37 TOUGH LOVE FROM A LION GODDESS

They ran so long that Rex started to worry the day had started back in the real world. They ran so long, Rex felt like he'd never forget the coppery blood-like aftertaste of his saliva with every exhale and swallow. 

His adrenaline came and went in violent cycles as the Lesser World-Serpent cut poisonous trenches into the once uniform dryness of the desert realm. 

They ran until the colossal serpent seemingly gave up. 

Miles from where they once watched the chaos begin, Rex and his pride of young shifters hid between two massive sandstones forming a valley of shadows. 

Their breaths came hard and ragged. 

Hassan smiled— eyes resembling that of a cat on the hunt as they crouched in the shadows. 

"The hell you grinning about?!" Rex asked. 

"I missed this!" Hassan exclaimed and reached down to grab two handfuls of sand, "I missed this all!" 

"You're... bizarre." Rex thought before turning to the half-goblin, "Hey, man. You alright?" 

He nodded with wide eyes. 

"We'll be ok. Bastet just….. wants to help us become stronger monsters." Rex explained. 

Hassan suddenly went serious, "I suppose that's my job too." He said before looking over to Rex, "What were you going to ask before you saw the World-Serpent?" 

"What??" 

"You were going to ask a question." Hassan said seriously.

"And you think I should try asking again now? While we're being chased by a giant snake necromancer thing?" 

"It may help. This could be Bastet's way of forging our roles in battle." 

The ground shook and the snake roared angrily. 

"Did the Reptile-Totem have echo-location?" Hassan mused. 

Rex felt his stomach twist. 

"You're running out of time, Pride-Lord. Perhaps this question could be our saving grace, and I— as your spiritual advisor, could be the only way you figure it out." Hassan puffed out his chest arrogantly. 

"Ok— dickhead, what is a Nahual?" Rex snarled.

Hassan's eyebrows rose up, "Oh my…." He looked to the half-goblin. "Of course! I was merely joking before about Bastet using your question to forge our roles but I was correct!"

"The answer, Hassan." 

"The Nahual Aspect was a myth….. until I met you, Pride-Lord. You see, Beast-Totem Wielders become legends and take on many forms throughout history. With this comes some fame and infamy. Stories spin into existence. Myths and prophecies are born. That's where the legendary Nahual once remained. Said to be the trickster-assassin and curse wielder feline of hybrid origins. Incredibly strong. Even more reclusive— not even to be seen by the other Aspect Wielder's— since the Nahual is also supposed to take down any traitors. I suppose that fits the green one. I am your advisor, but he is your guardian."

They both looked at the half-goblin. The little boy who a five hundred year old werelion spoke of with great reverence. There was some sort of irony there.

"This boy is a hybrid, correct?" Hassan asked. 

"Yea." Rex replied. 

"Of what kind?" 

"Goblin and human." 

"How do Goblin powers work?" Hassan asked, "Surely they have the ability to wield curses?"

"Uhhh…. they are cursed." Rex said. 

Hassan swallowed. 

"Goblins were the Daemoknight False-gods first attempt at replicating humans. Only the one who created them was the false-god of greed Gambalor. So all Goblins have the Curse of Avarice." Rex explained. 

Hassan's face twisted up in thought, "Well surely they have powers….. like your Inheritance Ability users?" 

Rex nodded, "Sort of. Gambalor is obsessed with games and percentages— how they relate to profit and winnings. So all goblins born in B-Rank and above Drift Dimensions are gifted with Banes and Boons. Whatever power— also known as a Boon, they have comes with a weakness…. Aka, a Bane." 

"So like if a goblin has the ability to control fire—"

"They could also die instantly in the presence of ice. Or lose the ability to swim." Rex said. 

"So maybe the curse wielding portion was more myth than reality….. hehe—" Hassan jumped as something collided with the stone he leaned against behind him. 

"Dammit! They found us." Rex said. "Anything else the Nahual can do? You seemed pretty sure that we the kid was the key a few seconds ago." 

Hassan nodded, "The Werepanther's are known for their stealth. They can hide and stalk better than any, but the Nahual can completely become invisible." 

Another projectile hit the stone. 

Bubbling veins of gaseous poison leaked through the cracks forming in the rock, causing them to back away from the rock. 

The half-goblin, now high on adrenaline transformed. He grew half a foot taller. His jaw extended into a snout and Jaguar spotted fur covered the back half of his body. His ears also became more goblinoid and the dark green splotches of skin expanded until he was fully green where the skin was exposed. He looked….. unique by all accounts. 

"Hmmm. His half-form is different. He has access to more of his panther form than most at his age. Goblin abilities are triggered by….?"

