Light flashed, and Orwen found himself in the jungle once more. As always, the giant Skywoods were the first thing he saw, rising into the sky like unassailable monoliths. There was a quiet to the air, a marked difference from the usual bustle and clamor of the jungle’s daytime hours. Immediately, he found himself on guard.

Looking around, he could see that his companions were the same. Over what had been nearly a week now, they had entered the jungle during the daylight, searching for the Nulzan. It had only been once, during which they had decided to travel to the jungle during the night, that they had encountered the beasts.

Under the cover of darkness, Orwen and his allies had found themselves quickly overwhelmed - unable to react properly to that which they could not entirely see. They had been forced to return through the teleporter. From that moment on, they had made a point to only travel the jungle during the light of day.

Since then, they had not encountered the Nulzan. Even so, the ominous silence did much to put them on edge. Orwen shifted his weight, nocking an arrow to his bow. The others did the same, readying their various weapons nervously as they slowly moved out into the waiting jungle.

Soon, their vigilance was justified.

“What in the Progenitors' names is that thing?” Theran cursed. As a Seed of Curiosity, the man had better abilities of observation than most, able to sense threats around himself before they might be seen. Orwen tensed, vision sharpening as he honed in on the direction Theran pointed.

From out of the brush came a creature, a shadow. A demon. It stood at the height of a man, clothed in living darkness, wreathed in whirling shadows. They shifted and stirred, and Orwen was soon able to make out the shape of grasping hands, phasing in and out of existence as they snatched at the air.

Its hands ended in dual blades, sharp and serrated, covered in the very same layer of darkness that coated the demon itself. It walked slowly - casually, even - through the jungle, making no noise as it passed through. Orwen, unwilling to allow the thing closer, aimed his bow and activated Spectral Pair. Beside his nocked arrow appeared two ethereal copies, one to each side.

He fired, loosing the three arrows and sending them whizzing through the air towards their target. Without halting its steps, the demon of shadows twisted its body in an astounding display of agility, avoiding the incoming trio of arrows and bringing itself closer to Orwen and his allies.

Seeing his ability foiled so casually, Orwen felt a trace of fear. Even so, he pushed it to a hidden corner of his mind. Experienced warrior that he was, a little fear was nothing to pay any mind to. It would be overcome.

A small fog of darkness and miasma began to grow around him before making its way towards the shrouded demon. It coiled through the air, just above the jungle floor, a twisting black smoke that obscured the ground below.

And it was not just from Orwen that it originated. Glancing around, he could see small wisps of darkness grow around the feet of his companions as well, each making their own way towards the monster.

Before they could decide how to react to its advance, the demon let out an ear-splitting scream. It grated upon his ears, feeling as if it affected his very soul. Immediately, he felt himself grow notably weaker. The flow of miasmic smoke increased, pulled from Orwen to the creature. As he watched its flow, his doubt and dismay increased, and the volume of the dark smoke increased along with it.

He tore his gaze away, sending another arrow flying towards the monster. This time, as if bolstered by the flow of smoke that had begun to coalesce around it, the creature did not dodge his arrow. Instead, it reached out a hand and snatched it from the air before crushing the shaft in its grasp.

Panicking, Orwen began to loose arrow after arrow, filling the sky with a deathly barrage. His allies, meanwhile, formed into a wall to defend against the beast’s approach.

In a move that left them gasping in surprise, the demon crouched, then leapt. It launched itself to the side at an astounding speed, out of the path of the numerous arrows that were being sent in its direction. Then, with hardly time for a single heartbeat to mark the transition, it shifted its path towards the waiting group.

It dashed forwards, eating away at the significant distance between them with only a few powerful bounds of its legs. The ground surrounding the battle grew ever darker, enveloped in a layer of hazy shadows.

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And then, it was upon them. It moved with a strength and grace that seemed undefeatable, dodging the numerous blows that came down upon it. Finally, it arrived in front of Orwen. Desperately, he unsheathed a dagger and slashed at the beast, activating Spectral Pair at the last moment to once more to form two more ethereal daggers that slashed along with him.

Yet, despite his efforts, the demon moved too quickly. Despite the last-minute activation of his ability, it somehow was able to react in time. Though it initially attempted to reach a blade out to block his thrust, it twisted away and avoided it instead just as the Spectral Pair activated. It was as if the creature needed no time to adjust to the changes of battle.

And then, a blade found its home in Orwen’s chest. Blood spilled, and a burning pain split its way through his body - only to turn cold as ice. He fell to the ground, his legs collapsing underneath him. Orwen knew he was fading quickly; death had begun to wrap him in its embrace. Then, for just a moment, he felt a burst of strength. Despite that, it was not enough to allow him the chance to fight back.

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You have been Challenged by the Champion in a battle to the death!

Strength +25% for one hour.

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As he watched, the demon’s foot came down upon his throat, silencing his thoughts forevermore.

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Challenge Prevailed!

Strength +50% for 1 second.

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Dharen felt a burst of strength flow into him, filling his veins. Normally, one second would be far too short of a boost to enact anything important - but not now. Fear flooded from his opponents, and he feasted upon it voraciously.

Feast of Terror filled his Spirit, drawing in the fear that flowed from his enemies. But it did more than that - with enough fear present, it caused his Spirit to flood, surging past the bounds of his own Spirit pool. He had achieved Spirit Overflow.

Unlike Spirit Degeneration, Spirit Overflow was well-sought after. Of course, there was the obvious effect of providing more Spirit than needed, allowing for rampant usage of Boons. This was a large benefit, given Dharen’s poor Wisdom, as it allowed him to avoid one of his weaknesses. Yet, it was the other effects of Spirit Overflow that were truly staggering.

Spirit Degeneration slowed the mind, inducing a fugue that eventually took away a suffering individual’s ability to control their own body. However, Spirit Overflow was nearly the opposite. As his Spirit flooded past the bounds of his own pool, his mind sharpened. It quickened.

And with that quickening came a change in perception. His mind whirred faster, and time itself seemed to slow in turn. And with Dharen’s great Strength and Agility, that was a mighty weapon indeed.

The instant his Challenged opponent died, Dharen shifted his weight, lunging at his next opponent. Under the bolstering effects of Spirit Overflow, he carefully chose his target, examining any exposed soulseeds that he could. Then, he found it.

He burst forward, ducking under an incoming swing and storing his borrowed daggers back within his Spatial Ring, sending forth another Challenge as he did so. With his now-empty hands, he seized the shoulders of his chosen target and slammed his head against the man’s own. With Dharen’s high Vitality, it did little to injure him.

Yet, his opponent was not so lucky. Dharen had chosen the man based on his appearance of low Vitality, and the power behind his Challenge-imbued headbutt shattered the man’s skull.

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Challenge Prevailed!

Strength +50% for 0.1 seconds.

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Though his successful Challenge had not given any meaningful time of boosted Strength, it was enough for his purposes. He jerked the shattered body, turning quickly and heaving it with enormous speed at the remainder of the warriors.

Faced with the power of the throw, they tumbled to the ground, downed by the corpse of their own fallen comrade. Fear continued to flow from them, and Dharen forced it to coalesce, consuming it ravenously.

Experienced warriors they might have been, but this battle was something else entirely. Dharen had chosen his actions carefully, shrouding himself in Miasmic Cloak to hide his identity and give himself a monstrous appearance. Though it was a small step, it had been enough to create a hint of fear within his enemies, one which he was then able to stoke into a roaring flame. A veritable Feast.

While he knew that he should feel at least some manner of regret over his actions and chosen tactics, he couldn’t bring himself to truly do so. It was not just his desire to become stronger, to earn his revenge upon Duende. No, there was something else driving him now, ever since he had delved into his Seed. Some hidden emotion. A powerful one, stoked by the sight of the invading humans.

He couldn’t help but feel a hint of satisfaction as the warriors died.