《The Predator》


 Prologue

    A blinding flash of light suddenly flickered, lighting up the sky for an instant, before dying out amidst the dark clouds that covered the gloomy ash-colored mantle beyond it. The only sign that it ever existed was the distant rumble that followed its brief appearance. And not long after, thundering sounds reverberated, disrupting the eerie silence of the landscape beneath. The whistling wind became more lively, carrying with it the first droplets of water that soon turned into a torrential downpour that mercilessly clashed onto the ground and the surrounding forest.


    In that stretch of forest, rainstorms were a daily occurrence, but to the unfamiliar guests that were sprawled on the muddy soil, it was a different matter. As soon as the rain got heavier, one of the unconscious people - a handsome young man, to be precise - shifted restlessly before his eyes slowly fluttered open.


    Stephen grunted in pain, his hands subconsciously rubbing his face to get rid of the sleepiness. His head was a mess, the splitting headache that was hammering his skull blurred his senses, but it couldn''t camouflage the wet feeling of the water trailing down his body, nor the vexatious sensation of his clothes sticking to his skin.


    "What the..." his eyes splayed wide open before his body shot up from the supine position he was perched in. What welcomed his vision were towering trees and thick underbrush, the dense leafage blocking his sight to go any further. He was in a forest, but he couldn''t understand why he was there, or how he had even reached this place. The mystery befuddled his mind, and it scared him. The foremost thought that crossed his mind was the probability of him being kidnapped.


    "This... who are you?" a masculine voice broke his thoughts.


    Stephen spun his head around, meeting the gaze of a potbellied middle-aged man who sported a business suit, his head was bald aside from sideways chunks of grayish black hair. The man was looking at him with a mix of cautiousness and confusion while trying to uselessly shield himself from the rain with his briefcase. From the looks of it, the man didn''t seem to be aware of the odd circumstance they were knotted in.


    "The name''s Stephen, I presume you have no idea why we''re here, right?"


    The man shook his head plaintively, upholding his blooming suspicions, but he held his distance anyway, for now, it was best not to trust him. Silence ensued, breached only by the pitter-patter sound of the rain. It was only after a while that both of them noticed the rest of the people on the ground stirring awake.


    A beautiful young woman was the first one groggily stood up. Her long black hair tumbled over her shoulders down to her back, her hazel eyes scampering left and right vigilantly, gasping in surprise when she caught sight the unfamiliar environment.


    She was soon followed by another two females, a middle-aged lady and a juvenile young girl with short blonde hair, the latter had a frightened expression etched on her delicate face. Meanwhile, the last member of the group clambered back to his feet too. He was a burly and dark-skinned man with curly maroon hair, his attire was average, but his eyes spoke otherwise. He calmly and coldly scanned their location before addressing everyone.


    "What is going on?"


    "No idea," Stephen replied with a drawn-out sigh, "And I doubt the ladies over there know anything as well." he pointed his thumb over his shoulder, right where the only females of their small crew stood. At that point, it was clear that they were all in the same boat, but he knew better than to put his guard down because of it. He needed more time and information to elaborate a more accurate judgment.


    "Ehm..." the potbellied man chimed in, his tone dripping with hesitation, "So... nobody knows anything, correct?" he queried whilst looking at them, hellbent on detecting any sign of deceit. He was jittery and frightened, but he willed himself into appearing relaxed.


    "Not at all." the middle-aged lady affirmed as she tucked a chock of red hair behind her ear, "I don''t know how I got to this place, the last thing I remember was getting back home, and then utter emptiness. I literally can''t recall what happened in that time frame."


    "M-me too..." the youngest of the girls timidly exclaimed.


    Everyone seemed to have experienced the same thing if the look on their face was anything to go by, but it wasn''t enough to instill trust among each other. They were strangers in an unknown land, after all.


    Stephen could hardly support the pregnant silence that followed right after the young girl spoke. Everybody held up their expressionless facade aside the blonde girl whose face was currently scrunching up in fear.


    "I believe introductions are at the top of the list, I''m Natasha, pleased to make your acquaintance!" the middle-aged lady gave a warm smile as she took a step forward.


    "Frank here, the pleasure is mine." the potbellied man winked at the red-haired beauty, earning him a displeased frown.


    "John." was the dark-skinned man''s curt reply.


    "I''m Sarah, hello!" the now cheerful blondie waved her shivering hand.


    "Daphne."


    "Stephen." he nodded at them, "Well then... should we stick with each other, or each on his own?"If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The question was met with different reactions, mostly because they were not confident to survive in a foreign place, and the weather was not favorable either. Whoever had put them in that place could and likely was, still around. So, despite their hesitation, it was unanimously decided that the best step to take was to stay together, figure out who was the perpetrator behind this, get him back in the ass if they could, then go back home. Six heads were better than one.


    Of course, there was the chance that the one who placed them there was hiding among them, something that was not missed when the decision was made. But threading through a dark forest alone was certainly something they didn''t want to partake in if they could. However, if there was more than one plotting against them then surviving was a laughable joke from the start. Might as well stake everything on the off probability that they were all victims. The situation was already grim as it was.


    "We should secure ourselves a place for the night. I don''t think we''ll be getting out of here soon anyway," Natasha offered, the biting cold was seeping into her bones, and her body could hardly stop from trembling.


    Everyone nodded in agreement, as drenched as they were, it was not intelligent staying there any longer.


    "Good, but before that," Stephen started inquisitively, drawing the group''s attention, "I believe we should empty our pockets to make sure we''re all clean. I''ll start first." he put his hands in his black tight-fitting slacks'' pockets and drew out a phone, headphones, keys, and a wallet. However, as soon as he took out his phone his eyes light up in wisdom.


    "Right, the phone!" he quickly turned it on, "What... no signal?"


    "No signal?" Frank blurted out in panic before taking his own and controlling, "He''s right... there''s no signal..." his mumble was almost a whisper, but it was still heard by the rest of the group.


    "Maybe there''s no signal in this area, that or someone is jamming it." John cleverly offered, but it did little to nothing to appease Sarah and Frank''s rising restlessness. They were in a forest god knows where, with someone that wanted them there for some uncanny reason, with creatures lurking around, and to top it off no food or shelter.


    "N-no... I wanna go back home..." Sarah broke down in hiccups, tears streaming down her cheeks as she took out her own phone, hoping for a miracle that didn''t come. After the adrenaline rush cooled down, she felt all of the distress suddenly crashing upon her.


    "There there..." Natasha''s motherly instincts kicked in as she cooed the crying girl. "Everything''s gonna be alright." her promise wasn''t convincing, however.


    Daphne stayed silent the whole time, something that didn''t bypass Stephen and Jonh''s eyes. She was unreasonably withdrawn and quiet, but then again she might have been faking it. Either way, it was best to keep an eye on her.


    "Ehm... let''s do as Stephen said," Frank sighed low-spiritedly before taking out his own belongings which consisted of rudimentary stuff; a lighter, cigarettes, a wallet, tissues, sans his telephone which was still in his hand. He even opened his briefcase, inside were papers, folders, and various documents. Nothing off-putting.


    Natasha decided to be the next one, but the content she had was very little, and it was mostly the same as Stephen and Frank. Sarah had a small pinkish bag with her, so to respect her privacy Natasha and Daphne were the ones to sort through her stuff, which resulted in nothing worrisome, just girlish trinkets such as lipstick, perfume, and... a condom. Nobody commented on that last article, Sarah was already deeply embarrassed, there was no need to make a big deal out of it.


    "..." Daphne averted her gaze when she noticed the group staring at her, "I have nothing with me..." she uttered in an almost inaudible voice.


    "That''s for us to decide." Stephen was unforgiving to her excuses, "We need to make sure you''re not a danger to us." he looked at Natasha who nodded in understanding as she approached the ever so slowly recoiling black-haired young woman.


    Daphne gritted her teeth, her wet hair framing her pale and beautiful face. She felt wronged and angry, but complied nonetheless. Reaching for the pocket of her jeans, she extracted a yellow thing with a blade within. And if someone bothered to look closer they''d have noticed a bit of dried blood on its edge.


    "A box cutter?" Natasha draped a hand over her mouth, surprise evident on her face.


    "Happy now?" Daphne gave the older woman a Cheshire grin, "Please, stay away from me..." it was hard not to notice the sad look that flashed by her eyes.


    "Daphne... relax, it''s okay..."


    "No, it''s not!"


    Natasha was at a loss. She looked around for help, but the way the situation unfolded was not received gladly. Frank and Sarah had gasped in surprise, waltzing a few steps back. But what worried her the most was Stephen and John''s reaction. Their eyes narrowed while their body tensed, ready to take action at a moment''s notice. She believed that Daphne meant no harm, yes, the fact that a small knife was among her possessions was alarming, but her sixth sense told her that the young woman in question didn''t have a blithe backstory.


    "Guys, calm down... Daphne, please, put away that blade... we''re not gonna question you about it, everyone has dirty stains in their past..."


    The hand holding the box-cutter started quivering as tears welled up in Daphne''s eyes before gliding down onto her cheeks, she felt so small and cornered, and although she appreciated Natasha''s attempts to placate her outburst, she was still afraid. She was not as emotionally strong as the others, her social anxiety made it almost impossible to properly convey her thoughts, thus she tended to behave in weird ways when put in a difficult spot. Natasha was right, everyone had dirty stains. In a world made of appearances, looking the tiniest bit different was a free ticket to instantly become an outcast, forcing people to wear a mask to avoid such outcome.


    "Fine..." she chewed her bottom lip, pocketing back the blade, her expression was swapped with a sad visage, "I''m sorry..." her apology didn''t sound much sincere, but it was a start.


    Natasha smiled, happy that she had managed to soothe her. Looking at the others she noticed that albeit they were still wary, their hostility dispersed, at least.


    "Now..." she clapped her hands to switch the group''s attention upon her, "John, it''s your turn, isn''--" her words were hastily cut off for the ground had suddenly started shaking.


    "What the..."


    And then it happened, something that froze their minds. It was not apparent if it was a roar or a shrill, but the sheer might behind that roar traveled in every direction, a seemingly transparent wave of air trailing alongside the sound as it strode through the shell-shocked group, leaving behind only chills in their spine.


    With no time to think, only their instincts pumping more blood through their veins, harshly warning them to flee. Whatever was the source of that beastly shriek must have been a colossus, and they were not interested in finding it out. Picking up a random direction, they set off in a maddening rush, their legs dogged into scurrying away from that place that pledged only forthcoming nightmares.

 Chapter 1: Short-Sized Men?

    "Ugh... I can''t take it anymore!"


    Frank exclaimed tiredly as he almost stumbled down on an upturned lump of soil. He was at the utmost rear of the group, barely managing to keep up with them, and he felt his legs about to give in. He considered discarding his briefcase, but the documents inside were way too important for such a decision, and it wouldn''t have made any gaping difference either way. He knew that the problem laid in his untrained and unhealthy body.


    Panting from the strain his body was forcefully going through and the tangled mess of emotions his mind was undertaking, he kept running for his life, periodically whipping his head around to see if whatever creature had made that sound was pursuing them. Thankfully it didn''t seem so, but the moonlight didn''t offer much clarity to his eyes, so he wasn''t that sure.


    "Is everyone okay?" Natasha queried after taking a deep soothing breath. They had arrived in front of a moss-covered cave, branches and leaves were draped disorderly all over its top. Everyone was exhausted, their energy completely spent, so it was silently concurred to stop there.


    "Yeah... for now," Stephen replied with a grunt as he slumped down, his arms using his knees as leverage to support his upper body up, "I knew I should have gotten a gym membership card."


    "I second that." Frank chuckled ill-humoredly, "Shit, I think I''ve lost a few pounds of fat from that run alone."


    Natasha rolled her eyes, not bothering to remark on his rather uncouth language as she approached Sarah to check out on her, the young girl seemed about to faint anytime. Behind her a silent Daphne looked hesitant, it was only after an earnest tug from the former that she followed her, albeit in a slightly slower pace.


    "Is it chasing us?" John wondered.


    "I don''t think so, actually I believe it never noticed us, to begin with," Stephen said after he recovered some of his stamina, "What was that though? I don''t remember ever reading or seeing anything about an animal that could produce such an abnormal roar..."


    "Neither did I..."


    Frank felt a shiver creeping up his spine as he butted in, "That was scary, it must''ve been very huge..."


    "I''m sure it was, my friend, I''m sure it was..." Stephen sighed grimly.


    Everyone tried to get their minds off of that event, as unrealistically absurd as it was, paying it any more heed than it was worth would have only spawned more restlessness among the group, which was not what they required. However, no matter how much they struggled into switching topics, the burning mark it left behind was already firmly printed in their minds.


    Looking down at his trembling left hand, Stephen frowned, clutching it to a stop using his right one before regrouping with the others.


    "Good, the cave looks spacey enough for all of us," Natasha used her trademark clap to get everybody''s attention, "Now, who''s brave enough among you strong men to enter and check if it''s safe? Us ladies will faithfully wait for your triumphant return." she finished with a giggle, but her blanched face betrayed her fear. Despite the somewhat merry atmosphere lingering in the air, no one forgot what had happened minutes before, it was just their way of getting it out of the system.


    The men in question looked at each other nonplussed.


    "Might as well go in together," Stephen proposed as he looked at John and Frank, beckoning them with his head, "The cave mouth isn''t huge enough to let big animals through, but considering the weather, I wouldn''t discard the chance of something taking refuge inside."


    They both nodded in agreement, deciding to go with his idea. However, Natasha didn''t look as happy as they thought she would. The red-haired woman crossed her arms and arched one eyebrow, "What do you think you''re doing?" she queried expressionlessly, "If all of you go in who''s gonna protect us in case some vile creature appears?"


    "I''m glad you asked, hehe," Frank puffed out his chest trying to look manlier, "I''ll take it upon me to shield you fair ladies with my body."


    "..." Sarah and Daphne looked at each other, the former holding back from bursting out in giggles.


    "I doubt anything outside of small creatures will show up, most bigger animals usually take shelter during rainstorms. So unless you are afraid of squirrels, rabbits, mice, and whatnot, you''re gonna be perfectly fine." Stephen interjected succinctly, ignoring Sarah''s squeak in fright at the mention of mice as he stepped inside the cave with John.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    <hr>


    The crackling noise of loose stones and pebbles being crushed by their shoes rang out. They delved in the inner parts of the cave throat, but the darkness hampered any attempts to scan the place, and the outside light was of no help to their endeavors. Stephen took out his phone and turned the flashlight on, gesticulating to his older comrade to do the same. Soon, the entire place became partially visible.


    At first sight, there was nothing of concern there, but they decided to carefully check around anyway. Finally arriving at the deepest place, they noticed with no little surprise some kind of primitive furniture littering the ground. Stephen wrinkled his nose in disgust as he mouthed out a "Such unpleasant smell," getting a nod from John who was sporting a frown. From what they gathered thus far the place didn''t seem to house anything dangerous, but the place they had just arrived in gave them a weird feeling.


    Redirecting the light towards the wall they spotted a snuffed out wooden torch, a piece of burnt clothing wrapped around its tip. Moving the light further down they saw something that left them apprehensive. A crude handmade hammock bed hanged mid-air, two worn out ropes holding the netting up by interlacing around two mid-sized boulders opposite to each other. There was no doubt that someone was living - or used to live - there. That was the conclusion both of them came to.


    "The hammock is a bit too small for someone to comfortably sleep in." Stephen pointed out, his eyes browsing the whole place, sniffing for more clues, "It makes no sense..."


    "Maybe whoever built it is short sized, but I have my suspicions as well... I feel weird looking at this place."


    "Same here, bud."


    They kept inspecting everything they could find, however, aside from labored pieces of wood, engraved and pointy rocks, and several aged ropes, they didn''t find anything else of relevance. But it didn''t matter, because those things alone were enough to deduce that whoever owned them aimed to make a weapon.


    "A spear?" John pondered aloud, "To summarize, a short-sized man is trying to make himself a weapon..."


    "That seems like it..." Stephen muttered, his voice laced with amusement and disbelief. Nonetheless, that was what they perceived how the situation was like, and it was bizarre. Taking another brief look at what could be considered as a room, he continued, "I think that there is more than one ''short-sized'' man here..." he hinted with his eyes towards a small pile of intertwined leaves and branches that were roughly molded into what looked like a bed.


    "That could be troublesome, I wonder if they permanently left here or are about to come back," John said after a short pause.


    "I don''t know, but I don''t think we''re gonna meet Snow White here, let''s hope the dwarfs are as friendly as they ought to be though." Stephen chuckled.


    "That''s not funny, things may get really ugly," the dark-skinned man chided in an even voice, "Plus I have this gut feeling that we''re about to get our answer very soon."


    "Whatever..."


    <hr>


    They turned around and ambled back, retracing the same path they walked on priorly. Different thoughts circled through their heads, mostly revolving around what they had just experienced. Their mysterious appearance in the forest, that ghastly roar, and now the odd cave''s inhabitants. Everything felt so out of place, yet they couldn''t quite pinpoint what was the missing piece of the puzzle.


    Outside was still deluging, accompanied by strong thunderclaps, the wind was as blustery as before. When they finally stepped out they were immediately bombed with questions. Natasha, self-proclaimed spokeswoman of the group asked what everybody - who were shielding themselves under an imposing tree - was ardently curious about.


    "So? Is it safe? Can we go inside? It isn''t dangerous, is it?"


    John took a second to study everyone''s features before answering in a serious tone, "Yes, it''s safe. But we found out that someone may be currently living there."


    "Really? Someone''s living there? In a cave?" her face crumpled up in both disappointment and disbelief.


    "Yeah, but they either relocated themselves or will eventually come back," Stephen explained, "The cave now is empty."


    "So... technically... we could stay there for the night, right?" Sarah asked expectantly.


    Stephen glimpsed at John, hoping for an opinion. He didn''t want to make a decision that could probably lead them to a perilous situation, but they were in desperate need of a place to camp themselves in. Seeing no reaction on the older man''s face, he replied with a nod, "That''s right, but we should be careful. Apparently, the original dwellers are in possession of sharp weapons." he considered for a moment before adding, "On a side note, we have reason to believe that these people are... very short..."


    "Short?" Frank was confused.


    "Yup. Short." he reiterated.


    John nodded when he felt his stare before he started reporting the items they came across, adding his views on it. The topic quickly switched to the forest they were in, and it promptly garnered the group''s interest as they discussed and tried to guess where exactly they were. However, they were not experts in geography, nor were they acquainted with such places, so they soon gave up trying to figure out their whereabouts.


    Feeling no need to stay outside anymore, they finally stepped inside the cave, curiously exploring it using their phones'' flashlights. It was not anything special, but to them who had never been in one, it was a novelty. It didn''t take much, however, for their enthusiasm to fade away. Everyone was tired, their minds even more so.


    Choosing a small place to settle down, the group avoided the stinky room, despite it having something that resembled a bed, a very small one at that. The rocky and jagged ground was uncomfortable, but they knew they wouldn''t have stayed in that forest for too long, just the time to reach the nearest civilization and then they''d be on their way back home, bringing back only memories.


    Stephen closed his eyes, his breathing stable and even. The events that arose from before till now surfaced in his mind in a videotape-like sequence. It was truly a shitty day if he could say so himself, ridiculous things happening one after the other, he could only hope that somehow tomorrow would have been a better day.


    With those hopeful thoughts in mind, he went out like a lightbulb, as did everyone else.

 Chapter 2: Conflict

    Thick cumulonimbus covered the rising sun, hindering its beam lights from peeking through the grayish bulk of clouds. The heavy downpour that plagued the forest yesterday had morphed into a harmless drizzle, though from the looks of it, it wouldn''t have lasted for too long. Waking up was a hard task for the group members that were currently occupying the cave, everyone had gone to sleep completely drenched and mentally exhausted, plus their beddings were not as comfortable as the soft mattress they were used to. Fortunately, it was a new day, so despite the sleepiness, they were pretty much in high spirits.


    "Good morning, guys!" Frank cheerfully greeted as he stretched his stubby limbs before his line of sight fell on the girls who had just woken up, "Ah, of course. Bonjour to you too, ladies." he crumpled up his face in what he thought was the most charming smile he could muster.


    "Haven''t you died yet?" Natasha coldly snorted before she attempted to cover a yawn that escaped from her lips, "Mornin'' guys." she sat down near the exit of the cave, tiredness oozing out of her body.


    Frank instantly looked crestfallen when he noticed that Daphne had ignored him too, his only relief was that at least Sarah waved her hand at him, but she was way too young for his tastes.


    "Still harassing the girls, Franky?" Stephen smirked as he leaned his back on the damp rocky wall behind him, earning an accused look from the potbellied man, "So, how are you all faring?"


    "My back is killing me, ugh.." Sarah protested with a frown, her hand futilely trying to alleviate the ache, "I wanna go back home!"


    "We will... just be patient."


    "Should we report to the authorities about that dangerous animal we came across yesterday?" John who had been silent thus far suddenly chimed in. It was something he had been wondering for minutes now, however, he also couldn''t shake off the feeling that it would be kind of useless, if there really is such a creature lurking in the forest then how the hell didn''t the local authorities notice it? Something was clearly wrong with the whole situation, yet he couldn''t figure out what it was.


    "I don''t know man... I doubt they''d believe us anyway," Stephen sighed, and it seemed that everyone else was also thinking on the same lines as him if their silence was anything to go by.


    "I guess you''re right..."


    Nobody spoke after that, however, the rumbling sound of Frank''s hungry stomach echoed out, reminding everyone that they hadn''t eaten anything for quite a while. With everything that happened, it had completely slipped off their minds. The problem was that they didn''t even have crumbs, let alone food. Hunting in the forest was an option, especially now since the rain had waned drastically. But it was just that, an option. The encounter with that behemoth was still a fresh experience. Who would dare to go hunt for animals when that monster was skulking in the shadows?


    "Uhh... don''t you guys have anything to eat, I''m starving here." Frank held his belly as he asked.


    "Nothing."


    "Nope."


    "Zero."


    "No."


    "I don''t have anything, sorry."


    The rest of the group answered in unison. Frank wasn''t the only one hungry, and truthfully they were a bit displeased at him for brazenly asking for food when they themselves wanted something to munch on. It would have been more appreciated if he actually tried to come up with a solution to their needs instead of whining.


    "We should go out and check if we can capture something, even small animals will do. If we don''t gain some sliver of energy then getting out of this forest will be nigh impossible." Stephen offered after much consideration.


    Natasha passed a hand through her hair in frustration, "I agree with you, but... our manpower is rather lacking, and..." she looked hesitant as she voiced out her honest thoughts, "That... thing, is out there Stephen... I..." she felt ashamed for feeling such fear when Stephen and John looked so composed, but it was the bitter truth. She didn''t have any skills that could provide a smidge of help to them, she felt so useless.


    "It''s okay..." John interrupted her with a raise of his hand, "We''ll scout the perimeter of this place, whilst avoiding to go further away from it."


    "I''m sorry guys, that... I''m of no help." Sarah said apologetically, her eyes lowered.


    Daphne took a deep breath as she also confessed, "Yeah... me too, I haven''t done anything helpful since we..." she bit her bottom lip as her heartbeat accelerated, but she continued nonetheless, "got here... and I''m deeply aware that I-I''m a hindrance..." she averted her gaze after that, her difficulty in dealing with people showing up.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Okay, no need to make the atmosphere so gloomy and depressing all of a sudden," Stephen started with a smile, "No one is blaming no one, the situation is shitty as hell, we can''t do anything about it but strive forward and get out of this mess."


    "Stephen, language!" Natasha reprimanded.


    "Whatever..." he rolled his eyes, which prompted the group to burst in chuckles. Everyone was tense, so the laughter was very welcome, even Daphne had a small smile on her face. Overall, their mood improved, so they became more active during their subsequent discussion.


    However, just as they had started to get engrossed in their debate, a mixture between a rattle and a gurgling sound wafted into the cave, startling everyone into silence. Then the faint sound of bare skin slapping on the ground at regular intervals became clearer and clearer. Someone was coming, that was what they thought.


    Could it be the infamous short-sized men John and Stephen talked about?


    Nervousness gripped their hearts as they stood up, anxiously waiting for the mysterious cave owners to make their entrance. Their shadows burgeoned in, followed right after by their bodies. The air seemed to coagulate. Nobody was willing to believe what greeted their eyes.


    The so-called ''short-sized'' men couldn''t have been taller than 3 feet, with sickening greenish skin color. Jagged teeth and a wicked-witch kind of nose adorned an incredibly unsightly face, and the only piece of clothing they had was a worn-out loincloth that covered their genitalia. Furthermore, one of them was holding a crass and rusted sword on its wrinkly hand, while the other was gripping an ax.


    Black beady eyes stared at the frozen group before the sword-wielder short-sized man belched out that rattling sound anew, this time it was fiercer, one could even feel the hostility pouring out of it.


    "Ehm... I-I apologize in the name of the group for the intrusion, w-we''ll depart immediately." Natasha stuttered out, she felt immense fear looking at those humanoid creatures. They were like a foreign concept to her mind, she couldn''t fathom how such little and weird-looking humans were born. Were they even humans?


    The green humanoids didn''t seem to register her words as they kept growling at them, almost ready to pounce. It was at that point that the group knew that the situation was spiraling in a bad direction.


    "Calm down, my little friends, we''re about to go away... no need to get angry," Stephen tried to placate them, but he was having a hard time placating his own heart, "I think they don''t understand our language." he whispered to his groupmates once he noted the little humans not answering him.


    "What should we do?" Frank gulped, his lips dry, "They... they''re about to attack us!"


    It was at that moment that the other little humanoid went for a jump at Stephen, its ax-holding hand in mid-air, aiming for a swing towards his head. He didn''t have time to think as survival instincts kicked in, allowing him to swiftly sidestep and dodge the attack that without a doubt would have cracked open his head. Nonetheless, the quick movement his body did caught him by surprise as he fell unceremoniously onto the ground with a thud.


    "You asked for it!" angry beyond words, Stephen quickly picked himself back up as he grabbed a medium-sized rock before throwing it at the green-skinned creature that had charged at him. Although it was shorter - and certainly weaker - than him in terms of strength, it was currently holding up a weapon, so he could only play it from a safe distance.


    The rock smacked on its face with a crunching noise before ricochetting off, revealing the damage it did upon impact. The ugly nose was even more grotesque now, with a section of it bending in a weird angle, blood flowing freely from its nostrils.


    "Guargh!" it rattled out in agony as it tumbled down, flailing around from the acute pain besieging his injured appendage.


    "You deserved it!" Stephen spat out venomously, yet he couldn''t shake off the fright upon realizing his bunt could have killed it. He didn''t know if it would have been murder or not, but at this point he doubted it. There was no way those things were even remotely human beings, yet they somehow resembled it, so it was rather disturbing watching a pool of blood slowly forming around his attacker''s head. It was ardently trying to breathe, but the blood was blocking its airways. It didn''t take long for it to die with a final spasm.


    Everyone was astonished as they watched the short confrontation take place. However, the remaining green creature had a different opinion as it rushed at Stephen in a fit of rage, wanting to mow him to revenge its fallen comrade. Stephen, though, was distracted, as if there was something in front of him that was enrapturing his attention, and when he noticed the approaching creature, the blade was already coming close to his belly.


    Fortunately, John was quick in his movements as he drew out a revolver from a holster inside his jacket, aimed, and shot.


    A deafening noise reverberated in the cave followed right after by the clink of the sword whacking against the ground. The bullet pierced through its head, leaving a hole behind from which blood started gushing out. The creature slowly slid down into a prone position. John, who had just killed it, stared dazedly ahead of him as if in a trance.


    Soon, dizziness hammered him, his surroundings spinning, his limbs felt weak and devoid of energy, something that was shared by Stephen as he noted peculiar changes occurring inside his body. The last thing they saw before both of them flopped down was something akin to a computer-like screen with words they couldn''t understand the meaning of.


    [You have awakened.]


    Then their bodies made contact with the hard ground under the surprised vision of the group who had still to come to the facts of what had just unfolded.


    "How are they?" Sarah worriedly asked.


    "Fine... they''re just unconscious..." Natasha replied after she checked out their conditions. She was still shaken, as were the others.


    Then their eyes shuffled over to the gun that was on the ground, near John''s legs. Apprehension became evident on their faces, but nobody uttered a word. However, it was tacitly consented that they''d ask about it when he''d eventually wake back up.

 Chapter 3: Eat. Devour. Absorb

    Sitting in a small corner of the cave, Frank ruefully looked at the girls whispering to each other, concern written all over their faces. But of course, two important people that composed the core of the group were currently passed out for who knows how long. He felt resentment at that, he was a man too, he had his pride too. Yet he couldn''t voice it out, because he knew better than anyone else that he was a coward. He was not reliable, so why would they ever consider his opinion? It sucked.


    Frank hated being ignored, like he didn''t amount to anything. He was human, he was bound to feel jealousy. In his eyes, he knew that he couldn''t compare to John''s mature and experienced vibes, or Stephen''s handsome looks and smart-alecky attitude. He had nothing that made him stick out of the background he was always blended in. That''s why he always tried to flirt and woo the women in the group, he wanted to have a role, that something that labeled him and gave him colorful strokes. Becoming the buffoon of the group? Why the fuck not.


    Looking at the lifeless corpses drowned in their own pools of blood, he furrowed his brows. He was aware that doing something like that was out of his abilities. Even just smashing a rock on someone''s face as Stephen did was impossible for him. He was just that coward.


    "Look! They''re waking up!" Sarah''s excited voice swept through the cave as she stood up, followed right after by Natasha and Daphne who had likewise excited looks on their faces.


    Peering over from his position, Frank noticed John and Stephen''s eyes slowly opening up, which prompted the women to eagerly skip over and surround them as they made sure both men were okay.


    Damn, he also wanted that.


    Forcing himself to look cheerful, he stood up and approached their slowly rising bodies, "You''re finally awake! Hah, I thought you were having wet dreams and thus refused to wake up." his boisterous laugh filled the place.


    But as always, he was ignored...


    "How are you feeling?" Natasha queried, her eyes furiously scanning them up and down for any sign of injury, "And why did you suddenly faint? What happened?"


    Stephen and John gawked at each other, not bothering to answer Natasha''s questions. They felt different from before, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly where. If Stephen had to put it into words then he''d say that he felt oddly alive. Not that he wasn''t before, but that was only physically alive. Now he truly felt like he was living, as if he broke free from some kind of cocoon that was shackling him down. Even breathing in itself became an enjoyable act, however odd the thought was.


    Frowning, he licked his lips, feeling famished. John looked at him quizzically, a bit put out and curious by the sudden changes they underwent before an appetizing scent wafted into his nostrils. As if on cue, both Stephen and John''s eyesight fell on the green-skinned creatures they had killed beforehand. Following their gaze, Natasha arched an eyebrow at them before explaining, "They''re dead and... you shouldn''t worry too much about it... it was self-defense." she started with an understanding smile, "Once we go back we''ll help you explain to the officers what transpired here. Plus they seem more like animals than humans to me... so yeah..."


    "Um! There''s no need to worry, they were the bad ones." Sarah added her support.


    "Yeah... what you d-did was perfectly justifiable." Daphne reluctantly smiled, feeling rather uncomfortable speaking to them.


    "Don''t fret over it, we can always bury the corpses. No one will ever know anything." Frank joked with a cackle, eliciting a displeased glare from Natasha who proceeded to berate him, something that made him oddly pleased.


    "Guys... are you still hungry?" Stephen suddenly asked, his glistening eyes having a hard time tearing themselves off the creatures dipped in their own gore.


    "Yes, why?"


    "I think I''ve just found our dinner." the group looked at him with puzzled expressions before making space for him when he and John scampered back to their feet. Consequently, their appalled visages gnarled into sheer horror when they saw what John was pointing his finger at.


    "It looks good to me..." he said, receiving a nod of approval from Stephen, "Don''t you thin--" he stopped mid-sentence when he noted the hastily scurrying back group fellows, "What are you doing?"


    "What are YOU doing!" Natasha shot back, her voice tinged with dread, "If this is a joke it''s not funny!"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Y-yeah buddy... leave the jokes to me, okay?" Frank chuckled nervously.


    "Jokes? What are you talking about?" Stephen was confused, "Weren''t you hungry?"


    "We are! But we have no intention to eat that!" Sarah exclaimed in abhorrence, her face scrunching up as if she had swallowed a lemon. Just the thought of even smelling the corpses was enough to make her stomach churn, let alone the fact that they were humanoid creatures, not simple animals.


    "Why not?"


    "It stinks! and... and..."


    "Stinks?" it was at that moment that both newly-roused men knew where the problem laid on. To them, the dead bodies had an inviting fragrance that drew them in the more they whiffed it. But the rest of them actually believed that the corpses reeked. That was indeed worthy of opening a debate about.


    Stephen racked his brain, trying to understand why he was craving so much to eat something that would have made him frown in disgust any other day. But the smell was so good, he was hardly holding himself back from devouring the carcasses, and he could tell John was feeling the same. Yet from the looks of it what they were desiring was not normal, and that disturbed him. He knew for a fact that it was very abnormal, or so was what his rational side quietly told him. But his stomach deeply wished for him to sink his teeth into that flesh.


    He was getting scared.


    "Good... we''ll take the bodies out and go find something to eat." John proposed, but his eyes were dazed, "Is that good?"


    Natasha nodded, seemingly not noticing his weird behavior, "Yes... just be careful outside, okay?" she wanted to stop them from delving into the forest again, but they really needed food and water if they wanted to get out of that place.


    "No worries."


    <hr>


    The wind breezed through their hair as the two men made their way into the forestland, dragging the cadavers along by their skinny legs. The weather was about to get nasty, so they threaded through the woods with haste, hoping to catch something to satisfy the group as well. Stopping on a clearing, they propped the creatures on the soil.


    The sky rumbled with angry thunders, the perfect prelude of the monsoon that was about to fall. Stephen took a moment to reorganize his thoughts before speaking in a low tone, "Do you think we are weird?"


    John remained as expressionless as ever, "I don''t know..." he gazed at the sky for an instant, "I feel like I''ve changed... but I don''t know if it for better or for worse..."


    "That... that screen-like thingy... did you get it too?" the younger man inquired hesitantly. Right after he killed that greenish thing a message had suddenly popped in afore him, yet he hadn''t enough time to mull over it since he had fainted right after that.


    "Uh huh."


    "Good... I''m not crazy, haha..." Stephen turned around and started sauntering back, "Let''s go." but his words fell into empty ears, the older man was still rooted to his spot, glowering hungrily at the lifeless creatures sprawled inelegantly on the ground, his breath hastening.


    "I... I..." John clenched his fist, fighting back a stubborn urge that seemed about to burst out of his body, "I''m hungry!" he crouched down, clutching the sides of his head as he squeezed his eyes shut, "Why do I need to eat so desperately!?" he roared out, his face twisted in pain.


    "J-John..." Stephen widened his eyes, "You..." he was speechless, yet he couldn''t help but feel weird mutations going on through his body. Before he knew it, he was also squatted on his knees, short-winded. "What is going on...?" he barred his eyelids down for the ocular appendages within had started burning. His hand covered his mouth, seemingly a meaningless struggle to hamper his canines from prodding any further out of his lips.


    His fingers dug slits on the muddy soil as he tried to grasp onto something to vent out the waves of pain flooding his body. A foreign yet tempting voice in his mind coaxed him into unleashing what he was caging inside, yet he refused to bow down to its whims, which only further intensified the agony he was enduring.


    His head abruptly crooked to the side with a crunching noise. He gasped, his eyes altering into a deep mirror-like red color before reverting back to normal. His tongue unconsciously traced over his teeth as he haltingly stood up, slowly strolling his way to the nearest corpse.


    A quick glimpse to the side disclosed a ravenous John who was deliriously gobbling down the humanoid''s left arm, his mouth deep into its flesh, blood smearing his cheeks before dripping down on his clothes.


    Stephen felt compelled to imitate his groupmate, so without any more hesitation, he grabbed the corpse by the arm, and dived his canines into its neck. With a violent haul, he tore a chunk of flesh out, blood spattering out as he licked the remains off of his lips with a pleased hum. Satisfaction seeped into his bones as he kept on eating it, munching noises echoing out in the small clearing. His actions were done unconsciously, clearly driven by something.


    Time slowly passed by, and when Stephen finally came to his senses, the first thing his eyes fell on was the half-eaten humanoid close-by him, a red mess all over the place and on his hands, "W-what the hell!" he scooted back in frenzy, his shoulders quivering from the lousy realization that had dawned upon him. He felt full. No trace of his previous maddening hunger whatsoever.


    John that was a few yards away was gaping at the space in front him, fingers fluttering up and down as he tried to touch something. "John! We... we... did we just?" his voice cracked as he stuttered out, his vocal cords not cooperating with him to formulate a complete and comprehensible sentence.


    "..."


    "John?"


    "Look to your side."


    "... my side?" Stephen dumbly parroted, "What...?"


    Following his instructions, he tilted his head to the right. What greeted him was a bunch of overlapped screens similar to what he had received before quietly hovering before him.


    [You have gained 1 point in Dexterity.]


    [You have gained the skill Basic Sword Arts, Lv.1]


    [You have gained 1% in Evolution.]


    [Eat. Devour. Absorb. Stave your hunger with the world, for you are The Predator.]

 Chapter 4: Just Take it For Granted, Stephen

    Stephen gawked in bewilderment at the screens hovering by his side. His brain sparked in a short circuit, his eyes having a hard time processing the intake of such alien information up to his head. Right before he could open his mouth, memories flashed through his mind, mostly depicting a short-sized creature aimlessly flailing a sword around. Despite that, however, he had the odd feeling that there was an intent behind its unrefined swings, like a clear blueprint of slashes being ineptly carried out.


    Breathing out, he realized that his legs were a bit lighter than they were before, as if a weight wrapped around his ankles had finally been undone. Standing up, he wrinkled his nose, scanning the coarse and dirtied state his clothes were in; patches of blood stained his black shirt, and a rather plentiful amount of it was smudged over the corner of his lips as well. He gulped, the coppery aftertaste still lingered in his tongue, but with his hunger already satiated, his mind wasn''t clouded by his dangerous hunger anymore.


    "J-John... do you have any idea what happened?"


    He was still shaken and deeply aghast by what he had done, but considering that he was quite fond of the taste he couldn''t bring himself to be disgusted by it. At this point, he was more disturbed by the fact that he was so calm about it. Furthermore remembering the content of the prompts that still mockingly floated nigh him, he felt agitated. None of it made any goddamn sense to him!


    "No idea... I..." John took a deep soothing breath, "I think it''ll be hard to go back home..." he leaned his blood-stained arms upon his knees as he sat down, taking out a handkerchief to clean the mess out of his face.


    "How so?"


    "Intuition, but please, do take my opinion with a grain of salt..." he sighed grimly, "Everything that happened thus far was ridiculous... and I doubt this will be the last thing that''s gonna jumpscare us," he pointed at the unrecognizable corpses, "And... these screens," he waved his hands in the air, "Where do they even come from?"


    Stephen paused for an instant, "Do you think that someone may... have put some kind of technological shit in our brains or something?" he truly considered that theory, seeing floating boxes around him was a good enough proof to make him concerned, but apparently, John was dealing with the same problem too. Was it really a coincidence?


    At the question the older man furrowed his brows "I''m not excluding the possibility but... it''d be very advanced technology... and, I''m sure you also experienced those weird memories a moment ago, right?"


    Stephen nodded, "I did, it was about the goblin I killed practicing swordsmanship, I think..."


    "I also got memories from the short-sized man I killed, I even got a skill or so it seems..."


    "What about that last message?" Stephen''s face stretched in seriousness as he queried, "It said something about me... or us in this case, being predators..."


    John scratched his head, "That''s... complicated. I''m also at a loss, I can only make assumptions." he then looked at the younger man''s eyes and said, "Also, I believe that it would not be safe for us to tell the others about this, I don''t know how they''d react." he thought it over a bit before adding, "At least for now. "


    "Killing those weird things was the trigger for us getting those messages... or so do I believe," Stephen voiced out his thoughts, "I wonder if it works only with them or any other creature, besides, if we are going to stay here for quite some time, I doubt that the existence of..." he frowned, trying to come up with an appropriate term as he pointed to the space around him, "... this thing will stay hidden from them, hell, they might get it too."


    "That''s true, but they''re different, aren''t they?" John narrowed his eyes, "The rest of the group wishes to safely get back home, why should we spoil their hopes with our problems?"


    "But this might become THEIR problem too." Stephen retorted, "This whole place is ridiculous, and as you said before, weird things will surely happen again, we need insurance that we can survive here for the time being." he stood back up as he dusted himself, "Let''s go back and fetch the weapons the creatures dropped, we gonna need them if we want to bring back something to eat."


    "Do you really want to go back in these conditions?" the dark-skinned man wrinkled his nose, his hands waving over him up and down. "We are full of blood, they''ll be suspicious..." he rubbed his chin in consideration before proposing, "We can go hunting right now, then say we got the blood from the animal we killed, though it''s a bit of a lackluster excuse, it''s still something, unless you have a better idea."


    Stephen shook his head, "Okay, but what about the weapons?"


    "Here, take this." he drew out a knife from his jacket as he threw it to him, "You must have gotten a sword related skill, haven''t you?"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Stephen rolled his eyes, catching the blade mid-air, "I don''t know if it works, and even if it does, do you really think a creature like that can possess refined and otherworldly skills?"


    "Might as well try it, we''re gonna hunt weak and small creatures anyway, nothing that deserves a high level of skill."


    "Good."


    <hr>


    The wind started picking up speed, allowing the rustles to camouflage the sound of twigs and leaves being stepped upon. It took them a couple of hours to finally find something meaty and edible, aside oversized insects that buzzed around them. The weather was getting worse by the minute, so that massive and weird-looking rabbit was considered a godsend to them. It quickly attracted their curiosity because not only was it way bigger than a normal rabbit should be, it also had a small horn that curved inwards on its crown.


    "That''s gonna be delicious, ain''t it?" Stephen licked his lips, feeling the hunger coming back anew, "Also, what the hell is it? There''s no way that''s a rabbit..."


    John heaved a breath as he replied in a low timbre to not startle their soon to be prey, "Just take it for granted Stephen, after yesterday I''m afraid it will be very hard to surprise me again."


    "Is that so?"


    Stephen focused on the white animal as he steadied his breath, his eyes unwavering. He scanned it, reveling in the uniqueness of that rabbit, something so familiar yet foreign that he couldn''t help enjoy watching it wagging its whiskers around, looking for food. However, to his surprise, a message suddenly popped up in front of him.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [One-Horned Rabbit, Age: 1 year, Rank: None, Encore Power: 0]


    "Weeell... that''s interesting," he whispered amusedly, at this point more resigned than wary of these screens.


    "What''s interesting?"


    "Oh... I just got a message, it seems that the rabbit over there is called ''One-Horned Rabbit'' or so is what it is saying here..." he stared at the black screen, slowly reading its content out aloud "1-year-old, no rank, and it has no Encore Power..."


    "Encore Power?" John was puzzled.


    "I have no idea what it is..."


    "By the way, how did you find its information?"


    Stephen shrugged, "I just concentrated on the rabbit, seeking unusual places... you know it''s not an everyday thing seeing a rabbit with a freakin'' horn. If my phone had signal I would have taken a snapshot of it," he ended with a cackle.


    John shook his head in dismay before following his younger comrade''s instructions, and as he said, its information was quickly displayed in front of him.


    "How do we catch it?" Stephen asked.


    "We don''t have the time to lay out traps, nor do we have food to lure it to us..." John pondered, "And--"


    However, just as he was about to speak again, an elongated and titanic shadow jumped out of the dense foliage, opened its maw, and in an instant the unaware rabbit was merrily on its way down the newly-arrived monster''s stomach before it quickly slithered away in the darkness of the forest, leaving a deep trail behind on the ground.


    "W-what was that?" Stephen''s eyes stretched so apart they almost popped out of their sockets. With a blanched face he stuttered out, "That... that looked way too huge to be a snake, no... even an anaconda for that matter..." he slowly spun his body around, shivers crawling through his skin, "John?"


    The man in question was still blinking at the chunk of grass the rabbit was cutely snugged in, utterly gobsmacked. He faced Stephen, his brows soaked in sweat, "We... should probably eat something else for today, yes... l-let''s go." his usually expressionless face was twitching, his eyes unskillfully trying to conceal the deep anxiety and panic within.


    It seemed he was wrong regarding the difficulty of being surprised again.


    <hr>


    Getting back to the cave, the rest of the group immediately noticed the depressing aura looming over them. They had only managed to bring back a few odd fruits, which was not enough to fill their teeth, but after explaining their rather unwanted encounter with an impossibly huge snake, and how it had rudely snatched their meal, nobody complained again. Slowly but surely the hope of getting out of the forest was becoming dimmer, and it sparked great restlessness among them.


    As John had expected, the blood on their clothes drew their attention. Fortunately, Stephen came up with the disgusting excuse of using the humanoids'' limbs and blood to attract animals, which managed to abate their suspicions, somehow. They were more worried about their situation than the few stains on their clothes.


    "This tastes weird..." Frank frowned after taking a huge bite of the colorful fruit, "It tastes like... sweaty balls..." he forced the mouthful down his throat.


    "For the love of God, Frank!" Natasha lashed out, disgusted by his, once again, dirty comment, "There are kids here!"


    "I''m not a kid..." Sarah pouted, something that John found queerly cute.


    Daphne looked displeased as well, but made no remarks.


    "I''m more curious about how you know what sweaty balls taste like," Stephen chimed in with a growing smirk, "Did you deepthroat one of those oily and hairy sportsmen?"


    "Stephen!" the red-haired woman slapped his arm, "Seriously, you''re all so crass,"


    Frank mouthed out a silent ''Fuck you'' as he gave the younger man the middle-finger when Natasha was looking, lest he incurred her wrath yet again.


    "Ehm... John..." Natasha suddenly started, her tone hesitant, "About that gun... you..."


    "Nothing you need to worry about, Natasha." John derailed from the topic, "I needed it for my job."


    At that everyone seemed to relax, especially Sarah that heaved a sigh of relief, though Stephen felt that there was more to it than he let on. The group didn''t seem intent to spy on each other''s private affairs anyway, so they hardly talked about themselves. The dinner passed by with small chit-chats and occasional laughs, something that was very welcome. The food didn''t taste as good as they hoped, but they were hungry, so they had put up with it.


    Outside the sky showered the lands with heavy rain, its familiar noise filtering in the cave as it ever so slowly lulled the group to sleep. Despite their initial uneasiness, they were gradually adapting, or so was what they wished to believe in. Going back home started to look like a sugar-coated fiction to them, but nobody wanted to give up. They latched onto that last straw that allured their minds into claiming that everything would turn out fine. But two people among them were thinking otherwise.


    With that, their second day in the forest came to an end.

 Chapter 5: Harvest

    Stephen groaned, courtesy of a searing pain that shot through his temples. His lips parted, unveiling two small protruding fangs as his eyes suddenly snapped open, allowing the crimson orbs within to scan over the silent cave, disrupted only by Frank''s loud snoring. His head bent sideways with a sickening cracking sound, but his brain registered no pain.


    There it was, that unquenchable hunger that plagued him multiple times the previous night, but he had managed to stifle it somehow. This time it stroke back anew, fiercer, unforgivable, demanding.


    Wasting no time, he picked the rusty-edged sword up with him as he sneakily tiptoed out of the cave, his nose wagging in the morning air. Looking up, dark clouds littered the sky, allowing no room for the sun to shine through. He could only find solace in the fact that the rain had stopped, but he doubted it would have kept this way throughout the rest of the day. Knowing that it was the best time to hunt, he set off.


    He dashed through the trees, zigzagging left and right as he explored the land. Considering what he had been through, he knew it was dangerous, but he couldn''t help the thrill pumping in his veins. That alchemy between danger and adventure stimulated something inside him.


    His ears suddenly perked up, perceiving a small presence encroaching in, hopping around the grassland. Taking a quick glimpse to the side, a smile marred his features, his red eyes completely engrossed on the white fluffy creature. If he remembered correctly, the name of its species was One-Horned Rabbit, though this one was way smaller, even its horn was still in its growing stage. Stephen''s pupils narrowed into slits as he readied himself to pounce anytime.


    [One-Horned Rabbit, Age: 2 Months, Rank: None, Encore Power: 0]


    However, it seemed the rabbit noticed him for its long ears tensed, and just as it was about to quickly hop away, Stephen darted towards it. Despite the starting advantage, the small thing was surprisingly quick, scurrying away with jumps that covered sizeable chunks of the terrain. Knowing that competing with it in a race was a lost cause, he used his free hand to grab a handful of rocks from the ground, and then proceeded to clumsily fling them towards the small animal.


    The rabbit didn''t seem perturbed by his underhanded tactics as it managed to evade all of his throws with unruffled grace. He never knew he''d have to struggle so much to catch a rabbit, but he couldn''t deny that he enjoyed chasing it through the thickets. He kept throwing whatever he found on the soil at the rabbit, hoping to exhaust it faster by forcing it to make unwanted swerves.


    His efforts were soon rewarded when he noticed its speed drastically slackening. Nonetheless, he was also heaving from the fatigue, victim of his own straining efforts to slow it down, hence his legs were burning from the continuous burden he was imposing onto them.


    Yet he didn''t want to give up in light of this. Unconsciously growling, he sped up, startling the rabbit as it noticed its pursuer closing in with a last burst of speed. Stephen gripped tightly his sword, his knuckles whitening from the pressure as he swung it down towards the rabbit who promptly leaped out of the way, but its balance was broken and it stumbled down as a consequence.


    Not bothering to correct his aim, he used the sword as a blunt weapon, bringing it down right on the rabbit''s defenseless head, instantly killing it as its skull caved in, blood sprinkling out from the wound.


    [Basic Sword Arts has reached Lv.2]


    Licking his lips, he grinned in satisfaction - waving the sudden screen off - before he seized the rabbit by its ears, and sunk his sharpened canines into its soft flesh. Its neck broke with a crunch as Stephen delighted himself on the flavor of blood that lit up his taste buds in a dance of pleasures. Ripping a chunk of flesh off, he chewed on it with gusto before biting off another slab.


    Swallowing the last piece of meat, he released a contented burp before sitting down in satisfaction, his back leaning against a tree''s trunk, scanning the three new messages that overlapped each other.


    [You have gained 1 point in Dexterity.]


    [You have gained the skill Light Step, Lv.1]


    [You have gained 1% in Evolution.]


    Stephen blinked as he felt his legs twitch a bit. It was his second time already entering in that ravenous state, and each time, his hunger mercilessly took control of his body. Frowning, he processed through the memories that came with the skill. It was about the rabbit he killed hopping around with nimble and fast leaps.


    Standing up, he tried to emulate the rabbit. Taking a step forward, he started running at a faster speed than he was previously capable of whilst randomly jumping and steering. Thanks to the memories, he was able to understand and test the skill to its fullest potential, albeit from what he discerned, he had a long way to go if the skill level was anything to go by.


    [Light Step has reached Lv.2]


    He stopped, slightly panting, but happy nonetheless. Also, it seemed that leveling up a skill didn''t bring memories anymore, probably it was something that came only with the acquiring of a skill or so he deduced in his slightly excited state.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Stephen went hunting for small preys to carry back to the group, and given his newfound speed and skill, he easily harvested two more rabbits, though that was everything he could find in a feasible timespan. He didn''t dare to venture further in the forest, his instincts screamed at him to stop each time he was about to take a step forward out the border that he assumed was a safe zone for the group, something was nesting there, and it reeked of danger.


    Turning around, he threaded back to the cave.


    <hr>


    "Stephen?" Natasha called out when she spotted the handsome young man ambling back, "What are you--" the rest of her question died out in her mouth as her eyesight fell on the two plump rabbits he was gripping on, "Did you..." her stomach rumbled in happiness, which dusted her cheeks in a reddish hue as she averted her gaze, abashed.


    "Yes, Natasha, I went hunting, and this is what I got, hopefully, it''ll be enough for everyone."


    "That was very nice of you!" she beamed, "We finally have some meat to eat." although she was reluctant to eat a rabbit, she was literally starving, so she couldn''t - nor would she - bring herself to care at that moment, "Wait a moment..." she narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the recipients of her appetite before she gasped in surprise, "Horns!?"


    "That... yes." he didn''t hide it, in his opinion, the more they knew, the better. It would certainly cause panic, but it would at least make them aware of the dire situation they were swimming in.


    "That''s... no... a mutation, maybe?" she sounded unsure, her eyes revealing cautiousness coupled with unbridled childish curiosity.


    "No idea," he shrugged, "But they''re not dangerous, of that I assure you." he smiled, which seemed to appease her a bit.


    Footsteps echoed out, and shortly after a tall and burly man showed up. It was John, who was sporting an almost indetectable grin on his face as he hurled the content on his hand onto the ground. Two rabbits. While with the other hand he held a bottle of water, provided by Sarah to whom he was grateful; it was empty though, so he had to fill it up.


    The older man then noticed what was clasped in Stephen''s hands, "You too?" he raised an eyebrow.


    "Yup."


    He nodded, not the least surprised by it. They both knew the reason they were able to catch those elusive and pesky furry bastards anyway, but to Natasha, it was quite a feat, something that put her mind at ease regarding their future need of rations.


    "Good! Very good!" she clapped her hands, an ear-splitting smile etched on her beautiful face, "Today we will have a small feast!"


    Returning back inside the cave, everyone was happy about their sudden harvest, and thus put more energy into gathering twigs and leaves to start a fire with. John proved his knowledge and skills in the field as it took him only a scanty few minutes to light up a fire.


    Of course, they were weirded out by the rabbits'' outlandish appearance, but considering everything that had happened thus far, they were slowly developing immunity to stuff like that.


    Natasha volunteered herself to cook the meat, she had to gut the rabbits and remove their insides before cleaning them, something Sarah didn''t seem capable of, and Daphne averted her gaze when she saw the copious amount of blood dripping off, so the older woman was quite satisfied with herself at finally showing her worth in the group.


    A bunch of twigs pierced through slabs of meat over a crackling fire. The fragrance wafted around, eliciting eager gulps from the group. Stephen and John had already eaten, so they didn''t serve themselves.


    "This is so good!" Frank praised, his cheeks stuffed with meat, his hands moving skillfully back and forth to place more of it in his mouth.


    "Anything tastes good when you''re hungry," Stephen chuckled, "Hey, be careful, don''t eat so fast, the food won''t run away." he smiled amusingly as he stared at a deeply ashamed Natasha who was struggling to swallow a lump of meat stuck in her throat before successfully gulping it down after he patted her back soothingly.


    She exhaled before curling her small nose arrogantly, "I had everything under control." however, it didn''t seem that she believed her own words for she cracked up in giggles right after, earning an even more amused look from Stephen.


    "Aren''t you going to eat? There''s plenty of it," she asked, tucking an unruly lock of red hair behind her flushed ear, her piercing green eyes locked in his blue ones, "Don''t tell me you''re sacrificing yourself for the group''s welfare, a noble image is not fit for you, Stephen." she smirked, seemingly diverted.


    "I''ve already eaten something earlier, so don''t worry," he replied, adding more wood to the fire, "And it tasted better," he finished with a mysterious smile that mesmerized her for a moment.


    "Seriously, Natasha. He''s like... 20 years younger than you, to think you were that kind of woman." Frank chimed in, sighing in disappointment, as if he had just discovered another side of the red-haired beauty, "It seems I have no chance, alas." nevertheless, he promptly shut up when he noticed the glare he was getting from her.


    "You wouldn''t have a chance regardless." she rolled her eyes, not bothering to pay him any more attention, "Daphne? Eat more, you''ll need any energy you can get." she looked at the black-haired young woman who was reluctantly nibbling on her food.


    "I... I''m not fond of meat..." she frowned.


    "What?" Frank was astonished, his mouth hung open, "Meat is literally the greatest thing God ever made! Oh... and bacon, oh lord, bacon..."


    "You should still eat it." John suggested, "It may be the only thing we''ll have to eat for a while."


    Daphne nodded hesitatingly.


    "To think you were a veggie." the potbellied man shook his head mournfully, "No wonder you have such great figure, still... women are better with a bit of fat, not overly so, but... ya know what I mean, right?" he cackled as he gesticulated.


    "Oh gosh..." Natasha pinched the bridge of her nose, "You''re truly... agh!" she threw her hands up in the air, ignoring him once again.


    "By the way, when are we getting out of here?" Sarah suddenly asked.


    "We need more time." John assumed a serious pose, "This forest is way more dangerous than we thought, and... weird things are happening... it would not be wise to abruptly depart with no exact direction and preparation."


    Sarah dropped her with strained sight, but there was nothing they could do. The rainstorms were very violent, and they hadn''t seen any sign of helicopters or others sort of vehicles passing by, not that they had high expectation anyway.


    Snuffing out the fire, they leaned on the rocky walls of the cave, it was not night yet, but they were already a bit tired. The time seemed to flow by at a very slow pace. There was no signal, no internet, no battery, nothing to distract them with. Thunders intermittently rang out, its lights filtering through the cave. Everybody had different thoughts whirling in their heads. With a lot of time at hand, they mostly spent it chatting, and when they were not, they tried to get entertained in the most stupid ways, sometimes chuckles and giggles would fill the place.


    That place was ever so slowly becoming hell.

 Chapter 6: Awakened

    Slowly stirring awake, Natasha rubbed her eyes with a tired grunt as she leaned her body up, the cruel realization that she was still in the dank cave struck her with resignation. How she wished everything was just a dream, no, a nightmare. They had been living in that place for almost a week now, and it was for almost a week that she hadn''t taken a bath. Fortunately, she was not the only suffering from such a fate, so although she was not feeling good, it made her mood better knowing she was not the only one stinking.


    Using the rainwater to clean their bodies was not as good as she had hoped, she needed her soap and shampoo, and definitely clean clothes, but she couldn''t be nitpicky right now.


    Stifling a yawn, she stretched her joints, which popped in satisfaction. Peering over from her position she noticed that everyone was asleep, aside John who seemed to be hunting, something they were grateful for. Blinking, she redirected her eyesight on Stephen who had just stood up and picked his blood-stained sword up, ready to fare out.


    Her lips curved up into a pleased smile when she saw that he was about to mingle with John in his endeavors, which they had been partaking in rather frequently. Nobody was happier than her knowing they didn''t need to concern themselves about food or water, but she felt kinda ashamed for not proving herself to be more useful aside cooking the meat, something she was sure they were perfectly capable of even without her help.


    Quietly sneaking away, she decided to at least wish him a safe hunt, but by the time she had made up her mind, the younger man was nowhere in sight. Frowning, she stepped out of the cave, hugging herself against the wind as she scanned the so-called ''Safe Zone'' John had explained to the group a couple of days prior. They were clueless as for what was prowling further away from it since the older man had been very cursory regarding his information.


    Striding through the brushes, she caught Stephen''s form staving off in the distance, the dense underbrush almost covering him altogether. He was definitely out of the ''Safe Zone'' which perplexed her. She thought that it was dangerous out there, but here he was calmly loitering around it like it was his house''s backyard.


    "Stephen!" she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, hoping for him to turn around and notice her presence, "Stephen!!" the constant crack of thunders muffled her intentions of getting ahold of his attention, and before long his form wasn''t discernable anymore, utterly cloaked by the dense foliage and shrubbery.


    Growling in annoyance, she stubbornly threaded through the same path he had just walked on with haste whilst trying not to trip over.


    Thunderclaps kept on rumbling out as the sky darkened. Natasha shivered, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to fend off the cold, or the fear that was currently blowing its freezing breath down her spine, she wasn''t sure. Her face twisted into a hesitant frown before she decided to go back, she could always get up earlier the next morning so as to accomplish her unfulfilled duty.


    Turning around, she froze in her steps, her face scrunching up in petrifying fear. In front of her was a greenish short-sized humanoid creature, its ugly features and jagged teeth were way too familiar to her still processing mind. Definitely, one of the worst memories she''d bring back to Manhattan if she''d ever had the chance to actually go back.


    One hand was holding onto a wooden and aged scepter, a dull crimson gem fixed on its top. Shabby black robes were draped over its shoulders, way too big for its weak and skinny frame.


    "Grrrgh..." it rattled out menacingly as it lifted the wooden scepter up, the dull gem glistened for a moment before a fireball magically spawned mid-air, defying gravity. Natasha covered her mouth, an involuntary gasp quenching the squeak of fright that was about to slip past her lips. To say that she was aghast would have been an underrated statement.


    The orb of fire suddenly bustled up as it darted towards her at a basketball throw-like speed, something she managed to avoid by a breath''s air as she ducked under it, the rolling heat caressing her waving hair before the fire slammed onto a small chunk of grass, lighting it up.


    Wasting no time, she recovered from her surprise as she started running away from the creature back to the safe zone, which prompted it to chase after her.


    Glimpsing back, she noticed another ball of fire hurtling at her. She unconsciously threw herself out of its aim, her hands bracing themselves for the impact against the jagged ground. With a dull thud, she flopped down, her elbows and palms bearing the consequences of her action as a bit of blood dribbled down onto the soil from her bruises.


    "Ugh..." she groaned out, her wobbly legs trying to stand back up.


    The creature arrived in front of her, slightly short-winded, its shoulders quivering up and down. It snarled, raising the scepter up again, however, instead of the fireball it used to fling at her, a very small fire sparked to life, just a bit bigger than the fire of a lighter.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Natasha''s eyes locked onto that tiny fireball before a grin marred her pretty features, "It seems you''ve ran out of energy too, haven''t you?" she was angry, no, it was something inside of her that was raging, furious, ignited, hungry. And it was burning for revenge.


    Mustering all the strength she had left, she forced herself to stand straight before launching herself at the creature just as the fire flew at her, its speed drastically slower than before. She didn''t bother to dodge it, all of her focus was set on that thirst to vent her anger upon its, now scared, perpetrator.


    Feeling a sting above her left eye to which she ignored, she clutched, with surprising strength, the humanoid creature''s thin waist, and proceeded to push it down onto the soil. It roared out, trying to scratch Natasha and hoping that making her feel pain would free it, but she was busy snatching the scepter from its hand, not bothering to deal with its futile attempts to hurt her.


    Finally getting ahold of it, she used her free hand and knees to shift the weight of her body upon its smaller one, making it be rooted supinely in place. Natasha giggled as she started pounding its head with the bottom tip of the wooden scepter, that, albeit not sharp, was enough to injure the creature.


    "How do you like that!?" she smashed the scepter on its slowly rupturing skull, blood sprinkling out, "Is it good!? Tell me, you cock-sucking motherfucker!" she cursed with a snarl, something she would have never done if she was in her senses, but unfortunately for the creature, she was hellbent on getting her revenge.


    Smiling, she tightly grabbed the wooden shaft of the scepter, and aimed its bloodied tip on the creature''s softest spot, its eyes. Drilling it down, the tip made contact with the eyeball, bursting it instantly as the short-sized humanoid wailed with a disturbing shriek that could have made anyone feel how much pain whoever was enduring that torture from the voice alone. Blood splashed on her face as a flash of lightning suddenly roared in the sky. The clouds gathered, ready to drop a downpour, as if to wash the gruesome scene beneath.


    Yellow pus flowed out of the creature''s messy eyesocket, and shortly after it stopped squirming with a final death rattle. Trembling, Natasha lobbed away the scepter, tears cornering her wavering eyes. Looking at her blood-stained shaking hands, she opened her mouth, but no voice came out as she choked on the air, the heavy tang of blood made her stomach turn upside down. Scurrying away from the corpse she turned around and retched with unladylike sounds.


    The awareness of what she had done hit her like a freight as she slumped down in a fit of sobs. Her body started feeling weird, her vision spinning. Trying to get a hold of herself, she noticed something hovering afore her bloodshot eyes.


    [You have awakened.]


    Puzzled, her eyelids fluttered closed before darkness encompassed her mind. It was in that moment that droplets of water started showering down from the dark lining of clouds overhead, announcing the arrival of yet another rainstorm that would have haunted the forest for many hours to come.


    <hr>


    [You have gained 1 point in Dexterity.]


    [Light Step has reached Lv.5]


    [Basic Sword Arts has reached Lv.5]


    [You have gained 1% in Evolution.]


    [You have killed a total of 10 ''One-Horned Rabbit'', extract bloodline?]


    Stephen looked at the screens, feeling satisfied with his gains. It had been several days since he started hunting, and although at first, he was a bit skeptical about it, he quickly noticed his body strengthening on its own. After every successful hunt, the euphoria drugged him in its tempting embrace and coaxed him into killing and eating more. He liked it, the power, the despaired look on his preys'' eyes as he asserted his dominance over them, something so primal and ancient, yet he knew it was not wrong.


    The more he got it, the more he wanted it.


    Studying the last screen, he was curious, it was something he had never gotten before. He had been killing only rabbits, something that seemed to hinder his progress as his skills were leveling at a slower pace than usual, and he hardly got that 1% in Evolution and 1 point in Dexterity anymore. Now that he thought about it, he didn''t know what that evolution thing entailed, and how it would affect him, but it didn''t seem a negative thing, so he never bothered paying it more attention than he already had.


    Thinking how to answer the screen''s question, he tried saying ''Yes'' aloud, and it seemed to work for the screen suddenly dissolved into black smoke that whirled around his body before seeping into his nose and mouth, prompting his body to jerk backward.


    Falling down, he felt an abrupt pain washing over his body and mind before it vanished as quickly as it came.


    [You have extracted ''One-Horned Rabbit'' bloodline.]


    [You have gained 5 points in Dexterity.]


    [You have gained the skill Footwork, Lv.1]


    Readying himself for a memory that didn''t come, he frowned. Standing back up, he looked at his legs, they felt so light yet so full of power that he was itching to try his newfound power out. Grinning, he dashed in a random direction, relishing in the surprisingly quick speed he was running at, the wind comfortably fondling his face. At this point, he was sure he was faster than the fastest man in the world, "Hah! Take that, Usain Bolt." he cackled.


    Actually, not only was he faster, even his sword swings were quicker and swifter, which was the reason why he was able to dispose of those rabbits so easily. His hands could move so fast those small furballs had literally almost no time to react before their heads were severed by his blade. The increase in Dexterity and in his skills was slowly morphing him into a superhuman.


    Thunders rumbled in the sky as a droplet of water glided on his forehead and trailed half of his face before trickling down onto the ground.


    Looking up, he mumbled to himself, "Hmm, it seems hunt time came to an end." he didn''t dare to stay there during rainstorms, it usually was the time when bigger preys would creep out, and he wasn''t stupid enough to confront them. The image of that snake still lingered in his head, and he knew he was no match for it. But he was sure that the day would come when he''d prey on it.


    Picking his harvest up, he headed back with a grin.

 Chapter 7: Danger

    The rain announced its arrival followed by the bellow of thunders, that like snakes, slithered and clashed against each other through the clouds, unrelenting. Stephen who had just stepped back in the cave, leisurely propped his harvest on the ground as he curiously scanned the whole group who were sporting restless frowns. Frank was leaning on the damp wall of the cave, his foot drumming against the soil.


    "Frank?" Stephen called out once he caught sight of the potbellied middle-aged man, "What happened?" he hinted with his eyes towards the rest of the group who was uncharacteristically silent, even Natasha''s cheerful greetings were missing today, "Wait! Where''s Natasha?" he furiously eyed left and right to make sure he didn''t disregard her presence, but no matter how much he scoured the cave for her, she was not there.


    "She..." Frank''s frown deepened, "... she''s not here, Stephen... we have no idea where she went... when," he nibbled his upper lip in shame, "... when we woke up she was not here..."


    "How''s that possible? Where the fuck could have she gone to?" Stephen felt concern clutch his stomach in its merciless grip, "She didn''t go hunting, did she?"


    "No... but she''s been trying hard to..." the older man averted his gaze with a sigh, " ... to prove herself to the group... so I don''t know..."


    "That foolish woman..."


    Frank smiled bitterly, not bothering to correct him. Everyone was afraid of being left behind, especially them who aside from periodically complaining and eating the food they''d been provided with, they were pretty much worthless, so he could kinda understand where Natasha was coming from. John and Stephen could practically survive on their own, it was the cruel truth, that after all they were not needed.


    "I''ll go look for her."


    He spun around before a hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks, "Wait, Stephen, it''s dangerous right now... it''s raining, should you come across a creature," he gazed deep into the younger man''s eyes as he warned, "It certainly won''t be a rabbit."


    Stephen stared back at him from the corner of his eyes, "You''re telling me to abandon her?"


    "No." John shook his head, "But something bad might happen... no, my gut feeling is actually telling it WILL happen," he pulled his hand back reluctantly, "I just want to make you aware that you may not be coming back tonight." his words were laced with a hidden meaning as he secretly stole a glance at Sarah before regrouping with others, his expression unreadable.


    The group looked at him worriedly, but none of them tried to persuade him into staying, someone had to go looking for Natasha, and they had to put that burden upon him, something that didn''t make them feel well, but it was way too dangerous for them to delve in the forest, and the weather would have only made things harder. They could only hope he''d successfully bring their missing member back.


    He stayed silent for a moment. Steeling his resolve, he bustled out of the cave under the group''s complex gazes. He knew that John''s suggestion was the wisest one, worthy of a levelheaded man who rarely showed his emotions. But Stephen wasn''t capable of that, during these days he had interacted a lot with Natasha, and he came to quite like the older woman''s bubbly personality and her heart-warming smile, a far cry from what he was used to back at home.


    She was a hard-working woman who always bothered to take care of the group as the matriarch. So why shouldn''t he ensure her safety? Stephen''s eyes flashed a deep red before he welcomed the whistling wind and the rumbling thunders.


    He''d make sure she''ll be okay.


    <hr>


    Steadfastly threading through the brushes, Stephen tried his best to ignore the beastly roars that proliferated from the distance, occasionally accompanied by deep booming sounds. He looked around the perimeter of the Safe Zone. Natasha didn''t seem like the kind of woman who''d ignore their warnings not to go further from it, after all, she had no reason to go there anyway, but just to be safe he decided to check it out.


    Just as he reached the place, however, he noticed that faint sounds of footsteps running in the distance reached his ears through the cacophony of noises that were intermittently ringing out in the forest. Frowning, he silently skulked it, wanting to make sure it had nothing to do with Natasha''s disappearance.


    From behind a fairly big tree, he spied on what he recognized as short-sized men, similar to those the group had once stumbled upon. There weren''t many of them, he counted 3, and all of them were somehow in possession of some kind of protective gears, though said equipment was mostly battered and worn out, but apparently, it gave them a false sense of security, it was better wearing it than not, or so was what he mused.


    Slinking behind another tree to get a broader field of vision, he finally noticed what the short-sized men were making all that fuss about. The red hair was a dead giveaway, and he instantly knew that the lithe and unconscious form that was slouched on the ground near a puddle of vomit was Natasha.


    He didn''t understand why she was there, or even unconscious for that matter, but looking at another form, smaller and way uglier that laid on its own pool of gore made him roughly realize what had transpired there.


    "She has awakened," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the creatures'' reaction.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Goblin, Age: 50 days, Rank: 0, Encore Power: 0]


    [Goblin, Age: 39 days, Rank: 0, Encore Power: 0]


    [Goblin, Age: 43 days, Rank: 0, Encore Power: 5]


    Stephen gawked as he studied the screens. Goblins? He certainly knew what goblins were, one of the games he used to play had a huge quantity of them, and they came in many shapes and sizes, usually depicted as the weakest of the monsters, but was that really true?


    Also, one of them even had 5 values of Encore Power, and although he still hadn''t a clue as for what it was, he knew it wasn''t something to scoff at. And contrary to the ''One-Horned Rabbit'' none rank, the goblins had a numerical value of 0, which was basically the same, so why were they different?


    Reorganizing his thoughts, he waved off the trail of thoughts he was losing himself in as he concentrated on the creatures. However, he had to change his plans for Natasha''s eyes slowly flickered open, and to his surprise, instead of crimson pools both he and John donned when they were in the so-called ''Hungry State'', hers were of a mesmerizing amethyst color, almost like crystals that glowed in the darkness of the sky.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "Ugh... hmm... what is this smell?" she groggily looked up before scurrying backward when her eyes fell on her guests, "No... no... you... no..." her fingers jabbed into the soil as she tried to placate her trembling body, "Help!" she futilely called out, which prompted the goblins to release a chuckle-like rattle, "Someone! Please, I need help!"


    Stephen steadied his grip on the sword, ready to slaughter the goblin nearest to him in a moment''s notice, but what happened next made him question reality.


    "That''s what I''d say if I actually needed any help," Natasha giggled, clambering back to her feet as she dusted her back, her eyes scanning her surroundings, "Hey Steph, why don''t you come out? A banquet is going on, and I''m afraid I won''t be able to eat all these..." she licked her lips in anticipation, her fingers fluttering up to point at the goblins snarling at her, "...delicacies alone."


    Dumbfounded, he stepped out of his hiding, crimson orbs locked into amethyst gems under a thundering sky.


    "Yes." she nodded approvingly while eyeing him up and down, "You definitely look sexier with red eyes." she smiled.


    "..." Stephen blinked, not really understanding why she had such a sudden twist of personality, but stopped paying it any more attention for the goblins started growling vigilantly as they peered at him.


    "Kill them for me, okay?" Natasha winked sultrily at him before skipping over the goblin she had previously killed, "Hmm, this smells good," she crouched down - tucking her hair behind her ear - while holding the dead goblin''s head up before proceeding to sink her growing canines into its unprotected neck.


    Stephen followed her with his gaze, shaking his head with an amused smile on his face, "Well, did you hear her?" he lifted his sword up as he took a step forward, "I have to kill all of you pieces of shit." chuckling, he sprinted with a ridiculous speed towards the goblin closest to him, and before it even had a chance to use its shabby shield to fend off the incoming attack, the blade of his sword flared by, followed by a flying head that flopped onto the ground with a thump.


    Blood spilled out like a fountain from the stump of the now dead goblin, framing a chunk of the soil in red brush strokes, right before the corpse wobbled and fell into it.


    "Delicious." Stephen licked the blood off his fingers, his crimson eyes glowing in delight, "Who''s next?"


    The goblins couldn''t possibly understand his language, but the unbridled mocking tone his voice dripped with didn''t make them pleased.


    "Grrragh!" one of the goblins who had a huge broadsword in its hand roared out before pouncing towards him.


    Stephen identified that goblin as the one who had measly points of Encore Power available, and he was fairly curious to know how it would use them, granted that it knew how to use them, of course.


    Sidestepping, he evaded the slash with ease. Sensing an encroaching shadow, he ducked under another attack that came from a mace-wielding bulky goblin behind him.


    Frowning, he used his growing momentum to waltz a step back, right when the goblin was about to go for another attack at him - its hand still airborne - he nimbly spun his blade around and chopped, severing its arm along with a section of its shoulder, blood sprinkled everywhere as its body tumbled to the ground with a pained shriek. No doubt about to die from blood loss.


    [Footwork has reached Lv.2]


    "Minus one." he cackled gleefully.


    "Stop wasting time, Steph, and kill it... it''s dangerous staying here." Natasha''s voice rang as she draped one leg over the other, her back leaning against a trunk, leisurely nibbling on a slab of goblin meat, "Hmm, the rib is truly the best part."


    "Yes, ma''am." Stephen truly had no idea what happened to the older woman, her eyes were glowing in mischievousness. Was it because she had just awakened? Was it some kind of side effect?


    Rolling his eyes he decided to quickly kill it. She was right, it was not wise staying there any longer than they needed, but he had been caught up in the thrill of the fight.


    Moving his hand way faster then it could perceive, the last goblin''s arm slid down from its bleeding stub, its heavy broadsword falling onto the ground with a muffled thump. It fell on its knees trying to defiantly endure the pain as it malignantly stared at Stephen.


    "You''ve tried." he mouthed out, slashing his sword down at its neck, ending its already slowly fading life.


    Looking down at the bloody mess, he cut off a chunk of meat from its torso before stuffing it inside his mouth.


    [You have gained 1 point in Strength.]


    [You have gained 2 points in Encore Power.]


    [Basic Sword Arts has reached Lv.6]


    [You have gained 1% in Evolution.]


    He breathed out, feeling a sliver of foreign energy washing the insides of his body as it coursed through his veins before vanishing in the depths of his heart. It was truly a wondrous sensation, he felt refreshed and relaxed, the tiredness he had been dealing with instantly dissolved. The only disappointment was that he didn''t have a hunch at what its purpose was or how to even draw it out, he hoped the goblin would have used it, but maybe it was for the better, if it was dangerous then there was a fair chance that he would have been the one with his head on the soil.


    "S-Stephen? I... I... what happened?" Natasha''s feeble and scared voice resounded.


    Turning his head around, he stared at the red-haired woman whose eyes had changed back to the usual vibrant green he was used to look at, "Natasha?" he approached her with fast steps, "Why did you suddenly start behaving... weirdly?" he queried curiously.


    "I... I don''t know?" she truly had no idea what happened, just that she wasn''t in control of what she had done, and she felt terrified because of it, "I... did I really eat this?" she wrinkled her nose, gaping at the dead goblin near her, the taste in her mouth was solid proof, let alone that she remembered having actually eaten it, yet she desperately latched onto that hope that they were just coincidences with a reasonable explanation behind.


    "Yup, you did." Stephen nodded, "And you liked it too. Ribs are your favorite, I''ll remember that."


    "..." Natasha was shocked, her mouth hung open in disbelief, "Stephen... you..." she heaved a deep and exhausted breath before she suddenly jumped back in fright, "Stephen! Stephen! There are weird things in front of me!" she waved her hands in the air, as if trying to swat away mosquitos.


    "Weird things?" he looked puzzled for a moment, "You mean black screens?" he then realized what she meant.


    "Yes! What are those?"


    "It''s a long story, let''s go back first." he beckoned her to follow him, not willing to stay there anymore. His heart had started beating faster for a while, and his pupils had dilated. He didn''t like it, he felt oddly fidgety.


    "Stephen! Natasha!" a familiar voice abruptly called them out, prompting both of them to turn around and stare at a panting John who looked panic-stricken, his face blanched as sweat glided down his forehead in torrents. The man in question crouched down, claiming whatever mouthfuls of air he could whilst gritting his teeth to endure the strain he had embedded upon his muscles.


    "John?"


    "We..." he took a deep breath, "We have to get the hell out of here, and fast too!" he quickly ran past them, not forgetting to grab their hands to drag them along, forcing them to run so as not to tumble down.


    "John calm down! What happened? And what are you doing here?" Stephan looked nonplussed as he questioned the older man, but he was also pleasantly surprised to find out that John at least went looking for them, it seemed he was not as emotionless as he wanted to let on.


    "No time to explain, Stephen, just run! run!"


    "Jo--" Natasha''s voice was cut off from a sudden ghastly roar that echoed through thunderclaps, a huge shadow stalked closer to them, uprooting trees in its wake; the crackling of wood being snapped reverberated before it stopped in front of them, propelling them to fall down on their backs.


    "Oh God..."


    Natasha brought her hands to her mouth as she stared in sheer horror at the monster in front of them. It was a two-story tall spider-like creature, however, its body - if it could even be defined as such - was a gargantuan and ghoulish mouth from which bustling fangs jutted out like spines on a hedgehog, its stubby and uneven black limbs resembled that of a badly mowed human''s.


    Stephen''s eyes widened, his body petrified in place, his limbs motionless and unresponding.


    "Shit..."


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Night Stalker, Age: 7 years, Rank: 5, Encore Power: 180]

 Chapter 8: A Close Call

    For an instant, all the cluster of noises ebbed away in his ears, leaving the spotlight for his thumping heart that echoed out with unnatural timbre in his head. Were they about to die? Stephen''s face buckled up in bitterness and fright, with not a small dose of unwillingness. The monster in front of them was exuding an aura laced with unbridled power so vast that the air and space around it seemed to shake and shiver in its royal presence. They knew, from the moment that crushing pressure poured upon them, that whatever struggle they tried to put on would have been futile.


    The Night Stalker suddenly propped its mouth-like body up and a sickening and thunderous roar engulfed the group in a petrifying clutch, its overwhelming Encore Power seeping desperation into their bones. John gritted his teeth as he tried to force his limbs into moving, but his body felt numb and unflappable, as if under anesthesia.


    Natasha was not faring any better for she couldn''t stop shivering, and Stephen could see a dark patch slowly wetting the fabric of her jeans, right where her modesty was.


    [You have gained the skill Encore Resistance Lv.1]


    [Encore Resistance has reached Lv.2]


    Feeling his shoulders loosen up a bit and his fear abate to controllable levels, Stephen''s eyes flashed a crimson shade as he shakily stood up, and steadying up his erratic breath he glimpsed back, noticing a huge and proportionally long shadow slithering its way through the underbrush, hissing. It didn''t take him long to realize that they''ve been caught up in a war between two creatures, that, or they were about to team up to kill them, something that was highly unrealistic.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Basilisk, Age: 10 years, Rank: 5, Encore Power: 200]


    John and Natasha seemed to have gotten the same skill as him for they quietly stood up, albeit still quivering a bit. Stephen hinted with his eyes behind them before beckoning with his head towards his left, hoping they would quickly understand his silent suggestion.


    Nodding, both of them tried to sneak away as furtively as they could. However, the Night Stalker didn''t seem pleased with their actions as a bubble of purple energy suddenly swirled into existence right in the center of its massive spiky mouth, before firing it off at them. The beam of energy whizzed through the air, its colorful violet rays lighting up the sky for a moment.


    Stephen, exploiting all of his Dexterity, was fast and reactive enough to sense the danger and propel himself along with his groupmates onto the ground, avoiding the ray of death that then proceeded to slam against a tree not far off of them, completely wrecking it in half from the sheer kinetic force alone and then disappear in the darkness of the forest before detonating in a purple and black mushroom cloud a few kilometers away; scorching leaves and trees laid wasted in its raging wake.


    The Basilisk, seeing an opening, didn''t hesitate and quickly slinked behind the Night Stalker right when it was busy assaulting the group of humans, its long and scaly armored anatomy wrapping around its legs in a death grip as its tongue flicked out, prompting the mouth-like monster to switch its focus upon the Basilisk, allowing them the time to escape and take shelter behind one of the biggest trees far away from the battlefield.


    "That was a close call..." Stephen panted out, his hand clasping his heaving chest, "I still feel my back burning..." he frowned, taking a deep breath to cool down his wildly throbbing heart, "I thought it we would have bitten the dust..."


    "Let''s get away from here lest we get involved in the crossfire," John proposed as he surveyed his surroundings. Considering that the path to walk back to the cave was right behind where the confrontation was taking place, they had to go somewhere else for the time being, "Might as well risk it and venture forward," he whispered with a grim sigh.


    "Natasha? Are you okay?" Stephen called out once he noted the heavily trembling woman, her arms encased around herself as small sobs winded out of her mouth.


    "I don''t like this place!" she muttered through gritted teeth, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I''m tired of being here!" her voice was low but her emotions were conveyed successfully as she sniffed, "Every day I fear it will be my last... I... I just wanna go back home..." she cried out, "I never did anything bad... why am I here!?" her sentences were confusing and disjointed, but they didn''t blame her for the outburst.


    "Can you stand up?" Stephen knelt in front of her as he tried to coo her, "We have to get away from here... so that we can survive, and eventually go back home. Don''t you want that?" he was not good at comforting people, women even less. But it seemed to calm her down a bit, so he was satisfied.


    "My left ankle... it hurts..." she curled her nose in pain.


    Stephen furrowed his brow after he realized she must''ve hurt herself when he pushed both her and John on the ground, "I''m sorry... here, let me pick you up." he reached with his hands before they were abruptly swatted away from a very embarrassed Natasha.


    "T-there''s no need..." she averted her gaze.


    John interrupted, "Natasha, it''s dangerous here, if you can''t walk then let yourself be helped at least." as if on cue another violet beam pierced through the trees, splinters and leaves barreling out in every direction, which made the older man''s face countenance become grimmer.


    "Don''t worry, I don''t mind." Stephen stared deep into her eyes, eliciting her to become even more abashed, but eventually, her fear won over her embarrassment and she promptly agreed whilst biting her bottom lip ins growing shame.


    Stephen delicately scooped her up, her body nestling cozily against his chest, "You''re very light." he smiled at her as a weird smell wafted into his nostrils, but he paid it no heed, "Let''s go."


    <hr>


    Wading through the forest with little to no light was a hard task, they could only pick a direction and hope for the better. But looking back now it didn''t seem to matter that much, they had been running for dozens of minutes, and every place their eyesight fell on, seemed to host a battleground for fearful creatures. Judging from remains of trees cleaved in half, shattered boulders, and scorched ground, the level of the contestants must''ve been of a very high level, something they couldn''t afford to mess with.


    John was at his wits'' end, they tried to avoid places where fighting noises were proliferating from, but it was like the entire forest was accommodating a big war.


    "There!" Stephen pointed at a huge fallen tree, there was a somewhat big hole in it which they could easily slip into, "Let''s stop there." it was not the greatest idea, however, it was best to hide and wait for things to calm down instead of running into their eventual doom.


    Exhaling, Natasha curled herself up against the wooden frame of the trunk as John cautiously entered their temporary hideaway, "What is going... just what is going on..." she mumbled in bewilderment.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "No idea..."


    John looked at Stephen, "What do you think we should do?"


    "Wait? Heh, it''s not like we can do much..."


    "Stephen?"


    "One step outside... and we''re dead..."


    "..." Natasha and John glanced at each other, their lips zipped.


    "I don''t like this..." Stephen propped his legs up and buried his head within the hollow of his arms, "Not at all..." his voice was almost a whisper but one could feel the veil of anger and bitterness that clouded it.


    "Two rank 5 monsters... I felt suffocated just by their presence." the older man shook his head in disbelief.


    "Umh... regarding that, John. Could you please explain to me what those... black screens are?" Natasha asked after a short pause, "Stephen was about to explain it to me but we had to... you know..." she smiled bitterly.


    "Ah yes, you see..." and then he started explaining what they thought those screens were and how to acquire them, rambling on the benefits while assuming what he thought were the negatives, but overall they hadn''t any major proof so it was taken with a grain of salt. Natasha absorbed the information as she nodded, however, it was hard not to notice the disturbing look that plastered her delicate features after he had concluded.


    "This place..."


    "Yes..." John interrupted, raising his head up, eyes ajar, "This place is totally and undeniably fucked up." Natasha didn''t bother to correct his language as she hugged herself to struggle against the cold. She closed her eyes, hoping she''d get some rest, but the constant explosions and thunders outside were daunting her.


    Time ticked by at a very slow pace, and soon the unwanted noises decreased until all they could hear was the pitter-patter of the rain. Stephen hoisted his head up, his eyes glowing in the darkness of the cramped space. Looking to the side, Natasha was dazedly staring up at her hand where a silver ring laid in one of her fingers whilst humming a song, a fond smile on her face. Opposite of him John was resting his head against the wood as he melancholy eyed a photo he was holding up.


    "It stopped..." he muttered, rubbing his hands. The temperature had dropped a few grades in the meantime, "I wonder if we should wait a bit more..."


    John broke out of his reverie along with Natasha and sighed, "Let''s wait a bit more." he frowned, however, when thumping sounds filtered through the wooden hideout they were in. Panicked, they peered outside, and what they saw left them astounded and frightened.


    It was an inhumanly tall goblin marching towards them with strong and heavy steps. Its bulky body was a big mass of ripped muscles that stretched throughout its body, making it look like its physique alone was nigh impenetrable. Adorned with leather shoulder pads, a cloth wrapped around its waist, and a menacing looking axe in its stout hand, the monster looked like an invincible and bloodthirsty warrior straight from hell.


    Widening his eyes, Stephen stared at the screens in front of him.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Orc, Age: 9 years, Rank: 2, Encore Power: 67]


    "Oh no!" Natasha recoiled, probably after receiving the same information as him.


    "It''s injured." John noted, narrowing his eyes, "Look at it carefully."


    Squinting his eyes at the ever drawing closer Orc, Stephen indeed noticed patches of blood trailing over its skin from a deep gash on its torso as the monster donned a scowl of pain, its hand tiredly dragging its weapon along. Apparently, it had been wounded during a fight, and had either fled or won with no small losses.


    "We should go away then!" Natasha proposed urgently, "If it''s injured we can safely make it out of here!"


    John stayed silent, considering.


    "No way!" Stephen said in a tone louder than intended, shocking both of his partners, "Escape? Where? If we go further in the forest we may never find our way back to the cave again." it was hard to refute his words for they had escaped in a straight line before, so all it would take was to trace it back and get back to the Safe Zone from there, which was not that far away, "And... it''s injured, we''d be three versus one, and although its rank is high, the rewards should be likewise." he continued in a more subdued voice, "If its body is anything to go by then its attributes are mostly strength based. I should be faster and nimbler, I can keep him in check while you try to worsen its injury."


    The Orc, having noticed them, seemed to be ecstatic as it hastened his steps towards them, though it was not particularly fast in its endeavor.


    John took on a thinking pose before nodding, "Good, let''s do as you say."


    "You can''t be serious!" Natasha gasped in fear as she heard them planning on how to coordinate themselves, "You''ll get yourself killed! You idiots!"


    "We''d get killed anyway, Natasha. Whether by the Orc," he pointed with his thumb at the advancing monster, "Or from something else, way worse." and then he set off, followed right after by John as they went to meet the green monster head on.


    <hr>


    "Just so to ask, but any chance you have any bullets left?"


    John shook his head as he gripped onto his axe, preparing himself for the oncoming confrontation, "No, that was my last, and I don''t know if it would have made any difference anyway."


    "A pity."


    Steeling his emotions, Stephen set his blade horizontally, narrowing his eyes.


    The Orc lifted its huge axe up and swayed it at them, the speed of the swing was very slow, but its force was so strong that it carried along a gust of wind. Ducking under it, Stephen moved fast as he flanked it, trying to avoid being in its aim range, and slashed at the creature with all the strength he could exert.


    The blade, however, didn''t do any significant damage as it actually rebounded off its hide, almost making him stumble back.


    John stepped in as he noticed the Orc slightly distracted and swung his axe at its wound. Blood sprinkled out, prompting it to roar in pain and anger before reflexively swatting John away with a backhanded slap. The older man flew a few meters in the air before plummeting down with a muffled grunt.


    "Fuck!" Stephen cursed as he dodged another attack, "John, you okay!?" he asked without tearing his eyes off the Orc, even a small distraction could result in his death.


    "Not dead yet," John gritted his teeth as he held his belly, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth, "But we''re sure gonna be if we don''t do something soon!"


    [Footwork has reached Lv.3]


    Stepping to the side to avoid yet another swing from the Orc, Stephen maneuvered his feet in fast and agile movements, as if he was dancing, and shifted under its axe before piercing with his sword''s tip into the deepest spot of its injury. Red liquid spilled out as he pushed it even deeper.


    [Basic Sword Arts has reached Lv.7]


    Growling in pain, the green creature''s hands latched on the blade, inhibiting Stephen from drawing his sword back out, and it was in that split second that, fueled by bubbling rage, it kicked him in the stomach, hard.


    Air wheezed out of his lungs. He gasped painfully, tumbling a few meters backward, his hands hugging his stomach as he retched blood on the ground.


    "Stephen!" Natasha called out in alarm, prepared to step forward to aid him, but she was stopped.


    "Stay... there..." Stephen breathed out, his face blanched, the pain fuzzing his senses, "Don''t move..." he tried to vainly stand up but his legs gave in under the lack of energy.


    The Orc, however, didn''t seem to be in perfect condition either. In fact, it had just foolishly removed the sword lodged in its body, causing even more blood to cascade. Nonetheless, it must have had a stupidly high endurance for it could still stand on its own feet, albeit rickety.


    Wobbling towards John, it strained to pull its axe up, and despite the shakiness, it managed to do it notwithstanding. The usually cool-headed older man seemed to have seen his own death crawling in his eyes for his face had scrunched up in desperation and sadness.


    Stephen had a frown on his face as he forced his body to stand up, only to helplessly fall down anew.


    "John!" Natasha covered her mouth, her frame quivering. One of her comrades was about to perish, after both he and Stephen fought that monstrous thing together. And she? She was there, in the sidelines watching it unfold, useless and worthless.


    She couldn''t accept it. She didn''t want to accept it.


    Biting her bottom lip, she raised both of her hands up as she felt something warm coursing through her veins. Holding back a surprised gasp, she noticed a small fireball had spawned mid-air, right in front of her. Not knowing how, just wanting it to stop that Orc from killing her friend, the flame, as if it magically understood her overflowing desire, shot through the air right when the green monster was about to end John''s life in one chop.


    The fire impacted against its face, bursting in a blaze of hot air that stunned the Orc, and consequently blinding it.


    Roaring, it tried to wipe away the discomfort from its face, not understanding it was just worsening the situation, and the more it flailed around, more blood pumped out of the gash on its chest. There was no need to end its life for it was already about to vanish itself.


    Stephen looked incredulously at the falling Orc then at a stunned Natasha.

 Chapter 9: Rank 1? Status?

    "How did you do that?"


    Stephen''s voice was laced with unrestrained curiosity and excitement, something deeply shared by John who looked at the red-haired beautiful woman gratefully. The Orc had fallen onto the ground, slightly squirming, but its life was already slowly slipping away from each spurt of blood that sprinkled out of its wound.


    "I... I don''t know?" Natasha stared at her hands in sheer disbelief, "I just... wanted to protect John... and... and..."


    "And it happened?"


    She nodded.


    "Nicely done, Natasha." Stephen wanted to chuckle, but he knew that if he tried then he''d be spitting blood again, "Damn... that was a heavy blow." wincing, he looked at the still shell-shocked woman, "Care to help a person in need?" he grinned, once the adrenaline rush cooled down it left him completely spent, but looking at the reward that was sprawled on the soil, it was worth it.


    Natasha blushed in embarrassment before skipping over whilst carefully supporting him up, "Are you okay?" she scanned his body, and aside from a few bruises here and there, the only thing she needed to be worried about was a probable internal injury from that crushing kick, which would have been troublesome considering they had no way to heal something that only a surgeon could put his hands on.


    "Meh... I''ll survive." he peered over the other side, "What about you, John?"


