Aether Beasts

The area around Misty and the beast was utterly and completely silent as though the land itself had quieted down to spectate the fight that was about to occur.

"You think she's got this?" Sandra asked her eyes focused on Misty.

"She's the fastest and physically strongest of us," I replied. "She has a good chance, not to mention she can take a lot more damage than we can, just imagine getting hit by the claws."

I winced. The beast's muscular hands had sprouted claw gleaming claws that shone with the same putrid glow as its eyes. There were long, though nowhere near as long as Misty's whose now looked like curved swords rather than nails.

We waited as the two eyes on another, the beast mouth open in a snarl while Miyt barred her long fangs.

It was the beast who made the first move, moving forwards and taking a swipe at Misty at a far faster speed than I expected something of its size to possess, but Misty was too fast, even faster than normal, which I guessed was most likely due to the inner beasts, and the fact she wasn't holding back. It was clear from the way her eyes shone and her body was tensed. This was Misty the vampire. I hoped she could keep it under control, and I was going to continue to help her.

The beast followed up its first attack with another, but Misty twisted out of the way in mid-air and slashed at its face, though her claws struck its large teeth and bounced off.

As they fought I noticed that a thin layer of aether had formed and was coating Misty skin, like a shell. The death aether around the beats was hitting it, but it wasn't able to get through, and as I looked closer, I marveled at the pattern of the technique I'd never seen her use before. I wasn't sure, but I thought perhaps it might have been an instinctual reaction to the death aura surrounding the beast as the pattern was crude in some remarks while brilliant in others.

Misty hissed and finally managed to get off a lasting hit onto the beast. Blackish blood sprayed and the beast let out a pained roar as it swung wildly at Misty who unfortunately had been too close. One of its claws slashed across her chest and I felt my heart rate increase as blood sprayed from her.

There was no scream from the vampire though, in fact, she didn't even glance down at the wound, and it became apparent why a moment later as her wound began to slowly close. It was a shock to see the flesh regenerating that fast, but Zirani had said vampires have amazing regeneration even at lower levels.

"Urg." Sandra winced. "That had to hurt."

I nodded. "Probably, but I think she's too focused to care or really feel it."

I watched as the beast raised both claws and the glow around it seemed to shrink until only its claws were glowing. They shone brighter than ever before, and eyes began to water and sting just from looking at it.

I turned away, but not before it raised its hands and swiped at the air, sending forth to long blades of death at Misty, who managed to dodge the first, but the second twisted in mid-air, and stuck her shoulder, tearing it open.

"Damn!" I cursed.

"Should we help her?" Sandra questioned quickly.

Before I could respond, Misty flung her head back and let out an ear-piercing wail that reverberated through my body and my very bones. I pressed my hands against my ears and grit my teeth as my body shook.

Sandra looked no better with wide eyes and a bit of blood dripping from her ears.

When the sound finally ceased and I removed my hands from my ear, all I could hear was a ringing. I turned to Sandra who opened her mouth, but I simply shook my head.

"I can't hear you," I said, though I couldn't hear my own words.

Sandra just pointed and I followed her finger to Misty who looked beyond pissed.

I hurriedly checked our bond and cursed. She was on the knifes edge of losing control and all I could feel was anger, rage, and bloodlust so powerful I had to limit what was coming in from her side of the bond.

"Shit!"

Misty's shoulder was healing, though blood still seeped from the wound not that she seemed to care. A reddish mist poured from her mouth with every breath and aether was wildly surging around her body.

"Oh, fu—"

Sandra's words were cut off as Misty sprung forward, her step shattering the ground. She moved so fast all I saw was a blur then the next moment the beast was wildly flailing its arms and body around as Misty ripped a hole open near its throat and just as she'd done with the moss troll, she latched her mouth to the open wound and began to drink, not just blood, but aether and essence as well.

By now the ringing had died down and I could just barely hear the sounds of her devouring its blood alongside the beast's weak whimpers and roars. Its teeth moved up and down rapidly as it tried to twist its head to get at the vampire, but no matter what it did it wasn't able to reach her. Its claws tore at her, but with the flow of blood, essence, and aether entering her, it did little, not to mention every second it grew weaker and weaker.

"I definitely like the Misty better when she's calm." Sandra gulped. "This is just—"

"Brutal?"

Sandra nodded. "That's the word, brutal. Should we stop her? I mean will the core still be there after she's done?"

I shook my head. "She's draining its essence, and well I think it's best if we let her finish and calm down a bit."

Through our bond, I could still feel that she hadn't succumbed to the beast, but it had been very close. The moment her shoulder had been torn, the surge of emotion had been too great and like a fool, I hadn't been paying close attention. If I had I might have been able to help her, although at least she'd killed it.

After a few minutes, the beast fell quiet and limp and Misty tore her fangs from it.

I casually walked over. "Misty, you ok?"

The blonde snapped her head in my direction and for a second my eyes met her glowing orbs and I felt a shiver of fear run through followed by an instinctive tensing of my muscles and pulling aether from my core.

A second later though her eyes lost their glow and I realized what I was doing. My bark armor had been about to form around me. I dismissed it and offered a hand to misty who took it with a worried look on her face. "I'm sor—"

I shook my head to stop her. "It's fine. I mean I was about to get ready for a fight so I can't get too angry. You… you ok now?"

The anger and bloodlust was all gone, replaced by worry and shock, most likely at what had just happened.

"I-I am," She said shaikly. "I just… I just lost control for a second and then—"

She sighed. "This is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"Imagine it without the bond," I said and Misty winced.

"I don't want to."

"Is it safe now!" Sandra shouted.

"Yes!" I called back. "She's calm now."

Sandra walked over and whistled as she looked down at the beast's body. "Looks larger up close."

"I think we should take a quick break and then continue on," I suggested.

Thye both nodded and we headed over to the giant mushroom we'd been hiding behind before. Staying next to the corpse was not a good idea as nearby beasts sensitive enough to have felt what had happened might be on their way to the location, and well we couldn't really take a break if beasts kept interrupting us.

"So the ear-piercing wail," Sandra questioned. "Did you know you could do that?"

"No clue," Misty replied. "It was instinct and just sort of happened. I don't even know if it was a technique or just something I can do."

I tried to remember if I'd sense any aether at the time, but I had been too preoccupied with trying not to become deaf. I'd never heard of any abilities like that, though I suppose someone with the right affinities could do it.

"Do you think you could do that again?" I asked.

Misty frowned and I quickly added, "Not now! Later if I asked could you do it?"

"I think so." Misty shrugged. "I won't be sure until a try."

"Well don't try here," Sandra said as she took a bite of some bread.. "I'd like to keep my hearing please."