Chapter 10: The Bloodscale Ravager
The Bloodscale Ravager charged.
Baryon remained still.
For a creature that looked as though it had been designed specifically to turn forests into graveyards, the Ravager moved with terrifying grace.
Its first step cracked the earth.
Its second sent chunks of stone flying.
By the third, it was already upon him.
Baryon's eyes widened.
'Okay.'
His instincts screamed.
'That's actually pretty fast.'
The Ravager opened its jaws.
Baryon saw everything.
The saliva hanging between its teeth.
The dark pink flesh inside its mouth.
The four enormous fangs protruding from its upper jaw.
The crimson glow behind its pupils.
And the reflection of his own face in one of those teeth.
'That's... unpleasant.'
The jaws snapped shut.
Baryon vanished.
CRACK!
The Ravager's teeth collided with enough force to create a thunderous sound.
Baryon reappeared above its head.
His crimson-gold hair fluttered in the air.
He looked down.
For the first time, he actually studied the creature.
It wasn't merely large.
It was monstrous.
The Bloodscale Ravager stood nearly four meters tall at the shoulder, with a body stretching close to nine meters from its horned head to the end of its thick, armored tail.
Its body resembled a bizarre combination of a dragon, a crocodile, and some prehistoric predator that had been given several million years to develop an attitude problem.
Its scales were predominantly black, but they weren't a uniform black.
Each individual scale contained faint streaks of dark crimson, almost like dried blood trapped beneath obsidian.
The scales around its chest were larger and thicker, layered over one another like natural armor.
Along its spine ran a series of jagged plates.
They began behind its skull and continued all the way down to its tail, each one growing progressively larger before shrinking again near the tip.
Two massive horns curved backward from its skull.
They were not smooth.
They were ridged and scarred, evidence of countless battles.
Its head was broad and wedge-shaped, designed less for beauty and more for crushing whatever happened to be unlucky enough to stand in front of it.
Its eyes were perhaps the most unsettling feature.
They were not entirely red.
The outer portion of each iris was a deep crimson, while the center was almost black.
There was intelligence behind them.
Not human intelligence.
But enough.
Enough to understand fear.
Enough to recognize threats.
Enough to remember pain.
Its mouth contained dozens of teeth arranged in several irregular rows.
The outer teeth were thick and designed to grip.
The inner teeth were thinner and sharper, designed to tear.
Two of its lower fangs extended past its jaw even when its mouth was closed.
Its forelimbs were shorter than its hind legs but far more muscular, ending in three enormous claws.
Each claw was curved and black, with a faint red glow running through cracks along the surface.
The hind legs were monstrous.
Thick muscles moved beneath its scales with every step, allowing the creature to propel its massive body forward with shocking speed.
And then there was the tail.
Baryon's eyes followed it.
The tail was almost as thick as a tree trunk near the base and ended in a flattened, armored club.
It wasn't simply for balance.
Baryon could feel the energy concentrated inside it.
'That thing can probably smash through a building.'
Baryon slowly grinned.
'Cool.'
Below him, the Ravager suddenly looked upward.
Its pupils contracted.
Baryon's smile vanished.
'It can see me.'
The creature twisted its body.
Its tail swung upward.
Baryon's eyes widened.
"OH, COME ON!"
He barely managed to cross his arms before the tail struck him.
BOOOOOOM!
Baryon's body became a crimson blur.
He flew through the air.
One tree.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
He finally crashed into the trunk of a massive tree.
The impact split the tree down the middle.
Baryon dropped to the ground.
Silence.
Poseidon stared.
Lucien stared.
The Ravager stared.
Baryon's body twitched.
Then his hand slowly emerged from the wreckage.
"Okay..."
He pulled himself upright.
"...that hurt."
Poseidon stared at him.
"You're alive?"
Baryon looked at him.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You were just hit by a Bloodscale Ravager!"
"Yes."
"With its tail!"
"Yes."
"You flew through half the forest!"
"I noticed."
Poseidon stared at him for another second.
Then his expression became strangely contemplative.
'What exactly is this boy?'
Lucien seemed to be having a similar thought.
But the Ravager didn't give them time to ponder.
It charged again.
Baryon lowered his stance.
This time, he didn't try to overpower it.
He watched.
The creature's right leg moved first.
Its weight shifted.
Its shoulders rotated.
Its head lowered.
Its claws dug into the soil.
Baryon's eyes narrowed.
'It's going to attack with the left claw.'
The Ravager swung.
Baryon ducked.
The claw passed above his head.
He felt the wind generated by it.
'Fast.'
He stepped inward.
The Ravager's jaw opened.
'Bite.'
Baryon moved again.
The jaws snapped shut behind him.
