Early the next morning, Eligor and Solomon emerged from the room they were staying in. The pair had already discussed what they would be doing the previous night but to accomplish their goal, they would need more information. They found Okusie sleeping on the green sofa they saw yesterday. He was snoring loudly and he seemed to be having a rather pleasant dream. It would be criminal to wake somebody up after seeing them in such a state but that’s exactly what Solomon did. He shook Okusie awake.
“Huh?! What the- Oh, Solomon, *yawn* what can I do for ya?”
Although Okusie was only half awake, he was ready to answer any questions Solomon had for him.
“Are there any large monsters around here?”
“Large monsters?” Okusie sat up and placed his hand under his chin. “Well if ya talkin’ about big monsters, the ones that come to mind are the ones in Mercy’s End.”
“Mercy’s End?”
“It’s a big forest full of dangerous monsters. It’s not too far from here, ya can’t miss it.”
“I see, well what are these monsters like?”
“Terrifying! Some of the locals have even given the more crazy ones names. I dunno that many but I have heard of a giant nkrantie named Malicious Henry.”
“A grasscutter…I see that’s perfect. Thank you Okusie.”
Satisfied with the information he had received, Solomon left the building and Eligor followed. Okusie was concerned and curious as to why Solomon asked him all those questions. Normally he would have interrogated Solomon more but he was so tired that he simply went back to sleep.
Once outside, Eligor took the time to question Solomon.
“Lord Solomon, I know that you’ve decided to feed these people but may I ask what monsters have to do with this?”
“It’s simple, we are going to cook using monsters as ingredients.”
“That doesn’t seem very conventional.”
“It’s not. Most people don’t eat monsters. Their reasons for not eating monsters range from religious beliefs to simply thinking they’re gross. Though studies have shown that monsters are edible and much more nutritious than regular meat.”
“You are certainly very knowledgeable about this topic.”
“Apart from helping out at my mother’s inn and the occasional fight, reading is the only thing I do.”
“Ah, I see. You must love reading then.”
Solomon closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. “I’m not sure if I like it or not. I just read to occupy the time.” He opened his eyes and looked up to the sky. The small glimpses of light through the dark and cloudy sky indicated that the day would soon start.
“We should hurry, I would prefer to find Henry before nightfall.”
Eligor nodded and the pair were soon on their way. They walked past the usual crowds of starving people. Desperation, anger, envy and hatred could be seen in their eyes. Thankfully, because Eligor was following close behind, no one dared to approach him this time. In the distance, a large tree could be seen. Solomon surmised that that was where Mercy’s End was. The closer they got to the tree, the smaller the crowds became until there was no one around.
A huge tree bigger than any other building in the slums stood firmly among the large swathes of dark green vegetation. Thick vines, roots and branches grew over and poked through the walls of houses. Looking at the fauna growing in and over the man-made buildings, one could not help but feel that it was as if mother nature was taking back her world. The entire forest had this ominous and unnatural feel about it. A shoddy wooden fence had been built around it to keep the monsters in and people out. The fence was already in awful shape when it was built but it now showed signs of forced entry.
“This looks like the place, let’s go.” They walked through a large hole in the fence and were immediately greeted by a disturbing sight. Multiple human corpses lay on the ground. Some had just started decaying and others were nothing but bones. Many of them had carried weapons with them. They had probably come here for the same purpose as Solomon, food. Starvation can lead people to do things they would have never dreamed of doing.
Upon seeing the weapons, Eligor was excited. “My lord, may I ask for some of your ether?”
“My ether? Um, sure, go for it.”
Eligor touched the weapons that were in decent condition. This included one rusty sword, one bow with three arrows and two daggers. The moment he touched the weapons, the ring on Solomon’s finger glowed a bright red. Solomon felt some of the ether in his body leave him. It was a strange experience because he had never used magic before. Each weapon Eligor touched instantly disappeared.
“What was that?”
“It’s my magic, ‘Dimensional Arsenal’! You see I can-”
“You can transport weapons to another dimension and freely summon them at any time.”
“...” Eligor had been desperately waiting for an opportunity to show off and explain his magic to his master.
“I mean the name kinda gives it away, you know.”
“...I see.” Eligor sighed and kicked at the ground. The disappointment he felt at not being able to explain his power could be felt clearly by anyone. Well, anyone other than Solomon. “Since I don’t get to explain what it does, could you at least tell me what you think about it lord Solomon.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“I think it’s cool.”
Despite how inexpressive Solomon’s tone was, Eligor was still pleased by his praise. The embers in his visor flared up with excitement. “It is rather cool, is it not! This ability would make anyone envious and I’m delighted that you find it wonderful as well my lord. Thankfully, due to our contract, you will also be able to use it as well.”
“I doubt it.”
“What makes you say that?”
“At school all students have to get their magic affinities tested and when I got tested, I found out that I have affinities in all eight elements.”
“Oh, that’s rather unfortunate.” Although the magic of the world is varied and diverse, all magic can be classified into eight elements. These elements are fire, water, wind, ice, earth, lightning, light and dark. Every single inhabitant of the world can use magic but only in the element they have an affinity for. The more affinities a person has, the more options are available to them. Unfortunately, the more affinities a person has, the harder it is for them to learn magic.
“I know the basics of using magic but I’ve never been able to cast a single spell. Though it’s not like I’ve ever needed it and I doubt ever will.”
Eligor grasped Solomon’s shoulders. “Lord Solomon!”
“Yes?”
“There are heights that you will never reach with pure physical strength alone, which is why I will train you myself! In no time at all you will be able to use magic.”
Eligor let go of Solomon’s shoulders and bumped his fists together.
“Now let us begin.”
“Can we do this after we catch Henry?”
Eligor cleared his throat. “My apologies, I forgot that we are on a quest.”
The deeper they went into the forest, the stranger it became. They had come to a section of the forest filled with large, beautiful, brightly colored flowers. Eligor spotted a caterpillar as massive as him among the flowers and implored Solomon to watch it with him. The caterpillar also spotted them but it paid them no mind. It was far more focused on the butterflies flying high above it. The butterflies were even larger than the caterpillar. Each of their individual wings were a different color. They were blue, yellow, pink and purple. In contrast to the bright and beautiful colors of the butterflies, was the caterpillar with its dull, green skin.
When the butterflies flew away from the caterpillar’s sight, it began gorging itself on the large leaves of the nearby trees. It ate so much that it tired itself out and had to rest for a bit. Then it went back to indulging itself.
“Lord Solomon, it seems our caterpillar friend here longs to be a butterfly.” Solomon folded his arms and stared straight at the caterpillar.
“Hmm, I don’t get it.”
“Get what exactly?”
“Once it becomes a butterfly, it’s going to have much less time to live. So I don’t get why it would be in such a hurry. Also wouldn’t it be easier to spot by predators once it becomes a butterfly? It’s putting in so much work and energy just to lose so much, I just don’t get why it would bother.”
Eligor chuckled. “My lord it’s rather simple, the caterpillar is envious. The caterpillar sees all the butterflies flying high above it and it cannot help but want to be like them.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it my lord.”
Solomon continued to stare at the caterpillar as it continued to eat. Watching it, he could not help but think about his own predicament. ‘Am I doing all this because I’m envious of other people?’
“...Hey, Eligor.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“I know I said we should hurry but I kinda want to watch this caterpillar for a little bit.”
Eligor laughed and joined his master in watching over the caterpillar. The caterpillar continued to eat until it bit into a bright pink flower. The caterpillar tried to pull out of the ground but the flower proved to be very tough. It tugged on the flower so hard that it tumbled a few feet away from it. Then the flower rose or more accurately, the creature it was attached to rose. The entire time, the flower had been connected to a giant praying mantis. Its dark green body perfectly matched the forest scenery and it was covered in flowers and vines making it hard to spot. It loomed over the caterpillar, Eligor, Solomon and the nearby trees. The caterpillar hopped in the air from the sheer fright seeing the mantis brought. When it landed back on the ground, the caterpillar curled its body around itself and prepared for its death.
The mantis’ bulging eyes looked straight at the caterpillar. It was annoyed at the caterpillar for interrupting its sleep but eating it would more than make up for that. It raised its foreleg and prepared to strike but then Solomon threw a rock right at its eye. The mantis switched its attention from the caterpillar to the boy that dared to stand up to it. It continually struck the ground with its large forelegs but Eligor and Solomon nimbly dodged each time. The mantis didn’t think much of the two creatures standing before it so all of its previous attacks did not have much power in them. Slowly, the mantis became more and more irritated. It put more power in its forelegs and brought them down on Solomon and Eligor. Due to how much power it put into its attack this time, they could not simply move out of the way of its attack, so instead they hopped backwards.
Standing a few meters away from the mantis, Solomon asked Eligor to throw him. “Eligor, throw me at that tree.”
Eligor picked up Solomon by his hand and threw him to a nearby tree. Solomon landed onto the tree by grasping a vine hanging from it. Using that vine, he jumped off to another tree. He continued to hop from tree to tree, building up speed and momentum throughout the process. The mantis tried to follow him with its eyes but Solomon proved to be too fast for it.
Once Solomon built enough speed, he jumped up high above the mantis head. Gravity brought him down and he crashed into the head of the mantis with his foot. The collision shook the air and sent shockwaves throughout the mantis’ body. He quickly hopped off the mantis and landed back on the ground.
Despite the effort he had put in it, Solomon’s attack did no damage to the mantis. Its eyes shifted and stared at him.
“It doesn’t look like physical attacks have much of an effect on that thing.”
Eligor cleared his throat.
“What is it?”
“I believe a certain someone said he would ever need to use magic.”
Solomon sighed and rubbed his neck with his left hand.“...Yeah, I guess I was wrong about that. Eligor, feel free to use your magic in this fight.”
“Understood.”
The mantis shrieked and clasped its forelegs together. Ether spread through its body and the vines covering its body sprang into action. They shot towards Eligor and Solomon. Before the vines could reach them, Eligor stepped forward and uttered a single word. “Summon.” The moment he did so, a sharp sword materialized in his right hand. Using the sword, he swiftly cut down all the vines approaching them.
Angered, the mantis threw its head back and spat seeds at them. Eligor and Solomon ran in different directions as the seeds pierced through the ground and trees. Next, the mantis shifted its attention to Solomon and turned its foreleg sideways. Although there was still quite a distance between them, it slashed at him.
Solomon, confused as to what sort of attack it was using, ducked to avoid it. He looked behind him and saw the destructive power of the mantis. The trees behind him had split into two. The upper trunks of the trees collapsed onto the ground, leaving bare stumps. ‘An invisible flying slash? Cool’ He looked back at the mantis and smiled.
Solomon sprinted towards the mantis and called out to Eligor. “Eligor, weapon.”
Eligor nodded and summoned a dagger for his master. He threw it at Solomon as the mantis raised its foreleg again. Solomon caught the dagger and rolled out of the way of its attack. Its foreleg struck the ground, narrowly missing him.
Eligor and Solomon looked at each other and nodded. Solomon climbed up a nearby tree and ran from tree to tree, encircling the mantis. It turned both of its forelegs sideways and spun around. All the trees close to it split in half, including the one Solomon was on. Moving faster than the falling tree trunks, the mantis raised its forelegs high and slammed them into the ground. The shockwave from that attack sent all the trees it had cut flying.
The mantis spotted Solomon among the trees and spat more seeds at him. Although he was a little disoriented from being thrown so high up in the air, he was still able to dodge its attacks by using the trees as platforms. He jumped from tree to tree as they were continually destroyed by the oncoming seeds.
It raised its foreleg high above its head. The mantis intended to kill Solomon with a flying slash. However, before it could do so, it sensed an incoming attack from Eligor. The mantis was a prideful creature so it should have been focusing on Solomon since he angered it the most but the instinctive fear it felt, forced it to shift its attention to Eligor. Eligor swung his sword a few meters away from the mantis and the mantis swung its foreleg. The two invisible slashes collided, resulting in a burst of air that sent the both of them sliding backwards.
“GYAAAH!” The mantis shrieked at Eligor. It was now aware that he was the greatest threat to its life in this battle. But in doing so, it had forgotten all about Solomon. Using an airborne tree trunk as a launch pad, Solomon leapt towards the mantis with his dagger raised. He crashed into and struck its right eye with his dagger. The impact brought the mantis down onto the ground. As it shifted and writhed on the ground, Solomon hopped off the mantis.
The mantis tried to get up but the impact from Solomon’s attack prevented it from doing so. It looked at Eligor and Solomon walking towards it with their weapons raised and felt true fear.
This mantis had been given a title by the locals, ‘Rodrick the Merciless’. This title served as a testament to its strength. In fact, there was only one being in Mercy’s End stronger than it and that was the creator of the forest itself. Due to this, it had never come across any creatures that could pose a true challenge to it.
Rodrick shrieked, but this time it was not out of anger, it shrieked because it felt pure, unparalleled fear. The vines on its body lashed out and it spat out seeds to protect itself. Eligor and Solomon ran through the vines and seeds, cutting through them all the way. Though, some of its attacks still grazed them. They ran until they were mere inches away from Rodrick. It could see the look of euphoria upon Solomon’s face, it could see the flaring embers in Eligor’s visor and then, it saw nothing.
Its severed head clumsily hit the ground. Exhausted, Solomon laid on the ground and gasped for air. “That was fun! This Mercy’s End place is great! But I feel waaaay more tired than I usually do.”
“Apologies, I forgot that your body is not used to using so much ether at once. We should rest here for a while.” Eligor sat down next to his master and the caterpillar crawled close to them. It looked at them and then it looked at the corpse of Rodrick. It crawled closer to Rodrick and began to eat it.
“...Lord Solomon, you seem to be very knowledgeable on butterflies, so I would like to ask you a question. Is it normal for caterpillars to eat other insects?”
“Most don’t but even ones that do, eat other caterpillars. A caterpillar eating a mantis is insane.”
After eating its fill of Rodrick’s corpse, the caterpillar crawled closer to Solomon and laid next to him. It had watched their battle with Rodrick and now to the caterpillar, the two beings before it were just as beautiful and impressive as the butterflies it so envied.