Everybody Loves Large Chests Expanded Normality 4

Expanded Normality 4

Woah, Fizzy remarked, her eyes wide. I guess these things really are as tough as the rumors said.

The golem couldnt help but be taken aback by the aftermath of Azzyths head exploding into a burst of blinding fla re seconds ago. Puddles of steaming blood, bits of ripped scales, shards of shattered bone, and chunks of charred flesh now littered the area, transforming the already devastated terrain into a nightmarish display of viscera. The dragons dislodged skull had settled roughly in the middle of that gargantuan ss after it had been propelled about ten ters across the ground. A great deal of fleshy bits still clung to it and most of the horns had broken off, but the room-sized lump of bone in the middle had remained completely intact with nary a dent in it. Azzyths last defiant breath may have ended her life in spectacular fashion, but it would appear it still hadnt been enough to crack an adult dragons head open.

Fizzy warily approached the skull. She at first tried to avoid stepping in any of the filth and gore, but it quickly beca apparent that was as futile as trying to walk in the rain without getting wet.

You in there, Boxxy? she called out nervously.

Yeah, the abomination replied after a brief pause. Im here.

The shapeshifter then oozed out of the skulls eye socket.

Boxxy! Youre alive!

Caring nothing for the monsters injuries or the cleanliness of her mithril fra, Fizzy practically leapt at it to give it the biggest hug she was capable of. However, in all the excitent she had forgotten to lower her power output and ended up mildly electrocuting the shapeshifter.

Ack! Boxxy recoiled away as best it could. Watch it!

Oh, crap! Sorry! the Paladin backed away, her relieved smile rapidly turning into a concerned expression. Are you alright?

Does it look like Im alright?! the monster snapped at her.

The short answer to that was no. The nature of the creature usually made it difficult to tell its condition at a glance, but the hulking mound of flesh was obviously unwell. It had lost about half of its volu and its movents were slow and sloppy. It rolled around like a bladder stuffed with gravy, struggling to reshape its mass into sothing more coherent than a lump of at with eyes and teeth. Realizing that her partner hadnt made it through that self-destruct unscathed, Fizzy quickly started casting Holy Light after Holy Light on it.

Ghrrrm, Boxxy gurgled. Thanks. Thats a bit better, but you can stop now.

You sure? You still look terrible. Sound like it, too.

Im just tired.

Though technically true, Boxxys words were also a massive understatent. The shapeshifter perford magnificently during that final stand-off, but continuously dodging those beam volleys had drained it completely. In its obsessed state, the monster hadnt paid any attention to pacing itself. It was so exhausted that it would have collapsed if its struggle with Azzyth had gone on for even a minute longer. Boxxy felt as if it could pass out there and then, but the monster couldnt clock out just yet. Its tentacles were still stubbornly gripping the broken shaft of its staff, sothing they had been doing for the entirety of the fight. Its resentful rage over the items destruction had mostly burned out, but cradling the Artifacts remains ensured that Boxxys fury continued to smolder for just a bit longer.

That was intentional, as the shapeshifter still had so pressing unfinished business to attend to.

Snack! it yelled out.

Xeras floating form coalesced out of the surrounding mist and smoke, after which she prostrated herself before the creature.

I am here, Master, she calmly stated.

The djinn had never doubted her beloved Boxxy would succeed. Well, that was the front she liked to put forward. In reality she dreaded the thought of losing her master so much that she had done her best to avoid thinking about that eventuality altogether. It was a form of self-delusion she had been actively developing for quite a while, as she preferred to focus on her decadent present than the depressing inevitability of Boxxys mortality.

Strip.

Xera therefore didnt even question that order and began wriggling out of her dragonscale armor with giddy enthusiasm.

Uh, okay? Fizzy raised an eyebrow. I guess Ill go tend to Jen while you do your thing.

How is she? Boxxy inquired.

It had completely lost track of its surroundings during the final phase of that fight, so it genuinely had no idea what the harpys state was.

Alive, at least for now, the golem reported. I used a Rejuvenation Potion to plug a gaping hole in her head, but it must have been her third of the day. Shes currently convulsing from potion sickness in that hole over there.

