Their assaults consistently fell short of reaching their full potential, yet they remained effective as long as their momentum held. Regrettably, it faltered on multiple occasions. Nonetheless, such setbacks proved inconsequential. With the night as their ally and no opposition daring to challenge them, the occasional stumble did little to deter their relentless pursuit. The possibility of David escaping or falling into the clutches of the Dobrouteses held little concern; any outcome was acceptable. They were not merely hunters; they were genuine, opportunistic predators, dismissing any pretense of artificiality.
Detractors might label them as "uncultured" or "senseless beasts," and there was a degree of truth in both accusations. Unlike their bloodsucking counterparts, they embraced their primal instincts to the fullest. However, this innate connection with their animalistic nature intensified their insatiable cravings. Their physical prowess was already formidable; they had no need for larger muscles or ostentatious abilities. Their pursuit was driven by a desire to address their own deficiencies, to fill the void of personal shortcomings, thereby elevating the thrill of the hunt.
Having achieved the First Metamorphosis, the Exclusive Ability granted heightened his sense of smell, proving most effective when pursuing larger prey.
After reaching the First Metamorphosis, she acquired an Exclusive Ability that heightened her hunting instinct, allowing her to assess a target's potential and forecast the safest approach route with precision.
While their Exclusive Abilities might have seemed auxiliary compared to other First Metamorphoses, dismissing their potential for further growth would be unwise. As they and others progressed to the next Metamorphosis, the prospect of continuous evolution loomed. Unlike others who might gain something entirely new, their journey promised a continuous cycle of evolution.
However, the development of their Exclusive Abilities remained a concern for the near and distant future. Today, and even now, relying solely on the Abilities bestowed upon them was not foolproof.
…
"What's that?" Ramon abruptly halted his persistent assault on the barricading net at the entrance to the bounty's apartment within The Gray.
A tickle in Ramon's nose signaled a familiar scent, one he had previously encountered with little attention. Gradually intensifying, the scent conjured a vivid image of its source in his mind.
Accompanying the elusive scent was a smudge on the net, seemingly emanating from within – a detail Sierra keenly observed. The smudge expanded at an alarming pace, surpassing the speed at which Ramon could discern the source of the scent. It escalated far too rapidly for them to react physically.
The Werewolves' ears twitched in response to a frantic sound repeatedly chanting, "Seven! Seven! Seven!" This auditory warning was swiftly followed by the smudge assuming a recognizable form – that of a woman cloaked in black attire. It remained unclear whether the outfit belonged to a Ninja. A formidable force propelled her through the net, heading straight for them as they focused their attacks on the same spot.
The impact was swift and forceful, akin to a colossal cannonball striking their nightmarish wolf heads, throwing them backward and shattering their muzzles upon contact. Subsequently, the woman in black materialized. Her countenance remained concealed, strongly suggesting she was a Ninja. Despite her diminutive stature, even when compared to their human forms, she exuded a presence that overshadowed most others, regardless of their form.
However, when she collided with them, propelled by the invisible force that had already caused profuse bleeding, the impact surpassed even the metaphorical cannonball in its intensity – an even larger and harder figurative cannonball!
Sierra, Ramon, and Noel were sent hurtling off the building like three rag dolls tossed aside by a capricious little girl who preferred Barbies.
In contrast to the Lycanders, Noel suffered less injury. Perhaps it was due to David's trap combined with the Wormhole Dimension, forcibly closing it before the impact. It could have been designed as a cunning Wormhole meant to redirect invaders to the Terminal Dimension. Alternatively, it might have functioned as an assault Rune concealed in the Material Dimension, charging and firing when the net sustained significant damage on the other side.
Numerous possibilities crossed Noel's mind, each accompanied by a speculative "Could be". However, as they continued to be propelled through the air by the invisible force, Noel refocused her thoughts on the imminent issue of landing.
There exists a threshold to the resilience of a First Metamorphosis, even for those with a comprehensive understanding. Furthermore, Metamorphosis refines the finest attributes of an individual in their preferred direction. Some individuals predominantly enhance their physique, while others prioritize the development of their intellect. There are those whose focus is divided, whether evenly or not, resulting in a Metamorphosis that incurs minor rather than major alterations – a decision not to be dismissed, as perspectives may differ. Ultimately, Metamorphosis is a deeply personal journey with infinite potential Paths, constrained only by the individual.
