Chapter 10 - Slapping a Demon

We ran, we ran as hard as we could, as long as we could. But we were exhausted, scared. The elders state that the demons would hunt down any who dared wander outside the homelands.

The Demons feed on fear and despair, one who is brave and fearless would provide them no sustenance even when killed. Or at least, doing so would make you far less appetizing to them.

I only wish I knew how to be truly free of fear, to be truly brave. Maybe then the damned thing would leave us alone.

At the start, when we fled the camp, although our hearts were heavy at leaving home.. I still thought us ready to face any foe.

However, the moment we crossed the borderlands, passing the trees marked by our ancestors, we were stalked by this Demon.

No, not stalked. We were haunted, tormented. The demon appears and disappears like the wind. It would draw blood with claw and laugh, its tongue on touch made it feel like your soul was rended, a pain unlike any other.

Our attempts at retaliation, no more than than the subject of jokes for this creature. Our attacks merely pass through it harmlessly as it laughs in its soul-shaking voices and carves into you at will.

We all knew death was upon us, and at one point Will attempted to turn back to return to camp instead but was killed on the spot.

So instead we continued on without him, trying our best to escape, trying our best to hold onto that thread of hope we would escape.

Because what else did we have to hold onto anymore. But after three days of Journey we saw no end to the chase, no end to the endless forestry.

What the creature wanted was to fatten us for the slaughter, to bring our fear and despair to the peak. We all knew the purpose for it's chase, it's taunting. Yet there was nothing we could do about it.

Three sleepless nights, filled with constant torment, no hope in sight. I could see their will to live die in each of my comrades eyes. Despite my attempts to show the contrary in my own expression, I knew I too likely bore such eyes.

Fear and despair had overwhelmed each of us despite our efforts, and in its eyes we were likely akin to the beast so fat it fell from the herd. Good, easy, tasty prey. Finally, as we ran, I saw Horus fell back and I stopped to try and help him.

"Get up Horus! We need to keep moving! Even if you've given in to despair, keep moving with us and don't you dare show it!"(Ferrus)

Horus, who now fell to the ground, stared at us as tears filled his eyes.

"Damnit Ferrus! I don't have it in me to keep going! After Will, I have the next lowest cultivation. My body has already pushed itself to the limit over these few days, just go on without me.

I am ready to die, but I will show this creature my stubbornness before the end."(Horus)

"Ahh~ then I~ will see~ how that stubbornness breaks~ as each of your fingers, pried off as my treats~ Your friends will die in most gruesome of ways, and your eyes will bear witness to your Shepherd, your better. Hahahahaha"

The Demon flashed past me and I felt a sharp pain on my stomach. I coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell to my knees. Looking down, I saw my innards hanging out of the hole in my stomach.

As I fell to the ground I saw the Demon fly past me and crash into a tree, knocking it down in the process. Someone had come to help us, it seemed, but I felt too tired to care any more.

I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, so I tried to rest my eyes, hoping this situation would soon be over and we could all just go home soon.

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Meditite quickly sped through the forest towards the Humans and their pursuer. One of the humans fell to his knees in exhaustion and the other ran back to get him, they spoke back and forth to each other as the Creature settled into the shrubbery.

What are these stupid humans doing?

Did they want to be eaten?

Well, even if they want to, my master would still want them alive so I cannot allow them to kill themselves.

As I reached the 300 meter marker the Humans finally came into view for my physical eyes. At that time the Creature had jumped out of it's concealment and slashed open one of the Humans.

Damn it! This bastard! My master might even scold me for losing that human! Getting me into trouble!

As the human fell to the ground, the creature dashed towards another human closer to me. But it was too late, because I had already reached it.

I was already on top of the creature when it finally noticed me, and looked up at me with it's slowly widening eyes drawn towards the giant hand formed from my psychic energy.

I slapped it out of the air and it went flying into a nearby tree. Crashing into the tree and making a rather satisfying noise on impact.

It coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

"You dare to oppose our Theri Spirit Tribe on our own land?"(Demon)

I ignore the statement and form a new giant fist to backhand the arrogant critter back into tree, this time with a bit more force, toppling the enormous tree in the process. It coughs up more blood.

"Stop! Stop!! I will hold no offense over your trespassing here, just leave! We have no reason to fight here!"

What sort of an idiot is this thing? What Theri Tribe? What trespassing? I just want to kill you and take these humans, so you must die.

The humans gaze at me with wide-eyes, as though astounded by what they are seeing. Yes, I am quite amazing, aren't I humans. Make sure you tell my master this too when you see him.

I put on a bit of showmanship for the humans, picking up it's body off the ground and smashing it back into it. Playing with my prey.

However, even after hitting it so many times, it's ethereal body is very resistant to the physical part of the attacks. Although I inflicted plenty of damage due to the psychic energy in the attack, it lacked the ability to deal a fatal blow.

In the end, I used confusion. Unleashing a torrential storm of chaotic mental energy on the creature, which shredded it's spirit-like body.

I go over to the humans and confirm the one from earlier was truly dead, then brought the rest of them back to wait outside the cave for my master to awaken.

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The battle from earlier had left the surviving three shaken to the core.

The Demon which had appeared to kill them at last! The Spirit which appeared from nowhere to save them! The domineering might displayed in the battle!

It was like an epic of the Oral Records.

From the might the Spirit had shown, it was even stronger than the Camp's Chieftain, an expert at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm. It seemed the spirit had already crossed the threshold of Body Tempering and was the equivalent of a Qi Drawing Realm expert.

In the camps, to enter the Qi Drawing Realm was forbidden. To enter such a realm, one must forsake their Humanity and forge a contract with the Demons.

Becoming a Demonic slave.

For those who desperately seek a prolonged life, they often do not mind living a life of servitude. It is just the way of things for them to surrender more freedom in exchange for benefits.

For those with pride in their bones, fortitude and conviction, they would at best reach the peak of Body Tempering before looking for an opportunity to escape the land of the Demons. As their group did, hoping to find a way to survive in the unclaimed wastelands.

There were rumors of a man having once made the breakthrough to Qi Drawing without such a contract, ignoring the warnings of the ancestors. As a result, the Demons descended and annihilated the entire camp, and even did the same to all of the camps that traded with them.

The rumors state that even the bystanders of the village were tortured for many days for the infraction. The family of this hero were tortured for months on end for their lack of proper discipline. And then the hero himself was being tortured still to this very day, despite many years having passed.

Only those removed a village, who traded with them, were graced with a swift death.

Only beings of the Greater Races were ever allowed to break through to such a realm freely. Any being of the Lesser Races who could beat the odds to break through would only face suppression or death, these two options only.

The fact that this spirit being which had appeared before them had such a strength could mean only one thing. It too was a being of the Greater Races, and did not fear the retaliation of the Demons.

It is said that even the most benevolent Greater Being would not deign it worth their while to help a being of the Lesser Races. To them, doing so is as ridiculous a concept as a man bending down to save an ant being washed away by rain.

Surely, one might actually even do so once or twice, compelled by some sort of misled compassion. But you would quickly realize how futile and tedious such an effort is. The entire world competes for resources, for the weak to be suppressed was only natural.

And yet, here was such a being of the Greater Races, coming to their rescue in a time of need. That too, defending them by going against another being of the Greater Races.

Living under the suppression of the evil and demonic Therious, they were left in awe by the benevolent acts of this Great Being.

In their mind they thought, if only our race could serve under this being's race instead of the Demons. If even a few of them had the same temperament of this one.. Compared to their current masters, their circumstances would be like the difference of night and day.

Perhaps, under the rule of these beings, their people could truly prosper.

When the Great Being beckoned to follow they immediately began to follow with hasty steps.

One of the girls in the group turned and bowed with her hands together towards the still-warm body of her brother, whispering some words of grief beneath her breath. Then turned again to follow decisively, a tear rolled down her face as her eyes changed slowly from soft to stern.

When the Great being held out a hand, gesturing for them to stop, they immediately stopped in their tracks. It waved it's hand with what appeared to them as great majesty, again gesturing to them to kneel down. Immediately they fell to their knees and cowtowed to the being in a display of submission.

The being shrugged, turning around, it went into the nearby burrow.

The three, two women, one man, waited patiently while retaining their posture of submission. Unwilling to move, lest this great being might refuse to allow them under him as his subordinates.

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Grey awoke with a start back in the cave, a cold sweat ran down his back as cry escaped his lips from the aching pain, which split his head in two.

When he awoke he found Meditite already awaiting him by his side.

Meditite had a concerned but stern expression as if scolding him for being reckless.

Grey's body had become very thin but muscular, fit, but malnourished. His once tan skin which was now a pale, sickly white, was even more so pronounced after his awakening.

The effects of his alternate body being blown up could be seen visibly, with ease.

His cultivation method had frequently drained his body of its nutrients to condense his bodily strength and mental energy. Together with his spirit leaving his body frequently, this was blatantly abusing his body. Resulting in this current bizarre appearance of a beggar-bodybuilder.

His eyes flashed and before him appeared two more spirit-like figures, akin to Meditite. They were the Machop and Drowzee he had stolen from Team Rocket.

The eyes of the two were indifferent, their previous master's deaths seeming to have not affected them much. However, one could see a trace of unwillingness in their eyes towards their new master.

Grey knew from that 'traded' pokemon could be problematic at times. However, he was more or less a beggar both in appearance and in reality, regardless of whether it was this world or the pokemon world. He needed to pull these two into the fold.

Unfortunately, he had exhausted all of his strength in the pokemon world, he had no means to force these two into submission right now.

However, he and Meditite had now been comrades in arms for a while now. He knew he could trust such a minor task as cowing new recruits into submission to him.

Grey shot his intent over to Meditite, who's eyes immediately widened and then shrank into a sharp gaze.

'Of course you can leave such a small matter to me, The Great Meditite!' His eyes seemed to say.

Meditite's eyes flared with anger as he looked over the two newbies, 'you dare disregard MY master', it thought.

Meditite swept his eyes over them them and pressed down on the two with his mental energy, forcing them to their knees.

Energy fluctuations passed between Meditite and the others, it would appear as if Meditite was communicating with them in some way.

As Meditite communed with them their eyes seemed to shake with shock and disbelief, moving swiftly between Meditite and Grey over and again.

The two new recruits, after some time, had their eyes shift from shock to uncertainty to resolution, they nodded to one another as if in agreement to something. Then bowed slightly towards their new master.

After resolving the matter of the two recruits, Meditite sent another sort of message to Grey.

"What?!? We have visitors waiting for us? Why on earth are there visitors waiting outside for us? We are in the middle of the wilderness after all! Well, whatever, let's go and greet them then."