Ichor and blood splattered, coating his face in a spray of acidic blood. A sizzling sound burst forth, the smell of burning flesh rising from the surface of his skin as it spilled its way down. Fortunately, his constitution was high enough to resist the majority of the effects, and he would be good as new with enough time to rest.

More troubling was the sheer number of enemies that surged across the jungle floor, pouring forth from the cavernous opening in the earth.

He shifted to the side as a set of mandibles crushed the space that he had previously occupied. Before the encroaching enemies could push against him further, he brought down Restraint in a furious blow. The insectile creature’s exoskeleton was crushed by the force of the blow, causing another stream of acidic blood to burst outward in response. Despite the significant damage done by his attack, it continued to crawl forward relentlessly, twitching slightly as its body began to cease proper function as a result of its grievous injuries.

Another smash - to the head, this time - served to finish off the unrelenting creature. Yet, there was no time to rest as one of its brethren instantly took its place. Snapping mandibles pressed forth from several directions, forcing Dharen to send his warhammer in a wide swing to stagger the surrounding monsters off to the side. A growing mountain of corpses had begun to form, crushed and torn remnants of the mindless beasts. He let out a Warcry, bolstering himself and his allies once more.

Alongside him, several Nulzan held the line, putting forth their blades as well. Unfortunately, the drones were far more resistant to cuts and slices than they were to crushing attacks. Despite that, the agile creatures were able to find small gaps in the chitinous armor through which to pierce - sending poison surging through the creature’s circulatory systems. For this very encounter, the Nulzan hunters had applied a different variation of toxin to their bladed weaponry. It had great effect when making contact directly with organs, providing particular effectiveness against the mindless insects. The poison entered their bodies, flowing freely through the creatures’ body cavities and making direct contact with their vulnerable organs.

Dharen himself might have opted for the same option, had things been different. Were he able to properly utilize Feast of Terror, he would have the precision to wreak havoc among the horde of beasts. He would have been able to dance through the snapping mandibles and crushing mass. However, the drones did not feel fear; they did not feel any emotions at all, in fact. And though he could still utilize Fear’s Cry to empower himself, his allies would suffer for it.

Due to being completely emotionless, the drones were unable to Awaken. Thus, they did not have abilities or enhanced attributes to worry about. However, they held a certain lack of self-preservation, along with their deadly physical makeup, that made them quite dangerous.

Dharen watched as they continued to clamber up to him, crawling over the corpses and remains of their deceased brethren that had formed a hill of the dead and dying. Despite the slaughter, he could see no hints of fear darkening the air, nothing from which he could draw upon.

He stepped back, picking up a mangled corpse in his grasp and lifting it overhead. With a mighty heave, he released it, sending it hurtling into the clambering monsters. Unable, or simply uncaring, they were pummeled back by the corpse of their ally. The force of the impact sent them toppling backwards, falling between the feet of their allies, only to be trampled underfoot.

In the midst of the extended battle, Dharen felt a sense of relief once more at the nature of his attributes. Unlike most, he held the Endurance to hold firm under the seemingly endless wave of creatures. He was not untiring, but he could certainly stave off fatigue and exhaustion for a remarkable amount of time.

And then, in the midst of the roiling mass of emotionless drones, he saw his first target. It was larger than the others, colored with a deep crimson hue. Whereas the others pushed forward mindlessly in their quest to attack Dharen and his Nulzan allies, this singular monster was different.

It rushed forward in a frothing rage, indiscriminately attacking any of its allies that stood in its path. It smashed through the hindering bodies with implacable force. A powerful aura of Wrath filled the air, clashing with the collective auras of Fear that were released from Dharen and his allies.

Dharen smiled at its appearance. Though the mindless drones that made up the majority of the colony did not possess the emotions through which to Awaken, there were a number of special types that did - the very reason that the insect colony was chosen as a target.

In the days following his spar with the Nulzan Hunter, who he had learned was named Ikzchl, he had gained a great amount of respect from the disgruntled remnants that had disapproved of him. Above all, they respected power. And he had displayed his own to great effect.

Even Ikzchl, still recovering from the injuries inflicted upon him, had little to say in response.

Dharen had recruited a number of Nulzan Hunters to follow beside him as he pushed back the human Alliances that attempted to enter the jungle. Fortunately, with the invaders’ numbers so limited, it wasn’t terribly difficult to keep them relatively contained after establishing a proper system.

However, there were a far greater number of Alliances than he had initially anticipated. He had wondered how the Nulzan were expected to be defeated, given the limitations imposed on which humans could teleport to the jungle, but that was quickly made clear.

All told, there were approximately twenty Alliances that attempted to invade. The sheer number explained why Dharen had been able to escape the first time that he had encountered the Nulzan, after being stranded among them. They were forced to spread thin, small teams forming in order to assault the newly-arrived forces before they could gather among themselves.

So far, he had not encountered his former allies, something for which he was grateful. He might very well be forced to kill them, the next time that they met. And as of now, he had no illusions that would be an easy task - despite his recent surges in strength. Not against all of them at once, anyway.

In conjunction with his display of power against Ikzchl, it was his feats against his fellow humans that earned him the respect of the Nulzan hunters. He had made a habit of bringing Nulzan with him as he assaulted the newly-arrived groups. Though his monster allies were not as combat-effective during the daytime, he had no such difficulties. In fact, he did not bring them along to fight in the first place.

He merely had them watch.

Each battle progressed in a similar fashion. Dharen approached, shrouded in his Miasmic Cloak, and released a Fear’s Cry. His attributes swelled, while that of his enemies diminished. Then, he absorbed the fear that was created - not only from the humans, but from his watching Nulzan allies.

Though they were on his side, Fear’s Cry did not differentiate between friend and foe as Warcry did. It was unapologetic, uncaring. All were affected, and thus all became a fount for his own strength - wellsprings of Fear from which he could draw. With the combination of his opponents' fear and that of his allies, Dharen became a demon in truth. His movements became unnaturally precise, his reactions uncannily quick. 

He became a monster.

Despite that, he had continued to ensure that a large number of the warriors remained alive. They returned with broken bones and broken minds - but return, they did. It was important to his plans that a fearsome reputation be built, one that could strike terror into a city of warriors. And in the end, he did not need to kill them. He merely needed them to stay away.

Occasionally, he found himself matched up against opponents that caused him no small amount of worry. Yet, each time, he simply ramped up his ferocity. He shattered bones, he severed limbs, he spilled blood relentlessly. Anything to increase the fear among his enemies.

For even though there were warriors among them that would be able to challenge him alone - they were not alone. Without fail, he found the weakest among them, the enhanced perception of time created by Spirit Overflow giving him the wherewithal to examine his enemies and exploit their weaknesses. And for many, that was all that was needed.

He had taken to coating his blades in poison, obtained with the aid of his Nulzan allies. Not one that coursed through the bloodstream, quickening death. Instead, it inflicted greater amounts of pain. Though pain could be pushed through, it brought its own feeling of terror - yet another source of power that he could draw from, flowing both his chosen victim and their worried allies.

In this way, warriors that might stand against him alone were summarily defeated - together. In their fear, and in their companionship, they doomed one another.

Yet, he had no doubts that he could still be defeated. His surge in power had made him formidable, of course. But most of his effectiveness was limited to particular scenarios - large groups in particular. It was to utilize this very advantage that he brought along the Nulzan hunters. They were a source of strength that he could draw from in order to start off a battle with the greatest advantage, without the liability of increasing the number of aberrant abilities that he would have to account for. At the same time, he cemented their respect for his strength as they observed his battles.

Still, he knew that they would have to grow stronger as well. The City was filled with warriors, enough that he would surely need their aid. Unfortunately, humans provided nothing in that respect, beyond the items on their person. They could not be a source of growth for their Seeds.

They had needed to find the proper hunting grounds. And finally, they had found it.