Psychokinetic Eyeball Pulling

Chapter 13: A Spawn With A Cleaver

As they walked down the usual hallways, Astrid made use of the free time to test her abilities. She didn’t want to get caught and learn how to best use them on the fly–even if it was instinctual.

It was hard to get used to gaining skills from the system. Her mind just listened to the orders of her thoughts. Much like the brain and walking, it just felt normal. She created an image of a wall in her mind as it then projected in front of her. The others could see it and the form of it was strikingly similar to a regular wall. But, if you looked closer, you could tell that it was a fake.

Focusing on her mind, she altered the wall, bending it to her will. From a wall to a lamp, from a lamp to the image of a man wearing a blank face.Then, Astrid started destroying it, then recreating it. Testing how fast she could assemble the surrounding images. It became almost instant.

She moved to Illusionary Armour, with an image of metal plate mail. It surged around her and then disappeared. Although she could no longer see it, she felt the extra safety that it brought.

The passive skills were always working, but she could turn them off if she wanted to. Just like how Psych Domain worked–it was like flicking a switch on and off. One moment she could see the matter, the other it had disappeared.

Level 14 - Spawn Protection Warrior

Spawn brandished their weapons within the hall, it looked like they were patrolling. They were chattering to each other in their fish-language. They stopped as they either heard Astrid’s group, or smelt them. It mattered little, but the thing that confused Astrid was their body language.

Usually, they wasted no time in getting into a fighting form and charging. This time, however, they looked confident. As if they were taunting her.

What would make them so confident?

Astrid used Identify on all the spawn within sight, the highest level being 21. Although it was strong compared to her, Daniel could wipe out their entire party alone with ease.

She looked at Daniel; he frowned.

He also thinks it's strange.

“Ranged, fire.” Daniel commanded.

Astrid was the quickest to react. She snatched a blade from her belt and shot it towards the monsters. With the increase of stats and bonuses from her new class, the knife flew with a new found vigour. The tip of the blade vanished within the chest of the Spawn warrior and it fell to the ground.

The others followed her kill. Their attacks tore through the defences of the Spawn Protection Warriors. It quickly replaced their faces with a look of horror.

Astrid connected to the Spawn she had spotted first. Holes covered its body. With ease, its body ascended into the air. Then an intense power filled her mind. Crash. With the thought, the Spawn splattered onto the floor. An intense bang filled the room, the monster’s heavily armoured body clanged against the metal of the ship. Followed closely by a soaked splattering of dark liquid.

Jonathan conjured up a ball of water and threw it forward. It was the first time he had attacked. The water ball changed mid-air. It suddenly flattened and began rotating. Quickly, it transformed into a spinning blade of concentrated water. It tore into one of the lower levelled Spawn, sawing through its flesh like a jagged blade. The skill stopped as it separated the Spawn in two.

Seems like he’s not useless after all.

It took only a moment for the Spawn to be slaughtered.

They walked forward, stopping in front of the bodies. Daniel’s face was serious. Instead of helping to loot, he stood at the front, looking down into the abyss of the hallway.

Rachelle seemed to notice as her hands moved quicker than ever before. Stripping the Spawn of any loot and material; like the cloth from their bodies. Astrid placed her bag on the floor, stuffing the coarse-cloth inside.

Lisa took some fabrics that had overflowed from Astrid’s bag and stuffed some into her own. “I’ll help you carry some.”

“Thank you.” Astrid said.

Rob crouched down, his enormous forearms bulged in between his thick armour. He hoisted up Astrid’s backpack “Hmm.” He grumbled. His arms stretched forward, head nodding.

“Thanks, Rob.” Astrid put her arm through the straps one after the other and lifted it comfortably onto her back. She looked at his silly smile, hiding behind the crack of his helmet.

“Mmm.”

He really doesn’t speak, does he? She resisted the urge to laugh as they walked forward. The once furnished hallways now lacked any wallpaper, or any sort of false ceiling. The acrid smell of metal was in the air. Astrid’s fingers trailed along the pipes lining the wall. She felt a jolt, then the sharp noise of metal being struck traversed through the hall toward the group. The noise continued, getting closer.

Astrid’s mind reached all around her. The tip of a wave entered the edge of her Psych Domain. The matter was small. It was coming from in front. She looked forward. It took another step. The matter turned enormous, covering her entire vision.

“Shields.” Losef, Rob, and the Seafarers stood forward with their shields up.

Astrid’s heart raced once more and her lips curved into a smile. She held out her hand, waiting.

She heard a grunt, then felt something flying. An arrow?

A round shaped sphere shot towards them. Rob planted his foot at the base of his large shield with his shoulder pressed firmly against it. With a wet splat, it hit the large shield and fell to the ground. The impact caused Rob’s shoulder to recoil.

It surprised Astrid to see Rob move. It was the first time he had budged.

