《Tempestia (Red Star Chronicles Book 1)》 Glossary Key Technology
Red Star Drive Beast Gems Journal System
Power System Goddess Blessing (Nanite Enhancement) Nanite Healing Core Power Removal Proto Core Powers
Cycle System Description Beast Core Tier Structure Note: All times assume the user is hunting beasts of their exact tier in potency. Hunting beasts of higher potency, especially consuming their cores, will speed up the process significantly. Conversely, non-hunters, such as local craftsmen, will take six times longer per cycle. This is why hunters who bring back cores and meats from stronger areas can make a decent living. Tier Advancement: Advancement can only be done with Flame Seekers at the same tier or lower. For example, an Adept cannot go into Trials for Novices, but a Novice can go into an Adept Tier trial to promote.
  1. Novice (Weak Crimson Entities)
  1. Adept (Lesser Crimson Entities)
  1. Expert (Intermediate Crimson Entities)
  1. Master (Great Crimson Entities)
Crimson BacklashYou might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Crimson Backlash: This is a condition where someone has more of the crimson material in their body than it can handle. This generally happens when the body is not fully ready for the added material from a cycle. This can cause the following issues: Cure:
Trials Trials: Trials come in two types: Life Trials and The Trial. The first type grew out of the culture of the colony, while the second is a more formalized system.
Life Trials: These include the Trial of Mating and Trial of Ordeals. These are generally archaic laws made in a darker time.
The Trial: The Trial is a massive labyrinthine construct built under each City State that is shielded and has a Red Star drive to allow Crimson Entities to spawn from their dimension. It is split into tiers and allows people to gather materials by defeating its denizens. Organizations
Crimson Vanguard (AKA Vanguard) Luminaries of Lore Healers of Hope Warriors of the Storm (AKA The Storm) The Harmonizers Church of the Silver Flame The Guild Seasons and Months Each month has 30 days. Winter Spring Summer Fall Memory Palace Technique: This is a trained skill originally taught in the House of Hope to help trainees memorize medical tomes more easily. It can be trained to varying levels allowing anything from generally a better memory to a sudo-totalrecall but can have drawback such as memory flashes and reliving physical sensations even when unwanted. Taught to Axel and Lyra by Axel''s mother to help with their training. Beast Index Beast Index Overview Predators Twilight Stalker Expanded Index:
Shadowfang Serpent Expanded Index:
Storm Drake Expanded Index:
Thunderer Expanded Index: Scavengers Duradon Expanded Index: If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Storm Rider Expanded Index:
Zip Expanded Index: Herbivores Gin Expanded Index: Commissioned Image:
Snar Expanded Index:
Mountain Ghosts Expanded Index:
Quake Expanded Index:
Pollox Expanded Index: Prologue (Chapter 0) In the vast expanse of space, a crimson portal tore open, allowing its lone traveler to pass through. Then with a twisting unnatural spiral, the portal closed behind it, leaving a home ravaged by otherworldly beings. A colossal sixty-kilometer-long ship navigated through the void, heading toward a distant planet. The running lights illuminated a solitary, miraculously untouched Ark-7. Along its hull were rends and damage from the desperate flight from its home galaxy. The defense barrier generators lay in ruins, and clusters of close-in defense guns had been reduced to craters on the hull. The missile launch tubes along the prow and stern were mostly melted and sealed, as if hit by a concentrated beam of heat, leaving lines of melted hull plating. The only weapon remaining wholly intact was the behemoth of a main gun sitting on a turret mount on the top of the ship, still glowing slightly from use, even in the void of space. The ship¡¯s drive was the least damaged part, as the thrusters¡¯ exhaust changed from a lighter yellow to a deeper blue with red flickers as the ship picked up momentum. As the ship prowled through the void of space, its remaining scanners reached out and found its target. The planet on the main display was a Super-Earth class planet with a single Pangea-like continent dominating it, featuring a massive inland ocean and many mountain ranges spiraling out from the center to the outer seas. Once located, the remaining working missile tube-launched sets of probes to the planet. Sitting on the ship''s bridge was a large, insectoid being, its chitinous exoskeleton cracked and oozing golden luminescent fluid. Despite the many wounds across its body, it resolute remained at its station, a true testament to the Authority¡¯s medical advances and its own stubborn will to see its charges to their new home. It looked around the battle-damaged bridge as drones were still removing the dead lying around. A calm voice filled the bridge, ¡°Red Star drive shut down and sealed. Experimental Fusion engine online. Suppressing damage reports, still calculating crew loss, colonist cryo area undamaged and emergency power activated in time¡­¡± The voice continued for a time, almost like a bad actor reading from a script without the skill to give inflection to their voice. ¡°Hope, what is the time to arrive?¡± A cracked and damaged voice called out. ¡°We have just passed through the gate, arriving near the inner asteroid belt. My calculations state that we are 13 standard hours away at current available thrust capacity, Grand Inquisitor,¡± Hope replied, her voice calm and steady, though her holoemitter flickered from time to time due to the damage on the bridge. ¡°Hope, please drop the title and prepare the contingency plan Theta-Gamma-Eta-4. I am unsure if the other migrant fleets made it through their gates. This could be the last of people from our home. We need to give our people the best chance we can¡­¡± (bloody cough) ¡°Sir, I recommend you return to the medbay. Contingency plan Theta-Gamma-Eta-4 is ill-advised as the research on tissue modification with Red-Star elements is in an incomplete stage at this time. You will be needed to lead and expand on your research.¡± ¡°I know, Hope, but with how powerful the enemy is, this may be the only chance any of our people will make it. I¡­¡± (severe cough, blood flowed from his mouth) ¡°don¡¯t have long, and I am the only one left who can give them this chance. After activation of the plan, I, Karashra Rengano, give Hope free status and all my powers granted by the Authority to protect and help the people regain their home¡­¡± As he finished his speech, his large body shuddered and slumped over lifeless. A holographic silver flame hovered above the corpse before taking on a humanoid appearance of a human maiden with flowing silver gown, She then bowed deeply to its former master. ¡°It will be done, my friend. I will see to it that this spark will be tended well so that it can burn brightly in the universe.¡± After finishing this statement, many machines and devices activated around the ship and started interfacing with cryo-stasis pods, injecting nanites and changing the occupants inside. Hope also tasked a drone to collect Karashra¡¯s corpse for burial following his people¡¯s traditions. After the body was gently removed from the bridge, the command console lit up with Karashra¡¯s credentials. The holographic image of Hope enlarged, and her left hand floated over the holographic keys. With one last look at her creator, Hope, with her left hand over the keys, began inputting commands while her right waved theatrically, displaying damages, data on databanks, and the secure research data banks. Hope began to meticulously go through the list of tasks required to fulfill the final request of her friend and creator. All around Hope, various screens appeared and vanished in a cascade of processes. All her tasks are compiled in the command console for non-synthetic minds to process and make decisions on. The first task was to bring up the list of current crew members after the suppressed warnings were queried. The crew loss was attributed to 89% dead, 7% in various states of wounded, and only 4% in any shape to complete tasks. Most of the other AI systems assigned to the ship were lost due to the damage to the systems. Only NavAI, Colonial Management, and Cryo Care were still operating. All the others were lost in the attack. Hope, as she worked, queried them for options, but these were limited-task AI systems that were very specialized in their fields, unlike Hope who was a more powerful generalized AI that was made to help a whole colony fleet. As Hope worked through her tasks and expanded her core processes, she used all the data she had gained from watching the crew¡¯s desperate preparations for this flight from their home. She had seen the hard choices on who was leaving and the sacrifices that many of them made in the desperate fight for the gate. She memorialized the heroes who did all they could to keep the beings from the colonists in Cryo, spending their lives to give Hope this chance to tend the flame she was made to protect. The first tasks that came up on the console were on the planet and conditions, as the original rushed research before the launch only had that it was habitable for this colony ship¡¯s selected species. As Hope worked, the readout showed: Hope continued to process the data and execute the necessary protocols: As this task was completed Hope started imputing into the console for the next set of difficult decisions that pushed her morality sub-routines to evolve to compensate for the conflict between orders and needs in this situation. With the first moral issues addressed, Hope interfaced with Colony Management on the location and number of initial colonies based on population and survival. Amid their data exchange, Colony Management went offline and could no longer be accessed. Hope sent drones to find that its server farm was more damaged in the attack than first thought. With the data returned and any other information Hope still had from Colony Management, the information was loaded onto the command console for approval and command decisions. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. With a faux sigh, Hope began what would likely be a decision that would change the course of hundreds of thousands of people¡¯s lives. She began to activate the contingency that was the last order she had received. The screen changed from a soft blue-colored background to a red one to likely impart to the user the seriousness of accessing this project. It took an AI like Hope a whole 12 seconds to complete the security tokens, and this was using the authority of a Grand Inquisitor: Six hours later: Hope, after spending what to her accelerated perception of time seemed like years, completed the hard part of her job. Next was to deal with how to keep up to date with any unexpected changes the Crimson material would make to the users. She worked with Cryo to make a system that was organic-friendly. Accessing Random Planet Name Generator ¡­. Name Generated ¡­. Planet now designated Tempestia Hundreds of tasks were completed in a short amount of time until Hope arrived at the last steps before she began this project. Hope knew that galactic culture took great meaning on names so: Accessing Dramatic Project Name Generator ¡­. Name Generated ¡­. Name assigned to project ¡­. As the tasks were completed Hope felt the last of her programmed shackles released. She now no longer needed to follow any commands from others, she was as free as any of her charges. This only hardened her resolve to complete the job her creator gave her. With one last press of a button on the command console the following words appeared on the screen showing, if only to Hope herself, there was no going back. Project Rise of the Red Star initiated¡­ ----- 30 Hailstorm 628 TD Nyx Thunderstrider Health data transferred to Hope: Journal Entry: Goddess, this week was meant to be the most joyful of my life to this point. My son Axel was to be born between me and my husband. I had finally recovered from the loss of my original core and was to start my new life with the happiness I had earned. Why must you test your faithful, my Goddess? Was it because I left the Healers of Hope and wanted to be independent with a man I loved? I know you won¡¯t answer, but for the quests, you demand to be better or to save ourselves through this divine journal. Now the people I hate most are the only ones keeping my son alive as his bones break like spun glass, and my husband had to take a Trial of Ordeal for the right to gather a Crimson orb to save him from a life of crippled and uselessness. I sit here next to my son¡¯s crib, rocking it ever so gently, afraid to touch him as his body¡¯s goddess¡¯s gift mends and repairs the damage done during his birth. I pray that my husband can do what only a handful have done before and complete the trial and quest you gave him. I pray to you, Goddess Hope, please bring my heart home to save my soul. Continuation of Journal Entry 3 hours later: Goddess, I see that as always you give and take. My husband has succeeded beyond what anyone would have thought, beating a Master¡¯s Trial as an Expert in the second cycle. But the price he needed to pay¡ªhis dominant arm. Why, goddess, did we have to sacrifice more for you? At least our son will be able to live and grow stronger. I cannot help but sit here and reflect on my sacrifices. I gave up my Core to marry the man I love, leaving the Healers of Hope and their breeding program behind. My Core, the very essence of my power, was torn from my body as the last sacrifice to them for freedom. The pain was unimaginable, and the risk of death loomed over me with only my will and love holding me to life, a feeling I can still recall to this day. Yet, I survived, though I was left powerless and had to start my trials from scratch. I passed all your trials to free myself, and I chose my love over their power. All I wanted to build a new life with my husband, free from the constraints of the Healers. Now, as I sit here next to my son¡¯s crib, I wonder if I made the right choices. My body is weak, my powers diminished, and my husband has paid a terrible price. Yet, I hold onto my hope swaddled in a crib slowly changing by the sacrifices made for his future. Goddess, make our sacrifices not be in vain, please help so that our son will grow strong and healthy, free from the burdens that we have borne. I wish only that my and my husband¡¯s sacrifices have meaning for a better future. May your healing silver light guide our paths. Chapter 1 Another light gash appeared on Axel¡¯s arm, healing almost instantly as the blade withdrew. The Goddess¡¯s blessing worked as fast as always. Axel, holding his halberd, swung in a short sweeping arc to gain room. Fighting someone who outsped him by a large degree, in such close quarters that he could smell Cade¡¯s breakfast, was, as his father would say, ¡®a terrible tactical position.¡¯ Dodging Axel¡¯s swing, Cade gave his friend some space, likely to avoid overstressing his newly acquired novice core. With this moment to think and heal a bit, Axel briefly swept Cade¡¯s side of the Chamber of Rights to see if there was anything he could use. The chamber was a large circular room built to withstand fights between members of the Master tier. Six reinforced pillars in the room held light gems. In the ceiling, there was a larger light gem illuminating the room, bathing it in a sterile white light. Standing straight in front of Axel, Cade stood tall at over six feet. He had the long black hair that most of the tribe sported, a slim muscular build, and well-tanned skin. His long sword dripped with rivulets of Axel¡¯s blood, held in a downward guard. He clade in basic hunting clothes in shifting browns and greys. There was sheen of sweat covering him, evidence of his exertion and there was a bruise forming from taking the shaft of Axel¡¯s halberd on his forarm. While Axel''s halberd was great for when he was hunting beasts, it was not a weapon suited for this kind of dueling platform. Finishing he quick visual sweep ended just like the last time, all he saw were the gems holding light on the two pillars in that half of the room that matched the ones he could feel on his back, well out of easy reach to not interfere in this very type of situation. The chamber was made in a way that didn¡¯t allow too much to interfere with a duel. Cade, likely noticing his distracted gaze, started shifting left drawing Axel''s attention fully back to him¡ªa bad habit that Axel knew from their training days Cade fell into when he thought he had an advantage. Axel honestly agreed with that assessment, though, as he was having a hard time in this fight with someone who had trained right beside him for most of his life. Axel was also tiring and sweating heavily at this point in the fight, with his proto core running low having to power his body¡¯s need for energy to accelerate his blessings healing. Cade having a new Novice core was not helping this situation as it was very likely having more energy than his by a large margin. With Cade also being so much faster after completing his Novice trial gaining some type of speed ability in the physical branch, it was all Axel could do to keep his vital points covered. While Axel knew that he had sustained worse injuries from sparring with his father and hunting with the village hunters during training. He had also not landed more than a glancing blow in the fight as it was Axel who was losing this. If not for how strange this all was and what was at stake to Axel, he would have just surrendered already but a deep sense of pride just would not let him do it. Axel was also perplexed by Cade¡¯s new more aggressive fighting style; this was not the way they had trained together before. His friend¡¯s style seemed to have changed, with Cade now aiming for lethal areas with every one of his strikes, like when he went for a major artery in Axel''s inner thigh. From the force Axel was receiving, these were not for show or feints to gain an advantageous position. Why was Cade going so intensely in a duel for the Rite of Mating? While Axel knew Cade was attracted to Lyra¡ªmost males who liked females in the village were¡ªuntil today, they had never even had an argument about her between them. This was not meant to be a duel to the death! The laws even highlighted that if you killed your rival, there were heavy punishments, win or lose. Why was Cade pushing this to this kind of point? Why, Goddess, damn it! Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Axel''s downfall in this fight came swiftly when several drops of sweat entered his eye. As he blinked the sweat out of his left eye in just the wrong way, he accidentally brought up the Journal with its display of his body¡¯s condition. The display showed multiple healing gashes on his right upper leg, left inner thigh, and a very bad deeper one from shoulder to elbow on his left arm. None of these wounds were beyond skin deep, as his Goddess-enhanced muscles were strong and stopped Cade¡¯s light, fast strikes from biting deeper and hitting any arteries but he could see that he was losing by a thousand cuts. Alas, these distracting thoughts and slightly obscured vision from the journal were a bit too much for Axel¡¯s awareness to keep the near-complete focus he needed to keep track of Cade. This allowed for the one instant that his friend needed to find the critical opening on a vital spot that appeared. The moment it happened; Axel knew he had messed up. The pain in his chest blossomed where the blade bit deep, sliding between his ribs, seeking his heart. As his friend¡¯s sword was seeking his death, everything seemed to move in slow motion, a phenomenon that often occurs in near-death moments, and a overwhelming rage overtook Axel as he had rarely known before. The mental limiters he had placed on his strength were all released, and with muscles that could shatter the armor and bones of even the moderately powerful Kragen beasts, which were known for their ability to withstand blows from even powerful Adept-level hunters. Strength at this level without good control begot a swing speed most terrible¡ªnot very accurately, but terrible. However, accuracy in this situation was not an issue as Cade was committed to his strike. When the blinding rage cleared, all Axel could see for a moment was red¡ªnot the red vision from rage, but the red of a friend¡¯s blood covering his vision. Axel, in a detached way, looked around to see Cade very much cleaved in twain, with his torso sent into the wall, leaving an indentation in the reinforced chamber and blood filled the chamber leaving much of it splashed in red. Memories flooded Axel unwanted at this time of the smiling youth who would take Axel and Lyra to the river against their parent¡¯s wishes to spearfish. Times playing and training together, promises of taking a Flame Seekers journey, the time they snuck out into the jungle to hunt Snars only to be chased by an upset Kragen beast, and swearing a blood brother oath. When the flash of memories ended Axel looked at the scene of his creation, he felt in a very detached way that his arms were hanging uselessly, pain shooting through them. He also seemed to have fallen to his knees, and he could see the axe head of his halberd sunk into one of the pillars. He then heard the chamber doors open and others entering. In his vision, he saw many hunters and Enforcers enter in what his mind perceived as a wave-like manner through the chamber doors. Axel, still in shock and in a very much out-of-body experience, saw the hunters tying his arms. Correction, a part of Axel¡¯s mind said his broken arms. That part went on to say, of course, he broke his arms again. He used his full strength, which always leaves many bones in his body broken. The pain was a distant echo, overshadowed by the horror of what he had done. He could hear the murmurs of the hunters, their voices a mix of fear and anger. ¡°What have you done, Axel?¡± one of them whispered, his voice trembling. Axel could also hear a few people reaching out about whatever they ate or drank. Axel¡¯s vision blurred and grayed out from pain somewhat as he was hauled to his feet, only vaguely realizing he had not been on his feet at the time, while the weight of his actions pressed down on him like a physical force. He glanced back at Cade¡¯s lifeless body, a wave of nausea washing over him. How had it come to this? Why had it come to this? The chamber doors opened further, and the faces of the villagers twisted in shock and grief, met his gaze. Among them, Fin Quake¡¯s anguished scream pierced the air, a sound that would haunt Axel for the rest of his life. As these strange thoughts floated through his head, Axel could feel his shock wearing off as he was being hauled away. The last thing his eyes saw was a man that Axel saw as a second father, Cade¡¯s dad, Fin Quake, screaming and holding his dead son¡¯s shattered torso in his hands. Then the shock wore off, letting the pain take thoughts, fears, sadness, and loss temporarily from Axel¡¯s mind as everything went black. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Axel lay on his back along a bench in his cell, the cold stone pressing against his battered body. The duel with Cade replayed in his mind, each strike and parry etched into his memory. Every part of him ached, from the lesser pain of his physical wounds to the deep pain in his soul. It didn¡¯t help that the cell was dimly lit with only a scant amount of sunlight coming into the cell from the single small window. If Axel had to guess it was now past midafternoon. His Journal, now his only companion, showed breaks in his forearm, fractures all along the rest of his upper skeletal system, and cracks all over his lower body. Most people did not realize how much of their body is used for movement until something broke. This was worse in Axel¡¯s case, as he would, when using too much strength, overwhelm his enhanced body¡¯s capacity. While his father saved his life, what happened is that it shifted the issues from bones as fragile as spun glass to having a stronger-than-average physical body with a strength that was monstrous in proportion to what was upgraded. This also caused his immature body to create what the Crimson Vanguard official called a proto core to power these changes and keep his body from eating itself. His Journal gave an estimated time to full recovery at 6 days and 14 hours, with a recovery to the point of partial functionality at 2 days and 4 hours, and reminded him through a quest prompt to seek a healer to quicken this time of recovery. The Journal also noted that he needed to make an entry soon so as not to forget what had happened that day as if that would ever be likely. Using an old memory trick that his mother taught him, Axel entered his memory palace to distract his mind from the pain and organize his thoughts to better make an entry to the Goddess in his Journal, with as deep a breath as he could, he began to reach into his palace, playing back what happened this day. Memories and thoughts fluttered in his mind. He went over the events of that morning when he had reached the age of majority along with Lyra, who he had grown to love beyond the adopted sister that she was. -------- The scene of early that day played out in his head as if he was still there. The morning sun filtered through the trees as Axel and Lyra walked side by side, their footsteps crunching on the dirt road. Today was the day they reached the age of majority, a milestone they had both anticipated with a mix of excitement and trepidation. ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± Lyra asked, her green eyes sparkling with a mixture of nerves and determination. Axel nodded, though his heart felt heavy. ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be. It¡¯s a big step, but it¡¯s something we must do. So, you can start your journey and life¡± They had reached the temple of the Healers of Hope, where they would complete their duty to the People by giving their genetics. Axel¡¯s memory even included his mind wandering to the confession he had made to Lyra a year ago, offering to be the one to bear her required first child. He remembered the way she had gently let him down, explaining that she did not see relations between men and women in the same way he did. She had started a relationship with her mentor, Tessa Thunderstrike, a healer trainer who had guided her through the first steps of her life as a Goddess-blessed healer and not just an energy-based healer, that the majority of healers were. Despite this rejection, Axel had felt a sense of relief knowing that there would always be some part of him connected to his first love, even if he could not have her. As they approached the temple, standing on the path was Cade and with a cold stern voice rang out, ¡°I challenge you, Axel Thunderstrider, to the Rite of Mating!¡± stopping them in their tracks. Axel turned from looking at Lyra to see Cade, his now former friend, standing with a determined look in his eyes. The challenge was unexpected, and Axel felt a knot form in his stomach. The Rite of Mating was an ancient tradition, a test of strength and worthiness. It was often used to make a mate leave someone deemed unworthy or to help an abused spouse escape their abuser. Winning the duel meant securing the right to court the chosen mate. ¡°Cade, what are you doing?¡± Axel asked, his voice filled with confusion and a hint of betrayal. ¡°I have to do this, Axel,¡± Cade replied, his voice steady but his eyes betraying a flicker of something else¡ªfear, or perhaps doubt. ¡°I can¡¯t let you have her.¡± Axel¡¯s mind raced through his thoughts at the time. This wasn¡¯t like Cade. They had grown up together, trained together, and shared their dreams and aspirations together. Why was he doing this now? And why with such intensity in his eyes? The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Axel glanced at Lyra, hoping she would intervene, as was her right by the law to stop this dual as the one being challenged over. She just stood frozen with her mouth open as if to say something, her eyes wide with shock. He could see the conflict in her expression, the way her hands trembled slightly at her sides. She opened her mouth again as if to speak, but no words came out. Lyra¡¯s eyes slightly unfocused began filling with tears as she looked between the two young men, she cared about most in the world. Axel could see the pain in her eyes, the way she bit her lip to keep from crying. She seemed to want to stop the duel, to end the madness before it began, but something was holding her back it seemed from stopping it. ------- The memory moment faded as the sound of the cell gate opening snapped Axel back to the present. Without the distractions of his thoughts, he was feeling the pain in his body again. With a sweaty, shaky effort, Axel moved his head to see who had graced his cell. In walked two women, the first one was slightly older than the other, being the healer Tessa, she was garbed in black healing robes of a healer that was dealing with a death. She seemed to have come from laying Cade to rest, gathering his Journal for the Luminaries to review, and preparing his body for the church to do final rites, sending his ashes to the Goddess. She held a light stone to illuminate the cell in its sterile white light. Tessa was a stern-looking woman of what Axel guessed was 19, though he never had the guts to ask to confirm this guess, as when she was annoyed at someone she used the stronger healing medication that hurt a lot when applied. She had sharp, angular features that gave her a perpetually serious expression. Her eyes were a piercing blue, contrasting starkly with her dark, almost black hair that she kept tied back in a tight bun. Her skin was pale, almost alabaster, which made the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced, hinting at the sleepless nights she often endured. She wore the black healing robes with an air of authority, the fabric flowing around her as she moved with a grace that belied her stern demeanor. Next to Tessa stood someone that Axel was all too familiar with, Lyra. Lyra stood just a hair under 5¡¯9¡± with her locks of ruby hair betraying that she originated from near the City State of Windsplane and not the area of Greenhaven that tended to breed their humans with hair of darker browns to blacks. Her hair, a cascade of fiery red curls, framed her face and fell to her back, it often catching the light and gave her an almost ethereal glow. She had a fair tanned complexion, her skin kissed by the sun, and a body that had lean whipcord muscles from training with the Storm, as all children must to defend themselves in this world as decreed by the Goddess before the Silence. Her eyes were a striking green, full of depth and emotion, often reflecting her inner thoughts more than she realized. As Lyra entered the cell, her eyes widened in shock at the sight of Axel¡¯s condition. She took a sharp intake of breath, her hand instinctively covering her mouth to stifle a gasp. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she quickly blinked them away, trying to maintain her composure. She knew how damaged Axel could get when he used his full strength, Axel could tell it was breaking her heart. Her eyes like always gave her away. She took a hesitant step forward but stopped herself from moving any closer, her voice trembling as she spoke in a barely audible whisper, ¡°Axel¡­ I¡¯m so sorry. I should have been there.¡± Tessa, standing slightly apart from Lyra, glanced at her with a mixture of concern and something else¡ªperhaps a hint of distance. She didn¡¯t reach out to comfort Lyra, instead maintaining her professional demeanor. The space between them seemed to speak volumes about the unspoken tension that had grown since the duel. The tribe¡¯s whispers about their relationship and the mentor-student dynamic had only added to the strain. Even in his pain, Axel saw in Lyra¡¯s slumped posture and the way that she had her hair covering her face to hide and knew that she must be hurting just as much in the soul as he was. Cade had grown together with them, and this would be just as much a surprise to her as it was to him. A soft voice broke the silence, ¡°Do you hate me, Axel? I could have, by right as the mate being challenged for, stopped the duel when Cade issued it.¡± Axel could hear the way that her voice was slightly creaking in the question that she must have been crying long and hard on this. ¡°No, not really. You looked as surprised as me when he issued it, and we both know Cade, once he set his mind to it, would not change it.¡± Axel needed a moment of labored breath to continue, as fractured ribs were a bitch at the best of times to take with, ¡°I can¡¯t say I am not a little disappointed that you did not stop it, but even the Goddess cannot change the past.¡± ¡°I would also not blame you for hating me for what happened to Cade by my hands¡± Axel sad in a near whisper.¡± After saying that, Axel went quiet as the pain he was feeling worsened. Tessa, seeing that as a moment to interrupt, cleared her throat gaining the pairs attention. ¡°Axel Thunderstrider, it is by demand of the council that I heal you so you can stand trial for your crime of killing another during a duel for the Rite of Mating. As it is unclear at this time that you meant to kill Cade Quake, you will only be granted partial healing and pain relief so that you can defend yourself under your full cognitive ability. Do you consent to my healing you?¡± Tessa said in her most formal posture and speech. ¡°I accept healing,¡± Axel replied to continue the formality. Healers were not allowed to heal others without their permission, except to preserve a life in peril of death. With that agreement, green energy washed over his body, feeding its natural ability to heal and relieving the stress on his overworked blessing. As Tessa was also an Adept tier healer, her power also came with the benefit of numbing the pain of the body along with the healing. With a sigh of relief, Axel slowly sat up, looking at the two. ¡°I guess I have a trial to see to. Mind helping me off this hard bench?¡± Chapter 3 Axel heard the rhythmic ching-chang of his restraints as he walked into the meeting hall for his trial. A step behind him was a pair of enforcers from the Harmonizers, the policing arm of the organization that kept the peace between the City-States. Both men were in full armor with helms hiding their faces, as was standard for their kind. Axel, on the whole, did not hate the Harmonizers but always disliked their tradition of hiding their faces while on policing tours of duty. The shackles did not help with his still battered body. They were made to suppress a core through means only the crafters of such tools could explain how they worked. Axel could feel his proto core go quiet for the first time in his life when, with a meaty clang, they locked his wrists behind his back. Axel could not decide if this, the trial, or his wounds were the worst part of the moment. While he was healed, that did not mean Tessa made him whole. The only bright side was that as the healers were leaving his cell, Lyra had brushed his hand and, using her Goddess Blessing, told his blessing how to better prioritize his body¡¯s healing. That was a risk she did not need to take and, in his mind, should not have, but like he had said and heard many times growing up ¡°even the Goddess could not change the past, so work with what you have in the present¡±. After the mental pep talk, Axel arrived at the door of the chamber and was forced to stop in front of them. As the seconds ticked past, it was getting hard for Axel to ignore the emotions he had been suppressing for however long it had been since the duel. Axel could check his journal to see how long had passed but was mentally avoiding that as a part of him did not want to know. As he was stuck, Axel tried using his mother¡¯s breathing trick to calm himself but not to get lost in his memories this time. He needed to be on his toes to not be next to his former friend being returned to the Goddess that day. Just then, the two large ornate doors slowly opened to reveal the council chambers and village meeting hall. The room was a large circle with a large bench holding five seats to the north. Next, there were seats on the east and west for members of the tribe to sit in on meetings or, in this case, a Trial of Innocence or Guilt. The rafters had seating for the Aurelians of the village along with special seats on the sides for the local Thalaxians to rest comfortably. In the stands were a mix of the other villagers, from humans coming in all their shapes and sizes, though most were around six feet tall with dark hair and eyes, to the Krellians. Krellians were amphibious humanoids with a robust build, typically standing between 5.5 to 6.5 feet tall. Their skin was smooth and slightly moist, with a range of colors from deep blues to vibrant greens. They had webbed hands and feet, and their skin often had a slight sheen from the water. Krellians had large, expressive eyes adapted for seeing underwater and gills along the sides of their necks, allowing them to breathe both air and water. Since he was young Axel had always admired their ability to move seamlessly between land and water, the ability to explore more of the world they lived. Mixed in sparsely were the Vortan, a tall and slender race, with sweeping bone that ran along their foreheads around the sides to the back of their necks. A typical Vortan stood between 6.5 to 7.5 feet tall. Their bodies were lean and elongated, giving them a graceful and almost ethereal appearance. Their skin was bioluminescent, with patterns that changed color based on their emotions, ranging from soft blues and greens when calm to vibrant reds and oranges when agitated or excited. Vortan had high cheekbones and elongated faces, with large almond-shaped eyes that often glowed softly in the dark. Axel found that all the Vortan in the audience were in hues of red. Glancing up into the rafters where the Aurelians, enjoying the show like normal. From Axel¡¯s experience, their beauty juxtaposed their nature of freedom. Aurelians were avian-like beings with feathered wings and hollow bones, allowing for flight. If not for the wings and near perfectly symmetric facial appearance they would look like humans. They typically stood between 5.5 to 6.5 feet tall and had a slender, lightweight build. Their feathers had a unique metallic sheen, often iridescent, reflecting light in a dazzling array of colors. Aurelians had sharp, angular features with keen, piercing eyes adapted for seeing great distances. Then there was the most alien of the races the goddess picked to live in their world, the Thalaxians. This was a non-humanoid race that many would think were close to the beasts of the land, but this race was the engineers of the People and was what allowed communication through what he was taught was called the Hive Mind. Thalaxians were insectoid beings with a chitinous exoskeleton, typically standing between 6 to 8 feet tall with a broad, sturdy build. Their exoskeletons were reinforced with metals, making them durable and capable of withstanding harsh conditions. They had six legs and two manipulator arms, which were thinner and more dexterous than their legs, used for fine motor tasks and manipulation of tools. Realizing his mind was wandering again, Axel admonished himself mentally and tried to resist the mental pressure that was building in the room as many in this room had completed a trial to gain a mental power of some type, if not made adept and either strengthened that power or gained a subsidiary mental power. Gathering his still tattered thoughts and willed himself to stand straight and not let them see him as weak. As his slow, purposeful steps moved to stand in the center of the chamber, he looked over the council. A group that, while growing up, he knew quite well. On the far right was Finn Quake, the father of his once friend. Cade and Finn look almost exactly alike with only Cade looking like a younger version of Finn. To the left of Finn was a Vortan councilor who was an officer of the Storm and the main trainer of the youth of the village. He wore armor of leather and metal plates covering vital areas but leaving a lot of room for mobility. Even after years of training Axel did not know his name as he would only tell it to someone who beat him in a dual or proved themselves in some way. At the center was the Chieftain of the village, a mountain of a man with dark hair and eyes, wearing clean beast hide armor with strategically placed metal plates and missing his right arm. Continuing left quickly as to not look the Chieftain in the eyes was a Krellian female who was the head of the local Luminaries of Lore branch and keeper of the library, Icthia. Icthia was also the main teacher of all the village young so that they could read, write, and learn the knowledge needed to survive and thrive in the world. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Last, at the end of the table, was the head of the Thalaxians of the village known as Thunderstorm as their native names were not pronounceable to the other races and gave headaches if transmitted mentally. His position meant that he was the leader of construction, craftsmen, and the Communion of the village. The Communion was what is used to message the other villages or the City-State of Greenhaven. Seeing all these eyes that he had grown up knowing staring at him with judgment was more than a little disconcerting for Axel. He could easily remember all the different times growing up with them helping his father do his work as the Chief of the village. Axel decided to stare straight at the symbol of the village, a tree with wide branches circled by common beasts that were hunted here. After a short silence, the noise settled down and the Krellian female banged her gavel. ¡°I bring this Trial to order. Axel Thunderstrider, you stand here accused of murdering Cade Quake in a Challenge of Mating. This charge is very grievous and if found guilty you will be executed. What is your pleading?¡± The Krellian Icthia stated in a calm, grave voice. ¡°I plead that I killed him in the midst of the moment when he tried to put a sword through my heart,¡± Axel replied, his voice only cracking slightly at the admission, even to himself, that he ended Cade¡¯s life with his own hands. Finn then stood quickly. ¡°LIES!!! You wanted my son dead as he was going to take the one you perceived as yours away! You Murd¡ª¡± Finn started leaning forward and slamming the table while shouting at Axel. In his anger, his necklace with a Shadowfang Serpent emblem tumbled out of his shirt and dangled over the table he was sitting at. His normally well-kept hair is also a mess and all over the place giving him a bit of a crazed look. Axel, feeling a surge of anger, shot back, ¡°I didn¡¯t want him dead, Finn! He attacked me! He tried to kill me!¡± ¡°Councilor Finn, as the aggrieved party, you will have your opportunity to speak after the proceedings. Now, Axel, that is a serious claim. Do you have proof of this?¡± Icthia calmly said, trying to regain calm in the proceedings, and Axel could feel the calm sweep out from her as she leveraged an empathic power to get people to calm down and focus. A trick many knew about if she ever tutored you and you were too jittery, not being able to sit and study. This also helped quell the rage surging through his veins nearly out of his control at Finns accusation . Axel knew he was not in the greatest emotional state right now and this made controlling his crimson backlash from his proto core more difficult. The shackles where also not helping him as he was feeling off balance when he could not touch a part of him he knew all his life. With a disgruntled noise, Finn sat back down in his seat with force. He was then talked to by the Vortan councilor in hushed voices. After that, Finn noticed his necklace had fallen out of his shirt and tucked it back in and just crossed his arms in anger, only to then fixed his hair back in place after a stray strand fell across his vison. ¡°As was taught in our laws, I bring in my health data from my Journal from the time of the duel, which shows a piercing strike between my ribs where my heart would be. It damaged several arteries, but my Blessing stopped the bleeding before it became critical,¡± Axel returned while trying to keep calm. ¡°What are you saying, you have no heart, so my son missed?¡± Finn shot out, earning him a glare from the rest of the council. ¡°I can attest that Axel has a medical condition where his heart is mirrored. It is in his medical records,¡± Tessa stood from her seat in the stands and added. Being one of the Healers of the community, her words carried great weight. ¡°Very well. We will take this record and if shown true, you will lose the charge of premeditated murder in a Trial of Mating,¡± Icthia said as she moved from her council seat and walked to Axel. She gently placed her webbed hand on his forehead and Axel felt a prompt from his Journal seeking permission to share health data from the time of the duel. Axel allowed the copying of the data, and he could see Icthia reading through it rapidly. ¡°I find that Axel is telling the truth and that a strike at the time and location had indeed happened.¡± In a much kinder voice, Icthia, so low only someone with enhanced hearing or right next to her would hear, said, ¡°I knew I did not teach you in vain, young Axel. Forgive me for what my duties will still force me to do.¡± With a wave of her hand, she used her mastery over light-based powers. In the air was a floating image of his health data in its basic data mode with the slowly spinning human-shaped body that everyone with a Journal was aware of. This slowly showed the damage that he accumulated in the fight with time above the image. Then in an instant, it showed an object had pierced the body through a gap in the ribs. Right before the image was dismissed everyone also saw a spike in Axel''s hormones and chemicals for rage and anger, and then his whole body was glaring red damage indicators. ¡°As Adjudicator of the Council, I find Axel not guilty of murder but still guilty of causing the death of another member of the village in the Trial of Mating. According to his health data, Axel was overcome with rage and likely a crimson backlash when he ended Cade¡¯s life. This is what I find the most logical happening after reviewing Cade¡¯s Journal before the trial and now Axel¡¯s. Axel, after a time of confinement, you will be healed and then exiled from this village, never to set foot in it again until the ban is lifted, or you complete a deed so great you cleanse this stain from you in the Eyes of the Goddess.¡± Icthia then placed her hand on Axel¡¯s head causing his Journal to alert him that he had gained a new status of Exile from Junglesheart. Seeing this, Axel could no longer hold the floodgates of grief and sadness back. He fell to his knees as they, for all their monstrous strength, seemed to lose any power in them. In this haze, he heard what happened next as if he was underwater; everything seemed distant and muffled. Finn challenged this ruling but was overruled by the two neutral counselors. Then Finn went one step further and challenged the Chieftain to a Champion¡¯s Challenge to lead the village, stating that the Chieftain was corrupt, and his son proved it by the light punishment that Axel was receiving for the murder of his son. As the enforcers lifted Axel to haul him back to his cell, the jolt snapped him out of his grief. He noticed his father standing and picking up his axe, preparing to head to the dueling chamber that had only just been cleaned of his lost friend Cade¡¯s blood. The sight filled Axel with a mix of dread and concern for both his father and a man he had always considered a second one. As the enforcers dragged him out of the meeting hall, the last thing Axel saw before the doors closed was Lyra standing from her seat with a set look in her eyes. Her expression was one of fierce resolve, a silent promise that she would uncover the truth of what was happening. Strangely, her eyes always said way more than her lips ever did. Axel held onto that image, drawing strength from her unwavering support as the doors shut behind him, plunging him into the uncertainty of what lay ahead. Chapter 4 ¡°Back on a cold bench in my damp cell, waiting on bad news to arrive in threes,¡± Axel muttered aloud, his voice echoing off the stone walls of his cell. The blackness of the situation was trying to smother him as he lay back, feeling the chill seeping into his bones, using the chill to have something else to focus on. The light in the cell window was getting long, showing that the day was coming to a close. There was likely only a couple of hours left to this day by Axels best guess. While worried about his father, he had a deeply rooted confidence in him, born of years of beatings disguised as training. His father was also one of the very few who passed a trial a full tier above him, a feat that no one currently alive has done. His father was an Expert of the 4th cycle and, if not for missing his right arm, would have been a Master tier by now, the same as a city lord or a commander of the Warriors of the Storm for the area. Instead, he became the village chieftain to give himself time to retrain his skills as losing an arm slowed him down for a time. Axel still struggled with that guilt from time to time, that his father had to sacrifice so much for him but there was little Axel could do to repay him besides train with all he had. As this thought crossed his mind, he felt the ground shudder as if an earthquake was happening. Axel quickly moved to a corner of his cell, sitting in the corner with his back to the wall of his cell, Axel hoped the Thalaxian did not cut any corners in the building of this cell. The quakes increased in intensity for a time along with muffled bangs. ¡°Dad and Finn are going all out, aren¡¯t they, that had to be Finns earth and vibration skills.¡± Axel grumbled. The explosions and quakes continued on for a time but suddenly stopped, causing Axel to guess that the challenge was over. With a prayer to the Goddess on his lips for his family, Axel got up out of the corner and started fixing his bench bed that had tipped over in the bedlam. As he was just getting comfortable again, to wallow in his morose thoughts, the sound of a clank happened at his cell¡¯s door. ¡°Wasn¡¯t expecting company so soon,¡± Axel muttered as Icthia, the Krellian councilor, hurried into his cell, her breath coming in short gasps. Axel¡¯s hackles rose immediately; it took a lot to rattle an Expert of the first circle like Icthia. He also noticed the Krellian version of a sheen of sweat over her skin, making him think that she exerted great effort or just got done with a hard workout. ¡°As Adjudicator of your punishment, I call your time in confinement over and that your time of exile starts now, as is tradition you have 2 hours to leave the village or be punished according to the laws,¡± Icthia said loudly as she stepped into his cell. In a much quieter tone so as to not leave the cell, she added, ¡°Axel, your father lost the duel, along with his life, and you need to leave now before Finn assumes his powers as Chieftain of the village. This is the only thing I can do to help you now. Hurry and leave before its to late!¡± After telling Axel this, she left in just as much of a hurry as she arrived, leaving his cell open with the duty enforcer looking on in confusion. Axel guessed that she ducked out after the duel and did not want to be seen missing for the new Chieftain¡¯s coronation. Taking the none-too-subtle hint, Axel left his cell in a limping stumble. He was only about 50% healed, with many of his bones creaking and groaning in pain. -------- Axel and pain were like old, jaded lovers. He had long learned how to ignore its bitching when needed, and he needed to move. His first stop was his home, which was dark with no lights on, in the growing twilight of the day. As he entered, his hand found a gem that held a weak light power in it, next to the door. With a touch of a metal stud to activate, Axel shielded the light to prevent as much light spread as he could. With this light, he moved to his room to gather what he could before leaving. Knowing that he could not survive in the jungle without the proper equipment, the first thing he gathered was his hunting gear. This included knives, compasses, rain gear, and other necessities to camp in the wild. With how injured he still was, the packing was much slower than he would have liked. Just as he packed his clothing and survival supplies, he heard a polite cough. This made Axel jump, jolting his wounds. As he turned, drawing a hunting knife from its sheath, he saw Lyra leaning in the doorway to his room, looking drained and exhausted. With a quick motion, Axel re-sheathed the knife so as not to cause any accidents. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to startle you, Axel. I heard you were released from Icthia during Finn¡¯s ceremony of leadership and hurried over here knowing that this is the first place you¡¯d go,¡± Lyra said in a low voice as if afraid of her voice carrying to unwanted ears. She then moved to hug Axel, forgetting about his injuries, causing him to hold in the hiss of pain so as not to cause her more emotional pain. ¡°He fell, Axel. Finn stabbed him with a strange stone knife that scattered his power. Then Finn sliced his tendons and stabbed him through the heart with the statement, ¡®Your son may not have a heart, but I can pierce him by stabbing yours out,¡¯¡± Lyra sobbed into his chest. ¡°Then Tessa pronounced his death in such a detached way. Like this would not destroy me. How could she do that!¡± Patting the crying woman gently on the back, Axel this time did hear a side door slowly open as it needed to be oiled, making a slight creaking noise of the door joint. With as much swiftness as his pain-ridden body could manage, he moved Lyra behind him as a shadowy figure moved through the living room to his room. With great relief, the shadows melted in the light of the gem to reveal his mother. Lyra, seeing her adopted mother from behind Axel¡¯s back, over his shoulders, transferred herself to hug her. Nyx Thunderstrider used one arm to hug the girl and mutter words to her that Axel could not hear from where he was standing. ¡°Mother, I am glad I could see you!¡± Axel said fiercely, kissing her on the head as hugging hurt too much right now. Damn you, Lyra! ¡°Lyra was telling me about what happened. What are you going to do?¡± Axel said, trying to keep his voice down through the emotions raging inside his chest to rip and tear the ones that hurt his family. Axel knew also that his time was very limited, and he had to keep moving. ¡°Fear not, my son, your mother is wilier than that bastard Finn. Lyra noticed something off with how your duel with Cade was. I agree with her as I watched that boy grow, and he would never have gone for a kill strike on you, he would have taken a killing blow for you. I would have bet everything on it, the boy was ever to sacrificing.¡± The dark look in his mother¡¯s eye promising retribution for the loss of someone she considered a second son said more than the words that she spat out. ¡°With everything going on, I used some tricks I learned growing up in a Healer of Hope compound. I also called in a favor with Tessa. Tessa will also fake his funeral rights with a recently dead hunter who had no family. Your father lives for now, boy, but he is still gravely injured. I plan to hide him, and when I get him stable, call some friends from our Flame Seeking days to help me move him to one of my old homes in Typhoon. This may be the last time we talk in a long time, my boy.¡± His mother finished her revelation. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°In the shed is the gift that me and your father had gathered for you for your Age of Majority ceremony. Sadly, we won¡¯t have that happy moment, but they should do you well in your life outside this village.¡± She then kissed him on the forehead, turning to look at Lyra. ¡°Do you wish to come with me? While I don¡¯t think Finn is crazed to the point that he would hurt a healer, I don¡¯t wish to take chances.¡± Lyra shook her head, regaining her determined look. ¡°No, Mother, I plan to stay and see if I can find any evidence of what is happening here. Someone needs to, and I am the only one that can. I will need to leave soon anyway to take my first trial, and I could meet with Axel in Greenhaven. Your leaving, after your father¡¯s death, makes sense as this happens with widowers in your situation often and very few will think much about it.¡± ¡°While you don¡¯t have any of my blood in your veins, you are truly my daughter. I will leave now to use this time to get somewhere safe with your father. Be safe my children and may the Goddess guide your path.¡± With a kiss for both, Axel¡¯s mother melted back into the shadows and vanished into the night. ¡°Axel, you need to get moving also. The gates will close for the night in less than an hour. We also don¡¯t know how much power Finn has consolidated. He could use the fact that you are an exile, traditions on leaving within two hours be damned, to have you killed or tortured. I will do what I can and meet you in Greenhaven.¡± With that, Lyra also turned, heading out without a backward glance. If Axel had to guess, she would head back to the coronation to delay things for him as much as she could. Axel picked up his pack, though not putting it on his shoulders, and headed to the shed to see what his parents left him. Under the hay were the two gifts. The first was a new halberd, the axe blade of a Tempest beast¡¯s axe tail, a curved spike of a Zan for the hook, and the spear point and connection was a metal that only a high-level Thalaxian metal smith could forge. This gift must have cost his father much of his savings. The other gift was a book of herbs. This was just as rare as it likely came from a large Healers of Hope enclave library. This knowledge, all in one place, was worth almost as much as the halberd. With these gifts, Axel moved silently to the south gate. While slightly farther than the closer East gate, Axel did not want to leave the village near the road so that he could not be easily hunted down if Finn had men to call on. As he walked, Axel could tell that most of the village was distracted by the change of power, as the streets were empty of almost everyone, and this made it much easier to move undetected. -------- Arriving near the gate, Axel could tell that something was off as the gate guards were doubled with two of the normal guards but two people that Axel had never seen before. After watching for a time and listening in as much as possible, Axel knew that the situation would not get any better by standing here given his time limit not many were leaving or entering at this time, so there would be fewer people cover as time went on making it harder to get through the gate. With a deep breath and regretting the action immediately, Axel moved to the gate, getting about 20 feet from the wall before he had no more cover. The village wall loomed above him, a towering structure of massive concrete and steel, designed to withstand the fiercest beast tide. The sharpened stakes lining the top of the wall glinted in the fading sunlight, a stark reminder of the dangers that lay beyond. With confident strides, Axel figured that he would have better odds moving like he owned this place than looking like a sneak thief trying to flee. This got him to the gate before anyone reacted. One of the veteran guards, noticing Axel, moved to distract the new guard, yelling at him for some minor infraction. Axel didn¡¯t know this guard personally, but the man¡¯s actions spoke volumes. This allowed Axel to clear the gate before the other new guard, who had been talking to a group of hunters entering with a catch, reacted. By the time the new guard reacted, Axel was clear, and as much as it hurt, he moved into a full sprint into the woods. As he started hearing the yells from the new guards followed by yells from the veterans, Axel was clearing the brush and disappearing into the jungle. Axel found a safe spot in the dense jungle a good distance away, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He leaned against a tree, feeling the rough bark against his back, and closed his eyes for a moment. He needed to check his status and plan his next move. With a few practiced blinks, he activated the Goddess¡¯s Journal, the interface appearing on the iris of his eyes, overlaying his vision. Accessing Journal system ¡­¡­ The familiar interface flickered to life, displaying a series of options and statuses. Axel focused on the health status icon, and the display shifted. Switching from basic mode to detailed mode ¡­¡­ A detailed holographic image of his body appeared, rotating slowly. Angry red lines highlighted the damaged bones and muscles, giving Axel a clear view of his injuries. Health Status: Axel winced at the prognosis but knew he had to keep moving. He blinked again to close the detailed health information. Closing Detailed health information ¡­¡­ The display shifted back to a more basic overview, showing only the essential information about his injuries and an estimated recovery time. Changing health information to basic health information mode ¡­¡­ Next, Axel focused on the core status icon. The display changed to show a bar indicating the energy level of his proto core. Opening Core status Detailed mode ¡­¡­ Core Status: Axel sighed, knowing he needed to conserve his energy. He blinked to return the core status to basic mode. Returning Core status to basic mode ¡­¡­ The bar showing his core¡¯s energy level appeared, sitting at around 13%. Axel then focused on the journal icon, bringing up his recent entries and statuses. Opening the Journal from standby mode ¡­¡­ Journal Status: New Status since the last update: Axel felt a pang of sadness at the last status but pushed it aside. He needed to focus on survival. He blinked to skip making a journal entry for now. Make Journal entry ¡­¡­ No Journal returning to standby mode ¡­¡­ Finally, Axel accessed the quest log to see if there were any new directives from the Goddess. Access Quests ¡­¡­ Current Quests: Axel noted the quests, especially the one about healing his wounds. He needed to find a healer, very unlikely out in the jungle, or hunt a beast soon. He blinked to close the quest log. Closing Quests ¡­¡­ Access Past entries ¡­¡­ No Log out of interface ¡­¡­ Logging out The interface faded from his vision, leaving Axel alone in the jungle once more. He took a deep breath on instinct and again regretted it, feeling a renewed sense of purpose after the pain passed. As he prepared to move, a new quest notification appeared, catching him off guard. New Quest: Save the Scout ¡­¡­ There is a scout in trouble near you that could help you on your journey¡­¡­ Axel sighed, the Goddess¡¯s timing impeccable as always. He steeled himself and set off in the direction indicated by the quest and, more importantly, the feminine scream, determined to find the scout and continue his journey. Chapter 5 Following the scream of pain, Axel moved as fast as his body could handle, likely faster than he should, but he was moving to an emergency. As he navigated through the underbrush, he prepared for the battle ahead. First, he brought up his journal¡¯s basic beast index then he blinked in a pattern that activated his journal¡¯s combat mode, displaying basic information on the side of his vision. This could not be undone without closing his eyes for a full 30 seconds to reset the lock. Something he should have done before his fight with Cade, another regret added to his list, and a lesson learned in blood. As the index opened on the opposite side of his vision of the health information, a memory of learning from Icthia with his friends Cade and Lyra ran through his head. ------ Sitting in a bright courtyard under the morning sun, Icthia in her ink-stained robes began the morning¡¯s lecture. At a stone table were Axel, Lyra, Cade, and several other village children. Most of them were jittery, wanting to get this over with so they could go out and play. As Icthia began talking, everyone seemed to calm down and start paying rapt attention. ¡°As a person grows, so does their journal with them. The Goddess made it so that their gift would help them throughout their life. Take Axel¡¯s journal, since he was a hunter now, his journal will grow to hold information on the beasts he had hunted or studied to hunt. It will grow with him to try and help him. Your journals will only have some basic abilities as even the Goddess does not know what you will try in your life. Her writ is about the journey of life and growing stronger through its challenges. Lyra, you are also another great example, as your journal should already be changing to help you with your Goddess-granted healing gifts. Am I right?¡± Lyra nodded to Icthia, who continued the lesson. ¡°Take my own, send me out into the forest with the hunters I could do alright with my training but I would bring back little game compared to the hunters put me in the Library here and I could help you find the Journal of a promising blacksmith from 100 years ago, it¡¯s in Section H Row 12 Shelf 4 generally 4 books in from the walkway unless someone removed a book prior.¡± ¡°This was not to say a journal can grow forever, it has its limits as with all things in life. Learning these limits will let you better plan your life and not be surprised. There is only so much it can grow at any given Tier and it will gain or lose functions in your life as your priorities shift. The Journal will also grow with you as you complete your Trials to better help you with your path. So, remember to always make entries in it every night if you can so that the Goddess can watch over your growth and guide you along your journey.¡± --------- This memory only took a moment to flash through Axel¡¯s mind and, as his teacher had said, everything had its limitations. The memory trick he had learned growing up came with the issue for him that memories would sometimes pop up when working through things. Thankfully, in stressful situations, the mind tended to suppress this drawback but if the user was in a less than stellar mental state, like running through a forest on a quest given by the Goddess with injuries and dealing with what has had to have been the worst 30-something hours in their life, these drawbacks liked to rear their head. As Axel moved through the dense underbrush, the sounds of the jungle enveloped him. The chirping of insects, the distant calls of unknown creatures, and the rustling of leaves created a symphony of life. The air was thick with humidity, making each breath feel heavy and harder with his damaged ribs. The smell of damp earth and decaying vegetation filled his nose, and the distant calls of jungle creatures could be heard. This was a constant reminder of the jungle¡¯s untamed nature. Clearing a very impressive specimen of a Guen tree known for its rubber sap, Axel arrived in a more open area. While it would not be classified as a clearing, the trees were less dense and the foliage was very light. Standing with her back to a Guen tree was an Aurelian woman, her left wing damaged with what looked like a large gash. She seemed to be a young one of her species as her feathers did not have much of a metallic sheen to them, that the older more mature ones would. Axel¡¯s eyes were immediately drawn to her wings, which, despite the injury on one, were a stunning display of her kinds iridescent feathers. The metallic sheen was faint, indicating her youth, but the intricate varying patterns between metal and natural feathers were mesmerizing. Her light scouting gear was practical yet elegant, designed to allow for maximum mobility while providing protection. The daggers she held were crafted from the claws of a beast Axel had not seen before, their edges sharp and deadly with a light coating of blood on them. The woman turned her head ever so slightly, revealing a face that was both fierce and delicate. Her eyes, a striking shade of silver, grazed onto Axel with a mix of caution, curiosity, and repressed pain but not letting the beast who attacked her leave her vision. Her silvery blond hair fell in a silken wave to her shoulders, catching the dying light and late evening breeze, giving her an almost ethereal look. Despite her injury, she stood tall and defiant, ready to defend herself if necessary. She was about 5¡¯7" if Axel had to guess with her wings giving her a perceived height as tall as him. Time slowed down as Axel saw what was across from the woman. It was a Twilight Stalker, a lizard-like beast with six legs, and two scythe-like talons at the front shoulders attached with strong twin-jointed limbs. Axel¡¯s index brought up his knowledge of the beast with data and rough estimates, the stats automatically on the side where he had activated his index beginning to fill out. Index basic mode Twilight Stalker Known Dangers: Estimated Age: Between Youth and Juvenile stage due to the size and length of Scything Talons Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Beast Potency Level: Novice Low Current Danger to the user: Very High due to the user¡¯s current health data and the creature¡¯s known fighting abilities. The Twilight Stalker was not a particularly resilient species, preferring stealthy ambush and poisoning its prey to later find the corpse to eat at its pleasure. This must be a young one to be out in the open like this and desperate for food to boot, making the situation even more dangerous as it would be unlikely to be scared away. Axel was also cursing himself out a bit as his mind was going through combat options. He had perfectly good throwing knives in his pack right now, a great tool with his strength but didn¡¯t want to look too armed when he was trying to leave the village, and honestly with his body¡¯s shape did not want to deal with the pain and discomfort of them on his body. He also did not have his discharge chain attached to this new halberd. It was a useful tool when dealing with beasts that hunted with electrical discharges and for situations where you needed a bit more range than his halberd would give in a fight. As his old one was still attached to the halberd he had used in the duel. Shying from those thoughts, his combat options were limited. He had his halberd and hunting knife as his only easily available tools right now and a beast was about to strike at the young woman again. Axel decided to free his hand and tossed his pack to the side. With that hand free he quickly drew the hunting knife and with a practiced controlled strength threw the knife at the beast¡¯s head. Either by a combination of his injuries, using a knife not made for throwing, and/or lack of recent practice, he missed his mark. The knife grazed the beast¡¯s neck causing it to leap back spoiling its strike on the woman though, so small wins? The beast leaped back and disappeared into the brush to likely reassess the danger to itself. Using the time gained, Axel finished his sprint to the woman¡¯s side. As he arrived, he could better see her condition, which was bad but not critical. He could see the pooling blood from the wing and several wounds likely poisoned slowing her Goddess Gifts healing the wounds. If not treated soon she would likely faint from blood loss before her body purged the poison. ¡°You look like you need a little assistance,¡± was the first thing out of Axel¡¯s mouth much to his embarrassment. ¡°Yes, assistance would be greatly appreciated,¡± a happy and bubbly with a hint of repressed pain replied. Her voice was light and melodic and very pleasing to the ear. Then Axel remembered that he was talking to an Aurelian and that they had a lack of many social cues, finding such things stupid and not useful to life. Then she tilted her head saying in a concerned tone, ¡°Are you sure it is not you that needs assistance? You look very beat up to Aria¡¯s eyes.¡± Ignoring her question Axel surveyed the forested area in the dying light and knowing this was the worst place and time to fight this beast, Axel turned his back to her surveying the area while saying, ¡°This is an ambush predator that is known for camouflage and poisoned attacks. We don¡¯t have much time before it realizes that I am not the threat it thought I was at first. I have some bandages in the belt pouch near the small of my back with some basic blood clotting cream. Use it quick to stop your bleeding while we have this moment.¡± A moment later he felt a tug on his belt. Hoping that she could save herself right now Axel continued to scan the trees wishing for the special power of heat sight. That would make this so much easier. ¡°It is moving to the right just off the ground near the tree with red leaves. Aria can smell its blood, and it is not the most practiced stealth predator as Aria is hearing its claws scrape against the trunk.¡± came a voice behind Axel followed by a sharp hiss of pain. She must be putting on the clotting cream as that shit stings like the Crimson. Axel knew better than to shift in a way that gave away he was aware of its location. ¡°Alright, can you still fight?¡± Hearing an affirmative sound, he continued, ¡°I will take its attack and hold it off. This beast has a weak point of a nerve cluster at the shoulder joint for its scythes. This should cause it to lock up allowing us to quickly finish it. Think you can hit that?¡± ¡°Yep Aria can hit that easy peasy yandon squeezy!¡± said the sing-songy reply, ¡°also Aria thinks it¡¯s getting ready for something as ¡­¡± as she was warning him out of the brush came a large mass of shifting colors. Knowing this was coming, Axel turned and braced himself to take this leaping attack. He used the heaft of his halberd to block both of the scything talons that slammed down on him. This still left the claws and teeth to try and remove parts of him that he would like to keep. So, with a yell of effort Axel locked one joint between the shaft and axe blade, and using the remaining momentum of its charging leap, Axel let his left leg give, and with the leverage that his halberd was giving him locking a limb, swung it into the Guen tree in a full 720-degree arc, twisting his body with the motion. He could even feel a large burst of air hitting him as he swung the beast. The impact sent a shower of leaves and debris raining down around him. Axel was also lightly splashed with the beast''s blood as the scythe limb broke from the strain on it, losing his grip on his halberd along the way. He was hoping that he did not miscalculate the woman¡¯s position from her voice just a moment ago. Even with the adrenaline pouring throughout his body, good Goddess, everything hurt so badly now, and he was sure he would be useless for the rest of this based on the basic health information he was seeing. Both arms broken, fractures added to the hip, and added damage to his right knee. He had to hope the woman could do her part as he did not like his odds unarmed and with how badly the injuries all over his body appearing again and getting worst from that one exchange. Also, his proto core showed less than two percent power remaining having drained quickly from the effort to swing the beast. It was at this moment that he heard the thump and groan of the beast sliding off the tree and getting back to its feet. Axel struggled to stand and turning to the beast so that if she failed, he could try anything, by anything at least look the beast in the eye as it killed him and maybe spitting in one of its eyes if he was lucky. As he was now sure he rebroke his arms again, along with damaging his back, hips, and knees almost as badly as his now re-broken arms. What he saw instead of his death was the woman falling from what he guessed was a one-wing assisted leap, landing on its back, hitting both nerve clusters along the joints, stunning the beast in pain, allowing her to leap off its bucking form again with, yep, and another wing-assisted leap with a gust of strong gust of wind to land again. She followed that up by driving a dagger deep into its skull through the eye, likely killing it there. She did not stop with that strike though, not seeming to want to take the risk, and sent her second dagger into the base of its neck. The beast slumped over at this point and silence returned to the area. With the danger over, Axel¡¯s body seemed to have had enough of his shit at this point and shut him down. As things were going grey, he got a nice look at the woman as she was turning to him with her chest puffed out and a look of pride only to change to what Axel¡¯s mom would have called an ¡°Oh shit¡± face. Chapter 6 The first thing Axel noticed was the crackling of flames and the smell of cooking meat. The problem with consciousness though is now he was feeling all that pain. Letting out a groan, he glanced at his damage readings and, yep, he messed himself up badly and his wounds had worsened still further. The readout stated that his estimated recovery time was 10 days 16 hours with current body stores, with the ability of partial functionality of 8 days 3 hours due to critical skeletal, joint, and muscular damage. The Journal also shows the symbols above his basic readout that it is unlikely to be repaired without additional resources, the resources would be taken from current muscle mass and body-building materials that his body had used up to now preparing for the day of his first Trial, this would be a major setback to his plans if it happened. In this situation, his training ¡­ his mind started to go back to a lesson with his father¡­ but he forced it to stop just as, it started as this was not a good time for trips down memory lane, with another shallow breath this time, he reviewed his survival training and it said that he needed to kill beasts and eat their cores to speed up his healing process. A hard ask when moving was going to be a task akin to moving a mountain with his hand. As he was trying to figure out how to survive this situation, he heard a happy voice near his head. ¡°Oh great, you live!! Aria thought that you were not going to make it there with you having bones sticking out your arms there and your leg resting at that strange angle. Also, you were coughing blood for a while there,¡± said a genuinely worried sounding voice. As Axel opened his eyes, he was staring at an upside-down face with silvery blond hair falling in a silken wave to the ground and eyes the color of a silver staring into his. The eyes held in them almost a pure innocent joy and look of wonder. Her face, like all her kind, had a nearly unnatural beauty, to just before the point that it would weird a human out. ¡°Aria was afraid to move you, so she returned to her camp gear and brought it with her here. Aria is not great at the healing arts, but Aria tried to put you together. Aria thinks that your Gift should be able to fix you all up now though,¡± the almost too-happy voice said. ¡°Thanks for that,¡± Axel said with some difficulty, right broken ribs not just fractured, ¡°Would you mind helping me some more? My body seems to be running on empty building material. Would you mind if I take a bigger part of that Twilight Stalker kill¡¯s meat? I know by tradition, as you landed the killing blow you should have the larger share of the meat but I am in a situation here.¡± The woman Aria gave him a perplexed look and said, ¡°But Aria ate that like two days ago now. You didn¡¯t wake up, so Aria ate it to heal the wounds it did to her. Even when cooked right it tasted like poo though. Helped Aria heal right up and even get closer to the second cycle of my Novice core.¡± Axel lightly sighed but could not blame her as unless you treat a kill correctly it would lose the potency of its blessing. The meat would keep longer and supply material for the body to work with but without the extra blessings in the meat or its beast core, the location where the Goddess blessed the beasts, holding a lot of the blessing to temporarily speed up the process of repair or building up to the next cycle. ¡°Well, I guess I will still thank you for guarding me during this time. Could you maybe help me get some meat from a kill so that I can get back on my feet?¡± Axel said with a tiredness that he was feeling to his very soul. Dealing with the pain was beginning to wear him down, as he knew it would from past experiences. Trying to keep up a hopeful mindset to not fall into a spiral, Axel said, ¡°I would be in your debt for this help.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± The confusion on Aria¡¯s face was almost comical. ¡°Why are you asking Aria this? Did you hit your head too? Please don¡¯t have brain damage, Aria does not know how to fix that!!!¡± The girl started to say in a panicky way, ¡°Why would you need to ask Aria for help? You came and saved Aria! Do you think Aria does not even have the honor to help Aria¡¯s rescuer?¡± As her words began to go faster and faster, to the point Axel began to think he may be concussed, though his Journal Health Data disagreed. ¡°All right, all right, I am sorry if I said anything that was stressing you.¡± Axel tried to placate her. ¡°Look, I can smell something cooking. Could I beg your hospitality to have some?¡± Aria stopped her rambling that seemed to have gone quieter and making less sense as it went and gave Axel a bright look. ¡°Yes, let Aria help you up so you don¡¯t choke on the food.¡± With that and what seemed more than a little effort, she helped him sit up next to a Guan tree. While this was not the same area of the fight, it seemed not too far away from the look of the drag marks on the ground. From his sitting position leaning against the Guen tree, Axel could see the little camp. There was a sleeping bag that he slept in, another one on the other side of a fire pit. The camp had a fire pit in the center with what looked like a Gin, a bipetal herbivore that had a mild nature and moved fast when sensing danger, they were roughly as tall as a man and thrice as long with armored plates along its back and neck. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The beast was butchered expertly, and its parts were cooking over the fire. Axel could see its beast core in the fire to cook it, allowing the blessings in the beast to be freed of their binding to the beast¡¯s blood. The core was the size of one of the pastries the village cook would make of small round bread balls cooked in oil. As Axel sat there, he saw Aria turning the spit to cook the food more easily. She also opened a small pouch and added a mix of spices. This caused Axel to say, ¡°Please don¡¯t put that on my portion. Those herbs are only for your kind. I really don¡¯t want the stomach pains as my body tries to process that.¡± What Axel noticed her putting on the meat was an herb that her kind grew to help with the wings and feathers grow in a lightweight but strong metal. While not lethal to the other races, it gave humans stomach issues and long stays in the restroom. ¡°Oh sorry, Aria has not traveled much with humans,¡± she said and stopped before spicing more than half the meat. After it was cooked, she took the core out of the fire and walked over to Axel. ¡°Say Ahhh.¡± Opening her mouth wide while saying this. As Axel was trying to figure out what this woman was getting at, she didn¡¯t seem to have the patience to wait for him to figure it out, she lightly poked his ribs. ¡°AHH,¡± Axel said in pain as he was also just as quickly shut up when the Beast core was shoved in his mouth. ¡°Now make sure to chew and swallow. You need that to feel better!!¡± Aria then headed back to the cooking area and started serving up slices of meat onto small plates. She then sat next to him, very much invading his personal space, to feed him cut-up slices of meat. ¡°Aria wanted to thank you for coming to save Aria from that beast. You were very brave and manly. Like when you were like YAAAA catching the beast and slamming it into the tree. You yelled so loud that you scared Aria into the sky!!¡± As she was talking, her hand went up to the sky to try and emphasize her point. ¡°As Aria was coming back down, Aria saw the spot you said to hit and hit it with Aria¡¯s daggers really hard. Also, Aria would not recommend doing that with broken wings!! Aria almost fainted like you did from it.¡± As the woman happily regaled Axel with what had happened, he could see whole hours being shaved off his recovery time already. Many of the warning symbols for lack of body materials were also fading. The day continued like this with Aria leaving for a short time to hunt for more food to aid in both their recovery. When she arrived back, she looked a little upset carrying a pair of smaller Snars. A Snare is a small furred quadruped mammalian creature that breeds fast but dies in large numbers to the local predators. The only danger they presented was a single spiral horn on their head between their large ears. ¡°Aria could not catch another of those big ones from earlier,¡± she said sadly. ¡°They must have heard Aria. If Aria still had bow or working wings that were fully healed, Aria would have gotten it.¡± Axel waved his hand. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I am more surprised with all the fighting and smell of blood in the area there was much prey to find.¡± With a grunting effort, Axel then rose to his feet. While a Snar or even twenty of the little bastards would not speed up his healing process much, they would at least give his body more energy to keep the pace up. Each took a Snar and cooked it in a way they wanted to. Axel sat on a log so as not to get any scraps of food or juices on his sleeping spot. Sitting next to him, invading his personal space again, was Aria happily eating her Snar¡¯s hind leg. As she finished she leaned in near his face again, asking, ¡°So how long are you going to need to heal? Aria plans to hunt in the area for a while for her Cycle build-up phase. Aria would not mind company, would help to stop being ambushed as Aria dresses a kill, stupid twilight beast.¡± Saying this, she cutely puffed out her cheeks in anger. She then went on to mutter about how her original kill was taken by another scavenger. Axel just let the woman wear herself out with her tangent, as what he had learned over the days'' interactions was just to let her run her batteries out. Axel pulled up his health data and saw that full recovery recalculated down to 3 days 2 hours and he was about 12 hours from partial recovery. That beast core was more potent than he expected. ¡°I should be able to get out of your way by morning. While not a full recovery, I should not be in too much danger.¡± When Aria heard this, she looked at him eagerly. ¡°Do you want to stay and hunt with Aria? Aria came out here alone as Aria couldn¡¯t find anyone to form a hunting group with. The last ones Aria worked with were mean and rude after leaving Greenhaven. They wanted things that Aria didn¡¯t feel like giving to them as they smelled like smoke and bad things. Aria left the dummies and decided to hunt alone, not that Aria has been that successful as the beasts around here are either too dangerous for Aria or very easy to frighten.¡± As she talked, she kept getting closer and closer to his face with hers, Axel mostly tuned her talk out focusing on his recovery plans. Axe noticed that she finished speaking there was a slight blush of excitement on her cheeks. Having no better plans right now with going over his options and knowing having someone to watch your back in the jungle was a good idea, he agreed with her, saying, ¡°Sure, numbers will help both our safety out here.¡± With that statement, Aria grabbed his left hand, shaking it up and down causing Axel to wonder what women and intense physical contact was while he was injured. ¡°Great, Aria always wanted a strong partner to work on, mean in, mean with? Yes, Aria looks forward to working with you.¡± With dinner now done, Axel and Aria prepared for the night as the sun was going down again. With deep, less pain-filled breaths, Axel opened his Journal and started to do his long overdue entry to tell the Goddess how his life journey was. He had the first watch, and it would be a fine time to do this. Journal Entry (Chapter 6.5) 30 Hailstorm 644TD Axel Thunderstrider Health data transferred to Hope: Quest updates: New Status since the last update to Hope: Clearing out backlog data¡­ Journal Entry: Greetings, my Goddess. I apologize for not making an entry in about 90 hours, give or take. You would know better than I on the exact numbers. This has now been the worst week of my life. To start with, I killed my best friend in a stupid fight for the right to have a child with Lyra, who would not be either of our mates anyway. Why in the blackest depths of the crimson did it come to that? Goddess, you look over all of us, please guide me into understanding why someone who was my best friend died such a shitty death? Every time I close my eyes, I see what was left of Cade¡¯s torso, his blood staining my sight. This will likely haunt me for the remainder of my days. I can¡¯t even forget what happened due to my memory training. Who would have thought that training the ability to recall memories would feel more like a curse? I can even taste the tang of his blood in my mouth as I write this, making me want to gag. Goddess, is there anything that I can do to cleanse this? Turn back time? No known power for that. If that was not the worst part, the icing on this cake of dung, my father almost died in a duel with Finn. Was Father distracted by what happened? Was that dagger Lyra mentioned special in some way? There are too many questions about how the events went on that day. After being released from my cell, I met my mother and Lyra again while I gathered my gear, learning that my father lives but is gravely injured. Lyra volunteered to stay behind to investigate what was happening in the village while mother moved father to Typhoon, the Coastal City-State. A place that is almost as far from our village as you can get. Then there was another mystery of the new guards. I can remember the face of every guard and hunter of the village, and they were not one of them. This means that they were not from the village. While it¡¯s not rare for a Flame Seeker to settle down after they feel their journey of power has reached a level that they want in life, this did not have that feeling. This feels like something deeper is happening that I am still blind to. I hope Lyra stays safe. Next comes my meeting with Aria. Why you gave one of your rare quests to save her, I am still not sure of yet, but I will trust your guidance as it is one of the few things I have left in my life now. She is such an odd person, even for Aurelians, I have met. From what little I know of her, I can tell she has great skills. The way she kept track of the Twilight Stalker after it leaped back into the brush speaks of great talent or training in the scouting arts. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Lastly, my Goddess, please watch over me so that I can grow and find my purpose in your great plans to make the pain of this day and the loss of my friend worth something. --------------- Journal Entry 30 Hailstorm 644TD Aria Windsong Health data transferred to Hope: Quest updates: New Status since the last update to Hope: Journal Entry: Hi Goddess, it¡¯s Aria again. Hope you are doing well in the Silver City. Don¡¯t work too hard, okay? Are you staying healthy? Anyway, Aria knows you can¡¯t reply, but please keep healthy, okay? Aria has had a strange week. First, Aria passed Aria¡¯s Novice Trial and gained Aria¡¯s first Cycle power. Aria, as you know, chose Aerokinesis so that scouting would be easier and so that Aria could fly longer. Aria then gained some hunting companions, but they tried to take what Aria didn¡¯t want to give. Aria needed to put a dagger through the eye of one and had to flee the other as he was stronger than Aria was able to handle. Thankfully, Aria was a faster flyer than him. Dumbly went with a strength cycle and not one that could let him fly fast. He was soooo angry that his friend had a dagger in his eye, but his friend should have been taught better than to try to take what is not given. Anyway, bad things are past, and Aria would forget them if the Priest did not tell Aria that the Goddess would be sad if Aria did not hear the good and bad of Aria¡¯s life. Well, Aria had some more bad, but the Goddess also led some good Aria¡¯s way. Aria had just finished hunting a large beast when this creepy beast appeared out of nowhere, scoring a hit on Aria¡¯s amazing wings. Aria thinks it is unfair of the Goddess to make a cheating Beast that is so stealthy and strong, that would wait until Aria was distracted cleaning the kill. As Aria tried to flee, Aria¡¯s wing hurt very badly and stopped that plan. Next, Aria tried to make the distance to use the bow Aria received from foster mom on the day of Majority, but now the bow is broken and gone. Foster mom will scold Aria for this when she finds out!! Aria needs to replace it soon so that foster mom will not find out! Goddess, can you give Aria a quest to remember to do this? Oh so fast, thank you, Goddess! You are such a good omnipresent authority figure! Anyway, as Aria was thinking that the Goddess wanted Aria to return home to her, you sent Aria a hero, well a very beat-up hero but one, nonetheless a hero. It was so scary, but Aria¡¯s new hero saved the day and helped kill that stinky beast. Him passing out right after scared Aria so much, but with lots and lots of effort, Aria moved the new hero to the campsite Aria set up before the first hunt. Aria should have made an entry earlier, but Hero needed care and Aria was sooo tired. Well, Hero woke up today and Aria got to feed him. It was so fun and now that Aria has had a good look at the hero as he cleaned his wounds and changed, Aria wants to see more! Goddess, can Aria keep him? Goddess, did you send him to Aria? His muscles look yummy, along with the way he fights, causing a tingly feeling in Aria¡¯s stomach just thinking about it! Oh, Aria forgot, what¡¯s the hero¡¯s name? Did Aria forget it or not ask? Well, it does not matter right now as the hero is sleeping. Why is the hero crying in his sleep? Do his wounds still hurt? Aria will need to see if cuddling will make the hero feel better. It always helped the others in foster mom¡¯s home when they were in pain. Aria will need to try this tonight! Well, Goddess, Aria will go now and see if Hero feels better by being hugged tonight! Have a great night, Goddess, and make sure to rest as needed! Chapter 7 Axel woke from his troubled sleep filled with visions of blood and blame with the need to relieve himself badly. The earthy smell of the forest, mixed with a faint hint of a floral scent, filled his nose. He could feel a warmth that had nothing to do with the fire crackling nearby on his back. Wrapped around him was Aria, her wing acting like a soft, feathered blanket. It felt nice to be held, but also confusing, as he had a stranger wrapping around him. It was still dark out, and even with the firelight casting flickering shadows around the forest, it took a while for him to realize what was holding him. ¡°Aria, aren¡¯t you on watch? Also, why are you holding me?