Thursday November 3rd, 2018

  Across the front of Hinata and Alli’s property things have slowed down considerably. While Helo won his fight in all but knocking them out. Hinata has not only been able to halt their retreat. But also make decent work at changing the destroyed landscape to work for them.

  Through skillful use of simple commands like Switch and Assist. Hinata was able to free up Rurgrim, Arisah and Cody so they can use their skills to alter the terrain. Rurgrim slightly elevated the ground while hardening their own footing. Arisah created hedges of aggressive and poisonous plants to stop their maneuvering. Finally, Cody got practice in controlling ‘Iceberg’ to create walls of solid ice.

  Just as Hinata is about to make the final call to finish off their foes. A piercing screech comes from the front gate. All eyes look that way and what they see astounds everyone. The gate emits a glowing red color as the mana that creates the barrier and reinforces the material is shredded.

  “What is that?” Luna asks with some nervousness in her voice. This has already been a stressful day for the Cat-Kin. She really doesn’t need things to get worse.

  Before anyone else can respond a torch like flame erupts from the gate. It draws a line down the center of the gate. Not only cutting the locks that hold the gate in place but also torching the mana that is supposed to be protecting it.

  Then with an, “EEEEHHHHHH!” The normally smooth gate slowly screeches open.

  Once the other side is visible everyone stares in shock. On the other side Adan Lopez is standing with the rest of his party. His face is adorned with a cruel smile and the powerful teenage steps into their home without second thought.

  He looks at all the fighters like everyone is beneath him and walks right up to where Hinata is with her party. “Where’s the wolf bitch?” Adan asks Hinata.

  Not responding to Adan’s mean and arrogant words Hinata asks. “Why are you here?”

  “Kuh.” Adan scoffs. “You think I’m going to spend my time growing some dumb plant. Nah. I was already planning on taking someone’s, but when I heard about the fun party you were throwing.” Adan looks at the destroyed field and mansion. “I just couldn’t resist. Plus, its not like it matters to me who I steal from.”

  Hinata grimaces as Adan faces her with a casualness that shows just how little he considers them threats. Not wanting to be the one to seem underhanded, Hinata looks Adan in his lazy and cruel eyes. “No.”

  Adan smiles at Hinata’s defiance. “Good.” He says, then with power and speed that Hinata can barley match Adan leaps forward. The force blasts the dirt under him back in Allen’s face.

  Blocking the strike, Adan’s brass knuckle covered fist shatters ‘Illusion’s Parry’ with casual ease. Then his fist meets her own blade. Not having time to conjure an illusion, Hinata attempts to cover her material body in an illusion to reinforce herself.

  The magic wavers and barely holds for a moment. But it is long enough for Hinata to move her head to the side and dodge the strike. That technique is one that her father told her about. He said that once semi-physical illusions are strong enough to not just be an illusion, but a change to reality itself, that you can manifest an illusion to reinforce your strength in reality.

  It is a technique that Hinata is far from reaching. But for a moment, while facing true pressure. She just barely grasped it. Not trusting herself to block the second blow, Hinata dives back. Adan’s fist sails past her head, the grinning Were-Wolf looks down at her like a predator that just found his prey.

  Across the battlefield things are changing quickly. Adan’s party is made up of powerful members with zero teamwork. But their strength is a teamwork in itself. They don’t help one another, but with their strength there isn’t much reason to.

  The fight has changed to a three-way brawl with Allen and Adan’s side mostly focusing on Hinata’s party. Alli might have blasted away hundreds of weaklings. But this is where the true battle starts. Thankfully, due to Alli’s rash and self-sacrificing decision, her party still has some gas in the tank.

  Helo, seeing that his party is in dire need of help quickly dispatches the two weapon wielders and knocks out the rest of their party. A battle like this is no place for the wounded. Helo feels a little bad. He genuinely liked the Short Swordsman. He feels bad casually knocking him out with a ‘Forced Still’, but now isn’t the time for mercy.

  Turing right and toward the mansion Helo takes in the fight as quickly as he can. He wants to find where he is not only needed but can do the most good.

  From what he can see his party is doing alright. Adan’s party is much stronger and far more brutal than the people that were already attacking them. But at the same time Henry is out, Allen’s gang is half gone, and Kumar has only a few people left.

