Zenith’s POV
I looked at the tattered dummies, leaking animal blood a pool started to form under them,. It was a normal day, nothing new, as usual I was at the training grounds. The birds carried out their daily routines and the breeze caressed Zenith’s face with it’s cool touch.
I sat on a nearby bench, pulling out a note that I had received earlier that morning. Just the sight of the note would thrilled me everytime, note in hand I could see faint lettering on the front reading ‘From mom and dad’. Even if it didn’t say that I still would’ve know who had sent it from the seal, The seal, sealing the letter was a special one used only by his parents.
Unsealing the note with a knife, I pulled the note from within dropping a bunch of coins onto the ground in the process.
‘Hey son, our journey has been very busy lately. We love and miss you so much. We will be back soon. We left you 60 silver coins for whatever you needed while we are gone.’
As much as I wanted to believe the note and anticipate the arrival of my parents at any moment, they had said the same thing in their notes for years now. I remember as a kid anytime I would hear knocking I would get excited, Maybe my parents had finally returned. Life didn’t feel complete without them, they were my parents after all.
Thinking back to the day when they left, I remembered it as if it were yesterday. The explorers guild had sent out a notice of a massive mission. Explore to the final floor of an unexplored dungeon the gift would be 20 gold coins. A whole 3 years since they had first posted the mission and no one has successfully finished it yet...Just how difficult is it? And why have a mission to explore to the final floor when you could send people? It was all confusing to me.
My family didn’t just abandon me though. That would’ve been fucked up, with how young I was they needed to find a place for me to stay, so they had asked the towns chief to take care of me. The town's chief agreed trying to convince me to stay in his residence, but with me escaping the premises each night, sneaking to the place I called my true home the town’s chief eventually gave in, ordering guards to guard the home.
my constant begging continued to fall upon deaf ears. I would continue time and time again begging the chief to pull his guards back, only just getting what I had wanted these past few years last year. But the constant sharp pangs and unrelentless headaches I had gained from the lack of privacy often trying to get the guards to leave to no avail, these feelings were quickly glossed over with an unbearable loneliness.
The thoughts of utter loneliness reminded me of when I had first met Linus. The same group of three that always bullied him where the ones who were messing with him when I had first met him. The memory was vivid as if I had just experienced it. The trio had grabbed his money, playing a quick game of monkey in the middle, their laughter filling the air, one of them even hunching over out of breath. All I could think about was ‘What would dad do’. I wanted to be a hero like my father thus inserting myself into the situation. Linus and I gradually got close as time passed, to be honest at first I just wanted to be a hero and have something, or someone to protect, like my father. But with time the we had truly become close.
***
“Senseless, that all it was.” Gulliver stood across from me. One could easily tell he had a high sense of justice. The pair of eyes had yet to look away, It felt like the hardest round of a staring contest I had ever played, the tension so thick one could cut it with a knife. I stood not taking my eyes off of him afraid of a sudden sneak attack, but then again he did catch me off guard when he showed up, he could’ve easily attacked me. Maybe he was one of those ‘I’d Prefer to fight you face to face’ type of guys.
Senseless? Baseless judgement.
“You, have a lot to atone for.” unsheathing his blade the sword was truly mesmerizing. The intricate patterns that ran down the blade let me know that it wasn’t a simple blade, and verifying my thoughts I could feel a faint power from the blade.
“You have no blade? There’s no satisfaction in capturing an unprepared man.” Gulliver stated before opening up a space gate taking out a dagger, tossing it, landing right in front of me….Wait what?!?!?!?! My eyes repeatedly took in the three, the dagger, the space gate, and the enchanted sword.
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What the fuck? This motherfucker can use a spacegate, has an enchanted sword, and can use a spacegate…...Maybe I should try to avoid this fight….
I could feel the potion was slowly wearing off. At most I had around twenty minutes left, so that would be twenty minutes of holding off.
“To be completely honest...I don’t want to fight you. Where's the fun in capturing someone way less experienced than yourself?” I stated trying to take advantage of that overly strong sense of justice of his.
“I've been doing this to long to fall for that trick”. Stepping closer, “I gave you a way to defend yourself, So there is no excuse.”
Gulliver lunged forward, kicking up a layer of dust behind him, partially blocking out the sight of the sun.
So fas….
Throwing myself to the side, cold metal gliding dangerously close by my skin brought me out of any though I was in. “Shit!” I hissed, my searing skin causing me to wince.
A rude awakening indeed…..
The sound of flesh searing beating at his eardrums, it took all of my control not to look at my now cooking arm, as I knew a split second of diversion against this guy could very well mean death.
Cautiously picking up the dagger on the ground, eyes never leaving Gulliver.
“Dodging getting boring?” One could see him gushing from the thought of getting into a real fight. “Haha, lets not hold back anymore.”
Hold back? Dafaq…..That was holding back?
Gullivers image vibrated at speeds to fast for the naked eye, his previous aura was now gone….It almost, and I mean almost, felt like a new person altogether. His appearance didn’t change much….well except for his eyes, which now were very….dead looking, that’s the best way I could put it. His aura on the other hand was completely different, previously exuding an aura of pure justice, he now had an aura that spread a feeling of sorrow, and longing.
I didn’t realise it, but I was unconsciously being overcome with a despondent feeling.
“AGGGGHHHHH!” I could feel the cold glint of metal digging into my arm, digging almost completely through, dangling entrails lay alongside the barely attached limb, closely hugging my side, searing the inside preventing an otherwise waterfall of blood from covering the ground beneath me.
Arms noodles, and legs needles I could feel death looming over me. Was I going to die? Was I just going to wake up? The multiple options didn’t make this moment any less terrifying. Raising his sword, I just kept a steady gaze on him before finally closing my eyes ready for whatever awaited me.
1……
2……
3…..
10 seconds…….
[A madman's rage activated - lvl 1 - A beast isn’t always its physical nature]
[Conversion complete: Essence to Mana (100%)]
It all went black….
POV: Guardsman Gulliver
I could feel an unimaginable pressure suddenly come from the beast.
Wh...No what is this thing?!?!?!
In all my years I have never felt such a pressure. It wasn’t that I haven't been pressured by those stronger than myself. It was just that….this was something new, completely foreign to even myself. The power it had just let go upon awakening, slammed into my side catapulting me away some feet. Struggling onto my feet I couldn’t help but feel very wary at this moment. First off this…...what was this form it had taken. It looked like a direwolf/eagle. I had heard of some magi-scientists trying to cross breed species but it usually ended up with a crazed beast on a rampage that had to be eliminated. On Top of that those experiments were usually horrendous, but this beast before me was beautiful, majestic looking in a way. Pitch black fur covered its body, only changing near it’s four paws which where a blinding shade of white, It’s two wings curled up behind its back is if saying ‘I’m not going anywhere’. As beautiful as it wa, a beast was a beast in the end and this beast in particular had already killed within the town.
“C’mon you confused piece of shit.” I sneered. Waiting for it to make it move. “Fine, if you won’t go then I will.” I slighted, Plunging forward with all the speed I had. Letting out an agonizing cry, I could see the pure anger within its eyes.
“Down under!” Under the beast formed a small circle of quicksand. Yes, the beast didn’t look that frightened but had he known how deep it went maybe that would be different.
“Time for you to atone.” I sneered. The beast only looked at me with those dark blank eyes. I lunged forward to finish off what I had started only to stop halfway to the target.
What the?!?!?!
I jumped back, cautious from the scene playing out before me. The beast started glowing a brilliant light, The light dancing about it’s body until he was completely coated in light. One could call him the opposite of a shadow at this point, Until he vanished a few particles of light drifting off into the air before completely disappearing as well.
“Fuck!!!” I threw my sword onto the ground in a fit a fury. I had been so close to getting that bastard. How the fuck did he just disappear all of a sudden? I couldn’t wrap my head around it. He wasn’t even stronger than me, that's what truly angered me. I knew I could end that bastard yet he somehow still got away. I glared at the spot the beast was at just a moment before spouting out another round of nonsensical curses.
***