The rising sun marked the beginning of the new day. Ankeet found himself under the open sky. Hastily, gathering himself, he made his way to the academy. As he reached the entrance gate, he saw Ahsinav and Noah waiting for him.
"Where have you been, Ankeet?" Noah asked.
Ankeet, avoiding the question, responded, "Let's not talk about that. Just give me a moment. I need to retrieve my sword."
"You mean to say you haven't even prepared yet?" Noah exclaimed.
Before Noah could say anything, Ankeet sprinted toward his room to get his sword. "Ankeet, at least hear me out!" Noah's voice trailed off as Ankeet disappeared from the view.
Watching the scene, Ahsinav couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Seems like Ankeet has decided to keep us guessing today," It's the new side of him that we have never seen, huh?" Noah nodded in agreement, "Indeed," he admitted.
After retrieving his sword, Ankeet rejoined Noah and Ahsinav, and the trio set off towards the city. Noah couldn't help but wonder aloud, "Wouldn't it have been more convenient to use our carriage?" he said.
Ankeet replied, "Do you think the headmaster would have granted us permission to leave?"
Talking and laughing they arrived at the guild, Ankeet talked with the guild master to heir a carriage to the Fangthorn Forest. With arrangements made, Ankeet guided Ahsinav and Noah.
Observing Ankeet's interaction with the guild master, Ahsinav couldn't contain his curiosity. "You seem to have quite the rapport with the guild master," he remarked.
Ankeet looked at Ahsinav. "I often come here," he replied.
As they made their way to the carriage, the watchful eyes of the mercenaries remained on them. Noah, feeling uneasy, couldn't help but voice his discomfort, "What's wrong with them?" he questioned, his tone tinged with unease.
Ahsinav looked at the mercenaries' behavior. "Is this area usually like this?" he asked, his gaze shifting towards Ankeet.
Ankeet, maintaining his composure, glanced at the mercenaries. "Just ignore them for now.," he suggested.
Getting into the carriage, they started heading toward their destination. The Fangthorn Forest was near the "ELYSIAN KINGDOM."[Kingdom of Elf's] The road to Fangthorn Forest was narrow and dangerous. But Fangthorn was beautiful at the same time, fully gifted with nature. As they neared the forest's edge, a thick mist started getting thicker. The carriage stopped at the foot of the forest, where the carriage driver turned to address the travelers.
"I'm afraid I cannot take you any further," the driver informed Ahsinav and his friends.
Ankeet stepped out of the carriage and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for your help."
As the carriage left, Ankeet broke the silence and said, "Let's go, shall we?" Ahsinav and Noah nod their head.
As they entered the shadowed realm of the Fangthorn Forest, they found themselves surrounded by the same mercenaries who were gazing at them in the guild.
Ankeet's gaze narrowed, his instincts on high alert as he assessed the situation before them.
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The boss mercenary threatened them, "Oei, you kids. Give me every valuable thing you have."
Ahsinav looked at him, "And if we refuse?" he challenged, his voice tinged with defiance.
The leader laughed at first and responded with a murdering intent. "Then you are going to die here."
Surveying the ragtag group of mercenaries, Ankeet noted their various skills and strengths. The leader had scars on his face, black hair, and brown eyes, wearing an old leather jacket made from werewolf skin.
As the tension reached its peak, Ankeet's and Ahsinav's Ora started overflowing, their anger igniting like a blazing inferno. Their eyes blazed with anger, challenging the mercenaries to reconsider their actions.
"Did you think of us as easy prey, huh?" Ankeet's voice reverberated with a raw intensity.
Ahsinav's gaze mirrored his companion's resolve, his anger simmering beneath the surface. "Take it back," he warned.
The mercenaries, taken aback by the sudden shift in the atmosphere, quickly regrouped. With a swift motion, they formed battle formations, preparing to defend themselves.
With lightning reflexes, the mercenaries started launching their attacks, spells crackling through the air and arrows whistling toward Ahsinav's group. Ahsinav and Ankeet met the attack head-on.
Ahsinav shouted "Halestorm," which summoned a powerful wind. Ankeet infusing his sword with Ukti, moved towards to attack the enemy. Noah remained at their backs, providing magic support. But despite his efforts, he couldn't land any of his attacks. As the clash intensified, the forest echoed with the clang of steel and the roar of magical energies.
The battle raged on, mercenaries observing Noah's struggles to harness his abilities, sensing an opportunity. They divided their forces into three groups. The two mages and two hunters engaged in battle kept Ahsinav occupied, casting a complex web of magical spells and deadly attacks.