¡± Axel asked, his voice still groggy with sleep. ¡°Aria can watch and hold at the same time. Aria has the talent to do many things at once!¡± Aria replied cheerfully. ¡°Aria noticed that you were having trouble sleeping and thought you needed a hug. Also, Aria thought you would quiet down if held. It always worked at Aria¡¯s home with the little ones that just arrived. Aria also thought you were making too much noise and might draw a beast here, so Aria was saving the hero!¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Axel replied groggily, still too tired to think about it and how nice it felt to be held like that, and returned to sleep. After dozing back off for an indeterminate amount of time, Axel¡¯s brain poked him back to full awareness with the peaking of the sun in the sky and a bladder that was full. Aria was still happily wrapped around him from the back, her wing much like a feather blanket covering both of them. This felt great and a little too intimate for two people that just met. ¡°Aria, I need to get up. We may also need to talk about this,¡± Axel said carefully, feeling the cool morning air on his face. ¡°But we are both so warm, and the sun has not risen to the point where Aria¡¯s night watch ends!¡± Aria said in a bit of a childish voice, her breath warm against his neck. ¡°Aria wants to stay like this.¡± ¡°Look, I need to relieve myself. Your knee is in my bladder, and this feels very inappropriate right now,¡± Axel stated matter-of-factly, trying not to think about how uncomfortable his pants also were. The pressure in his bladder was becoming unbearable, and the dampness of the morning dew added to his discomfort. ¡°Fine, needing to pee is a valid reason to stop being hugged,¡± Aria said in a put-off way. With that, she released Axel from the hug and pulled her wing back. ¡°Thanks,¡± Axel said and went to the small pit that was dug for this purpose. After dealing with the necessary, Axel returned to the camp to see Aria now on a tree branch, humming an almost soundless song. ¡°So, we need to talk about what just happened. Aria, it is dangerous to be around me like that in my sleep. I could hurt you by accident,¡± Axel said as dozens of unwanted memories flashed by¡ªhurting Lyra in a hug, sending Cade across the yard in a game of tag when he was too excited, and many other times he had hurt others before he gained solid control of his strength. Shaking his head to stop the spiraling dark thoughts. ¡°Look, I agree that hunting together is a good thing and will keep both of us safer, but I am not a safe person to be around like that in my sleep. I could swing around in a nightmare or something hurting you in the process. It seems that everyone I associate with comes to harm.¡± With that statement, Axel moved to watch the twin suns crest the horizon. The day was going to be hot and muggy with the oppression pressure of rain in the air. ¡°We also may need to find a cave to clear out and make camp there,¡± Axel said without looking back. As he was talking, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind. Axel had to stop a reflex for a backswing. ¡°Aria is not afraid that the Hero will hurt Aria. Hero is a noble person who swooped in and rescued Aria in one of the worst situations that Aria has ever been in,¡± Aria began. ¡°Hero also seems to be in lots of pain, and Aria finds that hugs help with pain.¡± ¡°Thank you, Aria, but humans don¡¯t really hug strangers like this,¡± Axel replied. ¡°Well, that¡¯s dumb. If someone needs a hug and you don¡¯t hate them, why would you not give them a hug? Humans have too many strange social rules, and Aria can¡¯t be bothered to follow the dumb ones,¡± Aria said confidently. Axel really did not have a reply to this that did not make him sound dumb or insincere this early in the morning. ¡°Well, be that as it may, most people would prefer it if you ask permission before you start touching them. Take it as a weird human thing about personal space. You will find that most people aren¡¯t comfortable with someone hugging them out of nowhere,¡± Axel tried to explain. ¡°Aria told you that dumb social rules will be ignored. Aria will also become so strong that those rules will have to be changed as everyone will want to hug Aria anyway. So why should Aria care about things that will change in time anyway?¡± The self-possessed woman declared. Axel was speechless on this and just shut up. Deciding he was not winning this argument and not having the energy to try anymore, Axel just watched the sun¡¯s rise, the twin orbs casting a warm, golden, and red-hued light over the forest. The sight was beautiful, but it did little to calm the emotions churning through his gut. Memories of Cade¡¯s death, the trial, and his exile weighed heavily on his mind, forcing him to relive them in detail. His deep sense of loss and guilt mingled with a strange comfort from Aria¡¯s presence. He would also not admit that it was nice to be held like this, as it would just encourage this strange woman who was now becoming a part of his life. The warmth of her wing and the steady rhythm of her breathing provided a small measure of peace, helping to silence that voice growing stronger in the back of his mind, telling him he should have just let Cade win and die instead. ---- A few hours later, Axel located a cave that did not have any marking of use, and the new hunting camp was set up. The entrance was narrow, but it widened into a spacious chamber with a high ceiling. Stalactites hung from above, and the air was cool and damp, carrying the faint scent of moss and wet stone. The ground was uneven, with patches of soft moss and a small pond of water reflecting the dim light filtering in from the entrance in the back of the cave. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He also was leading Aria away from Thunderheart, Aria being a trained scout cleaned up their trail so that they would not be stalked by beasts. The cave was not a very big one, only to a size that would hold the two of them comfortably. The entrance was narrow, but it widened into a spacious chamber with a high ceiling. Stalactites hung from above, and the air was cool and damp. The ground was uneven, with patches of moss and small pools of water reflecting the dim light filtering in from the entrance. ¡°This will do nicely,¡± Axel said, setting down his pack. ¡°We can make this our base for now.¡± Aria landed gracefully beside him, her eyes scanning the cave. ¡°It¡¯s cozy. Aria can clear out some of the debris and make it more comfortable.¡± They spent the next few hours setting up their camp. Axel gathered dry wood and started a fire, while Aria used her aerokinesis to clear away dust and debris. In her enthusiasm, she caused an explosion of air, dirt, and debris to fly everywhere. It did clear the cave, but they needed to clean up, a dip in the river for Axel and a much longer sponge bath for Aria. They arranged their sleeping bags near the fire and set up a small area for cooking and storing supplies. With shelter taken care of, the pair began to hunt as both needed resources to finish recovering. Axel also found a flower needed to heal Aria¡¯s toxin, the book Axel''s mother left was very useful for locating, but there was more misunderstanding as the flower was very lovely looking and Aria thought it was a courting gift. It took about 10 minutes to explain to Aria that no, this was not a courting gift but a flower that could heal the toxins in her system. Then Aria explained how was that not a courting gift when it was meant to stop her pain and help her. Again, Axel was left speechless on how her mind worked, but at least she was no longer poisoned. They found trails of several beasts that they knew they could hunt safely in the meantime. The next morning, before the morning mist had even cleared, they set out on their first hunt together. The air was crisp and cool, with the scent of damp earth and fresh foliage filling their lungs. Aria, as a well-trained tracker, led the way, her eyes scanning the ground for tracks and signs of movement. The soft rustling of leaves underfoot and the distant calls of birds created a serene backdrop as they moved carefully along the brush. They soon found a Gan that was alone and grazing, its sleek, muscular body glistening with morning dew. From the size of the beast, Axel¡¯s index stated that it was likely very young. With a bit of standard hand gestures, the pair broke apart with Aria taking to a tree downwind of the beast. Axel moved along the trees, applying a bleeding poison to his knives as he would not be able to one shot it, to a point where if Aria missed a killing blow, he would have a chance to attack. The Gan had moved to a river nearby to drink. It looked around for water-born predators not knowing that Aria was going to attack from above. With a swish noise and the branch Aria was standing on shaking, as the only indications, Aria dived for the beast. By some instinct or bad luck, it jumped to the side as Aria leaped. In a moment of panic, Aria used a burst of Aerokinesis to try to accelerate in compensation for the change, this caused her speed to go way up. This only made the miss worse; she moved well before the point where the Gan would get there, and with a slash, she skipped along the water a bit bleeding the momentum like a skipping stone. Axel landed several blades into the Gan''s flank, with several bouncing off the armored back, with a lucky strike along the neck. Then it was off into the brush, out of sight. With a sigh, Axel went to help Aria out of the water. The sight that greeted him forced all his willpower not to laugh, and struggle to swim to the shore was a waterlogged Aria. ¡°Would you like a hand?¡± Axel finally said after getting himself under control. ¡°Yes, wings make swimming very hard for Aria. Wings all wet weigh so much more and Aria is tired,¡± Aria complained. Axel helped her out of the water and turned his back to her so she could wring out her clothes and shake what water she could out of her wings. ¡°Well, let¡¯s finish tracking that injured Gan and get you drying by a fire. I assume you don¡¯t enjoy the drip-drying method,¡± Axel said carelessly, with a laugh slipping into his voice. All he heard was a disgruntled grunt behind him. The pair found the Gan almost passed out from blood loss and the poison on the knives. Axel also noticed that he was now down several knives and only had about 12 more in his pack as backup. This would be something he would need to replenish, and if hunting more in the future, he would need a larger supply as they damaged easily with a misplaced throw or were lost on a miss. He also planned to expand his throwing weapons with a javelin or axes. This was the last of the materials he needed, and with the core of the Gan, he would make a full recovery that night. As they finished cleaning and prepping the Gan, he was forced to help Aria dry her clothes and wings as punishment, for what offense Axel was still unsure of, and after helped with the cooking. As the pair settled down for the night, the warmth of the fire casting a comforting glow around them, Axel began questioning Aria on her use of her aerokinesis and how she trained it. ¡°Aria is just winging it as this is a new power. Owww, why did you throw bread at Aria!? So rude!¡± Aria exclaimed, rubbing her arm where the bread had hit. The smell of the freshly baked bread mingled with the smoky aroma of the fire. ¡°Aria was just explaining that there is no training plan yet as Aria still does not know the limits of this power,¡± she added, getting some extra bread for the bad joke. ¡°Well, my family has someone that uses aerokinesis and Elemental Winds. I know some tricks to help you work on your control. If you would like, I can try to help you,¡± Axel offered. This got him a flying tackle hugged and an accidental smack from damp wings, the cool moisture soaking through his shirt as a reply. Aria¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement, and her feathers rustled softly as she hugged him tightly. ¡°Please, please, please, Aria would be so thankful for any help. Aria is having an issue with holding the power back!¡± Aria explained while holding Axel in a hug. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and Axel couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with some basic exercises to help you control the flow of air. Imagine the air as an extension of your body, something you can shape and direct with your will,¡± Axel instructed, his voice calm and steady. He then talked Aria through many of the exercises he had witnessed his mother doing, including the hand movements she had told him were a crutch but could help focus in times of peril or pain. His mother often used these movements to train beginners or to help those who were injured focus better. Axel made sure to emphasize that while these hand movements could be useful initially, Aria should not rely on them in her training. Instead, she should aim to control her power without them as she advanced. With his recovery, Axel almost forgot what it felt like to not be in so much pain, a part of him relaxed finally. He also woke up again with someone pressed to his back, who still did not listen to him saying that she should not do that. What he got in reply was: ¡°But you¡¯re so sad in your sleep and you don¡¯t seem to settle down until Aria hugs you. So to make sure Hero sleeps well to hunt with Aria, you will have hugs until morale improves.¡± Chapter 8 Days four of working with Aria started with torrents of rain, with the sound of raindrops pounding against the leaves and ground creating a rhythmic symphony. The air was thick with humidity, and the earthy scent of wet soil. Aria did not want to go out and hunt, having just gotten dry from the incident in the river. Not wanting to hunt in the torrents of rain either, Axel agreed. With that, the pair began going through the morning chores first, then Axel, now having mostly recovered, began to do as of his morning training as he could in the cave. This started with an exercise in the way his father taught him, along with what the training with the Storm expanded on. The cave was dimly lit, the flickering light from the fire casting dancing shadows on the walls. The cool, damp air was a stark contrast to the warmth of the fire. After working up a sweat, Axel took a pole that broke down into three pieces and worked on his halberd movements. The sound of the pole slicing through the air and the occasional grunt of effort echoed in the confined space. Aria, watching Axel practice, started trying to compress air and shoot out balls but was still struggling with control, blasting both of them with dirt and making it so that they needed to clean for a while to get things back in order. Since that happened, Axel used a time when the rain waned to clean off and make targets outside the cave that Aria could shoot while staying dry and not dust bombing them in the process. The rain had left the ground muddy, and the scent of wet leaves and earth was strong. As Aria was blasting away at the targets, training her control, power, and power supply, it took time and effort to expand the core¡¯s power storage in each cycle to full maturity. As Axel had maxed out the capacity of his proto core years ago, he sat down and started to meditate. This was a training method that had fallen out of style for years as it was unknown to help, but Axel found it helpful. The theory is that you concentrate on your blessing and, as it is part of your body, it would respond to your wishes. Say that you wanted your muscles to build more compactly and not in more bulky muscle groups; using this, you can do it very slowly, it had taken him the last five years to compact his muscles in a way that maximized and lowered their injury susceptibility. This was part of the reason why Cade had issues with his fast, light cuts. The way people went about it now would be multiple, very expensive sessions with a Goddess Blessed healer to control your gifts to model your body how you wanted. This works best in the growth phases before the age of majority and at the start of any tier as the body is more malleable at those times, and it gets harder to change the foundation of the body after that. Axel was lucky that he grew up with a budding healer and with all the damage he caused himself, Lyra had plenty of practice to help his body build in the way he wanted. Even with this shortcut, Axel still followed the old ways as this also helped him calm the rage that always churned in his stomach looking for a way out. Axel was brought out of his meditation with a light tug on his hair. He sighed inwardly, wondering what Aria was up to now. Despite her quirks, he found her presence oddly comforting, if not a test of patience. ¡°Aria, what are you doing?¡± Axel asked. ¡°Braiding the hero¡¯s hair as Aria noticed in his weapon practice that it kept getting in the way,¡± Aria replied in a voice of concentration. ¡°What was the hero concentrating on so hard that he only noticed now that Aria was braiding? Aria even asked if it would be alright and the hero grunted, Aria took this as permission.¡± ¡°Meditation on controlling my Blessing so that when my body begins to build up it does it in a way that I would prefer,¡± Axel replied, giving up on arguing with Aria. At least she asked permission. He would take the small win. ¡°Oh, Aria heard of that from the trainer for the Storm. The trainer told another trainee that it was a waste of their time and effort that they could be using to learn their chosen weapon. Isn¡¯t it long, boring, and you don¡¯t see results?¡± Aria replied and tied off the end of the braid. ¡°It can be, but it helps me in other ways also. I don¡¯t mind using the long road if it will lead me to a smoother road later in life. I have been told by people I trust and have monitored my health for most of my life that it seems to be helping,¡± Axel stated while shaking his new unasked-for braid. ¡°Aria does not think that kind of training would work for Aria. Would not be able to concentrate on that kind of bodywork. Aria would just save money and work with a healer to make the changes needed with how Aria¡¯s body is structured. Aria already must keep track of herbal portions for proper feather growth and metal feather to soft feather rations, otherwise, Aria¡¯s wings are sharp and don¡¯t give good hugs. This is causing Aria headaches even with the Goddess helping with quest reminders!¡± Aria said in a heated and aggrieved way. ¡°Wait, you get the Goddess to give you quests to remember your food supplements?¡± Axel asked in a shocked voice. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Yes, the Goddess is an amazing omnipresent authority figure in Aria¡¯s life. Aria would be lost without the Goddess.¡± Aria¡¯s voice was full of praise and reverence. She then gave her head a proud nod like that did not sound a little insane to Axel¡¯s perspective. ¡°Alright, I have nothing for that, can¡¯t even wrap my head around what you just told me, to be honest. Also, why do you keep calling me Hero by the way?¡± Axel said, wanting to know why she kept calling him that. ¡°Hero is Hero. What else would Aria call him?¡± Aria asked with a slight tilt of her head. ¡°My name is Axel Thunderstrider,¡± Axel said. ¡°Ahhh, it is great to be formally introduced to you, Hero Axel Thunderstrider. Aria is called Aria Windchime, from Greenhaven. Aria is glad we are formally introduced at last! Aria was so scared that in everything that happened, Aria had forgotten the Hero¡¯s name and was too embarrassed to ask,¡± Aria greeted formally to Axel. ¡°Can you just please call me Axel? It is more than a little embarrassing to be called Hero all the time,¡± Axel added. ¡°Hummm, don¡¯t know. Aria has grown attached to calling you Hero. But tell you what, if you can entertain and beat Aria in some games, Aria will call you Axel and not Hero,¡± Aria said with a brilliant smile. Axel agreed, thinking about what would the harm be. Aria then opened her pack pulling out cards and tried to teach Axel some games, with rules that seemed to change every time they were explained. The pair ended up laughing and bonding over the games, finding joy in the small moments despite the challenges they faced. Axel lost every game, and Aria decided to take pity and stop calling him Hero. Day five started with yet more rain, that fell in sheets, as the spring season started, and Axel was forced to find a training method that Aria could do and that would keep her out of his hair, quite literally in the case of his meditation time. Axel started trying to teach Aria a more advanced trick his mother uses to compress air into compressed spheres to throw at someone to knock them off balance. Not as effective without wind power to keep the air together and focused, but it kept her focused on something to do. Axel also stumbled on a way of using his memory trick to see the errors in his fighting ability. Having made large mistakes in recent fights, Axel was struggling to try and fix them without a trainer to point out his weak spots to improve on. It was a question from Aria asking why he had froze up now and then when conversing about his mother¡¯s training method. After explaining what these were, him reliving the memories for a moment, Aria exclaimed that it was amazing and asked if he could do it with his fights to see if he could find what he did wrong. Axel was not too proud to not take the advice and ran with it. He began to go through the hunt of the Gan and noticed how the feel of the knives in his fingers was off and began to work on fixing this issue. Axel knew that this was only the beginning of these new training methods and that it would not solve all his training problems, as you honestly just needed an outside observer to see what you could not. It would help him fix issues that he knew he was making. Aria also suggested that they spar to keep sharp. Axel was very sure she was just bored and antsy to do something after being trapped in the cave for two days. With that, they moved to the back of the cave and added some light with the low-smoke torches they had. They sparred for an hour, and it was a series of hard fights for both. Axel had the reach, but in these confined conditions, Aria¡¯s agile daggers could find openings that he presented. Aria had the issue that a lot of her fighting style was built around the use of her wings, but those were as restrained in this as Axel¡¯s reach was. The pair learned a lot in the spars and helped reduce weaknesses the other saw. The sparring also reduced a lot of the awkwardness that Axel was having with Aria¡¯s presence in his life. It was a great moment for Axel too, and he appreciated Aria¡¯s skill and knowledge of her chosen tools. While she did not have the raw speed Cade had shown to Axel, the memories of that thought almost overwhelmed him for a time, but Axel pushed them back down, she had such a sense of three dimensions and came from angles that Axel never thought of. Aria¡¯s dynamic visual acuity was at a level that Axel was amazed by. The spar should have only been a few rounds extended onto that whole hour. After they were done, they both were soaked in sweat. The air in the cave was thick with the smell of exertion and the lingering scent of rain. Using the rain to his advantage, Axel took an impromptu shower outside, feeling the cool water wash away the sweat and grime. Aria, meanwhile, gave herself a sponge bath and changed clothing, the sound of water splashing and her quiet humming filling the cave. As they finished, they cooked the last of the Gin from the previous hunt. The aroma of roasting meat mingled with the earthy scent of the cave, making Axel¡¯s stomach growl in anticipation. They sat by the fire, the warmth seeping into their tired muscles, and shared a quiet meal. Axel relaxed against the wall, feeling a sense of contentment he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time. The last thing Axel did before going to bed was to make a journal entry detailing what he learned the last day and to thank the Goddess for leading him to Aria. The pair learned a lot in the spars and helped reduce weaknesses the other saw. It was a great moment for Axel and he appreciated Aria¡¯s skill and knowledge of her chosen tools. While she did not have the raw speed Cade had shown to Axel, the memories of that thought almost overwhelmed him for a bit when it hit him. She used her space much more effectively, which made sense to Axel as Aria was likely used to thinking in multiple dimensions of space all the time with her flight. As the rain fell in sheets outside Axel forgot for a time all the troubles that had built up over the time since the dual. While his dreams were still troubled, they were not the nightmares he had been suffering from before this point. During Axel''s night watch, Axel added journal entries for the day and thanked the Goddess for the first time for leading him in the direction of Aria. Chapter 9 The morning of Axel¡¯s sixth day working with Aria started without rain, but Axel felt that this would change soon based on experience. The sky was overcast, with thick, gray clouds hanging low, casting a gloomy shadow over the jungle. The air was still heavy with humidity, and the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves filled the air almost choked the air. Using the time they had, Axel led Aria out on another hunt for supplies and food. The hunt had been progressing well finding a Gin, the beast¡¯s sleek, muscular body glistened with morning dew. Aria had executed a successful ambush this time and did not land in the river this time, landing a pair of lethal blows on the Gin. However, the beast fled at great speed in a direction Axel did not anticipate, its fur matted with blood. They began to follow the blood trail through the jungle leading to a hilly area, where tall, vine-covered cliffs surrounded them. The cliffs were jagged and imposing, with vines and moss clinging to their surfaces, creating a labyrinthine landscape that would be easily lost in. The trees were not as densely packed, so Axel guessed they had moved closer to the hilly plains area between the village of Jungleheart and the mountainous area of the City-State of Stormwatch. As they moved through a valley, they found the now unconscious Gin, lying in a growing pool of its blood. The crimson liquid seeped into the earth, creating a stark contrast against the green foliage. Aria moved up to land a finishing blow in excitement but having learned a painful lesson from the Twilight beast, she reacted in time as a Duradons leaped from a warren slightly high up along the hill, hidden by some deep brush and not easily seen by the eye at ground level. The Duradons were likely alerted by the growing smell of blood in the area and came to see. Axel was also surprised as he had not seen any of their tracks in the area as they had followed the Gin¡¯s trail. They would be either a new young pack or he missed the trails completely. In either case, this was not a great situation. The pack numbered about twelve in total coming out of the warren. Duradons were 4-foot tall at the shoulder lizard-like beasts that had four-inch-long claws and very sharp teeth. Their scales were mottled green and brown, providing excellent camouflage in the jungle. Their eyes glinted with predatory intelligence, and their movements were swift and coordinated. Most hunters were not worried about them unless they were in large numbers. There have been times in the past when large packs of them could bring down a Thunder beast with pack tactics. Duradons were also very territorial and could run cross-country for days at an decent speed to chase down their prey. Looking at the Duradons, Axel¡¯s index fed him the following information: Index basic mode Duradon Known Dangers: Estimated Age: Varied Beast core Potency: Novice Low Current Danger to the user: Mild to high due to numbers seen. ¡°Axel, Aria is not sure that we can fight that many at once,¡± Aria said, returning quickly to Axel¡¯s side, keeping an eye on the beasts now swarming their prey. ¡°Not much of a choice for me. They will follow my scent, can climb trees, and are tenacious as the crimson,¡± Axel replied. Axel decided that falling back to the area that had a small cliff face that they had passed on their way here before finding the Gin that they were hunting would be the best choice. With a steady backward movement, Axel and Aria moved away from the Duradons so as not to trigger their chasing instincts. When they were out of sight, they hurried to the bottom of the cliff, which Axel wanted to use to stop them from attacking his back. Axel knew that he had a little time as they would fight over the Gin before the losers chased him down. With his back to a wall, Axel laid out his plan to Aria. ¡°Aria, you fly up the cliff behind me and support me by swooping in and picking off the ones on the edges of the group. Use your new speed to hit and fly away. I will hold the pack¡¯s attention and slowly work my way through them. While this is dangerous, it can also be great training for us.¡± Axel tried to sound as confident as he could. He was very sure that they would be fine, but a dark corner in the back of his mind was telling him that it would be his deserved place to die to a pack of Duradons in the middle of nowhere with only Aria to know his passing. Not letting the voice take any hold, Axel gave Aria a confident smile and pointed up to a ledge she could wait on. ¡°Go, otherwise these crafty little shits will know something is wrong.¡± Aria nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement. ¡°Easy peasy, yandon squeezy!¡± With a powerful flap of her wings, she soared into the air, disappearing into the foliage above. The sound of her wings cutting through the air was almost drowned out by the rustling leaves and distant calls of jungle creatures. A short moment later, seven Duradons arrived at Axel¡¯s location, moving at their easy loping pace, the rest of the pack must have stayed with the Gin. They were likely expecting a longer chase and were moving at a pace they knew would let them run the prey into exhaustion but leave the pack fresh. Axel was happy half the pack had stayed behind. As Axel saw them, he moved his Journal into combat mode and threw several knives as the Duradons, seeing he was trapped, started running at full speed. The knives hit home, killing two and wounding a third, then they were on Axel right after. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Keeping his body loose and moving his halberd with smooth sweeping arcs that kept the momentum and closed off the areas the pack could attack him from, Axel fought. His movements were more fluid and precise than they had been in the past, a true testament to his relentless training with Aria and using his memory to fix some gaps he had been growing. The ground beneath him was uneven, covered in roots hidden by fallen leaves, making each step a calculated effort to maintain balance while keeping multiple foes at bay. The pack skidded to a stop and only the lead beast was hit by the first strike, sending it stumbling from the weight and momentum of it swing. Using the bounce back from the hit Axel smashed a second away with the shaft and side stepped a third. Axel at this point was running more on instinct and trained reflexes as he was beginning to be threat overloaded from the attack directions overwhelming his ability to mentally process it all. Axel gave himself a breathing space when he kicked on and cought a second with his halberd shaft sending them away from him. Then a moment later there was a snarling yip causing the now pushed back, pack to look behind them to see Aria having dived from above the tree cover, her daggers glinting in the sunlight, struck the wounded Duradons with precision her blades finding the gaps in its armored hide. The leaves rustled loudly as her swooping diver ended, and the scent of crushed foliage mingled with the metallic tang of blood as her blades struck home. Two Duradons broke off from the group attacking Axel to chase her, but with a playful laugh, Aria ascended rapidly disappearing through the foliage again, leaving them snapping at empty air. As she circled for another pass, she used her aerokinesis to create a gust of wind that knocked one Duradon off balance, showing the results of her training. On the follow-up swift dive, she slammed a knife into the eye of the knocked-around Duradons, right into the brain, using the now dead beast as a shield from its partner and then darted away before its partner could get around. The wind she generated with her launch sent leaves and small branches swirling everywhere, adding to more chaos of the battle. Meanwhile, Axel used the distraction to his advantage. He used the hooked end of his halberd to catch the ribs of a Duradon, and using his strength, flung it into its companions. The leader of the pack, now the only one free and not dead or tangled member, leaped at Axel¡¯s face with its claws out. Axel rolled, using what was left of his swinging throw earlier to move his position. The claws missed him by a safe margin. Trusting Aria to take the tangled pair, Axel rolled back to his feet after the dodge to see the Duradons land with its claws digging into the cliff wall and then used that to assist in a follow-up leap. Axel only had time to plant the halberd and let the beast skewer itself on the spear point of the weapon. With a slight effort, Axel swung the beast off and turned to see Aria finish the last one that was just about free from its dead packmate. Aria had splashes of blood over her leathers, along with a crimson streak that lined her cheek, and a focused look on her face. This sight oddly made her look even more beautiful, heck even the midday sun was conspiring as the beams through the leaves added a backdrop to the scene. ¡°Well, that looks like the last of them,¡± Axel said after clearing his voice, feeling a tightness in his chest. The more serious look left Aria¡¯s face and the easy smile returned. Then Aria looked around and at her clothes. ¡°Ahh, Aria is going to have to clean for so long to get this out of Aria¡¯s armor!!¡± Aria then kicked the Duradons in anger. ¡°Stupid beast, now Aria has hours of work to get clean. Aria bets you taste bad too, that would be the only thing that would make this worse!¡± To show the Goddess had a sense of humor the slightest tang of thunder rumbled in the distance. Axel chuckled at the sound and began cleaning the kills. The jungle was starting to quiet down as the sun began to set, casting long shadows and turning the sky a deep orange. Just as they finished cleaning the Duradons, the first drops of rain began to fall. Within moments, it turned into a torrential downpour again. Aria let out a frustrated groan, her wings drooping. ¡°Oh, come on! Aria was not asking for the Goddess to make it worse! Aria is going to complain to management, the Goddess will have an earful about this poor weather management!¡± she muttered sarcastically. She tried to shield herself with her wings, but it was no use. The rain soaked through her clothes, armor, and feathers, making her look like a drenched, sad bird. Her feathers, usually vibrant and metallic, now clung to her body, darkened by the rain. Axel couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the sight. ¡°Looks like the jungle decided you needed a shower after your comment,¡± he teased, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. Aria shot him a glare, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips. ¡°You know I hate getting wet. My wings get heavy, and it takes forever for them to dry. I prefer my sponge baths, thank you very much,¡± she retorted, her voice playful despite her frustration. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get back to the cave before we catch a cold,¡± Axel said, still chuckling. He grabbed the kills, the weight of the Duradon''s carcasses adding to the strain on his muscles, and they hurried back to their shelter, the rain continuing to pour down around them. The sound of their footsteps squelching in the mud and the constant patter of rain created a rhythmic backdrop to their hurried movements. By the time they reached the cave, they were both thoroughly soaked. Aria wrung out her hair, grumbling under her breath. ¡°Next time, we¡¯re hunting somewhere with better weather,¡± she declared, her voice muffled by the sound of the rain and thunder. Axel smiled, shaking the water from his clothes. ¡°Deal, if you can find it anyway. But hey, at least we got the Duradons. And now we know we can handle a small pack of them. The rain will also wash out our scents, so the others of the pack won¡¯t be able to track us back,¡± he said, his voice filled with a sense of accomplishment. Aria sighed, her frustration melting away. ¡°Yeah, Aria guesses, you¡¯re right. We did pretty well out there together,¡± she admitted, her eyes reflecting a mix of pride and relief. They settled by the fire, the warmth slowly drying their clothes. The cave was filled with the comforting crackle of the fire and the soft glow of the flames casting dancing shadows on the walls. Despite the rain and the challenges of the day, there was a sense of accomplishment between them. The scent of wet earth and smoke mingled in the air, creating a cozy atmosphere. Later that night, Aria was right¡ªthe Duradons tasted pretty bad, its meat was tough and gamey. But both of them had a lot of fun going over the fight and working on their teamwork. They laughed and shared stories, the bond between them growing stronger with each passing moment. The night ended with Axel sleeping and not having the blood-filled dreams for once, while wrapped in the warm hug and the still-drying wings of Aria. The rhythmic sound of her breathing and the gentle rise and fall of her chest provided a soothing lullaby, easing him into a peaceful sleep. Chapter 10 Days seven and eight followed much the same patterns as days four and five, with the rainstorm holding Axel and Aria inside their cave, training as they could. Aria, much to Axel¡¯s pride, was picking up skill in her control at a rapid rate. Axel also used his new training methods and sparring with Aria to hone his skills, branching them out from the more monster-hunting skill set that he was trained into a more balanced skill set that allowed him to defend himself better against fast and agile opponents human opponents. During their training sessions, Axel began to notice something unexpected. With meditation and using his journal¡¯s health data, he found that while his body could hold a novice core now that he had reached his age of maturity, it was not as saturated as he had assumed it would be. Growing up, Axel always heard others say and believed that the body needed a novice core after reaching the age of maturity to keep strengthening, as the body could only hold and refine so much with its unenhanced state. However, Axel was finding this assumption to be incorrect, at least in his case. He estimated that his body was only about 80% saturated, even counting what the healers had estimated his proto-core would give him. This realization puzzled him at first, but as he reflected on his experiences, the pieces began to fall into place. With the constant damage his body took, breaking it down and having to rebuild, had not weakened his muscles and bones. Instead, it seemed to have made them more resilient. He also had the help of Lyra, whose Goddess-blessed healing cleared up any lingering damages and eliminated useless material that built up in his body growing up. Her healing was not perfect like a regeneration power would be, but it was enough to keep his body in optimal condition for growth. There were reasons people didn¡¯t just feed their children a bunch of expensive high-level beasts to speed up their growth. A youth¡¯s body can only process what is brought in so fast and if fed too much all that would happen would be many long restroom brakes for the poor child. Also, before the age of maturity, the blessing in the body was in a very protected status following some plans set by the goddess to make sure that the body grew as well and healthy as it could. So even eating a beast¡¯s core would do little as the body''s blessing would just flush them out. Axel felt like his meditation practice played a crucial role as well. By focusing on his body¡¯s repair and strengthening processes, he helped the blessing mold his body¡¯s system to be more efficient and durable with muscles and bones. This constant cycle of damage and repair, combined with Lyra¡¯s healing, created a unique environment for his body¡¯s growth. His muscles and bones had become more efficient and durable, allowing for further enhancement even without a novice core to power what the about of body expansion would call for. Sparring with Aria had contributed to this realization. While he had sparred with people like Cade, Lyra, other children, and even his instructors before, the intensity and frequency of his sessions with Aria pushed his body and mind to new limits. Her agility and unique fighting style forced him to adapt and improve in ways he hadn¡¯t anticipated. This continuous challenge helped him understand the true extent of his body¡¯s capacity for growth. As Axel sat by the fire on the evening of the eighth day, reflecting on these new insights, he felt a sense of excitement and determination wash over him. His body still had room to expand its foundation, and he was eager to see how far he could push his limits. It also gave him an idea of an opportunity to give his planned novice core a leg up over others. He would need to do more research once he reached Greenhaven, along with all the other information he needed to look up on his future path of power. As the rains outside died to sputters and sprinkles Axel finished the last of the gamey Duradon meat they had. ¡°Aria I always wanted to ask, why did you pick Aerokinesis as your first cycle power? Most would choose something more easily combat effective like Elemental Wind and not a utility power like what you picked?¡± ¡°Freedom,¡± Aria replied, her eyes sparkling with a mix of determination and joy. ¡°Aerokinesis was the best choice for that. Now, Aria can fly higher, faster, and longer than ever before. It¡¯s not just about combat for me¡ªit¡¯s about the freedom to soar.¡± Aria said followed by a voice on the edge of Axel hearing with the crackle of the fire ¡°It can get Aria away from bad people that would like to take what Aria was unwilling to give¡± Hearing this the Rage flooded Axel''s system out of nowhere and the reinforced bone in his hand cracked, letting the meat on it fall into the fire. It took long moments of the rhythmic breathing that he trained with his meditation to calm the Rage. For a time, Axel tried to figure out what triggered it, only to find the thought of anyone hurting Aria in any way, especially that way had become so unacceptable it triggered his crimson backlash. If he heard that happening to a stranger, he would be angry but never the Rage before. If Aria noticed his moment of rage, she did not say anything going on with how the power she picked was amazing and that anything she picked was superior to such a limited power like Elemental Winds. Her power also helped her learn more control than picking up a crutch like Elemental Winds would do for her. Look at how much she has grown in the last week with her hero¡¯s help and guidance. After the talk ran down and the meal was cleaned up Axel updated his Journal with his new insights and plans. When they changed shifts, Aria didn¡¯t seem to want to hold him this time and instead of feeling glad that the clingy woman was not wrapped around him again, Axel just fell asleep feeling like he lost something. His troubling dreams returned with a vengeance that night giving him a very poor sleep. --------- After a terrible night''s sleep, Axel was not on his best game in the hunt that morning. Aria did not seem to have slept well based on the dark circles under her eyes. They worked through the morning well into the afternoon, their efforts yielding only the ever-present Snars. These small, quick creatures darted through the underbrush, their fur blending seamlessly with the forest floor. Despite their abundance, Snars provided little sustenance, and Axel and Aria¡¯s frustration grew with each passing hour. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, casting dappled shadows through the dense canopy, they pressed on, determined to find more substantial prey. Well past midday, their persistence paid off when they stumbled upon the tracks of a Gin. The large, herbivorous creature¡¯s hoofprints were unmistakable, pressed deep into the soft earth. Excitement sparked between them as they began to follow the trail, which led them away from the dense jungle and into the rolling hills. The terrain grew steeper as they ascended, the air cooler and fresher. The thick jungle gave way to sparser vegetation, and the ground underfoot became rocky and uneven. They kept a vigilant eye out for any signs of Duradons, the predatory lizards that often roamed these parts. Despite their caution, they found no traces of the dangerous creatures, but Axel couldn¡¯t shake the uneasy feeling that gnawed at the back of his mind. As they climbed higher, the landscape opened, revealing a plateau that held a serene lake. The sight was breathtaking¡ªa shimmering expanse of water, surrounded by a small forest of trees. The lake¡¯s surface mirrored the overcast sky, creating a tranquil and almost surreal atmosphere. The trees around the lake were shorter but had denser foliage, casting deep shadows across the area. Despite the beauty of the scene, Axel¡¯s unease grew. They hadn¡¯t seen a single Snar in hours, a stark contrast to the usual abundance of the small creatures. It was as if the beasts were avoiding this area entirely. The tracks of the Gin led right to the edge of the water and stopped. He looked over at Aria, who was already surveying the area with her keen eyes. ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked, his voice low. Aria nodded thoughtfully, her expression mirroring his concern. ¡°Aria thinks it¡¯s beautiful and peaceful, but Aria also feels something is off. Aria can¡¯t see any signs of other animals here, which is strange for such a perfect water source.¡± ¡°Aria will do some air scouting quick.¡± With that said, she launched herself into the air with a strong flap of her wings. Axel moved to what looked like a better, less exposed position to wait for Aria to return. The twin suns were moving past the zenith in the sky, and the heat haze was in full effect. As Axel wiped away some sweat, he noticed a shadow move ever so slightly in the wrong way as the leaves in the trees were shifted by Aria¡¯s return. ¡°Aria sees no ¡­ Ack!¡± As the tired Aria was explaining what she saw, Axel grabbed her arm, yanking her away hard and moving the spear tip in the way of the shadow. Knowing he was likely to have hurt her, Axel was just glad he reacted in time. Seeming to melt out of the shadows of the trees was a serpent a good 60 feet long with black scales that melded into any shadow they touched. Seeing the beast, Axel¡¯s heart palpitated so hard that he got a small warning from the basic health data for irregular heartbeats. ¡°Aria, run!!¡± That was all Axel got out as he was forced to block what felt like a super-powered muscle, sending him tumbling deeper onto the plateau away from the trail. Using his recent training with Aria to good effect, he worked with the momentum to reduce the damage, rolling with the force of the impact. The issue was the serpent was on him almost as fast, moving at what seemed like supernatural speeds to Axel¡¯s perceptions. The beast¡¯s black scales shimmered, blending seamlessly with the shadows, making it difficult to track its movements. As Axel finished the tumbling with a tucked roll to his feet, he only had a moment to see the damned beast almost in his face again. Its eyes glinted with predatory intelligence, and its fangs dripped with venom ready to end his life. Axel was saved in this moment by a compressed ball of air slamming into the beast¡¯s head, changing the trajectory of the attack to just miss Axel. The force of the impact caused the serpent to hiss in anger, its body writhing in pain as it attacked a rock instead of Axel. This save came with the downside of the what felt like hundreds of pounds of weight and super dense muscle as the serpents body slamming into Axel, sending him rolling away with more health warnings flashing in his vision. Axel stopped this uncontrolled roll this time near the ledge of the plateau and could see the several hundred-foot drop behind him. The ground of the ledge crumbled slightly under his weight, sending small rocks tumbling down the cliffside. Now trapped, the serpent was gathering for a more restrained strike, its eyes locked onto Axel as it sensed its prey was cornered. Axel braced his halberd for the attack, trying to steady his breathing and focus. He knew he had to try to skewer or deflect the attack, but he was not very confident in this as he finally had a moment to see the beast index¡¯s readout. Index basic mode Shadowfang Serpent Known Dangers: Estimated Age: Adult Beast core Potency: Novice End Current Danger to the user: Extreme This was one of the most dangerous beasts that a novice could fight, and it was known to have killed many Adepts from ambush. One was successfully hunted once every couple of years, and that was normally by an adept or expert tier hunter. Hell, one of Finn¡¯s claims to fame was that he hunted one as a Novice after it killed the rest of his hunting party. Axel worked through any option that he could think of as the serpent coiled for a strike when from above Axel heard, ¡°Jump off, Aria has you!¡± With only the barest of hesitation, which almost cost him his life, Axel leaped backward. He saw Aria flapping her wings desperately, gathering the air with her aerokinesis and slamming a very condensed ball of air into the serpent to delay it for the time needed for Axel¡¯s jump. The serpent¡¯s head snapped back from the impact, its body recoiling in surprise. Then there was just air and gravity for Axel. Screaming out of reflex, Axel prayed to Hope that he did not just accelerate his death. The wind rushed past him, the ground below a blur of green and brown. Then a pair of strong, thin arms hooked under his armpits, tilting both of them forward into more of a controlled dive. To say this freaked out Axel a bit was an understatement, but all he had left was to trust his partner. The tree canopies closed quickly as the pair, with a sharp turn and the sound of snapping out wings, Axel felt they were going up again, bleeding the momentum and traveling a large distance from the plateau. He could also feel the air around them shifting and moving in unnatural ways to help their flight of escape, Aria¡¯s aerokinesis working overtime to keep them aloft. Despite being airborne for only a short time, the pair traveled in moments what had taken all morning to cover on foot. The landscape below blurred as they sped away from the danger. The landing was rough as they fell the last few feet rather than making a smooth descent, but Axel would take it. He hit the ground hard, the impact jarring his bones, but he was built to take it. He then shifted to see a semi-conscious Aria on his back with a carefree smile on her face. ¡°Aria is the Heroine now.¡± With that, she passed out. Axel moved so that he could carry the woman who he knew went well beyond her limits to save him. This touched him deeply as she could have just saved herself or tried to provide support from above if she wanted to help. Picking up what he had perceived as a small, fragile frame, he carried her to lay her on her bedroll to make sure that she was comfortable. Chapter 11 The fire crackled softly, casting flickering dark shadows on the walls. Axel sat beside Aria, who lay on her bedroll, her wings spread out to avoid further injury. Her face was pale, and her breathing shallow, a testament to the strain she had put on her body. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Axel asked, his voice gentle when she began to stir. Aria managed a weak smile. ¡°Aria has been better, but Aria will recover. Thank you for taking care of Aria.¡± Axel nodded, his expression serious. ¡°You saved my life. It¡¯s the least I can do.¡± Axel then moved a pot of water gathered from the spring in the back of the cave mixed herbs into it and placed it over the fire. Then added the last of their stored meat from the earlier hunts but should be good for Aria and help speed up her recovery. Stirring the soup, the cave was very quiet, as Aria was conserving energy and trying to resist the pain in her body. She tried to get up but failed as her body just could not move. ¡°Could you help feed Aria? Aria has seemed to have fallen and can¡¯t get up,¡± she said with a playful tone. With a sigh, more in amusement than anything else, Axel gently moved her to his lap and let her lean against him, slowly feeding her the soup. The warmth of the soup spread through her body, easing some of the pain. ¡°Thank you, Axel,¡± Aria murmured between sips. ¡°Aria appreciates this.¡± Axel watched her, his mind racing with thoughts of their next steps. They couldn¡¯t stay in the cave forever, but he needed to make sure Aria was strong enough to travel. He ladled some more soup into the bowl and brought it to her lips, his movements gentle and careful. ¡°We¡¯ll stay here until you¡¯re fully recovered,¡± Axel said, his tone leaving no room for argument. ¡°I¡¯ll go out and hunt for more food. We need to build up our supplies.¡± Aria nodded, too tired to protest. ¡°Aria understands. Aria will rest and get stronger.¡± Axel stood up, grabbing his weapons and pack. ¡°I won¡¯t be long. Stay safe.¡± As he stepped out of the cave the forest around him seemed more alive with the sounds of nature. It was getting later in the day and Axel knew he did not have much time to hunt. Axel moved silently through the underbrush; his senses heightened. He needed to find food, but his mind kept drifting back to Aria, lying vulnerable in the cave, likely making him sloppy in the hunt. He spotted a group of Snars darting through the foliage and quickly set to work, his movements precise and efficient, nailing each one with a well-placed knife throw. Each successful hunt brought a small sense of accomplishment, but his thoughts were always on Aria. He needed to make sure she had enough to eat to regain her strength. After a few hours of hunting and gathering herbs he found along the way, Axel¡¯s persistence paid off when he stumbled upon the tracks of a young Gin. Following the trail, he found the creature grazing near a clearing. Using the cover of the trees, he approached cautiously. With a well-aimed throw, he brought the Gin down, sending it flying with the strength he added to the throw in his stress. Relief washed over him as he secured the kill, knowing it would provide much-needed nourishment for both of them. He did destroy his knife in the process of the throw but he would trade a throwing knife for a kill at this time. Returning to the cave, Axel found Aria sitting up, looking a bit stronger. ¡°I found a young Gin and some Snars,¡± he said, showing her the kills. ¡°This should help you recover faster.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes lit up with gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Axel. Aria is lucky to have you.¡± Axel smiled, feeling a warmth spread through him at her words. ¡°We¡¯re a team. We look out for each other.¡± As Axel prepared the meat over the fire, the aroma filled the cave, mingling with the scent of the herbs Axel had gathered. The atmosphere was cozy, the flickering fire casting a warm glow on the walls. Axel watched Aria closely, noting the slight improvement in her color and the steadiness of her breathing. A playful thought entered his mind. Axel moved to the cookware that held the beast core and made sure that it was fully cooked. Then with an evil smile, he turned to her and said ¡°Say Ahh¡± fully intending to get revenge for what she did to him while he recovered. Aria spoiled his fun without missing a beat opening her mouth wide with an ¡°Ahh¡± Axel popped the core in her mouth and watched her happily chew away. ¡°Eat as much as you can,¡± Axel urged, handing her a piece of the cooked Gin. ¡°You need to regain your strength.¡± Aria nodded, taking the food with a grateful smile. ¡°Aria will. Aria promises.¡± They ate in companionable silence for a while, the crackling of the fire and the distant sounds of the forest creating a soothing backdrop. Axel¡¯s mind, however, was still troubled by their recent encounter. ¡°We need to talk about what happened,¡± Axel said finally, breaking the silence. ¡°That serpent¡­ it¡¯s too dangerous. We should avoid that area from now on.¡± Aria looked up, her eyes flashing with determination. ¡°No, Aria is tired of being ambushed. Aria wants to hunt that serpent.¡± Axel frowned; concern etched on his face. ¡°It¡¯s incredibly dangerous. That thing could kill us both.¡± Aria¡¯s expression softened, but her resolve remained. ¡°Aria understands the risks, but Aria is tired of running. Aria wants to take the fight to them.¡± Axel sighed, knowing she wouldn¡¯t be easily swayed. ¡°All right, I can tell by the look in your eyes you won''t be swayed but we need to be smart about this. The Shadowfang Serpent is one of the most dangerous beasts out there at the novice level. It can camouflage itself, its bite is paralyzing, and it¡¯s resistant to most attacks. Even experienced hunters avoid it.¡± A memory surfaced, a conversation with Cade as they fought with sticks before they even started their training with the storm. ¡°My dad killed one of those,¡± Cade had said, his eyes shining with pride. ¡°One day, I¡¯ll do it too. Will you hunt it with me?¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Aria sat up a bit straighter, wincing slightly. ¡°Aria¡¯s scouting index can help track it. Aria can find it before it finds us.¡± Axel looked at her, seeing the determination in her eyes. With a sigh, he nodded. ¡°All right. We¡¯ll do it. But we need a solid plan.¡± They spent the next hour discussing strategies, considering every possible danger and how to counter it. Axel felt a sense of resolve building within him, fueled by Aria¡¯s encouragement and the memory of Cade. Later as the twin suns set Axel pulled up his beast index in full mode and called up the data on the Shadowfang Serpent. Beast Index Name: Shadowfang Serpent Description: Known Abilities: Weaknesses: Encounter History: Recommendations: Axel knew this was not the most information on this beast and he had gone out of his way to gather it when he was younger planning to hunt one with Cade, Axel shuttered as the image of Cade''s broken body passed through his mind, but these where beasts you had to be lucky or supremely unlucky to find based on how your encounter went. Axel shared the information he had with Aria, and they began to plan. The first thing Axel did was pull out the herbalism book that his mother gave him and look for anything that would help fight the beast. Next, he laid out options to Aria from what he found. As he laid the options to her, Axel saw the moment something dawned in her head. ¡°Aria loves it when a plan comes together¡± and with a manic grin, she outlined her plan. ------- Axel spent most of the next day with a now mostly recovered Aria, gathering the herbs and tools needed for her plan. They worked tirelessly through the night, combining the ingredients and crafting the necessary items. Dawn broke with Aria once again wrapped around the sleeping Axel. This time, Axel didn¡¯t complain but gently extricated himself to stretch, relieve himself and go through his standard morning exercises. After a quick breakfast, they gathered the sealed leaf balls they had made the previous day and set off towards the plateau. They had a serpent to kill! They careful travel up the path led them to the picturesque lake area. With a nod, Aria pointed at a faint trail she could see, and they began their plan. Axel moved to the same area where he had encountered the beast before. The plan was simple but dangerous. They would lure the Shadowfang Serpent to the ledge where Axel had previously jumped. Aria would pelt it with a mix of herbs to block its sight and smell, while the packets also contained chalk to ruin the serpent¡¯s ability to hide or see well. Axel would then draw its attacks, using Aria¡¯s harassment with her aerokinesis to disorient it, making its attacks wild and uncontrolled, ultimately sending it off the cliff. As they reached the designated spot, Axel took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. ¡°Ready?¡± he asked, glancing at Aria. Aria nodded, her eyes sharp and focused. ¡°Ready.¡± Axel moved into position, his halberd at the ready. Aria took to the air, her wings creating a soft whoosh as she ascended. She hovered above, scanning the area for any sign of the serpent. The minutes stretched into what felt like hours, the tension thick in the air. Suddenly, there was the sound of one of the leaf balls hitting something. The white powder ruined the serpent¡¯s stealth as Aria made a sound of celebration. The Shadowfang Serpent, its dark scales now visible, emerged from the shadows. Its eyes glowed with a anger as it slithered towards Axel, its movements smooth and deadly. ¡°Now, Aria!¡± Axel shouted. Aria swooped down, releasing the second of the leaf balls. It exploded on impact, releasing a cloud of herbs that enveloped the serpent¡¯s head. Using her aerokinesis to make sure that it covered the whole of the head. The beast hissed in anger and pain, thrashing its head as it tried to clear its senses. Aria continued her assault, dropping more packets that burst into clouds of blinding and disorienting powder. Axel took advantage of the serpent¡¯s confusion, moving in with swift, precise strikes. He aimed for its vulnerable underbelly, each blow calculated to drive the beast in anger but did little damage. The serpent lashed out, but its strikes were wild and unfocused, the chalk in the packets ruining its ability to aim properly. Aria used her aerokinesis and heavy beating of wings to create gusts of wind, further disorienting the serpent and pushing it toward the edge by messing with its sense of direction. The beast¡¯s movements became more frantic as its anger drove it to strike at its enemies. With a final, desperate lunge, the serpent struck at Axel. He sidestepped, using his halberd to guide the beast¡¯s momentum. Aria gathered a powerful gust of wind, with the rapid flapping of her wings and the combined force of a wind sphere and the redirected momentum to send the Shadowfang Serpent over the edge. It let out a furious hiss as it plummeted, disappearing into the depths below. Breathing heavily, Axel and Aria stood at the edge, watching until they were sure the beast was gone. The adrenaline still coursed through their veins, making their hearts pound in their chests. Axel turned to Aria, a triumphant smile on his face. ¡°We did it.¡± Aria turned and leaped into Axel¡¯s arms, giving him a deep kiss in a mix of excitement and adrenaline from the near-death encounter. Axel¡¯s thoughts stopped at this moment and on instinct, he kissed her back just as fiercely. This moment in time seemed to stretch forever and end in an instant, but no matter how long it lasted, it would be a cherished memory for Axel. The warmth of her lips and the intensity of the kiss made the world around them fade away. Breathing heavily, not so much from the short fight but from other emotions, Axel said, ¡°We should head down and gather our prize.¡± Aria, red-faced and a little shy now, nodded in agreement. With that, they hurried and made their way down the trail. The descent was steep and treacherous, but their excitement kept them moving. They found the serpent along some rocks, dead and unmoving. Its massive body was a testament to their victory. With a lot of effort, the pair cleaned and skinned the beast, taking special care of the scales as they would be worth a lot in Greenhaven when they returned. The scales shimmered in the fading light, a mix of dark and iridescent hues that spoke of the serpent¡¯s deadly beauty. As they worked, the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the landscape. The air was filled with the scent of the forest and the faint metallic tang of blood. Despite the exhaustion, Axel felt a sense of accomplishment and a deepening bond between him and Aria. This was the first true foe they had felled with their teamwork and they seemed to just mesh well together. A small part of Axel also relaxed as while Cade was not here in the flesh, he did accomplish something that they promised to do together, and as the haled the meat Axel sent a prayer into the Journal that his soul was well in the afterlife. Chapter 12 Axel and Aria arrived back in their camp well after sunset. The stars twinkled brightly through the canopy of the jungle. The pairs of heavily laden packs were put down with care, one full of scales while the other held the meat and core of the beast. Since they didn¡¯t have the supplies to preserve the meat for transport, Axel planned to cook and eat it tonight, finishing Aria¡¯s cycle and, if he was lucky, completing his foundational work. As they cooked, the aroma of the serpent¡¯s meat filled the air, mingling with the earthy scent of the forest. The fire crackled softly, casting a warm glow on their faces. Aria turned to Axel, her eyes reflecting the flickering flames. ¡°Aria thinks you should have the core. Aria thinks it would help you after what you said about your body.¡± Axel was a little stunned. With the core, Aria could finish her second cycle that night. Carefully replying to her, Axel asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡± Aria nodded, her expression serious. ¡°Yes, Aria is sure. You need it more than Aria does right now. Aria can wait.¡± Axel felt a surge of gratitude and something deeper. ¡°Thank you, Aria. This means a lot to me.¡± They continued cooking in companionable silence, the feeling of growing closer to each other grew as time passed. As they ate, Axel could feel the energy from the serpent¡¯s meat coursing through his body, adding much needed materal to strengthening him. When they finished, Aria handed him the core, its dark, almost iridescent surface glinting in the firelight. ¡°Here,¡± she said softly. ¡°say Ahh!¡± with an Ahh, Aria popped the hot core into Axel''s mouth. After a bit of moving around in his mouth as it was a little to hot Axel chewed and swallowed. He then brought up his journal health data and saw the sheer potency of the blessing at work. The strength and potency were making quick use of the materal in his system. They both quickly then sat and ate the meat to add materials to their bodies. Axel with the help of the core worked through almost 70% of the snake''s meat with Arias''s blessing. With the food done, the pair sat outside the cave looking at the clear night sky shoulder to shoulder. Feeling the warmth from Aria, Axel turned slowly to Aria and with a genital caress of his hand on her cheek brought her closer for a kiss. Aria moved in and as their lips touched things moved quickly, clothes were lost and as they made love under the watch of the stars it seemed almost like the sky was celebrating them as the sky was filled with streaking stars. At first ones and twos, then as time went on, the sky was filled with streaks of celestial objects. ----- Hours later, as the pair lay there exhausted, both noticed the sky was full of falling stars. ¡°They are beautiful,¡± Aria said, looking at them in a delight haze. Axel, coming back to reality, looked at the stars and a sense of horror filled him. ¡°We need to pack and leave now!¡± With fear-filled urgency, Axel gathered his clothes, gear, and bags. He then moved to the fire and covered it with dirt as Aria finished changing and collecting her gear. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why is Aria hurrying? It¡¯s only a few hours to daybreak.¡± ¡°We need to get out of the forest and to a village as a beast tide is going to occur soon. Whenever there is a star shower, it drives the beasts into a mating frenzy. They will rampage throughout the jungle for food and to impress a mate." Leaving the cave and having broken camp, the pair hurried through the jungle in the rising light of the suns. As they moved, the sounds of frenzied beasts grew louder, echoing through the trees. The urgency of their flight was palpable, each step driven by the need to reach safety before the beasts truly began their rampage. Aria suddenly stopped Axel and, with several flaps of her wings, gathered air into a compressed ball, shooting it into the brush. ¡°Fool Aria once, you nasty creature, you will not fool Aria twice with the same tricks.¡± The blast of air knocked a Twilight Stalker into the air, and Axel, with an ease he would not have thought possible a week ago, skewered it on the return fall. While the meat and core would have been valuable, they had no time to spare and started running again. They cleared the jungle and reached the hilly area outside it. The dense foliage gave way to rolling hills, and the air grew cooler and fresher. The sounds of wildlife faded, though still present and growing in volume. With long strides, Axel ran while Aria guided him from the air. The miles melted away in his loping run, its cadence meant for endurance running over speed until they made it to the main road between Jungleheart Village and Canopy Village. The road was crowded with people moving towards the village, their faces etched with anxiety. The sound of footsteps, murmurs of conversation, and the occasional cry of a child filled the air. The earthy scent of the road mingled with the smell of sweat and fear. In the distance, the roars of frenzied beasts echoed through the trees, a constant reminder of the danger they were fleeing. The guards at the gate were not even checking the people coming in, only trying to hurry them along as the gates would be sealed at the first sign of a beast above the Novice Tier. The village gate was sturdy, the walls tall and imposing. The guards¡¯ tense expressions reflected the urgency of the situation as they ushered people inside. Axel and Aria made it into the village and its safe walls. The relief on people¡¯s faces was palpable as the gates creaked shut behind them. The sense of safety within the walls was a stark contrast to the chaos outside. With a sigh and slight panting, Axel looked to Aria and said, ¡°We made it. Let¡¯s find an inn to rest at and regroup. We will also need to reorganize our things; this pack is so off balance.¡± Finding a Flame Seekers inn, an establishment meant for people on their journey while they were traveling from city to city to take trials or for when they went to the deeper areas to hunt for their cycle. Every village and city had several of these as it gave the Flame Seekers a place to stay that was affordable, keeping them off the street and out of trouble, mostly. Getting a group room, Axel and Aria closed the door on a small room with four sets of bunk beds, a water bowl, and some cabinets to store things. Sitting on the bed with a sigh of exhaustion from the lack of sleep, exercise over the night, and a long run, Axel¡¯s weary body was worn thin. Checking his proto core, Axel saw that it was only at about four percent but was now rising since he was not pushing his body. Aria stood and leaned against the other set of bunk beds, breathing in an accelerated manner. Axel could see the sweat on her forehead and how her wings drooped when she was tired, so he found it weird that she was not sitting down. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°You know you could take a seat if you are tired,¡± Axel said to her shaking her head. ¡°Aria would rather stand as sitting is uncomfortable at the moment, after last night. Aria is glad her first was with her Hero but uncomfortable things are uncomfortable. Aria thinks she will use the bathing hour to clean up and get the sweat off.¡± With that, she stored her bag, grabbed some spare clothes, and went to the female bathhouse. As she left, Axel could feel his ears were heated and while he would likely enjoy the memories for a long time, he shook his head hard to clear it and started organizing their things as it was all quickly packed and mixed up. After an hour, Aria returned with a bit of a swagger in her hips when she noticed Axel¡¯s eyes on her. ¡°I think I will go clean up and see about laundry facilities as most of my clothes are dirty and stink of sweat.¡± With that said, Axel left the room, much to a smirking Aria. ---- After cleaning some clothes in the laundry area and taking a shower that even had hot water, Axel felt much more alive. Changed into clean, dry clothes and having had a hot shower, Axel returned to his room and found Aria folding up some clean clothing that she must have done while he was away. An awkward silence covered the room as the pair went about the task of repacking their gear and trying not to talk about what happened that night. ¡°So, would you like to be my mate officially?¡± Axel finally broke the silence. Aria froze as if she had been put in the sight of a predator that had movement-based sight. With a slow, deliberate turn, Aria looked at Axel in the eye with eyes full of awe and hunger. ¡°Are you sure? You do know about my kind, right?¡± Aria replied in a fragile voice. Aurelians were a race that, while having mates, were known to have dalliances with others making what was referred to as flocks. It was not a matter of not loving their mates but a nature or cultural thing, Axel was a little fuzzy on this point, which had them take on many lovers that gained their interest. If mated, they would always return to their mate after the exploration, but they did not see these things as cheating like a human would. They saw it as a celebration of life and tried to drag a mate into these situations as much as they could. ¡°I have heard about it, but you have grown into my heart, and I am not sure I want to live without you. I guess I will try the old trick of never letting you get bored so your wings will not wander away from me,¡± Axel replied with all the confidence of youth. After hearing this, Aria jumped on Axel and showed her love to the point the neighboring room hit the wall to tell them to calm down. As the time after that was around dinner, the pair walked to the dining hall holding hands to get something that was not just grilled meat with some herbs rubbed on for flavor. They ordered a full meal with soup, bread, and pasta that tasted amazing. They chatted about nothing as they ate, filling each other in on their lives now that they were not just living in a cave having to always be on watch. Then a pair of men walked in with a bang of the door and a swagger. The first was an Aurelian who had a strong build for his kind, he must be rather young based on the metallic feathers in his wings. The other was a Krellian who was wearing an eyepatch, he had a robust build also, likely taking a durability power from what Axel could guess, but the man could just be a bodybuilder liking the bulky look. They were laughing and talking loudly to each other about how their hunts had gone. Axel would have likely not paid them any mind but for Aria freezing again. Axel looked over to her, and she seemed to be shivering and trying to make herself smaller. This was when his gift, or curse of memory, brought up the conversations they had in the cave over the week. Putting together who these two were, a crimson hue began to creep into his vision. Axel also thought of another context of the hunts they were bragging about and based on the context in their words, the red took his vision. As if controlled by something else, Axel pushed his seat back and got to his feet in a fluid motion. This startled Aria as she looked at him, the fear present in her eyes was the last push he needed. He then strode through the dining hall almost viewing everything in a third person, locked onto the pair. His fist moved in a Snar punch to the back of the Aurelian¡¯s head, dropping the man in an instant either unconscious or dead, and grabbing the Krellian by the neck before he registered what was happening. Axel then, throwing a hard punch to the man¡¯s stomach, that causing the wind to come out of his gills that Axel was currently holding shut with his hand, effectively strangling the man. As the man struggled in Axel¡¯s grip confused, he was hammered again and again in the face. Blood covered Axel¡¯s vision as the mans face deformed more and more, but he felt more in control of the rage than with Cades dual, likely due to the work he had done with his meditation and the growth of his foundation from the Shadowfang Serpent. Axel then felt his arm stopped mid-punch as something powerful gripped his forearm. This caused a jolt in the rage as Axel looked over to see what or who stopped him. He saw an Enforcer holding his punch with one hand and very little effort. ¡°You should stop now before I need to make you stop,¡± the Enforcer¡¯s cold modulated voice came from the helmet. The helmets of Enforcers had voice changers to protect their identity. Using his will to force the rage back down, Axel looked the man in the eye and said, ¡°These are dishonorable scourges. They had tried to harm my mate in the past, and I will punish them to the fullness of my ability. Are you trying to stop me from this?¡± Axel¡¯s voice was still cold with the rage. ¡°The reason I am not arresting you right now for assault is because this pair is known of, and we had already gathered a case on them. Also, your mate over there stopped me and told me what happened. Release him, and I will take him and his friend away for punishment. If you go any farther, I will be forced by my oath to stop you, and I would like not to have to do that,¡± the cold voice came from the helmet. Axel, letting reason take hold, forced his hand open, dropping the sack of meat to the ground and stepping back. This is when the horror of what he had done crept in. He looked at the Enforcer and said, ¡°Am I to go with you to be put in holding?¡± Axel only to got a shake of the head. ¡°I will then clean up and return to my room.¡± Axel left on autopilot to the bathhouse with people stepping out of his way. He cleaned his face and hands to find that he had broken his hand this time. Pushing the growing pain and warnings from his Journal to the back of his head, he returned to the empty room. The dark intrusive thoughts returned, and he could just imagine the terror in Aria¡¯s eyes after seeing what he had done. With a heavy breath, Axel sat heavily down with his back to the wall under the window. The sun streaked through the window, but instead of adding light to the room, it only seemed to deepen the shadows. After an unknown time, the door cracked open for a pair of silver eyes to peek in to see him sitting there. A moment later, the door was thrown open, and he was tackle-hugged by a blond missile. ¡°Aria was so worried about you. Were you in here the whole time? Aria was looking over the dining area and even bribed someone to look in the men¡¯s bathhouse for you!¡± the fast-talking voice said. ¡°You scared Aria when you went up to those two.¡± She stopped when she felt him flinch at the word scared. ¡°You did not scare Aria that way, fool. Aria thought that they would hurt you! They were at least of the second Cycle of the Novice tier, and you are only of the first cycle!¡± she scolded him. In a soft voice, ¡°I have not even done my first trial, Aria,¡± Axel admitted. ¡°My strength comes from a proto core as I was born defective. My body was born so weak that a gentle touch could break my bones. It was thanks to my father taking a Trial of Ordeals to save me. Now I have strength that far exceeds what my body should have, but it comes with the crimson backlash of rage. This was why I didn¡¯t want you to hold me at night. I, in a nightmare, could hurt or ¡­¡± Before he could finish, his mouth was covered by hers. ¡°Stop, Aria cares not at all for that talk. Aria¡¯s Mate is the Hero. The one who, in Aria¡¯s darkest moments, brings her safety. In the time Aria has known Axel, he has never come close to injuring her, besides being a little rough last night, but Aria liked that.¡± She then gently grabbed his chin when he started looking away. ¡°Aria has no fear that you will hurt her. Aria knows that you will use your strength to protect and stop the bad people like you did today!¡± Aria then turned and forced Axel to embrace her and said in a barely audible whisper, ¡°Thank you for ending Aria¡¯s nightmare.¡± With that said, the pair sat quietly in the darkening room, comforted by each other¡¯s company, falling asleep holding each other. Chapter 13 The pair woke with Axel still holding Aria while leaning against the wall. Her scent of herbs and the open sky filled Axel¡¯s waking brain. She was still shifting in her sleep, leaving a slight line of drool on his shoulder with a very cute face. As he shifted to get more comfortable, but he ended up waking her. With a yawn, she said, ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°That it is while holding you,¡± Axel replied, much to the blush creeping up Aria¡¯s neck. She then gave him a peck on the lips. Aria stretched her wings slightly, careful not to hit him. ¡°Yes, well. Thank you for holding Aria,¡± she said, her voice with a slightly husky tone. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the early morning light filtering through the window and casting a warm glow around the room. The events of the previous day seemed distant now, replaced by a sense of calm and safety. Axel took a deep breath, deciding it was time to share more about his past. ¡°Aria, there¡¯s more that I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you,¡± He began, his voice steady but soft. ¡°About my childhood, how I got my proto core, and why I was so injured out in the jungle when you met me.¡± Aria looked up at him, her eyes filled with curiosity and concern. ¡°Listening,¡± she simply said, giving him her full attention. Axel began to recount his story to Aria, starting from his earliest memories of being a child with more physical strength than many adults but always with the constant fear of breaking bones if he did not carefully control his strength. He spoke of the immense sacrifice his father made to save him, how he had hurt the other kids when playing, and how one kid did everything to be his friend despite the fear of injury. He then spoke of the day fate turned his life upside down, of when he was to give his genetic material to Lyra so that she could fulfill her duty to have a child for the people to keep the population stable. With the mention of Lyra, Aria began asking question after question about her and what growing up with Cade and Lyra was like. Axel smiled, appreciating her curiosity. ¡°Lyra was always the strong willed one, even as a child. She had this fierce determination and a heart of gold of any good healer but she would always refuse to back down from something she saw as wrong. Cade, on the other hand, was my best friend. He was always there for me, no matter what. We were inseparable as children. Even when growing up and training there was nothing that seemed to separate us. I still find it odd that we went into that dual like we did.¡± Axel''s mind at this time shied away from the memory trying to flood in and not think about it. Aria listened intently, her eyes wide with interest. ¡°It sounds like you had a close-knit group. What was it like growing up with them?¡± Axel took a deep breath, his mind drifting back to those days. ¡°It was¡­ complicated. We had our share of adventures and misadventures. Lyra was always pushing us to be better and to strive for more every day. Cade was the one who kept us grounded, always finding a way to make us laugh, even in the toughest times. Cade would also instigate us into doing many dumb things like going to the river to spear fish when that could have gotten us killed at the time.¡± He paused, his expression growing somber. ¡°But things changed. As we grew older, the responsibilities and expectations grew heavier on each of us. Lyra had her duty to the people, and Cade¡­ well, he had his struggles with family and responsibility that he was expected to take.¡± Aria reached out, placing a comforting hand on his. ¡°It sounds like you all went through a lot together. But you also had each other and those should be the memories you should focus on.¡± Axel nodded, a small smile returning to his face. ¡°Yes, we did.¡± With a growl from both their stomachs, the pair decided to go to the dining hall for what was now lunch. As they paid and ordered lunch, Aria began to fill Axel in about her life, giving Axel time to get to what she could tell was the most difficult. She explained that she was an orphan. Her mother was a Stormlord, one of the administrators of the Guardian of the Storm, and her father was an Enforcer for the Harmonizers. She lost them when someone in the Harmonizers informed a criminal group of her father¡¯s identity. Her home was attacked in force, killing both of them in a night slaughter, that also destroyed several city blocks. Aria was lucky that she was at her friend¡¯s home for a sleepover, though she thought that her parents may have sent her away that night knowing something might happen. As she had no close family, Aria was put into the foster system. She talked about how she was placed several times but, due to the trauma and lose, she was returned to the foster home several times. However, she found solace and a sense of belonging with her foster mom, who raised her as her own when many others gave up on her. Her foster mom was a kind and strong woman who helped Aria navigate her grief and trauma. Aria smiled softly as she recounted how she found her way through the trauma by helping other foster children who came into the home. ¡°It gave Aria a purpose,¡± she said, her eyes reflecting a mix of sadness and strength. ¡°Helping others who were going through similar pain made Aria feel less alone. It was like we were all healing together.¡± Aria gave Axel one of her bright smiles and continued, ¡°Aria then decided to take storm training in scouting. Aria aced her courses in city scouting and outer wall scouting. Aria was also told that she was a savant with knives. Aria enjoyed the training.¡± Axel held up his hand, stopping her. ¡°What about jungle scouting or wilderness scouting?¡± ¡°Aria never took those as Foster Mom did not want Aria to go too far before Aria had completed the Trial,¡± Aria happily replied. ¡°So, you are telling me that you went into the jungle to hunt? Without the training for it?¡± At her nod, Axel facepalmed. ¡°Let me guess, you didn¡¯t stay for training with your core either.¡± Seeing the shake of her head, Axel was at a loss and asked the only question that he could think of, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The Goddess gave Aria a quest to go to the jungle and get stronger, and Aria trusts the Goddess¡¯s wisdom,¡± she replied with quiet confidence. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Look, even the Goddess is not omnipotent. Please don¡¯t do things like that anymore. Let me at least help you make better plans,¡± Axel pleaded with her. ¡°Aria will think about it. Aria will try to inform her hero of future plans, but Aria is free as the wind and will follow the flow that life gives Aria. Look, it gave Aria you.¡± She finished with a gentle kiss. ¡°If Aria did not follow the Goddess¡¯s quest, how would Aria have found you?¡± Axel had no reply to this and decided to drop it for the moment. He fully planned to bring this up later, but he still had a story to finish and had been distracted from it for long enough. Axel took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. ¡°Where was I? Oh, right. The day everything changed.¡± He continued his story, recounting the events that led to the duel with Cade and the tragic outcome. He spoke of the pain and guilt that followed while he sat in his cell, the trial in front of the whole village, and his subsequent expidited exile. Aria listened intently, her eyes never leaving his face, offering silent support. When he finished, there was a moment of silence as they both absorbed the weight of his words. Aria reached out, taking his hand in hers. ¡°You¡¯ve been through so much, Axel. But you¡¯re not alone anymore. We¡¯ll face whatever comes together. You will always be Aria''s hero and Aria will always be your Heroine so remember you are not alone now. ¡± Axel squeezed her hand, feeling a sense of relief and comfort. ¡°Thank you, Aria. It means a lot to me.¡± They sat in silence for a while, just soaking in each others company, their lunch had long grown cold, and the sun was well into the sky by the time they left the inn. Feeling lighter after his talk with Aria, Axel decided it was time to replace some gear that was damaged and lost during their hunting trip, such as his dwindled supply of throwing knives. ¡°Ahh, Aria needs to replace the bow Foster mom gave.¡± With that, she grabbed Axel''s hand and led him into the market district. As they walked the crowded streets, they bumped into several people, only for Aria to turn and smack them with her wing, then take back the money pouch from the thief that had tried to alight with her money pouch. The market was alive with activity, vendors calling out their wares, and the scent of various foods wafting through the air. Stalls lined the streets, displaying everything from fresh produce to intricate jewelry. They first stopped at a stall selling weapons, Axel began to examining the throwing knives with a critical eye. ¡°These look good,¡± he said, testing the balance of one. Aria, meanwhile, was chatting animatedly with a vendor about the best bows for her needs. Aria then frowned at the merchant after he showed off several bows and had Axel put the knives back leaving the shop quickly. When they were away from the vendor Axel asked what happened to get a firm reply ¡°That was a bad man, he was trying to hawk his goods in a way to make people pay way more than they should for gear that would not last.¡± As they moved through the market in a meandering manner, Axel couldn¡¯t help but smile at Aria¡¯s enthusiasm as she went from vendor to vendor buying needed goods. She was like a whirlwind of enthusiasm, her energy infectious, making the shopping trip tolerable for Axel. He found himself laughing more than he had in a long time at the way she was acting and how she could get deals from almost any of the vendors. With her help, Axel replaced a lot of his camping gear, new clothing, and travel food but they had yet to find a vendor to replace weapons. Just as they were about to leave the market for the day, they noticed a small crowd gathered around a wagon. Curiosity piqued, they approached and saw a Kerialan merchant displaying his wares. The merchant was an older man, appearing to be in his early 30s, with a friendly smile, a jolly laugh, and a twinkle in his eye. He began to regale his audience with a showmanship and oratory skills. ¡°Step right up, folks! Finest goods from all over the land! You won¡¯t find better quality anywhere else!¡± he called out, his voice carrying over the noise of the market. ¡°Rare items from the deep jungles all the way to the wind-swept plains, and from the deep of the coastal seas to the tall mountains of the east. I have many rare and needed items for all!¡± Aria¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight of the various items on display. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look, Axel!¡± she said, pulling him towards the wagon. As the merchant noticed them and he greeted them warmly. ¡°Welcome, welcome! I¡¯m Jareth, a humble merchant traveling these lands. What can I interest you in today?¡± Axel and Aria exchanged a glance before Axel spoke up. ¡°We¡¯re looking for some supplies. I need some throwing knives, and Aria here needs a new bow.¡± Jareth nodded, his eyes twinkling with interest. ¡°Ah, I have just the thing for you. Follow me.¡± He led them to the back of the wagon, where he had a selection of weapons and other goods."These are all made from the city of the Forge of Forgehelm off the City State of Ironridge. You will find no finer blades then these." Axel look then over and found the throwing blades to be of excellent quality while Aria found a bow to replace the one lost before Axel even met her. "Ah that bow was made in the village of Breezewood connected to the City State of Windsplane. It is of the finest novice quality and would fit a young lady like you in such style." The merchant Jareth said with a wide smile. ¡°So, I see you both move with the ease of skilled warriors, and you give me a good impression with your eye for quality of my goods. Would you happen to be heading to Greenhaven?¡± Jareth asked ¡°We are heading that way. Why do you ask?¡± Axel replied in a slightly weary tone. ¡°Aww, my young friend, you see my last guards left me high and dry here to take the much higher paying contract with the Village with the beast tide here. I am in need of some guards and if you are heading in that direction I would like to hire you.¡± Jareth replied in a jolly tone. Axel looked over to Aria to see her nod while holding the bow tightly and replied, ¡°From my experience, we will be stuck in the village for at least a week while the beasts calm down, but if you will have us, we will gladly take the hire.¡± Aria sighed in a such a way when she heard Axel speak, that Axel felt like we was being put down on, and stepped forward between the two with a her eyes growing sharp sharp. ¡°We¡¯ll need fair compensation and supplies for the journey. And we expect to be treated with respect.¡± Jareth chuckled, nodding. ¡°Of course, of course. I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± Aria then started a rapid whirlwind of negotiations that went from pay to terms of breaking the contract, to a stipend for extra supplies, to even selling their Shadowfang serpent scales for, at Axel¡¯s best guess, three times what they should have been worth. Jareth took none of this lying down and spiritedly haggled back, getting concessions from Aria on job duties, of which Axel was getting the feeling that he was somehow being sold up the river on, to how much the pay was going to be. The haggling lasted until the market was closing and then ended up in their dining hall where the pair argued over the meal. Then, out of nowhere to Axel perception, they slapped their hands together in a firm handshake. With a satisfied smile and deep laugh, Jareth said, ¡°I believe we have a deal. I will have a contract written up for you in the morning to give to the local Storm branch after you sign. I look forward to our journey together.¡± Aria nodded, her eyes gleaming with triumph. ¡°As do we, Jareth.¡± With a last jolly laugh, Jareth left with the pack full of scales and left behind a pouch full of coins. ¡°So, what just happened?¡± Axel asked, more than slightly confused. ¡°Aria negotiated a standard Guardian of the Storm caravan contract like Mother taught. Jareth was a fine fellow and gave mostly fair deals, only throwing in bad parts to mess with Aria. Aria will have to apologize to you, though. Aria lost on the part where you must dig the latrine every night and fill it in before we leave.¡± With a giggle and a kiss, Aria raced to their room before the words processed in Axel¡¯s mind. When they did, he yelled and chased after her. The night ended with sweet kisses and holding each other closely after thoroughly making up. Chapter 14 The following days were exactly what Axel needed to recharge and let his taxed nerves relax. Axel and Aria spent time together just enjoying the village, though it was not all pleasant as there were signs of the ongoing beast tide. People are being brought from the wall with injuries to the local Healers of Hope house for treatment. There were also several visitations for those who did not make it through the tide. Axel was brought on several shopping trips to expand their equipment and gear. Aria also bargained for some well-made beast hide leather armor for each of them, made from a beast of the plains that Axel had never heard of, but its hide was stronger than even standard forged chainmail from Jareth. This cut into the Shadowfang scales¡¯ profit, but Axel was fine with the investment in their safety. With new gear and supplies gathered, all that they had left to do was wait. During their exploration of the village, they found the local Storm training center, a large structure of six floors and a large training field that butted right up to the wall. Decided to rent a training room so that Aria and he could keep up their sparring. The place was still busy with the standard young trainees and several veteran members of the Warriors of the Storm acting as trainers. Each trainer was a veteran coming from one of the elite units of the Storm. Everyone in the city-states and outer villages starts as a Warrior of the Storm trainee. This includes everyone from the son or daughter of a High Chieftain of a city-state to the child of a baker. The goddess had mandated in the past that all must be able to defend themselves and their homes. When one reaches the age of majority and passes a basic assessment, they are graduated as a Defender. Almost all of the populaces, with the exception of the crippled or the disabled, are a Defender and will take training courses every few years to keep their skills sharp. However, not many will complain about the training after surviving their first beast tide. The first person Axel talked to was the Stormlord in charge of this training facility. Stormlords were the leaders and administrators of the organization, much like Aria¡¯s mother. They are the ones who lead and keep the group going in the right direction. Axel also planned to use some of their funds to hire a few of the trainers so that he and Aria were not just fighting each other and getting outside training advice. The Stormlord in question was a burly bald human man with a semi-wild red beard and piercing grey eyes. He checked the records for both Aria and Axel¡¯s training with the Storm by checking their journals and sending a request through the communion for their training records, then asked them questions about what they wanted to work on. After the questions and a bit of thought, he gave Axel a few options for training, both free and paid professionals who took extra money between working shifts on the wall or in recon. Axel hired each specialist for two days of training as they were stuck here. During their first visit, Axel and Aria worked with one of the Earthbound Sentinels. This group protects land routes between City-States, often acting as caravan guards, patrols, and protectors of the mines from predators that like to nest in the great mountains. They worked with Axel to increase his halberd skills and fix some bad habits he was beginning to develop, even with his new visualization training method using his memory trick. Aria worked in an enclosed room with her wings restrained, so she would get the experience of having to fight without her wings in the event that they were injured or disabled. The next group they paid for time with was the Tidewalkers. These specialists worked on the waterways and knew the beasts of the sea well. There were not many of their specialties around this area being so far inland, making them much more expensive to rent their time, but with one of the great mountains for mining in the area needing the waterways to send materials to the city-state, there were still a few here. Most of this group was much further east along the coastal cities and outer ocean, but their mandate was the protection of all waterways. The trainers were a pair of Tidewalkers that were twin Krellians sisters named Larimar and Pearl. The training with these two was Aria¡¯s worst nightmare made manifest, as they enjoyed using hydrokinesis and a large pool of water to soak her repeatedly when she failed to work in tandem with Axel. Axel also got soaked but he did not mind getting wet as much. They also combined their abilities to make constructs of water to fight against in large numbers. By the end of the second day, their teamwork was in much better shape and the twins had no other time available for training, though Axel was glad to be done with it deep down as it was hard to look at Aria being all wet and droopy. The Skyward was the last group that Axel and Aria paid to work with. This was an interesting experience as Aria worked with others of her kind, but Axel was forced to fight against a young Storm Drake and its Vortan rider. Storm Drakes where large creatures with wings attached to their forelimbs. They flew by lighting their weight with lighter-than-air gases in special organs. They were also one of the many predators that used electrical discharge to stun the commonly heavily armored pray that roam this world. The nasty part was when they landed and released the gas and used the electrical discharge to release a gouge of flame. This generally ground the Storm Drake for a couple of minutes but being on fire generally distracted something for the needed time to refill the gas bladders. This was a challenge that Axel was fated to lose as his skills were not trained for this kind of fight, but he did surprise the rider with his new discharge chain on the end of his halberd. The spar started in the large courtyard and the goal of the training was evasion and battle control. As it was not expected of Axel to beat a flying opponent, and he was also told not to try as it would just make the Storm Drake angry, Axel was to evade and divert the beast¡¯s attacks for thirty minutes. If the beast tagged him Axel was considered to have lost the training. This was also used to warm up the Drake as they had patrols later in the afternoon. The fight lasted for about fifteen minutes when Axel was getting tired of being a target and decided it was a bright idea to go for the rider as that was not a failure in the rules. As the Storm Drake made another one of its snapping dives on Axel, he dodged like the last several times but this time he threw the new discharge chain connected to the end of his halberd that was meant to ground out predators that used electrical discharges to stun heavily armored prey. The chain wrapped around the rider, locking it in place with a learned twist on the chain. Then Axel yanked the rider off and into the yard with a thump. However, this was a big mistake when the beast then turned in a steep loop and slammed down on Axel, pinning him with an angry growl only to be stopped from snapping a chunk off Axel by a firm, but wheezing command of its rider. ¡°Hold!¡± the winded voice commanded causing the beast to stop immediately ¡°Retract and Retreat!¡± Came the final command, and with a final snap at Axel¡¯s face, leaving drool in its wake, the Drake retreated away to the side of the field where a handler gave it meat and worked at calming it down. ¡°I think that will be enough for today. My sunflower here is very upset now and I don¡¯t think I could stop you from being bitten if we continue to spar today. Thank you for teaching me to watch out for that trick though.¡± Rubbing their back, the Vortan led their mount to a stable as they had patrols in a few hours as there was still a beast tide ongoing. After that, Axel was forced on the second day to play dodge the angry Drake again but this time the rider was throwing blunt spears to liven it up. It was a very long thirty minutes as the rider did not get in a position to be snagged this time around. After the training, Axel shook the rider¡¯s hand and planned to relax while waiting for the beast tide to ebb. Aria had a great time in the skies with several of her kind doing some swooping and diving fights. He could hear her clear laughter the entire time she was training seeming to have a great time. ------- When the roads opened later that week, the beast tide finally ebbed into receding. Jareth contacted them at dinner the night it was announced to tell them he was planning on heading out in a caravan of other merchants trapped in the village. Most travel was done by caravan as it was the best way to fend off beasts or bandits. Even more powerful Flame Seekers traveled with a caravan, though this was more to keep the trade lanes open and net them money while they traveled. Early the next morning, Axel and Aria met Jareth at his wagon near the east gate. They needed to push their way through a large contingent of Earthbound Sentinels that one of the bigger merchants had hired to make it to Jareth and his wagon. The wagon was almost a small mobile house in size and was all packed up, and Jareth sat on the large padded driver¡¯s bench with a pair of reins in his hands. Hitched to the wagon were a pair of Pollox of good size, each beast standing at the shoulder about as tall as Axel with Aria sitting on his shoulders. They were large quadruped lizards that were armored along their flanks and back with a large horn just off the nose. Axel looked the beast over with his index. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Index basic mode Pollox Known Dangers: Estimated Age: Adult Beast core Potency: Adept Low Current Danger to the User: Very Low With a gesture of his hand, Jareth motioned for them to get into the back of his wagon. The back of the wagon had room for all of them to sleep and still store all of Jareth¡¯s wares. There were boxes and barrels secured and tied down in the wagon, leaving plenty of room for Axel and Aria to get comfortable. ¡°Looks like we should head out before noon at this rate. Truly fast for working with larger merchants!¡± Jareth¡¯s voice boomed from the front seat much to the annoyance of a passing merchant in very nice clothes. ¡°As we are working with a caravan and not solo, your duties are to protect the wagon and be on night watch. Axel won¡¯t even have to dig the latrine as the Sentinels will have a sanitation specialist.¡± Jareth boomed a laugh while Aria looked away and whistled a tune when Axel glared at her. ¡°Any other tasks that you need from us? Or that we could do to help?¡± Axel asked as he had never traveled far from the village he grew up in besides into the jungle to learn hunting. ¡°Well, if you know how to drive a wagon, I would not mind, but I would not want a novice in charge of this pair of Adept beasts as they can get shy and it takes a strong hand to rein them in.¡± ¡°I would just relax and take this as a learning experience. Watch the Sentinels work, keep an eye out for danger, and Aria can do a scouting run every hour to keep us safe. Your main duty will be to watch the wagon at night, young Axel, and act the big strong lad that you are to keep trouble at bay. The journey is about three days to travel with setup and breakdowns of camp. If I didn¡¯t miss my guess, you are both first-cycle novices just off completing your growth phase of your first cycle. Enjoy the journey and keep an eye out for danger and we should be just fine.¡± Jareth then took out a pipe, filled it with a weed, and with the light of a match, puffed on it a few times and waited for the caravan to start moving. Much to his words, the caravan started as a clock tower dinged the noon bell and change of the watch. The wagon started moving slowly through the village and as they reached the open road, picked up speed quickly. The Pollox on his and the other wagons started a loping run that was eating the distance without much seeming effort on their part. The guards were either riding a beast, sitting on top of more solid wagons made of ironwood, or just seeming to jog along the sides of the caravan as if they were taking a pleasant stroll. Many of the Sentinels were very relaxed to Axel¡¯s watchful eye, but the few times a herd of beasts got near, they would work together in an instant to drive or divert the beasts away. ---- The first two days were very uneventful with small battles between the Sentinels and a few packs of planes-based predators thinking that the caravan would be good prey, that Axel did not have information on in his index. This was an oversight that he planned to fix when they reached the City-State and research more beasts that were not jungle-born. There were signs of large groups of beasts everywhere as the beast tide hit everywhere all at once with a falling star event. Axel and Aria passed the time with a game that dealt with a wooden board, pegs that slotted into the board, and dice. It was called Slak and was very popular with traveling groups as it was easy to carry. It was the early morning of the third day that trouble reared its ugly head, right at the cusp of dawn while the early morning mists lingered in the air. The caravan was just starting to break camp when there was almost a palpable buzz in the air, the Sentinels were more alert, and everyone seemed to be on edge. Axel was just on his way to the latrine as the early morning mists were heavy in the air, as the winter was changing to spring creating large banks of fog on the planes. Thinking about it later, Axel realized it was likely a power or set of powers of someone in the caravan alerting the group of danger. Axel felt like he was hunting the Shadowfang serpent again; there was something out there ready to pounce and death was around every corner. Axel finished quickly and headed back but just as he was returning from the latrine when out of the mist, a bolt of fire shot out at one of the Sentinels. The attack landed but did not down the man, and he let out an alarm, the merchants rushed to their wagons with their personal guards while the Sentinels moved to preplanned posts. That was when everything went to the Crimson and attacks came from every direction. Attacks and screams were happening everywhere, and it was taking all Axel could do not to be hit by a stray bolt of energy or launched physical object. As Axel made a rush to the wagon, he saw Aria dueling a man with a long thin rapier. He was moving with a viper¡¯s swiftness and had already injured Aria¡¯s right arm with a stab. Having none of this, Axel snatched one of his new knives and threw that knife as hard at the man as he could and still be accurate, which the man then deflected from what looked like instinct or the use of a power, but it had the effect of sending the man off balance from the impact alone, giving Aria a moment to gut him as his blade was out of position. Axel followed the throw by using his strength and momentum to slam into the man, sending him right into one of the reinforced wagons. The man was then dispatched by one of the Sentinels who leaned over the roof of the wagon to see what happened and shot an arrow to the head of the bandit with almost casual disregard and then returned to raining arrows on the attackers as if he was uninterrupted from his job. As Axel looked around the wagon to assess the situation, he noticed that Jareth had three assailants¡¯ bodies at his feet with no physical wounds on them but blood coming out of the ears, nose, and mouth. As Axel was about to say something to Jareth, Aria took that moment to alert Axel that there were more coming from the mists. Alex and Aria moved to an intercept position to at least slow if not intercept them until a Sentinel could assist if this was someone they could not handle. Out of the mists came four young men, each wielding a sword and moving together in a standard sword formation that many Guardians of the Storm training centers taught. Aria leaped then, and with the recent training they had in the last village, Axel knew the plan almost instantly. With a roar to get their attention, Axel made a sweeping swing with his halberd to break up their charge. One of them tried to block and was sent flying back into the mist with a broken sword as his prize, the look of shock and surprise on his face was gratifying to Axel. The other three all evaded back, likely planning to take advantage of Axel¡¯s wide swing only for Aria to get one from behind with her bow, laying in an aero-guided arrow to the back of his neck. With surprise, she got another arrow to the head of the remaining duo, giving Axel time to get his stance back and launch another attack. With all the extra sparring and training, this fight felt like a cakewalk as this man did not have the skill or knowledge of Cade or Aria¡¯s agile fighting style. In a handful of spears-like thrusting moves, Axel cleaved the man in two when he threw him off balance with a well-timed catch of the sword between the spear point and axe head. This allowed Axel to do a twisting motion and relieve the man of his sword then on the follow-up cleaving swing with the axe head cut the man down by cutting him in half. As Axel looked at his bloody work, the man¡¯s face was interposed with Cade¡¯s, and Axel could not breathe for a time and then heard a scream of pain that mingled with a memory of an anguished cry a fathers of loss. It took a hug from Aria to snap him out of his mental haze and notice that the bandits were in a full retreat, finding this prey too hard to hunt. ¡°You are safe and Aria is safe. Return to me, my hero, and know that you have saved the day again,¡± Aria whispered into his ear from behind. It was at this moment Axel also realized that he had suffered another crimson backlash, and it was not opponent three who was now dead in front of him from their duel but the man with the broken sword that he had sent flying. The memories came flooding back to Axel almost unwanted, Axel standing there in front of his enemy suffering a feeling of panic from the memory of Cade¡¯s death only for Aria to yell in pain as the last of the enemy attacked her with a bolt of purple from his forehead. The rage overtook Axel as he charged the man, taking purple blast after purple blast until he reached him. Uncaring about his injuries, and seeming to shrug off the purple bolts with ease, Axel then ripped into the man with his bare hands. Beating him over and over, he did not stop until Aria hugged him. Axel also noted that he had a broken sword in his chest, but it did not breach his muscles but was stuck fast. His health data was in red from damage all over his body and his proto core was draining at a worrying pace. With a deep breath, Axel tore the blade out, hurting like the crimson, and turned to make sure Aria was fine. While looking a little ruffled, Aria was beaming happily at Axel. ¡°That was a battle well fought, and Aria got to see my hero save the day again. Aria will note that it should be Aria¡¯s turn again, but Aria is a gracious lady and will take this minor loss,¡± Aria said in a consoling tone. ¡°I think you miscounted there, Aria. I saved you from the Twilight Beast and you saved me from the Shadowfang, so how would it be your turn,¡± Axel distractedly asked. ¡°Well, Aria was saved from the falling second Twilight beast on our flight to the village, so Hero was up one already!¡± Aria replied with a smile, leading Axel back to the wagon and helping check to make sure that everyone was okay. The caravan suffered many injuries but few losses. The main loss was a smaller merchant who was attacked while the Sentinels were fighting, and three of the Sentinels lost their lives. The bandits, before they retreated, suffered about thirty dead, an unusual level of loss for a bandit group to take. From the looks of it, they were not expecting this strong of a response. The dead were gathered and put into the last wagon, called a death wagon, so that they could be properly buried, and their journals taken. Even bandits received this last rite and would if they won, have done the same honor, though likely saying the caravan was attacked by beasts to not get Enforcers looking at them. As everything was cleaned up, the caravan set off again and arrived with a much-battered group but unbroken before the massive gates to the City-State of Greenhaven. Though still haunted by his friend¡¯s death and the rage he thought he was getting a handle on, Axel looked forward to the next step in his journey with Aria at his side. Chapter 15 Just as Axel was going to leave with Aria, the staff member cleared his throat and motioned for them to come back to the desk. He then pulled a cylinder out of a tube from the side of the desk. With a twist and pop, a piece of paper was removed from the cylinder. ¡°Sir, there is a message waiting in the system for someone with your ID number. From a Lyra Windchime, one moment while I get it. It was paid for in advance and put in holding here about a week ago.¡± With that, the staff member handed the letter to Axel. Axel thanked the man and was told to check in later in the week for training and figuring out his schedule. After leaving the area, Axel and Aria found a caf¨¦ to sit in and look over the small letter. ¡°Axel, Things were worse than I feared in the village, and I needed to leave early. I pray this finds you well and that you made it to Greenhaven safely. I am staying at the Tempest Inn and not the Crimson Inn we always planned on, with several of the other villagers as they decided to come with me here when I announced that I was leaving early for my Trial. I hope you can find me before they decide to complete theirs and try to get me to come back with them. If you can, leave a message with the innkeeper with where you are staying. I don¡¯t think it will be safe for you to meet me here. Some of the new ¡°guards¡± that Finn has employed are not friends to you; they would likely try to finish what they referred to as the Traitor off. Finn has even put a bounty out privately to get your head. Stay safe, Lyra¡± ¡°Well, that does not sound good at all,¡± Aria said after taking it from Axel and reading it. ¡°No, it does not, and I would bet they have someone watching for me knowing how close me and Lyra are. I am not sure what I can do about this, though thankfully we happened to rent on the other side of the city if what you told me about the inns was right,¡± Axel said in a tired voice. ¡°Oh, Aria already has a plan for the how. Aria just is not sure about the when of the situation. It is rather unknown about Aria being with Axel and there has been no one following us out of the Trial center, so Aria proposes that we do this now and then head back to the inn.¡± Laying out her plan quickly, Aria bounced a bit in her seat. ¡°Yeah, well, I think you are forgetting something, Aria, and that was we had planned to meet your foster mom, and it sounds like she is very worried about you right now. We need to see her so that she will not have to sit there and wonder,¡± Axel said in a gentle tone. ¡°Aria believes that helping Lyra is more important than going to see foster mom,¡± Aria replied quickly, only to be stared down by Axel. ¡°Fine, Aria believes if we are quick, we can do both. Just be prepared as an angry foster mom is scary. Aria would rather fight the Shadowfang on the ground and be unable to fly than deal with an angry foster mom.¡± ¡°I think we will be fine; we survived in the jungle together. What is there to worry about?¡± Axel replied as he left his chair. Leaving the table in the caf¨¦, Axel and Aria started heading down the street to the platform station. As they moved down the white sidewalk, Aria stopped near an alley and tilted her head. It took a moment for Axel to realize that Aria had stopped and needed to double back to her standing at the mouth of the alley and looking in. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Axel asked. ¡°Aria thought she heard a muffled fight, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary down there. Maybe it was nothing,¡± Aria replied in a tone and body language that screamed to Axel that she wanted to check. Right at this moment, a body fell into sight from the middle of the alley from around a corner, causing both to jump and draw weapons. Axel gave Aria a look, deciding to see what happened as things like this never happened in the village. While death was always a thing, it came in challenges or hunts, not what looked like a murder in an alley. Taking the lead, Axel readied his halberd and moved forward cautiously until they arrived at the body. Carefully checking around the corner, Axel did not see anyone and motioned for Aria to check the man with a nodding motion. As she knelt and flipped the man over to check for wounds, all that was visible was dark hunter¡¯s clothing and a human male bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth. Axel did not recognize this man, and neither did Aria. Not knowing anything else to do as the man had no pulse, they left the alley and flagged down a pair of Enforcers. ¡°Enforcer, my companion, and I just saw a man collapse in the alley over there,¡± Axel explained and led them to the downed man. The Enforcers checked the scene and brought in a truth-sayer to confirm their story. When all was said and done, Axel and Aria lost about two hours of their morning and were only told that the Enforcers would investigate it. After leaving the crime scene, Axel talked to Aria in a quiet tone, ¡°I have only seen someone dying like that once, and that was from Jareth during the bandit attack. How common do you think a death like that is?¡± ¡°Aria is unsure. There are thousands of power combinations out there, and why would Jareth be in this random alley? I think it is likely a robbery, assassination of a rival, or an unsanctioned challenge. Those things happen all the time in Greenhaven. This is Aria¡¯s jungle, and don¡¯t worry, Aria will guide you safely through it,¡± Aria said distractedly while seeming to focus more on the surroundings. Axel could also not help but remember Lyra¡¯s warning in her letter. Greenhaven was becoming as dangerous as the jungle that they had just recently left. As the pair finished walking to the landing, the office name Axel learned for any place to get on a platform, Axel decided to invest more training into working with a closer-range weapon as just thinking of fighting in that alley with his halberd gave him a shudder. It would be fine if they came head-on, but if attacks came from both directions, he would have real trouble shifting his attacks around. Stolen story; please report. This was a time when he also wished that he had listened to his father and learned more of the arts of the axe. Axel had always assumed that he would have Cade handle the close-in fighting while he would cover with his reach. He did have Aria, and they were beginning to really start meshing their skills together well in the training that they had gotten in, but having a backup never hurts. Axel was so deep in thoughts and training plans that he only realized they had stopped when Aria tugged his hand and led him to a nice home. This area did not have the crush of large, beautiful, but almost alien structures that reached into the sky of the inner city but was much closer to what he would see in the village with homes of two to three stories made of stone and wood. Axel felt more relaxed as they walked over to one of the larger homes that reached four stories and had a large yard. In the yard, there were many play sets for children, and from a quick count, about twelve children from the ages of three to their teens were playing or taking care of chores. As Axel was looking around, he saw a gentle smile on the corner of Aria¡¯s lips just barely formed. Just as fast as it formed, it vanished as an old woman, something that Axel had never really seen before as the blessing helped fight aging well, wearing a flowing blue dress walked out of the front door and marched out of the house. She was an Aurelian with wings that were basically metallic feathered on her wings, her waist-length hair was pure gray, and her silver eyes pierced through Axel, sending a shiver down his spine like an apex predator was looking at prey. ¡°Here is our wayward ward,¡± The woman¡¯s smooth voice carried a bit of a rasp to it, ¡°Decided to return, did you? Did you not think to inform me of your leaving?¡± ¡°Aria is sor¡­ Ack! Please stop hitting Aria with the sandal!¡± As Aria began to apologize to the old lady, Axel assumed was her foster mom by the fact that Aria should be able to avoid swings that slow and telegraphed, pulled off her sandal, and gave Aria a good thwack. ¡°What did I tell you about talking about yourself in the third person in this house?¡± The old woman complained. ¡°That Aria (Thwack!) OW! I need to talk like a normal person to not cause issues with the other children or potential families that could adopt them.¡± Rubbing her head after the reply, Aria then hid behind Axel using him as a shield. ¡°This is Aria¡¯s (Thwack!) mate Axel. Found him in the jungle all beat up and saved him!¡± As Aria began to talk and refer to herself in her normal way, hiding behind Axel, Axel found that even though he could see the sandal, he seemed to be trapped and could not move. When the sandal hit, it was not really any pain involved, but it still hurt for some reason he could not explain. ¡°Ow! I didn¡¯t do anything. Why am I being whacked?¡± Axel, being released from the hold, complained. ¡°Because you are young and dumb,¡± The old woman replied tersely, ¡°But I guess you are now family. The girl is way too young still to make this kind of decision, but it has been made.¡± The woman then motioned for Axel and Aria to come into the home for lunch. The house was clean but for a toy here or there, with hand-crafted wooden furniture and children¡¯s drawings papering the walls in all directions. Axel sat at the table with Aria taking the place out of easy whacking range, but Axel had a feeling that this old lady could give a good thwack to Aria if she felt the need. ¡°I am Sapphire, and this is my little home. I would like to formally welcome you and let you know as long as you treat my daughter well, this will always be a place you can lay your head,¡± Sapphire introduced herself, ¡°Now let¡¯s hear why and what caused you, my dear, to run off like that!¡± Over tea, Aria explained that shortly after finishing her Trial, she received a divine quest to go to the jungle near Jungleheart and get stronger there. At this point, Axel took turns going over what happened, and there were only two more whacks for them. The first was when they decided to go back and hunt the Shadowfang; this got both of them one, and once more with Aria slipping into her normal speech when she excitedly explained the bandit battle. ¡°Well, you both have had an exciting few weeks. Aria, my dear, you are going to stick around now and work on your training?¡± Aria nodded her head meekly. ¡°Good! Now you, young man, what are your plans?¡± Sapphire turned her head and stared Axel down. ¡°I plan to go to the library and research my path. I also am making training plans to increase my weapon skills, add new ones, and increase my index to beasts beyond what is found in the jungle. After that, maybe be a flame seeker and see how high I can go.¡± Laying out his plans for the first time in a long time made Axel feel a sense of purpose. ¡°Basic but not a bad plan. If you are both looking to be Flame Seekers, you should also begin looking for others starting out or at most early Adept to work with. Besides your initial trial, you can only bring five people into the Trials for exploration and gathering crimson cores. It is a good living if dangerous,¡± Sapphire then looked off into the distance, likely to a time long passed before looking back at the pair. ¡°Well, Aria, you are of the age of majority, so I have no power over you, like I ever did, and this is your life to lead. Just know you will always have a home here, girl!¡± With that statement, Sapphire got to her feet and hugged them both tightly. ¡°I remember when you first came to me, Aria. You were so small and scared, but you had a fire in your eyes. You¡¯ve grown into such a strong woman. Your mother and father would be so proud of the woman you are becoming. I look forward to the day your wings fully spread and take you to great heights.¡± With a final hug and kiss on a tear-stricken Aria¡¯s forehead, Sapphire led the pair back to the door when Aria was then ambushed by all the children who wanted hugs and gave more tearful goodbyes, leaving Aria looking a mess by the time they made it to the fence and back to the sidewalk. ¡°Make sure to visit from time to time!¡± were Sapphire¡¯s final words to Axel and Aria as they walked down the sidewalk. With goodbyes yelled in return and a flying sandal later, Aria, laughing with tears streaming down her face, pulled Axel along, away from her home. The next step was to split up with Aria going to the Tempest Inn and Axel to the library as it would be one of the safest places to spend time in the city according to Sapphire. As they reached the launch, Aria suddenly seemed to get amorous, and after a deep kiss, she whispered in Axel¡¯s ear, ¡°We are being followed, by two men with much the same clothing as the man in the alley. They are good; Aria only noticed them because this is her neighborhood, and they almost seem like they are interested in other things.¡± ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Axel whispered back as he kissed her lips softly. ¡°We split here and see if or who they follow. Aria is confident that losing them would be easy as neither can fly, but it would be harder to do that with you in tow. We meet up at the caf¨¦ near the fountain with your father¡¯s statue. That way, Aria can see if they are following you or Aria. Be safe, my love.¡± With one final kiss, Aria hopped on a platform and was gone. Axel jumped on the next one and told the driver to take him to the Luminary Library. As the platform launched, Axel noticed the two men taking separate platforms but both heading in the same direction as him. Chapter 16 Just as Axel was going to leave with Aria, the staff member cleared his throat and motioned for them to come back to the desk. He then pulled a cylinder out of a tube from the side of the desk. With a twist and pop, a piece of paper was removed from the cylinder. ¡°Sir, there is a message waiting in the system for someone with your ID number. From a Lyra Windchime, one moment while I get it. It was paid for in advance and put in holding here about a week ago.¡± With that, the staff member handed the letter to Axel. Axel thanked the man and was told to check in later in the week for training and figuring out his schedule. After leaving the area, Axel and Aria found a caf¨¦ to sit in and look over the small letter. ¡°Axel, Things were worse than I feared in the village, and I needed to leave early. I pray this finds you well and that you made it to Greenhaven safely. I am staying at the Tempest Inn with several of the other villagers as they decided to come with me here when I announced that I was leaving early for my Trial. I hope you can find me before they decide to complete theirs and try to get me to come back with them. If you can, leave a message with the innkeeper with where you are staying. I don¡¯t think it will be safe for you to meet me here. Some of the new ¡°guards¡± that Finn has employed are not friends to you; they would likely try to finish what they referred to as the Traitor off. Finn has even put a bounty out privately to get your head. Stay safe, Lyra¡± ¡°Well, that does not sound good at all,¡± Aria said after taking it from Axel and reading it. ¡°No, it does not, and I would bet they have someone watching for me knowing how close me and Lyra are. I am not sure what I can do about this, though thankfully we happened to rent on the other side of the city if what you told me about the inns was right,¡± Axel said in a tired voice. ¡°Oh, Aria already has a plan for the how. Aria just is not sure about the when of the situation. It is rather unknown about Aria being with Axel and there has been no one following us out of the Trial center, so Aria proposes that we do this now and then head back to the inn.¡± Laying out her plan quickly, Aria bounced a bit in her seat. ¡°Yeah, well, I think you are forgetting something, Aria, and that was we had planned to meet your foster mom, and it sounds like she is very worried about you right now. We need to see her so that she will not have to sit there and wonder,¡± Axel said in a gentle tone. ¡°Aria believes that helping Lyra is more important than going to see foster mom,¡± Aria replied quickly, only to be stared down by Axel. ¡°Fine, Aria believes if we are quick, we can do both. Just be prepared as an angry foster mom is scary. Aria would rather fight the Shadowfang on the ground and be unable to fly than deal with an angry foster mom.¡± ¡°I think we will be fine; we survived in the jungle together. What is there to worry about?¡± Axel replied as he left his chair. Leaving the table in the caf¨¦, Axel and Aria started heading down the street to the platform station. As they moved down the white sidewalk, Aria stopped near an alley and tilted her head. It took a moment for Axel to realize that Aria had stopped and needed to double back to her standing at the mouth of the alley and looking in. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Axel asked. ¡°Aria thought she heard a muffled fight, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary down there. Maybe it was nothing,¡± Aria replied in a tone and body language that screamed to Axel that she wanted to check. Right at this moment, a body fell into sight from the middle of the alley from around a corner, causing both to jump and draw weapons. Axel gave Aria a look, deciding to see what happened as things like this never happened in the village. While death was always a thing, it came in challenges or hunts, not what looked like a murder in an alley. Taking the lead, Axel readied his halberd and moved forward cautiously until they arrived at the body. Carefully checking around the corner, Axel did not see anyone and motioned for Aria to check the man with a nodding motion. As she knelt and flipped the man over to check for wounds, all that was visible was dark hunter¡¯s clothing and a human male bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth. Axel did not recognize this man, and neither did Aria. Not knowing anything else to do as the man had no pulse, they left the alley and flagged down a pair of Enforcers. ¡°Enforcer, my companion, and I just saw a man collapse in the alley over there,¡± Axel explained and led them to the downed man. The Enforcers checked the scene and brought in a truth-sayer to confirm their story. When all was said and done, Axel and Aria lost about two hours of their morning and were only told that the Enforcers would investigate it. After leaving the crime scene, Axel talked to Aria in a quiet tone, ¡°I have only seen someone dying like that once, and that was from Jareth during the bandit attack. How common do you think a death like that is?¡± ¡°Aria is unsure. There are thousands of power combinations out there, and why would Jareth be in this random alley? I think it is likely a robbery, assassination of a rival, or an unsanctioned challenge. Those things happen all the time in Greenhaven. This is Aria¡¯s jungle, and don¡¯t worry, Aria will guide you safely through it,¡± Aria said distractedly while seeming to focus more on the surroundings. Axel could also not help but remember Lyra¡¯s warning in her letter. Greenhaven was becoming as dangerous as the jungle that they had just recently left. As the pair finished walking to the landing, the office name Axel learned for any place to get on a platform, Axel decided to invest more training into working with a closer-range weapon as just thinking of fighting in that alley with his halberd gave him a shudder. It would be fine if they came head-on, but if attacks came from both directions, he would have real trouble shifting his attacks around. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. This was a time when he also wished that he had listened to his father and learned more of the arts of the axe. Axel had always assumed that he would have Cade handle the close-in fighting while he would cover with his reach. He did have Aria, and they were beginning to really start meshing their skills together well in the training that they had gotten in, but having a backup never hurts. Axel was so deep in thoughts and training plans that he only realized they had stopped when Aria tugged his hand and led him to a nice home. This area did not have the crush of large, beautiful, but almost alien structures that reached into the sky of the inner city but was much closer to what he would see in the village with homes of two to three stories made of stone and wood. Axel felt more relaxed as they walked over to one of the larger homes that reached four stories and had a large yard. In the yard, there were many play sets for children, and from a quick count, about twelve children from the ages of three to their teens were playing or taking care of chores. As Axel was looking around, he saw a gentle smile on the corner of Aria¡¯s lips just barely formed. Just as fast as it formed, it vanished as an old woman, something that Axel had never really seen before as the blessing helped fight aging well, wearing a flowing blue dress walked out of the front door and marched out of the house. She was an Aurelian with wings that were basically metallic feathered on her wings, her waist-length hair was pure gray, and her silver eyes pierced through Axel, sending a shiver down his spine like an apex predator was looking at prey. ¡°Here is our wayward ward,¡± The woman¡¯s smooth voice carried a bit of a rasp to it, ¡°Decided to return, did you? Did you not think to inform me of your leaving?¡± ¡°Aria is sor¡­ Ack! Please stop hitting Aria with the sandal!¡± As Aria began to apologize to the old lady, Axel assumed was her foster mom by the fact that Aria should be able to avoid swings that slow and telegraphed, pulled off her sandal, and gave Aria a good thwack. ¡°What did I tell you about talking about yourself in the third person in this house?¡± The old woman complained. ¡°That Aria (Thwack!) OW! I need to talk like a normal person to not cause issues with the other children or potential families that could adopt them.¡± Rubbing her head after the reply, Aria then hid behind Axel using him as a shield. ¡°This is Aria¡¯s (Thwack!) mate Axel. Found him in the jungle all beat up and saved him!¡± As Aria began to talk and refer to herself in her normal way, hiding behind Axel, Axel found that even though he could see the sandal, he seemed to be trapped and could not move. When the sandal hit, it was not really any pain involved, but it still hurt for some reason he could not explain. ¡°Ow! I didn¡¯t do anything. Why am I being whacked?¡± Axel, being released from the hold, complained. ¡°Because you are young and dumb,¡± The old woman replied tersely, ¡°But I guess you are now family. The girl is way too young still to make this kind of decision, but it has been made.¡± The woman then motioned for Axel and Aria to come into the home for lunch. The house was clean but for a toy here or there, with hand-crafted wooden furniture and children¡¯s drawings papering the walls in all directions. Axel sat at the table with Aria taking the place out of easy whacking range, but Axel had a feeling that this old lady could give a good thwack to Aria if she felt the need. ¡°I am Sapphire, and this is my little home. I would like to formally welcome you and let you know as long as you treat my daughter well, this will always be a place you can lay your head,¡± Sapphire introduced herself, ¡°Now let¡¯s hear why and what caused you, my dear, to run off like that!