Empathy was a below-average Skill to have on the best of days.

As much as Lukas loved the concept of a Jedi, the ability to talk one’s enemy into leaving their evil ways behind and joining the path of goodness, it seemed a little too far-fetched. Even for him. In fact, Inanna herself had taught him the Skill only because certain psionic arts needed a particular frame of mind as a prerequisite, and being able to make him feel what she intended was a quick and dirty way to teach.

But he’d gone ahead and dialed the simple Skill all the way to eleven.

Lukas turned the mistake that nearly killed him into a weapon capable of destroying the most powerful monsters in this dungeon. Something that was able to turn a vicious khorkhoi into a frightened little beast. And now, he channeled the same ability towards the Omphalos of the Crypt of Fiendish Worms.

The memory gathered in his mind like a thunderstorm. Despite it affecting him badly the first time, it was now nothing more than a tickle with the power of psionics. He couldn’t feel, let alone understand, what was currently in his own mind. Then again, he didn’t have to. He just needed to numb himself, let it fester, and push it all towards the enemy.

So, he did.

Immediately, the Omphalos— or, rather, its grotesque mental image —whipped its frame about, letting out a shriek of pain that put jet engines to shame. Lukas could hear its anguish, its confusion, its agony from being subjected to Inanna’s higher senses without the mental acuity to handle it all. For a moment, he almost felt sympathy for the poor Crypt. Almost.

“You wanted to know what made me like this, didn’t you?” he asked, gritting his teeth as his own mental shields buckled under the influx of sensory input. The power of the Third Eye kept it at bay, but he could feel flashes of it slip into his mindscape.

Little by little. Trickling in like water through cracks.

Still, he pushed harder.

The sheer power being shed between the two of them was enough to render even the strongest of minds insane. One was a mortal holding nightmarish sensations at bay through psionics. The other was an anomaly, something far more capable than him, yet experiencing something equally alien for the first time.

Lukas didn’t know if it was light or fire or sound, but whatever it was that just exploded was huge. All he knew was that he began screaming in protest against it, his voice getting lost in the din. The Omphalos struggled back and attacked him with all its fury, and it only made him push back harder, with every inch of his defiance poured into the effort.

Then, it happened.

“SOUL SIPHON!”

A familiar black luminescence rolled off his body in waves, travelling out like thin lines of a circuit coming to life. It spread across his arms and legs, and invaded the demented manifestation of the Omphalos. Energy surged within him, and Lukas felt something being forcefully dragged away kicking and scream—

Scream—

Screaming—

Screaming and—

…

…

SOUL SIPHON was underway.

Despite its initial performance issues and active [HUMAN DESCRIPTION] hedonism, the ANOMALY-HOST-MIND showed potential when operating under LEGACY PROTOCOL. With the barest of anomaly functions available, [LUKAS] had performed adequately during its invasion into [CRYPT OF FIENDISH WORMS]. And from its latest estimate—

Accumulated Monster Prototype Count: 672

Adequate performance indeed.

If [LOSTBELT] had lips, it would have twisted them into a wry grin.

But it did not. So it had not.

And yet, [LUKAS] would not be able to devour this final PREY. [CRYPT] was as much PREDATOR as it was PREY. PREY because [LUKAS] could devour and assimilate it into itself. PREDATOR because [CRYPT] could do the same. And faster.

[LUKAS] needed an alternate support variable.

[LOSTBELT] ran the numbers.

ANALYSIS OF CRYPT OF FIENDISH WORMS

Anomaly Type

Class 3 - Standalone

Energy Type

Lifeforce, Anomalous Energy

Estimated Accumulated Monster Prototype Count

< 2000

Assimilated Monster Prototype Count

> 930

Estimated Energy Reservoir

< 3000 grand units

HOST ANALYSIS

Anomaly Type

Level 1 - Neonate

Energy Type

Lifeforce, Mana, Anomalous Energy

Accumulated Monster Prototype Count

672

Assimilated Monster Prototype Count

5

Estimated Energy Reservoir

< 130 grand units

INFERENCE

Successful Soul Siphon would increase Energy Reservoir by 2200 percent.

[HUMAN DESCRIPTION] Jackpot!

Unsuccessful Soul Siphon would lead to assimilation into [CRYPT OF FIENDISH WORMS]

[HUMAN DESCRIPTION] Dead as Fuck!

[LOSTBELT] paused. The continued existence of ANOMALY-HOST-MIND was twisting the nature of its perceptions by adding unwanted augmentations to its THOUGHT process. Still, ANOMALY-HOST-MIND was essential for optimal functioning of [LUKAS].

ANOMALY-HOST-MIND categorized as [HUMAN DESCRIPTION] necessary evil.

…That felt better.

Back to work.

2200% gain in POWER, versus SELF-DESTRUCTION. A difficult gamble. The entire concept of LOGIC went against it. And yet…

The [HUMAN DESCRIPTION] thrill was extremely enticing.

RECOMMENDATION TO SELF

ANOMALY-HOST-MIND is an extremely corruptive influence.

But like all corruptive influences, it had its uses. If [LOSTBELT] could, it would speak words that described how much it hated ANOMALY-HOST-MIND. Yet it was just so… [HUMAN DESCRIPTION] alluring.

[LOSTBELT] made its decision.

Initiate WARMONGER Protocol.

…

…

ENACT

He must have blacked out. That was the only explanation he could think of.

Falling unconscious was often compared to falling asleep. Unfortunately, as someone well-versed in both, Lukas knew the difference. For one thing, one did not dream after falling unconscious like while sleeping. There was no memory of the time lost during the state of unconsciousness, and considering he had an entire anomaly-mindscape free of his human version, that was saying something. So for him, it was like he had blinked, only to suddenly find himself someplace else.

That was why when he’d opened his eyes and found himself on the ground, in a coffin of rocks and concrete, Lukas knew he’d blacked out. And while arriving at that conclusion made him feel slightly better, it did nothing to treat the agony his body was experiencing at the moment.

He looked down at the black lines extending from him all the way to—

Lukas gasped.

How the hell did I get here?

Whatever the Omphalos had hit him with, it had blasted him through several dozen walls conjured by his own mind, which meant the pain had felt all the more real. He’d been flung across the road and hurled into the ground, sinking deep in layers of concrete and paved stone on the side of the street.

In short, he felt like crap.

Soul Siphon — 13% Complete

Pulling himself out of the ground, Lukas considered his options. The Soul Siphon was still under effect, which meant he was still consuming the Omphalos. But like all things, the time involved depended on his own rate of consumption and the spiritual size of the target. And seeing how this was an anomaly, an old and powerful one with several thousand monster prototypes at that, it was—

Prey, found you.

“…Crap.”

Faster than his eye could track, something tore across the sky like a bolt of lightning. It was too late to perform an attack. It was too late to dodge. It was too late to do anything but to hope that the attack wouldn’t blow him to—

He crossed his arms as it slammed into him.

AEGIS.

Before he knew what was happening, the Skill was already underway.

But that was impossible. Utterly impossible. The Skill called AEGIS didn’t belong to him. It belonged to the Khorkhoi, which could instantly transform from a mass of slime into something so hilariously strong that it drilled through rocky terrain effortlessly. It was also a ridiculously powerful defense.

He could feel his skin thicken. Feel the layer of something form above his skin. Feel the durability that surpassed multiple layers of body armor—

The beam slammed into his body like a speeding truck.

There was an enormous sound, a flash of light, a shock against his body like a spray of frozen fire, with static interference clouding his mind. The next thing he knew, he’d been pushed back into the sidewalk, but his body refused to buckle under the strain. The road beneath his feet shattered as a web of cracks spread across his surface.

But most importantly, he survived. Without so much as a scratch.

Lukas considered that for a moment. This was a fight happening inside his mindscape. And here, he was not Lukas— or rather, not just Lukas. He was the anomaly of a Lostbelt. A culmination of himself, his planet, and every monster prototype stored within him.

Did that mean he could use it all? All their powers, to finish this one final battle?

