SLASH! CRUNCH!
At a random area in the Fluffbane forest, a fight so ferocious took place. The Sunlight barely shone, the trees were so tall and filled the whole forest with its large leaves
Dozens Fluffbanes and some Fangbanes surrounded two figures, each of them clad with a weapon. The first one held a nearly-broken short sword, the other wore simple dark gauntlets.
Blood splashed everywhere, the whole area was bathed in blood. Some of theirs and some from the monsters.
They were moving swiftly attacking, slashing, and eating the Fluffbanes. The Fangbanes were much stronger, forcing them to put much of their focus on killing them.
The Gauntlet wielder, his hair was as crimson as blood, his eyes were of different colors, one dark and the other vermillion. He crouched and assisted his weight with his right knuckle on the ground.
The short sword wielder was like a fighter, with his blue hair and his smile that never fades away like a sticker attached to his face. Holding the sword in his right hand, he placed it on his shoulder.
The two figures stood side by side in front of another hoard of Fluffbanes coming from afar.
They were Ash and Aeris.
Ash, while he was crouching, ate a Fluffbane that he held using the other hand.
"You ready, Ash? Another hoard is coming." Aeris said with a smile that reeks pure confidence.
[You have slain a LV.2...]
[10 EXP gained!]
'open...' Ash thought. A panel shimmered in front of his eyes which he only could see.
[Level: 2]
[EXP: 70/400]
"Ahh, I'm ready. Smiley." Ash said with a smile arching wide on his face.
Ash had already reached level 2 thanks to the last hoard. Still, he returned to be a mangle.
He didn't only fight some of them like the very last time. He fought so many, yet he couldn't kill most of them. But he was able to kill some of them, including two Fangbanes.
The Fangbanes that chose Ash as their opponent were both Lv.5. Their fight was deadly. Not only did Ash struggled to kill them, he also got bitten and slashed so many times, causing his body to get mangled once more.
'The Fangbanes are really strong...' Ash murmured after spitting the remains of the Fluffbane he just ate.
Fortunately, he didn't get mangled like the first time when Reive tortured him. Still, his body was messed up.
But he didn't care about getting himself mangled anymore. He had a healer on his side now.
Although Ash didn't know how did Aeris got this healing aspect, he still didn't question him. Ash didn't even care. If Aeris is a healer, then it's good.
Ash stood up and rotated his torso slightly to the left in a form of getting ready for the upcoming wave. The leveling hadn't finished yet.
Both of them watched in silence as the Fluffbanes were closing the distance.
Suddenly, Ash narrowed his eyes and Aeris did the same. They narrowed their eyes almost at the same time.
"Ash... This wave will be a pain in the..."
"Don't! Don't complete it... I already know."
What they saw was something unexpected. For their levels of course.
The Vilewarr... Haha, gotcha! No, it wasn't the Hollowbane. It was a wave of Fangbanes, They were about 10 to 15. The number itself made Ash and Aeris shiver.
They struggled against a single Fangbane to kill. Now, they are facing nearly 15 of them at the same time.
The real fight starts here.
Before the wave reaches them, Aeris raised his right hand and placed it on Ash's shoulder.
But, Ash slid it away.
"Don't worry, Aeris. I don't need your healing now. Save your stamina, because you will need every bit of it."
Aeris looked worried about his friend but he couldn't help but to nod.
Despite he returned as a mangle again, Ash was still standing as if his arms and legs didn't have missing chunks of meat. The EXP he gained fueled him with power he never expected.
Yes, he felt pain, so much pain. But his power now was something else. Still, his fighting style was so dormant like a child fighting another.
As the Fangbanes were coming closer, Ash lowered his gaze and opened his mouth slightly. He was immersed in deep thinking of a plan.
"Aeris, no matter how much I think of it, their numbers are too much for us. We need to split up. After you finish, you will find me near the river."
Aeris paused for a moment, processing the plan in his mind and then nodded in agreement.
Ash also nodded.
However, they waited. The Fangbanes was drawing closer with each passing second. When they appeared mere meters away did both of them dash to the sides.
Ash to right and Aeris to the left. Both of them glanced behind them as they sprinted and saw the wave split as well. Their plan worked.
Oh, Ash. How unfortunate you are. The wave included 13 Fangbanes. Eight of them chose Ash as their pray, leaving the rest for Aeris.
"SHIT!!!" Ash increased his speed. He was thinking amidst his dash of a way to kill all of them efficiently with the least damage he could take.
Putting in his mind his powers and manipulation, Ash found the best way to kill them one by one.
Ash stopped in his track and rotated. The first thing he saw was a small white figure with a single horn leaping towards his face.
And that what Ash exactly wanted, putting the fact that it was a LV.6 Fangbane aside.
Ash raised his arm horizontally, causing the Fangbane's maw to close on his arm instead of his face. Ash let the Fangbane bite as if he was powerless.
'Third rule of manipulation... Let them think you are the pray...'
A second later, the gauntlet was launched on its head, specifically, its eyes. The Fangbane shuddered from pain and released its grip. The creature got stunned.
Ash threw it and dashed away from the upcoming hoard. His plan wasn't totally right. He knew that their eyes was their weakness from the last fights with them.
But that blow didn't kill the little Fangbane.
Ash needed to deliver so many punches to its eyes in order to die. That if he was fighting only one, not eight of them.
Ash sprinted with his maximum speed. Now, his life is endangered and he can't kill all of them all at once. If he had a sword like Aeris, it would be much easier to kill them.
But with a mere gauntlet, it's pointless.
"DAMN YOU, SYSTEM! WHY GAUNTLETS? WHY?"
Upon reaching level 2, the system granted Ash a weapon, and that was the dark gauntlets he is currently wearing.
SLASH!
"UGH! Huh?!" A wide wound appeared on Ash's back as he was dashing away. Immediately, he fell down. This slash wasn't like any other slash he got.
When he rotated his face, A shiver ran down his spine.
All of the Fangbanes disappeared from his sight. Only... a blur here and there could be seen, indicating that they turned their bodies into the chainsaw ball form.
From that moment, Ash received many slashes all at once. He even tried to stand up and dash as fast as he can, but the Fangbanes destroyed his chance of running as they severely injures both of his legs.
Only now did Ash realize that him refusing Aeris's healing was the dumbest thing he did.
More blood flowed out of his mangled body, a memory he didn't want to remember even the slightest of it.
The torture returned again. The difference is that, this time, it's more deadlier than before.
Seven Fangbanes ranged from LV.5 up to LV.7 attacking without a bit of mercy. Ash wanted to scream but he couldn't. The pain suppressed his voice to come out.
Amidst the Slash torture, A long double edged stick was thrown in front of Ash. His instincts was set under scorching heat to move and pick that stick up.
Each second passed, a new wound appeared on his body. Ash picked the stick and stood up while countless attacks devoured his being.
"Hehe... KHAA! The mangle never stays fallen... for long."
That wasn't a stick... It was a short sword!
Like the last torture with Reive, fate gave him another chance at the last second.