Chapter 132: CHPT 132: Chosen by the Loot.
DING!
[You dealt the final blow and killed the Mother of Nests!]
[Rewards: 400 EXP]
DING!
[You have Leveled Up! You are now Level 11!]
[Your Companion has reached Level 10 and unlocked the Racial Skill: Intimidation!]
DING!
[Tangent Complete! The Mother of Nests has met its end! Collect the Loot you've earned and exit the Tangent soon.]
[Rewards for completion: 150 EXP]
***
Claude stood on one knee with his hand through the giant Rats throat— holding a handful of the back of its skull and brain for an unknown amount of time. All he knew was, in the time he spent catching his breath and coming down from his adrenaline rush, the blood started to run cold off his fingers like thick cold water.
Speaking of blood, he could feel his own leaking down his side. It was probably the source of his tiredness.
Before he could think any more about it, movement to his side drew his attention. He kept his eyes closed and took in a deep breath through his nose, searching for a certain scent inside the cave despite knowing through a certain link who was standing next to him.
Frosty sniffed his side before nudging him with his head and whining softly.
"Hey.....I'm fine buddy. I just want to sit here for a minute." He replied. He then slowly lifted his free hand, pointing at his team— sprawled out along the cave floor.
"Go check on them." He said, hoping Frosty understood.
In response, Frosty sneezed in his face before trotting over to Ursula who lay coughing behind him.
He spoke to Arne a couple times and slipped in and out of consciousness again, constantly hearing him talk about the good times of his past and how he needed to change back before the rapid sound of footsteps put him on high alert.
"Heheheh..." he smelled her long before he was able to hear her excited maniacal laughs as she approached him.
"Ahh shi—Ugh!" He was cut off as strong slim hands gripped him by the shoulders and pulled him free of the Nest Mother with a wet tearing sound as his arm ripped from its neck.
He crashed back first into the dirt and found himself looking up at a smiling Det. Cyrene. Only her smile was quickly fading and being replaced with a look of disappointment— anger, as she looked him over.
"Wha—.....where...Wha—" She repeated while looking from him to the dead Nest Mother.
"Guess I'm just not what you think I am." Claude said after fighting off a pained growl. It didn't take him long to realize she expected to see him transformed after he killed the Boss and seeing him looking fairly normal— tired even, must have seriously angered and confused her.
She suddenly smiled and took a step closer. "What I think you are....is something inhuman...and I know I'm right."
Claude flinched as she dropped to one knee in a single fluid motion before placing a hand on his chest.
"What do you think your do—" he was cut off by the striking color of her ruby red eyes.
"The eyes.....so pretty. So profound in the messages they convey.." She started, in her slimy and unsettlingly smooth voice.
"[Claude, you have to get her off you. I don't know what she's doing but it can't be good!]" Arne said.
Claude caught on quickly and fought to move her hand but when he pushed against her arm, it felt like he was pushing against a tree. She was surprisingly strong.
"Get...off..me..now." Claude said, trying his best not to let his voice drop to a hostile growl.
All she did was smile at him before continuing, "Like I was saying. The eyes...so beautiful. Before we were being Reborn into Heroes and..Villains— for lack of a better term. That's all they were— beautiful. Now they're a form of indication. They glow with the usage of whatever Element calls to us....or when we summon our Auras to defend ourselves, or use a spell we've obtained. They even glow with the usage of Skilllls..." She drew out the last word as her eyes increased in brightness and misty red smoke drifted from her mouth and off her hands.
"[Dont inhale that smoke!]" Arne roared in his mind.
Claude immediately began fighting to move his head away from the smoke and tried to move her hand off his chest or push her away. Unfortunately, his arms and side were too damaged to overpower someone who seemed to be quite a bit stronger than him.
"Ugh!" His insides clenched as the smoke crept into his nostrils and mouth. It ran down his throat like fire and slowly his body began to react. He could feel it. His muscles were growing, his bones stretching in preparation for the shift.
"You see. There's one other thing I've learned about the eyes. It doesn't matter what it is. It could be a Werewolf of the North, a Werelion in the wilds of the southern Sunlands or anything in between. The first thing to go is always the eyes with you shape-changers." She said in a voice less silky and more edged in hostility.
Claude immediately closed his eyes in response and lay still, trying his best not to fight against the red smoke that was acting as a catalyst in bringing along his transformation.
"Those eyes. Those wild green eyes. Such a beautiful color that you somehow made roar and howl with hatred. That same hatred that practically drips off you like sweat. No human boy can be capable of feeling such a vile combination of emotions. That's how I know— just like I knew when I first met you, your a monster."
"Rrrr..." Claude was losing his ability to speak as Arne's influencing voice faded to the back of his mind and a much more simple— more violent thing fought for control.
CRKCRKCRK
"I'm going to reveal what you are right here....and I'm going to make sure all your friends see you before I remove your FILTHY FUCKING HEA—ouf!"
Right when Claude felt himself losing it completely, a sound of ice forming followed by a punch pulled him back.
He soon realized Det. Cyrene's powerful hand was no longer pressing him into the earth after the sound of the impact.
As he opened his eyes, he saw a flash of movement above him and heard it land on the other side of him.
"GRRrrRr.." Frosty stood in front of him growling loudly at Det. Cyrene as she sat on her butt, wiping blood from her lip.
"I don't know what your doing, but it didn't look very nice— so I hope you understand why I felt it was necessary to do something." Ursula said from behind him as she opened her fist— shattering the ice that surrounded it in the process.
"Your not a very smart girl are you? Hitting an on duty Detective and all..." Det. Cyrene said as she stood up.
"Contact my father if there's a problem and see how far that gets you." Ursula said as everyone else in the cave started to walk over.
The response had Claude thinking Ursula's father may have been someone more important than he thought in the Legrand family.
They were all snapped out of their standoff as the sounds of students behind Det. Cyrene drew their attention.
Ursula helped Claude up just in time to see the students in the cave on the other side of the hole the Ratmen dug open.
Their surprised faces were accompanied by exaggerated oohs and ahhs as they studied the twins brutal handiwork.
The two stood off to the side arrogantly soaking in all the praise.
The dead Ratman lead them through the hole and into the cave Claude and his team occupied.
Everyone went silent and looked over the carnage as Prof. Raizen and Prof. Brennan pushed to the front.
"Well. I take it your team is responsible for completing the Tangent?" Prof. Raizen asked Claude.
He nodded silently while holding his side.
"Are you hurt?"
"I'll manage." He replied.
Prof. Raizen ran a hand through his greying black hair, silently chuckling to himself. "Nice job keeping your word."
Claude laughed silently as he remembered the impulsive promise he made.
"Alright everyone, grab any loot that looks interesting or of use and get ready to head out!" Prof. Brennan yelled while he shifted the weight of a large bag he was holding on his back.
"You alright?" Ursula asked as she held his arm over her shoulder.
"I'm fine. Just tired, you go grab some Loot while I find somewhere to sit." Claude said as he lifted his arm off her shoulders and headed over to a spot where he could sit while also having his eyes on everyone in the cave.
He never felt it necessary before, but he suddenly felt like having his back exposed to people while he was injured was a terrible idea.
***
Claude sat on the dirt pedestal and watched the students whisper back and forth between eachother while his team sorted out what Loot they'd be taking home. For the first time, he even saw Det. Cyrene talking to different students.
"Alright everyone. Let's move out. Great work today."
"[A job well done indeed, Claude.]" Arne commended.
Claude thanked him in response as he sat up, using the sword in his right hand to stab into the pedestal like a cane.
"Wait what?" He said as he looked down and realized he was holding a sword that wasn't his.
He turned the weapon over in his hands as he studied it for a moment.
It was a short sword at about 2.5 Feet— which was somewhat long for such a weapon. In shape it was nothing like the simple weapon he entered the Tangent with. This one had a slightly curved handle that looked like it was made of bone with a matching one sided slightly curved blade. The non bladed side was serrated finely like small steel teeth.
He felt writing along the spine of the handle and turned it over to read it.
"Bone Gnawer I."
"Where did this come from?" He thought.
"[Believe it or not. The Boss's Loot sometimes just appears in the hands of the one that killed it.]" Arne said.
"Hm. I don't really like swords, but my other sword is pretty shot. Maybe it's time for a new one." He thought as he spun it in his hands and slid it in his back sheath in a single practiced motion.
He looked up in response to a collection of foul scents. Anger, jealousy, greed and sadness. They all flew off the mob of students that faced him, backed by the twins who were stepping through the hole in the wall.
"Is there a problem?" Claude asked as he heard Frosty and his team walking over to him from behind.
"We looked over the dead..." Drake said as his snake eyed Claude with interest.
"Yea?" Claude responded.
"Even if your team killed the Boss, Samuel and Tai killed way more Ratmen....hell even some of the ones in here are killed by them." He said as a number of the students behind him agreed.
Claude straightened up as Ursula and Isaac laughed behind him in disbelief.
"Samuel? Tai? I don't suppose you plan to educate them?" Claude asked.
The two shrugged smugly, "I hear no lies."
Claude felt his body heating up as they all eyed him like he was a fraud who did no work. Suddenly, he noticed an odd scent of excitement among the fog of negativity and saw Det. Cyrene leaning against a far wall smiling like a psycho.
Chase stood nearby— seemingly disconnected from the mob of students, too deep in thought to care.
"[Of course she has something to do with this.]" Arne noticed.
"Your not fooling anyone, do you see the dead Ratmen's wounds?!" A student yelled from the back.
Claude planned on ignoring them until then. "What are you all fucking idiots?!" He yelled, startling a few students.
"Have I looked at the wounds....tch! Have any of you?! The location of the burns couldn't have killed any of them! All it did was make them run away in pain.....that's why there's a fucking hole in the wall you dumbasses. Because those two couldn't just kill the Ratmen, they had to torture them and force us to deal with the aftermath WHILE we fought the Boss." Claude yelled, tossing spit as he spoke.
The students looked over the Ratmen again silently, eager to shut him down after his verbal assault. Unfortunately, they found that he may have been correct.
"Still sympathizing with Monsters huh?" Samuel pointed out nonchalantly trying to change the focus of the argument.
"No. He's just pointing out how poorly you did your job." Ursula cut in, standing next to him and opposite Frosty.
The twins lost their smug expressions and looked offended.
Everyone in front of them shuffled nervously as they sensed the change in the two.
"You don't deserve it!" A student yelled from the back again.
Claude couldn't help the faint green glow that washed over his eyes. "Is that right?" He asked in a low growl.
Drake nodded at the front as the rest followed.
"Ok then which one of you is gonna come take it from me?" Claude asked as he unsheathed the sword and Frosty started growling next to him.
The students paled for a moment. Even though he was outnumbered, tired and injured, a splotch of uncertainty and fear took place inside them. It spread further with every step he took toward them.
SHBOOM!
A white bolt of lightning smacked into the dirt, stunning Claude and causing the students to back away a few steps.
"Cut it the hell out. They earned their Loot. If any of you truly have a problem then train to change the outcome of the next Tangent. Remember, only people who feel inadequate have room for jealousy. The way I see it, none of you are inadequate, so get it together." Prof. Raizen said as he reentered the cave with Prof. Brennan behind him.
"Let's move." Prof. Brennan said, leading the students out of the cave after they sat in silence for a few moments.
As they were all led out of the cave Prof. Raizen waited, deciding he'd take the back this time. While he waited, he could've sworn he heard one of the leaving students say one word in an almost disgusted tone. He wasn't sure who it was because the voice was way deeper than any of the 15-16 year olds he taught. But the oddest part wasn't the voice, but what the assumed student said.
"Humans...."
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_Avatar0FFury_ Hey my apologies for the late upload I had a big test during the day. Anyway thanks for reading and let me know what you think! Also thanks for the powerstones alex99, krissch_, Ominous_Reader, WarriorWolf, Shiso_lannoto, Fenris712, and Sahill83
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