Lin closed his eyes after taking the fake Water Breather.
He was about to leap into the ocean.
But he stepped back. He could feel it. It’s vicious and hideous aura.
The sky around him darkened. Swifty blocking the sun. It was very near. Very near. As if it had been waiting.
Slash!
Lin tore through something that leaped at him from behind.
But it was nothing. No blood. No flesh. But he could definitely feel something tear.
He turned right. It came from the left.
Again slash! Kick! Tear!
Nothing. It just kept on disappearing.
” Come on out you bastard. Face me like a man if you can. ”
Lin had been bottling up his resentment towards the creature. It was about time for the eruption. The timing seemed just made up for that. It was happening.
” Miaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Take me to Mia. ”
Lin bared his fangs as soon her name came out from its mouth. He felt like shredding it to pieces. However that seemed to be never happening.
” Miaaaaaaaaaaaaa. ”
Lin paused for a moment. Was this thing aware where Mia was hiding? Was it waiting to be taken there?.
He picked up his guard again. He needed to lure it away from the shores.
Lin disappeared from his place, only to pop up a little further away from the spot. The creature was swift and caught up.
” Miaaaaaa. ” It kept on uttering . Then latched on Lin’s back.
” Ahhhhhh! ”
Lin roared in pain. It burnt. He tried to shrug the creature off himself. It could not be as it had no physical form. It was the air , it was like the wind.
Lin summoned his core energy. He had no other option. It was going to drain him from the inside. Perhaps keep him bed ridden for a while.
BLAST!
He radiated one pulse.
It worked. The creature flew away a few miles.
” Miaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Give me Mia! ”
But it looked unfazed. It scurried towards Lin backwards on all fours, with double the force he had been flung with.
It was peculiar how it had lost its physical form so rapidly. Lin remembered it wasn’t the case when he had kidnapped Mia. The effects seemed to have intensified over a very little time. Lin wondered what might have been the reason behind.
GRAB!
THUD!
“Ahhhhhhh! ” Lin fell face down as two pairs of phantom hands grabbed his feet from below, out of nowhere.
It dragged him face down leg up towards the water.
” Is it trying to use me to get to Mia inside water? ” Lin wondered even though there was no chance of the sort.
” Miaaaaaaa! ”
The creature yelled as it picked Lin up and slammed him against the waves.
As soon as the water touched Lin’s body , Lin could feel the creature’s essence creep under his vein.
” Noooooo! ”
Lin flung himself back on shore with another blast of his core strength. But he needed to escape the place. He was getting over exhausted.
In one last desperate attempt, Lin took his true form.
His ever changing eye colours now bright orange, matching his hair, body fur and tail.
He was in his immortal fox form. Invincible, unconquered.
Lin charged towards it this time. He had no time for defence. Though this was the ultimate form practiced by their tribe, it was unfortunately short lived.
The moment the over flowing energy left the body, it would go into coma for a few days. Lifeless and limp.
Lin had to shake this thing off before that and also get back to his nest.
But getting the information across to Mia was also important. But it had to wait for awhile. Atleast, till they figured out a way to appease or subdue this thing. Or atleast trap it momentarily.
It was even more dangerous at the moment because it was out of its physical form. Intangible. It was almost taking a ghostly spirit form. Able to take over other bodies.
It was a good thing Lin was able to track and stop the Human king from sending sacrificial humans tot he mer-world. This beast could have easily crept in.
The mere thought made Lin uncomfortable.
He held the creature between his paws and mauled it with his claws. He dragged and dumped it repeatedly as he kept vanishing and popping in different locations. Everytime, they went a little further from the ocean and nearer to the Fox lands.
Lin made it very sure to hold it by its head and hair. As Lin binged inside it’s remaining fragments of soul, he saw it’s desperation. Desperation because Lin’s child was about to be born.
The nearer the due date became, the crazier it’s urges made him. Lin suddenly let go of it in horror. The thoughts in it’s head was making Lin sick. It was unfathomable how this thing was once living.
Lin took his final strength and pounced on it on all four. He grabbed it’s neck between his teeth. He knew he was able to hold it momentarily because he was in his beast form. Otherwise it would have been impossible to harm it physically. Lin chewed at it’s veins and pipes.
It beared patiently. With out any sound. Did it not feel pain? Was it acting brave?
Perhaps it was because all his concentration was fixed on his object of achievement.
Lin tried to dismantle it’s limbs from it’s body. Piece by piece. Tearing it’s muscles and tissues. It however was no use. It got back within seconds , back to the main body, like magnet pulling metal.
However there was a little bit of damage. It did not rejoin in due proportions. It randomly fixed itself at different angle in the main body.
This was worse. Quite opposite to the desired result. The creature now looked even more frightening and deadly. An abomination out to devour.
Lin leaped inside the protective barrier around his palace. His eyes looking at the roaring nightmare outside as it slowly closed.