Jack's pace did not change, his gait calm and deliberate. His weapon still sheathed as the grin adorning his face grew just a bit larger, more predatory, as if eyeing a foolish herbivore walking straight into its doom. A young pup, cub probably would fit more for the foolish bear beastman, all too eager to prove one's mettle, only to be devoured by the monster that was chosen for said test. As the thought rushed through Jack's mind, another one arose, this one more humorous and than the last. 'Could it be that the poor fool is trying to impress some beastmen lass? Ufff, Sucks to be you right now.'
As soon as Jack was within ten meter distance, the cub took action, his great axe, held steadily in his hands, was swung back, his front leg stomping the ground as his body tilted ever so slightly forward, with his muscles tensing and the slightest of air distortion forming around his body. Then, he shot forward, a roar leaving the cubs throat, the air around it distorting even more so as more and more mana was burned by his body, enhancing all aspects of the cub. Strength, speed, reflexes, all aspects were elevated to a higher state, only for Jack to sigh internally. 'Still just a cub, too hot blooded and eager to prove oneself. If only you were less of a scum, treating humanoids directly at your disposal better.'
Jack was slowly learning to appreciate life, his newly acquired class a stark difference from the pure destruction he had been before. Where he had always applied the greatest of punishments against those that slighted him, ending such altercations with deaths of those guilty, save for other gods and his own servants, now he was more inclined towards discipline and a chance to grow. Not always though. He was still, as already proven, extremely harsh towards those he saw abusing their servants and slaves, with only him allowed to do anything of the like assuming it was used as a form of punishment for extremely grave offences. Only a fool forgives unconditionally and always.
The speed and reflexes of the cub and Jack could not be compared, as such the first strike that followed cubs charge was easily dodged by Jack, his body shifting at the very last moment, followed by a quick jab to cubs ribs, a loud sound of metal smashing into metal reverberating across the emptied 'arena' and then rushing further away through the streets. The force of Jack's quick jab was still immense, so much so that even while holding back he still managed to make a dent in cubs armour, propelling the struck youngster a few meters away and striking the air from his lungs in the process. Jack did not capitalise on his acquired opening however. If he wanted to make the locals fear him, he had to make quite the spectacle of it.
He waited a few moments for his overly eager opponent to regather his bearings, the cubs eyes darting towards the crowd in barely concealed panic, all too worried this momentary humiliation might crush his hopes of impressing the girl he did this for, only to be forced to look back, Jack slamming his wrist guards together in a clear warning.
"Come again." The smirk on the humans face, combined with the raised hand and the bending fingers in an obvious gesture angered the cub more, no matter his inability to understand the actual meaning of the words themselves. And despite the anger flaring in the youth's mind, a slight understanding was also slowly dawning over him. You done fucked up, underestimated the human and will now pay the price. How heavy will said price be and could it be avoided entirely? That was still not determined and would no doubt depend on the young bear beastman's ability to focus and bring his A game.
Seemingly not willing to give the cub more time to regather himself, Jack walked forward. While the human seemed unbothered, his action alone spoke more than any words would, or so the beastmen believed. Was the power of the swing awakening of sorts for the arrogant human, realizing that one mistake could result in his death or mutilation? Many different speculations swirled among the crowd, with plenty being voiced out loud, receiving responses in either agreement or ridicule.
Jack could not care any less what the peanut gallery discussed, not that he understood it anyways, his focus locked on the target right in from of him as well as his immediate surroundings. He did not believe for a second that if the cub gets pushed into deep enough of a corner, his friends and rivals would not jump in to assist, more focused on punishing the human, and doing their best to avoid losing too much face and reputation among the common folk. Sure, they did not actually need to be held to a higher, somewhat mystical and revered status, but it did help nonetheless. It was so much easier to keep the populus in check when such lofty status was assigned to your kind.
