Faelan and Jago kept their gazes fixed on the enormous beast before them. A low growl accompanied the creature's return stare, intensifying the tense atmosphere. Wind gently blew between the three combatants as the two tails on the large Blight Beast swayed on their own.
"So," Jago began. "You want to make the first move? Or are you scared that I'm going to take it down with one strike?" He asked her, and Faelan quickly turned to him with a comical, annoyed glare, her face red with anger.
"Scared?!" Faelan cracked with indignation. "Look here! you sorry excuse for a—"
"Look out!" Jago yelled a warning and swiftly shoved Faelan aside with his right arm, narrowly avoiding the lightning-fast swipe of the huge, warped wolf-like creature's claw, which passed directly between them.
The area was marked with claw scratches from where they were previously, and a bizarre, powerful wind slashed and shaped the landscape before fading away.
"What the hell was that?" Jago remarked, his feet sliding against the dirt terrain as Faelan landed on her feet.
"I don't know but—" Before Faelan could finish, the left tail of the Blight Beast shot out towards Faelan in blinding speed. "What?" Faelan's eyes grew wider, unprepared for the creature's pace; its tail struck her, slamming her into a rock formation and creating a small puff of dust.
"Faelan!" Jago shouted, but he quickly gritted his teeth when the monster's tail slammed into his chest, sending him crashing into annother distant rock formation, and the beast roared in victory.
A few moments passed as Jago was the first to peel himself out of the rock formation, wiping some of the dirt off his arms as he glared at the beast. "Well, aren't you a sneaky bastard?" He gritted his teeth a bit.
Following him, Faelan stepped out of the indention herself. "Did that overgrown fleabag just sucker punch us?" She pointed at the creature. "What kind of crap are you on?!" Faelan continues as she marches up to the beast, stomping her foot a bit. "First, Jago gives you the chance to transform and then you interrupt us while we're talking! Show some respect you overgrown four-legged pile of distortion! Jago, tell this overgrown mutt that's not how we fight!" For a brief moment, she glanced at Jago, and both he and the creature seemed a little bewildered, staring at Faelan.
Faelan's sudden rage confused the Blight Beast, causing it to tilt its massive head in bewilderment. Unsure, its twin tails swayed as it tried to understand her request for appropriate fighting behavior.
Jago blinked slowly, then turned to stare at the creature.
"Uh, Faelan?" He gestured vaguely at the massive, corrupted wolf. "I don't think it speaks our language. Also, it's a monster…. A monster that's trying to kill us."
The beast let out what could only be described as a questioning whine, its head tilting further as if genuinely trying to understand the rules Faelan was attempting to establish.
"I don't care!" Faelan threw her hands up dramatically. "There are standards! You don't just ambush people in mid-conversation! That's just rude!" She pointed at the Blight Beast again. "Hey, mangy mutt! Get your crap together and fight like you got some manners!"
"And you!" She whirled back to Jago. "Why aren't you backing me up here?!"
Between the two figures, the Blight Beast watched, then lowered itself, much like a bewildered dog. Its immense form caused the ground to tremble slightly. The creature seemed more intrigued by the peculiar disagreement than by continuing the battle.
Jago rubbed his temples, slightly annoyed by Faelan's antics. "For the love of—Because we're in the middle of a life-or-death situation here, and you're trying to teach a corrupted monster proper combat manners?!"
"Because it's—" Faelan quickly dodged another tail attack, as it launched itself towards her, but she sidestepped it as it plunged itself into the ground, missing her completely; but her gaze turned toward the creature. "Alright then, I see how you want to play it." The woman rapidly charged the creature as it bellowed, pulled back her fist, and powerfully punched the Beast's jaw, causing its head to snap to the side.
"Ha!" Faelan snickered, but the Beast snaps its head back, ignoring the blow as it roars at her again. "Crap!" She yells as the sheer force of its howl sent her crashing into the ground with what appeared to be a sound wave blast.
"Faelan!" Jago readied himself. "Ok, that's it." Jago quickly began charging towards the Blight Beast, his black claws ready as he leaped in the air.
The Blight Beast's sonic attack rippled through the air, the sonic blast continuing to pin Faelan against the ground as debris scattered around her.
"Grr…" Faelan growls, her hands covering her ears as she glared defiantly at the creature in front of her, trying her best to stand against the sonic wave, while Jago's leap carried him high above the creature's head, his claws shining as he came down with a hard swipe.
