Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord

Tasha whirled, startled, only to see Jayden standing there on the edge of the clearing, arms crossed, smiling like a proud mentor.

"Good job," he said with a smirk. "I knew you could do it."

Her shock twisted into disbelief, awe, then anger. "You—!"

She marched forward in annoyance, her fingers curling. "You asshole!" she seethed, striking his chest with her fist, lightning still faintly crackling..

Jayden didn't even flinch.

"You left me!" she shouted, slamming another punch into him. Again, he took it without flinching.

"How could you?!!" she screamed. Another blow landed against his chest, but his expression didn't waver, his smile only growing.

She kept swinging, her frustration pouring into each hit. "I could've died…" Her voice cracked as she finally threw her fist toward his face.

But Jayden's hand shot up, catching her fist mid-air, his grip firm. The world seemed to freeze in that heartbeat, her eyes widening as he pulled her forward—

And kissed her.

Tasha stiffened in shock, her mind blank. Then, slowly, the fire in her chest shifted. She melted into the kiss, leaning into him, her lips pressing back against his with a hunger she hadn't realized was waiting to break loose.

When Jayden finally pulled away, he released her fist gently, his hand rising to caress her cheek. His eyes softened as he spoke. "But you didn't. Instead, you showed those beasts who's boss."

Tasha's cheeks burned crimson, her mind spinning. "I… I guess so," she stammered, still reeling from the kiss.

Her mind wasn't even on the battle, or his disappearance anymore… instead, it was replaying the kiss over and over.

Jayden smirked knowingly. "Those beasts were E-Rank. I never would have left you alone with them if they were any higher. And besides, you said…"

"…They didn't stand a chance against me." Tasha finished for him, rolling her eyes. "I know, I know. You don't have to remind me everytime."

Jayden chuckled, holding his hands up. "Hey, they were your words, not mine." he chuckled.

Then he walked toward the corpses, crouching beside the charred remains, his eyes scanning. "So, how was it?" he asked casually, inspecting the damaged beast crystals embedded in their bodies.

Tasha raised a brow. "How was what?"

Jayden stood, walking over to the unburnt beast corpses. He knelt and pried the crystals free with ease. "Killing them. How'd it feel?" he asked.

Tasha thought for a moment before answering. "Well, it felt.. normal. I didn't feel joy. Didn't feel remorse. Just relief. Relief that I wasn't the one dead on the ground. But…" she hesitated, then smiled faintly. "I did feel a thrill though. It was like a feeling of knowing I could win… or die. It felt…"

"Ecstatic?" Jayden completed.

Tasha smiled faintly. "Yeah, something like that."

Jayden stood up slowly with a knowing smile. "That's the feeling you get when hunting… knowing you can fight a beast and win, but at the same time lose. But you take the risk anyway. Cause it's the risk that makes the fight worth it." he stated with a nostalgic gaze.

Tasha giggled softly. "Well, whatever it is, it felt good."

Jayden smirked and returned to her, two shimmering crystals glowing in his palm. "Wanna hunt some more?" he asked.

Tasha's grin widened. "You bet."

"Good," Jayden said, dropping the glowing stones into her hand. "Here. The other two were burnt pretty bad."

But Tasha pushed them back toward him. "No, I can't take this." she argued.

Jayden raised a brow. "Why not? You killed them yourself, they're yours."

Tasha shrugged. "I know, but there's nothing I want to use it for. And something tells me you need them more than I do, so I want you to have it. Along with the other beast crystals I'll be farming tonight." She winked.

Jayden paused, then exhaled with small smile. "Alright, if you say so. Thanks." he said with a genuine gratitude.

Tasha nodded firmly. "Good. Now come on. We have a long night ahead of us, and I'm dying to kill more beasts." she muttered.

A mischievous grin curved her lips as she strutted ahead into the trees.

Jayden could only shake his head in amusement, slipping the crystals into his inventory before following after her.

Together, they vanished deeper into the forest, looking for more beasts to hunt.

