Chapter 176: Skill Tree Unlocked
Eyes widening, Seo-jin was forced to take a step back, the pressure of the swelling light pushed against his chest.
[...Whoa.]
'Agreed.'
He nodded, unable to hide his spreading grin as the towering blue silhouette finally stopped expanding. The moment it did—
A sound like the world cracked split through everyone's skulls.
They all felt it. Snare wasn't there to grant them sight, so none of them could see Grimm or the transformation taking place. But when the shock tore through the water, every one of them saw the flash of blue fire erupt in front of the Broodfather.
[System // Notification]
[System By-product (Grimm)]
[Pet Skill Tree // Unlocked]
As the flames faded and the blue light thinned, the others saw nothing but dark water again. Only Seo-jin could see the result. From the look on his face, it was clear whatever had happened pleased him greatly.
'Look at you. You're huge!'
Seo-jin spread his arms and laughed, staring up at Grimm's new form.
His skull alone was enormous. Nine feet tall, blackened bone split with glowing cracks where blue ghostfire leaked out and crawled across the surface. Twin furnaces burned in the eye sockets, bright enough to light the surrounding water. The jaw hung open in a permanent scream, rows of long teeth grinding together as Grimm shifted, the hollow clack carrying through the current.
Behind it trailed a long spine stretched back through the dark like the bones of a serpent, ribs hanging wide and empty as blue flame rolled along every vertebra. The skeletal body matched the scale of the head, drifting through the water like a ghostly dragon. When Grimm lowered the massive skull toward Seo-jin, the surrounding water trembled with the movement.
'Do I look scary?'
Seo-jin blinked. Then jumped.
'You can talk?! Buddy, that's awesome! And yeah, you look super scary! Wait until Snare sees you!'
'Where's Teal?'
'Teal? Oh, yeah. One sec.'
He lifted a hand and motioned to Hex.
'Bring the human over!'
Seo-jin felt light, a real smile pulling across his face. Grimm could finally talk. Turning back toward the massive skull hovering above him, he tilted his head.
'How do you feel? Anything hurt?'
Grimm shook his head slowly, blue fire rippling along his ribs. Then he smiled.
'Nothing hurts, and I feel good. Real good. I didn't know talking felt like this.'
'Speech isn't something to take lightly though. Don't just fill the air with words. Make sure you have something to say. Words have power, Grimm. Remember that.'
Brow tightening, Grimm considered it, then nodded.
'I'll try.'
'Good.'
Out of the corner of his eye, Seo-jin saw Teal's limp body being dragged closer. The movement stirred silt along the coral floor. He chuckled.
'Should we wake her? Up to you.'
'I know she won't see me, but you think she'll hear me?'
'Don't know. Try talking to Hex.'
The giant skull turned toward the broodling and drifted close, the massive head lowering until it hovered right beside his ear.
'Boo!'
Hex jerked, claws snapping out as he spun.
'You hear that?! Someone said—!'
Seo-jin waved him off, shoulders shaking as laughter pushed through his chest.
'Yes, yes. I heard it.'
Kneeling down, he forced the laugh down and grabbed Teal by the shoulder, shaking her hard. She answered with a savage burp that rolled through the water. Seo-jin tasted it immediately and had to swallow down the urge to gag as her blurry eyes slowly focused.
'Hey, half-breed. Your benefactor wishes to speak to you.'
Groggy and still waking, Teal rubbed her eyes hard.
'Huh? Bene—what?'
'Hello.'
She turned toward the voice beside her but saw only darkness drifting past her face. She blinked and shook her head.
'Think I'm still sleepin.'
'No, you just can't see me. Name's Grimm!'
She pressed her fingers into her temples and squeezed her eyes shut.
'What did I drink? These voices are getting too real.'
Rolling his eyes, Seo-jin pulled up his system panel, the familiar crimson glow washing across his hands. While Grimm tried to introduce himself and convince Teal he was real, Seo-jin focused on the last notification. Grimm's skill tree.
