Chapter 10: Werewolf Armament (2)

However, as she looked closely on the approaching man, a scorching sensation caressed her chest.

Once felt, she immediately concluded that this was the same as what she felt from before, surging aura.

Her expression changed. Was she able to sense auras already?

Her sudden frowning did not escape the guys sight. Hence, he immediately scratched his head and blurted.

"Oh. My apologies, young lad. I mistook you for a second. And definitely, I would never harm you. Even if I want, my Highness wouldn't let me alive until then. Oh, I am Dmitri by the way, from Gold continent. You might be wondering why I ended up in here..."

Ziro did not say anything.

As the new guy Dmitri helped her up on her butt and wrapped her wounds, Ziro's eyes immediately snapped towards the swordsman's face instead.

Did she hear it right? His highness?

There's another person inside this cave? More importantly, he was from the Gold continent?

From what she could recall, there were three massive continents in the mortal world of Ertheon Pearl, Gold and Diamond.

And this was her first time meeting someone not from the Pearl Continent.

At the second look, she realized how different Dmitri was. He had a clean two by three haircut, unlike her -- Ziro's long hair flawlessly waving with the wind.

If it not for her squirming treasure between her thighs, she'd already thought this body was for a girl.

Moreover, Dmitri's suit didn't even matched with armors wore by Lixardo and other soldiers, from which Lixardo's was more of a silver-colored metal armor, while Dmitri's looked like a piece of leather plate underlain with woven bronze fibers.

Also, there was a noticeable mark embedded on his scabbard, a silver sword coiled by a serpent, both rested in crimson rose background.

That could only mean the crest of their country, she thought, as she compared it to the cloud pattern with a soaring dragon on her robe.

"That's a long story though. But if you'll insist, I am willing to tell you. I should as well give you some clothing from my hometown... because look at you, youre quite snapped out from your clothes. Must be hard to get in here right?"

"..."

"Yeah, I know that feeling. Been through that kind of hellish survival too. But gotta admit, I am quite surprised! Never thought the keeper would be coming this day or was it night time already? I have no telling. Well, you should've sent an arrival letter, I could've prepared a banquet, but practically saying, that's not gonna happen at all, because who would be our guests? Soul Beasts? Never heard that kind of thing in my life, might ended up being their snack for the night."

Fast clicks of his tongue blabbered tons of words running just before a laugh. Ziro's eyebrows twitched with a trace of shock in her eyes.

Who could've thought this gallant Dmitri would be a garrulous one?

But even so, she was grateful. If it's not for him, she would've been minced by now.

Finally, the new guy finished mending her wound. If Paluti was just here, this would be a piece of cake, her mind thought.

"Ha.."

Ziro blew a silent sigh.

'And another one.'

Her mind rang when she realized she barely survived another deadly situation, more like luckily survived.

At a second, she felt how pitiful she was, just running away, too weak to fight.

However, streak of light glittered on her eyes. Her fingers immediately dug on her lap, her burning desire to live once again lit up.

This might just be the beginning of her improvement, she thought.

If she could just learn how to master sensing those scorching sensations, maybe, just an ample of hope, she could start using elements too.

The corner of Dmitri's lips curved up when he saw how the young 'boy' shook his dull eyes into a fiery determination.

"...ey lad, want a hand?"

Ziro immediately lifted her head towards Dmitri, only to see a hand stretched out for her.

~Miss, are you okay? Mind if I help you?~

But instead, Homers voice suddenly echoed inside her head with his image coincide with this scene.

How could she forget that moment when Homer helped her, when she was in a brink of helplessness?

She'll never forget it in her entire life! Or even with her entire death!

'Homer how I wish you were still here with me but I can't... because I can't forgive myself if you died trying to save my life.'

At instant, the burning determination she had just built were completely reduced to ashes as tears crawled down her face.

******

Earlier than before...

Huge surprise stirred up Dmitri's chest just as when His Highness caressed him out from his deep slumber, telling him the keeper had arrived.

But once caught up, his astonishment was immediately replaced with anticipation of 'who could've been the chosen one!'

Was it a he or a she?

That was actually a rhetorical question because his mind was already been hoping for a girl.

Since when was the last he saw a sweet maiden pursing her soft pinkish lips and innocently smiling towards him?

He couldn't even remember.

He could not contain his excitement anymore as though he was a first-time daddy watching for his daughter to be pulled out from a womb.

Scrubbing his blurred vision back to clarity, he jumped out of his slate bed only to realize he had actually slept with no thin barrier or anything to cover his hard-rock muscles from up to bottom.

To which, pristine breeze hummed along his tanned complexion caressing his bristles up, driving him in a deep luscious chills in his entire body.

Gored by sudden realization, Dmitri immediately covered his sensitive bud n' beans which seemed to be vigorous this time, then snapped his head to and fro.

Thank goodness, the keeper still hasn't find his place or else, he could've lost his chance to get close with the 'hopingly she-keeper' before they could even properly introduce each other.

Worse, he might be labeled as a pervert.

With brisk footsteps, he suited up, grabbed his sword and blazed out, only to find pieces of tore clothes on the cavern floor.

Rolling his eyes around, he found nothing.

No keeper he really longed for a long time.

His mind went to a deep probe, and finally lay on a crooked path towards the Soulyard.

"...! Don't tell me..."

His eyes jolted widely.

"This is bad. That place is dangerous!"

Panic took no time to play in his heart.

'I hope its not too late.'

He slightly bent his knees immediately and hitched his shoulder forward, and ragingly yelled...

"Armament!"

Dugdug!

At instant, his blood erupted; its outraged speed burned his veins to a tremendous energy coursed all over his body.

He crunched his teeth together as his tensed muscles pulsated through an abrupt surge of power.

"Argghhhhh!!!"

In no time, he exploded in a dragging groan which slowly filled the bleak area.

As from how many times he used this, he still couldn't figure it out if this immense power brings forth pain or perhaps, pleasure inside him.

He arched his back. Then white smokes started spewing off from his body.

And slowly, with squelching murmurs, short sunflower-yellow fur bristled out on his hands crawling towards his arms, on his ears then finally on his face.

White sharp claws emerged on the tips of his fingers and simultaneously followed by growing silver fangs on upper sides of his teeth.

Strangest sensation had yet to be felt until his vision suddenly lensed into extreme night clearness.

His black pupil hugged by his bluish iris, immediately enlarged and stretched into a thin straight line.

This was the moment he felt lighter than air, his mind tasted nothing but serene grace of the surroundings.

"Ugh!"

His chest heaved up and down within his haggard breathing.

Once calmed down, he looked at his morphed hand completely covered by glistening fur and clasped it above his protruding claws.

Truly, awakening the Sacred Blood Treasure was magnificent.

He could not deny it; turning into a fur-ball faced werewolf doubled his strength in an instant.

Plus it raises his sense of sight and slightly enhances his scent sensitivity.

"Coursing a second lineage blood isn't bad."

'Now...'

His slender pupils narrowed.

Taking his eyes into the path that leads to Souryard, he slowly straddled his left foot back and bent the other forward.

Firmly clasping his sword on his right, he tensed his shoulder as his left hand smoothly dug his claws on the cavern floor for a headway support, and then...

BOOM!!!

The compacted cavern floor was immediately scraped into pieces, fibers of winds stormed as Dmitri blazingly sprinted towards his 'hopingly she-keeper'.

In just four dozen clips of his feet, he already landed few paces away from the ingress of the Soulyard.

However...

"She (1) isn't here then..."

His body trembled.

'Was she on the other end?'

At quick turned of his feet, he hardly kicked the ground and stormed back on the intersection path, this time he ragingly swept before the right most channel only to hear rumbles and faint scream.

After few leaps, his night vision eyes caught glimpse of a long haired human helplessly being stretched inside a hurricane manifested by a soul beast, a mantis!

Without any second thought, that slender figure immediately registered in his mind -- the sweet maiden, the keeper!

Instantly, he thrust his feet on the ground completely stopping his track. His eyebrows cuddling on a golden fur immediately furrowed.

Luminescence gleamed on his bluish eyes as he immediately activated his Innate Ability, <<Mind Call>>.

~Hang in there sweet gal!~

Gliding his left hand back, he clenched his fist to which vast of his energy channeled through until scorching fire swallowed his whole arm. And then...

" -- Zurrrryyaaaaaa!!!!"

He lashed his arm forward and delivered a full blown punch which sent the surrounding area into tremor.

Reacting to heat, the ground cracked with electric sparks snaked up to the ceiling.

Bzzzingggg!!!

A scarlet hyper beam exploded.

