Dexter was certain that the bones embedded in the ceiling belonged to the monstrous beasts consorting in the heavens. To miss out on the true inheritance of the Heaven's Fury trial after all he had suffered, angered him to no end. And it had nothing to do with the fact that he was a simple loot goblin who loved shiny things. No, it had to do with the fact that Munchkin started vibrating at the energy fluctuation, and if the damned gnome didn't shut up, it was going to get them both killed.

The reaction from the skill was odd because although Dexter pretended as if it had a conscience, it had never reacted to outside stimuli, including himself. It simply drifted in the cyclical fashion of the Bladed Vortex, unless he decided to take control of it. The fact that it wanted the energy could only mean that it was important, and for a brief instance Dexter thought about taking it for himself.

Instinctively, Dexter knew the energy emitted from the bones wouldn't increase his completion rate for the Bladed Vortex. But if it would increase the damage of little Munchkin, then why wouldn't it do the same for himself? After all, the feral human before him not only had the same idea, she was acting on it. How badly she was at absorbing the energy didn't matter, it suffused into her being in a visible fashion and Dexter grew disgusted by the minute. She was not only absorbing the aura, but all the energy in the room.

Dexter himself had discovered two ways to absorb natural energy, and she had used neither method, drinking down whatever was poured into her glass. Is that why she looked the way she did? Dexter wondered where she even had the time to grow as strong as she was, when his jaw dropped. He knew where she had the time, and he knew who she was, he had heard her screams before.

Taking a step back, Dexter peered at the twitching woman mumbling to herself, with a solemn expression. Whoever she was, she had summoned up the courage to break out of the Nullification Zone and help those in need. It now made sense why the other feral human was in a police uniform, and why she was dressed in a ruined pair of scrubs.

As the world changed, it had tempered the local ecosystems. The flora became more abundant, having enlarged past sizes not seen on earth for eons. The fauna followed suit, morphing into bestial predators fit for their new hunting grounds. And it seemed humans were no exception to the rule, conquering nature in order to survive. But the assimilation had left its mark on the survivors, removing all traces of their humanity. What was left was an impression of the creatures from the void.

Dexter looked between the vibrating wind blade and the fidgeting creature. Each desired the primal aura emitted from the bones, but only one could have it all. He would have to wrestle the inheritance from the woman, but it would require him to put his life on the line like never before. Though perhaps there was a way to help both of them, by putting her out of her misery.

Tip toeing around the statues, Dexter nabbed the Sky Priests robe, donning it in one go. As the robe fell over him, it fluttered in a gust of wind, attuning his vital energy. The sensation matched his wind song, bridging a constant connection to the element. Dexter stood in awe at his new energy flow, but there was no time to analyze it. Instead, he grabbed the treasure box, storing it in his satchel, and returned to the entrance of the chamber, while keeping an eye on the awakened human.

The final inheritance was now up for the taking; however, he would have to kill the woman in cold blood. His only chance at survival was getting in range to strike with an empowered wind blade before she woke up and became aware of his presence. Such a strike would test the wind blade, but if he failed it wouldn't be as forgiving as the Heaven's Fury trial.

Psyching himself up, Dexter started eating ration bars before he even needed them. If he was harmed, they would retroactively kick in, returning him to his proper state. Next, he clad the swirling mist of Wind Scythe in a shroud of rippling blue light, hammering each together until even he couldn't tell them apart from one another. Yet, there was a final thing needed to do before launching his surprise attack, and his new robe was more than eager to help.

Focusing inward, Dexter increased the rate his energy resonated with his robe, thereby filling his body with wind aura. Now he would move much faster, pushing his Dexterity to its peak. However, as his energy intensified, the gray skinned human twitched in his direction. Her eyes shot open, revealing a striking blue set of pupils marred by a disfiguring red that would ordinarily signal a life-threatening disease.

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Faster than he could ever move before, Dexter jumped into a shadowy corner, holding his breath like his afterlife depended on it. Munchkin had somehow gotten the message as well and stilled, not even continuing to swirl in its usual pattern. But the fact that the creature didn't attack or notice them, meant nothing to Dexter. He continued to hold his breath and stood in silence for ten minutes, surely breaking the new world record.

