Chapter 58: 58.Forest of No shade -8
The ribs of the Vexfang cracked as it crushed a mouse in its jaws. The mouse had a strange, distorted shape, its eyes popping completely out of their sockets from the impact.
The Vexfang sneered at the other two Vexfangs standing off to the side.
It let out a low, warning growl until they backed away, then dropped the dead mouse onto the ground, ready to devour its meal.
As it unhinged its jaws to chew, its head was sliced wide open in one smooth, steady motion.
"One down," Mylo muttered to himself.
The other two Vexfangs just a few meters away raised their heads, their aggressive growls echoing through the black forest.
They sprinted toward Mylo, their acidic saliva dripping all over the forest floor.
Mylo exhaled as he rushed to meet them, suddenly veering left in a wide, sweeping arc.
Reacting immediately to his motion, both Vexfangs made sharp turns to intercept him.
But the outer one had its stomach impaled by Tritia's brutal claws. She yanked her hand backward, yanking out its entrails in a spray of black blood.
Meanwhile, the other Vexfang leaped into the air directly toward Mylo.
Mylo ducked beneath the lunging beast, thrusting his machete upward into its lower abdomen.
He dragged the blade through, slicing it wide open before it crashed to the ground.
Dropping his arm, Mylo released a long, heavy breath as he stared down at the fresh corpses.
A blood-red interface flared before his eyes.
.....
[NOTIFICATION]
[Minimal Pran absorbed.]
[Minimal Pran absorbed.]
.....
[Pran(9->18)]
Yes, this is how it's supposed to go, Mylo thought as he flicked his machete, shaking off the dark, sticky blood.
By killing them himself and maintaining control while gathering Pran, his total had reached eighteen.
I now have eighteen Pran, which means I can finally use my skills.
"Mylo," Tritia said, sniffing the air.
"I can smell a few more up ahead. Hmm. They are running toward us. What should we do? Tell me."
''They probably got attracted by the earlier growls,'' Mylo reasoned.
Checking his machete, he said, ''We'll face them.''
I need to see how my skills actually perform in battle.
He turned to Tritia.
"Can you tell the scent of Tkerns apart from Vexfangs?"
"Hmm. I can."
"Then if you smell any Tkerns, inform me immediately. We'll focus strictly on Vexfangs for now."
"Hmm. Okay.''
Tritia replied, her voice sounding unenthusiastic.
"I'll follo-... I'll tell you when they get near..."
Without another word, she stepped forward into the darkness, leaving Mylo standing where he was.
Mylo lowered his gaze, staring at the blood-stained soil.
Maybe I was too emotional back there... maybe I overreacted when she brought up following orders.
He sighed softly.
I just wanted to get the idea of mindless obedience out of her head. Once this fight is over, I need to have a proper, open conversation with her.
As he followed behind her, their pace picked up, growing faster and faster with every stride. That particular stretch of the forest had much flatter, more consistent ground, making it far easier to maintain momentum.
Catching up to Tritia, Mylo spotted four more Vexfangs charging straight toward them through the dark.
He leaned in and spoke to Tritia in a low voice.
"I'm going to try one of my skills."
"Hmm."
She simply nodded, her expression remaining detached.
Mylo wanted to make sure she was aware that he was attempting something new before stepping in front. Sprinting ahead, he closed the distance on the lead Vexfang, the fastest of the pack.
As the distance closed to mere feet, he activated his skill with a single thought.
Bliss Drain.
[Bliss Drain: F (drains life as pleasure, heals self, briefly slows target, required Pran 10)]
Mylo felt the fine hairs on his arms stand on end.
The heavy fatigue in his limbs vanishe slowy, replaced by a sudden, intense surge of energy.
Directly ahead, the leading Vexfang jolted.
Its rapid sprint faltered as its movements slowed to a crawl.
A low, whimpering growl escaped its snout, its body cowering as if it suddenly wanted nothing more than to turn and run.
A wide smile spread across Mylo's face.
A strange, overwhelming pleasure surged through his mind.
He wanted to cut his enemy down.
''...he..!''
Unnoticed by Tritia, a low, crazy, manic laugh almost escaped his throat as he stepped forward and sliced clean through the slowed Vexfang's neck.
...Yeah, this is... good!
