With Flash now a part of the team, Zachary had six adept rank summons. He healed them all and made sure all of them were in their best condition. Then he planned for the upcoming duels with Wander chiming in here and there.
He had originally wanted an adept rank mantis. It just so happened that Flash could do everything a mantis could but even better. A giant seagull had just as much killing power as a mantis with its sharp beak and blade-like talons. The overgrown bird was a natural flier, unlike the mantis. It was also bigger, stronger, and tougher.
Thanks to the effects of the soul orb and perhaps the awesome name, his new summon was rather well-behaved. This improved his confidence for tomorrow. He now had two beasts as backup.
Since his soul cultivation was still at the Four Paths Adept Rank, he could only summon four adept rank Ensouled together. Thus, his core lineup remained unchanged. Wander, Onkie, Doro, and Voodoo; they had all been with him for a long time and were used to fighting alongside each other.
“Don’t forget about others,” Wander said, “Boba, Blue, Dream, they can still help in the right situations.”
Zachary nodded as he fiddled with two soul orbs in his hand, “That’s right. I won’t forget.”
Novice ranks with special abilities were always useful. And if the dueling field had any water, he could also consider using Whiskers. Aside from four adept rank Ensouled, he could still summon four novice rank Ensouled to aid him.
As the sleepless night slowly passed by, Zachary clarified his strategies for tomorrow. He had to win the first duel without revealing his full strength. Otherwise, whoever he went up against in the second duel would have an advantage over him.
He wasn’t too concerned about Seojun from Riverside Village. What he was apprehensive about was the second round where anyone could be his opponent. He expected most of the frontrunners to make it through as well as Jean-Pierre and Heather. Although their scores were low, that was on purpose and in no way represented their full strength. He knew Heather was the strongest summoner in Roan Oak Village while he had no idea how strong Jean-Pierre really was. Both of them would be tough to deal with.
However, the most troublesome opponent was still Aaron White. That guy was a monster. Just his forest elephant alone was a pain to deal with. His other summons would surely be just as strong. Nobody wanted to fight him, Zachary included.
“A crystal for your thoughts,” A soft voice interrupted the quiet evening.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
With a smile, Heather appeared beside the tree Zachary was sitting beneath. He scooted over on the soft patch of moss and she sat down next to him. She leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.
“This might be the final night you spend in the jungle. What are you thinking about?” She asked.
“Duels… home… life…”
She gave him a nudge, “Hey! When a beautiful woman asks you what you are thinking about, you are supposed to say you are thinking about her.”
“Yeah, you’re right… I am also thinking about her.”
He neglected to mention that her, for him, was not Heather but Minah. But she didn’t need to know that.
Heather smiled and hugged him, “What do you think about the second round? The others are stressing themselves out over it. Two duels don’t sound like a lot. But out of sixteen people, only four get to go home. The second round will have the strongest people.”
“Mmm. It will be tough.” He replied.
“Do you know, Carlos and Shuhua are worried about you the most? They don’t want to lose to you but they know they can’t beat you.”
“What about you?”
She snorted, “I don’t plan on going back even if they begged me so what is there to worry about? I’ve already told the others. I will destroy Casimir so that he won’t be able to trouble us anymore. After that, if you happen to get matched with me in the second round, I will just forfeit and send you home with a smile.”
Zachary looked down at the nest of blond hair nestled against him, his heart filling with a soft warmth.
“Are you sure?” He asked.
“Yeah.”
"Thanks..."
The two fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the murmurs of the jungle. He thought about her and this time, it was Heather.
Whereas meeting Aaron in the second round represented an arduous challenge, a crucible of death, Heather was the gift of life, a free pass to the Old World.
How was there someone like her in the world? How did she end up here?
“Heather,” He murmured and pulled her to him.
She rolled into his embrace, now caught by his arms completely. He kissed the side of her head and then the tip of her ears, making her laugh softly.
In another life, he could have grown to love this woman. If his heart hadn’t been broken by Minah, if he had no connections left in the Republic, perhaps he would stay here with her, becoming an explorer of the New World, just like he dreamed of in his youth.
Their lips touched. It was a slow and tender meeting. This would be their final night together. They were in no rush. She tasted of the jungle; of the wildness he had come to appreciate. He groaned, drawing her closer until nothing separated them. She moaned against him, her soft curves melting into his body.
Her intelligent eyes, her playful smile, her fierce personality that could become so tender with her lover; he would miss all of her. He would miss these jungles. He would not be back, not for a very long time.
“Heather…”
“Zach…”
Their bodies joined together. Their passion was gentle but full of meaning. Slowly, they said unspoken goodbyes to each other deep into the night, until the morning came.
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