Chapter 410: Instinct

From the dark shadows, countless pairs of small, yellowish glowing beads popped up in rapid fashion, one after another. 

Shortly after the emergence of the numerous, ominous gems, strange clicking, cluttering sounds could be heard from all directions.

"Get ready." Long since recognized the ambush they have walked into, Drake's right hand was already resting on Mort's hilt, ready to unleash all the hell he was capable of.

At the same time, her Sister and Lilly were already in a battle-ready stance, the former holding her newly bought pair of daggers, whilst the latter was fully focused and looking at the darkness in front of them with an Initial Martial Poise.

Just a step behind them, the always shy Galina was clenching the handle of her mace, her eyes gazing at the frightful scene with cold braveness.

Lily's faithful, canine companions were also growling menacingly as they instinctively covered both sides of the girl trio.

As for Aiden, he decided to train his sword-fighting skills for a change. Stretched out his right hand, the ornate ebon blade, Rygintarth, suddenly appeared in his palm.

Despite the numbers, and the slight concern the rest of the team seemed to share, he was full of vigor and eagerness. Even though he has worked on his mental state a lot since consuming the Worgen's body all those years back then, he never managed to completely defeat that endless bloodthirst the creature was probably mutated with. 

Also, his newest gain, the orcish form, didn't really help his state either. He just couldn't help it… The thought of the upcoming clash was such an addicting crazy thought. 

A thin smirk slowly curved up at the edges of his lips.

—

For a moment, the scene felt as if they were all in a painting. In a shady, obscurely lit, underground sewage tunnel, a group of five youngsters and their two war hounds were once again facing an almost impossible, incomprehensible challenge. 

Surrounding them a thick sea of small, dark-green-skinned bipedal reptilian creatures surrounded them, eying them like the newest prey that willingly walked into their domain.

For that single, but at the same time eternal moment, the imaginary painter's canvas was filled with that underlying 'oomph', that intangible sensation, that 'energy'. 

Still, that moment was just like that; an instant. As the second passed away, the scenery instantly changed. A high-pitched war cry echoed in the ring of small, reptilian monsters, and like the aftermath of the biblical moment with that particular parted sea, the surrounding waves ferociously surged towards the 'dry land', the party.

For a moment the girls shivered, trembled with the passing fear. Standing against such a nightmare-inducing scene, wasn't easy on the three maiden's hearts. 

Biggy and Sam, however, didn't waste a single second and were the first to jump at the incoming wave.

Each growl, each snap was a chock-full of torn skin, ripped flesh, or organs. Dark Green fluid spewed out from the torn carotid arteries. The lifeless bodies of the viciously murdered reptilian creatures fell one after another. Still, just like with the Sahuagins from yesterday, their deaths made little to no dent in their savage assaults. As one body limply fell to the ground, another instantly took its place.

Their primitive, crude, small javelins and useless little shields served little purpose. Their attacks grazed off the strong bodies and their custom-made leather vests of the two.

Drake was actually the first to react as the battle began. With a lightning-fast motion, his golden blade flashed, slicing through the air, drawing a diagonal arc in the air. 

Along its swift traversal, not one, but two of the foremost little skins were sliced apart, separating their scrawny bodies into two. Like a knife through hot butter, their skeletal frames barely offered any resistance against the thirsty artifact.

Not wanting to lose his momentum, Drake spins his body around, drawing a new, wide, horizontal arc, thwarting the attacks of half a dozen newly emerged feverish monsters.

Beside him, a streak of scarlet jumped around, slicing away or plunging into the flesh of skins without a halt. Every once in a while, a painful cry hollered in the small, makeshift battlefield: Another golden bead was plucked, its light forever dimming as the tip of a runed dagger made its way into its gelatinous membrane.

At the other side of Drake and beside Biggy the newly made best friend duo, Lily and Galina were making quick work of the dozen encroachment they suddenly found themselves in. Although the monsters couldn't get close to them, neither could they make any ground. They were in a stalemate, and there was no end in sight for them. Still, neither of them seemed weary, or tired, both girls were relentlessly hitting and striking against all those that were foolish enough to enter their attack range.

At the center of it, all Aiden stood still, with strangely no opponent charging at him. He felt like those protected princesses, or haughty nobles that were useless in battle, but was still flinging their authorities with every chance they got. 

A look of frustration was visible on his face, at first, he couldn't comprehend what was going on.

'Why are they all avoiding me?!' 

Not knowing what to do, he threw the huge blade of Ryg over his left shoulder and swiped his eyes around, looking over each of his teammates, trying to decide whom he could help the most.

Sending out a pulse of energy, he was surprised to notice that it seemed that whilst these creatures seemed feral, and crazed, in reality, they weren't. Whilst there were many small, barely tangible emotions and thoughts he could make out, there was indeed one they all shared.

They all feared him. They were wary, as if they knew, that he wasn't human, but of something else. Akin perhaps? No… Did he feel a fear coming from them, mixed together with… reverence?

"What is going on…" He mumbled, with a look of confusion on his face.

'[They can feel it, Aiden. Although you are trying to keep it tucked inside, these little creatures can inherently feel your [Draconic Heritage]. They can instinctively sense your lording presence.]'

Enya's answer only caused further confusion to cloud Aiden's already distraught mind.

'If that's the case, why are they attacking us? This makes no sense!' He cried out, tightening his grip on his blade, and looking around his group. 

As he spotted the tight spot his sister and his dear little angel, Galina was in, anger quickly replaced his feelings of doubt, confusion, and frustration. His eyes flared up, glowering in the dark with a bright golden luster. His emotion-driven state caused his power to shake off its shackles, causing his full power to explode from his body, releasing a shock wave of energy together with the ear-shattering blast.

In the next moment, his figure vanished, reappearing in front of his sister. Even though he didn't use anything related to Space, his movement seemed like blinking rather than charging.

His face contorted, revealing a hideous growl, as the ebon blade of Ryg swiftly traversed the air in front of him. The sheer power, the carried momentum, and his convulsing draconic aura separated four heads from their necks.

Still, his initial attack didn't end there. The carried energy was so high, that his swipe continued surging forward, forming an intangible blade made out of wind and energy traversing through the sea of skinks, and ending the lives of many more.

Instantly, the monsters stopped their assault, their growls, and strange clicking noises died down.