So would argue it was irresponsible of Fizzy to leave Jen in such a state, but there was very little the golem could do to help. No magic or elixir would help soone once their potion sickness got that bad. The harpys body would have to fight off the residual alchemical toxins by itself before her organs started failing. She would most likely survive due to the plethora of body-strengthening Skills at her disposal, but only ti would tell for sure.

I see. Good work, Fizzy, Boxxy complinted her. Your head-gang did well, too. That was an amazing shot back there.

Thanks!

The golem bead a smile that shone brightly despite the nasty sars on her face, then trotted off to make sure her disciple didnt choke to death on her own spit.

All ready for you, Master.

anwhile Xera had finished stripping and was, for lack of a better word, presenting herself before Boxxy.

Put your legs down and co with .

Much to her disappointnt, however, it would appear the shapeshifter wasnt intending on taking her for a victory lap. It had her strip because there was a chance the djinns gear could get damaged or even destroyed by what it was about to do and Boxxy didnt want to risk losing any more of its belongings that day. Xera, for her part, knew her master well enough to figure out that part, but she wasnt quite sure what pressing task it had in mind. That was when she noticed where her master was taking her.

I see, her eyes narrowed. That guy was still alive.

Boxxy was dragging itself towards the shifting puddle of lava that had once been Zingronath, the Voidcaller. Now that Xera took a mont to think about it, she realized that the demons remains hadnt dissipated in the slightest. The mass of molten rock certainly seed smaller, but the way it swirled and sloshed around on its own revealed that the demon wasnt quite dead. Though Zingronath had been soundly defeated, his soul still dwelled sowhere within that blob of magical magma.

Xera grasped that Boxxy wished to deal with the ifrit while he was still incapacitated. Part of it was just the creature being thorough, but it most likely wanted to vent so of its frustrations upon Zingronath. The djinn had already deduced where the demon had co from, so it wasnt hard to imagine that her malicious master would hold an unreasonable grudge against him. She expected Boxxy wanted to torture the guy for daring to leave the staff that was his prison, even though Zingronath had literally no say in the matter. That was all fine and dandy. In fact, Xera herself was looking forward to it too, and not just because she had experienced Boxxys raw, unfiltered hatred through their mind-link.

However, knowing that did little to abate Xeras frustration. Was there really a reason for her to strip naked? She didnt mind taking off that stuffy armor, but she disliked how the shapeshifter had gotten her hopes up. With that in mind, the djinn decided to voice her concerns.

Master? Xera turned towards Boxxy. Punish for my ignorance, but what what What are you doing with that?

Her tone abruptly transitioned from mild annoyance to concerned confusion when she noticed what the abomination was holding. One of its tendrils was currently coiled around the spear called Hornsplitter, one of the cursed Demonbane weapons the monster had used to take down Zingronath. rely laying eyes on that thing made the djinns skin crawl with disgust, but far more troubling was the implication of how, exactly, the monster was handling it. Rather than pointing the thing at the ifrit with lethal intent, Boxxy was instead holding it upright in a way that would suggest it was passing it off to Xera.

Hold the spear.

M-M-Master?

She stamred as her trembling arms rose against her will, the familiar unable to disobey her summoners command. Boxxy coldly ignored her obvious distress and dropped the cursed weapon into her raising hands. Xera groaned and trembled as the wooden shaft seared her palms, the power within slowly but surely attempting to erode and dismantle her very essence. Her fingers refused to loosen their grip no matter how much she wanted to drop the foul thing.

Approach the fire demon.

Fear and apprehension unlike anything shed known before took hold of the djinn as Boxxys intent dawned upon her. She drifted closer to Zingronath, her breathing rapid and uneven. The thing in her hands felt so heavy that it seed as if it would rip her arms out of her shoulders. She had no such luck, however, and soon found herself hovering directly above her fellow demon. Looking down at the red-hot lava, she could just about make out a pattern that looked like a four-eyed skull. The face shook rapidly from side to side, as if pleading for her to stop.

Lift the spear up high, ca Boxxys next command.

Tears stread down Xeras face as her arms hoisted Hornsplitter above her head. True, she had plenty of reasons to hate the infernal asshole, but this was too much. Demons fought one another all the ti, but for one to utterly annihilate anothers immortal soul was beyond unthinkable. The very concept of immorticide was so foreign that they didnt even have a word for it yet.

Now, strike the ifrit! the fateful order was given.

With a wail of pain and despair, the djinn thrust the accursed weapon downward. Zingronath attempted to muster whatever strength he had left, but all it amounted to was a few futile gurgles before the spear sank deep into his physical form. A rumbling howl rose from the sentient lava pit. The superheated mass bubbled violently as it began erupting from several places at once, causing liquefied rock to splash all over the place and then vanish into nothingness. However, it was not enough.

Again!

Boxxy demanded, and Xera obeyed. She pulled the spear out and then plunged it back into her fellow demon, causing more of his physical form to wither away violently.

Again!

A third thrust saw part of the ifrit explode into a shower of green sparks.

And again!

When Xera repeated the motion for the fourth ti, she realized that each subsequent attack felt disturbingly easier than the previous. Her own hesitation and unwillingness dulled the blade, prolonging what should have been a quick and clean execution. It was a lesson strangely similar to the one that Boxxy had taught Fizzy years ago, back when it had just started training the then-gno to be a cold-blooded killer.

Thats it! Keep going!

What was giving her pause was the thought that she was about to cross a line that she didnt even know existed. The prospect of immorticide was absolutely terrifying at first, but Boxxys ongoing encouragent made Xera feel strangely excited about the whole thing. Even after all this ti, her Master continued to find new ways to crush her independence and break her will. Whether knowingly or not, it was forcing her to perform an act that even she didnt know she hated while putting her own immortal soul at risk, all so it wouldnt have to get its own tentacles dirty.

Destroy Zingronath forever! Let him taste oblivion!

Xera thus sank a bit deeper into the bottomless well known as depravity.

Yes! My Master!

The djinn thrust Hornsplitter into her fellow demon yet again, but this ti she put her whole body and soul into the act. The extra strain on her arms caused them to snap off at the elbows, as rely holding the cursed weapon had eroded her conjured flesh and bone. However, it had paid off. Whether because of Xeras newfound conviction or Zingronaths already diminished strength, the latter finally gave way.

The ancient ifrit sultans wretched soul, born of the purest malice and forged in millenia of destruction and hatred, was ripped to pieces. The psychic energy it held exploded like a volcanic eruption, filling the air with unimaginable heat and a deafening roar while the already abused ground tore itself asunder ever further. This kicked up a violent torrent of air that sent Boxxy tumbling backwards, eliciting a string of curses from the exhausted creature. It picked itself back up and gazed upon the powers it had unleashed with curious awe, eager to see if its idea had borne fruit.

Several seconds later the supernatural phenonon subsided as abruptly as it had appeared. The spot where Zingronath used to be was now a crater that glowed a dull red, the air around it shimring from the residual heat. Xera should have been enveloped by the geyser-like outburst and sent hurtling skyward, yet she hovered idly in place as if she had been struck by little more than a light breeze. That said, it was plainly obvious she hadnt been entirely unaffected by it all.

For starters, her mangled limbs had grown back. Secondly, her long and straight hair that used to be the color of the night sky had transford into a golden blaze that engulfed her scalp and danced hypnotically in the wind. A less noticeable change was that her usual outfit was adorned with a few extra pieces of fake jewelry, including a set of exotic earrings and a golden gem-studded choker. The most notable difference, at least in Boxxys eyes, was to be found in Xeras crown-like horns. They looked mostly the sa, except that they curved over rather than under. Their new shape beared an eerie resemblance to the horns of the demon she had just vanquished.

How do you feel, Snack? Boxxy called out to her.

The demoness turned around, curled her arms up as if stretching, put on a smirk that oozed of satisfaction, and spoke in a voice overflowing with confidence.

I feel phenonal.

Xera's New Look, by dmaxcustom

The shapeshifters proud proclamation of, I like it! had been an egregious understatent. That thing was at least twice as powerful as Voidcaller had been in every aspect. This was true even when it ca to their active abilities. Though it was impossible to directly compare them to one another given the unique nature of these things, having two of them was indisputably better than having just the one. Boxxy wasnt even aware that such a thing was possible, but it saw no reason to question facts that were right in front of it.

