Hunt Race

The Mark on Kael's palm pulsed.

His eyes dropped to it.

A thin line of blood still rested along the edge of his sword.

The beast's blood.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the blood trembled.

Kael's eyes narrowed as the tiny droplets slowly gathered together, sliding along the steel toward his hand before lifting from the blade one by one and drifting toward the black crescent.

The first drop touched the Mark and disappeared.

Then another.

Then another.

Kael remained still, watching as the remaining blood slowly left the sword and sank into the Mark.

The black crescent pulsed once more.

A sudden burning sensation spread through the wound on his side.

Kael looked down.

The cut was still there, but the edges had begun pulling together.

Only slightly.

The bleeding slowed.

Kael touched the wound with his free hand.

The silver aura was still inside it.

But it wasn't holding the wound open as tightly as before.

His eyes returned to the Mark.

Before he could think further, the beast moved.

It charged across the clearing, its fist driving toward Kael's face as Kael turned aside and brought his sword across its ribs, forcing the beast to twist away before its claw came sweeping back toward him; Kael caught the attack against his blade and pushed it aside, but the beast immediately stepped in with its other hand, forcing Kael to turn his sword and block again.

CLANG!

Kael slid backward.

The beast followed.

Kael planted his foot and met the next strike, their weapons crashing together before he twisted his sword around the claw and swung toward the beast's side, but the beast barely managed to pull away, the blade passing close enough to tear through a patch of fur.

It came back immediately.

Kael ducked beneath the next swing, stepped inside, and drove his shoulder into the beast's chest, forcing it back before bringing his sword around; the beast caught the blade with its claws.

CLANG!

For a moment, they were locked together.

Kael pushed.

The beast pushed back.

Then Kael noticed it.

The resistance was different.

Not by much.

But it was weaker.

Kael stepped in and swung for its ribs. The beast's response came a fraction slower than before, forcing it to twist awkwardly away from the blade instead of cleanly slipping past it.

Kael followed immediately, expecting another opening.

The beast suddenly planted its foot and drove its claw toward his face.

Kael jerked his head aside.

The claws passed close enough to stir his hair.

Kael turned with the movement and brought his sword across.

The beast raised its arm.

CLANG!

The blade struck the claw and forced it downward.

Kael stepped forward.

The beast tried to recover.

Its arm came up again, but Kael was already inside its range.

He swung toward its side.

The beast twisted away.

This time, it wasn't fast enough.

The blade stopped just short of its body as the beast managed to pull itself clear at the last instant.

Kael's eyes sharpened.

He had seen it again.

The difference was small.

But it was there.

The beast suddenly attacked again, refusing to give him time to capitalize on it.

Kael blocked the first claw, turned away from the second, and answered with a quick slash that forced the beast backward.

Its foot dragged across the dirt before it regained its stance.

Kael stared at it.

Then his gaze dropped briefly to his palm.

The Mark was quiet.

Kael tightened his grip around his sword.

He didn't know what the Mark had taken from the blood.

He only knew that the beast had changed.

And for the first time since the fight began, Kael had a little more room to breathe.

The beast lowered its stance.

Kael raised his sword.

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