Chapter 53: The Bloom
Gray circled the basin’s edge, keeping the hypnotic bloom at the corner of his perception. The golden light pulsed steadily, still trying to pull him in, but he’d learned its rhythm now. He could feel the edges of its influence and he could resist it.
He positioned himself behind a ridge of volcanic rock, where the golden light was partially blocked. His crystalline barbs clicked softly as he calculated the distance. The bloom was maybe fifteen meters away—within Cavitation Pulse range.
He activated the skill. The crystalline structures along his bell superheated the water, then released it in a focused jet of boiling liquid and crystal shrapnel. The pulse shot across the basin like a bullet, aimed directly at the golden bloom.
The Angler Flora’s smile twitched.
The lacy fronds surrounding its body suddenly lashed upward, forming a net of interwoven tendrils directly in the pulse’s path. The superheated water and crystal shrapnel tore through the first layer, then the second—but the fronds were thick, and there were dozens of them. By the time the pulse reached the bloom, it had lost most of its force.
[CAVITATION PULSE — 22 DAMAGE]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA — HP: 658 / 680]
’What—’
The fronds had intercepted the attack. The creature had sacrificed a dozen of its lure-plants to protect the bloom, and even now, more fronds were rising from the sand to replace the ones he’d destroyed.
[SYMBIOTIC DEFENSE — ACTIVATED]
[The Abyssal Angler Flora’s plant symbiotes will intercept incoming attacks aimed at the golden bloom. Damage to the bloom is reduced by 60% while symbiotes remain active.]
’Of course it has a defense mechanism. Why wouldn’t it?’
The Angler Flora’s smile widened further—a slow, deliberate curl of its crescent mouth. It was mocking him. The golden bloom pulsed brighter, and Gray felt the hypnotic pull intensify. He wrenched his gaze away, focusing on his electroreception instead.
’The fronds are the shield. I need to clear them before I can hit the bloom. But there are too many to destroy one by one.’
He studied the creature’s body, half-buried in the pale sand. The fronds covered its entire surface, but they were thinnest near the edges, where the creature’s massive flattened form met the seafloor. If he could force it to move—to reveal itself fully—the fronds might not be able to protect everything at once.
’Let’s see how you handle this.’
He activated EMP Shroud. The electromagnetic pulse radiated outward, and Gray vanished from the Angler Flora’s senses. The creature’s black eyes swiveled on their stalks, searching. Its fronds twitched, tasting the water for vibrations.
Gray was already moving. He circled wide around the basin, staying low to the seafloor, Hollow Cloak combining with EMP Shroud to render him completely invisible. The Angler Flora’s fronds swept through the water, but they couldn’t find him. He positioned himself directly behind the creature, where the fronds were sparsest.
EMP Shroud expired. His electrical signature flickered back into existence.
The Angler Flora’s eyes snapped toward him. Its fronds began to shift, repositioning to defend against this new angle of attack.
Gray was faster.
He activated Abyssal Lance. His body compressed, crystalline barbs aligning into a spearhead. Then he launched—not at the bloom, but at the creature’s exposed flank. The crystalline barbs punched through the remaining fronds and buried themselves deep in the Angler Flora’s sandy-grey flesh.
[ABYSSAL LANCE — 90 DAMAGE]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA — HP: 568 / 680]
[50% DEF PENETRATION — APPLIED]
The Angler Flora screamed. The sound was a deep, resonant vibration that shook the sand beneath them. Its massive body convulsed, and the fronds that had been protecting the bloom suddenly lashed toward Gray instead—trying to entangle him, to pull him away.
But Gray was already locked on. He wrapped four tentacles around the creature’s flank and activated Grip Jaw. The muscular appendages tightened, crystalline barbs digging deep.
[GRIP JAW — 22 DAMAGE]
[GRIP JAW — 24 DAMAGE]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA — HP: 522 / 680]
The fronds wrapped around his bell, squeezing. The clear, viscous fluid on their tips burned where it touched his crystalline armor. Venomous Riposte activated automatically, injecting concentrated neurotoxin into the fronds.
[-12 HP]
[ACID BURN — 4 damage over 5 seconds]
[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 573 / 585]
[VENOMOUS RIPOSTE — ACTIVATED]
[TOXIN VULNERABILITY — APPLIED]
’You want to hold me here? Let’s see who regrets it first.’
He deployed Neurotoxic Drift at point-blank range. The venom cloud billowed outward, seeping through the gaps in the fronds and into the creature’s flesh.
[NEUROTOXIC DRIFT — 19 DAMAGE]
[NEUROTOXIC DRIFT — 20 DAMAGE]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA — HP: 483 / 680]
The Angler Flora’s body heaved. The sand beneath them erupted as the creature began to rise—its massive, flattened form emerging from its hiding place for the first time. It was even larger than Gray had estimated, its body stretching nearly twelve feet across. The crescent smile was gone now, replaced by a snarl of jagged teeth that lined its mouth in concentric rows.
The golden bloom on its forehead pulsed furiously, and Gray felt the hypnotic pull spike. His thoughts blurred. His grip loosened. Predator’s instinct screamed at him.
’No—’
He activated Overcharge. The electricity surged through his tentacles and into the Angler Flora’s body, point-blank.
[OVERCHARGE — 78 DAMAGE]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA — HP: 405 / 680]
[STUN — 5 SECONDS]
The creature convulsed. Its fronds went limp. The hypnotic pull of the golden bloom faltered, its rhythm disrupted by the electrical surge coursing through the creature’s nervous system.
Gray’s mind cleared instantly. He released Grip Jaw and pulsed backward, putting distance between them.
He targeted the bloom directly.
The crystalline structures along his bell superheated the water. Then he released—a focused jet of boiling liquid and crystal shrapnel, aimed squarely at the golden flower on the creature’s forehead.
The Angler Flora was still stunned. Its fronds couldn’t intercept. The bloom was exposed and vulnerable.
[CAVITATION PULSE — 48 DAMAGE]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA — HP: 357 / 680]
[GOLDEN BLOOM — DAMAGED]
[Hypnotic aura strength reduced by 50%]
’Take that, bitch!’
But the bloom was still intact. Still glowing. And the Angler Flora was recovering—its stun had broken, its fronds were rising, its massive body was orienting toward him with murderous intent.
’Of course it’s not that easy.’
The creature lunged. Its crescent mouth gaped open, rows of jagged teeth spiraling inward toward a dark, pulsating throat. The golden bloom flared bright, and Gray felt the hypnotic pull redouble despite the damage. He pulsed sideways, but the creature’s body was massive. The lunge covered half the basin, and the fronds swept toward him from every angle.
He couldn’t dodge everything.
The fronds closed around him, squeezing. The acidic fluid burned through his crystalline armor in thin, sizzling lines. Venomous Riposte lashed out again and again, pumping neurotoxin into the creature’s limbs, but the Angler Flora didn’t seem to notice. It was too large. Too angry. It had him, and it was pulling him toward that spiraling mouth.
[-22 HP]
[ACID BURN — 5 damage over 6 seconds]
[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 546 / 585]
’I need to break free—’
He activated EMP Shroud. The electromagnetic pulse radiated outward, and Gray vanished from the creature’s senses. The fronds loosened, their grip faltering as they lost track of what they were holding. Gray tore himself free, pulsing upward through the gaps in the frond-net. The Angler Flora’s mouth snapped shut on empty water.
He hovered above the basin, his bell heaving.
’The bloom is still active. I need to finish it.’
He targeted the bloom again and activated Cavitation Pulse. The jet of superheated water and crystal shrapnel shot downward, aimed at the damaged flower.
The Angler Flora’s fronds rose to intercept, but they were slow—still recovering from the EMP’s sensory blackout. Most of the pulse got through.
[CAVITATION PULSE — 46 DAMAGE]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA — HP: 311 / 680]
[GOLDEN BLOOM — CRITICALLY DAMAGED]
[Hypnotic aura disabled for 30 seconds]
The golden light sputtered and died. The bloom hung limp from the creature’s forehead, its translucent petals cracked and leaking a faint, golden fluid.
The Angler Flora screamed.
Without the bloom’s hypnotic aura, the creature seemed diminished. Its fronds still lashed, its mouth still gaped, but the overwhelming presence that had filled the basin was gone. It was just a predator now—large and dangerous, but not invincible.
’Now we’re on equal ground.’
He dove. Abyssal Lance activated mid-descent, his body compressing into a spearhead of crystalline barbs and dark armor. The Angler Flora’s fronds rose to meet him, but he punched through them like they were paper. The crystalline barbs impaled the creature’s head, just above its black, staring eyes.
[ABYSSAL LANCE — 94 DAMAGE]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA — HP: 217 / 680]
Grip Jaw locked on immediately. His tentacles wrapped around the creature’s throat, crushing.
[GRIP JAW — 23 DAMAGE]
[GRIP JAW — 25 DAMAGE]
The Angler Flora thrashed. Its massive body convulsed, fronds lashing wildly, but it couldn’t dislodge him. Neurotoxic Drift seeped into its wounds. Overcharge detonated point-blank.
[OVERCHARGE — 76 DAMAGE]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA — HP: 93 / 680]
[STUN — 5 SECONDS]
The creature went rigid. Its fronds drooped. Its crescent mouth gaped open, frozen in that permanent, serene smile—now more disturbing than ever.
Gray held on, Grip Jaw locking tighter as Neurotoxic Drift worked its way through. Overcharge came off cooldown one final time.
[OVERCHARGE — 80 DAMAGE]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA — HP: 0 / 680]
[ABYSSAL ANGLER FLORA DEFEATED — 1,100 EXP]
The massive body went limp. The golden bloom on its forehead flickered once, twice—then went dark forever.
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[You are now Level 24.]
[20 Stat Points available for distribution.]
[4 Skill Points available.]
[TRAIT FRAGMENT ACQUIRED: "Mental Fortitude" (1/3)]
[New Trait Discovered!]
[MENTAL FORTITUDE — Preview]
« Analysis »
A rare defensive trait derived from resisting powerful hypnotic and psychic effects. Your mind has been tempered by exposure to mental domination attempts, building natural resistance to future attacks.
Effect at Completion: 40% resistance to hypnotic, psychic, and confusion effects. Passive. Does not require activation.
Gray drifted above the massive corpse, his bell heaving with exertion.
’Huff... Huff...’
His tentacles trembled with residual adrenaline. The crystalline barbs along their length were slick with the creature’s pale fluids. His armor had held, but the acid burns still stung, and his HP bar sat at 491 out of 585.
’Twenty stat points. Not bad.’
He allocated without hesitation. Ten into SPD, six into ATK, four into DEF.
[SPD: 110 → 120]
[ATK: 47 → 53]
[DEF: 52 → 56]
[HP MAX: 585 → 625]
The skill points went into Overcharge and Abyssal Lance.
[OVERCHARGE — Lv. 8 → Lv. 10 (MAX)]
[ABYSSAL LANCE — Lv. 4 → Lv. 6]
He absorbed the Angler Flora’s corpse slowly, his oral arms straining to process the massive body. The flesh was dense and strange—tinged with the faint, lingering sweetness of the golden bloom.
’Mental Fortitude,’ he thought, the fragment settling into place. ’After what just happened... yeah. I need that.’