Looking closely, his arm almost looked like a raw rail cannon ceaselessly firing towards the hovering arthropod.

'It dogded it?'

Surprised by how the jade insect outmaneuvered his attack, intimidation immediately welled inside him.

'How dare you humiliate me in front of my maiden?!'

" -- Kuraaaaaehhh!!!"

Concentrating more energy on his arm, the scarlet flame grew even bigger. Petals of scarlet fire gracefully danced on air.

BZZZINGGGG!!!

And at last, he managed to get a hit. He could only watched how the insect lose its flight and toppled enough distance from the 'maiden'.

"Haaa... Haaa..."

Fully exhausted, white smokes puffed from his body and eventually his armament slowly dispersed into thin air as his eyes looked at it with seemingly contented feeling.

If it for his newly found 'maiden', he would not rather hesitated giving up his Sacred Blood Treasure.

Or that's what he expected to be...

His expectation no his exorbitant fantasies was immediately burned into draining disappointment when his eyes put up a painful revelation.

The keeper wasn't a sweet maiden, but actually a long haired young 'man'; above his pallid skin with countless cuts and tore clothes.

No! How long should he wait for HER to come?

Dmitri immediately controlled his reaction so as not to show his handsome desperation.

Instead, he tried lifting up the mood. He slowly approached the young 'man' and wrapped his cuts.

This way, Dmitri could rest assured their closeness would smoothly sail.

Even though his mind still frustrated, there's nothing he could do.

Celebrating with arrival of the keeper was far better than sulking over his dismayed expectation.

Not until...

"...ey lad, want a hand?"

He offered his hand, but only to see the young man suddenly burst into tears.

'Eh?! W-what? Why? Did I say something wrong?'

Panic strolled inside his chest, while his head were confused why did the young boy in front cried.

'Was he hurt? Did he not like my hand? Scared? Why the heck did he cried? I was just trying to help him, did I really help him? Man this is such a pain'

He scratched his head and blew a wry sigh. Maybe sniffing on this young man's self-knot should be off limits.

"Okay. Okay. I will not help you? J-just be careful not t...!"

However, before Dmitri could even finish his words, his eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of a mantis closing-in in a tremendous speed.

Matching its haste, Dmitri swiftly lashed his sword forward to fend arthropod's sneak attack.

Clang!!

Swiissshh!!!

Ear-ripping gusts blasted from the sonic impact.

"Tch! Recovered already, that was faster than I expected."

Cold glint stroke Dmitri's eyes.

Krrrkkaaaa!!!

Dmitri got an immediate reply.

"You're a hyped one, aren't you?"

Together with a clench of his teeth, he tightened his grip on his sheathed sword

" -- Huaaahh!!!"

…and slammed it on mantis body blasting it several feet away.

"You can hit it?"

Dmitri blinked and rolled his sight towards the voice, only to see, a young 'lad' totally surprised by what he just did.

Confused by what the 'lad' asked, he just shrugged his shoulder, pulled his gaze back to the arthropod and simply answered it.

"Of course, I can hit it. Anyone can."

"..."

But no words came out from the 'lad's mouth as though he was stuck between the moment of accepting what Dmitri said and what he believed to be.

Well, of course, from this young 'man's thoughts, he believed souls were spiritual entity without any physical materialization thus attacks would be ineffective.

Without pondering much further, Dmitri slowly kissed by anxiousness.

"Lad. Can you stand?"

Then he quickly pointed his gaze on the young 'man'.

The 'lad' was already wiping out his snot and tears, looks like he immediately caught up with the situation.

"Barely."

The young 'man' shortly replied as he pushed himself up on his feet.

"Good. I'll buy you some time. In the meantime, you should hurry over the heart. This place might turn into a complete chaos."

The atmosphere changed at haste, when Dmitri tensed his shoulder and put up a defensive stance.

"Heart?"

"Remember from before? The place where you probably opened your eyes, you should be safe there. By the way, what's your name?"

"Z-ziro. Ziro's my name."

Without any hesitation, the young man blurted out and started to stride.

Same with Dmitri who quickly shot his glance towards the mantis and clenched his grasp even more, or that's what hed like to do but a slow realization hit him hard, which made his eyes snapped back towards the young 'man'.

"… w-what? Ziro? Are you telling the truth? You're Ziro? Ziro, Prince of Eleseiya, right?"

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(1) Dmitri already assumed that the keeper was a she.