my parents got me a drill and an impact for christmas. the drill is a warrior 18v cordless and the driver is a warrior 20v cordless. i only really plan on doing small home improvement and possibly making outdoor furniture. i also need to be able to put screws through tough pieces of wood on a pier. should i stay with these forever, upgrade later, or bite the bullet and upgrade right now

source - https://www.amazon.com/shop/helpmefinddeals/list/3GFKZ4WMY0LD6
Thanks

Hello everyone, I'm new to the subreddit.
After constantly borrowing a cheap corded Ryobi drill/driver from my neighbor, I decided now was the time to get my own. Within a week, I learned about impact drivers and other items I was not familiar with. I made my power drill/driver purchase (never even touched a cordless before) and plan on picking it up on Thursday at Home Depot (just waiting for the bits to arrive). I went with a drill/driver & impact driver combo kit.
However, I'm still looking at comparisons and reviews and I'm not completely convinced I made the best purchase. First, the uses:

• I have NO INTENTION of working with concrete or any masonry.
• I wanted a drill/driver and impact combo mainly for little house repairs, installations on metal studs, and maybe get comfortable enough for some creative projects down the line. Basically, home DIY stuff but with a little overkill on performance and durability for some futureproofing.
• I have an immediate need for an impact driver that can unscrew super hard torx or hex screws on a chair without damaging the screws. Apparently I need good bits too, not the $3 stuff I have.
• I went overboard on the bits and ordered the Makita Impact XPS set. I don't need drills right now so I'll wait for a good price on those.

Anyway, what I ordered was this Makita 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless 2-Piece Combo Kit for $189. I read that Brushed tools are becoming obsolete and brushless is the way to go, but I also read that Makita brushed tools are great. Now, the next Makita upgrade is the black subcompact combo at $50 more. That sounds wholely unnecessary for my use. So I'm checking another brand. In specs alone, Milwaukee always seems like the better option over Makita, yet Makita holds a high reputation. Here are the two Milwaukee combos I'm comparing it to. These two are immediately available in store unlike the other brands of this tier:

• $179 - M18 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Compact Drill/Impact Combo Kit
• $199 - M12 FUEL 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit - I don't know about the lower specs of the combo or if a hammer drill is even a good idea to get, but what about that Fuel battery? Is this why it costs more?

If either of the options is better, I might show up and request an exchange on Thursday. Please let me know what the best option is. I appreciate those who took the time to read this.

Out there - Patreon (for all those curious or wanting to support :))
At the Beginning
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Previously on Leveling up the World…
 
Nil used to say that even the greatest challenge became simple once the logic behind it was unraveled. At the time, the old echo was referring to awakening trials, but vortexes were surprisingly similar. Given enough resources and information, even life could be treated in the same fashion. Dallion had a while to go before reaching that level. The current vortex, though, was a different matter.
Creating potions wasn’t an easy experience. Aside from everything else, it required a good understanding of nymph magic methods and the ability to perform them. Thankfully, Dallion’s randomly esoteric interests had prepared him for such an eventuality.
After his protective layer of magic threads was complete, he approached the sea. Same as before, a dozen tendrils shot out in his direction. Summoning his thread splitter dagger, Dallion sliced the tips off, encasing the free elements in aether spheres of his own. That was another thing about magic—it always went towards those that were stronger. One careless move and even a high-level mage might have his magic stolen, by a creature, rival, or even the vortex environment itself. However, with enough skill and ingenuity, the opposite was also true.
One by one, the bubbles of captive magic were consumed, then released again, only this time forming an entirely new set of spells.
Swords? Onda asked. That’ll hardly work.
“Think of it as a meat grinder,” Dallion replied. All he needed was a makeshift drill to let him make his way through the sea. Having his own liquid spells fight the rest of the sea was only going to grant him a bit more time. Between that and the protective magic layer, it had to be enough.
No, I mean it won’t work. The moment you—
Let him learn his own mistakes, Harp interrupted. Her tone was calm, even pleasant, but it had the effect of lightning from a clear sky. It’s the only way he can progress.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Dallion kept collecting magic threads for a few more minutes, then did another point attack. The start of a tunnel opened up on the sea’s surface. Quickly, Dallion threw all of his liquid spells inside, then followed. Same as before, the mass of the sea attempted to fill in the void, but this time it was hindered by the liquid wall of swords.
​
VORTEX BREACH
Overall stability 99%
​
Spells clashed against each other, filling the air with hundreds of purple rectangles. The damage was minuscule, and still a constant reminder of the eternal struggle between invader and realm. It was no wonder that mages were so cutthroat: there was only one thing certain upon entering a vortex: someone was going to absorb the other. The Academy’s main role was to teach novices how to survive.
Just like hunting, Dallion thought. On the other hand, he had never been the typical hunter. When it came to vortexes, there could be no offer of draw or surrender.
Twisting around, Dallion performed another point attack, drilling further into the sea. The number of rectangles doubled. Meanwhile, the size of the hold was reduced by half. The amount of spells Dallion had poured in—seemingly cast initially—was now wearing thin.
Maybe you should have spent a bit more time fathering threads, the armadil shield said.
“It’s all a formula.” Dallion did another point attack. “If the stability of the tunnel is decreased, I just need to go faster.”
All of his instincts shouted for him to split into instances, or at the very least create a few echoes to help in. His wisdom told him not to. All he had to do was remain calm. The emblems and artifacts he was wearing ensured that he’d be ejected from the vortex. Of course, there was never a guarantee. The higher the vortex level, the greater the danger it posed.
Summoning his hammer, Dallion did a double point attack, up and down, to keep the tunnel collapsing above him. He had gone so deep that the opening was the size of a coin.
“I told you it’ll work, Onda,” he said with a touch of glee. “It’s all logic and magic principles.”
No sooner had he said that than a mass of magic pierced through Dallion’s wall of spells, ending up in the tunnel. Believing his wall of swords to have been breached, Dallion unsummoned both his weapons and cast a new series of spells to plug the hole. That proved to be a mistake.
​
MODERATE WOUND
Your health has been reduced by 20%
​
What the heck? Dallion pulled back, summoning his harpsisword again.
Five feet away, the mass of magic had changed into a creature.
​
VORTEX MINION
Species: AETHERCORN
Class: MAGIC
Health: 0% HP
Traits:
- BODY 20
- MIND 20
- PERCEPTION 20
- REACTION 20
- MAGIC 40
Skills:
- ATTACK
- GUARD
- SPELLCRAFT
- ENTANGLE (Species Unique)
- RAIN OF BLADES (Species Unique)
- CHARGE (Species Unique)
Weakness: HOOVES
​
A unicorn? Dallion deflected the creature’s next attack with his weapon.
Looking at it, the minion was no different from a bladicorn, only created entirely out of threads of magic.
Tried to warn you, old man, Onda said from his realm. Vortexes adapt. You make a counter, they counter your counter.
Dallion was too busy fighting the creature to respond. Magic adaptability was well known. Having loose threads spontaneously create a creature, that was something new. No doubt there was some tome describing the theoretical process in vast detail. Seeing it in practice, though, was a lot.
Without wasting any time, Dallion flew down, then infused his harpsisword with spark, as he did an upward strike. Knowing what such a creature was capable of, his only course of action was to kill it as before it could start casting spells. The difficulty was not destroying his own spells in the process. For all the power of point and line attacks, they were going to do as much damage to Dallion’s own spells, resulting in him winning the encounter, but losing the overall fight.
The aethercorn quickly caught on, moving away and to the side of the tunnel. As long as it increased the distance and remained close to Dallion’s wall of blades, it would have the upper hand.
Sneaky bastard. Dallion cast several aether barriers.
Magic symbols covered the minion’s entire body. As they appeared, Dallion went through all the memorized spells in real time. Normally, he could tell easily what someone was casting once several of the major symbols had formed. In this case, the creature planned to create an aether explosion. In the real world, Dallion wouldn’t even bat an eye. Explosions were a lot less efficient against mages as one might think. Here, though, things were different; the minion wasn’t targeting him, but the wall of blades itself. If there were an explosion, the entire tunnel would collapse, leaving Dallion to rely on his “second skin”.
A new aether barrier appeared next to the aethecorn, then shoved it into the wall before the spell could be completed. The threads—representing aether blades in liquid form—mercilessly sliced into its body, causing the being to lose stability. The entire form burst like a popped balloon, spilling magic threads everywhere.
The moment Dallion saw that, he knew that his time was running out. Although inefficient, the vortex had found a way to breach his protective barrier. The only solution was to pass through the sea before the overall collapse.
Want a boost, boss? Lux asked. The firebird knew better than to assist uninvited.
“No!” Dallion said firmly, casting a new flight spell. “Return to my realm.”
Several more breaches occurred along the tunnel. Aethercorns emerged in front and behind Dallion. Some attacked him directly, others started casting spells to weaken the tunnel. At this point, dealing with them was an impossible task. Still, Dallion did several more point attacks, clearing out as many as possible. Unfortunately for him, that didn’t prove to be a lot. The minions were both fast and intelligent enough to keep to areas that were difficult to hit. Only the ones that attempted to outright block Dallion’s progress ended up being destroyed.
Gritting his teeth, Dallion started casting the flood spell. It was a move that verged to desperation, but the only thing that could help him right now. Within seconds, the portal emerged, then vanished behind Dallion. With a bit of luck, it was going to keep the minions occupied a bit longer.
Behind him, the top of the tunnel collapsed. The threads he had used to create his wall of swords was too thin to coat the entire space created by the point attacks. The purple sea splashed in, mixing with the water coming from Dallion’s portal.
​
MODERATE WOUND
Your health has been reduced by 20%
​
Another alicorn managed to stab Dallion’s leg with its horn as he flew by, effectively halving his health.
Leave the vortex, Harp said.
“I can do this.” Dallion had unsummoned the hammer, focusing on doing point attacks forward, while using his left hand to boost his speed. “I’m close to the end. I can feel it.”
You’re not ready for this vortex. You’re close, but you still aren’t there yet.
“I am.” Dallion insisted. It wasn’t that he had become complacent, but the last few months his progress had crawled to a stop. He might have learned a vast number of magic symbols and spells, but his magic trait remained at twenty-three. There was no way he was giving up a level four vortex, especially this one. “I am there,” he whispered.
Purple water kept seeping in. The top of the tunnel had completely collapsed. Spells created by vortex minions darted past him. Some even made contact, repelled by his protective layer of magic threads.
“Just a few seconds more,” Dallion said, more to himself than Harp.
He had been going through the sea for quite a while. As far as distance was concerned, it had to range in the dozens of miles, if not more. While space in any magic realm was an illusion, there was a limit to how much something could be stretched. Sooner or later, the sea had to come to an end.
“Ruby, create some wind,” he ordered.
Keeping firmly to Dallion’s shoulder, the shardfly flicked its wings, sending a flurry of wind slashes forward. This was by no means an elegant way to breach the tower, but as long as it worked Dallion had no intention of complaining.
Further and further down he went. His speed had increased to the point that he couldn’t see new aethercorns emerge. And yet, it all kept on going. It seemed that he had entered a bottomless pit. The sensation of doubt emerged. Was it a good move to keep persisting? If he quit now, would it all go to waste? There was no telling how long the vortex would remain. Maybe it would last for a few more hours. If he was lucky, it might appear again in another week or so.
No! Dallion told himself. If he couldn’t complete this, what chance did he stand against Grym and the traitorous battlemages? They had accumulated their magic for decades. If he didn’t take advantage of every opportunity presented to him, he might as well become a clerk at the Academy.
Point attacks kept pushing the tunnel further and further down until suddenly they didn’t. It only lasted a fraction of a second, but Dallion was able to catch it. The devastating amount of force had been effortlessly pushed to the sides, like water being poured on a mirror.
That was it—the end of the sea. Dallion had finally reached the solid barrier. At this point, he’d usually take the time to find a weakness, then slice through it and create a portal leading to the other side. With time being a luxury he didn’t have, Dallion resorted to the second best thing. Increasing the number of point attacks, he cast the magic depletion spell he had learned from Raven.
Lightning shot out in all directions, instantly ending Dallion’s flight spell as well as causing all magic threads to pull back.
“Shield!” Dallion summoned the armadil shield. “Cocoon me!” He performed one final point attack with his harpsisword.
The armadil shield expanded, becoming a metal sphere around Dallion. Half a second later, the impact tossed Dallion to the inside of it.
​
MINOR WOUND
Your health has been reduced by 5%
​
BREACH ENFORCER
(+2 Body)
Inertia and the force of will helped you breach into the tower’s core. You were lucky you didn’t go splat.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, consider joining my patreon or check out my other stories on redditserials:
The Scuu Paradox (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Cassandrian Theory (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Impeccable Adventure of the Reluctant Dungeon (Dungeon Core Adventure Comedy)
Uncharted Waters (An Urban Fantasy Detective Noir)
Book 3 will be available on Amazon from midnight tonight :D There will be an official post tomorrow, but here's a heads up to all impatient ones :D

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Daily Modifiers

Vanguard

• Grenadier: Grenade abilities deal more damage and recharge much faster.
• Arc Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Arc damage.
• Void Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Void damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.

Dares of Eternity

• Daodan Surge: Melee abilities deal more damage and recharge much faster.

Salvage

• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Arc Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Arc damage.
• Void Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Void damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.

Deep Dives

• Deep Dive Rules: Successfully complete as many randomly chosen timed encounters as you can before being caught by the foes hunting you! Reach the sea floor to turn the tables, turning the hunters into the hunted! Power Level: Player Power levels are fixed. Each depth activates a new modifier for the remainder of the activity and increases all combatant Power levels over player Power levels. Asha's Gifts: Choose one of two random gifts from Asha at each depth to enhance yourself for the remainder of the activity before taking on the Darkness. Wrathful Predator: Final blows on these unique combatants will reward your fireteam additional time on the objective timer. Rewards: Victory at each depth increases the rewards and challenges of the next. Opt in with your entire fireteam to trigger Pressure Trial versions of activities for even greater rewards!
• Join In Progress Disabled: Your fireteam cannot be joined while in an activity. Return to orbit to add fireteam members.
• Classified: Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
• Classified: Keep it secret. Keep it safe.

Seasonal

Legend/Master Lost Sector

Exotic armor drop (if solo): Unknown
Lost Sector information is currently unavailable. Check the comments!

Neomuna

Terminal Overload: Ahimsa Park

• Weapon: Basso Ostinato (Shotgun)

Misc

• The Wellspring: Attack Weapon: Fel Taradiddle (Combat Bow)
• Altars of Sorrow Weapon: Apostate (Sniper Rifle)

Guns & Materials

Banshee's Featured Weapons

Name	Type	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
The Number	Energy Auto Rifle	Extended Barrel // Polygonal Rifling	Extended Mag // Armor-Piercing Rounds	Killing Wind	Multikill Clip
Nezarec's Whisper	Energy Glaive	Supercooled Accelerator // Low-Impedance Windings	Appended Mag // Swap Mag	Lead from Gold	Adrenaline Junkie
Austringer	Kinetic Hand Cannon	Corkscrew Rifling // Fluted Barrel	Alloy Magazine // High-Caliber Rounds	Snapshot Sights	Zen Moment
Taipan-4fr	Heavy Linear Fusion Rifle	Full Bore // Hammer-Forged Rifling	Accelerated Coils // Projection Fuse	Compulsive Reloader	Firing Line
Tears of Contrition	Kinetic Scout Rifle	Chambered Compensator // Hammer-Forged Rifling	Appended Mag // Alloy Magazine	Auto-Loading Holster	Focused Fury

Perks re-roll at midnight UTC, so check his inventory twice per day!
Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Master Rahool's Material Exchange

• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Legendary Shards)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Dark Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Phantasmal Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 25 Herealways Piece)
• Enhancement Prism (1 for 10 Enhancement Core & 10000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Shard (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)

Bounties

Commander Zavala, Vanguard

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades	Defeat combatants with grenades. Defeating them in Vanguard playlists grants additional progress.	20 [Grenade] Grenade	XP+
Perfect Energy	Defeat combatants with Special ammo. Fusion Rifle final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	20 [Fusion Rifle] Fusion Rifle	XP+
The Inner Storm	Defeat combatants with Arc damage in Vanguard playlists.	25 [Arc] Arc	XP+
Into the Abyss	Defeat combatants with Void damage in Vanguard playlists.	25 [Void] Void	XP+

Lord Shaxx, Crucible

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Burn Bright	Cast your Super.	2 Supers	XP+
Closed Circuit	Defeat opponents with Arc damage from any source.	5 [Arc] Arc	XP+
Peak Efficiency	Defeat opponents in a single life.	2 Streak	XP+
Did You Throw Enough Grenades?	In Mayhem, defeat opponents with grenades.	3 [Grenade] Grenade	XP+

The Drifter, Gambit

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Elite Executioner	Defeat challenging enemies in Gambit.	10 Challenging combatants	XP+
Not Your Mama's Combat Drill	Defeat enemies in Gambit.	50 Targets	XP+
Face-to-Face	Summon Primevals in Gambit by filling up your team's bank.	2 Primevals summoned	XP+
Blind Spot	Defeat Arc blinded targets in Gambit. Defeating Guardians grants more progress.	30 [Arc] Arc blind	XP+

Banshee-44, Gunsmith

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Scout Rifle Calibration	Calibrate Scout Rifles against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Scout Rifle] Scout Rifle	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Machine Gun Calibration	Calibrate Machine Guns against any target. Earn bonus progress against opposing Guardians and for additional targets defeated without reloading.	100 [Machine Gun] Machine Gun	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Glaive Calibration	Calibrate Glaives against any target. Rapidly defeating targets and defeating Guardians grants additional progress.	100 [Glaive] Glaive	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Void Calibration	Calibrate Void weapons against any target. Earn bonus progress using Power weapons and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Void] Void weapon	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress

Nimbus, Neomuna

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Snipers of Myth	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with precision final blows. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Headshot] Precision	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Cryogenic Hardening	In Neomuna, defeat combatants affected by Stasis. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Stasis] Stasis	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Back to Basics	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Kinetic weapons.	25 Kinetic weapon	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Hacker's Paradise	Complete waves in Terminal Overload.	10 Waves cleared	1 Terminal Overload Key & 50 Neomuna Rank & XP+

Sonar Station, H.E.L.M.

