Chapter 203: And So the Beast Came


    "We''ll ponder itter," Ned said under his breath.


    [Got it.]


    ICE responded and Khaal dashed in a blurring purple light. Ned was following Khaal''s movements under his disy, could his body do the same?


    Ned shed the saber in a wide arc as Khaal entered his attacking range. For a moment, Ned could feel the rush of excitement as he battles an enemy much stronger than him.


    But Khaal, although one-handed, flipped backward, evading the saber, then dashed forward uponnding. He stopped head to head with Ned and smirked, trying to get ahead of himself. He growled in a guttural mocking way and jumped backward. He said some beastiannguage Ned wasn''t able to understand.


    Ned tsked. "If only I have that parasite. I will have a lot of questions you rotten avocado," Ned said, and a grin stered his face. He raised his hand and conjured Fireball, which made his mana tick in a lowering rate all the while evading the tentacles shot out the ground.


    The fireball illuminated the wide clearance of the forest where they fought. Ned had sessfully lured Khaal away from the rest of the team. But, could he battle the beast? One way to find out.


    The fireball boomed uponnding in Khaal''s figure. The smoke the fireball emitted skewed in a disorienting way as Khaal exited the sted zone.


    With his free hand, Ned raised to block the attack that came from his left. He felt an unsettling pain over his left shoulder before he was thrown by Khaal''s underhanded blow. Khaal let out a satisfying growl.


    He''s ying me, Ned thought midair. He then flipped to recollect himself just in time before he hits the sprout of boulders scattered like audiences watching Ned and Khaal''s y.


    Ned''s ck boots made a shallow trail as he tried to bnce himself uponnding on the ground and his right face twitched in a diforting way as Khaal connected a clean swiping kick from behind.


    Ned was thrown once again, this time no movements trying to bnce himself. In a quick moment, Ned''s vision darkened, he could feel the rough scaly skin of the beastnding on his face. Ned scrambled together with grasses, and rocks, and sticks, and he tasted iron flowing down his lips.


    Ned pumped adrenaline upon seeing Khaal''s figure descending toward him. His face faintly burned red. He scrambled his feet in a quick motion. Evading Khaal''s steel-like tentacles.


    Everything was a blur every time Khaalunches his tentacles. Ned was sure it wasn''t the tentacles dangling under his chin or his remaining hand. If only he could find out where those tentaclesing from.


    Ned let out a steaming breath followed by a whistle. He smirked afternding a good hit on Khaal''s right side.


    Khaal''s posterior shrouded in dark mist then tentacles shot out like spider''s legs, stopping his glide midair. Faint purple blood seeped between his tiny jaws.


    The Shoon widened his milky-white eyes, wasn''t sure where the kick came from. All he could see was Ned oozing with steam followed by a whistle and he vanished. He let out a guttural shout, surrounding the forest with his chilling voice.


    "Dare mocking me?" Ned said under his breath. Eyes glittered blue under the moonlight. Ned jumped backward, with Overclock on, he instantly paced at the outskirts of the forest. With his ck to ck clothing, Ned mimicked himself under the shadow. Hiding from the eyes of the beast.


    Enraged, Khaal followed inside the forest. His tentacles wiggling from behind like his emotions. Upon reaching the forest. Khaal was greeted with obscuring darkness. All he could use as the light was from the moonlight. He tried sniffing with his hidden nose but no human smelled near him.


    Ned''s smile widened to a grin. He tried to move with dexterity, removing unnecessary noise. With Detect skill on, Overclock, and his Combat Emtor disy on y, Ned was certain he could inflict a good amount of damage. But he also knew, he doesn''t have much time before his body reacts from the recoil. He must hurry, and so, he descended.


    A sh of cold white light caught Khaal''s attention. But before he could react, purple blood sshed from his right handor his remaining hand. Looking to his right, there was none.


    "Halooman!" he yelled. Even the forest felt the chilling echo.


    But not Ned, he turned back, saber raised to cut another flesh. Four seconds had passed after he activated Overclock, another second came, he dashed and appeared behind the beast. His hand gestured, fireball he conjured. Point nk range, Khaal flung forward, hitting trees upon trees. Sizzling purple flesh peeled off the beast''s skin.


    But Ned wasn''t done yet. Another second of Overclock was enough for him to sprint meters of distance forward, following the ringlets of smoke the beast was trailing off.


    A loud thud was followed by a ssh, and Khaal''s body came rolling over a shallow mud and water. Line of bones visible inside a circle of burned flesh. Around the edges were flesh pulsating as if filled with life.


    Ned appeared over the beast. He gloriously rotated the saber and struck it at the beast''s wound. Almost a foot of the saber went inside the body of Khaal. As Ned pushed the saber deeper, the beast let out a defeated shrill.


    Purple blood pooled around the body of Khaal mixing with brown and dark mud.


    Ned pulled the saber. This left Khaal with a twitch and thenid motionless over grasses and pebbles along with his blood.


    Ned recalled Overclock. Giving him a warm and aching sensation over his joints and muscles. Ned inhaled through his nose. Breathing out, he gestured his hand to conjure another spell. Orange and red cast light from his hand. With a whisper and a grinned and released the ball of fire. "Fireball," he said in a regal way and jumped away from the st.