  So, with Rocco’s command they restarted their walking retreat and are able to hold their own for now. The one fight that isn’t going well is Hinata’s. Adan’s base physical stats are beyond her own. At the same time, he attacked so suddenly that Hinata hasn’t been able to do anything but struggle.

  But there are two reasons why Helo thinks that this is where he is needed most. He can tell that each time Adan gets injured he comes back stronger. Not only that, but she also can’t deal enough damage to take him out; his regeneration is too high. The second reason is that Adan’s brass knuckles seem to have some kind of magic dissipating effect. Every time Hinata tries to use an illusion to block or dodge it is quickly destroyed.

  Making his decision Helo hopes to draw Adan’s ire toward himself, freeing Hinata to turn the tides against Adan’s party. Forming a ‘Dark Blade’, Helo coats the weapon in ‘Forced Still’. Then casting ‘Dark Hand’, Helo mixes his aura with his telekinetic ability and launches the blade with as much force as he can.

  Adan’s instincts are on par with Helo’s own. As soon as Helo’s aura surged, Adan was reacting. Twisting away from Hinata, Adan aborts the strike that was about to hit her, and swings toward Helo.

  Adan’s fist catches the blade in the air. Adan grins at Helo with a feral smile that reminds Helo of how he used to be when he was first entering the dungeon. He had very little control over his bloodline and instincts. Now Helo just feels pity, even if Helo knows that being so consumed by his instincts is what makes Adan so reactive and dangerous.

  Instead of dissipating against Adan’s brass knuckles, the blade meets them with a “Clang!”. This forces Adan’s hand down and to the side. Adan shakes out his hand as he watches the blade dissipate moments after meeting his brass knuckles.

  Helo studies this all while running to meet him. During Adan’s fight with Hinata he pushed her all the way back to the entrance of the house. Helo can see the confusion on Adan’s face. The fact that the brass knuckles failed seems to be affecting Adan more than Helo expected. What Adan doesn’t know is that Helo doesn’t have any mana, only his natural energies.

  Before Helo can make it all the way to the front of the house, Adan has already turned his back on Hinata and lept toward Helo. While he is in the air, Helo and Hinata make eye contact. In the brief moment the two of them come to an understanding.

  While Hinata turns back to the larger fight, Helo rolls forward over Adan’s jump while activating ‘Bloodline Awakening’. Pushing himself to his feet Helo skids a few yards as he turns back around the face the Were-Wolf. Adan does the same only he is grinning manically at Helo.

  Staring at the obviously insane teenager. Helo rapidly tries to come up with a plan. If he fights Adan like normal, then there is a good opportunity that he will slowly get overpowered. Helo needs to think this fight through more than just stab him a few times.

  Adan doesn’t take kindly to standing still. Stepping forward a set of claws made from blood form on the knuckles of his clenched fist. Ducking the swipe, Helo is almost brained as Adan’s other hand attempts to stab forward. Helo barely dodges by rolling back.

  Flipping to his feet Helo bends back under another swipe and manages to catch Adan in the chest with a kick. While Helo stands straight. Adan stumbles back. The two of them stop and stare at one another like before. “HA. This won’t work well for you. You think I don’t know what you’re doing. My family has perfected this fighting style.” Adan laughs at Helo and steps forward to fight.

  Drawing his blades Helo meets the Were-Wolf blade for claw. The ‘Blood Claws’ that Adan is using splash blood all over the place with each exchange of blows. After each exchange Adan swings just a little bit harder.

  Stepping back Helo studies Adan quizzically. He hasn’t done any damage to the Were-Wolf. So, he shouldn’t be getting stronger. Looking at the claws that are dripping blood. Helo realizes that none of it is his own.

  “It’s the claws. You hurt yourself…?” Helo asks. Adan doesn’t respond, he only grins viciously and steps back into the fight. Realizing this, Helo comes to the conclusion that he is on a clock.

  Bending at the waist Helo barely dodges a swipe and attempts to use his kukri to freeze Adan’s arm. Adan doesn’t react. But at the last second when the blade starts to emit dark wisp of energy, Adan yanks his hand up and away.

  Looking at Helo’s blade, it is Adan’s turn to be weary. Normally he just trades blows, especially when he has yet to be hurt. But whatever the dark wisps were, they made his instincts act up.

  Helo looks at Adan’s expression and comes to the same conclusion that Adan did. His blade might not stop Adan from regenerating or growing stronger. But he can freeze his limb with the skill.

