Chapter 14: The Wrath of Nature

Everything seemed to happen so fast, basically none of the involved could have foreseen how it would've ended, even the Fungi Scorpion Fallen. Unbeknownst to all others, it was only a few steps away from becoming a Scorpion king or a true disaster as humans would classify it.

It was so close to overcoming all the beings it knew of in this world, and when presented with an unusual snack in the form of some small humans, barely matured and perfect for the consuming.

Hell, they might have even been that last step it was looking for. No it felt it, neither of the young in front of it were ordinary, yet it only came to this full realization after the fight had progressed.

In the second, Jack yelled Laura to go on without him, all seemed bleak, yet he charged without thinking much as his objective was stalling for time, not killing the thing, he needed his partner to get as far away from them as possible, thus he gambled.

They were only 8 meters away from each other, the fungi fallen tore down everything in its path.

''Please, if there is a god somewhere, make it be something good.''

When Jack felt the blood leaving his body as his skill activated, his instinct almost did a full 180, as he almost felt he could hear it in his head, going from:

''No god will save you, just run.'' with a monotone voice, instead of ''Good luck! Aim for the head!'' cheerfully.

Yet, he had no idea how to even survive this fight. When he was five meters away from the monstrosity, even he had begun to feel a lot of fear, which his instinct did its best to suppress.

Though all hope seemed gone for a moment, as the scorpion was just 3 meters away, he had another insane plan, but since he was already balls deep in gambling with his life, he went for it.

Two immense pincers attacked, one after the other, in hopes of cutting the small human like a weed.

The first, Jack dashed under, dodging and surviving another vital second.

However, the second one was coming for him and that was when Jack's bet began, a piercing pincer was coming his way and he was on the floor, albeit with some momentum. He had to do something really hard, and that was, succeeding in a 25% check.

"It hasn't worked so far since I've been a bit more hesitant in using my skill after the thunder fiasco, but please work!''

He twisted his body in the most unnatural way, trying to use his momentum to jump on top of the pincer.

At the same time, the scorpion was almost amused at this ant's antics, it was the perfect moment to grab him with its superior reflexes and cut him in two.

But for a split second, the split second he began moving, the human was gone. Disappearing from the monster's sight and reappearing right in front of its eyes.

''You enjoy killing covertly, right?! Me too!'' Jack scream right at its face.

When the blades were about to cut the monster's face off, a tidal wave of energy forced itself through Jack's vein and manifested in his blade as shining blue energy of devastating sharpness.

And cut its face off it did, the gash was deep and tore out at least four eyes, severely injuring its lower maw in the explosion of blue energy.

Jack fell underneath the creature while it shrieked in pain, all the surroundings shock with the scorpions cry.

What no one could hear was Jack's own shrieks amidst it.

''Ahhhh! What is this pain?! How strong of power it has to be to even injure my own body as it passed through it?!'' Unbeknownst to him, that which he had used was not just some random power, it was dragon aura, it was a miracle he was alive at all. It was a miracle even the fallen was alive too.

Meanwhile, Laura looked in shock while rowing desperately towards the deep end of the lake. As her partner had just severely injured a creature two entire levels above him. ''Nadia would always say that even newbies were sometimes dangerous due to their unpredictability, but this is beyond beginners luck!''

Hope clouded her mind for a moment, but as always, it was short-lived as from where the scorpion was wounded hundreds of red mushrooms began to sprout and grow.

Same for its blood on the floor. Luckily for Jack, he had been extra careful not to let blood fall on him due to being full.

Fully conscious that it was a bad idea being underneath a being that could crush him with just his weight, dodging the deadly blood pouring from the monster's wounds, he forced his agonizing body to move, and just in time as the creature soon dropped all its mass on the ground below, mere instants after Jack was out of from under it.

He even took the opportunity to cut into its legs to try and hinder the fallen scorpion's mobility, but failed to even scratch its carapace.

''So I can't even hurt it without some random power! I'm still too weak!'' Only if he knew that his words might have made some dragons roll in their graves.

But before he could even think of thinking that, his instincts flared with danger.

The stinger was heading his way. It would kill him instantly and drain him of all vitality, even worst, turn him into one of those infected.

''Not like any of these attacks wouldn't kill me anyway.'' Jack though trying to calm himself down.

With no hesitation, he activated his skill again and tried to dodge.

Unfortunately, he missed the 25% mark and couldn't do another unknown dodge, but his instincts warned him with enough time for him to dodge.

Good thing too because despite not being a dud, Jack felt the skill this time was in no way useful.

Sprinting with all his might towards the water, with the scorpion just behind him and agonizing pain all over his body.

The scorpion was visibly angry as a being so below him was able to injure it so heavily, despite him being capable of healing later.

With a horrendous shriek, it charged at the escaping human with monstrous might, no longer playing with its food, both claws made their way to Jack at top speed.

He couldn't even see it's movements this time, and what saved him was from the first pincer was a golden arrow that on impact exploded in dazzling light, catapulting Jack somewhat forward and the beast somewhat backward.

In the middle of the lake, Laura could be seen wielding her golden bow with a determined look.

But Jack had no time to process anymore, as his first feet finally touched the river water at the same time as the second pincer advanced furiously towards him.

''Shit! I won't make it in time, I have to block this one!'' He thought, knowing that his mobility was a bit limited due to the shin high level of water.

He forced his already over strained body to turn around and jump. Hoping, his instincts were right on the location of the attack.

And it was correct, as he made an x with his blades at the precise edge of the pincer.

Yet, despite him getting throw much deeper in the lake due to the momentum, it was still too much for his young body to handle.

The impact broke both of his arms and he coughed blood while in midair.

He had this thought just before he was thrown into the water, which was now deep enough to totally engulf him:

''I suppose it's time to use the fallback strategy!''

He breathed in deeply and held it before splashing into the lake.

Laura, on the other hand, was left with no choice except to stand there and wait for him to get up and begin swimming her way.

But he never did, who did begin walking towards where them was the fallen scorpion.

''Jack! What am I going to do?!'' She thought in despair. ''Do I jump in and try to save him? But I'm not a good swimmer as my vision is limited and the thing is coming our way...''

The Fungi scorpion was now with water halfway through its paws and only a few meters away from where Jack had landed.

''I won't let you!'' She thought with a scowl and began charging her bow one more time.

''My control of it isn't that high, and it might just blind me, but I can't just leave him!''

An arrow of searing white light shone on the waters of the lake again, and she shot the scorpion in its leg.

Despite the quality of the bow and of her own elemental powers, the arrows were not special in any way, thus when it hit, no damage was done, but she managed to stun the beast with the bright light and explosion.

The scorpion was right where Jack had landed at this very moment, and it roared furiously.

As a result of the flash of light from her skill, Laura saw that on the water an even darker shade of blood was spreading, and her heart sank.

''No! No! No!'' She yelled in frustration in her head.

Coming back to the second our hero fell into the water, something odd had happened.

Jack was only focusing on the pain that burned in his veins, until, it all stopped. But it wasn't just the pain; it was as if time had stopped again.

He instinctively closed his eyes as he saw a message:

[Contact with the medium has been established, beginning evolution.]

His whole body twitched, and even with closed eyes, he could see everything.

The waterfall, the riverbed, every single beast and algae in it, every turn it made, and its entire path through the cave where it entered a huge crack and spilled out of the huge pillar in a stunning waterfall outside where the moons shone brightly.

Concurrently, his body was absorbing the very energy of nature and changing, the muscles got tougher, his circulatory system darted faster, and his heart was beating non-stop.

[Monstrous Physique is evolving...]

[Monstrous instincts are evolving...]

[Guardian of Nature is being unlocked!]

Power overflowed in Jack; he felt the very water giving in to his thoughts; he could breathe, and his body seemed as light as a feather.

[Due to the presence of a Draconic aura in the host's body, the evolution has changed!]

[Attained Deadly Imoogi Physique]

[Attained Supernatural Instincts]

"You can now cut him... "Jack mumbled. It was almost as if his instincts, which were only a mere feeling before, could now be heard clearly in his head.

The area around his blue eye burned up, as if something were brandishing a hot iron against it. He also felt a slight prick in his forehead.

