The torrents of icicles grew as Kaleb's haste increases, his steps more refined as he danced the dance of death with every swing of his blade.
The Doe had already perceived the threat that Kaleb had become and had occasionally moved it's hooves blessed by the winds as it dodged and fled death from Kaleb's blade.
Kaleb was oozing in his own blood as he had yet to wear Ivan's armor.
His Tunic would cut like paper whenever attacked by any light attacks and be shredded by any heavy ones
Although light the attacks despite not being much of an issue would accumulate over time becoming as dangerous as any heavy one could get.
He had received so many such light attack that his skin was full of laceration with blood oozing out and even drying before new cuts would be drawn.
But his mind had already begin to numb the pain, he did however wince from time to time .
The exchange, if we can call it that, had continued for what seemed to be half an hour, Kaleb's frustration grew as his stamina begun to drain much faster ' I need to end this before I'm too fatigued,' he thought as he desperately closes the ever growing distance.
He decided to risk it all remembering Ivan's words on how two technically could be fused Into one so long as mastery was sufficient.
' I have never practiced the Bladed Steps , my time was drawn by the Ghost Walk and never had time to practice it apart from the first time I was testing all three techniques.'
' Will I make it? How bad will the back lash of failing be? Wait do I even have the time to consider that?' He dismissed as his mind cleared.
His demeanor changed as he attained a seriousness rarely to be seen on him. His steps shifted to be like that of an elegant blade, his very gait became sharp like a blade, his feet would slice the air whole his hand would cut and pierce.
After attuning himself with the steps while dodging for dear life he mixed in the Ghost walk.
His balance faltered as he nearly fell before stabilizing himself, he continued with his actions his kind split into two with one half keeping him alive by dodging while the other was set in successfully performing his steps.
And than it happened just as the Doe was about to flee, Kaleb shimmered out of existence, the forest fell into a sudden eerie silence as the Doe looked around nervously trying to find it's attacker.
But then it happened within the silence a sudden sharpening of the blade rang out
SHING
Blood was drawn as it splashed.everywhere, the neck of the Doe now bled and yet it still stood, it's vitality remarkable as the wound was visibly healing.
Kaleb didn't allow it to as his other blade also slashed followed by another and another.
His hands flickered at the speed he was swinging till finally
THUD!
A head rolled over as blood splashed with much more force, the Doe died it's mouth open.as blood flowed out.
Kaleb sat down beside it's corpse as he tried catching his breath.
His body fatigued as he calmed himself, a sheepish grin spread across his face as he breathlessly said " I...killed...you dumb Doe!"
After a few more deep heavy breaths, Kaleb cut open the Doe's Chest, right next to its heart a vibrant core of multicolored light glowed, Kaleb picked it up and stared at it for a while " All this trouble for a quill egg sized core," he complained before throwing it in his mouth.
He then felt it the euphoric tingling of his entire body as if caressed by the softest touch, he let out an unconscious moan as he felt his strength drastically increase.
' Haa~ So worth it,' he smiled as he stared at the Doe corpse. He noticed it's earthen armor still intact covering eight protrusions on its chest
He took his blade and carved them out revealing eight glorious stones.
' Red Blue Brown Green Yellow Black White Purple. I would have said the rainbow if not for brown Black and white,' Kaleb chuckled as he stored away the corpse within his Spatial ring.
He stared at the stones for a while before feeling a rug within himself, a sort of comfortable pull that seemed to resonate with the stones.
' Am I to eat them as well?' he asked himself as the mystism of the stone increases by the second, he could feel a tug from two of the stones the brown and blue stones to the point where they begun to shimmer in his hand.
' Should I really eat them, I mean nothing bad happened when I ate the core?' Kaleb begun to question himself before finally agreeing to consume the two shimmering stones.
The moment he swallowed them he felt shackles breaking within him as the elements of earth and water churned around him visibly.
' Did I retain my mana?' he questioned but soon discarded the thought, he could not perceive or feel mana...but his elements which had always been so elusive felt more tangible to him.
He stretched out his hand as he beckoned the earth to move. Immediately his command fell he felt a major headache to the point of it being classified as a migraine, sweat iozed out his body as his breathing became laboured, his stamina which had recovered a bit decently emptied faster than it could be restored.
He cancelled his command before rubbing his fatigued brows
' I'll look at it later right now I need to leave this place,' he concluded while storing away the stones.
He then stood up and begun to change from his former tattered tunic into the armor Ivan had gifted him.
' I should have done this from the start, so stupid,' he cursed himself inwardly.
After dressing himself he begun to walk, aimlessly as he took in all of his surroundings mapping the way as he left marks on the tree trunks.
' Finallv...' his thoughts were cut shot by the deafening roar of a beast , the forest quaked as the ground trembled.
' Ohh fuck!'