With a sword that left trails of water, Viers slashed a small fry monster on his right. With a kick that glowed with green soul energy, Viers pulverized the charging monster on his left.
Currently, Viers was trying to combine his water and soul affinities in a fight. He could do either without trouble separately but he failed to combine them in a single move.
I’m still not there yet.
He swung his sword once more to free his blade of the blood, before sheathing Guren Muramasa in a stylish manner. He loved doing poses but it was also embarrassing if anyone saw any of his antics.
Since there was no one else at the moment, it was the perfect opportunity.
As the last of the monsters in the vicinity died, their bodies scattered all around Viers, he glanced at the white stone tied to his belt.
After two hours of killing monsters, roughly a hundred Rank 1 and two hundred Rank 0, my stone is only half red. The stronger the monster, the redder it got. How a mere stone can know that baffles me. As expected of a fantasy world… Why is the color order red, green, blue, and black anyway?
After hunting the monsters in this area until there were none left, Viers moved to the next hunting ground. He didn't need to travel far before he reached another encounter.
He stealthily observed the flock of buffalo just like a lion does. Soon, they started to look edgy and restless.
Sheesh, a human really can't hide in this place. The Carfax Peninsula is a true anti-human land.
“Alright, you guys. It's monsters killing time!”
Dia, Futon, and Faiya were coming out from the pocket space of his badges.
“Muuooohh!”
Seeing a human, the buffalos bellowed and came charging.
“Just like training, keep your distances!” Viers shouted his instructions from behind and let his three starter Pokémon go to the front. “Dia, use Vine Whip. Futon and Faiya, use Gust and Ember!”
Viers was an old-school Pokémon master. He’d played the game from the very first generation in his Gameboy, until the third, Ruby and Sapphire. Because of real life circumstances he’d never tried the newer games but like almost every kid, Pokémon had seeped into his bones as part of his childhood.
While he was giving orders, he was also checking the range of Kill Counting Stone.
This one is about thirty meters. Pretty generous in range. In my soul search, I heard there are stones with even more range though.
The battle itself was going well, until it wasn't.
The cause was the fire elemental’s hesitation.
***
Faiya was floating alone gazing at the river. He looked down, like a child sulking. His vibrant flaming body had lost its luster.
“Why the gloomy face, young’n. It doesn't suit you.”
“Ya…” Even Faiya’s response was not as energetic as usual.
“Come now. Rather than worry alone, you can tell me about it. Sometimes, we all can use the benefits of someone with more life experience. Compared to you, I have a lot more.”
It took a bit more of a coaxing before the baby elemental began to talk.
“Ya. Yaaa… Yaauu.”
“A failure? You? What makes you think that?”
“Yaaa yah. Yaaa…” Faiya started trembling.
“I see… That guy is frightening, huh. I understand.”
Although he wasn't there, Viers watched how Clarissa used Faiya’s body to fight the real body of Mr. X. It was made possible by soul search. The movie from Faiya’s point of view was of a greater quality than IMAX.
“Yaa, yaaa.”
Faiya confided to Viers that he felt useless against Mr. X and could only watch as the snake lady fought. And then how he felt guilty for messing up during the battle. The training not going well was another blow to his confidence.
Faiya had met the first wall of his existence. It had been smooth sailing thus far. He thought he was strong. He was confident of his strength as monsters turned to cinders before him. He liked Papa Viers relying on him and would like it to continue.
Currently, after a series of failures, he’d lost confidence and doubted himself.
As he looked at the clear water stream, Faiya looked like he was about to cry.
“Ya?”
Viers put his palm under Faiya’s round body and turned the fireball towards him. Faiya looked so cute half-crying that Viers wanted to hug him but he refrained from it for now and put his serious master face on.
“Your fear, hesitation, doubt… These are all weaknesses. Don't let them dictate your actions. Instead of mulling and being depressed about your shortcomings, act. That guy frightens me too but so what? Do something about it. We are weak, so become stronger. How to become stronger? Train. Don't worry. I’ll be beside you, fighting together.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Yaaa…” Faiya’s eyes were even more watery now, not from sadness but from emotion.
“Don't cry,” Viers gently wiped the fire elemental’s tears. Faiya’s tears were liquid fire. “Boys have to be tough.”
In modern Earth’s at some places in the world, telling something as simple as this was almost a heresy because of trashy social justice warriors but Viers gave those people his middle finger.
“Everybody fails. Even me.”
“Yayaya?”
“Yes. I too have tasted defeat and got beaten to the ground. No one in this world has never experienced failure. What matters is that you grit your teeth and get back up.”
“Yaah…”
“So! Are we going to train or what?” Viers asked with a loud voice, imbuing strength in the young child’s heart.
“...Ya?”
“Can you? Listen up, Faiya, and listen well. In your life, there’s no such thing as can or can't! But it’s a matter of doing it or not doing it!!”
Faiya’s expression looked like he was receiving a divine revelation.
“Now go! Dia and Futon are still training. Show them what you’re made of!”
“Yaaa! Yaaa!”
The fire elemental replied with his moxie back and flew towards Dia and Futon nearby. The two were clearly eavesdropping while feigning training to cope with elemental incompatibility that Viers devised.
Watching Faiya’s back as he flew away, Viers had the expression of a proud father.
How many coming-of-age Fables have I consumed? How many shounen mangas? How many motivational shows? I’m totally equipped to the teeth for saying things that put a fire in a kid’s heart. This is child’s play!
Once again, Viers was feeling good about himself.
***
It wasn't long until their short stop at the riverbank got monsterly visitors but Viers got the chance to improve Faiya’s mood in a sort of memorable moment so he considered it a win.
He was about to draw his sword, because chopping things up was his way of polishing his swordsmanship, but he took note of his Victa reserves.
There was still a decent amount of it left but after his first day of Carfax Peninsula, the few days of unceasing Subtle Soul Gravity Arte at the Ebon Wall City, the earlier battles… If the expenditure continued at this rate, he would run out in less than one week.
That wouldn't do.
“It's Morbin’ Time.”
As his body transformed, his clothes got ripped. He had planned this, so he wore a cheap set today, not the transformable magical clothes that he had. Muscles bulged out, getting bigger and more defined until they became something else.
His skin hardened with overgrown shells. His bones popped in a satisfying manner as he grew extra legs. His hands became mighty pincers.
“Shulululu!”
Viers morphed into Gigadia Crab, his monster form that specialized in combat.
By the way, Viers never watched the movie; he only knew the memes.
“Wao! Kin became big!” Dia said.
“Fuu, fuu!”
“Ayaya!”
“Kids, just watch for now,” Viers said telepathically. Although he wasn't able to use soul techniques in monster form, Dia was his familiar and the other two elementals were his soul shards given life. He found ways to talk to them.
It was a necessity, since most of his monster forms didn't even have a tongue. If it went as he expected, he would spend the majority of time in the Carfax Peninsula as a monster.
The sudden appearance of the Rank 3 monster with a roaring aura of hostility startled a bold, Rank 2 raccoon but it was too late for regrets. Viers snatched it by the neck with his bigger body and the sound of breaking bones echoed as he put strength into his pincer. With his other pincer, using its sharp tip, Viers gouged the weaker monster’s core from its chest and popped it into his mouth like candy.
Mmm, crunchy.
One down, as it wasn't the only monster who'd got the scent of Viers’ human form. Although the others looked a bit confused upon the disappearance of their source of madness, their bloodlust was still strong, enough to make them charge headlong to a certain death, which was the Gigadia Crab.
Monster massacre movie, part two coming right up!
With his tough body, Viers charged right into the melee. Even though it was one against tens, he was naturally the superior one. He didn't use any Victa; his very body was a deadly killing machine.
The nearby river got dyed red from the flow of blood.
“We’re going too!” Dia charged into the fray.
“Fuuu!”
“Yaaa!”
Futon and Faiya followed soon after.
“Hahahaha! It’s fun, isn't it?”
“Kin is the best!”
The monsters soon turned into corpses and then turned to food. Futon and Faiya ate the monster remains that were compatible with their element then the rest went to Dia and Viers. The two elementals ate elegantly, simply swallowing them up with their small body bit by bit. Dia spread out her roots and entangled the corpses, which withered at a visible rate. Crab Viers was the most messy, as was the traditional monster way.
The banquet started right in the middle of a scene of carnage and it was quite grotesque.
Viers ate the raw bits of flesh without losing his appetite. Something in his monster instinct drove him to it. In human form, Viers would have been quite appalled at having to eat things raw but not while in monster form.
Soon, there were none left, not even bones. Viers put the inedible materials into his inventory item.
“Still hungry?”
“Yes!” The familiars replied.
“Me too. Let’s find more food. Hop on.”
The Level 3 human Pathseeker was prey.
The Rank 3 monster became the hunter.
In the battle just now, Viers didn't use a single drop of Victa and he killed a bunch of monsters, a feat that he was incapable of doing in human form. Transformed, his stamina was not unlimited. However, as a species that had a more robust body than a puny human, instead of getting tired, he still had too much stamina and was raring for a fight.
If someone asked, Viers would have replied: I can do this all day.
Dia turned into her chibi form and climbed on top of Viers’ crab shell, holding an almost completely red Kill Counting Stone that was almost as big as her. Futon and Faiya were beside her. In chibi form, Dia was the same size as her siblings so she liked to become small every now and then, to mingle.
Viers started walking forward… but it was slow.
Hrgh…
Viers turned sideways and walked. His pace became much faster. It was the speed of a horse in a gallop.
Still too slow.
“Hang on kids!”
Arte - Raging River Steps.
Streaks of water appeared below Viers' legs. The pace he moved his limbs made it seem as if there were more than eight. From afar, it looked like there was a boat on top of a self-created river in the middle of the land.
“Wheeeee!” Dia raised her hands from the sudden burst in speed, laughing.
“Fuuuuuu!?”
“Yaaa! Yayayayaya!”
Futon and Faiya were happy too.
Sensing the three little Grogus on top of his head, Viers also shared the happiness.
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Chapter 306 - It's Morbin’ Time