[Pet Skill Tree // Grimm]
[Classification // Spectral Construct]
[Path // Wraith Carrier]
[Growth Method // Devour Spirits]
[Tier I // Spectral Mount]
[Status // Unlocked]
[Name // Phantom Saddle]
[Type // Passive]
[Allies may stand, sit, or anchor themselves upon Grimm's intangible body while he flies.]
[Passenger weight does not affect Grimm's flight.]
[Passenger Capacity // 4]
[Name // Intestine Snare]
[Type // Active]
[Grimm extends hooked intestines to seize a target.]
[Range // 20 meters]
[Effect // Pulls target toward Grimm]
[Cooldown // 10 seconds]
[Tier II // Wraith Transport]
[Status // Locked]
[Unlock Requirement // Devour 20 Spirits]
[Ability // War Carrier — Locked]
[Ability // Drop Point — Locked]
[Ability // Hooked Drag — Locked]
[Tier III // Spectral Bomber]
[Status // Locked]
[Unlock Requirement // Devour 50 Spirits]
[Ability // Acid Breath — Locked]
[Ability // Corpse Drop — Locked]
[Ability // Phantom Drift — Locked]
[Tier IV // Dread Carrier]
[Status // Locked]
[Unlock Requirement // Devour 120 Spirits]
[Ability // Battlefield Carrier — Locked]
[Ability // Chain Harvest — Locked]
[Ability // Death Rain — Locked]
[Tier V // Grave Titan]
[Status // Locked]
[Unlock Requirement // Devour 300 Spirits]
[Ability // Wraith Armada — Locked]
[Ability // Maw of the Dead — Locked]
[Ability // Cataclysm Drop — Locked]
[System Note]
[Grimm's physical scale will increase with Spirit Mass.]
[Higher tiers may alter Grimm's structural form.]
Seo-jin read through the panel, the glow reflecting in his eyes. A faint tingle crept along his skin.
[Wraith Armada...sounds pretty wicked.]
'Not sure what I was expecting, but this, this is perfect. Traveling is gonna be a breeze now.'
[Very funny.]
He could already picture it. Soaring over a battlefield, ghostfire rolling off Grimm's bones while enemies scattered below. Maybe rain acid on them. Or just drop broodlings straight on their heads. Either way, it would be fun as hell.
[Don't you think we should be going? Time's ticking.]
'Ruiner.'
Seo-jin flicked the panel away and straightened, the last traces of system light fading.
Grimm was still talking to Teal, the girl sitting there almost dumbfounded as she stared into empty water. Around them, the brood waited, each commander handling their new chosen in their own way.
Seeing Panic sitting on his, Seo-jin knew the lesser was in for the worst of it.
Pulling up his system again, he quickly refilled their ranks, each troop starting fresh with another fifty.
System light flared again across the area, washing the coral and silt as the new lessers fractured and reshaped to match their commanders.
'Alright Grimm, that's enough.'
Seo-jin swam over. Grimm frowned for a second, then brightened again when Seo-jin reached out and petted the massive skull. Looking down at Teal, Seo-jin saw she seemed steadier now, even if her eyes still looked lost.
She stared up at him, voice tight.
'Am I—am I going crazy?'
'Maybe. Stand up.'
Her brows lifted for a moment, but she pushed herself upright, swaying slightly in the slow pull of the current. Seo-jin had been about to shove her back into the growths when another idea hit him.
'Broodlings! We head to the floor boss now. We'll swim straight there, so avoid the vent bugs or anything else that might slow us.'
The brood erupted. Roars tore through the water as the thought of the coming fight lit them up. Fighting beside the Broodfather was the highest honor a broodling could earn, and every one of them wanted it.
Turning to Teal.
'As for you, let's talk a bit.'
He extended a hand. After a brief hesitation, she took it. Seo-jin pulled her up and settled onto Grimm's skull, bringing her with him. The moment they did, both of them felt a faint tug, like their butts had stuck to something. Seo-jin knew it was Grimm anchoring them, but Teal stiffened, panic flashing across her face before she caught Seo-jin watching her.
She froze, flushed, then forced herself to relax.
'What's going on?'
He patted Grimm's skull, the bone warm under his palm as he sent directions through their bond. Teal's eyes widened as they started moving. Slow at first, the water sliding past her shoulders, then faster than she had ever moved before.
