NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: 13 DRAKE HORDE
Rex went down hard. A flurry of mannish black fists and weapon ends beat him bloody. His Martial-Skin began to bubble and flow like fluid down to his exposed and wounded extremities.
Quickly, it stopped as he shifted.
Claws extended from his fingers even longer than before. His muscles grew. As he slashed at the closest Ripper-Ape, jungle-fire and smoke flew from his mouth.
He went with it and roared fire like a dragon, effectively blinding Hunter's ink-constructs from seeing him shift into his werepanther form.
The partially incinerated apes stumbled and moved onto the offensive as they slowly healed in the dark.
"Hunter! Listen to me, a Drift Dimension just opened—"
An Ape threw a stone at his face. He flipped out of the way, eyes darting back and forth from the apes that now looked like shadowy zombies to the scaled quadrupedal shapes in the distance.
They were coming.
Rex charged his flames and felt the warmth of spotted fur spread across his skin. The purple veins in his suit glimmered, "Ah— fuck it—"
The Ripper-apes charged.
A blur blazed past Rex's vision.
When he looked to where the shape stopped, he found Imani sliding to a stop. As she sheathed her sword, Hunter's constructs fell, splashing against the jungle grounds like poured out paint.
Rex stepped back further into the shadows cast by the trees around him as he increased the heat of his fire— hoping the flare of purple would blind her to seeing him.
Now all that he could see ahead were the monsters fast approaching.
"Of course— even his tattoo puppets listen to you." Rex complained.
"I heard a Drift Dimension opened, I've tried to contact the staff but the iron in the trees and overflow of Mana is rupturing my coms. It shouldn't be too long before the Jungle-Monkeys find us, though. Also— you're ten pounds heavier—"
"I ate a banana— WATCH OUT!" Rex threw a fireball at a fast approaching projectile in the dark.
The fire hit the green liquid before it could reach Imani as she stood ahead of him.
The collision caused a chemical warp spasm of heat and noxious fumes that sent them both flying backward with low grade burns to their suits.
Rex flipped in the air and landed on a tree like a gecko.
Imani landed back first against the base at the ground where she'd begun to bleed from her head.
The coppery smell made his skull tingle.
[Predator's Frenzy: 35%…]
He shook it off and jumped down to help Imani to her feet.
"Great reflexes…." She mumbled, "Though next time, don't throw fire at Drake venom-blasts." Imani said.
"Drakes….. as in Neo-Dragons?" Rex asked as Imani gained her bearings.
"Yes. They may not be able to fly, but they hunt in packs, evolve to survive any biome, spit flammable venom and can regrow limbs."
Rex's ears twitched. "They're also fast."
"Incredibly fast."
The two looked up and found the beasts circling them in the jungles. The light of the flowers and stars above reflected from their reptilian eyes. A dozen sickly green gems.
"We need to get back to our team." Imani whispered as the Drakes croaked and barked— trying to spook them into running.
"Do you know where they are?" Rex asked as he thought, "I could get their scent and track it if I did a little searching the same way I did with Natasha, but I don't want to go. I have eight lives left and killing relatives of Dragons would probably give me a sizable amount of EXP. I can't waste this to hell with the game…. Especially when I'm going back to a base full of dickheads that think attempted murder is a style of hazing."
Imani replied, "Yes, my HUD has marked locations of our team by the signature of Victor's healing mana. Distance doesn't matter as much as temperature changes thanks to the various flora. He's three miles south. I told them to remain on standby until I retur—"
"ERAAAAAAAAACK!" Something in the distance roared.
Imani's blue eyes widened a fraction even though her face remained stern. The Drakes shivered. The sound of their scales shaking and clicking was bizzare and oddly visceral.
Then, silence followed.
"What?"
"Run." Imani took off.
Rex followed behind Imani for a few steps. Just enough to trigger the hiding Drakes into giving chase. They barked and roared as their heavy bodies shook the earth.
He looked down at his claws as he ran. In their reflective dark surfaces, he could see six creatures that looked more like lions covered in thick dark scales than reptiles chasing them. The center most creature had stripes and was missing a sabered fang.
It's jaws unhinged like a snake. Bile smoke churned at the base of its throat. Another venom-blast.
If he ever needed a sign of when to stop playing as prey, it was then.
Imani had just jumped across a river and slid down a hill into the deeper jungle.
Rex skidded to a halt. As he did, he pushed his transformation to the furthest he could, finally giving into the chaotic predatory frenzy spinning in his stomach. It was like finally relaxing a muscle while also flexing everything all at once. It was both liberating and constricting. It was everything and nothing at the same time. It was like birth. New scents and sounds and feelings. The world faced him anew.
Spotted fur spread across his skin. Fangs and new strappings of corded muscle elongated his face. His lips darkened and his eyes turned purple and slitted.
His suit bubbled.
Jungle fire coated his hands.
The Drake's jaws were overflowing with frothy electrical venom.
Rex's fur stood on end.
It was about to shoot.
He raised his hands and fired two torrents of steady purple flame.
The fires hit the drakes mouth. This time the chemical reaction happened in its throat.
The spasm of heat and energy caused the Drake to explode as it ran.
The others were knocked off their path, causing some to bust through trees and bushes.
Guts, scales and scorched bone littered the area.
[+100 EXP]
DING
[You have Leveled Up! You are now Level 2]
[+1 Stat Point]
[All Abilities Fully Refreshed]
[Mana and HP 100%]
Rex smiled as the five other Drakes slowly recovered.
"Oh hell yea…."