The friction created by the rough descent burned off a layer of skin.
"Ah!"
Yun and the entity crashed back into the plateau. They allowed themselves a second to recover and threw themselves upright. Yun raised his fists and looked around for the gate.
The lush woodland was no more. Maliki and Miri's battle had uprooted almost all the trees in the area; the occasional explosion and the ringing of steel in the distance signalled that the fight was still ongoing.
At least now there was a clear view of the monumental gate from where he stood.
And there it was in front of him, exactly two hundred and forty-five meters away. All Yun had to do was move past the entity standing in his way.
He wasn't exactly confident in his skills in a one to one confrontation. A few brawls here and there in the Hollows were not enough to say that he was a competent fighter, but things were different inside the First Vision.
Yun was currently a Cloud Servant, weaker away from his master than if he had none at all. But this time, the master was close, closer than it had ever been before.
The miscellaneous damage done to the servant's body across the Vision had started to show adverse effects — including dizziness from blood loss — but he had also just awakened a vital core. Yun could feel the golden-yellow essence burning in his soul, making him faster and stronger than any normal human.
That would surely close the gap.
And there was one other thing…
"Hand over the map… and the body."
Yun shook his head.
I'm confused. Do you expect me to say yes?
"Why do you fight back, boy? Do you know what's at stake? Can your servant mind not comprehend that some things are way beyond your scope?"
Yun shrugged, tore off a sleeve from his rags and used it to secure the map case around his waist.
You're right. I can't comprehend it, and I don't really care.
"Now that's just selfish."
The entity lunged forward with a knife in its left hand, but before Yun engaged, he summoned the fragments.
[Your Incubant Trait is ready to evolve. Evolve Trait?]
Yes, dammit!
[The Incubant Trait is evolving…]
Yun ducked under the knife, preparing to land a vicious uppercut. The entity easily dodged and knocked the air out Yun's lungs with a knee to his solar plexus.
Yun stumbled back and let out a breathy gasp. The entity immediately closed the distance with a short shuffle.
Crap.
[Incubant has evolved!]
Yun's fist shot forward, aiming for the entity's jaw. He was much stronger and faster than it at this point, he just had to land one good hit. His vision was getting blurry so [Eyes of Acuity], his main advantage, wasn't functioning.
Unfortunately, the haymaker never finished its arc. The entity's forearm met Yun's wrist mid-swing, deflecting it just past its ear.
That knife.
Yun stubbornly refused to waste the force of his missed punch.
He pulled his hand back, his elbows bent like a spring, and with a forceful swipe upward, he slapped the knife out of the entity's grip.
The entity cackled in response, "Did you think I needed a kitchen utensil, boy?"
Yun's blood ran cold.
Before he could retreat, the entity's other right hand slid forward, planting a nasty palm strike just below the sternum. Yun grunted and gasped for air, and before he could reorient himself, the entity's fists turned into a blur of vertical punches.
Yun forced himself free and stumbled back just in time to hear the Curse's wry notification:
[You have acquired a new Trait: Hatchling.]
He sneered as he coughed up blood and a few teeth.
Is the Curse making fun of me?
A few changes had just occurred in the servant's body. First, it felt much lighter and agile. Second, and most importantly, it was like the air and space had embraced him. The sky, if you will.
It was not just a bodily change, it was mental as well. An unnatural confidence that the winds favoured his movements settled in. If Yun decided to jump off a cliff, the sky would calmly guide him down until he touched the ground like a lone feather.
He would never willingly test that statement, but he knew it deep within him that it was true.
But alas, the servant's mortal body was failing.
"You see now that it's no use? I've been alive for far too long to be bested by the likes of you."
It's right. I can't defeat it.
Heh. That Trait evolution was useless, then.
Yun raised a shaking hand and untied the makeshift belt. He retrieved the map case, and before he threw it, he gestured to himself.
The entity furrowed its brow. "Are you trying to negotiate some kind of deal?"
Yun nodded. He shook the map, and used it to point towards the gate, then he lowered his head towards the entity.
"Oh? You'll hand over the map and commit yourself to my servitude. In return, you wish to maintain autonomy over your body."
Yes.
The entity stroked Scruffy's beard.
"Or what?"
Yun's brow furrowed. He raised his wrist.
First, there was confusion, then the entity's eyes widened slightly, then it cackled.
"You'll summon that light artifact of yours again and call the Plagued one here. Won't that lead to your death as well?"
Yun shrugged in response. He made sure his eyes properly conveyed his conviction, and that he was telling the truth. He'd rather be killed instantly by Maliki rather than endure whatever torture the body swap ritual would inflict on him.
"Your insanity intrigues me. Very well, then. First, throw the case over here."
Yun hesitated, then threw the map case towards his would-be new master.
The entity swiped it off the air with one hand while it gave Yun an amused smile.
"Well done."
Using both hands to cradle the case, it opened it up and…
It was empty.
"What games ar—"
The words died in its mouth, and in their place, Yun had stabbed the entity through the throat with all the power he could muster. The entity's mouth hung open and Yun could see the Dragon's tusk shrapnel protruding from the base into the roof. Yun violently wrenched the shrapnel back and watched the entity's tongue flop to the ground.
Scruffy's chin had been split in two, forming a bloody canyon that leaked endlessly.
Yun crouched beside the entity, waving the map in his hand.
Its eerily calm eyes met with the cold malice hidden in his.
Yun forced his mouth to move, but with no tongue, no words would form. The entity would only see their shape.
"I serve no one. Not you, and not that damn Itheon. Nobody."
With a satisfied grin, Yun watched the lightless void behind Scruffy's face disappear.
"I'm my own master."
[You have killed a