"Thy…. killed….. Drook's…..Offspring….Drook….now….will…kill…thy!!!
Drook, the massive giant beast, roared loudly again, and now it spouted radiated green saliva at Tristan. Luckily, Tristan's Power Shield formed a translucent bluish sphere covering his whole body and the ground on which he stood.
Tristan's foothold forms a stance that will enable him to launch his jet ball attack at any moment. With the massive giant's hands and feet having to sustain its body because it's crawling inside the cave, the massive giant horned beast could not strike a significant hit with its huge hand.
Tristan's Power Shield quickly takes up the attack without making him shift even an inch. The giant's hand now stops on top of Tristan's Power Shield.
Immediately, his other hand, the one holding the sword, raised as he shouted, "Power Slice!" and swung his radiated sword several times and decapitated the giant's hand.
In a fraction of a second, the massive giant screamed so loudly and thunderously that the cave's walls were shaken, and some even collapsed. The debris from the collapsed walls covered Tristans's sphere shield and buried the massive giant's knees.
As the giant looked at its decapitated hand, it was crying in pain, and his scary face had turned into a fearful look. It fears death.
Tristan could sense the fear strongly as he was about to blow the giant's head a final blow. He immediately holds off his attack and only points his blazing sword toward the scared giant.
"I sense your fear cometh from you, Drook the giant. And your vile, hateful, violent intention against me had disappeared. Why giant? Tell me the truth, and I may spare your rotten, pitiful life." Said Tristan, with his icy tone.
The giant cried some more. Screamed in pain and fear. Tristan waited patiently, knowing he had won and not wanting to kill just for pleasure.
"Drook... hurt… please… don't… kill… Drook—" begged the massive giant while still crying and growling in pain.
"Then tell me the truth!" Said Tristan very firmly and coldly.
"Drook… can't…Drook… can't…too scared with the king…too scared," the giant beast cried in fear.
"King? King who? Answer me, now!" Tristan fiercely shouts.
"King Narak! King Narak sent Drook and Drook's offspring here." The giant cried even more now.
'King Narak? From the Narak Kingdom? How did he know we will be here?' Now Tristan's mind is filled with the info Drook inadvertently shared.
With Drook crying in pain and fear in the background, Tristan tries to guess what King Narak had to do with Drook's evil intention to him.
"Daggo, did you hear what that giant thing's said? Can you guess what that means using your computer brain?" Asked Tristan to his AI.
"Yes, Master Tristan. I recorded everything, including your remarkable power increase and that talking Drakkarus, which I had never heard or seen before." Replied Daggo, the AI. Daggo's tone implied that what had happened was beyond his grasp.
"Daggo, what the hell? Now, you confused me. What the hell do you mean you never heard it before? Now explain it slowly, will you?" Tristan was upset as he hoped Daggo would enlighten him about Drook's info.
"Master, that Drakkarus beast, it shouldn't be able to talk, let alone name itself. My record showed there has never been a record of talking Drakkarus in Gaia. They were known to only growl and scream scary sounds." Explained Daggo slowly.
Even though he also felt confused, at this time he put aside his confusion because he was too happy to know his power had increased.
"By the way, what do you mean by my remarkable power increase?" Tristan was grinning as he asked that. He was so excited knowing he had a remarkable power acknowledged by an AI like Daggo. Daggo must have seen every record about Gaian superhuman history.
"Master Tristan, your power during the fight where you obliterate a monstrous Ghoul and several Drakkaruses is beyond my AI recognition. No records show any Gaian ever achieved your level of power." Daggo said it with a flat, machine-like tone.
Tristan somehow grinned even more when he heard Daggo's explanation.
"Okay," Tristan said, his eyes now narrowed at the massive Drakkarus named Drook. "So, Drook... I am going to lower my sword and set you free." Tristan said to the pitiful giant beast.
"But…to…where?….this is…no Drook's place. Drook has a home… but not this." The giant slightly chirped at the prospect of being free but with a mixture of horrid as the giant turned out to be unfamiliar with the cave.
"What? How did you get here, then?" Asked Tristan, perplexed.
Drook just growled slowly and then shrugged.
After a minute of silence, Daggo's voice was heard.
"About that, Master Tristan, perhaps I could offer you an educated guess," Daggo interjected.
"I detected several spikes in energy minutes after you destroyed giant Ghoul, Master. During that energy spike, I suspect Drook and his offspring were teleported here, right inside this cave." Advised Daggo.
"But Drakkarus are not known to be able to teleport. Only one being in Gaian can teleport, The King of Astralia. But my analysis shows The King of Astralia can't teleport Drook and his offspring here. It's impossible because the power signature is different. The signature was closer to Narak's, and no one in the Narak Kingdom could teleport. None." Daggo continued to explain.
Tristan only listens to the explanation in silence. But his mind notes everything down. He just realized how complicated the problem was.
"Okay, let's not dwell on things even you don't know, Daggo." Said Tristan calmly and with an unusual wisdom.
He added, "Maybe we return to my unanswered question to Drook. Why do Drook and his offspring hate me so much that they want to kill me? Any ideas why, Daggo?"
"That I also do not know, Master Tristan. Drakkarus are not known as intelligent creatures. Drakkarus is the only one known to be easily tamed, unlike some mythical beast who could hold grudges." Daggo explained.
With nothing from Daggo satisfying his curiosity, Tristan decided to get out of the cave first before deciding what to do next.
"Okay. Let's get out of here," Said Tristan while unsheathing his sword and then turning back toward the energy he felt to be that of Valeria's.
"Drook, could you hold the pain and follow me exit this unpleasant cave? I will help you take care of your wounds before you go." Adds Tristan as he starts walking with his hand illuminating the way.