    Another point-nk attack roared throughout the forest. Dried mud and grasses came falling after the attack.


    Ned spun around and left the forest. He used half of his energy, and mana to battle Khaal. He stopped along a fat tree to catch his breath. With saber now slung behind his back, he felt the pain crawling over his body. Hunter''s clothing was drenched in sweat along with beads of it flowing over his forehead. His lips formed an arched, the fight was short and intense. "He was good," Ned said, "for a beast."


    Ned checks his status after the fight.


    The digits showing his mana blinking over his disy. 440 out of 4, 000 mana points. Ned wondered when will he fill his mana to the fullest. Ned''s eye spotted the yellow bar under the blue mana bar. Digits show that his energy was at 30% but slowly going up as he stopped to rest. But it wasn''t enough, he needed to recover faster.


    Ned felt guilt for leaving the team, for leaving without knowing what happened to the rest of them. But it must be done, he wanted to fight alone, as he always does. Ned felt that fighting alongside somebody was only a hindrance. He wanted to fight alone and alone was his best.


    Ned shook his head and pushed himself to continue onward. A light flickered from the spot where the team fought before. Under the bars of soft translucent light of the moon were smoke towering over the forest. From afar, Ned could hear metals nking. He only wished that they''re sound and intact with limbs. Ned shook the thought of them being incapacitated.


    Ned continued onward. The face of Khaal crossed his mind with purple blood leaking his tentacles. If it was before, Ned would be forced to cut the beast''s Core, and eat it to acquire the skill.


    At least, Prime Evolution won''t let me do it again, Ned thought with a slight grin. What will happen if I Devour him? He shook his head. Brushing the thought of him Devouring the Shoon. Kamma wanted me free, but I won''t sumb to being a beast. Devouring someone wasn''t the definition of being free. "No," Ned muttered. "I won''t."


    Without him knowing or feeling, dark energy trickle down behind his back. Oozing out from his pores, leaking. It dropped from behind Ned but evaporated as soon as it touches the ground.


    Ned gripped the hilt of the Lasting Saber as soon as he felt a tingling sensation behind his back. Ned''s mind steeled to not feel fear, but his body signaled otherwise. Hair stood from his nape and he spun to meet the whistling sound.


    He shed air as the sound entered his attacking range. But none was there, and Ned was toote to evade as a dark-purple tentacle shoot out the ground. Instead, he blocked the metal like a tentacle. But Ned''s luck hasn''t arrived yet, the Lasting Saber snapped in half as the tentacle went straight through it and bored a hole at Ned''s side.


    Ned felt no pain, but puked blood. As the tentacle retracted, the pain, like a saw grinding a bone, crept all over his body. He let out a grunt and fell on his knees.


    "Halooman," Khaal growled. "Naf li naf."


    "Fuck you too," Ned said with a smile, then vomited blood. His vision blurred, but his mind remained active. He can''t go unconscious now. The moment he went nk, was his death. "No," he muttered. "Not now."


    [Ned.]


    ICE''s voice issued a worrying note.


    On his holographic disy, a red jarring spot on his right-side gut was blinking like a warning. His body on 3d disy rotated with his heartbeat. Then the red blinking light crawls wider, slowly, but disorienting.


    Is this it? Ned thought with wonder.


    Shards of silver metal scattered underneath him. The saber snapped in two. Letting go of the hilt, Ned reached for his wound. Trying to apply pressure. He scoffed along with blood. "Granny L sure to scold seeing me like this," he muttered. "But I''ll bet she was happy to heal me with this kind of wound." He then coughed. Looked up at Khaal and threw a finger.


    As if mocked, Khaal stretched out his tentacles. He then walked forward, clearing him of shadows. He was visible under the moonlight. His body recovered as if nothing happened, but his hand remained one. But he was more than before. His body was covered with metal like armor shaded with purple and ck. His head wore a helmet-like flesh. Only his milky eyes were visible. His body d in hardened flesh, and only the tentacles were visible from behind.


    He was muttering in his beastiannguage that Ned doesn''t care at all. After he was done with his speech, Khaal ordered his tentacles, theybined and formed a thick and pointy cone. It stretched and extended toward Ned.


    A sh of light entered Ned''s vision from his left blocking the drilling tentacle. Sparks flew as the twin des grated against the tentacle.


    "Twali?" Ned asked.


    "How long are you gonna kneel, kid?" Twali growled.


    "You''re a... " Ned paused.


    In front of him was Twali in a ripped ck suit. Dark fur was exhibited around his body. His short hair now extended over his waist with a body full of fur, ck suit torn apart. Knees bent at an awkward angle. Only his eyes, and lips weren''t covered. A two to three inches fangs bolted under his jaw, and his eyes glowed yellow and grey with emotionsNed wasn''t sure if it was due to anger, or thrill. At least he wasn''t naked with ck pants ripped to half.


    "A Wereman," Twali growled, twin des pressing the tentacles. "Yes."


    "No," Ned retorted with his heavy breathing, a thin grin was then formed. "A Werewolf."