Ch IV: Potential upon Death's Door

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As we watch our three heroes walk with Enigma in the new terrain, we sight this with our vision as we look down. The Enigmatic being as the guide, whom tracks his prints for Jack, Kaiden, and Azura to their best capabilities of which they follow. These tracks were barely imprinted into the mossy ground, as if this person was extremely light while the slackers behind those prints embedded them into the same ground. Here we would seem to see Jack Marrow look over to Azura as she was seemingly iffed. As for Kaiden to be still alot more calmer from earlier- yet shooken in his core.

"So? How do you two know eachother if I may ask?"

Jack would start the conversation. Being curious on how to break the silence that looms over his comrades and self included.

"Azura and I were actually, funnily enough, and still are childhood friends! She may not act like it but I am like a brother to her. Me and her use to dream of serving the Luprus Academy since we wanted to serve our community in some way which is why and also how we got our Aether Gauges which we scored the top ranks of the L.A.A.!"

"Um? Why expose all that info you dumbass!? You know he asked something simple yet you do too much, as well you reveal too much!"

Azura replies in a attitude of agitation, snarling at her friend since Kaiden so does happen have a problem with revealing info casually when it comes to others life or himself involving that person. We continue to hear the bickering as some seconds later we begin to see a spark of red electricity begin to form, Red bugs glowing around the place as the Enigma smiled sinisterly in deception, as he saw an opportunity to do a little test.

"Alright! Let me say one thing before we go further! Have fun with this Stygian Hellhorn!"

The Enigma spoke and within a nanosecond of the end of speech- vanish into smoke as a twirling behemoth of a wolf-like dragon lunged forth. Jack seeming to fall apart to avoid this while Azura and Kaiden jump to the sides opposite of one another. As the party recovers from their evasion- we see those red bugs explode in red electrical bursts of power as they seem to have their essence flow into the beast. The party would hear a mighty howl that sounds like a almighty metal riff of a guitar, seeming badass and powerful in a sense. The creature's back and frontal paws are covered with red edged fur that turns white as snow when closing closer to its skin. The claws deep hue of crimson of 4 toes which curl into the terrain. The body bulks and seems to convulse and pulsates in urges of its desire to satisfy its never-ending rage for the hunger it is consumed by, colored in a nightly black scales as well having openings between glow with the same energy from which similar to the bugs of earlier. The neck connected to this hulking body of horror slightly seems tense yet sturdy as it appears to have a armored bottom jaw that has two horns grown off it like miniature in a way compared to those ontop of its head which seem to have the size of a machete. Its fur on the body would suddenly burst forth crackling with red crimson bolts to and forth around itself as a blackened red bolt strikes its from nowhere upon itself- as if calling a corrupted stormsurge of energy for itself to wield. Its massive tail seemed to length of the 2/3rd of its body length (47.9 Ft Long) as the tail seems to appear like a massive bulldozer claw in build. As we sight the energy to calm from its wrath summoned- its eyes glow with a devil's red hue as it begins to run towards to party which jumps forth, leaning down as when Kaiden pushes Jack out of the way, who by the time was stunned by the awe power the beast had. The sword called to block was shattered as the beast would land and heave up its horns to knock Kaiden up into the air... leaving himself unable to combat it.

Azura seeing this would glance at this beast, taking her two daggers back out- and began to run forth as she performs a spinning wheel of flurried cuts on the leg of the frontal right- not doing any damage for the eye can see as she has not activated her Guage. The enviroment dents as the beast had landed and curls its tail and front side as if going to do the same which Azura would take one dagger and impale the beast's leg. Which it would snarl a noise so sinister even death would feel fear to some degree. This beast would swat the leg she stabbed into a nearby tree- crushing Azura unto a tree trunk for her dagger's handle smashing and even pierces the owner's palm. Blood leaking slightly from the wound she couldn't afford suffering as of now

Kaiden would follow up as he jumps up and goes for a X-Styled slash at the backside yet dents naught a single scratch into the Hellhorn. This responded with it howling into the air as suddenly a bolt strikes its own body of corrupted electricity of the same blackened red it surged with- causing it to flow through both Azura and Kaiden. This damage they were taking is what could fry a normal Hume's body within that instance yet they weren't no schmuck from the street. They were thrown through worse yet struggle against new enties they never fought of course.

