Tara stares at the devastation, his consciousness still reeling from what he's done. The wolves are gone. The trees are gone. Everything in the blast's path has been annihilated.
"I wanted to shoo away some puppies," Tara thinks. "I accidentally deleted them. This is like bringing a gun to a knife fight. Effective? Yes. Proportionate? Absolutely not. It was overkill. I killed them, their ancestors, their descendants, and the ground they were standing on."
But then something strange happens. As he looks at the destruction, he can feel something—essences flowing toward him. Small streams of power, coming from where the wolves have been, from the trees, from the ground itself.
**CREATURES DEFEATED:**
**Shadowfang Pack:**
- **Alpha Wolf (Shadowfang Leader)** - Essence: 600,000
- **Beta Wolf (Pack Second)** - Essence: 400,000
- **Beta Wolf (Pack Second)** - Essence: 400,000
- **Pack Wolves (10)** - Essence: 400,000
- **Crystal Beetles** (various) - Essence: 80,000
- **Glow Moths** (various) - Essence: 40,000
- **Forest Sprites** (various) - Essence: 32,000
**Total Minor Essence:** 152,000
**TOTAL ESSENCE GAINED:** 1,952,000
**EXP GAINED:** 30,500 EXP
Tara feels the essences flow into him, merging with his own, becoming part of him.
"Wait," Tara thinks, noticing something. "I gained 1,952,000 essence, but only 30,500 EXP? That's... that's way less. Let me think..."
He calculates: 1,952,000 essence divided by 30,500 EXP equals about 64. So he's getting roughly 1 EXP for every 64 essence.
"So I'm only getting a tiny fraction of essence as EXP," Tara realizes. "Less than 2%. That's... that's pretty inefficient. But I guess that's how the system works. Essence flows in, but only a small part becomes EXP. The rest must be... absorbed? Used for something else? I don't know. But at least I'm getting something."
It isn't enough to level up. He is still level 24. The 30,500 EXP adds to that, giving him 30,504 total EXP, but level 25 requires 33,554,431 total EXP. He is still far from leveling up.
But something else is happening. As the essences merge with him, new abilities become available. The wolves have abilities, skills, techniques that are now accessible to him.
**NEW ABILITIES AVAILABLE:**
**Pack Tactics (Uncommon)** - Coordinate with allies or clones for enhanced combat effectiveness. Increases damage and accuracy when fighting alongside others. Cost: 2 points.
**Feral Rage (Common)** - Enter a berserker state, increasing speed and damage at the cost of reduced defense. Cost: 1 point.
**Scent Tracking (Common)** - Enhanced perception to track targets by their essence or energy signature. Cost: 1 point.
**Pack Howl (Uncommon)** - Emit a powerful howl that can intimidate enemies or communicate over long distances. Cost: 2 points.
**Shadow Claw (Common)** - Attack with energy-infused claws that can phase through defenses. Cost: 1 point.
**Night Vision (Common)** - Enhanced vision in low-light conditions. Cost: 1 point.
Tara looks at the new abilities, overwhelmed. So many options. And he has 18 ability points remaining. He can choose several abilities if he wants.
"These are all from the wolves," Tara thinks.
The thought is disturbing. He's taken their lives, and now he is taking their power. It feels thrilling and wrong at the same time, even if it has been self-defense.
But he also realizes something. These abilities could be useful. Could Pack Tactics work with Demonic Fission—with his clones? Unlikely. Shadow Claw could give him a way to attack. Scent Tracking could help him detect threats before they find him, although he doesn't have a nose.
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He can choose several abilities if he wants, but he doesn't have to choose now. He can wait, see what situations come up, what he needs most.
For now, he has other things to worry about. Like the fact that he's just created a massive path of destruction in the forest. Someone will notice. Someone will investigate. And when they do, they'll find him.
Tara needs to move. He needs to get away from here, away from the devastation, away from any potential witnesses.
He checks his storage counter. 4,124,240 units. He's used 10M-energy-blast, but he is still generating energy. 13,824 units per second. He'll recover, eventually.
But for now, he needs to go. To run. To escape.
He activates Dash, moving away from the destruction, away from the evidence of what he's done. Dash, wait 2 seconds, dash, wait 2 seconds. The rhythm returns, automatic, familiar.
Behind him, the devastation remains. A scar on the forest, a testament to the power he now wields.
And ahead of him, the forest stretches on, full of unknown dangers, unknown possibilities.
---
## Tejran's Hideout
Tejran returns to his hideout, a vial of Void Binding Elixir clutched in his hand. He's spent the day in the city, gathering supplies, preparing for the next phase of his ritual.
But as he steps into his laboratory and beholds the scene, the vial almost drops out of his twitching hands.
The demon is gone.
The artifact is gone.
"What?" Tejran whispers, his voice rising. "Where is Xyl'tharoth?"
He searches the room, his movements frantic, his eyes scanning every corner, his fingers twitching. Nothing. The demon is gone. The artifact is gone. Both vanished, as if they've never been there.
"No," Tejran says, his voice growing louder. "No, this cannot be! The demon was bound! The artifact was bound! They cannot have escaped!"
But they have. The evidence is clear. The hideout is empty.
The mage's mind races, trying to understand what has happened. The demon couldn't have escaped on its own—it was bound, commanded to guard. The artifact couldn't have moved—it was an inanimate object, a tool.
Unless...
"Unless it wasn't inanimate," the mage realizes, his eyes widening. "Unless it was... sentient. A souled artifact. An awakened artifact with consciousness!"
If the artifact has consciousness, if it can think, if it can act... then it could have stopped the energy flow. It could have drained the demon. It could have escaped.
"Indeed!" the mage exclaims, his voice rising to a near-shout. "Indeed, it must be! A souled artifact! That explains everything! The stored energy, the broken binding, the escape! It was conscious all along!"
He curses, his words dark and venomous. "Jahahahaha! A souled artifact! I should have known! I could see the signs! But no matter!"
The mage's expression turns cold, determined. "I will find it. I will track it down. And when I do, I will make it obey. I will enslave its soul, I will make it pay for what it has done!"
---
Meanwhile, in the city of Valdris, Elena and Kira make their way to the Grand Auction House. The auction has concluded a while ago, and it is time to collect their payment.
"900 gold," Elena says, counting the coins. "After the 10% commission. Not bad for a single artifact."
"Not bad at all," Kira agrees. "That pyramid thing sold for a lot."
The two make their way back to the inn where Garrick and the rest of the party are already drinking. The warrior looks up as they enter, his scarred face breaking into a grin.
"Got the gold?" Garrick asks.
"Sure did," Elena confirms, tossing a pouch onto the table.
Garrick grabs the pouch, his grin widening. "Perfect. Now we can afford better equipment. Better weapons. Everything."
The party begins discussing their next hunt, their next adventure. There are dungeons to explore, monsters to fight, treasures to find. The 900 gold will help, but they need more gold. They need more adventure.
"So where are we heading next, leader?" one of the party members asks.
"North," Elena says. "There's a dungeon up there, supposedly full of treasure. And if we're lucky, we'll find more artifacts like that pyramid."
The party continues planning, discussing routes, supplies, strategies. They have gold, they have equipment, they have each other. And they have a new adventure ahead of them.
