The squeals of Ankrelids could be heard echo through the forest air. He inspected the flesh presented to him before taking an unwitting bite of the Ankrelid flesh. It's grotesque flesh dripped with purple blood, an appalling reek peering through his eyes making them sting and with that single bite he hurled the carcass away.
*Crunch*
His bones shifted once more, this time not just his legs but his entire body went harsh changes. His skin color took a dark purple palette, his body now well proportioned in all attributes. His knuckles cracked as a second hide grew over his light fur.
His bones now melted with chitin making them stronger, faster and lighter. His chest overgrown with a dense purple carapace for defense, his legs now holding more power for greater dashes and quicker feints. His hands hardened for stronger blows and his skin now thicker unlike before.
'This is great however I lack a proper offense attribute. Also with my heightened senses and reaction my hunts will only grow easier from here on out. If only I can that Dreadhorn...' Recalling the dreadhorn he had faces earlier, he now wished to face it.
'However it would be too soon for me to face it. I'll need more skills for that.' From here a madness into hunts ensued. Screams of creatures filled the air, migrations of beasts present as traps filled the forest however it was much bigger than he had initially anticipated but this merely meant that there was more for him to gain.
*A weeks later*
A humanoid beast could be seen shuffling from tree top to tree top, it's alertness through the roof as it's dark obsidian eyes surveying it's next prey. It was Reynolds unlike the few weeks ago he was much stronger.
He had better attributes that all played well with each other. A salmon for underwater breathing and gliding above the water surface not to mention additional defense of scales that came with it. A Creaspine, a bird with the anatomy of a pterodactyl that glides across tree tops and dominated the skies he had hunted a few weeks back.
With it he was capable of manipulating air strands and streams which greatly boosted his agility immensely when using the dash, cushioning his fall from great heights and letting him glide through the air with ease but flight was not one of them.
Such a task would require a greater beast for him to mimick, which the Creaspine wasn't. His current prey this time not a pack of moose that grazed peaceful but the prey that followed after. The night was chilling however his fur covered it, his senses acute as his eyes narrowed in on the pack.
The bellows of the moose echoed as they seemed to relocate to another patch of fauna nearby. 'I know you're here so show yourself.' Perched on top of a tree, he kept on waiting like the predator that he was. Time flew by as the moose seemed to graze with no issue whatsoever.
'Or is not going to make a move?' He couldn't help but wonder as he kept on watching, now growing weary of the family as his hunger urged him to feast on their essence. A few minutes later as the moon was masked by a cloud, something shifted in the grass. Something he had been waiting for this entire time.
The leader of the pack sensing something wrong in the air shot up however before it hollered about it's figure was lunged at and fell to the ground. Before the rest could disperse, some of them fell alongside the leader of the pack. The cause remaining nothing more than a blur as it managed to remain hidden in the foliage.
Emergences of black blurs forming before vanishing into he shadows. Without wasting any more time, he made his way to the scene. The sounds of moose scattering could be heard however his guard remained up through out, his eyes darting all over. Using himself as bait, he held his breath trying to catch wind of where next his prey would attack.
*Whoosh*
By a centimeter he managed to evade the attack thrown at his head. A faint streak of blood trickled down his cheek, his face plastered with a look of surprise and readiness. His prey that he had been targeting this entire time was none other than the Duskrend Panther.
A beast that utilized malcore for stealth, a skill that he had yet to obtain. So far he had been coming across carcasses and pools of blood with no cause, sure he manages to track the cause and found it however it slipped through his fingers. Unlike the others, this one was more cunning, more wary and now ready to claim Reynolds as it's next target.
From there a fight of defense started, with Reynolds slowly shifting from the open grasslands to the dense thicket of the forest. His reactions barely passable as his body despite the carapace defence was now laces with all kinds of cuts and bruises that bleed away.
His regeneration skills would barely be on par with the rate at which he got hurt. 'Damn this panther isn't following me. I'll have to face it in the open.' Realizing that the panther was no longer focusing on him, he targeted the leader moose and as expected an attack was thrown at him.
Now the panther leapt straight for his head and in a brief second caught a glimpse of it. It's sharp golden eyes hungry to devour him, it's sleek black skin blending well with the darkness as it's paws stretched out to wrap around his neck and shatter his throat in one fell swoop.
Arching down, he barely managed to duck under it however it's hind legs didn't miss landing squarely on his chest planting him onto the ground. "Ugh! This damn beast!" This was his hardiest hunt yet as his prey wasn't as aloof to fall into traps or fall for bait so easily.
Not to mention it only came out at night for hunts further narrowing his window to take one down. Rising to his feet, he leapt back to gain some distance with the panther however it didn't let him catch a moment to breath as it leapt at him once more.
This time he dodged to the side ripping his clothes exposing his well built abs. Callous of his clothes he ripped his shirt off now ready to fight with the beast. Letting out a caveman guttural cry, this time he took the initiative to attack the panther.
The Duskrend using it's chamoflauge to have a surprise attack on Reynolds who expected this disadvantage relying on his skills and wits to gain some footing in the fight. Given that the forest was packed with traps, he wanted to lure it there however it remained adamant in staying in the open and focusing with it's game.
The Duskrend attacked from above, he let out a howl to stagger it which worked and with a dash to his left managed to evade the attack completely. Before it could land he leapt into the air thanks to the Creaspine attribute for extra height and with his hardened body arched his kicked akin to a sythe connecting with the panther's head.
The Duskrend crashed with a thud to the ground and without delay he reached for his dagger to embed it into the panther's skull however it rolled to it's side and with an arch bore it's paws onto his bare chest. He didn't flinch but rather advanced however the panther's outline blended into the shadows.
His Howlgrim senses told him to stay on guard despite the calm breezy air that brushed past his open wound that had now stated to knit itself back. Blood trickling down his chest staining his pants and the ground beneath him as his head jerked side to side.
...
"Got you!" Using a skill from the salmon and it's ability to weave through rapids enabled him to weave out of the Duskrend's counter attack and with a hard punch connected it with onto the panther's face, his fingers digging into the beasts' eyes gouging it.
"Roar!" The panther let out a sharp cry as Reynolds increased his grip and forcefully crashed the beast to the ground. In an act of helpless retaliation it flailed it's paws towards the sky, some landing on his body shattering some of his ribs and fracturing his arm. 'The power behind these strokes are no joke!'
So far he hadn't encountered such an animal however now that he had he was sure that he wasn't going to let it go.
*BAM*
*Crack*
His elbow now bent sideways exposing his ulna. Agitated he landed another punch squarely to the panther's skull drowning the flails of the beast. Drawing his dagger he dug it deep into the beasts' throat letting it's blood spill onto the ground. Without wasting any time he sunk his teeth into the Duskrend's throat.
It's blood a rich tint of old wine that greatly satisfied his hunger before indulging himself further. The more he dove in, the more blood smeared on his face as he ate to his content oblivious to the repairs done to his body by his regeneration but the pain of transformation certainly halted his glee.
*Crack*
His palm now grew wider, his arm muscles now tightening and strengthening as it felt as if his entire body was on fire. His eyes now lost that obsidian tint to it and now replaced with a golden hue that melted in with ease. Shivers ran all over his body as he felt his bones felt more reinforced and his skin crackled now shifting from it's purple hue to a darker palette.
His teeth grew sharper, his senses now through the roof and finally the attribute of the Duskrend now at his disposal. With the moonlight still lacking, he crouched akin to a lion stalking his prey and as expected his his presence felt lacking. Provided he remained still he was sure that it would be difficult to trace him.
And thanks to the Creaspine air manipulation, his steps were now inaudible making him perfect for stealth. A cynical flash grinned as he now towered over the Duskrend, a maniacal laughter escaping his lips reveling in the blood that trickled down his cheek.
Slowly but surely he burnt his humanity away for something greater. Something that would be feared through out the lands making every single kingdom dread of his existence.