[Lesser Ghoul Transformation:

Physical Stats Doubled.

Sensory Stats Doubled.

Automatic Regeneration Active.

QI Pool has been converted into Miasma.

Divination Disrupted.

Miasma Properties: Natural suppressive effect on Qi Users. Prolonged exposure with miasma corrupts all living creatures and affects their cultivation base.

Racial Skills:

Cloak of Miasma: Envelop your body in miasma to greatly increase speed.

Eye of Undeath: Look into a living creature's eye to manifest eleven illusory clones. No living creature on the same level can resist its influence.

Life Leech Claws: Direct contact that breaks skin absorbs living creature’s life force.

Sea of Miasma: Release half the miasma in your body to release a sea of miasma. Can transform from a solid to a miasmic form, using the miasma to traverse quickly. ]

Shawn charged head on at the nine foot Orc Titan, willing the miasma around him to manifest as a cloak that enveloped everything but his face. He had no difficulty channelling the miasma, and he didn’t feel like a particularly talented Ghoul. It came naturally to him, as natural as a human knowing how to breathe upon birth or a bird being able to teach itself to fly- encoded in his bloodline.

The Orc Titan roared, taking wide steps in his direction before swinging his spiked mace.

“Hey buddy, I’m a monster too y’know. You’re gonna hurt my feelings if you keep shouting at me,” Shawn replied as the miasma around him rippled- he broke off to the left at the last moment, the impact of the spiked wooden mace rattling him as it missed him by a few meters, a cloud of dust obscuring his vision for a moment.

However, Shawn didn’t learn the lesson Jack had experienced first hand- the Orc Titan was deceptively quick for its size. Without even flinching, the Orc Titan switched his stance in an attempt to make up for its failed attack- pulling his spiked mace from the ground and swinging it sideways, in as wide an arc he possibly could - heading towards the cloud of smoke.

All Shawn felt was a tingling sensation on his right, before a mace broke through the cloud of smoke.

The next second he felt an impact on his exposed ribs, blasting him dozens of meters like a ragdoll- shattering his ribs, breaking his neck and probably his spine at the same time, and one of the spikes left a large gaping hole in his right thigh, before crashing into the trunk of a tree.

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The Orc Titan roared in triumph, and Shawn could hear the glee in its voice. Miasma flared across his body, flailing wildly as if in mockery. His own miasma started burning every part of his body, and a few seconds later Shawn, who was partly embedded in the tree, extricated himself out of it.

“Did I mention that I’m immortal? Oh yeah, I’m immortal,” Shawn yelled at the Orc Titan from afar who looked at him with abject confusion. Shawn paid him no attention and started doing some morning calisthenics- stretching his legs, cracking his neck and moving his rotor cuffs to see if everything was in order.

“You know, I always felt that there was something off with that runt’s explanation. But now, I kinda get it man,” Shawn muttered musingly, before charging at the Orc Titan again.

“You see,” Shawn said, as he burst out into his peak speed, this time dodging the wooden mace with much greater ease, before leaping forward, and slicing at the Orc Titan’s ankle, leaving behind a trail of green blood dripping from his right claw as he rolled forward.

Shawn felt a burst of motion from behind himself- the Orc Titan kicked at his back with frightening speed, blowing him again once again.

The cycle of healing repeated.

“No matter how powerful you are,” Shawn replied, his red, bloodthirsty eyes looking at the Orc Titan with greed, as he felt the nectar like life force flow through his body, getting converted to a denser miasma in the process- not only helping him heal his wounds faster, but also making him stronger, his bones denser, his muscles more tensile.

The cycle of violence repeated, with Shawn trading two scratches this time for another nigh- fatal wound. In this form, he felt no pain, after all he had no reason to- pain is only an instrument used to protect the living.

“It is just a matter of time,” Shawn replied with a grin, and this time the Orc Titan looked in his direction- perplexed by the monster who couldn’t die.

Jack stared right back at it with his ensnaring eyes, making eye contact and then holding it.

[Eye of Undeath activated. Due to tier difference, only five clones can be manifested.]

The Orc looked around in many directions in a frenzy, starting to feel some level of danger from this new monstrosity.

“Shak Krai’nal Mukris!” The Orc roared, and Shawn was familiar with those words- but this time they were tinged by a bit of anxiety and fear. It felt as if the Earth itself roared alongside him. Shawn watched calmly as the grass, soil and dirt rose from the ground, floating in the air for a second before rushing towards the Orc. Moments later, an earthen armor in the contrasting hues of green and brown was born- complete with a helmet, chestplate, leg greaves, boots and gloves.

‘So you finally decided to hide in your shell, eh?’ Shawn thought to himself, no longer taunting the Orc because it would give away his position as the real body.

All the six ghoul clones strafed towards the Orc Titan, approaching from different directions. The Orc Titan manifested an orb of sand, dirt and rock, before launching it at one of his phantoms. The target was on its mark, but it was only a clone.

The Orc Titan ran towards the one approaching from its south-east, slamming its wooden mace on top of the Ghoul’s head, aiming to squish it to nothingness.

Unfortunately for the Orc Titan, it was another clone. And by now, Shawn was close enough.

‘Sea of Miasma.’