Hand of The Eldritch God

The goblins of the Underdark cheered and called for the blood of humanity. Within their midst was Ren, realizing he really fucked up. The crowd slowly moved as the shaman called forth.

“To the arena where we shall see our Lord’s might!” The shaman waved Ren forwards. Ren, always a bit nervous in social situations, just kind of went along with it not wanting to ruin their vibe.

The crowd moved as dozens, then hundreds joined the procession. They all went towards a giant pit in the stone, it was lined with various fungal lamps. A set of stadium benches were carved into the stone lining the pit. As the great wave crashed against the pit they scrambled to get into the seats, others just standing above with hunger in their eyes. Those who seemed ready to die were newly invigorated, as they began to call out in excitement.

The shaman pulled Ren away from the crowd that began celebrating around the pit.

“Hey, Shaman, things are getting a little wild, way too fast. Think we could just skip this?”

“To skip these festivities would kill their joy and hope within our people! You are to be rightfully crowned again Alkyri, just enjoy yourself!”

Ren looked around at the surrounding goblins, withered little gray men and women were ready, seemingly dying for this moment. This isn't just a nightmare or fever dream in my cell, is it? Please be an insane nightmare…

He looked back down at the Marked Shaman who’s smile reached ear to pointed ear. He spoke a few hushed words before a passage into the stone open before them.

“This, Lord Alkyri, is where we will have you enter the arena from!”

“Ah, wonderful.”

The shaman scrambled down the stairs and Ren huddled down the small entrance that led into the pit. The shaman led the way as they passed into the pit from a doorway below.

Exiting first the shaman spoke again, a second doorway opened and quickly disappeared behind him as Ren stood in the middle of the giant pit. Ren brought a firebolt into his hand as he prepared for what was about to come.

Cheering crowds lined the hundred-foot diameter of the arena beneath the ground. A feverish energy burned in them as they anticipated the bloodbath to come. Ren looked at them and saw nothing of the sickly and dying masses that stood before lining the grotesque streets. Only a people long lost, and finally awake to the world again now surrounded him. Though their bodies and souls were ruined by their Lord Alkyri, Ren had awoken something again.

Two holes opened in the earth on the other side of the pit. Two canine like beasts crawled out, they were far larger than any dog he remembered. Wait, what was a dog? A dissonance came into his mind as he didn’t quite remember. The single creature similar to these he could remember was the dire wolf. These two mutts felt far more feral, not meaning they were wilder, but more wrong and unknown to his mind. A strong sense of sickness within their minds, perhaps the long years living amongst the Marked had too corrupted them.

The call of ‘Wargs’ came from the crowd in jumbled speech. Ren readied himself as a second firebolt appeared before him. The two hounds began to circle him and their thick, matted brown coats stood up in anticipation.

Ren activated analyze and looked at the two beasts. They stared back into him with a deeper hunger ready to render him into bits.

Warg Lvl 8

Warg Lvl 7

Thick gobs of drool leaked from the feral animals; their teeth were a yellow brown with pecks of rotten flesh blackening them. Their eyes shone an orange in the dim light within the pit. Ren targeted one firebolt at each of the beasts as he released them forth.

Fire bloomed out and slammed into each animal. Oily thick fur stank as the animals yelped. Within moments Ren summoned two more bolts, the mental strain of summoning two together lightly giving him a headache.

The animals quickly recovered and began to get closer to him as their blackened and stinking burnt fur continued smoking.

The toll to hold two bolts at once was far from insignificant, though he believed it would be easier next time. With a command of his will, the two bolts pierced the Wargs and sent them tumbling back before they could strike at him.

The mana within the bolts was the same as before, though his intent seemed far stronger as he used the skill more often. The will within the bolts seemed far more cut and drier and less forced, they slowly were becoming more efficient as he repeatedly used the attack.

Watching both animals, he felt them weakening, using eldritch eyes and analysis combined he felt their vital energies were quickly draining as his bodies tried to mend their burning flesh. The two stood again and charged immediately at him. If they had not yet been quite damaged, they might have gotten him.

With his immense dexterity he dodged past them and fired two eldritch touch infused bullets into the level eight Warg. The creature began to flail as it had black veins consume it. The last beasts came towards him again as he tried to dodge, the toll on him from using eldritch touch began eating away at him, it slowed him enough for the animal to grab at his wrist. Releasing the corruption eating away at him, a wave passed out of his arm and caused the beasts to begin dying. At first it just released his arm, shaking its head. It came at him again and tried to bite into his thigh, it seemed to be in a daze and completely missed as its face became blackened and it fell to the earth in moments.

The goblins surrounding him cheered in their bloodlust. Waving arms and great rotten smiles filled Ren’s vision as he looked into the crowd above. A voice came from all around as the Marked Shaman spoke with mana empowering his voice.