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Salvaged Equipment	Open a Salvage Chest.	1 Salvage Chest opened	XP+
Deep Trouble: Taken	Defeat Taken. Taken defeated in Salvage or Deep Dive award bonus progress.	100 Taken	XP+
Quickdraw Aquanaut	Defeat targets with Hand Cannons and Sidearms. Defeated Guardians or combatants defeated in Salvage or Deep Dive activities award bonus progress.	100 Weapon	XP+
Fires in the Deep	Defeat targets with Solar or Strand damage. Melee abilities award bonus progress, as well as defeating Guardians or defeating combatants in Salvage or Deep Dive.	100 Progress	XP+

Daily Modifiers

Vanguard

• Grenadier: Grenade abilities deal more damage and recharge much faster.
• Arc Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Arc damage.
• Void Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Void damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.

Dares of Eternity

• Daodan Surge: Melee abilities deal more damage and recharge much faster.

Salvage

• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Arc Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Arc damage.
• Void Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Void damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.

Deep Dives

• Deep Dive Rules: Successfully complete as many randomly chosen timed encounters as you can before being caught by the foes hunting you! Reach the sea floor to turn the tables, turning the hunters into the hunted! Power Level: Player Power levels are fixed. Each depth activates a new modifier for the remainder of the activity and increases all combatant Power levels over player Power levels. Asha's Gifts: Choose one of two random gifts from Asha at each depth to enhance yourself for the remainder of the activity before taking on the Darkness. Wrathful Predator: Final blows on these unique combatants will reward your fireteam additional time on the objective timer. Rewards: Victory at each depth increases the rewards and challenges of the next. Opt in with your entire fireteam to trigger Pressure Trial versions of activities for even greater rewards!
• Join In Progress Disabled: Your fireteam cannot be joined while in an activity. Return to orbit to add fireteam members.
• Classified: Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
• Classified: Keep it secret. Keep it safe.

Seasonal

Legend/Master Lost Sector

Exotic armor drop (if solo): Unknown
Lost Sector information is currently unavailable. Check the comments!

Neomuna

Terminal Overload: Ahimsa Park

• Weapon: Basso Ostinato (Shotgun)

Misc

• The Wellspring: Attack Weapon: Fel Taradiddle (Combat Bow)
• Altars of Sorrow Weapon: Apostate (Sniper Rifle)

Guns & Materials

Banshee's Featured Weapons

Name	Type	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
The Number	Energy Auto Rifle	Extended Barrel // Polygonal Rifling	Extended Mag // Armor-Piercing Rounds	Killing Wind	Multikill Clip
Nezarec's Whisper	Energy Glaive	Supercooled Accelerator // Low-Impedance Windings	Appended Mag // Swap Mag	Lead from Gold	Adrenaline Junkie
Austringer	Kinetic Hand Cannon	Corkscrew Rifling // Fluted Barrel	Alloy Magazine // High-Caliber Rounds	Snapshot Sights	Zen Moment
Taipan-4fr	Heavy Linear Fusion Rifle	Full Bore // Hammer-Forged Rifling	Accelerated Coils // Projection Fuse	Compulsive Reloader	Firing Line
Tears of Contrition	Kinetic Scout Rifle	Chambered Compensator // Hammer-Forged Rifling	Appended Mag // Alloy Magazine	Auto-Loading Holster	Focused Fury

Perks re-roll at midnight UTC, so check his inventory twice per day!
Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Master Rahool's Material Exchange

• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Legendary Shards)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Dark Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Phantasmal Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 25 Herealways Piece)
• Enhancement Prism (1 for 10 Enhancement Core & 10000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Shard (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)

Bounties

Commander Zavala, Vanguard

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades	Defeat combatants with grenades. Defeating them in Vanguard playlists grants additional progress.	20 [Grenade] Grenade	XP+
Perfect Energy	Defeat combatants with Special ammo. Fusion Rifle final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	20 [Fusion Rifle] Fusion Rifle	XP+
The Inner Storm	Defeat combatants with Arc damage in Vanguard playlists.	25 [Arc] Arc	XP+
Into the Abyss	Defeat combatants with Void damage in Vanguard playlists.	25 [Void] Void	XP+

Lord Shaxx, Crucible

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Burn Bright	Cast your Super.	2 Supers	XP+
Closed Circuit	Defeat opponents with Arc damage from any source.	5 [Arc] Arc	XP+
Peak Efficiency	Defeat opponents in a single life.	2 Streak	XP+
Did You Throw Enough Grenades?	In Mayhem, defeat opponents with grenades.	3 [Grenade] Grenade	XP+

The Drifter, Gambit

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Elite Executioner	Defeat challenging enemies in Gambit.	10 Challenging combatants	XP+
Not Your Mama's Combat Drill	Defeat enemies in Gambit.	50 Targets	XP+
Face-to-Face	Summon Primevals in Gambit by filling up your team's bank.	2 Primevals summoned	XP+
Blind Spot	Defeat Arc blinded targets in Gambit. Defeating Guardians grants more progress.	30 [Arc] Arc blind	XP+

Banshee-44, Gunsmith

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Scout Rifle Calibration	Calibrate Scout Rifles against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Scout Rifle] Scout Rifle	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Machine Gun Calibration	Calibrate Machine Guns against any target. Earn bonus progress against opposing Guardians and for additional targets defeated without reloading.	100 [Machine Gun] Machine Gun	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Glaive Calibration	Calibrate Glaives against any target. Rapidly defeating targets and defeating Guardians grants additional progress.	100 [Glaive] Glaive	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Void Calibration	Calibrate Void weapons against any target. Earn bonus progress using Power weapons and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Void] Void weapon	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress

Nimbus, Neomuna

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Snipers of Myth	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with precision final blows. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Headshot] Precision	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Cryogenic Hardening	In Neomuna, defeat combatants affected by Stasis. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Stasis] Stasis	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Back to Basics	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Kinetic weapons.	25 Kinetic weapon	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Hacker's Paradise	Complete waves in Terminal Overload.	10 Waves cleared	1 Terminal Overload Key & 50 Neomuna Rank & XP+

Sonar Station, H.E.L.M.

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Salvaged Equipment	Open a Salvage Chest.	1 Salvage Chest opened	XP+
Deep Trouble: Taken	Defeat Taken. Taken defeated in Salvage or Deep Dive award bonus progress.	100 Taken	XP+
Quickdraw Aquanaut	Defeat targets with Hand Cannons and Sidearms. Defeated Guardians or combatants defeated in Salvage or Deep Dive activities award bonus progress.	100 Weapon	XP+
Fires in the Deep	Defeat targets with Solar or Strand damage. Melee abilities award bonus progress, as well as defeating Guardians or defeating combatants in Salvage or Deep Dive.	100 Progress	XP+

Lowe’s was running a special. Choices were a power stack and a charger for $179 + free tool or $249 for two batteries and charger + free tool.
Normally these deals don’t interest me too much since the tools are usually basic ones I already have (hammer drill, 1/4 impact driver, jigsaw, sander etc). They had the DCF911 1/2” impact though. I’ve been wanting a larger impact (1/4” doesn’t take lug nuts off very well) so I decided why not.
This makes like 5 chargers although I didn’t have any 5ah batteries so this feels like a good purchase.

”I understand, it's natural for a dying leaf to be frightened by the autumn wind. It's not about pulling a rabbit out of your hat anymore; it's about pulling your heart out of your chest.”

In an age where regular magic tricks are becoming more and more tiresome, there is only one cure: tricks that involve physically hurting yourself a lot. No magician does this better than Steve Gray, host of the show Brain Rapist where he gets burned, beaten, and brutalized in a variety of different ways for the sake of entertainment. He eventually forms a rivalry with the more traditional magician Burt Wonderstone, and from there the two compete in a giant talent show.
Disclaimer: no sexual content is present in this film/RT despite Steve’s nickname, as Steve’s scenes are just Jim Carrey hurting himself in comedic fashion

Durability/Endurance

Physical harm

• Takes a punch to the face from a dead mother insulted-lusted crowd member that sends him sliding back several feet on the ground. Spectating magician Burt Wonderstone notes that it was a real unscripted punch.
• Cuts a swollen part of his face with a knife, then pulls a card out from it.
• Sleeps on red hot coals for an entire night.
• Gets hit with a bat multiple times while dressed as a piñata, which leads to him vomiting the 1,000 pieces of hard candy he had eaten earlier that day.
• Unaffected by burning his arm with candles so that he can spell a birthday message in cursive on it.
• Hammers in a nail all the way through a table by slamming his forehead into it, then gets back up shortly afterwards (doubles as a strength feat).
• Drills a drill bit into his skull. He survives but is greatly damaged mentally as a result.

Other

• Keeps his eyes open for over 3 days without blinking, and continues to do so even while having pepper spray shot into both eyes.
• Holds his piss in for 12 days.
• Ate 1,000 pieces of wrapped hard candy in a single morning and kept it inside of him by nighttime, though he notes that he will die if he doesn’t get the candy out of his stomach (he then vomits the candies out after getting multiple times hit with a bat).

Magic

• Shoots out a small fireball from his hands.
• Inserts a marker into a guy’s pockets without anyone in the crowd noticing (as shown later, this guy was not in on the trick).
• Performs a trick where he puts a deck of cards into his pocket after a guy writes his mother’s name on one of the cards. After then being punched in the face, Steve cuts the wound on his cheek and pulls the card with the mother’s name on it out from the wound.
• Does this funny float while exiting a bar.
• After Burt Wonderstone did a magic trick that involved making a puppy appear (the favorite animal of the birthday boy), somehow manages to make another similar looking puppy appear in a nearby gift box. He also hides the original puppy in Burt Wonderstone’s pants without him noticing.

”I’ve worked long and hard to get where I am and no one’s gonna stop me. Not Wonderstone, not you, not even me. The future belongs to Steve Gray… and in case you haven’t noticed… I’m Steve Gray”

Hello redditors!
We are looking to buy a few Valorant Accounts, EU region. Our budget is high (>2000$) so you can expect good money for a good account. The account will is going to be used by a streamer that many of you are familiar with, but his identity will be left hidden until we have bought the accounts.
Message me your account on reddit, if your account meets the requirements you will contact me on my main (non alternative) discord or telegram.
Requirements: - EU region - Full Access (Mail access) - No bans or Chat/Voice limitations (temp restrictions are not an issue) - Rank doesn't matter - The account must own at least one of the following skins for at least 3 weapons:
• Classic - RGX 11z Pro, Spectrum, Radiant Crisis 001, Glitchpop, Prime, Black Market, Gravitational
• Shorty - Araxys, Aerosol, Snakebite, Prelude to Chaos
• Frenzy - RGX 11z Pro, Xenohunter, Glitchpop, Origin, Elderflame, Ion, Oni, BlastX
• Ghost - Infantry, Megapunk
• Shrriff - Aristocrat, Chronovoid, Singularity, Abyssal, Megapunk, Minima, Ion, Protocol 781-A, Sentinels of Light, Reaver, Wasteland and Arcane*.
• Stinger - RGX 11z Pro, Prelude to Chaos, Doodle Buds
• Spectre - RGX 11z Pro, Neptune, Radiant Crisis 001, Singularity, Infantry, Prime, Megapunk, Minima, Ion, Protocol 781-A, Reaver, BlastX, Wasteland
• Bucky - Xenohunter, Origin, Radiant Crisis 001, Prime, Megapunk, Oni, Ion, Aerosol
• Judge - Glitchpop, Chronovoid, Elderflame
• Bulldog - Araxys, Radiant Entertainment System, Spectrum, Glitchpop, Black.Market, Oni, Cryostasis, Protocol 781-A
• Phantom - RGX 11z Pro, Xenohunter, Radiant Entertainment System, Spectrum, Champions, Radiant Crisis 001, Glitchpop, Chronovoid, Singularity, Doodle Buds, Prime, Megapunk, Minima, Ion, Oni, Protocol 781-A, Reaver, BlastX,
• Vandal - RGX 11z Pro, Araxys, Neptune, Champions, Origin, Glirchpop, Chronovoid, Prelude to Chaos, Elderflame, Prime, Black.Market, Megapunk, Ion, Oni, Cryostasis, Sentinels of Light, Reaver, Wasteland
• Marshal - Doodle Buds, Black.Market, Megapunk, Wasteland
• Operator - RGX 11z Pro, Araxys, Radiant Entertainment System, Origin, Glitchpop, Prelude To Chaos, Elderflame, Infantry, Megapunk, Minima, Ion, Cryostasis, Sentinels of Light, Reaver, Aerosol
• Melee - RGX 11z Pro Firefly, RGX 11z Pro Blade, Xenohunter, Yoru's Stylish Butterfly Comb, Araxys, Neptune Anchor, Power Fist, Waveform, Champions, Radiant Crisis 001, Glitchpop Dagger, Glitchpop Axe, Balde of Chaos, VCT LOCK//IN, Ruin Dagger, Velocity Karambit, Prime Axe, Prime Karambit, Outpost melee, Black.Market, Broken Blade of the Ruined King, Equilibrium, Catrina, Luxe, Megapunk Electroblade, Megapunk Sparkswitch, Megapunk Shock Gauntlet, Crismonbeast Hammer, Ion Energy Sword, Ion Karambit, Oni Claw, Onimaru Katana, Artisan Foil, Cryostasis Impact Drill, Gravitational Uranium, Reaver Knife, Reaver Karambit, Recon Bailsong, BlastX, Winter Wunderland

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I have an old Bosch screwdrivedrill, and I find it tricky to control the speed with the trigger. It feels quite stiff, and then when I try to apply more pressure, the spin speed jerks faster (or jerks slower if I'm releasing the trigger). Sometimes it's hard to get in between. Even if I try to exert more control by using two hands to control the trigger, there's still discrete 'steps' between each speed, almost as if it's gear based, rather than a single continuous slow-fast motion.
Here's a demo of the Bosch: https://i.imgur.com/xYckE9j.mp4
I have an otherwise great Dewalt DCS334 jigsaw, but it suffers from the same problem but even worse. The discrete speeds seem to form the frequencies of the harmonic series (music jargon), and it's way too easy to skip speeds.
I want a silky smooth, stepless action for the trigger, where I can effortlessly squeeze it, and it won't instantly go from slow to fast unexpectedly.
What brand is best in this regard? I'm looking for a compact cordless combi hammer drill right now, but in the future I want to replace my Bosch power screwdrivedrill with something smaller and lighter.
Must haves are it also must be brushless, decent anti-kickback mechanism, drill through wood and tough concrete, and ability to set the max torque to prevent over-tightening.
Models I'm considering are the below, but I'm open to suggestions outside of these:

• Dewalt DCD805
  
• Makita DHP485
  
• Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 (for price)
  
• Bosch GSB 18 V-55 (difference to above?)
  
• Festool TPC 18/4 I-Basic 18V
  
• Festool Cordless drill T 18+3-Basic (super lightweight at 600 grams, but not sure it has a hammer function, so will struggle with tough concrete?)
  

I own every form factor Dewalt offers in their 20v/60v lineup of batteries (18 in total) other than the 5ah powerstack and 15ah. It took a significant amount of a discount for me to pick up the 1.7 ah powerstacks, but now that I have them, I couldn't be without them for my daily drivers. The 5ah PS sits right in no man's lands for me. If I want more power I have a variety of options,and it's not like it's super compact like the 1.7 PS. The 5ah PS still are quite large, and I doubt I'd use them in a impact unless Im driving 3" screws by the pouch full. Really the only use case I could see is to have peak voltage performance in a drill driver. But I already have batteries that can do that. Is there anyone who sees the 5ah PS as a must have for a certain tool/application. All I can think of is it'd pair very nice with the DCD800. Interested to hear your thoughts and why it is a must have or a pass for you guys.

63% off > $43.99 > #TOPSHAK TS-ED5 20V 13mm Electric Drill Banggood Coupon Promo Code [Spain Warehouse] https://opcoupon.com/deals/topshak-ts-ed5-20v-13mm-electric-drill-banggood-coupon-promo-code-spain-warehouse/

Hello!
Looking to make some extra cash to pay down some debt, would love to do any side gigs anyone has laying around. Little bit of a Jack of all trades, won’t accept a job I can’t/don’t know how to do properly.
I have basic tools such as drill, hammer, wrenches, etc. missing out on larger equipment such as items needed for lawn care, hedge trimming, etc.
PM me if you have anything available!

I’ve spent more time than I want to admit going back and forth between companies trying to pick out new drill/driver sets as a homeownehobbyist. Overall, I’m pretty frustrated. After researching I would like to get a hammer drill + impact driver.
I bought a Milwaukee brushless drill/driver 20v set with 2ah batteries for $40 less than mix/mash of the Hercules 20v brushless Hammer Drill + Driver…I’m convincing myself that $40 goes into the hammer drill.
While at the orange store, one employee encouraged me to base my choice off of which battery system I want to invest in.
Part of my interest in Hercules is how much cheaper the batteries are compared to the competition outside of sales and bundles…and each tool is a good deal less than the competition.
Just looking for some echo chamber encouragement haha. But for real, the new impact driver is nice. I really like the auto setting

I have been interested in getting a hammer drill (or at least a drill with a hammer function) for the use case of around the home (very occasional masonry, concrete subfloor applications, like tacking down threshold strips or plunging into non-serious subfloor concrete).
I'd prefer to own "one drill to rule them all", for all of my drilling or simple driving needs, to save space in my limited tool storage.
I'm not going to, nor do I plan to use it all the time, nor to put food on the table, or in any serious applications, like one would probably use an SDS drill for. Solely homeowner applications.
If it helps, my preferred battery ecosphere is the DeWalt 20 volt, but I also rock Craftsman as well. Recommendations focused on those guys would be incredibly helpful to me.

