Chapter 5: Legion
Eratz faced the trees, his red eyes glowing faintly. The pack of Vulpans gathered behind him, their black fur blending with the shadows.
He felt alive, more powerful than he had ever imagined.
His heart pounded in his chest, not just from excitement but from the strange power flowing through him.
He had started with one Vulpan, but now, a whole pack of them followed at his side, their eyes glowing in the darkness. He was a beast master, and his first real pack was at his command
It was still noon, and Eratz was ready to hunt. His footsteps were silent as he ventured deeper into the woods, the Vulpans moving with him like shadows.
Suddenly, his senses flared. He could feel a presence ahead, multiple creatures, waiting for him in the area.
His pulse quickened, but his confidence surged even higher. A wicked grin crept onto his face.
"More prey," he muttered to himself. "Good. Let's see what you've got."
Without hesitation, he gave a silent command to his Vulpans, and they scattered, circling the area like hunters preparing for the kill.
Eratz could feel every one of them, their movements flowing through him as if they were extensions of his own body.
This was the power of a true beast master, he wasn't just leading these creatures; he was one with them.
The first creatures emerged from the shadows: a group of clawed, insect-like monsters with glistening mandibles. They were fast, but not fast enough for the Vulpans. The dark foxes darted between the trees, attacking with ruthless precision.
Eratz didn't need to give specific orders, his beasts knew exactly what to do.
He simply moved with them, his body syncing effortlessly with their actions.
One of the insectoids lunged at him, its mandibles swiping through the air with deadly speed.
But Eratz was faster. With a swift motion, he dodged to the side, his hand glowing with fiery energy. He released a burst of flame, incinerating slightly the creature before it could even react.
His eyes darted to the side, where two more insectoids had pounced on a Vulpan.
Before they could strike, Eratz raised his hand, and a thread of fire surged outward, tying the attackers in a burning embrace.
The Vulpans moved with brutal efficiency, tearing into the weakened creatures, and within moments, the battle was over.
But Eratz wasn't done yet. His red eyes gleamed with power as he raised his hand again, and his spiritual pressure surged.
The fallen monsters trembled as they were pulled into the ground, their bodies disintegrating into dark particles. The shadows swirled around him, the creatures were absorbed into his army.
The insectoids' forms reappeared moments later, flying behind Eratz like loyal soldiers. His grin widened.
"Bigger, I want it bigger!"
The thrill of commanding a huge army filled him with euphoria. Even if they were weak, it didn't matter, he wasn't after power right now. He was after numbers.
For hours, he continued his hunt. Every time he encountered a new group of creatures, he launched himself into battle with unrelenting force. His monsters led the charge, but Eratz fought right alongside them, moving with the same ferocity and speed as the beasts he commanded.
In normal occurrences, beasts masters focused on getting strong monsters and controlling them, it was what they've been taught to focus on first at the academy, but Eratz didn't hesitate to flirt with the other occurrence they were warned to be too complicated to use. First, with his fire spirit, and now with his army.
But he wasn't just mimicking their movements, he was becoming them.
At first, it was difficult. Trying to fight and command at the same time was overwhelming. His mind was split between controlling his beasts and reacting to the enemies in front of him. But as the day pursued, Eratz found that it wasn't as hard as he had thought.
The more he fought, the more natural it became. His commands became instinctual, his movements seamless.
With each victory, he absorbed more monsters into his army. A pack of horned wolves tried to ambush him at one point, but they fell just like the others. He dodged their attacks with ease, striking with deadly precision. Once they were defeated, Eratz absorbed them, their forms vanishing into the shadows before reappearing by his side.
His army was growing rapidly now. It wasn't just the Vulpans anymore, he had wolves, insectoids, and other creatures of the forest under his control.
None of them were particularly impressive on their own, but together, they formed a force was shaking the forest.
During a fight with a swift, four-legged creature covered in thorny scales, Eratz felt another detail.
The creature moved with such speed that it was nearly impossible to track, but after a few exchanges, something clicked.
Eratz's body moved on its own, matching the creature's speed with terrifying precision, parrying the attacks and following the beast.
His muscles burned, his lungs were in fire, it was as if he had these abilities within him, but his body couldn't catch up with his will.
One thing was sure, he possessed the power of the beast he had absorbed.
His blood boiled with excitement as he parried the creature's strikes, increasing his speed and agility with each movement while his body was literally burning.
Eratz's speed ended up surpassing the beast, dodging another attack before delivering a powerful blow to the creature's side.
The beast fell to the ground, and Eratz landed next to it. His spiritual pressure enveloped it, and within moments, the thorny creature dissolved into black particles, merging with his aura.
He tried to catch up his breath, his body drenched in sweat. His view was blurring, but he wasn't ready to stop now.
He could feel his pack raging everywhere, so he couldn't let them see their leader on the ground.
The battles pursued for hours, becoming a blur. Eratz moved from one fight to the next, his body flowing with a strength and agility he had never felt before, his pain increasing, but overshadowed by his excitement.
He fought like a beast, commanding his creatures with his will, and each time he absorbed another monster, the power inside him grew stronger.
By the time nightfall came, Eratz had lost track of how many monsters he had fought, how many creatures he had absorbed.
His army now numbered in the hundreds, and they all stood behind him, waiting for his command. The forest had grown quiet, the usual sounds of wildlife silenced by the presence of Eratz's army.
The moon had risen high above the trees, casting an eerie light over the clearing where he stood, breathing heavily but grinning.
His body ached from the constant fighting, he could feel each of his muscles burning and his organs turning around.
"Maybe... Maybe I should really take a break now," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "Before completely breaking down."
He glanced around at the creatures surrounding him, his red eyes gleaming in the darkness. He had started with a single fire spirit, and now he had an army. He was the alpha now, the one in control.
For a moment, Eratz laughed softly to himself. He had lost track of time, lost himself in the thrill of the hunt. His uncle and aunt were probably worried sick by now, he would need a good motivational speech to justify his recklessness, but He was satisfied.
His red eyes flickered as he looked up at the moon, shining brightly above the trees.
"Maybe I got a little carried away..." he muttered to himself, wiping the sweat from his brow."
But there was no regret in his voice. Only satisfaction.
He glanced around the clearing, the beasts watching him silently from the shadows. His spiritual pressure pulsed with power, and his red eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight. He felt unstoppable.
"I guess I should train my body too, so I'll handle this power better."
There was a part of him that wanted to stay out here, in the wild, hunting and fighting until the entire forest was under his control, but his body was sending him alarms he couldn't ignore.
With one last glance at the forest around him, Eratz turned and began walking back toward the edge of the trees.
His beasts blended into the shadow of their master.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone