Chains Of Pride

"Damn that Shepherd you hear me?! Damn him to hell!!" Gero ran and was well ahead of Kia and Lanzo even though the latter two had actually gone through training.

"That human-shaped cancerous tumour!! If I get out of this, I'll kill him!!" Kia ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

The Blite was practically biting down on their heels as it chased them down.

Lanzo said nothing, only focusing all his energy on running...running and living.

"Hmm, I dunno, this method seems a bit crude to be honest," Vizio said as she watched the below proceedings with less than necessary importance.

"To help those Taliums at the organization awaken easily, they have to fight against someone who's stronger than themselves while that party releases their full aura and pressure. For these three, no doubt they need a much stronger stimuli." Takeshi said only this before he crossed his arms and watched very closely their every action.

Only Vizio could tell that under his calm façade, lay an arrow on its bowstring tautly drawn. He was able to spring into action at any time should the situation deem it so.

Roar!!

"Kia any ideas?! You were...the only able to release so much aura that it became...visible, how'd you do it?" Lanzo was running alongside Kia at this point, panting as he spoke.

"It was...in the spur of the moment, and I'm...kinda stressed out...from thinking about it, damn he's fast!!" Kia was obviously referred to Gero who's speed left their own in much d.e.s.i.r.e.

"Gero!! You're too far away, we need to think of a plan!!" Kia shouted at the top of his lungs in one breath to get his message across.

"Too far away?! Look what the hell's chasing us, I don't think I'm far enough!! I will never be far enough!!" Shouted Gero, whose speed seems as if it kicked up a gear.

Lanzo's ire was raised when he saw this, "Damn it, Gero!! Slow your a.s.s down! We're not slow either, plus the pain is messing with that thing so it's not even running in a straight line!"

In actuality, this was a phenomenon caused by the two Shepherd above. They would occasionally cause impediments or obstructions in the way of the Blite. Otherwise, by virtue of its physique alone, though armless as it was, it would catch up to them in no time.

"We need to get their stress levels up, once they truly believe that there's no other way out. Then and only then will they tap into that potential of theirs," said the stoic Shepherd as he observed their actions. Moving along with them as he did so.

"All things aside, they can really run." Vizio exclaimed. "Normal humans would have been worn out by now." Vizio was commenting as she floated alongside Takeshi.

Takeshi explained, "The energy escaping from them has already started to affect their bodies. This only happens at the earliest when you're half-awakened, for it to happen already, it's really inconceivable. They're shattering a lot preconceived notions, why are they so different? And what knowledge will their Blood origin bring them?"

Boom!! "Rwaaarrrggh!!!!!" The monstrosity was relentless in its pursuit, only seeing red as it hounded them.

"I...will not...die...here!!" Lanzo couldn't help but say to himself as he kept on running, His legs were beginning to feel like lead.

"Oh thank goodness, Gero Lanzo look a little ahead! Slim alleyway at 10:00!! Big, fat and ugly won't be able to fit in there!! C'mon, let's go!!" Shouted Kia once more, he was making swift calculations in his head, trying to figure out a way out of the shitshow they were currently in.

Gero had slowed only a little to allow them to catch up when Lanzo had shouted at him earlier. True enough, he couldn't leave them behind while he alone escaped, his pride wouldn't allow it.

"Right now he was glad he didn't leave them behind, had he done so. He might have missed it and look behind him to see a missing Kia and Gero, and a very very still there, 11 ft monster storming after him.

All three veered into the alleyway and boy was it tight! They were slim, to begin with, but their shoulders were brushing either side of the wall. They seemed to be smack dab between two skyscr.a.p.ers, a bit shorter than the one they were on, but they were both wider at the base.

"Shit!! Guys, the path looks long but it's a dead end." Said Gero in a fit of panic.

"The hell do you mean it's blocked?"

"What idiot would construct two skyscr.a.p.ers and then connect them to each other?!"

Kia and Lanzo couldn't see ahead of Gero, this was how tight the space was, but when they heard of the blockage, they couldn't help but start to complain.

"They're not connected, a bunch of debris fell down and blocked the way, we're not getting through there, we gotta go back fast!" said Gero not wanting to be trapped, but it was too late.

Bam!! Boom!! "Grraaaaarrgghh!!!!"

"For the love of all that is good and holy, stop backing up!!!! It is right behind me and- Oh God! I's releasing some sort of gas attack!!" Shouted Lanzo who was at the back.

"Whew, That's its breath Lanzo, and stop pushing up on me! Gero go forward, this thing is wrecking its way towards us!!" commanded Kia, they had to find some way out of this.

Another danger was the surrounding walls weren't very stable right now. As the Blite kept wrecking its way through, pieces of the wall kept falling down as cracks extended on both sides reaching up to the very top. If this continued, they'd be buried here.

