Chapter 40: Tough Fight
The creature took a step closer, the ground trembling beneath its weight. It lifted its head, the swirling patterns in its eyes locking onto his position. The creature was not fooled by his shadowy concealment.
Aldwyn waited patiently, his breaths shallow and his heart pounding like a war drum in his chest.
The creature took another step, the ground trembling in anticipation of the battle to come.
Aldwyn sprang into action, his twin blades flashing in the moonlight as he sliced through the air. The creature's movements were erratic, but Aldwyn's reflexes were honed to perfection. He knew he had to strike fast and true, before the creature's powers could overwhelm him.
The creature lunged, its jaws snapping shut with a cacophony of sound. Aldwyn rolled to the side, his boots digging into the soft earth as he avoided the bite. He took advantage of the creature's momentum, sliding under its massive form and carving a deep gash in its side as he went. The creature roared in pain, its cry echoing through the forest.
The creature swiped its claws in a wide arc, aiming to disorient him. Instead, Aldwyn leapedfrogged over the attack, landing gracefully on the trunk of a nearby tree. With a cunning grin, Aldwyn took advantage of the distraction and sprinted along the tree branches, his boots barely touching the bark. The creature's eyes swirled with anger, and it began to manipulate the sound waves around it. The forest grew eerily silent, then erupted with a symphony of screeches and howls that seemed to come from every direction.
Aldwyn's head pounded with the cacophony, but he remained focused. He knew the creature's game—to disorient and isolate him.
With a grace that defied his brutish appearance, he somersaulted through the air, using the tree branches as a gymnast's bars. The creature's eyes widened as Aldwyn approached, its claws swiping through the space where he had just been. He landed lightly on a branch, his blades poised to strike.
The creature howled, and the forest echoed with its rage. The air around Aldwyn began to pulse with a deafening bass that threatened to shake him from his perch. He gritted his teeth, refusing to be thrown off balance by the acoustic assault.
The creature paused for a brief moment, as if catching its breath. Aldwyn knew this was his chance. He leapt off the tree branch and plummeted towards the creature, the air around him momentarily still. His blades sliced through the air like a silent scream, aiming for the creature's head.
But as he descended, the world around him shifted again. The creature had changed the frequency of the sounds, creating a visual distortion that made the ground ripple like a mirage. Aldwyn's stomach lurched, but he didn't waver. He focused on the creature's true form, the only constant in the sea of illusion.
The creature's eyes narrowed, realizing its trick had failed. It lunged at Aldwyn with surprising speed, its claws aiming for his midsection. Aldwyn twisted in midair, using the creature's own momentum to redirect its attack. He planted one blade in the earth, using it as a pivot point to spin away from the oncoming strike. The creature's claws barely missed their mark, digging deep furrows in the soil.
Landing gracefully, Aldwyn took in the creature's new position. It had lost none of its fury, but its movements had grown more predictable. The creature bellowed, and the ground trembled again. The trees around them bent and swayed with the force of its cry. It was a sonic boom, a physical manifestation of its power.
Aldwyn studied the creature's patterns, and he knew that the moment of silence following each roar was when it was most vulnerable. He waited, his muscles coiled like a spring, for the precise instant the creature's sonic assault ended.
As the creature paused to draw breath, the forest fell silent. In that split second, Aldwyn dashed forward, his boots barely making a sound on the leaf-covered ground. He swung his blades in a wide arc, aiming for the creature's neck. The creature, caught off-guard, barely had time to react before Aldwyn's swords met the shimmering scales.
The creature roared again, but this time, the sound waves didn't just assault Aldwyn's ears—they pulsed through his entire body, resonating in his chest like a bass drum. He staggered back, the world spinning around him. The creature took advantage of the momentary reprieve and lunged again, its teeth bared.
Aldwyn's instincts took over. He threw himself to the side, his blades carving through the air in a graceful arc. The creature's jaws snapped shut just shy of their mark. The force of the creature's attack sent a shockwave through the forest, knocking down trees and sending a flock of birds into a panic.
The creature's eyes swirled with malicious intent, and the air grew thick with a cacophony of sounds—whispers, shrieks, and roars that seemed to come from all around. Aldwyn's head spun, but he didn't falter. Instead, he focused on the creature's chest, where the sound waves originated. He had to silence it before it could do more than just disorient him.
He dropped his twin blades and pulled his revolver. He aimed at the creature's chest and fired three blessed silver bullets.
The creature staggered back, the bullets piercing through its shimmering scales and into the flesh beneath. The creature's eyes widened, and the cacophony of sounds abated momentarily.
Aldwyn took the opportunity to dodge the creature's clumsy swipe and plunge his blades into its torso. The creature's howl was cut short as the silver bit deep, releasing a burst of shadowy energy that dissipated into the night air.
The creature staggered back, its scales blackening and peeling away from the silver's touch. Its movements grew sluggish.
Aldwyn felt a sudden surge of energy—his silver eyes blazed with a fiery intensity. "This is your end," he murmured, his voice carrying a dark, otherworldly echo.
The creature stumbled back, its once-beautiful singing voice reduced to a gurgle. It took a swing at him with its massive clawed hand, but Aldwyn was ready. He sidestepped with inhuman grace and brought his blades down in a swift, precise motion, cutting through the creature's neck.
The creature's head fell to the ground with a wet thud, and the forest went silent. Aldwyn's chest heaved with exertion, and his heart hammered against his ribs like a blacksmith's anvil. He took a moment to catch his breath, watching the creature's lifeless form for any signs of movement.
After a few minutes, he went to the creature's corpse. The first thing he did was to remove the scales with his blade. He removed several dozen and stored them in his bag.
„I don't really know how much they're worth, but I'm sure I'll find a customer... They'll also serve as proof that I really killed the creature." Aldwyn thought silently as he continued to examine the creature.
Then he discovered a tennis ball-sized, spherical organ with a gel-like consistency in the chest wound.
Aldwyn slowly removed it and examined it. „Hmm this organ could be responsible for the sounds... Maybe it's still a valuable resource. At least I still feel energy emanating from this organ."
After a few seconds, he stored it in his bag. There was nothing more to get, so he decided to make his way back to Helgarde.
The journey back to the city was quiet, the moon casting long shadows across the forest floor. The creature's death had left an eerie calm in the woods.
As Aldwyn approached Helgarde, the distant toll of the city's bells signaled the late hour.
The gates stood tall and ominous, guarded by sleepy sentinels who nodded in recognition as he passed through. The cobblestone streets were deserted, save for a few stray cats prowling for food and the occasional drunken reveler stumbling home. The city's usual bustle was replaced by an eerie calm that mirrored the quietude of the battle-scarred forest.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone