When I saw something big approach my wall, I prepared a Corrosive Shot, to soften up and target-mark the unlucky bastard that would come through. Right on cue, the wall burst open, absolute chonk of a mole throwing gravel across my floor, further scattering it with a roar from its tall ugly four-toothed mouth. Common slimes would have been scared by the power difference, but they were my slimes. A spray of poison coated the inside of it's mouth, staining teeth green and leaving a delightful croaking noise, right before a rod of acid shot right from my core into it's forehead. A horrible sizzling noise spread, mole thrashing it's claws wildly when my two dark slimes got their rears in gear. The closet one stabbed a swiping arm with it's efficient polearm, while the further one launched a phantom javelin for the exposed bone. The javelin broke under it's own speed, but a satisfying crack emerged from the mole's head.

  With a single swipe, the thrower died. But as it's javelin clattered to the floor I wasn't even sad, I was ecstatic. So much EXP and mana could come from this big one that I might be able to level up right here, and lots of blood to drain from it's corpse. With a single swipe from it's weakened other arm, the dark slime with the efficient polearm was knocked back. I saw blood fall from the wound, so I cast the most logical choice on it.

  A crimson, Blood-Draining bolt curved towards the wound, already practiced from use on Rose and Mazrar. The mole didn't even try to bat it away, instead lunging to sink it's teeth into my poison slime. I marveled at the stupidity, ordering my slime to jump deeper in when the bolt struck.

  The mole's entire arm deflated noticably. A stretched basketball-sized orb of blood slipped from the wound to my basin, filling me with speed. my mana had gone up by 14, feeling of a power high spreading across my entire thought-form. But not before the purple slime slipped down the mole's throat like evil honey, inspiring it to hack and cough rather than do anything remotely useful. I ordered the other dark slime to seize the moment, stabbing and slashing at the barely-defended underbelly. it spread it's base, absorbing the crimson lifeforce and slowly diluting it's darkened hue.

  Skill: Command has risen to level 5. Learned action: Promote monster general

  I wasn't sure what species that slime was becoming, but I knew for a fact it was becoming a good candidate for what was about to happen.

  The mole recovered just enough to swing it's one good claw in a frenzy. The dark slime continued treating it's underbelly like bubblewrap, and no doubt the purple slime was sacrificing itself to turn the mole's insides to something unrecognizable, so all that left was me.

  Oh crap.

  A giant mole claw struck my stone basin, iron claws rending and cracking my very vessel

  Core damaged! -24 HP

  And for the first time since my arrival, I screamed in pain. I fired off another corrosive shot, mana leaking out my sides too much to fully cast the spell, but i had a weakspot.

  The sizzling on the mole's head got worse. wounds overtook it. So I went in for the kill

  A simple Drain Blood sailed right through the skullhole, parching it's brain.

  You have slain: Mole tunnelblazer.

  +25 EXP

  Literally five times that of a standard giant mole.

  "Eat it!" I droned, victory no doubt witnessed by the mole dungeon.

  "Big one, keep your meal..." I said groggily, spawning a few more slimes. A deep brown tremor slime with clods of earth and stone embedded in it's body, a deep red slime with a familiar thirst, and another vanilla dark slime. I felt exhausted in both body and mind, but clearly hungry for more. I flexed my selection skills, checking each new being. The dark slime was as expected, but the brown, red, and big red ones were new...

  omg a real frontline? My favorite! after seeing how quickly the mole shredded my dark slime, something that would last more than two hits would be useful

  What I expected. These sanguine slimes had a way to restore health, the earth one had a way to preserve it, but the dark slime had nothing, so it received the honor of the ghost javelin

  Now this is where the big power started. I lost out in a ton of life force, but in doing so made a new being. I was rising in the world, and I knew it.

  I focused outwards, watching for mole attention. and sure enough, a handful more dug through the stone towards my tunnels as fast as a person could powerwalk.

  I positioned my slime commander for a counter-ambush, slimes waiting behind it with weapons drawn.