A high-pitched cackle entered Astrid’s ears, stomping of footsteps was heard. An enormous figure trudged toward them. All the attention was on its waist. Four human heads were tied by their hair and strapped to the thick-leather belt. Their lifeless eyes stared at her. The monster's head was mostly human, if not for the odd fish parts. Gills, no nose, and long fin-like ears. Purple cloth lay over its shoulders like a cape, broken chains were strapped to its wrists. It clamped a large jagged cleaver within its broad hands.

Level ?? - Spawn Butcher

Its lips turned into a wide smile, razor-sharp teeth lined its mouth in multiple rows.

Shit. Astrid’s lips twitched.

“A Spawn Butcher.” Rachelle clenched her wand, the whites of her knuckles on show. Her nostrils moved, sniffing the air.

“A unique class?” Astrid tensed her eyebrows.

“Yes.” Rachelle said. She took a sniff of the air, then her lips curled.

Astrid could feel the thin air around her swirl. It swept away the coldness within the room, replacing it with a heat that smothered her pores. Watching Rachelle use a fire spell, Astrid quickly took a whiff of the air. It was clean, or as clean as it could be.

“Finally, you’re doing something useful.” Brett twirled his dagger in between his fingers, his shadow becoming darker than usual. It eerily began climbing up the hem of his trouser legs. As if he was one step away from blending into them entirely.

Rachelle’s eyes snapped onto Brett, they were filled with a light that wanted to destroy everything it touched. Then, from her wand, that very flame flickered to life. Sparks turned to embers, embers turned into a raging inferno, tucked into a flickering ball of orange-light. She shot it forward, illuminating the dark hallway like a beacon of light. The Butcher raised its arm. There was nowhere to hide within the one-way hall. With the impact, an explosion rang throughout.

Astrid felt the heat waves brush up against her fair skin. Then, a high-pitched roar tingled her ears. The sound of stomping bolted through the firewall that was created. The Spawn’s rampaging figure tore towards them. Layers of skin were melted away, pockets of yellow pus already began forming around the scorched skin.

"Stop playing with it, will you? Poor thing." Brett laughed.

Rachelle smiled, air sucked toward her wand, another fireball formed and fired. With another explosion, Lisa and the other ranged users wasted no time as they nocked their arrows. Lisa pulled all the way back, past her shoulder and loosed the razor-sharp tipped shaft. Her hair flicked up, the arrow rotated, bringing with it a spiralled streak of air as it tore through the hallway like a bullet. Astrid heard a very faint wet tear.

The monster appeared once more. A hole bore straight through its throat, blood seeped. The smell of burning meat and the acrid tones of copper wafted toward them.

It reached the frontline; it raised its cleaver and chopped down at Rob’s shield. At the sharp impact of metal, Rob recoiled a step back.

Astrid glared at the hulking figure. Daniel still hadn’t made a move. She didn’t care. Her mind’s energy swirled like a storm. Repeated explosions rocked at its skull.

Despite its condition, the monster swung its cleaver once more. Rob raised his shield.

Astrid reached her hand forward. The wounded monster looked in confusion as its arm halted in mid-air. Its body trembled and thrashed. Astrid could feel her mind being torn as a warm liquid tricked down past her lips. Its swing continued–clashing against Rob’s shield once more.

“Good try, lass.” Daniel laughed. “Seems like you picked a mighty powerful class.”

He walked to the front, passed Rob’s hulking tower shield.

“Thanks for weakening it for me, guys.” Daniel dashed forward with his curved blade in hand.

The Butcher was clambering back onto its meaty legs when a wide arc sliced into its throat. Looking down, Daniel was looking back at it, a smug smile on his face.

“Down you go, big boy.” Daniel said.

The Butcher’s throat started trickling with blood, then gravity took over as it thumped to the ground.

I-I didn’t even see a skill being used. Just how strong is he? A pain surged into her brain, she clutched her head. No more thinking.

Astrid stumbled, a warm sensation grasped her arm. Her eyes shifted to Lisa.

“Well done.” Lisa supported Astrid’s weak body.

With a ding, a string of messages greeted her.

You defeated a - Spawn Butcher - level 34!

Extra experience is awarded for defeating an enemy way above your level!

Experience is reduced for fighting within a group.

Experience is greatly reduced for having low participation.

You have levelled up!

Psychokinetic level 11 -> Psychokinetic level 13

Illusionist level 1 -> Illusionist level 8

Gained 45 stat points.

Huh, I was expecting to level up a lot more. Is that because of the reduced experience of low participation? Astrid pouted in disappointment.

You now have 80 intelligence.

You now have 50 wisdom.

You now have 35 constitution.

You now have 10 strength.

You have reached a milestone!

You have reached 50 wisdom!

You have gained a general skill!

General Skill - Perception: Any wisdom based skill is increased by 5%.

Skill level up!

Psychokinesis level 6 -> Psychokinesis level 8

Crash level 5 -> Crash level 7

Psychic’s Power level 4 -> Psychic’s Power level 5

Psych Domain level 4 -> Psych Domain level 5