Meanwhile, the second attempt at a decisive strike was much more measured and calculated as the cub decided to try and use his skill and experience with his chosen weapon to surprise and wound the human. A quick sidestep, followed by a seemingly powerful horizontal swing, followed up by torquing his own body in an attempted powerful gut kick as Jack stepped out of the weapons range, only for that too to miss, the human seemingly always moving one step ahead, tilting his body yet again with deceptive ease and speed, once again sliding just barely past the kick and delivering a near thunderous slap to the poor cubs face.
Jack could barely hold back his smirk, quite entertained by the foolish idea of going into what was most likely a deadly encounter without wearing ones own helmet in an attempt to rise ones own name, though some might point out he himself had done the same, only to be rebuked by the fact that Jack was not the one in danger out here. The beastmen were. Once the second, much more humiliating strike, though less painful physically, was delivered, Jack slipped back a step or two, waiting for the slightly dazed cub to came back to clarity, already planning his next few choices for similarly humiliating strikes.
'They could not blame me if I...?' Jack mused in his mind, registering the slowly rising worry in the rest of the clan members, both the bear beastman's and the other two- wolf and rabbit beastmen. It seemed that only the fox beastmen had stayed out this time, more than likely due to their merchant/spy oriented natures. Jack could already picture a near future where the last clan makes their own moves, be it a covert mission in an attempt to assassinate him or to use their identity as well connected merchants to sway him the correct way. 'No matter, I will just leave that problem to the future me to solve. For now, focus on the message you want to send.' Jack mentally chided himself, demanding better from himself. This whole ordeal might be a vacation of sorts, unexpected sure, but a vacation nevertheless, but that did not mean he could relax all too much. The kids were still waiting for him back where he came from after all. Sure, they were doing their own thing, not hindered by his physical absence one bit, the gear still flowing, but they were still waiting.
Jack could almost swear he could see a blush of sorts forming on the fur covered face in the overeager cub, both embarrassment at the way he was being handled as well as rage for the exact same reason. Thankfully, the cavalry had decided to intervene as Jack suddenly tilted his body to the side, once again narrowly avoiding a rather precise and powerful horizontal swing aimed at his mid section, performed by one of the rabbit beastmen who had dashed forward and tried to use Jack's supposed focus on the adversary in front of him, only to be seemingly effortlessly dodged, receiving a powerful kick to its own body as Jack twisted himself along the trajectory of his dodge movement, using the momentum of his bend and turn to create a whip like force in his kicking leg.
The result was devastating, sending the rabbit beastmen flying away like a puppet with its strings cut, reminding that said flying object is actually a living being only once it landed and a weak, pitiful whine left the wronged rabbit beastman's throat. Not that Jack paid too much attention to the first, proper casualty of the fight, his body reacting to the rest incoming new threats who had been slower than the one jack had just punted back away.
Another four rabbit beastmen closed in a moment later, their strikes fast, but lacking both coordination and overwhelming might, all seemingly meant to chip away at their target, only to get deflected masterfully by Jack's gloved hands, using the thickest parts of said armour pieces with the correct angles to receive almost none of the force, lacking as it was, from the intercepted attacks, only to then followed up with similarly devastating counters. Jack could play around with a single opponent as much as he liked, doubly so for ones of this level, but he would be stuck in a rather boring dance for hours were he to go overly easy on the whole group. he had noticed that a couple of healers were also present and he was if nothing else a rather kind person, thus involving the entire group was only fair. Thus, some proper damage was needed, lest the healers feel aggrieved.
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Nearly every dodge was quickly followed by a counterattack, utilizing even the slightest of openings, punting the overly eager younger generation beastmen out. each counter cracked and broke bones, creating a spine chilling music of sorts, a rhythm that slowed and discouraged anyone from approaching. Only the wolf beastmen managed to escape with less suffering than others, their pack tactics ensuring a much better coordination and coverage of one anothers flaws. Did not mean they were all eager and excited, as each such save would still numb their arms and legs.
"Just what the seven hells is he!" One of the same wolf beastmen cried out after another nail biting save, intercepting another powerful counter from Jack, his shield dented and arms numb. "I don't think even Zunke The Mighty packs this much of a punch. I should know, I've blocked a couple!"
"Silence fool!" immediately screamed another, adding a second later "Just cause you are weak, don't slander our mighty leaders. Were any of them actually here, that human would have been crushed long ago!"
It was clear to Jack at least, and the sharpest of observing beastmen just how much of a cope the latter shout was. The wisdom in such a desperate attempt had to be respected though, not many would be able to see the larger picture while getting thoroughly thrashed and schooled. Thankfully, it seemed a realization had dawned on the one who had compared Jack to the leader of bear beastmen- Zunke the Mighty- as he quickly followed up with his own attempt to change the narrative and make his previous comment null and void.
"What the hell!?" he exclaimed, a realization seemingly dawning on him "Be careful! His strikes carry with them some sort of a debuff that clouds one's mind in illusions!"
'A solid take, one that your teammates will know for sure is a load of crap, but might just ensure none of the peanut gallery stray from the general narrative of beastmen supremacy that was so prevalent within the steppe.'
Then, as though sent by the heavens, Jack noticed a rather special breed of scum in the form of a late arriving bear beastman, his appraisal immediately put to work.
Grumka the Wicked(Age- 70)
Species- bear beastman
Level- 25
Class- Savage hedonist(epic)
What caught his attention more than anything else however was a certain title, causing a clear expression of disgust to form on Jack's face.
Weimar connoisseur- A particularly wicked individual, soaking in nearly all excesses imaginable, going so far as to have experimented and rediscovered the peak of degeneracy of Weimar republic. Beware you of near infinite curiosity, for some rabbit holes are too deep and disturbing to explore and are much, much better left unchecked.
Grumka was almost two and a half meters tall, with dark gray fur, with some spots or graying silver squeezing through, his advanced age slowly showing. One of his eyes was blind, a couple of scar marks crossing half his face in a vertical direction indicated a rather serious battle he had lived through. What caught Jack's attention the most however, aside from the title of course, was the still fresh blood stuck to his face, no doubt having rushed over upon hearing of the commotion, his meal left half finished.
The large, aged bear beastman was still chewing on something as he approached in high speed, spewing whatever was in his mouth out as a wide grin spread across his bear mug, drawing his own oversized warhammer as he prepared to join the ongoing combat, only for Jack's spirit sense to pick up the half chewed object that fell on the ground a short moment later.
Jack's half playful mood instantly shifted as uncontrolled disgust took over his system, the need to cleanse the world of the filth he saw before his eyes magnifying with every second, so much so that Jack did not even have the time to appreciate the way system 'translated' titles into ways that would make the most sense for whoever had the skill to access said information. For someone with Jack's origin and knowledge base, Weimar republic of post world war one Germany was the greatest den of debauchery and moral degradation, making the title themed according to it. Someone with extremely indepth knowledge about other dens of greater moral degradation, at least as far as they would be concerned, the title would have been different while still ensuring the message was gotten across.
Jack immediatly picked up on said object as it hit the ground, his face contorting in even more disgust, if such a thing was even possible, as he registered that the object in question was indeed a finger of a child, a humanoid one at that, more than likely no older than ten, or equivalent for other human like race ages.
"Despicable scum."A loathing filled growl escaped Jack's mouth as he slammed his leg on the ground, once again tilting his body just barely enough to avoid the still ongoing attacks of the younger generation, though he no longer cared about pulling his punches, his mind focused on ways he could extend the torture awaiting Grumka. Kids were off limits, even more so now that he had his own, even if not actually blood related or all that young. As a result, the counters were also no longer pulled, his force smashing through the shields previously used to block his strikes, shattering bones upon bones on contact. Jack had noticed the lack of disgust at Grumkas arrival on the faces of both his 'dance partners' as well as spectators, spoiling his already low opinion of the local ruling class. The idea of a proper regime fall seemed more and more desirable and necessary by the second.
The change in the air that came about with Jack's mood change was instantly felt, sending chills down the spectators spines, with a number of them outright falling unconscious or even wetting themselves, their primal bestial instincts going overdrive and disregarding their advanced intellect. Before a particularly angered soul of a god of destruction with traces of bloodlust surpassing the deepest den of cannibalistic predators, few could remain calm and composed after all. Those unfortunate few who have had the misfortune to be in the presence of a true vampire lord would likely compare the sensation to said memory, even if they would still be miles and miles off.
The sudden increase in the brutality of Jack's counterattacks was also noticed by a pair of particularly sharp eyes as their owners observed from a distance, their bodies rather well obstructed from the eyes of most others present as they stood on top of a nearby building, thought not all. Unbeknownst to the two figures, the object of their observation was fully aware of their arrival.
"He's strong, incredibly so. I would not be surprised if he's stronger than me." A bear beastmen nearly three meter tall spoke to the one standing next to him- 1,5 meter tall rabbit beastman with almost snow white fur, his two red eyes almost shining.
"And he is not much slower than me, possibly even faster. It is difficult to gauge without actually feeling it myself." the rabbit beastman replied "And now the young ones are in a real danger. It's clear he was playing with them before."
"Second awakening for sure." The bear beastman nodded and added, his expression seemingly calm and stoic, though there was a hint of wariness in his eyes all the same. Unlike the younger ones, the real leaders and strongest members of each of the four clans were well aware of just how important the humanoid slaves the few free folk of their kind were for the economy of both their city and the steppe's beastmen in general.
"Obviously. Worse yet his gear is incredible and he knows what he is doing. Worse yet the human seemed to have shown us some semblance of respect thus far, only to stop holding back once Grumka appeared. I suspect he either has extremely high level appraisal, capable of revealing titles and the like- as unlikely as it sounds- or he had enough awareness to spare even during the engagement he is in to pick up and recognize the finger Grumka spit out just now." The rabbit scrunched his nose in disgust at that, adding "Why do you keep someone as atrocious around, I will never understand."
"Mhm." Zunke the Mighty nodded, seemingly unwilling to admit as much, but forced to do so regardless with the abundance of proof right before his eyes.
"Then get a move on and assist you old log." the rabbit beastman jabbed in an attempt to lighten the mood "Or are you waiting for a special invitation?"
Just as Zunke was about to respond, both beastmen leaders were disturbed by a sound of an object breaking wind at great speed, followed by a loud crush as same object connected to the roof both were standing on just mere moment ago, their bodies moving just in time to escape the impact.
"Heh" the rabbit beastman smirked "And here is your invitation I suppose.." his eyes turned back towards the impromptu arena where a rather savage sight took place.
Jack Raja(?)
Age- 27
Species- human(?)
Level- 30
Class- Awakened twin aspect of Creation and Destruction(Ex)
Stats unassigned: +4
Attributes:
Strength- 34 (14+7+13(gear))
Vitality- 28 (12+8+8(gear))
Dexterity- 29 (15+6+8(gear))
Intelligence-20(15+ 5(gear)
Spirit- Spirit- 30 (20+10)
Skills- Wisdom of Creation and destruction(EX), Choice of the creator(EX), Eyes of procurer(EX), Matter storage(EX), Arukain language(C), Spark of inspiration(EX), Origin of matter(EX), Unbound by laws of the lessers(EX), The end made manifest(EX).
Spells- none.
Titles(unlocked): The real Monster, Big Game Hunter, The brilliant rookie, The insane Solo. Monster debugger.The actor. Executioner. Survivor. Pioneer, Record breaker.The new champion supreme. Slavemaster.
Gear: Two handed sword(t3)+ 5 str +5 vit: Armor 3str +3 vit +3 dex; Ring 1 - spatial storage, ring 2 +5int, ring 3 +5 str; amulet +5 dex.

