“The nasties kind of Villain is the one that hides in plain sight.”

 

“How they hide depends on their preference.” 

 

“Some hide behind people.” 

 

“Some hide behind institutions.”

 

“In my experience, though, the nastier they are, the brighter they try to shine to hide their true selves.”

 

“After all, it is said that the Brightest of Lights cast the strongest of shadows.”

#Quote 25 - Book of Life and Death - Chapter - Book of Heroes and Villains

 

*

 

Central Continent - Southern Forest - Survival Tribe - Scar

“Chief?” A Badg’Er called. “Alexander, Seem, Weird… Something, Happen?”

 

Scar, somewhat relaxed and diligent at the same time, glanced at the Badg’Er in question. It was Edgi, a fellow Hunter, that voiced out his concerns. 

 

Not responding instantly, Scar pondered on a response while paying attention to his footing.

 

“My, Son, Gain, Ability.” Scar replied.

 

“New?” Edgi inquired.

 

“Yes, New.” Scar confirmed. “He, Very, Happy, Thinking, He, Can, Fight, With, Us”

 

A moment passed, and Edgi responded. “Alexander, Does, Not, Look, Happy?”

 

“Hngh” Scar grunted in affirmation. “It, Not, Work, As, He, Imagine.”

 

“What, Kind, Of, Ability?” Scar heard. Only this one came not from Edgi. Or even the direction Edgi had been walking beside him. This time it was another Hunter that spoke. 

 

Scar turned to Tebec and explained what he knew. “It, Called, Earth, Bender… If, Son, Told, Right, He, Can, Use, Earth, Beneath, Us.”

 

“Ohh” “Ahh” Echoed from the Hunters.

 

The only Badg’Er not bothered by the surprised and intrigued sounds was his Mate, Tina. She stayed silent, with a Small White Sun floating above her and showing everyone the way forward.

 

“Me, Not, Understand… Where, Problem?” Edgi wondered after enough Oohs and Ahhs finished their songs.

 

“When, My, Son, First, Used, Earth Bending… He, Though, He, Could, Damage, Black, Scales, Skin, Of, Two Legged, Enemy.” Scar explained. “He, Thought, He, Could, Use, It, Like, We, Used, White Flame…” At that, Scar shook his head. “Nightmare Pit, Showed, It, No, Effect.”

 

“The Maker, Make, Him, Go, Different, Path.” A female voice finally interrupted the Hunters' gossiping. “He, Will, Find, Different, Way.”

 

“Yes, He, Will… Alexander, My, Son.” Scar said proudly. After all, while the current Hunters were stronger and faster than his Son, the physical training he'd undergone closed those gaps. 

 

Even better, Alexander was still in the Second Stage of Ascendency, unlike him, his Mate, and the other Hunters, who all Ascended from their Primal Form into the 3ed Stage of Ascension.

 

Scar still remembered that first moment he took a step after gaining his humanoid form. He still remembered how everything changed in his body, in his mind. Even his perception of the world around him changed. 

 

Not too much. But the clarity and depth of colors exploded in his mind. At that moment, it stunned him. Even now, he still appreciates the colorful things. Especially, when he leaves the darkness of the Cave, no matter if it were outside in the Tree Forest or into that Giant Mushroom Forest.

 

Shaking away from those thoughts, He, Tina, and his fellow Hunters followed Alexander down a familiar route. 

Usually, when they traveled down these tunnels, aside from paying attention to their footsteps, little happened. 

 

Yet, today turned out to be very different.

 

Scar and everybody else stopped instantly when they noticed Alexander doing it first. 

 

Observing him clearer, they saw his head angle to the top of the Cave tunnel they used. However, when Scar did the same, he saw nothing but the shallow ceiling of this part of the tunnel.

 

However, a moment later, Scar recognized this part of the tunnel. When he did, his right hand raised itself revealing a closed fist. The closed fist relayed his order as he closed in on his Son, who was about 20 meters ahead of him.

 

Once beside him, Scar spoke. “Son, What, Is, It? Is, The, Enemy, In, Big, Cave?”

 

“Hngh”

 

“Can, You, Tell, How, Many?” Scar inquired.

 

“Hngh”

 

“Any, Two, Legged?” 

 

“Hngh”

 

“Many?”

 

“Ten… Me, Think.” Alexander finally replied instead of just grunting in confirmation.

Hearing it, Scar was slightly stunned. 

 

Despite the battles they had in the past year with the humanoid Black Many Legs, never before had the enemy gathered in such numbers. The primary reading was because the normal Black Many Legs compensated for their numbers instead.

 

Usually, one humanoid was accompanied by three to five non-humanoid Black Many Legs. The normal ones, if giant in size, did not bother him and his Hunter that much. However, when the humanoids got added to the fray, the difficulty of the battles increased a lot.