“As you see, our lord has returned! His flames shall burn our enemies, his poison shall render any who dare touch him to rotten filth on the ground! Wargs are nothing before him, but what is a spore host infected within the depths?”

Ren looked at the wall as he noticed it begin to open again as what looked to be a mutated goblin shambled out. Using analysis, he watched as the strange goblin walked shuffling towards him.

Marked Spore Host Lvl 13

He was confused to see another one of these goblin creatures at such a high level before he realized the truth of it. Something infecting the man had transformed him into something more. If the Marked Man could get this strong from being infected by a parasitic fungus, what was their limit with a ‘new God.’ Would he be the catalyst for their evolution into ascendency?

The shambling host of their infectious spores came closer to Ren as small tendrils began to reach out of his chest. The fungus was seeking him out, ready to try and fuse into his being.

Ren again began summoning twin firebolts before slamming them into the host.

The fire seemed to be extremely effective against the fungus as it began to shrivel and burn. What was inside the host still continued to power him forwards. Like a zombie, he shuffles towards Ren, burning and yet seemingly unaffected. Ren backed away slowly making his way towards the opposite wall. Long tendrils began creeping out of the host soaked in blood and bile.

Two more firebolts came forth as Ren felt himself becoming heavily drained by the twin summoning. Conjured forth they slammed into the host; the burning continued as he slowly made his way towards Ren.

Wet tendrils began to wrap their way around the legs of the goblin and the small figure began to pick up speed. The flame continued yet seemed not nearly as effective at stopping the bile and blood-soaked tendrils coming out slowly on the goblins body.

One of the tendrils whipped out towards Ren as he tried to duck. The wet slap slammed into his head causing him to stumble to the ground. Pulling out his revolver he resolved himself to destroy the abomination.

His remaining four bullets went directly into the chest of the spore host. Eldritch touch flowed heavily through Ren’s body as the corruption spread through the fungal zombie's. He tried to push out the eldritch touch, but it seemed to linger within him. His mana began to quickly reach it’s bottoming out point as his head began to thump. Black veins began invading the tendrils coming from the fungal infection within the goblin host. The body was not more than a burnt crisp with flailing wet tentacles writhing around it.

Two tendrils slammed down on Ren as he felt popping in his chest and a severe pain bloom across his ribcage. With terrible effort he tried summoning the power to pulse out the remaining eldritch touch within him. Eldritch horror seemed unable to activate as Ren desperately tried to rid himself of the force trying to kill him.

Standing with painful effort he looked at the host, the tendrils seemed to be unable to control themselves, or whatever intelligence, or instinct within it had lost control. They began slamming into one another as they lashed out uncontrollably. As Ren stood, he pressed his back against the wall and watched the black veins across the tendrils slowly retract as the corruption lost hold over the strength in level thirteen.

While creatures such the monarch arachnids had all their stats in physical strength and speed to allow them to instantly kill their ambushed prey, an unintelligent, slow, things such as the host had all its power in durability and strength.

Unable to kill the fungus, eldritch touch had slowly faded, Ren’s own body barely had the stats to fend off the corruption compared to the far more durable creature before him. With the backlash of four eldritch shots fire off rapidly, and him missing much of his mana due to the rapid twin conjuring of firebolt, he was in bad shape.

Unable to release eldritch horror, and incapable of firing the revolver that was out of ammo, only his knife was capable of damaging the creature. Getting into melee range of the tendrils would surely be a death sentence. Ren raised his hand and felt at his soul, within it was an egg. This egg was nothing that he could see, nor could he touch it. He felt the wrongness deep within it, the promise of something horrible.

Reaching into the place deep within him, the hidden place that reached out within his dreams, he felt at a presence. Calling upon the void within his soul he touched it.

A force came from the void within him, the egg that was to birth the thing that would devour the world. He gave into its influence, for one thing was strongest within him, the urge to live.

An energy, or more like that of something that was the opposite of energy, poured out and grasped the corruption within him. It flowed into his hand as he allowed it to come forth. A swirling purple energy floated within his palm, like a wave collapsing upon itself, the faint violet light of the energy swirled. At its center the light was nearly a neon, vibrant shade, but at its edge the power was nearly a back-purple hue.

The power flowed and then, at Ren’s command, blasted forth like lightning into the heart of the fungal mass. Purple streaks like lightning bolts flashed across the tendrils and a violet light shone from its center. The abomination collapsed as Ren felt his body being torn apart.

Warning: Premature Ascension

Mark: Ascendant Slayer Absorbed

Eldritch Rouge Level 10

Eldritch Rouge Tier 2

+5 Dexterity +2 Willpower +2 Vitality +2 Intelligence +7 Freepoints

Skill Gained: [Eldritch Blast]

Eldritch Blast: Expend eldritch energy to blast forth a beam of pure void essence. The one who welcomes the void shall bring it.

Ren felt his body begin rupturing as a volatile force began permeating him. Within moments he fell unconscious as he looked at the silent smiling face above.