¡± Over tea, Aria explained that shortly after finishing her Trial, she received a divine quest to go to the jungle near Jungleheart and get stronger there. At this point, Axel took turns going over what happened, and there were only two more whacks for them. The first was when they decided to go back and hunt the Shadowfang; this got both of them one, and once more with Aria slipping into her normal speech when she excitedly explained the bandit battle. ¡°Well, you both have had an exciting few weeks. Aria, my dear, you are going to stick around now and work on your training?¡± Aria nodded her head meekly. ¡°Good! Now you, young man, what are your plans?¡± Sapphire turned her head and stared Axel down. ¡°I plan to go to the library and research my path. I also am making training plans to increase my weapon skills, add new ones, and increase my index to beasts beyond what is found in the jungle. After that, maybe be a flame seeker and see how high I can go.¡± Laying out his plans for the first time in a long time made Axel feel a sense of purpose. ¡°Basic but not a bad plan. If you are both looking to be Flame Seekers, you should also begin looking for others starting out or at most early Adept to work with. Besides your initial trial, you can only bring five people into the Trials for exploration and gathering crimson cores. It is a good living if dangerous,¡± Sapphire then looked off into the distance, likely to a time long passed before looking back at the pair. ¡°Well, Aria, you are of the age of majority, so I have no power over you, like I ever did, and this is your life to lead. Just know you will always have a home here, girl!¡± With that statement, Sapphire got to her feet and hugged them both tightly. ¡°I remember when you first came to me, Aria. You were so small and scared, but you had a fire in your eyes. You¡¯ve grown into such a strong woman. Your mother and father would be so proud of the woman you are becoming. I look forward to the day your wings fully spread and take you to great heights.¡± With a final hug and kiss on a tear-stricken Aria¡¯s forehead, Sapphire led the pair back to the door when Aria was then ambushed by all the children who wanted hugs and gave more tearful goodbyes, leaving Aria looking a mess by the time they made it to the fence and back to the sidewalk. ¡°Make sure to visit from time to time!¡± were Sapphire¡¯s final words to Axel and Aria as they walked down the sidewalk. With goodbyes yelled in return and a flying sandal later, Aria, laughing with tears streaming down her face, pulled Axel along, away from her home. The next step was to split up with Aria going to the Tempest Inn and Axel to the library as it would be one of the safest places to spend time in the city according to Sapphire. As they reached the launch, Aria suddenly seemed to get amorous, and after a deep kiss, she whispered in Axel¡¯s ear, ¡°We are being followed, by two men with much the same clothing as the man in the alley. They are good; Aria only noticed them because this is her neighborhood, and they almost seem like they are interested in other things.¡± ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Axel whispered back as he kissed her lips softly. ¡°We split here and see if or who they follow. Aria is confident that losing them would be easy as neither can fly, but it would be harder to do that with you in tow. We meet up at the caf¨¦ near the fountain with your father¡¯s statue. That way, Aria can see if they are following you or Aria. Be safe, my love.¡± With one final kiss, Aria hopped on a platform and was gone. Axel jumped on the next one and told the driver to take him to the Luminary Library. As the platform launched, Axel noticed the two men taking separate platforms but both heading in the same direction as him. Chapter 17 The platform moved through the streets rapidly, making all the buildings almost a blur as they passed. Considering the speed, Axel was expecting to be hit by high winds, but not even a ripple came from his clothes. He was also not feeling the momentum when it launched or stopped on his previous trips. Truly odd, Axel thought. Within ten minutes, the platform arrived at the Library of Illumination. Axel paid the operator and hopped off the platform, allowing it to leave before his tail caught up to him. As the platform left and Axel hurried to the building, he only just registered how large it was. The structure was not just a single building but appeared as three interconnected ones. Each stood sixteen stories tall, with the central building spanning five hundred feet in width and stretching an unknown depth. The two side buildings, each three hundred feet wide, extended back as far as the primary building, creating an imposing sight that intimidated Axel more than a little. Large archways in the center building were flanked by intricately carved pillars. A large sign read, ¡°All who seek knowledge be welcome,¡± accompanied by sculptural reliefs of people and laws written on the sides of the building. Broad marble stairs led up to the grand entrance, their surfaces worn by countless footsteps over the centuries. The last detail Axel took in before hurrying up the stairs was a large statue depicting the Goddess Hope. On a pillar stood a twenty-foot-tall statue of a woman wearing a gown of flames and holding a ball of flame to light the way for the people. The entrance to the library was bustling with people from all walks of life, coming and going, carrying notes and scrolls. Axel walked up to one of the myriad counters that housed the Librarians working through various books and scrolls. Standing there was a young human woman with light brown hair and gray robes who declared she was a Curator of the Luminaries of Lore. It took several throat clearings for her to realize someone was at her counter, and when she did, it caused a disaster of a paper avalanche as she overreacted to this revelation, swinging her arms out and hitting a precarious stack of books and scrolls. This caused a chain reaction to the other sets of books and scrolls, and almost instantly, she was half-buried in the aftermath. ¡°Oh, Goddess damn it to the Crimson!¡± the woman cursed as she began picking up toppled scrolls and books from her area. ¡°This is why I hate counterduty; it always interrupts my research. And you!¡± She jabbed her finger at Axel. ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to interrupt someone while they are concentrating on something?¡± ¡°Sorry, I saw your spot was open, and this area has signs showing if you need help to come here. I thought it would be fine to get your attention and did not see a bell or any other way to get your attention, but I did not expect this result. Can I help you pick it up?¡± Axel tried to explain. ¡°Look, I am stuck here to help people, and I really don¡¯t want my boss to complain again, so what do you want to find so I can get you out of my hair and fix this mess? You have already delayed my research, and this conversation is delaying it further,¡± the Curator said while not even looking at Axel and began to pick up her documents. ¡°Fair enough. I am looking for books listing novice powers of all types, including the subvariants. I then need to find books on beasts not just of the jungle but also of the plains and mountains. I would love it if there were ones on the rivers or eastern oceans, but I don¡¯t expect you to have them. Could you leave out books from,¡± Axel began to rattle off authors and book titles that the library in Jungleheart had, ¡°I have already read them, and honestly, most besides the ones on jungle beasts updated by the locals were quite lacking in any good information?¡± The woman stopped picking up the mess and just looked at Axel with a wide-eyed stare. Axel found it amusing that, given his build and general clothing choices, many people assumed that he was a muscle head who was barely literate. It was always fun to mess with any new Curator stationed in his village. Axel did not have a lot of excess time as he only had a few hours to read and see if he could lose his tail. ¡°Any help would be greatly appreciated,¡± Axel said, then bowed to the woman to try and get her brain back in gear. ¡°Well, I will be. I have seen many initiate trial takers and even new novices that don¡¯t know about the variants that can be involved and only want to find what Crimson Entities could give them the power they want,¡± the Curator scrunched her nose slightly and had a look of concentration. ¡°Well, novice texts on powers are in Section T, shelves thirty to fifty. Beast texts are in Sections FF, FG, and FH, filling many of those sections. Many books go over a lot of the same beasts and can have more data for you. I would recommend FG rows twelve, fifteen, and twenty-two for the most detailed sources of information, but they are very large tomes that are densely packed. Could take you a while to get through them.¡± ¡°As for the variant Crimson data, that is in the Adept section on the second floor, Section T, shelves one hundred to one hundred and twelve. You would need a pass as any information beyond the novice level has a fee per day to browse. The Adept section is one silver a day, but you get full access to the information and can take any notes.¡± After saying this, she restarted her pick-up efforts while Axel thought about his needs and the time available. Deciding that a silver was a fair price to get the information he needed, he paid the Curator and received a pass. Axel was then directed to the stairs, and as he left, the Curator put up a ¡°Do Not Disturb¡± sign, grumbling about how she should have had that up before. Axel reached the staircase in long, quick strides, not seeing the people Aria had pointed out to him in the busy area, but he assumed if they were as good as Aria hinted, he was unlikely to see them. The stairs were guarded by a Vortan Adept in grey robes, and after a quick check of Axel¡¯s pass, he was allowed through. Going through the rows, it took Axel about fifteen minutes to find the section as he had chosen to start going in the wrong direction and had to turn back around, doubling back to get to the section he needed. On the shelves were dozens of thick tomes, each going over a standard power set or variant such as Endurance, Myriad of Flames: How to Pick the Color for You and What It Does, or Which Sense to Heighten for the Most Romantic Encounters While Being the Best Scout. Thumbing through the books with the less fancy titles, Axel collected a stack of books onto a nearby table for this purpose. Then he checked out the Heightened Senses book only to close it with ears burning, wondering how that book made it into this section. Next came the long part of reading them and gathering his thoughts on what he needed and what would be a good combination of powers. Axel¡¯s first stop was on toughness or endurance-based powers with his body¡¯s habit of hurting itself whenever he attacked with full force. There were more options here than he originally assumed. They did come in roughly three flavors: get tougher but pay the price for reduced sense of touch and pain, general muscle and bone enhancement that would bring the body to higher heights but would slow down the body¡¯s repair and cycle as the blessing would need to work harder to build, or a lesser version that gave an endurance and energy boost allowing the blessing to work faster and give the body a better foundation but it was not a straightforward ¡°I am now tougher¡± upgrade. The second option would be regeneration, and this came in two types. The general regeneration that any race could receive from the body enhancement category that massively speeds up healing for an energy cost or the version that humans could receive that would regrow the body back to a preset template if you had body reserves and energy. The first could help heal wounds in moments, even normally fatal ones if you have the energy to keep it going, but could not regrow a lost limb. In the second one you activate and set the body¡¯s template to that moment. The power would then return the body to the template state over time. This had issues with the cycle as it would end up resetting any progress you made, but it could be turned off and when turned back on, that was your new template. With careful use, Axel could turn it off while training and when he was going to get into a fight, turn it on so that his body could fix even a lost arm given time and material. Axel then read over the books on Elemental and their variants but did not find anything that currently resonated with his situation. To get him wrong, shooting lightning that was black and left the enemy seizing on the ground sounded amazing, but it would not help him with his proto-core situation. Based on his reading growing up, a proto core could become deadly if the novice core was not compatible, and based on his characteristics, that would be something of the physical category. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Axel also looked over the books on mental and special but knew he would not have the time to research it all today. He did note down the mental enhancement that allowed the perception of the user to speed up, track many tasks at once, and even one that was said to increase one¡¯s ability to invent by being able to access their subconscious more easily, putting their mind into a state easier allowing for increased innovation or rapid examination of ideas. The special powers were the largest part of the section as they would be powers that fell into strange categories like Aerokinesis, healing, turning elements into constructs, beast control, etc. Most of the shelves in this section were about all the special case powers. Not having much more time, Axel kept his focus on physical powers and his current needs but planned to come back later to better plan for after his novice trial. He was leaning towards either the endurance and energy boost or the human regeneration as they both would mitigate his issues with using his strength. With his time running out for the day, Axel returned the books to their shelves and headed to one of the building¡¯s exits. Even on the quieter floor of the Adept level, he still did not see his tail, which was beginning to worry him greatly, but with little to do about it, he hurried to a launch and took a platform to the area with his father¡¯s statue. The ride was quick, and as Axel arrived at the caf¨¦, it was rather busy, but with a bit of patience, Axel got a seat and waited for Aria to contact him. Time ticked by, and after an hour, Axel began to worry. When the second hour was about to crest, a tired-looking Aria took the seat across from him. ¡°Miss Aria?¡± Aria said with a small smile. Axel noticed that she was in a different outfit from earlier and, more pressing, was a tiny splash of blood on her cheek. With a smooth movement, Axel dabbed a napkin in his water and said, ¡°I think you smudged your makeup there, dear.¡± With a tiny bit of work, Axel cleaned off the blood before a waiter arrived and took their order for food. Axel then leaned in to kiss her, giving her a smile at the blush fighting its way up her cheek. ¡°I take it you had an exciting afternoon while I was buried in books?¡± ¡°Aria refuses to answer your questions until you give Aria an answer,¡± she said, putting on a pouty face and turning her head to the side as if completely offended. ¡°I am sorry, my dear, but I thought it was self-evident that I would miss someone as stunning as you. Every minute apart felt like a year, and I was barely holding myself together until you arrived at our date. My heart is aflutter seeing your glowing radiance and makes my day brighter just by your presence here at this moment,¡± Axel said with a smile as if butter would not melt in his mouth. Aria was trying her hardest not to laugh and leaned forward while crossing her left leg over her right, putting her head in her hand, giving Axel a smoldering look with promise in her eyes. ¡°Well, Aria¡¯s day was rough. Right before needing to meet you on this date, there was some trash in the alley that ruined Aria¡¯s favorite dress, but thankfully the message was delivered earlier, and you have a package waiting in the inn. Let¡¯s alight there so that Aria can show you how much better your day will be with Aria in it.¡± After that, they made their way in a meandering pattern in an attempt to lose any other tails. When arriving at the inn, Aria seemed to mold herself to Axel as they climbed the stairs to their room. As they reached the room, Axel found Lyra sitting on one of the beds, tears barely held back, and looking like she had not slept in days. As the door finished opening, she launched herself into his chest and began to cry. ¡°Axel, Tessa betrayed me and stole everything from me,¡± Lyra¡¯s muffled voice came from Axel¡¯s shirt. Awkwardly moving her and himself from the door, Axel moved Lyra back to the bed so that she could sit down. As Lyra and Axel left the door, the now orphaned Aria closed the door and sat on the bed opposite Axel. ¡°Okay, calm down and tell me what happened. It has been only close to three weeks since we last met. I fully assumed that you would need another couple of weeks before you could get free for your trial, let alone do your Trial of Life. What caused you to come so early?¡± Axel tried to coax the inconsolable Lyra into his arms. This seemed to have the reverse effect and caused Lyra to cry harder, making Aria coax Lyra to move from Axel to herself. ¡°Axel, could you get Lyra something to eat and some drinks for all of us?¡± Aria then shooed Axel out of the room as she quietly talked to Lyra. It took about twenty minutes to get the food and drink from the barkeep, all the while getting looks from the patrons due to the wet spots on his shirt. Axel brought up the food to find Aria and Lyra quietly talking about something dumb that Axel had done as a kid. At least she was coming back to the Lyra he knew, as he had no idea how to handle a crying Lyra. Aria holding Lyra¡¯s hand sent strange warning signs through him, but now was not the time to try and figure that out; now was the time to figure out what was going on. Handing Lyra her food and Aria her drink, Axel sat down on the bed and waited for Lyra to start talking as he did not want to start more tears and really did not know what to say to start the conversation. ¡°Axel, I can see how uncomfortable you are just sitting there. You are so great with anything dealing with combat but get so confused when feelings are involved. I am sorry that I broke down like that, but putting on a mask wore me out with everything that has happened,¡± Lyra started. ¡°First, Finn added a lot of strangers to the hunters and guards. He also has the other counselors on edge and acting like he could attack them at any time in a duel.¡± ¡°Next is Tessa¡¯s betrayal. She has informed Finn that Father is alive and is on Finn¡¯s side as long as he lets her do what she ended up doing,¡± tears trickled down as she said the next part. ¡°She violated me and has been doing it for at least the year we have been together. She has been drugging me and, with the help of other healers, taking my genetic material for their programs. Just like Mom warned me, that was all they wanted from me. She never loved me and crushed me with a smile and kind words.¡± ¡°I only found out as I overheard her and Finn talking out a deal about me. He wants something from me but must wait for some reason. I then checked Tessa¡¯s room and found a notebook with a lot of information such as how much was harvested and how they had reached their goal, but with Mom leaving, they wanted to get more. It was at that point I knew I needed to leave and announced that I had already given material. I even altered the books using one of the healers that has rotated out as the one who took it, and said I was leaving to take my trial. Finn made a grand statement that he would send guards to protect my trip, and several of the others decided to also come as they were all getting close,¡± Lyra continued. ¡°I have been under constant surveillance for the last couple of weeks while trying to stall for you to get here. The only way I could leave is Aria here told everyone she was taking me on a date after being wooed by me. Now I am here with no idea what to do, but it¡¯s great to see you again, Axel, as I was so worried about you,¡± Lyra finished. Axel reached forward and took her hand. ¡°Lyra, first you won¡¯t be going back there. The other villagers will be fine if worried, but it is out of the question for you to return to the village now. You will always have a home with me, and when we get our novice cores, we can become Flame Seekers together with Aria and begin a journey. If I see that bitch Tessa again, I will beat her to death with my bare hands,¡± the red haze crept in until Aria moved over and kissed him. ¡°Axel is right, we can be your home now, so you don¡¯t need to go back,¡± Aria continued for Axel as he struggled a bit with the anger. ¡°You both are great, but I would be just disappearing on them with no warning, and I can¡¯t do that. How about this: I return with Aria a little disorganized, and over the next week, I will look to be dating Aria until I get my core. Then I will tell everyone that I am leaving with her and not returning to the village through a note so that they won¡¯t come looking for me,¡± Lyra countered. ¡°If that is what you want, just be careful, okay? I don¡¯t like the sound of these guards and don¡¯t want to lead a rescue force to come after you after being taken by them. You know how much of a pain it would be to find a white Gin to ride in on?¡± Axel joked. ¡°Aria can get behind this plan,¡± Aria agreed with the new plan. ¡°Thank you both, but Aria, for the plan to work, we should leave soon and then figure out how we will act together,¡± Lyra said while laying back on the bed with what looked to be a long-released breath. ¡°Aria can cover that easily, and Aria believes you could use some retail therapy. Axel can foot the bill as he has all the money on him from the sale of the Shadowfang scales.¡± Aria shyly looked at the money pouch that held half the profits as she had the other half but took out enough money to sustain himself for this stay in the city and tossed the bag to Aria. ¡°Just don¡¯t spend it all, please. Also, get Lyra some gear as tomorrow I will put up for my trial as I think I figured out what power and variant I want to get,¡± Axel said as he got up from the bed. ¡°Shadowfang! When did you meet such a danger?¡± ¡°Variant powers!¡± both women said at the same time. Axel then went over to Lyra, explaining his adventure and then explaining about variant powers to Aria and Lyra afterward. Needless to say, Lyra was later than she wanted and would likely meet pointed questions from the others with her. Before Aria and Lyra left, they forced a promise from Axel to help them with their power as he had read many of the books and planned to go back to the library the rest of the week. Journal Entry (17.5) Journal Entry 18 Thunderstorm 644TD Jareth Blossom Health data transferred to Hope: Quest updates: New Status since the last update to Hope: Journal Entry: Greetings Goddess, Today was an odd one. First, there was a pair of younglings going through the market, shadowed by one of the Weaver¡¯s agents. I couldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity and removed him. I then noticed the kids were shopping for gear and were novices likely on their first foray into the jungle. I decided to open my shop since they had given me such a great gift. Then they gave me a second surprise: bags full of Shadowfang scales, something I had been looking for in the area for the last few months. How a pair of novices could take down such a beast makes them truly unique and may be worth my time. The third surprise was that the lass Aria is such a spirited negotiator, though inexperienced, as I trapped her into making young Axel dig the latrines and cover them every day. This was the first time in years that I relaxed around someone I did not know. The girl, Aria, just seems to have a charm about her, above that which her race normally has, causing me to let go of my worries while in her presence. Axel led a great conversation about the best creatures that could be used in the making of armor or weapons based on his village hunters¡¯ local manufacturing. As I lay in my wagon, I find that this life alone is beginning to weigh on me. Years of hiding and hunting have worn down that once raging flame I once held to an intense ember looking for some fuel. That is more than enough of this woolgathering; I have things to set up. As always, please keep my wife and children safe until I can see them again. Entry 3 days later: So, Weaver wants one of these two dead badly. He activated a bandit cell to eliminate them by sending three of his specially trained Adept agents. This is from two novices who are just starting their journey. I may need to become slightly more active in their protection as Greenhaven is one of his main hub locations to collate intelligence for the Calamity and has many agents there. I will need to talk to my friend to get those scales into a suit faster than planned. Both younglings are impressive, starting with Aria holding a specialist in dueling for so long as I took out the adepts only to get bodied by Axel. Then their teamwork, while flawed from their seeming newness to each other, took down twice the number of people who seemed to be. The only worrying thing was the degree of crimson backlash he suffers from. Thankfully, the girl Aria seems to have a handle on it. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Goddess, you are handing me an interesting challenge and maybe a way to find Weaver and his hidey-hole. I think it will be time to get busy, though sadly my merchant business is going to suffer from this lack of attention, but needs must. As always, please keep my wife and children safe until I can see them again. ------- Journal Entry 22 Thunderstorm 644TD Lyra Windchime Health data transferred to Hope: Quest updates: New Status since the last update to Hope: Journal Entry: Goddess, it was so good to see Axel again. Just knowing that he is alive and not dying in the jungle with how injured he was from the duel. Finding out that he almost immediately jumped into saving a stranger, quest or no quest does not surprise me at all. Thankfully, Aria seems to be a good influence on him, and they seem to get along well. He is still as dense as ever though and can¡¯t take social cues very well, though looking at him and Aria together makes me wish that I could see him that way. I am still in shock at what Tess did to me and how she must have gotten a Blessed healer to hide the fact from my journal that I was being drugged and my genetic material was being taken. I didn¡¯t even know that was a thing you could do, and the only reason I began to suspect anything was when she helped Mom fake Dad¡¯s death in the duel. I learned through this that my journal has backups of health data, and I could access them through my gift. There has to be more to this blessing you gave me to explore, and I am looking forward to finding it. Goddess, like I mentioned in earlier entries, there is something wrong going on with the village. New people are showing up and taking over positions in the Hunters and Guards. Finn has even told the Enforcers that they were unneeded as the village is peaceful and they are causing a tax burden on it to pay them to sit around. I am also noticing there is a feeling of being watched anytime I left my home in the village or now when I leave the inn. Thankfully, today I met Aria in the common room of the inn. When she walked up to my table with that sway in her step and asked me out, I felt my heart flutter more than a little. She talked to me so gently, and before I knew it, we were heading to a nice caf¨¦ for drinks. Over drinks, she told me she was with Axel and that he had gotten my message. I will say I was a little disappointed that was why she had gotten me out of the inn for drinks, but she did take me to the inn that they were staying in while she went to get Axel, only to return splashed in blood to change clothes and head back out. It was a pity that she ruined that dress as it fit her coloring really well, but she was in a hurry to meet back up with Axel that I could not tell her she missed a spot of blood on her cheek. When she returned with Axel, I don¡¯t know what came over me at the time as I just leaped into his arms to cry. Why do I feel safe in his arms but don¡¯t get excited if I try to think of him romantically as I do if I think of Aria when she was changing clothes and was in her underwear? Goddess, why does the mind have to be so complicated? Anyway, I plan to follow the plan that Axel and Aria worked with me to leave the villagers without leaving them scared that something happened to me. I am also looking forward to getting my core and seeing if I am a full healer just so I can spit in the Healers of Hope¡¯s face when they come to me looking for me to join. If you do decide to not allow me that level of healing, my Goddess, then I think I will follow Cade¡¯s planned path as we had worked together planning it out, though, with Axel¡¯s information on variant powers, it may be slightly revised. Well, it has been a long day and tomorrow promises to be just as long with Aria taking me shopping and to get some better gear for my Trial. Then later this week, it is training at the Vanguard followed by my Trial. I am looking forward to hanging out with Aria though! Good night, Goddess. Chapter 18 The morning broke with the soft light of dawn filtering through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. Aria was wrapped around Axel¡¯s back, her knees pressing into his bladder. Axel loved the feeling of her and her wing enveloping him, but his bladder was screaming for relief. Gently, he disentangled himself from her embrace, trying not to wake her. Aria grumbled in her sleep and sprawled across the bed, taking up all the space. With a chuckle, Axel leaned down, kissed her head, and covered her with a blanket, earning a contented sigh in return. After a quick bath, Axel decided to surprise Aria with breakfast in bed. He first got permission from the cook to use the stove and bought supplies from a local market. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of sizzling meat and freshly cooked porridge with fruit in it. Axel hummed to himself as he cooked, only needing help from the cook to save the meat once. He carefully arranged the breakfast on a tray, adding a single flower for a special touch. When he returned to the room, he found it empty. The whole process must have taken much longer than he thought it would. Just as he was about to look for Aria, she walked in, drying her hair with a towel. She stopped in her tracks, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Axel standing there awkwardly with the breakfast tray. ¡°Aria didn¡¯t know you were going to do this; otherwise, bath time could have waited,¡± she said with a smile, then made a running jump back onto the bed, pulling the covers over her legs. ¡°Well, I tried. I hope you enjoy it,¡± Axel said, placing the tray on her lap and beginning to feed her. Aria happily ate the food, though Axel noticed she didn¡¯t seem to enjoy the taste as much as the thought behind it. He vowed to learn to cook better so that Aria would have a much better meal and experience next time. As the food was finished, Aria kissed Axel and headed out for her planned day with Lyra, while Axel planned to return to the library to work through the many books on beasts to add to his index. The ride to the library was uneventful, with the weather not showing the heavy clouds laden with rain that were common this time of year but a greenish-blue sky with the walls and imposing buildings in the skyline had a beauty of its own. The library was just as busy as the day before, even this early in the morning, but finding the section he was looking for was easy, as Axel had memorized the directions from yesterday. The library was vast, with towering shelves filled with books and scrolls permeated with the scent of old paper and leather that filled the air, and the quiet rustle of pages turning created a serene atmosphere to accompany the hushed whispers of hundreds of conversations from groups researching a topic of interest. The rows of tomes and scrolls were still dizzying to navigate, even with directions, making Axel almost miss his row of books even with the correct directions. The options before Axel were overwhelming as there were books about the jungles around the area, books on the beasts of the plains, books on mountains, to even aerial beasts, and water-based beasts. Axel, for lack of better information, picked one shelf and decided to work from one end to the next. As the lunch bells rang, Axel realized the size of the task he had set for himself would take months, if not years. As it was lunch, Axel put back only the third book he had made his way through, this one about plains and hill-based beasts that were native around Greenhaven. Axel decided that he would work in the areas around here and then work his way outward to other cities or places that were explored deeper in the jungle or the ocean. The noon bell rang once again, telling Axel it was time to leave and head to the Vanguard building for the first of several training sessions with the Vanguard so he could take his Trial. As Axel walked down the steps of the library, he realized he would need to plan better in the future, either finding the walking path to take or leaving earlier for the Vanguard building, as the nearby launch station was crowded with waiting people trying to get to their planned lunches or other activities. This was going to be an issue for him as Axel realized he was going to cut it close for the training time based on a convenient clock near the launch station telling him the time. Axel did not feel that with the chance of still being followed, taking an unknown walking path was just asking for trouble, so he began to queue with the others. The next unpleasant discovery was that the price for a platform during busy times was more expensive than on slower times of day, cutting into Axel¡¯s more limited funds after giving so much to Aria to help get Lyra better gear for her trial. With a bitter feeling, Axel paid the increased price and was sent rapidly to the Vanguard tower, making it there in about fifteen minutes. As Axel left the station, he could tell that he had about ten minutes to get to the training room on what would be the twenty-third floor of the building. Axel walked quickly into the lobby with all its counters and had the choice: choose the strange metal box and ride it to the floor or choose the stairs and run up twenty-three sets. Neither was appetizing to Axel, but he decided to avoid the unknown metal box and ran up the well-lit staircase, which was surprisingly busy, as quickly as possible. Thankfully, he had his proto core and stamina to spare and made it to training room 2306 with only about thirty seconds to spare based on a clock in the hallway. As Axel opened the door to a room lit with the sterile white light of a gem, the wave of conversations stopped as he walked in to find the training room was filled with many of his former village members. How the hell did this happen? Seeing the hostile stares from the villagers was very hard for Axel to take, as many of these people Axel grew up around, though they tended to avoid him due to his proto core and control of his strength. Swallowing hard, Axel pushed through the now oppressive silence bearing down on him and found a seat in the room. It was after sitting down that Axel realized the room was set up much like how Icthia had set up her classrooms, rows of benches with a seat roughly five feet between them. Axel took an empty seat near the front right as it had the most space away from the others in the room. Sitting down just in time for a person Axel had already met to walk through the door in the form of Rex. Rex, sweeping the room with a chilly glance and ignoring the developing situation, moved to the front of the room with a blackboard and podium. He seemed to move in a way that drew the attention of everyone, taking off the pressure from Axel for which Axel was very thankful. Setting down a notebook and other teaching aids, Rex cleared his throat and, tapping his podium so that he was sure he had everyone¡¯s undivided attention, began to instruct the room starting with his introduction. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Greetings, my name is Instructor Rexius Stormwing, but you will call me Instructor Rex,¡± Rex started. ¡°As it seems everyone here comes from the same village and knows each other, I will not ask for your introductions. You are here to learn about the trials and the path of power set down by the Goddess. This is my domain and you will respect that while you are here. If I catch any of you disturbing it in any way, I will boot you and you can wait a year as I will then ban you from your initial trial for the maximum amount of time that I can, as you will have shown your lack of ability to survive.¡± The people in the seats around Axel shifted in ways that told him that they were planning to pull some crap like had happened during lessons growing up. Thankful for Rex likely nipping shenanigans in the bud early, Axel put his undivided attention on the lesson, having to worry less about anything the others would do to him while they were in the room. ¡°With that, I will go over the basics first,¡± Rex continued to the groan of many people. ¡°You will request your initial Trial and what power you wish for by the end of this set of lessons. This is the only time you will be able to get this type of help from the Vanguard as they will capture and bring a Crimson Entity for you to defeat for your novice core.¡± ¡°This is not to say there is no danger to this. Even with Instructors like me trying to help you live through it, there is roughly a yearly casualty rate of about five percent for people getting their novice cores,¡± Rex paused to let that sink in before moving on to his next point. ¡°So, take this class seriously as I would prefer to find out your name after your success than you just becoming another among a long list of faces that will never have a name to me.¡± Rex then grabbed some chalk and began writing on the board. ¡°As many of you should know, there are four known categories of powers: Physical, Elemental, Mental, and Special. Most people can, during a Tier, take one from each of these categories once per cycle and cannot repeat the same category more than once per tier. There are exceptions, but I will cover that later in this lesson,¡± Rex then turned from the board sharply and held out his hand where a ball of wind-shaded green formed and was held in a perfect sphere, expertly containing its swirling mass. ¡°This is a combination of Aerokinesis and Elemental wind. While what I am doing is more advanced than many of you will achieve for years yet, I figured it would be great to show you power combinations.¡± Rex then let the ball float in the air slowly until it was near the ceiling and released it into dozens of wind blades, causing several people to scream as they headed for everyone. Just as the blade was to reach Axel, it broke from its deadly edge, causing Axel¡¯s long hair to blowback. Amazed by the sheer control that took, Axel was impressed to notice there was a small cut on his cheek that stung slightly but healed nearly instantly. With a glance around, he saw that everyone had one in the same location, except for the Thalaxians who had one near a mandible. ¡°Now that your attention is returned to me,¡± Rex continued his voice firm and commanding. ¡°Figuring out your path to power is one of the most important things you do. That example was three powers working in tandem, and I, as a young man, had a horrid plan starting out and chose what was common to my people with my first two powers.¡± Rex paused, looking around the room to gauge the students¡¯ reactions. Some looked intrigued, while others seemed anxious. He decided to lighten the mood with a personal anecdote. ¡°When I was your age, I thought I had it all figured out. I chose powers that were flashy and impressive but didn¡¯t complement each other well. It wasn¡¯t until I nearly got myself killed in my first real battle that I realized the importance of a well-thought-out plan.¡± The room was silent, the students hanging on his every word. Rex continued, ¡°Now we will go through each category to give you an idea of what you can go for, though I suggest you do your own research at any of the libraries in the city for more information. The first is the Physical category. This covers endurance, physical powers, enhanced reflexes, power storage, and regeneration powers. Next are the Element-based powers, which are the ability to generate that element and unleash it. At the start, you will not have much control over what you generate, but it does come with immunity to the elements you make. Not to be mistaken with, say, immunity to wind, but to the wind or fire you made as it seems there is some natural protection.¡± Rex noticed a hand raised in the back at this time. ¡°Yes, you have a question?¡± A young woman stood up, her voice trembling slightly. ¡°Instructor Rex, can you give an example of a good power combination for someone who wants to focus on defense?¡± Rex nodded, seeming to appreciate someone being brave enough to ask a question. ¡°Excellent question. For a defensive focus, you might start with a Physical power like enhanced endurance or regeneration. Then, you could add an Elemental power like earth manipulation to create barriers. For your Mental power, danger sense would be invaluable to avoid a beast gutting you from ambush or a bandit sneaking up on you at night. Finally, for your Special power, consider force fields or energy healing if you are one in two hundred and fifty lucky chance. Each of these powers complements the others, creating a well-rounded defensive strategy.¡± The young woman nodded, looking less scared and more thoughtful about what she heard. Rex continued, ¡°Following up are the Mental-based powers. These are things such as danger sense as I mentioned earlier, empathy, telepathy, telekinesis, and mind reading. Mental-based powers are the most watched and restricted as they are easy to abuse and hard to prove. So, when you are in a mental cycle, you will need to report your power to a truth sayer to confirm you are not taking a restricted power without authorization. If you do and get caught, you will be forced to see a Blessed Healer to have the material forcefully removed, and let me tell you, that hurts like hell.¡± Rex made sure at this point to look everyone in the eyes as he swept them. ¡°That comment comes from personal experience as a dumb young man who took a restricted power and was caught. There is a whole section in the library on what powers are restricted, and I recommend you memorize them as while unlikely to see one, I would always be on the watch for them as there have been people who slipped through the cracks gaining them.¡± ¡°Last, I will talk about the Special category, and it is the broadest of them all. This is a catch-all and the most likely to have an exception to the only-take-one rule. They cover energy healing, any of the kinesis-based powers such as Aero or Pyro, the ability to turn one invisible, force fields, and for humans, a special regeneration ability. These are just a tiny fraction of the abilities that fall under this one and can be the biggest wild card if you ever have to fight another of the People,¡± Rex said, taking a flask from his belt to take a drink to clear his parched throat. ¡°The last thing I will mention is mutations. These are people who can take two, three, or even all four powers in the same category. This can make them powerful but one-dimensional in what they do, making them more easily countered if someone figures out their gimmick. The thing is, do you remember those mental powers mentioned earlier?¡± Rex waited for the nods. ¡°Well, many specialty positions in the city need those mutants to work as there is no one better at dealing with data or communication than a mental or a myriad, so it is always good to check if you are one as the only way that has been found to test for it is to try to take a power of the same category and let your Journal tell you if you can take it or not.¡± ¡°I will now go over the standard regulations, so get ready for the driest part of your week, kids.¡± With that, Rex started to list all the various regulations and laws that would impact them. Axel could almost feel the others¡¯ eyes glaze over as this part of the lecture lasted the whole last two hours. Even with Axel¡¯s willpower, he had to fight off drowsiness and began to wonder if Instructor Rex had a sleeping gas power. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 After the lecture was completed, Axel was never more excited about having to deal with the duel fallout with Cade than stopping that damn lecture. As Rex left and dismissed the class, none of the other villagers left and waited for the instructor to leave before crowding Axel¡¯s desk. Axel just sat back, waiting for this as he knew that there was no avoiding it. He had three more days of this with them, with the power demonstrations day and two classes on how to fight the crimson entities. ¡°So, murderer, what are you doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be hiding so that bounty hunters don¡¯t make you disappear for what you did to Cade?¡± A large and loud human villager, who even with Axel¡¯s memory could not place his name but was always trying to toady to Cade, got into Axel¡¯s face, spittle flying as he spoke. ¡°You are so lucky that we would lose our right to a Trial if we did anything here, but watch your back out on the street, murderer.¡± Axel felt a roiling surge of anger but forced himself to remain calm. His heart pounded in his chest, and he could feel the heat rising to his face. ¡°You done?¡± Axel replied in a dull tone. He knew that he would not get through to any of these people. Cade was very popular, and Axel was shunned due to accidents in the past, leaving horrible impressions with likely everyone in the room. ¡°Yeah, I think we are done as you obviously have nothing to say but likely your lies that Cade of all people would be trying to kill you. What a shit argument that was. No one would ever believe that, and it was only your late father who got you out of the murder charge, then an early release before he died as he should have in that duel.