John has no intention of stopping.

Elite encounter defeated!
Earned 2,200XP.
Obtained $800.
Obtained five vials of Animator ichor.
Obtained lesser Animator plate armor.
Obtained two flasks of Animator bile.
Obtained two Hive essence, and 3/5 shards of one Hive essence.
Obtained four pounds of prismatic chitin.

Hunter's delight: +8hp!

Achievement unlocked! "His bidding was all I could do"!
Have a summon deal more than 50% of the damage to an enemy. Now you're getting the hang of it!
+2 INT
+2 CHA

Achievement unlocked! "Momma said knock you out"!
Defeat an enemy three or more levels higher than you.
+100XP
+1 stat point

Spiraling snake style is now level 8! Tier 2 unlocked!

John now ran through the many pop-ups that came up less than an hour ago, when he and his minions were still in that hellish place. He had discovered, much to his own terror, that the parsing door to escape had simply been buried in the debris, and had to be dug out to get them all out of the barrier. If the portal had perhaps fallen into the chasm left behind by the monstrous millipede, or if the debris wasn't light enough to eventually find the way out... well, for all the trouble his enemies suffered thanks to his fighting style, it frustrated him to learn something new about how it could one day kill him in some awful fashion. Before he bothered to review the changes, however, he needed to know what exactly it was he had so hastily scooped off of the table back at the battlefield:

Special item: vial of Animator ichor. An inert fluid that was once Animator bile used to digest a foe, and serves a living Animator by reforming digested foes as servants. Once the Animator is dead, this ichor can only serve as a crafting component. Loses all potency after five minutes of exposure.

Magical item: lesser Animator plate armor. A rough suit of armor, little more than several layers of prismatic chitin strapped together with a basic enchantment. -10 AGI, +5 damage reduction (tripled versus Hive magical attacks).

Special item: flask of Animator bile. An acidic material that is still potent after the Animator's ****, this viscous fluid becomes Animator ichor after one minute of exposure. Deals 10-40 acid damage based on severity of coverage.

Special item: Hive essence, elemental material.
This essence can imbue an item with the properties of its origin.
Hive essence is associated with: control, hordes, breeding.

Special item: prismatic chitin. Raw exoskeleton chunks from a Skittering Animator. Malleable, but difficult to break. Useful as crafting material for armor.

John found little desire to put on the armor, at least until its very particular use became relevant, and none save the essence bore any interest to him aside from pocketing it for crafting later. Control, hordes, and breeding... How would that work, exactly? Certainly he had use for at least one of those keywords, but did it mean what he hoped it meant? He'd puzzle over how to use essence while he meditated on his bed, paying no mind to the naked elf who bathed herself at the fountain within his sanctuary. Mustard-like ichor sluiced off of her, only to then be absorbed and probably obliterated by the cleric spirit that floated and hummed about. She bathed like this quietly; she couldn't bear to look upon the man who would soon be her husband, the vile human and her slaver. That this all started because she wanted so badly to find a worthy kill seemed a sick irony to her; perhaps she was being punished for hubris, though her people did not believe in such superstitions. John, still recalling the awful taste of the yellow goo in her mouth, was happy to let her get cleaned up while he reviewed the barrage of new information on his style.

Spiraling Snake Style: Tier II Changes:
SERPENT'S STRIKE: All serpent attacks can now deal "subdual" damage: non-lethal damage that can render a target **** without sending them below 0hp. Duration of unconsciousness depends on target's hp regeneration rate, which is reduced to 25% of its regular rate, and how much "extra" damage was dealt beyond what it takes to get them to 0. Subdual damage cannot be dealt to a target already reduced to or below 0hp.

TELEPORT: Jump and Blink can now be used to take one other person with you per five levels of Spiraling Snake Style. Their respective mana costs are doubled when using them this way.

PORTAL: Tunnel now has a permanent 20mp discount applied to its original formula for calculating mana cost. Parse the false reality can now have the level of its encounters set between 1 and your current level.

DISPLACEMENT: No changes in Tier II.

Useful upgrades, one and all... but none that would've made him more useful against that boss. What if he hadn't captured a dark elf, a race that apparently turned into ultimate weapons when faced with giant monsters? Was that what the dungeon was relying on when it threw so terrifying an enemy at him? If so, he'd have to keep looking for stronger summons; she wouldn't be enough against enemies that didn't trigger that change, or got lucky shots and knocked her down, or came one after the other, and so on. But there was another dilemma: he was so close to level 10 he could taste it, but at the same time the sealed doors in the temple stirred his completionist heart, and the idea of sacrificing summons to open them didn't sit well with him. He decided he'd open the psychosphere at least, if only so he could have guidance for some situations without having to summon the appropriate pet. He would do it first thing in the morning... well, the temple's morning. Tired as he was, he would be eager to take a nap... right after having, and then consummating, his marriage to his elven fiancé.

"You shouldn't go through with this, John Newman," she whispered, washing her crotch as she spoke. "You cannot pretend that I've any debt to you left, not after having saved your life. What's more," she harshly whispered, "I will not be able to save you again, should I become your toy in this bed."

"Or when you're all big and pregnant, right?" She nodded contemptuously. "I know... I'll just need to be more careful from now on."

"... Please, I don't believe it can even be done," the mighty warrior pleaded in a trembling voice, "but... I can tell you will try. You will try and try again, and keep me as a bit of ****, a spot of sport for you on your little ventures inside this terrible place. I ask only that you give me the respect due a warrior who saved your life."

John frowned, but patted the bed beside him as her eyes trembled. "It doesn't make much sense to you, I know... but the XP boost will be enough that I'll level up a few times. Besides, I'll just remove them like I did Vanessa's, promise! After that, as far as sex, I'll... keep it to a minimum," he carefully offered. "You'll have your respect."

"... You are a monster, John Newman. No matter what lies you tell yourself of what we are, here in your inner-sanctum... we are naught but victims for your appetites."

John grimaced, and let a silence hang between them. She was right, but he had to do this; he told this to himself again and again. As close to **** as he just came, mostly thanks to minions of an elite no less, he couldn't afford to stay a lowbie in a world with Brightons and Wentworths. He still didn't know what the Golden Rose even was, nevermind how to take it, and Tricia was... ****, to say the least, and too useful an ally to piss off by forcing her to give him her own massive XP boost. Fairy would just explode... no, it had to be the only monster that has had any chance at mating with a human, even if only in some strange, half-breed way. "Well, we've got plenty of time in here, and it is a temple... so we can take it slowly. I'll make sure you enjoy it from now on... and that's all I can give you, Alysha." Her glare did not waver. "So, do we just sign a contract then, and we're married?"

"Do not taunt me with your barbaric ways. The keel-vorsh'ek do not so simply bind one into an eternal joining of houses, and you must know that much, at least."

"So... how do we get married?"

Alysha's eyes narrowed, and a twitch appeared at the corner where John's brand had come to rest. "You... you do not know?"

"Of course not, Alysha," John sighed walking closer to her, "so hurry up and tell me so we can get this over with."

The brand glowed purple, and then an angry red, and then sparked as if electrified. Not content with destroying her in totality, he wanted her to do it for him? It went beyond every expectation, promise and boast until now, and the brand continued to spark as she spat her pained, slow, furious, defiant words: