Chapter 6: Anger

As the moon casts its ghostly glow over the open clearing, a solitary figure sits beside a pond of mysterious green fluid. Shadows dance around him, flickering over a makeshift barrier of dry foliage and sharp spikes. In his hand, he holds a cluster of dark crystals, their sinister gleam catching the scant light, one far larger than the others. There's an air of calm determination about him, a quiet resolve amidst the palpable tension of the night. He whistles softly, a stark contrast to the ominous silence enveloping the enclosure—a lone sentinel in a world teeming with unseen dangers.

In the distance, a monster lurking amidst the trees appeared to hesitate before cautiously edging closer to Thane. Oblivious to the creature's approach, Thane's back remained turned. As the monster closed the distance, its confidence swelled, silently charging towards what appeared to be an unsuspecting prey.

In a lightning-fast maneuver, Thane hurls his spear with deadly accuracy just as the monster closes in. The poisoned tip finds its mark, striking the monster's head. The creature recoils in agony as its head begins to bubble, disintegrating into a fine black dust. Left with a void where its head once resided, Thane acts swiftly, retrieving something from his belt and thrusting it into the hollow cavity before the creature can react.

As the night falls into an eerie silence, the only disturbance is the monster's frantic scratching at its throat, attempting to rid itself of whatever Thane had thrust inside. Its neck begins to bubble ominously as the transformation spreads downward. In a panic, the monster tears at its own body in a futile attempt to remove the substance. With a decisive kick to the center of its body, Thane sends the creature flying. Upon impact, its body rapidly swells before bursting in a faint flash, leaving behind only fleeting traces of its existence.

Thane chuckled softly at the creature's futile struggles. He moved over to where he had kicked the monster previously, allowing the strange energy of the creature to be absorbed into his body. Then, picking up the black crystal nearby, he calmly returned to his previous position and resumed his peaceful whistling. With practiced ease, and a smile donning his face, he began applying another layer of poison to the tip of his spear, as if the bizarre event had never occurred.

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Rewinding to before darkness fell, we find Thane toying with the pouches he had discovered inside of the bird, which he had consumed earlier but hadn't yet examined. As he experiments with them, their contents spill out, reacting swiftly with the air: one generating a brilliant flash, while the other producing a dense puff of smoke.

After a brief contemplation, Thane swiftly erected a dirt barrier, strategically placing a modified wooden bowl on one side. With himself positioned safely on the opposite end, he took a deep breath and, with astonishing precision, launched the two pouches onto the wooden bowl, adorned with small spike protrusions. 

Just as he braced for cover behind his makeshift barricade, instinctual warnings of imminent danger flooded his senses. Ignoring the impulse to seek refuge, Thane bolted at full speed away from the bowl. As the two pouches drew nearer and made contact with the bowl, and Thane had only managed to move a short distance away, a defining noise reverberated through the air.

As Thane spat out dirt from his mouth and struggled to rise from the ground, the force of the shockwave still disorientated him briefly. He began to turn around slowly, intent on surveying the aftermath, his meticulously built dirt barrier was obliterated. In its place, charred remnants of earth and wisps of smoke assaulted his senses with the acrid scent of burning debris.

Amidst the destruction and chaos, Thane found himself surprisingly elated. His laughter rang out, unrestrained and childlike, echoing in the aftermath of the explosion. It was an incongruous sight—there Thane was, surrounded by devastation, yet laughing like a delighted child who had just discovered a new toy.

At that moment, Thane's next course of action became clear. Despite having eaten one bird earlier, hunger still gnawed at him, intensifying his anticipation for the feast he envisioned for dinner. Though the birds had been plentiful in the area, his many traps had been quite unsuccessful and his priorities had been elsewhere until now. 

Thane was very confident in his bow skills, having not found a strong enough material which could withstand his strength to use yet as a bowstring, he had been putting off constructing one. However, against small creatures like the birds with brown smokey feathers, Thane would only need a small amount of force, greatly increasing his options for a bowstring. 

After gathering the necessary materials, Thane tested the bow. His makeshift arrows could only travel roughly 20 meters before the string snapped or the crude frame gave way under additional strength. Nevertheless, Thane was satisfied; it would be sufficient to hunt the small birds.

After completing additional preparations during his hunt, Thane returned with a satisfied smile, carrying about 20 of the same birds from earlier, each tied together as though he had fashioned a makeshift feather bag. He set to work, meticulously separating the feathers, pouches, and meat. 

Soon, a fire crackled to life, and Thane placed the sharp sticks, which he was using as skewers and had coated with the green substance, onto the flames, hoping to ward off bacteria. Carefully, he lowered the skewers holding the bird meat onto the flames, where the fat and oils began to sizzle enticingly. Unable to contain his hunger, Thane found himself salivating at the delicious smells and sights before him.

After satiating his hunger, Thane shifted his focus to the new pouches he had acquired. Whistling softly, he approached them, pondering his next steps for the night. Despite his outward calm demeanor, a faint determination and anger simmered in his eyes.

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Within the dense foliage, Thane with his focus unwavering was staring in a specific direction within the jungle. Soon after, a horde of around twenty creatures charged toward him, but Thane maintained an unusual calm, showing no signs of nerves. As they approach within a hundred meters, they abruptly stop, their attention captivated by a small pile of black crystals strewn across the ground.

Amidst their greed, the creatures eagerly approached the crystals. The largest one trying to claim dominance, but the abundance of crystals lead to a fierce brawl among them. Meanwhile, Thane began retrieving something from his belt, quickly hurling it towards the creatures. The largest monster sensing danger turned around just in time to witness Thane and the ignition. Flames swiftly engulf the area, ensnaring the creatures in a fiery trap.

Emerging from his concealment, Thane brazenly taunts the monsters, throwing up his middle finger in a silent gesture of defiance towards the creatures and everything that had happened. Behind his eyes, a simmering rage burning brightly.

As the largest monster charges forth from the flames, its body ablaze and grotesquely mangled, its rage unyielding, it fixes its furious gaze on Thane. Undaunted, Thane maintains his defiant stance, holding his middle finger steady, a silent challenge burning in his eyes as the creature hurtles toward him with relentless ferocity. 

As the monster advances, its form begins to diminish, fragments of its body crumbling away. Unbeknownst to the creature, Thane had laid a trap of poison-laced spikes in its path. Before it could reach its target, the monster's body had already started to shrink drastically, its movements slowing until it collapsed onto the waiting spikes. Unable to move and now laying flat on the ground, the monster hissed at Thane in fury, with a final burst, its body began erupting in a seething torrent of bubbling cells, consumed by the flames, poison and its own folly.

For a brief moment, Thane sat in contemplative silence, his gaze fixed on the spot where the monster had met its demise. With a deep breath, he released the tension that had been building within him. Thane quickly collected a large crystal from its remains and with a smile on his face and a rage still burning in his eyes, Thane rose to his feet and circled the fire, his senses keenly attuned to any signs of escape. Ensuring there were no surviving monsters, 

As Thane's senses alerted him to the approaching danger and the distant sounds of the monsters reached his ears, he swiftly turned towards the source before silently fading once more into the obscurity of the night.

The remaining monsters after reaching where their brethren had fallen seemed to shriek out in both grief and irritation that all of their slain comrades' crystals had been taken, after a few moments they began dashing in one direction similar to where Thane had vanished not much earlier.

As Thane concealed himself within the dense foliage, the ominous clicking of approaching monsters reverberated through the forest, growing louder with each passing moment. Peering out from his hiding spot, he observed the creatures charging ferociously towards him, their monstrous forms barreling through the underbrush. 

Positioned strategically ahead were crystals carefully laid out by Thane, their purpose evident as the monsters began to slow their advance. Among them, a particularly astute creature seemed to sense the danger, attempting to divert the attention of its leader away from the crystals. 

Yet, the leader, driven by instinct or dominance, dismissed the warning and pressed forward. As it approached the crystals, poised to greedily devour them, Thane swiftly tossed another object from his belt. 

Upon landing, it ignited a circle of fire around the creatures. However, one of them, seemingly more clever than the rest, had managed to avoid the encirclement. Interestingly, this creature showed no interest in engaging with Thane further; instead, it turned and fled, exhibiting signs of fear. 

This particular monster appeared weaker compared to its brethren, despite being similar in size. Upon closer observation, It was the same creature Thane had seen being swatted aside by the larger leader moments earlier.

Thane stealthily slipped away from his position. Shortly after, the monster, glancing over its shoulder to inspect the area, eased its tension upon finding nothing amiss. 

Pausing momentarily, it seemed to grapple with inner conflict before resolving to gather its courage, evident in the decisive smack it gave its own head. With deliberate yet cautious strides, the creature rose to its full height and began a determined return to the fire, intent on rallying any remaining kin to confront the unseen threat as a unified force.

As the monster steeled itself to face the impending threat, an unexpected sensation pierced its chest, causing it to falter. Peering down in horror, it beheld the tip of a weapon, coated in an eerie purplish hue, protruding from its body. 

As the spear retracted, an overwhelming terror seized the creature, triggering uncontrollable convulsions before it collapsed in a heap. With the creature sprawled on the ground, Thane emerged into view, a strange red glint flickering in his eyes. Sporting a curious expression, he stood firm, weapon in hand.

Dispatching it quickly and without dwelling on the fallen creature further, Thane swiftly retreated into the shadows, his resolve unshaken. Intent on exacting vengeance for Bead and the countless others who had fallen victim to the creatures' brutality, he was determined to inflict equal, if not more devastating damage upon them.

Having vanquished any remaining monsters lingering near the fire, Thane wasted no time in advancing to his final location, employing similar traps he had set up in advance with relentless efficiency throughout the night. With each encounter, his resolve hardened, fueled by the desire to quell the threat as decisively as it had ravaged Bead and others. Methodically executing his plan, he pressed forward until reaching the core of the enclosed space, where the ultimate confrontation loomed ahead.