 

“How, Many, Many Legs?” Scar inquired of his Son while looking at him with a resolute expression. Still, his gaze did not leave his son's face. Hence, he noticed the miniature twitches of his Son's head. 

 

It was as if his gaze could penetrate the stones and rocks and look beyond them.

 

After the counting was done and the numbers relayed, Scar knew his options. That being the case, Scar taped on his Son’s left shoulder. Their gazes met, and Scar shook his head indicating his decision. 

 

As such, moments later, a retreat got issued to the rest of the group. Nonetheless, a retreat did not mean the Badg’Er gave up. Once the journey back home was completed safely, Scar began conversing with his Son about what he sensed. 

 

When the night came, and most of the Hunters slept, Scar, his Mate Tina, and his Son, Alexander, found themselves in the Tribal Dream. 

 

*

 

Tribal Dream - Nightmare Pit - Scar

Specifically, said, the family of three of them found themselves in the Pit of the Nightmare Pit.

 

Above them, on the stands, on all four corners stood Badg’Er. 

 

When almost every Badg’Er in the Tribe gathered, whether they be male or female, Hunter or Shaman, Scar began speaking. 

 

Although there was no need for it here in the Tribal Dream, Scar had learned to amplify the sounds leaving his mouth. 

 

It was very simple. Pull on the Mana reserves in his body and push it into his neck. After that, it took practice to get everything right. Scar learned the trick from The Maker after he inquired of The Maker about the different sounds he made when he spoke, yet Scar understood either way. 

 

Scar could not replicate the different speech, but speaking loudly was possible.

“Have, All, Heard, Everything, Regarding, The, Last, Cave Dive?” Scar asked. 

 

Heads nodded, and mouths answered with YES.

 

“Good,” Scar announced. “I, Chief of Tribe, Ask, Members of Tribe, To, Join, This, Battle.” 

 

“I, Ask, Because, One or Two, Hunter Teams, Can, Not, Win, Against, Their, Numbers.” With that said, Scar observed the 28 gathered experienced Tribal Members. 

 

“If, Chose, Battle… Know, In, This, Battle, There, Will, Be, No Retreat, If, Bitten or Injured… This, Battle, Either, All, Badg’Er, Fight, Win, Share, The Kill… Or, No Badg’Er, Will, Fight.”

 

“If, Chose, Not, Battle… All, Cave Dive, Will, Be, Forbidden… Till, Enemy Leaves Cave, And, Become, Easy, Hunts… Or Retreats, To, Mushroom, Forest, And Small, Hunter, Teams, Can, Be, Formed, Again.”

 

Then, Tina, his Mate and Head Shaman of the Tribe stepped forward to speak her own words. 

 

“Take, This, Night, And, Consider, It.” The Head Shaman announced her opinion by conveying her resolve for the upcoming battle. At the same time, her voice carried forth a possibility that was very likely to happen. 

 

“If Battle, With, Those, Numbers, Some, Will, Die.”

 

Scar considered that fact for a moment. One reason was that, ever since the Tribe got established, their Tribal Spirit manifested for the first time, and with its powers gave them a home, no Badg’Er had died.

 

Knowing instinctively, Scar knew it was his turn to speak “To, Reduce, Tribal Members, Dying, We, Will, Use, Nightmare Pit, To, Prepare, For, Battle.”

 

With that said, Scar turned away from the gathered crowd above him. With long-used familiarity, Scar used his Authority over the Nightmare Pit, as hed yet to hand it down to somebody else. 

 

When he did, something popped into his mind. Something only he could currently see.

---

Nightmare Pit; Editor Mode;

 

Description;

 

Badg’Er goes to Small War.

 

Scenario;

 

Map; Cave

Map Size; Small

Map Setting; Cave Ambush

Map Difficulty; Easy

---

Despite all the times, he used the Nightmare Pit, Scar still had trouble with it.

 

Most of the time, it did as he wanted by giving him quite a few options. Most of those transpired when somebody had already been inside the Nightmare Pit. 

 

At that point, he adjusted the scenario, the enemy faced, and the difficulty.

 

However, there comes a time when the Nightmare Pit settled things on its own. And today was just that day. 

 

The moment Scar summoned forth the idea about using the Nightmare Pit and its ability to generate things, it was like something finally piqued its interest. In moments, it scoured Scar’s Intent and knowledge and decided what and how it would bring them forth as a result.

 

As such, when Scar reluctantly tapped the Accept button, only he could see, ripples emerged from below him, from beside him, and even above him.

 

It took but a moment for a familiar setting to appear, with darkness enveloping everything.

