Lucas grinned as his white hair blew wildly in the wind. He spun the blade in his hand and moved toward the closest rank two bat. He sliced through a lightning spike. The blade vibrated in his grip.
He strengthened his leg. His left leg throbbed with pain. He leaped into the air and slashed one bat open. A sting hit his back. He stepped on the body of the bat he had cut and leaped midair to counter a flying lightning sting.
"Almighty slash."
Holding his blade, he struck toward the other three bats. His blade shot a vertical lightning slash at them. He watched the bats cover their bodies with their wings as the slash hit, sending them flying into the thick trees.
His feet touched the ground. He noticed the elder bat echoing at the blue circle he had drawn around Ken and Loki. It stretched its claws toward it but got sliced by a sharp force. It moved its hand and stared at Lucas. It gave a loud squeak and stretched its claws toward him.
Lucas grunted. "Cloak of the one-eyed king."
He strengthened his back. Yellow fur grew around his back. His white hair color changed to a yellowish shade. The spikes that had penetrated his back and thighs fell out. He walked slowly toward the elder bat. It was busy echoing at him, but all he could hear was a high-pitched sound. He had already damaged his eardrums.
He picked up pace. His legs kicked the grass. Shouting, he ran toward the elder bat. The elder bat bared its fangs and ran to meet him. Its wings rolled into long humanlike hands with claws as it approached. Its eyes gave a blue glow.
Lucas bent downward as it approached. He had faced a bunch of hammer bats before. The legs were their weakness. He sliced the right leg of the bat with his blade. The blade stuck into its leg. He grunted and pressed harder, looking at the blue circle's brightness reducing.
He let go of the blade to cover his face. A claw from the elder bat hit him in the face. He flew into the air and bounced off the grass. He laid on the ground. Intense pain shot through his arms. He stared at his arms. Three thick claw wounds. The yellow color of his bone was showing.
He watched the elder bat try to remove the blade stuck in its leg. It howled and used its other foot to hold onto the blade.
Suddenly he felt the air behind him shift. He turned his head. A long stroke of lightning hair struck in front of him. He swung himself to the other side. He saw many lightning hairs coming his direction. Two rank two bats with wounds and burns on their bodies were midair.
Grunting, he observed the lightning hair approaching. The elder bat had finally removed the blade and tossed it away. It growled at him.
Breathing heavily, he ignited the power of his bloodline.
"Attribute of the honey badger: Last Stand."
His wounds rapidly healed. The hair on his body grew thicker. His yellowish hair turned completely yellow. His left eye grew with a yellow thickness. He stood on his feet and went for the first rank two bat.
Screaming, he felt multiple stings across his body. He grabbed the approaching lightning hair. Its sharp surface cut open his palm. His blood surrounded the thick hair. Pressing harder, it grew a yellow lightning glow. He pierced the bat in the head.
He turned to the second bat and slashed his hand into it, dividing it into two.
A stab hit his back. He held his back. The elder bat had dug its fangs into him. He felt a cracking sound as the fur and back coat broke down. The fangs sank into his flesh.
"Damn you."
He punched the bat as he was lifted off the ground. It flew upward. He felt his blood being sucked and shocks vibrated through his body. He looked at the circle where Ken and Loki were. More rank one bats were moving toward them. The blue glow was decreasing further. His blood and the crystal were losing power.
He raised his free hand toward the clouds. His yellow eye blazed.
"One Eyed King Strike!"
The clouds thundered. A yellow lightning strike hit him and the elder bat.
"Loki! Get up!"
More lightning hit them both. The elder bat let go of his back and tried to retreat. He held onto it and shouted as lightning continued to strike them in place.
The lightning stopped. Lucas held the elder bat, which had been knocked out, as they descended to the ground. They hit the ground with a thud. He stood up and stomped on the face of the elder bat with all the strength he had. The bat laid there motionless. He needed to get to Loki and Ken, he suspected a rainstorm coming as the rain intensified.
The other rank one bats retreated into the forest. Raindrops fell on his hand. It started raining. He looked at his hand. It was burnt. He shook himself. The yellow fur he had grown fell onto the ground. His wounds resurfaced. He walked slowly toward Ken and Loki, dragging his left foot that was broken.
"Loki! Get up."
Loki heard a distant voice call him as he stood in a snowy field.
"So, you agree to go to Redemption Valley, young master?" A man dressed in white fur robes asked him as they stood in the field. Loki tried to stare at the man's face, but it was blurry.
"Yes, I need to become strong as soon as possible. Redemption Valley is the best option."
He saw himself say to the man. But this time he had black hair and a crown on his head.
"Hey, you are not supposed to be here." His other self-turned to him.
The snowy field vanished. He stood on a battlefield. Blood and swords and body parts filled a long field.
"You need to be strong for Snowfall." His other self-walked toward him. "So, get up now."
Loki gasped for breath as he regained consciousness. His head throbbed. The vision slipped away like water through his fingers. He could not hold onto it. The rain and pain pushed it out.
He opened his eyes. His head ached. His hand touched a warm body. He looked at Ken beside him. Lucas's jacket was laying on top of him. He remembered Ken flying his way. The bats. Raindrops fell on his face.
A blue light was glowing around them. A loud thunder clap caught his attention. He covered his ear and stood up. Lucas, with lightning strikes around his body and yellow hair, was holding the elder bat. Yellow lightning seemed to be striking them both.
Loki gasped. He bent down and slapped Ken across the face. "Hey, get up. This isn't a good place to sleep."
Ken touched his face as he woke up. "Is Lucas alright? I think I shot him."
"You what?" Loki noticed three of Ken's upper teeth were missing.
"Where's Lucas?" Ken asked.
A thud sound alerted them both. The blue sphere around them disappeared. They noticed the bats retreating back into the forest. Raindrops increased. They saw Lucas shaking. Thick yellow fur fell off his body. His left eye was closed. His yellow hair was turning white as he dragged his feet toward them.
Loki noticed Lucas had a smile on his face as he approached. But behind him, the elder bat stirred. Half of its face was smashed, it left wing had broken and it dragged itself towards Lucas, stretching it right wing ready to srike.
"Lucas, be careful!" Loki said as he followed Ken, who was already running toward Lucas and pointing his pistol at the elder bat.
Lucas watched the two run toward him. Was Ken still under the influence? No, that should not be possible. The elder bat was dead. Why were they screaming so much? He could not hear them. He had really overdone it this time. He gave them a smile. It was all right.
Then he felt a sudden sharp pain in his abdomen. He was thrown off his feet into the grass. He saw the elder bat swinging its claw as he rotated in the air. So that's why those two were rushing forward. Coughing up blood, he fell into the muddy ground.
"Damn you! Die!"
Ken shot the elder bat. The bat fell as a bullet struck its head. Ken screamed and kept firing, advancing as Loki ran toward Lucas
Loki knelt beside Lucas. He was a mess. His eyes were closed. Blood gushed from his mouth and nose. Burns covered his body. Claw marks everywhere. Loki removed his jacket and pressed it on Lucas's open abdomen wound.
"Lucas, sir. Sir, please."
He felt something approach him from behind. He turned. A bullet hit him in the chest. Loki screamed as he placed his hand across his chest and tried to remove the crystal bullet, Ken was pointing his pistol at him, his eyes glowing,
"What the fuck, Ken?"