I’m a homeowner and I like to build stuff while not at work. I want to upgrade my outdated 18v stuff.
I would like a impact driver and hammer drill, is this a good value?
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Author note: The Cryopod to Hell is a Reddit-exclusive story with over three years of editing and refining. As of this post, the total rewrite is 1,933,000+ words long! For more information, check out the link below:
What is the Cryopod to Hell?
Join the Cryoverse Discord server!
Here's a list of all Cryopod's chapters, along with an ePub/Mobi/PDF version!
Want to stay up to date on TCTH? Subscribe to Cryopodbot!
...................................
(Previous Part)
(Part 001)
...
On the world of Numaria, more than half a dozen Demon Emperors and twenty Demon Dukes march through the paradise-class planet's forests as they head toward Emperor Glinch's Stitched Wasteland.
Emperor Auger does not directly join the party. He stays back at the capital of his world, viewing the happenings remotely through the power of a subordinate.
But Yardrat does lead the party. He is joined by Emperors Fae, Dagon, and Nymph, as well as Duke Hamir and several other elites of their Hell. It becomes obvious to all the other demons present that the Fourth Hell of Punishment is truly the mightiest among all the others. Even mere Dukes can explode with the power of Emperors, should Auger choose to grant them that ability.
As for the First Hell of Damnation, its remaining members are truly a miserable sight. Bael has become the lone Emperor still loyal to his Hell, while Mephisto and Zamiel no longer care about the alliances of their species. Bael is joined by Vepar, formerly the Baron of Toxicity, now having evolved to the rank of Duke through the human-demon alliance efforts.
Vepar, while not an Emperor, is still an insidious existence. Like Mephisto, she can transform her body into formless clouds of poison gas. She can strike with venom and poison alike, paralyzing her foes or corroding their nervous systems with ease.
Also notably absent is Beelzebub, due to him forcibly becoming aligned to Jason Hiro. While Beelzebub might actually prove an incredible powerhouse if he were to continue fighting for the First Hell's benefits, the problem is that none can say whether his allegiances would make him privy to spilling secrets of this operation to the humans...
From the Second Hell of Lust, not a single Duke joins the party. This Hell has already thrown their lots in with humanity, so no members of the Mephisto Extermination Operation are eager to have their secrets blabbed. Defeating Mephisto could lead to a discovery about the potential for ascension past the rank of Emperor. No demon elite wants that information to fall into the hands of their enemies.
From the Third Hell of Blood, few elites remain. Many of them were slain by the Cherubiim, reducing their Dukes to only a sliver of the other Hells. The Emperor of Thirst, Kristoff, still walks the mortal coil. He is joined by two subordinates, Vespera, the Duke of Gloom, and Rhesus, the Duke of Predation. These are the elites he considers his Hell's most capable remaining powerhouses, and the ones most suited for the mission to bring about Mephisto's end.
From the Fifth Hell of Calamity, a large number of Dukes join two Emperors, Serena and Crow, as they trail along behind the other Hells.
Unbeknownst to anyone present, Emperor Yumagi is alive and well. The only demons who observed his return were those aligned with Mephisto. Not even Gorn is aware that Yumagi survived the Cherubiim's wrath, and Yumagi is strangely keen to keep his return quiet.
As for the Sixth Hell of Isolation, only Emperor Melody has chosen to come along. The other elites of her Hell simply aren't in the right headpsace to join her, following their fall to the Plague.
Yama's Hell, the Seventh Hell of Corruption, has fallen apart with its Emperor being absorbed by Mephisto. Now, its many darkness-aligned entities have scattered in search of a figure lost to time...
Yardrat, Fae, Dagon, Nymph, Bael, Kristoff, Serena, Crow, and Melody march on the Stitched Wasteland, along with twenty Dukes. A terrifying force in any previous era, but one that feels somewhat weak and vulnerable in the months following the return of the Cherubiim, as well as the two Wordsmiths, not even mentioning the enemy they might face should they fail to stop Mephisto's ascension.
Yardrat's glum expression does nothing to uplift the moods of the others around him. As he and the other Emperors run across Numaria's surface, weaving their ways through the dense forests and trees, Bael speaks up from the back.
"Hey, Yardy! Why are we runnin' like a bunch of chumps? Just pop us over to Glinch with those fancy portals of yours!"
Yardrat shoots a glance back at Bael without slowing down. "I can't. Glinch's minions have an uncanny ability to twist the space around themselves. I couldn't create stable portals once we're inside if my life depended on it. I've no doubt he bred them for the express purpose of keeping me from spying on him."
Fae jumps over a bunch of twisted prickle-vines, scratching her palm on their thorns. "Doesn't that mean if something goes wrong, you won't be able to yank us out of the Stitched Wasteland?"
"Trust me." Yardrat mumbles, sounding more than a little depressed. "You don't want to hear my answer."
"There is no need to concern yourselves with escaping." Crow says solemnly, deftly flying through the underbrush with her blue wings. "If Mephisto ascends, it won't matter where we flee. He will be capable of hunting us like deer."
Yardrat snorts. "Speak for yourselves. I enjoy running away if it means saving my life."
"Coward." Bael says. "A REAL man always fights to the end!"
"Aren't you in a woman's body now?" Yardrat shoots back. "You're one to talk."
"H-hey! Women can be real men too!" Bael protests. "Get with the times!"
Emperor Melody laughs. "You tell him, Bael! Preach it!"
Serena remains silent, merely rolling her sightless eyes at everyone else's childish barbs.
...
Five hours pass as the demons race through Numaria's forests.
Eventually, the trees begin to thin out, before abruptly disappearing altogether. As if erased by a nuclear bomb, the forest's cover vanishes to reveal a grey-colored lifeless plain lacking all traces of warmth and life.
The Stitched Wasteland.
As soon as the demon leaders reach the edge of the wasteland, they pause their flight to stop and look around.
"Glinch's domain is bigger than you might first believe," Yardrat explains, gesturing toward the horizon. "Offhand, I believe the last time we measured the Stitched Wasteland's diameter, it was nearly 500 miles. You can't even see the other side from here because it dips below the horizon. The good news is, we only have to travel halfway into the interior, where Glinch's central laboratory resides."
Dagon, the Emperor of Pathogens, kneels down to scratch at the ashen soil. He grimaces as it clings to his palm and starts to burn his flesh.
"Acidic." Dagon mumbles.
"Every time Glinch creates a new thrall, his domain expands." Serena explains. "His toxic miasma is invisible and odorless, but it destroys plant-life and lower animals with ease. It won't have any effect on elites like us, but it's best if you don't deliberately play with the soil he's corroded."
Dagon shakes the soil off his palm, grimacing as he has to clap his hands and rub them against his pants to stop the acid from burning him further. Luckily, one of the Dukes nearby has a weak healing ability, so they're ability to fix him back up.
"What a miserable shithole." Fae groans. "I do NOT get what Glinch enjoys about living here! I'd go crazy from boredom after a week!"
Bael laughs. "No kidding, toots. Why do you think Glinch is such a wacko? He already went crazy!"
"Oh. Fair point." Fae mutters.
The Emperors and Dukes start moving toward the center of the wasteland, following Yardrat's lead. They do not run, but move at a brisk walk, keeping their eyes peeled for threats. Ten miles in the distance, they spot a pair of strange aberrant creatures standing perfectly still, looking at one another with hollow eyes, but they can't make out the details of those figures at their current distance.
"Bael, watch out!" Serena suddenly shouts, startling everyone.
Every demon elite's head snaps toward Bael's general direction just in time to see an invisible creature materializing, its massive body poised with a giant claw up in the air, ready to slash down at Bael.
The monster's huge torso and comparatively tiny head and skinny legs contrast with its wretchedly massive arms, its mottled and rotted skin, and its beady green venomous eyes.
The instant it snaps its claws down to assassinate Bael, the dumb galump accidentally trips on a rock, stumbling and avoiding the monster's attack! Bael falls face-first in the soil and the creature's downward slash swishes across his back, barely missing him by a millimeter!
"Lucky!" Yardrat exclaims, his pupils the size of pinpricks.
Crow roars in rage. She leaps toward the monster, the strange deformed horror with proportions far different from any naturally born creature in existence, and she swings her fist at its chest!
THUMP!
Crow knocks the creature down, sending it skidding backward across the dirt to lay in a heap.
But Crow doesn't celebrate. To her shock, she didn't even manage to bruise the monster, only knock it on its ass! The frighteningly durable monster silently stands up, and its body rapidly fades away as it becomes invisible.
Not once does the creature make a sound.
"Everyone watch out!" Crow shouts. "This bastard is strong! I don't even know if I hurt it!"
The heart of every demon elite skips a beat as they try to look for any signs of the monster. Only Serena, with her Soul Sensing capabilities, manages to trace its vague movement.
"Over there!" Serena says, pointing in front of Yardrat.
The monster once again becomes visible as it tries to slash Yardrat in half, but he isn't caught off-guard and leaps backward, safely avoiding it just in the nick of time.
"TEAR!" Yardrat yells, gnashing his teeth.
The Emperor of the Void tears the air in front of himself, unable to properly create a portal, but still able to momentarily rip a crack in space straight across the monster's torso.
A shallow cut on its chest is his only reward.
"Lucifer's Tits!" Bael exclaims, climbing to his feet. "This thing is as tough as demonstone!"
Melody fires off sonic blasts at the monster, punching with her fists to try and blow out its eardrums, but her attacks have no effect.
The monster continues charging at Yardrat to try and cut him to pieces. As it does, Crow once again steps up to protect Yardrat, deflecting its rending claws with her steel-like feathers while dishing out punishment with her fists. Crow is without a doubt the most physically imposting member of the party, possessing more strength than any demon in existence except for Belial.