Thirty minutes later,

The deeper Jayden and Tasha went into the forest, the more it looked like a massacre. Tasha was on a wild frenzy, lightning streaking off her fists like a living storm. Every F-Rank and E-Rank beast unlucky enough to cross their path was slaughtered in seconds. Packs of horned rabbits, swamp serpents, even razorback—none stood a chance. She danced through them like death in motion, every punch, every strike leaving trails of burnt fur, shattered bone, and smoking corpses behind her.

And she was enjoying every second of it.

Jayden didn't even bother lifting a finger. He simply moved from branch to branch, watching from above like a shadow, his golden eyes glinting with both amusement and admiration. Tasha was unstoppable.

Now, she stood in the middle of a moonlit clearing, facing an E-Rank Lesser Wolverine Stalker. Its claws slashed furiously at her, trying to catch her, but she was too quick… ducking, weaving, sidestepping with lightning-charged reflexes. Every strike it threw met nothing but empty air.

The beast's black fur was matted with blood. A deep wound carved across its forearm oozed dark fluid, sparking faint blue where her lightning had burned into it earlier. Normally, the beast would've used its infamous invisibility to disappear and strike from behind. But not tonight. The wound wouldn't let it heal, and so it was forced into the open, vulnerable and desperate.

Jayden sat casually on a tree branch just above, one arm draped over his knee, lips curled into a smirk as he watched the dance below.

The Wolverine lunged again, jaws snapping wide open for her throat.

But Tasha moved like a blur, lightning flickering in her wake. She sidestepped cleanly, her body twisting gracefully. Her fist crackled furiously as she wound it back. And before the beast could recover, she slammed her fist into its chest with bone-crunching force.

Crack!

The sound echoed through the clearing. A soccer-ball-sized hole erupted through the beast's chest, flesh and bone bursting outward as raw lightning carved through it from the inside.

The Wolverine staggered back, eyes wide in shock before collapsing lifelessly to the dirt. Smoke curled from the gaping wound, the smell of charred flesh thick in the air.

Tasha straightened, dusting her palms as if she'd just finished some menial chore. Her lips curved into a satisfied grin as she turned her head toward Jayden.

"Done already?" Jayden teased, leaping effortlessly from the branch to land in front of her. His boots barely made a sound as they hit the ground.

Tasha smirked. "What can I say? I like finishing my work clean."

Jayden chuckled, brushing past the corpse as if it didn't exist. "So… what direction of the forest do you wanna explore next?"

Tasha rolled her shoulders, lightning still dancing faintly across her skin. She exhaled and replied, "Actually… I'm getting bored of these weaker beasts. I need something more challenging."

Jayden chuckled. "Really?"

Tasha shrugged. "Yeah, this ones aren't so fun anymore. I want…"

…AWOOOOO!

As if on cue, a thunderous howl echoed across the clearing. It was deep, guttural, shaking the trees and scattering flocks of birds into the night sky.

Both Jayden and Tasha turned sharply toward the sound. And emerging from the darkness of the treeline, glowing yellow eyes pierced the shadows. Then it stepped into view… massive, hulking, its muscles rippling under its bristling black fur.

It was a larger howler, easily twice the size of the E-Rank ones from earlier. The dominance in its gait was undeniable. This was no ordinary beast. This was an Alpha. And it radiated power.

They didn't need to be told… this was undoubtedly a D-Rank beast.

Jayden's lips curved into a grin as he chuckled. "Well, looks like your wish was granted."

Tasha's eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a smirk of her own. "No shit."

Jayden glanced between the beast and her. "So… should I assist you or…?"

"Don't worry about me. I've got this," Tasha interrupted confidently. "You just stay back and watch."

Jayden exhaled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Yes, ma'am." he muttered. And with a smooth leap, he vaulted back onto a high branch, settling into position like a spectator at an arena.

Down below, the clearing grew tense, the air thick with bloodlust. The D-Rank howler snarled, its fangs gleaming under the moonlight, saliva dripping from its maw. Its growl rumbled through the ground as it locked eyes on Tasha.

Tasha stepped forward, electricity coiling up her arms like living serpents, her smirk unwavering. "Okay, my furry friend," she muttered. "Let's get this over with."

The howler's claws dug into the dirt.

And then it charged.