TF Chapter 81 Disadvantage

"I physically outclass you...don't I? This is the perfect body that we natives have managed to acquire after evolving for thousands of years. The gravity of your planet alone makes it so that on our planet, you are...what's the word...lighter? Yeah! Lighter than us. Which brings me to my current experiment. Can your intent account for my speed? Will you be able to burn me up before my attack destroys you? Hmmm!?"

This creature likes talking too much. Did it love the sound of its own voice? Though it had made its point. Even those creatures I had fought back there had been troublesome when they decided to move faster than I. What about this intelligent native?

Within the large hole in the tree, my eyes captured the twitch of a muscle. I didn't doubt it for one second, pushing myself out of the whole and into the air, only for something to cause my heart to pong against my chest in shock, not even a second later, while I was still midair.

An explosion behind me caused my very heart to leap out of my chest, because I hadn't even managed to make it a meter away from the damn tree! Yet my ears had captured the sound waves! I even had the thought that the act of turning my head to look behind me would be too slow to the creature and its intent construct, both of which by the way, still had afterimages in their previous places!

My earlier plan of leaping to another tree was hastily discarded as I simply let gravity take hold, only using my hands to hold onto the other tree had I leaped towards in order to slow my descent and tweak my landing. I was going to have to rely on the mud below to at least try and slow these creatures down.

Was I cursed or something? Because, every single time I became stronger, some being popped up that was stronger than me. Was I some sort of magnet for these beings, or was there something about me that attracted them?

I even doubted whether a command to stop every particle within my spiritual domain would even slow down that crazy speed of theirs!

***Danny***

Senior Nat's ability to always attract troublesome things or creatures was getting out of control. Was this universe out to get him? That question alone had me wondering whether I should visit a diviner in the future. And what frustrated me the most was the fact that I just had go lack the strength to even help him in those times!

It was honestly frustrating how we were just here on the sidelines while he was facing such strong creatures! We didn't even have the capability to help...and trying to join in as we were right now would only cause him trouble!

My gaze drifted to my other weak companion, whose current demeanor and gaze almost caused me to kill the damn woman! She was simply standing in place, lost in a daze and having absolutely zero awareness of her surroundings! Wasn't this the same as courting death!

"Hey! Bora! Wake the hell up!" I shouted at her which made her jump in surprise.

"We have to at least keep up with those three, in case senior Nat needs a little help!"

"Let's go."

I didn't even wait for her, leaping away from this tree to the next, and then started my descent into the forest down below.

How I wish I could kill the damn woman, or better yet, trade her to the native, for both my and senior Nat's safety.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

These trees appeared tough with just a glance, but when it truly came to touching them, it was surprising how soft their stems were. With just my bare hands, I was able to dig inside with my fingers. I used them as brakes when sliding down, also as trajectory alters, which made me avoid most of the branches. Even before my body touched the ground, I could hear the sounds of battle going on down below. I also heard something else sliding down with me into the depths. It was above me and I knew who it was, but I didn't have the thought of sparing her another aorta of my attention. Senior Nat was more important.

The thought of his name alone caused my heart rate to increase. I was fearful. Scared that he might not survive this encounter. From the words of the alien native, I had managed to pick up on the fact that he had spent longer with his intent than the just awakened senior Nat.

***Bora***

My previous conjectures about intent had been shattered. This alien creature, the native, was displaying intent that was breaching most of them. For example, its intent construct was somehow moving without the need for a spiritual tether, as if there was some quantum connection I was unaware of. And do trust me, I had investigated! Even though I couldn't physically get close, I had arrayed my spiritual powers into a long thin strip that I had used to check.

Nathaniel's spirit had a flaw of only manifesting within just a few meters around him, something that this native was practically rendering moot. Could it have been caused by the different intent? Or was it one of those perks associated with the length of training? Or was it because it had awakened far earlier than him?

There were very many speculations, some of which warranted merit, yet I couldn't sit down with the creature and ask it, now could I?

Faintly, I heard someone calling my name, and when I directed my attention towards the voice, I almost ground my teeth. It was Danny! The hateful guy who liked to make me feel as if I was less than an ant to him.

I didn't say anything, simply opting to follow him as he followed the sounds of battle to the forest floor.

Honestly, Nathaniel was in huge trouble. Even if you discounted the native's weird intent spiritual powers, there was its physical body! That last attack it had used before they had both sank down below to the forest floor had been scary! Frankly, I didn't think I would have been able to react!

Calling the forest gloomy upon reaching down below was an understatement that was borderline craziness. It was dark, icky, and most of all, had mud! Mud! For all my years on Earth, I had never trekked to that rainforest that humanity had decided to preserve...I believe it was called the amazon?

Anyway, there was some change from the previous gloominess, flames and embers were floating around the space, with the swampy smell so thick, it practically felt like breathing in liquid sewage!

Apocalyptic would be a gross overstatement of the current scene that was being cast over my eyes, yet I would have still liked to say that it was closest description to what I was seeing.

Dark figures, three of them, were flickering here and there, meeting, colliding, separating, and then once again doing the same thing. The separation mostly resulted into the current apocalyptic scene, not to mention the dodged attacks that gave the impression of dropped bombs once they made impact with the surrounding area.

I looked at a hole in the trunk of a tree that had been blasted until I could see through it to the other side...yet it was in the process of repairing itself. I had a feeling that if these trees didn't have this crazy regeneration speed, then this place would have looked a lot more worse.

I moved my gaze to where the battle was taking place, catching glimpses of Nathaniel's techniques which were either sucking in air and stuff into a single point, or bright balls of flame that were probably thousands of degrees hot. Even with all his power, he was on the back foot, a fact that was immutable because of the intent construct and its creator's superior physical might, which apparently, was even allowing them to breach his intent domain, which I was pretty sure was very hot, judging by the distortions in the air around him.

***Nathaniel***

I took a step to the left, barely evading a kick aimed at my head. I was barely fast enough to dodge, judging from the fact that the black foot having four toes was passing just a few inches away from my face!

Before I could even breathe out a sigh of relief, I felt a crisis coming from above, causing me to roll away in the mud and powerful splash of mud to add to the one already caking me. I was tired, bruised and almost running on fumes at this point.