CHPT 532: King of The Pit

Ursula was never much of a runner— or an agile spirit in any regard. Then Claude gave her a new power. He saved her life. He was competitive in that way. Couldn't let her have the last save. But even then, her strength and defense was what truly blossomed.

Hell, if she ate enough, she could turn into a giant. She felt it. Food rested inside her differently. Her gift was there. Born from somewhere on her fathers side. An infinitely long line of imposing and dense angry men.

That was her power.

That's what she thought. But now being in the face of what could only be described as true power….. she'd never felt so outclassed. Hanging by a thread. The thread was brea—

ROAGGH!!

An Orc ripped through a tree, swinging a dead student at them so hard the body splattered and splayed across the hideous dry landscape from pure force. Ursula braced herself for the guts and blood. Tried to stop the shift only for it all to recollect and shift into a slithering blood snake.

Ursula kept on, swinging her axes in a wild downward cleave.

CRNCH!

"Keep collecting!"

The axes bit down into the bovine beasts shoulders that looked like pads covered in animal skin. Blood squirted and flew like moths to a flame…. If said flame came in the form of a circling blood serpent.

The Orc roared and shoved her. Ursula slapped her clawed hands on its back. The hooks dug in and kept her in its face. Away from the rest of her team.

[Berserkers Rage: 36...38%]

As if the Orc had a similar meter within, it growled and head butted her so hard her helmet cracked and her vision liquified.

[78% HP Remaining]

Her hands burst with wild electrical blue and red steam as she absorbed the Orcs rage and a portion of its strength. It's anger was revitalizing, solidifying her vision as it frayed her sanity.

She grinned at the tusked boar beast with white eyes and sent her own head but. It's skull bounced off the bark of the tree at its back. She then grabbed it by the face and raked out its eyes with her claws, dropping it to one knee before yanking its head back.

She roared at Maris from the depths of her animal skull berserker helm.

Maris was multilingual in that way. She nodded and stopped spinning the now twelve foot long steaming blood serpent riding a mini heat tornado. With a single swing of her sword, she sent the elemental apparition straight into the Orcs face.

FWWWKSSHHHH!!

The blast flayed the Orcs head leaving a gaping steaming hole full of blood and giblits that dripped and dropped between the crevices of its unbroken skull.

It's head fell forward on a dead neck as it slid down onto its rear end.

[+400 EXP]

Ursula ripped her axes out of its shoulders.

"Fuck….. every one is like a Boss Battle….."

"Can't imagine how we beat the boss…." Isaac commented as a tidal wave of sand rose up above the treeline twisting and solidifying with the unstable blasts of purple fire and lightning. Orcs roared madly in the distance.

Much closer footsteps approached.

Warren spun around and sent an arrow. It whistled through the air and punctured something with a wet squelch followed by a canine yelp.

He panicked thinking of Frosty before they all got hit by a vibrant yellow dominance wave in the shape of a massive Orc with a Wolfs face.

It tackled Warren and slammed him into the floor so hard blood flew out of his mouth. Before he could recover, a trio of PitWolves burst from a line of half dead greenery.

Isaac Maris and Ursula guarded him. But Ursula dropped her guard.

They weren't on the offensive.

Tails low. Fur sleek against their skin. Muscles unflexed. Heads low. They were all but rolling into themselves. Fleeing. Cowering.

The PitWolves bolted past them.

Something swung from the trees. Claws grabbing the bark so hard it ripped off chunks, showering them in sawdust.

FWOO

AARP!

The lead fleeing PitWolf yelped as Claude fell from the sky and tackled the Wolf.

The two rolled until Claude causally got his footing and stood with the Wolf, throwing it up into the trees where Loba snatched it up and killed it with a deadly bite to the throat.

The remaining PitWolves tried to go the other way to escape Claude only for Frosty push past Ursula and the others to cut off the Wolves and send a fiery cyan Dominance Wave at them. At the same time, Claude did the same, sandwiching the Wolves in overwhelming power.

Claude stopped the moment the PitWolves laid down and rolled over. Immediately after, the black and red furred beasts readjusted themselves and got to their feet, regarding Claude in a new light.

They dropped their heads and he returned the favor. They then joined the dozen or more other PitWolves surrounding them.

"So that's where you've been…?" Warren commented as he looked at all the PitWolves. Then back to Claude who was lined with bleeding bite marks and ... glowing muscles?

"This is the only way we get out of here. I can't dominate the Alpha PitWolves…. Meaning they're a higher level than me by a lot. Meaning the Boss is going to be a pain in the ass….. unless…"

Ursula threw up her hands.

"You guys ever hear about Orc Tangents sometimes getting overrun by PitWolves…? All under one leader that becomes a Boss on its own." Claude explained.

"My dad had to complete one of those once. It's where my mom lost her finger." Isaac said.

"That's what I have to do. Students are dying everywhere. We're outclassed to shit…. I need to become the King of the Pit."

"And your sure you can tame that many..?" Warren asked.

Claude simply eyed him as another team of Orcs leading PitWolves appeared in the distance.

"Let's get to work."