NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13 – A meeting of giant fists, an annoying ant.
“We have arrived at the next floor entrance,” I say to Tabi standing next to me while Razia is off to the other side, a scowl is on my face as I look to the two women who are both seem apologetic in their stance yet remain quiet.
I reach forward with one of my fingers glowing brightly touching the portal, I sink two fingers into it before pulling them out, “Well I think we might be in luck, there’s another room this can lead to. One that seems to have been rarely used but it looks to be more safe than the actual room.”
“You mean to say that you’re sending us away?” Tabi asks while Razia looks to me with widened eyes.
“You know how dangerous it has been and you have extras now, I cannot extend my focus much further and ensure your safety. This option will be safer for all involved.”
Razia speaks up, “How will we get out? How will we meet up again?”
Tabi nods her head while look to both of the women, grabbing them into my embrace for a moment, my body still small causing me to grab onto their butts but they take the hint and crouch down.
“I will be able to fetch you no matter where you might end up so do not worry about it, there might even be more bonuses where you are sent.”
Tabi hugs me tightly while Razia is somewhat distant.
This lasts a moment before we stand up, I look at the crowd of people behind us, most of them injured or hurt in someway, all of them abandoned by people that brought them here which Razia for some reason could not give up on.
All of my fingers light up as I thrust it into the portal, it changes colour from a bright white into a yellowish-brown before settling on yellow, “Go,” I say through gritted teeth, the crowd of people quickly pile in as Tabi and Razia stay beside me.
All of the crowd is through when I speak, “You two go through too as I can’t hold it long.”
They both step away towards the portal before Tabi stops her step and turns around, she walks back to me and bends down giving my face a kiss, “Please don’t forget me.”
Tabi walks away and through the portal, Razia watches this display unmoving for a moment before walking towards me again and bending down.
“Go–
I say but my open mouth is plugged by the woman’s mouth, her tongue entering mine leaving me somewhat dazed at how brazen it is.
I want to say something but Razia has run through the portal with a blushed face.
I am left speechless at this display and have many questions yet no one to talk to, I am finally alone again as I take my fingers out of the portal causing it to return to the normal white colour.
She had spoken quite a bit about her life as we wandered the forest area, Tabi had also gotten to know her quite well as we wandered about. The two women were like old friends by the time we reached the portal but Razia always looked oddly at me.
She first met me while I looked like an old man, but I don’t think anyone explained to her that I was that old man and will probably be in a new form again when she meets me again as this is just a younger version of my opposite gender form.
I look down at my body again with a frown, how can this be my opposite gender form…
I step forward through the portal and feel the familiar feeling of travelling through this subspace, my body feels free as it flies through the strange space towards another bright white light.
I reach the light and touch it forcing me into the new space.
My body appears in a new space as I feel it softly touch the ground, I open my eyes to look around when I instantly place my arms in front of my face.
A large force hits my arm forcing me back several steps but leaving me relatively undamaged, I look at my armoured gigantic arms with a frown, somewhat confused as to what has changed yet I don’t have time to think about it as another object is flying towards me.
A loud roar echoes in the space as a fist flies to me in a straight line, I intercept the fist forcing it in another direction and can see the opponent for the first time.
A gigantic ape-like creature, its gold and white fur shimmer in the light as it looks on at me in anger.
I cannot communicate with this sort of creature and my current form doesn’t leave me many options, I have reverted back to my original form. My original beast-like body that has been created through my various encounters in the worlds below.
A group of green and purple flashes appears on the apes body, it doesn’t pay attention to them as it stares at me barring its fangs. My arms wander trying to spot what was doing but, spotting a group of people on the ground.
I wave my hand at the ape trying to tell it to leave me alone but it thinks I’m trying to start the next round of hostilities.
Our gigantic forms standing hundreds of feet above the ground stand opposite one another, the ape is the first to move as it lowers down to the ground using its multiples of arms and legs to knock me down.
The ape attacks my legs from a low position, I back away trying to avoid it but run into the edge of the arena.
I take a swipe at the creature with my claws trying to tell it to back off, I didn’t aim the strike causing it to miss the creature.
This seems to anger it as it begins to emit a noise as though it’s grunting at me, a new lot of explosion appears on the creatures skin followed by a black mist.
A black figure appears in the mist with a large scythe, it strikes down at the ape-like creature’s skin causing it to bellow in anger again as the cut bleeds slightly yet the ape doesn’t turn away from me watching me intently.
I don’t know why the creature is focused on me but it seems like it giving me little choice but to become serious. I squat down on my legs before leaping towards the ape who isn’t prepared for me.
My claws dig into the apes shoulders as I slow down my upper body, bringing around my feet to dig in my lengthy feet claws.
The ape reacts finally as my claws dig into its chest flesh, it immediately punches my body a few times.