 

Stuck in the pitch-black darkness, for a moment, a bright white light manifested above them. It brought forth a Light to illuminate what needed to be illuminated. Once Light came, a gray stone cave tunnel appeared with an uneven path leading the family of three deeper inside.

Everything in place, all three of them made their way deeper into the Cave. Soon enough, they reached the enlarged part of the Cave that held the enemies ambushing them.

 

“Father,” The sudden appearance of the voice unnerved Scar for a moment. Still, he did not show any sign of that occurring. “There, Are, Less, Enemies… Two, Humanoid, Five, Non-Humanoid.”

 

“Hngh” Grunting in acknowledgment, Scar considered what to do when a thought came to him. “Son, Without, You, No, Badg’Er, Would, Have, Gone, Into, Cave… Thus, No, Badg’Er, Would, Face, The, Current, Danger… But, With, You, Danger, Became, Opportunity.”

 

“True.” Tina, his Mate, joined the conversation with a stern voice indicating a simple thing. Don't you dare talk back to me? “Remember, Son. The Maker, Gave, You, And, Led, You, To, What, You, Have, For, A, Reason… Find, That, Reason.”

 

“Yes, Mother.”

 

“Good!” Scarr added. “Son, You, Distract, Normal Many Legs. Tina, And, I, Will, Face, Humanoid”

 

“Yes, Father.”

After everything needing saying got said, Scar had his Son relay the position of the enemies. Once confirmed, they exited the tunnel and moved into the enlarged Cave. 

 

Once there, Tina moved her Small White Sun into the middle of everything and increased its intensity.

 

Moments later, upon the ceiling, in between the cone-shaped rocks, which dropped droplets of water from time to time, Scar saw the enemies. Five normal, if giant-sized, Black Many Legs hung on the ceiling, thanks to their many tiny legs gripping the rocks.

 

The sudden White Light spooked them somewhat. But that was all that happened. Still, that was enough to give Scar a thought or two. Only it had to be left for later as his eyes spotted the two humanoids in question.

 

They also, hung from the ceiling, despite not having the many legs their non-humanoid possessed. 

 

How they did it, Scar cared not.

 

When Badg’Er eyes met those of their enemies, it was easy to conclude that their ambush tactic was a forgone conclusion with Alexander and Tina by his side. 

 

The same would probably reflect in Reality, Scar understood. Hence, the two humanoids dropped from the ceiling.

 

THUD THUD

 

The moment they landed, White Flames erupted from within him and his Mate. One condensed upon the claws, both on the hands and feet. The other manifested outside and took on the partial form of a Honey Badger. 

 

Partially because only the upper part of the body was visible. Still, from its size, it dwarfed two of him and probably the Nightmares they were about to fight as well.

 

A moment passed, and Scar strained his muscles. With a sudden rush, his body exploded with speed. His target was the left Nightmare. 

 

With every step, he inched closer to it. With every step, detailed memories of its appearance surfaced.

 

The general shape was the same as him, with two legs and two arms. The torso-to-head ratio remained the same as well. However, one difference was that these Humanoid Black Many Legs retained very little of their Primal Form. 

 

Instead, their faces were far softer at first glance. The mouth, a small nose, and black eyes expressed the delicate facial appearance. 

 

However, the biggest difference between them was the skin and fur vs tiny black scales.

 

Within moments, Scar traversed the enlarged cave, despite the difficult terrain, and reached the leftmost enemy. Once there, he turned far more cautious in his movements. 

 

From experience, he'd learned that despite their shapes being very similar, their insides were slightly different, as these humanoids were far faster and stronger than him. Not too much, but it was noticeable.

 

What followed was a careful yet savage fight of White Claws vs black claws, with plenty of dodging between each attack. 

 

The rough terrain made everything harder on both of them, but Scar knew it was harder on him, as the pads on his feet were far softer than the scales of his enemy.

 

Occasionally, he'd step on tiny gravel, but he'd long grown used to the feelings they produced. 

 

Slash 

 

Rip

 

White Claws shallowly dug into black scales upon its back, only for black claws to do the same upon his right shoulder. 

 

As a response, Scar urgently tried his best to grab the arm that had injured him, but it deftly retreated out of his reach. 

 

As such, another round of slashing between him and his enemy began.

 

The worst part of this humanized version of his enemy was his inability to just ram into them and rip them apart with his White Claws. 

 

That was a hard lesson learned that came not from The Nightmare Pit but from a real battle.

 

At one point, he'd been able to grab one of them and grapple it to the ground. With fury, his White Claws ripped into it, but there was no denying the fact it had bitten him in the right leg. The venom it had delivered into him despite being yanked apart physically became a shallow victory when Scar barely survived that fight thanks to the protection of his fellow Hunters.

 

If not for them, he would have been ripped apart by another, as within moments, his body had begun shutting down from the large dosage of venom flowing in his blood.

Once more dodging some black claws, Scar slashed his White Claws at its legs, with shallow results. 

 

Not that it mattered, as the fight would go on for a while. After all, this was but a learning scenario. Where his life was not in any danger. That being the case, it gave him the best conceivable way to understand his opponent, their moves, and their weaknesses.

 

Moments after moments expired. Scar slashed and slashed. His focus was on the enemy's legs. As his White Claws numbed any flesh they touched. As such, with every slash, the humanoid creature battling him became slower and slower until it lost its speed advantage.

 

Moments later, it slowed even more as it panted for breath. Its arms were not an exception either. Dodging a few more wild swings, Scar lunged forward. 

 

His left paw, with its White Claws, jabbed for the throat. The right paw, with its White Claws, went for its chest.

 

Plop Plop

 

White Claws pierced through the tiny black scales into the soft flesh beneath.

 

Scar's left hand immediately slashed right from the throat, while his right hand slashed left. The maneuver was simple. Nevertheless, it did expose a weakness. It left Scar in a vulnerable position with the way he hugged himself with his arms. 

 

Still, as a response, his right leg plunged into the humanoid creature's stomach. The smaller White Claws on his right foot pierced into the stomach. 

 

Thanks to a unique feature of the White Claws, and after many experiments, Scar realized that his White Claws could act as a holding grip for his weight. As such, with the right timing, the White Claws on his right foot held his weight for but a moment. 

 

Nonetheless, a moment was all he needed. Because now his left leg lunged into an upward kick. 

 

Only it was not a kick, but a spear, of sorts. 

 

In the same instant, his left leg whipped upwards, Scar applied another small trick he'd learned to use in order to surprise his enemies. By the time, the White Claws on his left leg pierced into the humanoid creature's chin from below, White Claws combined into one long straight piercing implement. 

 

That claw pierced through the tiny black scales, via its tongue to its nasal cavity, and right into the brain. In the same instant, the numbing effect of the White Flame flared into existence and stunned the mushy brain and its functions.

 

For one actual moment, Scar held himself perpendicular to the creature before his weight proved too much, and his White Claws failed to bear him anymore. With a Thud, his back hit the ground. 

 

Which left him even more vulnerable, but it mattered not. The enemy was stunned beyond any possible responses and danger toward Scar.

 

Still, just in case, he stood up urgently. Commenced ripping the throat of his enemy. Then the Nightmare actually popped out of existence into nothing but tiny bubbles.

 

That done, Scar turned around to see the other enemies. 

Alexander, having dealt with the five Giant Black Many Legs was expected, as he'd seen his Son fight them many times. 

 

Tine, his mate, on the other hand, provided for quite a sight, as the humanoid creature with its toughness, speed, and strength, hand upside down in the air, utterly helpless in its flailing exercise.

 

The Partial Primal Form of a Honey Badger, made out of White Flame, held it by the legs in the air as if it were a child. 

 

This was one of the things that irked him the most about not being a Shaman. 

 

The Primal Form had no restriction regarding its speed, strength, and reach. At least without actually destroying what it represented. 

 

What it did depend on was the Clarity of Intent required to use it. As such, a Shaman was exceptionally suited to fight these humanoid creatures who relied primarily on physical prowess. 

 

In fact, it was almost as if a Shaman was a counter for a Hunter.

 

Shaking the thought away, Scar reminded himself about its faults. The problem was that it was much harder for a Shaman to kill these humanoid creatures. 

 

The giant manifestation, made out of White Flame, did not possess the density required to pierce their scales.

 

Still, there were other ways, as his Mate showcased a moment later when it threw the humanoid creature into the air. The giant frontal legs/paws changed their shape into the dexterous version every Badg’Er currently possessed, claws included. 

 

The right paw grabbed the humanoid creature by its throat, and the other went for the mouth. Specifically, the claw on the forefinger, on the left paw jagged itself into its mouth. 

 

Through that claw, White Flames began to squeeze themselves inside.

 

Scar knew immediately what would happen next.

 

Moments later, the White Flames would reach the lungs and heart. It would numb them to death, as they would refuse to pump Air and Blood inside the humanoid creature. 

 

That fact led to death moments later, with a popping sound as the Nightmare shattered into tiny bubbles.

 

With that done, Scar had a good feeling about the upcoming battle. 

 

Still, he knew one thing. He and his Tribe never fought any such large battles. At the same time, they had never fought somewhere like the real Cave. 

 

Hence, without at least experiencing the other difficulties of this generated Map, he would not have his Tribe face that moment. 

 

Especially not without knowing what it meant to fight with so many Badg’Er by his side.