Ape

Skull successfully chops the end of two tentacles, and an electric barrier zaps a third, the final one gets through and knocks Skull back after hitting him across the shoulder.

"How did he shrug off your attack?" Talon backs Skull up as he uses the wind to push the tentacles away.

"It's probably this new look of his, he's adapting to my attacks." Skull dissipates all the electricity flowing around him.

"So we should finish him off quickly then."

"Couldn't agree more."

Ten tentacles reach for the duo, Skull and Talon carve through them, but their cuts get more and more shallow.

"Talon, hit me with your wind!" Skull stands ahead of Talon waiting.

"I hope you know what your doing." He blasts Skull with a huge gust of wind, launching him towards Whip.

With violent speed Skull smashes his fist into Whip, who then goes flying through a tree. Skull collapses the tree onto Whip, his tentacles halt as he gets crushed.

"So something can hurt him." Skull noticed one of Whip's feet was withered, before walking away.

"Is that it?" Talon makes his way back to Skull.

"No."

Within a dark and gritty swamp a pile of rotted wood houses a colony of dangerous parasite monsters.

A knight stands looking at the cesspool. "I seriously doubt I'm the only one who could exterminate these." He sighs, before raising an oiled sword and lighting it ablaze. "Let's just make this quick." He raises the blade and his muscles pulsate and grow.

He hacks away at the pile, the wood ignites and the larger parasites die, the rest attempt to escape until the knight uses a scroll, causing a cage of light to close them off. "That's most dealt with, now for the little ones." He then takes a spear to pierce the remaining monsters.

A pygmy parasite, the size of a small leach, makes its way up a tree, it hides as he finishes off the hive.

"That should be them all, but just in case, I'll check the radius for any living creatures. There's one left. Where is it?" He casts a spell using another scroll, this one acting like a sonar.

The pygmy attempts to escape by following a branch that extends through the barrier. The knight moves under the branch just as it snaps. The sound of flesh ripping and bone cracking fills the air, the knight's eyes glaze over as the pygmy lays burrowed in the knight skull.

The fallen tentacles turn completely black and red veins bulge out from them.

"Get ready to hold it back, I have an idea." The pair watch as the Tentacles are filled with new life and whip around violently.

"Alright, but where's your sword?" The wind envelopes Talon as he waits for Skull's command.

"I don't need it." Skull lifts his hands up preparing to catch anything that comes their way.

The fallen tree explodes and Whip rises from the smoke, his body has the same look as the tentacles, his eyes are fused shut, but he is unbothered.

The tentacles even faster than before barrage against the duo, they both are getting nailed from nearly every one, Talon occasionally prevents contact, but it doesn't help much when it's only one out of five.

Whip stops attacking and his expression turns to dread. "Is your foot alright?" Sparks glow around Skull as he holds onto a tentacle.

He blasted it with the black ooze, causing it to start withering. Whip swiftly cuts it off, before the decay could reach his body.

"Looks like I was right." The lightning crackles faster around Skull, as tentacles speed towards him. He doges most, and ignores the ones that hit, he snatches another.

Skull blasts it with the ooze as more fly his way, Talon knocks them away with a strong gale. "Let's end this before he becomes immune to my efforts."

"That's easier said, he keeps removing the ones I corrode before it can get anywhere important." Skull maintains his defense as he talks to Talon.

"Do you want me to push you?" Talon turns to Skull, who nods. Skull is rocketed forward beginning to close in on Whip.

Whip stops attacking, Skull looks down to see a tentacle has pierced his gut.

"Get me closer." Skull puts his hands on the tentacles.

"Alright, one last push." Talon's initial shock is replaced with confidence.

Whip goes to attack Talon next, but Skull halts his efforts with an electric barrier. "I'm not finished yet!" Sparks begin to surge around him.

Talon sends off the burst, closing the distance between Skull and Whip. While moving through the tentacle, Skull coats his hand with the black ooze. Skull punches Whip in the gut with a tremendous force, the corrosive substance eats away at Whip and explodes out of his back. "That's for earlier, and-" Skull, using his hand as a blade with the ooze, slices Whip's head off with ease. "- that's for Benit."

Whip's corpse falls as Talon smacks Skull on the back. "Nice job there old man."

"Excuse me?" Skull turns to Talon with a menacing aura.

While the two mess with each other, Whip's army flees, now that they're out matched. Escaping out the decapitated head of Whip is a pygmy parasite, it tries to make its way to the forest, before a dagger crashes into it.

"For all who gave their lives." Talon whispers to himself as he looks down at the dying creature.

"Talon, the army is retreating. What do we do?" Aqua runs up to the pair, standing over Whip's body.

"Let them go, we already took out their commander, and member of the nine. Are you doing alright Skull?" Talon looks over to Skull who has been mostly silent.

"Asides from my armor I'm okay, just tired." He shrugs.

"Your armor is completely shredded! How are you okay!?"

"He definitely did a number to it." Talon finally notices the poor condition Skull's armor is in.

"I'll find new armor, but we need a new base." Looking over the field they set the temporary base at, dead bodies and destruction reek the land.

"This would be a good time to move closer into their territory, but Benit's final product takes priority" Talon starts walking in the direction of the town Craid.

The old base had been ransacked and destroyed, completely bare and falling apart. "It's weird seeing this place so dank, after only being out for a few days." Aqua looks around remembering the overwhelming excitement she had when first entering the secret base.

"Come, I'll lead you to Benit's workshop." Talon starts walking down one of the halls, now resembling the walls of a dungeon.

"Wasn't his workshop on the surface?" Skull follows behind while interrogating Talon.

"Benit had a secret place for special items." The group stops at an iron door.

Skull and Aqua stop in their tracks, the gaze at an incredible piece of work with awe. Resting upon an armor stand is an intricate silver armor, with a blue cape resembling wings, created using the old cyan cloak. a helmet sits on the top, designed to resemble a dragon, with a flowing mane. Besides the armor is a great and imposing zweihander sword. The sight was almost familiar to Skull.