Seo-jin smiled.
'Grimm, the one you were talking to. He's my pet. A ghost, actually. And right now we're riding him through a B-rank abyssal dungeon. Next stop, the floor boss.'
Grimm tore through the Vent Cathedral, currents rushing along his ribs. After a moment he slowed, realizing he had pulled ahead of the brood, but through the bond Seo-jin could feel it. The ghost was happier than he had ever been.
Even as Teal began screaming and cussing about being dragged through a B-rank dungeon, Grimm and Seo-jin were in the best mood they'd been in for a long time.
----
'Completely and utterly illogical!'
'Suggest you calm down. We're not really in a position to complain.'
'Nonsense! Right is right, wrong is wrong. And that big idiot giant is wrong!'
Snare had never seen Synapse act like this. Usually emotions were the last thing he'd expect from the annoying robot, but the giant's excuses had clearly pushed the broodling too far.
A deep, heavy voice rolled through the water as it answered.
'I have no reason to believe you. Besides, I prefer a good scrap.'
In response, Synapse began stomping his foot over and over, the impacts thudding against the surface beneath them. His tail lashed the ground as well.
'Then fight for the Broodfather, not against him!'
Laughter rumbled like distant thunder, vibrating through the water. Two enormous eyes lowered until they were level with the brothers. Only then did it become clear that the ground Synapse had been stomping was the giant's open hand.
'You ask too much of me, little one. Haven't I already cleared the way for your broodfather? Be content the bugs won't harm him. Do not ask more of me.'
Snare agreed wholeheartedly. Earlier, the giant had produced a massive conch shell and blown a deep note that shook the world around them, the sound rolling across the Vent Cathedral. The vent bugs had scattered immediately, retreating so their father could travel safely to this place. So the giant and him could fight.
Synapse suddenly raised his rifle and aimed it straight at the giant's eye. Snare lunged across the palm and tackled him before he could fire. Even pinned, Synapse twisted and shouted up at the giant.
'But you're a prisoner! Why would you fight for them and not against them?! It's illogical! You say you'll drown if you leave here, but we already told you our father can carry you out of here safely! So why?! Why won't you join—?!'
Snare pressed his hand into the back of Synapse's head, forcing his face into the giant's palm. Looking up, Snare gave the giant a sheepish grin.
'Apologies. He's just a little crazy. You have already done more than we could have asked. Please forgive him.'
Silence followed. Long, uncomfortable silence. Snare swallowed and eased some of the pressure on his brother, ready to bolt if the giant decided he'd pushed things too far.
A deep sigh rolled out of the dark.
'I'm not surprised a demon doesn't understand. Honor means more to my kind than life itself. I swore to my captors that I would guard this passage. My battle with them was lost, fairly. I will not tarnish myself by betraying them.'
A small booming chuckle followed.
'Besides, this father of yours sounds like a worthy opponent. If he can kill me, then I gladly welcome the challenge.'
Synapse looked ready to explode again when Snare cracked him across the head with the butt of his staff. The strike rang against bone. A warning followed through the broodlink.
'Enough! You won't convince him, so wasting any more energy on this is illogical in itself. Stop being a hypocrite.'
That must have worked, because Synapse's expression went flat almost instantly.
'You are correct. Apologies. It appears I lost myself a bit there.'
Snare blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift. Just when he thought he understood his brother, the idiot flipped again.
'It's fine. Let's just wait for the Broodfat—it's him!'
Both broodlings snapped their heads toward the same direction, bodies going still on the giant's palm.
The giant's massive eyes followed their gaze, his voice echoing like a hollow cavern.
'Mmm. Impressive. He seems strong.'
Snare bristled.
'Seems?! Hmph, seems your senses have dulled down here. Prepare to meet true strength, Gundant.'
Snare and Synapse felt it the moment their father came close enough through the broodlink. The pressure spread through their bodies like a rising current. He had grown stronger. With the brood swimming behind him, it felt to Snare like an entirely different beast approaching.
A much bigger beast.
The Brood was close, and both could feel it...death was approaching.