Arin pulled himself out of the pool of water and sat on the rocks. He ruffled his hair, slicking it back and letting out a sigh of relief. In four days, he had attained +2.5 Strength, +4.5 Focus and +3.5 Endurance while under the weight of the waterfall.
[Stats:]
+0 Stat Points
Precision: 30
Agility: 19.5
Strength: 16.5
Focus: 23
Endurance: 16
Intuition: 15
"I'm still not convinced I won against Rolan." Arin sighed. "He was clearly going easy on me. It's like he wanted me to believe he was mad."
"Master, I've found traces of the Ash. Should we depart for it now?" Nocturnis stepped out of the shadows, manifesting himself in the sunlight.
"Did you find more ash fields?" Arin asked as he plucked his clothes out from the nearest tree.
"Wherever it goes, Ash is left. More and more of the forest is turning to Ash."
"So it's lighting things on fire?"
"It does seem that way, but the other places I've tracked it to, it seems like they weren't recently lit on fire like the one you found me in the other day."
"A trail of Ash… I wonder what kind of powerful Beast is able to do such a thing." Arin whispered, slipping on the last of his clothes. "Let me grab my pack and spear and we can go."
The trail of Ash didn't actually start for a while. Nocturnis had cut through the forest, stating it was quicker than going all the way back through the abandoned town towards the fresh ashen field.
Nocturnis eventually led them out of the Eldergrove Forest. The sight of rolling fields that seemed to stretch as far as Arin's eyes could see in every direction in front of him.
The trail of Ash began to slow and the rolling plains flattened out. Green turned to grey with sprouts of vegetation appearing throughout. Small bushes, young tree saplings and even flowers were starting to appear.
"Nature's appearing in this place." Arin whispered.
Nocturnis lead them deeper into the ash plains. Eventually, the trail stopped at a tombstone. The Shadow Panther kept his eyes peeled on their surroundings while Arin slowly drifted over to the tombstone. It was the only thing in this place that was unscarred with burns.
He knelt down on one knee and wiped some of the soot off the tombstone. Most of the characters were faded, but what Arin could decipher was 'Orion.' He cocked his head, curiously.
'Was the Beast bonded with someone before?' Arin wondered. Nocturnis growled, but the tombstone in front of Arin made him so heavily focused, he barely heard it. 'What could this mean? Could the Beast—'
"Master!" Nocturnis threw himself in front of his Master as a ball of fire flew at him. Nocturnis hit Arin, flying past him and rolling past the tomb and overhead.
Arin turned and watched as a wolf-like creature with dark, smoky coat and a faint reddish glow around its eyes and paws stepped forward. It growled as flames escaped its mouth. It rushed at Arin, giving him no time to react. It swatted him away, destroying the tombstone and turning to face him.
It roared at him, standing defensively near the crumbled tombstone. Arin jumped to his feet, noticing his spear had scattered to the wayside. The fiery beast growled. It didn't move from its spot.
Nocturnis slowly circled, waiting for an opening to attack while Arin studied the Beast.
'A Beast cloaked in Ash and fire.' Arin observed. 'This things is aggressive and isn't afraid to make the first move.' The fiery Beast roared, releasing a breath of fire that painted the area between them in red, orange and yellow.
The Beast soared through the flames, baring its fangs and sinking them into Arin's shoulder. Arin let out a howl of pain, grabbing its body and trying to rip it off him. Nocturnis appeared next to them in an instant and bit the flaming Beast.
The Beast let go of Arin, who quickly stumbled backwards as he tried to ignore the hot wounds quickly cauterizing. Nocturnis released, dodging the Beast's claws and keeping enough distance to potentially protect his Master.
"A Beast such as yourself would bow to the lesser?" The Beast asked Nocturnis. "I should kill you where you stand. They bring nothing but empty promises!" It rushed forward towards Nocturnis, who dodged out of the way and quickly getting another hit in.
