A Second Ordeal Path Beast…
Slaying such a creature could pose slight trouble or be quite difficult for Kiran. Although all beings of the Paths have a baseline level of power that is by no means weak, Kiran felt that these creatures in particular are above it. Not of the absolute strongest amongst those of the Second Ordeal, but still able to hold their weight.
But then Kiran's eyes narrowed and flicked to the Leader at the rear.
Some beings possessed outstanding traits surpassing what many could see as the ceiling for their corresponding Ordeal level, stretching beyond what their level could be capable of. Unrivaled within their Ordeal level, and even capable of opposing those above themselves.
…That was the strength and uncertainty that Kiran sensed radiating off this pack's Leader.
Exhaling sharply, Kiran poised himself.
'As long as they bleed… I can win.'
He was most concerned about the Path Beasts' two Ordeal Abilities. Fearsome and as plentiful as there are mountains in the Wailing Chain, Ordeal Abilities were one of the main facets of strength for a being of the Paths.
Regardless, he'll uncover them in battle.
…Kiran ignited his essence and met the first of the herd with his full strength. From the balls of his feet stretching to the tips of the fingers wrapped around the shaft of his spear, he gracefully manipulated his essence to enhance his body's already monstrous strength.
Dodging a flailing claw that moved with enough speed to pierce Kiran's chest, he returned an equally swift thrust to its body and sprang back. A subtle frown appeared on his face.
'Just the four are approaching. The Leader is… wary of me?'
As cautious as Kiran was about the Leader, it seemed the beast shared the same sentiments.
But it wasn't without reason — Kiran was unusually strong for a Second Ordeal despite his simple abilities. He displayed battle strength unparalleled compared to the other monsters of the Red Sky in the Second Ordeal.
Nurtured from his youth with bountiful amounts of blood essence, and possessing an unusually potent Blood Mend, he is the epitome of a warrior made for battle. Had the war against the Tailed Brothers been delayed just a decade later when he left his prolonged seclusion deep within the confines of their Great Mountain, Kiran was to be the Red Sky's future of battle and violence.
Suddenly, the terrifying, terrible beast in front of him lashed out a sharp claw, releasing a deafening roar at the same time.
With nothing more than a small grunt, Kiran allowed the blade-like claw to cut alongside his ribs as he turned into it. Using this brief opportune moment, he cruelly pulled the extended limb of the beast, staggering it behind him.
Kiran's bestial eyes shone with malice as he dragged his spear, cutting a long laceration against its side. His spear left one deep cut that stretched from its shoulder to its flank while shallower cuts ran parallel as the many smaller hooked-shaped prongs bled the Path Beast even more.
And without another breath to pass, his spear absorbed a vast amount of blood, inflicting more damage on the beast.
The beast bellowed wildly in response, throwing a crazed slash that just barely missed another beast of the herd that came crashing in. A welcome reaction… It was already difficult enough for Path Finders to coordinate with others, so how can wild Path Beast grasp such a skill?
And Kiran threw himself into the fray because of this.
Though… it was unusual for Kiran to face foes that outsized him, even before entering his long seclusion. All his life he found himself towering over many, even most Path Beasts he encountered. He often utilized his grand reach, further increased by his choice of arms, and fought at a distance. But this only held true before he and Osias entered the outer Valleys. Too many times have the pair found themselves facing lofty beasts.
Swiftly pulling his spear, an incredible amount of blood streamed out of another beast's body, some spewed out and littered the ground as his Blood Reave couldn't absorb it in time.
Grounding himself again and regaining his balance, Kiran decided to circle the others of the herd, still wary of their leader at their rear, careful to not let Osias within reach fo their claws and maws before meeting his body and great spear first.
Keeping distance and never allowing his back to be shown, he continued to deliver powerful strikes of his own, one after the other.
'...Strong, I wouldn't be surprised if one of their abilities was a simple, but constant augment to their skin.' He quickly noted their resilience after the first few exchanges.
Dodging a wild thrash, Kiran lashed out in return, severing the front two limbs of one of these abominable creatures. But just as he moved to finish the beast, a thundering impact sounded from behind the three others rapidly approaching.
'The Lea–'
Kiran immediately strained himself to stop his strike midway and dropped to the ground in reaction and Osias yelped in response. An impossibly fast projectile was launched at him, the wind whistled past his hair and left him with a slight shiver.
Unwavered by the sudden but missed attack, Kiran upped the pace and slashed as he lunged across, taking advantage of the momentary pause of his adversaries.
Just a single limb was severed this time from below its knee, but it was enough.
With two beasts crippled, another blast howled through the air. Its speed and size are greater than the last.
But Kiran already prepared accordingly.
Kiran leaped to his side and spun, weaving away from a desperate slash from one of the crippled beasts' unmaimed limbs. The outside edge of its claw simply met the bare shaft of Kiran's immensely hardened and resilient spear, and only a vibrating tremor was sent in return.
This sequence was done seamlessly as Kiran threw himself using the force of the blow, his feet sliding back to a moment of reprieve as the two uninjured Path Beasts came rushing towards him.
Quickly glancing behind where he just was, he found two unbelievably dark spires deeply lodged into the rugged cliffside.
