- Moments ago, outside the Land of the Lost -
The strange vibration in the framework grabbed Jiran’s attention once more; the sensation was much stronger now that he was out of the disorienting fog. He immediately turned to his right, somehow knowing the feeling was coming from that direction. Around five kilometers in the distance, far above the forest, he spotted a dozen dark dots silhouetted against the colorful sky. Mana Confluence and Elemental Castigation warped light inside his helmet, bringing the flying Forkara into view.
Rage overflowed within him, causing his limbs to twitch and spasm. Knowing the emotions were merely a remnant of the challenger density, he did his best to take even breaths and clear his thoughts.
Didn’t expect them to arrive so soon. Maybe they aren't the clan heads. It could be the soldiers from that town. I flew straight here and left a huge trail of smoke, wouldn’t have been too hard to figure out where I went. If it’s the soldiers, I’ll play nice. I did take their mana without asking afterall. But if it’s the Storm Claw… they better not blame me for going all out since they weren’t invited to the party!
Jiran’s eyes flashed with anticipation. He could barely contain his urge to kill, and beneath that roiling sea of need was a serene desire to see just how much stronger he was with his increased attributes. He braced for the acceleration as Elemental Castigation converted three percent of his mana into a mixture of gases that he then cooled and tightly compressed. He maintained tight control of the gases, disallowing them to grow unstable as they rapidly turned to a fluffy liquid. After flexing his stomach and pushing the oxygen from his lungs, he ignited the ball of liquid trapped within a cone of aura beneath his feet.
“Hyuk!” A spherical shockwave slammed into Jiran’s back, causing blood to spew from his mouth, splattering the inside of his visor. A massive explosion incinerated a huge swath of the forest as he hurtled through the air at a blistering speed. The forces propelling him were so great that his brain shut down for a split second. Instinct took over, converting two percent of his mana toward regenerating his internal injuries. His thoughts cleared and he desperately clawed at the framework with his aura in an effort to reduce his speed.
Damnit! I’ve been using the formations in my suit to fight this entire time so I didn’t realize how much stronger my mana is. Note to self: Even small attribute increases are crazy important with eighteen points of Concentration.
Jiran arrived before the Forkara two seconds after igniting the gases which still rampaged out of control far behind him. His aura enveloped them, ruthlessly crushing their resistance and preventing them from scattering. Pure terror overtook the eight guards while the four older, white-haired Forkara flinched, their wings trembling with each beat against the air. He quickly used Identify on each person in the small gathering, finding that the elders were tier seven and the guards were tier six.
Definitely not the soldiers from that town. Are these the leaders of the Storm Claw Clan? They should have been the first to get my message so it only makes sense they would arrive before the other clans. Looks like I’ll be getting a little more mana practice in. After all, they took such good care of the Timberlings for the last few centuries, it’s only fair they receive payment for their hard work!
Jiran intertwined his gloved fingers, loudly cracking the knuckles on both hands, “Welcome, I’m glad you accepted my offer,” His voice was deep and menacing as it echoed from the confines of his helmet. His mana flared out of his skin, churning around him and causing the air to oscillate between blistering cold and hellish fire. Unable to see his face, but very clearly feeling the overwhelming power before them, the Forkara’s paralyzing anxiety only grew.
“W-wait! Please, hear us out, Great Elderly Master! We did not come to antagonize you!” One of the elders shouted and then instantly bowed his head. Jiran paused, surprised and mildly impressed by the odd way their bodies could fold in supplication while still flapping their wings. The old, white-haired Forkara wasted no time in continuing, “We humbly beg forgiveness for the grave offense of our subordinate, Great Elderly Master. This young fool swears to tear out his own heart and pour his own blood down Bahlicc’s throat until he suffocates if you would only spare my brothers!”
Huh? Great… Elderly? After everything they’ve done, they want to be spared while calling me that nonsense!
Jiran’s eye twitched involuntarily, his voice booming inside his helmet, “Who the hell do you think you’re calling elderly master?! Anyone can see you're a thousand years older than me! And who’s Bahlicc?” The dozen Forkara all stared blankly at the reflective visor of Jiran’s helmet, completely unable to see through it.
The same Forkara once more spoke for them, “O-of course, Great Senior. How foolish of this lowly one to not see what is clear as the endless skies. Bahlicc is our agent who infiltrated the Storm Claw Clan. When he learned of your greatness, he immediately delivered your divine gift of meat and informed us of your most generous offer.” The old man swallowed audibly when Jiran merely tilted his head, he then quickly continued, “W-which we clearly do not deserve! We merely came to personally invite you to dine with us! We took it upon our humble selves to prepare the beast you graciously left with Bahlicc. Please, I beg you consider your divine self as our most honorable guest.”
What’s with this stupid ass way of talking? Whatever, at least it’s not rhyming. Bahlicc must be the guy I kicked out of the valley, so he was a spy? Wait, does that mean the Storm Claw never received my message?! Shit, that could completely screw my plans.
Power exploded around Jiran and his aura squeezed in around them, now pressing against their bodies until their breaths became labored. He infused his voice with mana and his words echoed inside their skulls, “Are you telling me that the message I specifically tailored for the Storm Claw Clan never reached them?”
The old Forkara went from trembling to outright convulsing, his eyes not daring to lift from the ground as he shouted, “It did, it did! This fool swears it by all that lives between the hollow and soil! We did not understand the vastness of your plans but your message was clear. We delivered your words to every clan, as you instructed Bahlicc to do.”
As quickly as it had escalated, Jiran’s mana calmed and slid back into his body. He released the tension in his chest as his held breath was slowly released. His aura retracted, allowing them to sag in the air before catching themselves. His voice turned cheerful as he crossed his arms before his chest in a relaxed posture, “Excellent. Thank you. Since you’re not part of the Storm Claw, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Jiran, Guardian of the Timberlings. What clans are you from?” A collective round of relieved sighs escaped each of their lips at Jiran’s complete shift in tone.
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The one who had been speaking for the group dipped his head while cupping his hands together, “This humble Dokkuun of the Gnashing Wound Clan greets you, Great Jiran, Guardian of the Timberlings.”
“This humble Rhahakk of the Mountain Valley Reaping Tooth Clan greets you, Great Jiran, Guardian of the Timberlings.”
“This humble Frakkoa of the Splitting the Stars on a Full Moon With a Single Talon Clan greets you, Great Jiran, Guardian of the Timberlings.”
“This humble Zoraakk of the Morning Dew Drop Caressing the Divine Feather Clan greets you, Great Jiran, Guardian of the Timberlings.”
Jiran’s toes curled in agony and he felt his life force dwindling more with each new introduction. When the elderly tier sevens finished, and the tier six with the strongest mana opened his mouth, Jiran frantically raised his hands to signal him to stop. He was completely unwilling to sit through another eight people spouting absolute nonsense like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Do all the Forkara have brain damage?! What’s with those clan names? I take back everything negative I ever thought about rhyming.
When Jiran simply stood with his hands raised after their introductions, Dokkuun awkwardly spoke into the silence, “Does Great Senior Guardian wish to accompany us for a meal?”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I have other matters that require my attention. Before we go any further, I have a very important question to ask each of you. I will know if you attempt to deceive me, so don’t bother trying. Depending on your answers, you may need to die,” Their relaxed posture instantly stiffened as Jiran’s voice turned menacing and his words sank in. Not giving them time to think, he pointed to the first Forkara, “Dokkuun, have you ever murdered a sapient creature for the purpose of acquiring EXP?”
As soon as he heard Jiran’s question, the Forkara sagged with relief. He met Jiran’s glowing eyes that were intently focused on his manapool, “No, I have never done such a thing. None of us have. What you speak of is a common practice of the Divine Faction and one of the primary reasons our Rising Sky Faction have been at war with them for centuries.”
Seeing no fluctuations in the man’s mana, Jiran nodded and moved to the next Forkara. He repeated the same question for all twelve of them, not once sensing anything that made him doubt their claims. Shifting back to his cheerful demeanor, Jiran clapped Dokkuun on the shoulder with a wide smile that the elder couldn’t see, “Then, you have nothing to fear from me. I come from a place called the Finlest Empire. We consider murder for the sake of ascension a grave crime. None capable of such a thing could ever be trusted to protect your back when Madra’s beasts come to bite your throat.”
“Wise words indeed. Stormer’s beasts are foe enough.” Dokkuun nodded, his smile only slightly strained from the sudden physical contact. Jiran couldn’t care less about the Forkara’s discomfort; his emotions and thoughts were in complete discord from the challenger density. Since he wasn’t given a chance to vent his frustration by killing the Storm Claw, he was more than happy to give them another outlet.
Jiran laughed heartily, “Since we’re not enemies, I have a gift for you. After which, I have a favor to ask.”
The four elders shared a glance before Dokkuun responded cheerfully, “Please, flap freely! Whatever you desire, merely speak it and we will surely accommodate you.”
“Nonsense, alliances are formed through equal reciprocation,” Jiran went from patting Dokkuun’s shoulder to throwing his arm around the Forkara’s neck. “I’m short on time so I hope you can forgive me if I push things along a bit.” His aura once more wrapped around the group of Forkara, pulling them toward the distant foggy forest.
“W-what is this? What are you doing?” One of the other elders spoke up for the first time, fear lacing his voice.
“There’s five of us, a full party. This is a perfect opportunity to show you how to kill the tier seven murkers that live in the fog, don’t you think?” Jiran asked coyly, his aura as immutable as a mountain pressing against their shoulders, dragging them ever closer to their deaths.
“No! But-that’s-we need to prepare! Yes, please allow us to return to our homes and properly prepare for such a monumental endeavor!”
Jiran waved his hand, dismissing the Forkara’s concerns, “It’ll be fine, what better way to build a little trust between us? I’ve been killing them by myself all morning. See that pile of corpses over there? They’re all tier seven. Really, you don’t have anything to worry about. I swear I won’t let any of you die. I’d also appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone what you learn about these beasts and the fog,” Jiran’s voice turned a shade darker, enhanced by the echo from his helmet, it caused shivers to race up the elders' spines.
The same Forkara opened his mouth to complain again but Dokkuun snapped at him, “Enough of your cowardice Frakkoa! Our lives have been in his talons since the moment we arrived. Do not embarrass us further.”
“That’s the spirit!” Jiran laughed, easing up on his aura a little after they reluctantly stopped resisting. He conspiratorially looked over his shoulders before blocking sound and whispering, “Currently, these secrets are my only bargaining chip to negotiate with the clans. Other than murdering them all,” He threw his head back, laughing much louder and causing the elders to swallow while shooting each other nervous looks.
Charisma: + 2
“We would never dream of revealing your secrets! Isn’t that right, brothers?” A round of squawking agreements quickly spread through the group.
“That truly lifts a weight off my shoulders. Since we’re all such good friends now, I’ll tell you what we’re getting into. First off, this fog is actually a combined aura from all the beasts that live here. It not only manipulates physical matter within the forest, but also dissorients your mind, tricking you into walking the wrong direction or seeing things that aren’t there. Second, the Rapacious Murkers are completely immune to damage until the moment they materialize to strike. They’re faster than the other tier sevens I’ve fought and their claws have some pretty impressive armor piercing. Lastly, if you push back the fog with your aura, they tend to group up and attack from every direction at once. The best way to fight them is to appear weak so they come at you one at a time.”
“What?! Completely immune? How can you be sure? We had suspected the fog was an aura ability of some kind, since it only responds to aura, but to think it’s a combined aura, how can such a thing be possible?”
Jiran shrugged, “No clue, I have a theory, but I’ll keep that to myself for now. As far as knowing they’re immune, I tested it thoroughly,” Jiran pointed toward a seemingly random spot inside the rapidly approaching forest, “Can you see it?”
Each of them looked before Dokkuun responded with a shake of his head, “See what, Great Senior Guardian?”
“You don’t have a skill that lets you see mana?”
“See mana?! No, that is beyond our abilities. We can determine the concentration of any creature we see and our eyesight is quite good even over a dozen kilometers.”
“You’re going to have a really hard time killing the murkers if you can’t see them in the fog. You probably shouldn’t go in without me, then. There’s a group of five over there and another ten over there. That one is by itself so we'll kill it quickly. Then, I’ll show you how to get out of the fog,” His words caused sweat to sprout and pour down their foreheads.
With a flick of his wrist, Jiran pushed the lower tier guards back and then he added the four elders to his party before pulling them into the forest. Despite their mostly calm expressions, he could feel their auras kicking and screaming as the fog surrounded them.