Evolution: A Warlock’s Rise To Power

Lucan stood motionless and activated ethereal step again as the two creatures collided together. Unfortunately, the didn't harm each other.  The wolf and spider fused together.  Allowing the wolf to return to its full eight-foot size.

Lucan frowned as his ethereal man started to deplete.  He returned to the elemental plane and took the initiative to charge towards the beast.  He transformed into a shadow and avoided its jaws and claws and took form underneath the creature.  He struck upwards at its gut with his demonic fist and triggered another telekinetic slam.  The creature rose several feet from the ground as Lucan filed his mana into a phantom but held off on casting it.

He leapt from the ground and met the airborne beast.  The creature flailed and swiped with its claws, but the shadows swirled around it and Lucan took form above the beast that was falling towards the ground.  He kicked down with another burst of telekinetic power while his phantom continued to more mana.

When he kicked out he leapt backwards and activated his phantom.  Lucan moved further backwards while the phantom dove down.

*Boom*

The phantom exploded and shook the landing.  Lucan trigger the self-destructing phantom the moment it came in contact with the creature.  He didn't want to miss his opportunity even though he wasn't as far away as he would have liked.

Lucan was thrown backwards towards the side of the mountain while the beast was blown in half.

The rocks that skipped towards the edge of the landing took the form of several half foot sized spiders that tried to quickly get a grip on the ground.  A few of the spiders weren't able to stop in time and rolled over the side of the cliff while the others dug their legs into the ground and managed to stop in time.

Lucan saw the glint of something shinny in the center of the four-foot wolf that was staring to form.  He ran straight towards the beast while Adrestia swooped down from above.

She rapidly grew into a three-foot-long drake and landed before the spiders.  She roared while spewing purple hellfire towards the ones that were closer towards her.

The intense fire did almost no damage to the stone creatures but as the started glowing red hot from the heat they accumulated, their joints took more effort to activate and their movement speed slowed.  The two spiders who took the brunt of the breath attack were not able to move at all as their bodies glowed with such and intensity that they looked like they may even melt.

*Whap*

Before they were given the chance, Adrestia's tail swung towards them and scattered them into pieces that flew out over the edge of the landing.

Lucan ran towards the wolf that was now shorter than him.  It leapt straight at him and bit hard into his shoulder, taking almost half of the warlock's health.  But that was what Lucan wanted.  The wolf and the warlock rolled towards the mountainside, further away from the stones that had been separated form the main body.

The wolf clenched its jaw and tried to shake Lucan, but the beast was now much stronger and Lucan's back was held to the ground with telekinetic cling.

A knee slammed infused with telekinetic strength slammed into the underside of the wolf, flipping him over the warlock, but it's jaws still remained locked on him.

Lucan was laying on his back while the wolf was ahead of him, also laying on it's back while still biting into his shoulder.

Using all the shadow mana that Lucan had available, chains appeared above the beasts and they were connected to black spikes.  They drove down from above and the spikes penetrated into the ground, pulling the chains tight across the creature.  Lucan transformed into a shadow and freed himself. 

With blood still dripping down his shoulder, he took form with a sword in hand.

The sword plunged into the creature made of stones.  Lucan's left hand transformed into sturdy and sharp claws that penetrated the opening pryed apart by the sword and he ripped the stones from the beasts main body.

The wolf snapped its' jaws and struggled but the chains that bound it stopped its claws from reaching their target.

Adrestia bashed and clawed at the stone spiders, stopping them from returning to the main body.

Large handfuls of stone landed near the edge where Lucan had thrown them to.  They formed small spiders but for some reason it seemed that the spiders were unable to merge and form a large body.  They could only merge with stones that were in their immediate vicinity that had come from the main body.  Once in form, they could merge with the others unless it was the main body.

Adrestia was no dummy.  When she couldn't throw the spiders over the edge, she smashed them to rubble and separated the stones.

They would reform as multiple, smaller and weaker spiders.

The wolf knew that it had been trapped.  And every second that passed, Lucan separate more of it's body from itself.

With no other option, it let its form collapse into a pile of stone.  It planned to then reform on top of the chains so that it was no longer trapped.

But that was exactly what Lucan was waiting for.

Menta's eye had found it's target now that it knew what it was looking for.  When the wolf released his form, Lucan's hand shot out and plucked the stone that was different from the others.

He grabbed it and jumped back with his sword at the ready.

He smiled when the stones staid motionless and a chuck of experience points rolled in.  He had defeated the beast by removing its heart.  He took a closer look at the stone and discovered what it was through the interface.

The stone itself was the size of a baseball.  It had ruff jagged edges but sparkled in the light.  A dark green energy swirled inside of the clear stone.  It was a rockstrosity's heart.  Lucan tucked it into his bag.  It was pretty… but not good enough.

He now found himself pondering over his original question.  To enter the cave or go higher.

He stopped thinking about it as Adrestia perched on his shoulder that was slowly healing while she rubbed her head against his neck.

"Good girl.  Thanks for the help."  He said while running a finger down her spine the way she enjoyed.