Chapter 18 – Going All In

Dion and Rowan crouched behind a weathered boulder, peering at the leisurely grazing animal in a small patch of lush, green grass. About a hundred meters around the area, the once towering trees had been cut, leaving behind an oasis of vibrant pasture. Towering trees stood guard around the boundaries of the green field.

Dion's mouth was slightly agape. This is the first beast he has seen. The small ones that Valka caught were… animals. The thing in front of him is the real beast.

It was a white sheep eating grass. It would have been normal if not for its hefty size and height of about four meters. Its limbs had thick and taut muscles.

"It's a herbivore?" Dion blurted but he instantly regretted it because the sheep raised its head and looked around vigilantly.

Dion and Rowan held their breath. After gazing around without noticing, it returned to grazing.

"In the wild, we use cloaked speech. All beasts and awakened humans have sensitive ears. That was a close call. And to answer your question, that creature is an omnivore. It has already consumed meat but now needs… vegetables for digestion," Rowan explained in a hushed tone. Dion noticed that the beast, as it happened with Karen, couldn't hear Rowan's voice.

"What's a cloaked speech?" Dion whispered but the sheep abruptly raised its head.

'F**k!' Dion cursed in his head.

Even Rowan felt like cursing but held his tongue. But his scrunched-up face says it all.

When the sheep returned to its food. Rowan explained, "Cloaked speech is a technique used by awakeners to control the distance of their vocal vibrations and direct their transmission. Just write and don't talk. You should know the general language," Rowan said and turned to look at the sheep but he suddenly felt something wrong.

He snapped his head to Dion and saw Dion's cheeks twitching.

"You don't know that either?!" Rowan blurted and forgot to cloak his speech.

The sheep finally found their location and sprinted towards them.

"We are exposed!" Dion screamed.

The ground quaked as the sheep ran towards them. Deep hoof prints were left in its wake. Its eyes showed a tint of red that reeked with brutality and bloodthirstiness. Dion finally believed Rowan that the sheep was not a herbivore from its eyes.

"Hide behind the rock," Rowan said to Dion and quickly ran to the front of the short rock to face the incoming beast.

Dion maintained his position but his eyes were gleaming. He was ready to run away if things went wrong. The incoming sheep was like an unstoppable, rampaging bull.

When the sheep was about five meters from them, Rowan lunged at it. Dion saw only a blur as Rowan disappeared.

BANG–!

The sound akin to a thunderclap accompanied by a wild gust of wind erupted from the position where Rowan and the sheep collided.

Dion's jaws dropped because Rowan gave the sheep an uppercut that sent it spiraling backward in a stupor. The power of the punch could be seen from the deep front print left by the hoofs of the sheep and the cracked floor.

The sheep instantly shook off the dizziness and its eyes began glowing red.

Dion's mind grew groggy as he stared into the creature's red eyes.

'Mind Suppression!'

All beasts possessed one unique eye ability — Mind Suppression.

"Dion, get ready to run," Rowan's voice snapped him back to reality.

The sheep lunged at Rowan once more, but he swiftly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its hooves that left shattered stones in its wake.

The hard floor caved inward. Deep, long cracks marred the surface of the floor around the sheep's location. This caused Dion's heart to shake.

'What a powerful muscle. That attack could shatter my sternum.'

The gigantic sheep suddenly steered and rushed at Dion's position.

'Damn!'

Dion instantly jumped from behind the short rock.

BANG–!

The rock shattered into large chunks when the sheep rammed into it with its head.

It turned to Dion again without rest but Rowan had already arrived.

Rowan leaped five meters above the floor from the side and thrust his spear into the neck of the beast. The spear plunged and lodged about five centimeters into the beast's neck.

The sheep grunted and swung its neck, flinging Rowan in the process. The spear remained lodged in its neck and blood oozed from the point of connection. But the beast's red eyes still focused on Dion.

Dion knew it was time to act. He unsheathed the half-meter-long knife he had been carrying and activated his eye intent.

[Eyes of Dread activated!]

The beast paused for a fleeting moment, its momentum disrupted. In a swift and desperate motion, Dion aimed a slashing blow at its throat. The knife sliced through the creature's fur, penetrating slightly deeper into its outer layer. Yet, Dion's eyes widened in dismay as the blade encountered unexpected resistance. His full-powered slash only grazed past its tough skin.

The sheep gave Dion a headbutt that sent him flying. He slammed into the floor and rolled a bit before stopping.

Each breath caused Dion heart-wrenching pain in his chest. A hiss escaped his lips. Even his eyes returned to normal when he lost focus.

He raised his head only to see the beast chasing after him and was about to stamp him to death on the floor. Dion lost focus in the moment of death when he gazed at the beast's eyes. A voice abruptly roared from behind, "Stop for me!"

The beast's eyes shortly turned golden and it halted for a moment. Dion sprang to his feet even with the chest pain and ran out of the beast's attack range.

However, when running, he spotted Rowan with his eyes glowing with golden light. Rowan just activated his eye intent and it is a mutated one. Golden eyes signify mutation.

It was Rowan who commanded the beast and it obeyed.

Dion immediately threw away the distracting thoughts and ran to Rowan's side.

The sheep shook its head, its red eyes narrowing as it turned its gaze toward Dion and Rowan. Dion could feel his mind being hammered.

"Do you usually fight that alone?" Dion couldn't help but ask Rowan.

Rowan, gasping for breath and with blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, managed a weary response. "Nope. I choose my target carefully. I thought we were two, that's why I chose to attack this sheep."

As Dion's eyes scanned Rowan's battered form, he couldn't help but notice the remnants of the beast's hide clinging to his torn attire. His muscular tanned body was revealed.

"What do you mean by you thought we were two? Did I disappear?" Dion asked but the beast returning with its wild momentum made him not get the answer.

"I will distract it and you will finish it. I can only buy you one chance," Dion passed his knife to Rowan.

Rowan gave him a short glance before taking the knife. He ran and quickly climbed to the top of a tree.

Dion took a deep breath. The smell of woods mingled with the smell of soil filled Dion's nostrils. His ears could hear the grunting from the sheep's mouth.

Even the thumping of his heart was heard by his sharp ears.

Adrenaline pumped through his body.

Dion already forgot about Rowan. All that was in his vision was the incoming beast that shook the floor with each gallop. Its red eyes were fixed on Dion which made it difficult for him to concentrate. He could feel the sheep's desire to kill him from its menacing eyes.

Dion forced his legs, which were about to run away, to stand still; he fought against his primal instinct.

He clenched his fist to stop his trembling hands.

'Let's hope this my idea of fighting against dread is the correct path.'

The trembling floor grew intense as the sheep drew closer. Dion watched intently. When the sheep was three meters from ramming into Dion.

'It has to work! I'm betting a chunk of myself with this gamble. I'm betting my eye intent can stop this thing. I'm betting my mind can handle… dread!'