CHPT 164: Wielder of the Wild.
The eye in the sky now had a front row seat to a fight never before seen by man. A fight between two forces secretly living under the noses of everything.
The Demon infected Arachnoid and the last Lupine of Romulus were similar in that way. Both fighting with the struggles of being Reborn as something entirely different, one destined to rip the other to shreds so small they'd be carried away in the winds by morning.
***
This was Claude's second encounter with something Demonic— more encounters than any 15 year old should have. First as a young and weak teen with no idea of what he was doing and simply following the burning desire to survive, while also saving his friends. And now— not much time has passed, yet still, he faced the horrible creature as a more matured and battle hardened monster in his own right.
The fear that gripped his heart the first time was still there— but it was now vastly overshadowed by the looming figure of hatred and rage boiling inside him. The very thing that forcefully changed him and called the predators of the wild to join him. To help him obliterate everything his hazy red vision fell on.
Claude stood, staring at the Arachnoids for a long stretch of seconds. The only sounds disrupting the unearthly still silence of the village were their deep breaths and snarls.
Through his bloody vision, he continued to see himself standing in the room full of blood and guts— the room that signified his failure. Every one of those men, women and children needed a Hero. They needed what he proudly considered himself to be. And he was nowhere to be found.
As much as he wanted to lash out and blame the Hero's who abandoned the people on the outskirts, he couldn't. The only people to blame right now were himself and the creatures in front of him.
"Fuck....." He spoke drunkenly in a bottomless and throaty growl that silenced everything.
While he fought to speak the human language, he lifted his right hand and pointed at the leader. Smokey verdant wisps of energy spewed from his palm and cloaked his clawed fingers like green fire.
If the Arachnoids were humans, now would be the time for them to start feeling intense amounts of dread.
"Fuck....you....ALL!!!" He roared, slinging frothy spit from his maw as he snapped the hand used to point at them closed into a fist.
CWSHHHH!
As soon as his hand snapped closed, the green energy blossomed and the ground beneath the Arachnoids rumbled like an earthquake was starting. Before they could move, wooden talons, roots, and vines burst from the ground, mimicking Claude's hand closing into a fist around the creatures.
"HSKHKSKS!!!!" They hissed and thrashed violently while they fought against the earthbound claws crushing them.
Claude brought his green flaming fist to his face, closing it so tight that blood leaked from his palms and poured down his arms. What he didn't know is, he began to use a new form of power to continue punishing the monsters and unleashing his rage.
The Wild Magic in the air began being sucked like a vacuum as Claude grabbed incredible amounts of it unconsciously. He forced it into his body, into the ground and into the natural claws that gripped the Arachnoids.
CWSHCWSHHH!!
Thick and luminous grass burst from the dirt road they stood on and vines climbed up the walls of the cabins surrounding them— the village was being overrun by Nature. While this happened, the magic made it to the restrained creatures.
Suddenly, the natural claws started growing again, twisting and grinding the Arachnoids inside as the wooden tendrils fought to grow into trees around the spiders.
The HellBred Arachnoid fought to avoid the madness and now stood behind its subordinates that were slowly being broken and ripped as the trees fought to grow through and around them.
Before it could attack, Claude spoke again, differently than before. He spoke human words in English— but it was changed. Just like the time when he was Reborn and called the Birds to tear apart the snake. He spoke in a voice lined with his overpowering intent and willpower— allowing all the animals at his side to perfectly understand what he wanted with no chance of confusion.
"Rip them to pieces!" He snarled.
It seemed like all of SkyHaven silenced in response. His words cut through the trees and rumbled across the earth like rolling thunder.
The silence was cut immediately as the enraged predators behind him heard his words. In unison their eyes flared chaotically, representing all shapes and colors of the wild lands. Greens, yellows, reds, blues. They all flashed, lined with fury and focused on the Arachnoids in the growing trees.
Violence was in fact here.
The predators roared and snarled before taking off, being led by Frosty and the giant Phantom Legion as they shook the earth and tore up the grass only to have it immediately regrown behind them.
The slowly forming trees bent and creaked as Snakes slithered up the bark, Wild Cats clawed up over them, Wolves powerfully lunged for the spider limbs hanging out from inside the trees and Birds crashed through the branches to reach the enemy.
In seconds, blood began spraying into the air and on the grass forming a light red fog.
Claude roared violently, encourage the animals to continue ripping and tearing everything to absolute nothingness.
Only one was left with a chance to fight.
"Hsksksk...." The HellBred Arachnoid paced behind the carnage, readying itself to fight.
The challenge in its eyes called to the Lupine side in Claude, causing him to begin slowly walking towards his opponent.
The Arachnoid started walking backwards at his advance. Claude continued his walk towards the creature, smelling the blood in the air as he passed the animals ripping apart the Arachnoids.