Eldritch Barrage was a straightforward ability. Pointing the Boon at a direction and pulling a ntal trigger produced a volley of destructive black beams, the number of which was directly proportional to the MP provided for the attack. Whether intentional or not, it seed like a mockery of Azzyths desperate last stand. Of course, it wasnt anywhere near as devastating or accurate as the adult dragons beam volleys, but it was quite potent nonetheless. It was the sort of thing that could easily riddle an entire platoon of rank-and-file soldiers with holes from up to a hundred ters away.

Dark Domain, on the other hand, was decidedly not an offensive ability. When Boxxy tested it, the creature found itself enveloped by the sa black smog that Hazalag used to mask his presence. Its MLG seed to stop functioning altogether, and its sight was impaired by an odd haze that seed to drain all the color from its surroundings. It took a few tentative steps in that state and noted that it didnt seem to leave any signs of its passage behind. There were no tracks in the soil and no rustling of air as the mound of flesh walked around the ravaged battlefield. It was definitely not intangible, though. The shapeshifter could grab onto and bump into things, though it seed incapable of inflicting any amount of force on them.

B-Boxxy? Where did you go?

While the abomination was playing around with its new toy, it heard Fizzy call out to it. Though the sound of her voice was muffled and distorted as if there were several walls between them, it was without a doubt hers. It looked around to find her, but had difficulty doing so. This was partly because it was concentrating on maintaining the magical veil, but also because it just failed to spot her entirely. It hurriedly followed the oddly distant sound of her increasingly worried tone until it finally found her, at which point it realized why tracking her down had been so difficult.

The shapeshifter had been looking for Fizzys mithril fra, which had a dazzling radiance to it no matter how much blood, gri, and dirt it was covered in. Every motion of hers, no matter how slight, produced a visual spectacle that Boxxy couldnt get enough of. However, such beauty did not exist within the colorless Dark Domain. Instead of her usual self, Fizzy appeared as a dull, gray, and lifeless pile of moving rocks that blended in almost perfectly with the dull, gray, and lifeless piles of unmoving rocks around her. Overco by a mixture of dread, panic, and disgust, Boxxys focus on maintaining the Dark Domain instantly fell apart.

From the golems perspective, she had no idea what was going on. She had, at first, been wary of Ygmolt and hid herself away behind cover. Not that it wouldve saved her if the elder dragon decided to disintegrate everything in front of him, but it made her feel better about the whole situation. She had also uttered a quiet yet fervent prayer, beseeching the flows of chaos to grant the shapeshifter enough good luck to see it survive that encounter. When she next peeked over the small cliff she was behind, she saw Boxxy having a chat with its new benefactor. Overco with relief, Fizzy slumped back down and offered a prayer of thanks instead.

She was fully aware that her words fell on deaf ears since the gods influence did not extend onto the Shattered Isles, but the act of prayer made her feel better about the whole situation.

Fizzy remained in the rocky trench with Jen even after Hazalag had left. The Monk had started vomiting and foaming at the mouth, so the golem had to make sure she didnt choke on her own atbag juices. Fizzy could hear Boxxy having fun with whatever prize it had obtained from the dragon and didnt feel like interrupting the mont. She then got jealous that the shapeshifter mightve found sothing shinier than her and climbed out into the open anyway, only to find absolutely no trace of Boxxy. The only movent she saw were Jens spasms and Xera still crawling on the ground with a look of bliss on her face. So, she started calling out to the shapeshifter, hoping that it was just hiding sowhere.

Boxxy?! Boxxy where are- WAAH!

The monster shed been looking for had just appeared in front of her, startling her sothing awful.

By Daves lobster pantaloons! she shouted at it. What was that about!?

The golem wouldve nagged at Boxxy more, but the creature imdiately enveloped her in a tapestry of tongue-tentacles. They carefully and thoroughly cleaned every last nook and cranny of her soiled fra while secreting an oily fluid via the monsters Liquid Mimicry. That shut Fizzy right up, though not for the obvious reason. The attention was nice, yes, but the golem could tell that Boxxy wasnt giving her a shine-job just to placate her. She knew the shapeshifter found polishing her mithril fra to be soothing, even therapeutic, and its frantic and uncoordinated movents betrayed that it was upset about sothing.