Noel's First Metamorphosis branched into three distinct categories: Fitness (35%), Character (65%), and Magick Ions (100%), as indicated by her Condition Rune. Although the precision of this division was not a conscious decision, the Metamorphosis inherently extracts the best qualities and preferences residing in the person's subconscious, amplifying them.
This leads to a pertinent question: for someone with lower physical endurance compared to her fellow free divers, whom should she latch onto to mitigate the impact with the ground most effectively?
'The oaf is bigger and absorbed the majority of the impact. Plus, I hate him...I hate them both, but when I hit them, his fur did feel softer and silky. I wonder what conditioner he uses... Focus! Yeah, you hit your head, but this brain of yours has already proven useless in getting me out of this mess. No reason to let further harm to it worsen the entire situation!'
Noel extended her arms and legs, taking in the view for a fleeting moment. Falling from the tenth floor wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the extreme velocity.
"Hey, buddy!" she yelled to Ramon. "Catch me!"
Hearing her voice as she emerged, Ramon recalled, 'Did I not kill her?' and then wondered, 'She wants me to catch her?' He swung with his claws.
Noel deftly maneuvered her body, avoiding the swing. "You use too much force. Try being gentler. Ready?"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Ramon shot her a murderous look. The ground was rapidly approaching, and it would be a painful impact if he didn't compress his muscles in time, leaving no room for a second blow at the audacious woman.
Beneath the veil of her face, Noel grinned. A provoked opponent tends to act irrationally. She smoothly landed on Ramon's back as he reoriented to face the ground.
With a resounding "BOOM," Sierra made the initial contact with the ground. As Ramon followed suit, Noel seized the moment: "Deadly Silent Footwork!" Her feet left behind an elegant black trail matching her outfit as she sprinted back to the Material Dimension, leaving the two Werewolves in her wake.
"Wait," Sierra intervened to prevent Ramon from pursuing. "She's not the target, and..." She observed Noel until the moment she departed the Terminal Dimension. "It would be a prolonged hunt. Save it for another time."
Ramon rubbed his muzzle but didn't contest. Both Werewolves raised their heads. Now, only three of them remained.
"Leave him," Sierra decided similarly regarding the eighth concealed individual. "Focus on the net." She observed amidst the falling debris and the dissipating cloud of dust where the road transformed – The Terminal Dimension mirrors the Material Dimension, and sooner or later, it will regain its original form. "It's not reconstructing."
"She emerged from the interior of the building in the Material Dimension. Are you certain we should continue from The Gray?"
Sierra's silence served as her response. She stretched her body, let out a howl with multiple meanings, and charged at the building on all fours, with Ramon following suit. In no time, the two resumed their assault, tearing through the net.
…
The situation was beyond awkward, but she had to confront it. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and ensured her outfit was straight – particles of Material Dimension's matter couldn't escape it. Fortunately, she looked impeccable, and the outfit was seamlessly intact. It wasn't ordinary fabric.
Raising her hand, she waved. "Hi. Bye. Deadly Silent Footwork!" Noel bolted, leaving Colan, Novak, Galeward, the half-snake half-human Taura, and the constricted David dumbfoundedly watching her shadow.
"She was..." Novak scratched his head.
"Fast," Galeward continued.
"Quick-witted," Colan remarked.
"Carrying a Werewolf's stench," Taura sniffed.
"Mmm mmm mm," David mumbled – Taura's snake body covered his mouth.
"Is this newfound enthusiasm because we opted to eliminate the bounty instead of promptly returning you to the House?" Taura inquired, leaning in. With crescent pupils, he scrutinized the bite wound he had inflicted on his captive's neck. "Before we departed from the House, the Lord tested my venom on a First Metamorphosis human. The wound became infected. Within the first few minutes, they transformed into an abomination. After an hour, decay set in, and death followed. Intriguing... aside from the two puncture holes, you, at least superficially, appear completely unscathed. What's your secret, the so-called 'Cursed Template'?"
Of course, David remained silent.
"Can't we drain them?" Now that the unexpected encounter with Noel was behind them, Galeward inquired, referring to the four police officers he had enchanted.
"Mm!" This time, David had something to say, and Taura allowed him to speak.
"The Lycanders have already attacked the local law enforcement," he steered clear of the subject of his arsonist act at the Crime Lab like it was fire. "Release them, or the Adjudicator will intervene, and it won't be in favor of any of us."
"Release them," for once, Colan concurred with David. "Mortal blood won't hasten our recovery, especially after consuming as many potions as we have, and you can control your hunger."