He twisted.
The creature's hind leg moved.
'Kick.'
Baryon jumped.
The leg passed beneath him.
Then the tail came.
Baryon's eyes widened.
"Not again!"
He vanished.
The tail struck empty air.
Baryon reappeared behind the creature.
His breathing had become slightly heavier.
But his eyes were bright.
He was learning.
That realization hit him harder than the creature had.
His body was moving faster than his thoughts.
His perception was improving.
His instincts were adapting.
Every attack taught him something.
Every near miss gave him information.
And the more he fought...
The more natural it felt.
Baryon's grin slowly returned.
'This is fun.'
He looked at the Ravager again.
The creature turned.
Their eyes met.
For a strange moment, Baryon felt something unexpected.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Recognition.
The Ravager wasn't mindlessly attacking.
It was studying him too.
The creature lowered its head.
Baryon's smile faded slightly.
The Ravager's breathing became slower.
Its claws stopped scraping against the ground.
It wasn't preparing to charge.
It was waiting.
Baryon's expression became thoughtful.
'You learn too.'
The Ravager's tail moved slightly.
Baryon shifted his stance.
The creature shifted with him.
Baryon moved left.
The Ravager's head followed.
He moved right.
Again.
Baryon narrowed his eyes.
"You're actually smart."
The Ravager growled.
Baryon pointed at it.
"Don't take that as an insult."
Poseidon stared at him.
"You're talking to it?"
"Yeah."
"It's a monster."
"So?"
"It can't understand you."
The Ravager's ears moved.
Baryon glanced at Poseidon.
Then back at the creature.
"Are you sure?"
Poseidon fell silent.
Lucien's gaze sharpened.
The Ravager's eyes remained locked onto Baryon.
Something about its behavior was different now.
Lucien could see it.
The creature wasn't merely hunting.
It was measuring.
Testing.
Baryon suddenly understood something.
The Bloodscale Ravager wasn't attacking because it was hungry.
There were no signs of hunger.
Its movements were too deliberate.
Its aggression was too focused.
It had been drawn by the energy Baryon released.
And now...
It had identified him as a threat.
A worthy threat.
Baryon felt something strange in his chest.
Respect.
He had been reincarnated into a world filled with beings stronger than his previous self could have imagined.
Gods.
Demi-gods.
Monsters.
Affinities.
Energy.
Things he still couldn't comprehend.
Yet this creature standing before him didn't care about any of that.
It didn't know he was reincarnated.
It didn't know about his past life.
It didn't know AR existed.
It didn't know that his potential supposedly reached the Godking realm without energy and potentially even higher with it.
It only knew one thing.
Baryon was dangerous.
And it intended to survive.
Baryon's smile disappeared completely.
He looked at the Ravager with genuine seriousness.
'You're not just some random monster.'
The Ravager growled.
Baryon clenched his fist.
"Alright."
Crimson flames began forming around his body.
"I'll take you seriously."
Poseidon's eyes widened.
"Wait."
Baryon ignored him.
Lightning crackled around his arms.
The Ravager immediately reacted.
Its scales began glowing.
Not red.
Dark crimson.
The patterns beneath its scales brightened like veins filled with molten blood.
Lucien's expression changed.
"Baryon."
"What?"
"Look at its scales."
Baryon did.
The Ravager's scales were moving.
Not physically.
The energy inside them was shifting.
Every scale seemed to be drawing power from the creature's core and distributing it throughout its body.
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
"That's why it's called a Bloodscale Ravager."
Poseidon swallowed.
"The Bloodscale isn't just its appearance."
Lucien nodded.
"The scales absorb and circulate energy."
Baryon's eyes lit up.
"Like armor?"
"More than armor."
Lucien watched carefully.
"The scales reinforce its body. Physical attacks become less effective. Energy attacks can also be partially dispersed through the scales before reaching its core."
Baryon looked at his fist.
Then at the Ravager.
"That's actually awesome."
Poseidon looked at him like he had developed a second brain and immediately lost it.
"That's what you're focusing on?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because it's cool."
"You're going to die."
"Probably not."
The Ravager roared.
This time, the sound was different.
The energy around its body surged.
Its scales lifted slightly from one another.
A crimson aura leaked from between them.
The temperature around the creature increased.
Baryon's eyes narrowed.
"Okay."
He took a step forward.
The Ravager took one too.
Baryon smiled.
Then he disappeared.
The Ravager moved simultaneously.
BOOM!
Baryon's fist collided with the Ravager's claw.
The resulting shockwave flattened the grass around them.
Baryon's eyes widened.
The Ravager's claw had stopped his punch.
For a creature nearly ten times his size, it had extraordinary reflexes.
