Lightning, it seemed, was one of the most potent sources of Power Essence, and since it seemed that The Crater had near-constant lightning storms, it made sense that the area was packed with the Golden energy.
Roy was forced to lean back as Ferry began her descent, gripping just a bit tighter with his legs. The ground beneath her claws grew treacherous as solid packed earth turned into loose pebbles and scree. Still, he did his best to continue cultivating. His core was nearly full by now, and if he could start pushing at the boundary, it would be all the better for his chances of survival.
He’d begun cycling the first of the purified Essence into his core when Ferry gave a warning hiss. A moment later, something large passed into the range of his senses. His eyes snapped open as his heart began pounding in his chest. He held his breath as Ferry continued slipping and sliding down the steep hillside, his senses straining to catch any sign of movement.
He felt it again, this time from his left. A mass of powerful Essence moving right for them. He couldn’t see anything, as protrusions of stone blocked his view, but he could sense it coming closer. Another mass of Essence passed into his perception field, then another, and Roy felt his blood freezing in his veins. The power the Beasts were radiating was at least at the Base Yellow level, if not at 1st Dan. There was no way Ferry could fight them all off either, especially with their precarious position on the hillside.
His eyes flickered back and forth as he felt the three Beasts moving around. They were trying to hem them in, encircle them, and lead them into an ambush. Wild Beasts were very different than Dungeon Beasts, in that they had to eat to survive. Not just any prey would do, though. No, they needed meat or plants, rich with Essence in order to survive, and the higher the potency or advancement level was, the more they would get out of the meal.
To them, Ferry must have seemed like a feast, with him just being a small appetizer. But he would be on their menu, nonetheless. Wild animals weren’t known for letting an easy meal go by.
“Ferry, I think we should try moving a little faster,” Roy said, his voice edged with panic.
Despite the danger inherent to doing so, Ferry listened, increasing her pace to an almost dangerous level. Scree and loose bits of stone were sent tumbling down the hillside, sliding down towards the bottom.
Roy could still feel the Beasts closing in, and he urged Ferry to go faster still. He knew that they were taking a risk, not only of falling, but of starting a landslide. On a hill this steep, one wrong move could bring the entire hillside down along with them. Ferry increased her pace, sending even more stones bouncing and clattering down around them.
Roy heard it then, a low grunting sound akin to that of a wildcat, only deeper and more throaty. Turning in his seat, Roy’s eyes widened as he finally saw what was chasing them. A massive deer-like Beast came charging out from behind a large boulder wedged into the hillside roughly thirty yards above them.
Its eyes were glowing a bright green and foam frothed at the corners of a mouth lined with jagged teeth. Its shoulders were hunched and bony, and its hooves were wide and flat, giving it perfect traction for terrain like this. A massive pair of twisting antlers jutted from its head, gleaming softly in the dim light. Roy wasn’t sure what unnerved him more; the fact that they were being chased by a hungry Beast or the fact that the Beast in question was generally considered to be a non-meat eater.
The same growl came again, this time from his left, and another similar Beast came into view. Roy could feel his pulse pounding in his ears as yet another Beast showed up on their right, blocking them off on all three sides. They had to get to the bottom of this hill and fast. Judging by the way they moved, they weren’t built for speed on open ground, so Roy knew that Ferry could outstrip them once they’d reached the bottom. Or so, he hoped.
The Beasts were closing in fast, and Roy knew that they couldn’t keep moving at their current pace. Gritting his teeth against what he knew was about to come, Roy leaned forward, pressing himself to Ferry’s back and curling his fingers into her fur.
“Run, Ferry! Run!” he shouted, feeling the Beasts closing fast.
Ferry took off like a lightning bolt and Roy felt his stomach lurch from the sudden, violent movement. He heard an angry roar from the Beasts chasing them, but knew that they would be catching up soon. The sound of tumbling stone increased as they ran, making Roy all the more afraid. The deer started to gain on them, and his fears turned elsewhere.
They came flying down the hillside, bounding from rock to rock with astonishing speed and grace. Roy could see a brown glow surrounding their feet and knew they must be using some sort of Movement technique. He could feel their Earth Essence running through their bodies as they closed the gap and silently urged Ferry to go faster.
The ferret did her best, winding down the hill as fast as she could go, her claws scrabbling and scratching at the loose stone. The deer closed in now, the first one reaching them as they hit the halfway point to the bottom. It lunged at them, teeth bared and snarling, drool running down its chin.
Ferry twisted violently to one side, avoiding the gnashing teeth and the Beast crashed into a pile of nearby stone, sending it clattering and rolling down the hillside.
Roy, who’d been hoping the Beast would stay down, groaned inwardly as it got back to its feet, shaking itself before coming after them again. Another one of the deer lunged at them, and Roy threw his food to the side, cycling Essence into it and using the Exploding Fist.
His bare foot connected with wiry and bristly fur, the Essence he’d built up exploding outward and sending the Beast wide. However, it was back on its feet in seconds without so much as a scratch on it. Roy hadn’t expected that his attack would hurt the Beast, but he’d been hoping that it would at least have done something.
“Don’t mean to rush you or anything, but I think we should be running faster,” Geon said as another deer lunged at them.
“Don’t tell me, tell the ferret!” Roy yelled as he threw a wild punch, connecting with the side of the deer’s head and sending it spinning to the side.
Geon didn’t respond, but he suddenly felt Ferry’s pace increase again as blackness poured from her body. A Darkness Movement technique! While it seemed that the Earth technique employed by the deer helped them with traction, Ferry’s darkness techniques helped her with speed.
She dashed forward, moving in a straight line down the mountain. At this point, he could tell that they couldn’t stop, even if they wanted to, and the smallest misstep would send them tumbling all the way down to the bottom.
Two more deer dashed out of seemingly nowhere and lunged at Ferry as she passed. Roy managed to knock one aside, but the other sank its teeth into Ferry’s tail. The ferret let out a loud hiss and attempted to twist free, but the deer held on, sinking its jagged teeth in deeper.
Roy tried to swing back and hit it, but the Beast was out of range, and his fists just passed through thin air. More deer came over the hillside, and Roy could feel his terror mounting as their numbers grew.
Another one darted forward and with one pinning her in place, Ferry was unable to dodge. She hissed again as it sank its teeth into her side. It didn’t hold on for long, as Roy’s foot slammed down between its antlers. Though he wasn’t strong enough to injure the Beast, the force of the attack did break its hold on her.
He could see blood welling up from where the deer’s jagged teeth had sunk in and really hoped that it wouldn’t become infected. They were still moving down the hillside, but at a much slower pace as the deer behind them pulled on Ferry’s tail.