184 – Mind the Gap

Bits and pieces of monster fell on me, interrupting my focus.

I stood up, retrieved a towel from my storage, wiped the burnt gunk off my face, and equipped my helmet. Ignoring the smell of fried monster, I walked forward into the dungeon.

Lapia's plan was simple in execution: I would attract monsters with Intimidate Prey, boost the party's stats with Monster Hunter, and she'd keep the vortex above me to suck and then kill the Mind Flayers. Yolin would protect them in case any pesky jellyfish snuck past me, gaining the monster's attention, then Pokora would shoot the trespassers.

The plan worked in favor of me being under the effects of the medicine the Tulmi Elves gave me, since I stopped every few seconds to simply watch the carnage above me and focus on the E'eral patterns of the spells at play.

Mind Flayers got sucked like dust into a vacuum cleaner, then fried beyond recovery. Whenever electricity licked the monsters, their surfaces flashed bright, attempting to send something back through the lightning but failing to do so.

Is that the thing to invade minds? I wondered, enjoying the light show with a big smile like a kid watching fireworks.

“Hola~” a voice whispered next to me.

I scowled and shook my head, ignoring it.

“Boost!” Lapia's voice echoed in my mind, coming through the Bond.

I gasped, having forgotten to activate Monster Hunter. With a snap of my fingers, E'er went into my mind and activated the skill, igniting the tendrils that connected to the people I was Bonded with.

The fire's temperature went up a noticeable amount, the lightning was louder, and the vortex sucked harder after Lapia gained a 10% increase to her stats per monster in combat with me.

I squinted my eyes at the vacuum. Are they in combat with me, though? I wondered, watching the Mind Flayers get helplessly slaughtered. An intrusive thought made me grab a handful of my hair and inspect it.

The strands were as straight as ever, disturbed only by the pressurized air coming from the explosions.

Is my hair immune to static? Is that how it works? I wondered, staring at my hair with slight confusion. Shouldn't it be standing up like crazy? I hummed and let it go. Whatever, I concluded, focusing on the dungeon floor.

Mind Flayers approached from the front, left, and right. Their translucent and transparent bodies were flung around inside the vortex, probably experiencing violent accelerations for the first time in their boring lives.

That must hurt, I considered, observing the things get burned and shocked.

Suddenly, an irresistible urge to laugh took hold of me. An inescapable ticklish sensation made its way to my brain from my leg.

“Pfff HAHAHA!” I laughed and kicked with my leg as a subconscious reaction, then looked down.

A tentacle had wrapped around my right ankle at some point, flashing bright and making my skin feel like someone was tickling it through the armor, the leather undergarments, and my socks.

“Fu!” I yelped and slapped it away with a hand, severing the limb with the force alone.

The perpetrator was a Mind Flayer that had used its limbs to stick to the floor. One of the limbs was stretched beyond what it looked capable of and had reached me.

“Sneaky little bastard,” I chastised it and retrieved my spear from my storage. “How fucking dare you?” I demanded, feeling my lips and eyebrows twitch in abrupt anger.

Alas, my brain was not working under normal circumstances.

With a quick leap, I reached the monster and swung at it with all my strength.

The blade of my spear cut its limbs off in a swift motion, cracking the stone floor beneath it.

I grabbed the brain-shaped head and brought it close to me, then whispered in Abyssal, “This is how you fuck with a mind, disgusting amateur.”

My anger had not come from being above a monster touching me. Not in the slightest. The Mind Flayer's touch was horribly weak. It felt like, after playing online games for a few hours and being told the most heinous sentences a person can articulate, a child called me stupid. It felt like a politically correct individual's insults after leaving any first person shooter game's lobby, especially if one encounters someone from the Balkans. It lacked seasoning, spice, and substance. Insipid at best, and disrespectful at worst with how bland it was.

The monster shivered at my words.

I squished it with my hands, feeling the ticklish sensation through my gauntlets but holding the laughter back. Filled with a disappointment that could only be described with the simil of: 'my ex ruined sex for me because he was too good and my new partner is inexperienced', I let out a heavy sigh that turned into a chuckle. “You can always teach them,” I concluded and looked around.

More Mind Flayers were sticking to the stone floor, imitating the first one to avoid being sucked by Lapia's vortex.

“And learning they are,” I pointed out with surprise and raised eyebrows.

Crawling on the ground, they approached me at a slower pace than when thew floated on air.

I clicked my tongue, still upset by the fact such scary monsters did nothing to me after experiencing Hell.

Then again, curiosity bloomed in my mind as I watched the monsters crawling.

If our trials left us immune to certain forms of magic due to high tolerance, what are the rest of my species resistant to? Aren't I a bit too powerful if mind stuff does nothing to me? Is this how Galeia ensures we perpetuate life? Does Galeia choose our trials? Do the Gods know?

A tendril got too close and I cut it with my spear.

Too weak, I lamented, watching the removed limb go limp.

The vortex of fire and electricity descended and moved in front of me, blocking the Mind Flayers and sucking those latched to the ground.

I turned around to the group.

Lapia gave me a nod and gestured for me to retreat.

I shrugged and walked over to them.

Alyssa pounced on me the moment I reached the group, then removed my helmet, looking me in the eye with apprehension. “Why did you grab a Mind Flayer?!” she demanded, inspecting my face. “Are you okay?”

“I am,” I replied. “Like a snake that is immune to its own venom,” I tentatively explained.

The Luzo's eyes squinted at me. “Was it that much weaker?” she inquired.

I nodded, then turned to Elena. “Go give it a try,” I urged her. “It's not as bad.”

The Faeton Elf looked away with a deep frown on her face.

“Okay,” Pokora interrupted with a clap. “If you're feeling fine then go back in. We need to kill as many as possible before Lapia runs out of juice.”

I gave Alyssa a look that asked if she was satisfied.

The healer released me and huffed, pushing me with her tail. “I'll examine you tonight.”

“Sure,” I agreed and went back to luring mind jellyfish.

The vortex looked bigger than before, sucking stronger by several magnitudes. The ground directly under the vacuum shook and trembled.

I bobbed my head, suddenly finding a rhythm to the deaths. “This is a bit underwhelming, as usual,” I concluded with great disappointment.