A few harsh coughs cut through my throat.
Hah... Hah... Heh... Heeeeeuugh.
I heaved as I scratched against the ground. Trickles of blood could be seen running through the cracked crevices of my body and between my clawed fingers.
_Damn. My shoulder is melting. Who would have thought that the level-up heals would diminish in quick succession. This system is out to kill me for sure._
Rolling onto my back, I wearily observed my surroundings.
From one of the corners of my vision, I was fairly certain I could see that imp from before. It gave off no aura of hostility; in fact, it seemed more interested in looking around at the carnage.
_Well, whatever, I'm not in the mood to mind it._
At this point, I could feel the beckoning call of slumber; it was a blanketing warmth caressing my soul.
_But a 'garden' seems a little anti-climactic in retrospect. Well, it's not worth thinking about now. I'm sure it's vastly more complex than the name lets on. At least I should check the classes before I forget._
Looking up with squinting eyes, the window opened up for me.
[Class Options:
[Synergist:
Merges magic and other modes of attack to create a diverse set of skills greater than the sum of their parts. A class of extreme utility.]
[Thunder-Sorcerer:
A class framework overtly facilitating the use of lightning magic. It increases the ease of lightning magic breakthroughs by 100% and increases lightning damage by 75%, as well as mimicking the sorcerer class for +50% mana recovery and ease of magical skill acquisition.]
[Sin-Sayer: (Demonic variant)
Your voice is elusive, but your words are prescient within the minds of those bound by sin, especially the prideful. If you are strong enough, their hearts will be swayed in your favour, and the devotion of their souls will grant you strength. ]]
I almost collapsed at the last one.
_What do you mean, 'especially prideful'? I feel slighted somehow._
_Hmm, synergist feels quite personal and less reliant on others, as well as open-ended in terms of potential._
_Thunder-sorcerer is exactly as it says, but I can't help but feel it is quite limited. I'll acquire magical skills regardless, and synergist could certainly make up for lost potential in the long run..._
_Sin-Sayer interests me, but I don't really want my strength tied to others so delicately. You'd need to surround yourself with sycophantic worshippers and then keep them alive. If the class is well known, then it has an obvious weakness. On top of that, I would be less mobile, and I don't even have any idea what the world at large is like. It is too risky to choose._
With my eyes closed, I massaged my forehead in contemplation. I felt like even the scales were sagging from my eyes.
_Maybe I'll wake up if I choose one?_
_Well, I'm pretty confident in synergist anyway._
I raised my arm and reached forward, yet it pushed through only air, and the usual haptic feedback didn't sound in my mind.
The screen flickered in my vision, and I felt my consciousness fade.
_Damn, I swear it is broken..._
---
"Karin, why is it taking so long?"
The gruff but youthful voice carried its way to the ears of the demon by his side but did not extend far through the resonant cave surrounding them.
"Tch. I'm not taking the risk of this child noticing anything. Trickling the sleep magic in a way that makes sense to this overly observant imp is difficult. Alark, you're always too quick to act."
Karin spoke softly, but with a faintly noticeable feigned exasperation in her voice.
Alark turned his head and narrowed his eyes.
"Even so... You... Are you actually struggling to put them to sleep?"
He leaned back while saying this, surprise now coating his gaze.
She looked away, vague embarrassment shining her cheeks.
"Shut it. Did you not hear the carnage while walking this way? You can't even sense your little pet anymore. I'm sure even Sir Valk's Magore is..."
Karin stopped herself short, an apologetic grimace briefly crossing her face.
"I apologize; I forgot you grew so attached..."
Alark looked away and sighed, letting go of both the pain poorly hidden on his face and the glimmer of anger that seared his heart. They were raised in the same generation, at the same outpost. For demons, this was a bond beyond friendship alone. He could not be angry with her always careless words.
"It's fine. Let's just go inside."
"Alright."
Walking forwards, they found themselves slightly blinded by the shine reflected from the soul-white sheath of ice beneath their feet.
"What in the great fold?"
A voice sounded out, but neither were sure of whom it was. Only surprise filled their minds, and looks of incredulity crossed their faces.
The suppression field, the spirit lake, and the monsters being raised here were...
"All gone... That's another ten lusion-cycles worth of energy! Gone! Vanished into the fucking mist. "
Alark rushed his way in, the adrenaline of shock apparent in his steps.
"Calm down, Alark. This little one is likely more important than that. I'm sure it's an ample reason."
Stepping through, Karin spoke with a soft tone, but the darting of her eyes did little to hide the calm curiosity mixed with surprise.
"Even the restoration fluid is black..."
He did not respond to her words, but he had still noticeably calmed down.
Noticing him walk towards her, Karin did not look towards him; instead, she focused intently on the sleeping imp in front of her, paying no heed to the numerous corpses and frozen, scattered remains dotting the surface of the former sanctuary.
She intently looked over the simple runic symbols carved through her scales; they were glowing, still with a nearly ominous luminous light.
'Wh..'
She lost the thought, hearing a soft sigh beside her. She had assumed they were looking together, so a small amount of confusion left her turning around in puzzlement.
'Ah.'
Alark was crouching down, running his hands across a fractured, once-smooth metallic skin. He had already cut his finger against the crushed metal but paid no mind to the trickle of blood sliding down its smooth surface.
He looked to the side and saw a sharp black scale protruding from the eye socket. He closed his eyes, and a wave of heat coursed through his body as he pinched the ridge of his nose, hiding his emotions.
However, a coolness washed through him at the subtle touch of a hand against his back.
"I'm sorry, Alark."
He saw that she was looking at him; he saw her long red hair dangling to the side in his periphery. But he did not look up to meet her gaze.
Karin stepped back up and slightly away. He had always done that. She knew he pinched his nose when he couldn't handle the stress. Growing up a demon in the world at large was a harsh endeavour, fuelled only by rarely enacted promises. But he was the closest of their generation to seeing those dreams come true, and she did not want to get in his way.
So she looked at him fondly but without further words.
"Can you carry them?"
He now spoke in his usual voice.
"Sure."
And she could see that he didn't want to hold the child.
"Let's go."
She spoke this time, and they left the now-dead cavern.