by Daman
Wiping away the traces of blood on his mouth with his other hand, a serious expression flickered across Calron’s face.
“Teacher, who was that?”
“….”
“Teacher!”
Calron yelled within his mind, as he sent a mental nudge to Ezkael.
“Give me a second, kid, I’m thinking!”
Ezkael promptly stated before going into silence again.
“The only explanation I can come up with is that it was the Beast King of that city.”
Ezkael slowly answered in a distressed tone.
“He… He knew my name.”
Calron said hesitantly, as he detected a hint of worry in his Teacher’s voice.
“He is a beast within the Saint stage… I should have been more careful. Thankfully, I stopped his soul attack before it drilled any further into your mind. We need to be careful when we enter this city, Calron.”
Ezkael cautioned in a somber tone.
“Wait, so he can directly attack my min- “
“We’ll talk later about this matter, but we need to quickly move from this location. The predators are almost here, and you’re in no condition to deal with all of them at once.”
Ezkael interrupted his student in a strict voice.
Sensing that the beasts were almost upon them, Calron quickly stood up, and motioned for the little wolf pup to step aside.
“woof?”
The pup let out a curious small bark while tilting its head, as it obediently stepped back from Calron.
*chi-chi*
Countless golden scales shot across Calron’s skin, as his body twisted and morphed into a large golden bird.
*SCREEEEEEE*
Calron let out an ear-splitting cry, as he flapped his metallic wings on the ground.
*woof* *woof*
Avi barked continuously, as she excitedly jumped around the golden bird.
“Avi, come, we need to leave right now!”
Calron shouted, as he crouched to the ground and straightened one of his wings against the ground, so the little pup could climb on top of him.
Nervously walking towards the outstretched wing, the wolf pup tentatively stepped on it and began climbing onto Calron’s scaly back.
“Hold on tight.”
Calron gently whispered once Avi was safely on his back, and began to rapidly flap his wings.
He turned away from the two corpses on the ground, as he did not want to remind the wolf pup of its mother. Calron was sure that the little beast would recall its mother death later on when they were in a different location, but for now, he needed the pup to remain calm while he was mid-air.
*SCREEEEE*
With another screech, Calron steadily rose above the ground as he flapped his powerful wings.
A low whimper sounded out from behind him, as the wolf pup nervously pressed her face against Calron’s back.
“This should be fun…”
Calron laughed out within his mind, as he began flying towards the beast city.
Chapter 25 – Companion
The sun was slowly setting, as it cast a reddish glow on the horizon. The few wandering birds started to withdraw back to their nests, sensing that the day was coming to an end.
A large shadow flew across the darkening sky, as it slowly revealed the form of a beast leisurely flapping its wings against the wind.
“I’m getting tired… ”
Calron inwardly thought, as he took a few minutes of rest by stretching out his wings and gliding for a while.
He had even surprised himself by flying continuously for hours, as he thought that he would have had to take frequent breaks after exhausting his body earlier by using the Divine Perception technique.
It appeared as if his body was gradually adapting to his beast form, enabling him to expend less and less energy each time he shape-shifted to maintain his form. Calron put this thought away for now, reminding himself to ask his teacher later.
“Avi! Are you alright?”
Calron inquired gently, as he took a quick glance back at the little pup shivering on his back.
“nnn…nnn…nnn”
The little beast pitifully whined while firmly digging her paws into Calron’s back, and spreading herself as flat as she could against his scaly body.
“Hahaha, don’t worry, Avi, we will be on the ground soon. Hang on tight!”
Calron let out a chuckle, as he folded his wings and dived towards the land below. He initially thought that the wolf pup was shivering due to the cold, but it turned out that Avi was just really afraid of heights.
This was not surprising, as wolves were not meant for flight.
Avi let out an angry yelp and dug her paws even deeper into Calron’s scales, as her soft fur fluttered in the wind.
*SCREEEEEE*
Calron let out an ear-splitting screech, as he rapidly descended towards the ground.
Quickly scanning the earth below, Calron decided to land on an isolated area that seemed to be devoid of any creatures within a mile radius.
*Whooosh* *Whoooosh*
The air around his wings exploded into bursts of gusts, creating a small dust cloud around his body the moment Calron landed.
He wished he could have landed a bit gentler, as he did not wish to startle the already frazzled pup, but with Calron’s utter fatigue, he would rather not stay for long in the air.
Calron was still new to shape-shifting, and until he understood all of its intricacies, he was not going to be taking any risks.
“Woof! Woof, woof!”
Avi furiously let out a string of barks, as she immediately hopped off Calron’s back. Chastising the human for taking her into the air, the little wolf pup continued to bark in her small juvenile voice.
*chi-chi*
The golden scales gradually returned back into Calron’s body, as he resumed his human form.
“Sorry, Avi… I promise to give you a warning next time.”
Calron softly comforted the little pup, as he bent down on his knee and petted Avi’s furry head.
The pup pretended to be initially offended by the petting, but soon gingerly rubbed her head against the human’s hand while making cheerful noises.
*grumble*
The pup’s stomach suddenly growled, and she pleadingly glanced up at Calron with her large adorable eyes asking for food.
“Haha, wait here, and I’ll try to hunt for some beast meat.”
Calron laughed out loud when he saw the expression on Avi’s face. He did not know whether or not the little pup was intentionally using her cuteness to make him do her bidding, but he certainly did not mind.
Spending time with Avi made him recall the memories of the other baby beasts at the outer ranges, and he wondered how they were faring right now.
He missed them.
Turning around and preparing to scout for a beast to hunt, Calron took a single step when he felt a tiny paw scratch his ankle.
*woof*
Taking a quick glance behind him, Calron found the wolf pup begging to go along with him. Calron could understand how Avi felt, as their current surroundings were eerily quiet and it most likely spooked the little beast.
“Fine… but you will have to walk a lot, as I have not recovered my strength yet.”
Calron sighed while shaking his head, and resumed treading into the trees.
Avi silently followed close behind the human, as her head kept darting around and absorbing the new scenery.
A human and a little beast slowly walked within the forest, bringing their bond even closer as they reveled in each other’s silent company.
……………………
“Stay here.”
Calron quietly whispered to the crouching wolf pup next to him.
In a flash, Calron bolted out from behind the bushes and instantly appeared behind the goat-like beast.
With golden lightning crackling around his palm, he thrust it deep into the beast’s brain before it
could realize what was happening.
*splash*
A spray of blood splattered onto the ground, as the beast slowly toppled down with its eyes still wide open in shock.
Seeing that the beast was dead, Avi leapt over the bush where she was hiding and rushed towards Calron.
“Uhh… this is going to take some time to cook.”
Calron muttered, as he wiped away the fresh blood from his hand and stared at the medium-sized goat in front of him.
*growl*
The little wolf pup threateningly lowered her head, as she swiftly pounced on the dead beast. Grasping the beast’s leg within her small jaws, Avi violently shook it for a few seconds before hopping back and switching her target to the beast’s belly.
Watching the little pup pretend to be a predator, and acting as if she killed the beast herself, Calron could not help but let a smile slip from his face.
“Avi, let’s go. These type of beasts always travel in herds, so there will definitely be more nearby.”
Calron calmly stated, as he beckoned for the wolf pup to retreat.
Although he easily killed the goat-type beast, he would not be able to do the same against an entire herd.
“You can play later, but let’s leave this area first.”
Calron urgently whispered to the pup, as he grabbed the two front limbs of the dead beast and motioned for Avi to remove her jaws from the beast’s stomach.
“grrr…”
With a final tug, Avi let go of the beast and happily trotted behind Calron.
The human appeared to be serious, so she quit fooling around.
“Good girl.”
Calron chuckled, as he began jogging back to their original location, carrying the dead goat on his back.
“Awoooo”
Avi let out an excited howl as she darted past Calron and raced ahead of him.
………….
—After a few hours—
With a half-eaten carcass lying around them, both human and beast were lying on the ground, while one silently snored and the other one quietly gazed at the starry sky above.
Avi curled herself into a small furry ball, as she contently snored away with a belly-full of meat.
Calron brooded within his own thoughts as he recalled the mysterious owner of those piercing eyes and what that stranger’s presence meant.
Staring at the countless glowing stars above, Calron felt a strange peace within his heart.
“I have a feeling that this one will turn out to be more mischievous than we thought.”
Ezkael softly whispered, as he materialized next to his student and gave a quick glance at the sleeping pup.
“Haha, I have the same feeling… but she’s adorable, isn’t she?”
Calron replied back in an amused tone, as he looked at Avi’s sleeping form.
“Kid, she has a special bloodline…”
“I know, Teacher. We’ll deal with that situation later, once the need arises, but until then, she travels with us.”
Calron said firmly, as he gazed into his Teacher’s smoky eyes.
“Can’t go back after coming this far, can we now?”
Ezkael sighed while shaking his head, but a faint trace of a smile could be detected on his hazy face.
“nnn….nn….nnn”
Suddenly, Avi let out a few distressed whimpers as she kept shifting around on the ground.
“Looks like she’s remembering her mother’s death. Well, she is your responsibility now, Calron. Take care of her.”
Ezkael gently whispered, as his body dispersed into the shadows.
Rushing towards the little wolf pup, Calron gingerly embraced her tiny body and placed his arms around her.
“Shhh… it’s alright, Avi… “
Calron breathed into the sleeping pup’s ears in an attempt to bring her out of her nightmare.
“I’m here…”
Chapter 26 – Intruder
Bursts of sunlight seeped through the gaps within the trees, and illuminated the entire forest with its rich radiance. The shadows of the tree leaves reflected onto ground, creating a beautiful array of shadows and light.
Only the faint sounds of a bird singing, or an occasional cry of a beast could be heard, but it was clear that they were all quite far away from this specific location.
“Ugh…”
Calron groaned, when he felt the sun rays pierce through his eyelids, effectively waking him up from his slumber.
Feeling the small lump of warmth on his chest, Calron gently moved Avi’s paws away from his neck, and slowly stood up.
We should be able to reach the beast city by this evening.
Calron inwardly thought, as he lazily stretched his body.
Feeling refreshed and energized, Calron walked a few feet away from the sleeping pup, and sat down in a meditative pose. It had been quite a while since Calron cultivated his essence, and he was curious about the changes within his elemental core after his breakthrough into the Vajra stage.
“Wheww…”
Calron deeply exhaled, and began absorbing the lightning essence from his surroundings.
Thin tendrils of golden essence began to spiral above Calron, and slowly trickled into his skin. The wisps of essence moved at an agonizingly slow pace, causing Calron to widen his eyes in surprise.
“Huh, what is going on?”
Calron muttered with worry in his voice, as he sensed that the essence seemed to almost refuse to enter his body. Only a fraction of the essence appeared to be absorbed into his core, while the rest simply floated around on top of his skin.
“Looks like cultivating just anywhere will not help you much more.”
Ezkael calmly stated, as he materialized on a tree above Calron.
“Teacher, what do you mean?”
Calron asked with a frown on his face.
“Once you advanced to the Vajra stage, the lightning essence within your old core merged with your muscles and bones, causing lightning to be a part of your very body. Keep in mind, that your body absorbed the purest liquefied form of essence, so now, if you try to absorb a weaker and more impure form of essence from the surroundings, your body will simply reject it.”
Ezkael explained, as the dark smoke around his body slashed through the fruit stalk.
“Does that mean, I will be no longer be able to cultivate out in the open?”
Calron muttered as he willed a bolt of lightning to flicker across his hand.
“Not necessarily… but it will take countless days for you to advance into the second rank of the Vajra stage by cultivating with that method. However, there is another way in which you can cultivate quite effectively and overcome this problem.”
Ezkael replied in an amused tone, as he threw the pear-shaped fruit down at Calron.
“What is it?”
Calron nonchalantly caught the fruit in his hand, while raising his eyebrow in suspicion as he detected the trace of mirth in his Teacher’s voice.
Calron had been getting so used to his Teacher materializing around him, that he stopped noticing the small changes occurring with Ezkael’s smoky body, as his Teacher had just physically thrown an object with his illusory hand.
“Simple… you just have to absorb bolts of lightning again.”
Ezkael laughed out, as he drifted below onto the ground and stood next to his student.
Calron’s body involuntarily shivered as he recalled the memories of when he broke into the Vajra stage by absorbing a single bolt of lightning.
“Yeah… let’s keep that as a backup plan.”
Calron let out a nervous laugh, as he closed his eyes and began the arduous process of cultivating under this new predicament.
“Whatever you say, kid.”
Ezkael chuckled, as his body exploded in a burst of smoke and dispersed into the wind.
He knew that sooner or later, his student would come around to becoming more comfortable with nature’s lightning.
When that day arr
ived, Calron would realize just how deep and mysterious his connection was with the heavenly lightning.
………………
Feeling a sloppy wetness on his face, Calron gradually opened his eyes to a small tongue slobbering all over him.
“Good morning, Avi… ”
Calron breathed while cleaning his face of beast saliva, and gently nudging the drooling puppy away from his face.
I hope this does not become a routine.
Calron thought with a slight smile, as he stood up from the ground and began walking towards the cooked carcass from last night.
“woof, woof!”
Avi excitedly jumped around, as she cheerfully trailed behind the human.
“Here, eat this while I heat up the meat.”
Calron quipped, as he flung the fruit in his hand towards the little pup.
Leaping off from the ground, Avi caught the fruit within her jaws and began happily munching on it while Calron started to heat up the carcass.