The gorillas came to a stop as they found Ren and I standing in their way, confusion warping their simian faces at our fearless stance. Having made a habit of hunting prey that would turn tail and scurry at the mere sight of them, finding the two of us ready to fight was a surely surprising sight for them. Still, their expressions quickly shifted to one as close to ridicule as an animal of its intelligence was capable of making.
After all, there was a reason most of its prey didn’t even consider attempting to fight them. The animals were massive, boasting a majestic aura accentuated by the stylistic stone patterning on their backs. And they had the physical strength to back their appearance, not to mention the ability to create stone out of thin air. And their last resort, the trump card that was the full suit of stone armor, was almost invincible within the Border Forest.
However, unfortunately for these apex predators, they had met me and Ren. The two of us had been dealing with their kind ever since we’d entered the forest, and it’d been months since then. We knew just about everything there was to know about fighting them, having slain countless numbers of them over the months, growing much stronger with each. After all, they were the only red Core animals in the forest – of the animals we’d met, anyway – and the red Cores were incomparably better than the blue ones – in terms of training with, anyway.
More than anything, though, the reason the gorillas were out of luck today was because of Explosion, the Arte I’d spent countless days perfecting in the Arte world.
Presented with my first-ever real-world test subjects, I could hardly suppress the cruel smile that spread over my face. Excitement coursed like hot blood in my veins as I pointed my finger out in the air, gathering glowing energy at its tip. In quick, smooth, practiced movements that betrayed the immense amount of time I’d spent doing them, I drew out the rune in glittering golden light. It was a far cry from the spitting image of perfection that was the silhouette’s rune, of course, but it was powerful nonetheless.
As it finished, it clicked with the universe around it, almost like it was wrenching control of a small piece of it away from nature's hands. The gorillas had come to a stop only a few moments when my palm shattered through the completed rune, unleashing a beam of compressed air so fast it made an audible whoosh as it traveled across the space, ripping apart the grass beneath it before hitting the unprepared gorilla directly in the center of its chest. The force of the air was so great it sent the beast flying back like it had been kicked by a giant. It flew a dozen meters before hitting the ground in a giant cloud of dust, bouncing up again before landing another dozen meters further, rolling over itself a few times before coming to a stop.
The animal wasn’t dead – its vitality was too strong for that – but it had certainly broken more than a few bones, which meant it was all but. In an ecosystem as brutal as the Border Forest’s, being incapacitated was a death warrant. After all, if the gorillas could venture so far out beyond the edge of the forest, other animals could, too – and they would be anything but merciful to an injured gorilla.
The second of the gorillas immediately pivoted from its original disdain of us as it saw the fate of its partner, shifting into a heightened wariness. It promptly made the intelligent decision to go all out, jumping to its last resort. Stone formed on the animal’s skin as it encased itself in its armor, while its hand reached out and grabbed a stone club from thin air.
Ren stepped forward just as the gorilla swung a newly formed stone club at us. I stepped back and out of range calmly while Ren dashed forward, his sword already out of its sheath. I was content to let Ren handle the second one, out of fairness and also because, despite how much practice I’d put into it, the Arte still took a bit out of me.
While I stepped back to recuperate, Ren had already appeared at the foot of the giant stone monster, his blade flashing out in purple blurs I could only just make out. Unlike me, he chose not to use his Arte, but as always, his swordsmanship was a treat to behold. He danced among the heavy strikes of the gorilla, his every movement made with grace far beyond my capabilities. He was in tune with his body – and his blade – in a way I could not even begin to understand, much less emulate.
Stolen novel; please report.
Cracks soon began to appear on the gorilla's armor under the constant whirlwind of attacks, and gashes on its skin followed not long after. The beast was helpless, roaring in rage and frustration as Ren played with it, before finally, with one last attack, Ren plunged his blade deep into the back of the animal’s neck, severing its spinal cord and effectively killing it.
Ren freed his blade and jumped off the gorilla’s back, his kick pushing the beast down to the ground, face-first, while he landed gracefully on the other side. His face was almost as impassive as ever, only with just the slightest touch of sadness, strangely. Though, of course, that hint of melancholy was erased before he even rejoined me, sheathed as smoothly as his blade was.
With the beasts dealt with, we set off again, picking up our old leisurely pace as we continued our journey. Birch’s group was long gone, having crested a low hill far from where we were. We left the place as it was, marred with the marks of our battles, not even bothering to harvest the red Cores of the gorillas. Valuable as they were, Ren and I had long since filled our storage with excess Cores already. We were far from lacking in that regard.
Not long after, just as we passed the marker that told us we had about a day of travel left to Wolfhaven, we were approached by a man from behind. He approached silently, so silently that Ren only picked up on his presence when he stepped into the three-meter range, where Ren’s senses were at their best.
Ren warned me with an imperceptible tap, and the two of us instantly whirled around and faced the man, both of us only a step away from attacking. Having spent so long in the forest, my senses had been heightened to a fine point, a fact I took some pride in. So the fact that the man had been able to approach so close without me even getting a whiff of him, or even a prickling of danger, told me we were dealing with someone of great power.
And seeing the man only served to validate that feeling. The man was on the older end of middle-aged, judging by the wrinkles on his face and his almost-fully white hair, but he sported a robust figure I could tell with a glance was packed with strength. He was armored in inky black steel, with a giant broadsword strung to his back and a wild grin riding his lips. A wide scar drew a gash down his left cheek, completing his grizzled old warrior look.
The man seemed surprised that the two of us caught him, but he soon broke out into a great, booming laugh. “Seems I’ve lost my touch,” he said, shaking his head at himself.
His utter lack of aggression calmed the two of us down slightly, but we were still on guard as he continued to speak.
“Apologies for the intrusion,” the man said. “ I didn’t think I’d be discovered so soon. Seems the next generation is not entirely hopeless. Anyway,” the man shook his head, like he was stopping himself from going down a tangent. Composing himself, he started again, this time with an introduction. “I am Sir Dryon, head of the prince’s envoy. I’d like to formally extend an invitation to my lord’s company.”
Our wariness quickly turned to confusion, until I spotted a stopped convoy further down the road, behind us. It was an extravagant thing, with six giant, white horses in front of and behind an absolute monument of a carriage, each mounted by a black-armored knight. The carriage itself was all white wood and gilded gold wheels, with incredibly ornate carvings built into its design, melded together to create a moving piece of art, undoubtedly expensive beyond belief. And certainly suitable for a prince.
Ren and I shot a look at each other, wariness returning as we understood what was happening. We didn’t speak, letting our expressions carry our silent conversation. When it seemed clear that we were about to decide that the invitation wasn’t worth the hassle, Dryon spoke again.
“His Majesty was very impressed with your acts of selflessness,” he said, “and he only wishes to speak to the two of you. After all, it isn’t common for him to run into those of his age with comparable strength to him.”
Ren and I looked at each other again, before finally shrugging and giving in. Dryon gave me the impression he wasn’t expecting a no, and he wouldn’t let us easily answer with one.
“Very well,” I said with a small smile. “Let’s see who this prince is, shall we?”
A flash of emotion passed over the man’s face, something close to indignation, but it was gone so fast I didn’t have the time to identify it exactly.
The two of us were led to the stationary wagon, where the man dropped us off at the door. It opened to reveal an interior suitably opulent for a prince – spacious and well-furnished, all glitter and gold in style.
We didn’t see anyone at first, but a young voice came from somewhere within, silky smooth and dripping with the charm of wealth.
“Come on in, friends,” the voice said. “We’ve much to discuss.”