A Universe of Bloody Evolution

“Maybe I went too far... They left me and that hurt, it still does. But does it justify my attitude towards Hales? Or really anyone who tries to talk to me? After my first entry here, I had a lot of time to rage and think about my actions. And now that I think of it, Lily, as annoying as she is, maybe she was right all along. Maybe I am really throwing my life away.”

~ Second entry, Leo’s journal

The three Seekers didn’t attack straight away as Leo predicted. If anything the goddamned monster just continued to fly around in circles once Leo hid behind one of the many trees. The cawing stopped as well, leaving the rustling of leaves as the only constant sound in the forest.

Once again Leo took a few steps away from his hiding spot and just like before, the fury of the monsters came back in full force. Evidently, the Voidilings didn’t like it when Leo tried to move away from them.

Nothing can be too easy, right? He scowled, taking cover behind another thick tree. The song of death died out instantly and Leo’s grip on the shovel tightened as his gaze followed the three lurking figures above him.

Essence stirred within him and the familiar barrier formed, the last drops of his soul energy fighting to help its user. Despite that, it didn’t stop the Voidlings from continuing their onslaught on Leo’s ears the moment he stepped a few feet away from the tree.

So being an assassin won’t help here. Leo’s scowl deepened, stealth collapsing instantly to save the meager energy he still possessed. There is no way I can outrun them and I don’t plan to wait for an entire army of monsters to show up. Just great…

For a moment his eyes sought the wooden shed, but just as quickly, Leo averted his gaze, head shaking. This wasn't an option here, not when just a few minutes ago he promised himself to change his ways in this new world. Let’s do this.

Almost crushing the shovel’s shaft in his grip, Leo stepped a few feet away from the safety of his cover. His shoulders tensed as the birds acknowledged his challenge, a caw more resembling a screech piercing the air.

The smallest of the monsters dived, wings hugging its serpentine body as it neared Leo’s position.

Fast. Leo blinked, jerking away as the monster missed his body by an inch. Goosebumps spread on Leo’s uncovered skin as the blast of air hit him. Another bird followed its predecessor’s action and left Leo with barely any time to act.

His fingers slipped to the handle of his shovel, while his claws gripped the shaft tightly. The monster came closer with every millisecond and the moment it spread its wings, Leo whipped the shovel upwards.

His entire frame shook as the shovel’s blade met the creature’s body, a loud crack echoing through the area. The added force from Leo’s blow and the Voidling’s natural speed earned a long squeak from the Seeker as its body sailed through the air, straight towards the ground.

The monster's wings became twisted in ways that couldn’t be healthy, yet the Seeker still tried to move them, determined to return the favor. Not bloody likely, bitch. No getting up after this.

Ready to finish the beast, Leo ran forward, claws poised to tear the Seeker apart. The two remaining Voidlings obviously had a different plan as they finally rejoined the fight, spearing the air where Leo’s head was just a second ago.

Narrowing his eyes, Leo watched as one of the birds — the largest one — put itself between him and the fallen Seeker. The other creature also wasn’t idle. The monster flew higher and higher, continuing its hit-and-run tactic. A sound strategy if Leo wasn’t capable of dodging the attacks. The birds might be fast, but his increased Grace had given Leo an edge. More than that, those idiots weren’t even trying to be stealthy, their constant cawing acted like a perfect warning bell.

His trusty shovel in hand, Leo rushed forward, the larger bird squawking as it avoided the wild swings of the weapon. Not once did the monster try to attack and only continued to dance around the area, hoping to guide Leo away from its fallen comrade.

Smarter than it looks. Not that it will help you.

The third bird descended once again, another caw alerting Leo to the danger as he threw his body to the side. He winced when a particularly sharp rock tried to burrow itself into Leo’s kidney. It didn’t help that the backpack on his back only made him heavier.

A particularly loud noise forced Leo to push the pain away and roll away when the largest monster took his sorry state as an invitation.

By chance, Leo managed to gain enough distance and the Voidling finally backed off, returning to its fallen comrade.

Oh no, you don’t. Leo growled, throwing his backpack on the ground and dashing toward the duo. He ducked under the larger bird, his shovel forcing it away. It cawed in protest, but Leo paid it no mind.

Claws ready, they sailed at the wounded bird, spilling blood on the forest floor as half of its wing fell to the ground. The four ruby eyes glared at him as the monster squeaked, trying to drag itself away from Leo with the other broken wing.

Maybe if it was bigger than an average crow and had more than two limbs, then stepping on its head would have been more of a problem. Instead, Leo pressed harder, a loud cracking of bones coming from underneath his boot.

The small smirk that formed on Leo’s lips was quickly wiped off as the other two birds sang their story of revenge, both rushing at him with abandon. Their small beaks tried to clamp down on any exposed skin and Leo was hard-pressed to knock them away or avoid their onslaught. Their small size had finally become useful in a grouped close-quarters attack.

Leo waved his shovel like a maniac as the damned birds managed to peel away a small bit of the tainted skin on his hand. He hissed, blood dripping on the ground.

“Fuck it.”

When one of the birds came closer again, Leo didn’t just wave it away like before and instead chucked the metal shovel straight at the bird. A snort almost escaped his lips at the surprised squawk the monster let out when the shaft of the shovel hit it right in the beak.

Got you. The Voidling flapped its wings, trying to regain its bearing, only it wasn't fast enough. Leo jumped forward, his hand grabbing onto the bird's tail while his claws sunk into its body. The Seeker struggled, flailing in his grasp, trying to free itself from the hungry claws. It was all for naught and its body slowly turned into dust.

Fuck, Leo hissed when the last bird decided to play out its last act of revenge. The Seeker landed on his back, its claws sinking deep into his shoulder blades. In the next moment, the creature’s beak descended onto his neck, drilling small holes with every peck.

For fuck's sake! Leo screamed through the haze of pain as he threw one of his arms over his shoulder.

Claws gripped one of the Voidling’s wings and yanked, ripping the bird away. Leo almost fell to the ground and lost his grip as the Seeker’s claws tore his back open. Every single move ignited a volcano in the torn muscles while his body screamed at him to stop, to get some rest.

He bit his lip, drawing blood. Not yet, Leo growled, gritting his teeth as the bloody bird bit his hand, hoping to free itself from his grasp. Not to be outdone, Leo’s normal arm also came to help, fingers tightening where the bird’s neck should be.

The Seeker cawed, in pain or anger, Leo didn’t care.

Instead, he swung the bird towards the ground where a thick root pierced the skin of Earth. He smashed the creature once, then again and again and again. Blood exploded over his hands, staining everything in range, even the remnants of Leo’s clothes weren't safe. Not that he cared as his eyes were glued to the bloody mess in his hands

When Leo finally let go, his bleeding back no longer able to support such action, he couldn’t even recognize the bird. The beak was missing, probably splattered somewhere on the root. Its head and tail could be the same thing at this point thanks to the damage made to the creature’s skin. Even its eyes probably got crushed during the first swing and nothing more than remnants of bones were left of the bird’s wings.

Seeker (LVL: 2) X3 slain | Experience awarded | 3 Ether gained

“Fuck you,” Leo spat, a mix of blood and saliva dripping on the ground.

He left the corpse there, dragging himself towards the abandoned bag, his back still burning with the heat of a thousand stars. Hell, even the blood that covered his entire torso and back felt like flowing lava. It drenched more and more of his clothes, even his pants weren’t saved.

Need new clothes again. Leo snorted as he gradually lowered himself to the ground. With every move, his face twisted, breathing becoming even more shallow. I’m killing every Seeker I find on my way. I won’t let even one of those fuckers escape from me.

His hand dived into the backpack, pulling out a bottle of water, some scraps of clothing, and a big roll of bandage. Alright, now how to do this, Leo winced as he looked down at his hoodie. Rip it off all at once? That for sure won’t hurt.

Fingers and claws gripped the hem of his shirt and pulled up. The swift action spread the still-present heat across his entire body, even though only his back and arms were injured.

“Shit!” Leo roared, his upper clothes falling to the ground. He gasped as the weak breeze hit his unprotected back, soothing the pain ever so slightly.

Putting a piece of cloth into his mouth, Leo watered another one and once again reached over his shoulder, the cloth hanging just above the stinging injuries. This is gonna suck, Leo closed his eyes, and just when he wanted to bring his hand down, his entire body froze.

An almost inaudible growl followed by a squee reached Leo’s ears, the sound chilling even the burning in his back. His eyes immediately snapped to the bundle of bushes in the distance and then to the rifle attached to his bag.

I just had to complain about the disappearance of animals from the forest… Leo growled as he ripped the bindings holding the firearm and slowly climbed to his feet, leaning on the rifle in his hand. I doubt some more noise will matter at this point.

Hurt he might be, but it didn’t mean Leo was done. After all, I am not alone, eh? Leo smirked, his bloody teeth bared as he raised his rifle, two pairs of ruby eyes glinting behind the bushes.

System. ‘Limit Break’ to full power. I’m not dying here…