They entered the building's lobby and ascended the stairs. Upon reaching the hallway on the tenth floor, they came to a halt.
"No traps, or were they activated by the others while we were engaged in the fight?" Colan inquired of David, who once again remained silent.
"Don't proceed," Taura cautioned. "I smell," he sniffed. In his Nāga form, his sense of smell was second only to the Lycanders'. "Very vaguely, the woman from before," he stated, fixing his gaze on David. "She entered through the Material Dimension but emerged from The Gray when we encountered her."
"She couldn't have killed the bounty and departed. We would have sensed a Demonic Presence rising," Novak pointed out.
"Then she might have fallen into a trap, escaped, and decided it's not worth the risk to return..." Galeward speculated.
"Novak, your condition is better than mine and Galeward's. Scout what the Lycanders are doing in The Gray and check if the remaining individual is still present."
Novak nodded and descended the stairs. He could enter The Gray from inside the building, but he couldn't be certain if its counterpart in the Terminal Dimension was booby-trapped or not.
Five minutes later, he returned with his report. "The eighth person emanates their presence from their hideout. The Lycanders breached a section of the blockade. It seems that by midnight, they'll be able to access the apartment from The Gray. The road outside the building appears as if something heavy crash-landed on it. Apart from that, there are no additional markers of what transpired in our absence."
"Are you still up for fighting them?" Colan inquired of Taura.
"As long as the three of you can handle the rest, including eliminating the bounty before I need to retreat."
"Novak..."
"Bats Swarm!" Novak's left arm transformed into eight small bats.
The bats flew to the door, activating the Rune embedded in it that caught Noel off guard.
"I can't retrieve them!" Novak instantly grasped the severity of the suction force. Then, he saw the Lycanders on the other side of the door, and some of the puzzle pieces regarding the female Ninja and the outcomes of his scouting fell into place.
"Don't resist it. You can reform your arm once we retrieve the bats," Colan advised.
An amused laughter emanated from David's sealed mouth.
"Do you have something to say?!" Taura yanked his hair.
"Don't resist it? Hahaha. Truly a bunch of children, hahahaha!" His final burst of laughter resonated throughout the entire building.
His body was battered, and his Pool of Magic Ions in disarray, but he remained a force at the pinnacle of the First Metamorphosis. His vocal cords had the potential to deafen a regular person from close range.
Commotion swept through the building as startled residents reacted to David's laughter. As the first among them realized the alarming noise originated from inside the building and approached their doors, each door displayed an exterior circular silver Rune.
"It's the Moon Seal!" Galeward exclaimed. Simultaneously, the suction force at the Mir family's apartment door changed direction.
…
Sierra and Ramon detected the Dobrouteses' presence along with a scent that evoked the essence of death. Not the satisfying kind of death after a successful hunt, but the scent of decay and rotting, leaving a bitter taste in one's mouth and signifying the most disappointing type of hunts.
With the scent came the sight of smudges on the net once again. This time, prepared, they braced themselves for the invisible force, tightly gripping the building's wall, ready for when it passed, knowing the net was at its weakest.
"Jump!" Sierra howled, but it was too late. Instead of being pushed, the force pulled them in.
Novak reassembled the bats in his arms just as the Lycanders appeared, and Galeward finished yelling the name of the Rune David had placed on every door.
"We must destroy the Mystic Integrity of the building or be stuck here for the rest of the night, and..." Galeward raged, hesitant to utter the final words.
"Moon Seal?" Sierra and Ramon readied themselves for battle upon spotting the Vampires and identifying the Nāga as the source of the putrid scent of death. However, they steadied themselves when realizing the predicament they had been drawn into.
Destroying the Mystic Integrity of an apartment permitted entry for those requiring permission. On the other hand, demolishing the Mystic Integrity of an entire building could be accomplished by either physically bringing it down or through the use of Runes, thereby connecting to the Mystic Integrity of the structure. While the building would remain physically intact, uninvited presences would be irresistibly drawn to it.
All creatures in need of permission shared an unspoken understanding of never sabotaging the Mystic Integrity of a home in the Material Dimension unless they were willing to face the consequences. First Metamorphoses lacked the resources to assume such consequences.
Aware of this, David's laughter intensified.
Understanding the latter part of Galeward's sentence, the words got stuck in his throat, and his laughter grew more intense. "The sun will rise inside!"