    "I had better days." the older man replied, but his face was scrunched up in a frown, "Hmm... it seems it''ll be quite a feat to get out of here given our conditions." he placed his hands on the ground while trying to use it as leverage to bring his body up, but it was to no avail, "It''ll definitely be quite a feat."


    Natasha was concerned, "If... if you can''t move then..." she bit her bottom lip, "We should stay there for the rest of the night," she pointed at the hideout they''ve been in previously. It was not recommendable, especially since the rest of their companions were still at the cave, but two of her teammates were wounded, it was foolish to thread back through the underbrush anew.


    "Natasha, help me get there." Stephen hinted with his eyes towards the fallen Orc, "We can''t leave it there to rot, not after our conjunct effort to bring it down." his ocean blue irises altered into crimson ones.


    "You... you want to eat it?" the red-haired older woman furrowed her brow, reluctant and eager, "Does it really give you skills and stuff?" she draped Stephen''s arm over her shoulder as she walked to the dead monster, a large pool of blood around it, which she found oddly inviting. Her eyes took on a violet hue before she shook her head to get rid of disturbing thoughts, but the rumble of her stomach didn''t seem to agree with her.


    "Yes, and If I''m not mistaken, the stronger the monster, the rarer the skill, or something along those lines." Stephen smiled, "Either way, it should give us something quite useful." he grabbed his sword, but the total lack of energy hindered him from mustering enough force to lift it up, "John?" he looked at his older companion.


    "Can''t help you there."


    "Natasha?"


    "M-me?"


    "Yes, you just have to rip a small chunk off." he lent her his weapon, "The wound is pretty large and deep, it shouldn''t be that bothersome to cut a bit of flesh off."


    Holding the hilt of the sword, Natasha was dazed, her eyes morphing into glowing amethysts before she unhesitatingly impaled the tip of the blade inside the gash, crudely slicing a small piece of meat off. Blood flowed out, prompting them to lick their lips in anticipation as an appealing aroma wafted in the air.


    "We''re in for a treat..." Stephen muttered as he eyed covetously the content on the older woman''s hand, "Are you done?"


    "Yup." she turned around, her hands bloodied from the slabs of meat, "Let''s get back inside first, lest an uninvited guest pops up and ruins our feast." she giggled.


    Stephen looked at her amusedly before shifting his gaze upon a surprised John, "She''s different in this state, isn''t she?" he asked, eliciting a nod from the latter, "Anyway, the blood of the Orc would certainly lure monsters," he cupped his chin with his hand, thinking, "Unless we cover it up."


    "How we do that?"


    "No idea..." Stephen replied resignedly, "Ammonia solution? We don''t have that here..."


    "We can burn it!" Natasha excitedly offered, "I don''t know if it will help... but might as well try it." she gave them a Cheshire grin as she bounced around in enthusiasm.


    "..." Stephen and John looked at each other in dismay, "Can you do that?"


    "Ah... no... it seems that I don''t have enough of that encore thingy." her shoulders slumped, disappointed, "But if I eat this... maybe..." she looked at one of the chunks of flesh in her hands, "You should eat it too." wasting no time, she distributed the meat to them before stuffing her share in her mouth with gusto, something both of men did right after.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    [You have gained 4 points in Strength.]


    [You have gained 2 points in Endurance.]


    [You have gained 5 points in Encore Power.]


    [You have gained the skill Encore Slash, Lv.1]


    [You have gained 3% in Evolution.]


    Feeling his body trembling from a clash of energies, he almost tumbled over as his muscles trembled and twisted, recreating themselves as they were intermittently washed and strengthened in Encore Power. It was painful but refreshing, as if he was breaking free from some kind of chains. He couldn''t help but feel immense thrill amidst the waves of pain. John was undergoing the same thing whilst Natasha stood there, staring in front of her.


    The screens weren''t over.


    [You have reached 10% in Evolution.]


    [Congratulations. You have reached Rank 1.]


    [You have gained 3 points to all of your Attributes.]


    [You have unlocked the Status function. You can survey your data and skills by summoning it using - either thinking or saying it out aloud - its epithet.]


    The notifications befuddled him for he had yet to comprehend the meaning behind some of them. Energy returned to his body and the pain he was suffering from the injury vanished, he was healed. Standing up, his body moved with far ease and speed than he had ever perceived before. Power coursed through his veins, begging to be unleashed. It was Encore Power, he realized. Previously it was so thin he had difficulty discerning if it was still there or not, but now it was so clear and lively that euphoria kicked in, leaving him with an ear-splitting grin on his face.


    "John... how is it?"


    "Unbelievable." John stood up, taking a deep breath, "Everything is so much clearer than before..."


    "Aren''t you exaggerating a little bit?" Natasha chimed in, "Yes, I do feel better, but it''s not nearly as mind-blowing as you''re trying to make me believe..."


    "Haven''t you ranked up?"


    "Rank up?" she arched one brow, "Not at all, just a few points in both Endurance and Strength, oh, and of course, Encore Power," she explained with a smile.


    "That sums it up," John said, "We both have, and the rewards are greater, you gain points in all of your attributes."


    "Damn!" she clicked her tongue, "How do I rank up?"


    "Apparently, you have to reach 10% in Evolution." Stephen looked at her, "You should have around 4% or 5% in Evolution, so you won''t be ranking up anytime soon, a pity." he grinned.


    Natasha wrinkled her nose at him, "Screw you, Steph." she was tempted to give him the middle finger, but she felt it would have been too unladylike, so she held back. Turning her head around, she snapped her fingers - to make it look cooler - as a fireball, bigger than her previous attempt, lit up, hovering a few centimeters above her palm, garnering both Stephen and John''s attention.


    Waving her hand casually, the flame departed from its position and impacted against the Orc, covering a sizeable chunk of its corpse on fire. Frowning, she summoned another one before motioning for it to follow its predecessor in its endeavor. This time, the entire lifeless body was coated in raging fire alongside the grassland around it, smoke billowing up.


    "Won''t the fire spread throughout the forest?" Stephen whispered to John.


    "It... probably will, but considering the fauna that inhabits this place... I don''t think that much damage will be done."


    "Yeah."


    Not long after the Orc''s corpse was completely charred, something that was surprising considering that it didn''t even get a scratch from Natasha''s beforehand attack. Was it because more Encore Power was fueled in the fire? Was it because it was already dead? Stephen mulled over it before smacking his forehead in realization.


    "We''re stupid..."


    "Stephen?" Natasha turned around, a confused look on her face.


    "There was no need to make all this mess since I and John are already healed!" he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Now all this smoke will surely draw attention." he looked at the ripples of black smoke swelling up, "We should get out of here." he started walking, his face stretched in seriousness.


    "Stephen..." John''s voice resounded, "Look at your status, please..."


    "Status?" Natasha dumbly repeated, her head tilted to the side, "What is that?"


    Suddenly stopping, Stephen acquiesced the older man''s request as he whispered, "Status." a screen scrolled down before his eyes.


    ¨q?|¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T|?¨r


    [Name: Stephen Flamel]


    [Race: Predator]


    [Evolution: 10%]


    [Rank: 1]


    [Strength: 19]


    [Endurance: 15]


    [Dexterity: 23]


    [Vitality: 14]


    [Encore Power: 10]


    ¨T¨T¨TSkills:¨T¨T¨T


    [Basic Sword Arts, Lv.7]


    [Light Step, Lv.5]


    [Footwork, Lv.3]


    [Encore Slash, Lv.1]


    ¨t?|¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T|?¨s


    He curiously scanned it before he froze as his eyes fell on a particular piece of information, "Predator?" his mouth hung open, disbelief dripping from his voice, "What is this supposed to fucking mean!?" he squinted his eyes, "I''m not human?" he loured.


    That caught Natasha''s attention, "What are you seeing?" however, he didn''t reply to her, "John?"


    "I''m also at loss, we''ve got a status screen where all of our information is stored, name and race included." John started in a solemn tone, "However, here, on the Race row, it''s written Predator, not human." he gazed at her, "Even if you have not your status yet, I doubt it''d be any different..."


    "That''s fucked up," she said, but her eyes showed more amusement than anything else.


    "You''re not worried?" the older man queried with an arched brow, "There''s a chance that - for how ridiculous it is - you may not be a human anymore." he said, "You don''t care?"


    Natasha looked disinterestedly at her fingernails, blowing out a bit of dirt off of them, "I mean, it''s not that surprising, we''ve been eating raw meat for a while, haven''t we?" she uttered, "We''ve been drinking blood from its source, and all of these weird abilities..." she spread her arms open wide to add to her explanation, "... are not something humans are capable of, are they?"


    "Still... Natasha... what happened to you? Why are you behaving so... unlike you..." he was worried, "You don''t seem to care about things, actually, you''re entertaining yourself out of them..." he shifted his gaze to Stephen who was still dazedly looking ahead of him before shaking his head, "This place is changing us..."


    "What are you talking about, John." Natasha chuckled, "Everything is fine! I doubt we''ll ever go back home anyway," her amethyst eyes glowed as she surveyed the towering trees around her in wonder and fascination, "All of these fantastical monsters... all of these game-like abilities, I wonder what we haven''t seen yet. Aren''t you curious, John, Stephen?" her lips curved upwards, "Aren''t you curious at all?" she giggled, "So much stuff to eat..."

 Chapter 10: Slaughter

    Stephen''s eyes slowly fluttered closed - the nippy cold breeze fondling his hair amidst the rain that drenched his wayward locks, sticking them to the sides of his face - before he snapped them open, resolution blazing within his crimson pools as he shuffled his gaze upon a restless John, "Let''s head back," his voice tore through the thunderclaps, "It''s not safe staying here." he glanced at the charred corpse of the Orc whose fire guilty in lynching it had now been snuffed out. He was no weather forecast, but the signals of an apocalyptic storm about to swallow them within were crystal clear.


    "Already? Pity." Natasha uttered out with a disappointed wag of her head as she took a last glimpse at the environment they were in, "I wish I could have seen more weird monsters." she spun around, tucking a chock of hair behind her ear, a growing smile on her face, "But it wouldn''t do to abandon our friends, would it?"


    Stephen stared at her from the corner of his eyes, "No, it wouldn''t, that''s why you should stop lusting after monsters and pick up your pace." he said, getting a pout in response, "Can''t you get back to your usual old self? Isn''t there a switch or something?" he inquired sarcastically.


    "Oh my, you want to get rid of me this bad?" she sent him a shocked look, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth in mock-horror, "Fine!" she wrinkled her small nose at him, "It''s not like you won''t be seeing me soon anyway." with that last defying declaration, her eyes altered back to deep and vivid green emeralds, earning an arched brow from John and a chuckle from Stephen who shook his head in mild amusement.


    "Ah... sorry, I... you know," Natasha started in a sheepish tone before she was cut off by John.


    "Yes, Natasha, we know," he continued, "I''m just worried because we have no idea why you have these sudden personality changes." he wondered, "Is it because you''re a Predator now?"


    "I don''t know? I feel... weird when that happens though, like I''m in control but at the same time not," she rambled on as she started paddling over, following them through the woods, "I''m aware of the things I do but I just can''t stop it... no, it''s more like I don''t want to." she scrunched her face up in concern, "I become fickle, flirty and oddly cheerful..." she smiled, "As if I don''t have any worries in the world, truly a weird yet liberating sensation."


    "Did you use to take drugs?" Stephen crudely asked, earning a frown from Natasha, "You never know, maybe that messed up with your head." he cackled.


    "No, Stephen, I didn''t." she sniffed indignantly, "I''ve never touched a cigarette in my life, for your information." she puffed out her chest in pride.


    "What about you John?"


    "Pipes."


    "What a cultured man, aren''t ya?" Stephen grinned, "Oh right! I haven''t tried that out yet!" his eyes lit up before he raised his sword up vertically as he sorted through the Orc''s memories, which shed some light on the question he''s been mulling over for a while now, namely, that of drawing out Encore Power and use it for combat.


    "Stephen?" Natasha called out once she saw the younger man stopping in front of a tree, "What are you doing?"


    "Shh... I''m concentrating."


    "..." John and Natasha looked at each other nonplussed, but opted to stay silent as they''ve been requested to.


    Stephen didn''t want to waste too much time knowing that a monster may pop up anytime, but the curiosity coursing through his veins was overwhelming. He had to try it out. Images flashed through his head and he couldn''t help the small smile that graced his face. He could see the Orc hunting with its axe, swinging it left and right with no skill behind whatsoever. However, every time it slashed the air, a colorful burst of energy trailed along the blade''s direction, smashing trees and rocks, leaving behind trenches and splinters.


    It was a marvelous ability, and he knew that if the Orc was capable of using that from the start they wouldn''t have won without casualties, granted that hey even had a chance to win.


    Breathing in, his heartbeat slowed down. He started communicating with the foreign energy residing inside his body, motioning it to move following the string of instructions he had gotten from the Orc''s puerile brain. Encore Power bustled with liveliness as it streamed through his hands before coating the blade of his sword in a flimsy red thread that looked feeble and about to dwindle away anytime.


    Breathing out, he flicked his wrist, the blade delimiting a red transparent-like line in the air that proceeded to sail forth, clashing against the trunk of the tree, begetting a scrape on its wooden frame; neither too big nor too small, it was discernible enough to know that some damage was done. Stephen panted, feeling a chunk of that energy dissolving as he scanned the outcome of his attempt.


    [Encore Slash has reached Lv.2]


    "Oh..." Natasha covered her mouth in surprise.


    "Huh."


    "That would turn out to be a very useful skill." John asserted, "I should try it as well, but we''ve been staying here more than we should have, let''s go." with that they set off, walking with haste towards the direction that would have brought them back to the cave.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    <hr>


    A hazy tangle of footsteps wafted into the cave. Frank''s head instantly perked up as he quickly scrambled to his feet despite his body''s desperate need to repose. He had been awake for a hours whilst the rest of the group were huddled together against the dank rocky wall, eyes closed. Concern had clutched his stomach for the past agonizing hours, hoping that their missing members would all come back unharmed. Knowing that it would fall upon his shoulders the responsibility to take care of the two sleeping girls should they die, something he wasn''t confident on carrying on successfully.


    "Stephen! John! Natasha!" he called out before his stout feet could even strut out of the cave''s threshold, "You''re finally ba--" he halted mid-sentence once he was under the impetuous rain, his feet frozen on the muddy soil. The smile he was donning morphed into a bitter and resigned frown as his eyes locked with that of dozens of short-sized creatures; all of them armed with some sort of medieval and primitive weapon or equipment.


    His body started trembling and against his better judgment, he started running towards a random direction - almost tumbling down in the process - but abruptly stopped when his brain composed itself, shepherding him into realizing that Daphne and Sarah were still oblivious to what was happening, and certainly would be in peril once those humanoid ugly things entered their shelter. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to spin around, enduring the rattle-like laugh coming from the creatures.


    They knew he was scared.


    Humiliation was the last of his problems as he gripped tightly his briefcase, the only object he never parted from. Strength-wise he knew he had the superiority against them, but facing over ten of them was something he wasn''t capable of, especially considering they had weapons.


    One of the creatures suddenly took a step forward, a smirk on its hideous face, its beady eyes revealing naked mocking. It bounced around and rattled something he couldn''t understand the meaning of, but considering that it elicited the other creatures to cheer and make a commotion as they surrounded him and the perpetrator of the ruckus in an arena-like perimeter, he knew things were about to get bad, very bad.


    "Shit... shit shit shit!" he cursed as his pupils scurried left and right vigilantly, his arms hugging his briefcase, as if it was his lifesaver, "Y-you wanna fight!?" he spat out, staring at the pointy end of the spear directed at him. So it was that what it wanted, no, what they wanted.


    He was nothing more than dead meat in their eyes, a stepping stone for that creature that seemed to inflate under its kins'' encouragement. Belittled, underestimated, again and again. Frank felt the blood rushing to his face, his fist clenching around the leather of his briefcase as his face twisted into an angry scowl, "Fuck you!" he swore out loud, saliva springing out, "You little piece of shit!" he unceremoniously rushed to the humanoid that was looking at him with contempt, and unskillfully swung his folder at the creature who stepped out of the way and struck straight with its spear.


    "Aaghh!" Frank bent over, a hand holding the place he was hit on, blood seeping out of the chinks of his fingers, "Damn!" he choked on his saliva from the pain. Looking up he saw the creature guffawing at him, something their audience was sharing as a choir chuckles rang out, "I''m not going down without taking you with me! You HEAR me!?" Frank roared out, rage fueling him.


    Mustering all of the energy he had left, he condensed it on his hands before he hammered his briefcase anew, slamming against the creature''s unprotected and fragile knee with its edge. A resounding cracking noise wiped off the sneers from the creatures'' faces cheering on as his jeering opponent slid down on the ground with an ear-piercing shrill, clasping its injured limb.


    Frank recoiled once he saw the damage he did, a blood-covered bone was sticking out of its torn skin.


    "F-Frank?" hearing his name being called out he turned around, just in time to see Sarah and Daphne stepping out of the cave, their faces crumpled up in sleepiness and concern, that, however, turned into stiffness when their gazes chanced upon all those pesky monsters.


    "Oh no..." he uttered out in panic, "Get out of here! Now!" his words fell into empty ears, "Shit!" he tried to stand up but his efforts were futile.


    The humanoid creatures seemed to have completely forgotten about their suffering comrade as their eyes fell on the two frightened women, lecherous smiles adorning their faces, their eyes lit up in happiness and lust. One of them, without the consent of its kinsmen, made a ran for Sarah who almost jumped out of her skin, before the rest followed even more hungrily, trying to catch up with each other.


    Frank reached out with his hand, however, the pain hindered his motor capacity and blinded his senses. He was left there staring at what would have surely scarred him for life. Nevertheless, he couldn''t possibly have foreseen that as soon as one of the creatures was about to touch a hastily scampering back Sarah, a shadow furiously sprinted by, before a blade smashed upon the creature''s skull with such a force that its eyeballs popped out of its eye sockets, the crown of its head was completely broken and split in two, littering the ground with brain matter.


    "John?" Frank almost retched after seeing such a gruesome scene and had to avert his gaze, which didn''t help him for a cold shiver went down his spine, the hair on his body suddenly standing on their ends. Looking up he was met with the crimson stare of Stephen who was nesting a sword on his shoulder as he scanned the situation, "Y-your eyes..." he gulped, feeling like a rabbit in front of a lion. His life felt worthless and easily erasable if so the younger man wished. It was a primal fear that came from the depths of his being.


    "I wonder where these goblins come from," Stephen muttered, brandishing his sword before he sprinted off towards the goblin nearest to him with such a speed that Frank was still staring at the place he was just in, "Second blood is mine." he grinned whilst flaring his hand by. His blade cut through skin and bones, prompting its head to drop to the ground trailed by a spurt of blood. The greenish humanoid still hadn''t realized it was dead even when its skinny form followed its head and flopped down in its own blooming flower of blood.


    "Oh my, I feel left out," a giggle brought Frank''s attention to Natasha who was amusingly skipping over the place, "This one will stay alive for you." she nudged with her foot the still screaming goblin the potbellied man had defeated, "You won''t regret it, I promise." she smiled before she snapped her fingers as a fireball sparked to life above her hand.


    "Your... eyes... what is this... oh my lord..." Frank still had trouble processing what was going on, "What..." his pupils shrunk, mirroring the scorching light of the flame as it raced by his face, engulfing a goblin going for Daphne, in a red blanket of pain, dying not long after with a final death rattle.


    What followed after was not a battle, it was a one-sided slaughter.

 Chapter 11: You Wont Fear Anymore

    The rain was unfruitful in its futile attempt to scuff away the lingering coppery scent that permeated the air. Puddles of crimson fluids and water littered the crummy soil in great quantities as wads of mowed flesh and severed limbs were strewn all over the grassland. The victims were only dozens of goblins, yet the brutality they were wiped out with made the scene look like as if a throng of hundreds of them were actually slaughtered. Stephen swiped his blade down, blood dribbling off onto the even bigger pool beneath as he scruffed a hand through his wet hair, his lips crinkled up in a grin, "That was... wow." he commented, a foot resting upon the head of a dead goblin, overlooking the enemies he had slain.


    John crooked his head to the side, his chest constantly heaving back and forth in a constant and rhythmic intake of oxygen "Ok, I''m calm now." he shifted his gaze upon a cowering Sarah whose legs had a hard time staying still, "You... are you okay?" she recoiled, averting her gaze like a child would do when caught redhanded, "I''m not going to harm you, Sarah, relax." the fresh crimson liquid on his clothes and the likewise color of his eyes didn''t help the young woman despite his soothing tone.


    "Leave her be, she... no, they are having some troubles processing what just happened," Natasha piped in, her back leaning against the trunk of a tree, "We just minced those poor things into an unrecognizable mess of flesh and bones," she sneered, "And you were quite... cruel with that axe of yours, you can''t expect her to jump into your arms as if nothing happened, can you?" her words were straightforward and to the point, albeit a bit rude, but nobody could have said that she was wrong.


    The older man winced. He didn''t want to take the first blood as wickedly as he did. It was just the spur of the moment, fueled by rip-roaring rage, uncontrollable and untamed. The moment that creature decided to pose its filthy clutches on her, he lost his shit and went on a purging quest in the name of cooling down his burning emotions.


    "Franky, stop staring at the void and kill the goblin." Stephen''s voice rang out, "You won''t get the special privileges otherwise." he chuckled, taking his sweet time to waltz towards the kneeling man, blood trickling down from the potbellied man''s wound onto the small puddle it was ever so slowly shaping up, "You''re injured too..." he observed with an arched eyebrow before looking at John, "I''ve spared a few goblins for the ladies, they''re over there." he pointed his thumb at two overlapped and entangled mess of goblins vainly squirming, their limbs harshly snapped as bones poked out of their dark chartreuse hides.


    "S-so... cruel..." Sarah mouthed out with a shiver, an appalled expression etched on her delicate face. The creatures were suffering as they whined in a baby-like whimper, and although she couldn''t bring herself to feel pity for them, the sight she was exposed to was so brutal and violent that she had to close her eyes and clasp her ears closed, "Please! Make them stop!" she shrieked, salty pearls welling up at the corner of her eyes.


    Frowning, Stephen ignored her as he crouched down, "Frank..." he called out softly, "Tell me, what do you think your place is here." he placed a hand over the older man''s quivering shoulder, "Have you seen how easily and quickly I disposed of those goblins?" his lips curled upwards, "Cool, right?" he tightened his grip, "You can do that too, just a step further, and you''ll be like us. Unfettered. Free. Unchained." his whisper was like the tempting beckoning hand of the devil, "You''ll fall asleep, and when you''ll come to yourself again," he stood back up, proffering him his sword, "You''ll be reborn."


    Frank looked at his injury, then at the sword stretched out towards him, his eyes wavering in a mess of emotions that slowly played out on his blanched face, "Can I... can I really be like you?" he asked, his tone hopeful and suspicious, yet the living proof was in front of him, blood smeared on his hands.


    "Of course."


    Frank looked hesitant for a moment before steeling his resolve. If what Stephen was saying was the truth then there was no way he wouldn''t accept it, and if it wasn''t then it wouldn''t have harmed him either way, he just had to kill the creature in front of him, the same creature that wanted to end his life under its ruthless spear, "Good..." he muttered softly.


    Pushing himself up through the pain on his abdomen, Frank accepted the weapon laid out at him before making his way to the still suffering goblin with wobbly steps. His hand trembled a bit, but his determination was unshakable. It was his chance, or so he thought. He was seeking that difference, that something that would have made him soar above normal standards and redeem him from his unsuccessful life.


    "Die for my survival..." Frank mumbled to himself as he pierced the goblin''s eye with the blade''s tip, its length forcing through the creature''s skull before it perforated its brain, instantly putting an end to its life. He felt a bit sick. As coward as he was, he hardly ever hurt someone for he himself was afraid of being hurt.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Vertigo sieged his senses as a black screen suddenly popped up in front of him. His eyelids fluttered closed, not allowing him the opportunity to read the contents of the message before he inelegantly slumped down with a muffled thump.


    Nodding in satisfaction, Stephen retrieved his prized weapon before trotting to one of the goblins he had incapacitated beforehand, and with a harsh motion, he grabbed one of them by its neck, not caring if his touch caused it more pain than it was already enduring.


    "Daphne..." he called out, gaiting towards her under the astonished gaze of the group, "You know the drill, don''t you?" he asked, a smile on his face, "Even Frank did it..." he propped the writhing creature on the ground as he leaned out his sword at her.


    "N-no..." she refused, flinching back from his encroaching crimson eyes, "No..."


    "Why not?"


    "..."


    "Daphne?"


    "I don''t wanna do it!" she yelled, tears gliding down her cheeks as she defiantly forced herself to look into his eyes, "I... I..."


    "Daphne! Don''t you understand the situation we are in? Do you really think we''ll have a smudge of hope of going back home?" he frowned, his words stabbing out sharp and resounding, "Look around you!" he flailed his arms up, beckoning to their surroundings, "Can you hear the faint roars?" he asked aloud, not only Daphne but the entire entourage of survivors had their lips clammed up; Sarah included, "We are not in a forest Daphne!" he fixed his eyes onto hers, "We are in hell!"


    He clenched his fist, his crimson orbs sweeping left and right, "We all had to go through shit, you''re not the only one!" his voice was accompanied by the rumble of a thunder, "Here... here I have the fucking chance of taking the situation in my own hands! I don''t need to be worried as long as I put in effort!" he turned around, looking at the rest of the group, "I don''t want to be beneath others, not again!" he snarled, his tone tinged with bitterness and anger, "I don''t care what your reasons are for gripping that blade, nor what shit your life was like, whether you preached holy bullshit or had questionable moral views!"


    The wind picked up speed as he rambled on, "I want to survive! With or without you!" he took a deep breath, wetting his lips with his tongue, "But I do believe that if we team up... this place... would not be a hell anymore, it might even become our own heaven..." he chuckled, "Frank made the wise decision to leave his old shell behind to become a new man... he''s leaving his mistakes, his failures, and his past behind." he gazed at them, "What about you?"


    "N-not all of us can do that..." Daphne lowered her head as tears glistened her eyes, "I can''t forget..." she curled her legs up, making herself small.


    "Daphne, dear." Natasha approached her with slow steps, petting her head and smothering her in her motherly affections, "Some things aren''t meant to be forgotten, whether good or bad." she twiddled with a lock of the younger woman''s hair, "Decisions are what carries us forward, and ultimately to our last destination," she brought her head to her chest, "You can either stop before, which is completely fine, or you can explore and see what fate has in store for you."


    John stayed silent as he listened to their discussion before sighing, "Sarah?"


    "Y-yes?"


    "I''d rather have you not do it but..." he stole a glimpse at Stephen, "I don''t think we''ll... find a pathway back home anytime soon... and..." he draped his hands over her small shoulders reassuringly, "We gotta survive first... it''s our foremost priority, I''m sure you get it, that''s why..." he hinted with his eyes at the goblin a few yards away from them, "If you kill it... your head will become clearer, you''ll wake up different, better, with a broader outlook of things, and..." he smiled, something he rarely did, "You won''t fear anymore."


    "..." Sarah nibbled her lips in nervousness before complying, "F-fine..."


    John nodded, his features softening, "Good girl." he jogged to the goblin and brought it back to her, a heavy rock on his other hand, "Just drop this on its head."


    "Um." she struggled to lift the rock out of his grip but managed to do so only after a bit of help from the latter, "Do... do I drop it now?" she asked after he used her hands to align the rock right above the creature''s unprotected head.


    "Don''t look into its eyes, and drop it when I say so..."


    She nodded as she spun her head around, squeezing her eyes shut.


    "Now."


    She gritted her teeth when she heard his voice, her hands releasing the rock as it fell upon the goblin''s head with a crunching sound, killing it on impact.


    [You have awakened.]


    Her body swayed back from sleepiness, thankfully John was there and quickly held her up against his chest, "You''re a brave girl..." he whispered soothingly before he redirected his gaze at the others.


    Stephen smiled when he saw Sarah falling unconscious, "Daphne? You''re the only one who has yet to awaken... I''m pretty sure you''ve heard John''s words just now..." he copied the older man''s idea and he picked up a big rock from the ground, "I know that I sound forceful, but this is not just about you... we can''t ensure your survival all the time." he narrowed his eyes, "So?"


    Maybe it was because she was afraid of being left behind, maybe it was Natasha''s presence that brought comfort to her, or perhaps it was because she was convinced by Stephen and John, but she slowly stood up, her steps decisive despite the rising anxiousness that threatened to make her stop and give up.


    Her heartbeat accelerated, her palms got sweaty. Taking a last look at Stephen''s inhumanly crimson eyes, she obeyed. Following through the motions she found herself looking down in a commanding position at the squiggling greenish creature she had yet to remember the name of. The rock whopped on its head, ending its misery.


    Blood flowed out of the injury, something she didn''t find pleasing yet would learn to love soon as her vision wheeled, darkness hugging her unconscious.

 Chapter 12: Changes And Plannings

    "Let''s take them inside."


    John offered after a long drawn out pause he availed himself of to reorganize his scrambled thoughts.


    It was unexpected, yes, considering that they had no desire to make them awaken this soon, but even he realized the dire conditions they found themselves entangled in. Especially after he saw what would have unfolded had they not intervened as soon as they heard the screams, and although Frank did his best, he was not keen on putting Sarah''s wellbeing on his hands. It was safer for them to have reliable means to defend themselves with.


    Nodding to his older friend, Stephen scooped Frank''s heavy body up with surprising ease and nested him upon his shoulder before he trotted inside their gloomy shelter, followed by a cheerful Natasha who sported a rather disturbing grin on her face as she helped them drag Daphne along, her amethyst eyes glowing in glee and anticipation.


    Carefully bracing their sleeping friends against the wall, they waited for what was to come as they propped a few goblins to the ground. The wind rushed across the foliage and underbrush, rustles noise seeped through the cave, faltering lights flashed amongst the billowing dark clouds, periodically rumbling. They were used to such apocalyptic weathers, living there for a week, they learned how to appreciate and bask in the dangerous beauty of nature.


    Stephen noticed John shuffling restlessly, his fingers drumming on his thigh, "Are you still angry?" he queried after approaching the older man, the latter''s Encore Power was leaking, something he learned to perceive only after he grasped how to communicate and manipulate his own.


    "Of course I am... I''m losing my composure, so unbefitting of me..."


    "Hmm..." Stephen squinted his eyes, a smirk on his face, "You sure care about Sarah..." he leaned his back against a large rock, his legs stretched on the ground.


    "She... she reminds me of someone I used to hold dear..." John responded subconsciously, his eyes staring in the distance, "Heh, I swear she''s her spitting image... but that''s far in the past, I was stupid and reckless, I thought I would have never regretted but..." he chuckled self-deprecatingly, "But her face still haunts me..." he finished with an emotional sigh, taking a quick glimpse at the younger man''s expression from the corner of his eyes, "If only I could turn back time..." he gazed up, memories flashing through his eyes as his lips curled upwards in a fond smile.


    Stephen remained silent, not wanting to pry into John''s secrets without thereof consent.


    "Do you think there''s a goblin settlement somewhere near here?" John suddenly inquired, the temperature of his tone dropping, "They''ve been frolicking around here recently..." his brow furrowed.


    "I''m sure there is, the way they were armed and organized didn''t hint at them being stray goblins," Stephen offered helpfully, "They should be perching either Nort-West or Nort-East from here."


    "How are you so sure?"


    "If we keep going North from here we''d meet up with those monsters, and albeit the goblins are not a particularly intelligent species, they should still be wary of such a strong leakage of Encore Power." Stephen concluded, "North should be an off-limits place for them, which leaves us with West and East, we haven''t patrolled those places yet, so it''s hard to say, or South, but considering that they''ve been approaching us from North it''s highly unlikely, although not entirely impossible." he mused aloud.


    "I see... we should check those areas out." John proposed, "And if we find them..." he narrowed his eyes, "We''ll kill them."


    "A goblin extermination, huh? I''m in." Stephen cackled, his voice enshrouded in foretaste, "I hope we''ll gain something good out of killing them though."


    "Even if we don''t it wouldn''t matter, the important thing is to get rid of them, thoroughly." John asserted in a firm voice, "When they wake up," he hinted with his eyes towards their unconscious groupmates, "We''ll immediately depart, is that okay with you?"


    "Sure thing mate."


    Stephen flashed him a grin as he noticed a giddy Natasha overlooking their sleeping comrades with a huge smile on her face, she sat cross-legged with her hands huddled together in the hollow of her lap, her back resting against the wall, her unblinking eyes fixed on the girls.


    "Hey Evil Natasha, what are you up to?" he called out curiously, bolstering one knee up, whereupon he lazily rested his arm on.


    "Evil?" the red-haired woman was confused as she arched up one eyebrow.


    "Yup. You''re the evil side of Natasha, thus Evil Natasha, I know, it doesn''t make much sense, but who cares." he ended with a shrug.


    She burst in a fit of giggles, eyeing him up and down, "In my defense, I''m not evil, Steph, just a bit... unrestrained." she drawled the last word with a cackle, "And you should pay attention to what''s about to happen, I''m pretty sure it''ll leave you... dumbstruck." she winked at him before she resumed her previously endeavor.


    Stephen glanced back at John, "They''re awakening? I thought it would have taken a few hours." he wondered in a blas¨¦ timbre, not really caring of the timespan it took them to wake up, "Maybe it''s different for everyone?"


    "It''s hard to say how much we''ve been out for, Stephen, our phones were already dead by then." John analyzed, "We could have been unconscious for hours or only thirty minutes." he stood up when he noticed Frank stirring awake, his eyes fluttering open, "Frank, how are you feeling?"You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Oh? Oh... Ah, hey John, I feel like I just had the most amazing sex of my life..." the potbellied man chuckled as he massaged his throbbing head, "Coupled with a post-hangover headache, huh." he then twitched his nose, "Hey guys... is there some rabbit meat left? I''m starving." he scrambled to his feet while licking his lips, "Hey..." his eyes suddenly perked up, "My wound! It''s healed! Look! Just look at me! haha!" he bounced around enthusiastically whilst pointing at his belly.


    "Yes, Franky, you''re healed, congratulations." Stephen dusted himself, "And here''s your meal." he threw a goblin by its leg at a surprised Frank, "Bon appetit."


    "I have to eat... this?" Frank blinked, however, his stomach growled in happiness at the sight of trickling gore, "I mean... it doesn''t look that bad, does it?" he was split, one side of him wanted to quickly gobble the creature down while the other was appalled by what the former side was craving.


    "Just go for it." Natasha advised, not taking her eyes off of the girls, "Just leave a rib for me, ''kay?"


    "Uh huh."


    Frank dumbly nodded before he cautiously prodded the goblin, confirming it was dead. Crouching down, he felt a weird tingle on his canines. Wrinkling his nose, he propped the creature''s head up and sunk his growing teeth into its flesh, blood flowing down from the holes as he tore a chunk of meat off.


    "Tasty?" Stephen asked in amusement.


    The potbellied man grunted in approval. He kept munching more meat out of the corpse, meanwhile, his originally black eyes altered into deep crimson ones, "This is fucking good." he uttered out after swallowing a slab of meat, licking the remains off of his smacking lips.


    John peered over the other side, impatiently waiting for Sarah to open her eyes, which she did not long after with a sudden intake of air, her body violently jerking up.


    "Sarah!" he scurried over, "Hey... are you alright?" he scanned her, breathing in relief when he didn''t spot anything abnormal, however, he did notice that her eyes were of the same color as Natasha''s, deep amethyst pools you could lose yourself in, "You..." he was at loss of words when he beheld the mischievous expression she was donning as she met his gaze.


    "Hey there." she stretched her arms up, bulging her prominent chest out to his eyes, "I''m... more than fine, John, and... could you please be so kind as to bring me something to eat, please?" she stuck out her bottom lip, a few strands of blonde hair draping over her right eye, endowing her an innocent yet sexy look.


    John stared dazedly at her before furiously shaking his up and down like a chicken pecking on grains, "Yes..." he quickly seized a goblin and brought it to her just as Natasha hustled closer and chided her with a playful smirk.


    "Now Sarah, it''s not good to use your charm to boss people around."


    "Shush you, Evil Natasha, as if I forgot what happened before, you were literally lazing off whilst I was disposing of the goblins." Stephen piped in with a snort, eliciting the red-haired Predator to wrinkle her nose disgruntledly at him, "And... holy hell, Sarah, did you go through puberty while you were asleep?" he laughed at the blond-haired girl, though on the inside he was vastly taken off by her sudden change, so reminiscent of Natasha.


    Actually, it was so abrupt that John was left speechless, and albeit Frank was still indulging himself he periodically stole glimpses at her, utterly puzzled.


    "Very funny, Stephen, and..." she looked down at the apparent food she had to eat, "Isn''t there something more... good-looking?" she curled her small nose in disgust at the goblin''s disfigured features, however, the smell it was emitting was appetizing so she didn''t particularly care, she complained justforthe sake of doing it.


    "Good-looking?" John dumbly parroted with a frown, "We ran out of rabbits but... I should be able to find some of them pretty quick." just as he was about to bustle out of the cave Natasha stopped him with a giggle.


    "She''s messing with you."


    "..." John looked exasperated and embarrassed.


    Natasha wagged her head as she chastised the younger woman with a sigh, "Stop whining and eat." she said, prompting Sarah to smile at John before she herself started mimicking Frank''s endeavor, albeit not as uncouth as him.


    "Now I know why you said I would''ve been dumbstruck," Stephen said after waltzing next to her, "She''s got the same attitude as you, will Daphne behave just the same?" he inquired.


    "Oh, my dear Stephen," she covered her mouth with the back of her hand to stifle an amused chuckle, "I''m not as evil as you entitled me as, and neither are they." she pointed at Sarah and Daphne who was slowly standing up, "I don''t know how to properly explain it but..." she took on a cute thinking pose, her fingers tapping on her chin, "... it''s like you stop feeling shame over your actions, no, more like you don''t give a fuck..." she grinned, "Stop squeezing your handsome little head over it," she poked his cheek, "Just enjoy the freedom."


    She winked at him before - not forgetting to grab the last dead goblin - sauntering towards a confused Daphne, "How are you?" she locked her purple eyes with her''s, "Dinner is ready, I hope you''re hungry."


    "I feel funny..." Daphne muttered softly, taking a deep soothing breath, queerly surveying her surroundings, "They''re... eating those creatures?" she asked dumbfoundedly, and much to her rising surprise, the sight of blood wasn''t as loathsome as before, instead, it was appealing and inviting, as if the smell itself was beckoning to her with its sweet hand of temptation.


    "Ah yes, don''t worry, you have your share too." she hurled the content in her hand onto the ground, near her feet, "Dig in."


    Daphne seemed a bit reluctant but started eating nonetheless, her hunger was aching for what was in front of her, so, not managing to suppress her unspoken desire, she sunk her teeth into the dead creature''s neck, her eyes glowing in jubilation at the newfound taste that was coating her tongue, lighting up her tastebuds.


    "Well... that''s peculiar... isn''t it?" Stephen observed with a simper after he quietly sat down next to John, "They''re behaving so out of character, is that because they''re females or something? Maybe being a Predator messed up their estrogens or some other chemical shit I''m unaware of?" he threw his hands in the air, "Ah fuck it, I''m not smart enough for this shit..." he glimpsed at John who was still coming up with terms that Sarah was not as shy and withdrawn as before, "John?"


    "Y-yes?" the older man stiffened and stuttered out.


    "What''s up, worried about your little sweetheart?"


    "She''s not my sweetheart, Stephen!"


    "Your eyes are glued onto her ass, John..."


    "..."


    "Oh gosh, don''t make that face, I was kidding, although I wouldn''t have cared a damn whit if you had anything going on with her, age matters very little... moreover..." Stephen cackled after seeing his comrade''s rigid and embarrassed face, before he continued in a more subdued tone, "... nobody would ever find out."


    "Let''s not talk about this..." John ran a hand through his messy hair, "I''m just a bit put out... this place is indeed changing us, and I still don''t know if it''s for the better or the worse." he leaned his back against the ragged wall, "But these powers are helping us survive." he ended with a troubled sigh.


    "They indeed are." Stephen propped his chin up, bracing his elbow upon his other arm for leverage, "Either way, they have awakened, our survival ratio skyrocketed now that we can fight en group." he scanned the entourage of women plus Frank, whilst narrowing his eyes, a pleasant smile etched on his face, "Let''s give them the time to absorb their changes and then..." he shifted his gaze to John, his crimson eyes lighting up, "... we''ll head out and have a good time hunting goblins."

 Chapter 13: Of Goblins And Predators

    The air was cloaked in a cumbersome whiff of life juices, something the troop of Predators found themselves dearly relishing on as they cozily nested against the wall, goblins'' remains and innards blanketing the rocky ground in a display of sheer savagery, whereupon a crackling fire highlighted the gory mess with its flickering glare. Stephen''s face was stretched in happiness as his lips curled upwards in an ear-splitting grin, his crimson eyes fixed on the girls who were huddled together, intermittently giggling among themselves.


    After a pleasurable session of eating and drinking the daylights out of those poor creatures, he and John had taken the time to patiently explain to them what they had discovered concerning the screens and their sudden personality change; of course, not without adding their assumptions, erroneous or not. They discussed and tried to lay down several ideas they thought were valid, yet they had never lingered on them more than required.


    "So, are you all in?" John inquired after conveying them his plan regarding the gremlin-like creatures, and the whereabouts of their pre-supposed den, "It may or may not be dangerous, we have little to no information on them, but if their power is only at the level of what we stumbled upon thus far, there shouldn''t be any jeopardy to our life, however..." he continued in a sober voice, "... if any rank 2 or higher goblins show up, than I suggest everyone to immediately retreat and not engage in any fights."


    "If we can retreat, that is," Stephen piped in with a sarcastic chuckle, "But I doubt a goblin is stronger than an Orc, so we may still have the odds on our side." he peeked at their expressions, "Either way, we don''t know for sure if today we''ll meet them, but in case we do, me and John will take the vanguard, clearing a path for us, whereas Natasha will cover our asses from behind."


    "Stephen, language!" Natasha chided playfully, "Nah, kidding, I will cover your pretty little ass for you." she chirped with a wink, prompting her fellow female Predators to burst in peals of laughter.


    "..."


    "Oh c''mon Steph, don''t make such a face."


    "It wasn''t even that funny..." Stephen mumbled under his breath as he shook his head. Apparently, female Predators have absolutely no sense of humor, he quietly to mused to himself. He then resumed, "Anyway, just as I was saying before I was rudely interrup--" again, he was cut off by a chain of giggles from the girls as they looked at him in amusement, one of them was laughing so hard that she released a pig''s grunting sound that she tried to futilely cover up, but it only served to intensify it.


    Female Predators laugh for no reason, he mentally noted anew.


    "Why are they laughing?" a puzzled Frank scooted closer with a raised eyebrow, "What was the joke?"


    "There was no joke, Franky, it''s just them being... themselves..." Stephen threw his hands in the air, feeling completely disregarded, "Girls..." he called out, to no avail, "Girls..." nothing, "GIRLS!" he coated his hands in Encore Power and clapped, hard.


    The result was a blast that echoed out throughout the cave along with a breeze that generated from the raw force of his strength. He was surprised for a moment, but it was successful in drawing their attention onto him, so he was satisfied, "I''m glad you finally deigned yourselves to pay attention to this little one, so it''d be very appreciated if you could go through our planning without unwanted interruption, again. Thank you." he ended with a glare, restarting.


    "Now, as I was saying, Natasha will protect me and John from behind whilst the rest of you encircle her and make sure no goblin attack her, you can avail yourself of the weapons outside, choose one carefully, please, it may stick with you for a long time," he concluded dryly, "If you got any skills then you can pick a weapon correlated to said skill for the meantime." he scanned them, "Any question?"


    Frank raised his hand, "What if a monster of the same level as you, John and Natasha encountered previously, appears?" they''ve been told about their unsought rendezvous with the Night Stalker whose strength had left a deep mark in their minds, and even if they got stronger, it was outright stupid to even believe they had a smudge of a chance to partake in a fight against it, lest they were suicidal.


    "Well... in the worst case, we die."


    "And... in the best case?"


    "We die." Stephen cackled ill-humoredly, "There''s no ifs or buts, the only reason me and the others survived was because the Night Stalker had its attention on the Basilisk, and even then we almost kicked the bucket." he scruffed a strand of hair out of his eye, "But... should we truly meet such a fearsome creature, I suggest to split up and run, that way not all of us will die. Maybe."


    "That''s not reassuring..." Daphne wagged her head plaintively, "Well, it''s not like we have any alternatives." she draped her leg over the other, curling her small nose, "Anyway, I''ve got a Sword skill, same as you, I presume?" she arched an eyebrow at Stephen, receiving a nod of approval from the latter.Stolen story; please report.


    "Indeed, let''s go outside and pick some weapons and gears, I''m sure they''ll come handy, however worn out they may be."


    With that, they got up and filed out.


    <hr>


    Manned with leather bracers that tightly wrapped around his forearms, Stephen smoothed out his black shirt as he swapped his crumbling sword for a better-looking one that was wastingly laying on the ground, near a beheaded goblin that was sprawled near it, a fresh puddle of blood around it.


    "Are you all done?" John''s voice rang out. He took a quick look at his groupmates, noticing that everyone had taken a weapon and a few pieces of equipment to protect themselves with. Sarah had an axe, which made him oddly happy whilst Frank was fiddling with a shabby spear, "If so let''s depart." he set out, followed closely by the others who positioned themselves as per Stephen''s instructions.


    Walking towards Nort-West for 10 minutes straight was a bit daunting considering the high probability of bumping into undesired monsters, but thankfully the rain had stopped, offering them a sweet and temporary reprieve as they steadfastly waded through the thickets, scrutinizing their surroundings with surgery-like focus.


    "Damn, I think this is not the way..." Frank muttered after a short pause, "We''ve been walking for quite a while, I doubt any goblins will suddenly pop up, huh..." he frowned, "Plus my feet are killing me, shit."


    "Stop whining Franky, just a bit more to make sure there''s nothing of concern here..."


    "He''s not wrong though, we could use a small break..." Natasha curled her nose, "I''m also getting a bit tired." she had been on high alert since they''ve undertaken that direction, coupled with the fact that she''s been on the move for hours, she felt her legs begging for clemency.


    "Oh, right." Stephen abruptly mouthed out, smacking his forehead in realization, turning his head around, his eyes found their way into Natasha''s puzzled ones, "I forgot we had an elderly lady with us, I apologize, would you like me to piggyback you? Maybe a bridal carry style would better suit your old and refined tastes?"


    Natasha''s corners of the mouth twitched at being called old, before teasing back, "Sure thing, darling, come on, pick me up." she hustled closer to him while prodding his arm, "It''s not like you haven''t done that before."


    "Hah, seriously? Damn, Stephen, I didn''t think you and Natasha had already fucked each other this soon..." Frank chimed in with a boisterous laugh, his eyes lighting up in amusement, "No, wait! I''m jealous, that''s not fair, I want to get laid too!" he pouted.


    "No, Franky, we haven''t done that... yet."