  Shifting to the side Helo stops as his shadow is behind him. Then Helo steps forward and starts to offensive. This time when the two of them trade blows it is Helo that is forced to react. With his focus not all in the same place Helo ends up getting grazed by Adan’s claws.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Each time he get’s grazed Helo can feel as some kind of corruption seeps into his body from the blood that the claws are made from. Sucking in his stomach, Helo narrowly avoids spilling his guts. Twisting to the left Helo blocks the claw with his own blade. Only from Adan’s other hand to come around and spear his through the shoulder.

  “AHHHH!” Helo cries out as right shoulder is pierced. Punching forward Helo’s own blade stabs into Adan and forces the two apart.

  Instead of crying out Adan just grimaces at the pain and glares at Helo while the wound seals itself. Helo on the other hand covers his wound in pain as it slowly starts to heal.

  “Ohh. I expected more. I head you can regenerate almost as good as me.” Adan smiles evilly before stepping up to finish Helo off.

  Staggering away from Adan, Helo steps back. At the same time, he reveals his shadow. Helo’s aura surges and the ‘Dark Blade’ that was forming in his shadow is revealed. With no time to block or dodge Adan’s thigh is pierced by the blade.

  Adan’s eyes widen in shock with a slight bit of pain as he stumbles on the leg he was about to step forward in.

  At the same time Helo drops his own hand and uses his Title ‘Yin-Yang Balance’. His mental energy flows through his core and into the pathways of his physical energy. Helo’s eyes start to shine golden, then the wound is quickly healed. Not only that, but whatever corruption Adan’s blood was spreading is quickly purged from his system.

  Stabbing forward Helo hopes to catch the Were-Wolf off guard. Instead, Adan’s instincts kick in, along with a fair bit of rage. “RAHHHHHH!” Screaming in Helo’s face, Adan starts to slightly shift as his hair grows shaggier and his own physical nails elongate.

  I am going to have to give this everything I’ve got. Helo thinks. Ducking under Adan’s now slightly elongated arm. Helo stabs up unto the Were-Wolfs body with his blade while channeling ‘Defiled Wound’.

  Helo watches closely as his skill works. The skill is supposed to worsen bleeding, keep the wound open longer, and add to the cost of healing. To Helo’s dismay the wound piercing into Adan’s chest only last for an extra couple of seconds.

  The fight continues as Adan only grows more powerful with each attack he takes. The only thing Helo has on the Were-Wolf is his a speed that Adan has yet to match, and his own rational mind.

  Continuing to channel ‘Defiled Wound’ onto every attack this is one of the first times that Helo has seriously used the skill. Every time ‘Forced Still’ comes off cool down Helo uses it and locks of one or two of Adan’s limbs.

  One thing he has noticed is that as Adan gets stronger. ‘Forced Skill’ works less and less. Because of this, when Helo uses the skill on each of his blades. He focuses both strikes at the same place.

  Not sure how long Adan can go; Helo is starting to worry. He was hoping that the Were-Wolf would run out of mana. Regenerating so much and boosting himself must take a lot from Adan. Instead, the Were-Wolf just keeps getting stronger.

  “OHHHHHFFFFF!” Helo gets knocked through the air as a backhand takes him off his feet. Flying almost twenty feet, Helo hits the ground with a roll. Scrambling to catch his breath and move, Helo barely dodges the stomp that would have crushed his skill.

  “RooooooHHHHRRRRRR!” Adan roars in Helo’s face with bellow that knocks him off his feet again and shakes the surrounding area. Rolling quickly Helo’s eyes flash golden as the rib that cracked from the previous blow is mended. Then he prepares the meet Adan again.

  Helo and Adan meet again. Both of them have their own styles of combat. Adan is quick and instinctive. But his focus is on his regeneration and strength. While Helo can regenerate and boost his strength. But his focus is on his speed and instincts.

  This leads to a fight where neither wants to back down. In Helo’s place, his pride starts to assert itself, he just doesn’t want to lose. For Adan, he is too caught up in his rage to want anything but Helo’s blood and flesh.

  Ducking low Helo slashes Adan in the arm and shoulder before getting clipped by Adan’s return strike. Helo’s eyes flash golden and he jumps left in a dive to dodge another strike.