For all its devastating power, malicious sches, and violent impulses, Boxxy was still quite childish deep down.

There, there, Fizzy patted a random fleshy appendage. Its alright.

Once both the golem and the shapeshifter had settled down, they had a good chuckle about the whole Dark Domain thing. Fizzy sympathized with Boxxys mont of panic, as she imagined shed react the sa way should her magnificent countenance lose its luster. She was also glad that the shapeshifter had obtained an imnsely powerful item out of the whole ordeal. It ant that all of this effort hadnt been for naught, though Fizzy wished she had personally gotten sothing out of it as well.

Then the golem rembered that taking down that dragon had advanced her Paladin and War Golem Jobs by three Levels each, giving her new Skill options. She excused herself and imdiately got busy with weighing them. From War Golem she imdiately picked Assimilation, an ability that fish-lady golem had told her about. With it she could incorporate mithril parts and components into her construction. She could not only easily make repairs should she lose a limb again, but could also potentially upgrade herself. The Paladin Skill would require so more thought, as she had been given a choice of several auras. These abilities allowed her to either bolster her allies or hamper her enemies by her re presence alone, an idea that imnsely appealed to the golems narcissistic nature.

Boxxy then went to inspect Jens condition while Fizzy weighed her options. The shiny Paladin might have been the groups designated healer, but the shapeshifter was the closest thing they had to an actual doctor. The abominations imnse practical knowledge of anatomy alone was enough to put any enlightened physician to sha. It had spent three years poking, prodding, and ripping apart all kinds of bodies, so it knew what potential long-term ramifications each injury could have.

The shapeshifter gave Jens body a thorough examination with its MLG. Admittedly it wasnt all that familiar with harpy biology, but Jen was a unique case. She wasnt born a monster but had been transford into one, so much of her was still human. As such, the shapeshifter was able to make conclusions regarding her condition with ease. It was certain the Monk would suffer so permanent complications, though not as a result of the potion sickness. The last Rejuvenation Potion had plugged the gaping hole in her mostly human brain with similar-yet-distinct harpy tissue. Most people wouldnt have been able to tell the difference, but from Boxxys perspective it was like looking at a mahogany chest that had been patched up with plywood. It was still functional, but only barely so.

The good news was that the damage was localized in Jens right hemisphere, which was supposedly responsible for things like creativity, intuition, and insight. This would most likely hamper the Monks already stunted social skills and potentially alter her likes and dislikes. A shift in personality wasnt entirely welco, but at least the logical and analytical part of her mind was unaffected. Her judgent, communication, and fighting capabilities would remain intact, which was all that Boxxy cared about.

Having concluded that it could continue to use Jen in the future, the shapeshifter trudged off towards the still-twitching corpse of Azzyth. It considered imdiately going off to claim the dragons hoard for its own, but the plunder would sadly have to wait. The rush of getting that Phantasmal item was starting to wear off, reminding the abomination of just how exhausted it was. It was far too risky for Boxxy to attempt to claim a dragons lair in its condition. Even with Azzyth no longer there to defend it, her ho was still protected by magical traps and the remnants of her brood.

Boxxy decided that the best course of action was to gorge itself on the dead dragons invigorating insides until it fell asleep inside her carcass. It was the tastiest place to rest, though hardly the safest. It wasnt difficult to imagine that so stray dragons or a curious group of adventurers had noticed the epic battle from afar and were drawn to investigate the disturbance, much like the diamond elder had been. With Jen and atball out of commission for a few days, it would fall to Fizzy and Snack to keep watch and wake Boxxy should any threats make themselves known. The shapeshifter would then either repel the intruders and go back to sleep, or escape under the cover of Dark Domain with the others safely tucked away in its Storage.

However, while the shapeshifter, the golem, and the demon were rightful to be wary of monsters and enlightened, they had unfortunately forgotten about a certain hazard unique to the Shattered Isles.

The weather.