Beastforged Bond

B4 Chapter 17

William was dead even before his body hit the ground. His eyes were wide in terror, the glimmer of life taken by force.Several Warden units stared blankly as the situation unfolded, struggling to comprehend what just happened. I stood still as well, trying to wrap my head around the situation.

The creature hadn’t been there a moment earlier, yet it stood there, warm blood dripping from its claw.

Where did it come from and how did I not sense it?

The thought bloomed, and I leaped into action a moment later, realizing I was the strongest Blessed at the scene.

One Warden unit emitted enough strength to catch my attention, but they were still weaker.

I was the first to move, Predator active and Mirage at the ready. Yet, rather than facing me, the creature turned to the source of a horrified scream.

Idiot’s ghastly pale face was the last I saw as he screamed and turned around to flee. The creature turned into a blur before my eyes and caught up to Idiot, its barbed tail piercing the Blessed’s neck. It looked effortless and almost like the creature was bored. As if all of this was just a game for it.

The tail snapped to the right, hurling Idiot’s corpse to the right. It smashed into a nearby building, dying broken walls crimson in blood.

I channeled ether into my eyes to improve my vision and pushed Predator to its limits, my focus never leaving the bipedal…lizard? The creature was humanoid. It was taller than I, yet not as towering or imposing as Merlin. Scales covered its bare body from head to toe, except for its head, which…was a mess.

Its face resembled both orcs and goblins like the Outsiders that had been terrorizing the Bastion, but it was scaled and had a barbed tail. None of the Outsiders the Strikers brought back had such features. Only its face resembled the Outsides.

There was no time to think. And it did not like it mattered whether the creature was a beast or Outsider. It was an enemy. A powerful one at that.

Its tail swished through the air, the motion stirring my danger sense. A moment later, paper-thin needles burst from the barbed tail, whistling toward the only other Warden unit that felt somewhat strong.

The Warden were still stunned, but I was ready, Gravity unraveled at full power. I could have used the Earthen Aspect but Gravity covered a great distance. It was easier to use instantaneously. I covered the entire area between the Warden and the creature and increased the gravity of all moving lifeforms and objects within.

The needles were pulled to the ground and tore through the concrete street instead of the Wardens, but the threat was even greater than before.

“Get moving! Bring the civilians to the bunkers. I will take care of this.” I shouted, appearing before the lizardman with a fiery burst.

Nullblade coated the enchanted sword as it raked across the creature, but it left only a deep gash on its arm rather than beheading it. It spun back toward him, barbed tail lunging at him from below while its elongated claws came from the side.

One claw was blocked by the shield and the other met the enchanted blade head-on. Nullblade was still in effect, yet it failed to carve through the creature’s claws as they collided. I was too slow, too distracted, and only managed to sever a single claw – or finger?

Spikes burst from the concrete street, piercing the creature’s tail in multiple spots before pulling inside the street. Then followed a wave of increased gravity, which was hurriedly amplified by a burst of Paralyze.

Paralyze was the most efficient by far. It was the only trait that seemed to truly bother the creature. Gravity mattered little. It adjusted almost instantly, its movements slowing just enough to keep up with me. In exchange for the loss of speed, it seemed to grow more durable. Almost like it could manually adjust how fast, strong, and durable it was.

It grew stronger as well. Burrowing it in the street had been a great idea but it failed. Worse even, the tail shot toward me as soon as it came out of the street. I twisted out of its way, but my momentum was taken.

As if it couldn’t be any worse, the creature’s hole-riddled tail was healing up. It healed even faster than some renowned Blessed could heal less grievously wounded patients.

There was no doubt about it at this point. Even if the dome’s Sphere was broken, its scanner had to be intact. They would have detected a Guardian beast heading for the Bastion early enough to deploy a unit of Masters to dispatch it.

How they missed the Master-ranked Outsider, I couldn’t quite tell. It escaped my perception as well before but detection wasn’t my forte either.

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Did the Bastion’s Ruler miss the Outsider as well? What about the Grandmasters?

Too many thoughts flashed through my mind, yet none was helpful. I considered using Soulfusion with Volix to surprise the Outsider with a burst of phoenix fire, making sure the lizard wouldn’t be able to recover as quickly, but I hesitated. What if someone finally sensed the Outsider and dispatched a group of Masters to take care of it? What if…What if anyone would sense Volix?

Instead of fusing with the Elemental Phoenix, I merged with the surroundings. A flash of light was all the Outsider saw before I melded into the street.

The Outsider’s head jerked left and right. It struck the nearest structure before turning to release a volley of needles at the Wardens helping the civilians in the distance. Gravity pulled the needles to the ground once more, which only seemed to irritate the creature more.

It stopped searching for me and focused on the others. That was when I appeared beside the Outsider, sword carving through the air.

