Arcus was shocked by two things. First, the fact that his father remembered his birthday. Second, the fact that his father spent 500 Nummi for a Chupacabra corpse, the exact amount needed for the Sensory ability. He had asked his father several times in the past for that 500 Nummi so that he could buy Sensory for the time when the school would give out abilities.
Sensory although a common skill had a wide range of uses and was a skill greatly valued in multiple fields. A Reaver could use it to sense beasts and gauge their level of strength, a Reaver Blacksmith could use it to precisely control the heat of a furnace and find flaws easily while making a Reaver weapon. Scientists also greatly valued this skill as it often helped them with their experiments from time to time.
The Chupacabra was one of the weakest known wolf-beasts at the bottom of F-rank. He couldn't imagine what his future would be like if his transformation evolved into one. He didn't know why his father treated him like he did. He didn't have the guts to ask him. As his body was about to give out, he caught a glance of his father's face.
His fear and sense of misery turned into that of anger as he looked at his father who now wore a sinister smile on his face.
"You want me to put candles on that? What are you waiting for, go on. EAT IT!"
Arcus wouldn't allow it. He had enough. He wouldn't allow his father to ruin his life anymore than this. He slowly transformed into his wolf form. His claws dug into the ground, his hackles rose, his muzzle pulled back revealing a set of monstrous fangs. His new form suddenly felt natural. He knew how to move and where to attack. He felt his senses grow sharper, his vision narrow, focused on the movements of his prey. His ears pushed forward, focused on the breathing of his opponent. His nose twitched as he caught the smell of fear in the air. Putting his weight on all fours, he pounced upon the man staring down at him.
*Thump*. Arcus fell to the floor with a dull thud and was being dragged by the scruff like a puppy before getting thrown towards the piece of meat. His jaws were pried open as he was force fed the rotting meat. He passed out from the sudden shock of what had happened.
The last thing Arcus remembered was putrid meat getting shoved down his throat before losing consciousness. He was now standing in the middle of a meadow. He felt the wind as it swept through his hair. He took a deep breath as the smell of lush grass, a few flowers and a wet marsh filled his nostrils...
"Wait what?! Arcus exclaimed in confusion.
"Aaah freedom.. at last." said another voice from beside him.
When Arcus turned, he saw a wolf that looked exactly like his transformation only bigger in size, almost five times his height. "Who are you and where am I?!" Arcus asked.
The wolf looked down and stared at Arcus for a second. "Hmph?! Who are you?! Wait, aren't you that foolish boy who fed himself to me? What are you doing here?"
"Fed myself to you? I've never even seen you!"
"Oh, I was the cave you fell into. It was me who you were talking to talking and not the sword. But how are you here?"
"You.. it's because of you I'm stuck with this useless ability. You tricked me."
"What are you talking about? Nevermind I'll just eat you again." the giant wolf said as he opened his jaws ready to swallow Arcus whole. Suddenly long thin ribbons sprang out of thin air and held the beast in its place. A second later a blue holographic screen appeared in front of their faces as it started to display a series of messages.
[Fenrir's Soul Energy detected.]
[The Fates have started to weave again.]
[New ruins are being carved into Yggdrasil.]
The wolf stood stunned by what he saw. "New ruins? The Fates are moving again? But why? What happens to Odin? What happens to Ragnarok?!" the wolf screamed and looked at the screen in despair as if he expected the screen to give him an answer.
[Title: Odin's Bane has been transferred to the new host.]
[Transferring skills to new host.]
[Stats reset.]
[Skills obtained]
[1. The Great Devourer: Absorbs a portion of power from the energy being consumed.]
[2. Perfect Condition: Immune to abnormal conditions + Highest level regeneration.]
[3. Perfect Transformation: Stats and abilities synchronized with human, partial and complete transformation.]
[4. Enhanced Senses + Appraisal]
[5. Beast Skill Tree]
[You have consumed Chupacabra meat.]