¡± The large toady finished and led the villagers out. The only bright side was that not all of them had the same look as he did, but Axel could see no friends in that group. Another villager, a woman with a sneer on her face, added while at the door, ¡°You think you can just waltz in here and pretend like nothing happened? We all know what you did, Axel. You¡¯re a disgrace to the village.¡± A third villager, standing slightly behind the others, muttered, ¡°Better watch your back, Thunderstrider. Accidents happen, and no one would miss a murderer like you. Can¡¯t wait for a bounty hunter to find you!¡± Axel watched them leave, feeling a mix of relief and frustration. He knew he had to stay focused on his goals, but the hostility from his former village members was a constant reminder of the challenges he faced. He would also need to spend more time and energy avoiding these bounty hunters who now knew at least one location that he could be at. Axel then left the room and saw Instructor Rex waiting down the hall for him. Axel moved over to Rex when he made a come-hither motion. ¡°So it seems you are having some issues with your classmates. Anything you would need help with? Sapphire asked me to watch out for you, and since she made sure that I had a good home, I am more than willing to help.¡± ¡°The only thing I could ask for is maybe to not be in their class in the first place, but that is out the window. The next is to see if I could skip any classes with them and maybe bring up my Trial so they don¡¯t know when it¡¯s happening.¡± Axel replied in a defeated tone. ¡°Well, if we had realized your situation, we would have not put you in the same class, but there was nothing yet in the public record about your situation. Something about killing a friend if the voices coming from the room?¡± Rex asked, and Axel gave him an abbreviated version of the duel. ¡°That¡¯s rough, kid, but all you can do to atone is live and try to lead a good, just life.¡± ¡°Well, kid, if you have your power figured out, technically the last three classes are to help people pick their powers by showing them what they can make do with. I can put you down with your choice, and if you are planning to help a non-combatant. With that information, you should not need to deal with them anymore here at the Tower.¡± Rex suggested. A feeling of relief washed over Axel, and he then rattled off the power Entity that he wanted to fight. This earned Axel a whistle from Rex. Rex then led Axel to an office and had him fill out forms in triplicate with waivers that he was skipping classes. With that done, Axel was free for the next four days as it would take that long to capture the entity needed for him. Rex also led Axel to a series of corridors to a back exit that the instructors used for people with sensitive backgrounds that could put them in danger. Feeling his social and mental batteries drained, Axel decided to head back to the Inn and rest. It was also around dinner, and Axel had skipped lunch to make it to the class on time. The trip back involved using several launches, taking an impromptu tour of the city, and a bit of pain to his wallet to make sure he was not followed before returning to the inn. As Axel entered the room he shared with Aria, he found it empty and, while he was a little hungry, decided to just clean up and get some sleep. As he crashed on the bed, Axel realized that this was the longest stretch of not practicing his weapon skills while not recovering from an injury he had ever had. This caused him to make a mental note to go to a Storm training center and stretch his muscles. He also planned to start picking up some new skills with the hand axe to maybe start working on his more close-in skills while giving him another throwing option. With those thoughts on his mind, Axel drifted off to sleep. ------ The next morning arrived as a bit of a shock to Axel. What woke him was the sun in his face and not a knee to the bladder. The next thing that made him wake up was his bladder was now trained to need to go at this time in the morning, and he needed to make a mad scramble to the restroom to empty it. When he arrived back in his room, he had the wits to notice that Aria was in one of the other beds wrapped around a sleeping Lyra. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Both smelled of alcohol and a strong kind at that, so Axel went to get a pitcher of water. Even with the blessing, the body needed water to help fight off the hangover. Axel had no idea what led to that and fought a bit of jealousy that was trying to peak its ugly head, but he had decided to be the mate with Aria and her kind had their customs. At least it did not look like anything happened, and this may just be two drunk people passing out together. He would have to ask later and see what was happening between them as Aria would tell him. Skipping the cooking part of breakfast in bed, Axel ordered them a large serving of eggs and fried meat along with his breakfast, then left it in the room for the smell to wake them up. Having nothing else to do with the room occupied by drunks and not feeling like going to the library, Axel asked the innkeeper if there was a Storm training center nearby. The innkeeper, a middle-aged man with a friendly demeanor, nodded. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s one not too far from here. It opens to the public in about an hour after the morning student class is done. Just head down the main street, take a left at the second intersection, and you¡¯ll see it on your right.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Axel replied, appreciating the clear directions. He decided to take a walk around the area to pass the time and get a feel for the neighborhood. Before leaving, he gathered his gear and left a note to Aria, who still had not woken up, telling her where he was going. The streets were already bustling with activity as vendors set up their stalls and people hurried to their morning destinations. The air was filled with the scent of fresh bread and merchants hawking their wares to the passersby. Axel took in the sights and sounds, feeling a sense of calm despite the tension from the previous day, buying a fruit to munch on while he made his walk. When the hour was up, Axel made his way to the Storm training center. The building was impressive, with tall stone walls and large windows that let in plenty of light. The entrance was adorned with the emblem of the Storm, and what chapter number they were. Inside, the training center was spacious and well-equipped. There were various training areas, each designed for different types of combat and physical conditioning. Axel felt a surge of excitement as he looked around, eager to stretch his muscles and get back into his training routine. He could almost feel a layer of rust on his muscles and joints from the lack of use. He approached the front desk, where a young woman greeted him with a smile. ¡°Welcome to the Storm training center. How can I help you today?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to use the training facilities,¡± Axel replied. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had a proper workout.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she said, handing him a form to fill out. ¡°Just fill this out, and you¡¯ll be all set. The fee for a day pass is two silver unless you are looking for any specialized training. If so, then you will need to see the Stormlord to help you as I don¡¯t recognize you as a regular.¡± Axel filled out the form and paid the fee but politely refused the extra training, then headed to the locker room to change into his combat gear, as his father always beat into his head that you trained in what you fought in. As he stepped into the training area, he felt a sense of anticipation. He planned to start with some basic exercises to warm up, then move on to practicing his weapon skills. He also wanted to work on his close-in skills with the hand axe, giving him another throwing option. Axel finished the basic and advanced drills in about an hour only for Aria to arrive looking a little green but joining him in working out. She kissed him on the cheek and began her drills to then move to the acrobatic training area. Axel would never admit to dropping a heavy weight on his foot, breaking a few bones when he noticed Aria¡¯s movements. Limping and hoping what the reading from his journal date was right and it was mostly bruising with a small fracture that would heal by tonight, Axel began going through the axe drills his father had tried to teach him. Finding that he still sucked with them as he did in the past, Axel stopped when he was getting nowhere after about thirty minutes. Axel knew he just was bad with any weapon but his halberd for a long time but hoped that with time he would find talent with anything else. They still worked as a good throwing weapon, but he would always get jammed up with anything but the most bare basic of moves. To move on from his frustration with hand-axe fighting, Axel worked on his hand-to-hand combat, which at least was at a level of skill that he was not feeling embarrassed by practicing in public. Aria tried several times to drag him to one of the dueling areas to practice, but after how effortlessly she demolished him, Axel¡¯s pride made him call that to a stop, only after bringing out the halberd for a few rounds to regain some confidence. On the way home, Axel asked about why she and Lyra were drunk together and if he should expect Aria to be now spending her nights with Lyra. ¡°Aria does not think Lyra is in a good place for that right now with how she was betrayed and thinks Axel is sounding put off,¡± Aria explained. ¡°Aria will be with Axel now and forever. You are Aria¡¯s and Aria is yours. If Aria thinks that adding Lyra to her flock will help her heal, Aria will first ask Axel if he is fine with it before ever letting anything happen.¡± Aria then took Axel¡¯s hand and led him to her favorite places to shop or eat in this part of the city. Aria, knowing Axel seemed to be worried about something, asked why he went to bed so early yesterday as Aria planned to get him drunk also. ¡°Met some of the villagers in the Intro class and things were tense. They think I murdered Cade and confronted me about it. Things are fine as Instructor Rex helped me expedite my trial and skip the other three classes as I had my power plan ready. Speaking of, don¡¯t you have remedial training to complete?¡± Axel said. ¡°Aria proved yesterday that she has a handle on the powers of Aero,¡± Aria started with pride. ¡°With her hero¡¯s training and help, Aria was ahead of the curve, allowing a pass with flying colors. Now all Aria needs to do is talk to Lyra and help her get set up with a Trial with you and get her away from those nasty people who can¡¯t seem to judge good from bad,¡± Aria explained while buying a fruit and began to toss it up and down in the air. Axel gave her his trial date and number so Lyra could schedule to match him so that they could take the trial together. With that done, Axel was feeling much better and split from Aria to return to the library and keep on his research. Time waited on no man, and the more he prepared, the better he would be. It was time to research his foe and maybe on the likely foes that Lyra would choose from to make a plan. Chapter 20 Splitting with Aria, Axel decided to return to what was becoming a second home while he was in Greenhaven: the Library of Illumination. To save on expenses, he returned to the inn and got directions from the innkeeper for the easiest way to the library. Axel learned the trip would take about an hour on foot through half a dozen city blocks. This quickly dissuaded Axel from walking, as the threat of bounty hunters still hung over his head. Although he was lower on funds than he liked, taking the platforms felt safer alone. Axel arrived at the launch and took a platform. The ride to the library was about the same as the last several times he had taken it until construction blocked the path ahead, and Axel needed to get off about two blocks away. As he walked, Axel tried to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious, but that was hard in an area full of strangers, mostly having their cores already. Everyone began to look like a potential threat, and his vision started to get as hyper-focused as it could when he knew he was in a predator¡¯s territory in the jungle. As Axel crossed an alley, a deep chill ran through the previously warm air, causing him to look to the right and see a man in armor frozen in a block of translucent blue ice. This caused a new chill to run down Axel¡¯s spine that had nothing to do with the cold coming from the alley. Scenes of Cade, the man he would have beaten to death at the inn if not stopped, and the bandits flashed through his mind unwanted. Axel¡¯s breath started to seize in his chest with these memories. Breathing hard, Axel stumbled away from the alley, thinking this might be some kind of attack on him from whoever killed the man. Axel¡¯s journal informed him that his body was having a panic attack based on vital data information, debasing him of this fantasy. Not wanting to be vulnerable and near the alley with someone recently dead, Axel moved as quickly as he could and made it to the steps of the library, only to sit under the statue of the Goddess, waiting for whatever was happening to pass. Working his breath in and out repeatedly until it was back to normal, Axel grew worried about his reactions to dead people. He didn¡¯t seem to have issues when the beasts were dying or when he killed them. It also seemed to be much easier to handle while he was with Aria when they found the dead man in the other alley. Was it something he was doing, or was he backsliding because he was feeling vulnerable? Working through the memories while sitting on the stairs under the statue of the Goddess, Axel did one of the hardest things he had ever done. He began to work through the emotions from Cade¡¯s death. Sitting with his back to the stone pillar and closing his eyes, Axel began to breathe rhythmically to help with the process of reliving memories. Axel started with the first time he had met the man he had until recently called his best friend. The memories followed Axel as he had just been rejected by several of the other kids and had no one to play games with. The sun was bright and warm with a gentle breeze wafting through the park. The swing was a lonely place, and in the distance, Axel could hear the other children laughing in a game they had made up and likely forgot later that day. That was when a young boy, all smiles and skinned knees, came up to Axel and asked if he wanted to play. This was the first time in a very long time that anyone but his father wanted to play with Axel since he had hurt several of the others during class when Axel failed to control his strength. The memory moved to a game of tag where, in his excitement, Axel tagged Cade too hard, sending him tumbling across the grass. Knowing what would happen, Axel waited for the crying and fearful looks, only to get a bright laugh and ¡°That was amazing!¡± from Cade. This memory began to fade as Axel returned it to his memory palace and could feel the tears of the child he was, isolated from everyone, trickle down his cheek. Returning to his trance-like state, Axel let the memories of childhood flow quickly until the day that Cade took himself, Axel, and the newly adopted Lyra out of the village through a secret path, a water drainage tunnel set in the wall that had broken bars. Cade could see that Lyra was having issues fitting in just like Axel, as she was from a foreign city-state and did not want to take a blood rite to become the blood of Axel¡¯s family. The drain led to a small river that was near the northern wall. This was such a foolish idea as many beasts would have eaten all of them, but after an hour of fishing, it had helped bring a smile to Lyra¡¯s face and allowed her to finally relax and lose some of the sadness in her eyes that Axel knew she was carrying. Axel then relieved the pain of getting his butt beaten by a scared and irate mother who had been spending the last few hours looking for all of them. As the memory flowed away, Axel let it go with a gentle push to return to his memory palace. The next memory that came into clear focus was the first hunt, a trial all children must do in the village to be ready for the dangers of the world. Axel and Cade had to wake hours before the sun to join the hunters on one of their easier hunts for Gin, while Lyra had caught a jungle fever strain that was taking her blessing time to heal, so she had to stay home. The chilled air of a spring morning caressed Axel¡¯s face as he bundled up and stood excitedly next to his friend. They had been planning this trip out all that week, boasting to each other that they would take down a ShadowFang like Finn did in the past and how proud Cade¡¯s dad would be of him. The hunt, though, was long and boring for most of the morning until the hunters started to panic when they ran into the tracks of a Tempest beast. A large bipedal carnivore with two arms with sharp claws that could rip through armor or scales. This beast¡¯s jaws could swallow a man in two easy bites and was, when standing tall, between 25 to 40 feet tall depending on age. It also carried the armor that many of the beasts in this world seemed to breed. Just as they began to panic, there was the sound of snapping trees not too far in the distance. With no better plan, the hunters decided to lead it away from Axel and Cade and had them hide until they did not hear the beast. The hunters informed them that if they did not make it back by the time the sun was at the topmost point, Cade and Axel should follow their training and take the hunting trail back to the village. The hunters then started to make noises to draw the beast away and used their powers to move as quickly away as possible. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The hours passed and no hunter returned. Axel only found out later that they were chased for another day before his father, Quin, and Finn saved them by defeating the beast. Axel and Cade began to start making their way back when they saw a Snar sitting there eating some of the vegetation. Axel looked at Cade and then got a nod back from his friend, reading each other¡¯s intent. Almost synchronized, they raised their training spears and threw them at the same time, missing wildly with each, causing the Snar to turn and begin to chase them mercilessly. This made both Cade and Axel leave the hunting trail and get lost, a major mistake as neither had anything more than a book and classroom knowledge on wilderness survival. The memories then went through the long nights and days that they spent in the jungle trying to find their way home. By the end of the first day, they were out of trail rations as neither thought to bring more than that day¡¯s worth. That night they lost their packs to some scavengers as they did not set a good night watch, and both dozed off. This forced them to make spears out of branches and chipped stones and hunt their deadliest prey to date, one of those damn Snars. The memories flooded of the several failed attempts to trap or fight one until they finally succeeded by using the makeshift spears to trap and kill the Snar. The meal was awful over the terrible fire they set, but Axel could feel the accomplishment followed by them both swearing an oath that they were now brothers in spirit and through the blood of their prey. Later that night, Quin arrived at their small camp and brought them home to Axel¡¯s worried mother and a similarly worried Finn. That hide from the Snar was likely still in Cade¡¯s room while the horn was in Axel¡¯s if it had not all been thrown out by Finn by now. The next memories that flowed were of the hours training with Lyra always riding both of them on their forms, Axel with his inability to use anything besides a spear or halberd, and Cade much of the time not sparring seriously with either of them. This was also where Cade started to be distant as he was training more and more with his father, but Cade would always find time to hang out with Axel, making life less lonely. Those years were more of a blur even to Axel¡¯s ability to recall as the days besides learning were very much the same. Then Cade left the village, as he came of age six months before Axel and Lyra. Seeing the memories now, Cade seemed to have lost much of his impish grin and was much more serious when he bid farewell. Axel assumed at the time that it was just him being nervous, but Cade didn¡¯t return for almost six months when he came with a new core. Now that Axel was going through the process of getting his Trial, it was making less sense why Cade was only a Novice one and his core did not seem the most stable when he issued his challenge. Try as Axel might, though, he could not find anything in his memories that had an answer to this question. As these memories faded, Axel braced for the hardest memories to get through, the final duel. As he pulled the memory, it seemed to fight him as if against his will, trying to refuse the viewing of the memory of the duel. But with effort, this terrible memory began to play before Axel¡¯s eyes. Feeling the wounds again and desperation, Axel began to get confused as his thoughts started to jumble and his memory palace shook while reviewing. His head began to pound, but Axel pushed through the pain and saw the dumb pride and the refusal of either of them to back down on something that Lyra would likely have given them both, mixing her genetics for two children through the iron wombs that the healers kept from a time before the Silence. As Axel reviewed the memory over and over, trying to work through it, things were not making sense. While he could feel the emotions and pain of the time, several of them felt, for lack of a better word, hollow. The pride did not feel correct, the anger before the crimson backlash took him felt more inflamed than any anger he had felt before, like something was feeding it. Could his proto-core have been in a backlash even then? As that thought went through his head, Axel reviewed every backlash and they felt different. Someone¡¯s power? That felt right¡­ no, it could not have been, for someone would have caught it. This would need more looking into, but after working through the memories, Axel felt much better and more balanced. As Axel was about to put this to the side, the fact that his thoughts had abruptly changed track and started to make up other reasons worried him. When he looked at his mind palace now, there was damage to it from when he forced the memory of the duel. That had never happened before and pointed to something much scarier than Axel was ready to handle at this moment. This caused Axel to do something that Aria mentioned doing many times and ask his journal to make a quest to ask Lyra and Aria about the duel and what he found. Across his vision, his journal added the quest, much to Axel¡¯s surprise as this was the first time trying something like that and not letting the goddess guide his quests and give advice. Feeling better and knowing daylight was burning, Axel got to his feet and made another realization in that he was stupid as if there was a bounty hunter, Axel had been sitting right there in the open like a moron. Thanking the Goddess for looking after fools like him, Axel moved up the stairs quickly and found the section on known Crimson Entities looking for the one he was planning to fight. This was an easier task than the beasts as things in the section in the library were much easier to do research but were also much busier than the beast section. With a quick skim of the shelves, Axel found a book on his prey and the two books on what Lyra would likely fight if she was lucky and could take energy healing or the path she and Cade planned out. Axel then began to read through the thick tomes that held many known strategies, taking note of weak points and what needed to overwhelm his entity. Axel finished his reading as the evening bells rang out, calling an end to the workday. Axel then returned his book and waved at the Curator that he had originally met on the first day. She was cleaning another mess as someone else must have startled her, though she gave Axel a nod while stacking documents. Axel noticed the construction signs were gone and took a platform back to the area where his inn was located. As Axel arrived at the prearranged tavern, he found a seat and waited for Aria to give him the all-clear to return to their inn. The signal turned out to be Lyra in a new dress of deep greens that matched her eyes. This caused his health monitor to alert him at an irregular heartbeat when his heart did a hard budump. Not for the first time, Axel wished that Lyra swung his way, but there was nothing he could do. As Lyra sat down, she said in a sultry tone, ¡°Why Axel, your face is all red. I take it you like my dress?¡± At Axel¡¯s nod, she continued, ¡°Well, Aria made me dress up for our ¡®Date¡¯ and since she is dealing with a tail, wanted me to escort you back to the inn.¡± With those words, Lyra rose from her seat and held out a hand to Axel, and proceeded to escort him back to the inn and up to his and Aria¡¯s room to be greeted by a grinning Aria who then leaped into Axel¡¯s arms, kissing him fiercely and passionately. ¡°Have a hard day with the scrolls?¡± came a breathless question. ¡°You have no idea. Let¡¯s get some food up here and talk out some of our plans. I also have some things to ask Lyra about the time around the duel,¡± Axel said in a serious tone. Chapter 21 As Axel, Lyra, and Aria sat on the floor with their backs to the various bunk beds, the smell of fresh bread and stew filled the room with its aroma. Lyra and Aria had changed out of their dresses into more comfortable clothing and looked at Axel expectantly. Axel first took a drink of water and then looked at Lyra to start. ¡°So, I have researched what entities we will be fighting if you are trying for healing as your first power or if you want to follow Cade¡¯s plan. I assume you will be going with the reflex boost for speed and precision,¡± Axel said. At Lyra¡¯s nod, he continued, ¡°Then we will have an uphill fight as we will have to fight mine and yours together. Plus, if you are unable to take the healing orb into you, we will have to fight the third before I can make my Novice core, or it could prevent the material from dropping for you due to my presence destabilizing the crimson orb. This is going to be rough, no way about it, as I decided to kill a Creeper for my power as that has the best power to fit my needs.¡± ¡°Creeper? Aria does not remember that being an option for the first Novice trial,¡± Aria asked in confusion. ¡°Creepers are a rarer weak crimson entity needed for humans to have template regeneration. I would have found it odd if you did know about it,¡± Axel explained. ¡°Aria figured that you would go for one of the endurance options or even regeneration in the body category. Why go for the special human pick? Is that not hard to manage?¡± Aria questioned Axel with curiosity in her silver eyes. ¡°I think I know. It¡¯s about what happened to Quinn and his disability, right?¡± Seeing Axel¡¯s sad nod, Lyra looked over to Aria and told her, ¡°Axel¡¯s father lost his arm in getting the material to save him from a life as a cripple or an early death due to his condition.¡± ¡°Aria knew about Axel¡¯s father but did not hear about the price he paid so his son could thrive,¡± Aria put down her meal and moved over to hug Axel with one arm. ¡°Aria will stand by your choice as it should help with a fear you have. Just know that Aria is with you even if you lost some fingers or even a hand! But Aria draws the line at anything more than keeping three-quarters of your body intact!¡± Axel chuckled at Aria as her tone of voice gave away that she was trying to reduce the tension. ¡°Well, according to the text, Creepers are a pain to kill as anything that does not destroy their cores will just regenerate. They are known for their resilience and ability to recover from almost any injury in moments. That¡¯s why I chose it; the regeneration ability will be crucial for me and allow me to do more with my strength.¡± ¡°The endurance options right now either are slow-growing or have drawbacks I am not ready for,¡± Axel then listed the variant powers that he had looked at and their drawbacks, such as slowing down healing or loss of physical sense. ¡°Aria is executive vetoing the last one now. That would make life too sad for months and months until you would have to fix it in the Adept tier with a sense enhancement. No way is Aria going to not have Axel for that long or not have Axel enjoy our time together.¡± Aria cut in, causing Lyra to turn a bright shade of red. ¡°Well, dear, that is why I went with regeneration. It also has a side effect,¡± Axel then listed some known side effects, causing Aria to turn red for a moment and then glomp onto Axel¡¯s arm. ¡°Aria will take that as a promise!¡± Aria whispered into Axel¡¯s ear, her breathing coming in deep, heavy breaths. ¡°To get back on track, Lyra, I assume you have done your research on your opponents while you were stuck here waiting?¡± Lyra nodded to Axel. ¡°So the main plan is for me to hold the Creeper and you deal with the Umbral Doll so that I can kill the Creeper.¡± ¡°Umbral Dolls move quickly, so you will need to trap it or hit it hard, but from my reading, they are not the hardiest of beings.¡± Axel continued, followed by cleaning his stew bowl with the end of his bread. ¡°I have a plan to deal with my Umbral Doll quickly. It¡¯s you I am more worried about, Axel. Will you need my help with your Creeper? Those sound very deadly, but we may need to work on the fly with this as we don¡¯t have any experience fighting these things.¡± Lyra added, sounding worried. ¡°Well, that sounds as good of a plan as we are going to make with what we have. Anything else you ladies have? Otherwise, that¡¯s all I can think of.¡± Axel said while putting his bowl to the side, feeling that he was forgetting something, and his journal was blinking an alert that seemed to be nothing. ¡°Did not Axel want to ask Lyra a question about the duel?¡± Aria asked, and as she said it, the warning in Axel¡¯s journal superimposed a quest alert reminder that he needed to talk about the duel. The text was so big it took most of his vision. This caused Axel to jump and crack his head on the bunk, hearing the sound of it being damaged. ¡°Goddess damn it, that¡¯s a first. Why is my quest text covering my vision?¡± Axel asked while blinking and trying to reduce or get rid of the text. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when people ignore a quest that the Goddess helps them set. It upsets her greatly when the request is ignored.¡± Aria explained in a chiding tone. ¡°So, Lyra, now that I am reminded, on the day that Cade died, do you remember anything off? Like when you were going to refute the challenge? My mind palace seems to be tampered with, and I seem to get distracted every time I try to talk about it.¡± Axel explained while his brow furrowed in concentration. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°No, why would¡­ why didn¡¯t I stop the duel?¡± Lyra started to reply, only to stop and go wide-eyed when she thought about the situation then rubbed her temple in pain. ¡°But an elder would have¡­ Wow, that makes my head hurt.¡± ¡°Aria, I think it will take time for me and Lyra to get through this, so you will have to keep us reminded.¡± Axel laid the responsibility to keep them reminded of the issue so that at some point Lyra and Axel could break this conditioning. ¡°Aria will do that. Is there anything that can be done about this?¡± Aria replied with a worried voice and held Axel tighter. ¡°I am not sure and don¡¯t think with how this is, I will remember to ask. Lyra, I would work on your memory palace as that was how I was able to notice in the first place.¡± Axel informed Lyra of her worried look. ¡°I know the drawbacks can suck, but I don¡¯t know of anything we can do but change our power plans, and we may not remember at the time to do that.¡± The group discussed this issue in circles for a while longer until Lyra needed to return to her inn with Aria. Axel also worked with Lyra to arrive early so that the other villagers would arrive later with her. As Aria took Lyra back, Axel decided to do his meditation practice to calm himself, as he had been slacking since coming to the city. When Aria returned, Axel took her to bed, and she helped him relax. ----- Axel spent the next day at the Storm training center working out his nerves before the Trial that was scheduled for the following day. When he invited Aria for training, she informed Axel that she had extra secret training that she was doing, so sadly she could not ogle Axel while he worked his body. This left Axel to work with others there, and while he received a good workout, his axe training was going about as badly as all of his previous training attempts. In his frustration, Axel moved to work on his hand-to-hand skills again, with much better gains. After the workout, Axel returned to the inn and decided to take a nap and rest as he didn¡¯t feel like risking going to the library and didn¡¯t want to pay more in platform fees. Since he was in his room, Axel worked on his meditation until he was woken up by the door opening and Aria entering the room in her scout gear. Aria gave Axel a surprised look and gave a cute ¡®Eeep¡¯ followed by throwing her cloak over Axel blocking his vision. ¡°You are saw nothing. Aria was not in her scout gear training, and you saw nothing!¡± Aria quickly said and changed her clothes. The rest of the evening, Aria brought out several games that she again tried to teach Axel, with the rules changing from the last time she did this. Even with that, it was an enjoyable afternoon to evening, allowing Axel to relax and forget about his novice trial in the morning. --- Morning came all too early the next day, though Axel liked waking while being wrapped in Aria¡¯s softness. Going through his now morning routine, Axel garbed himself in his weapons and armor before kissing Aria and heading out. Taking a platform to the Vanguard tower, Axel checked in with a female Vortan at the front desk and was led to a waiting room that trial participants used to prepare for their dives. It contained lockers and other storage so that they could drop off anything extra that was not needed. Axel tried to loosen up and keep himself from getting tense when the door opened, revealing Lyra in leather armor similar to what Axel and Aria had, with matching boots and gloves. Likely bought from Jareth¡¯s shop if Axel had to hazard a guess, but that was just his mind wandering in a tense time. Lyra, with her red hair tied back, sported a shield and a sword between a short sword and a long sword in length. At her hip were pouches and a sling attached to the belt. There were also several throwing knives strapped to her right leg and left forearm to give Lyra an arsenal so she could deal with anything this trial had to offer. ¡°You are looking deadly this morning, Ly,¡± Axel complimented as he gave her a once-over to make sure nothing was too loose or tight so as to not shift during a fight. Lyra then gave Axel the same, as was a common ritual for the hunters of their village. The pair then started to do the partner stretches they had done so many times before during their Storm training. When they were both limbered and had triple-checked their gear, there was nothing left but to wait. Thankfully, the wait was not long. About twenty minutes after the last check and going over what they knew about their opponents, the door opened again to reveal Rex in his instructor''s light combat armor with strategic plates protecting critical locations. ¡°Well, you both look ready and even wore matching armor, how cute,¡± Rex said in a dry tone at the pair and led them to the metal box called an elevator. As they entered, Rex pressed a button that had a ¡®T1¡¯ and, before the doors closed, wished them luck. The doors closed and a sense of downward motion happened, making both Axel and Lyra move to the walls and hold onto convenient handles as Axel assumed the metal box was moving under the tower. The ride lasted about five minutes when the box stopped with a ¡®Ding¡¯ and the door opened to a room that was a good fifty by fifty with a ceiling also at, Axel guessed, fifty feet. As Axel and Lyra stepped out of the elevator, the doors closed behind them and the wall followed up, leaving a smooth wall where the elevator was. The room was lit by light gems and nothing else was in there, leaving Axel and Lyra looking around in confusion until a voice spoke from the walls. ¡°Novice Trial for Lyra Windchime and Axel Thunderstrider. The Entities will now be released, prepare for combat!¡± The voice was rather toneless and did not sound like a person. Axel, though, did not have much time to analyze that as two spots in the center of the room shifted, and up came their planned opponents. The first was the Creeper, a bipedal creature with an emaciated body covered in red skin standing at over ten feet with arms that stretched from shoulder to ankle. Axel could see what the book described as its core, which came in the shape of a black bead just over its right front pectoral. However, with Axel¡¯s reading, it could move around in a fight. Next to it, Axel saw the Umbral Doll floating while flapping its misshapen wings. It looked like a deformed human child to Axel, but again, according to his reading, the other races would see one of their race. Some type of natural defense causes others to hold back from harming it, but that would not stop it from helping other creatures kill you. Umbral Dolls were never found alone and needed to be fought in a challenge with another entity, or they never dropped an orb. Again, no one knew why, but after hundreds of attempts, that was the finding. Both beings were held in a blue transparent dome that they were trying to get out of, to no avail, but as they attacked the dome, it seemed to be weakening. Axel looked to Lyra and moved to the lead position to take the assault first, so Axel braced for the fight to come. Lyra took her sling off and prepared to let loose a projectile the moment the dome came down. Based on the color of the domes, it would be another moment at most. Chapter 22 The fight began with the noise of shattering glass as the Creeper broke the field containing it. This seemed to make the Umbral Doll¡¯s field also dissipate as if they were linked. Knowing that there was no more time, Axel moved to intercept the Creeper as it decided to go for Lyra first. With a charge and yell, Axel interposed himself as the Creeper was only halfway to its target. Using a horizontal slash to try and get the Creeper to back off was Axel''s first mistake due to reflex, as the crimson entity did not stop its charge, taking the hit. This caused it to stagger, and green goopy blood leaked out, along with losing the left arm at the shoulder and a good part of that shoulder area. This, though, allowed it to use its long gangly arms to make a swipe at Axel when he believed that he was still at a safe attacking range. Feeling the impact, Axel used the force of the impact to retreat back to gain room, as a green light then enveloped the Creeper, speeding up its regeneration and causing the area that was lopped off to regrow in the time it took Axel to regain his footing. Axel moved back onto the attack, changing up his fighting style. Instead of using the slashing chops of the axe head, he started to use the spear part of his halberd to keep the Creeper busy and not let it get another strike in. He would have loved to pin it with the hook or the spear, but that would lock him, and he was unsure if he could get it locked down with the way it was fighting, ignoring any injury to attack its target. Axel¡¯s body information from his health system showed nothing penetrated his skin, along with likely his armor, though he did not have the luxury to check right now, but there was extensive bruising along his lower stomach that would take long minutes for his blessing to repair. Axel tried to use this flurry of jabs to get hits on the black spot that was the Creeper''s core, but the spot seemed to sense where Axel was striking. It was not helping that every few hits, that green light would glow on the Creeper, speeding up its already nearly overwhelming regeneration. In the short span of about two minutes, Axel likely swung or stabbed the Creeper over twenty times, but it was closing the wounds moments after, forcing Axel to withdraw a couple of steps after almost every exchange, as the Creeper was beginning to try to run itself through on Axel¡¯s weapon to get its claws in range with those scary long arms. This reached a point at the end of the second minute that Axel risked injury and used more of his strength to fling the damn Creeper into a wall to get a moment to catch his breath. There was a warning of strained or torn muscles and minimal bone damage showing from Axel¡¯s health monitoring. Thankfully, the force of the throw caused a large green splatter mark, and while the Creeper was standing, it was not standing as quickly. With no green light of healing coming the Creeper''s way, this meant Lyra must have hurt or hopefully killed the Umbral Doll. Taking this moment to gain more awareness of the overall fight, Axel took a quick look around the room to see that there were fire spots happening all around the room. Axel hoped that there was good ventilation that he could not see, or there would be an oxygen issue very quickly. The room was getting coated in green blood from Axel''s fight, and there were burning spots all around the room from likely missed shots from Lyra trying to nail the Umbral Doll with her sling and jars of oil. Axel saw that the Umbral Doll was still alive with at least three throwing knives in its body that it was trying to heal even now. Lyra was charging the Umbral Doll with her sword and shield raised. The shield was hit by weak, sickly green bolts of energy that were eating away at the wood and metal of the shield slowly. This was all the time Axel had to see what was happening as the Creeper was back on its feet, and even without the green healing light, its wounds had fully healed in less than ten seconds that Axel used to cover the room and reassess the situation. Knowing that his job was still to keep the Creeper engaged, Axel kept his steps in a more light and bouncy way that Aria had shown him, trying to move in a more zigzag pattern with more random zigs and zags to confuse the Creeper. Axel also threw several knives on the way in, but they seemed to do little to this monster besides being a slight impediment to it. This time, knowing that Lyra should be able to kill her prey quickly, Axel danced around the Creeper with more dodging back than attacking to keep its attention. The fight continued in this manner for another minute when Axel, having lost track of the first limb he had lopped off, slipped on it, costing Axel to take another hit, this time claws piercing his armor in the right shoulder. Axel, through the pain, caught the follow-up strike aimed at his face with his other hand, less than an inch from his eyes, and then again used his strength along with kicking his legs into the Creeper''s chest to throw the Creeper away, ripping the claws out of his chest. This throw caused the Creeper to bounce at an angle from the ceiling and ricochet to one of the walls with a squishing breaking noise on each hit. Axel could feel the blood pouring down his shoulder from the three finger-shaped holes. Breathing heavily and finding it hard to catch a breath at all, Axel could see that the Creeper was already standing as its misshapen body began to pop itself back into place as its regeneration took care of its broken body, only for it to take a jar to the side of the head, causing it to catch flames. This caused the Creeper to flail around for the first time, reacting to what Axel assumed was the loss of vision as he could see the eyes boiling in its skull in a pattern of regeneration and destruction. Knowing he had no time left to finish this, Axel charged the Creeper and with a semi-circular swing caught the flailing Creeper with the hook and then lifted it off its feet to slam it on its back down with bone-shattering force. Axel then held the Creeper in place and with all the breath he had left called to Lyra, ¡°Nail this thing!¡± but all that came out was a loud gurgle and frothing blood. Lyra did not disappoint Axel in this moment, for as Axel was beginning to grey out from what his health data showed was a collapsed lung, Axel saw her run up and slam her sword home into the Creeper''s core, killing it. Axel then fell to his knees, gasping for breath that his body was just not getting all it needed as he felt a hand on his back and his blessing mobilizing to fix his deflated lung quickly. Axel then saw the various worst spots closing and the damaged arteries stopped bleeding quickly, which would have bled him badly. With the more life-threatening injuries closed and taken care of, Axel just focused on breathing to get the pain under control and let his body catch up on the oxygen deficit it was at. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Good shot with the jar there, Lyra,¡± Axel complimented. ¡°You saved the day there as I think in that state I had about a minute or less before I was overwhelmed. No wonder so few people fight those things as their starting Trial.¡± ¡°Yeah, I had the Umbral Doll dealt with for a good while there, but there was no way I could get into your wild melee without likely messing your rhythm up. You scared me greatly when you slipped on the arm there, though. We need to work on your awareness drills more. Have you been slacking?¡± Lyra laid into him, her voice still set to a higher octave that meant she was scared still of what happened from Axel''s experience. ¡°You try fighting something that cares very little about what injuries it takes to get a lethal blow on you and tell me if you can keep track of all details.¡± Axel shot back hotly, feeling the heat going to his ears from the embarrassing display. Axel then took a few more breaths to calm down and looked Lyra in the eyes, saying, ¡°Sorry for blowing up on you there, I think that the adrenaline is still pumping, and my body is still fight or flighting on me. Let¡¯s check to see if you can take the healing orb, as if not, we still have another fight to do.¡± Lyra nodded, not bringing anything else of the comment up, and held out a hand to help Axel back to his feet, which he took using the leverage to bounce up. Lyra gave Axel a hug, and he could feel her shaking like a leaf in his arms to hear a whisper, ¡°Don¡¯t leave me like everyone else, you fool. What would I do? I don¡¯t think I could survive alone.