Mirage kept me invisible until my foe was about to move. It came to a screeching halt, head turning in my direction, only to stare straight into a brilliant light. Mirage unfurled in a brilliant light, squeezing a pained growl out of the creature.

Yet, instead of rendering the Outsider unable to do anything, its tail whipped at me. I triggered Gravity and the Major Earth Aspect instinctively, but my traits took hold of nothing. The barbed tail alongside disappeared, and so did the rest of its body. As for my sword strike… It carved through empty air.

He’s still there!

Volix warned before releasing a burst of fire outside my body. While forcing a way through our bond did strain it, our soulshare was strong enough to endure it.

Heat billowed outward, outlining a frame that looked just like the Outsider. It hadn’t disappeared. It was invisible and slid to the side, evading my attack. Meanwhile, the barbed tail was still heading for me. It was only centimeters away from my chest when Volix’s warning rang through my head.

My danger sense perked up, and I tried to use Soulfusion with Nox instinctively. But Nox was not in my World. He was out there, fighting, making it impossible to fuse with him. To conjure his exoskeleton.

The barbed tail struck the enchanted chestplate. It ignored the metal plated sections and pierced the leather stripe right beneath the sternum.

My mind went blank as pain raced down my chest. That was definitely not how I’d planned this to turn out, but the Outsider was nowhere near done. The barbs stirred and expanded inside me. The pain was one thing. It was bad, like really bad, yet I would have survived it. Worse things happened to me to cry about a little pain. Alas, the Outsider pulled me closer, the flickering outlines of its invisible frame moving much faster than before.

Its claw dug into the metal plates protecting my vitals, pulling them aside with the speed and precision of an experienced crafter. Or butcher? Or just someone who’d dismantled others for years, if not decades? The metal plate distorted even as the ether circuits tried to keep the enchanted gear together. Then its other claw shot forward, aiming for my heart.

I wondered for a moment. It would have had a much easier time ripping my throat out.

In the next moment, all doubts were forgotten. My life was on the line.

“Fuck it.” I managed to growl through gritted teeth as searing heat poured out of my chest. It spread instantly, reaching my neck and up to the right side of my face, covering most of it in the bright azure pattern of Volca’s Mark.

I commanded, sword whipping upward to intercept the Outsider’s killing blow.

Finally!

Volix screeched, ignoring the threat to my life as excitement took over the bond.

Power filled every cell in my body, Soulfusion with the Elemental Phoenix fully unleashed, Volca’s Mark amplifying both fusion and fire power.

My regular movement would have been too slow to intercept the Outsider’s attack. It was simply too fast when invisible. Alas, fire-attuned ether pumped through the weave at an unprecedented velocity. Fire wreaths the sword, erupting in a trail of azure fire. It pressed against the weapon’s backside, accelerating my attack speed greatly while melting the blade.

As wasteful as it was to burn through enchanted blades, the result was all that mattered at this point. And results I got; the blade wreathed in azure flames and Nullblade severed the Outsider's claw before it could hit me.

Only then did I notice bright sparks covering my body. They resembled tiny explosions and strained my body as much as real explosions would, causing greater aches than anticipated.

Power comes at a price. You knew that, Adam.

Volix lectured, leaning into the itch in my shoulder blades.

The Elemental Phoenix screeched and released a wave of heat potent enough to melt even the most durable metal. A hiss rang in my ears as the Outsider turned visible once more. At the same time my itchy shoulder blades began to burn.

I gave in to my instincts – or was it Volix’s instincts(?) – and a pair of majestic wings burst out of me. Burning feathers, worthy of an Elemental Phoenix, clad the wings in the hundreds, each burning hot enough to melt metal and concrete. And that they did. The wings pressed firmly against my back, melting the metal parts of my armor all while burning the rest.

Or fire resistant Nox!

Nox exclaimed happily, sending an image of his exoskeleton through the bond.

Or that, yeah.

The Outsider was still faster than initially. It was definitely not an ordinary Master-ranked creature. An elite maybe and probably at a higher threshold than Aureus and maybe even Volix. No doubt dangerous, and it kept attacking, tuning out the loss of one set of claws.

“Sorry, but we have to finish this fast.” I grunted, more to Volix than the Outsider. Anyway, Volca’s Mark burned through the Mirage Serpent’s camouflage, revealing it to all those watching. Not that it mattered much with the azure wings spreading out behind him.

I could only hope everyone was too busy watching as the Elemental Phoenix’s blazing wings lunged toward the Outsider, a whitish-gray hue faintly coating them as they pierced into the creature’s sides. Its scales failed to protect the Outsider, so did the bone structure that seemed to encase its heart.

Volix’s wings, amplified by Volca’s Mark and a thick coat of Nullblade were all I needed to melt and pierce through the Outsider’s defenses. Then came the sword slash, and its head slumped to the ground.