Chapter 54 - Fifty-Two (1/2)

I had trained a lot to change back and forth easily from my human and hound forms, enough that I could exploit it in battle; After all, just because I am a hound doesn't mean I need to keep my training in hound form only, which made me search for some human styles of fighting and, well, when I first tried I saw an opportunity there as the hound form is really good at chasing or attacking with a pack but the humanoid form is better in a one versus one scenario.

Even worst would be leaving such apparent weakness in place to be exploitable, being unable to fight in my human form.

I look up once more, taking in the environment I was in; lacking some trees and armors now, those been replaced by charcoal and melted puddles of metal, the only remaining now was the Oak tree thing. He looks at me, his green now yellowish light glimmering strangely, especially were his eyes would be, narrowing.

”Then let's see what you fear the most, Hound.”

I did not like the sound of that.

The creature starts to back down, suddenly disappearing between the foliage and before I could even follow it some purple flower buds expanded into purple-green flowers, pollen escaping their petals all at once, bringing forth a purple stinky mist that for a few seconds covered all my vision.

Coughing and brushing the mist off my eyes; without much success; I look once more to a now very foggy treasure room, strangely not sensing any presence around me, not finding Leo up the stairs behind me nor the creature on the foliage.

What the hell?

”B-brother!”

My head snaps to the side once I hear my brother's voice, and even though I could not smell him over the foggy purple mist I could pinpoint where he was by the sound.

A few branches and coin mountains away I found him, curled up in a ball right in the middle of a bed of those purple flowers, holding his side as blood dripped off between his finger in an alarming amount, making a red blanket around him.

”B-Brother, P-please, h-help” cough ”m-me.”

I was shocked for a second with the vision of him bathed on his own blood, one hand holding his guts that spilled out like noodles, worsening his condition as he coughed a mouthful of blood over his extended hand, making me pale with the image, almost giving up to the impulse of going to his aid.

But.

You know…

I wasn't thaaat stupid… I knew he was not there, even though I could not deny that his dying image affected me… but maybe not in the way the creature wished it would.

Even more when my surprise boiled up into range, making me clench my fists harder, narrowing my eyes.

”Do you know the phrase that some things are too serious to even joke about? Well, yeah, you have crossed that line my friend.” I snarled at the empty place, knowing that the creature would have heard me.

I activate my third eye, making the exposed silver crystal in my forehead shimmer as if giving it deep outlines, breaking my brother dying image into pieces as, instead, a circle of roots and thorns appears in his place.

With my third eye activated I could see all the magic in this place, almost making me dizzy with the amount of colorful waves rolling up and down and intertwining themselves, mostly coming from the plants of the place with a purplish glow.

He asked what I feared the most… maybe this magic activated something to do with that? Like, an illusion or something for what I fear the most…

Well, the image of my brother dying definitively matched that uhm…

I went further in the chamber, tripping over golden objects like goblets, passing by jewelry; mostly on velvet red pillows to the side; as well as pieces of golden armor, shields, all sort of stuff.

Maybe they left like that so it made it harder to steal something? Or they simply didn't care?

I was getting off track, again. I used my third eye once more to locate the tree-thing and started heading his way.

Another fl.u.s.ter of leaves warns me of a presence, only to reveal a Leo passing through, making me sigh, but then scowl in annoyance as I said to him that I would handle this. ”I told to wait upstairs Leo, I can handle this by myself just fine.”

He, however, doesn't say anything, a strange glint covering his golden eyes as he kept approaching more and more and more, and once I realize what that expression was I was backed on the corner.

L.u.s.t, pure and intense l.u.s.t.

His arms trapped me on the pillar, letting very clear our height difference as he towers over me, his face close, to close, making his breath tickle my face.

”L-Leo?!”

”Uhm?”

I was petrified in place at the intensity of his gaze, unable to look away as I shivered, clenching my teeth then biting my lower lip, moving my hair out of my face, unable to stay still.

”W-what are you doing?”

”What does it seem that I'm doing?” He brushes his face on mine, our cheeks brushing as his start to give small kisses on my jawline.