"WHAT... IS THAT?!" Ace yelled.

Keeping her eyes focused on the creature, Stellis responded quickly.

"It's the creature that attack my envoy. Ripped through the trucks like butter and through my subordinates even more easily. I only survived because of my Notch ability and stalling it out until the morning. Now, get up!"

Groaning in pain, Ace rose to stand beside Stellis while pulling out his crowbar. Aided by the moonlight he was able to get a good look at the creature.

The beady red eyes and impossibly long canines were the first thing he noticed. It looked like a Sever Rat, only it was about three times bigger than he was. It had long triangular shaped ears, an upright snout, and extremely long appendages with terrible looking blade-like claws at the end of them. Despite its massive size, it was easily clinging to the branches that even he was too scared to walk on.

Stuck in an intense stare down with the beast, Ace pulled up the creatures guide entry.

---

Vampire Bat

Highest Grade on Earth : Grade 3

Number Detected in Vicinity : 1x Grade 1 (Frenzied)

Typical Behavior

- Ambush predator that feeds on the blood and organs of other creatures

- If it has not eaten for an extended period of time it will enter a frenzied state in which both strength and speed are increased

- These beasts will always be stronger at night and weaker in the day due to absorbing lunar radiation

Special Abilities

- Can see sources of blood through solid objects

- Can communicate with others of its kind using sever infused sound waves that are undetectable to any creatures but their own

---

Quickly scanning the entry, he looked for anything that would give them the upper hand on the beast.

'Not a damn thing! This information is actually just downright discouraging!'

Dismissing the screen in annoyance, he spoke to Stellis with a plan in mind.

"You think we can stall this thing till morning?"

Settling into a combat stance, she spoke quietly, sounding troubled.

"That won't be possible. I only did so because the creature attacked late into the night and because I am Grade 2. While there may be two of us, I only have a quarter of my reserves back and I suspect you aren't at full strength. We will have to kill thi-"

The beast interrupted her.

Having finished whatever sort of primal analysis it was conducting on the two, it determined that they would be its next meal. It went for Stellis first, easily clearing the multi dozen foot gap between them with a powerful jump.

Outstretching a claw, it aimed for her abdomen, the only spot besides her head in which there was a hole in her armor. Whipping her sword down with her wrist, she managed to redirect the claw, making it gouge through the armor on her side.

Before she could retaliate, the creature swatted at her with the other arm, creating a sickening crunch on impact and sending her flying into a tree off in the distance.

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Ace looked on in both shock and terror at the beast who now had its sights set on him. He backed up until he hit the tree trunk. Escape wasn't an option. He would have to dodge the creatures charge and he wasn't confident he could manage such a feat.

When the beast moved earlier, he could only see a blur before it attacked Stellis. He wasn't sure how she had managed to block the strike.

Out of options, Ace prepared himself to be gutted by the creature.

'Just like the first Raven, I'll let this thing take a stab and then I'll kill it! The beasts can't regenerate like we can!'

Trying to repress a grim smile, Ace waited patiently and tightened his grip. He waited with bated breath as Vampire Bat crouched down, preparing to charge at him. In the next instant it was upon him, aiming one of it arms right at his stomach.

Clenching his teeth, Ace braced himself as the blade skewered him. In the same instant, he thrusted forward with his crowbar, expecting to bury it in the face of the ugly creature.

Much to his surprise, the beast dodged his strike, leaving him at a loss. Then, the creature's lips curled upwards and it looked down at him as if to say "You thought that would work?"

Giving him no time to recover, the creature raised its other arm and swung for his head. Ace's mind screamed at his body as he struggled against the blade lodged in his stomach.

'Move damn it!'

Gritting his teeth, he used his elbow and upper arm to grip the arm blade and rotate his whole body, causing even more damage to his insides. In return, his life was saved as the Bat's other arms sailed through the air harmlessly above him. Now fueled with adrenaline, he mustered Sever energy in his leg and kicked the creature's arm with all his might, making it screech in pain and thrash around.

In the Bat's flailing, Ace was repeatedly slammed into the ground by the creature before it whipped around its arm, causing him to slide off the blade and into the air.

Barely hanging onto consciousness and still airborne, he focused his Sever energy on the massive hole in his stomach..

Before he crashed into the trunk of another tree, he was caught mid-air by a pair of armored hands. Together, he and Stellis landed on a tree fairly far from the creature. They could still hear its pained cries. Taking advantage of the brief respite, Stellis talked to him.

"That was crazy, what you did... Sacrificing your own body to kill an opponent? Ridiculous! Now look at you, wasting your energy to heal an injury you could have avoided! That could have been used for your Notch ability or enhancement! It was a net negative!"

Now furious, Ace spat back.

"Net negative?! Please. At least I actually damaged the thing! You have two arms, are from the city, probably have formal training, and still lost, are you kid- ARRGHH"

Coughing up a mouthful of black blood Ace fell to his knees.

Stellis looked down with a grim expression.

"You've been poisoned..."

Speaking in between mouthfuls of blood, Ace managed to respond.

"So?"

Stellis turned back around towards the sound of the bat's cries.

"While you can certainly heal using the sever, we are now on a timer. I'm sure you know you can't heal, use enhancement, or use your ability at the same time..."

Understanding dawned on Ace as he focused his energy around his stomach. He could now hear the creature jumping from tree to tree towards them.

"So, you're saying I won't be able to focus on completely on purifying the poison until this thing is dead. But... that would likely require me to use the Sever, thus preventing me from healing and increasing my chances of dying before hand. And if I die, then you likely follow."

His companion only nodded her head as they caught sight of the creature. It would take it at least another dozen seconds to reach them.

Looking at his reserves that were now in the single digits, Ace whispered a quick plan to Stellis. Wasting no time with complaints, she jumped away and into the canopy above.

Only a few seconds after she did so, the bat jumped from a nearby tree and barreled into Ace, launching the both of them into the thick trunk. Now bleeding internally from cracked ribs, Ace gripped one of the creatures scythe-like arms and closed his eyes, feeling for what he knew was there.

Like a beacon in the darkness, the bat's balance point shimmered like a bright golden ball in its dark body. Using half of what remained of his energy, he dislodged the ball from its center in the creatures body and moved it to its other arm, completely immobilizing the Bat and it's deadly weapons.

Coughing up even more blood, he shouted into the dark canopy above "DO IT NOW STELLIS".

In response to his signal, she dropped out of the canopy like an artillery bomb, aiming her sword directly for the creature's skull.

Just before the moment of impact however, the creature tilted it's head backwards and at a 90 degree angle, making her blade miss its mark and fall harmlessly through the gaps in its teeth. Flailing without coordination, the creature fought the change of balance in its body with all it's might, making Stellis' footing unsteady and almost forcing Ace to lose his grip.

Doubling down in his efforts, Ace used the last bit of his energy to move the balance point into the creatures skull. In an instant, the creature's head dropped into the thick branch, cracking it.

With her target now as still as a rock, Stellis plunged her sword into the Bat's skull, ending the fight.

Out of breath, Ace rolled onto the floor as he felt his insides being ravaged by poison.

Looking up into the canopy of leaves above, he saw speckles of moonlight breach the barrier and light up his vision.

As he was admiring the sight, Stellis cut off his view, standing over him.

Taking a knee with her sword, she shook her head before speaking quietly. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"You're out of Sever Energy aren't you?"