The Ravager's other claw swung.
Baryon ducked.
He drove his knee into the creature's chest.
BOOM!
The Ravager moved backward.
Only one step.
Baryon stared.
"Seriously?"
The Ravager's tail came around.
Baryon jumped.
The tail passed beneath him.
He rotated in midair.
Crimson flames gathered around his fist.
"Let's see how well those scales handle this."
He punched.
BOOM!
His fist struck the Ravager's shoulder.
Crimson flames exploded outward.
The creature roared.
Baryon landed.
Smoke surrounded the Ravager.
Poseidon held his breath.
Lucien's eyes remained focused.
Baryon waited.
The smoke slowly cleared.
The Ravager was still standing.
Baryon's smile disappeared.
A blackened patch covered several of its scales.
Some had cracked.
But they hadn't broken.
Baryon stared.
"Interesting."
The Ravager looked at its injured shoulder.
Then back at Baryon.
Its eyes changed.
Baryon noticed.
The creature was angry now.
Not enraged.
Angry.
There was a difference.
Its body lowered.
The crimson energy around it condensed.
Lucien's eyes widened.
"Baryon!"
"What?"
"Move!"
The Ravager vanished.
Baryon's pupils contracted.
'WHAT?!'
The creature's enormous body appeared directly in front of him.
Its head slammed into his chest.
Baryon was launched backward.
Before he could recover, the Ravager appeared beside him.
A claw struck.
Baryon twisted.
The claw tore across his side.
Pain exploded through him.
Baryon crashed into the ground.
He rolled several times before stopping.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Poseidon's face changed.
"Baryon!"
Lucien stepped forward.
Then stopped.
Baryon slowly pushed himself up.
Blood dripped from his side.
He looked at it.
His fingers touched the wound.
He stared at the blood on them.
His expression became strangely calm.
Then he looked toward the Ravager.
The creature was breathing heavily.
One shoulder was damaged.
Baryon's side was bleeding.
Neither had won.
Baryon suddenly began laughing.
Not the sinister laughter from earlier.
Something quieter.
Almost disbelieving.
Poseidon frowned.
"Why are you laughing?"
Baryon looked at him.
"Because I finally understand."
"Understand what?"
Baryon looked back at the Ravager.
"I thought having all these powers meant I could just throw them around."
He clenched his fist.
"But that's not strength."
Lucien's expression softened slightly.
Baryon continued.
"Power is only the amount of force you can produce."
His eyes narrowed.
"Strength is knowing what to do with it."
The Ravager growled.
Baryon smiled.
"And this thing..."
He stared at the creature.
"...just taught me that."
Baryon closed his eyes.
He felt the energies within his body.
Fire.
Lightning.
Sun.
And Null.
He didn't force them outward.
Instead, he listened.
The fire felt aggressive.
The lightning felt restless.
The Sun felt vast.
Null...
Null felt like nothing.
Baryon opened his eyes.
"Let's try something different."
The Ravager charged.
Baryon didn't move.
Poseidon shouted.
"BARYON!"
The Ravager's jaws opened.
Baryon waited.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
At the final moment...
Baryon moved.
Not backward.
Forward.
He slipped between the creature's jaws.
The Ravager's eyes widened.
Baryon planted his feet beneath its neck.
His hand touched its chest.
He could feel its core.
A massive concentration of energy.
Baryon smiled.
"Found you."
Lightning erupted from his palm.
The energy didn't explode outward.
It traveled inward.
Through the Ravager's scales.
Past its muscles.
Into its core.
The creature screamed.
Its body convulsed.
Baryon immediately released it.
The Ravager stumbled backward.
Baryon stared at his hand.
"I didn't know I could do that."
Lucien stared at him.
"Neither did I."
Poseidon looked at the Ravager.
The creature was still standing.
Barely.
Its scales had dimmed.
Several were cracked.
Its breathing was ragged.
But its eyes remained clear.
Baryon slowly approached.
The Ravager raised one claw.
Baryon stopped.
Neither moved.
Then Baryon lowered his hand.
The Ravager lowered its claw.
Poseidon stared.
"You're not going to finish it?"
Baryon shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
Baryon looked at the creature.
Because it was a monster?
No.
That wasn't enough.
Because it had nearly killed him?
That was true.
But it wasn't enough either.
Baryon had spent his previous life consuming stories about heroes and villains, monsters and gods.
He had always imagined power as something simple.
The stronger person wins.
The weaker person loses.
But now he was standing in another world, bleeding from his side, staring at a creature that had fought him with everything it had.
And he understood something.
The Ravager wasn't evil.
It was alive.
It had attacked because it perceived him as a threat.
It had fought because survival demanded it.
And when given the opportunity to strike again...
