Ether stared at Kellenas as the Feral readied himself for a second round. He was aware Kellenas would not let him win so easily.
Kellenas widened his mouth and unleashed a horrible roar, deafening Ether. But something he noticed was he felt discouraged. As if he knew there was no hope in winning.
But regardless of the increasing doubt, he still wanted to fight. Even if there was no point in attempting to win.
The Feral charged at Ether. He leapt up into the air, then kicked downwards, sending Ether to a knee. As Ether tried to regain control of his body, Kellenas kicked upwards.
Sending Ether flying back. Mud parted as the Zesher slid across the Forest Floor. Kellenas was pleased with himself, he approached Ether to inspect him.
Kellenas saw Ether was starting to rise again from the mud. "That's it, do not back down from a Feral who's unlocked his Third Rule. Come on, Zegus, show me how mighty you can be."
His words crept into Ether's mind. It was enough to set him right on his feet again.
Kellenas roared again, which stunned Ether. But this time, Ether forced himself not to react. It was like allowing a wound to bleed despite wanting to place something over it to stop it.
Ether wanted to shake the sense off, but he knew if he did then Kellenas would get another open window to attack.
When the Feral came closer to attack him, Ether was prepared. Kellenas attempted to kick Ether across the chest again, but Ether ducked. The leg flew over him, which allowed Ether to use his arm to loosen Kellenas' balance.
The Feral fell. Ether quickly got up, then jumped over Kellenas. He made sure his feet were going to land on him. Then he allowed gravity to do the rest.
Ether landed on his back and leg. Kellenas quickly rolled over onto his back, which caused Ether to fall back down.
"Not a bad hit, now HEAR THIS!" Kellenas taunted Ether.
He unleashed another discouraging roar right on Ether. Then he sat on Ether's chest. Both of the Variants looked at each other, waiting to see what happened next.
Until Kellenas began furiously punching Ether's chest and face. He was in a position like this before, being held down by a Feral as they pounded away at his face.
But this was very different than Skullencer because he was being held down by a fit Alpha Feral, not a starving one.
Ether tried his hardest to block hits, but every time he attempted to raise his hands, Kellenas would just force them back down.
At this point, Ether began getting desperate for a way out of the vicious fight. Until he remembered what Kellenas said earlier, he needed to adapt.
Ether reached over his head, grabbing a fist full of mud. Then he threw it at Kellenas' face, temporarily blinding the Feral.
He reached up to his face to remove the mud with one hand, but it was enough for Ether to fight him off. Ether first knocked off the other hand, then kicked Kellenas off him.
The Feral landed to his left, but instead of punishing him. Ether got up and ran towards the trees. As he ran, he noticed something odd. the Ferals above looked very active, as if they were encouraged.
Ether didn't have time to think of this any longer, at any second Kellenas would be back up and ready to continue fighting.
He looked around the bottom of the trees for anything he could use, that's when something caught his eye. Kellenas snuck behind Ether, he swung his forearm over Ether's head.
Knocking the Zesher down again, Kellenas came to continue punishing him. But he wasn't expecting Ether to defy his mighty roar.
Kellenas dropped down on his knees to roar up close to his ear, but the second he got closer to Ether. He realized Ether had a large stick in his hand.
Ether shoved the stick in Kellenas' mouth, not allowing him to continue his discouraging roars. As Kellenas stumbled back, Ether got up.
He faced the Feral head on and picked him up. Kellenas chomped the stick in half with his teeth, but he wasn't about to swallow the half that was in his mouth.
Before Kellenas could spit it out, Ether smacked him against a tree. The Feral attempted to regain his balance, but Ether didn't allow him to.
Ether kept beating him on the side of the tree, but Kellenas was already aware of his tactics. Just as Ether came to bash him again, Kellenas dodged and attempted to fight back.
He thought Ether was going to be taken back by the sudden change, but it was exactly what he wanted. Ether hoped Kellenas would move exactly where he was.
After the Feral got into position, Ether charged at him. He tackled the Feral through a nearby tree. It broke in two as the Variants crashed through it.
Kellenas struggled to get up from his position, so he took the few seconds of peace to throw out the other half of the stick.
While spitting it out, he realized Ether wasn't laying on top of him. He was standing over him. Kellenas stared at him, and Ether simply smirked.
"Didn't expect that one?" Ether taunted.
"Hah, that was a good one. Let's do one grand finale at the very end, a test of strength," Kellenas challenged Ether.
He accepted and helped Kellenas get up, then the two walked towards the middle of the opening. Ferals cheered and jumped above them.
"Ready?" Kellenas asked Ether.
Ether stood across from him. A serious look swept over him. "Yes!"
They charged towards each other at full speed. When they made contact, Kellenas and Ether's force nearly made the other fall backwards. But they still kept their position.
Both of them were now staring into each other's eyes, looking for the strength inside. During this encounter, Kellenas finally noticed something odd about Ether.
He noticed his hair was too smooth to be a Zegus' hair, and also the skin on his forehead was too soft. That's when a thought crept into his mind.
Yet he didn't pay attention to the thought, he wanted to win.
On the other hand, Ether wasn't thinking of anything. He was focusing on the test itself. He also wanted to win.
After seconds of being stuck against each other, Kellenas realized Ether was pushing him back. He attempted to regain control of the situation, but Ether's force was too overwhelming.
Eventually, Ether triumphantly pushed Kellenas back. The Feral fell back down defeated, but also victorious in his own way.
All Ferals above howled in unison, including Oria. Kellenas taught them to face defeat with pride. Which is what he did.
The green glow disappeared as the Feral slowly stood back up. He chuckled and gave Ether a toothy grin.
"Congratulations Zegus, you've earned yourself a pack of Ferals. Only if I am allowed to keep control of my pack under your command, that is," Kellenas made it clear he wanted to keep his pack.
Ether smiled back. "In my Legion, you are no better than I am. Of course. Lead your Ferals as if you never were in a Legion, but remember. Whenever we need your assistance, you must show up."
"I am Kellenas Tovi, I'll remain loyal until the very end of the Legion. You beat me under my own conditions, it's only fair if I repay your display of strength."
"You did push me to my limits there, thank you. I want to introduce my elites to your pack, if that's okay with you?" Ether asked for permission.
Kellenas nodded, he was aware of the process. Since he was the leader of a group, Kellenas had control over these Ferals, making him an elite automatically.
Ether whistled his Sky Beast down to get him. He mounted on its back then leapt upwards, leaving Etek Dur for the moment.