CHPT 328: The Druidic Lupine and The Giant-Killer

Ursula stood against the Alpha Rat-Demon for no more than a small handful of seconds. The new foreign power she'd only just used coated her arm with a tingly warmth that blocked out the hellish heat building within the rats throat. She could feel it pushing against her fist only to be extinguished and cast away as if the fire was allergic to her new aura.

The two continued to strain with the rat clawing and punching her arm in a failed attempt to dislodge her fist from it's throat. She barely held on. Merely seconds-- if even. That was all that passed and even so, her body felt like it'd been sapped of everything. As if she'd been fighting for hours. It was like the power was too much for her.

And as a result, she was spent. Quickly. So quick that she could do little for the humanoid rat hand hammering towards her face other than bringing up her Aura. Before the hit could connect, she snarled and opened the her hand in it's mouth, letting her claws grow and sink into it's tongue.

FWOO!

CRACK!

***

Ursula was smacked out of the exchange before Claude could reach her, accompanying the harsh sound was one he was a bit more familiar with. The sound of ripping...tearing.

He found the source of the sound in the screaming Demonic Ratman as it roared in pain from it's mangled face that lacked a lower jaw entirely, giving it a ghastly blood gushing hole that showed portions of it's steaming throat, shaking with it's pained screams.

The pain gave it a heavy dose of feral rage aimed at the one who'd ripped off it's jaw. It tried to move on her. It failed.

Midstride, it's arm was snatched up by the Phantom Legion from behind, lifting off the ground completely as it shook the rat as if it were caught prey.

The mangling of it's arm lasted no more than two seconds before it was thrown further away from Ursula and into the open field full of it's slaughtered Mischief.

Before it could recover, a green eyed blur flew past it's vision followed by a wooden spike ripping through it's stomach.

FWOO!

SHLCK!

Frosty lunged from beneath the wooden spike, the Rat smacked him away and burned the wood to ash, freeing itself just in time to see the blur again.

FWOO

SHNK!

The wooden tendril followed, puncturing it's upper leg.

The Rat continued burning it away and attacking only to be punctured again, and again, and again. Claude danced and dashed around the creature letting the wooden tendril beside him draw blood like a painter with his brush.

Gil and Frosty joined the madness, leaping and bounding across the wooden constructs to reach the Rat's face and chest everytime Claude wasn't attacking, resulting in the Ratman being subjected to a tornado of hellslaying violence.

After a few seconds, a single spike of wood traveled in and out of the Ratman until it couldn't move at all. And still, it spit balls of HellFire at the wood and the pack angrily.

It didn't change the fact that it was done.

Claude lunged in, bobbing and weaving through the wood swirling in and out of his vision before reaching the Ratman and letting his short-spear slice across it's throat followed by the tendril bursting through it's throat.

He slid to a stop in the grass and spun to face the back of the Monster, sending out his Malevolence Tether to wrap around it's neck snug enough that when he gave it a yank it's head ripped off, freeing the wood that once laced through it's throat.

"AAAAC--"

SHLCK!

[+180 EXP]

The head tumbled to the floor at his feet, as a freshly scorched skull lacking a jawbone.

DING!

[Combat Stance Base Level Proficiency Recognized!]

[Druidic Arts Combat Stance Unlocked!]

[Druidic Art Combat Skills Unlocked: (Ligneous Lunge), (Dark-Wood Dash), (Bark-Breakers Guard)]

DING!

[+1 Stat Point]

"About damn time." He said with a huff , ignoring the odd bonus stat point before remembering Ursula. "Shit!"

His eyes scanned the field until he saw Ursula at the entrance of the forest beside them in the midst of throwing her battle axe at the corpse of the Ratman.

FWOOWOO!

THUNK!

The axe sunk into the shoulder of the creature, following by white spikes of ice emanating from the point of impact.

A shockingly bear sounding howlish roar ripped from her throat.

The sound was unique in a way he'd never heard.

Silence followed and her eyes retained their new honey-gold shine. She shook off the effects of her anger and spit a glob of blood from her mouth into the frosted grass around her mumbling, "Level up my ass..."

"Dammit that hurt!" She groaned before grabbing hold of her left side as she walked back over to retrieve her axe.

"You alright?"

"Never been better." She replied before climbing over the wooden constructs and grabbing her axe-- now soaked in demon blood.

A minute passed and the two faced each other. They both took varying levels of damage and could see it as clear as day under the winter sunlight.

Ursula's black sweater that hugged her feminine yet muscled form had a collection of rips and holes along her forearms and shoulders where thick fur must've forcefully ripped through the sewing. Accompanying the holes were slash marks in her side that mirrored a similar injury on Claude's ribs.

Despite this, the progress was noticeable. They were growing. But she needed to grow faster.

She must've heard his thoughts causing her to smile faintly and nod with a pained groan as she heaved her axe up over her shoulder, "Yea. We need armor. This bare chested wildman and werebear sweater girl shit isn't working."

Claude couldn't help but laugh faintly at her statement, "I have an idea." He replied with a nod before beginning to collect the Demonic remains for Rollan to burn out of existence.

"You think the gardener has any spare armor?" She asked before joining him.

Claude made a confused expression, "Who the fuck-- oh. No, he does have an armory.....sort of. But we won't be getting anything more from him."

"Alright. So what's the plan?"

Claude ripped the Demonic Alpha Rat from it's wooden sewn cage grotesquely, causing pieces of organ and flesh to rip away and stick to the bark as he looked over at her, "There's a City nearby. We'll enroll into the nearest Public Guildhall as Heroes and pickup work there."

Ursula stayed silent, nodding to herself before looking up at him from across the field, "What about Detectives? We're on the run and you were still a suspect for Samuel and Tai's....disappearances. I was at most an accessory or co-conspirator in Ronin's eyes. So now with us gone, he's bound to be on the search. He could have the entire city infested with Detectives and it wouldn't hurt his pockets in the slightest."

"That's true..." Claude agreed, "He practically had an entire team of them the entire time he was at the University. Even so. We have to go, we need safer guaranteed growth and better gear. We'll just have to stay wary of that fact and blend in to our best extent. By now they'll be a bit more lax if not somewhere entirely different."

"Last part is unlikely. Marshall is obsessive and possessive-- my father used to talk about how all he ever spoke or thought about was Tangents and his Guild...to a psychotic degree. He looks at his kids more like property and legacy than anything-- and he thinks we played a part in their disappearance. So, he'll aim that obsession at us and his search. He's a cold bastard, Claude and he's good at what he does."

Claude began walking, carrying his share of Demon parts, "I'm fully aware. I'm also desperate and in a forest surrounded by a desert of Demons that I agreed to fight off-- now with someone I have changed despite not being strong or prepared enough to safely endure said forest. We're going to get stronger and we're going to get better. The City is the key to that."

Ursula came to a stop beside him, carrying her own share of demon parts, "Despite it's risks, I think I agree. There's a number of things I need to get a better handle over." She said while flexing her arm in remembrance of the new power she'd only recently used.

"Alright. Then it's decided. Let's get back to Rollan." He said before they began walking again.

***

They spoke for most of the walk on and off with the others close behind. After a few minutes, a chill silence remained until Arne spoke within Claude's mind.

"[Erhm. We may have a case of both good and bad news.....great really. Hell, fantastic news. But also.....dogshit news, quite frankly.]"

Claude felt his insides clench, "What now?"

"[Well mate, I think it's time you took a look at those new Skills you gained upon becoming a Lupine Alpha.]"

"Ok...but why did you all of a sudden say that now?"

Arne took a pause before replying. "[I think it'll explain your random Stat Point....]"