Demonic Beast

The sudden shout caused Ryker to look behind him as Hu Long tackled him to the side, just in time to see a long, metallic spike whiz past his face.

"Wow, nice catch!" he said, grinning as he quickly got his feet back underneath him before he and Hu Long fell to the ground.

"No time for gawking, get behind cover!"

Hu Long scrambled to get his own footing as he tugged hard on Ryker's jacket hood, pulling him behind a nearby outcrop of rocks. A whistling sounded through the air towards them as they did, before another long spike lanced straight through the boulder the two of them were huddled behind, the needle-like point jutting out from rock right between them.

Ryker stuck his head up from out of cover, seeing a large wolf looking down on them from the top of the valley. Its fur was a drab, sandy grey, causing it to blend in with the surrounding rocks, and it had a tail as long as the rest of its body that was lined with sharp spikes.

"What the heck is that?" he wondered aloud, before his eyes widened and he ducked back behind the boulder as the strange wolf flicked its tail, sending another spike flying. The spike accurately pierced through the air where his head had just been, embedding deeply into the earth in front of them with a dull thunk.

Ryker and Hu Long gave each other a look, before Hu Long tentatively called out to Cui Feng.

"Hey, Cui Feng! You still alive out there?"

There was a muffled grunt and a rustling of gravel from somewhere nearby, before they heard Cui Feng respond in a shaky voice.

"Y-yes, I'm fine!"

Hu Long let out a restless sigh, waiting for that telltale whistling with tensed ears. The wolf seemed content to wait them out, however, as no new spikes were sent out.

"Yo, what's with this thing slinging spikes at us?" Ryker asked from beside him, to which Hu Long shook his head.

"I don't know. It seems like a Steel-Back Wraith... But there shouldn't be any demon beasts of this level around here..."

The Steel-Back Wraith was a demon beast of the Soul Wandering level. Never mind that there were usually only Qi Gathering small fry in the surrounding area, there was absolutely no logical reason for a beast of this caliber to come out from its usual habitats.

Demon beasts above a certain level had a level of intelligence that made them different from mindless animals. It should understand that there were no benefits to getting this close to human society, where most high-level cultivation resources have already been picked clean.

So, either it was being forced out of its usual territory, or something else lured it here...

'Or, perhaps, some*one*,' Hu Long thought. Though, he was sure it wasn't those that took issue with him and Ryker within the sect. Even they wouldn't go that far.

Well, to be more precise, they weren't capable of it. Luring a Soul Wandering demon beast was no easy feat, after all.

Before he could take that train of thought any further, however, he felt a fuzzy sensation in his chest - or, on his chest, rather - as Ryker pushed the Jeweled Lapin into his arms.

"Here, hold this for me," Ryker said, getting up while peeking over the rocky outcrop once more.

"Wait, what are you--"

Not giving him any time to finish, Ryker leapt up from out of cover. He was immediately met with a salvo of three needles, and he took out the Sturdy Iron Cudgel, deftly deflecting the projectiles before charging straight at the Demon Beast.

Hu Long muttered a curse under his breath as the lapin struggled in his arms, but quickly got to his feet, himself, using this opportunity to rush over to Cui Feng and hopefully get them both to safety. Although it frustrated him to just leave Ryker on his own... this really wasn't an opponent either him or Cui Feng could hope to deal with.

The wraith, seeing Ryker's charge, simply retreated, using some sort of movement technique to meld into the surroundings without a trace. Its onslaught continued, however, the deadly needles raining down en masse now that its target had come out into the open.

Ryker grimaced, dodging this way and that along the valley floor as he pressed forward.

"Tch, this guy's pretty annoying. Mini C, I need some optics!"

Unfortunately, a few moments silence reminded him that the compad was still at the sect undergoing upgrades.

"... Right. Guess we're doin' this the hard way..."

Although his newly installed mana-circuit\compad integration (courtesy of Caelus) allowed him to use basic compad functions like the dimensional pocket, more complex operations like the Rangefinder Visual Overlay (modded) still required Mini C to orchestrate.

With no other way to determine the wraith's position, his only option was to rush in the direction the needles were being fired from. The demon beast's tricky shots, however, constantly set him back.

