Re: Level 100 Farmer

"The Abyss has corrupted you," said Zagan. "And this personage understands that such corruption may be cured only through force."

"So is that what you will do, my master? Force a cure upon me? Such as that which your 'Seer' has crafted?" said Amon. 

"The cure is for the rest of our kind," said Zagan. "You, this personage must personally vanquish to atone for the mistakes of rearing the likes of you. All that has befallen the Demonic See, this personage places blame in the foolishness of believing that you were capable of more than merely falling to the nearest temptation for power."

"You would kill me? Your former student?" said Amon. An amused laugh resonated from the eyeball that projected Amon's voice. "Of course you would. For once, you are beginning to sound like your old self. I issue my leave now, but know this, my master, that shard of yours that you possess – I will have it in time.

When all that I have orchestrated has been laid bare, you will know the good of my deeds."

With that, Amon's voice faded, and the fiery red eye that projected his voice disappeared into a shower of crackling, dimming sparks, leaving nothing but the sound of fire burning the Gigant forests. 

"Thou art a Herald Sin," remarked Asala, finally, after a brief period of silence. "One of seven who art mightiest among the Demonic See. And thou hast been among us all this time?"

"This personage merely holds the Shard of Greed," said Zagan. "His position as Herald has long been retired once entered unto the service of the Seer."

"And Outworlder?" said Asala. "That doth be a term that I hath not heard before. Yet, the Burning One doth say he himself is one, and that the Seer also be one. They art connected? Of the same kind?"

"Impossible," said Mason. "Where the Seer brings forth life and hope, the Burning One has only brought forth fire and destruction. Just look around you."

"On that end, I do agree with my brother," said Mercer as he pointedly stared at the raging forest fire around them. 

"It merely means that both have tapped into powers beyond this world," said Zagan. "Do not question your mortal minds more over such a matter. Instead, apply yourselves to restoring this forest, for that is what your Seer would have wished."

A maw filled with teeth surrounding a put of inky darkness formed on Old Thane's chest, right beneath the two crimson eyes of Zagan. The roaring fires around in the environment began to funnel into the maw, as if sucked in through vacuum force. 

"Ahh, the feeling of ripped and torn flesh forcing itself back," said Old Thane as waves of black magical energy washed over him. Zagan was repurposing the flames he absorbed into additional stats and healing for Old Thane. "It is the best, aye. And the demon is right. We must press on, vanquish these flames, and find the lad as soon as we can.

The further time we spend talking among ourselves, the longer we are apart from the lad, and the more dangerous this becomes.

I am mighty, aye, even more so with the demon aiding me, but even that may not be enough."

Old Thane trudged forwards, cracking his neck as he went deeper into the Gigant. As he did so, the flames around him all absorbed into Zagan, leaving smoking, charred forestscape, but at the least, it did not burn any further. 

"Come on, then," said Old Thane. "And watch yer own backs. If it be that I must fend for myself, then I can do little to protect ye compared to the lad."

==

Li flew alongside with Tia in the skies of the second layer. He projected the shapeshifting spell the [Wings of the Sanzuwu], and fiery feathered wings spread from his back, at home in the volcanic ash and intense, rippling heat waves of this molten hellscape. 

"Papa, slow down!" said Tia as she huffed and puffed to try and keep up, her eyes squinting and her emerald scaled wings flapping with all her might. 

"Come on, Tia, you can handle this much!" said Li with a faint smile, egging Tia on, for he knew he needed to push her to keep her growing stronger. 

"I take a break on birdie!" said Tia after she pushed herself for one more burst, a shockwave bursting from her tail as she slapped it in the air to try and generate enough force to reach Li, but to no avail.

Below Tia, there was a veritable legion of enormous eagles. Eagles with wingspans that easily reached twenty meters. Massive beasts who would have cast great shadows over land, their gleaming yellow eyes fiercely alert to snap up prey in their obsidian black talons. 

Around their wings, an aura of faintly green glowing wind gathered, causing twin trails of gleaming energy to flutter behind them as they soared forth in a V-formation under Li and Tia.

Tia plopped atop one of them with a contented sigh, burying her face in the eagle's thick feathers

These were twelve [Alpha Roc], creatures that reached level 60 that Li could summon quite liberally with a B+ ranked spell known as the [Gathering Flock]. They were all individually quite combat capable, more than strong enough to single-handedly take on a fire giant, but they were even more useful for their incredibly sharp eyes that saw both far distances and through faint shifts in magic. 

The Alpha Rocs scanned the landscape below, picking out any threats and irregularities. 

These, Li had wanted to use mostly to spot traps far before they sprung up on him and to catch fire giants before they could react to him in the distance. That way, Li figured he could capture a fire giant and use his newly crafted anti-eldritch corruption spell to cleanse them and figure out exactly what the hell was going on. 

Unfortunately, however, even after thirty minutes of high speed flight, all Li and his flock of Rocs had seen was just barren, flaming land with the occasional volcano spurting out lava or geyser bursting with superheated steam.