Kite came out of a rolling dodge, barely getting low enough to dodge the swing of a massive, muscular arm. As he rolled to his feet, he once again summoned his halberd which came appeared in a cutting arc as it trailed a jagged tear in space. The special attack cleaved through the rock-like skin of the humanoid monster who now stood with its back half turned to him, and was enough to drop the third such monster Kite was fighting. Called Void-Sunders-Firmament, it utilized another concept of the void to tear through solid objects and flesh alike, its resonating force damage especially efficient against rigid structures, such as armor or the stone-like skin of certain monsters.
The monsters in question were of a species called triple-horned ogre. They were ranked somewhere in the middle of iron rank, stood about two and a half meter tall and were built like boulders. It had actually been easy to mistake them as such, since their craggy, gray skin gave them surprising camouflage among the peaks of the Autumn lands. While they possessed no spectacular or exotic abilities, they were very strong for their rank and often manifested in small packs. This particular pack had been four when Kite started the fight, and were now down to one.
Kite heard the footsteps behind him too late as the last ogre, who had spent the last twenty seconds or so breaking free from magical vines, had freed itself and rushed him. He had a barrier active, but it had taken a hit from the third ogre and had spent some of its strength. Due to the quite hectic battle, Kite hadn’t gotten the time to channel mana into it in an attempt to strengthen it again, so as the ogre’s open handed strike collided with the cracked ward he hear a *pop* as it shattered.
Kite had only half-turned, but his new and improved visual power meant that half-turned was good enough. He let go of his weapon with one hand and swung it single handed in an attempt to block the strike. The shaft got there in time, but the awkward grip meant that the block was half-hearted at best. Instead of pushing through the resistance, the ogre closed the open hand around the haft and ripped it from Kite’s hand with a jerk.
The monster followed up with a headbutt, its three curving horns making a formidable ram. Kite had a short moment of indecision as he weighed the option of another barrier versus a counterattack, but went with the latter as he had completed the turn and had a firm stance. His left fist shot out to meet the descending horned forehead, the fist having an ominous dark outline. As the opposing forces met, Kite felt a painful jolt down his arm, shoulder and leg as the tremendous force transferred through his body. He could hear the cracking of both his wooden armor and probably some fractured bone in his hand.
The ogre, however, fared much worse. Kite’s armored fist had made a slight indentation into the craggy skin. The monster would have shrugged this off without effort, had it not been followed by multiple small spatial tears appearing inside its skull and throat, the second application of Void-Sunders-Firmament. His new skill had proven both reliable and useful during the last few days, especially against the armored ogres. The monster continued on its trajectory, dead, and Kite just managed to shove it enough to the side so as to not be caught under the corpse.
He breathed heavily before straightening and calmed his mind with one of the meditative techniques uncle Walker had taught him and Dragonfly to help in staying alert.
“An adequate performance.” said a voice which belonged to a middle-aged man clad in grayish-blue robes and exuding a neatly controlled bronze-rank aura. He was thin, but with the natural grace which all bronze-rankers embodied to at least some extent. His hair was white, even though he looked no older than forty, and he wore a small pair of glasses clipped to his nose.
“Thank you, instructor Whisper.” Kite said while giving a low bow, while trying to hide the proud wink he sent to his co-test taker.
Dragonfly was leaning against a nearby tree and gave him an enthusiastic wave followed by gestured clapping.
They had been away from the city for four days now, as instructor Whisper had guided them through various parts of the wilderness west of Gilded. There they had looked in on the small villages they came across, gathering some of the notices from the board in each one as they hunted down what would become future threats.
The days had been both stimulating and exhausting. Instructor Whisper had not only tested their combat ability, but also knowledge and judgment. He had pitted them against monsters outside their comfort zone, where their powers wouldn’t be too easy to use to their fullest effects. The three-horned ogres had been such an encounter for Kite, as the instructor wanted to see how he fared against simple, strong enemies in modest numbers.
“We shall move on to one more village before we head back toward the city. I hope we can find something suitable for the final part of the evaluation.” the instructor continued as he conjured a scroll from thin air and wrote something in it with the tip of a glowing finger.
“Just a moment please, instructor.” Kite murmured. He had felt one of his abilities reach a critical threshold, and gave a mental ascend. [Something from Nothing] A small rainbow vortex appeared before condensing and revealing a belt which promptly fell to the ground.
Kite bent down and picked it up with his right hand, his left still being rather tender even as he could feel his own body and his armor working to restore the damage. The belt seemed to be woven from thin, even roots into a surprisingly pretty braided pattern. The beauty was marred a bit however, as the buckle was a rather huge affair, seemingly made from craggy stone with three horn-like protrusion.
WWJS?
[Item] Belt of the Woodland charger
Rank: Iron - Uncommon
[Effect] Increased footing in woodland and mountainous areas
[Effect] Activate to make a charge with greatly increased movement speed for five seconds. The first attack made during the charge deals additional damage and attempts to knock away the target. Targets with great mass and/or higher rank are more resistant to being knocked away. Cooldown: 1 minute.
Kite looked incredulously at the belt, before sighing and putting it on. Dragonfly was attempting to, and failing, to stifle a laugh as the oversized belt buckle clashed quite a bit with Kite’s otherwise smooth and toned-down wooden armor.
“Well Kite, I must admit that I’ve thought you almost too reasonable and level headed. It’s somehow comforting to see that you also have some insecurities you try to… compensate for.”
Kite gave her a flat look and turned to humor in an attempt to save some of his dignity.
“I suppose I will have to pray to Fortune that it will produce a codpiece next time then, to really complete the ensemble.” This made Dragonfly laugh all the more, and Kite was actually pleasantly surprised that the retort hadn’t been too terrible.
“But you must admit that the bow you got after the spiders was slightly more fashionable at least.” she managed to get out as the laughter had receded a little. “Did you actually get a chance to train with it?”
“Just a little, but I still have too many weapons to train with alread-”
“If you young ones are quite done, I believe it is time to move on.” said instructor Whisper, a slight smile on his lips. “Your looting power seems to be a peculiar one. Since I haven’t seen you use it earlier, I assume it is not available all the time?”
“That’s correct, instructor.” Kite answered while Dragonfly was still stifling fits of giggles. “It builds up over time and then produces an item. So far it has given me mostly items with a woodland theme, so I think it’s influenced by what I defeat.”
“Peculiar indeed, but useful. It probably won’t make you as rich as someone with a more ordinary looting power, since they tend to bathe in lesser treasure such as quintessence, but I’d speculate that this power compensates in other ways. Maybe in quality or more according to your needs?
Either way, it’s time for us to move on. Come along, young ones. And, young Dragonfly, please try not to alert every monster in the area of our presence this time.”
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“This should make a perfect ending to our little excursion.” instructor Whisper exclaimed as he took down the lone notice from the board in the village and held it out to the pair.
Kite looked it over and read that it was a notice of a pair of bandits which had recently started causing trouble in the area. Travelers had been robbed and a more recent addendum noted that two people, a young man and a young woman, had gone missing. The notice also said that they were essence users.
“We’re going after people this time?” Dragonfly asked, a bit hesitant.
“Indeed. While monsters are the most common notices, banditry is unfortunately quite common in these untamed lands. Especially since the fall of the Unbreakable Chain sect.”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Kite had heard a little about the former sect which the instructor mentioned. Apparently, about ten years ago there had been a great conflict in this area as two of the three local sects banded together to destroy the third, the Unbreakable chain sect. Rumors said that the destroyed sect had been engaging in heinous acts of violence and debauchery. Kite didn’t know much more about it, other than the fact that a lot of members of the fallen sect had managed to escape and scatter out into the autumn lands, leading to a sharp rise in banditry for the last decade.
“Being an adventurer is about protecting people, even if the ‘monsters’ in question are people themselves. Therefore I want to see how you conduct yourself in such a hunt. While taking them alive is an option, it's by no means required.” instructor Whisper finished.
Kite and Dragonfly gave each other a severe look. Both their masters had prepared them that this could happen, but standing in front of this looming reality was another matter entirely. Dragonfly tried giving Kite an encouraging smile, but it felt as forced as Kite’s own.
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Actually beginning the hunt for the bandits helped distract them from the trepidation in the bottom of their stomachs. Together they devised a plan where they began asking around the village they were in, before doing the same with two others that lay within an hour's travel from the one where they took the notice. In doing this, they could roughly triangulate an area where most of the robberies and sightings had been reported. It wasn’t very precise, but it was a start.
Kite had felt a pang of homesickness as they’d visited each village. The wooden houses with simple but homey decorations scattered along the flatter parts of the peak. Stone stairs with wood and rope railings leading up and down where the elevation shifted. People being a bit wary of strangers but mostly polite and helpful as long as you didn’t start any trouble. He could almost glimpse a comfortable two-story house at each village’s peak, smelling of herbs and home.
