Strange Invasions (Part 2)

"Aaaahh...a Heavenkin..." a goblin said with tears in his eyes.

"So majestic...so divine..." a orc said with tears in his eyes as well.

The rest knelt down to Arex, treating her as a form of high authority. Friis and Zherk knelt down as well. But their minds remain clear.

"Wait, why is young Kain not kneeling before the Heavenkin? Could he be...?" Friis thought as he was kneeling with his head down.

The silver sparkles faded and the goblins and orcs's impulses to kneel faded along with it. They now see Arex normally without breaking into tears or prostrating themselves.

"Greetings, I am the Arex, the Archangel." Arex introduced herself, giving a curtsy.

"You have slain Hellkins before?" Friis asked.

"Yes, I have slain 2 Hellkins so far that came after Kain's life." Arex nodded.

"What rank are you currently in, if I may ask." Friis asked.

"Rank V+." Arex answered promptly.

The masses gasped and bickered.

"But we can't get careless just by Arex's appearance. A Hellkin hypnotizing multiple monsters and attacking when you were vulnerable indicates that Hellkin is strong. No, that Hellkin can very easily conquer Dystoark if it wanted to." I said.

That's how the majority of Hellkins do, they toy with their prey, give them false hopes only to crush them in the end, inflicting despair to rob their will to live.

But their inherent sadism can be a weakness. If the Hellkin really knows what to do, they expand their influence beyond Dystoark and go beyond the Telgrin Mountains, threatening kingdoms if not continents.

"Are you saying that the Hellkin can kill us whenever it likes?" Zherk growled as he clenched his fists, trembling in anger.

"Yeah, but that's a good thing. It gives us time to prepare. I will leave Gris and Noire to protect your village, Friis. Next, I will send Stein and Flammen to your village, Zherk." I said.

"Are they...?" Stein asked so I answered.

"Rock Bear and Flame Bear, but better than those you faced." I said.

"You're planning to fight back?" Friis asked.

"Better, I'm bringing the fight to the Hellkin." I smirked. "Zala."

*Shoom!*

I call out to Zala and she jumped out of the shadows, sputtering. Her jet black fur so dark that it could absorb light itself, preventing escape, like a black hole.

"Meet Zala, the Obsidian Steed. She's excellent for long distance travel and running through the battlefield while I was on top attacking." I said as I pet Zala.

The crowd was stunned, but then recovered.

"Friis, I'm going to need you to come with me." I said.

"Why? I must stay with my people." Friis protested.

"I'll protect them, I have this sword, Turbulent Wave with me!" Hyoran said, as she raised her sword as she is wagging her tail.

"Seeing that you helped repel the wolves, I shall trust you." Friis said. I led Friis to Zala and helped him climb onto Zala, thanks to the saddle.

"Young Kain, before you depart, I must tell you that I know where each race for the villages resides." Friis said. "The closest is Zherk's village."

"Then we'll go there first. Make sure you hold on tight, because she's fast." I said.

Friis grabs onto the saddle and his spear tightly and I whipped the reins.

*Neiiigh!*

Zala neighs and began running through the forest. Friis' body was sent backward, but did not fall as he held tightly.

"Such speed! But the trees are numerous! We'll collide with one of them!" Friis yelled as we speed through the forest.

"That is why Zala got Shadow Sneak! Do it now!" I said and we soon went into darkness.

"Urk!?" Friis wanted to gasp, but no air went into his lungs. In the murky shadowy world, no air can enter.

"I can't breathe! I can't see anything!" Friis thought.

"Not good, he didn't hold his breath." I thought as I was looking back at him. I cancel Shadow Sneak and went back to normal, arriving Zherk's village with Orcs.

Friis gasped to catch his breath and blinked his eyes to adjust the sudden light. As he gained his senses, he finds out that he is in Zherk's village where all the orcs points their weapons at us.

"Who are you!?" one of the orc's yelled.

"Lower your weapons, I come in peace!" Friis yelled as he jumped off of Zala. I jumped off and dropped my halberd too. One of the orcs recognizes Friis and motioned the other orcs to stand down.

"Friis, where is Chieftain Zherk?" the orc said.

"Zherk is currently in my village about the caravan which was unfortunately destroyed." Friis answered.

"Oh no...that must mean our supplies are destroyed too." one orc lamented.

"And the boy?" the orc said as he pointed at me.

"Name's Kain. I'm gonna get to the point." I said. "The Rock Bears you fought are hypnotized and trying to wear you down."

"We knew that, but who is doing it?" the orc said.

"The Hellkin, a strong one at that." I said. The orcs gasps and trembled from mentioning that race. "That is why I will send my monsters to help you."

