Abel weaved through the large rocks that jutted out of the ground, stalking a modest sized pack of Ground Rats. The rats were clustered around the carcass of another dead creature, it's body already to badly damaged for Abel to identify it. He watched them for a while longer, making sure that their guards had been lowered before striking.
Like a dark phantom, he blurred from sight, rushing at them, his new daggers bearing over them. In a few short moments, Abel had made quick work of them, his blades carving through their flesh, slitting their throats, and plunging into their heads.
"That's a pretty good record." Abel murmured while looking at his daggers. Nodding to himself, he turned to the dead rats, quickly digging out their Cores. He studied the Cores, hoping for a surprise. Ever since he got a Beast Soul from the Gnoll, he had been hoping that he would be lucky enough to snag a few more before leaving the Floor. That was why he had begun hunting Ground Rats in packs, for faster kills.
A bit disappointed by the dull gray Cores, Abel stuffed the Cores into the storage ring he had gotten from Audu. He also skinned and cut out a bit of flesh from a Ground Rat.
"I'll grill it later. Dried rations get old. Besides, I heard Ground Rat meat tastes quite good when t's grilled." He smiled to himself and soon continued moving. It wouldn't be smart to hang around the smell of blood, or else, he might risk getting attacked by a pack or more powerful creatures. Although he was stronger, it was only just slightly, and he was still testing his limits.
As he kept on moving, Abel could faintly feel the stir of the Gnoll leader within his mind. He felt its longing to be let outside of the confines of his mind.
'Just wait a bit longer, at least until we get to the deeper part of the Floor.' Eh directed a thought to it. As he did, he felt the restlessness welling within it lessen just a tad bit.
Soon, Abel came upon a group of half a dozen Ground Rats. With glowing eyes, he dashed out of his cover after observing them for a while. A flurry of slashes, and bloody eruptions later, Abel was wiping away the blood on his daggers with a wide smile on his face. Out of the six Ground Rats, one of their Cores contained a Beast Soul!
Before entering the Tower for this extended run, Abel had asked around for a bit of information on Cores and Beast Souls. Ground Rat Beast Souls came in the form of a Mount-type. As someone who relied heavily on stamina and burst damage, travelling could produce some adverse effects if he was too rushed. An extended journey on foot left him a bit tired, therefore not letting him remain in his peak state.
He held the Core before him, doing the same thing he did to the Gnoll core. Unlike the extravagant entry that the Gnoll made, the Ground Rat's Core was much more docile, turning into a flash of white light that momentarily painted the gray rocks white. When the light receded, a gray colored Ground Rat that was almost the size of a horse, but thicker, was left. With black, beady eyes, it looked at Abel, waiting for him to command it.
'It awaits a name, Master...' The Gnoll in his mental space spoke to Abel.
"A name? But you didn't ask for one when I first summoned you." Abel rubbed his sharp chin in thought.
'That was because I already have a name, Master.'
"You do? What is it?"
'...Breeze.' The voice of the Gnoll was stiff as it replied.
"...For such a ferocious creature, you sure do have a docile name." Abel cracked a smile.
'I was given that name because of my swiftness; you have witnessed it yourself. Please do not mistake me as being docile.'
"Fine fine... Well, this guy here needs a name. Err, we can do that later. I have a bad naming sense." Abel patted the Ground Rat on the head, running his hands through its thick fur. It shook with pleasure under its master's touch, lowering f its head as a sign of submission.
Abel just laughed before swinging his leg over it and settling on its back.
"Let's go!" The trio set off together, with Breeze remaining in Abel's mind. Unlike what Abel initially thought, the Ground Rat was quite fast. It's bulk did nothing to hinder its movement as it weaved between rocks, over slopes and through tight spaces.
When they had gotten far enough, Abel gave the mental command for the Ground Rat to stop. It immediately ground to a halt, as though its speed was nothing to even consider. Surprisingly, Abel wasn't thrown off. This was because of the Ground Rat's Mount-type Soul. As long as one was on a mount, one would be unable to be thrown off unless it was intended, or if the mount was suddenly killed.
Abel quickly issued a mental command that summoned Breeze from within the confines of his mental space. The huge Gnoll materialized beside him. Before them was a pack of startled Gnolls; startled because of the sudden interruption of their meal time.
Now, normally, Abel would not have rushed in to challenge them, but what pushed Abel to make such an impulsive decision was the fact that he recognized quite a few Gnolls from this small pack. It was the remnant of the pack that had attacked Aileen's party.
The Gnolls snarled and barked at the trio that stood before them. Their eyes raked over the large Ground Rat, before flicking over Abel, and letting out howls. They had surely recognized him. After checking him out, their eyes finally settled on the last figure before them. When they did, said eyes widened, completely astounded by the sight before them. Their own former leader stood before them, a wicked smirk plastered over its face.
"Master, this should be easy."