'This can't just be it… It couldn't have felt so dangerous if this was the extent of its capabilities. Not to mention, there is a lack of any definitive Ordeal Abilities for these four. They seem… weaker than I thought despite possessing the same cold danger of their leader, albeit fainter. Should I see what a true attack from them can do?'
The herd also wasn't as coordinated as Kiran thought, it seemed that the strongest of the herd was just that — the strongest. It didn't lead these wild beasts, which is clearly evident as they wildly thrashed, some attacks even hitting their own.
A muffled groan escaped his lips as he once again entered the fray of battle, his vigor unrelenting.
Quickly meeting the two crazed monsters that were practically frothing at the mouth, Kiran took another read at their appearance.
'Four long longs and a lithe body. Dark as the shadows cast by a mountain… Their physical strength isn't quite as astounding as a Path Beast of the Second Ordeal should be either. A unit led by an average Second Blood with a few First Bloods of the band could've slain a few of these with ease…'
"So why do they feel… dangerous?" He uttered under his breath.
The first of the pair threw a claw strike from below, dragging upturned stones and dust along with it, but Kiran evaded effortlessly.
Just as the other almost pounded into Kiran at a tremendous speed, Kiran nimbly moved below carefully as Osias was now exposed.
But just then, he ignored the two invigorated beasts' and exploded forth to the two who were crippled so he could finish them off.
With a wicked thurst, Kiran punctured the lowered head of the first crippled beast, his spear that seemed to be tinged with dark crimson then hungrily pulled an absurd amount of blood, all of it feeding the spear itself rather than going to Kiran's tattoos.
"Wha—"
Suddenly the Extraction halted, but not of Kiran's accord.
Unbeknownst to Kiran, the moment he finished off the foul beast, their leader in the rear began to… change.
Kiran hadn't noticed before since it was standing atop all fours, but after throwing a glance he saw it was standing on its hind legs, exposing its underside.
There were four… cavities. Deep, dark, and irregular.
Then, right below Kiran's spearhead, the fallen beast rapidly reduced into a black liquid-like state, streaming back to the Leader's body, and into its cavity. Flesh, bone, and blood alike all turned into a black sludge.
But nevertheless, he quickly killed the other crawling beast, watching it too turn into a black sludge just before the other two beasts left behind caught up to Kiran and continued their ferocious assault.
Between defending Osias, and throwing strikes of his own, Kiran found it difficult to spare attention to whatever was happening to the herd Leader and the liquid.
After all, these were Second Ordeal Path Beasts, and most Second Ordeal Path Finders needed a proper unit alongside to simply slay one…
But what was happening to the Leader was too eye-catching to not notice.
Even the dark liquid was too ominous itself. It flowed unnaturally, controlled and manipulated with conscious will — eerily similar to the manner blood was reaved from those of the Blood Path.
He didn't know of its properties, but he had to do something about it.
With a hoarse grunt, he raced towards the liquid as it flowed back to the Leader, but before he could do anything, a cold shiver ran through his back as he prepared for another spire that was forming infront of the Leader.
As expected, another flurry was shot at him, this time the Leader disregarded the presence of the two chasing behind Kiran, some of the massive spires even grazing them as they missed Kiran.
Sparing another look to where he killed the beast and the black sludge it turned into… he felt as though he discovered something.
Perhaps… The dreadful feeling coming off of these four isn't because of themselves but the liquid made from them.
…All stemming from the Leader.
The black sludge made its way into the exposed cavity of the Leader, and Kiran could almost see a demented grin stretching off its maw. And just as he suspected that these four weren't simply beasts following a leader, but rather ferocious creations made from the Leader from the four cavities on its underbelly, the two beasts chasing him suddenly burst with power and speed.
They came too close for his liking, and so he decided to move to the side to prevent Osias from being exposed to the two of them. So before the dark liquid could move any closer to its source, Kiran decided to fight as he always did to finish the two remaining.
Brutal, cruel, and domineering — fitting as the heir of a band of blood-born.
Taking a swipe at his arm, Kiran allowed the beast to follow through and lose balance. Using this moment he let one hand free from his spear thrust his injured hand forward and wrapped it around the limb of the attacking beast.
Redirecting and using its motion, Kiran viciously tackled it to the ground and moved in for the kill.
Unfortunately, its partner didn't allow him to do so freely.
"Throw, Osias!" Kiran suddenly yelled out.
And with what meager strength an injured, seated, Ordinary child could muster, Osias threw his short sword at the foul beast's head.
It was slow.
Weak.
Something so predictable it was almost a disrespect to the capabilities of a being well in the Second Ordeal.
But it was enough to warrant the slightest hesitation of such a being. Perhaps it was due to its wariness of Kiran rather than Osias, but regardless it hesitated.
And in this slight moment, not even stretching a second, Kiran slashed at the grounded beast's neck and beheaded it. Sickly black blood flowed into his spear, but not for long as Kiran lunged away from the final creature's sickly maw.
In the next moment, the Leader let out a crude, deafening roar that shook the entire summit.
'That black liquid… it all returned to the cavities.' Kiran found.
Suddenly the remaining beast scrambled away from Kiran with a dire pace and returned beside its Leader's side as Kiran witnessed what he assumed was the Path Beast's true appearance.