    "I''m married, I''m not that fickle that I would cheat on my husband!" the red-haired Predator flashed him her ring finger, where the silverly proof was embedded on, "Truly a pity, isn''t it?" she asked with mock-sadness, "Oh... you''re younger than me by 20 years too, alas, it seems we were not fated to be together." she sighed, "But who knows? Maybe if you try hard enough." her melodious giggle tingled delightfully his ears.


    "I miss the old Natasha, where is she?"


    "Oh, she''s here." she pointed her thumb at herself, "I''m Natasha, pleased to make your acquaintance." she cracked up again, something shared by Daphne and Sarah.


    "What a horrible sense of humor..." John who was at the side quietly listening, shook his head in dismay, feeling a tinge of pity for the younger Predator, "Shh!" he suddenly brought his finger up to his lips, motioning for the group to be silent as he jutted out his ear, his brow furrowed, trying to perceive something.


    Faint gurgle sounds proliferated from the adjacent area, accompanied by hurried movements. The group tensed up.


    "Goblins?" Frank wondered, his knuckles whitening from the firm grip on his spear.


    "I think they''ve heard us, we weren''t particularly careful with our voice timbre," Stephen said.


    John beckoned for them to softly follow him as he tiptoed forward, his axe ready for a probable upcoming assault, "Stay in formation." he reminded them before he resumed his endeavor.


    When they passed by another few trees, a clearing came into their view. Crude wooden shacks towered over the alarmed goblins that swarmed the place, some of them were clearly females for ragged pieces of clothes were hugged tightly around their breasts, and of course, at their modesty; though their faces didn''t seem any more feminine than the male ones.


    Frank whistled, "Damn, there must be at least... 30 of them?" he was unsure, "And some of them are taller too." that last tidbit of information caught Stephen''s attention as he followed Frank''s line of sight and spotted the goblins in question, his eyes narrowing.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Hobgoblin, Female, Age: 108 days, Rank: 1, Encore Power: 17]


    [Hobgoblin, Male, Age: 114 days, Rank: 1, Encore Power: 21]


    [Hobgoblin, Male, Age: 103 days, Rank: 1, Encore Power: 15]


    There were three of them, and apparently, he could distinguish their gender too now, apparently, it was a new tweak due to his recent rank up.


    The goblins seemed to sense Stephen and John''s higher rank and were reluctant to step forward. They had the numbers, sure, but they weren''t stupid enough to blindly rush forth, most likely to their own inevitable death. However, the hobgoblins behind seemed pretty cocksure of their victory, and with a snarl, commanded them to attack, which they did after a bit of hesitation.


    "Well, here we go..." Stephen hardened his eyes, swirling his sword horizontally whilst taking a quick glance at his older comrade, "You take the right, I take the left." he said, getting a nod of response from John, who alongside him, charged in tandem at the oncoming goblins.


    "Be careful not to break the formation!" John shouted as he cleaved his assaulter''s head in two, a jumble of crimson liquids shooting up.


    Stephen waltzed through a group of goblins, his blade flaring by their necks as they slumped down with their heads severed. Behind him, a fireball darted over his shoulder, wallowing another one in a blazing mantle before it likewise fell down with a pained scream, its stubby appendages flailing about the air. Seeing their small army getting hacked so easily, the hobgoblins, however, were not happy and decided to take action personally.

 Chapter 14: Alpha

    They started balking off. It was not clear who was the first one to cast away its weapon, but it sure linked the others to follow on its steps in a tumultuous chain of scampering goblins. It was utterly stupid trying to overwhelm those red-eyed humans with sheer number alone. And those who attempted such folly now joined their deceased predecessors amalgamated in the ever so growing trail of blood and mushed flesh behind them. Yet for how much they wanted to test their fate relocating elsewhere, the hobgoblins were not merciful against their pleas for one of them raised a staff where a red crystal was forcefully embedded on.


    "I don''t have a good feeling about this," Stephen muttered aloud, his wrist flicking with practical ease as a red thread of Encore Power sailed forth from the direction he had swung his sword at, decapitating a bunch of unaware goblins scrambling away, the proof of their deaths sliding out of their spurting stump onto the ground with a wet flop. That sight further elicited them into moving their stubby and short legs faster, lest they were the next ones to concatenate in their brethren''s mischance.


    He decided to not take chances and stepped back, his eyes fixed on the hobgoblin''s glowing staff, upon which said hobgoblin rattled something inscrutable, just in time as a geyser of scorching fire hatched mid-air and bathed the landscape adjacent them in a 4 meters radius, flooding over the desperately romping away goblins in a display of pure callousness and brutality worthy of a ruthless leader.


    Stephen splayed his eyes wide, mirrored only by the burning death ever so approaching, unrelenting in its sizzling breath as it seared through the grassland and the painful cries of its conflagrant yet unwilling martyrs. Fear gnawed his stomach, prompting him to muster all of his Dexterity, spin around, grab a panic-stricken and frozen Natasha, and against all the odds, cap his legs with all of the Encore Power he had left, before leaping out the path of the fire that roared by his back, the fiery element''s blazing tongue licking his back.


    He hissed with a wince once he registered the pain, the fact that he had flopped to the ground with a guest in his arms didn''t help either. The heavy tang of burnt ozone permeated the air. He used his arms as leverage to prop his upper body up, "Damn!" his heart was still beating fast, it was a good thing the fire was not particularly fast, but its broad range of effect sure made it almost impossible to evade without getting burned.


    "Guys! You''re all okay?" John''s deep voice boomed, "Sarah, you''re not hurt, are you?" his tone took on a softer timbre. The rest of the group grunted in affirmation, although it was not obvious whether they were injured by the attack or not. Plus they were exhausted from the fights they had been partaking in, thus they had barely managed to roll out of the flame before it engulfed them.


    Stephen shakily stood up, his eyes fixed on the culprit of their almost plenary obliteration, and to his great surprise, the hobgoblin was crouched down, heavily breathing. It looked more brittle and aged, as if about to die after a failed act of sacrifice to dispose of them. He didn''t feel pity for those creatures, his face was aquiver with a mix of fear and heated rage. It pumped in his heart before streaming through his veins.


    Was it Encore Power? He could hardly distinguish it with his eyes hazed in fury.


    He growled, an animalistic and predatory sound that asserted power and dominance over that stretch of land. It caught the hobgoblins and the few goblins survivors'' attention. Unbridled fright filling their hideous features.


    "S-Stephen?" Natasha''s mouth was hung open in surprise, and the moment their eyes made contact she recoiled, scurrying back with her feet to lengthen the distance between them, "You..." he ignored her, she was nothing but insignificant now.


    He remembered, yet he wished he never had. Memories he forced into the back of his mind, never to be scraped to the surface anew. Fear. Humiliation. How he hated those emotions, it plunged him back to face the ghosts of his past. The face of a man at the forefront of his mind, as if deeply printed in the back of his eyelids. His shadow still haunted him, and there was nothing more distressing to know he couldn''t forget.


    That hobgoblin made him remember.


    [You have temporarily entered the Alpha state.]


    [All of your attributes have been augmented by 100%]


    [Warning! Your body can''t host the sudden intake of power, therefore you have a limit cap of 2 minutes in this state, any longer and your body may risk a breakdown.]


    He swatted away the notifications, relishing on the inebriating strength pulsing across his muscles and skin. His upper lip parted, laying bare two sharp and long canines that seemed to sparkle from the fire''s light that still flickered on the kindled patch of land.


    Stephen acted without qualm, his body flared out of position, leaving only a small web-shaped crack on the soil. He reappeared afore the hobgoblin that had almost killed them, his hand dove for its face with such a speed it hadn''t even the time to perceive his movements. His fingers stretched out, grasping its facial skin before proceeding to peel it off with a violent haul. A sickening tearing sound echoed out, consequently followed by an inhuman shriek. The goblin''s face - now stripped of its hide - was nothing but a surface of sinews and bones overlaid by a screen of blood.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He spun his body around, his thigh up high whilst his leg crimped inwards before he delivered a hard kick upon the head of another stupidly dazed hobgoblin, wind seemingly trailing alongside his foot. Its head caved in with a crunch, blood flowed out of its orifices as it inelegantly slumped down, lifeless.


    The female hobgoblin that was scampering away trembled when she felt Stephen''s eyes on her. It was a stupid plan, but it was not like goblins were notorious for their intelligence, after all. They relied on that crystal which should have secured them an easy victory, or so was what they had been thinking about. Now almost all of the goblins were either dead or incapacitated. And one of their hobgoblins was dead, whilst the other was about to follow in their footsteps. Still, she didn''t want to go down without putting up a fight, so unsheathing her sword from a crude handmade holster attached to her back by a rope, she charged at him.


    She swung her moderately well-kept blade at him, which he effortlessly sidestepped and ducked under a left hook from her. He could perceive and foresee her moves even before she made them just from a twitch of her muscles. His skyrocketed Dexterity granted him an incredible awareness of his surroundings, coupled with ground-cracking speed. She was almost moving in slow motion to him.


    Stephen curled an eyebrow in amusement as he watched the female hobgoblin trying to foolishly ward him off with her flimsy offensive. He wanted to humor her, but time was ticking by. He slashed, no skill behind his move, just a casual flick of his wrist accompanied by a burst of Encore Power, and her head was sent flying along with a chunk of her sword by the red rope of energy that soon ebbed away in the atmosphere. Everything seemed so easy with that skill, or was it because his opponents were not that strong to begin with?


    [Encore Slash has reached Lv.3]


    "Well, that was anti-climatic," he chuckled, his bubbling anger from minutes ago had wholly cooled down, "But at least we got our dinner." he looked at the group who was staring back at him, astounded, "What?"


    "Damn, that was awesome," Frank laughed heartily, struggling to stand up, "Ouch! Shit!" he flopped back down on his ass, his hand holding his burned leg. His pants were blackened and ragged whilst blistered skin could be seen from within a jagged tear.


    "How did you suddenly become so strong?" John chimed in with his brow furrowed, "I know at what level you were before, but this was way beyond what you were capable of."


    "I dunno? The screens told me I became an alpha and then I went super sayan."


    "..."


    [Time limit reached! Do you wish to stay in this state for longer? Do beware that the backlash will be more severe due to the strain you''d be inflicting on yourself.]


    Stephen shook his head while thinking, ''No.'' the screen vanished into nothingness before heavy exhaustion walloped him, way too sudden for him to react.


    He fell down.


    "Are you okay?" Natasha scooted closer whilst the others were inspecting the dead hobgoblins. Thankfully not all of them were wounded, and only Frank, him and Daphne had received some kind damage, although Frank''s one seemed more serious, "Your back..." she reached with her hands but didn''t make skin contact, afraid the touch would have pained him more, "I... thank you..." she chewed her bottom lip with a deep sigh, "If it was not for me you would have been perfectly fine had you not wasted that second more from saving me." her tone lowered, her amethyst eyes didn''t glow in mischief like they used to, instead, they were expressing her heartfelt gratitude towards him, her smile only convincing him further of that, "Really, thank you, Stephen,"


    "Where is Evil Natasha, what have you done to her?" Stephen mock-feigned horror as he gaped at her, "Wait... is that you Natasha?"


    "Pfft, no, I''m afraid not..." she smirked, "It seems you''ll have to put up with me for waaaaay longer than you expect."


    "Stop flirting you two and come to eat. Jesus fucking Christ," Frank butted in with his usual finesse, "Why don''t you just fuck each other and get over it?" he yelled from the other side as he ripped a slab of goblin meat before stuffing it inside his mouth, "Damn, this shit is good."


    "..." Stephen cackled, "That''s Franky for you."


    Both of them stood up, Natasha draping his arm over her shoulder to steady him up before they strode towards the group. The hobgoblin Stephen had brutally ripped the face of was now dead, laying in its own pool of blood, inviting and appetizing as ever.


    Gathering in a circle, avoiding the fire that was pretty much alive, and still coating sizeable chunks of grass, they passed each other sliced flesh from each of the three hobgoblins. They had found out that no matter how much someone kept eating a creature, there was only a set amount of attribute points they could gain from it, so if they ate a small piece of meat or the entire corpse it would have not made any difference.


    It was a good thing they had three of them.


    [You have gained 1 point in Strength.]


    [You have gained 1 point in Vitality.]


    [You have gained 1 point in Strength.]


    [You have gained 1 point in Encore Power.]


    [You have gained 1 point in Encore Power.]


    [You have gained Low Fire Affinity.]


    [You have gained the skill Fireball, Lv.1.]


    [You have gained 1% in Evolution.]


    [You have gained 1% in Evolution.]


    [You have gained 1% in Evolution.]


    Stephen smiled at the rewarding screens, feeling the pain on his back lessen a bit. Furthermore, he had even got himself a magic skill, and for that he was elated. It was a pity he couldn''t get points from monsters with a rank lower than his, otherwise, he would have feasted upon those goblins. But it did not matter, with another ace up his sleeves he knew he had to bring his game up a notch. Once they got back he would set himself a schedule for training and hunting, so that he could advance in a fast yet stable way.


    Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. Today they had almost died. Luck would eventually run out if it hadn''t already. He had to prepare himself. Remembering how he stood paralyzed in terror afore that fire, struck a painful chord in his heart. He didn''t like it. Not at all.


    Emboldening his determination, he decided to do anything necessary to prevent such situations, even if it meant lording over the food chain of that place.


    Smiling at the thought, his crimson eyes lit up in delight. Yes. That idea was definitely to his tastes.

 Chapter 15: Rooting Out Problems

    Stephen lowered his gaze, his hands slothfully tucked inside his pockets. The battle had somehow ended with a one-sided slaughter; Predators 1, Goblins 0; he cackled. The only regrettable tidbit of news was that almost all of the goblins they had killed were unranked, which meant no rewards. They were something akin to civilians, he assumed. It was a wonder how they had stumbled upon another civilization, albeit way regressed to initiate any sort of communication with them, but it was good, the forest didn''t seem to be modest in size, he was sure they would meet many more marvels. It was just a question of time.


    "Hah! I got Fireball, take that, you bitches!"


    Frank''s boisterous laugh filled the merry atmosphere, his smile was so wide the corner of his eyes wrinkled up.


    "Everybody''s got that stuff, you''re not the only one, so no..." Natasha interjected with a smirk, "... you''re not special." she drawled out, which earned her a pout from the potbellied man.


    John gave her a slantwise glance, "Have you ranked up?" he queried, it was almost natural how easy he could gauge Predators'' ranks from a look alone, without availing himself of the analysis the screens have been helping him heretofore.


    "Yep!" she bounced around in excitement before snorting arrogantly, her nose curled up, "I''m of a higher rank than you two." she crossed her arms as she announced to her fellow female Predators in a condescending tone, her foot tapping rhythmically, "Now you gotta show me the respect I deserve." she whipped her hair around, "You should consider becoming my lackeys, I won''t treat you unfairly."


    Sarah rolled her eyes, "God please no, why not shift that offer to Stephen? He seems to be willing to do anything to earn your... favor..."


    "Hey!" the man in question looked accused, "Don''t involve me in this topic!"


    "Let me! Let me!" Frank butted in, smoothing out the tuffs of hair at the sides of his head whilst cat-walking towards Natasha, he even straightened up a non-existent tie on his collar to look more elegant, "I''m sure I''ll be able to fulfill any criteria you might set for your special lackey." he husked his voice, wagging his eyebrows at her in what he thought was a panties-dropping expression.


    Daphne tried hard, but for all the will she had steeled up, she couldn''t stifle back the peals of giggles that escaped from her lips, "Oh my..." her laugh was now followed by a pig''s grunting noise as she doubled over, wiping a few tears that had welled up at the edges of her eyes, "What an interesting specimen of a man..."


    "So it was you who had made that noise..." Stephen muttered to himself, seemingly content at having solved the riddle behind that sound, "Whatever..." he shrugged.


    "Frank..." Natasha cupped her forehead in exasperation, "Forget I said anything, okay?"


    "But... but..."


    "No buts!"


    "..." Frank sat back down with a theatrical sigh, "I don''t believe Cupid won''t shoot an arrow for me."


    "What if he shoots an arrow at a man?" Stephen quipped, "I mean... I do believe that there are two specific terms to describe homosexual relationships like these, uh... what were the words?" he racked his brain, "Ah." he snapped his fingers in realization, "Uke and seme." he continued, puzzled, "Though I don''t know what they mean..." he wrinkled his nose, "Where I used to work, some of my female co-workers liked pointing at me while whispering at each other something along the lines, ''He''s definitely a Uke''." he scoffed.


    Sarah at the side burst out in laughter, "So you''re not that uncultured." she hummed, "Let me clarify your doubts. Uke means bottom, aka the one who... receives, if you know what I mean," she grinned mid-explanation, "While Seme means..." she curled her thumb and forefinger together, shaping them up in an ''o'' form before slipping her other hand''s forefinger inside the hole, "... the one who gives." Sarah ended with a wink towards a traumatized Frank and a very apprehensive Stephen.


    "That''s... that''s interesting." John expressed thoughtfully, still, it was hard not to notice his twitching eyebrow, "But can we switch topics, please?"


    "We haven''t checked those huts out yet, have we?" Stephen pointed his thumb over his shoulder, where a cluster of crumbling hovels stood in a jumbled mess, "Furthermore I can faintly hear something," he frowned.


    "Now that you mention it I can hear something too," Natasha confirmed, getting a nod from John who furrowed his brow in concentration, trying to make out the sounds.


    "I can''t hear anything..." Frank said, and if Sarah and Daphne''s countenances were anything to go by then they were in the same boat as him.


    It was not surprising considering their difference in attributes.


    "Let''s see what it is." everyone concurred with this motion as they marched towards the source of the unidentified noise. The shacks were spread with no logical order, and their condition was outright degrading, as if a harmless breeze could easily take them apart. Stephen halted in front of where that weird bewailing was wafting from. Now that they were only a wall away from it, they could faintly recognize a sound that oddly resembled that of a crying baby; multiple crying babies, it seemed.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Well... I hope it isn''t what I think it is..." Frank scowled, "That would be troublesome." he cupped his chin with his stubby hand.


    John carefully bumped the door, eliciting the wooden and moldered frame to creak in protest as a narrow and shadowed gap allowed them to dimly see what was skulking inside. There was a heap of overlapped leaves and branches alongside a slimy and brownish substance strewn over the floor, and it emitted an unpleasant smell.


    "Ugh, this place stinks!" Daphne squeezed her nose, "Damn..." she waltzed back whilst waving her hand in front of her in a futile struggle to swat away the odor.


    "Yeah, it smells like... shit..."


    Stephen grimaced, slinking inside, followed right after by John and the rest of the crew who were vigilantly looking around, lest an unwanted surprise popped up and caught them off-guard. The wooden floor didn''t seem sturdy enough to carry their conjunct weight, but it was holding on for now.


    They drew nearer to the source of their confusion, shirking left and right to avoid stepping on what they thought were goblin feces. The stink was becoming unbearable.


    At last the whining cries reached their ears with unmistakable clarity, at that point, it was obvious what they were looking at, "Babies..." Sarah muttered, utterly appalled.


    "Goblin babies." Stephen corrected, his expression unreadable, "That might indeed become a problem..."


    "What should we do?" John asked, staring down at the baby goblins flailing their short and stocky arms around, trying to grab something, before crying out when they realized there was nothing they could grapple themselves onto, "Leave them here?"


    "No, duh. Unless you''re endorsing for mothering those little bastards and raise them as humans, I mean, as Predators..." Stephen retorted, his nose curled up in disgust, "... I propose to get rid of them..." his eyes flashed with a hesitant gleam but he steeled himself into doing what was needed to be done. He couldn''t afford to feel pity for monsters, babies or not, "Better be safe than sorry."


    "You can''t be serious... they''re... not even children!" Sarah offered fruitlessly, her words didn''t budge his hesitation, and it seemed John was not leaning on her side either, "Natasha?" she spun her head back, staring at the red-haired woman, "What is your opinion about this?"


    However, before Natasha could add her input Stephen abruptly cut in, "Why are you even protecting them? You know better than I do that had we not killed those goblins previously, now you would be nothing but the shell of a woman who had been stripped off of her dignity." he snorted, "Those pesky little bastards may be innocent and harmless right now, but they''ll eventually grow up, and they''ll be no different from their parents." he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, "If you don''t want to partake, or see, what is about to unfold then nobody''s stopping you from waiting outside."


    Sarah bit her lips, and no help came from her fellow female Predators. She had no remorse killing normal goblins. But babies? that was a different matter altogether, and the fact that they looked anthropoid enough to pass off as some kind of deformed or disfigured human being didn''t alleviate her troubles at all.


    "I''ll wait outside..." she relented plaintively with a wag of her head, before hustling out of the hut, her actions trailed by a concerned John.


    "You shouldn''t have been so severe with her," his words were laced with a tinge of anger, "She''s relatively new to all of this, she needs her t--"


    "We don''t have TIME! John." Stephen hissed, his eyes lighting up in a darker shade of red, "I''m not angry at her for latching onto the last straw of whatever nonsensical humanity she has left." he bored his crimson orbs deep into the older man''s ones, "But this is not the apt place for showing mercy, because nobody in this fucking place will show it to us! Hammer it in your skull, dammit!" he cringed a bit at berating his older friend, but it was something that had to be done, "Sorry John, but if you care about her then you should stop babysitting her."


    John didn''t speak, but his actions were crystal clear to him. He muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, "You''re changing, Stephen..." before he stormed off.


    "..."


    Frank stayed silent, witnessing the whole ordeal going on, his face scrunched up in worry, "That..." he sighed, "I''ll check on them, and while I''m at it Imma make sure there are no surprises in this place." he stole a glimpse at the infant creatures and then headed out, Daphne quickly scampering behind him, her features stiff as she sent an apologetic look at them.


    "You''re still here." Stephen didn''t need to turn around to know Natasha hadn''t moved an inch, "Won''t you go out too?"


    "Hmm..." she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Do you want me to?"


    He turned around, "I won''t force you to do something you don''t want to, Natasha." he said whilst looking at the woman, her hand restlessly slathering against the back of her other arm, her lips pursed, "But if you disagree with my decisions then you''re free to speak out and tell me when I''m about to do something stupid." he cackled, "But this time I''m afraid whatever you want to say will have to wait, for that I apologize."


    Stephen hoisted his sword up, a flimsy thread of the now all familiar Encore Power enveloping his blade. Now that his Encore Slash had reached Lv.3 he could freely store more power into his slash to deliver a stronger output of damage upon his enemies. But it was all reliant on the amount of Encore Power he had available.


    He sliced, his wrist deftly flicking forward, prompting the stocked up energy to lash out, kindling the room in a red glare. Blood furiously sprinkled out, painting the walls in crimson brushes as the goblin infants ceased to make any sound. Their whining died out, as did their lives.


    "How are you feeling?" Natasha inquired, her tone almost a whisper.


    "Alright..."


    "Liar..."


    He looked at her quizzically.


    "Your hands are trembling." she pointed out, tucking a chock of hair away from her eyes, "You''re forcing yourself to become something you aren''t." her bitter chuckle resounded, "Yet I can somewhat understand why you''re doing it... but no matter, as long as you don''t forfeit your emotions for your ambitions."


    Stephen drooped his gaze, breathing out. It was harder than he thought, but he tempered himself through it. Killing goblins never weighed on his heart, they were just food and a steady source to power himself up with, but denying the miracle of life to newborns was a sinful act he strongly frowned upon. He knew they would become nothing less than their dead predecessors were, but was that supposed to make him feel better? Was he a hypocrite? He saw them as a trial to harden his emotions, was it wrong?


    "Stephen! Natasha! Come quickly!" Frank''s uneasy voice echoed out, disrupting his train of thoughts, "We found humans!"


    They widened their eyes in shock before Natasha ushered out, escorted by a flabbergasted Stephen.

 Chapter 16: New Friends, New Enemies

    They hurried themselves out, not even bothering to open the door, just blowing through it with a kick, courtesy of Stephen. Wooden splinters barreled out before unveiling the forms of Natasha and Stephen who had their faces stretched in seriousness as they hastened towards the source of their friend''s beckoning. Did Frank really find other humans? He had no reason to lie, so nobody questioned the veracity behind his words. Even so, the discovery of another bunch of humans may or may not uncloud their confusion regarding their situation, granted that they even knew anything.


    "Frank, Daphne!"


    Stephen halted his advance when he noticed the man in question standing in front of the threshold of a hut''s doorframe, Daphne not far behind him, her gaze lowered to the ground, "They''re inside?" he queried, not really needing confirmation for he could faintly make out the outline of a batch of people sprawled on the dirty floor, seemingly unconscious. He could recognize two females and one male, manhandled, their clothes in tatters.


    "Do you think they were..." Natasha supplied, not finishing her sentence, there was no need to.


    "Can''t say for sure..."


    "Damn!" Frank clenched his fist, his face crumpled up in disgust, "Did you kill those babies, Stephen?" he asked, getting a nod of confirmation from the latter.


    "Good..."


    They were joined soon by John and Sarah who were patrolling nearby, their faces equally frowned in disgust once their eyesight fell upon the reason of the sudden commotion. Sarah shifted uncomfortably, the reminder of what had almost happened to her and Daphne, and likely had befallen on those unknown people didn''t sit well with her mind, but what could have she done?


    "Let''s check them out." John offered quietly as he sauntered inside. His words weren''t met with opposition for the rest of the group trailed after him right away, sans for Stephen who seemed to hesitate, "Aren''t you coming?" the older man raised an eyebrow, eliciting him to shrug and let himself be guided.


    It was needless to say that the smell inside wasn''t any more pleasant than the previous one, but they had somehow gotten used to it, so nobody made a fuss about it.


    Frank wrinkled his nose, prodding the unconscious man with his foot, "Are they dead?" he scratched his head.


    "You gotta check for a pulse, you idiot." Daphne rolled her eyes at him before she crouched down, grabbing one of the females and turning her around. She carefully laid her index and middle finger on her neck, pressing slightly to the side of her windpipe, feeling a throb in response, "Well, this young woman seems to be alive, what about the others?"


    "This one too." John nodded after surveying the last female''s condition, "Frank?"


    "Yes, it seems they''re all alive, albeit the young fella here is a bit injured."


    Stephen looked down, noticing patches of blood staining said man''s clothes. His eyes lit up dangerously for an instant before ebbing back to normal. Nobody noticed.


    "I''m going out for a bit."


    "Stephen?" Natasha called out, mystified, "You okay?"


    "Uh huh, just gotta make sure the rest of the huts are problem free."


    John butted in, "There''s no need." he scruffed a hand through his hair, "All of them are mostly dormitories or something the like, whilst only one of them housed weapons and gears, not many of them seemed useful though, just worthless trinkets."


    "I see..." Stephen nodded, "What should we do with them?" he pointed at the unconscious humans, "They... uh?" he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes almost popping out of the stretched skin. He then leaked a loud cackle that floored his group fellows into silence, "I see... so they''re Predators too, huh?"


    "Predators?" the implication behind that statement walloped them so hard they were seeing stars of confusion buzzing around them, "What are you talking about?"


    "Look." he pointed his forefinger at a woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties, auburn hair bundled up in a ponytail whereas tresses of silky hair framed her average features. She had her elbows propped against the wooden floor, struggling to push her upper body up. And she was pretty much awake, "Hello there, I''m sorry that there was no prince to kiss you awake." her amethyst pools peered into his crimson ones; hatred and anger about to spill out in the form of salty pearls of water.


    John snapped his head back, an action that was shared by everyone else caught up in that storm of befuddlement.


    "That''s..." Sarah furrowed her brow, "She has the same eyes as us..."


    "Who are you?" the newly-awoken woman inquired, her eyes unblinking and fixed onto them, "Wait... your eyes..." realization dawned on her, "Predators..." she visibly paled, "So we weren''t the only ones..." her voice took on a shaky timbre, "No... no..." she clutched her hair as the ship of desperation sunk in, her eyelids quivering.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Calm down..." John tried to placate her, but the woman didn''t pay him any heed, "Natasha, if you could..."


    "Yes."


    "Don''t come near me!"


    "We just want to help you." Natasha raised her hands up, probing, "We are in the same situation as you... so please... ease off, we have no intention to hurt you."


    "..."


    "Care to tell us your name?"


    "Britney..." the auburn-haired woman replied in a soft tone, her vigilance still up but at least she had loosened up a bit, "Britney Ashmount."


    John breathed out, glad they had managed to avoid kindling up the stick that would have sparked a conflict; it wouldn''t have been to anyone''s benefit, "Miss Ashmount, my name''s John," he introduced himself before hinting with his head at his groupmates, "This is Sarah, Frank, Natasha, and Stephen." he pointed at each one respectively alongside their names, "And yes, we are indeed Predators."


    Britney broke down in sobs. She curled herself against the wall, her arms encased around her trembling frame, "What is going... what is going on... just what is going on..." her mumbles were becoming louder and louder before rupturing into a hysterical yell, "Fuck! What the fuck is going on!"


    Nobody spoke. A pregnant silence ensued in.


    Frank was unnerved, it was thanks to a twitch against his leg that he noticed the injured young man slouched on the floor near him stirring awake. His eyes flickered open, the same crimson spheres they had already labeled as pertaining to male Predators only, it was irrefutable.


    "Gah!"


    "Damien... Damien, are you all right?" Britney scooted closer, her steps wobbly, "Here... be careful." she held him up, her endeavor requiring a straining amount of effort she currently hadn''t at her disposal, "Can you help me, please?" she asked hopefully to no one in particular, just in a urgent need of a new pair of hands, no matter whose.


    "Let me help you." Frank offered, draping the now-named Damien''s dangling arm over his shoulder, "C''mon buddy, do not die on us." he cackled, though his lame attempt to lighten up the tension went wasted.


    "Weeell..." Stephen hummed, squatting down next to the last unconscious young woman who had been checked up by John priorly. He muttered, "You know, I applaud you for being cautious enough to feign unconsciousness, but this is not a movie, no wait, with the shit that''s going on it might as well be one," he threw his hands up in the air, "Whatever, what I''m trying to say is that there''s no need to be so alert around us, not that you shouldn''t, but we are swimming through the same shit, and yes, I like to say ''shit'' a lot, deal with it." he smirked when he noticed her cheeks spasming.


    "So, won''t you float back to the land of the living?" he raised an eyebrow as he watched her before rolling his eyes when she kept her endeavor up, "You asked for it." he slanted his lips closer to her ear. "Shit shit shit shit shit shit."


    "Stop it! I got it!" she hissed, her body jerking upwards, and consequently drawing everyone''s attention onto her, "You''re so annoying!" she wrinkled her nose distastefully.


    "Ohh..." Stephen beheld her with an amusing smile, "Interesting style you got there." she just humphed in response. She had long charcoal-black hair that tumbled behind her back and over her shoulders like a starless cosmos waterfall. Her forehead was eclipsed by a fringe that almost topped her eyes, accompanied by a lone white chock of hair that slid over the side of her unnaturally blanched face. Her nose and ears were riddled with piercings and earrings, and one could even be found on the left side of her black bottom lip; the color almost wholly bleached. Her amethyst eyes were accentuated by a heavy dose of smudged dark make-up. Overall she was a pretty girl, he recognized.


    And the fact that she was clad in black with a choker around her neck where spikes jutted out from added more to her already dangerous charm.


    "Good, it seems that the goth girl here is awake," Stephen chuckled, "Stephen here, how may I address you?"


    "Apolline." she crossed her arms, "And don''t call me goth girl!"


    "Uh huh, pardon," he eyed her up and down, "Though you do dress up as one."


    "I know, duh. Just don''t call me that way, I don''t like it."


    Stephen shrugged, "As you wish, and..." he gave her a curious look, "... you do seem to be aware of our... race change, yet you don''t appear to be perturbed by it..."


    "I dealt with that days ago, and weirdly enough it actually didn''t bother me that much, aside from the initial surprise, of course."


    "I see..."


    Natasha clapped, veering the attention upon her, "Guys, we don''t have much time before the weather gets nasty, we should all go back..." she offered.


    "Emh... is it a problem if I and Damien go back with you? W-we... our friends... they went..." Britney started tearing up, "... looking for food but they never came back."


    Stephen frowned, whispering soft enough for only Apolline to hear, "Do you know them?" he queried, eliciting her to shake her head in denial, "How have you gotten here?"


    "The group I was with decided to part ways early on after a clash of words..." she elaborated, "I don''t know what happened to them, if they''re still alive or not, but after walking through the forest and taking shelter wherever I could for a few days I came across this settlement... I didn''t know goblins were living here..." she twiddled with her white chock of hair, "It was a good thing the clutter you guys caused shifted their gaze upon you... I was almost..." she nibbled her upper lip nervously, "I was almost..."


    "It''s okay..." Stephen sighed, "They''re dead."


    Apolline nodded, but she was still a bit absentminded.


    Meanwhile, Natasha faltered. She was feeling pity for Britney and her companion Damien, but she couldn''t trust them and let them all of a sudden blend in their group; Predators or not, she couldn''t make that decision on her own. She glanced back, silently pleading for help, but the rest of the group were in the same boat as her. John looked oddly thoughtful, his expression hardening as he shook his head at her.


    "Please..." Britney lowered her head, her hair casting a shadow over her eyes, her hands trying to dig slits on the wood, "I just wanna go away from this place..." Natasha hustled closer to her, trying to appease her somehow.


    Stephen took on a thinking pose, "Say... were they already here when you were kidnapped?" he inquired the goth Predator.


    "No, they weren''t..."


    "They weren''t..." he parroted, suddenly feeling that something was off, his eyes dazedly looking at Britney before he opened his mouth in disbelief as he made a dash for the weeping woman, his sword drawn out, the information box still hovering in front of his eyes.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Shapeshifter, Female, Age: 9 years, Rank: 2, Encore Power: 67]

 Chapter 17: Do Your Worst

    "Stephen?"


    Apolline called out in confusion, but whatever else she had to say was stuck in her throat for the man in question had shifted from his place with an incredible display of speed, reappearing next to a weeping Britney whose hands had suddenly shot up, her fingers reaching for Natasha''s unprotected neck. However, she wasn''t surely expecting that a ribbon of red energy to whiz at her right before she could get ahold of her startled hostage, hence forcing her to retreat and scurry back; not without some damage though.


    "Use your analysis! She''s not a Predator, not even a human for that matter!" Stephen yelled at the gobsmacked expressions of his friends, "Encircle her, quickly!" he ordered as he adjusted his sword once again for another attack, which was interrupted when the woman had shapeshifted into a black eagle with surprising swiftness and darted past him, her peck abrading a gash on his cheek as she flew by, whereupon blood skidded down.


    John woke up from his daze and leaped forwards, swinging his axe down at the eagle who skillfully maneuvered out of the blow with a flap of her wings and dove down at him, her feathery body mystically elongating and morphing into a scaly snake, her maw open wide as she attempted to bite down on him. Thankfully a fireball was hurled at her, sidetracking the snake''s movement to avoid being scorched alive, but the wound she had previously received kicked in, compelling her body to plummet onto the wooden floor with a thud from the strain.


    "We''ve got her!" Natasha prepared another flame in her hand.


    Frank stepped fast alongside Sarah, Daphne, and Apolline who surrounded the bleeding snake, their weapons ready to either strike or fend off. The reptile hissed before transmuting back to the woman she had formerly taken the stead of, her now humanly hand propped to her abdomen where a cut was discernible through the oozing blood. Her pale features stretched in anger as she glared at them.


    "Well... it seems we finally managed to tame you." Stephen narrowed his eyes, the tip of his blade pressing slightly against her carotid artery, "Here I thought we would have to undergo a dangerous fight. But we actually brought you down with surprising ease." he continued in an even tone, "I''m not going to ask you for any last words because honestly, I wouldn''t give a single fuck." he steeled his hand, ready to pluck her life away with a single flick of his wrist.


    His heart rate accelerated. No matter what he convinced himself of, the woman in front of him was not a goblin, yet he couldn''t afford mercy, not in that place.


    "Stephen... she possesses high intelligence, and is capable of holding a conversion with us, in our own language to boot." John stopped him, "Put down your sword... for now." he drawled out, but it seemed his attempt was unsuccessful for the younger Predator still held his position, absentminded, the grip on his weapon tightening, "Stephen..."


    Lowering his gaze, Stephen reluctantly nodded with a grimace. The older man was right, having a smudge of information regarding anything related to their situation or whereabouts was of great value. Still, he couldn''t help but feel the need to get rid of the threat in front of him. He relented at last.


    Britney''s lips curled upwards into a mocking smile, "If you expect anything of me then you might as well thrust that sword in my heart, my lips are sealed." she spat out.


    "She''s a feisty one, isn''t she?" Frank chuckled, earning himself a piercing look from the woman.


    Stephen ignored his group fellow''s unnecessary comment and queried, "Do you know where we are?"


    "Hah, you don''t know where you even are? Are you for serious?" she burst out in laughter, "I never knew I''d stumble upon someone who would ask me such a stupid thing."


    "Well then, if it''s such a stupid thing as you said you shouldn''t have any problems answering us."


    The shapeshifter took on a thinking pose, "What about no?" she grinned.


    "What about fuck you?" Stephen blurted out, his eyebrow twitching, "Damn, is she on her period or something?" he wrinkled his nose.


    "Period, huh? I wonder if we''d drink that, I mean... it''s still blood..." Frank casually remarked before his face scrunched up in regret at the way he had phrased his sentence.


    "..." everyone stared at him in sheer astonishment whereas the women sent him a disgusted glare, even the shapeshifter was frowning at him. Apparently, periods were something that plagued all women, regardless of the race. Frank shrunk in himself, realizing his mistake before mouthing out an apology.


    John shook his head in exasperation. Since questioning her like this was revealing itself to be meaningless, he decided to apply more ''persuasive'' ways to get something out of her. With an abrupt kick on her wound that sent her tumbling back on the floor, followed by a shriek of pain, he asked, "I''m sure you know the following developments, why not spare yourself the sorrow? Eventually, you''ll spill everything out, might as well give in now."


    "John?" Sarah draped a hand over her mouth, dumbstruck, as were everyone else.


    The older man ignored her and continued, this time with a punch straight to her face that split her lips and drew out sprinkle blood, "Nothing?" he pressed.


    "..." the auburn-haired woman grinned and licked her lips clean of the red liquid, "That''s it? Just a kick and a punch?" she sulked in mock-disappointment, "Aww, it seems that you''re not heartless enough to see a maiden endure anguish, how chivalrous."


    John scowled, he''d use more painful methods, but he was not alone, and Sarah was there, he couldn''t bring himself to let her see certain things, not yet, at least. Stephen scooted closer to him, and whispered to his ear, "I know what you''re thinking about, and just so to ask but were there any ropes in that hut you scoured before?"You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "Ropes?" the older man raised an eyebrow, "Yes, there were several of them, not in perfect conditions though. Why do you ask?"


    "I have an idea, could you please go and fetch them for me please?"


    John stared at him for a moment before nodding in acquiescence and waltzing out of the shack.


    "Oh, why did you stop?" Britney''s taunting voice echoed out, "Have you finally come up with something terrifying." she hummed.


    "You sure are a talkative one for a captive." Stephen remarked leisurely, "Either way, you''ll be seeing soon what we have in store for you, I''m sure you''ll like it, no... what am I saying, you won''t like it, that''s the point of it after all..." he then started scanning the room they were in, as if looking for something specific, probably related to his earlier request to John.


    "Ehm... Stephen?" Natasha softly poked him on the arm, "What are you up to?" she queried, her face showing visible signs of concern.


    Despite everything, they were still not used to such a lifestyle they were currently going through. Killing goblins to survive was one thing, but willingly making a person suffer pain was quite disturbing. Of course, she knew before handedly that her mind was not quite right when the conflict against the goblin that had made her awaken occurred, however, there were lines she wasn''t keen stepping out of.


    "Huh, nothing you should worry your pretty little head over." he winked at her before shifting his eyesight upon John who had just walked back in, his hands fumbling with worn out ropes as he attempted to untangle them, "Here you are." he approached the dark-skinned Predator, "Is there any suspended rafter outside?"


    "Uh, yes, actually there''s one where goblins used to hang their food on."


    "Perfect. Lead the way, please." he turned to Frank, "Grab our guest while I carry the other one." he sidled up to Damien, taking a careful look at the injured young man.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Shapeshifter, Male, Age: 7 years, Rank: 2, Encore Power: 39]


    "Hmm..." Stephen munched on his lips thoughtfully, "Good." he clamped the male shapeshifter by the collar and started dragging him outside, where the rest of the group was heading at. He curiously noticed Britney frowning at him when he tactlessly hauled Damien along, but paid it no further heed.


    <hr>


    The dark sky rumbled with thunders, announcing the oncoming downpour about to befall upon the lands. The group, plus the two shapeshifters, found themselves afore a wooden joist that was fixed vertically on the ground, whereupon another one was horizontally attached to the latter''s utmost end, animals'' decomposed carcasses hanging upside down from it, their stomachs slashed open for everyone to see their insides.


    "I have a faint idea of what you want to do." John muttered after a short pause, "I wonder if it will work."


    "Might as well try and see." Stephen pulled Britney''s arms back, knotting her wrists together with a rope, "If done right it should cause a lot of pain without shedding blood." he added another batch of ropes just to be sure, she was a Rank 2, after all. "Good." he breathed out, feeling a bit restless at what he was about to do, but forced himself to calm down nonetheless.


    "I didn''t know you were into that kind of stuff," Brintey snorted as she tried to free herself of the binding, but even though she was of a higher ranking than her captors, her skills laid mostly on her shapeshifting ability, her body attributes were barely above the average standards, and the injury she had gotten before was hindering her from transmuting into any small-sized animal. The constant blood loss was paling her face up.


    Ignoring her, Stephen motioned John to propel the other loose end of the rope over the horizontal timber, where he grabbed it anew after it had descended on the other side, creating a triangle rectangle sort of shape with the cord that was now in the older man''s hands.


    "Oh God..." Apolline was horror-struck as she realized what they wanted to do, "Isn''t that a bit too overboard, Stephen!?" her voice resounded louder than she had intended.


    Frank chimed in, nervous, "What are they about to do?" he was clueless, although he knew the method they were about to use was supposed to be painful, he was ignorant as for the how. Natasha, Sarah, and Daphne who were within earshot strained their hearing to listen better.


    "It''s a kind of torture called Strappado, it was used during the late 1800s, mostly by the inquisitorial branch of the church." Apolline explained, "The cords would suspend the victim mid-air whilst the weight of their bodies would press against the joints of their shoulders, add in the gravity and you wouldn''t forget that pain for a long time."


    "..." they gaped, once again focusing their attention on the ordeal that was slowly unfolding before their eyes.


    "Last chance, Britney." Stephen crouched down, "I don''t know why you''re so adamant on withholding us simple information, but..." he locked his eyes into hers, "... it''s gonna hurt like hell, so... it would spare me the effort of making you go through that shit if you could kindly put some clarity into our doubts, I mean... it would be better than undergoing that," he pointed at their handmade tool of torture, "And trust me, you don''t want to. Ah, fuck it. I''m not good with words." he threw his hands up in the air, "So, whatcha gonna do?"


    She held his gaze for a moment before spitting out venomously, "Do your worst."


    "Is that so?" Stephen clambered back to his feet, "Is that...so?" he reiterated quietly, his voice almost a whisper that was lost in the wind as he sent her a last pitying look that soon turned into freezing determination, "As you wish." he made his way to where John was standing at, "Is it a problem if I''m the one to do it?"


    "No, but..." John furrowed his brow at him, "Are you sure?"


    Stephen gritted his teeth, "Yes."


    "Don''t force yourself."


    "It''s okay, just give me the cord."


    John adhered and yielded it to him before sauntering a few yards back, where Damien was sprawled on the soil, intermittently squirming. He had also noted that the young man was a shapeshifter, he wondered where he had earned those cuts from, it certainly didn''t seem like the work of a goblin.


    Taking a deep breath, Stephen closed his eyes, streaming his Encore Power through his hands to augment his strength, something he had only theorized recently. A red sheen covered the outline of his hands and fingers, it was feeble and almost invisible, but it was there.


    [You have gained the skill Encore Manipulation, Lv.1.]


    Stephen jerked the rope back slowly, propelling Britney to be elevated from the ground as her arms yanked back, her feet dangling in the air.


    "Aaaaaaaahh!" the shapeshifter let out a shriek that tore through the howling wind and the cracking thunders, "Aaagh! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" her shoulders stretched, the bones emitting warning sounds.


    "Oh no..." Frank grimaced, averting his gaze, but the screams were picturing the image crystal clear, "That''s brutal..."


    Sarah had turned around, her hands clenching her ears shut. Natasha was not faring any better but she was forcing herself to look at it, hoping it would have not lasted long. Daphne and Apolline were staring at the happenings dazedly, silent, their hearts thumping against their chests and ringing out in their ears in a cacophony of sounds, outsounded only by Britney''s wails.


    "So, will you speak?"


    Stephen haltingly released his hold on the rope, aiding her descent as her feet met with the ground.


    "I... I..."


    "I''ll take that as a no." ignoring the bile soaring up his throat, he pulled back again, continuing with his endeavor despite the ever so growing sickness.

 Chapter 18: Revelation & Resolution

    Stephen breathed out, his insides churning, a sour taste of mashed up food and stomach juices climbing up the walls of his throat. With a violent tug, he yanked back the rope, prompting the crying woman he was wreaking so much pain upon to hoist off the solid foundation her feet were resting on, resuming the medieval torture she was being submitted to. Her arms carried the entire weight of her body in an uncomfortable angle that allowed no respite to her protesting joints.


    He fixed his eyes on the shapeshifter''s face, an intern debate going on in his head, "Have you changed your mind?" he shouted.


    "Fuck you!!" Britney''s spat out through gritted teeth, pearls of salty water tracking down her cheeks before dissipating in the blustery wind, "I won''t te--" she was abruptly cut off by Damien''s groan of pain as the young man veered himself up, his face crumpled up in a great dosage of ache.


    "... Britney..." he moaned out, "Tell them... just... tell them what they want to know, please..."


    "Damien!" her features buckled up in concern, "Stay down, least your injuries worsen up!" she cried out amidst twinges of agony that had their starting point on her shoulders, and thereupon trailed up her stretched arms.


    Stephen narrowed his eyes, glancing askew at the younger shapeshifter before speaking out, "John, would you mind taking my place?" his request was met with a nod from the older man as he trodded next to him, taking ahold of the cord whilst swapping positions, "Thank you."


    "No problem."


    Hardening up his expression, under everyone''s gaze, he waltzed towards a groaning Damien whose body was constantly squirming from the bleeding wounds that donned his battered body, "I don''t think we''ve been introduced properly." Stephen uttered out, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "But it hardly matters right now." he crouched down, grabbing the shapeshifter by his neck before slowly raising him upward; the sudden shift in position provoking waves of painful tingles throughout his injuries.


    "Ugh!" Damien rasped, futilely trying to free himself from the Predator''s steel-like clutch.


    "Apparently, Brintey is being rather privy of her information. I hope you at least, will collaborate with us." however, no answer was given for the lack of oxygen was hampering Damien from voicing out his reply. The only thought wheeling through his head was breaking free from Stephen''s grasp so as to relieve his blocked airways.


    "Leave him alone! Aaah!" came Britney''s aggrieved yell, "You damn bastard!"


