"What the-" Orolo said as he caught a full look of the creature. The creature stood on twisted limbs, a grotesque fusion of decayed human and animal corpses. Its body was a patchwork of rotting flesh, jagged bones jutting out at odd angles, barely held together by sinew. Distorted faces—both human and beast—were fused into its hide, mouths frozen in silent, agonized screams, with hollow eyes staring blankly from the mass of decaying tissue.
With each step, the creature's body seemed to pulse and writhe, as if struggling to remain intact. A nauseating stench of death and rot clung to it, and the sickening sound of flesh dragging across the ground accompanied its movements.
"Wh-what is that?" Darian stammered, his voice trembling as he gripped his blade tightly, backing away from the monstrous creature.
Orolo, paralyzed with fear, finally snapped out of his shock. "GET AWAY FROM IT, NOW!" he screamed, his voice raw with urgency. The creature's attention snapped toward them, its head whipping around as it let out a deafening roar before charging at them with unnatural speed.
Ban, deep in the forest, heard Orolo's distant scream with his sharp hearing. He turned in the direction of the campsite, taking a deliberate step forward. "Are you just gonna keep staring at me, or what?" Ban muttered mockingly, unsheathing his blade. Just as the words left his lips, he heard a thunderous crash behind him, like something massive had smashed into the ground.
He spun around and locked eyes with a black-scaled bear, a behemoth that towered over him. The creature's jet-black fur bristled, absorbing the dim light around it. Standing three times the height of a man, it loomed over Ban, muscles rippling beneath its fur.
"Damn, and I'm fresh out of honey," Ban quipped, his tone sarcastic.
The bear swung its colossal claws, each as long as a sword and razor-sharp, at Ban with blinding speed. He parried the attack, his blade clashing against the beast's claws with a metallic screech. The sheer force of the blow sent Ban skidding backward.
Ban grinned, excitement flickering in his eyes, but before he could counterattack, the bear unleashed a relentless barrage of slashes. Ban dodged and parried with precision, but each strike pushed him further back, As Ban's back slammed into a tree, the bear swung again, its claws cutting through the trunk like it was nothing but paper.
It's strong, Ban thought as he dashed away from the bear, creating some distance. Flames erupted along his blade as he leaped into the air, aiming for the bear's exposed side. But before he could land his strike, the bear swatted him out of the air with a powerful slap.
Ban crashed into a stone, shattering it on impact. "Damn, if I hadn't reinforced myself with Battle Will, that would've broken a rib for sure," he muttered, quickly getting back to his feet. He charged at the bear, dodging its deadly claws as he slashed at its stomach, then ducked under another swipe, slicing at its back.
"Wow, you're tough," Ban remarked, noticing that his slashes only left shallow cuts on the bear's hide. The beast retaliated, but Ban somersaulted over its claws and landed on a nearby tree branch. He realized that brute force alone wouldn't be enough—he needed to switch to magic-based attacks.
Suddenly, the bear roared, releasing a wave of magic-infused sound that struck Ban like a physical blow, sending him tumbling off the tree. As he hit the ground, his head spun, disoriented by the intense vibrations and mana-infused shockwave that had bypassed his skin's toughness and rattled his organs.
Recovering quickly, Ban's eyes darted toward the bear, which was already preparing another sound attack. He dodged, rushing toward the beast, his mind racing. If I pay attention, I can anticipate those sound blasts, he thought, using Battle Will to enhance his legs and eyes, maximizing his speed.
"Burn!" Ban shouted, and the cuts he had inflicted on the bear earlier ignited into flames. The bear howled in pain, its massive form thrashing wildly as the fire spread across its body.
The bear lashed out, but Ban slid under its strike, his entire body now coated in flames as he zipped around the creature, leaving deep, burning cuts in his wake. The heat from his attacks weakened the bear's flesh, but the beast refused to go down. Every time it roared, it unleashed another sound wave, but Ban dodged each one with increasing ease.
"Burn!" Ban commanded again, and the bear erupted into a full blaze, yet it still stood, refusing to succumb.
"You just won't quit, will you?" Ban muttered, about to deliver the final blow when a sharp pain surged through his body, making him fall to his knees with a scream. He glanced down at his hand and saw an arcane symbol glowing faintly.
"Shit, not this again," Ban cursed, distracted by the sudden flare of pain. He didn't notice the bear's claws coming until it was too late. The beast slashed across his chest, sending him flying.
Ban landed hard on his back, as blood poured from the deep gashes across his chest. He glanced up, seeing the bear charging at him with frightening speed. Ban raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
"Flaming Frenzy," he whispered. In an instant, the bear exploded into a swirling vortex of flames, its monstrous form engulfed in a roaring inferno.
As Ban gets of the floor, hes body begins to rapidly heal, making seem like nothing happened, he grabs his wooden jug out of his sack and drinks some water out of it, making the immense pain in his body subside."Atleast this thing isn't slowing down my regeneration" he said sighing, as he hears screams and quickly runs towards the campsite.
Bel, Orolo, and Taod fought desperately against the undead creature, its form obscured by a swirling black mist that seemed to sap their energy. The mist clung to them, making their limbs heavy and their minds sluggish.
"T-this mist... its weakening us." Bel gasped, her voice strained as she fired a barrage of arrows. Each one pierced the creature's skin, only to be absorbed into its body, vanishing without a trace. Frustration twisted her features as she infused her arrows with electricity, but even those disappeared into the creature's dark mass.
"Princess, focus!" Orolo called out, his voice firm despite the fatigue creeping over him. He pulled Bel back, noticing how her eyes drooped and her aim wavered. "It's feeding on magic—absorbing it as quickly as you're firing it."
