"That's a strange baby."
The broad forehead woman said as she tied Hadrian's arms to the tree. Hadrian glared. She smiled back.
"She hasn't cried since we met you."
Hadrian let out a sigh.
"Any more strange than putting dogs to sleep?"
The woman nodded as her lips pressed tightly.
"I suppose you're right. There are a lot of things we do not understand."
"What kind of sorcery is that?"
The woman focused her gaze on him, not answering for a few seconds.
"I'm about to die, ain't I?"
She smiled, "terra sorcery." She stood up straight and left Hadrian sitting next to the tree where he'd been tied.
Hadrian's eyes went up to the shining hot sun and distant clouds.
The air out here is truly beautiful.
He looked back down at his baby Alia's face who looked up at him.
At a distance, his control over adult Hadrian was loosened and it felt strained and slipping from his control. He'd been pushed to the limits as he did his best to hide from the cohort's view.
Luckily, they'd left the open fields and entered a dense forest, Kragers Wild.
To heal adult Hadrian, he'd used up his rat vessels and was now remaining with only three.
Dog Hadrians and Horse Hadrian remained with the rest of the cohort, seemingly unaware of their master's demise.
Hadrian saw them preparing, murmuring their spells over their weapons and body.
It wasn't the next day as the cohort's leader had promised, but two days after that night.
Crutch.
A branch snapped and a low vibrating sound came from his left. A massive shape moved.
Hadrian turned, altering his sight peering into the massive shape's centre.
Warmth washed over his body and it was like the sun had gotten a little brighter. In that vast sea of fog, a sphere-like shape spun.
Equivalent to a rank one mage?
Making sure it was outside the other's field of vision, he substituted a layered claw to his fingers and sliced through the rope.
The massive shape moved out from behind the trees. Hadrian's eyes widened.
It stood nearly six metres tall, its front limbs longer than its hind legs. It had little grey fur such that you could see the curves of its muscles and bulging veins.
Its eyes were chalk white with lightning streaks of red. Its face was twisted in an eternal snare.
The mouth hung open, exposing black gums and rows of long sharp teeth as milky white saliva drooled down.
It fixed its eyes on Hadrian and Baby Alia, or at least Hadrian imagined since it had no pupils to tell.
It charged at him and Hadrian's heart jumped to his throat. The rope cut, sliced by his claw and he leapt back, his legs reinforced with the essence and muscle state of the horse and his other vessels.
The members of the cohort surrounding the area in ambush position were shocked, their eyes widening and lips parting as they saw the Krita's large clawed paw strike air and bare ground causing a large boom.
"Fucks sake." The cohort's leader clicked his tongue. "Kid's just like his companion."
Hadrian landed five metres to the right of the creature but it was quick to follow. He gave Baby Alia in his arm a glance then tossed her up. Hawk Hadrian picked her up with his talons grabbing the baby wrappings.
As the hawk flew some distance, Baby Alia began gaining her age in seconds. Meanwhile, the dogs slowly deteriorated as Hadrian rewrote their flesh state to make up for Alia.
Someone from the cohort made to move.
"Wait." The leader stopped them, "we need to see what type it is first."
Its massive claw came down on Hadrian once more and he dodged, leaping off of its limb. When his hand made contact with the creature's skin, as he performed his acrobatics, it was like touching hot iron. It left blisters.
A wave of heat washed over Hadrian and he felt his mouth go dry and his sweating intensify. His muscles felt tired and his head dizzy, he was slowing down, sleepiness washing over him.
I have to get far from it. But it's fast and has already affected me to this state.
"An elemental spawn." The cohort's leader said. He reached into his brown leather pouch and pulled out a small bag. Pinching blue like sand, he sprinkled it on himself, muttering words. The others followed suit.
Hadrian's face and body were changing too. He was getting taller, his face longer and older. He was substituting himself with adult Hadrian Vessel.
This was different than simply substituting life state, like he did with Alia and baby Hadrian. So it wasn't as fast. Even then, affected by the creature's heat wave, the dizziness and tiredness made him switch slower.
Slush.
The creature's teeth sliced into Adult Hadrian, breaking bones and burning flesh. It pressed its claw down on Adult Hadrian's head, spluttering brain matter everywhere.
Hadrian wheezed and coughed some a hundred metres away where adult Hadrian had been. At the same time, Alia Hadrian landed on her feet, having torn through the baby wrappings, she was naked.
Hadrian's teeth gritted. In the last moment before the creature completely mutilated adult Hadrian, he'd transferred some life state to Alia. The three dogs weren't enough to return her to her age. Therefore, that pain lingered.
As the creature tore adult Hadrian apart, the cohort moved.
Hadrian observed them through hawk Hadrian as Alia Hadrian ran to their packages to take clothes and armor.
They aren't being affected by the heat wave?
Hadrian's eyes constricted. The cohort moved coordinated and seemingly unhindered.
Must be more of their sorcery.
Alia Hadrian put on some black pants, boots and armor.
The creature had seemingly been caught by surprise, their enchanted swords cutting through its flesh like soggy paper.
It fought back and Hadrian saw as two members of the cohort were taken down.
I can't let them kill it.
Hawk Hadrian circled where the fight happened, tilted its head and peered into the creature's essence sea.
He got into the ten metre range and called at its essence fog. This one was more resistant than regular humans as the sphere at the centre held it back from leaving the fog sea.
Hadrian cursed.
At this rate, they'll kill it before I turn it into a vessel.
In that ten metre range, Hawk Hadrian was affected by that heat wave. But he noticed every time the creature sent out a heat wave the potency of its essence fog got weaker.
Slush.
The creature's head was cut off of its head.
Hadrian let out a disappointed sigh.