BXBX NOVEL Chapter 67 (LXVII) Challenge
"Why are you interfering with my challenges!" Elissa shouted, exiting her office and beating on Zuk's door.
"What are blabbering on about now?" The wart-faced goblin shouted, swinging his door open and jabbing her in the stomach, which was his eye level.
"Don't play stupid! Why did you challenge Jackson?!?" She yelled, grabbing Zuk by his long, elastic ears and raising him into the air.
"Oy! Oy! Oy! Put me down!! I didn't do it!" He cried, struggling to escape Elissa's grasp.
"You lying sack of shit!" She growled, slamming him back against the wall and pinning him there.
"I swear I don't know what you're talking abo—"
"It wasssn't Zuk; it wasss me." A hulking lizardman said, stepping forward. He was tall and muscular, his broad shoulders towering over all other Floor Guardians. He had a long face with tough, interlocking scales covering his body.
He wore a plate helmet that opened around his long nose and across his head, and down to his shoulders with a long sharp blade attached. It parted from his mouth to his eyes and had another plate protecting his long jaw and up around where two long rabbit-like ears hung down to his chest like braids.
His arms, legs, chest, and long tail were covered with plated armor, with a durable black leather cloak and robe draping around his body, covering his scaly skin. Elissa dropped Zuk as he bounced against the ground and turned to him in disbelief.
"You..? But why, Wuagi?? Have I done anything to you..?" She asked, approaching the Guardian of the 81st through 90th floors.
"Quite the opposssite, little one! I am really impressssed by thisss Climber and believe he isss capable of completing thisss challenge! I bet he will even take all penaltiesss!!!" Wuagi replied, shaking his head and placing his hand on her shoulder, staring down at her, "I wanted to help him too!"
Elissa smiled weakly, "Thank you..." she whispered softly. He nodded and turned, leaving as his tail slid along the ground behind him.
"I think someone is owed an apology around here..." Zuk huffed, dusting his arms off as he stood up.
"As if!" Elissa scoffed, flipping her hair and returning to her office, slamming it in his face.
***
Jackson calculated how he could take on 10 beasts stronger than he currently is, an alpha of that beast, a dozen Hollows of the said beasts, and a Mutated Knight of said Hollow's Alpha. He had a few ideas already but nothing concrete.
He needed to figure out a plan and fast. He had to clear this as quickly as possible to get to the next floor, 'Eclipse, Blood Moon, and Mutated Knight are required for their equipment drops...' Jackson thought, stroking his chin.
He had not seen anything like that before, 'Of the three remaining, Double Beasts would be the next, and the final two are simply better loot...'
"Fuck it..." Jackson muttered, shaking his head as he enabled all challenges and received his Floor Challenge to kill the two dozen enemies.
Instantly, the bright blue skies turned dark as the sun vanished, and the bright full moon appeared in its place. The sea crashed violently onto the shore as the waves grew in size, crashing into each other and sending spray high into the sky.
The full moon was dyed red as the Blood Moon took hold of the night, turning everything crimson. The dark skies lit up with flashes of green lightning as the eclipse began, casting the world into darkness.
Jackson felt the power surge within him as he took a deep breath and sighed, activating his WarFrame as his bodysuit morphed into his Frame Gear. His twin moons glowed brightly as he twirled the long scimitars around his body.
A loud roar echoed through the island from the direction of the forest. He heard the sounds of trees being ripped apart, branches cracking, leaves rustling, and finally, a massive form burst through the treeline, charging towards him.
A colossal panther, twice the height of a man, charged out of the woods, roaring loudly as it ran toward him. Its fur was pitch black with glowing white eyes that seemed to pierce right into the soul of anyone who saw it. It roared again and leaped at him with incredible speed.
Jackson dodged the attack quickly and spun away from the creature as it collided with the ground. It shook itself and jumped back to charge at him once more as two more leaped from the large plants behind him.
"You're not going to catch me so easy!" Jackson laughed, spinning to avoid the attacks of the three beasts as they came together to pounce on him.
He blocked the claws of the first one with one sword while the other sliced through the neck of a second. The third one tried to bite his leg but missed, instead catching his armored boot and pulling himself backward.
Jackson grinned, throwing the two panthers on his swords in front of him before crossing them over the beast's neck as it tried to chew through his plated boot, slicing both sides of its throat with his blades.
The beast fell dead, collapsing as Jackson kicked the corpse aside and pulled his weapons free. The two panthers landed as two more joined them, jumping at him.
"I'm getting tired of this game!" He growled, ducking under the swipe of a claw, rolling to the left. He brought his scimitars up and stabbed his weapon along its neck as the beast passed overhead.
He rolled to the feet of another as it leaped at him, bringing the scimitar down and cutting into the back of its skull as it slammed into the ground. He pushed to his knees as another attacked, stabbing it between the ribs as it lunged forward.
The last beast turned to run as it collapsed and died. Jackson rose to his feet as the moon continued to turn darker, and the clouds above darkened further, shouting, "You've already lost half of your pack! Why don't you come out and give me a real challenge!"