Jayden exhaled sharply. The beast’s Hp was higher than when he’d first spotted it weeks ago... it had probably been hunting and growing stronger.
But it was still within the range Jayden could handle. He’d done his research. Sabertooth Flares, despite their fire-based nature, had a notable vulnerability to toxins. Sothing about their accelerated tabolism making poisons spread faster through their systems.
Which was exactly why he’d been practicing with his Poison Secretion ability all week.
Jayden took a deep breath, centering himself. This was it. The fight he’d been preparing for. The battle with the leader of forest.
He moved through the forest with predatory grace. Every step was calculated, every movent designed to minimize sound. He approached the cave from downwind, making sure the beast couldn’t catch his scent.
When he was about fifty ters away, he stopped, positioning himself atop the branch of a large tree. From there, he had a clear line of sight to the Flare.
Now he just needed to get its attention.
After a while, Jayden leaped down from the tree, landing in the open space before the cave entrance with a heavy thud. He straightened, eting the Flare’s gaze directly.
The beast’s head lifted from its al, orange eyes fixing on him. For a mont, they just stared at each other.
Then the Flare... went back to eating.
It dismissed Jayden completely. As if he were no more threatening than a rabbit or a squirrel.
Jayden felt his eye twitch. "What the... huh?" He was confused, amused, and stunned.
The Flare continued tearing into the Dire Stag’s flesh, ignoring him entirely.
[Wow] Luna said, amusent coloring her voice. [That’s a first]
Jayden sighed. "Hey! Aren’t you gonna fight ?" he spoke, taking a few steps closer.
The Flare’s ear flicked in his direction, acknowledging the sound. But it didn’t stop eating, didn’t even look at him properly.
Jayden’s frustration mounted. He was being treated like he wasn’t even worth the effort to kill.
Then an idea struck him. If the beast wouldn’t attack him, then perhaps it would if he took its distraction out of the picture.
He raised his hand, focusing on the corpse the Flare was eating. His Telekinetic Force activated, invisible energy wrapping around the dead Dire Stag. With a ntal effort, he lifted.
The corpse rose into the air, blood and gore dripping from it. The Flare’s head snapped up, confusion evident in its eyes as its al floated away from it.
"Looking for this?" Jayden called out, grinning despite the tension.
The Flare growled... a deep, rumbling sound that seed to make the ground vibrate. But still it didn’t charge. Instead, it sat back on its haunches, watching its al float further away with what could only be described as annoyance.
"Co on," Jayden taunted, moving the corpse higher. "If you want it, co and get it."
The Flare’s tail lashed back and forth. A low growl built in its chest. But still it held its ground, displaying a level of intelligence and restraint that most beasts lacked.
[It’s smart] Luna observed. [Just like the Winter Wolf. It recognizes a trap when it sees one]
"Then I guess I need to be more convincing," Jayden thought.
Then he pulled back with his telekinesis, and threw the corpse with all the force he could muster. The dead Dire Stag flew through the air like a missile, sailing over the treetops and disappearing into the forest with a distant crash.
For a mont, there was absolute silence.
Then the Sabertooth Flare’s entire body ignited.
Flas erupted across its fur, turning it from a beast into a living inferno. Its mane blazed brighter, becoming a corona of white-hot fire. The temperature in the clearing spiked dramatically, making sweat imdiately bead on Jayden’s forehead.
The beast was pissed.
And the aura it released was imnse... a crushing weight of predatory fury that made Jayden’s knees want to buckle.
The Flare threw its head back and
roared.
The sound was deafening, a primal challenge that echoed through the forest and sent flocks of birds fleeing from nearby trees. The very air seed to ripple with the force of it.
Then it looked at Jayden.
And this ti, there was no dismissal in those eyes. Only rage.
Jayden smirked. "Glad to finally have your attention." Then he activated his own Beastlord Aura, letting it surge outward to et the Flare’s challenge. The two auras collided in the space between them, creating a visible distortion in the air.
The Sabertooth Flare dropped into a crouch, muscles bunching beneath its flaming hide. Its saber-tooth fangs glead in the firelight, each one easily as long as Jayden’s forearm.
Jayden settled into his fighting stance, claws extending from his fingertips with a soft snikt sound. His eyes began to glow with amber light.
For one perfect mont, everything was still.
Then they charged.
The Flare moved like liquid fire, covering the distance between them in seconds. Its massive paw ca around in a devastating swipe, claws extended and trailing flas.
Jayden ducked under it, feeling the heat singe his hair. He ca up inside the beast’s guard, his own claws aid at its exposed belly.
But the Flare twisted mid-strike with impossible agility, bringing its other paw around in a backhand blow.
Jayden barely got his arms up in ti. The impact sent him flying backward, his feet leaving the ground as he sailed through the air. He crashed into a tree hard enough to crack the bark, the breath driven from his lungs.
The system flashed a notification instantly:
[HP: 705/780]
Pain exploded across his back and shoulders, but Jayden was already moving. He rolled sideways just as the Flare’s jaws snapped shut where his head had been, its fangs punching into the tree trunk like spears.
Jayden used the mont while it was occupied to create distance, leaping to another tree and then to the ground, putting a dozen ters between them.
The Flare wrenched its head free, splinters of wood falling from its fangs. It turned to face him, and for the first ti, Jayden saw sothing other than rage in its eyes.
Respect. Recognition that he was actually prey worth hunting.
"That’s more like it," Jayden muttered, shaking off the impact.
The Flare prowled forward, circling him. Flas dripped from its body like water, scorching the ground wherever they fell. The heat was intense, making it hard to breathe, turning the air shimr and waver.
Jayden circled as well, keeping his eyes on the beast. He couldn’t get too close to that mane... the flas were hot enough to cause serious burns even without direct contact. And those paws... every step the Flare took left scorched pawprints in the earth.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
The Flare lunged again, and this ti Jayden was ready. He sidestepped the charge, his hand shooting out to rake his poisoned claws across the beast’s flank as it passed.
His claws found purchase, tearing through fur and flesh. Dark blood welled up, and Jayden felt his Poison Secretion ability activate, toxins flooding into the wound.
The Flare howled. It spun faster than sothing its size should be able to, whipping its tail around like a flaming club.
Jayden ducked, but not quite fast enough. The tail caught his shoulder, and he felt his jacket ignite. He imdiately ripped it off and threw it aside, watching it burn.
The beast stood farther away now, looking fierce and angry, trying to heal its wounded flank. But the poison Jayden put in its system was working. He could see it in the way the Flare moved, a slight hitch in its step, a tremor in its muscles.
Then, impossibly, flas erupted from inside the wound itself. The fire burned with different intensity, concentrated and precise. And as Jayden watched in disbelief, the bleeding stopped. And the poison in the beast’s system seed to just...
burn away.
[Hmm] Luna said, surprised. [Looks like it can purge toxins with its own flas]
"Great," Jayden murmured sarcastically. "There goes my advantage."
But in reality, he wasn’t fazed. If the beast could burn out the poison, he just needed to put more in faster than it could purge. A war of attrition.
He could work with that.
The Flare charged again, and Jayden t it head-on this ti. They clashed in a fury of claws and fire, trading blows that would have killed normal Evolved humans instantly.
Jayden ducked a swipe aid at his head, his own claws raking across the Flare’s chest... inflicting more poison into its body. He twisted away from snapping jaws, feeling the heat of the beast’s breath on his face. His foot lashed out, catching the Flare in the ribs.
The beast stumbled but recovered quickly, flas erupting from its mouth in a concentrated stream.
Jayden dove to the side, the fire scorching the ground where he’d been standing. He rolled, ca up on his feet, and imdiately had to dodge another attack.
It was brutal. Relentless. The Flare fought with the savage efficiency of an apex predator, and its flas made every exchange dangerous. More than once, Jayden felt fire lick at his skin, leaving red burns that his healing factor struggled to keep up with.
But he was landing hits too. His claws found flesh repeatedly, each strike injecting more poison into the Flare’s system. And slowly, increntally, it was taking effect.
The beast’s movents beca less fluid. Its attacks, while still dangerous, ca a fraction of a second slower. The flas around its body flickered and dimd slightly.
Then sothing changed.
The sky above them, previously darkening with evening, suddenly brightened.
Jayden glanced up, and what he saw made his lips curl upward into an excited grin. It was a full moon... massive and silver, cresting the horizon and flooding the forest with pale light.
Instantly, the system notification appeared:
[Full Moon Detected]
[Lunar Empowernt has been Activated]
[All stats have been increased by 100% for the duration of moonlight exposure]
[Temporary Stats:
*Strength: 192 >> 384
*Speed: 214 >> 428
*Agility: 112 >> 224
*Stamina: 221 >> 442
*Perception: 83 >> 166
*Defense: 124 >> 248]
Power flooded through Jayden’s body like liquid lightning. His muscles swelled slightly, cords of enhanced strength rippling beneath his skin. His senses sharpened to supernatural levels. And his speed... his speed beca sothing else entirely.
Jayden clenched his fist, a feral grin spreading across his face. "Alright..." he muttered, locking gazes with the beast. "...let’s dance."
Then he moved.
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