ATLA, In A Darker World

..... POV_

The heavy rain had greatly subsided at this point.

The storm finally washing over the mountain range. For the next month, occasional showers would return, gracing the parched land with its waters.

A blessing for all inhabitants of Kolau.

For some, more than others.

.....

Earth Kingdom

On the storm ravaged terrain of the Kolau mountains, a pitch-black figure could be seen trudging the wet land.

It had a large build overshadowing elephants yet failing to rival that of a sky bison, a body covered in sharp quills like a porcupine and a general resemblance to a boar.

A Boar-q-pine.

A loud grunt resounded as it trudged through the storm-ravaged terrain, its massive body aching from the wounds inflicted by the fallen trees, jagged rocks and more.

Earlier that day, the animal had ventured a long-distance away in search of food.

Unfortunately, it was unfortunate enough to run into a heavy storm that emerged with little warning.

Lightning struck the side of the mountain.

An avalanche occurred and the Boar-q-pine was caught in the avalanche.

It took a long time to free itself from underneath the stone and mud. When it did, however, it was attacked by hunters.

A battle ensued after, the heavy wounds on its body serving as a testament to the result.

The animal stood no chance against the humans, who could move the elements. It could only flee for its life.

Leading to its current state right now.

The quills, usually a deterrent to predators, were broken in many areas and bright red blood oozed off the wounded parts in steady amounts.

A trail of blood accompanied its every step like a shadow under the sun.

The Boar-q-pine didn't care. Or rather, its thinking ability wasn't advanced enough to know that blood would eventually draw more predators.

All it wanted now was to get back to its den.

Time elapsed, the animal eventually reached a secluded part of the mountain range. Not far away was a large cave big enough to accommodate its body.

But it stopped as it approached.

Grunt!

The large nostrils on its equally large face sniffed wildly, releasing grunts.

Its instincts flared, detecting an intruder's scent.

The boar's eyes flashed with hostility.

An intruder was in its cave.

Snorting, it charged in, razor-sharp tusks gleaming in the faint moonlight.

_Luca's POV_

[Fatigue: 83/100]

I slumped against the cave wall, exhausted.

I could barely see the prompt. My vision, or lack thereof, letting me know just what was happening to me.

Although it stated Fatigue, this wasn't due to a lack of stamina, but the opposite.

Mental exhaustion had various effects on the human body.

Muscle Tension, Hormonal imbalance, Cardiovascular, brain fog and as a result ..... Physical Fatigue.

I needed to sleep, rest, calm my mind and loosen my tense nerves.

"Squeal!"

Yeah …. Not gonna happen.

Thud! The heavy thudding sound caused me to reopen my eyes that were about to close.

'Looks like the owner of the cave is here'.

It had been less than five minutes since I discovered this cave.

With my current mental state, I could barely see forward, much less examine the details around me.

The perception stat had dropped sharply. Add that to the darkness of night, hence despite opening my eyes, my vision was blurry.

Nevertheless, I could make out what was before me.

A giant ..... Pig?

The massive, quill-covered boar loomed before me, its eyes blazing with fury.

A loud roar emerged from its vocal cords once again, resounding through the cave.

The next moment, it charged straight without warning.

The sudden rush of the boar-q-pine's attack caught me off guard.

.....

POV Change ….

The boat rushed straight towards the intruder sitting at the end of its haven.

An intruder had invaded its territory. It would pay with its life.

Sharp, gleaming tusks aimed straight for its chest as it rammed forward in full force.

Bang!

The cave shook at the impact created. Cracks spread all over the walls, while dust and rocks fell from the ceiling.

The Boar-q-pine had rammed into its target. But the feeling wasn't right.

It didn't feel like it had hit a fleshy figure but …. Hard rock.

Why?

Retracting its head, it stepped back, only to see the two legged intruder still sitting in the same position as before.

His body wasn't stabbed with its numerous quills and seemingly remained the same.

Luca, who had activated density shifting, frowned heavily.

'I can't keep this up'.

Mustering all his strength, he raised his hand and moved it forward just as the quill covered boar took several steps back.

Then, he stabbed it straight towards its face.

Luca's hand went right through, as if passing through air.

That was his exact intent.

Then .....

- Chi -85 -

His hand density returned to physical form. Only this time, something was in the way.

The massive creature immediately stiffened. Its front and hind legs losing all strength before falling to the floor.

Simultaneously, Luca felt a sharp pain assault his hand, followed by the distinct cracking sound.

'… Here we go again ….'. Was his last thought before everything went black.

The pain was the straw that broke the camel's back.

And so, he fainted again for the Third time since coming to this world.

Time passed

Earth Kingdom

Unknown location .....

'I ….'.

The blurry vision re-emerged once again. A pair of heavy eyelids slowly opened up, chasing away the darkness and welcoming the light.

'…. I'm still ….'. The grogginess hit him like a wave, followed by a slight throbbing.

The eyelids opened up to reveal a slightly dim blue eyes.

An earthen ceiling appeared in his line of sight.

'…. Where am I?' It was bright. Too bright.

It was impossible to guess how much time had passed.

But …

The fact that he could even make out the ceiling let him know that he wasn't in the cave anymore.

The yellow surroundings indicated that he was in a room with a burning candl ….

"You …. You're awake …".

A soft, mellow voice sounded beside him.

As a result, all grogginess disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Whoosh!

Luca's body moved into action without thinking. His arm heading straight for the area the voice came from.

"Ah!!"

A surprised yelp came out.

His hand had clasped something. Instinctively, he applied force.

"Aghh!" A pained scream followed. Luca's body shot up from his laying position.

However, just when he was about to turn his head.

"Get away from her!"

It happened then.

A loud voice came directly from the opposite direction. All Luca heard was the swishing sound of water.

Then ..... He was immediately enveloped from head to toe.

'What the ….'. Barely a moment had passed, the water quickly solidified into ice.

In a split second, Luca was encased in solid water from head to toe.

Everything but his outstretched hand, which stiffened and loosened its grip.

The female who exclaimed immediately backed away in fright. A second later, a male ran to her side.

"Is everything ok? Are you hurt?"

"I …". The girl trembled continuously. Obviously shocked at what had happened.

"It's ok. His frozen solid now. He can't .....".

Crack!

A cracking sound interrupted his sentence.

Two seconds later .....

Shatter! The ice encasing Luca shattered into multiple pieces.

Attracted by the sound of the first crack, the boy quickly shot out a stream of water from his waterskin.

Sensing the danger, Luca leaped backwards. His body once again doing the thinking for him.

Landing in the distance, he took a second to properly examine his surroundings. An escape plan to quickly subdue the people before him formed in his mind ... Then dissolved when he took a good look at the people in front of him.

One male, one female.

The former wearing blue clothes with a touch of white and blue colored hair and the latter carrying a head of blonde hair.

Upon seeing their faces, his subconscious actions came to a halt.

"You .....". Eyes widening, he exclaimed. ".... You guys again?"

...

Powerstones people.

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