Chapter 27: First Encounter With The Demons I
"So they're supposed to fade huh"
Elias, in a one handed plank position, balancing a boulder on his back was reading a rough looking book with his other hand.
On top of the boulder, stood a prideful little owl invested in using her 'big' body to aid her brother's training.
He dipped his body towards the ground and then pushed up, periodically repeating the action every time he flipped a page.
'Forty nine….. Fifty.'
[Good job Elias, you're improving. Soon you'll reach a fraction of my level of prowess, keep up the good work]
Rolling his eyes, Elias tilted his body dropping both the big headed bird and the boulder.
"Oh please, you are a bonafide caster. If I let those wolves attack you first then you would be toast, so don't get all high and mighty with me."
[H-how dare you! This Owl…]
Elias tuned out the feathery incarnation of pride and delved back into the book about bonds.
'Justin bonds… okay enough, focus'
The book in my hands was the same rough looking piece of literature my father gave me the other day. I have been studying it intensely ever since, and what I discovered was quite, eye opening.
Apparently, among the tribe members of the warriors of kali, the ink markings are not overly rare. In fact three out of five ritual takers end up with them.
The markings are a kind of facilitator. It aids the two parties involved in the ritual bonding to use the powers they get from the ritual more easily.
However, once the connection between two bonds reaches its climax, and they both unlock the final abilities they possess from the ritual, the ink fades into white web like markings, like scar tissue.
'What are the final abilities?…. Oh there it is'
The final ability both of them gain is the form change; the beast becomes human, and the human beast.
Ordinary bondings have that boon occasionally, when the connection is strong enough, but that's it. They would directly skip over anything else the partners would gain.
'No enhanced vision, no physical changes… just a lucky draw at a form change. Guess I was lucky my father was a warrior of Kali'
I flipped one more page looking for the next, but was surprised to only encounter the leather binding.
'I finished it? That was… quicker than I expected, a good book really does end faster.'
I threw the book into my storage ring and slowly got up, making the beads of sweat trickle down onto the feathered diva still throwing a tantrum.
[HEY! You simple featherless idiot. You tainted my glorious feathers with your foul perspiration]
Her soft melodious voice sounded in my head. It was similar to a high pitched maiden's voice; yet it was not irritating, just endearingly soft, like a little sister's.
I did not mind her sharp words, I knew behind this façade of haughtiness and intricate words, was an insecure owl afraid of being hurt, getting abandoned.
Her whole tough attitude was a shield to protect herself in case of the event happening, she thinks that it will help her not get attached; but she is, and I will never hurt her that way, never.
"Sorry, sorry, didn't see you there. In my defense you are a tad bit sho…."
Eset looked at her companion suddenly pause and worry fill his face. His pointed nose scrunched up and sniffed at the air like an unhinged beast.
'This smell… BLOOD!'
All of a sudden, Eset watched as Elias crouched slightly and his feet dug into the earth forming a web of cracks beneath him.
-BOOM
Like a comet, the young boy shot towards the cabin at a speed that would put even the fastest stallion to shame.
Eset shook her body quickly like a cat, throwing the small droplets away and powerfully clapped her feathers backwards propelling her forward at a similar speed.
[Elias! Elias talk to me, what's wrong?!]
[E-Eset, blood! I smell blood! And it's dad in the house, I sensed him with {Earth Sense}.]
'Please, please, please. Don't let it be him, I beg you God, Gods, I don't care whomever is up there, ANYONE!'
Elias's eyes teared up and the small water drops flew with the wind as he sprinted forward.
His shoulder length brown hair fluttered with the wind at first, but stuck backwards to his scalp later on as he picked up more speed.
As he got closer, Elias materializing his runed hatchet in one hand and a heavy staff in the other.
'Faster, faster C'MON!!'
It was unnatural that Elias would act that way. Well, it would have been unnatural if he did not lose his mother so abruptly.
Deprived of any platonic love in his past life, his mother's love was a godsend gift. She showed him gentleness beyond what he thought was possible, he was on cloud nine. Yet losing her that way was traumatizing. Elias became afraid of abandonment and losing one of the only family he has got left, much like Eset.
He was frightened, horrified even.
His breaths quickened and his hazel eyes went bloodshot. For the third time in his life, the rage of Lyssa took over.
A glow surfaced in his bloodshot eyes, and Hindu patterns etched their shining patterns along his olive skin. His gritted teeth dug into his gums and blood crawled through the cracks in his teeth
'Not again. No, not again. I- I can do something this time, I WON'T LET YOU GO!'
Elias did not bother to stop and open the door, he reeled back the hatchet and lay the body of the staff on his back.
"URUZ!"
With a powerful roar, Elias swung the hatchet towards one of the walls of the cabin shattering it to bits, as if the hatchet was a blunt war hammer, not a sharp small axe. His strength was simply defying common sense.
###
(POV. ISAAC a few minutes before)
"HAA, HAA ….That fucker got me good"
Panting, Isaac sat down on the chair and nursed his wound.
He poured half the elixir out of a glass bottle and drank the rest, before placing a hand over his wound and muttering a chant.
"Fire from the hearth purge and heal {Hestia's embrace}"
Upon the spell's completion, a gentle white fire climbed his figure like full body cape and healed his the wounds racking his body, especially the large slash across his chest, festering with black puss.
The chest wound burned with the most fervor, charring the injury and releasing a black smoke into the air brimming with a malevolent energy.
"AHHH, that's better. Damn Lupus, those SS ranked demons are something else."
A Lupus was an SS ranked demon of great destructive abilities. Even one of them can obliterate a whole platoon of A ranked individuals.
Lupus are an evolved and more savage form of Werewolves. They take on a more lithe and lanky appearance with shorter fur, but longer fangs and arms with two jointed elbows.
The real danger of these demons was their invisibility and assassination capabilities. Considering that the invisibility and strength is a racial ability, it uses no Aeter, just stamina; making it harder to sense them, or rather almost impossible.
Just when Isaac was starting to relax and let the gentle caress of the healing fire take him to sleep, he sensed a fast -decently fast for his standard- object approaching. Were Elias in his right mind and his not in his raged mode, Isaac would have Identified him easily, yet the rage of Lyssa corrupts not just the mind, but the Aeter, turning the Aeter signature foreign when active.
"No rest for the wicked"
With a sigh, Isaac materialized his axe and rested it on his shoulder waiting for the aggressor.
'It must be that filthy blood sucker that got away, actually weird if you think about it. A blood sucker and a mutt working together. Well whatever it's the same blood on my axe anyway.'
As it came closer, Isaac was able to sense the enemy clearer, and noticed that its Aeter signature was not corrupted like that of demons, just a bit twisted.
'No way it couldn't be… why would he even be aggravated there's nothing to… Oh. Oh shit.'
Bursting through the wall not even giving him a moment more to think of a solution, a figure steaming with golden green Aeter made its way out of the smoke and rubble.
"FATHER!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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