But even she can't manage to do more than knock the monster back!
The other Emperors quickly start pitching in. Dagon summons corrosive chemicals to try and melt the monster's thick hide. Nymph summons vines from beneath its feet to wrap its legs and keep it immobile. Kristoff summons bloodied blades to cut the monster from behind, slashing its back with swords made from his own plasma. Fae fires explosive projectiles with a low yield at the monster, taking care not to accidentally hurt her allies. Melody sends sonic shockwaves into the ground, trying to soften the soil to trap the monster in quicksand.
But the monster proves more frightening than any of the Emperors imagined!
Bael and Serena can't provide much assistance to the others. They watch helplessly as Nymph's vines corrode to ash, melted by the Stitched Wasteland's ability to destroy plant-life. Fae's explosions barely even knock the monster back. Dagon might as well be shooting the monster with a squirt-gun for all the use his chemicals have. Melody can't seem to accomplish anything either!
"Shit." Bael growls. "I gotta help them."
"You don't have any magic." Serena says.
"No. But I got this." Bael says, reaching down to touch his weirdly fancy belt.
When Bael activates the Matriarch's Armor, it begins popping out of his waist and engulfing him from head to toe in lethal-looking demonstone armor. His plated chest and spiked shoulders turn Bael from a dopey looking version of Ose into a commanding and fearful warrior clad in demonic armor, making Serena gasp in surprise.
"Bael?" Serena asks, unable to see the armor, but sensing that his soul has suddenly become difficult to detect due to something shrouding his entire body. "What did you do?"
"Ose gave me some armor." Bael explains. "It ain't mine. But we'll talk 'bout it later. I gotta help the others!"
Bael doesn't hesitate. He rushes toward the monster, joining Crow as a frontline tank to try and draw the creature's attention.
Crow barely even registers Bael's new appearance, shoving any concerns about the demonstone-clad warrior to the back of her mind. All she feels is relief when the monster's brutal strikes slow down as it starts slashing at Bael as well.
THUNK! THUNK!!
The brutish monster silently whales on the others. For ten minutes, Bael and Crow take the beatings of their lives while Yardrat slowly tears its skin and cuts its bones with targeted spatial distortions. He alone manages to injure the creature the most heavily, while the other Dukes and Emperors can barely offer much assistance.
Bael grimaces as the creature grabs him by his helmet, lifts him up, and throws him like a ragdoll. Bael cries out in alarm as he goes flying and lands in the dirt, two hundred feet behind the brute.
"Spawn of a- you piece of trash! Nobody throws Bael!"
He jumps to his feet and starts to run back toward the monster, only to pause when he senses movement.
Bael quickly turns around. He nearly jumps out of his skin when he sees what he can only mentally describe as seventeen snakes with baby-heads crawling along the ground toward him. The snakes have a single conjoined core body that ties them all together, but it appears as flat as a pancake. Like some sort of Hydra consisting of stitched-together body parts, this multi-headed monster uses its childish faces to drag itself toward Bael at a speed most distressing, causing his butthole to pucker up.
"Eee! Gross!" Bael cries. "What in the hellhound's anus is that?!
Like the previous monster, this 'Snakedra' freak doesn't cry out or make any noises. It silently slithers toward Bael while one of its heads remains elevated to gaze directly at him.
Not wanting his friends to be overwhelmed, Bael decides to try and take the monster on by himself. His eyes fill with determination, and he conjures Mjölnir in his grasp, summoning it from his belt.
"Bad snake!" Bael barks, lunging at the monster to smash one of its heads.
SPLAT!!
Bael crushes the first head with ease!
But as he raises the hammer to strike again, the monster pounces at him! Its sixteen remaining heads bite his armor and wrap around his arms and legs, smothering him and causing him to fall backward.
"Crap, crap!" Bael yells. "Uh, don't worry guys, I've got this! Just keep killing the big one! I've got this cunt right where I want him! YEEOUCH!"
The Snakedra squeezes with all its strength, trying to burst Bael's body like a watermelon. Luckily, the demonstone only creaks a bit and doesn't fold inward, allowing Bael to survive, albeit not to do much else.
Serena, seeing that the others are too occupied to help, decides to try and assist Bael in some way. Since her abilities aren't much use against the first monster unless it turns invisible, she turns her gaze toward the Snakedra.
Emperor Serena maintains a good distance between herself and the Snakedra. She closes her eyes, focuses her mind, then shapes her right hand into a claw pose, snapping it in the Snakedra's direction.
An invisible beam of soul energy travels the gaps between dimensions, drilling into one of the Snakedra's heads. Serena focuses with all her might, attempting to try and locate the monster's soul so she can manipulate or influence it.
Unfortunately, she finds that while the creature does have a soul, it has become a mish-mash of fifty other souls, all witlessly stitched together to create an aberrant, thoughtless machine for killing.
Pain. Pain. Pain. The Snakedra thinks. Pain. Pain. Pain.
Serena grimaces. Her eyes squeeze shut even tighter as she tunes out Bael's exclamations of how 'totally okay and fine' he is. She digs deeper into the Snakedra's psyche, eventually extracting a thread of its existence for her own benefit.
Serena's eyes finally open.
While most entities possess eyes that can 'see' the physical realm, even as an imp, Serena was blind from birth. She was never able to see the world around her, but all of that changed when she met her husband, Gorn.
He and her were only Imps at the time. They became Lords together, and upon her ascension, she gained a new type of vision utterly unique to herself.
The power to see the soul realm.
While usually incapable of influencing the material realm, the soul realm is the domain Serena has become most adept at influencing over the millennia. As an Emperor, her power has become quite substantial in this regard.
Serena tears a fragment of soul energy out of the monster. It doesn't even shudder, but she doesn't care.
With her soul-seeing eyes, Serena deftly manipulates the thread of soul energy, using her fingers to hastily but efficiently craft a Soul Puppet, something not unlike a voodoo doll.
After forming a Soul Puppet in the form of the Snakedra, Serena grabs it out of the air and begins wrenching its heads around, stabbing at its body with her fingernails, and otherwise torturing the false image as much as possible.
Not once does the Snakedra cry out in pain, but its body does twitch and spasm. It writhes and squirms, continuing to hold Bael steady, but sometimes weakening its grip as it loses control of different parts of its body at random.
Meanwhile, Bael occasionally feels the wretched monster weaken its grip on him. Bael might not be the brightest bulb in the box, but as an accomplished veteran of countless wars, he is well-versed in the art of combat.
Bael isn't certain why the creature has started to spasm, but he won't turn down any good opportunity that arises.
He calls forth the power of Mjölnir, summoning lightning from above to strike the hammer. The moment before the lightning falls upon him, the creature suddenly loosens its grip, allowing Bael to swing the hammer at its central body.
BOOOM!!
A terrific blast of thunder and lightning detonates on the Snakedra, making it recoil in agony, release Bael, and pull away from him.
Abruptly dropped on his ass, Bael jumps backward, leaps to his feet, and lifts his hammer high.
"Nobody gives me a squeeze without my OK, bub!"
Bael charges at the monster. He starts smashing its heads one by one, crushing them to bloody pulps while the creature uselessly writhes on the ground, taking the abuse without retaliating.
Five minutes later, Bael slays the bastard, putting it to death for the rest of eternity.
Tired and winded, Bael gasps for air. Never has he had a fight that left him out of breath, but even with the Matriarch's Armor, Ose's body is far weaker than Bael's ever was. He severely regrets losing his invincibility.
Bael turns around and spots Serena.
"Oh! Hey, whew! I just got done kicking that monster's ass!" Bael says. "Good thing I'm such a badass, I must have intimidated it into lettin' me go, heh."
Serena opens her mouth to correct him, but thinks better.
"Right. Excellent work, Bael. You're as capable a fighter as ever."
Bael grins inside his helmet. "Heh, damn right. Now, lemme help the others finish that fat ugly one off."
Bael charges into battle, this time equipped with Mjolnir. He transforms the hammer into his favorite weapon, Big Bonk, and swings the ten ton steel ball at the brutish monster's back.
BOOM!!!
Bael flattens the creature, burying it face-first in the dirt and giving Crow an opportunity to deliver a full-power punch to the back of its head.
SPLAT!
Her fist connects, and she crushes the monster's skull, spraying its brains out all over her feet.
Crow pants like a dog on a hot summer's day. Sweat pools on Yardrat's head from the amount of focus he had to exert to kill this first monster. Even Fae and the others look a little tired.
With the crisis momentarily averted, the demon elites look around, finally noticing Bael's new getup, as well as Big Bonk pressing against the brute's back.
"Bael?" Fae asks. "Hot damn, that's a sweet set of armor!"
"You really saved our asses!" Melody adds.
Crow glances toward the other dead monster. "You killed that one? By yourself?"
Bael thumps his chest. "Couldn't have done it without Ose's fancy-shmancy armor. The ugly bugger got so scared, it just laid there and let me beat it to death! Heh!"
"It just laid there?" Crow asks, glancing around. She notices Serena, then pieces the events together. "Oh, I see. Well, god job beating it by yourself, Bael. You still know how to kick tail."
"Damn right!" Bael proclaims, smiling from ear to ear.
One by one, the other demon elites figure out Bael didn't exactly defeat the monster all by himself, but seeing as how he's been so down ever since losing his powers, they don't want to hurt his feelings.
"We've only fought two creatures so far, but they were both terrifying." Yardrat points out. "If we have to face two or even three at the same time, we might die! Everyone, proceed slowly. Do NOT rush in. We need to pick Glinch's thralls off one by one."
The other demons nod.
"Right!"

