310 CHPT 310: Ritualistic Domination, Shared Ancestry....
In a flash, the forest that once spit the family of Gnoll's out into the clearing, had vomited a second round of it's wild inhabitants to occupy the earthen battlefield.
Frosty, who was once barely restrained by his own and Claude's will to reside inside the bushes of the wild exploded from the lush greenery. His icy blue eyes trained on the Hound-Gnoll while his opened jaws thirsted to taste it's blood. He'd fallen for the trap.
RAGH!
The bulky PitWolf and thin and wiry red furred Gnoll collided in a mess of slobber, claws and fur over the cold grass like feral tumbleweeds.
As if expecting the reaction, the massive leading Gnoll grabbed the remaining beast shrouded in a blood-soaked sheet and threw it into the fray to overwhelm and incapacitate the wild PitWolf tearing into it's brother.
The throw was so powerful, the sheet-shrouded beast skidded and rolled towards them, shedding the sheet along the way before rising and letting the sun shine on it's thick grey and midnight colored fur. A Gnoll born from the belly of a Wolf. Easily seen in it's long legged strides, slim powerful snout and baleful yellow eyes.
As if to solidly such a notion, the creature let out a cackling howl at the sight of Frosty biting into it's brother's fatless-- yet bulbous, shoulders.
It was closing in. And it wanted blood.
The leader-- the Pit-Gnoll, wasn't far behind.
Then again, neither was anyone on the other side.
FWOOOSH!
As soon as Frosty blasted from the forest, Claude reared his arm back and chucked his spear like his life depended on it. The sharp metal rod whistled through the forest and across the clearing in a shimmering flash of silver that whistled past the Hound and Wolf-Gnoll who could care less about the metal object ripping its way through the icy winds.
They weren't his targets.
The Pit-Gnoll made another handful of oddly placed steps in pursuit of the rampaging PitWolf with it's axe in hand before it's movement was halted in violent fashion.
SHNK!
"RRRRRGGGGGG!!" A hideously wet and throaty sounding growl of pain escaped the hulking creatures black maw as the spear sunk through it's upper right leg with a meaty sinking sound.
Nobody bothered waiting afterward. There was nothing left to do. Nothing but fight.
The Phantom Wolves emerged from the forest, shortly after Frosty had and overwhelmed the Hound-Gnoll just as it gained the top-mount over Frosty and was ready to rip into the young PitWolf.
The shadowy creatures attacked like an angry storm cloud, submerging them all in blood and murky shadow.
The Wolf-Gnoll was still approaching, loving every second of the chase-- despite it being one sided.
Claude and Gil dropped from the trees in unison. As soon as their feet hit solid ground, speed welcomed them in a burst of harsh winds and gutteral snarls.
No language was spoken, but a dozen commands and understandings occupied the space between the HellSlayer and his Hound as they split and entered the clearing.
Gil veered off to the right, spitting his flaming javelins at the leading Gnoll, forcing it to guard and dodge the assault and stay away from the fight involving it's hideous progeny.
Claude's verdant eyes fastened on a much more active target. The Wolf-Gnoll.
It moved with the grace and speed of it's Wolven ancestors, made more grotesque with the violent curl of it's black talons and overgrown teeth that forced it's mouth to stay open droolingly as it pursued the pack that tore apart the Hound-Gnoll.
When it finally jumped in preparation to descend on the Wolves and unleash it's monstrous bloodlust, it looked less like a humanoid wolf-monster and more like the feral embodiment of insatiable hunger.
Blind-- insatiable hunger, for that matter since it failed to notice him coming.
Before the Gnoll could reach Frosty and the Phantom Wolves, Claude collided into the creature hard enough to break a few of the creatures ribs and possibly his own.
They plummeted backward, landing hard in the grass as they rolled and swiped at eachother. For a while, all he could see were the Gnoll's fiedish yellow eyes behind the thick liquid haze of spit that dripped from the creatures jaws and fell into his eyes and mouth.
The taste of the bile and blood that laced the creatures saliva invigorated him in a horrifyingly primal way-- as if he could see the creature ripping into the humans of a faraway village only hours before. Part of him enjoyed it-- the vicarious experience of hunting and killing shared through what remained of the Monster's victims in it's jaws.
A tidal wave of disgust and rage had him reaching up and swiping at the Gnoll's face while his knee surged up to smash into it's crotch
"AUUU!!" The Gnoll howled in pain in response to his knee hitting home followed by the claws of his right hand scoring a number of jagged red lines across it's face deep enough to rip off a portion of it's black lips, leaving it's teeth on the right side of it's face completely exposed and soaked in spit and blood.
The hit had them rolling faster, allowing him to gain top-mount once again. This time, he planned to keep it.
Halting their highspeed rolls through the grass, he shot his right foot out and let it skid through the grass and slow them. At the same time, he smashed his hands on the creatures massive grey furred chest hard enough to feel a gust of wind escape the creatures jaws.
FWSHSHSH!!
Following his movements, the grass below them thickened and grew into wild vines that wrapped around the Gnoll's legs, arms and chest, holding it firmly to the floor. The vines even coiled around it's head and slithered into it's opened mouth like dozens of maggots in search of food.
He left the creature as it fought against the chaotically slick hold of Nature, noting how much easier the maneuver was since the last time he'd done it back at the University.
He was up and running in no time. The tortured and angered sounds of the grounded Wolf-Gnoll were a distant disturbance as he approached his true target.
"Split!"
His words radiated across the field, causing the Phantom Wolves to disperse-- splitting their numbers between the two Gnolls while he and Gil approached the leader.
"[Remember, Gnolls are powerful-- and this one is bred with a PitWolf. It'll be even stronger. Stay on your feet, don't let it taste the beginnings of a pattern or you're fucked.]"
"Yep." Claude agreed as his leg muscles warmed and gifted him with more and more speed.
With every step, he drew closer to the monster, making it appear larger and larger as it twisted and swatted at the volley of javelins Gil sent flying at the creature. Some hit home, sticking out of it's armor where they melted through, and ripping scorching lashes across it's arms.
Other than that, it was unbothered. Unbothered and ready as it's massively grotesque head swiveled to the left to face Claude.
The creature raised it's battle-axe as if it were a baseball bat and kicked his spear off to the left with a cruel glint in it's orange eyes.
Claude turned, headed for his spear as it lay in the grass tinged with blood.
Mistake.
The Gnoll barked and dropped one of it's massive hands from the axe before swinging it wildly in an upward stroke that caused a blast of dirt, rocks and grass to head straight for him.
WSHHH!
Claude dove back over to the left side of the creature, rolling and sliding past the hulking monster as Rollan's words rung within his mind.
"Hands on practice.....fine."
With the decision made, he turned mid slide with his right hand hovering over the ground while it glowed. Without a moments hesitation, he pulled his hand back, causing a snaking spike of wood to erupt from the ground, chasing the direction of his hand like an elemental mime.
As soon as he came to a stop, he tensed his legs and exploded upward, thrusting forward with an Aura shrouded punch.
POOM!
His fist connected with the metal plating at the monsters back, barely denting the armor. Naturally, one would be distraught at the sight, but Claude only had to wait a mere second for the wooden spike to come wisping past his face to smash into the dent for a secondary strike.
SHK!
Following the path of his fist, the spike dug deeper into the dent like a wooden drill and pierced the armor just enough for Claude to smell the smallest bit of spilled blood beneath.
"AAARGH!"
FWSH!
The Gnoll spun and swung like an Ogre swatting away a bothersome insect.
Claude ducked and rolled, moving the spike to slither and twist behind the creatures seemingly bad leg. He rose to his feet facing the side of the creature.
In a rush, he flung his arm off to the side.
WOO!
The wooden spike followed, forming a ledge in front of him that he gladly hopped on top of and leapt high enough for his frame to blot out the sight of the sun for the Gnoll.
As he descended, the Gnoll made a move to step backward, only to trip on the woven wood he'd placed behind it's leg.
It was no longer moving voluntarily-- no longer grounded.
Sure-- he wasn't good with Wood-Weaving just yet, but it was already showing it's advantages.
The fall slowed as his focused sharpened to a razor fine point. He raised his fist, letting the fall build the power behind his punch while the spike followed, hovering behind his fist like a cobra waiting to strike.
