107 Persistent Interference

"Crack!"

Painting, Klor stepped back. Finally, he managed to break through the rhino's defenses and break his leg. "That's enough, just stop this."

"I can't," stated the rhino as he was wincing in pain. "I have no choice but to continue."

"But why? At least tell me that!" Infuriated, Klor group tensor as the writer stalled even longer.

"I'm sure you'll know soon, but for now all I can do is offer my life to impede you. Again, I apologize." Forcing himself to move despite the pain, the Rino continued to charge.

As the rhino barreled his way toward Klor, the gorilla dove to the side and hooked his arm around the Rino's horn. Using his momentum in weight against the rhino course through the rhino to his side, completely shattering his already broken leg.

Again the rhino continued to struggle but it was futile.

As Klor turned to leave the rhino shouted and writhed in pain as he got on top of his three good legs. "We're… We're not done here."

"What's wrong with you?! It's over, just stop!"

"Sadly, it's not. While I'm still alive I can't let you interfere. I'm sorry but I can't."

"So I just have to kill you, is that it?" retorted Klor. "If so then that can be arranged because you're wasting my time."

"I'm okay with that, but please take care of my tribe," panted the rhino. The last of his strength the rhino charged one last time, fully knowing what was about to happen.

Confused and angry, Klor said nothing. He stepped forward with the essence fully gathered around his fist, creating a corporeal spiked glove from compacted earth essence.

Seeing the gorillas fist, the rhino understood that Klor didn't originally want to kill him, but there is no changing that now.

The inevitable happened.

As the rhino elder charged forward his horn was smashed and his skull was cracked. Klor didn't look back and didn't spare the fallen rhino elder another second of this time.

He hurried off, but only to be stopped by the other rhinos.

Those younger rhinos were in tears yet they proved just as stubborn. None dared move away from Klor or permit him to pass.

"Why? I… don't understand."

"We can't say, otherwise…" murmured one of the rhinos.

"In other words, I have to kill you all before I can go find my students?"

"… Y-yeah…"

"Then I don't have time to waste. This is not my fault." Now covering his second fist in spikes of earth essence, Klor ran forward at top speed.

The rhinos hesitated but they moved to stop the gorilla all the same.

It was one-sided. Without the experienced elder guiding them, the young rhinos were no match for Klor, the peak elder gorilla.

Left wondering at the reason for their interference, Klor hurried into the jungle while shouting in order to be found by the students.

*****

Surrounded on all sides, Ania laid on the ground, panting.

One of the rhinos held her hammer in his mouth. His horn was broken and his resolve was dwindling.

A different rhino on the opposite side bowed his head. "Please, don't blame my tribe for this. This is not our fault."

"Then who's is it!" In a rage, Ania clenched her fists and pounded them against the ground. "Oh wait, you can't say! Then you'd better kill me and everyone else because, so help me, you've endangered my son."

"We have no choice!" shouted a third rhino. "We will already die and we will take all the blame with us. This has nothing to do with the others, so please have mercy. We hope your son is all right and that your clan and the others make it out in one piece."

"Shut up!"

Suddenly, a vibrant light blue energy started to gather around Ania. She gradually came to her feet and stared at the rhinos with eyes that didn't appear her own.

"W-what… is this?"

As the four pseudo-perennials watched the calm Ania gather more and more energy, they felt their skin try to peel back and strip itself away. They felt completely naked. Their massive muscular frames… Their newfound energy as pseudo-perennials… All of that felt useless in front of the gorilla before them.

"Anyone who stands between me and my son… will die."

In a blur, Ania vanished from the center of the four rhinos.

Before he could realize it, the same rhino that defended their acts felt a fist burrow into his spine.

That rhino cried and whined in pain. The other three soon realized what was happening but they were too late to do anything.

At that moment the rhino's cries became calm. He froze. Then, like a ragdoll, the rhino toppled over to reveal Ania standing directly behind his fresh corpse.

"We had no choice! Really, we--" the rhino's words trailed off as two profound snaps were heard. One from the rhino's now broken horn and the other from his neck.

Horrified, the final two pseudo-perennial rhinos stared at the now unbeatable Ania. While one was speechless and too scared to move a muscle, the other dropped to his knees and released the hammer from his mouth.

"I won't beg for my life, but I will beg for the lives of my tribe. That's all I ask." With his head held low, not even daring to look up at Ania, that rhino waited for his judgment.

"I'll consider it…"

That was all she said as Ania picked up the hammer and covered it in the same ethereal light blue energy. With the flick of her wrist, she bashed in the side of the rhino's skull.

She turned to the other without a word. Not giving him a chance to say a thing, she did the same to him, silencing forever.

*****

"Not… Bad…"

The dark essence covering the second man withered away into nothingness. His last words were admiring the assassin who had outdone him.

"Now, just a mad dog," scoffed Vloz.

Twitching and startled, the first man didn't know what to say. He took a moment to think before he started to cackle and laugh at his fallen comrade. "See! You always thought you were the best but look who's the last one standing! Finally, I proved you wrong!"

"No, you're wrong." The leopard crept closer. "With him out of the way, there's no one stopping me from finishing you."

"Lies! Don't think this is over yet, not with your injuries."

"But who was it that gave me these injuries? Was it you… Or your now fallen friend?"

No longer quite as blinded by his insanity, the man paid closer attention to Vloz's tattered and bloodied fur coat. Only then did he you see nearly a dozen small knives scattered across the leopard's torso and tail.

"No… No! Just wait and see what I do to you now that--"

"Just shut up already."

Vloz now trotted on the other side of the man, oblivious to his comments.

With a thud, the man's right arm dropped to the ground. Blood oozed and spurted out from the man's torso. His eyes went wide and his mouth was agape. "No…"

"Of the two of you, your ally was far sharper and more calculating. Without him to make up for your shortcomings, you're an easy target," explained Vloz. "Now to finish you and be on my way…"

"That won't be necessary."

A new unfamiliar voice sounded from in between the two combatants and shook Vloz to his very core.

Slowly turning his head, Vloz noticed the man's dark, illusory cloak. "Y-you…"

"Yes, I am me. What great observation skills."

"Hey, what are you--"

A hand jutted out and struck the side of the defeated man's neck. Now rendered unconscious, that same hand grabbed the man and threw him over the mysterious man's shoulder.

Glancing at Vloz with a smile the mysterious man chuckled, "Don't worry about him, just get going. You shouldn't be wasting any more time."

"Are you the one behind this?! I won't--"

"Begone already, while I let you leave without me taking a piece of you to remember you by."

As Vloz froze from the cloaked man's statement, he blinked and hesitated. But, suddenly, the man was gone. No matter what he tried Vloz found no trace of him.

Wary and unsure of what exactly was going on, the leopard ignored his injuries and again darted toward the student campsite. The only thing on his mind was whether Oli and the others were safe.

Nothing in that jungle posed a threat to him yet Vloz was scared beyond belief. The one thing he feared was the unknown and that was exactly what he was up against.

Fearing for everyone's lives, Vloz traveled at his highest speed despite his injuries, not caring about the lasting effects so long as he could make it in time.

With his life long best friend already gravely injured from surprise attacks, Vloz imagined the worst and quickened his pace with every step.