I soon opened a rift and called out to Stein and Flammen. They walked through the rift and I closed it behind them.

Every orc including Friis was shocked.

"Did that human do that?" one of the orcs said.

"You can do that?" Friis said.

"Yeah, I can do if--" I cut my sentence short when I felt a hostile presence behind me and I launched a spear of ice in that direction.

*Stab!*

*Krrrk!*

I looked back and saw a small green bird who had the same purple-pink eyes, frozen stiff and in two pieces.

[F rank target slain. 1000 EP acquired.]

Friis and the orc walked up behind me and looked at that bird who saw the same eyes.

"Don't tell me..." Friis gasped.

"We're being watched, we can't waste any more time. Which place is closest to the orcs?" I said.

"The Ogres and then above them are the Aerokin." Friis said. "Remember, the Aerokin are atop the same mountains the Ogres reside in."

I nodded and I went to evolve Stein and Flammen. I kept Stein to use Earth Magic and control the battlefield.

[Rock Bear > Land Bear > Hill Bear > Mountain Bear > Quake Bear]

[Flame Bear > Blaze Bear > Crimson Bear > Crimson Flare Bear]

"Stein, Flammen! Evolution!" I said.

[Acknowledged, now evolving...]

*ROOOOAAAARRR!!!*

Stein and Flammen roared to the sky and raging flames and large, dense rocks surround them respectively.

The orcs and Friis cover their ears from the deafening roar, the trees and the weaker monsters flee immediately from that roar.

"Young Kain...are they evolving?!" Friis yelled.

"Yep, multiple times. Usually I stay here and watch them grow, but we gotta focus on the Hellkin." I said. I jumped onto Zala and helped Friis get on.

"Arex, can you see the Aerokin settlement in the mountains?" I said through telepathy.

Arex, who is high above the trees of Dystoark looks around and sees a settlement at the top of the mountains. A castle like settlement with wide entrances that allows them to enter and exit.

"Yes, I see it is under attack by multiple flying monsters. Can you use your Space Magic there?" Arex said.

"Yeah, that's our next goal." I replied. I turned to Friis and let him know.

"We're going to the Aerokin." I said to him.

"Even if it is closest, we are still at risk of getting attacked along the way." Friis said.

"No worries, for I can get us there quick."

*BOOM!*

*CRASH!*

The evolution quickly ended before we set out. I look to see Stein's and Flammen's new forms.

Steinberg is now bigger and have bronze fur. He then have the plated rock armor that is thicker and given a bronze like color. His claws are thicker and Stein's head now became protected by the Rock Armor, like a helmet.

[Evolution complete, Steinberg has evolved to Quake Bear.]

[Due to evolution, Steinberg has risen to Rank S+.]

[Skills acquired for Steinberg. Terror, Valorous, Earth Magic-XIV, Lightning Nullification, Ice Resistance, Water Resistance, Poison Resistance, Super Strength, Super Endurance, Superspeed Regeneration, Bronze Rock Armor, Immovable]

Flammenberg also changed in size and his red fur became a shiny crimson with orange flame patterns at his legs.

[Evolution complete, Flammenberg has evolved to Crimson Flame Bear.]

[Due to evolution, Flammenberg has risen to Rank V.]

[Skills acquired for Flammenberg. Fire Magic-XV, Wind Resistance, Poison Resistance, Terror, Bravery, Iron Skin, Superspeed Regeneration, Super Strength, Enhanced Endurance, Berserker, Flame Armor, Water Ward-V, Ice Ward-III.]

With that, they should make the orc's jobs much easier.

Friis and I jumped onto Zala and opened the rift to see the stone, castle-like houses. That is our next destination.

*Vwoom!*

Zala jumped through the rift and I closed it behind us. It was thanks to Arex's sharp vision that she managed to pinpoint a safe location.

"We're here in a blink of an eye...amazing." Friis said.

We began walking upwards and see multiple flying monsters dead on the ground, riddled with arrows and piercing wounds on the larger ones.

"These wounds are still fresh. A battle has happened just recently." Friis said.

I look around and see few dead Aerokins laying about.

"Looks like they took some losses as well." I said.

Suddenly, Zala and I felt a sense of danger. Zala jumped back and a hail of arrows struck the ground.

"Not another step, intruder!" yelled a female voice. We look up to see many Aerokins flapping their wings in place. Wings in the shapes and designs of Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Vultures, Owls, Swans, Crows, and many more.

As I look closely, they're wrapped in bandages and some have newly formed scars.

We reached the destination, but it's gonna be rough convincing them as they went through a lot.