Every step felt easier after he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck in response to the continued growth of his traps and arm muscles. When he was done, he shook his head and snarled, now more than ready to fight.
The creature seemed to be at a similar stage after it tore up the ground with its sharp legs like a bull preparing to charge.
There was nothing to be said, only blood to be spilled.
Out of nowhere, the two monsters burst from their positions moving unlike anything remotely human.
Claude took a few steps before abandoning the ground and taking to the night skies above with a single explosive leap that split the ground beneath him.
WOOM!
"RAGH!"
WSH!
He came down swinging at the Arachnoids face and horns that distorted the air with their immense heat.
It sidestepped at speeds that marveled his own. Luckily his attack wasn't over.
Following his swing, a flock of Birds dive bombed the creature, copying the arc of his attack as if they were a distant extension of his own limbs.
"SKWAAARK!" They came in slashing and clawing at the Arachnoid with their sharp talons.
"HSKHKSHKS!!!" The monster let out defiant shrill and brought its exoskeleton covered arms up to shield its face.
The flock of birds continued terrorizing the Arachnoid until suddenly the entire area became incredibly cold and the Arachnoids horns started to glow and spark.
"HKSHAAAAA!!!!!"
FWSHHHH!!
Impossibly dark red fire spewed from its mouth and burned a handful of the birds to a crisp, causing the creature to feel a surge or rage radiating from the Wolf monster behind it.
Fwoo!
It spun around just in time to see Claude lunging and clamping his powerful hand around its neck.
A thick silver and black snake coiled and slithered down the path of his thick and striated fur covered arm muscles. The snake flowed down his arm and onto the monster where it fastened itself around its neck. Another quickly slithered up Claude's leg as him and the monster struggled with each other.
"HkSK!" It protested loudly as the two snakes double wrapped around its neck, cutting off its air completely.
With that done, Claude let go of its neck and kicked the creature in its solar plexus so hard that it tore up the ground it slid over with ease.
As it was pushed away, it found itself looking at the Wolf monsters eyes that were now slitted like the snakes around its neck while its lengthened canines secreted a steamy green liquid. It could no longer place what the monster was accurately.
The Arachnoids stumbled to a stop, hacking and fighting to breathe as it tried to get a grip on the snakes tightening around its throat.
Claude took the opportunity and advanced.
He charged in with his claws raised and aiming at the creatures face.
"HSK!!"
FWoo!
"HisSs....." The Snakes hissed angrily as the Arachnoid ripped them off and threw them to the side just in time to perceive Claude's attack.
"HKSHKHSSH!"
FWO!
Crack!
Right before Claude's claws could rip into the creatures face, it swung its front leg at lightning speeds, flicking him into the air and across the village.
As he spun and rolled through the air, passing cabin after cabin, his hand started to glow.
The trees hummed and shivered in response before branches twisted and combined, shooting in through the backs of homes and emerging out of the broken windows in the front.
Fwoo!
Claude's hand shot out, latching into one of the thick branches that now burst from the cabins and into the street, causing him to avoid crashing into something and knocking himself unconscious.
He swung from the branch and landed on the ground rolling before turning and heading back after his opponent.
Wolves and Coyotes led by an invisible force emerged from behind the cabins he passed, joining into the run behind him and forming a stampeding canine pack.
"HSKHS!" The Arachnoids welcomed the oncoming attack with a wicked grin that showed the steam trailing from its mouth. It looked like it was ready to recreate hell on earth. Claude was ready to do the same in his own way.
As he continued running, he slowly found himself on all fours, padding through the grass at speeds so fast that he was slowly becoming a black blur. Faster, faster, stronger. The Wild Magic he pulled into himself was also being fed to the pack of canines behind him until they all became high speed glowing eyed balls of fur and rage.
In seconds, they cleared the stretch of land.
He once again leapt into the air, causing grass and dust to explode from the ground in his wake.
FWOOOSH!!!!
He roared and reached out for the Arachnoid with his long black claws.
The Arachnoid was ready as heat and flames bubbled inside its throat.
"HKSHAAA!!"
FwooOOo!
The fire erupted from its mouth like gate to hell was blasted open inside of the creature. Due to the unnatural amount of speed Claude generated, he sailed over the creature without being burnt.
He landed tumbling and rolling over the grass behind it.
Before the Arachnoid could turn to attack him, it had to deal with the pack.
Out of nowhere an incredibly heavy unseen force landed on its chest, biting and ripping its exoskeleton, followed by the other Wolves and Coyotes clawing at its eyes and arms.
The onslaught was fast and over quickly with the pack scattering and running to Claude, now aware of the HellFire it could spew at any moment.
