Or rather—it resembled him.
It was almost human, it even carried a human presence.
But it was still incomplete,
Uncanny,
It brought a terrifying weight along with its appearance.
A lump formed in Wode's throat, blocking the air, making him unable to speak—but he still forced himself,
"Tjer... a-are you al...right?"
Beasts had been part of Wode's life for a long time.
He could control himself, unlike Tjer.
It was his first encounter, and one with a beast beyond the norm.
Wode was met with silence—but Tjer hadn't left—he still stood there, holding his blade raised in front of him.
His essence—though erratic—was still there.
He is still alive...
But once the shock passed, another look made it clear,
This is not human at all.
Heavy steps drew closer—a grey-skinned, almost humanlike figure approached.
Humanlike is generous.
It stood hunched over like an old man, as if human skin was fused onto its body—melted onto it.
Wode was unable to turn to Tjer, it was a bona fide beast that stood opposite of them.
It held one objective, and one objective only—to hunt its prey.
His focus was split between both essences, leaving him unable to react to the essence in front of him in time.
He was warned by the sounds before he could comprehend its essence. They were the sounds of bones cracking, and flesh compressing—scattering droplets through the air.
How could I forget—they are shapeshifters.
The Kludd have especially strong instincts... It had known what to do to hunt humans efficiently.
The humanlike form it had probably gave it some abilities... It had lured its prey into a false sense of security for just a fragment of a second before it manipulated their essence—Tjer was the ideal result of it, but Wode's presence saved him.
After it had achieved its goal it had no longer a need for that form—transforming into the one most natural to it.
I know this form... A cold sweat ran down his face as he saw its transformation.
It had shifted into the form of a hound, it was one he was already familiar with—there was one fatal difference.
It made clouds of dirt on both of its sides as a pair of wings spread out—both of them tipped with a claw. It carried a tail that was split down the middle, and a shadow-like fog clung to it, wrapping around its form.
This is different from what I know... I should have attacked it during its transformation. He couldn't leave Tjer—whose essence was still unstable—behind.
Wode breathed in slowly, as the shaking of his blade started to lessen a bit he wrapped his fingers tightly around the handle of his greatsword—double the size of Tjer's longsword—and the muscles from his shoulders down to his arms could be seen bulging, showing even through his clothes.
Should I attack it, or wait?
He had recharged his essence during the time the fog offered.
The choice was already made—it was the only thing he knew to do, not making the same mistake as before.
He lunged forward, aiming to cut the Kludd down before it could even react,
I need to be the only one in its sight.
His blade descended, covering the beasts head with its shadow.
The only thing Wode cut was the air where it was supposed to be.
He looked around him on the ground, and realized something,
This fight is three dimensional.
He was unable to do anything against the beast as it flew into the air.
What is it going to do... Unable to feel its presence, he rushed back to Tjer, who was still stuck in a trance.
This is its most likely move.
And indeed—the hairs on his body rose as he approached the boy, feeling the presence of the lingering beast.
The Kludd dove toward Tjer, reaching its claw out as it aimed for his neck.
It had no mercy,
No patience.
The epitome of a hunter.
The claw was a hair's width away from piercing his skin, as a heavy sound rang through the air.
A blade large enough to cover its entire wingspan had appeared between its claw and Tjer's neck.
A gust of wind blew as Wode pushed the beast away using his blade, the beast followed along with the blade—landing a distance away on its four feet.
The clash—that rang through Tjer's ears—was enough to snap him awake.
He was still disoriented—with his previously shaken essence—combined with the sound loud enough to damage his hearing.
What happened...
His sight returned as he looked ahead,
Is that a Kludd...
The monster's figure brought his memories back,
Was that an ability...?
"It was probably an ability it developed along with its new form," Wode said as if he already knew what Tjer was thinking.
"Now take the horse, and leave."
"No, I'll stay and f—"
"Leave. You will only hinder me," Wode cut him off in a monotone voice, hiding the cold sweat that ran down his face.
We are breakeven during these two exchanges... but how long can I keep up? He tensed his arms and legs, forcing them not to tremble.