His eyes suddenly opened, and he noticed a distinctive pattern surrounding one of his eyes. If he could see his own reflection, the pattern would appear as a wave-like mandala divided by a single talon circled his eye, and a small horn was also protruding from his forehead.

''Now we are talking!'' he thought. ''Let's show it what the wrath of nature looks like!''

Jack willed the water to surround him and form a current, while at the same time, with the smoothness of a true son of the sea, he swam towards the massive paws causing havoc underwater.

When the blade was about to hit, a second, sharper edge formed out of water atop his blades, and it was finally able to cut the chitin armor of the scorpion.

Blood infused the water, yet Jack could see, or better yet, feel where he was quite clearly.

"Allow the slaughter to begin!"He bellowed with a devilish grin on his face. No one heard him as he was underwater, but he didn't mind.

Moving faster than possible for any awakened in his leveled state, he ziplined to each of the paws, giving them a multitude of cuts that hemorrhaged into the river current.

On the surface, the scorpion fallen, shrieked, and began throwing attacks on the water all around it with both its pincers and all its paws, trying to crush the human who had suddenly become way scarier.

''What the hell is it doing?!'' thought Anna.

Meanwhile, Jack, cut and sliced while slowly pulling the thing deeper and deeper into the lake with an almost unnoticeable current, enhancing even more his advantage.

The blades were now tearing even at the flesh underneath the chitin, making a mess of its paws, and the beast was starting to have trouble walking.

Furthermore, the scorpion was starting to actually feel the danger of the situation, and in its desperation, it put both of its pincers in the water and did a wide swinging motion.

It destroyed all plant life at the lake's bottom, which only fueled Jack's rage.

Its mistake, Jack reasoned, was to splash water upward with its movement, because when the water splashed in the height of its head, Jack used it as a trampoline to shoot out of the water at breakneck speed after kicking the bottom.

You can imagine the beast's and Laura's surprise when, out of the water, came Jack with a mad, furious grin and an intent to cut, which he did.

Two slashes in the shape of an X were made in its already disfigured face, taking away the last bits of vision it had.

In response, the stinger on its back launched itself like a missile toward Jack. Which he responded to by swaying one of his blades in the water, lifting it up, and creating a wall of water that slowed down the attack and submerged the hero once more.

Laura couldn't understand what was going on at all. ''Why does Jack have a horn in his forehead, and what happened to his eye?!''

While underwater, Jack's speed was at least four times what he usually had, so it wasn't hard for him to dodge the stinger and gear up for another blow, a special one at that.

He felt the consumed blood leaving his body once more when he activated the skill and positioned himself underneath the scorpion again.

''A hit! I'm sure of it!'' His instincts told him.

Yet he stayed still and didn't attack as he felt something coming through the water.

The stinger had extended unnaturally and circled around the scorpion's back and underside, ready to hit the human.

''That's it, the opportunity I want!''

The effect was activated when he pierced the stinger with the tip of his sword. A magical energy emanated from the blade and circled around the tip, weird inscriptions wrapping around it like an arcane lock.

Jack felt the danger of the stinger decrease exponentially, just before the beast decided to repeat its strategy and try to crush Jack. Laura looked in bewilderment, knowing that she was out of blood and had no way to interfere any more.

"Jack, go for it! Win!'' She cheered in her mind.

This time, however, the descent of the creature was slowed a lot due to the water, its whole body was now underwater.

Pointing his blades upward, he stared at the massive weight that could still crush him even underwater and activated his skill one more time.

He knew for sure it was another hit. And big a big one as he wrapped the all the water he could around his blades, forming a small whirpool around them and pierced with all his might, momentum from kicking up and a water current all in the same direction.

He was pierced in the side by the stinger, but with its power still sealed, it could do no more damage than the crushing would.

Thus Jack ignored it as his blade pierced the softer abdomen of the scorpion; it shone in bright blue light, and from it a torment of water was unleashed.

The scorpion screamed and Jack screamed; it was the final push; he had to win; he had to avenge his parents and learn more about his birth.

''I won't die here!''

Finally, as the effect of his blades activated, more water appeared as if created out of thin air.

Two water spikes of over eight meters shot upward, tainted by blood, slicing through the fallen's entire body in seconds.