Chương 10: Shadowbane Beast

Zane stood in front of the dark passage, his expressionless face illuminated by the blue flames flickering on the torch.

Preparing himself with a hunting knife tucked in his bloody trousers, a rope with the dual daggers tied to both ends and even the greeting rock, Zane walked through the passage, ready to hunt the beast.

Walking for a while, Zane finally started to see the end of the passageway. Reaching the end, he found a small opening in the ground covered by bushes and thorny plants. After he cut up the plants and got out from the opening, he found himself surrounded by huge dark trees, the violet moon already hanging above the sky.

"I must be deep within the Beast-Scourge Forest..." After he was done looking around the forest, Zane looked at the faint path straight ahead. Dragging himself through the path, he heard the buzzing insects, shrieking birds and rustling leaves. At the end of the path, he found an entrance to a gigantic cave.

'This must be where the Shadowbane Beast resides...' Zane approached the entrance and tried to take a look inside. *Flap Flap Flap* A cloud of bats appeared from the entrance of the cave and flied through Zane. He immediately put his arms in front of his face to defend himself.

The sudden appearance of the bats had startled Zane. Confirming there were no more surprise bats, he headed inside the cave. Zane dragged himself through dirt path full of animal bones by supporting himself on the sharp and rocky walls growing slimy lichen. *Cough* Zane spat a mouthful of blood. 'Haah...How long is this path' Zane continued dragging himself.

---

Zane hid himself stealthily on the side of the big opening at the end of the cave path. Peeking inside the opening, he could see a dome, illuminated by the moonlight piercing through the rocks on the top. The dome was filled with a mountain of bones from different animals and beasts. On top of the mountain of bones, Zane saw the beast he came to hunt.

He widened his eyes at the sight of the beast. A lupine appearance with pitch black tar-like fur and its body, surrounded by a shadowy ethereal mist. It had a pointy snout full of sharp shark-like teeth and its eyes were glowing red, shaped like lightning. Zane could see even from where he was hiding, the beast was at least three times his size, even when it was curled up.

'That is the beast I have to kill!?! That's impossible! I'll need to come back after preparing a lot for this...' Zane slowly got up and was going to head towards the way he came from. *Screech* Just at that moment, Zane felt like his head was about to split and he heard a screeching sound. 'Not right now!!'

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Zane grabbed his head and fell down on his knees. *Crack* While falling down, his knees crushed a skull on the floor which made a huge sound. Right after the skull cracked, Zane's headache suddenly disappeared. 'Huh?' He let go of his head. He wasn't finished being confused when suddenly, a roar startled him. 'Shit!' He looked back to find the Shadowbane beast had risen up and was staring at him with it's red lightning eyes.

Zane hurriedly tried to escape towards the opposite direction. But the pitch black fur of the Shadowbane beast extended from it's body. It destroyed the opening of the dome and wrapped itself on Zane's leg. Feeling this, Zane quickly looked down at his leg and tried to cut the shadowy fur with his dagger. But the fur contracted suddenly, pulling Zane towards the beast and slamming him down, in front of it. Zane coughed up a mouthful of blood due to the impact.

Now that Zane was up close of the beast, he could clearly see that its body was grievously wounded. It had deep scratch wounds all over its body with blood continuously flowing from them. With low growls the beast started limping towards Zane.

He stood up hastily and readied himself. The beast swiped it's claws towards him but Zane dodged the claws by rolling to the side. He threw the roped dagger towards the beast but it flicked it to the side with it's sharp claw. Zane pulled on the rope and retrieved the dagger and quickly dodged to the side again. The shadowy fur of the beast barely missed Zane.

Not even getting the time to prepare himself again, the claw of the beast came slamming down towards Zane. He tried to dodge the claw by leaping to the side, but the claw managed to slam down on one of his leg.

"AAAH!" Zane fell down on the ground from his leap and screamed due to the pain. He stared at the beast who was limping towards him. 'Is this the end? Am I going to die like this?' The beast thrust its claws towards Zane. He didn't react and only kept staring at the claw coming towards him.

*Spurt*

Zane looked down towards his stomach. He saw the claw of the beast, jabbed into his stomach. Blood poured down from his mouth as he smiled at the beast, showing his sharp teeth. "Got you." He stabbed the dagger on it's paw in a swift motion. The beast raised it's head and let out a beastly cry. It pulled its arm towards itself but Zane didn't let go of the arm. Dragged together with the arm, Zane only let go once it was under the body of the beast. He then rolled towards the other arm of the beast, tightly grabbing his stomach with one arm.

He looped around the arm of the beast and quickly headed towards the legs from under its body. He rolled forward, but the sharp shadowy fur stabbed his leg. Clenching his teeth, he leaped towards the leg of the beast, which resulted in the fur tearing his leg apart. "AAAAHHH!!!" Zane could feel an indescribable pain in his leg, but he clenched his teeth and moved forward even with one leg. Finally looping around the legs of the beast, he pulled on the rope hard, which caused the beast to fall down, trapped by the rope.

Zane dragged himself through the floor towards the head of the beast with his hands, leaving a trail of blood. He was bleeding out profusely through the hole in his stomach and the tear in his leg. Reaching the neck of the beast, he turned and leaned on the beast. 'Haah Haah' Zane looked towards the beast while breathing heavily.

The red glowing eyes of the beast had turned white. It was also breathing heavily and whimpering but it didn't struggle to get out of the rope. Zane took out his hunting knife and slowly stabbed the neck of the beast, killing it. "Haha....Hahahahahahaha" He started laughing like a maniac. *Cough* He laughed until he vomited a puddle of blood.

"Right..." Zane had already started feeling dizzy, but he dragged himself again and headed towards the ribs of the beast. Using the hunting knife once again, he tore through the skin and flesh of the beast and stuck his hand inside. When he took his hand out, it was holding what seemed like the beast's heart, it was pitch black, but glowing with an ethereal light.

Zane couldn't think about anything, he was already starting to lose consciousness. He brought the heart towards his mouth and devoured it. He slowly closed his eyes and his body fell down on the ground.

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