The jungle was filled with noises. Creatures great and small, all moved, going about their natural cycle of life. However, one place was quieter than the rest. Then the monkeys shrieked. A tribe of monkeys were perched around a clearing in the jungle. They jumped up and down, shouting at the two in the middle.
One was bigger than the other, boasing crushing arms and a massive chest. The Ape beat its chest at his opponent. The second one was smaller, but had claws that even the Ape feared. The two circled each other, lunging and pulling back. They bared their teeth, snarling at one another.
The Ape struck the ground and threw a punch. The monkey jumped back and swiped at Ape’s arm. Ape caught the monkey’s hand and crushed it. The monkey howled in pain and tried to scratch Ape for freedom. Ape grabbed the monkey’s thin arm and threw it into the trees.
The monkey caught itself and hung, holding its broken hand. It smiled. In the trees the monkey had the advantage. Ape snorted back and sat down. Disheartened. The confused monkey prowled the trees, not realizing how silent it was.
It seemed perplexed at Ape’s behavior before smelling blood. It looked around to find its companions dead. Some were sliced apart, while others had blood seeping from a large hole. The monkey reflectively jumped, but the blade was too fast, and the monkey met the same fate as its tribe.
[You have slain awakened beast ‘Cleaver Monkey’]
[Your aspect has extracted an echo.]
Nico took his hood down, letting the breeze cool his sweating hair. He propped backstabber against a tree and sat down. Ape was gathering the corpses, sorting into what could be used for food or not.
Nico summoned a knife with a rounded red wood handle. He sliced bits of meat off the bones and stored them in a leather bag. He moved quickly and efficiently since taking too long only meant more problems. The jungle was populated by hundreds of nightmare creatures, big and small, as well as the fog. Nico had already experienced it, and wasn’t intending to do it again.
Ape stood in front of a tree and lowered his hands. Nico ran forward and jumped, gaining extra force with Ape’s help. He landed at the top of a tree and flew through the canopy. Ape returned to his soul sea and Nico ran across the branches out of the jungle.
He felt alive. Seven years of being stuck in a bed. Nico couldn't go anywhere without the urge to sprint. He felt a chill down his spine, and hurried faster. The noises of the jungle got louder, then quiet. The Fog. Nico held his breath and summoned Vile. The massive demon crushed the branches and fell. But Nico only needed the echo for a second. Its hairs wrapped around his ankles and flung him high over the trees. Nico landed in the river, his ears deluged with water. The echo soon joined him, creating a wave that washed him to shore.
“That’s one way to make an entrance.” Nico turned his head. Vivian was standing heel deep in the water. She wore her pants with rolled up legs, and a use to be white tank top. The sun highlighted her skin and tied up hair. She stood crossed arm looking at Nico with her green eyes. The whole scene was alluring to say the least.
“Hi, how you doing?” Nico got up, wiping water from his eyes.
“I was relaxing,” Vivian scowled at him and his echo. “Justin is annoyed that you’re late,” she pointed to the village then walked off down the river bank.
“What are you looking at?” Vile’s three heads snapped away, trying to find interesting things to focus on. They instead ended up with braided necks. Nico dismissed the poor echo before dismissing his armor and wringing out his clothes.
It had been three weeks since they got back. Justin and Byron agreed to train him. Vivian had spent her new found freedom exploring the outside of the forest. The cohort was rather jolly given what they had to report. The village was a different story.
Cobra Lily listened to Justin’s report without so much as a creased forehead, but Nico knew the information affected her. She hasn’t left her hut since, and the other sleepers have mostly come to terms with the situation. All and all, without the Locust to bother them, they can live a semi-normal life.
Nico hadn’t told them everything though. He was going to grow stronger before trying to convince people to go into the jungle. There was also the matter of the poem carved into the wall. Vivian had tried to ask him about it, but he evaded her questions. Lastly, there was the memory.
Hunter’s mark was strange to Nico. He had heard of the gods from his mom, but never heard anything in depth. The memory, however, provided information on one of them. A lover. What he was going to do with that information, he didn’t know. The second interesting thing about the memory was the attribute [Primitive].
Nico’s memory was once stronger than it was now, and is waiting for something. Or someone. It confirmed that it did belong to a powerful, maybe even divine, being.
He walked up the ramps and found Justin in his usual spot. Sunbathing in a chair. The man sat there every day whenever Nico came to his lessons. Fiery hair glowed in the sun, and deep tan skin layed exposed, showing just how muscle toned Justin’s body was. Nico always felt inadequate when he looked at Justin.
“Start swinging,” Justin didn’t look up. Nico summoned the white sword he’d been given and started swinging. Justin just had to choose the sunniest spot in the village. Nico’s entire body was sweating. This had been the routine. Justin gave him a sword and showed him how to swing. Now it was just perfecting that swing.
“You’re getting sloppy.” Nico looked at him, before correcting his posture. Swinging a sword wasn’t just in the arms. The legs, the core, and the shoulders all played a role to bring out the best in a swing. By the time Nico had stopped sweating Justin finally opened his eyes and stood up.
He had the decency to put on a shirt and faced Nico. Nico downed a couple mouthfuls of water and raised his sword. Justin pulled one of his swords and stood straight. Everything from his toes to his head radiated power. Nico tightened his grip. He swung lightly, testing the waters. Justin just tilted his blade, blocking Nico’s swing.
Nico swung full force. Justin caught his blade and Nico’s ears rang for the sound of metal slides against each other. Justin spun his wrist, letting Nico’s blade fall on his other side. Nico regained his balance, before attacking again. Justin didn’t move his feet and flicked his sword aside.
“I’m going to attack,” Justin warned. Nico pulled his sword back, and Justin swung. Nico’s arms were wrenched to the side by the force of the attack. Justin swung his sword back along the same arch, and Nico leaned back. He thrusted his sword at Justin, a feint, and attacked his side. Justin didn’t react to Nico’s feint and kicked Nico’s sword out of his hands.
“Alright.” Justin sheathed his sword and sat back down. If anyone could put off looking instantly relaxed after sword fighting, it was him. Nico had thought the guy was serious and disciplined, but now he was literally seeing him in a new light.
“You’re staring.” Justin muttered.
“How did you do that?” Nico asked. Justin’s eyes were closed and he was facing away from Nico.
“I have eyes on the back of my head.” Nico stopped mid snort. In this world, that may very well be possible. Nico peered at his red hair, but found no such eyes. Nico thanked the man and sprinted away. His armor sparkled over his body. Ape appeared in front of him, ready. Momentarily summoning Ape, Nico jumped and with the help of the echo he made it from the river to the forest. The sun set behind the ring of mountains, depriving the forest of its light. Nico moved through the canopy and started counting.
Hunter’s Mark became a dark silver in the dime moonlight. Tree branches moved and leaves crashed as Nico moved through them. The jungle was eerie. Dark and missing many of the noises it should have. Then a white light flew past Nico’s face.
He misstepped and the branch gave way. He angled his body and rolled on the ground. A white sword appeared in his hands and Nico got up. He cut another arrow out of the air. But it was a ruse. A dark figure dashed in, low, from his blind spot. Nico barely dodged the dagger and jumped away, feeling the thin line of blood on his cheek.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Nico swung the nimble sword, putting his attacker on the defensive. By raw strength, he had the upper hand, but speed was firmly in his opponent’s hands. He summoned Backstabber into his other hand and created distance between them. This bought Nico the seconds he needed to summon Vile. The hydra hissed as it came into existence and flung its hairs in a wide arc. Branches and falling leaves were all cut to bits.
The attacker bolted the other way and disappeared into the dark jungle. Nico put away his sword and gripped backstabber. He heard a faint whistle, then he was hit in the back. He fell to the ground and two daggers crossed against his neck.
“My win,” Vivian said. Nico raised his hands in submission. She took her daggers away and helped Nico up.
He brushed himself off and peered into the jungle. Vile was hanging from thick branches looking back.
‘Traitor’.
Nico breathed deeply through his nose, letting the smell of the jungle intoxicate him. The nights here weren’t all that different from the day. Bugs constantly performed a symphony, and there were just as many creatures active in the night as the day. One said creature was being stalked.
Nico and Vivian crawled through the branches, keeping far away from the massive cat. The panther moved through the forest with pride, fearless. It was the apex predator of the jungle. At least this part of the jungle. The panther swayed its head back and forth surveying the area with its four eyes. Its brown fur bristled and, the white underside vanished, pressed against the ground. Vivian and Nico halted and watched the creature.
They waited. Every moment they watched was a chance to find the nightmare creature's weakness. They’d been cataloging the creatures found in the outer ring of the forest. For the most part, the perimeter was populated by mammal-like fiends. Nico had made it further too, to almost be decapitated by a blazing fast snake.
“Should we leave?” Nico asked. He’d made it to almost half an hour since they entered the jungle, and the fog had yet to make an appearance.
“If the nightmare creatures aren’t running, then we’re safe.” Nico nodded towards Vivian’s hushed voice. Canopy and clouds had removed most of the light, so all he could see was the forest floor.
The panther was locked in place, a mass of power ready to strike at any unfortunate creature that happened to come across it. The panther pounced. The creature lunged silently, only causing some plants to sway. A deafening roar sounded in response to the panthers attack. They jumped forward to get a closer look.
The panther was engaged with an ape. The same kind as Nico’s. The ape had a massive gash on its shoulder, rendering the arm useless. The panther prowled low to the ground, eyeing its prey with glee. The smell of blood found its way up Nico’s nose, giving testament to just how badly the creature was wounded.
The panther stood tall then ducked underthe ape’s swing. Its claws easily cut the ape’s skin, and the ape collapsed, convulsing on the ground.
“Poison.” Vivian muttered. Nico shivered. Why would nature give a creature like that another weapon? Nico got a chilling feeling and looked back.
“The fog!” Nico got up from his hiding place and moved. Vivian tried to stop him, but the two of them weighed down the branch. They fell into a heap right in front of the panther.
Two eyes looked at them, while the other two focused on its meal. They were stuck. The panther finished another bite before raising its head. The fog slowed to a stop, hovering just behind them.
Nico didn’t have time to wonder why the fog stopped, because the panther yowled and attacked. Vivian shot an arrow into its shoulder before jumping out of the way.
“Flank it,” Vivian ordered. Nico moved to the side and summoned Vile and Backstabber. The scythe was barely visible in the dark. He aimed for the white under belly of the nightmare creature, but missed. The panther slid on the forest floor, scrambling away from the wall of fog. It swiped at the hydra, fearless. It had the right to be. The panther was able to cut Vile’s hair. The hydra struck like a snake with all three heads, pushing the creature to the ground. Vivian shot another arrow into its back and Nico tried to cut the beast. The panther thrashed and got hold of one of Vile’s heads. With a disturbing sound, like fabric tearing, the head came loose. The other two heads bit harder and kept the creature immobilized.
Then the fog moved in. Nico forgot about attacking and ran. Vivian was ahead of him, with her bow trained on the nightmare creature. Right after the fog consumed the echo and panther, Nico brought Vile back to his soul sea. The panther let out a pained noise.
The moon appeared from behind the clouds, and Nico’s blood pressure increased. They were heading farther into the forest. Vivian noticed it too and turned around. They looked in both directions to get around the fog, but the wall extended endlessly in the night. The panther jumped out of the fog, eyes bloodshot and slammed into Nico. He felt the panther rip through part of his tunic, then the pain. He pushed against the panther’s head, keeping its teeth above his neck. Vivian shot the thing in the head, but the arrow couldn’t pierce.
‘What is this thing?’ Nico lost his strength and let the panther plunge down at his neck, as well as a dagger. The panther snarled in surprise with a knife up its nose. It backed up and slapped the blade off its face, sending it into the darkness.
Nico struggled up, with a bloodied tunic. His chest throbbed with pain, as he summoned the white sword. The panther regarded the blade warily and stalked closer. Vivian shot at it again, but her arrows were not effective.
Ape appeared between her and the panther, its fists clenched. The panther recoiled in surprise before being bludgeoned in the face. Nico would have cheered, but the attack did little but anger the nightmare creature. The already bleeding nose was disfigured.
Nico felt the air change, and the panther was gone. Nico saw four claws in front of his face for a second. A fast high pitched whistle entered his ears and now the monster was several meters away crashing into a tree. Vivian was on the ground, holding a hand over her shoulder, blood seeping through her fingers.
The panther vanished from its place again. Nico summoned the two headed Vile behind Vivian, blocking the panther’s path. Nico jumped and grabbed her before the panther teleported again. Ape and Vile stood in front of the creature, but that was futile. The panther clearly wasn’t ordinary, with an ability to instantly travel.
Nico ducked down with Vivian, just in time, feeling claws skim his back. The panther hissed and landed on Ape, sinking its teeth into the echo.
Nico thought about bringing out more echos, but they’d only be fodder for the panther.
‘Why aren’t we dead yet? The panther could have started with those attacks and killed us before we knew what hit us.’ Nico’s mind raced, the only thing he could do as the three beasts fought. ‘It could have been saving its ability. No nightmare creatures don’t have reason, they don't keep things in reserve. So what is it?’
Nico noticed his armor turning gray, and his blood soaking the ground. He didn’t have much time, his echoes couldn’t hold the beast off for very long. Then it clicked in his head. Sparks flew as memories appeared in his hands. The echoes disappeared and the panther was left alone. Its white fur was smeared with blood, but the creature wasn’t even affected by the wounds.
“We’re going to run.”
“What are you--” The panther jumped, its body almost disappearing, but Nico activated his memory. The mirror flashed dousing the forest in instant brightness. The panther didn’t teleport and fell to the ground. Nico shoved his knife into its eye and ran. He set the Cleaver monkey on the panther to buy them time. The fog waited for them to enter its cold embrace. But they didn’t run through it. The two ran deeper into the jungle.
Some time after he started running, the spell spoke.
[Your echo was destroyed.] Nico didn’t pay attention to the words. The pain had been replaced with this numb and fuzzy feeling, and his heart burned. Vivian wasn’t doing much better. They ran through the forest, branches reaching out to snag them and pull them into the dark. The jungle had gotten quiet, enough that Nico could hear his pulse, his breath, his bones creak, and his blood drip. His feet crunched on the forest floor each step sending tension through his body. Even in the dark, Nico could tell tha Vivian was getting pale. They wouldn’t last long. He checked his soul sea. Vile and Ape were brutally damaged, and would be no help.
“Whose idea was this?” Vivian said.
“Mine.”
“Just wanted to get that straight. I am not dying without blaming someone.” Nico lightly chuckled, and regretted it. Vivian stopped and leaned against a tree, catching her breath.
“Let’s kill the tyrant.” She mimicked Nico’s voice, and smiled to herself. “Not a great start.”
“Technically we started weeks ago, so I’d say we’ve had a great start.”
“I hate on the bright side people.” She muttered.
“You’d get along with my brother.” Nico sat down next to her, looking at the dark world around them. The moon had long been veiled by clouds so there was no light.
“Tell me about him,” Vivian quietly asked, “Your brother.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Do you cherish the moments you have with him?” Vivian phrased the question strangely. Nico thought. Rio had been a vacant figure in his life. Nico didn’t remember most of his childhood. He did remember Rio’s awakening and the attack on the mansion. They lived in the slums for six years, until Rio was accepted into a great clan. Being a child awakened from the slums, it was hard for Rio to prove himself.
“I did. He wasn’t around a lot.” Nico was getting cold.
“I’ve never had siblings. It’s interesting that you say you liked the time together, but weren’t around each other.”
“We had…special circumstances,” Nico didn’t want to dive into his past. “What about you? What was life like before you came here?”
“It’s rare for children to be infected with the spell when they are young, even rarer for them to survive. It’s hard to remember what came before this.” Vivian’s voice faded and Nico turned. Her head was resting on his shoulder.
‘...’ Nico was left in an impossible situation. He felt her pulse in his shoulder and her cold skin. Despite his condition, Nico’s cheeks flushed. He could hear Rio reading the romance novel that Nico picked out when Rio visited. He hesitated, but eventually his body gave in and he rested his head on her’s. Nico fell asleep, being robbed of his consciousness.
They laid in the dark, too beaten to notice the danger that stood before them.