My Little Overlord: Harmony Desync

“Echoes, that's what they are called. Dimensional anomalies across the fabric of space and time, manifested as intangible ghosts that few can see.” Pwinx explained while watching the ghostly apparition roll and run around wildly from an invisible force. Jonathan sat in the bush silently, watching the white ghost of what seemed to be another version of himself dodge and run around. The ghostly construct looked terrified, almost as if trying to avoid something out of the three’s perspective.

“Echo’s huh…Why does he kinda look like me? I mean, I can kinda guess why but I want to hear it from you.” The Jona whispered, wincing as the echo version of himself was tackled to the ground by something. His momentary thrashing was interrupted by a slight jerk of his chest caving inward like he had just been stabbed by something. Seconds later the apparition faded into nothing.

“They look like you because after your duties had been assigned by The Author, infinite versions of yourself across infinite versions of Equis, were all funneled and locked here into this world category in particular. The resulting fragmentation of reality was the echoing effect of different versions of yourself focal points of death.” The Imp said as another echo ghost appeared from behind a tree. This one was wearing leather armor, rolling, dodging, twirling a stone spear skillfully in his hands. He seemed to be fighting well until something seemed to tackle him from above, ending him in a swift mauling.

“This is where many of your counterparts have fallen, a graveyard of their last moments that are repeated. They serve as a warning, and a way to learn from their mistakes moving forward.” Pwinx explained with a small frown as each entity faded away in the clearing. Jonathan nodded his head in acknowledgement, slinking his way around the death field to avoid provoking what might have been the cause of his echo counterpart’s demise.

“In that case it would seem there must be a reason for their convergence on this location, the arrow radar is being really finicky with wherever this point of interest is located.” With his bow drawn he kept his body low, letting the natural camouflage that his shaw and hood provided conceal him from potential prying eyes.

During their hike through the slowly darkening forest it had been made known to him by his floating guide that he had long since acquired night vision. This made traversing the forest in darkness just as easy as hiking in the daylight.

[Dark Gore Warning]

Jonathan’s hands pushed aside the massive palm leaves, revealing the source of the hovering question mark on his map. The hot stench of blood and decay was potent in the air. The corpses and remains of what looked to be a supply caravan were strewn sloppily all over the place. Carriages which were supposed to be hitched to horses laid in bloodied tatters, their contents spilling free in messy piles. The equines that were meant to be attached were well…only half way attached from what the man could see.

Jonathan had been trying to grapple with the reality that this was actually the world of My Little Pony. That this was a children’s show that he watched once or twice at the behest of his younger relatives when he would be babysitting them. Looking at the bloodied remains of the pastel ponies only confirmed the macabre reality of this world. Peace, love, friendship, none of it mattered in the face of survival, or the gaping jaws of the dominant predator.

One of the blue “Earth Pony” stallions had managed to unhitch from the leading caravan. It unfortunately appeared that he only made it the first few feet before something tore the back of his neck out, bending it viciously at a 90 degree angle.

His forehooves were messily ripped from their sockets leaving bits of broken bone and torn muscle. Judging from the trails of dried blood splashed ahead, they had been dragged a couple yards ahead of him into the bushes. Behind the first was his partner in moving the carriage, a green Unicorn stallion who had been wearing what he believed to be silver plated armor.

The gear only seemed to protect its upper half because under their belly Jonathan could see that whatever got to the pony had forced itself under them. It had clawed, eaten, and gnashed away until the back hooves and haunches of the pony fell off completely. The monster had completely bisected them in the middle, letting his entrails spill out to be swarmed by the bugs.

One of the flying ponies, a Pegasus, had tried to fly up into the air, however by some means he had gotten tangled up in a thick net of Everfree vines. The way he positioned himself caused his weight to gradually lower him back to the ground where whatever had attacked the convoy more or less ripped him in two. Much like the poor bloke who was pulling the supplies along he was bisected. Entrails hung from the upper half and dangled like grotesque party streamers.

Flies buzzed around the crusty organs that had long since hardened over, leaving only stinking meat for the maggots to feed. Everywhere Jonathan looked he saw death, heads were rolled about, skulls cracked open with brains spilling into the dirt, limbs discarded, half eaten, blood splashed across the various carts. Many even appeared to have been riddled with wooden spikes, almost as if they had been repeatedly hit with throwing darts.

