Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord

The D-Rank howler charged, claws ripping through the soil with each thunderous stride, its guttural growls vibrating through the night.

Tasha didn't wait. She moved too... lightning arcing around her, her form blurring into a streak of white-blue.

They clashed.

The Howler's claws slashed forward with terrifying precision, the sound of the air ripping under their force. Tasha ducked low, sliding under its swing, sparks exploding off her body as she struck at its ribs. But the beast twisted mid-swipe, spinning away with unnerving speed. Her fist connected with nothing but air.

Before she could reset, the Alpha pivoted sharply and unleashed a sonic howl.

BOOOOM!

The sound hit her like a wall, a vibration that rattled her bones and sent cracks spiraling through the dirt beneath her feet. She staggered back, clutching her ears for a fraction of a second, but the beast was already on her again. Claws flashed in a swiping frenzy.

Tasha bent, twisted, wove away, her lightning sparking with each desperate evasion. She countered with bolts of energy, her hands snapping forward in precise bursts, but the Alpha was too fast... darting in, ducking out, weaving through her lightning strikes with a predator's cunning.

Jayden, high above on his branch, leaned forward, golden eyes narrowed. Watching intently.

Below, the fight only grew more vicious.

The beast lunged, jaws snapping down for her throat. Tasha reacted on instinct, her hand shooting out, lightning flaring as she shoved against its maw to keep it from closing in. Its teeth ground against her crackling palm, sparks sizzling as she pushed it back with a snarl. She twisted her hips and swung her leg up, kicking the creature's chin to shove it off balance.

It stumbled slightly. Tasha took the chance. She dashed forward, her fist arcing like a meteor... only for another sonic howl to erupt point-blank.

BOOOOOM!

Her strike faltered mid-swing, the concussive force throwing her backward. She skidded across the dirt, sparks scattering from her body, her chest heaving with effort.

"Dammit," she hissed, wiping the blood from the corner of her lip.

The Alpha didn't give her a second. It barreled forward, claws raised. She ducked once, then again, every swipe close enough to slice strands of her hair. Its speed was monstrous, almost equal to hers... its instincts sharp, its strategy flawless.

It was like fighting a shadow that could scream you apart.

Tasha darted to the side, flipping backward to gain distance, but the beast matched her, zig-zagging across the clearing like a phantom. She fired a bolt of lightning but missed.

She fired again, but missed it again. The creature was too fast.

As it neared her, it suddenly vanished into smoke and reappeared at her flank.

Her eyes widened. She twisted just in time to avoid having her throat torn out, but the beast's paw came unexpectedly from the other side.

SMACK!

Its claws raked across her face, the force sending her flying like a ragdoll. She hit the dirt, rolling violently until her body skidded to a stop against a tree trunk.

Blood streaked down the side of her head. Her vision swam.

"Tasha!" Jayden's voice ripped through the clearing, raw with urgency. He dropped from the branch, eyes glowing. "I'm ending this—"

"No!"

Her voice cracked but carried command. She forced herself upright, her hand braced on the tree, blood dripping down her cheek. Her breaths came heavy, but her eyes... her eyes burned brighter than ever.

"I can handle this." she whispered. "I can finish this."

Jayden froze where he stood, his fists trembling at his sides. His instincts screamed at him to ignore her, but something in her tone... unyielding, fiery and determined kept him still.

Tasha wiped the blood away, sparks crawling more violently across her body now, as if her very heartbeat was lightning. Her hair lifted from the static coursing off her frame. Her eyes glowed, radiant blue, like storms trapped in flesh.

The beast roared and lunged again.

But this time, Tasha vanished.

She reappeared a heartbeat later in front of the beast, her fist colliding with its jaw like a thunderbolt.

CRACK!

Its head snapped back from the impact. But Tasha didn't stop.

She wasn't finished. Not yet.

And in an instant, she became lightening. Her fists blurred, raining down in rapid succession.

BAM! BAM! CRACK!!

Every blow was thunder, every strike a shockwave. Her knuckles slammed into the beast's ribs, its chest, its shoulders... bone cracking, flesh bruising. Sparks illuminated the clearing like a strobe light, the two of them moving so fast it was almost impossible to follow.

The beast roared in fury, slashing wildly, but Tasha's movements were sharper now... cleaner, faster. She weaved through its strikes like water through cracks, her body bending and twisting with inhuman precision. She hit it again and again, until its legs buckled and it dropped to its knees, blood dripping from its maw, body trembling.

Then, in a flash, she appeared before it... fist raised high, lightning swirling into a violent storm around her arm, enough to shatter its skull in one final hit.

The beast froze.

It knew this was it. The finishing blow.

But it never came.

Instead, Tasha sighed. Her glowing eyes dimmed. The lightning surrounding her body flickered out. And slowly, her hand lowered to her side.

There was nothing but silence.

Jayden's eyes widened in shock. Even the beast blinked, dazed and confused, wondering why its head was still attached to its body.

Jayden ran towards her hastily. "Tasha..." he called out. His gaze scanned her face as she turned, stopping at the dried streak of blood. His voice softened, worried. "Are you okay?"

Tasha gave him a wry smile. "I'm fine." She touched the side of her head, the wound already healed over.

Jayden exhaled in relief, but his frown lingered. "Okay good. So... you want to take the kill?" he asked, glancing at the injured beast.

Tasha shook her head. "No."

Jayden blinked. "No?" he asked in confusion, and awe.

Tasha's eyes softened, fixed on the battered Howler struggling to breathe. "When I looked into its eyes... I saw a determination to live. To get back to the ones it protects. To its family."