    "You seem to be more worried about him than your own conditions. Hmm, were we applying the wrong method of torture to slip some tidbit of information out of you?" he tightened his grip, his fingers sinking on Damien''s soft neck, begetting red welts on the pressured flesh.


    Britney''s eyes widened in fear, "Fuck! LET HIM GO! You hear me you piece of shit!?"


    "He''s not gonna last long. Will you provide us with what we want, yes or no?" Damien''s lips started taking on a bluish hue.


    "Argh! Yes! Yes! Let him go now!"


    "That''s lovely to hear." Stephen unclenched his hold on Damien, eliciting the latter to unceremoniously plop on the ground, "John, you can stop, as long as she''s not freed."


    John nodded with a relieved sigh, helping the woman slowly slope down onto the soil.


    "Uh... finally, I was feeling uncomfortable hearing her screams," Frank muttered, "I wonder how they can go through with this kind of deed without turning a hair."


    Apolline piped in with a likewise amount of relief mixing in her voice, "Well, from what we can see John seems to have had... similar experiences... so it''s not that all surprising, all things considered." she wrinkled her nose, "But Stephen didn''t give off the vibes of someone who would do something like that, granted that I don''t know him that well... but from the way he was handling it, it felt like he was forcing himself to do it..." she shuffled her gaze upon Natasha who had a blas¨¦ facade on, "... either way, although I don''t condone such ways, we can''t fault them for it."


    "You have a point there." Natasha nodded, "Let''s go and see what Britney has to say." with that they all approached the gasping auburn-haired woman who was flanked by both Stephen and John, their weapons ready to strike down their enemy should she show signs of aggression.


    "Shit... hehe, you guys--"


    Stephen cut her off, "Where are we?" he queried. Everyone paid careful attention to Britney, not wanting to miss out what was about to be revealed.Stolen novel; please report.


    Taking a deep breath, the woman grunted out her reply, "We are in the Chaotic Region of the Alazar Forest, the last place in this godforsaken world you''d rather be." she cackled ill-humoredly, "Welcome to hell."


    There was a pregnant silence as the realization behind that information downed upon them. Although it was already silently speculated - even before hearing from Britney''s own mouth - that it was pretty likely they were not in their homeworld anymore, the news struck them as hard as the thunders slithering through the sky.


    Of course, such theory was so ludicrous that they needed some sort of proof to solidify their assumption. No matter what they had seen or gone through, the very thought of being catapulted into another world was not something to be taken lightly.


    "Elaborate further! Where are we exactly!? Isn''t this Earth?"


    "Earth?" Britney looked back at Stephen, "You mean this?" she pointed to the ground.


    "The name of the world! What''s this goddamn world called!?"


    "You don''t even know this?" the shapeshifter studied the group''s faces, "Apparently not." she grinned, "This world''s name has been long forgotten, now we call it Relictus."


    "..."


    Another gloomy silence ensued. They could not verify the veracity behind her proclamation, but at this point, they felt there wasn''t a need to. Everything they experienced the past week was already slowly leading them to that realization, no matter how far-fetching it was. Stephen''s face blanched as he paced back and forth whilst scruffing a hand through his hair.


    They were in another world. A world with the adequate ecosystem to sustain life - and although he couldn''t measure it - even the atmosphere seemed to contain the perfect balance of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon and all of the other chemicals to make sure their bodies would survive. Which meant that, wherever they were, they were certainly not in their all familiar solar system for a world like this was never discovered before in the deep meander of space near Earth.


    "God..." Frank was petrified on the spot, "You gotta be k-kidding me..." he croaked out incredulously.


    John looked around, his trademark emotionless visage clearly cracking up as he surveyed the clearing they were in, lightning roaring through the bulk of clouds before the first droplets of water started falling down, "Guys..." he started, but his words went ignored. Taking a quick peek back he noticed that his group mates were still dazed, much to Britney''s growing amusement, and to his chagrin, "Guys!" he intoned, louder.


    That seemed to snap them out of their trance and tack their attention upon him.


    "Listen..." he frowned, "I know you''re still trying to understand what is going on, but if we don''t leave shortly we might never have the chance to." he pointed his forefinger skyward, "It''s raining..."


    Natasha responded with a frown of her own, "But... but we..." she was harshly cut off when her wrist was suddenly grabbed by Stephen, "S-Stephen?"


    "He''s not wrong, we need to hurry."


    "Well? What is happening?" Britney chimed in, "Don''t tell me you''re scared of the rain."


    "Don''t you know higher ranked monsters tend to creep out during rainstorms?"


    The shapeshifter burst out in peals of giggles, "Oh yes, that''s true. But that rule doesn''t apply here."


    That stopped them in their tracks.


    "I-It doesn''t?" Frank dumbly asked.


    Her lips curved into a Cheshire grin, "Uh huh, that''s because this stretch of forest is ruled by us Shapeshifters, of course. And unless a territorial challenge has been issued to our Queen meanwhile you fellas were having your sweet time with me, we are still the rulers de facto." she snickered, her pale face regaining a bit of color, "Which bring us to the next problem." she licked her lips, "You see the woman I''m taking the shape of? Imagine my surprise when I found out a long thought extinct race pop out of nowhere leisurely hunting goblins. Goblins that WERE under our protection!"


    Her snarl silenced them.


    "We killed the woman, and the rest of the group she was in, not without repercussions though." she stole a glimpse at Damien, "However, apparently, they were not the only ones." she stared at them, "The suddenly skyrocketed death ratio of goblins alerted us. If a few goblins die we usually don''t meddle with the cause. But an ENTIRE colony of them was slaughtered!" her amethyst eyes glinted in hatred, "By you!"


    "Is that supposed to make us feel bad?" Apolline shot back, "What gives you the courage to reprimand us when you''re clearly an inch away from hell''s gates?"


    Britney smirked, "Because the nearest batch of Shapeshifters should already be on their way here." she hummed, "We had set-up a time cap for them to take action in case we failed. You proved to be stronger than we had expect-" her last words hitched in her throat as a blade abruptly stuck out of her chest, jerking her body forwards. Her eyes splayed wide open before she haltingly gazed down at the offending object that protruding out of her from behind, blood copiously skimming down; her blood.


    "Stephen!" Natasha cried out in surprise, "W-What..."


    The group was flabbergasted at the sudden turn of events as they stared at Stephen who had silently slinked behind Britney and impaled her unprotected back with surprising decisiveness.


    "NOO!!" Damien rasped out, moving his upper-body up.


    However, a red ribbon of Encore Power darted through his neck, silencing him before he could cause any more ruckus. A head plopped down with a wet sound, blood sailing up from the jagged stump of flesh. Stephen gnashed his teeth as he forcefully stopped the trembling of his sword-wielding hand, "We gotta get the fuck outta here." he addressed everyone, "Now!" he yelled when he noticed the group was still staring at him, aside John who nodded and moved to pick up the corpse of Britney, something he mimicked by scooping up the headless body of Damien upon his shoulder, not after cauterizing the stump with a fireball to avoid leaving a trail of blood behind, of course.


    "Let''s hurry." Stephen set off in a run, followed right after by the rest of the group who were queerly looking at the dead bodies they were bringing along, something neither he nor John seemed to care. It was because of a spur of the moment, but it was still food, both of them rationalized. More importantly, it was the flesh of a higher ranked creature, which would have granted them what they needed to survive.

 Chapter 19: Moving On

    Thunders cracked through the clouds, their lights briefly paving the way for the running group underneath. Stephen¡¯s chest heaved back and forth as he took a quick peek behind him, making sure nothing or no one was trailing after them, but the dense foliage was proving to be quite the hindrance. The last bunch of trees came into view and soon enough they were back to the cave where both he and John propped the corpses onto the ground.


    <div>

 Chapter 20: Rank 2

    Stephen had been hunting for a couple of hours now, managing to kill and devour every creature he came across. Nonetheless, most of them weren''t even strong enough to endure a half-hearted kick from him, hence not annexing his power and Evolution when gobbled down - much to his chagrin.


    He did, however, manage to get ahold of a pair of Rank 1 monsters. Needless to say, despite being of the same rank, the fight ended with a one-sided slaughter vouching for the Predator''s triumph. His Encore Powered-slashes were clear-cut and noxious, adroit to cover a wide ground range; depending on the Encore Power input, of course.


    Now he found himself with a throbbing feeling throughout his veins, something he couldn''t seem to get rid of. It had commenced right after eating the last creature and hadn''t stopped ever since. His heart was beating irregularly, but the cause was lost on him.


    Another thing he took note of was that his stomach wasn''t even remotely satiated after his latest meal, if anything it was being constantly fueled, fanning the flames of his hunger.


    That''s why he was now silently slinking behind the thickets, looking up at his newfound prey preening itself leisurely atop a branch''s prong.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Nether Eagle, Male, Age: 3 years, Rank: 1, Encore Power: 20]


    It was perfect!


    Stephen made a jump for the treetops where the avian creature was nestling on, and with a deft flick of his wrist, a whisk of Encore Power cleaved the branch in half. Unfortunately, the feathery creature showed his aerial finesse by acrobatically eluding around it with foreseen ease, scurrying up to lengthen the gap between it and him.


    "Come back here lunch!"


    He buckled his knees, Encore Power pirouetting throughout his legs before he hopped skywards with a burst of strength, red energy tailing the trajectory of his leap, crumbling the branch he had just perched on.


    [Encore Manipulation has reached Lv.2]


    Mentally waving off the window, Stephen flared his sword by, ensuring another streak of Encore Power sailing after the fleeing creature, and this time it hit true, siring a nasty gash on its body where blood started trickling downwards. The Nether Eagle weathered through the pain for a stretch longer before plummeting down with an unceremonious thump against the grassland.


    Stephen smiled victoriously whilst he steered himself upon a bough and used it as a leverage to shepherd him to the ground without sustaining injuries from the sky drop.


    [Footwork has reached Lv.4]


    [Light Step has reached Lv.6]


    [Encore Slash has reached Lv.3]


    His smile grew in size at the content of the notifications. Apparently, that dangerous stunt of him paid off more than he had bargained for.


    Dusting himself off, he galloped towards the fallen Eagle where blood was visibly racking up around the wound and onto the patch of grass beneath. With a last squeaky chirp, the creature bit the dust.


    Stephen squatted down and grabbed the carcass by the neck. It was not particularly large, its entirety could barely cover an average human''s arm; he mused, not including the unfolded wings span in the equation, of course. However, it was only a Rank 1 avian monster, almost the bottom-most of hierarchy.


    The thought put a vexed frown on his features. He was only a Rank 1 himself, and the ladder to the top was way higher than that. He wondered if he would ever live to see the peak or die mid-climb. With a wag of his head, he broke off of his train of thoughts, knowing it was not the time nor the adequate place to indulge in introspection.


    Stephen sunk his canines on the plumage, instantly reaching the soft texture of the flesh underneath. Blood streamed up his mouth alongside slabs of fresh meat, wringing him into leaking out a pleased hum.


    [You have gained 3 points in Dexterity.]


    [You have gained 3 points in Encore Power.]


    [You have gained the skill Aerial Acrobacy, Lv.1]


    [You have gained 1% in Evolution.]


    The throbbing quickened.


    [You have reached 20% in Evolution.]


    [Congratulations. You have reached Rank 2.]


    [You have gained 6 points to all of your Attributes.]


    [You have unlocked the Fragment Furnace function. This facet allows you to embody on yourself monsters'' traits after personally slaying them and plucking out the trait desired off the monster. Beware that this feature won''t work on monsters of a higher rank than yours.]


    Stephen stilled for a moment, the sudden power surge had slightly stunned him, but he recovered quick enough once he cooled his excitement down. The last screen was still hovering afore his eyes, and he had to read it over and over to make sure he was not mistaken.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Snapping his head to the side, he stretched his hand out and plucked a handful of feathers off the Eagle before waving them in front of the floating window, "How does this work?" he raised an eyebrow when the content on his hand suddenly faded out in black smoke.


    [You have acquired a Nether Eagle''s feathery fragment.]


    [Nether Wings'' Fragments, 1/20]


    "So I need 19 more Nether Eagles, huh?" he mumbled to himself, his tone interweaved with dripping anticipation. If his assumption concerning the new function was correct, then once he collected the mandatory 20 fragments, he could grow wings, the same ones as the creature he had taken them from.


    His eyes unconsciously soared up at the treetops, tracking every inch of them to make sure there was no Nether Eagle concealing from his clutches amidst the thick foliage. However, considering the staggering number of trees in his immediate surrounding, going through them one by one was a daunting task he had no desire to partake in.


    Heaving a defeated sigh, Stephen scooped the dead animal up and dangled it over his shoulder. There was still quite a bit of flesh left, his groupmates would certainly benefit from it, and so would their overall chances of surviving.


    Thinking about that, his mind riffled over the shapeshifters and Britney''s last threat before he killed her. Paranoia kicked in, and he found himself with a deep scowl marring his visage. They had no clue about those land rulers'' comprehensive abilities, but he was sure they were no slouch in that department.


    Monsters like the Night Stalker were still titans to his eyes, no matter his current strength. He had to tread carefully. If those shapeshifters somehow proved to be on the same league as the Night Stalker, the word ''planetary screwed'' would have been a very weak adjective to describe the situation.


    Stephen started heading back to the cave before a shuffle behind him caught his attention. Whirling around, he shifted himself in a combat stance with his hand propped on his sword''s hilt, waiting for whatever had made that sound to pop out of its hiding.


    It didn''t come out.


    "Hehe..." Stephen smirked deviously, having just found a way to release his pent up frustration in a non-sexual way. Tallying up a great quantity of Encore Power around the edge of his blade, he violently hauled it forward. The outcome was a fatass crimson energy whizzing at the spot the noise had come from in an incredible parade of speed.


    The Encore Slash clashed against the tree with a buzzing sound, wracking off of the trunk a humongous chunk of wooden splinters that barreled out in every direction. The tree, that was scarcely holding itself up by its crippled pillar, couldn''t hold its weight anymore and proceeded to laterally slant downwards with a resounding crunch upon another tree, entangling their branches and leafage.


    Stephen whistled at his handiwork, satisfied and brimming with pride.


    However, a squeaky scream redirected his eyesight upon the source, "What is that?" a small and blackish humanoid-looking bipedal creature was furiously scurrying away from the damage with panic plastered all over its face, "So it was hiding behind the tree, huh?" he raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, slowly sidling up next to the newcomer.


    "Sup." he greeted, "Playing hide and seek?"


    "..." the creature started shivering in terror as Stephen started to casually eye it up and down.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Fallen Dwarf, Male, Age: 41 years old, Rank: 1, Encore Power: 13]


    "Dwarf?" Stephen''s face scrunched up in thought, "Can you understand me?" he queried the pudgy creature whose wrinkled features were wobbling about in sheer fright, "Stop trembling and answer me, dammit!" his sudden spike in tone had the opposite effect on the dwarf who issued a girlish shrill, his chubby hands arching over his head in a useless struggle of self-protection.


    "Y-yes! I-I can... I can! I can! Don''t kill me!" the dwarf stuttered out, peeking at Stephen through the gap of his quivering forearms, "Sorry! Sorry!"


    "What are you apologizing for?"


    "I... I... sorry!"


    "You''re a very pathetic little man."


    "Sorry!"


    "..." Stephen fought back the urge to facepalm before cooing the creature, "Chill, I''m not going to harm you... unless you give me a reason to, that is."


    "I wouldn''t dare!"


    "Yes..." the Predator drawled, his eyebrow twitching, "Were you sneaking up behind me?" he demanded.


    "No! I wasn''t... I-I was just spelunking around ya know... s-some caves tend to grow minerals that can be used to forge weapons, but I kinda... um... lost myself..." the dwarf''s silverish eyes took on a saddened hue, "Which is b-bad because I urgently need those materials..."


    "Why so?"


    The dwarf hesitated, but considering that Stephen didn''t show hostile intentions towards him as of yet, he visibly relaxed enough to telltale his situation without slurring his words.


    "Ya see... my kin is being constantly enslaved by warmongers to boost their military power over the lands." he slowly related, "We... aren''t capable of holding our own against them, so our only means of survival is to obey and hope the storm passes without suffering more than the previous years." he cackled with dry humor, "How ironic, we can forge peerless weapons with the cheapest of the materials, but we are utterly unable to use them. That''s our curse..."


    "Curse?" Stephen parroted, "You''re cursed?"


    "Oh yes. We all are somehow..."


    "What do you mean?"


    "The fact that we''re residing in this forest is in itself a curse..." the dwarf clambered back to his feet, "I apologize... but I really need to get going... that... if I''m allowed to go, of course..."


    Stephen chuckled, "No need to ask for permission, little fellow. What''s your name?"


    "Oh, where are my manners! I''m Keilan, at yer service!"


    "Stephen here. Where may I find you?"


    Keilan looked confused, "Why would ya ever want to find someone like me? Oh, weapons, right?"


    "That too, but mostly to talk. You seem to know a lot of stuff, something I currently lack and am in desperate need of." Stephen continued with a small smile, "And I''m sure we can eventually help each other out."


    "Not to sound rude, but I don''t think yer help would make a difference."


    "That''s a low blow, Keilan. Give me time and I assure you I''ll be a valuable ally." Stephen crossed his arms, "So?"


    "Ahh..." Keilan sighed, "I-I don''t think it''s a good idea..."


    "Is there someone currently forcing you into forging?"


    "Yeah... a Rank 4 shapeshifter... those bastards are the worse of the lot..." the dwarf spat venomously.


    Stephen froze for a moment, "Shapeshifters?"


    "Ya know them?"


    "You can say we have a strained relationship, although I''m still not sure at what extent."


    Keilan offered him a weak smile, "Ya better not mess with them. They might not be some overlord kind of existence, but they know their stuff."


    "Hmm... still, if I reach Rank 4..."


    "Rank 4? Not to shatter yer dreams, but unless ya have a special bloodline, it''d take a whopping amount of time to get there. Forget it."


    Stephen''s lips curled upwards into a predatory grin, "A special bloodline, huh?"


    <hr>


    Stephen''s current status.


    ¨q?|¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T|?¨r


    [Name: Stephen Flamel]


    [Race: Predator]


    [Evolution: 20%]


    [Rank: 2]


    [Strength: 29]


    [Endurance: 24]


    [Dexterity: 33]


    [Vitality: 27]


    [Encore Pool: 36]


    ¨T¨T¨TSkills:¨T¨T¨T


    [Basic Sword Arts, Lv.7]


    [Light Step, Lv.6]


    [Footwork, Lv.4]


    [Encore Resistance, Lv.2]


    [Encore Slash, Lv.3]


    [Fireball, Lv.2]


    [Encore Manipulation, Lv.2]


    [Aerial Acrobacy, Lv.1]


    ¨T¨T¨TAffinities:¨T¨T¨T


    [Low Fire Affinity]


    ¨t?|¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T|?¨s

 Chapter 21: Awkward Conversations

    "Do you know your way back?"


    "Ah yeah, ya don''t have to worry about me. See ya soon then."


    Stephen followed Keilan''s movements as the dwarf trotted off in the undergrowth, his Lilliputian frame quaffed by the hefty multitude of thickets. They wound up deciding to mark their rendezvous point right where they had chanced upon every four thunderstorms; the wrecked tree a clear signal to track their way back there.


    He looked up, an aggregation of roaring clouds convening together. Stephen had finally achieved Rank 2, yet his current amount of strength could have been considered meager in his enemies'' eyes, overall he still had a long road to tread on if he wanted to tower his way up the food chain. It was not going to be easy; that much was obvious. However, his racial predatorial method of ranking up seemed to be breakneck faster than the other creatures.


    It hadn''t taken him long to reach there, barely a few days over a week. His progress was breathtaking, and he was fairly positive that if he squeezed himself up by training and hunting every day, Rank 4 was not that far-fetched at all.


    He smiled, resolution and confidence flashing through his crimson eyes before he grabbed the remains of the Nether Eagle up and set off with a burst of Light Step, each footstep covering over 2 meters. The wind resistance his body was darting through fondled his black chocks up his forehead, all the while providing an inebriating sensation of freedom he never had the opulence to enjoy back on Earth.


    Relictus was different, dangerous but different. No restraining laws, at least not yet. He was experiencing what his primogenitors went through during the earliest dawns of their existence.


    Just as he made another leap, his eyes caught sight of a familiar fluffy creature with a curling horn on its head.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [One-Horned Rabbit, Female, Age 3 years, Rank: 1, Encore Power: 15]


    "Hello there, old friend." he bounced to a halt, startling the daylights out of the poor creature who vainly tried to hop away, but Stephen''s hand shot out and leisurely snagged her up by the fur on her neck, slowly turning her around to eye-level, "You nettlesome and cute little son of a bitch used to give me a lot of problems, you know that?" the rabbit just wagged her whiskers in confusion, "Yeaaah..." he drawled with a smile, "Of course you wouldn''t." and then he broke out in a fit of chuckles.


    "Look at me, talking to a rabbit." Stephen''s face lit up in amusement, "Weirdly enough I don''t feel the need to eat or hunt you down... your kind has already fulfilled its purpose to me." he hummed in thought before propping it back down, "I wonder..." he started caressing the back of her ears, causing her to purr and lean in his touch whilst with the other hand he plucked out a tiny chunk of meat off the Eagle and offered it to the fluffy animal.


    The creature sniffed around it, seemingly analyzing what kind of food she was being given before giving it a tentative lick. She froze, her small beady eyes stared into the distance, as if hellish memories resurfaced to the forefront of her brain.


    "Oh shit... did I break it?"


    The rabbit - with unforeseen abruptness - nibbled down the slab of meat offered with surprising quickness, her cheeks puffing up from the invading content.


    "..." Stephen blinked, watching the small thing clucking in satisfaction, "You and I are gonna be best friends, I know it..." he couldn''t help the shit-eating grin that plastered across his face, "I shall name you Lady Fluffy, and Imma make sure you''ll be the most badass rabbit of Alazar." he cackled, picking his newly acquired pet up onto his shoulder.


    The rabbit shifted herself comfortably on her new resting place, her hind legs tucked in, almost blending in with her woolly frame as her eyes scanned her surroundings, eliciting another bark of laughter from Stephen who gently nudged her cheeks, "Is my Queen comfortable?" he mirthfully asked, the rabbit ostensibly humming in approval.


    "Off we go then." with a last amused look at the guest snugly perching on his shoulder, he ambled back to the cave.


    <hr>


    "Gaah, I have to take a powerful shit..." Frank stretched out, his mouth fighting back the yawn that jeopardized to crease his drowsy features even more in a horrible mess, "Fuck... this gonna be nasty..." he sniffed, a hand propped on his belly as he sidled out.


    "You know... there was no need to advertise it, Frank!" Sarah shouted irritably with a wrinkle of her nose, "Did you even hear me!?"


    "Affirmative." came Frank''s strained voice from outside.


    "Well... then next time don''t do it, it''s gross!"


    "You talk as if you girls never took a shit before in your lives... I''m sure that instead of brown ooze you actually poop sparkling sunflowers. Next time lemme witness it so I can actually confirm my theory."Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "..." the blonde-haired Predator looked like to be on the verge of throwing a tantrum.


    "It''s impossible to win an argument against Frank." John chimed in, slightly diverted, "By the way, where has Stephen gone to?" his eyes leafed through the cave, "Hunting?"


    "Yeah... that and training," Natasha replied, one finger absentmindedly twiddling with a dangling tress of fiery red hair, "He should be back anytime soon... I suppose." she thinned her lips into a line.


    "What''s up with you?" Daphne piped in with a raised eyebrow, "You seem to be out of it..." she queried the older woman.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Meh... I don''t know, you''re just not... umh... yourself today?"


    Natasha heaved a deep frustrated sigh, "Nevermind that, just a bit stressed... with all that shit that''s been thrown at us in such a short timespan, kinda hard not to feel bitter..."


    "Hmm..." Daphne crooned, "There''s more to it, isn''t there?" her head tilted to the side in curiosity, her lips locked in a lopsided grin.


    "Oh! Oh! We''re gossiping, aren''t we?" Sarah looked excited, her previous banter with Frank already crumpled up and tossed in the trash bin in the depths of her mind, "What''s got you all so riled up Nat?" she hustled closer.


    "Nothing! I''m fine girls!" Natasha grunted out, stifling back the urge to rack her hair out, "It''s as I told you right now, JUST a bit stressed, there''s nothing more to it!"


    Daphne sniffed around theatrically, "Can you smell that?"


    "Smell what?"


    "The smell of bullshit..."


    "Fuck you!"


    "Natasha, language!"


    "Oh no! You''re not using my own lines against me!" Natasha gritted her teeth in mock-anger, yet the growing crinkle at the corner of her lips betrayed her performance, "You''re very bad..."


    "You''re very bad..." Sarah parroted in a mildly seductive timbre whilst bobbing her eyebrows up and down for emphasis, prompting the others to roll their eyes with a burst of giggles.


    John who was poised to the side, completely forgotten, had an uncomfortable and embarrassed expression etched on his usually stoic visage. He wanted to go out, but considering it was currently under Frank''s domain to discharge his bodily filth, he didn''t want to disturb the poor man in his endeavor to cleanse himself, hence he was forced to be stationed there and let their words flood in his ears unbridedly.


    "Sooo... is it Stephen?" Sarah dropped the bomb with a smirk, "I can read it all over you..."


    "That''s absurd... what makes you think it somehow involves him?"


    "Uhh... I''ll be honest, I might have accidentally heard what you guys were on about before..."


    "You eavesdropped..." Natasha confirmed.


    The blonde-haired Predator quickly defended herself, waving her hands in the air as if to deny her indictments, "I haven''t! It''s you two who were fairly loud, I just had to jut out my ear and I could basically make out everything you guys were babbling about..."


    "Oh? You''ve piqued my interest, can you go on? I was still out cold at that time." Daphne closed in, her tone lowering to levels she thought John wouldn''t have managed to descry.


    Sarah looked at Natasha, "Can I tell her?"


    "Yeah, sure... you already know it anyway..."


    "Good! You see, my dear Daphne... Stephen was ALL over Natasha this morning, and if it wasn''t because of some sick twist of fate, they would have kissed!"


    "Really?" the dark-haired young woman was taken aback, "But you''re married, aren''t you?" she shifted her gaze upon a groaning Natasha.


    "I know! And that''s what makes it worse!"


    "She says so... but if she hadn''t stopped in time, I''m pretty sure she would have been more than pleased to have lunged her tongue inside Stephen''s mouth and showed him what a mature and experienced woman tasted like, aren''t I right Nat?" Sarah stuck out her own tongue and squirmed it about mid-air to add to her vivid summary.


    "You''re. Off. Track!" Natasha''s eyebrow twitched in anger, however, the light pink coloration dusting her cheeks killed off any momentum she was building up to berate her younger friend, "The problem here is that I almost cheated on my husband!"


    "Almost, you didn''t... and we''re not on Earth anymore, aren''t we? Do you still think your commitment to your fianc¨¦ still stands?" Daphne supplied, "I respect you for staying faithful to your man, Natasha, but let''s be serious... your liaison to whomever you WERE married to was cut off the moment you landed here."


    Sarah nodded furiously, "I agree with Daphne, the chances of we ever getting back are abysmal, unless there is a race developed enough in this place to start up an interstellar exploration. But even then, how long would it take?" she raised her hands up for dramatic flair, "Even if they have some kind of starship that can travel at the speed of light, it may still take thousands of years to get back on Earth. And let''s not talk about time differences."


    "Duh... I know, still... deep down I can''t shake off my 10 years of marriage... we had our ups and downs, but I led a fairly blissful life..." Natasha pursed her lips.


    "Fair enough." Sarah delivered her a sympathetic look, "It''s okay... but Stephen seems like a keeper, if you like him you should consider step up your game a notch before someone else snaps in and steals him."


    "I... don''t know..."


    Daphne''s lips curled upwards into a mischievous grin, "What about you Sarah? Any love experience you''d like to share with us?"


    "Ugh... let''s not talk about this... high school was filled with idiots..."


    "Um... were you bullied?"


    "Hmm, not physically, more like serrated away... but relationships were far off my grip, hormonal teenagers who couldn''t keep their weiners inside their pants flocked everywhere. I thought my first love was different, but he wound up to be the same as the others... that''s why I''m into older guys, they tend to be at least a smidge more serious than their younger counterparts. Go figure..."


    "That''s quite normal with teenagers, yes." Natasha nodded before she decided to get a bit of retaliation in, "That''s why you''re into JOHN, aren''t you?" she didn''t bother to hold her tone below their pre-set up levels, instead intentionally raising it up so that the man in question could have clearly heard her.


    "Shush you!" Sarah shot her a glare, getting a muffled chuckle in response, "You''re no better off than me!"


    Daphne chastised them playfully, "This is funny and all but we''re making our only male company here rather fidgety... you okay, John?"


    "Oh, yes... just... chilling..."


    "Yes, also... it would be really appreciated if you could flush away whatever you heard here. This was supposed to be a girls'' talk. But in view of Frank despoiling the grassland outside, it would have been too cruel of us to usher you out."


    "Yes..."


    "Greetings my fellow Predators, I''m back... and I have a friend." Stephen''s voice seeped in like a miracle to John''s ears, almost wringing him down to his knees to pray whatever Gods sitting on the clouds above for the timely intervention.

 Chapter 22: This Place鈥檚 Gonna Be Ours!

    Stephen''s shadow burgeoned on the cave''s rocky stoop, molding with the customary dimness embellishing the walls and ground in a funereal fleece of darkness, kindled up only by a brief source of light, provided by the constant overlap of thunders cracking through the looming padding of dusty clouds.


    His form soon trekked in, an amused grin adorning his features, "Hey, I''m back!" his stocked hand heaved the content outwards onto the craggy mat, prompting it to roll towards his comrades'' feet with a dull thump, "This is a Rank 1 Nether Eagle, I didn''t chance upon any other monsters that''d be of any help to your growth..." he announced plaintively before nudging his shoulder''s tenant, his tone chipper, "And this, my dear Predators..." Stephen paused for dramatic effect, "Is Lady Fluffy, She-Who-Shall-Nibble-The-World!" he sprung his arms about.


    "What''s all this no-" a yawn broke out of Apolline''s lips, automatically cutting herself off, "-oise about?" she slurred out, a hand shooting up to massage sleepiness out of her eyes, "Oh... hey Stephen..." she greeted with a curl of her nose as she smacked her lips, feeling hungry.


    "It''s just Stephen and his antics..." Natasha stoically answered, "And... yeeess?" she drawled with a cute tilt of her head, "Why did you bring a rabbit back with you? You wanna eat it or something?"


    "How could you even infer I''d do such an obnoxious act upon my new little furry friend?" Stephen spat out in mock-contempt, his words flowing out with a raffinate flair, "She''s my pet..." he announced.


    "Stephen... why?" John butted in with an unreadable expression, "Why bringing back a rabbit?"


    "Why not?" Stephen waved him off, "We need some entertainment here, and hunting is not an option we can engage in all the time, I believe her presence could at least make this hellhole a bit... brighter?"


    "Who will take care of her? Feed her? Periodically take her out?"


    "She''s not a dog, John. She''s a freakin'' One-Horned Rabbit, a Rank 1 too actually, perfectly capable of doing what she''s been doing most of her life alone. And food is not a problem, she eats meat too, apparently. We can feed her leftovers..." the youngest male Predator wrinkled his nose.


    Daphne blinked, "She eats meat?"


    "I think so... I proffered her a small slab of Eagle''s meat and she had no problem eating it." Stephen pursed his lips, "Anyway, onto the more important stuff." he beckoned to the dead and blood-covered avian under his groupmates'' watchful gazes, "Aren''t you going to eat that?"


    "Yes... we are." Sarah delivered a slantwise glance at Stephen as she crouched down and with Natasha, Daphne and Apolline''s help, sliced the edible parts of the creature in small sizes and handed them out.


    "Ugh... I swear... I''ve never had defecated something of similar proportions before..." Frank sauntered in with an exhausted yet satisfied glint in his eyes, "It was monster-sized, a complete solar system with satellites and stuff..." he guffawed before spotting Stephen, "Ohh hey Steph, what''s up? And... is that a rabbit on your shoulder?"


    "Yup. Please, meet Lady Fluffy."


    "Lady... Fluffy?"


    Stephen shrugged, "Lady because she''s female, fluffy because... uhh... she''s fluffy." he eloquently explained, his face a synonym of blas¨¦.


    "That makes sense." Frank nodded with a growing smile, "I approve."


    "I knew you would like it, oh, I brought some food... go serve yourself."


    "Will do. Thanks for the effort buddy." the potbellied man uttered with dripping gratitude, getting a smile in response as he ushered his way where the others had convened to feast on the Eagle, the plumage of the animal utterly plucked out for easier access to its flesh and blood.


    "Hmm..." John wiped the smear of blood off the corner of his lips, his eyes shuffling over Stephen who had dilatorily sagged himself on the ground, "Have you ranked up?" he had been engrossed in his own pool of despondency before, hence not quite making out the suddenly altered fluctuation his younger friend''s Encore Power was sporting. But now that he wholly focused on Stephen, it wasn''t particularly hard to notice the sudden spike in presence he was leaking out.


    "Uh-huh." Stephen grunted out a reply, "I lucked out and met some Rank 1 monsters." he continued, his hand twiddling with Lady Fluffy''s tuft of fur under her muzzle, "You know... I''m kinda surprised that I didn''t stumble upon Rank 2 monsters... I''m not sure if they creep out during a specific time or if they don''t dwell in this immediate area..."Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Well... that orc, and those shapeshifters..."


    "They don''t toll in the overall equation. We had met the orc way far from here... and the shapeshifters basically own this land."


    "Any idea how we should proceed from here onward?"


    Stephen shook his head ruefully, "I was actually hoping you could offer some input. However, considering we''re facing off a hegemony of shapeshifters with no relevant information on their community or warfare power whatsoever... furthermore, our strength is still feeble and we''re low in numbers, yes... there isn''t really a solution that can yank us out of this shit..."


    "Isn''t there really anything we can do?" John''s gaze flickered over Sarah for an instant, "From what we gauged from Damien and Britney, shapeshifters don''t seem to rely on skills or sheer power to overwhelm their opponents, maybe that shapeshifting skill makes up for their deficits?"


    "I believe so as well, otherwise I can''t possibly fathom how they got themselves this stretch of forest." Stephen exhaled slowly, his eyelids slanting down in contemplation, "We need to climb up the ranks faster if we wish to survive, and not only against shapeshifters... but against anyone who''d eventually pop up and balk our path. This place feels like it''s at a never-ending war." he sniffed, "We must be prepared."


    "That we must... I guess a training schedule is up on our to-do list?"


    Stephen briefly nodded, "We gotta make sure everyone is hardened up for what''s to come, also..." he hummed, "I met a dwarf before... he relayed to me some interesting stuff..."


    "A dwarf?" John parroted, his timbre pouring out no small amount of surprise, "Like those in the stories?"


    "Not really," Stephen shook his head with a hint of a smirk crinkling his lips upwards, "He was... coal-blackish in color, I don''t know if it''s because of his curse acting up physically or a variation from being a subspecies hailed from the main kind." he said, "I wish to bring him to our side."


    "Can we trust him?"


    "I''m still trying to understand that, still, he and his kin are being treated as slaves to work under stronger creatures to constantly oven out weapons, I''m certain that a change for them would be more than welcomed."


    John hoisted his hands up and propped them against his mouth in deep thought, "So he''s a slave?" he queried with a frown.


    "That would be correct, his present master is a shapeshifter, a Rank 4 one... heh," Stephen barked out a chuckle, "What an ironic slap of fate."


    "That''s tricky... one thing that bugs me is not knowing when will they eventually come for us. I''m not fond of this silence, it feels stifling and foreboding, like the prelude of a storm."


    "Yeah..."


    "Guys... what are you talking about?" Frank''s voice conveyed everyone''s curiosity as they sidled closer, forming a semi-circle around the two Predators, "Is it something we ought to know?"


    Natasha perched down, her legs folded to pad her weight for more comfort as she brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "Did something happen?" her beautiful face crumpled up in concern.


    "Well... something indeed happened, but it''s not as bad as you may think it is..." Stephen flashed her a smile, "You see... early today I..." and then he initiated his telltale regarding his encounter with the mystical dwarf and the knowledge he got ahold of from the creature, whilst catering his thoughts and description anent the ordeal he''s been through, trying not to leave anything out of his report.


    John offered some of his views too, but it was nothing everyone else hadn''t already speculated about. The brainstorming session eventually came to a halt when Apolline heaved a deep sigh and clambered back to her feet, "So... what should we do now? Thinking about how to deal with this deadly shit is not going to come to fruition soon anyway..." she forked her hips, her white chock of hair draping over her left eye.


    "Isn''t it obvious, mon amie?" Stephen stood back up, dusting his bottom, "I''m not going to let them stomp over me, they''re strong, more powerful and numerous." his voice boomed with angry undertones, "Yes, we''re outflanked in every fucking single way... godfucking yes, we''re in the shittiest pit given our strength." he growled, a resolute yet slightly devious smile tugging at his lips, "But let it be known that I''m not going down without a fight, this place will either be our paradise or our own grave."


    Stephen waved his hand to stop Frank from interrupting him, "We have many loopholes, but each of them is easily patchable. Goddammit, we can rank up and absorb skills by eating! We should abuse the hell out of this shit! I know, this week has been a rollercoaster for all of us, but we can deal with our emotional entanglement later, we''ve almost died multiple times during our short stay here, and I''m sure luck is not part of our abilities either... ranking up doesn''t seem an easy thing for other creatures, but we can dance around this roadblock with food!" his voice thundered out, "C''mon guys! Is it possible that I''m the only one looking at the bigger picture here!?"


    "What d-do you want us to do?" Sarah meekly queried, feeling a bit intimidated by Stephen''s sudden outburst, "Hunting?"


    "Yes, hunting and training... it''s time all of you stop to indolently rank up by what I and John bring back, it''s not going to help you in the long run, you won''t grow stronger by leeching out our efforts, not that you need to." he paused for a moment, his throat begging for a sweet respite, "Our fight against the goblins was proof that neither of you guys is a coward, but then again, that might be a side effect of being a Predator, which is good, isn''t it? If you don''t fear blood then you can fight, if you can fight you can become stronger, if you become stronger, you can survive..." his crimson eyes lit up, "We are Predators, time to forsake the past and strive forward, this place''s gonna be ours!"

 Chapter 23: Predatory Fever

    Stephen''s hand lugged forward with a deft flick of his wrist, his fingers encased around the hilt of his sword as he thronged power from the ground into himself with a fluid shift of his leg. The energy surged up his retracting arm before streaming down his blade once he swung it down, prompting an arc of crimson Encore Power to whizz against the cave''s bouldered inner wall.


    A flare-up of red lights scampered out, unveiling a clear sidelong cleft on the smitten spot. Exhaling, he barreled his arm out anew, propelling another bolt of energy to blast upon the incision his previous slash had left behind.


    Feeling his momentum sweep up, Stephen fired off yet another torrent of crimson energy under his groupmates'' surprised stares, and before he knew it, his arm was whirling out Encore Slashes that barraged all over against the wall, bursting out in a shower of flashing particles that lightened up the dim lit cave.


    [Encore Slash has reached Lv.4]


    [Basic Sword Arts has reached Lv.8]


    Stephen allowed himself a satisfied smile through the sheen of sweat cloaking his face, "Damn... that was awesome," his chest heaved back and forth claiming whatever mouthful of air his lungs could allow, optimizing the sweet amenity of his temporary respite, "And exhausting too, I reckon."


    Frank whistled, "That was indeed awesome, Stephen... if that wall right now was a crowd of people I wouldn''t dare to think of the manslaughter you would have wrecked!" he clammed his mouth shut when the entourage of women shot him a glare, "Oh c''mon... don''t look at me like that, I was just commenting." he huffed with a pout.


    "You shouldn''t talk about murdering people so lightly." Natasha scruffed a hand through her hair, "I know I''m not entitled to say anything about it after what happened with the goblins and the shapeshifters, but... I''d rather we not lose that sliver of humanity we still have left in us." she demurred, seemingly in conflict with herself, "Ahh... that sounded so cheesy, nevermind I said anything..."


    Stephen raised an eyebrow in mild amusement, "Aww... don''t be crestfallen, humanity is the last thing we need in this place, and although I''m aware of the sinister undertones behind Frank''s dark humor just now, he''s not wrong..." he scrambled back to his feet whilst using his knees as a support to prop his upper body up, "That was cute though..."


    "Shaddap..." Natasha wrinkled her nose indignantly, "And what''s up with this demonstration?" she crossed her arms, her eyes stealing a quick glimpse of the avalanche of debris and dust flooding down the craggy surface Stephen had just concluded on ravaging, "You needed an excuse to show off?" she slanted her head, letting her mane of red tresses to cascade over the right side of her face.


    "Of course," Stephen cackled with a knowing smirk, "Just wanted to let you know I can kill all of you in a matter of slashes." he cheerfully announced, bursting out in a violent fit of chuckles when the pregnant silence of his stunned groupmates ensued, "I''m kidding." he waved his hand off.


    "Uhh..." Apolline blinked, not sure whether to be scared shitless of the casual way he voiced out the leisure he could get rid of them with, or just laugh it up as another quirk of her new friend, "So... what was your true purpose then, redecoration?" she chose the latter.


    "Not at all my dear goth friend, I merely wanted to get some training in whilst giving you an incentive to train hard. Trust me, mon amie, it feels amazing having so much Encore Power breezing through your veins, ready to be beckoned upon whenever you want... and this is me at Rank 2!" his eyes sparkled like a child on the morning of Christmas, "It means there''s so much we''ll be able to accomplish if we put our souls and minds into our own development!"


    John took a deep breath, "While I''d vouch for both Stephen and Frank to stop their dark jokes, I think we should all prepare ourselves, and--" a thunder cracked out in the clouds, the flash of light draping over them via the cave''s entrance gap, "-- and hunting right now is not recommendable, might as well hone our skills a bit inside."


    "Wouldn''t it be dangerous? What if the cave winds up crumbling?" Sarah queried with a foreboding frown.


    "I do believe it is a bit of a stretch saying it would crumble, yes, we will definitely cause quite the mayhem but the walls are thick enough to sustain heavy damage," Natasha chimed in with a sigh, "And the only one here who has a chance to spark to life your concern is Stephen."


    "And John too!"


    "Yes... and John too." the red-headed Predator corrected herself with an appeasing smile when she descried the heavy look redirected to her from Sarah, "What?" her eyes slightly narrowed.


    "Hey! What about me?" Frank butted in, his chest puffed out, "I''m quite strong too ya know!"


    Both Natasha and Sarah''s heads snapped towards him with a ''Bitch, please'' kind of look.


    "Let''s calm down ladies..." Apolline raised her hands in order to placate them, "This is not the time to bicker and umh... Stephen, John? What would you suggest we work on first?"


    John hummed, "We need to bring your skills with your weapons up, so we''ll focus on that first."


    "Moreover I''ll have to teach you how to get the Encore Manipulation skill, it''ll do wonders for your overall strength." Stephen continued with a nod, "But for now yes, we really do need to increase our weapons skills, especially those whose level is still quite low." his lips curled upward, "We''ll train every time there''s a storm outside, and hunt when there''s none."


    "How long do we have to train for?" Daphne asked.


    "I''d say until we can venture ourselves deeper into the forest even when it''s raining."


    "..."


    <hr>


    Stephen settled down in his own corner, the cacophony of noises from the blustery rainstorm provided the perfect background melody for him. John had offered himself to train the rest of the group''s Weapon Arts up before leaving the reins to him. Now he found himself with quite some time to experiment on his own.


    "I wonder if..."


    Hoisting his sword up to eye-level, he focused on a skill he had seldom used in his hazards. A fireball sprung up from nothingness, wholly defying Newton''s theory of gravitation, its flickering edges barely licking Stephen''s face. Ignoring the proximate heat rippling across his cheeks, he tried to establish a connection between the blade and the flame.


    [Fireball has reached Lv.3]


    [You have gained the skill Fire Manipulation, Lv.1]


    The globe of flame airborne inflated almost twiceits previous size, its temperature heating up, forcing Stephen to slid away from the encroaching smoldering limbs of his skill.


    "Hmm..."


    His eyes narrowed as he attempted the process once again. The fireball bustled about for an instant, a reddish haze shepherding out of the blazing orb into the blood-stained rain guard of his weapon up to its tip. However, just as the new luster capped his blade, it scattered into a tide of glowing sparks that drifted onto the ground.


    [Fire Manipulation has reached Lv.2]


    "What the hell..." Stephen stared at his sword, "... why didn''t it work?" he wrinkled his nose before trying again, flushes of heat wrapping around his weapon, just to end up in his second failure when it dissolved into a paltry firework of glitters upon him.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Not giving up, he went back up to his endeavor, his concentration waning each time he was unsuccessful, sweat trickling down his forehead, streamlining up his nose before dropping down onto his clothes.


    "Why!?" he hissed to himself, feeling a growing smudge of annoyance inside of him, "Is there something missing here?" he tightened his grip on the hilt, yet it was only a disuse of his already depleted energy, "Goddammit!" he growled, hurling the recipient of his vexation against the wall with a clinking noise, unconcerned of the possible damage done to it in his violent fit of rage.


    The only consolation was the pulsing screens in front of him.


    [Fire Manipulation has reached Lv.3]


    [Fireball has reached Lv.4]


    But it was short-lived, and it certainly was fruitless in abating his acrimony. Stephen laid back against the wall, his arms bolstered up by his knees with his head buried within. It shouldn''t have bothered him that much, but it did. He was used to failing in his goals anyway, this was supposed to be just another roadblock he could have gotten around with a bit more of effort.


    However, considering the looming threat, stretching out the timespan of his foreseen growth was a variable he was afraid of tolling up in his calculations. The fact that it could have taken more than he had anticipated to match a Rank 4 shapeshifter in strength seemed to be staving off of his eyesight. Granted, it was only a skill that might or might not have been possible to whip out, but he was fairly sure it was doable.


    Stephen grunted out his fatigue with a deep exhale, an irksome throbbing making its presence known throughout his veins as he clenched his teeth in annoyance. Clambering back to his feet, he fecklessly dusted himself before hustling closer to his sword.


    Lady Fluffy hopped next to him, her whiskers wiggling left and right as she sniffed around. Stephen stopped for a moment to stare down, "Sorry little one, I''m not in the mood." with that he bent over and picked his weapon back up, his determination boiling up. He had to complete what he had set his mind up for, weariness notwithstanding.


    <hr>


    "And that''s all for today, I guess..." John''s voice boomed out, engendering relieved groans from the carcasses sprawled on the ground, each of them fighting against themselves to win over the exhaustion and get back up, an attainment that didn''t look achievable at the moment.


    Apolline curled her nose, perspiration rolling down her face in a steady torrent, "I can already foresee the soreness I will feel tomorrow... oh boy..." she croaked out, her throat struggling to emit the sound she had ordained.


    "You look like a stomped chunk of fresh shit..." Frank chimed in with his usual subtlety, "And you smell too..."


    "..." Apolline looked ready to strangle the potbellied Predator, but the soothing layoff she was partaking in was doing wonders to her resting muscles, something she didn''t wish to forgo in the sweet name of revenge.


