The carcasses of beast cats lay on the ground. Some had deep cuts exposing their internal organs. Most of their heads were smashed in by a powerful force. There were about a dozen of them scattered around. Xadion lay on the ground, blood and wounds covering him. He was tired and drained, his eyes half-open.
Ezekiel walked toward him, a smile on his face and a glowing blue flower in his hand. "I'm surprised." he said, looking around. "There should be at least three times this number here. I wonder where they went."
Xadion didn't have the energy to answer and closed his eyes.
In a cave, Xadion woke, feeling his energy return. He sat up and saw Ezekiel preparing something in a bowl, a grin on his face. Xadion felt uneasy and started looking for his weapon. Spotting it in the corner, he moved quietly.
"Finally, you're awake," Ezekiel said, standing and walking toward him. Xadion, frozen, watched him approach until Ezekiel handed him a bowl. Taking it, Xadion realized it was herbal water. He stared at Ezekiel before drinking. The liquid had no taste, but Xadion felt his body relax.
Ezekiel smiled slightly and returned to a corner. Xadion felt his Qi surge. It felt refreshed and ready to work. He had an idea. Closing his eyes, he focused his Qi and began to manipulate it.
He moved the Qi around, making it go wherever he wanted. Then a breakthrough came. The Qi in his body was his; there was no need to force it to move. All he needed to do was be calm, and the Qi would move faster than when forced. With that, he felt his Qi increase, his stomach burning with excitement. He had advanced to Master rank.
With a small sigh, he opened his eyes and smiled. He stood and saw the peaks. His steps were light, his movements graceful. He glanced around and saw his sword. Picking it up, he began to practice, and a smile appeared.
At first, he transferred a large amount of his Qi to his sword, leaving him with little to no Qi in his body. This disturbed him when his attack was missed or deflected.
He glanced at Ezekiel, who sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. Xadion approached slowly and stared at him. "What exactly do you want?" he asked.
Ezekiel smiled slightly and looked at him. "I would've been happy with a thank you." he said, standing. "But since you brought it up, I really want to get out of here."
Xadion followed Ezekiel outside the cave. "There's only one way I think we can escape. It's to defeat a very powerful Lord-ranked being. I've challenged him many times but always failed." He paused and turned to Xadion. "I need your help defeating him. Now that you're Master rank, we can train, and within two to four months, you'll be strong enough to handle the distractions while I take care of him."
Xadion sniffed. "You sound really confident in yourself."
Ezekiel laughed. "Oh, please. If it wasn't for that trick of his, I'd be out of here. So, what do you say? Will you help me?"
Xadion considered it. "What about my friends?"
"Once we defeat the spirit, the door will be open for a while. If your friends are safe and as smart as you, they'll run toward the exit." Ezekiel said with a smile.
Xadion considered every possibility. There were plenty of advantages; he'd continue to train and understand his powers better. Plus, he could use this time to find his friends. He glanced at the smiling Ezekiel and hissed. "Fine, but during this time, we'll also look for my friends."
"Not a problem." Ezekiel said. "Rest for now; we'll continue our training later."
With the agreement made, Xadion went to lie down. He thought about his friends and hoped to find them soon.
Days turned to weeks and months. A clear field had two people surrounded by a group of beast dogs. The dogs stood three feet tall with green crystal eyes. Leading them was a larger dog beast, around five feet tall.
Xadion stood side by side with a smiling Ezekiel. It had been six months since they met, and they'd surprisingly made a good team.
Xadion pulled out his sword and stared at the beasts. "They're mostly rank 2, with some at rank 3. Their leader is a rank 4, though." he said. "I can handle it, no problem. Give me three minutes, max."
Ezekiel smiled. As he was about to launch himself, another rank 4 beast dog landed beside the first. He paused and looked at them. "Make it ten." he said, dashing toward the two leaders, leaving the rest to Xadion.
"Damn bastard." Xadion said with a smile as he launched himself toward the dogs. A battle began.
The dogs were cooperative and tried to slow Xadion down, but what could these lowly beasts do to a Master? Each strike killed two dogs. Their speed was good, but not good enough. In less than ten minutes, he ended the lives of all the dog beasts. He stared at their corpses before looking at Ezekiel.
The two leaders were severely injured, and it looked like Ezekiel would win soon. Finding an opportunity, Ezekiel rushed toward one of the dogs and punched its front leg, breaking it. Before the beast could shout in pain, he punched its neck, leaving a bloody hole. Not waiting for the beast to fall, he moved to the next one. With a strong punch to the top of the beast's head, it fell and died.