"Pain is temporary." Arin whispered to himself as he took his stance. "I'll look back on this and laugh at it. For now… I need to find a way to subdue this Beast before Nocturnis gets hurt again." He rushed forward, thrusting his spear forwards while Nocturnis leapt at the Beast. The Beast burst into Ash as both attacks missed.
The fiery Beast re-materialized itself, letting out another blast of flames into the air.
"Not this again!" Arin jumped to the side as fireballs flew threw the flames. "Drakhar Arts: Piercing Edge!" The spear in Arin's hands pierced straight through the fireball, separating in an instant. He moved to the side, piercing each fireball and watching it explode at his tip.
The fiery Beast rushed for Arin while Nocturnis sprung into action. He swiped for the Beast, watching it turn into a puff of Ash, again and reappear, slashing at Nocturnis. Nocturnis howled as the two Beasts heabutted each other.
"I'll make sure that human dies so you feel the way I do!" The Beast roared. Flames exploded off him, nipping Nocturnis as he moved out of the way.
Arin dashed forward at the fiery Beast. "Vairo: Disrupting Flow." He spun the spear and whacked the Beast's behind quickly, flipping it back to its bladed-edge and sending it at the Beast's backside.
The fiery Beast howled as it pulled itself out and spewed flames all around itself. Nocturnis and Arin jumped away, watching as the Beast's wound slowly healed.
The fiery Beast's eyes blazed with renewed fury as it faced its opponents. With a thunderous roar, it launched into a relentless assault. Its form blurred, shifting between solid and ash faster than the eye could follow. One moment it was in front of Arin, the next it materialized behind Nocturnis, leaving trails of smoldering embers in its wake.
Arin barely had time to raise his spear before the Beast was upon him, its jaws snapping inches from his face. He stumbled backward, the intense heat singeing his eyebrows. Nocturnis leapt to his aid, but the Beast was ready. It spun, its tail becoming a whip of flames that caught the Shadow Panther mid-leap, sending him crashing into a nearby ash dune.
"Nocturnis!" Arin cried out, but he had no time to react. The fiery Beast had already taken the Shadow Panther out with a powerful attack!
The Beast turned to Arin, letting out a small flaming breath from the side of its mouth. It rushed at Arin, not giving him anytime to react as its claws charged with flames. The Beast swung at Arin, who had no option but to do.
The two moved like inexperienced dance partners, the fiery Beast overpowering the human.
Just as the fiery Beast was gaining on Arin, a memory flashed through his mind. His father's voice, clear as day, echoed in his thoughts:
"Remember, son," the gruff yet warm tone said, "an opponent who is confident in winning will leave more open areas for attack. Use that as your opportunity to strike."
The world seemed to slow around Arin as his father's words reverberated through him. He observed the Beast's movements with newfound clarity, noting how its aggressive lunges left its flanks exposed. The creature's eyes blazed with certainty, believing victory was within its grasp.
Arin's grip tightened on his spear, his knuckles turning white. He feinted to the left, drawing the Beast's attention. As it lunged, Arin pivoted on his heel, using the momentum to spin away from its snapping jaws.
"Vairo: Blur!" Arin's image blurred into three different Arin's. The fiery Beast snapped back, turning to attack Arin and missing. "Vairo: Disruption!" The blunt spear end slammed into the Beast's body, stunning it in place. Arin roared, shedding his hesitation and cautiousness in that moment, brining the blunt end onto the fiery Beast's head.
The Beast roared from its paralyzed body as the human boy twirled his spear and pointed the bladed edge at the Beast. It watched as the spear flew forward.
'Is this it?' The Beast wondered. 'Am I going to die here? Will I finally be able to go home?' The spear stopped short of the fiery Beast's eye. A tinge of fear grew in its eyes. It wondered why the human boy suddenly stopped.
"What are you waiting for?" The Beast asked. "Kill me. You humans always want to kill things stronger than you. Do it."
"I came to look for you, not kill you." Arin lowered the spear. "I need some answers."
"Why would I entertain a human's questions? If you do not kill me, I will kill you!" The Beast tried to leap into action but its body was stuck in place. "Argh, what did you do to me?"