Each punch feels strong, imbued with a sort of power but I ignore it as each time it impacts the scales that line my body but the ape seems to notice the scales holding its hand and pulling one of them off.
This is actually painful to me causing me to dig my claws in further but the ape managed to break free of my grip leaving my under body exposed.
It punches a few times before I’m able to pull one of my feet out and using it to stop another punch.
This action forces my other stuck foot out of the body and throws me on the ground a few hundred metres away with a loud boom.
I stand up quickly but the ape is prepared, it has launched its body towards me in a new round of attacks.
I hold my arms up to defend myself but the ape drops down, I adjust my position but it’s too late as it punches upward avoiding my arms and hitting me in the soft stomach.
This forces a bunch of air out of my gigantic body but luckily I haven’t eaten anything in it so there’s no risk there, I’m able to bring my claw hands down on the back of the creature.
My giant, thick and sharp claws pierce the apes hairy back with a burst of blood each time but I’m not done as I pull my claws back as the creature punches my under body a few times.
I reach the end of the apes back, each of my claws ripping a thick strip in the apes flesh apart revealing the muscles and even bone beneath, I lift my claws up preparing for it again when the ape grabs onto me.
I attempt to grab it myself but it uses its multiple hands to move itself on my body and positions itself behind me, this is an incredibly dangerous position as the ape is now behind my head.
A large impact comes to the back of my skull, my vision goes hazy but I grab at the ape on my back as I move my body about unable to shake it off.
Another large impact comes on the back of my head followed by two hands places around my neck, the situation is getting worse for me as the ape begins to go crazy hitting me over and over again.
I use one of the features from part of this body, I place pressure on my spine forcing each of the bones to begin to extend forcing sharp blades to appear from them and pierce my skin. This has the problem of immobilising my movements too so it’s rarely used.
The ape on my back roars for a moment crazy, I can feel some strange wetness on my back including neck but a moment later the weight is off as the creature jumps away. I retract the blades a moment later and turn to face the creature.
It’s looking much more bloodied but I’m not unhurt as my consciousness is faint.
The ape roars at me barring its fangs, I return the same exposing my multi-layered jaw and teeth before launching myself at the creature.
It doesn't seem ready as I land before it, I strike at its torso several times before it snaps out of the daze and strikes at me.
Each of our hits echo in the land, each gigantic fist bringing with it an enormous amount of force as both of our bodies take it.
A couple dozen exchanges later I find myself getting much weaker while the ape seems fine, it’s striking me with increased vigour as a strange red glow develops in its eyes as though its crazed to do this.
I quietly gather some of my energy into my hand before infusing my claws with it and striking the beasts body.
My claws dig into its flesh, piercing the thick hide easily as the creature attempts to remove it but I release my energy causing a small flash of black energy to escape from the wound.
A giant chunk of the flesh immediately begins to go rotten then melt away exposing the inner organs near its chest, the ape doesn’t seem to notice as its red eyes flash while looking at me.
A mass of energy gathers inside the ape’s eyes for a moment before it’s released.
A focused red light beam emits from the apes eyes, it immediately burns through the scales of my chest and into my body where I can feel it encroaching upon my heart.
I immediately use my other fist and punch the apes head forcing it to look elsewhere causing the beam to slice across the landscape and onto the solid sky-roof leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
The ape immediately lowers its head to look at me, its eyes now a solid red and I begin to feel a change inside its body.
Its fur begins to change from a gold-white to a red and dark red, this sort of change isn’t something I have experienced before but I don’t want to let this beast change, I punch forward with my claws attempting to dig at the apes organs again.
My claws make contact with the skin which it cannot pierce now, the wound on the side of the ape begins to heal before my eyes as its breathing gets less laboured and more focused. I break away from the ape by kicking away hoping to adjust the positioning.
I land a few hundred metres away, I look around on the ground for signs of anything but find nothing including those ppeople from before leaving me little option but to finish this.
The ape lets out a few low hoots, I don’t respond to it looking at it.
The ape stands up, I prepare myself but find a flash occurs before my eyes.
A red figure has appeared before me before I can notice, it strikes at my chest causing me to fly backwards knocking my head causing me to feel woozy.
I stand up from where I landed and prepare myself, the ape is still in the distance but I’m ready this time as it disappears again.
I let out a strike before me but find my punch connects air.
I get slammed from the side knocking me in another direction.
It takes me a moment to realise what’s going on when I spot the ape standing over me, its eyes seem to be glowing brightly as it looks at it from above as though to be questioning what I’ll be doing next.
I return the gaze, I move my arm but the ape doesn’t give me time to do anything as it launches another attack forward.
It strikes down at me, I gather energy in my finger tips and thrust them forward into the ape’s almost black fist.
My finger tips begin to glow as it contacts the ape’s fist passing through the skin, my arm easily slices through the apes entire arm as its force was in that swing. It brings another fist around striking at my body throwing it off course at the same time.
