CH909 Foast’s Perspective

His mental map carried him to the next two destinations while his nose brought him to the last, with Foast finally confident he’d locked onto the smell of whatever monstrosity had been wreaking havoc on the expeditions sent to slay it while he surveyed the fourth site, finding it the same as the other three.

Signs of attacks of all sorts, both magics and weapons that made it clear the group that had found it last had descended on one another, one more point to dark magic controlling them like every other location he’d seen but he couldn’t dwell on it. Having its scent was as good as being able to see the beast itself and with his nose telling him the next direction to follow, he didn’t wait, his shape changing to something far sleeker as he forced his flesh to warp under his power, shrinking down while limbs stretched out before sprouting feathers where there’d been none before, a form focused on speed and dexterity to make it through those dense woods as he beat his new wings and felt them propel him through the air, the end of his mission feeling almost in sight.

Here.

Having changed again as he passed through the last two sites, he took to the lands once the dense woods had cleared, forest slowly turned to swamp and muddying his senses yet still he knew he’d found the thing, the area thick with the smell of it despite so much else that was catching his nose from both the rot and blood filling the place, the latter undoubtedly connected to the monster hiding within it and acting as another point to help narrow down his prey while his flesh shifted as he moved in.

Pulling from the beasts he held, he took into account the armour wrapping his body as he changed, his bits of exposed flesh losing their fur while his focus on speed changed to navigating the new environment, creating limbs better suited for traversing both shallow water and the muck below, not wanting to disturb anything to draw attention to himself in the hopes of sneaking in as he slowly narrowed down the final area, still losing whatever bit of surprise he had in the end.

Whether it understood he was a person or merely thought a stray beast had wandered into its nest, it didn’t matter. That demon, like all others, held some degree of soul magic and as the holder of a soul himself, it was enough to give away his presence no matter what precautions he’d taken, leaving him to briefly evaluate the monster in the seconds before it struck.

Semi-aquatic then. Makes sense considering the location.

He could see gill-like structures along its neck as well as a small fin sticking out of its back but the location of its other attacks and the rest of its form made it clear the beast was more suited to land, with a sleek shape and powerful limbs giving the impression that the quadruped was more aligned to running than treading water and showed some of that power as it lunged, claws extended to tear into him and while Foast felt them crack as he turned, letting his armour take the brute of the damage and bringing a smile to his lips.

More than worth the purchase.

A blow so much weaker than Abel’s hadn’t even registered, his attacker was the one left in pain as it screamed and jumped back, growing cautious as it appraised him, trying to determine whether it was a threat or if his defenses were simply better than it had expected, with it not getting the chance to make the judgement.

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Seeing it pause, Foast didn’t bother to linger in his curiosity. His very reason for being there was before him and well aware of his presence, there was no longer a need for subtlety. As things were, its size was only a bit larger than his own but his power changed that.

From the demon’s perspective, new flesh came from nowhere as it saw its hunter triple in volume but it was enough for it to know there was far more than met the eye as it was torn between its instincts and its need to survive. Everything it was demanded it kill the creature that had crossed into its domain, to fight and struggle for what power victory would bring it yet all would be for naught if it died, driving the course of its plans.

It didn’t know enough then but it could change that, needing only some distance to escape and observe before the creature’s flesh would fill its stomach and with that goal it summoned more of its kin to act as distractions, dozens of new demons of all shapes and sizes jumping up from the water to scare off its attacker, Foast not even blinking at the sudden change in numbers.

Ah, not dark magic then. Light.