It hadn't.
Baryon smiled.
"You fought well."
Poseidon stared at him.
Lucien's lips curved upward.
The Ravager tilted its head.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the creature lowered itself.
Not completely.
Just enough.
Baryon's eyes widened.
"You..."
The Ravager released a low rumble.
Baryon looked toward Lucien.
"Did it just..."
Lucien nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Poseidon looked between them.
"What?"
Baryon's smile became enormous.
"I think the big lizard likes me."
Poseidon covered his face.
"Of course it does."
Baryon walked toward the Ravager.
The creature remained still.
He raised his hand.
Then hesitated.
He wasn't sure why.
Perhaps because the creature was enormous.
Perhaps because he was still a newborn demi-god who had been alive for barely a week.
Or perhaps because something inside him was telling him that this moment mattered.
Baryon placed his hand against one of the creature's massive scales.
It was warm.
Very warm.
And beneath it, he could feel a heartbeat.
Strong.
Slow.
Alive.
Baryon's expression softened.
"You're not so scary up close."
The Ravager opened one eye.
Bary immediately reconsidered.
"...Actually, you're still terrifying."
The creature snorted.
A small burst of hot air struck Baryon's face.
Poseidon laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Baryon slowly turned.
Poseidon immediately stopped.
"You laughed."
"No."
"You did."
"I coughed."
"You don't cough like that."
Poseidon looked away.
"Shut up."
Baryon grinned.
Then AR finally spoke inside his mind.
{analysis complete}
Baryon's smile faded.
'What took you so long?'
There was a pause.
Then:
{Bloodscale Ravager identified}
Baryon's eyes narrowed.
'And?'
{species: Bloodscale Ravager}
{classification: high-tier magical beast}
{estimated age: 87 years}
{current condition: severely injured}
{combat potential: exceptional}
Baryon glanced at the creature.
'Eighty-seven?'
{affirmative}
Baryon looked at the enormous beast again.
It suddenly seemed a little less like a monster.
'Can it understand language?'
{limited comprehension}
Baryon's eyebrows rose.
'Wait.'
He looked at the Ravager.
The Ravager looked back.
Baryon's grin returned.
'Can it understand me?'
{partially}
Baryon's eyes widened.
"YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"
The Ravager blinked.
Poseidon groaned.
Lucien sighed.
Baryon pointed dramatically at the creature.
"You should have said something!"
The Ravager stared at him.
Baryon waited.
Nothing.
"...Okay, fair."
Poseidon shook his head.
"I've officially decided that you're insane."
Baryon ignored him.
His attention remained on the Ravager.
Something told him that this meeting wasn't meaningless.
He didn't know why.
He didn't know what role this creature would eventually play.
Maybe none.
Maybe this would simply become a strange memory from the first weeks of his second life.
But Baryon had learned something important.
The first step toward becoming powerful wasn't destroying everything around him.
It was understanding the power he already possessed.
And perhaps...
Understanding those who stood beside him.
Baryon looked toward the blue-haired boy.
"By the way."
Poseidon sighed.
"What?"
"You never finished introducing yourself."
Poseidon stared at him.
Then at Lucien.
Then at the Ravager.
Then at the ruined forest.
He wondered whether he could still leave.
Probably not.
He sighed again.
"My name is Poseidon."
Baryon's eyes widened.
"...Poseidon?"
Poseidon frowned.
"What?"
Baryon stared at him.
A strange thought entered his mind.
The name.
The ocean-like energy.
The water manipulation.
The blue hair.
The sheer absurdity of the coincidence.
Baryon slowly pointed at him.
"You're not secretly some kind of sea god, are you?"
Poseidon stared blankly.
Lucien looked at Baryon.
The Ravager tilted its head.
A long silence followed.
Then Poseidon answered.
"No."
Baryon relaxed.
"Good."
Poseidon frowned.
"Why?"
Baryon smiled.
"Nothing."
Poseidon's eyes narrowed.
"Why do I feel like that wasn't nothing?"
Baryon turned away.
"Probably because you're paranoid."
"I'm not paranoid."
"Sure."
"I am not."
"Okay, Poseidon."
"Stop saying my name like that!"
Lucien laughed.
The Ravager released another low rumble.
And for the first time since Baryon's reincarnation, three strange paths had begun to intersect.
A newborn demi-god carrying four impossible affinities.
A mysterious boy whose body contained an ocean.
And an ancient magical beast whose blood-red scales concealed more than simple physical strength.
None of them knew it yet.
But their meeting would become one of the first stones laid upon a road that would eventually shake the heavens.
And somewhere far beyond the forest...
Something noticed.
Something opened its eyes.
And something whispered a single word.
"Found."