[Rank of meat consumed: F]
[Agility+1]
[Status Window]
[Level 1]
[HP: 7/10]
[SE: 50/50]
[Condition: unconscious, recovering]
[Strength: 5]
[Vitality: 5]
[Agility: 6]
[Intelligence: 5]
"Oh. I must be dead. Silly me." Arcus said chuckling to himself.
"YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO?" the wolf asked as he readied himself to pounce on Arcus only to be brought down again by the ribbons that kept appearing out of nowhere.
Arcus continued to stare at the blue screen for a few moments as he continued to ignore the loud, complaining wolf. "Fenrir? Is that your name?" Arcus asked tilting his head.
"ANSWER ME, WRETCHED MAIDENS OF FATE!" he continued to scream at the air.
"I don't think he'll be of any help." Arcus thought to himself as he went back to studying the screen. "Beast skill tree? Why doesn't it have any description unlike the other skills? Uhh Mr/Ms Screen, may I know why?"
[Beast skills have not been unlocked yet.]
"Oh! You replied.. Well wow. I don't have to rely on this dumb wolf for answers then."
"I HEARD THAT PUNK!"
[Recovery complete. Would you like to wake up?]
"So I'm not dead? Well ok then. This sure was one weird dream. Bye wolfie."
"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!!!"
Arcus was slightly shocked.. literally, as he woke up with a start. The barrier still surrounded him and it looked like all his injuries had recovered. It didn't surprise him much as his father's barrier had a healing function as well. But it seemed like the barrier's ability had outdone itself this time. He felt much healthier than he ever did. "Maybe his barrier will go through another evolution soon."
"Woah this place looks like a dump yard. You live here?" a deep voice said.
"Huh? Was that wolfie just now?"
"I thought I told you not to call me that!" the voice rang inside his head. "I am Fenrir. God of Wolves and I expect you to treat me with... Is that a barrier? Is Hercules anywhere nearby and what's with the amount of Soul Energy in the atmosphere... Even Asgard doesn't have this much Soul Energy in the air. Where are we?"
"We are on Earth. Why do you sound so surprised? Wait. So all that wasn't a drea-"
"And I was born yesterday. You dare take me for a fool? Which realm is this and what sort of sorcery did you use to trap me like this?"
"This is Earth and I've don't have the slightest idea what you're talking-"
"Looks like you're awake. I'll be taking my leave now. I won't be back for a few months at least. Go do whatever you want and if possible, don't come back." his father said as he withdrew his barrier and walked out of the apartment.
"He's not Hercules. Is he a new God? I don't recognize that man. What exactly happened during the time I was trapped?"
"That's my dad and I don't think I'll see him anymore after this. This is Earth. I don't know how long you were trapped for but hearing you talk, I assume that you were from the time before the Originals left Earth."
"Oh! So you're a God as well! What do you mean by before the Originals left?"
"No, I'm not a God. Well.. From where do I start?" Arcus said as he proceeded to explain what he had learnt from his history lessons. Fenrir listened quietly as he talked about how the Originals showed up on Earth, saved the dying planet, shared their powers and now lived among them. He then talked about the war with the monsters and the current mode of life people got used to living in. He then gave a quick introduction about himself and also explained to him the life he had led until then.
Fenrir remained silent for a long time after Arcus was done with his explanation. The sky had turned dark and the silent apartment was now filled with noises coming from the neighbours who lived in the same building. The local market next to the building bustled as people of all ages came together. The old men sat in the corner of a local street food stall playing board games while children ran through the crowds as they chased each other. The women were busy buying ingredients for dinner as they bargained with the local vendor. The environment depicted a peaceful, friendly neighbourhood. This one small piece of land had resisted change through out the ages despite the numerical technological advances mankind had gone through.
"We have to see the Norns. Something isn't right." Fenrir spoke after a long silence.
"The what?"
"The Fates. We have to visit the World Tree."
"The World Tree?"
"Yggdrasil. I need you to take me there."