On the world of Numaria, more than half a dozen Demon Emperors and twenty Demon Dukes march through the paradise-class planet's forests as they head toward Emperor Glinch's Stitched Wasteland.
Emperor Auger does not directly join the party. He stays back at the capital of his world, viewing the happenings remotely through the power of a subordinate.
But Yardrat does lead the party. He is joined by Emperors Fae, Dagon, and Nymph, as well as Duke Hamir and several other elites of their Hell. It becomes obvious to all the other demons present that the Fourth Hell of Punishment is truly the mightiest among all the others. Even mere Dukes can explode with the power of Emperors, should Auger choose to grant them that ability.
As for the First Hell of Damnation, its remaining members are truly a miserable sight. Bael has become the lone Emperor still loyal to his Hell, while Mephisto and Zamiel no longer care about the alliances of their species. Bael is joined by Vepar, formerly the Baron of Toxicity, now having evolved to the rank of Duke through the human-demon alliance efforts.
Vepar, while not an Emperor, is still an insidious existence. Like Mephisto, she can transform her body into formless clouds of poison gas. She can strike with venom and poison alike, paralyzing her foes or corroding their nervous systems with ease.
Also notably absent is Beelzebub, due to him forcibly becoming aligned to Jason Hiro. While Beelzebub might actually prove an incredible powerhouse if he were to continue fighting for the First Hell's benefits, the problem is that none can say whether his allegiances would make him privy to spilling secrets of this operation to the humans...
From the Second Hell of Lust, not a single Duke joins the party. This Hell has already thrown their lots in with humanity, so no members of the Mephisto Extermination Operation are eager to have their secrets blabbed. Defeating Mephisto could lead to a discovery about the potential for ascension past the rank of Emperor. No demon elite wants that information to fall into the hands of their enemies.
From the Third Hell of Blood, few elites remain. Many of them were slain by the Cherubiim, reducing their Dukes to only a sliver of the other Hells. The Emperor of Thirst, Kristoff, still walks the mortal coil. He is joined by two subordinates, Vespera, the Duke of Gloom, and Rhesus, the Duke of Predation. These are the elites he considers his Hell's most capable remaining powerhouses, and the ones most suited for the mission to bring about Mephisto's end.
From the Fifth Hell of Calamity, a large number of Dukes join two Emperors, Serena and Crow, as they trail along behind the other Hells.
Unbeknownst to anyone present, Emperor Yumagi is alive and well. The only demons who observed his return were those aligned with Mephisto. Not even Gorn is aware that Yumagi survived the Cherubiim's wrath, and Yumagi is strangely keen to keep his return quiet.
As for the Sixth Hell of Isolation, only Emperor Melody has chosen to come along. The other elites of her Hell simply aren't in the right headpsace to join her, following their fall to the Plague.
Yama's Hell, the Seventh Hell of Corruption, has fallen apart with its Emperor being absorbed by Mephisto. Now, its many darkness-aligned entities have scattered in search of a figure lost to time...
Yardrat, Fae, Dagon, Nymph, Bael, Kristoff, Serena, Crow, and Melody march on the Stitched Wasteland, along with twenty Dukes. A terrifying force in any previous era, but one that feels somewhat weak and vulnerable in the months following the return of the Cherubiim, as well as the two Wordsmiths, not even mentioning the enemy they might face should they fail to stop Mephisto's ascension.
Yardrat's glum expression does nothing to uplift the moods of the others around him. As he and the other Emperors run across Numaria's surface, weaving their ways through the dense forests and trees, Bael speaks up from the back.
"Hey, Yardy! Why are we runnin' like a bunch of chumps? Just pop us over to Glinch with those fancy portals of yours!"
Yardrat shoots a glance back at Bael without slowing down. "I can't. Glinch's minions have an uncanny ability to twist the space around themselves. I couldn't create stable portals once we're inside if my life depended on it. I've no doubt he bred them for the express purpose of keeping me from spying on him."
Fae jumps over a bunch of twisted prickle-vines, scratching her palm on their thorns. "Doesn't that mean if something goes wrong, you won't be able to yank us out of the Stitched Wasteland?"
"Trust me." Yardrat mumbles, sounding more than a little depressed. "You don't want to hear my answer."
"There is no need to concern yourselves with escaping." Crow says solemnly, deftly flying through the underbrush with her blue wings. "If Mephisto ascends, it won't matter where we flee. He will be capable of hunting us like deer."
Yardrat snorts. "Speak for yourselves. I enjoy running away if it means saving my life."
"Coward." Bael says. "A REAL man always fights to the end!"
"Aren't you in a woman's body now?" Yardrat shoots back. "You're one to talk."
"H-hey! Women can be real men too!" Bael protests. "Get with the times!"
Emperor Melody laughs. "You tell him, Bael! Preach it!"
Serena remains silent, merely rolling her sightless eyes at everyone else's childish barbs.
...
Five hours pass as the demons race through Numaria's forests.
Eventually, the trees begin to thin out, before abruptly disappearing altogether. As if erased by a nuclear bomb, the forest's cover vanishes to reveal a grey-colored lifeless plain lacking all traces of warmth and life.
The Stitched Wasteland.
As soon as the demon leaders reach the edge of the wasteland, they pause their flight to stop and look around.
"Glinch's domain is bigger than you might first believe," Yardrat explains, gesturing toward the horizon. "Offhand, I believe the last time we measured the Stitched Wasteland's diameter, it was nearly 500 miles. You can't even see the other side from here because it dips below the horizon. The good news is, we only have to travel halfway into the interior, where Glinch's central laboratory resides."
Dagon, the Emperor of Pathogens, kneels down to scratch at the ashen soil. He grimaces as it clings to his palm and starts to burn his flesh.
"Acidic." Dagon mumbles.
"Every time Glinch creates a new thrall, his domain expands." Serena explains. "His toxic miasma is invisible and odorless, but it destroys plant-life and lower animals with ease. It won't have any effect on elites like us, but it's best if you don't deliberately play with the soil he's corroded."
Dagon shakes the soil off his palm, grimacing as he has to clap his hands and rub them against his pants to stop the acid from burning him further. Luckily, one of the Dukes nearby has a weak healing ability, so they're ability to fix him back up.
"What a miserable shithole." Fae groans. "I do NOT get what Glinch enjoys about living here! I'd go crazy from boredom after a week!"
Bael laughs. "No kidding, toots. Why do you think Glinch is such a wacko? He already went crazy!"
"Oh. Fair point." Fae mutters.
The Emperors and Dukes start moving toward the center of the wasteland, following Yardrat's lead. They do not run, but move at a brisk walk, keeping their eyes peeled for threats. Ten miles in the distance, they spot a pair of strange aberrant creatures standing perfectly still, looking at one another with hollow eyes, but they can't make out the details of those figures at their current distance.
"Bael, watch out!" Serena suddenly shouts, startling everyone.
Every demon elite's head snaps toward Bael's general direction just in time to see an invisible creature materializing, its massive body poised with a giant claw up in the air, ready to slash down at Bael.
The monster's huge torso and comparatively tiny head and skinny legs contrast with its wretchedly massive arms, its mottled and rotted skin, and its beady green venomous eyes.
The instant it snaps its claws down to assassinate Bael, the dumb galump accidentally trips on a rock, stumbling and avoiding the monster's attack! Bael falls face-first in the soil and the creature's downward slash swishes across his back, barely missing him by a millimeter!
"Lucky!" Yardrat exclaims, his pupils the size of pinpricks.
Crow roars in rage. She leaps toward the monster, the strange deformed horror with proportions far different from any naturally born creature in existence, and she swings her fist at its chest!
THUMP!
Crow knocks the creature down, sending it skidding backward across the dirt to lay in a heap.
But Crow doesn't celebrate. To her shock, she didn't even manage to bruise the monster, only knock it on its ass! The frighteningly durable monster silently stands up, and its body rapidly fades away as it becomes invisible.
Not once does the creature make a sound.
"Everyone watch out!" Crow shouts. "This bastard is strong! I don't even know if I hurt it!"
The heart of every demon elite skips a beat as they try to look for any signs of the monster. Only Serena, with her Soul Sensing capabilities, manages to trace its vague movement.
"Over there!" Serena says, pointing in front of Yardrat.
The monster once again becomes visible as it tries to slash Yardrat in half, but he isn't caught off-guard and leaps backward, safely avoiding it just in the nick of time.
"TEAR!" Yardrat yells, gnashing his teeth.
The Emperor of the Void tears the air in front of himself, unable to properly create a portal, but still able to momentarily rip a crack in space straight across the monster's torso.
A shallow cut on its chest is his only reward.
"Lucifer's Tits!" Bael exclaims, climbing to his feet. "This thing is as tough as demonstone!"
Melody fires off sonic blasts at the monster, punching with her fists to try and blow out its eardrums, but her attacks have no effect.
The monster continues charging at Yardrat to try and cut him to pieces. As it does, Crow once again steps up to protect Yardrat, deflecting its rending claws with her steel-like feathers while dishing out punishment with her fists. Crow is without a doubt the most physically imposting member of the party, possessing more strength than any demon in existence except for Belial.
But even she can't manage to do more than knock the monster back!
