A breeze danced through alien tree limbs and rustled leaves as Domison sat perched upon a wide branch. The March from his home to this point in the forest had taken roughly an hour, which was long enough to allow the man to warm his muscles through battle. Since the Raze had installed the program that allowed some sort of back door into the system, Domison had actually started to see levels appear above creatures, as well as their system-designated names. While this definitely helped him plan his fights more thoroughly, it also put things into perspective. Nothing in the forest was below level twenty-five and the levels ranged all the way up to fifty, which was the area boss. It was no wonder that their group hadn't found any survivors this close to the forest, normal humans didn't stand a chance, newly classed or not.
Domison pondered this information as he swept his gaze over the surroundings once again. He had been able to locate the area boss's territory quite easily and had spent the past hour just watching and deciding on a plan of action. Shadows swirled around his still form and his breaths came in slow circulations as he practiced shrouding his presence, eyes taking in every intricate detail of the building he was observing. The warehouse he was watching was still standing, however, it was completely overgrown with plantlife, and the bay doors at the front had been torn asunder. The depths of the building were shadowy, but Domison's enhanced eyesight lifted the veil of mystery and he could just make out the massive form of the area monster shifting about inside. The loading area designated for the warehouse once used to efficiently load and unload merchandise, was now littered with carcasses. The ground was painted in blood, several pools cracked and dry, while others seemed nearly fresh, and if Domison focused his hearing, he could make out the wet crunching echoing within the building as the monster tore through another meal.
For several more minutes, the man just kept still, observing, breathing, and circulating the mana within his body as he held the shadows of the tree canopy around himself like a comforting blanket. He could feel impressions coming along his spiritual connection with Pabu and flashes of images playing across his vision. It seemed like his pup had been able to get into position without too much trouble and that meant it was time for him to start. Nodding to himself the man finally stirred, causing the branch beneath him to shudder as he shifted his weight. The next step of his plan was quite important, but not because it would create any benefit in the fight itself, but rather, because it was another step in the man's training.
Raze had once mentioned aura, specifically how Domison solidifying his inner world would be beneficial to his aura's power. The man had pondered upon this information for many meditation sessions, but it was actually during a training session in the forest that he was able to make any sort of breakthrough with his aura abilities. Just a few days earlier, in a particularly intense fight with a group of a dozen mana beasts all at level twenty-five, Domison had noticed something interesting. With every passing day his proficiency at sensing mana increased, but there were still beasts that he could not seem to perceive until the moment they attacked. In particular, there was a group of mana beasts that resembled canines, reminiscent of the wolf-like monsters from Myacept's brood that he had killed on their first trek through the forest. When they attacked Mel’s flank, Domison was barely able to protect her from the attack coming from behind her. He only just felt the presence of their mana in time to shift into place through the shadow world and take the fight himself.
It was during that stressful encounter that something seemed to click and after a few days of practice, Domison was able to retract his presence within himself. The first time he accomplished it Domison was quite shocked, as the world suddenly felt like he was observing it from underneath a burlap sack. While no sound was muffled, nor was his vision blocked in any way, he felt as though his perception of the world had been dulled. Building familiarity with this ability to suppress his presence, Domison started to solidify his understanding of what his aura was and how he could use it, which led to formulating his current plan.
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As Domison rose to his feet steadily on the branch, his breathing began to deepen and the mana coursing through his body began to flow with purpose. The light around the man began to dim even further, and this time the darkness even encroached upon the warehouse less than a hundred paces away. Frost began to plume from the man’s nostrils with every breath as he searched deep within himself, eyes closed. He was looking for a particular feeling, the sense of need that had grown within him with every battle, the pit within his center that seemed to grow ever deeper … The hunger.
Within the walls of the warehouse, a beast feasted. Ever since it had woken up in this strange new world, it had been able to hunt to its heart’s content. It seemed like there was prey everywhere, and the beast had been able to fill its belly to bursting. Never before had the Demonic Bear been able to enjoy such extravagant resources and it was relishing every bit of torn flesh that filled its stomach. Everything had been going so well for the system-sanctioned Area Boss, up until it stumbled upon the little hairless monkey, with its little black stinger. A massive paw anxiously pawed at the empty socket adorning its face as it remembered the feeling of its eye bursting and the terrible pain that came along with it. A growl rattled the Demon Bear’s home as it attempted to chase away the bad memories, and after shaking its massive head, it bent down to begin its feast anew.
It was at that very moment that the energy of the world shuddered. A deep and primordial fear crawled up the back of the Demon Bear’s spine as the predatory aura swept over it like a blizzard. For a split second, the Demon Bear cowered in fear before a beast of unimaginable hunger, then a voice split the air.
“I have come back for your other eye, big boy!”
Hot fury filled the Area Boss as it rose to four feet and let out an ear-splitting roar. It recognized the scent now, and without a second thought, it stormed forth out of its den. The thing that took its eye was standing beneath a tree, staring at the beast with a large and cruel smile splitting his face. The long, impossibly dark, stinger was in its right hand again, but this time something was different. Wispy black shadows enveloped its entire left arm and ended in sharp claws at the fingers. That wasn’t the only difference though… The thing had a different aura about it and the Area Boss was reminded of its own insatiable hunger.
Domison stared at the monstrously large creature that burst from the warehouse with a feral grin spread across his face. Mana saturated every inch of his skin and the circulation of power streaming through his channels caused a tingle to run up the man’s spine. Now that his aura was shadowing the entire area, he could see things much more clearly. His eyes picked up the subtle tilt of the Demon Bear’s shoulder as it compensated for its missing eye. He picked up on the way its muscles twitched and bunched as it contemplated his next moves. For a moment the man just took a deep breath like he was taking it all in before his grin widened even further and he spoke, “Time for round two. I’m about to turn you into my doormat, teddy bear.”
Those words seemed to be the decider for the area boss and its muscles clenched as it prepared to barrel forward. Then a black blur shot from the shadows next to the demon bear, colliding with its neck like a runaway commercial transport drone.