The Gnoll Core that Audu held in his hand glowed softly, its interior depicting a swirling green fog. The fog seemed to twist in the direction where Audu's palm came in contact with the Core. Normally, Beast Cores didn't have such features, only sporting a slight glow. On only very few occasions was someone able to stumble upon a Beast Core that held a Beast Soul.
A Beast Soul was as the name implied. A Core contained all the memories, experiences, and knowledge of a Beast, but it still lacked the Soul of the beast. A Beast soul was the consciousness of a slain beast that still resided in its Core. Very rarely did creatures choose to remain with their Cores, as most of them saw death to be better than enslavement under a human.
Beast Souls came in many different forms, depending on what type of monster it was gotten from. A Ground Rat would present a Mount-type Beast Soul, while a Gnoll would present a Fighter-type Beast Soul. A creature with strong defenses would present an Armor-type, while a creature with strong offense would present a Weapon-type Beast Soul.
Abel gazed at the green Core in Audu's grasp. He already knew what creature produced that Beast Soul. It was the Gnoll he had nearly lost his life against.
"This is for you, Abel. I have no use for it, and it will be of great help to you in clearing this Tower's Trial." Audu presented the Core to Abel who just looked at it with a dumbfounded expression.
"B-but.. This would cost a fortune in the Exchange Center." Abel stammered as he imagined the mountain of gold coins they stood to earn if they turned this in at the Exchange Center.
"Haha! Trust me, kid. If I wanted to get rich overnight, that would be easy." Audu waved away Abel's worries, pressing the Core into the younger blue haired man's hand. "Take good care of this guy. He will make a good companion if you treat him well."
"I will cherish these presents you've given me today, gramps. Thank you." Abel bowed from the waist down, showing his sincerity.
"Bah! It's fine. Anyways, if you want to summon the Beast Soul, make sure to stay clear of the house, and probably any other residential area. I have a feeling that the Soul of that Gnoll will be much more volatile than any other creature you have seen so far." Audu gave a small warning before chasing Abel out of his room, locking the door as soon as Abel was out.
He sighed, sitting down on his bed, and burying a hand in his beard. "That boy... He's growing too fast." A strange look came over Audu's face as he slowly got immersed in his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Abel had already raced out of the city premises in just a few minutes. He was eager to summon the Beast Soul that was still trapped within the Core. With his enhanced speed, he managed to put a mile of distance between himself and the city gates quickly. It was only then that he stopped, leaning on a tree to catch his breath.
Wind whipped his hair about as he stood, staring at the Core in his grasp. Ever so slightly, he concentrated his magical energy, pushing it into the Core. It's dim green glow slowly became brighter, while the swirling mist inside it began to twist and turn, as though it was getting agitated.
This continued for some time until a crack suddenly appeared on the exterior of the Core. The crack rapidly expanded, startling Abel and making him drop the Core in haste. Light green smoke began leaking out of the crack, turning into a man-sized whirlwind.
Thick gusts of wind whipped against Abel's sides and arms, forcing him to take a few steps back. As he stood before the storm of magical energy erupting from the Core, Abel realized how truly powerful the creature this Core came from truly was. This wave of energy was just an unconscious emission, one that wasn't meant to harm him, yet look at him being pushed back.
'Truly scary...' He thought to himself as he watched through a small gap in his arms. The storm of green magical energy had expanded to five meters, and was still visibly growing, forcing Abel back. Now he knew why Audu had warned him to be away from any residential Area. He was also lucky to have chosen not to do this inside the Tower. Such a storm of magical energy would have attracted a swarm of creatures to his position.
After about five minutes, the whirlwind of magical energy finally started dying down, returning to a the center of the storm of energy. The green mist condensed into the outline of a three and half meter tall Gnoll. The green outline glowed multiple times before the glow died down, leaving a brown coated Gnoll in its place. The Gnoll's distant eyes gained some clarity as it looked upon Abel. Abel also stared up at it, slightly hesitant. This was the creature that had almost killed him.
Although it currently lacked that same overwhelming Aura that had descended upon it at the climax of their battle, it still left a slight shadow on his mind.
Aside from the lack of that overwhelming Aura, the Gnoll had also grown a lot in size. During their first meet, it had been roughly two and a half meters tall, but now, it had gained roughly a meter more in height. Brown fur covered its entirety, doing little to hide the bulging muscles that looked as though they would rip through its skin. Slightly curved, shiny fangs peaked out from its lips, showcasing how sharp they were. On certain parts of its body, steel armor spread over its skin, melding completely with the skin, as though it was skin itself.
While Abel examined the creature, it examined him too. It recognized the human who had almost defeated it, and it thought highly of his strength and mental resolve to sacrifice himself for his people.
A few minutes passed by in silence until the Gnoll made the first move. Slowly, it got down on one knee, placing a palm face down on the green grass, and keeping its head bowed. Even though it made the attempt to make itself look smaller before its master, its head still reached the height to be level with Abel's.
"Master..."