Searching for Awakened creatures from which to gain power could be extremely difficult. The large majority of monsters were unawakened, having not yet formed their soulseed. Though he had contemplated capturing a large number of monsters and attempting to elicit enough emotion to force an Awakening, after which they could defeat and harvest them for soulseeds. However, he had quickly dismissed that idea. Though he had noticed a streak of viciousness within himself lately - which he also knew had made him a far more formidable and dangerous opponent - he could not bring himself to capture and torture weak creatures in the hopes that they would Awaken. Firstly, there was no guarantee that such measures would be successful. Though it was known that monsters could Awaken in response to intense emotion, there were likely other factors involved - made clear by various species’ predisposition to Awakening to certain aspects. And more importantly, they had found another option.

In the far reaches of the jungle lived an insectile species of monster known as Aarthriin; they formed a vast colony that was buried deep underneath the soil. The vast majority of their kind were drones: mindless, emotionless. Yet, in the encounters the Nulzan had with the insectile creatures in the past, an important observation was made. While the vast majority were emotionless, many were quite the opposite.

Among the mindless drones lived creatures that seemed to singularly manifest one of the emotions that were absent in their brethren, exhibiting them to an extreme measure. And without fail, they came to possess soulseeds, entirely consumed by the intensity of their sole emotion. Due to the overwhelming number of the creatures that roamed the tunnels below the earth, an opportunity to quickly strengthen himself and his allies was made available.

The crimson-hued insect charged, consumed by its own Wrath. Droves of its allies were destroyed, either crushed underfoot or sent flying through the air by the force of its passage.

Dharen prepared for its approach, readying Restraint’s damage-boosting enchantment and bracing his body. Blinded by its all-consuming anger, the incoming creature met Dharen’s warhammer head on - shattering its hard exoskeleton covering and smashing itself into a pulp. At the same, he activated To The Victor, The Spoils, curious to see what type of ability the Awakened insect held.

The creature’s blistering momentum and hefty weight caused Dharen’s limbs to scream in objection, yet he stood his ground. Then, before the tide of mindless insects poured over the fractured corpse, he ripped the soulseed from its body and stored it within his Spatial Ring.

That’s one, he thought.

In the next moment, before the cost grew too great, he activated Furious Momentum and shattered the line of monsters before him.

⥫⥬⥫⥬⥫⥬

Dharen brushed a hand against his sweat-covered brow as a line of perspiration threatened to drip into his open eyes. Dust and dirt mixed with blood coated his figure, a pervasive layer of grime that clung against him. Despite his high Endurance, a sense of fatigue had grown to envelop his limbs, the result of seemingly-endless battle.

His Nulzan allies were suffering far worse than he. Though he had managed to keep their casualties to a minimum, some of their number were lost in the relentless assault. The Aarthriin possessed unimaginable numbers, and even the mindless drones could be dangerous in the midst of carelessness. A single snap of their crushing mandibles could pulp the wood of a tree, or mangle a limb. The unimaginable number of enemies had even allowed him to draw a small measure of Fear from his allies, enough to prevent his Spirit pool from running completely dry.

Yet, despite their losses, they had achieved much. Even the Nulzan that were defeated were retrieved, allowing their living allies to absorb the strength of the soulseed that they had held. That, when combined with the surprising number of the aberrant-type Aarthriin, had led to a treasure trove of soulseeds.

The land outside of the Aarthriin tunnels had changed drastically; mountains of smashed and shattered corpses had formed, the remnant bodies of the army of monsters that had poured forth. They spilled over one another ceaselessly, and even now the piles were ever-shifting, the twitching of the corpses triggering landslides of broken carcasses. That same unsteady footing had proven a boon for Dharen and his allies. A surprising number of the insectile creatures had perished not at their hands, but under the crushing feet of those behind them as they slipped due to the perilous footing mid-climb.

Even more dangerous had been the aberrant Aarthriin. The Awakened creatures had each been utterly consumed, seemingly incapable of strategy or tactics. Crimson-hued insects rushed forward with rage-filled abandon, the picture of irrevocable wrath. Yellow-tinged creatures consumed the bodies that surrounded them, surging in strength in response. It was not until reaching the tunnel, however, that new types began to make themselves known. It seemed that the more mindless, aggressive types served as the vanguard - perhaps due to their dangerous effect on their own allies.

Meanwhile, the inside of the tunnels were guarded by greater varieties. In the short time before he had called the order to pull back, Dharen had already seen multiple defensive-aspected types. They were a dark blue, nearly black, and covered in heavy ridges and sturdy plates.

He thought that it was likely the strength of the colony was centered deeper in the tunnels, situated closer to the Queen that spawned them.

As such, especially when taking into account the status of his Nulzan allies, Dharen had known that it was time to regroup. It would be foolish to commit to an all-out assault. At least, prior to obtaining the spoils of their victory. They had gained a large number of soulseeds, distributing them among the participating combatants to allow them to grow stronger before the tunnels were assaulted once more.

Unfortunately, the soulseeds they had obtained were rather weak individually. Still, they were a great boon for the lower-leveled Nulzan, allowing them to make large strides in their growth.

Dharen set aside some for himself as well. Although the current priority was to increase the strength of his weaker allies, he would be remiss to pass up the opportunity to strengthen himself. After consuming a decent number of the low-grade soulseeds, he finally increased his level.

He had chosen to gather enough to increase his Fear Seed to level 12. Due to the beneficial effects given by delving within his soulseed of Fear, he had reversed his earlier strategy. Previously, his strongest abilities for combat had come from his Triumph Seed. Thus, he focused his efforts on leveling that first, followed by Fear afterwards.

However, things were different now.

Not only could he receive a guaranteed level by delving into his Seed once more after passing the next threshold, but he would also be able to utilize the growth in his aura to imbue and alter his third Triumph Boon. Though he was unsure what effect the aural twisting would have on To The Victor, The Spoils, he was anticipating the result. Based on his other abilities, it might turn out quite useful. Thus, he would gain what were essentially two abilities in return for progressing his Fear Seed to the next threshold - his fourth Boon of Fear and the aurally-twisted version of To The Victor, The Spoils.

Satisfied with his progress, he took a swig of water to quench his thirst before pouring it over his sweat-covered head. Blood and grime sloughed off as he rubbed his fingers in the moistened mixture, revealing the hardened face underneath.

Around him, his Nulzan allies absorbed soulseeds of their own. Unlike Dharen, many of them had yet to pass the first two thresholds - meaning that they achieved far more rapid growth from the Aarthriin soulseeds than he. They exulted and celebrated, revelling in their newfound abilities. He smiled grimly, knowing that his revenge was creeping ever closer.