My fingers aren’t able to pierce the whole length of the arm but the ape is hurt as blood pours out the arm that isn’t able to heal quickly.
I use this chance to stand up, the ape retreats backwards but I don’t let it escape as I launch myself towards it.
I land near it and strike out at it, the beast avoids my punch and escapes again.
I chase after it.
The ape lands and immediately launches towards me, I’m stuck flying towards it mid-air.
I ready my fist when I notice that the beast has prepared its remaining hands and one of its legs, it seems prepared to hold me down at the least.
I gather my energy in my finger tips again, this time on both hands before spreading it to the whole hand.
We make contact, my hands dig into the apes body while it has grabbed onto me with two of its arms in different spots as its rips of the scales of my body, it feels like my fingernail is being ripped off each time it happens but I bear with it as I bury my fists into the animals body burying it halfway.
The beast begins to rip off chunks of my flesh, I can’t hold on much longer but I have gathered enough energy for this to work.
I pulse my energy in my hands, it creates a special link between the two causing a special effect in the real world, it will allow a spatial point to connect to another spatial point basically creating a portal.
Unlike most portals though, this one will begin to absorb energy from its immediate space to sustain itself, it does this by sucking in whatever it can… in this case, a large portion of the apes torso.
A flash of light appears before I take my energy out collapsing the portal, the ape blinks once before its body turns into yellow and white again.
I pull its hands off my body throwing it on the ground letting out a deep breath before collapsing on the ground exhausted, movements at this size are difficult yet battling that sort of beast would have been impossible at normal size.
It takes me several minutes to recover before I stand up again, ‘Now where did those people go?’
I make my way towards a giant door that seems like an entrance when a voice comes over my head.
“Where are you going friend?”
I pause my step and look around spotting nothing, I continue towards the door when I spot a small figure moving inside of it. A cloaked young man with a confident stance as he stands in the middle of the doorway with a wide open expression.
I pause only a few steps away and look down at the man with brown hair, his eyes are covered but his long brown hair pokes out from under the hood covering the top of his face.
“Friend, I don’t know where you came from but thank for you taking care of that creature,” the voice in my mind says as the young man down below speaks.
I’m about to speak out when the young man skips a step forward, holding a giant dish in his hand suddenly.
I’m speechless at this display but that’s not all as he leaps into the air and lands on my head since I am still in the giant beast form there’s ample of space.
I reach up to swat the man off when I feel him leap off, a liquid splashes into my mouth just as the man lands on the ground holding an empty dish.
He turns around and flicks his hand, removing the dish from it.
I taste the nice tasting liquid, it’s soothing to the touch as I smack my lips a few times.
“Was it to your liking friend? Well I have more of that.”
I don’t react to these words, the man waits a moment before shaking his head.
“Well what about these? Do you perhaps want these?”
The man leaps up again but this time he just goes up and down while something lands in my mouth, I’m not sure how it’s getting in there but it does.
I’m able to taste it, it tastes sweet yet almost medicinal as it melts into my tongue.
I swallow it forcing it into my body, a weird feeling comes over my body as if I have lost feeling to it as I stand there looking at the young man. As if triggered by something in my expression, the young man sets into work.
A burst of black energy comes from him as two evil looking black metal chains appear floating from his body, they enlarge and wraps themselves around my body starting from my legs.
I kick off the chains causing the young man to go flying but I kneel over unable to control my body properly.
The young man walks back to where he was standing which is beside my foot, I go to move him away but I lack the energy after that fight just now.
“You will do nicely, I’m not sure what beast you are. It seems like a mutation of the standard hell-spawned devil ape but the scale don’t make sense…”
I am forced to place my hand on the ground, I am beginning to lose control of the body which I feel like I shouldn't do around this person.
The young man disappears from the ground and reappears on my back, the chains reappear starting from my waist this time going in either direction, he continues to talk.
“Your size is also too big, your features suit a creature much smaller in size. It’s like your size has simply been expanded which doesn’t make sense.”
The chains dig into my chain causing agony, I try to fight against them yet they just dig in further as though they’re piercing through the bone. A terrible feeling courses through my body but through this it’s giving me more reason to act, more reason to pour more power in.
I look forward and spot the young man who has returned to the ground, the chains are working their ways up my arm to cover it completely when I launch a fist forward.
The young man dodges the first one, yet he isn’t prepared for my second fist that I imbued with some energy piercing through the realm barriers, the young man expecting to slip through to the next one and back finds himself unable.
I bring him before my eyes but before he can speak I squeeze him, a sense of relief comes over my body as the chains stop digging in and as I dig them out, I feel renewed yet also incredibly hurt and unable to do anything except lay on the ground.
I use my energy to collect the man’s items into my scales and rest up for some time.