    "Frank, who are you to say who smells and who doesn''t, I can see the clutches of your stench spreading out through the room..." Daphne chastised with a growing frown.


    "Males can smell, it makes us more attractive to the opposite sex, but a female who stinks is... yuck!"


    "WHAT!?" all of the offended parties chorused, a veil of darkness shrouding their faces. John retreated quickly, almost tumbling down on a stray pebble.


    "What what? It''s the truth!" Frank defended himself, "John, tell them! Bestow enlightenment upon those lost women! They need to see the light of Jesus!" he yelled ardently, saliva springing out of his mouth.


    "..." all the stares snapped their focus onto a startled John whose face was faltering between keeping up his usual unruffled confidence and deal with the situation as peacefully as possible, or wave the white flag, turn around and withdraw from the forthcoming battleground.


    "John?" Sarah''s voice flashed into his ears like a thunderstrike, "Please, tell me you don''t believe in what he just said..."


    "Of course not! I like the way you sme-- I mean, I don''t mind it..."


    Frank cupped his hands around his mouth to augment the sound output, and shouted, "HA! PERVERT!" before blowing out in loud chuckles.


    Natasha who had finally managed to stand back up snickered, her eyes leafing over a brooding Stephen for a moment, her legs fueling up as they unconsciously paddled over the target of her stare, "Hey, you okay?" her hand smoothed out the crinkles on her jeans before she slid down next to him, "Heeeey?" she received no answer, not even when her hand fluttered in front of his face to snap him out of his daze.


    "Stephen?"


    "Sorry, Nat. I''m not feeling well... just let me rest..."


    "Not well? What do you have?"


    "..."


    Natasha slathered herself against the wall, her fingers veering down to twiddle with a loose rock, "Umh... sorry if I sound insistent, but I''m concerned, can''t you just tell me what''s going on, or if I can do anything to help?"


    "Nothing that you can help me with, just a strong headache... that''s all..."


    "But--"


    "I''m fine!" Stephen snarled out with a wolfish growl, his tone seemingly diffusing the ongoing discussion a few meters from them as everyone stopped in their endeavor and shuffled their attention over him, "I''m fucking fine!" Lady Fluffy at his side hopped backward, her woolly frame shivering.


    Natasha scurried back, her eyes wide, "What''s wrong with you?" she was quickly backed up by the rest of her groupmates, each of them donning worried visages. The younger predator now uncovered head revealed a pale face glazed in streams of sweat, his breathing hastening whereas the sclera of his eyes had altered into a blackish substance, his brighter crimson irises enthroned at the center of his darker orbs, upon which slit pupils glared back at them.


    [You have been affected by a Predatory Fever. No empathy, no forbearance for your foes. Everything shall succumb afore your hunger.]


    [All of your attributes have been augmented by 25% until your feverish state comes undone.]


    [You have 1 minute left before the next wave of hunger storms you within.]


    [00:59]


    [00:58]


    [00:57]


    Stephen clenched the sides of his head from a sudden spike of pain shooting through his temples, "What the fuck is this!?" he squeezed his eyes shut, a ravenous need to gobble down anything within hand''s reach pulsed from his heart down to his stomach, and the grumble that ensued was the perfect announcement befitting his circumstance.


    John frowned as he watched his younger friend''s unforeseen changes, an expression that was shared by everyone else.


    "Hey, dude... what''s with you?" Frank probed, utterly ignoring the freezing cold that had settled down upon his ever so slowly trembling body, "I think he''s not okay guys..."


    "No shit..." Apolline had the urge to facepalm but held back due to the serious atmosphere, "Stephen... what happened to you?"


    "Hungry..." was his answer, whisper-like and forced through gritted teeth.


    "Do we have any leftovers?" she spun around and queried John, "Is there any Eagle''s meat left?"


    "I''m afraid not, it was not particularly huge in size..."


    "Isn''t there really anything?"


    "We were planning to go hunting once the weather calmed down..." John demurred, "It is not safe to delve outside right now, even if we group up; the odds of getting back alive with actual food are very slim."


    Stephen''s veins bulged out around his eyes, "Damn!!" his hands looked like to be under the Parkinson''s disease full potency. His motor flexibility and movement had been completely gone haywire despite the temporary increase in his attributes.


    [00:25]


    [00:24]


    "Fuck this!!" he shoved himself up, almost stumbling down from the haste, "I need to eat something now!" he started staggering his way towards the entrance.


    "No, wait! It''s dangerous!" Natasha''s voice wormed into his ears muffledly, the concerned expression etched on her face just a blurry blotch of bromidic colors that blended in with the likewise canvas around her, "Stephen!" she attempted to reach for him, but a firm grip on her wrist yanked her back in place, "John!? What the fuck are you doing?"


    "Let him go..."


    "What... why?"


    "I believe it''d cause a nasty altercation should we try to bind him here," the older Predator heaved a deep breath, "Something is messing with him, and he''s in no state to reason right now... if a fight breaks out who do you think will come out the most uninjured?"


    "But... but... we just can''t let him leave, what if he meets..." Natasha shuddered, "... what if he meets that thing..." her voice was laced with a haunting memory.


    John closed his eyes, his head drooping, "I don''t know Natasha, but it would not be wise to coerce him into staying here.... hey! No, stop!" he redirected his gaze over Frank who had taken a scanty couple of steps forward, "Frank... no, none of you..." his attention swooped back to the red-haired woman in his grasp, "Please, stop..." she had started to struggle, but the gap in strength was conspicuous. It was futile.


    "John!" a modest in size fireball spawned above her free hand, "Let. Me. Go. NOW!" her amethyst eyes deepened as Encore Power started leaking out of her, but the meager amount didn''t budge him. Her determination was admirable nonetheless, he mused.


    "Why can''t you understand..." he mumbled, yet the dogged shimmer in her eyes was a clear disclosure of her budding feelings for the younger man, and for a moment, he put himself in her place. He knew he wouldn''t have done it any different from her was the object of his care going through Stephen''s unexpected crisis.


    He felt guilty, but it was necessary, "Frank, come here and help me calm her down." he ordered with a tone of finality, allowing no room for argument.


    "Frank, no... Stephen wait!" her shout sidetracked everyone''s scrutiny upon said man, but he was already at the threshold that linked to the craggy terrain outside.


    [00:06]


    [00:05]


    The timer ticked down, each number shortening the chasm that''d eventually shepherd Stephen into the abyss of his gluttony. A feeling that shared its throne with a sprinkle of unbridled rage, a spark that became a scorching inferno. Everything was so clear yet so confusing, and the only smidge of logic still left in him had thankfully derailed him from plunging himself at his friends in the hopes of consuming his anger, and instead opted to temporarily venture out.


    His light of reason knew it was a bad idea, but it was flickering light that was quickly snuffed out.


    [00:02]


    [00:01]


    [00:00]

 Chapter 24: The Red Moon of Doomsday

    Stephen knew it. It was so hilariously obvious what would have stemmed the moment the steady counter of the hovering clock hit [00.00]. Yes, he had enough sense of awareness to perceive the ensuing issues. Just an instant more and his cognition, followed by logic and rationality would have dipped down the sewers of his consciousness, leaving behind a shell with the mission to fill up the hunger he was ever so slowly drowning in.


    He unceremoniously stumbled, falling head-on against the mud. No harm was done, thankfully, but it was a short-lived distraction that stripped him off of his last shreds of sanity. Stephen gasped, his eyes splaying wide as his back uncharacteristically arched inward. His fingers dug slits in the ooze, clutching a handful of pebbles and sludge within. Magma seemed to flow through his veins, its source wallopping against his ribcage; the sound echoing off in his ears.


    "STEPHEN!" Natasha''s voice drifted through the thunders, "STEP-- No! John, let me--" she whipped around, her eyes blazing upon the oldest Predator in an alchemy of indignant fury and concern, "WHY!?" she rasped out, her voice a clear hint that she was breaking down.


    John tightened his grip in reply, "Get back inside, now!" he yanked her back in, allowing no room for arguments before he tucked himself inside the cave as well, stealing a last fleeting glance at Stephen who had eerily stopped his struggles to crawl forward, and had instead culled to lay there. Quiet. Under the cold touch of the rain.


    "Frank! Help me seal the entrance off!" he shouted an order straight away, prompting Frank to rally up boulders and assemble them one upon the other to staunch the entranceway gap, "Yes, like this." he grunted out, settling another slab of stone on their makeshift wedge.


    John wrinkled his nose, making a shush sign with his finger to Frank before peering out of a tiny crack. His breath hitched. Stephen''s head had leisurely spun rearward, his eyes staring back at John right through the very same hole he was being spied on, "Oh shit!"


    "John?" Sarah gulped, feeling a tad bit of trepidation mixing in with her voice, "What''s going on? Stephen... is he--"


    "Back out and don''t make noise!" he shushed her, "Pick up your weapons, I don''t know if he''ll attack us..." he buzzed, carefully balancing his tone to a low level.


    Natasha scowled, but opted to stay in silence and obey. The situation had taken a grim turn, and she was not as emotionally driven as she had been before. It was just the spur of the moment, she quietly mused to herself, her hands unconsciously clenching. There was nothing to it more than a friendly worry. Yes. Nothing.


    "Relax Natasha... he''s going to be fine, yes..." she chanted to herself, "He''ll survive... he''ll be okay..." her fingers brushed up against her ring, "Dammit..." she chewed her bottom lip, her face scrunching up as a blend of different emotions played out.


    John waved his hand, motioning them to stay close to each other.


    Silence ensued, broken only by their breathing and the slight rustling of clothes. They were prepared, geared up and ready fend off the upcoming problem, yet it was nothing but a false sense of security, for the clear-cut divergence in strength they had previously witnessed had already stamped its mark on their memories, the flourish demonstration rolling back afore their eyes.


    "He won''t really attack us, will he?" Apolline muttered, "I mean, he--"


    John cut her off, "I don''t know for sure, but his expression was worrying. I''d rather be safe than sorry," he frowned, "Furthermore, I didn''t like the vibes I was getting from him... in the state he''s in right now, I don''t doubt he''ll think twice before turning us into his meal."


    "Eat us!?" Natasha was appalled by his assertion, "You can''t be serious..."


    "I wish I wasn''t... but I''m afraid we can''t know if Predators - under some unknown circumstance - would actually devour each other..."


    "That''d be... cannibalism..." Frank chimed in, his grip on his weapon wavering, "Surely he wouldn''t do that."


    "You''re free to go out and ask him yourself."


    "I''ll pass..."


    "So... we wait until he makes a move or something?" Sarah wondered, her feet unconsciously paddling over John as her free hand slathered her other arm to provide a smidge of warmth in the otherwise dank and cold cave.


    "For now? Yes. We wait," he replied with a nod, "If he shows the tiniest traces of hostility against us then don''t hold back from attacking him, should he actually come back inside, that is."


    Natasha didn''t sit well with the idea, but she knew better than to voice her troubles out. The rest of the group shared her sentiment, she quietly noted. Finding yourself suddenly pointing your weapon towards someone you''ve shared quite a bit of hardship with, however short that time might have been, was not something they took delight in.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    But if it had to be done to ensure their survival, nobody would have raised a complaint. And despite a sliver of hesitation, Natasha would not have backed down either. But was it really true? She could hardly tell. Heaving a drawn-out breath, she fixed her eyes ahead, hoping against hope that at the end of the day, everything would turn out as it was before.


    <hr>


    Stephen dumbly looked around himself, taking in the utter lack of... anything. No trees, no clouds, no rain and certainly not his friends who had scrambled back inside the cave to avoid him. They were all replaced by a sheet of darkness that stretched to-- well he couldn''t really tell, there was nothing, only him and his thoughts. It was hard to say whether he had gone blind or if the light had suddenly ebbed away from his surroundings.


    Then realization dawned upon him, like a bomb going off in his mind. There was no hunger plaguing him, no anger to speak of. He felt oddly calm, as if he had been brought back to his natal world and all of the memories about Relictus he could still recall so vividly were nothing but a nightmare, an incredibly long one.


    Yes, time to go back to sleep, tomorrow he had work to do...


    "NO!" Stephen shouted, clambering back to his feet, "What the fuck!" his voice traveled off in the depths of nothingness, backpacking with an annoying echo that didn''t seem to end.


    He turned his hands around and raised them up to eye-level, but no matter how much he squeezed his eyes, he couldn''t even make out their outline. His heart started beating faster, going in sync with his breathing which had gradually picked up speed, begetting a rhapsody of fear that clutched his stomach in its freezing grip.


    Stephen had no idea where he was, or how to even get out of it, and that scared him.


    Just the thought of squandering an unknown amount of time in there, alone, like a prisoner drifting endlessly in the void with no way out, was the bedrock of a psychological torture that he knew would have broken him in less time than the lack of nutrients would have killed him.


    "Fuck!" he cursed, tapping into his Encore Power to lash out and maybe, just maybe, find a way to open the door out of that spooky place through sheer strength, "What...?" the truth, however, bitch-slapped him when the sudden awareness of his Encore Power, or better, the lack thereof, poured down on him like an unexpected bucket of cold water.


    There was nothing. Empty. Not even a shred, nor the slimmest of shadows of it ever being there in the first place was found. He was back to the start, weak and frail like he had been when he had just gotten in that forest.


    He took a shaky step forward, the discrepancy of strength he had been used to, coupled with terror coursing through his veins, almost made him stumble down from the tangle of sensations sailing up to his brain.


    Stephen steeled himself, finding no solution amidst his panic. He got ahold of his trembling emotions and kept moving forth, the sound of his soles whacking against a solid foundation reverberated throughout the dark space he was trapped in.


    Time was seamless in that expanse of emptiness, and he couldn''t discern how long he had been trudging on. It could have been a scant few minutes or a couple of hours. Hell, he could have been marching on for days already, and he would have been none the wiser. Of course, that notion was discarded as quickly as it sprung up in his mind. The growing fatigue told him enough, and with his old body put to the test, there was no way he could have gone on for even half a day.


    He scruffed a hand through his messy mop of hair, desperation clawing his insides, and before long, he found himself on all fours against the ground, floor, or whatever he was leaning onto. There was no temperature belching out of the smooth surface. He quietly laid down, his arms stretching out as he took deep mouthfuls of air.


    "FUCK!" he yelled, bursting out in a fit of cackles, "Haha, fuck! fuck! fuck! Haha... ha..." Stephen couldn''t squelch it back anymore. He hated darkness, and it was not because of nyctophobia. Unwanted memories tended to crawl out when there was nothing distracting his eyes, no matter how much he tried locking them away.


    Anxiety knocked, and he let it enter. There was no door to block it anyway.


    He gritted his teeth, swatting away the cobwebs of memories in his brain. Now that no ounce of power streamed through him, now that his familiar Predator''s instincts didn''t kick in, he was on the other end of the full-blown strike of his nightmares. Helpless.


    Stephen frowned, however, when he was made aware of an intruding hue cloaking his eyelids. He quickly barged his eyes wide open, his pupils coming face to face with a red sphere of light floating overhead. It looked unreal, and not quite a sphere of light as he had deduced. More like a planet.


    "What the--"


    "Beautiful, isn''t it?"


    He snapped his head to the side, where the source of the voice had strayed from. There, under the gentle crimson halo of the celestial body, stood a figure. Head held up high, hands encased behind her back, the newcomer''s eyes dripped sadness as she stared at the moon, the hintest of smiles crinkling her lips upward.


    Stephen blinked away his surprise, slowly sliding himself back up. The woman turned her head around with the elegance only a noblewoman could have mustered after strenuous years of training.


    "Truly dazzling... you know..." her voice danced in his ears, the melodic undertones almost a guilty pleasure sending shudders down his spine, and for the briefest of moments, he wished she would never stop speaking, "This moon used to represent us... our kind, our history, our glory..."


    He didn''t interrupt, his eyes had already left their sockets to swoop around the woman, taking in every detail, each one more astounding than the other. Her red hair swayed down her back in an ignited waterfall of fire, a lone black horn jutting out of the fiery tresses on her left temple.


    Her body was partially hugged by a veil of darkness, with only her flawless features shining underneath the moonlight. She seemed to be in two different realities; one where the shadows lorded over, and the other where the moon rested. Stephen furrowed his brow, tearing himself off her beauty.


    "The Red Moon of Doomsday..." the woman concluded, "... where everything began."

 Chapter 25: Roseline

    "Okay okay... let''s roll back a bit..." Stephen chimed in, following up with a question, "First and foremost, where the heck am I?"


    "This is your inner abyss, my dear." her voice tinkled out, "Predatory Fever, huh? A nasty thing for someone who hasn''t yet accepted their true selves, especially if you''re as feeble as you currently are..." her head cocked slantwise, leading to a chock of hair to dangle down as her eyes locked onto him.


    Stephen stiffened up. The moment her gaze docked on him a swelling of seamless Encore Power burgeoned in every direction, like a Big Bang going off, spirals of lights shot up and harmoniously twinkled around the crimson heavenly body, sketching the endless dark sky in bright and blinking dots.


    The woman''s stare never roamed away from him, pouring down a bubbling pressure upon him as he felt oddly fidgety yet enthralled by her jewel-like eyes, where golden linings swam within and blended in with the purple. Truly a smothering pair of eyes, he had to confess. As if someone spewed molten lava inside two amethysts and then socketed them on a delicately sculpted face.


    "You''re weak..."


    Stephen deadpanned, not sure if he should feel ashamed or furious. Not that she wasn''t wrong, compared to her previous display of power, he had nothing to gloat about, "Thank you for stating the obvious, Miss. I Like Theatrics." he tried to swallow back the words but they had already slipped past his lips, "Oh shit..." regret tingled his stomach.


    "Yes... you''re not funny," she arched a perfectly-shaped eyebrow, "Are you even aware of the situation you''re in?"


    "Yes... I mean, no... I mean... perhaps?" he replied with a weak chuckle. Thankfully the being in front of him didn''t haggle over his previous rather rude comment, "I only know that I scared the shit out of my friends, and right now... I''m here, or at least I think I am?"


    "Not quite," she shook her head, "You lost control of yourself, hence your Encore Soul was forced to take refuge here for the meantime..."


    "Encore Soul?" Stephen was puzzled, "Now that''s a new term I''m not acquainted with..."


    "Encore Soul, yes. It''s your most primal and naked form of consciousness and intelligence. Your true self. No secrets. No locks. Everything here is a manifestation of yourself."


    "Everything? Heh... quite dark in here..."


    "That''s what I''m worried about," her gaze softened, "There''s nothing here... no memories, no personal goods, no colors, just this..." she waved her hands up, beckoning to their surroundings, "... just this... a never-ending stretch of darkness." her voice lowered to a whisper, "That''s disturbing... and saddening..."


    "Mind your own business!" Stephen spat out, the first signs of his acrimony lighting up mixed in with his voice, "I prefer it this way, I don''t want anything more in here..." he wanted to turn around and avoid her face, yet his struggles were never carried out successfully.


    "You''re a good liar..." she said after a drawn-out pause, "But that won''t solve our problem at hand, Stephen." her dazzling shape commenced paddling over, or better, fluttering over, "Stephen..." she reiterated his name softly, her tone sounding out almost apologetic, "We have to--"


    "We?" Stephen chuckled, "What ''we''? There''s no ''we''! This place should be a manifestation of myself, right?" his tone took on a dangerous edge, "Then what are you doing here? Who are you?" his questions streamed out clear and strong, his previous throbbing hesitation already dwindled out.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The woman halted a scanty few centimeters in front of him. He still couldn''t survey himself out; in that expanse of shadows he was nothing but another black silhouette, not even the newly birthed lights shone upon him, yet her gaze seemed able to descry him with unruffled ease. He felt like every inch of his body was exposed to her, when not even he could check himself out. She already knew everything about him.


    Her fingers ever so gently brushed up against his cheek, and despite his growing trepidation and rationality pushing him into recoiling from her touch, like a moth drawn to a flame, he leaned in, "I shouldn''t be anywhere else but here, Stephen..." her enhancing and soul-gripping smile thawed his fears, "I''m Roseline, and I''m the manifestation of your powers." her alabaster hand grazed his face, her thumb nudging up and down over his skin like a mother would do to her child.


    The sudden invading warmth caught him off guard. His breath had trouble reaching down to his lungs, the close-up stare contest he found himself hooked in left him like puddle in her manipulative hands, "NO!" he forcefully broke free from her ensnarement, managing to waltz a few steps back, "You damn whore!" he snarled, "What the fuck do you want?"


    "Now now, that was very rude of you..." Roseline batted her eyes at him, her lips curling up in a devilish smirk as she leisurely closed the gap between them, "Stephen..." she suddenly ebbed away in a puff of red smoke.


    "I want to help you..." Stephen trembled when he felt her arms lovingly draping over his shoulders from behind, her head gracefully nesting cozily on the hollow of his neck, fitting in perfectly like the missing piece of a puzzle, "... there''s no need to be afraid of the very same thing you''ve been seeking for all this time." her sweet voice seeped into his ears like honey, her hot breath delightfully bathing his skin, leaving trails of fire behind. He was unwilling to admit, but some of that warmth had sneakily slithered downwards, getting a small twitch in reaction. The temperature skyrocketed, and it was becoming rather cramped in there.


    Thankfully, he had a staggering amount of self-control, "Oh hell no!" he hissed, drawing back another step out of her addicting embrace, "No no no no!" he wagged his head furiously. He whipped around, ready to lengthen the distance between them even more, but his feet were glued on the spot.


    "Sorry..." she apologized, "I''m really sorry Stephen... but you don''t realize the danger you are in as we speak right now." her body zoomed in, Encore Power swirling around her, "Your body is most likely seeking any kind of creature to satiate the hunger, which is... no good."


    "No shit... of course I know that if it wounds up running into one of those powerful motherfuckers I''m as good as dead..." he unconsciously shot back, "You''re a manifestation of my powers? Excuse me very much, but from the way you behave, I''d rather say you''re a scammer. A good one, I''ll give you that, but a scammer nonetheless."


    Roseline rolled her eyes, "Okay, sorry... it seems that using my womanly charm had the opposite effect." she crossed her arms and pursed her lips, "We don''t have time... a Predatory Fever only springs up when a Predator is under heavy emotional distress, and for the love of god I can''t understand how you could possibly be suffering from such emotions when you''ve been born only a couple of weeks ago..."


    "Born!?" Stephen gulped, "Wait..."


    "No time, we can chit-chat another time Stephen... it seems you have some memories that don''t belong to this... world?" when she spoke till there a weird glint flashed through her eyes, "Truly curious..." she chewed her bottom lip, "I''ll say it again, Stephen... I''m sorry. You''ll probably hate me by the end of it, but we need to get you back into your body, so you''ll have to fight head-on against whatever is troubling you. Wish you luck, hatchling."


    Roseline quickly covered Stephen''s mouth, and when her hand slid away he was left mute, no matter how much he pressured his vocal cords into releasing the sound he intended. With eyes splayed wide, he witnessed how her hand slowly rested on his torso, and with a soft push he plummeted down.


    However, instead of the solid surface he was used to, his back whacked against a dense liquid. His body was petrified in shackles he couldn''t see.


    "Win over your fears and rise stronger than ever."


    He started sinking down, his eyes furiously scampering around in fright. From his toes up to his head, the viscous liquid slowly swallowed him within into the unknown. Roseline closed her eyes, "Sorry..." that was the last sound he heard before he disappeared, unable to utter out a sound in protest.

 Chapter 26: A Painful Rewind, A Strong Mind

    Stephen dipped down the meanders of nothingness, mislaid in a warp-like reality that imbibed him inside. His consciousness fluttered in and out, like the flickering light of a dying bulb. With nothing but fleeting thoughts to accompany him in his scrambled journey into the gates of the unknown, his body was shut off from a seamless obstacle, yet his mind seemed to drift through with ease.


    Jolting awake, a preteen with unruly raven hair squeezed his eyes, perspiration rolling down his forehead and down onto the blanket. A slew of images and foreign emotions were fast forwardly playing out in his head. Swallowing his sudden startle, his heartbeat slowed down to a steady rhythm as reality settled in, yanking him out of his turmoil once his quivering eyelids cracked open, allowing him to take in the shadowed walls of a dim lit room. His room.


    "A dream..." his childish yet still fairly shaken voice sounded out, "Uh..." why did that feel oddly wrong to his ears? It was his every-day vocal timbre, nevertheless, a nagging throb in the back of his head was ever so softly whispering him otherwise.


    Something was amiss.


    He shuffled himself out of the comfort of his bed, his feet skidding inside his slippers. With memories of his dream still fresh in his mind, getting back to sleep was now an unattainable desire. Stephen had the assurance that he never - in his almost 11 years of life - had such a lifelike and long dream, or better, nightmare.


    His throat was dry, his clothes clinging to his frame like a second layer of skin. Rubbing away the last vestiges of a sleep that would not come anymore that night, he tip-toed down the creaking stairs paying surgery-like attention not wake his parents up.


    The law of silence was religiously abided by during sleep time. Not an ounce of noise should ever filter into his father''s room and consequently rouse him up. His mother chose the bliss of ignorance, sometimes plainly disregarding her husband''s weird quirks.


    His foot finally slid over the last wooden board of the stair. Sighing in relief, he waded for the kitchen with a more normal pace whilst smacking his lips. The window''s binds were parted enough to let the moonshine trickle in and provide a reliable source of light to his endeavors.


    Pouring himself a glass of water, he noiselessly sat down on a stool. His hands were busy propping his head up, pinching the uncomfortable zones around his temples; the pangs of pain never lessening despite his efforts. Those evanescent images, pictures, memories or whatever they were, passed through the limbic system of his brain, stalked by feelings that made his chest tighten up.


    Nausea whopped in, and with a quick motion, he raised the glass up and gulped down the liquid within as if it would have drowned his problems away the faster he gobbled it.


    "Ughh..." he pursed his lips, his stomach rioting against the content streaming down his throat. Gritting his teeth, he slammed the cup back on the table as he stood up teetering, the unsteady motion causing the stool to scrape violently on the floor and bend backward, before flopping down.


    The sudden deafening noise in the otherwise silent kitchen was like a shot ringing out beside his ears, and the subsequent distraction due to it led him into emptying out his gut on the porcelain floor tiles. Thankfully, it seemed to have been the switch to solve his sickness for his headache receded and his lungs finally found respite.


    Stephen slumped down like a sack of potatoes, a sheen of sweat on his face. However, his delight was short-lived for the lights were abruptly turned on, a shadow burgeoning towards him in a brisk gait.


    "What''s going on here?" a voice reeling on the edge between annoyed and furious echoed out, "Stephen! Why are you causing such a ruckus in the middle of the night!?" his adenoidal tone coupled with a barely suppressed snarl sent a shudder down the child''s spine.


    "F-Father..." Stephen slurred, almost biting his tongue, "I... I was not feeling well and... and..." when he tilted his head up and met his father''s cold blue eyes, his speech knotted into a mess of sounds that fell into empty ears. The man was having none of it.


    "Stephen... " a smile, "...oh Stephen..." a chuckle, "Ahaha, Stephen... you, haha," and then a peal of full-blown laughter that did nothing to appease his son''s budding dread, "Somehow it''s always you, right?" his streamlined features slowly stretched into a frown as he eyed the puddle of vomit.


    "F-Father... I''m sorry, I''m sorry... I really am..."


    "Awh... c''mere Stephen, it''s okay." his father squatted down near him and patted his shoulder reassuringly, "I''m not angry... really." his face softened as his lips curled into a thin smile.


    Just as Stephen was about to heave a sigh of relief, the crack of a strong clap stunned him. His eyes splayed wide open, his brain quickly registering the burning sting on his cheek before his hand subconsciously sailed up to cover the fire tingling on his face.


    "Make sure to clean this mess, okay?" his father''s hand, that was still airborne in a backhanded slap, gently nudged up and down with his fingers the red slit on his son''s smacked area, "Behave," he said, standing back up and striding for a cupboard where a bottle of bourbon was conspicuously perched on. Stephen watched as his father corkscrewed it and leisurely sauntered out of the ''crime scene'' with a sip.


    Before he knew it, his vision blurred and tears skated down his eyes.


    It could have been worse, he quietly reminded himself. It was just a slap, he could live with it. Or maybe it was the unfairness of all? That he had to live in terror of his father manhandling him every time he did something that was less than ''acceptable''.


    He clenched his jaw in anger, but the printed fear his father had many times left on him subsided it into nothing but a wayward spark. It was there, yes, but it was harmless.


    A sob slipped past his lips, "I hate him..." he huddled down, his head buried within his crossed arms, "Why does it have to be always me?"


    Because you''re weak...


    "Who!?" his head shot up, scampering left and right for the source of that buzz.


    ... weak...


    Stephen clambered back to his feet so hastily that he almost tumbled back down. His chest ballooned and deflated in a hurried tempo. He didn''t give it a second thought and darted out of the kitchen''s threshold and into the living room, where he crashed head-on against a soft texture.


    "Stephen, dear? Are you okay?"


    His mother''s voice leaked into his ears like the absolute discharge of a judge, "M-mom..." he croaked out, his hands gripping tightly onto her night robe.


    "Shhh... shhh... it''s okay honey..." her hands wrapped his head deeper in her embrace, "There there..." she smoothed out his disheveled mop of hair with a tenderness only a mother could muster up.


    Stephen sniffed, veering his head up to receive the soft scrutiny of her hazel eyes; her sun-kissed hair freely flowing down her shoulders and back as her smile washed away his sorrow.


    "He... hit you again?" her voice rasped out more like a statement than a question, "... I''m so sorry baby..." her lips quivered, puckering up in a futile attempt to restrain the tears that had welled up at the edges of her eyes. But the more she stared at the burning handprint on her son''s cheek, the more it was becoming a vain struggle. It was like the slap had been given to her instead of him, and the pain felt like a stab straight to her heart.


    "I-I''m used to it, mom... d-don''t cry..."


    "No... it''s my fault... I-I promise you, we''ll get out of here... just hold on a bit more, ''kay?" she cooed, "This can''t go on anymore!"


    "M-mom?" hope tinged his voice, but more than that was trepidation. Fear that his expectations would go down the drains under his father''s crushing feet, "Yes! I''ll do my best to behave and not disappoint you." he used his sleeve to wipe the snot under his nose.


    She nodded before shooing him away, "Now go to sleep," she eyed the dirtied floor of the kitchen, "I''ll clean it for you."


    "Umh!"


    Stephen scuttled upstairs, cautiously maneuvering his way to his room with hushed steps before flopping down on the safety of his mattress, falling asleep not long after.


    ... you''re weak...Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    <hr>


    The next day stretched out with the spring''s sun peeking out of the horizon, co-occurring with the lovely chorus of birds merrily singing atop the trees. Stephen grunted, shifting under the blankets whilst making sure the invading sun rays didn''t drap over his face and consequently wake him up.


    A loud knocking startled him awake, "Stephen, you better wake up. Father is in a bad mood." David''s - aka his brother''s - warning had him out of his bed as soon as the word ''father'' was mentioned. Anything that had ''him'' and a negative adjective attached, always forebode nothing good.


    "David... what happened?" he scrambled to the door and flung it open, coming face to face with his elder''s brother exhausted visage, "You..."


    "Just avoid angering him, actually I think it''d be best for you not to utter a word until he goes to work..." David heaved a deep sigh, "Honestly... this is killing me..." he kneaded sleepiness out of his eyes, and then proceeded to head downstairs.


    "..." Stephen drooped his gaze for an instant, before following him.


    With his hand sliding over the wooden railing, he slowly poked his head out, his feet paddling down as he scanned the situation. He tried molding himself in the shadows, but his stealth was as clear as the bright morning lights shimmering through the windows.


    Ambling around the couch his father was parked in whilst watching the news, he quietly trailed the appetizing aroma of breakfast being skillfully made by his mother. The table was already filled with bowls and cups as the family''s matron busied herself serving cereals and pancakes. He quickly skipped to his seat next to his oldest brother, "Hey Carl!"


    "Good morning Steph, slept well?"


    "I don''t think he has..." David chimed in while spooning a mouthful of cereals into his mouth, "You know... the noises yesterday--"


    "Don''t speak with your mouth full!" their mother piped in and chided him. Stephen, however, was well aware that the main reason she promptly cut him off was not to let their father hear them. Some topics were taboo, such as ''his'' way of ''loving'' them.


    "S-sorry..." David gulped down the food, "So... Carl, your grades... are they up to ''par''?"


    "Yes..." Carl heaved a deep exhausted breath, "I managed to get a perfect score in all of my exams... I just hope father won''t make me skip grades again... I won''t be able to bear the workload..." he stopped eating for a moment, "What about you?"


    "I... I''m in the same boat as you bro... I-I just can''t deal with this anymore... I''m having constant headaches and father seems to just wave it off as a minor problem. He thinks that feeding me all these medicines will do the trick..."


    "Stephen, what about you? How are you faring?" both of them turned their heads towards their youngest brother, their eyes encased in sadness and hope.


    Maybe he had achieved the ''satisfactory'' results not to be at the other end of the stick of his father''s ''careness''...


    "I... I... sorry..."


    ... or maybe not.


    Stephen wagged his head mournfully, his head dropping down to not let them see his tears. His previous rumbling stomach went silent, his hunger dead and gone.


    "... Stephen..." Carl held back the salty grief that threatened to split his eyes and pour down, "Hey... little bro... you know it, right?" he sniffed.


    Stephen looked up.


    Carl and David smiled plaintively as both of them lifted their fists up and pounded twice on their hearts; two weak but steady beats, before they used said fists to point at him, "You know it." they chorused.


    "Yes... I know..." Stephen smiled back, "Of course I do..." it was a gesture the three of them had made up when they were younger; it served the purpose of encouraging them and not give up despite the circumstances. And as the years lapsed by, it evolved, it grew stronger and became an anchor of motivation that linked them through stormy times, that no matter what happened, they, their hearts were there with each other, ready to face anything thrown at them.


    The woman who was close by and perfectly within earshot, gripped tightly onto her knife. She spun around and engrossed her attention upon adding more dishes on the table, but it was just an act to keep her hands occupied. It wouldn''t have been wise to start crying along with them, despite the tingling pleas of her optical organs.


    "Finish eating..." she coughed out, "... and then go wash up."


    "Yes, mom."


    "Yup!"


    "Umh!"


    "Good..." she wiped her hands with a cloth before her sight fell on her husband who had just hustled in, "Ryan? Shouldn''t you go to work?" she asked, her tone making it seem more like a demand than a question.


    He promptly ignored her and sidled up to his sons who had stopped eating the moment his presence encroached in their personal space, "Carl, David... Stephen?" he appellate each of them with a hidden inquiry they both were aware of, "I take it you have aced your tests, right?"


    "Y-yes!" was the quick and military-like answer.


    Stephen''s voice, however, was not among them. Ryan raised an eyebrow, "Stephen? Haven''t you heard what I''ve just asked?"


    "I did..."


    "Then...?"


    "Ryan, it''s getting late, you should really go now--"


    "Cecilia..." he cut her off with a glare, "Don''t be rude and just shut up, okay?" he then skimmed his stare back on Stephen, "Your answer?"


    "I... I didn''t ace it," he confessed, "But... but I was really close this time! I promise I will do better!" he considered lying, but it would have just delayed the inevitable. His father had a strong loathing for lies, exclusively the ones used to escape from his ''righteous'' punishments. If he avoided it now then he would get twice the sanction when his father eventually confirmed the veracity behind his words at school.


    His siblings were lucky in this case, or perhaps even more unfortunate? Ryan sidelined this obsessive notion of his when they started showing no deviations in their studies. He also had set up a reward system for those who slogged and sweated blood to not disappoint him. In fact, he would purchase almost anything they wished for as long as their grades didn''t slope.


    Too bad that most of their time went wasted overstudying, so there was nigh no time for them to exploit such privilege without repercussions.


    "Basement. Now."


    Stephen lurched back at his command, "Please... father... no..." he started trembling as his hand jumped up to cover his mouth.


    "Ryan! No! You gotta stop this madness of yours! Y-You aren''t the man I married!" his mother shrieked, her abrupt movement causing cutlery and many other fragile kitchen pieces of furniture to drop down and shatter.


    "You ungrateful slut... I married you out convenience, not because there was affection between us. And don''t tell me how to educate my children..." Ryan shot back with venom, "Stephen, don''t make me repeat myself."


    "Please... fa--"


    The sound of skin making contact with skin thundered out.


    "Last warning...."


    ... weak...


    Cecilia gasped at the red welt on Stephen''s face, "You damn scumbag!" her acrimony bubbled out of the edges of her patience. She charged at Ryan, ready to avenge for her son''s suffering, but her husband was no slouch, his masculine physique overwhelmed her more petite one. He wound up clasping both of her flailing appendages even before she could deliver her wrath upon him.


    "MOM!" something inside Stephen''s mind clicked and squirmed.


    ... weak... weak! weakweakweakweakweakweakWEAK!!...


    ... YOU ARE WEAK, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!...


    A buzzing noise shot through his ears, coupled with memories that were definitely not his. Emotions that were not his, but strangely enough fitted in perfectly.


    David and Carl were petrified. The situation had escalated to the point where there was no turning back. It was like choosing a side; either help Cecilia break free from Ryan''s grasp and a forthcoming beating, and ultimately risk his punishment, or... just do nothing and wait...


    Stephen wasn''t as indecisive, however. His supposed anamnesis sparked his bottled up frustration and despair into a Molotov ready to wreak havoc. And his target was his father.


    "You damn woman!" Ryan hissed and pushed her against the wall, where his elbow wedged her neck, "You need to learn how to be obedient!" with his arm preventing her from breathing, he didn''t get an answer.


    Cecilia''s eyes reddened as she croaked and gasped desperately. Her fingers moved up to extricate herself out of his suffocating clutches, but the discrepancy in strength was not small, and with her back trapped between him and the brick surface, he had a stronger leverage on her.


    The noise of glass fracturing blasted in her ears before she was showered in liquor. Rayn''s constraint started slackening, and not long after loosened up completely with his body sagging down.


    Oxygen rushed in through her orifices and immediately filled up her lungs, "Ughh!" she burst into a heavy fit of coughs.


    "Mom... y-you okay?"


    Cecilia forcefully snapped out of her temporary ill-being to look at her son... and then at Ryan, "Ah..." she grimaced, staring at the blooming flower of blood around his head; the offending object - or what was left of it - still in her son''s hand, "Let''s get out of here, c''mon..." she squeezed her eyes to wane the impact the graphic picture had on her mind.


    Stephen glimpsed for the last time at the body - or probably corpse - of his father before his forearm was grabbed and dragged by a furiously scampering away Cecilia, his two brothers scurrying alongside them out of the house.


    <hr>


    Of course, that was not what truly happened. Stephen remembered that day very well. He had never stood up for his mother, and neither did his brothers. Cecilia wound up surviving and pressed charges against Ryan for children abuse the very next morning. Unfortunately, the latter being a powerful and wealthy man with a web of connections anywhere that it mattered, it was not particularly hard winning the cause, despite the strong shreds of evidence that emerged during the trial.


    Maybe it would have been different if that day, when they were brought up to the court, they had confessed... no, if he had confessed...


    ...all the atrocities that his father, blood of his blood, forced unto him.


    Cecilia got sanctioned for calumny, and after that event, they divorced. That was also the last time Stephen ever saw her, she who was in a disheveled heap of sorrow on the floor with tears trickling down her cheeks.


    "..."


    He hated darkness, but most of all he hated himself. It was foolish entertaining himself in ''what-ifs and what not''. He knew that there was no time turner, he was stuck in his own timeline, forever unable to redo that episode.


    His dip into his own past right now proved that. The outcome was different, he did what he couldn''t bring himself to do back then, yet nothing changed. It was just a dream, a utopia he would never step in.


    He looked up, the Red Moon of Doomsday staring back at him.


    "It seems you were successful, Stephen..." Roseline''s figure slowly descended, her voice tinkling out in the never-ending expanse of darkness and stars, "You''re not that happy, are you?" her tone softened.


    "Why ask when you know the answer..."


    "You''re right, I apologize... but it was for your own good." she closed in, "Do you hate me for it?" her timbre took on a seriousness he had never seen on her, but her eyes betrayed the trepidation of his upcoming answer.


    "... kinda hard to hate you with the way you look..." Stephen cackled bitterly, "I''m just hurt by how it was highlighted my failure in doing what was right."


    Roseline''s arms slithered around his neck, her nose nuzzling his cheek, "I couldn''t nor can I see your memories, so I can''t understand... I''m sorry..."


    "Stop apologizing for everything... I''m a tad bit upset, yes, but I also know you did it for a reason."


    Her lips curved up into a rueful smile, "Yes... it''s understandable." she then whispered softly into his earlobe, "Time to go back, we''ve already wasted too much time."


    Stephen nodded, "Umh... send me back," there was a tinge of nostalgia and unwillingness in his voice, but otherwise he was all steeled up to face head-on his future, wherever that was in. Relictus, Earth, or his past.

 Chapter 27: Rank 3

    [Congratulations. You have unshackled one memory chain.]


    With that last scrap of his haunting memory playing out and ever so slowly tunneling away from his vision, Stephen''s eyes snapped open to welcome a rather confusing sight. He, - or better, his body - was charging at breakneck speed towards a... boulder?


    It didn''t take long for his pupils to dilate in a bloodcurdling realization; the boulder was moving en route to him as well. He tried to swerve and avoid the upcoming attack, but the gap between them was shortening way too quickly for him to successfully pull off such a stunt. Thankfully, his wit flared, prompting him to subconsciously rally up all of his Encore Power around him in a defensive cocoon...


    ... that shattered as soon as the rocky punch whistled through the wind and connected with him. Needless to say, he was flung away like a kite with broken strings, wrecking a tree in half before his back painfully slammed against a stouter one, his silhouette comically sinking in the wooden pillar.


    His stomach contracted so intensely that his lips automatically crackled apart, giving way to an oversized bullet of blood that shot out and spattered the blades of grass underneath. The sheet of pain that blasted his nervous system left him almost blind and deaf of his senses.


    Another gut-wrenching twist on his abdomen led him into spitting out an additional quagmire of red liquid and gastric juices. Stephen gasped for air but none came in. He felt like every nook and cranny of his body was mushed up in a fleshy mess. And with no strength left to groan or scream away his pain, the only sound that breezed out of his throat was a dying out gurgle.


    Should he have thanked his higher vitality for prolonging his sufferings? He just wished for whatever otherworldly entity to quickly judge him with a thump of their gavel and shepherd him into the afterlife.


    "Stephen! SNAP OUT OF IT!"


    A hysterical and mourning yell inside his mind brought back some smidge of  to his eyes. Everything was a blurry mishmash of green, brown and grey, but a short squeeze of his eyelids did the trick. The spinning landscape in his head finally came to a gradual halt, and through the throbbing waves of agony, he finally pinpointed the miscreant liable for his injuries.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Earth Golem, ?, Age: 67 years, Rank: 5, Encore Power: 320]


    He wanted to cackle ill-humoredly at the colossus creature who would have had no problem dwarfing most of the trees back on Earth. Its anatomy was mostly a big rock where limbs jutted out from, like a snowman made of stone.


    Most importantly, it was stomping its way towards him;  thick and long feet leaving dents on the soil alongside a thumping noise.


    How long before he died?


    "Stephen, calm down... you still have a bit of time."


    Was that Roseline''s voice? Ah... nevermind, he wanted to sleep.


    "STEPHEN!"


    He opened his mouth but only chocked gurgles slipped out. He had so many questions at that moment; such as how could she speak in his mind? He felt lightheaded, like a drunkard out of a bar ready to have a good time with hoes and friends. He wasn''t scared anymore... every fiber of his being was slowly being snuffed out by the overflowing blood. He wondered if he would die first or if the Golem would finish his job in time.


    The thought put a rueful smile to his face, and he found himself yearning for his death to approach faster just so his foe would not enjoy ending what it - or probably him considering his previous state - started.


    "GODDAMMIT STEPHEN!"


    Roseline''s usually pleasant voice now seeped into his ears as an annoying buzz. Leave me alone! He yelled back in his head.


    "OH HELL NO! NOW YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT! DON''T YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO YOUR WORLD ONE DAY? DON''T YOU WANT TO RIGHT THE WRONGS YOU DID THERE?"


    A brief and distorted image of his mother weeping on the cold floor of the court, her hands covering the mess of tears and make-up on her eyes, under the gazes of many, flashed through his head.


    "YOU ARE NOT DEAD YET STEPHEN... please..." her voice softened, "... don''t give up yet, not now, not ever..."


    The Earth Golem was still struggling to reach him as fast as its heavy frame could allow. However, the distance he was sent to was quite large; meaning he had quite a bit of time before he could have been considered as good as dead.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Was it true, or was she lying? He never deliberated of ever going back after Britney''s expos¨¨ right before he stuck his sword through her chest. Roseline''s hidden promise seemed a bit too convenient to him, and the timing was suspiciously accurate as well.


    Could he really go back one day? It was rather far-fetching, but he couldn''t deny that small fire of hope that kindled up in his heart.


    I can''t move... I can''t speak... I can''t do SHIT! Fuck you, Roseline! Why couldn''t you have just let me die!? Nooooo... you had to butt in and guilt me into survive!


    "Fuck you too, Stephen. And don''t squeeze your brain over this, I got you covered."


    He chewed his lips, staring at the oncoming monster. It took it approximately a few seconds to take a step forward with each limb. How could have his feverish-self have been so stupid as to charge in a beeline at that behemoth when he could have easily skirted around it with his speed?


    What do you want to do?


    "Something that will cause an unpleasant backlash to me and... quite a LOT of pain to you."


    You''re truly lovely, you know that?


    "Awh... thank me later."


    She giggled, and with that cue, the conversation ended.


    [Warning! An unknown source of power is forcefully stimulating the user''s evolution process!]


    [You have gained 10% in Evolution.]


    [Congratulations. You have reached Rank 3.]


    [You have gained 12 points to all of your Attributes.]


    [You have gained the skill Encore Step, Lv.1]


    Stephen''s body did a sudden upward jerk as a bulky amount of Encore Power rushed through him. He blacked out for a moment, digesting the memory that came with the skill. The Earth Golem had finally sidled up to him, now standing a scant few meters away.


    Then his brain registered a scalding hot sensation merrily swimming around and inside his veins, like a curious fish prodding all over him in a hellbent mission to lit up his pain receptors.


    His rocky enemy marched to a halt. Stephen looked up, his blanched skin regaining a healthy hue. The Earth Golem robotically shuffled its head down to meet his gaze, the noise of stones bumping stones resounded alongside its stiff movement.


    It brought its massive fist up, and Stephen didn''t need to guess what was about to happen if he didn''t move in the next couple of seconds. Wholly integrating the last puzzle of memory in its place, the lifesaver skill he was bestowed upon activated, sending ropes of Encore Power down to his legs and feet. His muscles throbbed and squirmed as flimsy scarlet lights coated the outline of his body; it was just a fleeting instant, the perfect moment when the jagged punch was about to pluck his life away. It was right then that a buzzing sound - like a fly drifting around a turned on loudspeaker - echoed out.


    A rumble followed right after once the blow walloped against the trunk, easily wreaking its upper body to a smithereens of scampering splinters. However, when the cloud dust finally settled down, there was no sight of gore the monster had been expecting to see, much less that of the half-dead Stephen.