After the first ten minutes, he waited another before he finally peered back into the chamber. His spear had its ability activated before he even got in range. The tactic would only grant him a few extra seconds on his attack, but those seconds would be more than useful.

Yet with all of his preparations, Dexter questioned if he should escape while he still had the chance. Reason told him to come back when he was stronger, but there was no guarantee he'd have the same chance after she absorbed all the primal aura. Pushing away doubt, Dexter gripped his spear and strode forward.

A mental command sent Munchkin to the back of the woman's neck, seeking an instant kill. But suddenly, before the skill could transform, the gray creature jumped to her feet. Upon seeing Dexter, she scream with a force that ruptured his eardrums, pushing pressure on his lungs.

The deafness caused him to yell out his command rather than thinking it, and the Wind Scythe soared to life, cutting into the woman's neck. She screamed out in pain, but ultimately survived the attack, spelling doom for Dexter. He had one chance to deliver a decisive blow, and it had slipped through his fingers. Though Dexter didn't shy back. His spear was in range of her heart, and she had yet to collect herself after receiving the grizzly wound.

Moving with haste, Dexter struck with the glowing spear, aiming for the center of her chest. The blade pierced into her, but the gray skin proved to have a toughness that was beyond measure, and it partially blocked Dexter's spear, forcing him to avoid a slash that ripped the air in front of him. Pushed to defend, Dexter sent another command to Munchkin, and the wisp of energy split into a wave that crashed with a biting force. However, the woman sensed the incoming attack, and rather than shielding herself, she whipped her arm around, breaking two of the stone statues with the force of her deflection.

The effigies of the Sky Priests shattered under her strength, sending dust and debris into the air. Blood pooled down two gashes on her arm, and as the dust cleared, Dexter could see the wounds heal at a visible rate. With wide eyes, he fled, cursing his stupidity.

The double strike had granted him a small window to flee, and he accepted it without hesitation, churning his energy to blend with the wind. Instantly he appeared outside the chamber, racing back through the darkness. As he rounded the first corner a screech reached his damaged eardrums, followed by a distant pattering. Of course there was nowhere to hide, the creature's ability to sense vital energy was beyond reproach and its hunger for it wasn't lacking in the slightest.

Like a rat, Dexter scuttled for safety coming upon the second path in the fork, wishing that he had chosen it. But now was not the time, there was no telling what stood in that direction. After all it was the direction the feral human must have come from, and he didn't want to see if she kept company.

As Dexter darted through tunnels, he could sense the woman getting closer and once again cursed his hubris. There was an ounce of hope that maybe he'd be able to lose her, but she had his scent and wouldn't let him get away. Luckily, his familiarity with the tunnel helped, and he was able to reconstruct part of the road blocks that had marred his path on the way in. They failed to help, however, barely slowing her down. And after the first hour of flight, when his hearing had returned, he could make out her footsteps clearly. The woman was apparently running on all fours.

"Shit shit shit!"

Never before had Dexter thought he would be eaten by a human, and his blood grew cold as George's naming of the 'once humans' as zombies, returned to the forefront of his mind. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, perhaps the worst kind of compliment one could receive, but the notion helped him double down and his resonance with the wind soared even higher. Now, with his pace quickened, he began to glide through the mountain. Each push off the ground sent him forward about half a dozen meters.

The Sky Priest's robe had decreased the effect of gravity on his person, allowing him to move faster than normal. It also granted a speed enhancement, effectively giving him wings as the robe billowed behind him. Like a wand, the robe conducted his energy, becoming an extension of himself. If he manipulated it correctly, he should be able to fly off the mountain. But Dexter had an inkling that the secrets for true flight were tied to one of the Ozkaari sacred arts. He wasn't ready to jump out of the nest just yet.

Dexter's mind racked itself for answers on how he was going to escape. The air tunnels he passed tempted him more and more, ushering him to spread his wings. But as he grew closer to the bladed garden, he realized that he had one final chance at survival. One final chance at escaping the feral human.

He would just have to make sure that the damned trial didn't kill him in the process.