After deflecting the latest barrage, he shot off to the side, jumping up in an attempt to scale the valley walls. Before he could even get halfway, though, a well-aimed needle collapsed the gravel at his feet and caused him to stumble, forcing him to scramble behind a nearby outcrop of rocks to dodge the incoming salvo.

Ryker let out a steady breath as he pressed down on his bleeding shoulder; he wasn't quite quick enough to get away unscathed, and a needle had grazed him, taking off a chunk of flesh.

Bracing himself once more, he threw himself forward, this time making it all the way to the top of the valley ridge. He took cover behind one of the many natural stone pillars, peering out cautiously from the side. No needles this time; was the wraith repositioning?

"Ryker, to your left!"

Before he could ponder his next move, a shout in his head alerted him to the incoming attack from his side, and he jumped back as three spikes sunk neatly into the ground where he once stood.

He hurriedly got back to cover behind the pillar, looking around for the source of the voice. It sounded like Hu Long, but...

"Don't worry, I made sure to get Cui Feng somewhere safe. If I can reveal the location of the Steel-Backed Wraith, do you think you can take it down in one go?"

Hu Long's long-range voice transmission came to him again, and he looked down in thought briefly before nodding.

It was hard to say when he couldn't use 'borrowing', and he didn't exactly have a certain-kill technique, but if it was the Life Severing Sword Art, then maybe...

"Okay. Keep rushing its general position while I look for an opportunity. I'll give a signal when it's time to make a move."

Ryker nodded once more before charging out of cover, deflecting the anticipated needles with a deft swing of his staff. He pushed forward in pursuit of the wraith, kicking off another round in their game of cat and mouse.

Though, this particular mouse was packing some serious firepower.

Meanwhile, atop a towering stone pillar on the other side of the valley, Hu Long crouched amongst the mossy rocks, keeping incredibly still to the point where not even his breath escaped his lungs. Although he was sure the Steel-Backed Wraith wouldn't be able to sense him from so far away while it was preoccupied with Ryker, he didn't dare take any chances.

'This is incredibly foolish, young one.'

The sound of his master's gravelly voice sounded in his head as he felt her materialize beside him, but his concentration didn't waver.

His eyes were glued to the action on the other side of the valley, faint traces of qi circulating within, as he used a vision enhancing technique to reveal and keep up with the concealed wraith's movements, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

'It's fine. Isn't this why you taught me that Heavenly Concealment Technique?' he thought. He held his right arm extended forwards with two fingers pointed towards the wraith, steadily following the demon beast's movements.

The crone beside him just frowned, sighing with eyes closed.

'I taught you that technique to get you out of danger, not to throw yourself into it. Do you really think you would last more than a few moments if that beast catches wind of you and went after you in earnest?'

Hu Long pondered over his master's words for a moment, before shaking his head lightly. Although he could throw away his pride, he couldn't throw away his principles. Leaving Ryker to deal with the Steel-Back Wraith alone when he knew there was no chance of him winning was unacceptable.

It wasn't that he doubted Ryker's strength; it's just that he knew that the Steel-Back Wraith was a bad match.

Although the Steel-Back Wraith could be considered to have a weak defense when compared to other beasts at its level, it made up for it with the terrifying attack power of its piercing needles and a formidable concealment technique.

Let alone the wraith, even those with average stealth capabilities would be able to perpetually elude Ryker, considering his almost non-existent spiritual sense. There was no way for him to best this foe, at least none that Hu Long could see.

Although he would only have one shot at it, with one of the heavenly techniques taught to him by his master, he could temporarily break the wraith's concealment and seal its movements for a moment. The only question then would be if Ryker could take it down.

A very important question indeed... since it was very likely that his life depended on it.

Seeing that her disciple remained unmoved, the old crone shook her head, eyes narrowing as she peered intently at the chase taking place below them.

Although it would consume much of her remaining true essence, if this foolish disciple of hers got in over his head, she supposed it was up to her to get him out of here!

Breathless moments passed, Hu Long's pupils trembling as he observed the wraith's patterns. Waiting for the right moment...

Suddenly, the wraith hesitated, searching for the best position as Ryker closed in with abandon.

"Ryker! Now!"