This time we saw the head of the tiger burst out of the dense foilage. We thought that was all this time, till we heard another loud growl behind us.

I watched Gabriel place his hand on the corpse of the tiger he slew and his body lit up with an orange glow.

That one had an ability.

Gabriel rushed back to join us, but that was a very foolish mistake.

You do not turn your back to a cat.

I screamed at him to turn around, pointing frantically at the speeding feline on his tail. It would catch up in a few short bounds.

It was right on his heels and pounced.

Luckily, he rolled out of the way when its feet left the ground.

Fuck, my heart.

I'm tired of this shit.

Our greatest asset could not die.

I hurried over to his side to provide support with Mark on my tail.

We left the others to deal with the second tiger, after all Malcom was with them. They would be fine.

10 minutes later we had made quick work of both of them with no casualties. Still, we all remained tense. I could still hear the growls all around.

We had Mark and Malcom absorb the abilities of the tigers we slew.

No one said anything, but I knew in my heart they thought it was a waste on me.

In a few short minutes, 4 more tigers emerged from the forest.... Kreg had to join us from the other side of the camp this time. Luckily they had split themselves up in two pairs at the opposite ends.

I saw the ability absorbed from the tigers in action. Marks body swole up, his muscles bulging and straining against his clothes.

He dropped his sword and lowered himself into a grapling stance. I had no idea what martial art it was, but he sure as hell looked cool and dependable.

Gabriel on the other hand was starting to show signs of fatigue. The white glow on his body had dimmed significantly and his clothes were soaked in sweat. This did not bode well for the rest of us.

The tigers rushed us as a pair.

They ran straight for me again. It was just insulting at this point.

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I knew I was weak, no need to rub it in. Fuck.

I braced myself and waited.

Before they reached our position, Mark pushed his feet off the ground and shot out like a cannon. He left dirt flying in every direction and two large depressions the shape of his feet in the dirt.

Unfortunately, his sandals were a casualty, but what was one to expect when his entire body grew to twice its size? Add the strain of what he just pulled off to the equation and you get sandal confetti.

His clothes were barely holding on, and I thanked God there was no wardrobe malfunction.

There I was again.

Thanking God.

This aethism thing was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

Mark collided with the first tiger and the ground shook. I could see the muscles of the beast swell and twitch. It was using it's ability, which I really shouldnt have been that surprised about, but it was one of the first I had seen use its ability actively. It made one wonder what on earth was going on with the initial wave of wolves. It almost felt like someone was fattening a turkey before thanksgiving.

It did not sit right with me at all, but I was grateful. We all would have died if not for that small mercy.

As Mark engaged and stalled the tiger, Gabriel had already engaged the other. Kreg ran over to help him while I headed straight for the one Mark had in a headlock? Damn.

I ran over, willing the energy in my heart to move and cover my sword. I saw the grey aura sputter to life as I approached the beasts left flank. I didnt waste any time and began slashing at its exposed side.

Its skin was tough, but the blade paired with the aura still managed to leave deep gashes.

Mark changed his grip, trying desprately to keep its claws at bay. That's when I noticed the shallow scratch marks all over his chest and stomach.

I did not want to imagine what that would do to my unpowered body.

Mark managed to maneuver himslef to the beasts back. His arms wrapped under each of the tigers front legs and ended with both hands holding its head down firmly to put it in some sort of hold.

I did not waste the opportunity and stabbed it in its neck. I was careful not to put in too much force behind it, otherwise I would have skewered Mark as well.

As tough as it fur was, its underbelly and neck weren't as protected, so the sword pireced through with little resistance.

I did not stop at that and flicked my wrist to the right, opening a large gash across its throat.

Mark let the body drop and this time I got to absorb its ability.

Text slowly formed in front of me, this time the words were clearer and much brighter. After my mind registered the formation was complete, it absorbed the text greedily.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Black blood forced its way out of my mouth as I coughed out something foul. The energy snaked around my heart and coiled around it. The process sent pulses of pain throughout my body.

Mark hadn't gone through this, so why me? I doubled over and retched. More black fluid poured out of my open mouth.

I was starting to think it wasn't just blood, because it smelt so horrible.

The pain subsided with time and...... I felt great. The dull ache I always had in my chest was gone. I had no idea what it meant for me, but all I knew was the glow of energy around my heart was a lot brighter than before. It was clear I had gotten healthier and stronger.... Fuck. Tears left my eyes. I felt a physical weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I looked around and noticed the other tiger was already dead. We weren't so lucky this time around. Gabriel's leg had very deep gashes in it. The old man was pale and beads of sweat gathered on his forehead.

Kreg.... Kreg wasnt so lucky. His head had been crushed. He was very very dead.

My mind barely registered what I was seeing before something happened.

The earth shook and the forest began to move. The bushes, the vines and even the trees began to make way, to form a path free of obstacles right down its center.

"Congratulations. We welcome you. The worthy, the lucky".... "and, the Unfortunate."