The worst however was yet to come, finally reaching the back of the line yielded the most horrific corpses out of them all. It was another Pegasus, a mare who had gotten stuck in the hollowed out remains of a fallen tree log. In the panic she must have tried to hide inside the dead tree, only for her hind legs and flank to end up sticking from the entrance hole. It only took one look before Jona finally caved, finding the closest bush to empty the contents of his stomach. The soft squirming under his hood signaled that Aelita was trying to peek out, to see what troubled her master.

Jonathan breathed heavily, cradling the lump where his pet was trying to wriggle out while walking briskly away from the carnage. He couldn’t bear to see this anymore, and the thought of his new baby pet having to see it made his stomach churn more than it already was.

“Pwinx…I-I can’t do this anymore, I just can’t…I have the body of a god, the potential of a lifetime, but at the end of the day I’m a writer! I write about battle, war, and death, but the only experience I ever had was hunting with my compound bow when I was a KID!” He croaked.

GORE END

Poor Jona squeezed handfuls of a tree, gritting his teeth as his eyes welled with tears. The smell, the sights, they were burned into his mind, no matter how many times he blinked he could still see their mutilated bodies flashing in his eyes. Knowing that these ponies were happy, bouncing, and sentient creatures before that made it feel as if they were normal humans.

Pwinx sighed, sitting on top of his head, staring down at the ground thinking, thinking long and hard. It was true, this wasn’t working at all…so far Jonathan wasn’t thinking like an Overlord, he had a weak stomach, brains for sure, but no will to use the god given strength to take initiative. “I…I might have an idea, but I'm not sure how well it will work. Hypothetically I can combine the ego and fortitude of Dezmond in the form of a persona, bolstering your resolve.”

“The only problem is that there is a chance that there will be lingering side effects. Essentially I would be fusing both of your personalities together, in tandem with his sealed memories with yours. Both you and Him will be sharing a body, the possibilities are endless as to how this long journey will play out.” Pwinx mumbled softly while looking through the various sealed fragments locked deep inside Jonathan’s mind. One wrong move and Jonathan would be lost forever, his mind completely subsumed by the memories of Dezmond.

“I have to…Pwinx, I’m weak, I'm pathetic, and you know it’s true, and If my only way out of here is to slay gods, I need his strength, his courage, and his fighting spirit. In this world Jonathan can’t survive on his own, so why not Dezmond.” He hissed, feeling the stinging of the flowing tears. Inside he felt awful, unable to do anything, but that was about to change. With Pwinx at the controls he looked upon the defragmented data with a worried look gracing his soft face. He had failed Jonathan as a mentor, a guide, but perhaps with this giant leap into the unknown he could be better to him, to THEM.

“Beginning Ego Synchronization…”

It felt like a switch had been flipped off, plunging the human man into the dark abyss he had grown so accommodated to. Unlike before he could move about freely, as if he were walking on cold cement. Each step he made left glistening blue ripples about on the non existent floor.

He watched them move outward, endlessly progressing towards an equally non-existent horizon. “Did I die…?” That was the first thought that left his mind through his lips. The words echoed loudly across the endless chasm of space that comprised this awkward void.

“Nope, though personally I think it feels like it…I call it “The Mindscape…” Another voice mirroring his own rang out in all directions. From the shadows a figure would emerge, with every step creating bright purple ripples that clashed with Jonathan’s whilst he backed away. The form took shape and color, and when it did there was just something so surreal about it. Standing at eye level with Jonathan was well…himself…no, Dezmond, the real Dezmond.

“Are you…him?” He asked dubiously, raising a hand to point at his double who had both hands resting in the waistband of his plant fiber pants. His purple eyes shone throughout the void like a spotlight, illuminating and reflecting off the constantly liquid state of the darkness beneath both their feet.

“I suppose you could say that, It's strange…isn’t it? Looking, talking, interacting with someone who looks exactly like you? Gotta admit it's kinda cool too, they say the best friend you can possibly make is with yourself right? That's besides the point, I know why you're here…please take a seat.” Dezmond snapped his fingers, causing the darkness around them to shape into lawn chairs.

One was thematically purple, the other was blue, and both sat almost at the same time side by side. Neither had been looking at one another, just looking out into infinite nothingness. “Yea, I know, I’m here because I’ve come to the conclusion that I am weak, I’m spineless, and pathetic. I have all the tools to take on anything in my path yet I don't seem to have the strength to use it. I’m not like you Dezmond."

"Putting it bluntly you are the fantasies that I had when I was a moronic, horny, and young asshole living it up in high school. You are everything that I wished I could be, powerful, handsome, tall, and unstoppable…and without knowing It, your stories were the reasons I aspired to become an author in the first place, to lose myself in YOUR world.” Jonathan said with his hands resting over his stomach, his blue eyes coming to a close.

“And now that I’m given the chance to do so…I can’t seem to do it on my own.”

Dezmond hummed softly, listening to each word with a slight nod of his head each time, his face devoid of any emotion. There was a brief moment of silence that tied the two together, only broken by Dezmond’s low, jovial, and amused chorus of laughter. This only caused Jonathan to slump forward, placing his head in his hands.

“So you're gonna keep pitying yourself hm...? Sorry to be the one to say this buddy, but you really are pathetic…heh. That's why I’m gonna be the one to whip you into shape, so you can take on this new world with a crazy smile and more tales to tell.”

“Even with my memories suppressed, I could tell you that my existence, the one YOU orchestrated, was boring. I was the strongest spanning across the entire multiverse, a force with no equal. You're the weakest…so I couldn’t think of the perfect person to mentor, to work with...” Dezmond’s hand gripped Jonathan’s hair, tugging his head up so their cheeks were pressed side by side.

The purple eyed duplicate had a wild, excited, and bubbly expression while Jonathan’s face looked concerned, fearful, and rather unsure of the proposition. His blue eyes were bashfully looking at the ground, but he nodded nonetheless. The accumulated light from their ripples brightened, with Dezmond’s stupid grin filling Jonathan with a strange sensation, one that elevated his spirits, giving him hope for the first time in this wild reality he had be thrust into.

“Let's show this world…”

“The definition of the word…”

“...Overlord…”

Jonathan slowly opened his eyes, staring up at the forest canopy with a hazy gleam in his eyes. For once he wasn’t awoken to a splitting headache, if anything he felt more refreshed than he had ever felt in days since waking in this nightmare of a world.

The wet sensation of Aelita’s snout sniffing his prone form eased him from the fog that overtook his dulled senses. Her faint whimpering combined with Pwinx’s muffled words were what yanked him from the stupor he had been dragged through.

“Jonathan? You good…?” Pwinx asked nervously, taking note of the change in his ward’s eyes. Both were changed in color, both equally shining either purple or blue in a stunning display.

“You bet your fat ass I’m good, I’m better than ever baby!~” Jonathan rolled back, flipping forward onto his feet so he could brush the dirt from his leafy clothes. Pwinx raised a brow, tilting his head back in surprise at the sudden backbone behind the human’s words.

“Okay who are you really and what did you do with Jonathan? You aren’t some carbon copy of that jackass are you?” Pwinx asked cautiously while backing up a little. Aelita gave Jonathan a curious sniff before backing up beside the Imp while letting out a small growl. Her fluffy red and white tail wagged cautiously while giving her new master a look. Jonathan held his hands up with a small grin on his face, rolling his shoulders whilst clicking his tongue.

“Easy bubble butt, It's still me, I was just given a little ego boost is all…It feels like I have someone else on my shoulder, and a new driving force giving me this surge of strength that's hard to explain. Regardless that won’t change my standing and desire to leave this fuck trash of a world. Let's start with scavenging that dumpster fire of a caravan back there…from what I could see before losing my lunch, it might be a supply line, maybe even a group of traders trying to take a fast route through the woods.” Jonathan said with a skeptical look towards the leaves blocking the carnage from sight.

“Pwink…I want you to keep Aelita company, I don’t want her coming with me to see all this crap. If anything happens let me know, I’ll be fine on my own for a little while…if I need you, I’ll relay all the information to you mentally.” Crouching down to Aelita’s level he gave the young fox a small scratch behind her ears. His warm smile put the young pup at ease, causing her to nibble his fingers while letting out cute growls.

“So you putting ME on babysitting duty? Ugh, fine…you're just lucky she’s so fricken adorable…don’t go getting yourself killed now just because you dick grew a few inches.” Pwinx scoffed, rolling his eyes as Jonathan went about crafting two items with his newly acquired item formula.

+1 Chiseled Stone Knife Added

+1 Chiseled Stone Knife Added (2)

Both stone blades manifested in either hand, firm, sharp edged, and reliable blades that could rival that of a traditional iron dagger. The rock had been magically carved to appear similar to an average knife. The statistics, unlike his previous stone knives, were balanced, not too strong, not too weak, just right. It even held the same material costs as the weaker versions. Jonathan got a good feel for them both, the blade dancing in his hands, twirling between his fingers with a vague familiarity coming to him in waves.

Dezmond was a master of the blade, knives in particular were his personal favorite means of battling on the field, at least when he actually ended up doing the dirty deeds. With both held in a reverse grip he made his way through the foliage back to the slaughtered ponies, and all their juicy, potentially untouched loot. His leaf bound feet crunched on dead leaves and twigs, muffled only by the loud chirping of the night life.

The scene laid out before him unnerved him for sure, but not nearly as much as it had before. Dezmond served as the comforting hands on his shoulders, keeping his heart thumping at a rhythmic throb. Survival was what came first, and this caravan was a huge opportunity to change things.

It could also potentially lead to acquiring the crafting components for better gear. With the blades snuggly slid into his waistband he was able to pry the sticky, blood-soaked, iron armor from the stinking corpse of the pony half attached to the leading carriage.

+1Iron Half Plate Armor (Pony) Added

The front half of the corpse sagged into the mud, his bloated meat bursting much to Jonathan’s disgust. Moving from them to the carriage yielded much less disgusting results. The boxes that had spilled from the open sliding door contained various non perishables, bread rations, hay, some grass, and a few waxed over wheels of cheese.

When he rooted through the food stuffs he was able to acquire a bottle of milk, the dampened label reading “Milky Way’s Endearing Dairy”. The mare on the front wore what he could only describe as a navy uniform with a bow tie and an oversized officer cap.

“Huh, that outfit looks oddly cute here…yet at the same time obnoxiously alluring at the same time…” The milk, along with the other foods excluding the plant rations went into Jonathan’s tome inventory, giving him ample food supplies to bring back home. Among the various boxes were many containing collars, chains, and even some shackles, all with red gemstones clipped in where the locks would be. “Hmm…”

Skill activation: Mana Sense

Purple waves of energy traveled from his shoulder, down his arms, to the tips of his fingers grasping one of the collar’s gemstone. The shiny red ruby glimmered, radiating with magic that warmed in his grip the more he touched it. It washed over the various other shackles as well, categorizing them as similar items. His pulse along with a swift analysis identified the neck restraint as an “Enslavement Collar”. After running a hand along it the option to “ Vampirize” the magic item. ‘Strange…I get vampirism on living things but Items as well…?’

Jonathan pressed the skill activation prompt, causing the gem’s lush red color to gradually dull into a gray diamond color. He could feel the surge of power flow through his veins, energizing him in a unique way that he couldn’t put his finger on. What he didn’t expect was the acquisition of a new skill that was bound to the consumption of the item.

Spell Acquired: Dominate Mind

This was the first time Jonathan had seen the tome designate a skill as “magic” and on further examination the spell consumed a large amount of mana in order to impose one’s will forcefully or willingly on another’s mind. The only drawback was the fact it consumed so much mana to cast, rendering Jonathan unable to cast it less he wishes to suffer from the lethal effects of mana drain.

‘Pwinx, how can I increase my mana reserves?’ He asked inquisitively to his guide, causing the Imp to give pause as if he were doing something before responding in the man’s mind.

‘Think of your mana as a small puddle, in order to increase your mana you must dig deep, concentrating, meditating, and practice with appropriate skills to expand that puddle. With enough training you could make your mana deep as a well, and further along as violent, vast, and mighty as an ocean. For now I recommend you try and create or roll back certain skills to a common or uncommon level.” Pwinx said with a serious base to his voice.

“The more unorthodox and brutal method of increasing your mana is the pilfering of other’s own reserves through the vampirism skill you’ve just used on that collar. However I know what you're thinking, no you can’t just use the skill over and over on enchanted items. You have to actually use and kill creatures with it in order to boost yourself. Like Dezmond in your stories he gained his strength through the devouring of gods and other entities alike. It's a powerful shortcut, but a long, dark, and treacherous one that most habitants of this world might find uncouth.” Jonathan listened, rolling the dead, lifeless, gray gem around in his hand.

While it’s true the sensation of devouring the item’s mana felt amazing, the memories of what he did to poor Aelita’s mother flooded his mind. Her poor whimpers and rage filled eyes were the only thing he could see in his mind. Even with the requested bravado that Dezmond bolstered his mind and heart with, the idea of using such methods just to get ahead in this life felt wrong. “Yea, I think I’ll just stick to using it on items for now…besides, I found some cool skills in this enslavement collar.”

“Oh Deeeezmond~ You naughty boy, you know you don’t have to use any domination spells to make me sing~” Pwinx cooed flirtatiously causing Jonathan to gag and roll his eyes. He placed a few of the magically charged collars into his inventory before moving down the various carriages containing more supplies.

Some held bulk leather, others held scrap, no weapons other than a single spear that had been sloppily sunk into a felled tree. The metal was not iron, rather a copper based alloy, crudely and cheaply made. After giving it a small twirl he slid it onto his back along with his bow, causing both to lightly clatter together over his shaw.

Carriage after carriage was either loaded with mangled bodies, materials, or food, a lot of it being left behind to conserve inventory space. The last carriage proved to be the most useful, with a dead…Zebra…? Dressed in a tattered loincloth, various jewels, and a cloth head wrap to further decorate her pinned up dreadlocks.

The cause of death was obvious, with a large spike having embedded into her gut. She had propped herself against the back wall of the cart, a hoof resting on her gut, and the other holding what appeared to be a journal. He gripped the book lightly in both hands, respectfully removing the zebra’s hoof and placing it over the other. ‘Finally some information…’ Jonathan climbed into the carriage, taking great care not to disturb its occupant by sitting atop one of the crates.

The first thing that Jonathan realized when he opened the journal was the sophisticated handwriting for someone who didn’t have any hands. The second crippling realization that came crashing down on his head like a bag of bricks was the fact he couldn’t understand a lick that was being written on the pages. ‘Uh…Pwinx? Could you maybe decipher this side by side as I'm reading?’

Pwinx responded as quickly as he inquired. ‘Fascinating dialect…it's extremely complex for such a trivial world, but nothing I can’t crack.’ The journal slowly shimmered a bright blue, holographic slab materializing over the pages. Letter by letter the unintelligible scribbles became legible english he could mentally read aloud.

‘The forest, it is angered by our presence…the spirits that call to me are silent as the grave, leaving only an angry buzz. These ponies that have imprisoned me ask time and time again what is to be the cause, but time and time again I find myself with no answer. Wolves of timber that could fall apart at the slightest tap have become beasts born from the nightmares of dark spirits.’

‘They attack us day in and day out, feasting on the flesh of the ponies who claim to be the strongest in the lands…leaving no room for mercy. When I look into their eyes I see not the wild heart of the forest, but a spirit scorned by grief and unbridled rage. We tread on glass, in dwellings we have no business pilfering from. These changed creatures heed not their own wishes, but the desires of the forest.’

‘I watched as bipedal creatures unlike anything I have ever seen fall to forces unknown, mangled beyond recollection. I believe- no, I KNOW these serve as warnings from the other side, for when they come…the wrath of the forest soon follows.’

‘These ponies come in search of the crystals containing unfathomable power, a cave that infinitely replenishes the gems within thanks to the sacred nature spirits that linger in this place. Their feline leader knows not of the dangers, despite my cries…they go un-headed, greed blinding his every decision. The fallen heavens punish the greedy, I only hope that I may be spared…’

The pages went on and on, explaining that this Zebra was a slave, forced into servitude by a group of hardened criminals. Judging from the various tools and materials, backed up by the sorrowful tale, they were on the cusp of obtaining great riches. Said riches were powerful gems containing the raw, unrivaled power of the elements, with a legend fortelling that the Harmonic Elements were discovered in this very cave by ponies of old.

‘These stallions and mares foolishly abandon the bulk of their might, in favor of keeping it directed towards the cave. They believe that they can lure ‘The Guardian Beast of the Cave’ from its depths. I pray only that the gray pegasus mare and her filly survive, or at the very least her filly.’

‘Despite the circumstances her gilded eyes shone with hope, even as the men beat and starved her, she never gave up, shining through the dark times whilst shielding her daughter from the cruel hooves of our captors.’

‘Zecora…my sweet sister…If by some miracle of the spirits this journal reaches your hooves, I wish to apologize for never being there when you needed me most.’

Mag die geeste my huis toe lei bloed suster

(May the spirits guide me home sister)

-Tecorat

It was a strange feeling welling up in Jonathan’s chest as he read those words, looking down at the tear and blood soaked pages of a mare who had been unfairly imprisoned, violated, and exploited. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became for her, feeling the suffering she went through every single word. Not wanting the mare’s body to be desecrated he would wrap her in cloth shredded from the blinds of the carriage.

It was a long, tiring, but respectful process burying her body. With a stone shovel in his hands he made sure to dig deep enough so the animals wouldn’t be able to dig her up again. Upon finishing he would place and bury the bloodied cloth and its occupant deep into the earth. Looking back at the carnage only filled him with spite, mares, stallions, ponies like them…deserve every bit of karma they received, so for all he cared their stinking carcasses could rot.

After giving a small prayer he looked to the map etched in the final pages of the journal, a crudely etched one, but acceptable enough for the tome to pin it up on his own map as a location of interest. ‘Pwinx, we're ready to move out…I wanna see this cave of magic crystals this mare has been talking about, is Aeilita safe?’

‘Jonathan, we have a problem…whatever roughed up these thugs has returned, I managed to lead Aelita to safety, but I think they know you're here already. These Timberwolves are different, I don’t think you can run this time…’ Pwinx said with concern dripping from his words.

Slipping both knives into his hands, he discarded the shovel with a soft ‘THUNK’ as it slipped into the loose soil on the forest floor. His body turned, facing the 5 pairs of eyes glaring back at him. His fingers grasped the knives tightly causing his knuckles to turn white in anger. “No worries Pwinx…I wasn’t planning on it.” Jonathan glared at the hungry beasts, watching as the leader of the pack emerged from the shadows.

The wolf was massive for canine standards, almost as tall as a small car, with wooden flesh to boot. The wood was bleach white, more than likely a mutated form of birch, with various vines in between bark plates to serve as the muscles. Stone chiseled claws curled between mossy paws, with a leafy mane trailing down the back of his angular head, leading into a fan style tail.

Its beaming red eyes were filled with hate, yet also…confusion? That confusion quickly vanished with the shake of its head, allowing it to part both jaws to reveal rows of jagged splintered teeth. Thick ropes of purple sap oozed into the dirt like sticky, honeyed, drool, a sign of its unending hunger for death.

Its powerful frame bowed into a threatening poise, ready to pounce, with loud cracks, snaps, and groans filling the air. Large, powerful, deadly wooden spikes about as long as Jonathan’s arm broke through gaps along its back, a deadly countermeasure that diagonally moved down its spine. The one thing all of the hounds had in common was the large, glowing, obvious weak spot between their birch chest plates.

The four wolves behind it sported similar looks, though they proved to be much smaller than presumably their alpha. They procured less wood spikes, however that was made up for by larger jaws, sharper claws, and a more slender frame. “If I wanna get home…I have to become the Overlord of this dimension, that means no more running, no more preparing…I have the strength to see this through, and i’ll be damned if I’m going to die here from a BUNDLE OF STICKS!”

The alpha howled to the skies, sending forth the pack just as Jonathan kicked off from his position. With his enhanced speed he lunged with one foot out, only to plant and kick from the earth with enough force to cave the dirt inwards to form a small crater. The resulting slingshot affect sent him propelling forwards towards the alpha.

His course was cut short when he felt two Birch Hounds collide into either arm, sinking their teeth into his forearms. This sent the three jerking back, and Jonathan landed flat on his butt. Both wolves gnawed and applied pressure, yet for some reason they couldn’t breach his skin. The memories of when the Manticore days prior slashed his chest came flooding back. If that couldn’t breach his skin, then clearly these wooden abominations would have no chance.

The man grit his teeth, the pressure of their bites aching and bruising his skin beneath the thin layers of green. Jonathan mustered his strength and will to push through, lifting both wolves attached to his arms into the air. “Get…OFF!” He swung one arm into the flat side of the carriage, smashing the birch wolf flat against it. This caused the entire box carriage to tilt slightly from the force.

The impact caused the nature creature to splatter viciously against the surface, showering the carriage in a mix of bark, purple sap, and vines. Its large wooden skull clattered to the ground, the bottom jaw wetly dislocated to one side. The only comparison Jona could make was like smashing a bug with your hand, gross, quick, and effective. With one arm now free he violently plunged the dagger again and again into the chest of the dangling remaining hound.

It helplessly flailed around with its back paws tapping the ground while the human viciously stabbed until the knife met its mark at the beating purple core. The results were a volatile explosion of sap and birch wood, showering the ground and half of Jonathan’s body in the creature’s plantoid innards.

The other two didn't give Jonathan time to breath, lunging or bolting towards him with their full weight smashing him into the carriage in a mix of flailing limbs, snarls, and howls. With the right positioning Jonathan was able to violently plant his foot in the face of one birch canine’s muzzle, kicking it back into a tree. While hugging the other that was shoving him into the cart he squeezed, and squeezed, and squeezed again until he heard the resounding CRACK of wood splintering.

He stabbed both blades into the beast’s upper and lower back before slowly ripping it in half with a mighty roar. The battle lustful man could feel and hear the vines snapping, leaves tearing like wet paper, and feel the hot, sticky, gooey sap pour onto his clothes. Regardless he tossed either side of the wolf in different directions, with its beating core resting at his feet. It took only one stomp to burst the pulsating sack like a glowing cyst, gunking up the wrapped leaves that comprised his flimsy sandals in bioluminescent slime.

This time Jonathan was ready, removing the spear from his back so he could hurl it with all his strength, turning his body to maximize the resulting output he would pour into the spear. Air around the weapon distorted, creating a cyclone that broke the sound barrier with a loud BANG when the weapon left his fingers.

Weapon Skill Activation: Implosion Shot

The spear perforating and pinning the wolf to the tree it was knocked up against by the kick. There was a brief delay before a deafening BOOM shook the forest to its core, sending the creatures within into an uproar. The spear had completely exploded, hollowing out the monster’s chest cavity causing wet,sticky, gooey vines to pour out, splattering onto the ground. Purple core sludge mixed with the sap, messily pooling beneath the crumbling hound’s birch armor which had completely shattered from the implosion.

Item: Flimsy Copper Spearhas been destroyed

Both the beast and the tree fell, with the gaping hole caused by the implosion going into both the mob and the environment it was stuck to. Despite the hole having chunks of tree remaining at either side the weight proved too much, sending it crashing between the Alpha and Jonathan. Such an action while unplanned for was not welcomed, providing ample breathing room so Jonathan could catch his breath.

The drain from the use of his skills was there, but having absorbed the magic from the slave collar, the high from consuming the mana lessened the dizzying effects. ‘I might be strong, but there is no telling what that alpha is capable of…this tree falling will only give me so much time to think of a plan- wait…THAT'S IT!’ Jonathan’s eyes opened with recollection, staring down at both stone knives in his hands.

The alpha leapt into the air, bounding over the large tree blocking its path, its growls were low, enraged by the folly of its weak underlings. Through its red eyes the world could be seen in shades of red, with life appearing green and death appearing as blue. For reasons it was unsure of, the beast couldn’t spot the biped which further increased its inclining agitation. The beast tilted its muzzle to the air, snorting, sniffing the air to take in the scent of its prey.

The alpha hound moved briskly towards the carriage that had nearly tipped from its underlings' attempts to hold the creature down. Its sliding door was opened, revealing another open door on the other side. There stood Jonathan in all his glory, giving the beast the middle finger, and blowing a wet raspberry in its face. The hound howled, leaping through the carriage in an attempt to get at the human. What it didn’t realize however was the trap it had just sprung.

“Gotcha bitch~!”

Weapon Skill Activation: Delayed Implosion Shot

During the brief 20 seconds it took for the alpha to run and jump over the felled tree, Jonathan had tossed and embedded both stone knives into two trees behind the wolf before it leapt through. Now that it had, the resulting implosion of both weapons caused the tree to fall forward, perfectly landing on the back half of the MASSIVE alpha, crushing, pinning, and keeping the beast pinned inside the carriage. It didn't help that its massive spine spikes were scraping the ceiling of the carriage, getting tangled by webs of cargo netting that once held the supply crates.

It howled in pain as the ironic twist of fate befell it, a beast of wood crushed by the very nature that spawned it. Its muzzle gnashed, snapped, and howled in Jonathan’s smug face, warranting another wet raspberry to the snout.

“Nice try ass clown now to finish you off for good!” Jonathan was about to finish the beast off by hacking it to death with the hatchet, however that plan was quickly squashed by an unexpected maneuver by the alpha. It didn’t want to die, reasonably so, making it draw fourth its hidden skill.

