Chapter 336: Chapter 335 - Following the beast.
The corrupted beast lumbered through the Ashen Expanse like a drunk nightmare, its hulking frame breaking the ash-crusted ground with every sluggish step.
A wet, gurgling hiss escaped its maw as it sniffed the stagnant air, unaware of the group of humans—and one squirrel—stalking it from the blackened treeline.
Raven crouched low behind a twisted trunk, eyes narrowing as he tracked the beast’s uneven gait.
"Cluckles said all the beasts are gathering in one place," he murmured, voice barely louder than the ash drifting around them. "If this thing’s moving, it’s headed for the crater. We follow it, and we find the lair. The panther should be there."
Jessy leaned against a warped boulder, hands stuffed in her coat pockets as if the corrupted wilderness were a casual stroll. "So we can finally stop tracking gourmet chicken poop? Great. My nose was starting to file complaints."
Nibbles perched on Alex’s shoulder, scribbling on a tiny sign with his tail. It read, ’R.I.P. Legendary Trail. Gone but not forgotten.’
Alex gave a solemn nod. "A true hero leaves many legacies. Some smell worse than others."
Clara exhaled softly, keeping her voice even as she adjusted her bow. "Let’s focus. The beast will lead us where we need to go—if we don’t spook it."
They slipped into motion, shadows among the skeletal trees. Ash swirled silently around their boots as they matched the creature’s pace.
The beast trundled along, stopping occasionally to scratch at its patchy hide or to gnaw on something unfortunate and still twitching.
At one point, it squatted with a low groan, depositing a steaming heap onto the ashen soil.
Graye leaned toward Clara, her eyes brightening as she gestured at the scene. "Do you think corrupted beast poop is stronger than chicken poop? Like... artifact-wise?"
Clara didn’t even glance at her. "No."
Rufus tilted his head, considering. "But maybe as a power source—"
Jessy cut him off with a groan. "Please. We’re not starting a manure ranking system."
Omni’s voice slid from Raven’s arm, smooth and amused. "I dunno, girl. Beast poop could be the next big black-market hustle. ’Authentic Corruption Nuggets.’ I’d buy stock."
Siris, already twirling a dagger with bloodthirsty anticipation, wrinkled her nose. "All of you need better hobbies."
That was when the beast got up, and just when they believed that it would finally take them to their destination, it lowered its back to the ground.
"...Don’t tell me that it’s going to do what I think—"
Before Jessy could even complete her words, the beast started skidding on the ground like a dog or cat with an itch in its ass.
Everyone else also groaned, but then—
Suddenly, the beast froze mid-step. Its head snapped left, then right, nostrils flaring as a low rumble vibrated in its throat.
Raven raised a hand, signaling silence. Every heartbeat stretched into a taut wire as the creature tested the air. Then, with a guttural snort, it wheeled and broke into a lurching run.
"This is it," Raven said sharply. "Stay close. It’s heading for the crater."
The group surged forward, their movements swift but soundless.
Ash whipped into ghostly swirls as they darted between dead trees, following the beast deeper into the choking gray.
Minutes passed in tense pursuit—until the beast skidded to a sudden halt in a clearing.
Graye blinked. "Wait... that doesn’t look like a crater."
A second beast stepped from behind a jagged boulder—a female, slightly smaller but equally grotesque.
The male let out a low, guttural croon and began sniffing her with undisguised enthusiasm.
"Oh no," Rufus muttered in horror. "We’re about to watch monster Tinder."
The male climbed onto the female with an eager grunt.
Alex shielded Nibbles’s eyes. "Innocence must be protected."
Nibbles immediately flashed a sign: ’Let them cook.’
Selena sighed delicately, hiding a small smile behind her fingers. "Looks like we’ll be waiting a little longer."
"Maybe it’s time for a different approach," Raven murmured, voice low and thoughtful.
Before anyone could respond, Siris’s eyes gleamed like twin shards of ice. "On it."
She was gone in a blur of frost and shadow, Cryovoid daggers flashing in her hands.
The male beast barely had time to grunt before a blade of frozen void punched through the back of its skull.
The body slumped forward mid-thrust, twitching once before collapsing with a wet thud.
Rufus exhaled a long, theatrical sigh. "At least let the guy finish..."
"Seriously," Alex muttered, shaking his head. "Brutal."
Omni whistled low. "Cold move, Ice Queen. Literally."
The female beast tilted her grotesque head, confusion flickering across her glowing eyes. She shifted slightly, as if wondering why her partner had paused.
Slowly, she turned—just in time to see his corpse slide lifelessly from her back.
Behind the fallen male stood Siris, smiling faintly, her dagger dripping a faint mist of frozen black blood.
"Next," she said softly, eyes shining with hungry delight.
The female beast’s confused rumble morphed into a deep, vibrating roar that rattled the ash around them.
Raven rose from the shadows, expression calm but sharp as a blade.
"Good work, Siris," he said evenly, eyes already tracking the clearing’s dark edges.
The air thickened as the echoes carried through the Expanse—an unspoken promise that their real quarry was closer than ever.
The female beast, on the other hand, lowered itself slightly, muscles rippling beneath its cracked, blackened hide.
A guttural roar bellowed from its chest—low at first, then rising into a screech that made the ash-covered trees tremble.
Its bleeding-red eyes locked on Siris with murderous intent, pupils narrowing into trembling slits.
Raven stepped forward, the faint glow of Voidfire flickering across his shoulders.
"Careful," he said, voice quiet but carrying like a blade drawn across stone.
The others followed his lead without a word.
Selena’s Necrosis aura seeped into the air like a creeping fog, the ground beneath her boots hissing as the ash decayed into black sludge.
Clara’s sound magic pulsed in a low, vibrating hum, making the beast’s ears twitch as invisible frequencies coiled around its skull.
Graye’s pure flame shimmered faintly at her fingertips, ready to ignite the very air.
One by one, the group’s presence thickened, like storm clouds folding over the clearing.
Jessy’s metallic mana buzzed faintly, Rufus’s light-based nanoparticles flared in an iridescent shimmer, and Alex’s lava aura radiated a molten heat.
Even Nibbles—tiny, fluffy, and perched on Alex’s shoulder—let a ripple of raw telekinetic pressure thrum through the clearing, bending the brittle grass around him.
The corrupted female beast froze mid-step. Its snarl faltered, ears flattening as the oppressive pressure slammed into it from all sides.
It took one hesitant step back, claws scraping the hardened ash.
Another step.
Then, with a panicked screech, it spun and bolted into the dense gray forest, its heavy body crashing through dead trunks and skeletal branches.
"Wise choice," Omni hummed from Raven’s arm, voice dripping with smug amusement.
Siris flicked the blood from her dagger with a disappointed click of her tongue. "Spoilsport."
Graye tilted her head. "Guess she’s not into open relationships."
Jessy smirked. "Or maybe she just realized she’s the appetizer, not the entrée."
Raven kept his eyes on the path where the beast had fled, Voidfire still flickering faintly along his palm.
"Don’t relax," he said, voice sharp enough to cut through the fading tension. "A beast only runs when it has somewhere to run to."
Selena’s blue eyes glowed faintly in the ash-choked light. "Its lair?"
"Or others of its kind," Raven replied. His gaze hardened, like a hunter spotting the first trail of blood. "Either way, it’ll lead us where we need to go."
The only reason Raven hadn’t used this method before was that he feared the corrupt creature attacking them instead of running to others.
After all, that was the nature of these beasts.
But it seemed that his worries were wasted.
Clara adjusted her grip on her bow and gave a small, deliberate nod. "Then we follow."
The group fell into formation without another word.
They moved as one, their combined auras receding but not vanishing entirely, a silent warning to anything lurking in the shadows.
The forest grew thicker and darker as they followed the crashing path left by the fleeing beast. The air reeked of corrosion and old blood, each breath carrying the metallic taste of corrupted mana.
Minutes stretched into a tense rhythm of footsteps and distant, echoing screeches—until the dead forest abruptly opened.
The group entered a cave, following the creature, and then, they reached the spot Cluckles had talked about.