Mylo smiled to himself as the second Vexfang charged toward him.
[Minimal Pran absorbed.]
Bliss Drain.
Nothing happened.
''...!''
His smile vanished instantly.
[Pran(8)]
He didn't had enough Pran!
Before he could react, the Vexfang was almost upon him.
Panicking, Mylo thrusted his machete forward to defend himself, ramming the blade straight through creature's gaping jaws.
[Minimal Pran absorbed.]
Tritia darted past him in a blur.
Her sharp claws sliced across the flank of the third Vexfang, dyeing its fur in dark black blood as a painful growl tore from its throat.
Though still alive, it was quickly finished off as Mylo stepped in and cut it down.
[Minimal Pran absorbed.]
The fourth Vexfang charged recklessly.
Tritia lunged, her claws brushing past its fur and leaving a long line of fresh blood, but she missed a solid hit.
The beast leaped straight at Mylo, who swung his machete wildly, hitting it square on the head.
Oh no, Mylo gasped in his mind as the beast fell to the ground right near his feet.
Crunch!
He winced in agonizing pain as he felt sharp jaws punch deep into his leg.
"You bastard!" Mylo roared.
In a fit of aggressive rage, he kicked out violently, but the dying Vexfang latched on with a iron grip, refusing to let go.
"Damn it!"
Before the monster could chew deeper into his leg, Tritia descended upon it.
Her sharp claws punctured its stomach, her hand thrusting completely through its body.
"Yaaaah!"
Tritia screamed, her voice piercing the dark as she ripped the Vexfang apart into two pieces.
Black blood splattered all across as the creature finally released its grip.
''Shh! Aghh...''
Mylo collapsed to the ground, clutching his bleeding leg in severe pain.
His skin burned as a numbing sensation crept through his left leg.
"Uh-huh... uh-huh... uh-huh..."
He slammed his fist into the ground several times, trying to use the sharp pain in his knuckles to distract himself.
Oh no, Oh no. It hurts!
B-but... poison! If the poison spreads, then it will be... No! think about it.
It only bit me a little bit.
There wouldn't be that much poison.
Although he tried to reassure himself, his heart raced violently, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.
Pulling his leg closer, he examined the wound. It was bleeding heavily, marked by six deep puncture holes.
He quickly grabbed the bottom of his pants and tore off a strip of cloth, intending to wrap it tightly to stop the bleeding.
"Oh no, no... I'm sorry... I'm sorry-I'm sorry!Mylo!"
Beside him, Tritia clutched her head, her face distorting in distress.
"I failed to hit it... I should have... I failed to grab it!"
The black blood coating her hands smeared across her skin and hair as her grip increased.
"Hey, snap out of it!"
Mylo called out.
"Tritia, listen! Come here. It's not your fault. I wanted to try my skill, and I was careless!"
"No, no, no! It's not your fault! It's my fault-completely my fault!"
"I noticed you got faster for a second, so I slowed down! If I hadn't, you wouldn't be injured! It's my fault, isn't it? Tell me!"
"It's not your fault!"
As he pulled the cloth tight around his wound, Mylo shouted at her, trying to break through her panic.
"It's not your fault! You hear me? Listen, look into my eyes!"
Even though he yelled, she didn't look at him.
Instead, her wide, trembling eyes were locked on the darkness directly behind him.
Noticing her strange reaction, Mylo turned and squinted into the gloom.
''!''
A single red glow was visible in the dark.
Then two more appeared beside it, followed rapidly by more until twelve faint red lines were illuminated, stacked close together.
Mylo's eyes widened. His breath hitched in his throat.
It was the crimson glow radiating from the twelve spikes on a Tkern's antlers.
No...
He knew in his heart that a Tkern never traveled alone.
Within seconds, more red dots flared to life in the shadows.
One, three, five and then more in clusters.
His entire field of vision was submerged in the glow of countless glowing spikes, while the surrounding darkness swallowed everything else.
Mylo tried to push himself backward, his hands digging into the dirt, but his body jolted as a chilling noise echoed through the trees.
Kekeke-kekeke-kekeke-kekeke!
At first, it was just a single, unsettling chitter.
But then it multiplied, instantly filling the entire area.
Kekeke-keke-kekekeke-ke-kekeke!