  Adan’s blows continue to get closer and closer. Opposite of Helo’s own boost, Adan grows stronger and gets a little faster each time he is hurt, not to mention he is also getting larger. Unfortunately for Helo. Adan has always beaten him in strength. But as time goes on, Adan is even getting closer to matching his speed.

  Rolling through Adan’s legs, Helo uses ‘Forced Still’ and causes the large beast to stumble. Jumping away Helo only has a few seconds to think before he must put away thought and focus on survival.

  I can outlast him or end it. Those are the two ideas Helo can come up with. Helo doesn’t know how long Adan can go on. But Helo does know that he is gasping for breath and his own reserves are starting to fall.

  With the lack of blood to drink, death and escaped vitality. Helo’s own reserves just continue to fall. He is getting some vitality from Adan’s blood. But Adan’s regeneration is too quick for enough vitality to escape. With how often Helo is using his own boosted regeneration to mend damage, it is nowhere near enough.

  Letting his mind gaze inward Helo groans audibly as he can see that he is quickly running out of physical and mental energy. This fight has been draining his own reserves. Especially because he is forced to eat a loss each time, he uses his mental energy to boost his regeneration.

  “Ah!” Helo yelps as he ducks back. He got lost in his mind and was focused inward. Thankfully his aura and instincts worked well to let him not only realize a blow was coming, but from where, and react to it.

  Damn, I really am getting exhausted. Helo mentally says while pushing himself to his feet and gasping for breath. Trying to duke it out with Adan like he has been for the past twenty minutes. It only takes Helo a moment to realize that Adan has eclipsed his speed. The only plus is that it seems like Adan’s dexterity is getting worse, the stronger and faster he gets.

  His strikes are overwhelming and fast. But they are also wide and sweeping blows.

  Not sure how to turn the fight around, Helo turns tail and runs into the mansion.

  “GGGGRRRRHHHHAHAAHA!” Adan growls then starts to psychotically laugh as he chases Helo.

  Realizing that he is just playing into Adan’s instincts Helo decides to finish this. Either he loses and gets taken away, or Adan does.

  Tuning a corner Helo wraps himself in his aura. Dragging his blade on the wall, Helo forces himself to come to a quick stop. Jumping onto the wall Helo immediately dives off the wall and toward the corner he just turned.

  Barreling through the corner Adan comes in his seven foot, lanky, hairy, Were-Wolf form. Adan reacts quickly to the sight of Helo, even if he can’t sense him.

  Leaving one knife plants in the wall and letting his other clatter to the ground. Helo forces the last of his mental energy into his skill ‘Forced Still’. Using the effect he has only used one time before; Helo’s right fist starts to glow with a dark light.

  It is a light that is the antithesis to true light. Instead of glowing with vibrant luster. Everything that his light touches seems to lose its shine.

  Adan’s clawed hand catches the diving Helo on the hip. The blow sends him further into the air than his exhausted body could manage. Directly toward Adan’s head.

  What Helo and Adan don’t know is that in the same way that Helo’s bloodline can conceal his presence. With Helo’s bloodline in the skill, even Adan’s instincts can’t react to the darkness that Helo’s fist radiates.

  With wide snapping jaws, Adan attempts to bite into Helo’s fist.

  Already having decided to end things, Helo pushes his own fist into Adan’s mouth.

  Adan’s jaws close and Helo’s arm gets mutilated. At the same time Helo’s body hits Adan’s. With his claws out, Adan starts scratching Helo’s body apart.

  Crying out in agony, Helo doesn’t let the pain stop him even has his body starts to convulse from the pain and exhaustion. Forcing his fist deeper Adan’s teeth drag deep cutting furrows into Helo’s arm.

  Finally, after almost half a foot of pushing into Adan’s elongated wolf-like mouth. Helo’s fist contacts the back of Adan’s throat.

  In that instant the energy in Helo’s fist is released and like a light switch, the light in Adan’s eyes goes out.

  The two combatants fall to the ground in a heap. Adan is a picture of perfect health. While Helo’s body is mutilated almost beyond recognition.

  “Ah! FuCK!” Helo cries as he slowly pulls his arm from between Adan’s razor-sharp teeth. When his arm free he goes about pulling Adan’s claws from his back. After both claws are removed Helo falls to the side and into his own blood.

