image [https://i.imgur.com/fPDHdAV.png]

Summertime inched closer as the trio walked along the path towards the next town. two weeks had passed since they left Cable Village and during the journey, the group made multiple stops at various towns along the way. However, their next destination seemed much further than they originally anticipated. As they forged eastward and further into Olun territory, loud guttural growls could be heard from their stomachs. They desperately wanted some sustenance as their rations had unfortunately run dry.

Sarah saw an approaching carriage and she immediately started to flag it down, hoping they would stop. The expensive-looking carriage quickened it's pace and rode past them, causing Sarah to become immediately angered.

“Stupid, Stupid, Stupid rich people! So greedy that they can’t even spare a little bit of their time. I hate them!” She yelled with her fist raised high, cursing at the top of her lungs. Carmen became irritated by this comment and viciously snapped at Sarah.

“Hey, don’t blame them for your incompetence. I told you we should have stacked up more rations at the last town, but you didn’t listen. This is the last time we'll follow your lead, Sarah.” Carmen barked, hunger causing her mood to sour more and more.

“Well, excuuuse me! It's not like I knew it would be so far, you're the one with the map. Maybe you should’ve spoken up more and came up with a better idea.”

The two bickered back and forth for a few minutes, blaming one another for their current predicament until Rivell finally interjected.

“Guys! Stop arguing please.. Let’s all just calm down and figure out a solution.” He pleaded, trying his best to quell the two hot-headed females.

They turned their noses up at each other and continued walking in silence, their bad moods now stewing intensely.

Suddenly, another horse and buggy approached them. The man driving the buggy took notice of the trio’s tired and dejected faces, prompting him to stop his cart. They glanced over and wondered why the man had stopped, staring curiously as he stepped down over to the side of the cart, flipping up the side panel.

Inside was a flat top grill area and various ingredients to cook with. This was the traveling food cart they had needed so desperately! He walked to the back and brought out three wooden stools, placing them off to the side.

“Are you youngsters hungry??” He asked with a smile, enticing them to come over. Their faces lit up as they rushed over to the cart, frantically placing orders while salivating like ravenous dogs.

They obtained their freshly cooked and steaming hot plates of Chickatrice skewers and grilled vegetables, consuming the food right away.

“Oh man, you sir are a lifesaver!” Sarah happily exclaimed as she rapidly took bite after bite.

“I’m glad I came when I did. I usually take this trip between towns every other day, but today I was compelled to leave a bit early. You folks caught me just in time.” The cook replied with a hearty laugh, refilling their plates for seconds.

As they conversed and enjoyed this delectable meal, Carmen faintly heard something in the distance. She sprung up and looked around, now fully alert and aware of her surroundings.

“You guys hear that? Something’s coming.” She said while glaring at the tree line with a serious gaze.

“Huh? I don’t hear anything.”

Rivell looked around with a confused expression, not sensing anything in the immediate area.

“It’s probably nothing. Carmen, you always randomly hear things. It’s like you’re a cat or something.” Sarah chimed in while biting into her skewer, not heeding Carmen’s words at all.

Carmen’s eyes went wide and she yelled out, “Move!!!” Suddenly a huge crimson colored bear, towering at eight ft tall, burst from the tree line, diving straight for the group.

It had two sharp, long fangs and its head was cased in a bone-like shielding. It was an Olun Grand Bear, native to the southern region of the Olun Kingdom. However, this one was significantly bigger than most they had seen and along its spine were large runic symbols.

Everyone leapt out of the way as it crashed into the wagon, destroying it completely. The massive bear began to eat the leftover meat laying on the floor, dripping saliva everywhere and not leaving a single scrap behind.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Hey! Get away from that now!” The chef yelled, shooting off a small fire bolt from his hand.

The flame hit the bear in the face, doing very little damage. It menacingly glared and retaliated with a deafening roar, sending chills up their spines. Sarah took out her Manifest and fired a volley of wind arrows at it, hoping to scare it off.

The arrows connected and did nothing but make the bear more angry, bouncing off its thick and matted fur. It roared loudly again before quickly dashing towards the group with great speed, shaking the ground with each heavy trot.

The bear leapt and swiped its massive paw, narrowly missing its target and scraping the ground, leaving behind deep claw marks. Sarah had rolled out the way and immediately got up, running away to create some distance. Carmen took aim with her palms at the relentless beast and tried to gravity manipulate it.

It slowly lifted off the ground and was now suspended above them, floating roughly ten ft into the air. Carmen screamed out in pained exhaustion as she tried to lift this impossibly heavy creature. Sarah fired her signature wind burst attack, charging and releasing the attack in quick succession. The powerful arrow connected to the bear's chest and a spectacular explosion occurred in the air. Carmen dropped the extremely heavy bear and fell back, sitting on the ground completely out of breath.

“D-Did we do it?” She asked, trying to get to her feet. The smoke cleared and the bear roared loudly, slightly scathed by the blast and increasingly more pissed off.

Sarah and the chef slowly backed away from the beast, feeling as though they were way in over their depth here. However, off in the distance, the group heard a deep voice yell out to them from behind.

“Everyone! Clear the road now!”

They turned around and saw a convoy of knights wearing dark green armor with the Olun kingdom crest brandished on their chests.

The knight leading the charge sprung off of his horse in impressive fashion and quickly unsheathed his Manifest. A simple sword with a maroon colored blade that was squared off at the tip, came into view. He forced his energy into it and the sword expanded both vertically and horizontally, increasing its size into a long greatsword.

The blade connected with the bear and with incredible force, cut it clean in two. The heavy slice caused the ground to rumble and shake violently as massive bursts of Core Energy flew out from the strike. Carmen, Sarah, Rivell, and the chef could barely stay on their feet from the tremendous blast of energy shockwaving out.

After a brief moment, the dust settled as the air became calm again. The group noticed the mysterious knight’s sword shrinking back down to its normal size as the bear split open, causing the two halves to fall to the ground. Purple blood and guts pooled up, trickling towards his feet while he sheathed the sword.

“Are you all okay? Is anyone hurt?” One of the other knights asked as they stepped off their horse.

“Ah yeah, we’re fine. Just a little shaken up.” Carmen replied, brushing dust off her clothes.

“Good to hear. That bear has been tormenting towns left and right for the past two weeks. We’ve been tracking it and luckily we stopped it before it could cause further harm.”

“Why was that bear so strong? We didn’t even scratch it.” Sarah asked, still reeling from the chain of events that just happened.

“It had Core Energy within it. Humans aren’t the only things that can obtain power from the Core of Alaira. Judging by its size, I’d say it was at least Amethyst Class.” The mysterious knight replied, walking up to the group. When Sarah saw the man’s face her eyes went wide with excitement.

“Ho.. Lee.. Shit…. It’s you!! Sir Jozef Crowell!!” Sarah exclaimed with child-like glee.

“Huh? Do you know him?” Carmen asked with a confused look.

“Know him!? How could you not know him? He’s one of the six Blade Monarchs and the ace knight of the Olun Kingdom, serving directly under King Darius Crane III. Never thought I’d see the day I would meet him!”

Sarah couldn't contain her excitement over the tall and long brown haired man standing before her.

“It seems my reputation precedes me. I am humbled by your words, young miss.” He replied with a charming smile, shaking Sarah’s outstretched hand.

“Oh wow, cool. But.. What is a Blade Monarch?” Rivell curiously wondered, having never heard the term before.

“They’re the six strongest swordsmen in all of Alaira. The Blade Monarchs get their title from being unmatched with the sword, absolute legends! The members as far as I can remember are Jonn Ravenfell, Graymoor Penult, Felicity Lumae, Lucas Trello, Jozef Crowell, and Claudia Vandel. These guys are just seriously awesome!”

“My, My, you’re quite informed on this matter. You, my girl, are very impressive to say the least.”

Jozef was enjoying the appreciation shown towards him and his peers.

“Of course I am! It's been my dream to become just as known and make a name for myself. I study Vestas like you to learn how my impact on this world can be just as undeniable. I’ll travel wherever I need to go and do whatever it takes to achieve this goal.”

Sarah’s face was filled with a fiery determination and her remarks were admirable to say the least. Jozef walked up to Sarah and looked down at her.

“I like your drive and tenacity, miss. This kind of attitude is sorely missing from today’s youth. Keep this energy going and only good things can come to you in the future. I'll certainly cheer you on.”

He patted Sarah on the head and kindly smiled as she nervously blushed from his words. He turned around and ordered a few of his subordinates to come over.

“Take these good people to the town up ahead. It would be quicker and I'm sure they're tired from having to deal with such a stressful foe. Report back here after you drop them off.” He commanded with great authority. “Yes sir!”

The iron clad soldiers helped Carmen, Sarah, Rivell, and the chef onto their horses and after they said their thanks/goodbyes, the group rode off into the distance. They made it to the next town with great speed and were dropped off in front of the local inn.

“Alright folks, there you go. Have a safe rest of your day.” The soldier said with a smile.

The group nodded and waved goodbye, appreciating the gesture as the soldiers trotted away on their horses.

“Man, I’m exhausted after that battle.” Carmen said, setting her bag down on the ground.

“Yeah, we should probably take a bit of a break.” Rivell replied, agreeing with Carmen’s tired remarks.

They and the chef went their separate ways as the group headed into the inn, checking into their rooms to get some much-needed rest after such an eventful day.