NOVEL NEXT 1.26. Trial by Hunger
"You have two going wide!" James leaned against the wall of a second floor house overlooking the streets below.
"Already know!" Luna yelled back.
Charging in, Luna stabbed her spear deep into the neck of a monstrosity. The Forsaken was more blob than anything else. Its legs and arms moved it far faster than one would expect while its head stretched and snapped out with razor sharp teeth up to ten feet from its body.
"One down!" Luna called out. Turning, she spotted the other two monstrosities and lifted her hand. Streams of flames flowed into her a moment later.
James watched as their flickering souls drained away as she rushed them. Pulling her arm back, she took aim and hurled her spear into the head of one of her foes. Leaping at the other, she transformed into her wolf form and latched onto the second. Her claws glowed white as she raked them across its body, shredding its soul multiple times before jumping away.
Walking back towards him, Luna transformed back into her human form and smugly looked up at him. "How was that."
Eyeing the monster, he watched as the last of its shredded soul bled out and flowed into her. Turning his attention back to her, he shrugged. "Adequate."
"That's all?" she asked with a frown.
"Yup. You didn't even use your newest weapon."
Shivering, she crouched and jumped up to his level. "I don't like it."
Grabbing her arm as she staggered, he raised his brow. "What's wrong with it?"
"It makes me feel weird…"
Catching the worry in her eyes, he joined her in frowning. "You need to use it if you want to gain control. Do you think my sword is perfect? I literally cut through body and soul with it. Only a few monsters have resisted it and that hasn't been for a while."
"Yeah, yeah." Waving him off, she looked over the town with him. "I'm level five now. Just like you were when you fought the minotaur."
Nodding, he rested his hand on her back before slipping down to play with her tail. "This might be as high as we get you before we reach the city. Tomorrow, we reach the forest. Once there, we will work on crafting skills and other various skills."
"And we'll sneak off and find a den for other activities," she teased.
Chuckling, he pinched the base of her tail, making her yelp. "Behave. It's only been a week since we became officially married."
Humming, she bumped him with her shoulder. "That's a week of cuddling while thinking of all the things we could be doing in that inn room."
Ignoring her, he pointed to the north. "You have another dozen monsters that way."
Huffing, she hopped down. "It's not nice to ignore me like that."
"Chop, chop. We don't have all day to wait for you to kill things."
Glaring at him, she flipped her tail at him before walking way.
"I saw that!" he called after her.
Glancing over her shoulder, she flipped her tail at him again before storming off. Chuckling, he jumped down and followed. The souls of the Forsaken were spread out over the north side of the city. There wasn't many of them, but they still helped her grow stronger, if only a little.
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Luna picked up her pace and he could feel her soul pushing out, doing its best to detect the monsters. What he found easy was difficult to her as she relied on smell rather than using her Soul Senses. The only problem was that the entire town smelled of death and rot, drowning out the Forsaken's presence.
Rolling her shoulders, she scanned the streets before sniffing the air and turning to the left. Dropping to all fours, she transformed into her wolf form and raced off.
Sighing, he picked up his pace and followed. It wasn't hard to follow the white blur she became as the rest of the world was dark and dreary. She was the single pure thing in the wasteland.
Glancing towards the sky, he watched the vultures circle lower as they headed to their previous kills. He knew they were strong enough to survive the Forsaken of the town with ease as their souls had been growing. Even now, they nearly matched him for strength and their intelligence had increased.
It made him think about what the Forsaken were. Do they evolve? I'm witnessing it with my own eyes. They are advancing, yet they still don't threaten me. We truly are working together for the betterment of each other.
Luna sped away from her husband as she watched the vultures. They had come to know her as well. It was comfortable, knowing that they looked out for her as well. She left them food and more than once, they had brought her feathers.
Sniffing the air a few more times, she frowned as the scents of the town stopped her from finding her mark. Instead, she pushed out with her soul, only to come in contact with James's. He drowned out everything with his soul, smothering everything in the town and scaring the Forsaken.
She wanted to yell at him, but knew he was doing it to help her. Annoyingly, it was stopping her from developing her Soul Senses. Instead, she relied on her demi-human senses. Her ears twitched, telling her that she wasn't far from the next Forsaken. It had taken her to the very north of the town when she finally slid to a stop.
Scanning the street, her gaze stopped on the monster that towered over her. With a frown, she glanced back and found James crossing his arms. Knowing that he wanted her to use her new weapon, she huffed.
Fine! I will!
Calling on her new Soul Skill, her body started to grow as white flames rolled off her. She tripled her height, matching the monster that was her target. Her new Soul Form was massive compared to most Forsaken. Glowing white and flickering with soul flames, she growled and filled the air with energy.
The Forsaken took a step back as hunger started overcoming her thoughts. She was starving as she advanced on the monster. That was the downside of her form. She needed to eat. She needed to devour the souls of her foes.
Racing forward, she rammed her shoulder into the monster, knocking it back. Slivers of its soul soaked into her body before she activated Soul Siphon. Her improved form all but ripped the soul from its body. Her stomach started to fill as she shivered. All around her, the other monsters were starting to flee as she slashed her claws through her monster. Blood and soul burst into the air before it fell still.
If she didn't reach another target quickly, she would turn on James again. Last time, she had tried to siphon his soul as she lost control, only for him to slam down on her. He smothered her form in an instant, forcibly changing her back.
Sniffing the air, she felt her ears twitch as the nearby monsters backed away. Taking her first step, she raced forward, tearing through a building and coming out onto a street where her foe tried to run. Growling, she reached it in an instant and bit down on its body. Lifting it up, she shook with everything she had as she shredded its soul and tore it apart.
The hunger grew with each passing second as she tried to find another target. Panting for each breath, she scanned the area only to find that she was alone. James had kept his distance as she shook her head. Dragging her claws through the cracked and paved road, she fought her urge to claim more souls. Closing her eyes, she grabbed hold of her soul and suppressed it. Her form wavered before she reduced in size and the skill broke.
Slumping to the ground, she felt a powerful soul approach her. Gentle hands ruffled her ears a second later, making her smile. Transforming back into her human form, she continued to lay on the ground.
"You did good," James said gently. "I'm proud of you."
"Really?" she whispered.
"Yes." Kneeling by her side, he rested his hand between her ears. "We need to keep practicing your skill. That's the only way we will gain control over it."
"Why don't you react like that with your sword?"
Frowning, he paused before answering. "I think I am affected. When I have my sword summoned, I seek out stronger foes and drive my body to kill them despite taking injuries. I push through everything to carve my opponent apart. You at least still dodge."
Wincing, she nodded. "Yeah, I'd rather deal with the hunger."
Chuckling, he stood and looked around. "We still have more to kill before resting. Do you want me to kill them, or can you handle the rest?"
Getting up, she shook out her body. "I'll be fine. You just keep your eyes on my ass and think about the things I'm going to do to you, dear husband."
Snorting, he walked off.
"Hey!" She called after him.
He continued to leave as she frowned at him. I just want to show him affection…