The spikes on its back retracted, allowing it to wriggle a bit further through with its head now sticking out. Green sparks of arcane energy arched from its muzzle which opened wide, and before Jonathan could even react, a hail of glowing green splinter shards the size of his finger flew from the alpha’s open jaws.

“FUCK! ANAGGH!” The pain was immeasurable, while his crude ghillie shaw did help in shielding him from most of the magic infused shards, a large amount still managed to successfully embed themselves into Jonathan’s flesh. It felt like he was stabbed all over his body by a tiny dagger.

Each movement that followed was intense, blinding, white hot pain, with his strength draining away. Through the fiery pain he grit his teeth, moving slowly out of the flailing alpha’s line of fire towards the sliding door. He was running fully on pure adrenaline, grasping the rail to the box carriage door.

“Will…you…just…FUCKING DIE!”

Jonathan used both arms to slam the door on the beast’s neck with a satisfying CRUNCH of its bark clad exterior. He would slam again and again, his bloodshot eyes wide from the mix of adrenaline, rage, and pain going through his body. Even as every thorn embedded in his body burned flesh, he continued to slam the door into the alpha’s neck. Again, and again, and again, and again, not stopping, not letting up until a sickening CRACK filled the night air.

It sounded like cracking open a watermelon with a baseball bat. The door had fully slammed shut, messily clobbering the beast’s head off in a shower of green gore, splinters, and wooden teeth. The mighty hound of the forest ceased its flailing, the head splattering onto the ground in a pile of sticky vines. The man wearily collapsed beside the head, panting heavily while grabbing at the glowing green splinters sunk into his chest.

One by one he removed them, letting the magically enhanced wood clatter to the floor in splatters of fresh crimson. It took a great deal, and a muffled scream into his shaw to remove the biggest one that had lodged through his hand. In the attack it instinctively went up in the blast to shield his face, a smart move that could have led to allot more severe injuries. The adrenaline high that came from the battle was wearing down, with only the aches, pains, and stress weighing in double time.

“Pwinx….I…I think it’s safe no-EH!?” The calm was broken by a loud growl from the wolf head as it lunged from its position on the ground and into Jonathan’s face. He had to use both hands to keep its jaws pried open. His fingers gushed blood from gripping onto the wooden teeth that had begun growing back. In the back of the beast’s throat was the pulsating, angry, throbbing core of the beast.

Jonathan struggled and slammed the decapitated head into the ground HARD, allowing him to plant his knee into the neck whilst vines wriggled from its stump towards the carriage door, likely an attempt to reattach itself to the main body. ‘LIKE HELL!’

The bloodied, exhausted, and bruised man used his hatchet to keep the mouth open, allowing him to reach inside the jaws to grasp the core. It felt wet, slimy, and gross, with the consistency of fresh pumpkin guts, but he was able to get a firm grip.

His arm shot out, fully ripping the alpha’s beating core from its body with a sickening RIP of the various roots connecting it. The head, vines, and the rest of the body went limp, with the MASSIVE core now residing in his possession. He laid back and shuddered wildly with his back planted onto the ground, completely spent and then some.

Item Obtained: “Core of The Birch Hound Prince”

“O…Okay, now we’re clear…” Jonathan’s hoarse voice called out in a scratchy tone, eyes rolling up while the tendrils of darkness clouded his vision, threatening to plunge him back into the sweet embrace of slumber. Both Pwinx and Aelita came out from the shadows, with Aelita being the first to rush over and begin licking his face.

“You…you did all of this? You not only managed to kill four mobs on your own, but also a MINI BOSS all in your first week of arriving here? You're accelerating ahead of schedule, way faster than I expected…I’m even detecting a breakthrough in your mana pool after you finished the fight. Quick, into the carriage, if you close the door and bind it with some vine rope you should be safe to rest.” The impish guide said with excitement and glee boiling over from each word.

Jonathan gave a shaky thumbs up, struggling to even lift his arm for such a simple gesture. “Yea…yea…I’m spent…ugh…and hurting all over.” The man did as his guide suggested, using the vine ropes from his item storage within the tome to lock both doors of the carriage not containing the wooden carcass of the alpha. Inside he was able to freely unfurl his bedroll and plop down on top of it. Aelita made equally great speeds to curl up on his stomach, whimpering and nuzzling his chest. The expression of worry in her eyes said it all, she was glad he survived.

That's all it took, sending Jonathan back into a deep slumber…