Jack Marrow watches as he would pull out a Flintlock which now had from his journey- as reminding this is a different person of many journies from the past we saw told as a story. This flintlock fires a bullet that was blunt yet effective as to pierce stone as the monstrousity would have evaporated that same bullet by its electrical surge. He would see no choice as he took his Erasure energy around another bullet and coat it, fire it with little success since that beast was struck by it- yet the erasure energy was just only so it could avoid obliteration. The being would stop its electrical attack, Kaiden falling to the ground who was caught just in time by Jack Marrow, as it felt the bullet just dent one of the scale, as it takes the the arm on what was impaled. This would soon move its claws to the scale and rip it off as it whimpers which sounds like a threat still! For this being just removed a scale for the bullet to fall out... Just for the same place to regrow a new scale.

The beast snarls as Azura attempts to get out of the situation she was in as when going forward the beast spun with such force the tail shattered her very being to dust- killing her on the spot as Kaiden was knocked out for this due to the damage taken. Jack sees this as the beasts tail comes full circle. Smashing him into dust as well and into a wall. Kaiden flies into of a nearby cliffside. Hitting it heavily thst he coughs blood up while in the unconsious state. We watch Marrow's body reform rapidly as here Jack would make a stand in anger as we see just his teeth amd body- a singular eye glowing that same old azure erasure energy which burns true. We see the beast still not finished- as sudden sound of thunder has rolled over the mind of Jack- the attack already struck.

Crimson Thunderbark

Here we see blood splat all over the cliff side as we hear the eruption for that body behind Jack- shook... slowly turning back to eye the fallen comrade in arms. Jack's world becomes blurry and began to fade in and out- slipping from sight that twas victory and his own sanity. Here we would see now the mindscape of Jack just before the beast lunged into the air to slam its might back against the bone pirate.

"Huh... Did..
I... die as well?....
No... Can't be!
...I'm immortal...
That wouldn't be possi..."

We hear a booming voice as what we hear was similar to an certain being we saw with the gods. Someone who has tapped into Jack's mind as to speak with him

"Those chains are gone. You can be free and save them"

"How?! THEY ARE DEAD! C'MON AND SHOW YOURSELF YOU ARRAGON-!!!"

"Tsh... Arragont? I perfer the word? Assisting."

As we hear Jack communicate with the unknown horror that took the form of a skeletal of obsidian black form. Two sinister horns sat curling back upon that crown of his as the eye sockets hue of eerie yellow shone brightly as the tuxedo of black tentacles and vines of its composition were now tellable. This... This skeleton of sorts.. was talking to Jack as he toom a hand out and tells the Pirate to take that hand. He will show him the way to save them. For which Jack does. As we suddenly burst back to the begginning of the encounter where the wolf lunges. Jack was suddenly overcome with rage! His power fumes outward as his right socket of azure flaming eye blaze forth, scorching the entire woods as he is surronded by his own erasure energy. He would seem to also have knocked back his friends to the same cliff yet unharmed they were.

Kaiden sees this display of raw power from within as he thinks to himself of what has Jack become. Jack Marrow would seemingly have his Azure flames turn into a violet hue in a sense as his bones are infused with this energy. He seems to have his skull crack at the same place where the other skeleton had his horns, where the flames of erasure erupt into racks worthy to befit a demon lord. His bones then reinforced with that same energy which seem to take form of muscle as to harden and strengthen the body before we hear Jack speak in a raspy, cold, desperate voice of wrath say this.

"You savage hound. You have awoken..."

"THE TRUE POWER OF YOUR DEMISE!!!"

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