The strange transformation

Woosh!

Hex dove into the woods. The arrow struck a tree in front of where Hex landed.

The archer had imbued this one with energy. The tree burst into splinters.

If Hex control over his muscles had been slightly less, he would have been killed.

The splinters struck out but Hex ignored them. He was back on his feet.

'The archer knows his location is exposed. If I were him I would try to leave at once,' Hex quickly tried to come up with a plan to take out his ambusher.

'The archer will most likely take the less dangerous slope on the west and try to disappear into the woods. I can't allow that.'

If the attacker reached the woods he would get away. There was no way Hex would be able to know who it was.

The trees in the woods made running in a straight line impossible but once again the advantage of strength control became apparent.

Hex used small bursts of strength to run between the trees. He was able to avoid crashing into them by properly controlling the strength exerted through his feet and core.

Within a few minutes Hex had made it out of the woods.

'There!'

There was a tall man descending the slope. His pace was a bit slow due to the rough terrain. The man clearly was unfamiliar with handling mountainous landscapes.

Around the same time Hex noticed him, he too saw Hex. The attacker looked stunned at the speed with which Hex was approaching.

Hex noticed how the man tried to jump and quicken his descent. At the foot of the cliff stood a horse. Most likely the man had left it there.

'He is not getting away.' Hex had made his mind. He pulled his sword and activated his mark.

Red light appeared, swirling around his arm. His arm was cloaked with a faint outline of a bear's front leg.

Ever since his understanding of the glyph deepened, he could feel a strange resonance with it. There was no delay or thought involved.

Activating and using the glyph had become almost innate. Hex barreled forward and threw his sword.

Woosh.

The sword shot out like an arrow. It was fast. Just as the attacker landed at the foot he noticed it. But it was late.

Bang.

The sword struck the horse, penetrating through it. But it didn't stop there. It passed through and struck the ground beneath. The ground cracked. Debris flew all around.

Seeing this, the archer stopped. He realized he wouldn't be able to outrun Hex.

Hex was already close to the slope. With his mark activated, his strength increased greatly. Each time he stepped against the ground, he would push himself a few meters forward.

Woosh.

Right after he propelled himself forward another arrow flew towards him. It was aimed right at Hex.

'Oh shit. I can't change direction.'

The archer was an experienced fighter. He had seen through the flaw of Hex's way of increasing speed.

Hex didn't feel flustered. His sword was still stuck in the ground. He cloaked his arm in energy and struck the arrow.

Bam.

The arrow penetrated his cloak, piercing into his fist. But it stopped.

Hex landed on the ground. He didn't stop though. The wound was minor.

He continued to run, however, now he controlled the distance to the next step. This way he had better control over his trajectory.

The attacker seemed to have realized that Hex wasn't as easy as he had assumed. He was stumbling to go higher whilst continuously firing arrows.

The arrows failed to hurt Hex any further. He jumped on the slope and within a few seconds closed in on the archer.

Up close Hex could see the man's features. He was a brown haired guy, probably early thirties and a head taller than Hex. He wore the uniform of the Northern Hawks.

"Please. Let me go. I am a Hawk…"

Bam.

Hex punched him as soon as he was close enough. He didn't reply to the pleas of the man.

If the man had stopped shooting after his first two arrows, Hex wouldn't have minded. They were competing after all. But the man clearly intended to kill.

The Hawk guy tried to defend but he was clearly weaker in close combat. Within a few seconds he was unable to fight back.

Hex punched the man's stomach, causing him to throw blood up. The man kneeled in pain.

"I won't kill you. Just keep you as a hostage."

Hex wasn't against killing. But with a hostage he could get a few more points from the Hawks.

Just as he wanted to grab the man, he noticed the man pulling a vial from his pocket and downing it with a vicious grin.

The archer's face contorted and his body bulged. Hex frowned and quickly took a few steps back.

The archer growled suddenly. His clothes tore and bones grew out.

"What the hell?"

The man or maybe now creature stood with a hunch. His limbs were elongated and spikes made of bone appeared almost everywhere.

His eyes turned red as he turned to look at Hex.

"For the Dawnbringers. For the end of all. For His will," he growled and launched towards Hex.

Hex had expected the attack. He didn't understand the things happening but he knew he had to kill it now.

His arms cloaked in red light. With all his might he hit the abominable man.

Bang.

The bones were sturdy but not enough to withstand Hex full strength. The man seemed oblivious to the damage.

He growled and sprang back up. Hex jumped towards him. Without holding back, he punched and kicked.

Bones cracked. Bones flew. Each time the man tried to stand, he was thrown against the ground. Hex was like a punching machine.

After a while Hex felt the hardness against his fists disappear. But he didn't stop. His punches rained on the man.

Only when he noticed no movement underneath him, did Hex stop. He was panting as he straightened himself. The abomination lay there. Dead.

Blood and bones were splattered everywhere. Even Hex was bathed in them. He picked an arrow from the quiver the archer had dropped and walked to the head.

Puchi!

He drove the arrow through the man's neck. It was to ensure that the man really had died.

"That was something crazy. The Knights need to know."

Hex picked everything he could around the man and ran. He wanted to check with the others and see if they could explain the strange vial and shouts of the man.

…

At the other side of the mountain something similar had happened.

Althea looked down on the corpse in front of her. Her spear was still stuck in it, between the shattered bones and blood.

After some time the Knights of her team gathered and stood beside her.

"Are you sure he shouted about being Dawnbringers?" Briella asked with a worried look.

"Yes."

A tall, lean man with blond hair turned towards the others.

"We need to meet the other team. The Commander might have been right. Those fanatics are planning something."