It turned around facing the Wolf monster and his pack with two eyes clawed out completely. The invisible creature at the Wolf monsters side— only visible by the blood that coated its teeth, coughed and spit out one of the Arachnoid's eyes before quickly stomping it.
Suddenly, Claude raised his hand again, the Arachnoid flinched reflexively only to find no energy surrounding his gnarly fingers.
Instead he turned his hand to point to the forest on the right of the Arachnoid while still staring it down.
In response the creature looked. It's face somehow paled while it's head leaned back further and further as it fought to look up at the giant Wolf in the woods.
"grrrRRRR!" The giant black shadow snarled, shaking its whole body that stood as tall as the trees while it stared down the creature with eyes like the moon.
In its stunned state, shadows burst from the giant wolf, dancing and splitting until the shadow manipulated creature fell down into a pack of 6 black wolves that burst from the forest charging at the Arachnoid.
"HskhSHA!" It stumbled back spitting out small tufts of hellfire that missed the wolves as they circled it, biting and scratching until they ripped off two of its back legs.
Shrip!....SHRIP!
The Wolves scattered only to join the pack of creatures now sitting behind Claude who still stood watching.
The Arachnoid hissed loudly and charged at him angrily.
Fwoo!
Claude took off snarling.
SMACK!
The two met each other, clasping hands together as they fought to overpower one another.
Muscles rippled and veins bulged as Claude pushed against the creatures strong arms. The two continued for another handful of seconds, over time one thing was becoming clear. Claude was losing.
Cr...crsh!
The ground beneath his feet cracked and crushed as he was beginning to be overpowered.
"nnNNOO!" He roared as chaotic shades of green condensed Wild Magic flowed into his mouth, nose and body, lending him incredible amounts of power.
With the increase of power, his grip crushed the Arachnoids hands.
Crsh!
"Hskk!"
Plants and roots rose up from the ground, twisting and pulling the spider beneath him like a king forcing a subordinate to bow.
As he stepped out of the cratered earth he stood in, he now towered over the Arachnoid that was being swallowed by Nature.
It hissed angrily as red veins around its neck and horns illuminated brilliantly.
He knew what was coming, causing him to quickly dodge to the left and grab ahold of the wiry dry mess of hair on its head and yank it back.
"HKShkSHAAA!" It roared as its head was forced back, making the blast of heat miss its target and instead pierce into the night sky.
At the same time, Claude reached out with his glowing left hand.
Fwoosh!
A single spike of wood blasted from the ground, he broke it off and stabbed it down the monsters throat with a vicious snarl of effort.
"RAGH!"
SHNK!
The Nature continued to climb and feed off of the Wild Magic he poured into the earth until its arms and legs were completely restrained by it.
The fight was over. But this wasn't just a fight. Absolute violence begins now.
The animals around him snarled, hissed and growled in response to what they sensed was about to happen. They could smell it in the air.
"I'm keeping my second promise. I SWEAR IT!" He roared before lunging at the restrained and helpless monster.
In a blur of movement he began the massacre in the name of revenge.
The predators howled and roared as he punched, kicked, clawed and head butted the monster relentlessly, tearing up the natural binds he made that fought to regrow themselves.
Slowly, the blood and violence completely transformed him. He began pulling ungodly amounts of Wild Magic that lined every punch, every swipe of his claws and growth of his Nature until it copied his movements performing as extra limbs.
Poom!.....Poom!....SHRIP!....Crack!....Boom!...Boom!
Every hit was now copied by a wooden tendril somewhere else that plunged into the creatures armor and ripped its insides.
Slowly it was being ground and punctured into nothingness. New holes were made only to be torn and further ripped into by Lupine claws.
Milliseconds, seconds, minutes of bloody madness passed and all that was left was its head and spine.
"Come here!!!" He roared at the long dead creature before ripping its remains out of the natural restraints.
He turned to the pack of predators that fought to help him get to this moment— helped him keep his promise, and snarled, raising the head and bloody spine of the hideous monster in an all too primal way of signifying their win.
They all joined in a violent roar that shook the ground and crumbled the cabins around them further.
He finished it all with one loud and vicious rip that tore its spine in two.
As he fell to his knees from exhaustion, he looked up at the Moon through the thin red mist of blood that hung on the air and howled loudly. Howled for his own failure, the loss of lives and the moment of triumph that followed. The moment of vengeance.
Once he let out the somber intense cry, he collapsed.
Absolute violence was promised. Absolute violence was given in full.
[+100 EXP]
[+90 EXP]
[+120 EXP]
[+110 EXP]
[+120 EXP]
[+450 EXP]
DING!
[Your Tamed PitWolf has Leveled Up!]
[You have Leveled Up!]
[+1 Skill Point]
"[.....Dear god.]"