"Uhm, this is gonna be a problem..." said the Shepherd.

"Which part of it Takeshi?! The part where they're trapped, or the part where if we make any unnecessary movements we might bury them beneath the rubble?!!" shouted Vizio who was angrily glaring at him, Sarcasm dripping from each words.

"Both. Any ideas?" asked the Shepherd, looking down below with a pondering expression.

Vizio began building up energy for the rescue as she started to come up with a plan, "You can't summon your construct, the moment you do, the organization will have known that you left. At the very least, you can use your energy to stabilize the surrounding walls. I'll swoop in, grab the-."

"Great plan, wouldn't change a thing, hear me out though, let's not do any of that." interrupted the Shepherd.

"The hell do you mea-"

"I'll send a message to the three of them that we can't make a move lest they die because of the precariousness of the situation, with the notion of true death bearing down on them, they're sure to breakthrough. I'll stabilize the wall though, if it looks like it's not gonna work, then and only then should you grab them," ordered Takeshi with a gleam in his eye.

"Takeshi, that's too risky." voiced Vizio.

"Just follow me on this one Vizio, trust me," requested the Shepherd. Vizio went silent and scattered her charged attack which indicated her concession.

The Shepherd breathed out, he then raised his outstretched arms as a formless energy began to radiate from him. The building around the boys began to stabilise, the falling fragments began to cease.

However, the boys were not focusing on this small change, they managed to turn around and kept backing off as they stared down the maws of the creature that wished to devour them whole. Its breath was rancid, its cries were ear piercing, but there remained a light in the three boy's eyes.

Suddenly, a voiceless message entered the three young men minds and just like that, the light within their eyes dimmed. Were they fated to die here? At the hands of something, they've never seen before?

"Damn it all to hell, we're ripped from our lives, thrown in another country and now we're just gonna die?! F**k that! I'm going down swinging" This outburst came from Gero, he wasn't consigned to this.

"Damn straight! Our backs are LITERALLY against the wall, ain't no way to go but forward, and I'll make this thing feel it for every step it takes!" This came from Lanzo who was at the forefront of the beast bearing down on them.

"The universe is really unfair, I finally found people who I respect rather than just the two I've known for years, and this happens. So on that note, F**k the universe!! F**k that Shepherd!! And f*ck that breath!!!"

Lanzo nodded his head with a wide grin, "Well said, now give me one of those rocks and help me do something really stupid!!"

Kia didn't hesitate to stoop down and pass a few rocks to Lanzo while he kept a few for himself, Gero did the same from his position, taking up a few rocks as well, and like there was no tomorrow they began pelting the Blite with every bit of their strength.

The damage was negligible, quite frankly, there was none. Easily shrugged off by the huge beast, nevertheless, it grew annoyed at the ant-like existences throwing these small pebbles at it.

It released another roar and before anybody could react, it released a kick at Lanzo who was at the forefront and sent him and by extension Gero and Kia flying off.

By instinct alone, Lanzo had stepped back the second the kick landed to mitigate the impact, but that blow still did considerable damage.

"Ack!!"

Lanzo threw up a mouthful of blood, Kia and Gero received less damage but weren't doing much better.

"Damn you!" In his rage, Lanzo flew up and dashed towards the Blite!

"Lanzo no! Urkh!!" Gero wanted to stop the hot-headed Lanzo, but it was to no avail, he felt his injury flaring up.

Bam! Bam! Bam!!

To the surprise of everyone, Gero got in real close to the beast evading all the stomps and kicks it let loose and started to levy of blows upon. The punches weren't doing a lot of damage but damn did they feel good to Lanzo, sending him into a kind of frenzy.

Suddenly, Lanzo started to get wilder and wilder, his punches were becoming heavier, dealing a bit of damage to the Blite as it started to step back!

Takeshi's eyes sparkled when he saw this, "It's happening! We're getting our first Genesis, just a little more!"

Phwoom!!

Another punch landed on the Blite, this time a silvery light flashed on and off.

Ka chink! Clink! Clang!

"W-Wait! Did you see that?!!" Takeshi's face paled in surprise. Even Vizio nearly fell out of the sky when she witnessed this.

Transmutation began to take place in the air, as metal pieces began to encase Lanzo's arms. He levied one more punch, "Forsaken Gauntlet!" as Lanzo let loose this cry, a shining metal silver gauntlet enclosed his arm up to the elbow.

This last punch blew a hole right in the middle of the Blite, as it staggered back in bewilderment.

Takeshi stared at the scene below in disbelief, "This brat surpassed Genesis straight to Invata to summon his Construct?! What the hell have we discovered here?"