CHAPTER 27: 27: LEVEL 2 BEAST

The glowing orange eyes flashed out of the darkness of the surrounding trees, with a menacing growl from its fanged maw. As it leaped high in the air, aiming for Drake, the beast was finally revealed. The beast was a wolf-type beast like all the others they had fought so far in this dimension, although this one was much larger.

Unlike the other wolf beasts they had fought, this one had long fangs protruding from its large maw. The long fangs of a sabretooth wolf dripped with orange saliva that glowed. As the bright orange saliva hit the ground, a sizzling sound erupted, smoke rising where it had landed as if it had burned the ground.

Instead of the yellow sprays of light on the fir, this one had orange patches that flickered like flames, making the beast appear as if it were on fire. Veins of orange were scattered on its fur, like veins of lava. It looked like the beast would be at home in the heart of a volcano or hell world of lava and brimstone.

Its claws were long and sharp, creating massive jagged talons. Spiderwebs of orange glowed on the claw’s shiny surface, looking like veins of orange lava that flickered as if alive.

The beast growled, the sound making the very air vibrate. It lunged toward Drake. Its massive jaw was open wide, ready to bite down on its prey. Drake was the usual target. It had been like that from the start. Slashing his whip out with great force, the thin blade sliced through the fur of its large snout. A thin line of blood seeped through the midnight fur, disrupting the small patch of glowing orange. There was only enough damage to piss the beast off, but nothing more. The beast growled as its large taloned paws pounded into the ground as it landed.

"This one is mine!" Drake sneered. His eyes did not waver from the beast in front of him. The beast lowered its large head; its eyes locked on Drake. He could tell that the beast was much more powerful than the others he had fought. He wanted to be the one to take it down.

The beast had landed behind them, turning abruptly. The group turned to face it, fearful of being attacked from behind. Their weapons held firmly, ready to defend their friend.

Gavin’s face was pale as he looked at the large beast. He held an ax in each hand with his grip tight enough to turn his knuckles white. He watched the beast with fearful eyes. He fought beasts from time to time, but never one this large or powerful. It didn’t belong here. Not this close to town.

Chad had his bow held up, ready to shoot. There was a white energy arrow notched, held aimed at the large beast. Mike had his sword tightly in his grip, ready to back up his friend. The faint glow of the power in the sword pulsed like a heartbeat, growing faster as if in anticipation of an upcoming fight. The sword would be disappointed because there would be no fight today.

The beast circled the group, its glowing orange eyes narrowed hungrily, the flames beneath their surface flickering as they fixed on Drake. Drake grinned. It was a wicked grin.

With his whip in one hand and the other hand held out, a whirlwind formed, a ball of fire at its core. The flaming wind shot out, flying with blurring speed through the air, hitting the beast. It exploded in a burst of fire, bursting in all directions with a loud bang.

The beast roared in anger, unharmed. The explosion was just a nuisance. The spell was too weak to do any harm.

Before the beast could retaliate, Drake held his hand out and cast another spell. As he did, a bright green energy beam left his hand. It slammed into the beast in one of its eyes. Drake was aiming for a weak spot. The eyes were the weakest spot he knew of. The beast roared in pain. The sound made the rocks at their feet vibrate. When the bright, green light of the beam faded, the beast was missing an eye. Black blood dripped from the burnt, empty socket. The beast snarled. Acidic saliva dripped onto the ground. Swirls of smoke rising where it had landed.

Without a pause, Drake shot his whip out in a wide arc. The thin blade at its tip began to glow as it soared through the air. A translucent green blade separated from the whip’s tip, hitting the beast, slicing a thin line on its wide face. The sharp metallic edge of the whip sliced seconds later, slicing in the same spot, making the wound deeper. Blood dripped from the gash.

The beast flinched back, howling in pain. It bent down low and growled, ready to pounce, its remaining eye blazing, the flicker of orange flame in its depths. Drake gave the beast no time to attack. As it lowered down and prepared to leap, Drake shot his whip out. It soared through the air gracefully. The entire length of the whip began to glow a bright green before it released the energy, separating the glow from the whip. The phantom whip slashed forward, slicing at the beast’s neck. The metallic metal edge quickly followed, slicing a bit deeper. It only cut halfway, but it was enough.

The beast stumbled, then fell backward, exploding into a cloud of light particles. The familiar soft voice floated through Drake’s mind, making him grin.

{You have slain a Level 2 beast}

{You have gained a reward}

{You have gained the Emerald Sword}

Drake stared at the spot where the beast once was. His thoughts moved to his very last strike. The strike was powerful. He stood in silence, thinking about what had happened, how he was able to make his whip do what it had done. He was hit with a revelation. He had imagined the phantom whip, and it materialized. He wondered what else he could create with his whip. His first thoughts had been that he had never done that with his whip before. It was a skill he didn’t know the whip had. Then, he had realized, it wasn’t really a skill. Using the energy of the whip, he could do anything as long as he imagined it. It wasn’t really the whip’s skill; it was his. His smile widened.

Turning to his friends, he made sure no one had been injured. Everyone was fine. Sighing, Drake coiled his whip around his wrist and then walked to the spot where the sword lay. He picked it up off the ground and studied it. It was a beautiful silver with a slight emerald green shine. It had lines of swirling runes etched in emerald green along the elegant blade. The runes matched his robes with perfection. The hilt was emerald green. It was a one-handed short sword. Letting it rest in his hand, energy pulsed through it and into him. The blade began to glow a soft green, making Drake smile. He knew right away that the beautiful blade was meant for him. He couldn’t give it away. He wanted Chad to have a sword, but he couldn’t give it to him.

He looked over at his friends, who were watching him. Gavin was the only one not paying attention. "I think the next beast we encounter should be yours. We can back you up. You need to make the killing blow," he told Chad. He then looked at Mike. "He needs a melee weapon, but this one is meant for me. I can feel it."

Mike nodded in understanding; it was obvious by its appearance. There was no way to dispute it.

Gavin was standing still, as he looked at the spot where the beast had been slain in shock. He was unmoving.

Drake decided to explain, since he wasn’t sure if the people of the dimension knew that when he and his friends killed the beasts or even the bandits, they turned to light particles. "When we kill the beasts, this is what happens. I believe it’s different for you. Correct?" Drake asked, looking at Gavin.

Gavin nodded, looking at Drake. "Yes, but it’s not that. I already know that. The Dimension Master comes here frequently. We’ve all seen what happens when they kill a beast."

Drake stopped Gaven. "They?"

Gavin nodded. "Just like you, he has two that follow him. They are his friends and cohort. I can’t say more because it’s forbidden. My concern is the beast itself. The beast was a level 2 beast. It’s not supposed to be this close to town. The beasts in this area are supposed to be level 1. The beasts stay in their own area, never straying out of it. They have a specific territory that they remain in. This one was not in its territory. Something isn’t right. We need to notify the mayor."