(Third Person POV)
"Distorted Subjugation"
The Okuri's body began to twist, a black aura emitting from it as Mael held it. Mael's eyes gave off a strange glint, a slight pressure emitting from his entire body.
The men saw this, "W-What is happening?" one said, "What is he doing?"
The Okuri was struggling to breathe while this happened, it's eyes widening as Mael held it firmly. In a matter of seconds, its entire body became a twisted and mangled mess, turning into a black mass as it began to be siphoned into Mael's arm.
"This....!" Mael said, taken aback by this, "What....?"
Suddenly, the entirety of the wolf's body, save for the head, was siphoned into Mael's body as he stumbled back. The severed head of the Okuri fell to the ground and rolled a couple of feet, its maw open as its red eyes were devoid of light.
"The Okuri's body..." one of the men said, "It was absorbed by that man!"
Mael stumbled to the side, grabbing onto his spear for support. "What is this feeling?" He said as his body emitted a black shadowy aura, "This.....rush...."
His body pulsated, a strange sensation appearing on his stomach. He raised his arms to see black markings appear on his forearms, giving off a pulsating light. He felt nothing but a mixture of pain and ecstasy throughout his body, his head becoming light as he tried to focus.
"Is this.....my power?" He said aloud, "What is..."
"Good boy~" The voice said, "You have Subjugated your first Yokai. I suggest you completely take the Okuri's strength and make it your own. That way, your body will be stronger."
Mael hunched over, panting slightly as he felt a sharp pain in his head, "Ughh....." He said, "S-Subjugation...."
"That's right~"The voice said, "That's right.....let the beast's entire being run through you. Subjugation like this can only work in a number of ways. You can store them away, waiting to use them as your summons for later. You can permanently absorb their physical attributes, sacrificing their very being to fuel your power. Or you can borrow their powers after they have been defeated during battle. I suggest you keep this Okuri's power."
Mael was panting, feeling energy course through his body, "My body feels...." He managed, "It feels.....better....."
He straightened up, feeling strangely energetic as he looked to the side. He immediately noticed that his senses were a bit more attuned to his surroundings; as if he had taken the wolf's very abilities.
He grabbed his spear, composing his breathing, "That's...." He said, "So this is my power? Not something I had in mind."
"Y-You...." One of the men said, "What did you do?"
Mael looked to the side, seeing how one of the other men was picking the woman in his arms, "What?" He said, "I killed the wolf."
"You fool!" He exclaimed, "You've activated the Curse!!"
"What curse?" Mael frowned, his eyes unsettling the men
As he said this, the Okuri's head twitched, causing Mael to look at it in alarm.
"Shit!" one of the men said
Mael watched as blood began to pool from head, forming a dark puddle and black steam emitting from it. He felt nothing but unease and danger from this, which caused him to step back with caution.
"When you kill an Okuri, you bring forth the Pack!!" the men said, shaking in fear, "You've doomed us all! The Northern region of the Forest is the territory of a single Okuri, but the entire Forest is home to a whole pack! Now that the entire pack is summoned, they will attack and kill any living thing! They will be enraged!"
Mael heard the sound of multiple wolves howling, giving his body a shiver. He then watched as multiple wolf figures appeared from the puddle of blood, slowly forming into more Okuri.
He narrowed his eyes, "I see....." He said, "This is not good."
"Of course not, you idiot!" the men said
"So I subjugated the first one as it died." I said, "Taking its power in the process...."
He saw as a whole group of Okuri faced him down, around seven in total. They all glared at him, their growls filling the air and causing it to become heavy. The men were frozen in pure fear, watching the Yokai glare at Mael.
"This is a nightmare...." the woman said as her face was pale, "I've never seen so many of them at once..."
"So these things are Cursed...." Mael said, "That would make things trickier."
One of the Okuri lunged at him with blinding speed, but Mael stepped to the side, dodging the attack with surprising ease. He then slammed the butt of his spear against the side of the wolf, sending it reeling back.
The Wolves snarled and began to circle Mael, focusing their entire ire on the one who killed the first one. Something told Mael that since he was the one who activated the Curse, he would be targeted first before they turned their sights on the others.
"It would be wise if you all got out of here." Mael said, holding his spear outwards defensively, "I'll handle this."
"You idiot!" one of the men said, "If you kill more, who knows what you'll do!!"
"So this entire Pack is the one that controls the Forest?" Mael said, "Killing a member of the pack calls the others to its location, marking the killer for death, right?"
"Yes!" the men said, "That's why nobody is allowed to even kill one. They may be animals, at the end of the day, capable of dying....but they're Yokai!"
"So if I kill them....." Mael said, "There's no guarantee that more Okuri will come out?"
"W-We....." the man stammered, "...don't....know...."
"Guess we'll find out." Mael said, scowling at him, "I won't repeat myself, get out of here. Now."
The men gulped, "Fuck!" He said, "Let's get out of here!!"
Mael watched as they scrambled away, leaving him alone with the seven wolves. He then looked at them, seeing that they were laser-focused on him. There was no opening for him to escape, all of them were surrounding him completely. But there was something about Mael that was keeping them from attacking right away.
Their instincts were telling them to be cautious; the Okuri were unsure if he was a proper prey to rip apart.
Mael narrowed his eyes, "What are you imbeciles waiting for....?" He said,
"Come get some."