Chapter 204: Don't Be Shy

"Go now," Twali said over his furry shoulder. "The Twins will help you with that." He added and sniffed. "I have unfinished business with this one here."

Khiccaal let out an arrogant scream and fell unbalanced as Twali swiftly kicked him off his footing. He rolled and immediately stood with the tentacles acted as his third feet. Under his flesh-like-helmet, he growled and cursed Twali in beastian language and laughed and launched himself toward his new adversary.

"This time," Twali snarled impatiently. "I'll take his head." His fingers stretched out like claws, and the rocks under his canine feet scattered as he approached Khiccaal in a dash of blurring image. Twin blades humming along with his movements.

The trees around them marked with four lines from Twali's scratches. To Ned's surprise, Khiccaal did fairly well with Twali's speed. The air around Ned growled and whistled as the two fought relentlessly. Their level of fighting was something Ned hasn't reached, yet. Ned was engrossed with the fight that he forgot the pain rubbing his side. Under his display, Twali and the beasts blurred with lines of images. Flash of light from Twali's claws, a distorted shadow from Khiccaal's tentacles.

Ned hissed as the pain throbbed with a warming sensation, contrary to the cold he was feeling. He stood, forcing his feet. Blood leaked from the wound down to his foot, drenching the boot of blood. His eyes fixated at the shattered Lasting Saber underneath his foot. Bits of silver metal spread away from its former glory. Ned hesitated before leaving.

How many weapons must broke, Ned thought. His resources were depleting unless he found a shop that uses Mana stone to trade. But, for now, he must settle with the remaining gold he had. Crafting weapons wasn't that easy either without complete materials.

Ned's thought broke as the pain robbed him of his focus. He gritted his teeth, blood stopped leaking between his teeth. According to his holographic view, no internal organs were seriously damaged. Aside from spasmodic muscles, that might push his blood and leak. The rest were stable, it was as if Khiccaal's hit was deliberately aimed to not hit his organs. Maybe they wanted to capture me, Ned thought. His free hand balancing against a tree.

[You need to close the wound, Ned.]

"I know, I know," Ned replied under his heavy breath. But how? He might die of blood loss instead of the wound itself if he doesn't cover the wound. Putting pressure wasn't enough either, as blood seeped between his fingers relentlessly. He was a good distance away from the two. From time to time, a growl and shriek echoed behind him. Never have thought that Twali was a Were, Ned thought.

Ned threaded trees after trees and stopped to recollect himself and lessen the pain on his side. Sweat ran down over his forehead. He was losing blood, and he needed to stop it.

Just when he was losing hope, Ned's eye gleamed silver as an idea occurred. An idea he doesn't like but needed. His eyes went to the blue bar in his HUD, flickering in static.

"Come on, come on," he said rapidly.

Ned stopped, back against the tree. After taking a long breath, he focused, feeling the warm mana flowing inside his body. White teeth gleaming under the moonlight, jaws formed a line and he let out mana on the flat of his hand. He then conjured fire, enough to make his skin sizzle. Blood, and flesh charred. He grunted, but he couldn't hold it and let out a scream of pain. But the procedure was far from finish. The tentacle pierced his side, in and out, front and behind. Another scream resounded in the forest. Raw flesh, and skin oozing of black smoke. After a moment, the hole, almost a fist in diameter was covered with thick and darkened skin.

It wasn't the best feeling Ned had had, but sure did, he stopped the bleeding.

In the distance, where the two beasts fought, a tree cracked and descended.

"I'm sure Twali can handle himself," Ned muttered. He then spun around to meet up with the team. If Twali showed up, then Margaret might be there assisting the team.

She was with the group, indeed.

At the edge of the forest, Ned could see the settlement—or what was left of it: woods, pillars, and rocks laid resting over the mud with stones, and flames dancing all over Ned's eyes could see.

At the edge of the settlement, the fences were bent, and some were snapped in two. There, the team laid resting. Baso and Swift guarded Ulysses in a circle formation. Around them was the team. Hunter Jo and Hunter Ja sat together back to back drinking red vials of potions. The Twins: Holly and Molly, was standing in front of the team. They stood in a defensive position as their hands were raised to expose the green bracelet shining in brilliant green light. Meters far from the team were Margaret and Sujiro, fighting waves after waves of horde approaching them.

The outskirts of the forest were a combination of trees with figures standing side-by-side. There, Ned saw what he was looking for. The beast with shining skin throbbing of muscles and veins. Six arms and feet crawling like crabs. Two cylindrical glasses bubbled with human heads. Moloatiss commanded the horde, trying to crash the humans clustered inside the settlement.

Ned stepped forward, exiting the forest and going to Moloatiss. Midway, he stopped.

"No," he muttered. "Shit," he cursed. "Okay," he said and went to his team instead of the beast.

His wound pulsated with pain, but the feeling was better than before. They were in the middle of the battle. He could think of the pain after all these. His mind steeled and consciously formed an invisible barrier that tried to block the pain. He felt a little relieved. He knew it was all in his mind. But still, the imagination was helpful.

Behind Ned were dark energy crawling out his body and crept to cover the wound from behind. With his black clothing, and darkened night. The flames were not enough to make out the dark energy in naked eyes.

"Where have you been, Ned?" Swift asked, her shoulder lurching up and down. "Wait—are you okay?"

"I am," Ned responded. "Yes."

"Kid," Hunter Jo said, turning his head after Ned approached the team. "You look like you needed this"—lifting the red vial—"more than us."

Ned nodded and said, "Just one." And hoped that it was enough.

Hunter Ja turned his head toward Ned in a solemn look. Hunters Holly and Molly looked Ned over their shoulder but said nothing.

Ned frowned, they seemed fine after the explosion. But inside, they seemed to be more battered than I am. Why? Ned thought.

Ulysses coughed a mouthful of phlegm, purple blood spews out his mouth. He looked up to Ned and went back with his chin touching his armor. Shield and sword beside him laid in a rested position.

Holly's hands gestured in a quick wiggle and yelled with her spell conjured. An invisible whip came lashing toward the three butrikis that came leaping from a burning shack from their right. Three of them cut to half before they could even reach the team. Holly then steps backward and drinking a mouthful of the blue vial.

Molly now in the front as her Twin rested after the spell.

They're losing resources. It has been twenty minutes since he left, but their resources were used double the usual rate. The team's losing the battle. Not that they were weak, but they were overrun by the unusual number of beasts.

Sujiro and Margaret held the line with their throwing knives and acrobatic movements. An additional pile of bodies formed a line ahead of them. How long have they been fighting? Ned thought as he drained half of the healing potion and poured the rest over his wound. This would make the wound heal double the rate.

Throwing the vial he said, "It's him." Eyes looking at Moloatiss across the battlefield.

Hunter Molly said, "We saw."

Hunter Jo said, "Across the field."

Hunter Ja said, "With dozens of beasts in between."

Hunter Holly said, "With only Sujiro and the Overseer holding them."

Swift said, "We're calling off the quest, Ned."

Baso said, "Uh."

Ulysses coughed.

Ned nodded—

"Wait—what?" Ned said after Swift's words sunk in. "We are not calling the quests off."

"Sorry, kid," Hunter Jo said, trying to force mana out of his hand. His left arm seemed to be greying. "The Overseer—who was busy defending us—called the quest Grade S."

"How?"

"You saw the fire mage," Hunter Ja hissed, forcing Ned to agree. Some part of his chainmail was torn like thread overrun with flames. "And the beasts leeching behind her. Look—" He added with his finger pointing northeast of them. Across the mud and destroyed living quarters of beasts were bodies, three or four. Bodies not of beasts but humans—hunters. "We can't keep killing fellow hunters."

But I'm close, too close. Why would they stop now? No, Master Will. No. I've come this far. They don't understand me, they never will. I let them have all they needed, and now, just like that, they'll stop. Why? Because someone says so? I won't have it. No. "No!" Ned roared, letting out ripples of dark, chilling energy. Ned's display cracked with static like an old TV and went darkened as the dark energy clouded his vision.

The surroundings went deadly quiet, the marching beasts stopped like frozen meat, the team looked Ned with paled faces, and Swift took a step backward and stopped frozen.

Ulysses coughed and broke the deadly silence.

But Ned snapped.

'They're idiots who won't listen to you,' a bone-chilling voice echoed inside his head. 'Listen to me. Look. The beast is over there. If they won't do what you wanted then they can't simply because they are weak—you are not.'

'Let it out.'

'Go before he left.'

'Listen to them and your beloved Master Will dies.'

''Listen to me and Devour the pests that block your way.'

The voice continued while Ned stood in silence. The ripple of dark energy paused, then evaporated in a mist, then unbeknownst to him dark energy started oozing out from every part of his body and paused again. This time it didn't evaporate. Instead, the dark energy collected around him in a form of orbs. Same way as to how Ned snapped, the ball broke into countless particles and hovered around him before stopping, engulfing him, and obscuring his face, like flames made of shadows.

Ned's vision went black, he flicked his hand. The broken Butterfly appeared out of thin air. The dark energy then coiled around his arm until it reaches the hilt of the Butterfly.

Another flick of Ned's wrist made the broken Butterfly extended in a form of a dark energy sword. The sword shook before the dark energy retained control.

Ned stood with shadow obscuring his face while dark energy danced around him forming a dark flaming-like-robe that perfectly fitted him.

'Don't be shy,' the chilling voice said. 'Embrace it.'

The voice then roared in laughter.

'Oh, there it is. Let me borrow this,' the voice said. 'O—ver—clock.'