Rewind: A Grimdark LitRPG Series (Pyresouls Apocalypse, Book 1) by James Callum (reading tree .txt) 📕

to share the creature’s fate, Jacob stepped around the pressure plate and put more distance between him and the dying, lumbering thing.

The concern was unwarranted. The lumbering creature fell to its knees, stretched its bloody maw wide in a silent scream, and fell to the ground at Jacob’s feet, very dead.

You defeat the [Brute Patient]

Awarded 1,250 Souls.

You gain [Bright Spark].

You gain [Whisper of Insanity].

Jacob’s victory was cut short when he saw the quartet of Vile Insinuators round the corner and float down the hallway after him.

In the fear and turmoil, he had lost the mental wall he had erected and had to build it up once more as the blue fires in their skulls flared again. Four waves of mental intrusion struck him at once and he staggered under the assault. His mind worked feverishly to come up with a solution.

While he struggled against the waves of psychic pressure, he noticed that the four were speeding up. Like predators sensing an easy kill, they thought he was ensnared. And so Jacob played along, biding his time and regenerating his Stamina.

As soon as the first Vile Insinuator came close enough that he could smell its rotten reek, he broke the fake trance.

Knowing he would only get one chance, he lunged forward with his [Longsword], mindful of the trap in front of him. Though it was often used with rapier style weapons, Jacob used Hummingbird Kisses the Rose.

With a much heavier [Longsword], the blade ripped through the meager defenses of the Insinuator and even managed to tear right through to the one behind. A cruel twist and sideways tug pulled the blade out and tore a mortal wound in the sadistic creatures.

While the [Mace] possessed a higher damage rating than his new [Longsword], his skill paired with the unique attributes of the blade made it the superior weapon. Not only could a [Mace] not impale two creatures as he just did, its reach was drastically shorter.

More than that, even though the physical damage was less on the [Longsword] it scaled off of two stats, DEX and STR. Both of which Jacob had at 10 now. While the [Mace] scaled exclusively off of STR - making it stronger in the long run - for now, the [Longsword] had superior damage.

And it likely would remain superior unless he ran into one of the many monsters resistant to piercing or slashing.

Jacob wanted to back up but knew he couldn’t without triggering the next trap. Not that it mattered. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the violent spectacle even if he wanted to.

The two Insinuators, mortally wounded, were unable to control their own power. The blue fires in their eyes raged and spread unchecked over their skulls. The iron cages around their heads melted into slag as their soundless screams filled the air, their jaws stretched wide.

The blue fire flashed out, staining the stones black. In an instant, the two creatures were nothing but bright afterimages on the backs of Jacob’s eyelids whenever he blinked.

You defeat the [Vile Insinuator].

You defeat the [Vile Insinuator].

Awarded 2,000 Souls.

Six pairs of twisted hands reached for Jacob before he could recover from the bright flash that had incinerated the two monsters. Desperation drove the creature toward him even though it should have realized its mistake.

A clawing strike ripped a series of jagged rents across Jacob’s face, nearly blinding him as he leaned back but refused to move his feet. Accepting the blow in exchange for letting the thing get so close, Jacob reached up and grasped the gnarled forearm of his attacker.

With a growling curse that was immediately silenced the moment it left his lips, Jacob twisted in the tight corridor, bringing the creature practically face-to-face with him as if they were dance partners about to perform a spin.

Instead, Jacob shoved its grasping and clawing hands farther down the hall. It didn’t go far, merely floating two feet away from Jacob but it was enough.

A savage grin clued the Insinuator that something was amiss but it didn’t have the time to ponder its precarious position. Jacob pressed his foot to the pressure plate.

Once again, spikes sprang forth from the walls and ceiling to impale his enemy for him. Though the Insinuator was smaller, it could not dodge so many at once. Before it could blind him with its dying flash of blue fire, Jacob turned and leveled his blade at the remaining creature, only to find it gone.

Insinuators were not known for their bravery.

Three white wisps collided with Jacob. One from behind, and two through the wall. They caught him off-guard and signaled that perhaps the Insinuator had met an untimely end after all.

Awarded 1,900 Souls.

One look at the Souls given, gave him pause, however. Aside from the number – three wisps instead of the single – the amount was all wrong.

No, that Insinuator was still out and about. Likely waiting for a chance to strike. Judging from the angle of the wisps, they could just as easily been creatures Camilla took down.

And that brought him back to the reason for all of this to begin with. The elf had gone missing. That she had potentially put down two monsters gave him some hope that she was still alive.

Breathing hard, Jacob summoned his shield, stepped around the trap, and took off at a run down the hall. The few hits he took from getting so close to the Insinuator, not to mention the repeated mental blasts had left him at just over half Health.

Turning down the next hall and coming to the ajar door, he thought about exhausting his last ampoule. If Camilla was in trouble he might need that extra Health.

Steeling himself, Jacob opened the door with bloodied handprints staining its dark wood. He was hit by a wall of fetid odor that nearly knocked him off his feet.

Jacob staggered back, forcing his breathing through his mouth, tasting the iron tang of his blood as he inadvertently sucked in the few droplets that ran down his lips.

Camilla stood before