He had all the confidence in the world as the Gnoll's violent orange eyes held a look of panic through their bright magical glow.
.....Too bright. The glow was too bright.
In a flash his confidence was snuffed out of existence and replaced by fear with the growing glow of the creatures eyes that spread to it's body in the form of wisping tendrils of orange energy.
FWOOM!
In the midst of it's fall, the Gnoll swung it's axe. Claude brought his hands together just in time for the wooden spike to absorb the smashing collision from the flat of the axe.
He was sent backward in a haze of pain and surrounded by hundreds of wooden splinters with some even digging into his arms like dozens of little teeth. He hit the ground with a roll and barely landed on his feet, his connection to nature lay broken at his feet and splintered in his forearms.
[68% HP Remaining, (486/715)]
At his right, Frosty stood as if he'd always been there. He silently cast a glance across the field to Claude's left where the remains of the Hound-Gnoll lay with it's face and arms removed. In the distance, the rest of the Wolves faced off against the Wolf-Gnoll who looked about as tired as Claude looked unblemished. Leaving Frosty, Gil and him to deal with the leader.
The leader who was apparently a holder of some form of Magic. Not good....
Across from him, no more than fifteen feet away, the Gnoll rose from the ground breathing heavily with endless pools of frothy saliva dripping from it's canines.
The winds blew on them both, but it's fur stayed upright as the continued flow of orange energy spilled from within like steam. The sight looked so familiar....
His thoughts were interrupted by the one that stood snarling next to him.
Frosty was speaking to him through their link. Not in English of course, but an understandable language nonetheless....
After a few seconds, he understood why it looked so familiar and why Frosty was speaking to him-- making a request.
Frosty was moving on instinct, and he wanted him to follow.
"Alright..." He responded to his own realization before activating his newest skill, (Companion Combo-Skill Link).
His world quaked following the activation, almost like the tether that represented their bond within his mind had exploded and swallowed them both whole to create a singular unit.
First came the changes. His claws retained their Lupine length and went white-- losing their oily black glow. His muscles bulked, pushing up against his skin as if they were unbelievably restless. Fur sprouted from his forearms, upper chest, back and legs-- ending at the sides of his face in a show of feral facial hair. He could even feel his gums bleeding from the sudden growth of more sharpened teeth.
It was like his Beast Trait Skill, but more transformative. Even his ears sharpened and he could feel the hardening of his palms-- as if they were morphing into the tough material found on paws.
His senses strengthened in a flash, his urge to fight blossomed and the feeling of foreign magic washed over him like a tide.
At the same time, the orange aura of power that rose from beneath the Gnoll's fur spiked in intensity like a fanned flame.
Claude noticed he was doing the same.
Cyan colored energy rose from every inch of him-- and Frosty, giving them a wild shared glow of power.
Then the pulses came.
Like stunning waves of magic, the pulses emanated from them both. Starting small, like a small ripple in a stillwater pond. And with every pulse it grew.
"Holy shit....." Claude muttered.
The Gnoll's own power mirrored him and his Wolven brother's as if they were sentient magics responding and feeding off one another.
"[Is this.....]"
"It's Intimidation. I'm using Frosty's Skill." He realized.
Frosty-- who's focus was unbroken, pushed their power outward, growing the pulse with every quaking wave until pieces of grass ripped from the ground and rocked the dirt beneath.
The Gnoll barked and swung it's axe, sending out shaky rippling waves in response in an almost ritualistic manner....
The growth climbed and climbed until each opposing pulse connected.
WOOOM!!
A burst of orange and cyan bolts of lightning exploded from the connection, causing a recoil of magic that Claude could've sworn he felt in his soul with how deeply penetrating the feeling was.
They all staggered from the shock, only for the collisions to continue, the ripples came faster. Speeding up and growing in power until the entire field was a magical waving lightshow.
He could barely stand, but once a certain message made it's way to his mind-- he suddenly became very aware of exactly why he needed to stay on his feet-- why he needed to push onward with Frosty.
DING!
[PitWolven/Orcish Dominance Game Recognized!]
[Use your Dominating Magic to impose your will on the enemy and communicate your superiority! Win to teach the enemy of your position as Alpha. Lose, and fall in line as a Follower.]