His survival comes first, no exceptions. With that thought he was able to slightly steady his blade and stance.
"But..." Tjer lowered his gaze.
"You have seen me fight. I can—No. I will take it down." Wode smiled at Tjer while shifting his eyes away from him—unable to hide their trembling.
Tjer looked down as he held his arm—not noticing the marks he left,
I am too weak to help him... I should just leave...
"Please, catch up to me..." Tjer had given up—unable to find an argument for him to stay.
He walked over to the horse, sheathing his sword as he mounted.
He couldn't even look at the road ahead—only at the blurry horseback he sat on. He whispered,
"I'll see you later."
Wode stood there, unable to look at the back of the leaving boy—eye to eye with the beast in front of him.
He watched every single one of its movements as it circled around him, the Kludd had its eyes only on Wode.
The taps of the horse's hooves had started to reach Wode,
"See you later, boy." Wode muttered under his breath, hoping that Tjer couldn't hear him anymore.
A tear fell onto the horse's mane as Tjer looked up at the road ahead.
The horse knew what to do—the task given to it by Wode.
Tjer only had to hold on tightly.
It was a horse built for long distance travel, one fit for a high paying job like this one, after all transportation was essential for its success.
Even with the cargo loaded directly onto its back, it made no complaint—pressing forward, faster with each stride, with the sounds of battle fading between its strides.
Until the only sound left was that of the hooves hitting the road beneath it and the whistling of the cold breeze, cut by the leaves.
Meanwhile the fight continued.
Each attack grew sharper—heavier.
But no one was left behind, the Kludd pushed Wode to his pinnacle—with the essence flowing through him like it was his ally for the first time.
Yet the Kludd was still like a new born.
Every clash was a lesson, and every movement a chance to adapt.
The sounds of its claws clashing with Wode's blade rang through the entire area,.
Followed by its quick steps, then came the ringing again—before the leaves from before could hit the floor.
It was an unending cycle.
No wounds were taken—yet.
But the difference had started to creep in.
Wode the seasoned mercenary, lacked the stamina for prolonged combat.
His way of essence was an inefficient one.
Each use added strain—piling onto the already sustained strain.
While the Kludd wanted the boy, it was unable to leave this man alone either.
It wanted both prey.
A creature driven by its strong instinct felt its other prey slipping further away—that was defeat.
The beast and man were of the same mind,
I need to finish this quickly!
The relentless aerial attacks started raining down—each strike came quicker than the last.
It knew that it was on its own in the air—its prey unable to do anything against it.
But Wode could read the strikes before they even came—blocking each strike that came his way.
How can I finish it?
Even as the Kludd readied itself for an attack.
A thought clouded his mind—one not helping his objective.
To let Tjer escape.
This was the first mistake—he couldn't put his weight behind his blade, losing his balance as the beast descended upon him.
A single step sounded—one that made even the trees shake—he regained his posture in time.
But once again he couldn't keep up.
The continuous attacks with its jaws, claws, along with the strain of his essence—leaving him with no choice, but to slow down.
He needed a moment—just a single moment to recover.
That was the final nail.
While it could fly, the ground was still its terrain—the Kludd understood it now.
While also adapting to its prey, it noticed the sides that were weaker—there was no armor covering it.
As Wode brought his blade down, it decided to follow his blade's course instead of avoiding it.
It was launched onto the ground, lessening the impact by opening its wings.
Not a second passed, before it launched forward—pushing itself off its back legs.
He couldn't react.
The only thing he felt was the warm pool on his left side—on his rather cold body.
He looked down, it was the Kludd that stood right against him—curving its wing around his blade.
It had pierced him ruthlessly through his stomach, tearing his entire left side open as it withdrew.
The breakeven point had long been surpassed...
It was a wonder I even held on.
He could feel his body fall apart after the first use of essence—a state similar to Tjer's.
But that didn't stop him.
He swallowed the blood that rose in his throat, and continued.
He fell down to one knee—his strength fading with every second,
I hope he made it far enough...
A blunt ring sounded as his blade fell onto the road—his fingers were no longer able to hold it.
Not a moment passed before his body followed.
And he collapsed alongside it.