Bel stumbled, barely able to stand. "T-then what do we do? " Her voice was laced with immense fatigue.
Orolo, fighting to stay on his feet, responded, "It might resist magic, but if I can sever parts of its body..." Before he could finish, the creature was already infront of him, he didnt know wether it was his sluggish mind or its terrifying speed all he knew was he needed to move fast. In an instant, its claws wrapped around him, lifting him off the ground. The fatigue weighed heavily on him, making it nearly impossible to fight back. But with the last of his strength, Orolo used Battle Will, breaking free from its grip and landing on the ground. He swiftly severed the creature's right leg, leaping back as it moaned in pain.
To his dismay, the creature began absorbing dirt and debris from the ground, reconstructing its leg into a grotesque, misshapen substitute. Orolo gritted his teeth, maintaining his composure. "You think you can heal faster than I can harm you? ILL JUST KEEP RIPPING YOU APART!!!" he bellowed.
With a burst of speed, Orolo launched himself at the creature, bringing his axe down with all his might. The blade cleaved through its rotten flesh, releasing a foul-smelling mixture of pus and rot. Despite the repulsive stench, Orolo pressed on, he jumped off the creature landing onto a nearby tree, cutting it down in one powerful swing, and hurled the massive trunk at the creature, forcing it back.
The creature slowly began to devour the tree, absorbing it into its twisted form. Orolo wasn't about to let up. Strengthening his legs with Battle Will, he charged at the tree and shattered it into pieces, sending the creature stumbling further away. As it recoiled, Orolo noticed something—a subtle jolt, he realized It was avoiding the campfire.
"F-fire… it's afraid of fire," Orolo realized. The creature's reaction was similar to a Tarnished's aversion to flames. If he could create an opening, maybe the princess could land a fire-based attack.
But as he turned back to shout her name, he saw Bel had already collapsed, unconscious . The others were down as well—Taod lay motionless, and Darian was nowhere to be found.
"Damn it," Orolo cursed under his breath, gripping his axe and shield tightly. The creature loomed over him, its oppressive presence threatening to overwhelm him. The fog made his eyelids heavy, but he fought through the fatigue with Battle Will. Yet, every use of his strength sapped him further. He considered retreating—fleeing to fight another day—but then he glanced at Bel, and he reprimanded himself.
Orolo slammed his axe into the campfire, catching the flames on the blade. He charged at the creature, slashing at its flesh as it recoiled from the fire. The beast lashed out with its massive arms, strikes that could kill a normal warrior, but Orolo was no ordinary warrior. He had fortified his body with Battle Will, enhancing his durability and strength to withstand the blows.
He hacked away at the creature relentlessly, delivering a powerful strike to its abdomen. But as he tried to pull his axe free, he realized it was stuck—the creature was absorbing it. Before he could react, the beast grabbed Orolo, beginning to pull him into its dark mass. Panic surged through him as he tried to retreat but suddenly pain shot through his limbs, leaving him unable to move.
"Wow, you really overdid it this time, huh?" Ban's voice cut through the tension. Orolo's eyes widened in shock as Ban appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, as he poked his head from the side of the creature, slicing through the creature's hands with ease and yanking Orolo free.
As Ban leaped away from the creature, carrying Orolo with him, Orolo managed to stammer, "H-how did you—?"
Ban, ever smug, replied, "Battle Will is all about enhancing yourself for battle. But if you push your body past its limits without proper training, you're just asking for trouble." He poured water from a wooden jar onto Orolo's swollen arms and legs, soothing the pain. "Looks like your muscles tore under all that stress. You can't amplify your strength infinitely, old man. You've got to condition your body to handle that kind of power. I'm surprised you didn't know that." He said smuggly.
Orolo stood, astonished to find that the pain was gone. In fact, he felt better—stronger, even younger. "Hmph, maybe I overdid it a bit," he admitted, inspecting his rejuvenated body.
Ban, meanwhile, turned his attention to the creature, which had grown larger, more grotesque. "Now what do we have here?" he mused, pointing his flaming blade at the beast. "That's definitely not disgusting," he added with heavy sarcasm.
"Magic doesn't work on it," Orolo warned, placing a hand on Ban's shoulder.
"Great," Ban replied with a smirk. "Guess we'll just have to beat it down the old-fashioned way." Before Orolo could respond, Ban had already rushed at the creature, slashing at its abdomen.
"Burn!" Ban commanded, and the slash mark ignited with flames. As the creature roared in agony, Ban ripped Orolo's axe free and tossed it to him. "What are you waiting for? Move your feet, old man!" Ban teased, his tone playful yet urgent.
Orolo caught the axe mid-air, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He amplified his speed with Battle Will and rushed the creature, slashing at its legs and knocking it off balance. As the beast tumbled, it tried to absorb more dirt from its surroundings, but Ban slashed at the creature's back with enough force to send it flying.
"Burn!" Ban shouted again, and the creature's back burst into flames. Orolo seized the opportunity, positioning himself in front of the creature as it fell, and with a mighty blow, he hit it into the air with his shield. "AHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, amplifying his strength to its peak.
Ban leaped into the air, delivering a series of slashes that left small cuts on the creature's toughening hide. Landing beside Orolo, "Its skin's getting tougher," Orolo observed, puzzled by the diminishing effectiveness of Ban's strikes.
Ban smirked, raising his hand. "Then let's finish this. Flaming Frenzy!" With a flick of his wrist, the creature erupted into a vortex of flames, its agonized screams echoing through the forest.
"The fire won't kill it" Ban said , orolo immediately understood.
Orolo wasted no time. He rushed in, with a final, devastating slash, he cleaved the creature down the middle, splitting it in two as it howled in agony.