After taking a couple of hours to navigate, Kite checked his map again.
“We should be near the area now. Let’s split up but remain within earshot. Follow the plan?” he asked Dragonfly, who nodded enthusiastically.
“I will let you conduct your hunt independently,” said instructor Whisper. “But will naturally be observing you.” As he talked, he had produced a paper charm which began to spill an inky fog through the air, obscuring him from sight. It only lasted a handful of seconds, but the instructor was nowhere to be seen. They didn’t pay it much heed, as he had done the same before each monster hunt.
Their trepidations about fighting other people had been dampened somewhat by the stories they had heard in the villages, as those who were robbed had never been left unmolested, sent back in varying degrees of nakedness and often sporting cruel injuries. The bandits seemed to enjoy tormenting their victims.
The area, like most of the Autumn lands, were heavily forested with the usual mountain peaks and slopes. The underbrush fortunately wasn't too thick, and Kite found that his new belt made navigating the terrain even easier.
Just over an hour later, Kite was walking next to a small stream. It was barely a meter across and a hand deep, but something drew his attention in the water just a little bit further up the stream. He walked over and crouched down, reaching into the waters to pull out a bit of wire with some shiny bits of polished metal fastened along its length.
He frowned, but dropped it as his hand snapped up. Half a breath later, a chain sporting a cruel hook tried winding itself around his lower arm. The hook failed to find purchase in the polished wooden armor, and Implacable motion caused the chain to just slide off his arm as well as the links were quickly retracted, the chain returning up into the foliage of the nearby tree from which it had been launched.
Kite realized that without his perfect peripheral vision gifted by his perception power, Gaze of adamance, he might have missed the chain as it was aimed at his throat.
“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. What a bothersome little fish. Why couldn’t you swallow the lure like a good boy?” came a voice from the trees as two figures leapt down from the branches. It was a man and a woman, both clad in patched bits of leather armor and geared for the outdoors. He could see a lot of wear and tear on their equipment, but their faces were alert and smiling.
It was the woman who had sent the chain at him, and Kite could see it retract back into the loop held loosely in one hand. Only an essence power could have a metal chain fly with such precision, an assumption reinforced by the iron rank auras they both exuded. Kite didn’t like the feel of their auras, as they felt a bit unstable and volatile. He wondered why he couldn’t feel their auras before, as he did not think they were capable of hiding this instability from him, or anyone with even a modicum of training.
“But such a prize fish who came swimming into our waters.” the man continued. “Look at that equipment. And he’s so pretty too. Senior would reward us well for such a prize.” As they talked the pair had split apart, ever so slowly moving toward Kite’s flanks.
Kite had his back to a tangle of bushes, and his aura sense picked up something from that direction as well. Focusing back up front, he projected his own aura out with all the force he could muster. The pair flinched slightly before managing to push back his aura. The efforts were crude by the standard Kite had been trained to, but together they managed to ensure that theirs weren’t fully suppressed.
“You see that, Prowler?” the woman called. “The little fishie thinks he got teeth enough to handle us. Think he will feel the same when we got him strung up, all writhing and bleeding from that supple little body?” she purred as she started spinning the hooked chain.
Kite was a bit taken aback by the intensity of their gazes, but his senses told him that he needed a couple more seconds, so he called out.
“I must thank the two of you. I thought I would have more qualms about fighting you, but seeing you both made it rather easy. But I must ask, why? Why torment people like this?” He tried to sound as stoic and calm as he could, hoping it would mask his rapidly beating heart.
The pair laughed, and Kite was surprised to hear how wicked it sounded, like something straight from a tale portraying wicked villains. The laughter didn’t feel natural.
“Why, you ask?” answered the man. “Because we can. Because it pleases us. Because pleasure is the only true path!” he grinned wickedly as he drew a curved sword from the scabbard at his waist. “But unfortunately for you, the pleasure will be all ours.” He started to rush forward as he finished, while the woman released the chain which flew toward Kite with an almost sentient accuracy.
Kite felt more movement just behind the shrubbery behind him now. Instead of replying, he started his own rush forward toward the man. Between Kite advancing and his aura still on full blast, it was a few more heartbeats until the pair noticed the second iron rank aura advancing on them. It too pulsed out, filled with fiery passion, as Dragonfly cleared the bushes in one mighty leap enhanced by her latest ability. She flew through the air as her fiery greataxe manifested in her hands, descending towards the advancing man.
Dragonfly’s aura pulse had been a simple way to signal Kite of her trajectory, and as he felt it he pivoted fully toward the woman and the chain still closing in on him. He struck out with his hand again toward the hook, but the woman seemed to have been waiting for the same response as last time. The chain curved impossibly in the air as the hook flew past Kite’s gauntlet and continued toward his throat.
Her smile of vicious triumph turned to surprise as Kite’s hand instead continued forward to strike at the links, which in turn caused the chain to dissolve with the sound of a mirror breaking, Kite's counter dragging more mana from the unsettling bandit.
Kite took that moment to activate the charging power of his new belt. His speed got a substantial boost as he crossed the distance between them and aimed a punch toward her torso. While it wasn’t necessary, Kite still wanted to see if he could take her down alive. And he had an idea as to how. While his heart still hammered, his aura was steady and controlled.
The woman managed to get an arm up to block the incoming fist, as new lengths of conjured chain snaked around her arm and wrapped it in makeshift armor. Kite unleashed two of his special attacks, the by now usual duo of Distrupting strike and Chakra implosion, with the punch, and as the chain disintegrated again he could see the blueish mana-draining cracks spread down into her body. The chain had absorbed most of the impact before being dispelled, but she was still thrown backwards from the charging strike to collide with a tree as even more mana was forced from her.
His opponent dazed by the impact, Kite pressed the advantage. He fell upon her as she still had her back to the tree, raining punches and the occasional knee strike into her frantic defense. Kite realized that while he had superior training, his opponent seemed to have enough experience to level out the difference somewhat. She tried summoning new chains to reinforce her defense and retake the initiative, but they were dispelled time and time again by Kite’s special attacks, allowing him to stay on the offensive. Each time she lost more mana and her recovery slowed further, and all the while, the ever-present small vortex continued to greedily absorb mana from both opponents.
It wasn’t long until she started visibly flagging, eyes unfocused. She made a last ditch effort to use a special attack which normally worked as a finisher, where multiple barbed chains were supposed to spring from the ground, ensnare her opponent and tear them to bloody shreds. Not thinking straight due to a concussion- and mana-induced headache, she failed to reflect upon the rather hefty cost of such an ability. The chains barely had time to appear before she went limp, eyes rolling backward as the last dregs of mana left her body, her attack never finished.
Kite stood towering above her in a rain of orange leaves, caused by her repeatedly striking the trunk. He had experienced the different kind of brutality that a life-and-death-clash between essence users entailed, and reeled a bit in the aftermath. The sounds of another battle behind him snapped him back to reality and he turned around, confident that the woman wouldn’t wake any time soon after passing out from mana-fatigue.
However, the battle concluded before he could close the distance. The fight between Dragonfly and the man had the same kind of intensity as Kite had experienced, but the brutality was of a different kind. Around them lay swathes of blackened underbrush and several burnt-out husks of what Kite assumed were conjured entangling vines of some sort. Both combatants sported several wounds, but while the man was panting and exhausted, Dragonfly’s breaths sounded more like those of excitement as the air shimmered with the heat of her exhalations. She was glowing faintly from within as they clashed.
The man thrust out with his sword, almost stopping in surprise as Dragonfly took the thrust clean through her lower arm before twisting the blade out of his grip, the sword still stuck. Kite saw that in almost the same instant the sword entered her arm, the great axe in her other hand flashed with blue-white intensity. Even the one handed swing of her retaliation was enough to bisect the man as the massive, burning blade passed through first his left arm and then his lower torso.
She roared once in triumph, before dismissing her burning axe and taking a steadying breath. Kite could see her inner glow spreading, heat dissipating as it instead became a potent restorative effect. She slid the sword out without a wince, the wound closing at a visible pace.
“I figured taking him alive wasn’t really a part of your purview, so I was gentle with mine.” Kite mused aloud, as feelings of triumph and nausea warred inside him. They had fought monsters and witnessed the gory parts of adventuring life, but it awakened a bit of primal wrongness in Kite to see the crimson blood of his own kind splattered across the ground like that.
Dragonfly was just about to answer as Kite felt something new, descending quickly. It was another aura. Bronze rank, but like the earlier pair it felt slightly wild and unstable. He was just beginning to jump toward Dragonfly and scream a warning as the foliage above exploded inward around a descending figure. Kite heard the rattle of spinning, thrashing chains as he caught a glimpse of bulging muscles and a too wide smile, along with an open hand descending toward the back of Dragonfly’s head.