However, the monster's intelligence was evident once more: both tails snapped upwards at the same time, striking Jago in mid-air. Jago quickly dodged the left tail, but the right slammed into his side, sending him spinning through the canopy of trees with force.
Branches snapped and leaves exploded as Jago crashed through the forest ceiling, his pained grunt echoing before he disappeared entirely.
The creature maintained its force, its sonic attack battering Faelan as she fought to withstand it. "You stupid…just wait until...I get out of this.." Faelan continues to grit her teeth at the oversized wolf, then a small smirk appeared on her face as a large tree crashed into the side of the face of the beast, knocking it to the side as it's body rolled on the ground before it stood back up, growling as Faelan calmly stood up, wiping dust off her clothes and Jago walking out of the forest to stand beside Faelan, unharmed by the creature's earlier assault.
Meanwhile, Asena, carrying an unconscious Nuix on her back, with a group of pups, appeared out of the perimeter of the fight as they caught Faelan and Jago having another stand-off against the beast.
"Oh, they haven't put it down yet." Asena's voice was calm as she watched the intense standoff. "Still playing around like this is an everyday thing." She sighed as she felt a bit of movement on her back.
"Ah, I see you woke up, good." Her eyes remained on the stage in front of them. "You all actually get to see how your general and chief operate in a real fight."
The kids huddled around Asena, minus Nuix, who was still being held on her back.
"That thing…It's…It's bigger than the one the chief fought." Naya spoke up, her eyes focusing on the large Blight beast that growls at its opponents.
"Most likely, that's because this must be the leader, the alpha of the pack." Asena responded, still looking at the battle scene herself. "But…" Her eyes narrowed at the beast. "I've never known one to look like this before." She added as her eyes landed on the tribal symbols on its side. "Hmmm…."
The Blight Beast's two tails thrashed wildly as it kept glaring at the two warriors standing before it. Black ichor dripped from its jaw as it seared the ground beneath it. Its eyes darted between Faelan and Jago, trying to calculate its next move.
"You ready for round two?" Jago asked this time with a serious tone in his voice.
"You bet I am." Faelan cracked her knuckles as she took a small step forward and began slowly making her way towards the beast, walking past Jago. "This time, no more games, we put this thing down."
"You're the chief." Jago shrugged as he began mimicking her movements, walking behind her at the same pace.
As the two Werebeasts advanced, the beast growled, getting ready for a fight.
"Oh, and by the way, I'm still stronger than you," Faelan stated as she shot into a full-on charge towards the beast.
"Like hell you are!" Jago shouted from behind her as he did the same. The two Werebeasts were running towards the Blight wolf beast, which howled loudly as it fired another sonic blast towards them.
The sonic blast erupted from the beast's maw, a visible wave of distorted air that shattered tree bark and sent debris flying. But this time, both Werebeasts were ready.
Faelan leaped high, electricity crackling around her human form, the wind from the sonic blast helping propel her upward. She spun into the air as the electricity surged through her body and circled her fist.
Below, Jago dropped low, his claws digging into the earth as he slid beneath the blast, using his momentum to close the distance.
The beast's crimson eyes widened, seeing its attack miss as Jago quickly came up under its chin.
"Too slow!" Jago sprang into the air, throwing a powerful uppercut under the creature's jaw, which forced its head to tilt back as Faelan, like a projectile, hurtled toward the beast.
"Now eat this, you mangy mutt!" the lightning surged around Faelan's fist as her punch collided with the jaw of the beast, causing it to howl in pain as its face was rocked to the side. "And here's another one for good…" She spun around with her fist cocked again. "Measure!" She exclaimed as she hammered her fist right into the face of the beast again, knocking it back as it landed on the ground, but it quickly rolled and recovered from the blow; however, the damage was evident.
The beast shook its massive head, black ichor streaming from its muzzle where Faelan's electrified punches had connected. The tribal markings along its hide pulsed as the wounds began to regenerate.
"Oh no you don't!" Jago shouted as he pressed forward.
"We won't let you!" Faelan ran behind him as the two rushed towards the beast in unison.
The beast continued to try and regenerate, but Faelan and Jago pressed on it. This time, Jago was the first to leap forward as the beast tried to use its twin tails to defend itself. Its left tail shot forward, trying to pierce the two, but Jago jumped right, while Faelan crossed left.
"I told you before, you're too slow!" Jago's powerful fist, covered in black fur, struck the side of the beast's face, its head recoiling. However, Faelan intercepted it, meeting the head on the opposite side with her own fist, which slammed into the jaw and sent the creature's head back towards Jago. ...who returned it, as the pair kept slamming the creature's face back and forth, resembling a game of ping-pong.
The beast's head whipped violently between the two warriors like a grotesque pendulum, each thunderous impact echoing through the forest. Its ichor sprayed with every blow, melting tree bark and stone.
From the sidelines, the pups watched in stunned silence, each one with their own reactions.
"Whoa…" Koda breathed, his eyes wide as saucers.
"Oh, my…." Tala covered her hands with her mouth as she watched the brutal beating the blight beast was receiving.
"That's how our chief and general fight…They're so…fast." Naya was the next to respond.
"…Ama…zing." Nuix observed the fight, craning his neck for a clearer look.
Kian didn't say anything, his eyes transfixed on the battle in front of him as he watched as both Jago and Faelan attacked and repositioned themselves, then attacked again; the Blight Beast not being able to recover from the brutal onslaught it was taking.
Asena remained stoic, though a hint of approval could be heard in her voice as a small smile appeared on her face. "It's about time you two started to get serious."
The monster's head twisted back and forth with awful cracking noises, its recovery efforts barely able to match the unending attack. Its blood painted the ground in widening pools as the tribal markings flickered weakly along its hide.
Without warning, the creature's eyes ignited with rage. Both tails whipped upward simultaneously, not to strike, but to anchor into the ground. Using them as leverage, the beast twisted its entire body in a violent spin, breaking free from the back-and-forth rhythm of the Werebeast attacks.
Panting, the Blight Beast landed with a heavy impact, its muzzle damaged and recovering mass of flesh. However, its red eyes glowed with fury and a surge of fresh power.
From the sidelines, Asena's expression shifted.
"Is it…Is it learning? Learning as it fights?"
The creature's two tails were lit up with matching tribal patterns, and electricity sparked between them as if a storm were brewing.
Both Faelan and Jago calmly stood up as Faelan spat out dirt, electricity still dancing around her knuckles.
"Looks like the fleabag's got some fight left in it."
Jago cracked his neck as he began walking forward. "Good, because I was getting bored."
The Blight Beast's tails ignited with electricity, the tribal markings pulsing in sync with the building charge. The air itself seemed to hum with dangerous energy as sparks danced between its twin appendages.
Asena's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That's…That's not possible. Blight Beasts can't use magical abilities." She said to herself as she took a step forward. "Did it…Did it…Did it steal her lightning?"
The creature's jaw split into what could only be described as a twisted grin, revealing rows of regenerating teeth. Lightning continued to dance around its tails as it roared again.
"What the…" Faelan's bewildered look was written all over her face. "What the hell? Jago, when did that thing have lightning?" Faelan's eyes narrowed as the blue electricity continued to make itself known around its tails. "Wait a damn minute! Is that MY lightning?!" Faelan exclaimed.
"Jago? Are you seeing this?" Faelan pointed at the beast, getting ready to throw another temper tantrum at the thought of it stealing her move. "That stupid thing has my power! What the hell?!" She exclaimed. "Like seriously, since when did Blight Beast learn to copy abilities?" She gritted her teeth.
"Never seen anything like it." Jago's expression darkened as he studied the energy surrounding the beast's tails. "Well, I guess this means it's not just an overgrown wolf anymore. But still, that's odd. From the Blight Beasts we've fought before. None of them came with their own special abilities."
"It's not SPECIAL if it's COPYING MINE!" Faelan screamed comically over at Jago.
The beast's stolen energy continued to grow and change as it raised both electrified tails high above its head. The Tribal markings along its hide pulsed brighter, feeding off the absorbed energy.
"Tch…" Jago sucked his teeth. "Damn thing was probably absorbing the blows we were hitting it with earlier, now it has your lightning ability."
Faelan followed suit with the thought. "You must think you're real clever, huh?" Her lightning still surrounds her hands. "Well, since you're trying to copy me, how about I show you how to use it!" She charged forward again.
Lightning continued to surge around her hands as she continued to charge it as the Blight Beast's tails crashed into the ground, sending electric currents towards them.
Faelan dodged left and then right, jumping from side to side as she ran towards the large, now lightning-embedded beasts with a fist cocked back as she leaped into the air.
"AAAARRRGGGGHHHJHH!" Shouting a loud war cry, Faelan continues forward, keeping her speed up as she approaches the monster, which roars and tries to hit her with a crushing tail.