  At least, I tried to. The moles spread out, angles varying as they dug towards my core. They burst through the walls as one in the greatest act of coordination I had seen from the mole dungeon yet.

  as the six moles bored through my walls- two through the sides, two through the front, one through the back, and one through the bottom, I was ready. The large sanguine slime flexed it's might, absorbing one slime whole and body-blocking another.

  Your large sanguine slime has slain: Attack mole. +7 EXP

  The smaller one seemed to be following it's big cousin, tackling and draining another thinner, sharper mole.

  Your sanguine slime has slain: Attack mole. +5 EXP

  The dark slime tried to throw a spirit javelin and failed, and the earth slime was putting it's armor to good use against the claws of a fifth mole, but mole number six charged right for me. It tanked my blood drain from point blank, but seemed to be slowed from swinging it's claws at me. I cried out in pain as a tenth of my life force fell to a single strike, and noticed something odd as it was winding up for a second.

  The small sanguine slime showed empathy. Founded certainly not out of me it launched itself towards the mole, knocking it forward into my basin and allowing me to drain every part of it

  Your sanguine slime has slain: Attack mole. +4 EXP

  I was getting back in business. Two polearm strikes punctuated that, a point-blank polearm and an unusually un-sluggish glaive chop.

  Your tremor slime has slain: Attack mole. +5 EXP

  Your dark slime has slain: Attack mole. +2 EXP

  The last mole tried to run for help. I conjured up a Blood Drain, willing the bolt around the corner and striking home if the pained noise was any indication. A crimson orb floated it's way back to me, almost intercepted by the blood slime, but settled in my basin.

  You have slain: scout mole. +9 EXP.

  Congratulations! Scarlet Brimstone, Blood altar has risen to level 5.

  I felt myself grow. Not larger, but... more. The thrill of power rushed through me once again, healing over and toughening my basin of a vessel.

  That is, until a choice hit.

  All four looked similar. a passive buff, a passive buff or some new options, and a skill headstart. I didn't know how much of a wall existed at various levels, but the jump from 5 to 6 seemed large. The real question was what kind of power I wanted now, and what kind of power I wanted most. Runes scaled better, but I could not afford to stop and engrave when a giant mole was pissed off at me. Black magic would let me make more kinds of slimes, and cast spells at my... frankly limited angle. Spellcraft called out to me. It could be only spellcasting, but it could be literally creating new spells from nothing- which I could use to solve all the problems. Dark command looked like a grab bag, which I almost chose for the upcoming imp squad, but remembered that their mana wages were unaffected. And while I was getting most of my mana from absorbed monsters, I was using most of it on equipment to kill them in the first place. Focusing my will, I chose.

  My basin reformed, deeper and thicker-walled. Cracked stone became dented iron. And equipment became easier.

  I sensed a break in the action. Sensed Mazrar's proximity to other imps. And guided my spell to summon him.

  "Eyy scarlet, i'm back! And I brought my squad! Irnuuth, Thoguzod, Rorthrezol, meet your new boss. She's way more fun than our 'fficial one" Mazrar greeted, gesturing to his allies. Irnuuth was smaller, but two more were cartoonish mini-hulks of imps, upper halves larger than their lower ones.

  I got right to business, adopting a fake-ass official tone. "My pay is five mana each, and I offer my loyal subjects infused weapons to keep after their first mission"

  The two big ones fistbumped. "Sold." They said, staggered.

  "Our enemy's a mole dungeon, and already tunneling towards us. I hired you four for a counter-attack, you're going to go in there, look for anything big and magical, and fuckin' steal it."

  "Looks fun. Do we get to choose our weapon?" Rorthrezol asked.

  "From my limited supply. Now go before the moles eat you too." I joked, the four imps running mischievously forward

  I took the time to look at my specialty notification. And what I saw floored me.

  Skill: Enchantment has risen to 2+1/10. Learned: Focused infusion (120 mana)

  I could now choose how I enchanted.

  My status window: