Chapter 26: Growth (3)

*Fwoosh* As the cannibal's shirt caught on fire, his mind momentarily went blank from the panic. Situations and solutions flashed through his mind, but he couldn't decide on what to do. If he wasted time trying to put out the fire, Ren could take that chance to attack, since he couldn't escape through a nearby shadow. However, if he tried to search for a large enough shadow to slip through, the fire would spread, making him a light source.

The cannibal snapped out of his split second panic, realizing that standing around was the worst possible move. As the cannibal tried to make a rational decision, the heat from the flames spread throughout his body. As the fire from his shirt spread to his pants, he felt the flame get closer and closer to a certain spot...

"FUCK!"

Panic took over, and the cannibal stopped all of his machinations to hurriedly put out the fire. *Riiiipppp* As the cannibal ripped his burning clothes off his body, Ren dashed in at top speed. *FWOOOSH* The cannibal, now completely naked, realized Ren wasn't holding the flashlight anymore. This meant that he could escape through his own shadow again, which calmed the cannibal down.

"HAH! I WIN!"

Activating his ability, the cannibal waited for the familiar sinking feeling. However, that feeling never came. *BOOM* *Crack* Shock and searing pain filled the cannibal, blood gushing out from his forehead like a fountain. As he wiped away the blood from his eyes, he saw a sight that caused him to feel regret.

"Fuck..."

Surrounding the cannibal was a ring of fire, more specifically, fire made from his discarded clothes. the dim light was just enough to shrink his shadow, preventing him from escaping. Dizzy from the punch, the cannibal closed his eyes to accept his fate. *BOOM*

"Finally..."

Ren breathed heavily, blood dripping down his fist. As Ren looked at the smashed head of the cannibal, he told King to start the devouring process. King nodded, then concentrated on controlling his power. Watching as the white aura surrounding him condense and converge into a tiger head, Ren relaxed a little.

"That always creeps me out."

Ren watched as the tiger head open it's jaws, sucking in blue particles from the cannibals corpse. As power filled Ren's body, he felt that this fight was worth it. However, Ren was excited about a different reward, the shadow jump ability. Ren scanned the corpse, looking for any stones growing out of his body.

"Aha!"

Spotting a small black stone, Ren felt excitement in his heart. The pesky ability that annoyed him to no end will be his, boosting his speed and evasive capabilities. *Squelch* Ren ripped the black stone from the corpse, wiping the blood and flesh off it.

"This is going to be disgusting..."

Ren felt his stomach churn as he looked at the stone in his hand, knowing what he had to do next. Ren looked at the stone in his hand, then looked back at the campsite.

"Maybe I can wash this..."

As Ren headed back towards the camp, King finished up his absorption. The walk back was oddly peaceful, calming Ren's mind. The soft moonlight peeked through the dense trees, lighting the dark forest ever so slightly, creating a fairytale-like scene. Arriving at the tent, Ren searched the bags for any water.

"Ah, there it is."

Gripping an unopened bottle of water, Ren stopped his search, and sat down near the campfire. *Glug Glug Glug* As the flowing water washed over the black stone, the blood flowed away under Ren's intense cleaning.

"This is as good as it gets, Here we go. Stand guard for me King."

King nodded silently, exhausted from the fight. As Ren popped the black stone into his stone, King watched the campfire silently. Ren rolled the stone around in his mouth, waiting for himself to pass out.

"It's coming..."

Ren barely spat out his sentence, before his vision darkened completely. *Fwump* Ren dropped to the ground, his mind transported elsewhere.