The other Emperors quickly start pitching in. Dagon summons corrosive chemicals to try and melt the monster's thick hide. Nymph summons vines from beneath its feet to wrap its legs and keep it immobile. Kristoff summons bloodied blades to cut the monster from behind, slashing its back with swords made from his own plasma. Fae fires explosive projectiles with a low yield at the monster, taking care not to accidentally hurt her allies. Melody sends sonic shockwaves into the ground, trying to soften the soil to trap the monster in quicksand.
But the monster proves more frightening than any of the Emperors imagined!
Bael and Serena can't provide much assistance to the others. They watch helplessly as Nymph's vines corrode to ash, melted by the Stitched Wasteland's ability to destroy plant-life. Fae's explosions barely even knock the monster back. Dagon might as well be shooting the monster with a squirt-gun for all the use his chemicals have. Melody can't seem to accomplish anything either!
"Shit." Bael growls. "I gotta help them."
"You don't have any magic." Serena says.
"No. But I got this." Bael says, reaching down to touch his weirdly fancy belt.
When Bael activates the Matriarch's Armor, it begins popping out of his waist and engulfing him from head to toe in lethal-looking demonstone armor. His plated chest and spiked shoulders turn Bael from a dopey looking version of Ose into a commanding and fearful warrior clad in demonic armor, making Serena gasp in surprise.
"Bael?" Serena asks, unable to see the armor, but sensing that his soul has suddenly become difficult to detect due to something shrouding his entire body. "What did you do?"
"Ose gave me some armor." Bael explains. "It ain't mine. But we'll talk 'bout it later. I gotta help the others!"
Bael doesn't hesitate. He rushes toward the monster, joining Crow as a frontline tank to try and draw the creature's attention.
Crow barely even registers Bael's new appearance, shoving any concerns about the demonstone-clad warrior to the back of her mind. All she feels is relief when the monster's brutal strikes slow down as it starts slashing at Bael as well.
THUNK! THUNK!!
The brutish monster silently whales on the others. For ten minutes, Bael and Crow take the beatings of their lives while Yardrat slowly tears its skin and cuts its bones with targeted spatial distortions. He alone manages to injure the creature the most heavily, while the other Dukes and Emperors can barely offer much assistance.
Bael grimaces as the creature grabs him by his helmet, lifts him up, and throws him like a ragdoll. Bael cries out in alarm as he goes flying and lands in the dirt, two hundred feet behind the brute.
"Spawn of a- you piece of trash! Nobody throws Bael!"
He jumps to his feet and starts to run back toward the monster, only to pause when he senses movement.
Bael quickly turns around. He nearly jumps out of his skin when he sees what he can only mentally describe as seventeen snakes with baby-heads crawling along the ground toward him. The snakes have a single conjoined core body that ties them all together, but it appears as flat as a pancake. Like some sort of Hydra consisting of stitched-together body parts, this multi-headed monster uses its childish faces to drag itself toward Bael at a speed most distressing, causing his butthole to pucker up.
"Eee! Gross!" Bael cries. "What in the hellhound's anus is that?!
Like the previous monster, this 'Snakedra' freak doesn't cry out or make any noises. It silently slithers toward Bael while one of its heads remains elevated to gaze directly at him.
Not wanting his friends to be overwhelmed, Bael decides to try and take the monster on by himself. His eyes fill with determination, and he conjures Mjölnir in his grasp, summoning it from his belt.
"Bad snake!" Bael barks, lunging at the monster to smash one of its heads.
SPLAT!!
Bael crushes the first head with ease!
But as he raises the hammer to strike again, the monster pounces at him! Its sixteen remaining heads bite his armor and wrap around his arms and legs, smothering him and causing him to fall backward.
"Crap, crap!" Bael yells. "Uh, don't worry guys, I've got this! Just keep killing the big one! I've got this cunt right where I want him! YEEOUCH!"
The Snakedra squeezes with all its strength, trying to burst Bael's body like a watermelon. Luckily, the demonstone only creaks a bit and doesn't fold inward, allowing Bael to survive, albeit not to do much else.
Serena, seeing that the others are too occupied to help, decides to try and assist Bael in some way. Since her abilities aren't much use against the first monster unless it turns invisible, she turns her gaze toward the Snakedra.
Emperor Serena maintains a good distance between herself and the Snakedra. She closes her eyes, focuses her mind, then shapes her right hand into a claw pose, snapping it in the Snakedra's direction.
An invisible beam of soul energy travels the gaps between dimensions, drilling into one of the Snakedra's heads. Serena focuses with all her might, attempting to try and locate the monster's soul so she can manipulate or influence it.
Unfortunately, she finds that while the creature does have a soul, it has become a mish-mash of fifty other souls, all witlessly stitched together to create an aberrant, thoughtless machine for killing.
Pain. Pain. Pain. The Snakedra thinks. Pain. Pain. Pain.
Serena grimaces. Her eyes squeeze shut even tighter as she tunes out Bael's exclamations of how 'totally okay and fine' he is. She digs deeper into the Snakedra's psyche, eventually extracting a thread of its existence for her own benefit.
Serena's eyes finally open.
While most entities possess eyes that can 'see' the physical realm, even as an imp, Serena was blind from birth. She was never able to see the world around her, but all of that changed when she met her husband, Gorn.
He and her were only Imps at the time. They became Lords together, and upon her ascension, she gained a new type of vision utterly unique to herself.
The power to see the soul realm.
While usually incapable of influencing the material realm, the soul realm is the domain Serena has become most adept at influencing over the millennia. As an Emperor, her power has become quite substantial in this regard.
Serena tears a fragment of soul energy out of the monster. It doesn't even shudder, but she doesn't care.
With her soul-seeing eyes, Serena deftly manipulates the thread of soul energy, using her fingers to hastily but efficiently craft a Soul Puppet, something not unlike a voodoo doll.
After forming a Soul Puppet in the form of the Snakedra, Serena grabs it out of the air and begins wrenching its heads around, stabbing at its body with her fingernails, and otherwise torturing the false image as much as possible.
Not once does the Snakedra cry out in pain, but its body does twitch and spasm. It writhes and squirms, continuing to hold Bael steady, but sometimes weakening its grip as it loses control of different parts of its body at random.
Meanwhile, Bael occasionally feels the wretched monster weaken its grip on him. Bael might not be the brightest bulb in the box, but as an accomplished veteran of countless wars, he is well-versed in the art of combat.
Bael isn't certain why the creature has started to spasm, but he won't turn down any good opportunity that arises.
He calls forth the power of Mjölnir, summoning lightning from above to strike the hammer. The moment before the lightning falls upon him, the creature suddenly loosens its grip, allowing Bael to swing the hammer at its central body.
BOOOM!!
A terrific blast of thunder and lightning detonates on the Snakedra, making it recoil in agony, release Bael, and pull away from him.
Abruptly dropped on his ass, Bael jumps backward, leaps to his feet, and lifts his hammer high.
"Nobody gives me a squeeze without my OK, bub!"
Bael charges at the monster. He starts smashing its heads one by one, crushing them to bloody pulps while the creature uselessly writhes on the ground, taking the abuse without retaliating.
Five minutes later, Bael slays the bastard, putting it to death for the rest of eternity.
Tired and winded, Bael gasps for air. Never has he had a fight that left him out of breath, but even with the Matriarch's Armor, Ose's body is far weaker than Bael's ever was. He severely regrets losing his invincibility.
Bael turns around and spots Serena.
"Oh! Hey, whew! I just got done kicking that monster's ass!" Bael says. "Good thing I'm such a badass, I must have intimidated it into lettin' me go, heh."
Serena opens her mouth to correct him, but thinks better.
"Right. Excellent work, Bael. You're as capable a fighter as ever."
Bael grins inside his helmet. "Heh, damn right. Now, lemme help the others finish that fat ugly one off."
Bael charges into battle, this time equipped with Mjolnir. He transforms the hammer into his favorite weapon, Big Bonk, and swings the ten ton steel ball at the brutish monster's back.
BOOM!!!
Bael flattens the creature, burying it face-first in the dirt and giving Crow an opportunity to deliver a full-power punch to the back of its head.
SPLAT!
Her fist connects, and she crushes the monster's skull, spraying its brains out all over her feet.
Crow pants like a dog on a hot summer's day. Sweat pools on Yardrat's head from the amount of focus he had to exert to kill this first monster. Even Fae and the others look a little tired.
With the crisis momentarily averted, the demon elites look around, finally noticing Bael's new getup, as well as Big Bonk pressing against the brute's back.
"Bael?" Fae asks. "Hot damn, that's a sweet set of armor!"
"You really saved our asses!" Melody adds.
Crow glances toward the other dead monster. "You killed that one? By yourself?"
Bael thumps his chest. "Couldn't have done it without Ose's fancy-shmancy armor. The ugly bugger got so scared, it just laid there and let me beat it to death! Heh!"
"It just laid there?" Crow asks, glancing around. She notices Serena, then pieces the events together. "Oh, I see. Well, god job beating it by yourself, Bael. You still know how to kick tail."
"Damn right!" Bael proclaims, smiling from ear to ear.
One by one, the other demon elites figure out Bael didn't exactly defeat the monster all by himself, but seeing as how he's been so down ever since losing his powers, they don't want to hurt his feelings.
"We've only fought two creatures so far, but they were both terrifying." Yardrat points out. "If we have to face two or even three at the same time, we might die! Everyone, proceed slowly. Do NOT rush in. We need to pick Glinch's thralls off one by one."
The other demons nod.
"Right!"