Abyss Riser

Chapter 4: Risky Gamble

On the last second, I was able to morph myself into a ball with spikes. My body ended up filling the pit, halting my movements in an abrupt stop. Being unable to stop, the grotesque giant hand and the horde of baby men, came crashing into my spikes one after the other. With a loud thunk and shlick, the forefront stomach demons were impaled and bellowed a gut curdling scream. This should buy us a brief moment before they reorganize themselves and come after us again.

If this was a video game or a movie about a certain kid, then I'd be cheering right about now. But sadly, it's not, and in reality, I really want to puke and wipe myself. With the spikes being made up entirely of me, I can feel myself piercing their flesh and it is not a pleasant experience and I recommend covering your eyes or ears for this next bit. At first its like poking a finger into a slab of meat. It felt kind of okay when I thought about it as cooking. But the sensation quickly changed to an array of weird sensations. Some of it was mushy and creamy, others were smooth or rough, and there was even a hard or crunching feeling. But none can compare to the bodily fluids dripping onto me. The warm fluids were sometimes either pasty or runny with varying consistencies. And it even gets way worse since they can also be either sticky or smooth... But on the bright side, balls with spikes don't necessarily have noses, so in this form I am saved from the noxious fumes made by the impaled victims.

[Anis]: "Klein... Get us out of here..."

I felt a chill as I imagined Anis saying this while pinching my ear and glaring at me. Since Anis is actually a part of me, it's probably not a surprise that she feels what I feel.

[Klein]: "Working on it. Anis it's hard to retain this form while chatting telepathically. Can you cast us into the dreamscape now?"

The demon's stomach is very strange, but it should still function like any stomach. And like any stomach, the esophagus shouldn't be far either. If we can rest and recollect our thoughts, we should be able to get stronger, find the esophagus, and ultimately escape.

[Anis]: "... I can cast it... But I won't. If I cast it, we would spend the entire time covered in demon guts because we are extremely conscious that we are currently covered in the stuff."

Anis said, sounding rather mad. She has a point, that would be extremely unpleasant. So, my only option is to fend off the demons while wiping the gore off. Luckily for me, I know just how to do it. Though hopefully my stamina can last long enough. Despite the skill [Polymorphic Soul] being so extremely fuel efficient on magic power, it doesn't mean it is not taxing on my mental and physical stamina.

[Klein]: "I have a plan, it's risky and I won't be able to talk to you when I start, but we don't have much time to come up with a better solution. Once it starts, I need you to find an opportunity to cast us into the dreamscape."

Without waiting for her to reply, I created a giant eyeball within me and made my metal skin more transparent, allowing me to see. The stomach demons began to move again, and the window of opportunity is slowly closing. With that said, I morph my body again, pulling my spikes out of the demon shish kabob, dropping the demons like ragdolls. The demons who weren't caught, and those who quickly regained their footing, were cautiously observing me for a few seconds before summoning bone spears from their fleshy bodies. The giant hand did not partake in this action though. Rather, it moved to the sidelines carefully observing the whole situation.

The spears wasn't something I had expected, but it doesn't affect the plan so much. As long as they will mindlessly rush towards me, my plan should still work. Continuing my plan, I arrange the upper spikes into a uniformed manner and turned each spike into sword blades. The demons looked slightly confused by my actions before organizing themselves into a "three-line-formation", with the front-line taking a throwing stance, the mid-line readying themselves to replace the first line, and the rear-line conjuring their own bone spears. I felt like I would be sweating by now if I still had a physical body. The fact that the demons are taking a "three-line-formation" rather than coming at me with their spears like mindless barbarians, made me shiver thinking that maybe they are actually a lot smarter than they look. And if they are, I may actually end up dead the longer I stay here. But I shouldn't be reckless, I must be smarter and more careful if I want to escape.