    [You have temporarily entered the Alpha state.]


    [All of your attributes have been augmented by 100%]


    [Warning! Your body can''t host the sudden intake of power, therefore you have a limit cap of 4 minutes in this state, any longer and your body may risk a breakdown.]


    Stephen felt like he was high on drugs with a not small quantity of alcohol in his system. His entire being thrummed with power, and he wished for nothing but lash it out somewhere and drown in the wanton destruction it would leave behind.


    But time was not his friend, and he could clearly perceive the pain Roseline warned him about. Thankfully his wounds had healed, so he could act with a free mind knowing it would not have yanked him back down a breath''s away from getting forked in the ass by the devil''s sycophants on a lone cliff with a blazing inferno as the background.


    He tilted his head slantwise, stealing a last glance at the Earth Golem. He had inadvertently landed on its outstretched shoulder, almost stumbling down from the abrupt chasm of speed between his previous and current self. Apparently, he had to get familiar with his newest skill soon, least he risked making a fool of himself during a fight.


    Waving off his train of thoughts, Stephen flickered out of position with an Encore Step and reappeared ten meters away upon a tree''s prong. Looking back, his foe was still there, seemingly puzzled over his sudden departure. He had the urge to yell at it ''What? Are you petrified?'' with dripping sarcasm, but thought otherwise. It was not smart, and he didn''t want to take chances. Karma tended to be a bitch sometimes, and not the kind Stephen wanted it to be.


    Turning around, he leaped away; tails of crimson energy stalking behind him with each Encore Step he took. However, not short after he started debating to himself whether he was finally out of peril or not, a golden beam of light hissed past him, shattering both trees and his hopes.


    The shockwave of the explosion that ensued blew him away. Fortunately, aside from the blunt trauma of the force, he was not particularly injured. Pirouetting his body around, he backflipped mid-air to align himself in a better falling stance.


    [Aerial Acrobacy has reached Lv.2]


    With a muffled thump, he forward somersaulted when he made contact with the ground, propelling him up before he landed down on his feet in a wonderful display of dexterity.


    "I wish someone had seen this..."


    Stephen glimpsed back from the corner of his eyes, heaving a deep soothing breath when there was no golem chasing after him. He then proceeded to bolt away through the underbrush, slinking in the shadows of towering trees and boulders that mother nature ever so kindly provided to him.


    An unexpected rolling heat stopped him in his tracks. It was like someone had suddenly shoved him inside an oven with him none the wiser. His throat went dry, and despite the hazy veil that cloaked his immediate environment due to the spike in temperature, he could still discern the foliage ahead parting ways, accompanied by a familiar thumping sound that didn''t come from behind.


    The encroaching presence was leaking out a staggering amount of Encore Power, to the point that he found his heart beating alongside the unknown creature''s stride. If he could smell himself he would probably reek of fear.


    When the newcomer belatedly made his entrance, Stephen just wanted to drop dead and curse Roseline for inveigling him into not dying under the Earth Golem''s clutches.


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Magma Golem, ?, Age: 84 years, Rank: 6, Encore Power: 517]


    "Fuck my life..."

 Chapter 28: The Pains of Becoming Stronger

    Stephen slid one foot backward, ready to scamper away with another round of Encore Steps. His heart wouldn''t stop knocking against his chest; he found the sound annoying but couldn''t really blame its unsettled mood. He dug his fingernails into his palms, his knuckles shifting down along the pressure. What were the odds now? He didn''t have an inexhaustible amount of Encore Power to call for whenever he wanted.


    Squaring off with that small mountain of cobblestone buried in a fulgent blanket of magma seemed as appetizing as cuddling with his father in the couch, with the latter giggling to himself while zealously fondling his hair. Truly an inspirational thought that''d invoke chronic depression and subsequently a bungee jumping session down a building without the ropes.


    The stream of sweltering air prickled his skin; it was becoming unbearable just standing in its presence. His breath gushed in and out at a rapid pace, and he didn''t know whether it was due to the searing heat or his fear finally worming its way into his lungs. Maybe it was a knot of both.


    A screech that oddly resembled that of a car suddenly slamming on its brakes proliferated from behind. Then a dot of light sparkled through the foliage before burgeoning in as a massive wave of golden energy that - accompanied by the whistle of a teakettle - swallowed a slew of trees and thickets, then proceeded to whizz at Stephen and the Magma Golem.


    Like a deer caught in headlights, Stephen''s wide open eyes mirrored the approaching beam of light. Despair bloomed in his heart, trailed by sadness. The attack was rushing by way too fast for him to get out of it unscathed - or alive, for that matter.


    But the lone picture of his mother, and the debt he resolved to pay back had become a persistent itch in the back of his head, one that wouldn''t let him bow out even when he was face-to-face with death. With his face scrunching up to that of a man that had way too much to lose, he squeezed almost every drop of Encore Power into his hands as he whipped them forward so violently it was a wonder his shoulders didn''t pop out of place.


    A geyser of fire spewed out of his palms like a scorching stream of water. And right before both forces collided, Stephen was deft enough to use the remnant Encore Power in his body to form a defensive - almost physical-like - shield of energy in front him, before he jumped up.


    Needless to say, his measly attack couldn''t even hope to delay the Earth Golem''s beam of light. However, that was not Stephen''s plan. What he hoped for was that small explosion that generated afterward, and the subsequent shockwave that sprung up and swatted him further away in the air when the golden energy seared past him, almost gobbling him down.


    Nonetheless, his plan couldn''t have been considered a true success for he still got in the range of effect of the Earth Golem''s skill, courtesy of stray rays of energy that managed to overtake him. The momentum of the blast got stronger, pushing his distressed form even more backward, like a missile going off skyward. He felt a tingling burn tugging at his pupils as he continued pouring out more energy into his ever so crumbling protection. At last his temporary Encore-powered cover was utterly wrecked, leaving him powerless to the leftover golden strands of death that scarfed him within.


    [Congratulations.


    1) You have successfully gone through your Predatory Fever.


    2) You have successfully unshackled one memory chain.


    3) You have successfully survived the siege of a monster exceedingly stronger than you.


    - You have evolved your eyes to the next stage.]


    [All of your skills'' level have gone up by 1.]


    [You have gained 20 points in Dexterity.]


    [You have gained 50 points in Encore Power.]


    [Time limit reached! Due to the user being unconscious, the Alpha state has automatically been turned off.]


    Of course, none of that was visible to Stephen. His mind had already shut off, and his severely wounded body was shooting down from the sky, somewhere far from the battlefield he was mingled in.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The noise of water bubbling over rock and branches was disrupted by a sudden splash, startling the daylights out of the scurrying back creatures that hastily climbed out of the stream and cautiously eyed the patch of blood pooling around the bedraggled and mangled form of Stephen.


    "What''s going on?"


    A theatrical and authoritative voice put an end to the hubbub that ensued right after the creature fell from the sky. Every head snapped back, their mouths instantly zipping shut as they scrambled back to free a passageway for their...


    "Matriarch Jadesin! T-There''s something in the stream!" someone hurriedly shouted out, "It''s injured... what do we do?"


    "Injured?" Jadesin parroted, "Hmm..." her serpentine lower-half slithered over the source of the ruckus. There, quietly floating on the surface of the water, was a masculine shape. Yes, the previous transparent and crystalline liquid was tainted in red, hence hindering her eyes from scouring more of him, but she was plenty sure that ''it'' was clearly a man. And despite the knowledge of more... odd races having a quite difficult system to differentiate male from females, she was confident that her gender discerning sense didn''t fail her.


    "Matriarch Jadesin!"


    "Miss Jadesin!"


    Yells flew out from behind her, but her attention was already ensnared by their... guest. She allowed a curious and almost devilish-like smirk to crinkle her lips upward before she turned around, and with a leisure wave of her hand, "You and you." she pointed at two blissfully oblivious lamias busy making themselves small in the horde, "Go fetch him."


    "..."


    Her words carried the highest of weights among them, so despite the trepidation crawling through their skins at the thought of approaching that unknown creature, they begrudgingly grunted out in acquiescence and obeyed. Plunging back in the stream, the pair of lamias tentatively trudged forth; the tang of copper wafting into their noses.


    Burns and gashes ran all over his battered body, and his rather ''unique'' attire was completely in tatters, to the point he would have looked better if he was naked instead. However, as they slowly sidled up to him, their eyebrows shot up, "He..."


    "What are you scared of?" Jadesin prompted them to continue with their endeavors, "Hurry up!" she forked her scaly hips and wrinkled her nose.


    "Miss Jadesin... he must be a rank 3, at least..."


    "A rank 3, you say?"


    "Y-Yeah... I''m not sure if it''s safe getting any nearer."


    Jadesin tapped her chin in thought, "Even so there shouldn''t be any problems, considering his conditions there''s no way he can even muster up the energy to wake up, let alone rouse the thought of fighting us." she wagged her hand dismissively, "Also, did you forget who I am? If he does wake up I should be more than able to handle him. Now bring him here."


    "As you wish."


    Shuffling down ever so lightly, they draped his arms over their right and left shoulder respectively and ransacked him out, before carefully laying him down on the grass.


    "Hmm..." Jadesin hummed, "He''s... unnaturally good-looking for a humanoid creature, isn''t he?" she muttered aloud as she studied Stephen''s rather symmetrical and streamlined features, with the weakest of hints of a stubble growing up.


    "Could he be... an Elf?" one of the two lamias responsible of combing Stephen out remarked, "He sure does not look like those ugly and bulky creatures, hmm... a Fallen Angel, perhaps?"


    "An Elf? A Fallen Angel?" Jadesin deadpanned at her, "Red Virtue, does he even remotely look like one? Pushing aside the fact that there''s no Elf ''alive'' in this forest, he does not resemble those delicate and beautiful blokes. He''s more on the manly side, shall we say?" she yammered on with a barely concealed disdain, "And scribble out the probability of him being one those black chickens, he does not smell of sin and Easter Lilies."


    "Then... a Dark Elf?" Red Virtue sheepishly offered, knowing more herself than the others that her suggestion was off the charts, "What?" she flinched when an array of ''are you serious now?'' kind of stares pierced through the shield of her idiocy, "I''m sorry?" she probed, only to wound up ignored.


    "Anyhow... there are way too many races to keep track of, he might be one of those that slipped off the vault of our knowledge, still..." Jadesin took a couple of whiffs, "... he does smell of something powerful, despite his rank not alluding as such. Blue Pearl, Red Virtue, I''ll task you both to keep an eye on him as we journey back; do be careful not to worsen up his injuries and please, should he show signs of waking up, relay it to me immediately."


    "Lady... Jadesin, is it truly safe to bring him with us?"


    Blue Pearl tried to sweat off her stubborn shiver of fear. Stephen''s Encore Power - despite being lower than what someone of his position should have - was oddly powerful and foreign, pulsing with almost evil-like intentions. It was not a stretch to say that if she could, she wouldn''t step on anywhere around him.


    "You shan''t worry my dear, as of our current circumstances, it wouldn''t hurt to rope in an ally like him. Before tending his gashes and bruises, we''ll make sure to jot down a proper evaluation of his character and see if he can - or want - to be any help of us. If he behaves whimsically against our goodwill, then we''ll take him down."


    "But... but..."


    "I know what you''re worried about, little pearl." Jadesin chuckled and sent her a reassuring wink, "Just because a specific power is not good in nature it does not denote the holder being anything like it. Let''s not convict him without a rightful appraisal beforehand. Now usher him up and let''s depart."


    "Yes, Lady Jadesin!"

 Chapter 29: Jadesin

    Stephen was not having a good day; not that he had that many since he was roughly lobbed into Relictus. But to wound up on a guilt trip back to his past, where the bedeviled memories he had so carefully locked away were suddenly cracked open for his grieving mind to experience anew? Now that was messed up. However, even after successfully weathering through all that ordeal, as if fate thought she wasn''t bitchy enough, he had to wake back up to the sweet endearment of a behemoth made of stone, sneak away, and then come vis-¨¤-vis with its jealous magma counterpart.


    And now he found himself with an annoying prickle in his eyes, with the rest of his body ostensibly unwilling to make the situation any better. The constant flow of ache that washed him over was doing wonders for his growing irritation. His back was settled upon a soft - albeit slightly rugged - texture, with his head nestled on a swollen lump of the same fabric he came to recognize as a makeshift pillow.


    More importantly, he couldn''t feel the familiar warmth of his clothes upon his skin.


    "Oh boy..."


    He quickly tried to shove himself up but the pain reacted just as quick and flagged him down. Stephen''s face crumpled up, his eyelids didn''t seem cooperative enough to open up no matter how much he prodded them to. The only consolation was that someone was kind enough to cover his loin zone with a cloth, but that hardly alleviated his frustration.


    Roseline, you there?


    His thoughts geared around his trusted aide, but no answer made its way back.


    Hey... please, at least tell me you''re fine...


    Nothing.


    He gulped down his concern and a lump of dry saliva. Roseline''s words replayed in his head; she didn''t seem about to gird up for her ultimate sacrifice or anything, but nothing prevented that tinge of worry to take root in his heart. Especially now that he was so vulnerable, he could really use some of her advice.


    Not only that, apparently the one who covered his modesty wasn''t that kind at all, as he had previously assumed. His hands were stretched out with a rope knotting his wrists up onto a hard material, because no matter how much he struggled, they wouldn''t budge out of place.


    Maybe he had to blame it on his lack of energy, his body was utterly devoid of strength, and there was nothing more he wanted to do than to fall asleep and compensate for the shortage of vitality.


    "Oh, you woke up?"


    Stephen''s ears perked up when an unfamiliar yet very feminine voice trickled within. His head wheeled around to the source, however, the abrupt shift of his joint sparked another sting of ache down his neck.


    "Don''t move around too much my dear," his interlocutor continued in a slightly amused tone when a hiss of pain leaked out of his mouth, "You''re still miles away from a full recovery, but it''s nothing so severe that we can''t wrap our heads around. I''ll nurse you back to health as long as we... outline an agreement, shall we say?"


    "..." he stayed silent for a couple of breaths, before composing himself and his running thoughts, "Who are you? And where am I?"


    "Hmm... your eyes, are they perchance injured?"


    "I''m not sure myself... your answer, please?"


    There was a bout of silence before the voice concurred with his request, "My name is Jadesin, the leader of a small tribe of lamias, and you''re in our habitat, currently under our care." she let the information sink in before asking back, "What about you?"


    Lamias? He rescheduled his surprise for later, when he had enough energy to do so.


    "I''m Stephen... and..." he drawled, "May I ask why the heck am I naked?"


    A stifled chuckle was what he got, "Sorry... but we had to strip you off of those rags, they were completely wrecked. It was truly a sorry sight for my eyes, so I took some liberty and undressed you. Hope you don''t mind."


    "... you didn''t rape me, did you?"


    The unexpected question caught her off-guard, prompting a peal of laughter to shook her body, "Oh my, hahaha, no no... aside from a teeny-tiny peek, there was no endangerment to your innocence."


    Stephen brushed off that last tidbit of unnecessary knowledge and moved on, "What about the bindings?"


    "Precaution." she coughed away the last vestiges of her humor, "I''m sure you understand why."


    He nodded, "Yes, I do." he would have done the same was he in her place, maybe worse, but then again, that trail of thought begot another question, "So, you saved me? There was no way for me to survive that attack..."


    "I''m not sure what ''attack'' you''re talking about, but you were like a surprise that fell from the sky, literally. Your body sported harsh burns and several cuts and gashes. We patched them up to the best of our abilities, you should be thankful."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "I am." he hastily replied, "So can I take it you have no ill intention towards me?"


    "I should be the one asking this, Stephen."


    "You''re not the one who''s bedridden, in a foreign place, with a temporary lack of sight, Jadesin." he retorted, "I think you can understand where I''m coming from, as of now I''m to your mercy. It is within my rights to be a tad bit vigilant, even if you''re my savior."


    "I guess you''re right," she hummed in defeat, "Hmm, I think we can do something about your eyes, I believe."


    "It seems you need something of me, or am I wrong?" Stephen cracked through her string of favors and inquired directly, "There''s no way you saved me out of sheer kindness and pity."


    "Uh huh, you''re not wrong."


    "Then..."


    "Then?"


    "Just spit it out already. What is it that troubles you so much that you''d need to save someone like me? Let me draw a line here, I''m not gonna jump head-on in dangerous situations for you. I''m grateful to you and your kind for the timely rescue, but do not even assume that I would repay this debt with my life. I just miraculously survived once, I''d rather not tempt my luck."


    "Heeeh, are you not afraid of me killing you should you refuse?" she probed, "You''re bound and injured, what gives you the confidence of walking out of here unscathed, my dear?"


    "What makes you think I don''t have anything else up my sleeve, my dear?"


    "You wouldn''t be in this condition otherwise, stop bluffing." she giggled.


    Stephen smiled, "Kinda hard to shorten the gap between me and an Earth Golem with only a couple of skills, don''t you think?"


    Jadesin froze as her eyes hardened up, "I call bullshit."


    His smile widened in response.


    "Stop joking, Stephen. This is getting on my nerves." her voice took on a dangerous undertone, "Even if you have a life-saving skill as you said, it would still be nigh impossible for you to perform it considering your state."


    "Then..." he licked his dry lips, "Why don''t you probe me."


    "..."


    Jadesin scowled, a twinge of anger flaring through her heart. There was a seed of doubt and hesitation that was ever so slowly blooming, and she just couldn''t cut it off without further proof. She wouldn''t act unless she was wholly sure that no harm would befall upon her tribe. What started as an innocent teasing now smelled like gunpowder.


    She never meant to start an altercation with him, but it was her duty to establish her authority and make him understand who had the stronger grip in their conversation. Probably not a good idea, overall. However, she couldn''t just give him too much leeway and show herself up as weak.


    Now the suspicion of his words was gnawing at her.


    To survive against an Earth Golem as a rank 3... that wasn''t something she could ever claim to do, not even if the entirety of her tribe grouped up and sieged it.


    He might have been bluffing, or he might have been not.


    In the end, she was the one whose decision would lead to one of the two possible outcomes. Either his death only, or hers alongside that of many other lamias. She had way too much to lose. Nonetheless, she was not afraid, not yet. Jadesin knew Stephen wouldn''t resort to such means unless he was pushed too far.


    Probably sensing the tense silence that ensued, Stephen spoke up, "Look... you don''t seem to harbor any hostility towards me, I can sort of understand the troubles you might be swimming in as the matriarch of a tribe. I would do the same, but let''s break this deadlock civilly."


    Jadesin heaved a deep sigh, "I''m glad you''re willing to negotiate, at least."


    "I''m too tired to dish out hidden threats. What about speaking about this again under better circumstances?"


    "Yes, I''m sure you need your rest, but before that..." she tousled with chock of her hair, "... it wouldn''t do for you to not even know your... future partner in crime''s appearance."


    "Future partner in crime?" Stephen chuckled.


    Jadesin smiled as she hustled closer. Her presence encroached in, and Stephen couldn''t help but take a whiff of the sudden fragrance that tickled his nose; she smelled of chlorine and roses, a weird combination that unwinded his mind.


    Her hand draped gently over his eyes; his eyelids squeezing in reaction at the sudden cold sensation, that was overruled quickly by the soft and smooth touch of her appendage. Stephen''s stiff shoulders loosened up, and not long after a greenish light shone through the chinks of her fingers, prodding away the burning pain that had been plaguing his optical organs since he had roused up.


    "Done." Jadesin pulled back, eyeing him up and down, "How are you feeling?"


    With his pain finally lessened to negligible levels, he slowly fluttered his eyes open, "Wheew, I can see now... thank-- wow..." he blinked rapidly as surveyed Jadesin''s looks.


    She had the darkest hair he could think of, like tresses taken from the midnight sky, and she had it bundled up in a high ponytail with two long chocks crashing over the sides of her devastatingly beautiful face. Her complexion had a shining hue as if lights were dancing through her skin, and the way she rose her beetle''s leg-like eyebrows in amusement just enhanced her seductive charm.


    Her strawberry lips stretched apart, allowing her white teeth to peek out of the velvety membranes. Stephen''s mouth hung open when he stared into her eyes; they were of a pitch-black colour that threatened to ensnare his attention within that abyss. There was literally no white in them, even her scleras blended seamlessly in the same shade of her irises.


    It was almost like he was gazing at empty sockets.


    "Is there a problem?"


    "Mm-mm." Stephen shook his head as his eyes traveled south, over her swan-like neck and down to her midriff, where a collage of leaves acted as a sports bra and held up the massive mounds of flesh within.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Uh huh..."


    Her abdomen was flat with no surplus of flab, and nor was it too skinny; a perfect contrast with her proud assets that stood in attention every time his eyesight ''accidentally'' fell upon them. And even more downward was a perfectly curvaceous waistline that delimited her wide hips... that was swallowed by a scaly and black serpentine tail that coiled around her.


    "Wait what?" he blurted out, "Oh right... you''re a lamia..."


    She chortled, "Why, what did you think I was?"


    "With the way you look, I''d easily pass you off as a succubus."


    Her smile grew in size, "Not many people would find us that pleasant to look at, despite how beautiful our upper body is."


    Stephen couldn''t refute her words even if he wanted to. Her lower-half was indeed a horrendous view to stare at, it seemed as if a huge snake was gobbling her up but couldn''t get past her waist and stopped there. However...


    "I actually think it adds to your charm... treat it like the prattle of a half-unconscious and ignorant young man, but it sure as hell gives you a more dangerous edge, like a dichotomy between good and evil battling it out for dominance on your body. It really scares, but at the same time, you can''t help but be drawn to it." he shrugged, "Or maybe it''s just one of the many fetishes I have yet to unearth suddenly acting up."


    "..." Jadesin didn''t speak, her eyes laser-focused on him as a giggle leaked out of her mouth, "Hahahaha." her burst of laughter was infectious for he found himself sharing her amusement as well.


    "Way to go, Stephen..."

 Chapter 30: Are You In?

    Stephen''s smile turned into a rueful sigh, but a quick peek at his side brushed off his immediate concerns.


    [Congratulations. You have evolved your eyes to the next stage.]


    [You have successfully awakened the Rings of Hades.]


    [You have gained the innate ocular ability, Chains of the Fallen.]


    [Amount of chains you can control: 1]


    [Your overall strength and expertise in the use of this skill will determine the set number of chains you''ll have at your disposal, and their respective might.]


    His aching joints were nothing but forgotten at the sudden information his recovering brain was exposed to. He blinked; once, twice. Stephen''s hand at last unconsciously slid up to graze over his eyes. Nothing seemed out of place, he mused to himself. There was no abnormality he could speak of, despite the startling increase in eyesight. It was like switching a video''s resolution from 240px to 1080px, he was a bit put off by the brightness he was perceiving his surroundings with.


    "Is something the matter?" Jadesin yanked him out of his reverie, "I hope you''re not about to take back what you just said." a playful smirk played out on her face.


    "Nuh-uh..."


    His cheeks were abruptly clasped by Jadesin''s hand as her face zoomed in, "I must admit, you have some scary yet beautiful eyes, truly peculiar... even amongst high ranked creatures." her words elicited an arched eyebrow from him, "Tell me, what are you?"


    Stephen slowly grabbed her offending appendage by the wrist and pulled it down, "Do you have a mirror?"


    There was a short pause.


    "Of course," she replied with a smile, "It''ll be brought to you in just a moment." and then she snapped her fingers, prompting her retinue of lamias standing outside to slither in with practiced mobility.


    "Yes, Lady Jadesin?"


    "Fetch our newest friend a mirror so he can inspect himself."


    "Yes."


    With a subservient nod, they both skidded out of the ramshackled lodge they were in.


    Jadesin slanted herself on the lip of a desk, her fingers breaching the silence with a rhythmic drum on its wooden board. Her other hand busied itself by tousling a dangling chock of ebony-black hair as she hummed a pleasant melody, all the while staring at him.


    "..." Stephen cursed his current lack of means to defend himself with, her intense scrutiny was making rather uncomfortable, "Yes?" he braved through his vexation with a question.


    "Hmm, you''re still sore right?"


    "Yeah... while my injuries are mending back alright, the post-operation ache is really bothersome."


    "That''s perfectly normal, but fret not. After we go through the finer points of our partnership, I''ll help you with all I''ve got, that''s a promise." she crossed her arms, "However, for the sake of a solid cooperation between us, we need to lay down the foundation with trust and sincerity. So... answer me, what are you?"


    Stephen demurred, "I have not signed anything yet, don''t go around babbling it as if we''re already in cahoots."


    "Oh, but you need me just as much as I need you."


    "What makes you so sure?"


    She shrugged, "If you attempt to step away from our own piece of land you''ll be nothing but a walking appetizer for the monsters outside. You''re basically stranded here, and that makes us lamias the only allies you can get."


    A frown marred his features, "Are you the strongest one here?"


    [Analysis Complete!]


    [Lamia, Female, Age 28 years, Rank: 3, Encore Power: 123]


    "Yes, why do you ask?"


    "Well... you know, this kinda makes no sense," Stephen chewed around his words a bit before pressing on, "If those creatures are really so strong why haven''t they made a move to sweep away your tribe and steal your territory?"


    Jadesin leaked a forced chuckle, "Everything will be explained in due time, Stephen. I need your word that you will aid me, first."


    "You''re making me trudge in the dark here, Jadesin."


    "Uhh... yeah, I guess my request has been rather unreasonable."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Why don''t you go straight to the point and tell me what exactly is it that I need to do?" he leaned back for more comfort, "And then, maybe, just maybe, I can mull it over and decide whether to go for it or not. That''s the best that I can concede for you."


    "It''s a bit more complicated than that, and I''m just afraid I''ll be left alone should you refuse... you see--"


    The rustle of the veils acting as a makeshift door cut Jadesin off, "We''ve returned with the item requested, Lady Jadesin." one of the lamias sent for the task spoke out, proffering the matriarch a slightly stained mirror embedded on a rusty and poorly-crafted iron circle.


    "Uh... oh yes, thank you." Jadesin wetted her lips in frustration, "You both may go now... Oh, wait. I''m quite famished, to be honest. I''d be most grateful if you could bring me and Stephen a tray with food in around... let''s say 30 minutes?"


    "Of course."


    Her retainers replied readily and filed out. Now left alone with Stephen, she handed him the mirror, "Here." and then snaked a couple of steps back, where she silently gave her churning thoughts the needed attention.


    Stephen spun the glass around, his face perfectly aligned in the center. His ruffled hair shot everywhere like a very bad case of bedhead, and beneath that disheveled mane stretched his pale skin. But the most eye-catching feature was his eyes. The usual crimson color of his irises had taken on a darker shade; now resembling swirling puddles of wine. Besides that, neon-red like belts hemmed around his slitted pupils, standing in stark contrast with the bordeaux underneath.


    They seemed like stray pools of radioactive blood, and he couldn''t help but find them fascinating, almost bewitching in nature.


    "Did you find anything of concern?"


    Stephen looked up at Jadesin, of course she wouldn''t know that his eyes weren''t quite like this, "No problem here..." he was admittedly tempted to see what exactly those chains were, but decided to put a plug on his bubbling curiosity, "... what were you talking about?"


    The lamia matriarch cleared her throat and composed her thoughts, "Stephen... the current situation in the forest is slowly plumbing down towards a full-blown war nobody will be able to prevent."


    "I honestly thought they were already warring each other..."


    "Well... no. Would you call a squabble between children ''war''?"


    Stephen shook his head and prompted her to go on.


    "They are just probing themselves, trying to push each other and see where the limits are... they''re always on the lookout, scouting new territories, this is still nothing, this is still relatively peaceful. You were just unlucky at being caught in the crossfire. The true monsters haven''t made their moves yet."


    "That sounds awful..." he grimaced, "How do you know all of this?"


    Jadesin gave him a pointed stare, "You''re asking someone who saved you a lot of questions yet refuse to answer any. That isn''t fair, is it?"


    "Uhh... yeah, sorry about that. I''m having a hard time dealing with the suddenness of it all that I don''t wanna rush it. I need more information to elaborate a more accurate conclusion on my course of actions."


    "Urghhh!" she grunted out in exasperation.


    "Please?"


    "Fine!" she conceded, "Stephen, I was not messing with you when I said you wouldn''t have it easy getting out of here without our aide. Dark times are approaching, and we''ll all get yanked within and swept away if we do not prepare in advance. I don''t want to die, Stephen!"


    He was startled by her abrupt rise in voice, and he could distinctly read the restlessness written on her face, so easy for him to see. She was desperate for his help, but what could have done to put an end to the upcoming war that would host as protagonists monsters way out of his range of skills?


    Stephen voiced out his concerns, "And prey tell what can I - a helpless rank 3 - do? You''re pinning your hopes on a lost cause, I might have successfully fled from a rank 5 Earth Golem, but you saw how wreaked I was!"


    "I''m not expecting you to dominate and wipe out everyone else, I need your assistance to ensure my - and that of my tribe''s - survival! I... I..." she stammered on, biting her bottom lip, "I''ve come to a decision quite a couple of nights ago, and your unforeseen appearance might help me lead that idea of mine to fruition."


    "And what would be this idea of yours?"


    Jadesin hardened up her expression, "I want to conquer and bring to my side all of the low ranked tribes within our immediate surroundings. That would greatly boost our Bellic power, and enhance our odds of survival, something the other tribes are most likely worried about as well."


    "Wait... there are weak tribes in our vicinity?"


    "Yes, heading east from here we''d meet up with the Orc tribe. They''re fairly strong."


    "Can''t you fellas just lay out an agreement between yourselves? Where would my help come in this circumstance? Are you perhaps expecting a fight to break out?"


    Jadesin wetted her lips at the barrage of questions directed at her, "A simple agreement wouldn''t do, I''m afraid. Orcs may be quite powerful individually, even more so when in a group. But it''s universally known that they''re stupid. A raw display of strength would seal the deal, and not only with them but with any race we''ll come across. Diplomacy will hardly be useful in times of war, they need to know that we''re strong, and that we''re worthy of their cooperation. That will put us at the peak of the pyramid, and we''ll hold substantial power over them."


    "Sooo... you wanna fight them and then convince them to somehow join us?"


    "Exactly," she nodded vigorously, "We shan''t come across as desperate--"


    "But that''s what you are." Stephen interrupted her.


    "--Yes but they don''t need to know," she waved him off with a wrinkle of her nose, "The point is: with your presence here we can easily subdue the Orc tribe, they only have a rank 3 warrior amidst them. And from there on we can journey further west and slowly draft more small tribes into ours."


    "You want to create an intermixed and big tribe with the lamias at the top?"


    "Yes, well... it won''t be a monarchy. Every race will appoint a diplomat that will participate in a council where we''ll discuss and make decisions about the overall ongoings of the tribe."


    Stephen hummed in mild surprise, "Seems like you have it already planned out." he crossed his arms, "But what makes you think that those races won''t join the big ones instead of yours?"


    "And what makes you think they will accept them? Most creatures are xenophobic, there''s no way they''ll let someone different than them in, especially weak creatures such as us." she scoffed.


    "Then isn''t your big dream doomed from the start?" he pressed on, "Why would they join you?"


    Jadesin''s lips curved into a predatory grin, "Because nobody wants to die, Stephen. And that''s exactly what will happen if they don''t have a strong backup. This isn''t a war, this IS the war. Behemoths and titans will fight it out whilst we just need to be preoccupied of surviving the aftermath. I told you, I don''t want to conquer because I want to win, I want to conquer because I don''t want to die."


    Stephen fell into a thoughtful silence.


    "Unfortunately, time is not our dearest friend at the moment. I''d like to start off as soon as possible, and for that, I need your answer. Are you in, Stephen?"

 Chapter 31: Entries From the Ancient

    Stephen rocked back and forth, his forehead creased and his lips pursed in deep thought. Her words were still tinkling across his ears, as if she was whispering sweet nothings next to him. He had to concede it to Jadesin though, her idea did strike an ambitious chord in his heart. Was it the tantalizing thirst for the sweet juice of power that would come along with it? Or was it perhaps the thrill of a hazardous journey that would pave his way with gold and blood?


    Not to mention, if he could draft Natasha and others in too, then the question of their overall safety would be answered for. That cave they were lodging in was an unknown variable that could one day knock at their door and bite them in the ass.


    Additionally, this sudden deal was like an unexpected gift wrapped by the opportunity of growing stronger; now that was what attracted him the most.


    But Stephen didn''t want to hand out his trust to the lamias yet. Nevertheless, he decided to entertain her and see for himself whether their cooperation was profitable or not, "One expedition." he raised one finger, his eyes fixing their full attention onto her, "I will you give you a definite answer once we''re done with the Orcs. If it fails, consider our temporary partnership null."


    Jadesin slightly cocked her head to the side, her ebony-black orbs squaring him for a moment, before her soft and rosy lips curved upwards into a Cheshire grin, "We will have a blast, Stephen... and I assure you we''ll be successful too." she tucked a dangling chock of hair behind her ear, "Thank you. I''m really glad you decided to at least give it a try."


    "Yeah, hope I won''t regret it..."


    "Ohh nono, you won''t." she beamed, "Everything will turn out alright and more."


    A thunder cracked out through the skies outside, putting a frown on Stephen''s face, "Can I take it there won''t be any surprises popping out even during a storm?" he leered at her.


    Jadesin waved him off, "Nah, be at ease. Every faction worth fearing thinks our previous matriarch is still alive." she cackled, "Until things start heating up, our area is generally safe aside stray unranked animals, but I''m sure they shouldn''t pose a problem to you. So yeah, no boogieman will be coming for you."


    Stephen deadpanned at her.


    "What?" she rolled her eyes, "Do not make that face, I was just trying to be a tad bit humorous."


    "Yeah okay..." he rubbed his face with a drawn-out sigh, "I''m not in the mood for jokes."


    "I can see that duh."


    Soon the rain pelted down against the earth; the pleasant cacophony of mother nature''s orchestra padding the run-down room they were in. Jadesin wallowed in the silence, peacefully staring at him with a thousand-watt smile lighting up her face. She was all giddy at the prospects of their collaboration.


    "So..." Stephen demurred.


    "So?"


    "Your matriarch... was she that strong?"


    Jadesin scoffed, "Of course. She was a whopping rank 7 Lamia, the backbone of our family."


    "Wow..." his mouth hung open, "How did she die?"


    A mournful glean flashed by her eyes, "She was very old, Stephen... no matter how powerful she was, her age had already reached its last lap in the long run of her longevity. If she had managed to advance to the next rank, she could have lived a lot longer... but I guess the 7th rank was the cap of her talent." she chuckled fondly, "She was our pride... we have a memorial of her outside."


    "I see..." his gaze drooped as he chewed on his lips, "It must have been hard on you."


    "Yeah... we lamias are not particularly gifted, which is why we always had to rummage around to survive." she sidled up next to him, carefully coiling her tail under her as she leaned on the mattress, "That''s why she was quickly enthroned as the matriarch when she showed everyone what she was capable of. She was our pillar, and it is thanks to her efforts that we managed to secure ourselves a territory to call home."Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "You truly worship her huh."


    "Everyone does," she turned her head to face him, "I was still little at the time; a lamialet. But I knew everything about her... everything about her exploits. Her death came as a huge loss for us, thankfully her reputation protected us from greedy monsters to this day. Our nest wouldn''t have been what it is now if not for her."


    Stephen basked in the silence that came afterward, until...


    "Which is why I''m so glad you appeared... although you haven''t told me your race yet." Jadesin huffed playfully, "Now that you accepted to give it a ''try''... you''re ought to at least answer that."


    "Ugh... I guess I can..." after establishing a somewhat solid friendship between them - if based solely on profits - he didn''t feel the need to withhold inconsequential information from her. She showed herself up as more than welcoming towards him, and the fact that his strength gave him an edge too made him more confident with his choice.


    With her curiosity shooting up to the stars, the lamia leaned closer, "Uh-huh?"


    "I''m a Predator... I''m not sure if you''ve heard--"


    "A what now!?"


    Her unforeseen - and rather unladylike - screech nearly made him jump out of his skin. He wrinkled his nose and shot her a resentful glare, "What''s wrong with you!?" he yelled back.


    "No no... I mean sorry, I mean... what?" she slurred, "I''m sorry... did you perhaps say you are a Predator? As in race, and not as an animal that preys on others, right?"


    "Yeah, that would be correct."


    "..." there was a bout of silence as she quietly processed his words, and he could''ve sworn that for a moment his eyes clocked through her head where steampunk gears turned and churned with practical procedures, all of the pieces puzzling back together. She snapped her eyes back onto him, "Holy mother of--" she quickly clammed her mouth shut, right before she could jabber a string of crass curses.


    Stephen regarded her with an amused look, "You okay?" he chuckled lightly when she nodded furiously, like a freziend chicken pecking on grains, "Shall I take it as you knowing something about my presumed race?"


    "YES!! I mean..." Jadesin coughed in her hand, "... yes, I do indeed hold quite a bit of knowledge pertaining the Predators." she drawled out, returning to her prim and proper behavior.


    "Mind filling in the blanks for me? I''m quite ignorant about the knowhows of my race..."


    "Uh-huh!"


    With renewed vigor, she clambered back upright, "Don''t move, okay? I''ll be right back." she cooed, as if through a series of unfortunate events he would have ebbed away if she didn''t come back fast enough to anchor him within her sight.


    Arching an eyebrow up, Stephen gawked at her form skedaddling away; almost comically tumbling down from the haste. It was inexplicably cute seeing the goofy and flustered side of someone who carried herself with a majestic flair and spoke with raffinate elocution.


    Fortunately, he didn''t have to wait too long. Jadesin scrambled back inside not long after her egress, a battered book securely held against her midsection, her arms encased around its leather cover, "Here!" the current lamia matriarch reclaimed her spot next to him with a euphoric bounce, "Just a minute!" she blabbed, flipping through the avalanche brittle pages whose age bespoke on its surface in yellowish blotches.


    Stephen eyed curiously the blurry flux of pages shifting to their left in a flip book-like animation, until the captivating dance of sheets flopping upon another was put to an abrupt stop. Jadesin grinned, "Ah-ha! I knew it was here!" she curled her nose in anticipation, "Do you see this?" and then she proceeded to unclip a stack of papers out of the rim of the page.


    "Yes, does it have anything to do with my question?"


    "It has everything to do with it, my dear," she waved them around for emphasis, "This here is a journal that dates back to hundreds of thousands of years ago. Only a few clans, factions or tribes can boast to have something akin to these old entries."


    He whistled in reply, genuinely surprised.


    "They must be priceless."


    "Yeah, and this one here is special because it was inserted in the Records of Phantasmagoric Creatures. This book contains all of the most mystic and strongest races to have ever existed; sorted in no logical order." Jadesin continued with a pleased smile, "Aaaaand, yours was found in here!" she tapped the pile of papers.


    "What a surprise..." he commented with a hollow chuckle.


    "That''s it? That''s your reaction?"


    "Well yeah... after everything I''ve witnessed so far, I''d say it''s not that far-fetched for that to be the case."


    "Uhh..." feeling a bit stumped and at a loss of words, Jadesin cleared her throat a couple of times before resuming her previous delighted disposition, "Anyway! If your race is in here it means your bloodline is very ancient and precious! Not to mention your talent! Ohhh boy..." she started furiously fanning her face with her hand to get rid of the growing blush, as if she was in the presence of a bigwig, "Every single race listed on this book can easily go beyond the 9th Rank!! Do you know what that means?"


    "That I''m badass?" he offered with a shrug, "What do these entries say? They''re bound to have more information."


    "Umh..." her brows scrunched up when she started leafing through the journal, "How weird..."


    "What''s the problem?"


    "Well, there''s only one page with anything scrawled in it... the others are completely blank."


    "Read it then." he prompted.


    Jadesin rearranged herself on the bed to get the most comfort out of her position, and then started reading aloud.

 Chapter 32: Is It a Curse... Or is It Me?

    27th day, 7th month.


    The prophets alleged the forthcoming arrival of a disaster; a curse, they said. An outsider plague that would have scourged our lands every 100.000 years. How much of it is true? Can we trust the maunder from a bunch of make-believe despotic rulers? We rallied in the central plaza to hear their speech. Nobody believed them. Not when the very same gods that bestowed them oracles had forsaken our prosperity. The fools. The throne of power is bound to see the light of a new sovereign.


    4th day, 8th month.


    The heavy tang of copper permeated the streets. They were killed; the fools and their butt-lickers sycophants. Blood carpeted the burning skeleton of the church. Chaos ran amuck today, and I have to begrudgingly admit that I''m a bit scared too. I knew that someone would have stolen their fading political influence, but to outright annihilate an entire structure filled with strong crusaders and holy knights?


    8th day, 8th month.


    The Dark Elves went into hiding, and so did the Royal Phoenixes. The city has been oddly quiet, forgoing the hustle and bustle of everyday life in Raegis. I don''t like this at all. Maybe it''s time to move somewhere else, the lamias have been fidgety lately. A change of scenery will hopefully ease their worries.


    14th day, 8th month.


    They were right! The fools were goddamn right! Something is happening... the King of Dragons has been found eaten alive on the border of our continent. Who the hell could have done that? This is ludicrous and illogical, such a transcendent existence became someone else''s afternoon snack, and no one was the wiser for almost a week! The Elder Ones won''t stay quiet about this.


    15th day, 8th month.


    This makes no sense... the moon became red.


    16th day, 8th month.


    After a whole week of preparation and activities, we''re finally out of Raegis'' walls. We''ll head north-west, towards the Valley of Forgotten Souls, there''s a peaceful citadel of spirits uphill, their leader has an alliance treaty with us, I trust there won''t be any problems welcoming us. This journey will be a dangerous one, it would be for the best to avoid the main road where we''d be under the public''s eyes. The moon is still red. I pray for my tribe''s safety.


    18th day, 8th month.


    Today we lost three sisters due to the ambush from a bunch of humans. Why do they want to bring us back? And why did it warrant the death of three of us!? Why!?


    20th day, 8th month.


    I''m tired. We''re all tired. There''s been hardly any rest for us, it feels like we''re escaping from something. We can''t delay our exodus. We shall march on until we reach the citadel.


    21st day, 8th month.


    Two lamialets died today.


    23rd day, 8th month.


    I hate the night sky... I hate this journey. I just wanna rest but noooo... Spring <del>Whore</del> Sky and Green <del>Shit</del> Dew had to keep bitching the whole night about the lack of food! I feel so guilty for wanting to leave everyone behind and survive by myself, I''m so stressed. I''m hungry. I''m scared. I''m angry. Maybe it was not a good idea departing from Raegis.


    24th day, 8th month.


    Just a few more days... just a few more days and we''ll be there...


    26th day, 8th month.


    Today we almost ended up inside the stomach of a Sphinx. We''ve been chased down for miles, incredible how none of us died. It was all thanks to him; he who appeared out of nowhere, his body discharging so much power and pressure that it went beyond anything I''ve ever witnessed. He was dressed fashionably, and it was a wonder how no blood splattered onto him when he cleaved the huge creature in half with a light chop of his hand... and the moment his bewitching red eyes locked onto me... the lopsided grin on his face... his short pitch-black hair that danced in the breeze...


    26th day, 8th month.


    I''m writing this right after he promised to escort us to the citadel! I''m soooo relieved!


    27th day, 8th month.


    The night is not so scary anymore, not now that he''s with us. He''s been providing us with food I never thought we''d ever eat. He''s such a charming man, and it''s always a delight to talk to him. I may have overstepped my boundaries a bit when I asked him what race did he belong to, because his complexion had darkened considerably. He answered nonetheless. A Predator? Never heard of it, but if they''re all as powerful as him then they rightfully deserve a spot in my book. I want to learn more about him...


    28th day, 8th month.


    What a feast for my eyes. He killed a Forest Behemoth, and he did it so easily and cleanly that I felt pity for the downed monster. Not gonna lie, I might have blushed a lot at the display.


    30th day, 8th month.


    We''ve passed through the Valley of Forgotten Souls, just another day and... he''ll go away, won''t he? He didn''t tell me but I know, he''s been very gloomy recently, restless and impatient. I''ve even caught him yelling at the sky last night, almost in a pleading way, to go back somewhere... he was angry and sad... but why shout at the heavens when there''s no one up there anymore? I''m confused, but I don''t want to let him go, I finally found someone that can smile at me without that disgust glean in their eyes. But with a body like mine, would he agree to stand by my side? I should stop daydreaming.


    "Eh?" Jadesin clutched the sheet of paper tighter, "This is... uh, Stephen, do you know--" she swallowed back the rest of her sentence when her eyes grazed her guest''s features, "Stephen?"


    "Jadesin..." his words were spat out through quivering breaths, "L-Let me ask you... that curse, I mean, that outsider thingy... is it true? Did it truly happen every 100.000 years?" he cupped the edge of his eyes with a hand, least she saw the plethora of emotions entwining in his shaking orbs.


    "H-Hey... are you alright?"


    "JUST ANSWER!"


    Jadesin recoiled at the sudden uprise in his tone, "Y-Yeah..." she cleared her throat before trudging on carefully, "We don''t have documented evidence that it actually happened every 100.000 years, a lot of scriptures were lost, all we have is some journal that contains a cursory summary of what unfolded in those times."Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "So... can I infer that something indeed happened in those periods, but you can''t be sure if it was because of that curse?"


    "That would be correct." Jadesin heaved a deep breath as she leaned closer to him, "This journal here is way more detailed than the other ones we have, not to mention the oldest. There were big wars, yes, and an incredible number of races went extinct as well. Was the curse those prophets talked about behind it? No idea."


    "Was... emh, what about the red moon? is there any information about it?"


    "Nothing." she shook her head, "This is my first time hearing of something like this, honestly, it''s kinda spooky..."


    Stephen drooped his head as he let the silence be the foreground for his churning thoughts. Jadesin glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, chewing on her bottom lip to keep herself busy. He was tense, and panic-stricken too if his rocking body was anything to go by. There must have something in that journal that disturbed him, she mused.


    "Hehe... go figure, who would have thought that the first matriarch of our tribe would fall in love with a Predator, I wonder what happened afterward. Did they wind up together I wonder? Or maybe she never told him what she was feeling inside... would have not been the first time something like this happened to a lamia." her blatant attempt to lighten up the atmosphere failed miserably when twangs of sadness started thrumming in her heart.


    With a sigh, Jadesin propped her elbows down her scaly lap, with her hands held up wherein her chin rested on.


    "Lady Jadesin, Stephen, we have brought you dinner." Red Virtue''s announcement dwindled a bit of the stress draping about the room, and she found herself silently thanking her retinue for the rescue. Stephen''s quiescence was making her rather uncomfortable.


    "Oh right... please come in."


    Red Virtue and Blue Pearl hustled inside upon consent and hurried to cautiously place the immaculately crafted wooden trays atop their hands upon the table, before they proceeded to rearrange the food out of their containers onto plates.


    "Thank you." Jadesin beamed at them as she scrambled back up and headed for the recipients of her hunger. Having finally found a topic to breach Stephen''s sullenness with, she prattled, "Well, are you hungry my dear?"


    "..."


    A determined glint flashed through her eyes when no answer was given, "Red Virtue, Blue Pearl could you be so kind as to leave us alone for a couple of minutes more?" her tone of finality, so divergent from the content of her sentence, left no room for objection. She had masked her order under a more amiable request.