Meanwhile, the leader, engaged in a fight with Ankeet, the sound of their blades clashing echoed throughout the forest. With a cunning trick, another hunter broke away from the fray, intending to seize Noah and use him as a hostage to gain the upper hand. With swift and calculated movements, the hunter closed in on Noah, his eyes gleaming with predatory intent as he moved to subdue the inexperienced member.
Catching Noah, the hunter held Noah at swordpoint, his threat hanging heavy in the air, "Kids, you better give up, or your friend might die." With Noah's life hanging in the balance, the pressure mounted, the stakes higher than before.
Noah was weak at aiming, not at Manifesting. With a low whisper, he summoned flames, the heat of his magic consuming the hunter in a fiery inferno. With a startled cry, the mercenary stumbled backward, his body wreathed in flames.
Noah looked at Ankeet and Ahsinav as he shouted, "I'll be fine," he assured his friends.
"Keep the battle going on."
Ahsinav found himself locked in a relentless struggle against the mercenaries, their coordinated attacks leaving him little room to attack. He felt a surge of frustration mounting within him, the relentless barrage of strikes from the hunters and the disruptive spells of the mages.
Amid the battle, Ahsinav's senses sharpened as he heard a familiar voice echoing in his mind, a soft voice that only he could hear, the sound of someone giggling.
"Ahsinav, how about we merge?" the voice echoed within his consciousness.
As Ankeet's frustration reached its zenith, he shouted, "I accept your offer. Now give me the power." his voice echoing throughout the forest. Suddenly immense, Ora started flowing from Ashinav, a tempest of wind began to swirl around him, gathering momentum with each passing moment. From the middle of the tornado, a figure emerged, adorned with a half-crown of green wind element upon his brow, his clothes coated with the wind element. His eyes turned green as he stepped forward.
Ahsinav's power surged to its peak, the air around him crackled with elemental energy. With a resounding cry, he unleashed his ultimate wind power attack, "Winds Tear," The winds howled and roared, tearing through everything in their path with unstoppable force. All eyes turned to Ahsinav as he stood at the epicenter of the vortex.
Ankeet sprang into action, swiftly incantation a magic barrier to protect both, Noah and the mercenary leader from the devastating power of Ahsinav's attack.
Turning his attention to the mercenary leader, Ankeet fixed him with a steely gaze, "I am your opponent," he declared, his sword poised for battle.
Caught in the grip of Ahsinav's unleashed power, the mercenaries faltered. The mages and hunters, unable to withstand the pressure, succumbed to the overwhelming force, collapsing to the ground as Ahsinav's winds tore through.
As Ahsinav's energy waned, he crumpled to the ground, his body weary from unleashing a formidable power. "I still can't maintain it for more than five minutes, huh?" Ahsinav's words carried a hint of disappointment.
Noah rushed to Ahsinav's side to support him.
The defeated mercenaries lying strewn across the forest floor, only the leader remained standing,
"How about we make a bet," Ankeet proposed with a playful voice. "I will kill you in three strikes, if you can withstand that you win."
The mercenary leader's rage barely contained, bristled at Ankeet's audacity. With an angry tone, the mercenary leader looked at Ankeet, " What do you take me as?" he shouted with a furious tone. But before he could utter another word, Ankeet seized the moment, channeling his energy into a devastating attack.
With a triumphant cry, Ankeet unleashed his signature move, "Violet Storm Bolt," calling the power of the heavens. The sky darkened as clouds gathered, crackling with ominous energy, before unleashing a barrage of purple lightning upon the mercenary leader.
Struck down by the ferocity of the attack, the mercenary leader lay battered and broken.
Ankeet looked at the mercenary leader and said, "Guess I win the bet then."
As the mercenary leader dropped to the floor, memories of his daughter's voice echoed in his mind, a bittersweet reminder of the love she held for him. In his final moments, he found solace in the cherished memories of their bond, his heart heavy with regret for the promises left unfulfilled.
"Sorry, Elena," he whispered, tears welling in his eyes as he spoke his final farewell. "Papa couldn't keep his promise."
Ankeet watched in solemn silence as the mercenary leader's life ebbed away, a sense of empathy softening his gaze. Ankeet couldn't help but feel sorry for the man and his family.
"Sorry about that," Ankeet said with a soft voice. Touching the mercenary's leader's body, he mused, "Live on." casting healing magic on him.
As they prepared to depart, Ahsinav sent Zephyria to heal the remaining wounded mercenaries, offering them a chance at redemption and a path toward forgiveness.