Soul Siphon — 41% Complete

A sly grin twisted across his lips. “Looks like I’ve found a way to properly kill you this time.”

The Crypt roared.

“Yeah.” Lukas readied himself for the incoming attack. “I thought you’d react that way.””

It happened so quickly.

Everything around him was a blur of motion and energy. Like being in the center of a maelstrom.

Surrounded from all sides, assaulted from every angle, his brain had long since shut down and reverted to the most basic levels of self-preservation. Details were lost amid a swirl of imagery. Solid information was washed over by a sea of blurry sensations. It was all down to muscle memory and reflexes and reaction times strained beyond their breaking point. His surroundings became a hazy blur, indistinct and muddled. Sounds tumbled into one another so rapidly it was difficult to pick apart. Lights flashed so brightly that he cried against the intensity.

It was a battle of pure power.

But for Lukas, it didn’t feel like he was alone. He was a medium for all monster prototypes he had siphoned. Prototypes he had comprehended, experienced, and stored in his Spiritual Arrays. As such, his body— while still being just a body —was also the body for every prototype stored in the Arrays of the [LOSTBELT]. The Skills they contained, the power they held, the instincts they wielded. It was all available to him.

The first bolt of crimson lightning was redirected by the Skill of a seastaros, a creature of the earth whose metallic form was a perfect electrical conductor.

The dozen limbs striking at him were shredded off by the tentacle-like slash-effect of the vaucarak, a superior hybrid that scended from the lowly thoggua.

The ball of corrosive energy shooting towards him was held at bay by the terrible kinetic force of the all-too-familiar khorkhoi.

Meanwhile, the Soul Siphon continued. It worked slowly and steadily, dragging every bit of the Crypt’s Omphalos into himself. And so long as they stayed connected, the Omphalos within him would complete its task. All Lukas had to do until then was survive—

The Crypt shrieked in endless rage as a tidal wave of pure Anti-Life— the power of a dranzithl he’d once fought —came crashing towards him.

Standing in its path would be a mistake.

Trying to deflect it would be another.

Fortunately, Lukas did neither. He shifted his footing to the right and—

—he was suddenly standing a hundred feet away. It was the power of kirin— the steed of Winter —to translocate from one point to another at extreme speed, at the expense of its own strength.

In response, the Crypt picked up a tree-sized chunk of rock out of nowhere and lobbed it at him.

Lukas sighed. At this point, it was behaving like a child. Throwing a tantrum when things didn’t go its way. With another step to the left, Lukas appeared on the other side of the chamber, easily dodging the projectile by several dozen feet.

“GIVE UP!” the Crypt roared, sending blasts of pure power at him. The speed of kirin kept him constantly moving from point to point. Some of the blasts hit him. Others scratched against him.

Kirin soon vanished, and the regeneration of the khorkhoi kicked in.

“YOU CANNOT WIN! FILTHY LITTLE THIEF OF POWER! GIVE YOURSELF UP AND BE DEVOURED!”

Lukas gave it an incredulous look. “What a typical bad guy line. Do you actually expect me to give up just because you said that?”

Besides, giving up now would be a horrible idea. Not when he was so close.

Soul Siphon — 89% Complete

Power gathered around Lukas like a storm.

“You know what? You’re right. I am a thief.”

Deleting all safeties.

Maximize Monster Prototype sympathization

“But here’s where you’re wrong!”

Balance Reality Foundation.

Counterbalance.

Soul Siphon — 93% Complete

The luminous black lines were now covering him from head to toe, ironically enough to make him look like a shadow. The Soul Siphon was on the verge of completion, but the energy difference would stay until it was complete. Until he grabbed the Essence of the Omphalos and siphoned it into himself.

Until he had utterly consumed this Crypt of Fiendish Worms.

A maniacal grin tore across Lukas’s lips. “I’m no ordinary thief. I’m a robber, and I’ve come to plunder this Crypt.”

His eyes sparkled red, reflecting the crimson lightning that the Crypt shot at him once again.

“And I am very, very good at it.”

Soul Siphon 100% complete