"Desire— greed, anger, hunger. All things associated with their false-god." Rex replied. "My mana is nowhere near recharged and fist fighting these things alo—"

Hassan turned and crouched down in front of the half-goblin, "We can't let them see us, understand?" 

The half-goblin nodded. 

"Even if they are right in front of us. Even if they're right in front of you. Imagine it." Hassan turned and pointed beside Rex. "Imagine one of the strongest monsters is there." 

"Nothing is there." 

Hassan and the boy shared a glance before Hassan looked at Rex. 

A string of poison reached out at Rex. He hissed, "Man— don't look at me! You're supposed to be the teacher." 

"Then I will teach the tougher way." Hassan grabbed the boy by the arm and lifted him in the air. 

The boy hissed and snarled like a wild animal. 

Hassan held on and threw him out into the desert. 

"HEY—"

"Remember! You can't let them see you. You don't want them to see you. Not ever." Hassan yelled to the boy as he rolled in the sand. 

They watched the world-serpent ahead immediately spot the young shifter and begin slithering after him with its poisonous mud soldiers.

Rex crouched low, bunching up his massive leonine leg muscles to jump in front of the boy. 

Hassan held him with a horrifyingly strong grip. Rex looked up at him and found the man beginning to transform. The Lion within was just beneath the surface— and Rex suddenly realized Hassan was not understating the fact that the pride of the lions was indeed strong in him. 

"Just focus. Don't you feel it?" Hassan said as the boy stood up— frozen by fear in the face of the end. "Can you not feel your pride growing?" 

The boy took a hop step backward, backhair standing on end. Then he snarled. 

"You can't see me…." 

His fur bristled and he turned invisible. 

"Wh…..HAHA! HELL YEA!" Rex felt like he went through a million emotions in half a second. 

Hassan roared like a Lion and beat his chest. "We are meager but we are strong!" 

"We're also still fucked." Rex said. 

"I beg your pardon, Pride-Lord?" 

Rex pointed out to the snake that now pursued them. Less than five hundred feet away. 

"We must fight now. Or else the young warriors evolution was for nothing." Hassan said. 

Rex was already on the move. With the small portions of mana he had left, he reached for the sands, summoning the construct of a dagger. With a breath of jungle-fire, he solidified the construct into black steaming glass. 

"Pride-Lord! Offense is only as good as its defense!" 

Rex turned as Hassan threw him a shield. It was beautiful and dark with the roaring face of a lion surrounded by the tribal design of a sun on its oval surface.

He jumped to catch it, just in time to turn and smash the hot sandstone construct through the body of a mud-beast. All nine feet of it crumpled like wet clay. 

[+70 EXP]

Six more brought up the rear. 

Hassan moved like a martial artist behind Rex. The sand squirmed and shifted like snakes slithered beneath as he glided across the grounds and summoned a dividing wall. 

Suddenly the six poison constructs were split in half. 

"I suggest you go right? Since you're right handed." Hassan said. 

"Is this you advising?" Rex yelled back to him. 

"Yes!" 

Rex sped up. With every inhale he could feel the sweltering air fuel his massive muscles. He felt stronger than ever— even with all his fears and lacking magical power. 

He brought up his shield and braced himself. In a blur he charged the wall Hassan summoned. 

The whole structure shattered, sending sandstone shrapnel into all the mud-beasts and killing them instantly. 

[+350 EXP]

Before Rex or Hassan could speak on his change of direction, the snake spun around with its barbed tail cleaving downwind straight for them and the remaining mud constructs. 

They both jumped in opposite directions, landing on sand tidal waves as the snakes tail split the desert. 

Rex tumbled and slashed in the sand like an amateur swimmer. 

He rolled to a stop as the desert flattened out. As he got to his feet, he shook the sand grains from his fur and spun around to find the serpent chasing him. Its face was downright demonic. Massive eyes sat above a short snout opened so wide, its jaw seemed unhinged and hanging to allow its vampiric fangs to hang comfortably. Between the fangs a forked tongue soaked in gaseous bile flailed. 

"Oh sh—"

The snake flinched suddenly. 

More accurately it let off a violent spasm. 

Rex smelled the blood in the air long before he saw its ripped open eye leaking thick white fluids. 

In the distance, he could just barely hear the barely intelligable ramblings of someone seemingly in a trance.

"You can't see me….. you can't see me…. Stronger monster…. You can't see me…"

Slowly, as blood gushed and ocular slime flowed, the invisible outline of the half-goblin crawling on the World-Serpents face became more visible. 

Rex felt a warmth fill him for a fraction of a second as he watched the boy who was one powerless against malnourished goblins, rip at the face of a god.

"I feel it, Hassan... I feel my pride growing."