  Staring down at his pooling blood Helo’s mind starts to go blank as the excess blood loss start to get to him. Before he can fully nod off and get taken away by a professor or death, he hears a “YIP!”

  Alli isn’t sure how to feel. Getting put into her bed by Helo was nice. But even then, she would much rather be out there fighting with her party. But at the same time, she knows that there isn’t much she can do in her state.

  The worst part is that she can’t even see what is happening. She wants to go watch, but she knows that right now she is a liability. “At least you’re with me.” Alli says to Inka while holding the jaguar to her body.

  “Row!” Lelai growls at her.

  “Oh yeah. You too.” Alli replies off-handedly.

  Before Lelai can respond angrily. Both she and Alli look toward the door. “You heard that right?”

  Alli asks the fox. Getting a nod in return, Alli stands up carefully and puts the sleeping kitty back into bed. “Stay.” Alli says to Inka. The cat doesn’t even react to her words; she just curls up and goes back to bed.

  Carefully walking to her door, Alli moves slowly to keep her strained channels from hurting. Opening the door, she wants to check what is happening. But as soon as the door opens Lelai’s little nose starts sniffing like crazy, then she takes off in a grey bullet. “YIP!”

  Following after the fox as fast as she can. Alli turns a corner. “GAH!” She gasps and starts running forward while ignoring her pain. Infront of her she can see a seven-foot-tall monster with a deformed and hairy body.

  But the monster barely has her attention. The small figure to the monster’s side is what she is racing toward. “Helo!” She shouts as she stumbles to her knees beside him. He is facing face down with his clothes practically torn off, and his flesh is filled with deep torn furrows. Blood pumps from his body and fills the floor.

  Alli crawls through the blood unconsciously covering herself in it. By his side she takes a closer look. She can see bones in each of his wounds. The worst is his arm. It is like someone took a meat grinder and torn the flesh straight from the bone.

  Rolling Helo over Alli feels a sense of relief when she sees that his front doesn’t have the same number of wounds. Only four gashes on his hip.

  Fighting down her rising panic, thankfully Alli already knows what to do. She and Hinata already planned for this. They both already agreed to always be prepared. Grabbing the small knife on her hip that she and Hinata promised to keep close.

  She holds the knife tightly in her hand, while doing the same with her other hand, only on the blade. Drawing the blade from her hand, Alli cuts open her palm with a wince. Holding back her cry of pain she squeezes her palm, dropping her blood into Helo’s mouth. Alli starts to cry when nothing happens. “No. No. Nonononono!”

  As tears blind her vision, Alli gasps back her sobs when gold light is reflected into her eye by her own tears. Alli frantically tries to wipe her eyes clear. Still holding the knife, she gasps in pain as she accidentally cuts her face open.

  Dropping the knife, Alli lets her own blood run down her face as she clears her eyes. Once they are finally open she starts crying again when she can see Helo’s eyes glowing golden through his eyelids.

  Through her falling tears she looks down. Only to choke out a chuckle that sounds like a sob. “GAHAha. Stupid. His wounds are on his back.”

  Not sure how long it has been since the fight Helo wakes up confused. He can feel something pouring onto his face. Taking a moment Helo can feel as his back stitches itself back together.

  Focusing on his taste Helo realizes that it is blood. Opening his eyes Helo finds Alli sitting in front of him with her tears streaming down her face. Reaching up, Helo gently grabs Alli’s hand and slowly opens it up.

  Then instead of drinking more blood, which Alli expected, Helo summons a potion from his necklace and gently pours it over the wound.

  “GRRRRRRR.” Both Alli and Hinata jump as the massive beast beside them starts to shift. From seven to under six feet, the monster slowly turns back into Adan.

  “Oh shit!” Helo lunges forward. Summoning the only other weapon he has, Helo stabs his naginata down toward Adan’s head as hard as he can. Just as the blade starts to pierce the skin of Adan’s temple, a hand grabs the shaft of his blade.

  Standing above him is Alex Runeglass. He looks down at Helo with kind eyes, even though Helo was just about to kill a fellow student. Alex knows, people like Adan just end up getting put down or they become horrible dictators, but now isn’t the time for that.

  “Don’t worry child. I’ll take him away.” Alex says with a kind smile as he lets the naginata go.

  Helo stares at his professor for a few seconds before truly registering what he said. Closing his eyes, Helo lets his body relax and he falls backward into Alli’s arms.