    The room had soon two people less, and Jadesin wasted no time in approaching the listless Predator. Her action was swift and decisive, and before he knew it, the hands he''s been covering his face with were yanked away to unveil Jadesin''s face.


    He stared at her, too tired to muster up any resistance.


    "If this is how you''re going to behave tomorrow, when we''ll depart to execute our plan against the Orc tribe, then you might as well stay here and mope around." it was fascinating how despite the ghost of a smile she''s been wearing so far, her eyes had crinkled into a heated stare.


    She didn''t know, of course. She didn''t make any connection. It was a world of pain and concern the one so attentively buried within her eyes, and he couldn''t bring himself to be enough of a bastard to uncaringly swat away her pursuit in soothing his problems. She had her owns too, he reminded himself.


    Jadesin was still looking at him, and she was waiting for an answer. He acquiesced, "I apologize for my previous outburst." he probed, and the rewarding gentle smile that bloomed in size on her face was more than worth it.


    "It''s okay... we''re partners, aren''t we?" the hands that been imprisoning his wrists had ever so slowly eased off, magically finding their way onto his face, "Feeling better?" her husky timbre was like the sweetest croon to his ears. The way she playfully nuzzled the ridge on his cheekbone prompted a small chuckle out of him.


    "Yes, thank you." that was a well-covered lie, and he had to thank his father''s trials for molding him into a competent actor, "The food''s getting cold, aren''t you going to eat?"


    "Of course I am you silly, I''m starving here."


    Except that her hands didn''t leave his cheeks. It was like they were spellbound to stay there and embed warmth on his face, and he wondered if the perception of eating food had shifted onto eating something else, more alive. The way her smirk had thinned into an embittered line, and the mixture of hesitation and eagerness played out across her crumpled up features had his heart halt for a moment.


    Was it the romantic undertones of the journal?


    He soldiered on and met her gaze. Thankfully she had some good sense left in her for she rasped out a giggle and pulled away. Stephen felt a pang of pity for her, but he was in no mood to untangle her knot of sadness. All that stress was weighing on him, and her too apparently. Who knows what she''s been dealing with before his appearance. Maybe she identified herself as the lamia on the entries, and the fatidic entrance of an unknown man - so resembling of his one - had her knees weak at the prospect of a mate.


    "Soooo... what do you wanna eat?" she chirped as she sashayed back to the tableware filled with delicacies, "We have meat, salad, rice, fruits, fish and potatoes." she rummaged around, serving herself a plate of everything.


    "I''ll take what you have."


    "Uh-huh, coming!" she replied in a sing-song voice.


    She started allotting a spoonful of everything into a plate until it was crammed full, and then she did it for herself as well, before diving back on the bed next to him with a wide grin.


    "Bon appetit." she handed him his share.


    Dinner went on without interruptions or chitchats. Overall, the food was not bad for a culinary-retrogressed race; seasonings and other assortments of sidedish were missing. Nonetheless, he thoroughly enjoyed it. He finished gulping down a jar of water before wiping his mouth off of stray residues of food with a napkin, "Hmm, it was... delightful." he smacked his lips together and remarked like a veteran food critic.


    Jadesin huffed in amusement and played along, "I''m most grateful for your recognition sire Stephen." she curtsied while tugging up the hem of an invisible skirt.


    He nodded in satisfaction, drawing another huff from the lamia matriarch.


    "Since we''ve finished eating I''m going to fetch you something that will make you all pumped up with energy in the morning."


    "You''re gonna drug me then?"


    "Yep, you have a problem with that?"


    "Nope."


    She smiled at him before slithering out. Stephen exhaled, his eyelids fighting against themselves not to drape down. All that information intake and the emotional turmoil that followed did a number on him. Was that how he was supposed to live from now on? What was his role in Relictus?


    The red moon... the Red Moon of Doomsday.


    No, it was not a coincidence.


    Roseline? You there?


    No answer rebounded back through the line of their connection. What happened to her? He pursed his lips in contemplation. If she was somewhere deep inside his inner abyss, she must''ve been slumbering, unless she was finding it humorous playing the quiet game with him.


    "Whatever."


    His thoughts trailed off and zoomed in on the face of Natasha...and then on that fleeting instant, where their lips had almost connected and wrestled together into the perfect display of the savagery behind their fermenting passion. He sighed, waving off the clouds of images that started looming over him.


    Damn introspection.


    "I''m back Stephen." Jadesin tumbled back in with effervescent enthusiasm, "Drink this." she scooted closer to him, uncorking the lid of the vial in her hand before proffering it to him.


    He scanned curiously the lava lamp-like liquid floating inside; it was a pinkish solution with crimson bubbles merrily swimming within, "What if it is poison?"


    She shot him a pointed glare, "Are you serious?" she lightly dipped her pinky atop the substance''s surface before plopping the appendage into her mouth where she licked it clean, "Satisfied?"


    "Sorry..." he gave her a sheepish look and then proceeded to gobble it down in one shot. It tasted like a fuse of different fruit juices, lacking a bit in sugar but still tasty. He felt a rush of vigor running through his aching muscles, it was a pleasant tingle, "Oh... nice. Thank you."


    "Hmm, we can''t have you limping around in front of the Orcs, can we?"


    "Heh, I won''t... well, I''d like to catch some zzz if you don''t mind." he stretched his arms up with a barely restrained yawn.


    "Of course not," her gaze softened, "This room will be yours from now henceforth, until we set up a more comfortable lodging for you."


    "It''s okay..." he leaned back on the mattress.


    "Good... then, goodnight."


    "Sweet dreams Jadesin."


    Just as she was about to walk out and leave her tenant to the curative embrace of sleep, Stephen''s voice stopped her promptly, "Hey..."


    "Yes?" she slightly tilted her head back.


    "Well... can you tell me when..."


    "When what?"


    "When did the monsters begin this cutthroat squabble of theirs?"


    Furrowing her brow, she crossed her arms and guessed, "You think that the 100.000 years curse is about to happen again?" when he didn''t answer back she took his silence as a green light and continued, "Hmm... I guess they started behaving heretically around... almost 2 weeks ago, maybe?"


    "..."


    "Stephen?"


    "Nothing, don''t worry. Goodnight Jadesin, let''s trounce them up tomorrow! Haha!" his chuckle rang out as quickly as it faded into nothingness.


    Taking that as a clue to make her exit, the lamia matriarch stole a last glimpse of his shadowed silhouette curled on the bed and silently slinked out, closing shut the ragged veils behind her.

 Chapter 33: Ready For Action

    Jadesin stood in front of the dilapidated veil, a basket with neatly folded clothes within carefully held against her midriff. Dawn had come, its golden streaks trying to daub the gloomy blanket of the sky with a more colorful touch. That was not to be. The sun was almost like a prisoner behind that dreary screen of clouds, and no lights found entry through the stormy clot. But none of that was important to her. Today was the day, and nothing would have balked her plans; most certainly not the weather.


    And she needed his help, because inside that ambitious gaze hid a nervous woman who dreamed of something more than walls around her nest.


    With a reassuring sigh, she slowly called out, "Stephen? Are you awake?" with her status, courtesy would have been the last of her worries, but her guest was special, and she was keen on respecting his privacy, hence why she didn''t barge in like a banshee.


    Stephen''s answer wafted back with the energy she had been expecting - and hoping - it would have after she made him drink one of her prized healing potions, "I''m up! But I can''t go out like this..." he blurred the end of his sentence with a more sheepish undertone.


    "Pfftt..." she slightly tilted her head to the side and covered her mouth with a hand. Of course she knew what he was talking about.


    "I heard you."


    Quenching down the last twitches of amusement, she cleared her throat, "I have a set of clothes for you here. Not sure if they''ll fit you or not."


    "I''m very picky about my apparel, Jadesin..."


    "Well..." she crooned with a mischievous growl, "... I''m sure nobody would complain if you were to battle the Orcs completely naked."


    "Exhibitionism is not among my kinks. Do come in and let me see the stuff."


    "Good. Ohh..." her voice lowered an octave, "...you better cover yourself with something, the big bad Lamia is slithering in, and she won''t mind stealing a peek or two."


    "Pervert snake."


    "Quirky Predator."


    Jadesin brushed the veils aside and stepped in. Her eyesight did a cursory scan of the room before locking onto a silhouette partially covered by the shadows, a lone blanket tied around his waist as he turned around and, prompted by an invisible force, her chin sloped upward. Her eyes leaped right into his bordeaux pools.


    Those glowing rings around his pupils almost hitched her breath.


    "You''re tired..." she muttered at last, finally taking note of the dark bags under his eyes. The smile he graced her remark was one that contained something she was all too familiar with. She wetted her lips in the preparation of a long string of questions that was cut short right before it could even start.


    "I''m fine." the finality in his voice closed off any doors on the matter. Jadesin found herself wondering if it was because of something she had said yesterday, "Sooo... can I see the clothes?" he pressed on with a different topic, not giving her enough time to dig out the answer of his quandary for herself. He knew she would have squeezed the juice of his problem if given enough time and clues to do so.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Uh... ah... yes, sure." caught off-guard, she blinked a couple of times before proffering the basket to him when it suddenly clicked on her, "Wait! You asshole! Don''t switch topics! You play a key role in our quest of today, so if you''re suffering from anything you''re ought to tell me!"


    "My apologies." it was a wonder how he could keep so stoic despite the storm of emotions seething in his heart, "I just need to digest yesterday''s... food."


    "What?"


    "Jadesin... you''re very cute when you''re puzzled."


    She started raking her scalp out of sheer frustration, "Stephen... you''re not making any goddamn sense!"


    His cheeks puffed up before he doubled over and burst out in a hearty laugh, "I''m just messing with you, you silly little snake." he leaned over the edge of a desk to catch his breath, "Ah, I needed that. Oh right, the clothes..."


    Jadesin stood there like a gaping fish as he rummaged through the garments, periodically throwing them one by one upon the ever so growing disheveled pile of discarded garbs behind him. He tutted with a disappointed shake of his head.


    "Is that all you have?"


    Her lips thinned into an embittered line. He blabbered on, "I''ll take that expression as a yes. Nevermind." he stared at the leather - and rather manhandled - shirt in his hand. It looked like it was designed to contain potatoes instead of covering human skin. The rough texture sent a prickling sting throughout his body. At least his underwear had been spared from that beam, he mused whilst looking at the last article inside the basket.


    "Stop whining and wear it, we''re already losing precious time as it is."


    "Heh, they''re not going anywhere, why the hurry?"


    "I''d like to depart before the weather gets worse, it''ll take us a couple of hours to get there... so we''d better be out of here within the next 30 minutes. And you''re not helping me."


    "Get over it, you know... not all of us have to wear only a twine of leaves to cover our modesty." he wisecracked with a half-masked chuckle, that soon warped into a stifled smile when her ''I dare you to say that again'' glare riddled him.


    He ushered all of his limbs through the holes in the shirt before pulling up the hem of his trousers.


    <hr>


    Stephen buckled the belt around his waist and stepped out, the weakest hints of a frown crumpling up his face. The only good news he was provided with that offset his new wardrobe content was...


    "Here''s the sword." Red Virtue presented him his weapon of choice with a respectful bow. There was a well-arranged formation of lamias behind her, all of them adorning some kind of protective gears while gripping on a trident. But none that was of importance to him.


    "Oh yes! Finally!" he almost started bouncing around like a sugar-driven kid in front of a cake, "This is truly a bliss!" his fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt as his other hand moved up to graze the underside of the blade. It was nothing grandiose, nothing fiction-like fancy, and for sure nothing masterfully crafted to dust away on a cushion inside a museum. Its purpose bespoke for itself.


    And he had been missing his favorite tool to defend himself with since he was bogged down by the untimely outset of his Predatory Fever. Things weren''t looking up, but it didn''t matter because he survived! He was still standing!


    Shapeshifters? Golems? Orcs? Just food. His father? Screw him! It was time to march on.


    He cracked a knot in his neck, a dogged shimmer flashing through his eyes for the briefest of moments. Strength surged across his muscles, his Encore Power agreeing with his intentions as it ever so stealthily flared up and down.


    Jadesin interlocked her arms under her bust, "It seems you have taken a liking for your new toy." her words were almost drowned out by the waves of his euphoria, but his ears still twitched at their amused flavor.


    "You have no idea..." she couldn''t possibly feel all of his Lv.9 sword experience playing tag around his fingers...


    His knuckles slowly whitened from the pressure.


    ... or the smoky threads of his buried anger, unearthed and brought to life. It was time to enact his plans, not only Jadesin''s ones. He would get back to them all, and he would do it with a full stomach.


    For now, he had to quell his hunger.

 Chapter 34: Showdown

    Natasha''s back sagged down along the craggy and dank wall with her legs curled up, her head finding temporary respite within the protective and isolating cocoon of her arms. She had literally entombed herself in a futile struggle to escape from her thoughts, but it was that contemplative veil of darkness she had huddled herself in that tugged them closer.


    Her heart was hurting. It was a mild burning that ignited the entirety of her body with each beat, and she found herself wondering whether it was pumping blood or kerosene. Natasha slowly peeked out of the safety of her appendages, where the burning embers of a snuffed-out fire still rippled with a hazy column of smoke.


    While she brooded inside, the others had kindly ventured out and hazarded through the forest for a bunch of rabbits. It was an improper behavior of her, she knew it. "Sorry..." she mouthed out, not for the first time that day.


    John, who had strategically stationed himself near the exit, shook his head with an understanding smile, "It''s okay... you took it the hardest. Zoned out as you are, it would have been dangerous not only to yourself but to us too if you had tagged along." he shrugged half-heartedly. There was a bout of silence that followed up, and he decided to close his eyes and resume his rest.


    She huffed in ambivalence. John hadn''t shifted from his position for hours; it was so he could protect them better in case mishap knocked in, he said. Of course, behind that smudge of truth, Natasha knew the true reason laid more in her current volatile mood than a chivalrous commitment. She wanted to call bullshit, but his sympathetic gaze had doused her burning indignation in a cold shower.


    He had a better grasp on his emotions than everyone else could ever hope for. That''s why, despite Stephen''s unexpected - and rather spooky - circumstance, and subsequent walkout, nobody raised too much of a fuss. Except her. But she liked to think it was more out of fear that one of their core warriors could be gone forever than a wishful emotional investment.


    She couldn''t be more wrong.


    "You''re okay?" Apolline scooted closer, mimicking her curled up legs stance as she leaned against the wall.


    Natasha spared her a glance, "I guess."


    Her vexed tone killed off any further exchange that could have stemmed from it, and the goth Predator struggled to come up with another conversation starter that would have not pushed the wrong buttons.


    "We... have come to a conclusion..."


    "Uh-huh... I''m listening..."


    "Uhh, we don''t think Stephen died."


    It had been a day already, what were the odds?


    "Yeah, knowing him, that seems reasonable." Natasha loosened out a fond chuckle, "I just need to sort myself out a bit..."


    Apolline hummed in concurrence before her eyes picked up on something. It was hard not to catch her interlocutor''s fingers unconsciously brush and roam around her ring-finger. Having already adapted to the group''s dynamics, she had been introduced to a bit of information pertaining to their former lives.


    "Hard to choose?"


    "Excuse me?" Natasha was promptly yanked out of her reverie. She turned her head to Apolline and blinked in confusion.


    "I mean... between..." the dark-haired girl stole a last peek at her ring, "... your husband and Stephen."


    "Oh, please... not you too..."


    "I''m just curious, I think I can speak for everyone here that your subtle attempts at hiding your interest in him... isn''t really so subtle."


    "What makes you so sure I have any budding romantic interests towards him anyway? He''s 20 years younger than me, he''s in his golden years. I''m too old to be anything more than a crush or a fling." okay, she seriously prayed that her eyes weren''t reddened, because something was tingling them.


    "Natasha?"


    "Fuck..." too late to hide them, "Sorry..." what was she even apologizing for?


    The heel of her hands hurried themselves to wipe away the wetness at the edges of her eyes. Even so, a stray tear still managed to glide through. It was at that point that she surrendered and blew out in a peal of helpless chuckles as she wagged her head in a desperate need to deny something, her cheeks constantly flooded by the salty liquefaction of her grief. And like a dam bursting its walls, she cried her eyes out.


    Because she couldn''t hold the weight of the stress anymore.


    Apolline froze, she wasn''t prepared for this. Everyone took notice of the commotion, with Daphne and Sarah quickly springing up to their feet and sidling up to her side, a hand from each working in circular soothing motions on her back. Soon the crying petered out into tamed sniffs, but the red-haired woman refused to look at them, finding asylum behind her hands.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Nat..." Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but the words died down in her throat. Apolline, instead, felt awkward and sidelined. Considering she wasn''t particularly accustomed to them, and adding her own introvert and shut-in personality, it was a strenuous task to willingly reach out to others.


    "That was unsightly of me..." Natasha regained some of her bearings and spoke out, her tone a bit hoarse and destitute, and it was with a false smile what she looked up with, "I''m fine." Sarah wanted to raise her voice and pound some goddamn affection into the woman to let her know she was not alone in her woes, but she was too distracted... because in that fleeting instance, the tear-smeared Predator''s eyes had reverted to their original green color. So vulnerable were them, alone and grasping at straws.


    It might have been lost on the other girls, John and Frank included. Taking into account their positions, and the fact that she was the only one directly looking at Natasha, that was to be expected.


    It was only an instant, yet that didn''t diminish the impact they had on her. She frowned, but ultimately sighed and decided to address the issue at a later date. Her eyes had already gone back to their vibrant amethyst hue anyway, and she had a sad woman to console.


    <hr>


    The first of many thunderclaps rumbled out.


    Stephen looked skyward. Behind him, a troop of roughly 30 lamias marched on with military-like discipline. It had been over two hours since they had set off, and their destination was finally within sight. Jadesin had a brave mask on, but he knew it was her first time embarking on a diplomatic journey. The trees thinned out as manmade wooden constructions greeted them; the first of such being a large wall.


    "Are you sure they won''t shoot us down? We''re at a distance that would rend us helpless if they start firing arrows at us." he pondered aloud, more worried about the weaker lamias instead of himself.


    "That would have been a problem if they knew how to use them in the first place. Fortunately, they''re only half-brained brawns that rely only on their innate attributes instead of skills. They like to swing heavy stuff around like a child would do when throwing a tantrum." Jadesin patiently explained, "Even so, they''re not to be underestimated." she snapped her fingers, and as if on cue, the battalion of lamias behind them started widening up their area of coverage in a half-moon like formation.


    That left them both at the forefront as the rest scattered and advanced slowly, making sure that they were always partially shielded by the trees. Stephen arched an eyebrow and commented casually, "Well... it seems like you''ve been practicing that snapping fingers thingy with them just to look cool at this moment."


    "I would never do such a thing." she replied stoically, "Anyhow, we''re here..." they promptly halted.


    A bunch of sentries garrisoned atop the walls started growling and making as much hubbub as possible. Their out of the blue - and uncalled for - arrival triggered surprise and no little amount of hostility from the greenish Schwarzenegger wannabes. And although they hadn''t attacked yet, it was just a question of time.


    The boulder at their entrance slowly rolled away from the threshold, creating enough space for a cluster of Orcs to scoop out. It was interesting noticing how they came in many shapes and sizes, whilst their colors ranged from light green to slate gray. All of them had some sort of cumbersome and heavy-looking scrap of metal in their clutches, most likely acting as makeshift weapons.


    "Lamias! Lamias! Lamias!"


    "Bad lamias are here! Kill bad snakes!"


    "They here! They surround us! Chief Tribe! Where is Chief Tribe?"


    Stephen frowned at their jagged speech... and their retarded expressions. He started tapping the hilt of his sword when the throng of Orcs started backpedaling and shifting out of the way. A path arose in the middle of that green sea, and the reason soon made its gaudy entrance with heavy stomps.


    [Chief Orc, Male, Age: 21 years old, Rank: 3, Encore Power: 129]


    "Weeeeeell..." a hoarse and nasal voice rocked out, the Chief Orc''s body - unlike those of his weaker kin - resembled more that of an overweight whale, instead of a muscle-addicted hulk, "What can we do for you?" he waved his hand, and the ruckus behind him died down.


    Jadesin slithered forth and cleared her throat, "Greetings, Chief Orc. My name is Jadesin, and I''m the current matriarch of the lamia tribe." snickers and derogatory chuckles flew out of the crowd of Orcs, but she easily ignored them and went on, "As you know, times are changing... and for low-ranked tribes such as ours, these upcoming currents will certainly test our willpower. I''ve come with my tribe, and an ally..." at that point she beckoned to Stephen with her eyes, "... to set forth an alliance, to survive this storm."


    A clap of thunder cracked overhead; it was the only sound that disrupted the silence beneath... until a full-blown guffaw broke out of the Chief Orc, "Ahahahaha! Wait... wait... hahaha... you''re telling me that you want an alliance? With me?" the hilarity cloaking his tone seemed genuine, nonetheless, that didn''t hamper Jadesin''s smile as she uttered out her answer with likewise mirth.


    "I think you didn''t understand me, my dear Chief Orc... I don''t want an alliance with your ugly ass face. I merely want to integrate your tribe into mine. As for you--"


    "As for you..." Stephen chimed in, stealing the spotlight, "... I have-- oh gosh no, you look ugly as hell bud." he made a throw-up gesture, "Sorry... I just can''t look straight into your eyes. You look like someone ripped a goblin''s face and glued it into a glob of lard." it was the lamias'' turn to giggle and snicker in amusement. Jadesin opted to roll her eyes but otherwise let him take the reins of the situation.


    "ENOUGH!" the Chief Orc seethed as he plodded towards him, "You didn''t only come here to threaten my authority... but to make a mockery of me as well? Do not think even for a moment that just because we''re of the same rank you can--uhh?"


    "Look down."


    Stephen''s deep voice pulled his attention downward. The monster''s eyes almost bulged out upon realizing the new whereabouts of his foe, "How..." he was not the only one indulging in such thoughts, Jadesin had been left rather spooked by the sudden disappearance of her partner as well.


    "Hmm, you don''t look appetizing..."


    The Chief Orc gnashed his fangs and issued out a defiant yell, his chunky and long arm rising up before coming crashing back down upon him. Stephen''s hand took on a red sheen as he coated it in Encore Power and leisurely parried the monster''s jab. A gust of wind sailed out once the two forces collided.


    [You have gained the skill Encore Augmentation, Lv.1]


    Stephen grinned and delivered an abrupt Encore-powered kick at the Orc''s knee joint, propelling him down on one leg with a shriek of pain, "... but I''m too hungry to care."

 Chapter 35: Clean Sweep

    The Orc Chief thundered out a riled roar, his clawed hand sweeping up to wallop a counterattack that sliced through the air and aimed for his opponent''s unprotected neck. Stephen huffed and spun around, easily skirting around the assault, before following up with a roundhouse kick that sent a shockwave through the monster''s back, cracking the ground underneath, right before the obese creature sailed up.


    "Orc Chief!!"


    A chain of outraged screams cropped up, and Jadesin knew better than to let those warmongers get their inexistent wit together and gangbang Stephen. She whipped her head around and barked out an order, "What are you waiting for? Hold them back!" her words dusted up the lull between the two races. All of the lamias inaugurated the forthcoming slaughter with a resounding war cry as they snaked forth.


    The Orcs weren''t lambing around either; they had already sniffed the breeding confrontation and thus started stomping forward. A cloud of dirt and pebbles quaked up and down as the two opposing forces met each other halfway. Thunders overlapped overhead, the rain finally pouring down from the bulk of shaded clouds.


    Stephen inhaled the petrichor smell of the weather, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He bounce-stepped on the spot like a boxer before flickering out of position with an Encore Step.


    The Orc Chief growled and shoved himself up through the blanket of smudge he had been plummeted in, his forearms crisscrossing to fend himself off of the approaching punch. The strike blasted onto his appendages, forcing him to skid back a couple of meters; a pair of furrows were left behind on the muddy soil. And apart from a minor bruise, the creature was still blooming with health.


    "Damn you!" a golden aura flared up around the Orc, like gaseous tendrils of fire feeding off of the oxygen around him. "I''m not going down so easily!!"


    "Bitch... please..." Stephen snorted a chuckle before he quick-drew his sword, a crescent wave of Encore Power seemingly leaving the holster and blasting forth at an incredible speed. The Chief Orc''s eyes splayed wide open as the crimson light engulfed his upper body and ripped it apart. Blood sprayed everywhere like a broken fountain.


    Jadesin, who was dutifully chaperoning the battlefield, caught sight of the sudden spike in brightness and shifted her attention yonder, right in time to take in the sight of the Chief Orc''s huge lower body wobble down, his insides spewing out into a puddle of gore.


    "What...?" her mouth hung open. Of course, she had seen how Stephen had manhandled the monster in two moves before, something that was clearly within her expectations considering his race. However, what had just happened was a bit beyond the charts...


    "Orc Chief! Noo!!" the occurrence was not lost on the now-dead Orc''s footmen. Their advance came to a quick halt, and the lamias took on the opportunity to withdraw and do a casualty check. The clash was short-lived, nonetheless, the gaping difference in strength had been strangling the lamias'' defense, so the reprieve was gladly welcomed.


    Naturally, their foes had their focus elsewhere.


    Their leader had been slain; the very same leader whose shredded corpse now rested under the foot of his killer, merrily chuckling away. Stephen carefully peered at their rapidly changing expressions, knowing that the metaphorical fuse had been lit up. He hoped they would have given in without too much struggle at least.


    "No! No! No! Nononono! NO!!" one of them - the bulkiest of the lot - furiously wagged its head as it continued spluttering a sequence of bleared profanities. Its body was prey to a paroxysm of seizure-like twitches, and Stephen knew that that kind of reaction would never bear positive outcomes. In fact, it stomped on the ground and snarled menacingly before making a beeline for him, the axe in its hand whistling through the air resistance, with all the eagerness to burst open his skull like a kid would have in front of a pi?ata.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Soon, a large chunk of the Orc army followed it as the rest stayed stationed behind, reluctant to jeopardize themselves despite vastly outnumbering him. Stephen quickly mentally cataloged those ones as the smartest of the tribe, and felt no need to spare the charging ones.


    Of course, if they had all stood up against him, the situation might have taken a more dangerous turn, but with a battalion of lamias safeguarding him from every direction, he only needed to put on a flashy show.


    He waved his hand about, and a mantle of flame - not unlike that hobgoblin trio''s one - sprung up from the terrain in front of him and sliced the two fronts in a perfect line. The unexpected magic spell startled them into a momentary stop to avoid the flame''s beckoning limbs, and Stephen used that opportunity to conjure a bevy of small fireballs all around him, before they rained down upon the amalgamated and panicked horde of Orcs.


    It was easy... too easy. Stephen watched as the inferno raged on, swallowing everything while belching out ripples of thick smoke. The bolstering rain, however, doused off the fire quick enough, and the surviving Orcs powered through their injuries and resumed their bushwhack.


    How foolish.


    Their charred skin should have curbed their will to move, but it might have been their revenge-driven impetus that ferried them on, probably accrued from their unwise loyalty that stung with the same intensity his flames had been. On a side note, his attack filtered out the weakest ones, and a quick scan revealed them all to be Rank 1 or Rank 2, truly something not scoff at, especially the bulldozing Orcs at the forefront.


    Now, if he had an unlimited supply of Encore Power, he would have breezed through them easy-peasy, but tackling off against dozens of them with his current strength fell in the category of stupid ideas, especially if he got himself surrounded once his Encore Pool drained. Thankfully the lamias lanced into action and spared him the thoughts of doing anything remotely dangerous.


    And it was only when Jadesin officially joined the fight that the Orcs lost any likelihood of getting out of there alive. Stephen''s nose curled up at the delicious whiff of blood that tickled it, his stomach gurgling out in protest. All of the opposing Orcs had finally been put down, so the sight of minced meat dipped in their own juices was like smoky hands waving him closer. Jadesin quietly approached him, her obsidian hair matted in the likewise source that triggered his hunger.


    "Aahh... it was easier than I thought." she raked a handful of hair behind her ear "I didn''t expect you to be this... dominating." there was a shadow of something more in her smile, but he shrugged it off with a half-hearted chuckle.


    "Don''t say that or you''ll make me blush."


    "No kidding, your power has already gone beyond that of a Rank 3... well, that might be the perks of having such a precious bloodline."


    "Jealous?"


    "Heeh, yes... actually I really envy you, but at the same time I''m happy that I won''t ever reach that top, where everything will change. No, I do believe that sometimes living in your own little world while gazing up at the stars without being one of them is pretty cozy."


    "Says the one who''s aiming to take control over quite a few races."


    Jadesin rolled her eyes, or at least that was what it looked like - her completely black eyes with no irises made it hard to tell the difference, "I''m doing it to ensure our survival, there is no ulterior motive behind it."


    "Of course... yes, yes. Jadesin, do remember that a person''s character and worldview slowly changes when they are put in a position of power. The more you have, the more you want. Right now, you''re a little tribe leader, a humble and powerless lamia that is barely scraping by with what she has. But if our little conquest journey turns out successful you might become something more... I don''t know, a queen, perhaps?" he said zealously, "Ah... don''t mind it, I''m just messing with you. Yes, sometimes living like that is nice too... sometimes."


    Stephen smiled enigmatically and headed for the leftovers Orc that had wisely refused to partake in the last fall out. Meanwhile, she was rooted there with a weird expression playing out across her features.


    His words went on a broken replay inside her head, repeating over and over and over... and she came to a sort of inner realization, something that may have always been there but was too shy to grow, like a little child afraid of going out only to be disappointed that the world was not quite like what it had imagined. Her expression morphed and shifted as she chewed on her thoughts. Jadesin''s heart skipped a beat as the ambitious seed sank deeper, quenching its thirst with the noble blood pumping through it.


    It was a matter of time before it blossomed into a beautiful tree.

 Chapter 36: Lady Chainy

    Stephen toddled through the jumble of corpses with an ease smile on his face, the allurement of crouching down and feast on them was strong, but he held back. The clique of surviving Orcs stared fixedly at him walking up to them, their reactions a shy breath''s away from spiraling into a last stand against him. Not surprising. What did surprise him, however, was their emotional control, Orcs were known to be brash and short-tempered, after all.


    It might have been a lack of minutiae on his part, but the way they clenched their fists and snarled through gritted fangs despite the clear fear in their beady eyes was worth looking into, "Sup." he eloquently started.


    "You killed Chief Orc. You killed friends. You killed family." one of them blustered, his throaty and craggy voice sounding more annoying than intimidating.


    Stephen''s eyes widened in wonder at the way the Orcs'' clashing emotions kept them from doing anything. Both anger and fear battled it out in their heads, and their primal instinct was getting the edge over their feelings. It was what kept them rooted in their spots, foregoing the seducing whisper that was wheedling them to go against him. He looked like easy prey, but the power he held was not. The trail of blood and flesh their kin had been ground into was perfect proof.


    "Yes, I did. That''s we do in this place, isn''t it? It''s not a ''kill or be killed'' situation anymore, this seems more like a ''kill because I can'' sort of situation. You''ve been there as well, haven''t you?" he driveled on casually, "I have no reason to kill you, nor to spare you. But you''re still alive, all because of someone''s else whimsical wish." he watched as their whitening fists loosened out and their growls ceased. He smiled.


    "What do you want? Why you here? Why you killed us?" the Orcs'' spokesperson queried with a resigned snarl.


    "Weeell... she told you before, didn''t she? You''ve been chosen to be the first ones to join our newly-born ''Let''s all survive the war together!'' legion."


    "..."


    "Don''t make that face, I''m not kidding. Ostensibly, a squabble between the big ones will result in us getting our asses handed for no other reason than because we''re like background furniture to them."


    The Orc scratched his head in confusion, "You talk in riddles."


    "Look, a big bad battle is about to happen soon and eeeeeveryone here is going to die if they don''t team up, which is why we are here... to recruit you dimwits, and you won''t be the only ones. Of course, if you refuse I will just kill you, so all this explanation has literally no meaning because your opinion doesn''t matter." Stephen gave them a pointed look, "Capish?"


    They nodded.


    "Okay okay, don''t be scared, as long as you accept there won''t be any more blood spilled, and we''re all gonna be part of a fam-- of something, fighting for the same goals and ideals!" he waved his arms around to add a more dramatic flavor to his speech, "So?"


    A bout of silence sprung up. The Orcs glimpsed at each other before their shoulders slumped, their expressions embittered yet acquiescent.


    "We... we will join you but... Orcs civilian... they can''t battle, they need protection... don''t kill them please?"


    Stephen caught on their fleeting glances elsewhere and tilted his head to the side. Right behind the gateway, a crowd of Orcs that donned tattered clothes to cover their modesty, and definitely too weak-looking to be anything more than noncombatant civilians had just gathered up. They were shorter and substantially thinner than their combatant counterparts, nevertheless, their size was still huge to a common human. He idly noted that for the most part, they were all females, while the rest infants.


    He frowned. The cluster of minced flesh and limbs strewn over the grassland sparked a downtrodden and indignant glint within their eyes. Thunderclaps rampaged through the clouds as the rain steeped their surroundings in that earthy smell, coupled with a copperish tang from the blood. Stephen regarded that sight with ambivalence. It was more the uncertainty of his actions than anything else. Those Orcs'' feelings felt too real, their anger, their sadness, their grief, their cries.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    They were standing a few yards away from their beloved ones, from those indistinct bogs of body parts and life juice, wholly helpless and unable to do anything about it. He pondered... what would have he done had he been in their place? His frown deepened, and the Orcs afore him took that as an alarming sign and stiffened, their weapons drawn out.


    "It''s okay, we won''t kill them... actually, we''ll take care of them as long as they don''t misbehave." he quickly placated them, "And... can I take it that we''ve come to an agreement?"


    "... Yes..." was their still reluctant reply.


    "Nice... hey, Jadesin! Come over here for a moment, please!" he called out, prompting the lamia in question to raise an eyebrow at him and slither closer.


    "Hmm... seems like you''ve been making friends here. What''s the matter, partner?"


    "These muscleheads here have agreed to join you, in the condition that we''d take care of the civilians," he said.


    Jadesin gave them a bright smile, "You shan''t worry about them, we had no intentions of harming anyone else but the Chief Orc, and I deeply apologize for the casualties, it was not amongst our plan to decimate your tribe like that." at that point she sighed ruefully, and Stephen really had to give the props to her, her act was impeccable, "I''m certain that from now on your aid in our endeavors will be invaluable. As for your accommodations, I hope we can discuss that over a friendlier climate." her smile turned into a puzzled scowl when no answer was given. Her interlocutors just stared at her with a blank expression.


    Stephen almost guffawed at the scene. He then leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "You gotta rephrase that in a way that retarded kids can understand, that''s how you talk to them."


    "Ah... of course."


    <hr>


    Lamias and Orcs alike slowly made their way inside the walls. There was a bit of gunpowder smell between them, but thankfully no fights broke out. Considering that the storm was at its peak, everyone concurred on taking refuge inside their own dwellings before departing en masse when skies cleared out. Stephen sneaked inside his quarters with a huge grin on his face, it was formerly the Chief Orc''s, but after a long-winded discussion to which a few threats were involved, he managed to get it from the still sullen Orcs.


    Not only that, he even acquired a piece of the Chief Orc''s flesh. It had been tantalizing his stomach for quite a while, and now he could finally sate it and even get stronger because of it. How nice was that?


    [You have gained 5 points in Strength.]


    [You have gained 4 points in Encore Power.]


    [You have gained the skill Super Strength, Lv.1]


    [You have gained 1% in Evolution.]


    He burped. There were no notable changes to take notice of, aside from the feeling of his body getting a tad bit lighter. His newest skill seemed useful, but he was more interested in trying something else out.


    The Chains of the Fallen. The name heralded the comeback of zombies, and unless he planned on becoming a street biker he really didn''t see anything to it. He waved his hand up, his eyes glowing brighter as an hexagon-like red pattern swirled to life on the floor, whereupon a black chain shot up from. Stephen eyed it up and down in sheer fascination, the little metallic thing wobbled left and right like a curious snake. In a certain way, it was kinda cute.


    For the next few minutes, he tried to get a hang of it. He learned that his lone chain measured up almost to his same height, which he assumed was around 6 feet. And just as he was about to end his training session and send his new companion to whatever dimension it had stemmed from, the chain bounced up and lashed at him.


    Despite being caught off-guard at the unforeseen development, his hand still moved up and grasped it before it could do some damage to his face.


    "What the hell... are you going against your owner?" he muttered out in disbelief as the chain wriggled and squirmed in his grip, "You fucking little thing, calm down, stop..." of course, his words did nothing to appease it.


    "I. Said. Stop!" he glared at the chain, and it indeed stopped. But as it stood upright, he felt like it was staring at him in defiance. Now, Stephen had seen many things since he came to Relictus, but a wayward chain definitely topped them all. The situation had gone so out of hand that he almost burst out in chuckles from the extreme amusement.


    Maybe it mistook his amused smile for a mocking one for it suddenly resumed its struggling with renewed vigor.


    He just leaned back in his bed and watched the little thing throw a tantrum in his hand, "You done?" it wasn''t, far from it. Unexpectedly, a red sheen sparked up around it like the telltale hints of Encore Augmentation. The chain''s wrestling became more cutthroat, and with a last attempt at freedom, it slipped past his clutches and wrapped around his mouth.


    Stephen blinked. The chain had probably assumed it was suffocating him; it might not have known that he could also breathe through his nose. How fun.


    It kept on squeezing his mouth harder, so he decided to lick it. And like a cat falling down in a bucket of water, the chain creased its back and dove away from him, hiding behind the corner of some kind of poorly-crafted furniture whilst poking out a chainring, and shooting at him with what looked like a ''What the hell did you do to me, flesh-bag!'' glare.


    "Damn, you''re so cute!" he cooed, "I shall name you Lady Chainy, and Imma make sure you''ll be the most badass chain of Alazar."


    "..."

 Chapter 37: Passion In The Air

    The newly named Lady Chainy shimmied around her spot for a couple of seconds, and Stephen wondered if that was her way of asseverating her displeasure. Allegedly, the thought of a pouting chain made his lips twitch up, but he had to hold back. Their feud had come to a temporary deadlock, so he raised his hands up in the universal sign of honesty, "Okay okay, my apologies..." there was still a tinge of amusement in his tone, "... I won''t harm you, I promise." at least not like he had done to the Orcs, honestly, that was brutal even for his standards.


    He huffed out the last vestiges of merriment and adopted a businesslike expression. Lady Chainy plodded out of its hiding and stood upright, seemingly chewing over his words. It was fascinating, in a certain way... that something otherwise deemed expendable and lifeless in his world, a tool, here was a being capable of thoughts and decisions. Or that was what it looked like. He tried to convey his sincerity through his eyes; there was a link between them, and he wanted to further explore that.


    Just as it started crawling forward, a series of knocks on his door poured cold water on their evolving interactions. Lady Chainy bounced up in fright at the noise before diving downward, right where a crimson pattern of hieroglyphs coiled to life, swallowing its caller back to whatever fictional world it had spawned from. Stephen stood there, alone.


    "Stephen?" Jadesin''s voice wafted from the other side, "Is it a bad time?"


    He couldn''t fault her for awful timing, "No... not at all, Jadesin. You may come in." he mentally resolved to call upon that chain again, and resume their unfinished communication.


    The door creaked open as Jadesin slithered in, "Hey." she smiled with a wave of her hand.


    "Howdy!" he returned.


    She giggled in her hand, "Sorry for the intrusion. I just wanted to thank you." she proceeded to sit down next to him.


    "It''s okay, we had a deal after all." he shrugged, "And it was not much of hard work anyway, I expected them to be stronger."


    "Uh-huh... tooootally not strong." she bit back a chortle as she stared at him from the corner of her eyes, "Have you never thought that maybe, just maybe, it''s you who''s way strong for your Rank?"


    "Of course I did, you silly snake. I was just fishing for compliments." he stuck his tongue out at her, and she returned the gesture with a playful smile.


    It was this kind of childish banter between them that lit something inside her, like it always did when they jested around, or just generally shared a good laugh, "You''re so immature." she wrinkled her nose before shoulder-bumping him. He accepted the challenge and shoved back, almost prompting her to tumble out of the bed. Now he sported that shit-eating grin she''s been starting to love and yearn for.


    Jadesin eventually smirked and stood back up, "Ohh you shouldn''t have!"


    "Oh gosh... oh no... please... I''m so scared..." Stephen cowered in faux fear.


    She snorted at his theatricals and snagged the pillow behind them, "Time to enact revenge!" with that last determined holler, she started wallopping the fluffy weapon in her clutches onto him.


    Of course, Stephen just took in stride and let himself be punished, chuckling alongside her.


    The barrage of soft battering petered off when a panting Jadesin let her arms sling by her sides, "Uhh... you give up?" she pressed on, her face flushed.


    He answered with a huff and a roll of his eyes, "Awh c''mon... why did you stop? Here, I''ll show you how it''s done."


    "N-No... there''s no nee-- Ahh!"


    Stephen snatched the pillow from her hands and started clobbering the soft cushion against her back. Jadesin leaked a cute yelp of surprise as she curled herself into a ball, her hands forming a cocoon around her head, "Woman of little faith. That''s what happens when you try to challenge my throne."


    "It''s you who challenged me!" she shot back.


    "No, you!"


    "No!"


    He abruptly halted his bashing, "Prove it." and narrowed his eyes, "Or you''ll face dire consequences."


    "W-What..." her expression blanked out, "I... I have a reputation to hold, you can''t just humiliate me like this!" yet the corners of her mouth couldn''t help but curve up, her eyes wholly betraying the mirth she was feeling. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "There''s no one here, and it was you who slapped me with the glove first." he cackled evilly, "Now..." the shadow of his fingers loomed over her willowy and retreating figure, before he assailed her tummy in a storm of tickles.


    "Pwahahaha-- Nooahahahaha! Ste-Stephen!" Jadesin''s giggles started ringing out through the room as she tried wrestling her way out of his attacks. Ultimately, her tail looped around Stephen as she grappled his hands to a stop. The sudden freeze in their movements caused gravity to chime in and, considering the weird angle they entwined themselves into, they rolled to the side and slid down into a prone position. This time with her on top of him, her serpentine lower half still wrapped around his waist.


    Her eyes splayed wide open when they made direct contact with Stephen''s ones, her reflection wavering inside the mirror-illusion of his crimson orbs. Their faces were a shy breath''s away from each other, shy just like the leap her heart did, afraid of thumping too loud and disrupt the moment. Her breathing pattern changed after she gulped down the lump of nervousness and excitement down her throat. And now they were bathing each other in their breaths.


    Stephen opened his mouth to say something... anything -- but all the noises had quietened down, as if God himself had used his remote controller of creation to mute the world. The way her ebony-black hair deluged on his face, or the fruity scent of her lips prickling his nose, lingering at the tip, to remind him she had yet to move away. It was all a blend of sensations that had his heart pumping out fire, and everything else became irrelevant in his dizzy world. Natasha''s face now just a background blur.


    Jadesin''s grip on him tightened. It was a subconscious hint, just like the way she wetted her lips in preparation. She leaned in, halfway there, waiting for him to reciprocate... or waiting for herself to wake up, in her bed, alone.


    There was something about the tension in the air, the wait before the act. Stephen couldn''t help but fall in love with the feeling, the adrenaline, and everything in between. It was so surreal and... phantasmagoric. Who would have thought almost three weeks ago that he would have traveled to another world... or that he''d be soon making out with a half-snake half-woman? He snorted a chuckle as he closed the gap, their lips finally connecting.


    A shiver sparked down their spines. The pressure between them was like the charged sky outside, breeding bolts of lightning. Jadesin melted as their lips mashed and danced to the beat of their hearts. This was not like anything she had ever read in her sappy romance journals. This was much more powerful. Alive.


    Their kissing was sloppy at first, but once their hesitancy and their first-time jitters were swept away by their salacity, their movements grew needier. She yanked him by the collar, hooking her arms around his neck as she pushed herself more into the kiss. Stephen grabbed her face with his hands, his fingers brushing the underside of her ears, right behind her earlobe, eliciting a delightful moan out of her.


    And then he parted her lips, knocking at her teeth with his tongue. He wanted to take it a step further, and she was clearly giddy at the idea. Her own tongue shot out of the boundaries of her oral cavity, just like a curious octopus poking a tendril out of its cave. They entwined and waltzed in a flaming tango of passion and lust. Her nails sank into his flesh as she grunted in arousal, all of her mouth nerves teased by his appendage.


    Stephen licked and sucked, tasting the floar and exotic taste of berries and something else he couldn''t quite put his finger on it. She was delicious, and it was a wonder how neither of them was hurt by how much their teeth clacked during their make-out session.


    Their hands toured each other''s bodies, exploring each other''s anatomy differences... until their lungs expressed their unsatisfaction and hereafter the urgent need for oxygen stopped them, leaving a slobbering mess of saliva behind.


    "Stephen..." she whispered, breathing heavily, "Stephen... Stephen Stephen Stephen Stephen. My Stephen..." and then she loosened out a full-blown laugh into his chest, "My Stephen. Mine... mine... you''re mine right?"


    "And then she went nuts." Stephen chuckled to himself.


    She swatted him in the arm good-naturedly, still basking in... everything, "I can''t believe we did that." her fingers traced over her lips fondly as she snuggled herself deeper into his bosom. Her heart had yet to cease its race, and her frame couldn''t stop trembling. The sudden explosion of emotions in her mind fogged up everything, clouding her surroundings in a haze of beautiful colors. There was just him and her. Just him... and her. Alone. Forever.


    That sounded so lovely and romantic in her head.


    "Yeah... that was wow."


    "We''ve only known each other for a couple of days, yet... yet... you stirred emotions in me that-- that..."


    Stephen wrapped his arms around her, "My sentiments exactly..."


    "You''re not disgusted by me because I''m different, right? Right? I don''t have legs-- and--and... this... this ugly tail here--"


    "It''s okay! I don''t care..."


    "But... but..."


    "Jadesin!"


    She looked up, sniffing a bit.


    His finger brushed off a stray string of leftover saliva at the side of her mouth and... lapped his tongue over it, "There''s nothing of you that repulses me..." he then gently grabbed her hand, and sensually led it southward, where a painful bulge in his pants took the spotlight, "... or I wouldn''t have been so turned on. And I''m quite the explorer myself, while you are uncharted territory. Just let me take the risk." the unwanted image of a smiling Natasha popped up in his head, but the woman in front of him had literally and magically thawed his heart. So skillful was she in enrapturing him. Like a ballerina on a stage, merrily skipping and bouncing away under floodlights, dancing only for him.


    He could see it in her eyes, he was the only one she would ever dance for.


    "Stephen..." Jadesin stared at him in a daze, as if she had finally found the exit of the maze of negativity she had willingly plunged herself into, "Oh Stephen..." and then she forcefully clutched his shoulders and released an animalistic and wanton growl, "Time to enact revenge!"


    "What? Again?"


    "Yes!"


    She giggled as she grabbed the pillow, but instead of using it to trounce him up... she hurled it away, "Nah... forget it. You deserve a reward." she shoved her head closer and planted a long chain of kisses all over his face, both of them laughing as he tried to catch her elusive lips, only to get a peck somewhere on his face.