chitin into the thinness of an actual stiletto and Julia smashed it into the Lurker's 'temple' with a lot of pressure. Its shell gave a sharp crack, and the Lurker thrashed and convulse under her, and the blackness of Energy Drain sucked health away.

Critical strike head. The pilot died. This mech is now disabled.

Twisting her body weight, she felt the resistance of the blade moving around in its skull. Before it died she removed the spike and blinked again. The rush of energy came to her just after she reappeared. As it settled into her, the last two flickered Antenna at each other and started towards their Pit. Though trying to flee, didn't keep them alive long enough to reach their goal.

[Combat Summary:

Acrobatics ( 16 -> 19 )

Analysis [B](20) -> [Ap](2)

Blink [B](8 -> 16)

Flight ( 19 -> [B] 2 )

Fly [B] ( 4 -> 6)

Energy Drain ( 1 -> 3)

Hidden Lore unlocked

Hidden Lore (1)

Ki Strike (1 -> 8)

Mana Sense (2 -> 3)

Mental Resilience [Ap] (10 -> 12)

Mundane Materials - Minor (12 -> 17)

Perception [B] ( 2)

Shapeshift [B](3 -> 12)

Tactics ( 3 -> 7 )

Unarmed Combat [Ap] (8 -> 13)

Experience gained: 6,000

Demon shards gained: 20

Least Succubus species levelled up.

Charisma increased.

Defence increased

Magic increased.

Blood Monk Class levelled up.

Willpower increased.

Defence increased

Melee Attack Power increased.

Blood Monk Class levelled up.

Willpower increased.

Defence increased

Melee Attack Power increased.

Attribute Point Gained

]

Name

J

True Name Species Least Succubus Level 2 (Variant: Hidden Mortal Soul - Cursed) Shards (29 / 40) Class Blood Monk Level 4 Defence 25 Exp (8,400 / 10,000) Melee Attack Power 38 Health 104 Attributes Unallocated: 1 Strength 16 Faith 5 Endurance 22 Magic 21 Quickness 20 Intelligence 22 Ki 14 (21) Willpower 31 Charisma 17 Resistances Air (2), Acid - Improved (3), Cold - Minor (5), Fire - Improved (1), Mana - Improved (1), Mundane Materials - Minor (17) Powers Abyssal Adaptability [B] (5), Blink [B] (16), Detect Thoughts (1), Energy Drain (3), Flight [B] (2), Ki Strike (8), Improved Regeneration [B] (4), Mana Sense (3), Shapeshift [B] (12), Soul Sight (3) Skills Active - Acrobatics (19), Analysis [Ap](2), Climbing [B] (18), Danger Sense (6), Disguise (9), Fly [B] (6), Haggling (1), Intimidate (1), Leatherworking (1), Meditation [Ap] (5), Mental Resilience [Ap] (12), Pain Tolerance [Ap] (5), Perception [B] (2), Perseverance [Ap] (5), Profile Control (9), Sense Motive (1), Stealth (17), Tactics (7), Time Sense (6), Unarmed Combat [Ap] (13) Knowledge - Abyssal Lore (7), Arcane (2), Demonic Lore (12), Hidden Lore (1), Planar Lore (7), Planar Portals (6) Available Skills Points 33 Available Knowledge Bonus 10 Languages Abyssal, Infernal, Common Celestial, English

Inventory: Lurker Acid Glands, Lurker Membrane, Lurker Antennae, Lurker Shell Sections