Mana-water filled me, banishing the encroaching blackness in a wave of searing pain as the powerful fluid shifted and flowed into my mana core.

The pain forced a gasp from my lungs, making it even worse. My mana core filled, the now-familiar sensation of the amorphous energy forming as I continued to sink to the bottom of the pool.

Desperately, I lashed my tail, cutting through the mana-water in a frantic bid upwards for the surface. I shot into open, refreshing air, able to breathe at last. Above me, the Aridae were in chaos, scrambling to and fro. The Aridae father - now missing one of its smaller eyes - stared down at me balefully, the blue glow of the mana-water catching in his reflective eyes. A ripple in the mana-water forced me to turn away.

One of the fallen Aridae was still alive.

It splashed across the brilliant blue, legs pumping furiously and fangs dripping with slow-venom, worked into a frenzy by a combination of pain and rage. One of its legs was mangled and broken, shattered upon landing from such a great height despite the cushion provided by the mana-water. It had been forced to adopt a staggered gait - or swim, in this case - but that did surprisingly little to slow it.

Not with me so close by.

I flung myself below the surface as it approached, narrowly dodging the fangs that swept towards me, before coming back underneath it with fangs opened wide. Mana-water and blood spilled down my length, bringing a combination of pain and satisfaction as I savaged its abdomen - raking my fangs alongside it to create a long furrow, rather than simply piercing like I normally would.

The searing fire-pain hit me again as the mana-water that I had accidentally consumed shifted and pressed against my overused core, momentarily overwhelming me.

In my distraction, the piercing sting of fangs joined it.

Resistance: [Piercing Resistance - Basic II] Increased.

[Piercing Resistance - Basic III] Acquired.

A stream of slow-venom slipped in, creeping through my scale-flesh despite my increased venom resistance. The Aridae, injured as it was, dwarfed many of the others in size - though it fell far from the extent of the Aridae father, let alone the mother of the cluster.

Its venom was still highly potent, immediately numbing my tail and slowing my mind. I pushed through it, putting extra force into my tail to propel me along, diving back into the depths and away from the envenomed fangs of the Aridae. A moment later, I forced myself upwards again, this time careful to keep my jaws closed until I broke the surface. Not being able to attack the bad-thing from directly underneath made things more difficult, but the pain of the mana-water was becoming too much to deal with while in the midst of a fight.

I broke through the mana-water, emerging from the surface directly behind the injured Aridae. Before it could turn, I struck, stabbing my fangs into the joint of the nearest leg and twisting sharply. The flesh ripped, torn by the pull of my teeth, dying the brilliant blue of the mana-water underneath it a deep crimson.

I dove again as the bad-thing jerked itself around, sending the mana-water around us swirling in its wake. The air whistled above me as I sunk downwards, drowned out a moment later as the mana-water enveloped my ears.

Again and again, I climbed upward, harrying the bad-thing with dry bites that filled the pool with a crimson hue. I tore through its limbs, cut through its flanks, and dodged its fangs. Yet, each time I did so, I slowed even further.

My strikes became sluggish, my dives became delayed.

Its fangs came closer to their mark - and, eventually, they reached it. In the time that it had spent fruitlessly attacking, more and more slow-venom had collected on its fangs. When it finally pierced my scale-flesh, that same venom streamed into me in a torrent, filling my body with a mind-numbing cold.

I thrashed weakly, pulling away from its grip and sinking back below the depths. My length felt heavy, weighed down by the fatigue of battle and slow-venom. Despite that, I swam back upwards again. I came slowly, my entire being fighting against me. Yet still, I swam.

Unable to move with enough speed, I did the only thing that I could. I attacked from underneath the surface again, allowing the mana-water to pour down my throat. It burned, yet the fire-pain - as agonizing as it was - turned out to be a welcome reprieve from the numbness that engulfed me.

I tore my fangs across the Aridae’s abdomen.

I burned.

I tore.

I burned.

I tore.

I burned - and the thought-light flickered.

Experience Gained!

Level Up!

1 Trait Point Gained.

Free from its attacks, I unhinged my jaw.

Slowly, painfully, I devoured, uncomfortably forcing the giant meal down my throat. It spilled downwards, its journey towards my stomach aided by the mana-water that I consumed alongside it. They both shifted states, traveling towards my head-scales.

Level 2 Juvenile Aridae Consumed.

Transferred to Core.

Blooded Trait Acquisition Progress: 3/5.

I pulled myself sluggish along the mana-water’s surface, aiming towards the nearest corpse. I still needed two more.

My body fought against me, seeking to drag me down, to pull me into the depths below. I resisted. There wasn’t much time left, I was sure. Even now, I could hear the clamor above me, as more and more of the Aridae freed themselves from the bad-dreams.

Soon, they would descend from the threads above, seeking to punish the one who had invaded their home. It was what I would have done, if I was in their place, if I had the safety of numbers and the advantage of strength.

I continued to swim, propelling across the surface of the mana-water until I reached the corpse. It was younger than the last one, smaller and far easier to swallow. That was good. I didn’t have the energy for much more.

My jaws unhinged, widening around the bad-thing’s still form as I forced it down my throat with a few laborious pulses of my inner muscles. Finally, it reached my stomach and disappeared, shifting into a warm energy that traveled towards my head-scales.

Level 1 Juvenile Aridae Consumed.

Transferred to Core.

Blooded Trait Acquisition Progress: 4/5.

As I pushed my way across the water, my length forming unsteady crescents that left me slow and erratic, the Aridae began to descend. I could see a group of them gather around the greatest of the stone-spikes, crawling down the massive pillars, almost entirely lacking the stumbling gait of the bad-dreams. They had nearly recovered.

Time was running out.

Among them, I saw the familiar form of the second-largest Aridae, his immense bulk and missing eye making it easy to notice him. He too, I realized, had been given trouble by the feast of Festering Rats - an easy observation, now that it had begun to lose its hold. Before, the bad-thing had walked with a great, lumbering gait, moving with heavy limbs that caused the threads to thrum violently.

It did not do so, now.

Contrary to its size, it moved with an agility that left me breathless - in fear, if not in admiration. It brought back memories of my previous life, and of my previous death.

I pushed harder, thrashing my tail against the water. Or tried to, anyway. The slow-venom had filled it entirely, forcing it to dangle behind me as I struggled along the mana-water’s surface.

The Aridae began to climb down the stone-spikes, an army of enraged defenders, coming to find me. Coming to bind me. Coming to tie me in their threads, to choke me in their venom, to leave me helpless and dying and alone.

I fought back the climbing panic, turning it into a frenzied effort that brought me closer to the final corpse. The blue glow of the mana-water filled my vision, seeming to stretch out and increase the distance between myself and my goal, mocking me. Mocking my fear. Mocking my faith.

And yet, the Great Core had not abandoned me.

Resistance: [Venom Resistance - Basic V] Increased.

[Venom Resistance - Intermediate I] Acquired.

The numbness of the slow-venom reduced, the increased resistance having a far greater effect than any increase before it. Emboldened, I cut across the mana-water, pouring on speed as my body began to obey my commands again. As the first of the Aridae touched down, I reached my goal..

I unhinged my jaw.

I forced it down.

I prayed.

The thought-light flickered.

Level 0 Infant Aridae Consumed.

Transferred to Core.

Blooded Trait Acquisition Progress: 5/5.

Analyzing Blooded Trait…

Acquiring Blooded Trait: [Paralyzing Venom I]

In that moment, the Great Core answered my prayers.

It changed me.