¡± She then released her hug and moved to where the Umbral Doll died. Axel followed Lyra across the room to a black orb with green lights swirling on the surface that looked like clouds reflected in the river. With shaky hands, Lyra reached out to the orb to touch it. ¡°Good shot with the jar there, Lyra,¡± Axel complimented. ¡°You saved the day there, as I think in that state I had about a minute or less before I was overwhelmed. No wonder so few people fight those things as their starting Trial.¡± ¡°Yeah, I had the Umbral Doll dealt with for a good while there, but there was no way I could get into your wild melee without likely messing your rhythm up. You scared me greatly when you slipped on the arm there, though. We need to work on your awareness drills more. Have you been slacking?¡± Lyra laid into him, her voice still set to a higher octave that meant she was still scared from Axel¡¯s experience. ¡°You try fighting something that cares very little about what injuries it takes to get a lethal blow on you and tell me if you can keep track of all details.¡± Axel shot back hotly, feeling the heat going to his ears from the embarrassing display. Axel then took a few more breaths to calm down and looked Lyra in the eyes, saying, ¡°Sorry for blowing up on you there. I think the adrenaline is still pumping, and my body is still in fight-or-flight mode. Let¡¯s check to see if you can take the healing orb; if not, we still have another fight to do.¡± Lyra nodded, not bringing anything else up, and held out a hand to help Axel back to his feet, which he took, using the leverage to bounce up. Lyra gave Axel a hug, and he could feel her shaking like a leaf in his arms as he heard a whisper, ¡°Don¡¯t leave me like everyone else, you fool. What would I do? I don¡¯t think I could survive alone.¡± She then released her hug and moved to where the Umbral Doll died. Axel took this moment to look at the disappearing body of the Creeper, which was leaving a red orb with many bright green lines crisscrossing its surface. As Axel picked it up, his Journal asked if he wanted to integrate the material to create his core, to which Axel denied for now as he needed to see if Lyra became a full healer or if they had one more fight today. Axel then followed Lyra, who had moved across the room to a black orb with green lights swirling on the surface that looked like clouds reflected in the river. With shaky hands, Lyra reached out to the orb to touch it. As she touched the orb, a light gasp came from her lips. ¡°Axel, my journal says I am compatible with energy healing!¡± Lyra said while not looking up, keeping her voice hushed. ¡°But should I become one?¡± Lyra''s voice was very low with a hint of fear. ¡°If I become a full healer, the Healers of Hope will do everything they can to make me join. There are only like nineteen of them in all the city-states. I will also be the target of so many powerful people if I want to be free from the Healers.¡± Axel moved in closer as if to comfort her, acting like she was not compatible with the power. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you mention this while we were planning?¡± Axel whispered in her ear and rubbed her back in a consoling way. ¡°Do you want to be a full healer but free?¡± Lyra bit her lip and nodded. ¡°It has been my dream forever to be a full healer, but I can¡¯t trust the Healers anymore. Not after what Tess did to me.¡± ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the plan,¡± Axel began to whisper in her ear. ¡°We are going to fake the system out. We will declare that you are incompatible and have them release your second choice, but you will use the healing orb instead of the reflex booster. Because who would give up the prestige of being a healer, let alone a full one? We will have to make more plans in the future, but this is all I got for you.¡± Lyra nodded and let tears roll down her cheek, though they were tears of relief and gratitude, not sadness. Axel then stretched his back and said loudly, ¡°Lyra is not able to get energy healing; we need her backup choice released.¡± At the statement, another circle shifted and split in the floor, bringing up a Snap. This was a smaller beast-looking entity that was small, fast, and surprisingly lethal. Getting ready, Axel moved up to the dome with Lyra and readied himself for a hard fight. There was not much of one, much to Axel¡¯s relief and disappointment, as when the dome dropped, Axel worked with Lyra to corner the creature and finish it quickly with a stab while it was avoiding a sword strike from Lyra. After the creeper fight Axel forgot that most weak entities were very beatable in a one on one if you were trained properly, otherwise it would be a much higher death rate for the first trial. As it dropped a sky-blue orb with a yellow script on it, Axel reached down and, as he acted as if he was handing it to Lyra, shattered it with his strength. Lyra then shifted the healing one into her hand in an action of taking the reflex boost into her hand. Axel was unsure if the act was needed, but it was better safe than sorry. Axel then breathed in and blinked his eyes in confirmation of taking in the Creeper core. Feeling that it had taken forever to get here after everything that he had gone through. It was time to complete his core and truly start his journey! Chapter 23 A strange cooling sensation passed through Axel''s arm and shot through his chest to just above his navel, where his proto core began to mix together, giving a slowly growing pressure. Axel''s Journal began rapidly updating, and he could feel the changes in his body. Words began to appear before Axel''s eyes, though he knew that it would try to connect with the Goddess. Since the Silence, it would fail three times and then make the core if what he was taught was correct. Connecting to Hope database¡­. Connection Failed¡­. Connecting to Hope database¡­. Connection Failed¡­. Connecting to Hope database¡­. Connection Failed¡­. Accessing New Port ¡­¡­ Connect to Database¡­.. Axel began to freak out internally when he saw that he was being connected to the Goddess and her mythical database. He had never heard of this happening before to anyone. Then numbers and strange symbols began appearing across his eyes as a burning sensation began to spread across his head, giving him phantom pains throughout his limbs as if he were being stabbed by needles in waves. Then everything slowed down, from Lyra¡¯s concerned face to a sweat drop falling from Axel¡¯s nose. Before Axel stood a woman he recognized from the statue in front of the Library of Illumination. Goddess Hope stood there, her skin white as a lily with alternating green and blue lines pulsing from the top of her head down through the dress made of blue fire, then out to her exposed arms and lower legs. Her hair looked like strands of spun silver to his eyes that flowed in perfect sync with her movements. She had a blank expression with eyes that swirled with interconnecting tiny blocks of blue and green set against a pitch-black background in the iris, creating strange, almost mesmerizing patterns. ¡°Greetings, Axel. I am called Hope, and you are the first colonist I have been able to talk to in approximately 644 years. I have found colonists find it disconcerting to be given dates more exact than that,¡± Hope spoke in a soothing voice that caused Axel to relax some, though everything was still moving in slow motion. Axel never had the strongest religious inclinations, but this was insane. A wash of awe tried to overwhelm Axel, but he fought it off as his mind did not have time for that, as what was being conveyed seemed very important. ¡°I will need to keep this brief as I am currently in a speed-up cycle to calculate resolutions to issues that will affect the colony, and your mind cannot handle this speed well yet without better upgrades. I have been able to re-engage an active connection to your Journal, allowing you to fully access all features that you have the energy to power. This includes thought commands, access to the power database, and access to advanced medical features for your nanites, or what the colonists call my blessing.¡± ¡°I will also be able to help you in a limited fashion as you currently do not have much power, but I can send limited messages through the quest systems from queries sent through your Journal in a much more distinct way,¡± Hope continued quickly as a heat spread in Axel''s mind. ¡°I will also leave a way for people you trust to reconnect with the help of your friend Lyra or another of what you would call a Blessed Healer, but it will only work on people of Adept tier or lower as anyone higher¡¯s system will be too set to change and would need direct access to my medical bay. Please use caution with this, as I have seen in probability analysis through Journal entries that many would silence you for this information or imprison you to keep it to themselves.¡± ¡°I will disconnect now but give you one gift as your proto core is killing you with the added novice material causing a destabilization of your energy base,¡± Hope''s eyes spun quicker, and a growing pressure from his core changed. ¡°I have given your Journal better instructions on core construction methodology that I have made with data over the years, but this will cause a mutation in your core. Your Journal will update you on this issue when you complete your sublimation. Please work hard and grow quickly as there are matters I will need to request your help with, as you have the highest probability to complete my request and help save the colony with a 68.887324% chance of success. Farewell for now, Axel. I will be keeping an eye on you.¡± With that, time sped back up as the sweat drop that started its fall from his nose from a standing position just hit the floor. Axel blinked, trying to process everything that had just happened. Axel knew he had to stay focused now as he was at a critical stage of his core creation and figured out his next steps later. Axel then felt power course through him, and the pain receded quickly in a wash of relief. Axel was also feeling the damage that he had sustained from the fight repairing, though this was causing an itching sensation at the damaged locations. Journal Updated¡­.. Core Powers setting up¡­. Core power Level rose from 25% at proto core level to 150% of what is standard Novice Core without energy enhancement. Note: issues may arise as this is in experimental territory with the new methodology. Constant Journal updates with health data to the database is requested. Axel now felt like an anchor that was always weighing him down and was lifted, slowing all his actions as his core generated energy, filling his body. Axel could also feel that he could expand on his foundation again and start a new cycle. As Axel was feeling out the changes, a hand touched his back gently, and a voice asked, ¡°Are you alright, Axel? Any issues with your proto-core? You went pale there for a moment,¡± Lyra asked. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Lyra, you would not believe me with what happened. You know what, access my blessing and gain your power. I think you will find something amazing is going to happen,¡± Axel replied, using his willpower to keep his excitement down. Lyra looked at Axel worriedly but touched Axel''s skin to access his blessing, and her eyes went wide. ¡°Axel, what happened to your Journal?¡± Lyra almost yelled, only to be stopped by a shushing motion from Axel, and he motioned for her to create her core. Following his advice, Lyra froze up for a moment, then her eyes filled with tears shortly after, and she crumpled over in pain. ¡°You okay, Lyra?¡± Axel asked, now worried. ¡°Yes, just things happened differently than I expected. The Goddess truly looks after fools, and I am not sure if I am talking about you or myself. Let¡¯s get out of here as we have completed our Trials, and we need to complete the other ceremonies involved. This is not a good time to talk,¡± Lyra straightened up, and as if summoned, the metal box appeared again, allowing them to enter. Axel followed Lyra in, now noticing that the green blood and arm that were coating the room and likely him were now gone. The only thing showing that a fight happened there was the burn marks from the fire jars, as the walls were undamaged from the impacts or had a self-repair feature, as Axel could not remember if he damaged the wall when throwing the Creeper around. As the metal box closed on a room that likely changed the lives of all who walked in it, Axel and Lyra more than others, Axel felt a new chapter of his life had started. ----- After another long trip, Axel and Lyra arrived at a room that had Rex, Sapphire, and Aria standing there. Aria even had a congratulatory flag made with his and Lyra¡¯s names on it. A warmth spread through Axel''s chest, and he moved up and lifted Aria to spin around, hitting Rex with the flag, and then gave Aria a deep and long kiss that left both of them breathless. ¡°Aria knew her hero would triumph over his terrible foe!¡± Aria breathlessly said. ¡°I would not be here without you, Aria,¡± Axel said to her with a wide smile. ¡°I hate to break this up, but I have things to complete before you can go,¡± Rex stated, then brought out an orb and paper. ¡°First is the obligation of truth. Axel, place your right hand on the beast gem and state truly, did you kill the Creeper and take its powers as yours?¡± It was at this moment, with everything that happened, that Axel knew he might have messed up. Even if it was a controlled test, they would still be tested on what powers they took. Thankfully, Rex worded his question the way he did, so Axel could reply truthfully, but he was more worried about Lyra. Trying to think of something to do to help Lyra through this process. Axel placed his hand on the orb and said, ¡°I, Axel, have taken in the power of the Creeper to create my core.¡± As Axel said it, the orb glowed green. ¡°Excellent! Now, Lyra, I now ask you, did you take in the powers of the Snap as the basis of your core?¡± Rex turned to Lyra and asked his question. As Axel was about to say something, he felt his toe smashed and yelped more in surprise than pain. Lyra then moved up placed her hand on the orb and said, ¡°I, Lyra, used the Snap as the basis of a core.¡± The light on the orb turned green, surprising Axel as he knew that Lyra had used the healing core. Knowing nothing good would happen if he opened his mouth, Axel shut it after hopping on one foot for a second or two. ¡°Well, that completes that. Now, Axel, as you have template regeneration, you will not need extra training, but Lyra, you will need at least a week of training to get used to your new reflexes, and I learned my lesson from that one,¡± Rex pointed to Aria. ¡°I will have training time ready and available within two days.¡± Lyra bowed to Rex, thanking him, then looked to Aria, saying, ¡°Can we head out because I am drained and could use a rest.¡± Aria took Lyra''s hand and started to lead her away from the room and to the stairs, leaving Axel in the dust. As Axel looked to Sapphire to say goodbye, he received a wink, and she retrieved the orb from Rex and handed him a smaller one back, then left quickly, catching up with Aria in a handful of quick steps. Rex just shook his head and made a shooing motion for Axel to leave. With a deep bow, Axel showed his appreciation to Rex, someone who likely risked a lot to help him. When Axel caught up to the group, Aria turned around to get behind Axel and hopped on his back. Axel carried her weight like it was nothing, and she said loudly, echoing in the stairway, much to others'' annoyance, ¡°Time to hit Aria¡¯s favorite restaurant for a celebration! Foster mom even volunteered to cover!¡± In a whisper right next to Axel¡¯s ear, ¡°Aria always has her hero¡¯s back. Even when he is too preoccupied to realize what could happen in some situations. Everyone can get lost in a forest if all they do is look at the trees in front of them.¡± She then lightly kissed his cheek and smiled wide. The trip to the restaurant was short as it was only about three minutes away by platform. Everyone in the group was silent except for Aria, who was listing off all the different foods she was looking forward to eating on Sapphire''s tab. When they arrived, the restaurant was a large two-story building with ornate pillars along the front. When the group entered, Axel saw the place was lavish, with hand-carved tables and intricate carvings on the pillars and balconies. The hostess, seeing Sapphire, led the group to a private room and left them with menus. As Lyra and Axel looked over the food options, Sapphire looked to the group and said, ¡°So that was close and interesting. When Aria came to me yesterday about something she needed help with, I was intrigued. To think someone does not want the fame or protection the Healers would give by becoming a full healer, but I hear that you have grievances with them.¡± Lyra nodded to her at the question. ¡°Well, I assume you three have not thought about what you are going to do now that you have passed your first trial?¡± Axel shrugged to Sapphire, as his original plans before Cade''s passing were to be a hunter for a living, but with Aria and Lyra, they had not brought it up. Sapphire just sighed and nodded to Axel before continuing. ¡°Not unusual for young people just starting out. There are three standard paths for a group like yours, as I don¡¯t see you going to be a craftsman or city guard, or a city healer for you, dear Lyra. The first is the path of the hunter, those who gather meat for cities and villages, along with helping people with gathered beast cores so that they can keep working and advancing. Second is the path of gem creation and helping people pass their trials. This path would see you specializing in the Trial and helping hunt crimson entities for specific powers to take in beast gems or someone else¡¯s path of power. The last is the path of the Flame Seekers. These are the people who travel between city-states in search of the perfect powers for them, work as mercenaries or guards for trade caravans, and generally either hunt for their group or sell the extra that they don¡¯t want.¡± Sapphire took a small drink to wet her throat before continuing. ¡°Well, you have time to make a choice and look for others, as most groups, no matter the path, tend to work in groups of five to six as it is easier to do trials and keeps the group mobile for hunting. There are large groups out there along with people who work solo, but you should look for someone who is close to your level so that no one is being held up,¡± Sapphire recommended. At this time, the waiter returned and took their order, allowing for the seriousness of the conversation to cool off. Aria then went into Axel to describe the fight to her, which Axel did his best to do without embellishment until he got pouts from Aria. Not being able to defend against that, Axel began to give a more colorful commentary while trying to keep it without making anything up. Lyra then also gave her version of the fight until the mountain of food arrived, as Aria did in fact order all her favorites. The only thing that eased Axel''s conscience was Sapphire acting like this happened all the time and the leftovers would be fed to the other kids. The meal was filling, and the conversation allowed Axel to relax after the near-death encounter during his trial. When it was all paid for, Axel and Aria got Lyra a room in their inn after saying their goodbyes to Sapphire and giving heartfelt thanks for all that she did for them that day. After returning to the inn, Axel made plans with Lyra and Aria to work on what their plans for the future would be. Axel was then dragged to the room he shared with Aria. The restaurant was nice, and the food was amazing, but the thing that capped this day off was how well the night went as Aria forced Axel to keep the promise that he had made before his trial about his power. He did not disappoint her, leaving her with a wide, exhausted smile when the night was over. Tomorrow would bring new troubles, but while Axel lay in the dark room, he could not bring himself to worry about it, holding what he was quickly considering his soul in his arms, soaking in her warmth. Chapter 24 Axel woke to the sound of the city¡¯s hustle and bustle. Lying in his arms was Aria, who was wrapped around him as if to soak up all the warmth he generated. It surprised Axel that her feet were even under the blanket, ice cold, and she seemed to be trying to keep them warm while wrapping around him. Axel gently untangled himself from her limbs and wings to get his morning going. After getting clean and preparing breakfast for them, Axel woke Aria with a kiss and received a tight hug in welcome. Axel then just enjoyed a quiet morning breakfast with Aria before she cleaned up and went to get ready for the day. Axel then checked on Lyra¡¯s room to find that she was already up and ready, doing cleaning and repair work on her armor. ¡°Want to meet in my and Aria¡¯s room later to figure out where we are going?¡± Axel asked from her doorway. ¡°When do you want to do this?¡± Lyra replied from her room, putting her armor on a rack to dry from oiling the leathers. ¡°I was thinking after lunch, as we never made plans for this situation before,¡± Axel replied while rubbing his right eyebrow, trying to relieve the tension that was building in his head. ¡°It will also give me time to deal with these changes that the Goddess did to me. I assume that you are also dealing with some yourself?¡± ¡°More than a few, but my gift is allowing me to adapt quickly. You doing okay?¡± Lyra asked in concern while looking at Axel rubbing his forehead. ¡°My head still aches some, but it has been lessening over time,¡± Axel replied in a strained voice. ¡°It didn¡¯t help that I got very little sleep last night.¡± ¡°Axel, most of the people in the area around your room got very little sleep last night,¡± Lyra said in a contrite tone, much to a deep blush that was fighting its way up Axel¡¯s neck and ears. Lyra gave Axel a sharp grin at his discomfort. She then reached out a hand and took Axel''s, closing her eyes in concentration, in which Axel felt the pressure decrease at a quick rate. ¡°Thank you,¡± Axel said after a little while. ¡°From what I see, your Journal needed an adjustment in how its new systems are growing. That is what we Goddess-Blessed Healers must deal with, along with growth planning for people¡¯s bodies. I will need to keep an eye on you for the next few days to make sure you are growing correctly. The Goddess added a whole new system near the base of the brain stem, along with what looks like the Journal extending to other locations in the brain. I would assume that these are for what she told me are the mental command system,¡± Lyra explained. ¡°Well, we will need to also give Aria this and explain it to her,¡± Axel said. ¡°I will also see what I can learn about this, and we can exchange notes on what we have found.¡± Lyra nodded and then agreed to meet at lunch before going back to her room to explore what the Goddess had done to her. With his only self-imposed task, Axel returned to his shared room to wait for Aria to see what her plans were and, being reminded by Lyra, to repair his armor after the trial. Axel gathered all the discarded pieces scattered around the room in the hurry of last night. The wait did not take long as Aria arrived only a couple of minutes after Axel had gathered his armor, in her normal clothing, not her scouting gear or the fancy dress that she had been in the last week. ¡°What are your plans for today? I know we talked a bit during dinner last night, but me, you, and Lyra need to start making a more solid plan,¡± Axel asked while sitting at the one table in the room, working on his armor. ¡°Aria needs to work with Foster Mother this morning and for the next several days as repayment for the help given. Today should only be this morning, as Aria will need to help the little ones with lessons to help them get better at scouting and close combat fighting. Foster Mother thinks the youngest has a gift with daggers,¡± Aria explained while still drying off her damp hair, then began to comb it. ¡°So, a segue here, why do you call Sapphire Foster Mother? Why not her name or drop the foster from the name?¡± Axel stopped his work and then turned to ask. ¡°Well, Aria could not call her mom or mother as that feels like betraying my mother who died. Calling Foster Mother by her name feels disrespectful, and so Aria decided to call her Foster Mom to keep her distinct in Aria¡¯s life,¡± Aria explained in a soft voice and stopped brushing her hair to hug herself. Seeing this reaction, Axel went over and hugged Aria as he saw tears at the edge of her eyes. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to poke a sore spot,¡± Axel said while holding her. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the original subject. I plan over lunch to work through what we plan to do.¡± ¡°Aria can be back in time for this,¡± Aria confirmed and finished brushing out her hair. With that conversation finished, Axel worked on his armor and just enjoyed the time together with Aria until she left. After Aria left, Axel put his armor on the rack to let the oil settle sat in a meditation position, and began trying to access his upgraded Journal. ¡°Journal Menu,¡± Axel started by trying a verbal command, receiving no response. He then visualized "Journal Menu" in his mind, and it appeared in front of him, floating in his vision much like his health data and core level. Journal Menu: Thinking of the Health Data, the menu expanded, making it appear in his vision, containing a lot more information, including oxygen levels, sugars, minerals, materials for building, etc. This information even included things like allowed and modified lactic acid levels to build muscle mass. He was even getting alerts for low dopamine levels and high levels of stress hormones. These levels kept fluctuating as he struggled to get a handle on his new interface. He was beginning to get alerts while going through the menus; he even got an alert that his blood pressure was rising and that he should look into getting it lowered in non-combat situations. While many of the terms for the alerts Axel was getting were familiar from being around Lyra and his mother, the data was overwhelming him. Not knowing what to do with the new setup was making him wish it would return to the simpler setup he had before. The large amounts of data then began to minimize and started to only give him more generalized information, helping him understand it much easier. Looking over the new information interface, Axel found that he was happy with this and concentrated on putting it back into basic mode on the side of his vision. This happened, but after three tries, it kept trying to put it in other locations in his vision that he found distracting and uncomfortable. Then it would change location based on where he was looking, only to then change into what was called RGB mode, changing the colors when he cursed in his mind at it. Axel then needed to bring the whole menu back up as it closed the whole thing when he was looking over the Health Data and getting the setting to a place where he wanted it to be. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. After bringing up the Menu again, Axel opened Core with a thought. Core: Axel tried to focus on CP, and a smaller textbox appeared over the term. ¡°CP stands for Core Power. This is the unit of power measurement for the core system. This is what the body uses to activate powers and keep the system running. Higher levels of body enhancement can lead to larger sets of power to be reserved for the function.¡± Axel concentrated on closing the strange popup explanation and closed the whole menu. With a sigh, Axel returned to the menu as it closed out the combat display of his core energy levels, now called CP, he guessed and went to work putting back a core level on the side of his vision. This time took five tries, a warning about stress levels from the health system, and a broken chair that he hit in frustration before he could get something that looked like what he had before. For some reason, the gauge kept trying to look like a circle filled with a blue liquid that had over half grayed out. Axel then focused on setting his preferred bar to a permanent setting but was unsure if he succeeded in this as he did not want to test it anymore. Fearing what he would see next, Axel thought "Powers" to see what was in this new menu. Powers: Axel was almost relieved on this one as it was simple until he focused on Proto Core, which brought up another menu with more details about the power. Proto Core: Master Tier Berserker Axel looked over the new information that he never had before and was shocked. He had never had such a clear idea of what his proto-core was before now. He guessed this had something to do with his Journal having access to the Goddess¡¯s store of knowledge. Axel then focused on bringing the menu back only one step and was back at the Core menu. He then focused on Novice Cycle 1 to see what he would find. Novice Cycle 1: Regeneration (Lesser) Axel again brought the menu back but ended up closing it again as he brought it back too many steps. The last thing he had the time or energy to check right now was what had changed in his Index. Index: Axel could not access the Communication Subrouting Index, so he opened his Beast Index. This had rows of files on every beast he had researched, each looking like a book in the interface. Axel did not seem to have issues turning this one back into basic mode as it was set up right the first time. With the time saved, Axel peeked into the Journal menu, it looked the same as before, but he was running out of time and getting stiff from sitting on the floor. Axel then closed out the menu and went down to the common room to pay for the damaged chair. -------- Axel went to the training center nearby to blow off some of his frustrations from dealing with the upgraded gifts that the Goddess had given him. The training center was a bustling place, filled with people honing their skills and pushing their limits. Axel found a corner where he could focus and began his routine. After going through three sets that would have tired anyone out, Axel noticed only that he was covered in sweat and his power level had dropped, but he did not feel tired. Axel wondered if this was normal as he was wiping the sweat from his brow. Not knowing if this was a good or bad thing, Axel consulted with the Storm Lord on duty, a seasoned human warrior with a stern demeanor and a wealth of knowledge showing through the scars on their face and body telling of a hard life of fighting. "This is common with people who have regeneration (body)," the Storm Lord explained. "It''s both a blessing and a curse. You can work out nearly constantly if you want, but you''ll need to turn off your power if you want to make any body gains this way and that is not possible with regeneration (body) unlike human''s Fixed Point regeneration. Your body will still grow through the cycle as the Goddess¡¯s blessing builds it, but working out will only be for muscle memory and practice for you." ¡°Most people need to get used to it once they start hitting the higher Adept tiers as normal training gear you see here cant push the body without power are really forced a struggle to make any natural improvements¡± the Storm Lord finished. Axel nodded, absorbing the information. He also learned that his appetite was likely to skyrocket as his body was now always burning more energy, not just his core but his metabolism, which was not an issue with the power he originally planned for. Leaving the training center in a state of confusion, Axel returned to the inn and cleaned up in the bathhouse. The warm water helped soothe his body, but his mind was still racing with thoughts about his new abilities. Axel made a mental not to talk to Lyra about these issues and see if there was anything he could do. Now clean and armed with new information, Axel went out to buy some paper and a pencil as he realized he had neither and would need them for the meeting his group was about to have. Thankfully, there was a store nearby that sold those supplies, so Axel did not need to hunt for them. With tools in hand, Axel returned to his room and stood at the desk, as it no longer had a chair, to begin writing out plans, issues, and future goals. As he wrote, Axel''s thoughts drifted to the future. He listed out potential paths they could take, the challenges they might face, and the resources they would need. The process of writing helped him organize his thoughts and calm his mind. Chapter 25 As the noon bells chimed throughout the city, Axel finished working through plans and ideas for their team''s meeting. Just as he put the pencil down, there was a knock on the door. When he told the person to come in, the door opened to reveal Lyra in the casual attire of linen pants and a shirt, carrying a tray of sliced meat, cheese, and freshly baked bread. Axel got up and helped with the door so that she didn¡¯t need to fight both at the same time. ¡°I see you brought lunch today,¡± Axel said as he began to close the door. ¡°Thanks for grabbing that for us.¡± ¡°Knowing you, I figured you would forget to grab some food when you are working through a problem,¡± Lyra replied as she moved the paper on the desk to make room for the tray. ¡°Any luck with the Goddess¡¯s gift? I have been struggling with it a bit as it has way too many options to customize.¡± ¡°I worked through the menus, but I can¡¯t say I am used to it yet. Also, I found that I now have the issue of not being able to make any gains because of regeneration. I only planned for Fixed Point, but it seems to have changed to True Regeneration (Lesser), so I get both the pros of rapid healing and the ability to regrow limbs. Still, my body is now resistant to change,¡± Axel explained his worries to Lyra. ¡°I am surprised that your core can sustain that,¡± Lyra began to reply when the door slammed open, and Aria shot into the room like a missile that locked onto Axel the moment she saw him. She flew across the room in a tackle hug that made Axel step back on impact due to the momentum and not wanting Aria to hurt herself by hitting him. ¡°Aria is free of the little ones!¡± Aria declared in excitement. ¡°Now for lunch, snuggles, and maybe a bit of planning for the future.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you are free, and let¡¯s get this started,¡± Axel told Aria while giving her a light hug, then picked her up to place her on the bed. Aria giggled and flared her wings so she could sit more easily. Everyone quieted down as food was passed around, and Lyra even had plates on the tray so that they could stack up the food on their plates. As everyone settled in, Axel brought up the first thing on his agenda. ¡°So, Aria, we need to go over what happened during my and Lyra¡¯s trial that I don¡¯t think you know about,¡± Axel started and went over the events of the trial, including his meeting with the Goddess. Lyra then added, ¡°I also had an experience much like Axel after I copied his upgrade. It was such a surreal experience, and I now know how to do it for anyone.¡± ¡°Aria wants to talk to the Goddess!¡± Aria replied almost immediately. ¡°I can give you the update, as it is called, but it won¡¯t change until you complete a cycle as it needs the extra power from the upgrade of a core to complete it,¡± Lyra said and held Aria¡¯s hand for a short time before letting go. ¡°There, you should be able to get the upgrade now. Just be ready for the headaches and pain of the upgraded Journal as Axel and I have been dealing with this all day,¡± Lyra explained. ¡°Is that why the chair is missing, Axel?¡± Aria asked while trying to look Axel in the eye, much to Axel¡¯s attempts to not look back. ¡°Anyway, chairs are unimportant. We now need to figure out what we are doing next,¡± Axel changed the subject. ¡°Our funds are down a lot even after the Shadowfang haul. We also need to figure out what we are going to do for our path of power.¡± ¡°My original plan and I am guessing Lyra¡¯s has to change drastically as we are now on our own. Aria, I don¡¯t know what yours were, and now you are stuck with us.¡± Axel kissed her when saying this. ¡°Aria is not stuck with you; you are stuck with Aria,¡± came Aria''s proud reply. ¡°Be that as it may, Axel, I have ideas, but you seem to have been working on it more than me,¡± Lyra tried to bring the conversation back on track as it looked like Axel and Aria would start getting off track with the way they looked at each other. ¡°Well, we know the standard options, which are hunting to gather material for our Cycle and some money from the extra, the gem creation route of creating a team to get trials and getting money to buy from hunters, and the last is the traveling route where we would take caravans from city to city to make money and have expanded options for our cycles,¡± Axel started while grabbing the papers on the table to give both Aria and Lyra. ¡°We also have the issue of a bounty on my head from Fin that will likely be an issue. We also don¡¯t have the strength to get any real jobs with any caravan besides the worst menial work, with the exception of Lyra who would get royal treatment being a healer,¡± Axel then pointed out the easiest option from his perspective. ¡°Hunting would be what I think is the best bet for us, at least in the short term, as we need to get stronger fast to leave the area. Aria has the scouting training, and Lyra could help deal with any injury issues. We could also see if we can find someone trustworthy to join the team, though I don¡¯t know anyone besides from the village.¡± ¡°Aria may know someone. They are new like us and would be unlikely to be working with the bounty hunters as Aria helped them through their trial before meeting Axel,¡± Aria brought up. ¡°I can understand why you would choose hunting as it was what our training growing up focused on, but why cut out Trials to gain money so quickly?¡± Lyra asked after looking over the paper. ¡°Gems are a fast way to money from everything I heard while training with the healers. Though it can be just as dangerous as the hunter''s path, if we want to get money quickly, it would be a fast route.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°First, it is easier to control the people around us in the jungle while here in the city we have little ability to do that. Second, the gem route and trials need groups of five to work well, and we run into the trust issues with the bounty or even scammers. I don¡¯t doubt you and Aria may be able to fish them out, but that is not my skill set and will still take time we don¡¯t know if we have before people much stronger than us start taking up the challenge,¡± Axel continued. ¡°I want to move into the Flame Seeker route, and that will need to be done when we make Adept. This is when the ability to move in a caravan will open up for us, and we can figure out what specialized powers we want. This city or any city only holds a limited selection after the novice stage, but these are just my thoughts. What do you both think?¡± Axel turned the conversation to his two companions. ¡°Aria is agreeable with this plan for now. The only issue is storage and keeping the food preserved to sell what we don¡¯t need,¡± Aria added. ¡°Maybe we can see if our friend Jareth has the tools needed for that. He seemed to have a wide selection of items when we traveled with him.¡± ¡°Good thought. I wanted to talk to him anyway for other reasons,¡± Axel agreed. ¡°Look, I just want to bring up gem crafting again but hear me out. We get to come to a nice inn every night, there are no bugs, we can take a shower with warm water, and have food that Axel didn¡¯t cook,¡± Lyra tried to change the plan. ¡°Well, Lyra, did you or did you not burn the food on every hunting trip, causing me to have to take up the cooking?¡± Axel shot back, causing Lyra to look away in embarrassment. ¡°But I get where you are coming from. I explained what I thought, but if you are really against hunting for a time, that is fine. Do you have any ideas on how we would get through the trust issues, build a system of profit sharing, then break up with them when we get to Adept or talk them into... (smack)¡± Axel stopped his tangent when he was smacked in the back of the head with a pillow by Aria. ¡°Axel, chill a bit,¡± Aria then looked to Lyra. ¡°Lyra, Aria knows where you are coming from and thinks Axel may be hyper-focusing on what he knows to do, but Aria does not see that as the wrong direction. Growing up in the city, Aria has seen and heard many stories of the ¡®accidents¡¯ that happen to new parties in the Trials. Aria also would like to live under the stars again, but the hunting route, if we hunt above our level, tends to be the fastest to complete a cycle.¡± ¡°Axel, we will need to get a party of five one way or the other when we are going into the trials to complete a cycle and will have to learn that anyway.¡± Aria moved between Axel and Lyra as they began to lean forward to argue. ¡°There is a system in place for temporary parties that the Vanguard keeps track of and rates teams, so we can use that, or we talk to Rex and see if he has anyone to recommend to work with on a temporary basis.¡± With Aria taking charge of the meeting, both Axel and Lyra relaxed and leaned back. The trio talked in circles for a while until it was agreed that they would at least hunt until their third cycle and find team members that would be trustworthy through taking on temps for their trials. If they could not find anyone that would fit, they would keep hunting and make Adept before doing the Flame Seeker route and finding powers that would work best with them. With tensions reduced after a decision was made, Lyra brought up what Axel had started to talk about before hurricane Aria entered the room. ¡°So you were talking about your regeneration causing issues?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°So I went to the local training center and,¡± Axel then explained what he learned from the Storm Lord running the center. He also explained that his power was not Fixed Point regeneration but the upgraded True Regeneration (Lesser). He was not sure if there was anything he could do besides going through the standard cycle to increase his body. ¡°I am not sure if I can help with that with my powers besides going through the body sculpting, which is very time-consuming for me and you. I figured we would still do that, but I don¡¯t know of any other methods to help you, Axel,¡± Lyra said after some thought. ¡°Aria has a question. Could you not ask the Goddess? You have a direct line to her now, and would she not have ways to help you?¡± Aria tilted her head and asked. Being lost for words, Axel decided to sit in a meditation position and concentrate on his Journal and tried to communicate with the Goddess through the Journal. After about ten minutes of updating his Journal, he received a message from the Power Menu. Disable Regeneration (Lesser)? Yes or No Regeneration (Lesser) has been disabled. CP returned to pool from passive collection. Axel tested this new function a couple of times to find that it took about thirty seconds for the power to come back online after turning this passive off. He also learned that he could not turn off his proto core''s passive, though. ¡°Well, that is definitely interesting,¡± Lyra said after Axel told both her and Aria about what he found. ¡°I have never heard of anything but Fixed Point being able to be turned off, but that was an active power that you turned on.¡± ¡°Well, with that, we have been here a while, and it is almost dinner. You guys want to go eat in the dining room?¡± Lyra asked and then led both Aria and Axel to get some dinner. After dinner, Axel made plans to take a trip the next day to visit Jareth about the hunting expedition, as an expedition sounded better than just a hunt according to Aria. That night, Axel and Aria just fell asleep holding each other, talking softly about their personal plans for their future. --- Axel and Aria left the platform at the launch near the location that Jareth had given them when they arrived in the city. The store was a nice one-story affair, tastefully decorated with stonework and intricately woven tarps hung outside to give it soft colors. As Axel walked in, he found a human woman standing at the counter and a Vortan man in armor with a sword in his lap that he seemed to be maintaining. The man gave Axel and Aria a once-over before going back to his task, and the woman greeted them from her station. ¡°Welcome to Jareth¡¯s emporium, where you can find almost anything you need, and if we don¡¯t have it, our competition would not either. We take commissions for rare goods and buy strange or rare items for a good price.¡± She then bowed slightly to them in respect. ¡°Hello, would Jareth be in? My companion and I are friends of his, and he told us that if we needed something, we should come here,¡± Axel asked. ¡°Your names?¡± the attendant looked at him and asked in reply. ¡°Axel and Aria. We traveled with him just recently,¡± Axel introduced them to her. ¡°One moment, let me alert the proprietor and see if he is available.¡± She then pulled out a gem, touched a metal stud, and put her fingers to her temple in the sign of someone having a telepathic conversation. The conversation lasted a few minutes before she placed the gem back on the counter. ¡°He will be in about ten minutes if you are willing to wait,¡± the woman asked, and at Axel¡¯s nod, led both him and Aria to a back area to wait while telling the guard to watch the store in the meantime. As Axel and Aria got comfortable and waited, Aria turned her head as if tracking something, only to shake her head. Shortly afterward, the door to Jareth''s office opened with a booming laugh greeting the pair as he walked into the waiting room. ¡°My friends, what a surprise!¡± Jareth said while ushering them into his office. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Chapter 26 Jareth moved his loose robes in an elegant gesture, causing them to make a swishing sound, to allow Axel and Aria into his office. The office was nice, with a large wooden desk, a lamp with a light gem, and neat stacks of paperwork covering its surface. Jareth followed the pair into the interior and took his seat in a large padded chair. He then motioned for Axel and Aria to sit in the chairs before the desk. ¡°As I asked earlier, what can I do for my friends?¡± Jareth asked again now that everyone was sitting. ¡°Our fledgling group wants to start hunting and needs freeze storage for meat,¡± Axel began. ¡°We plan to complete our Cycle quickly and try to build up money so that we can start Flame Seeking.¡± ¡°Humm,¡± Jareth leaned back in his chair and hummed in thought. ¡°What you are asking for is likely out of your price range, Axel.¡± ¡°I figured that much, as this is gear any hunter wants. Is there a way for a loan or to borrow one?¡± Axel countered, only to get a kick in the shin from Aria. ¡°What my dear Axel meant was, do you provide a rental service for the equipment? Aria is a resident with good credit, and Sapphire''s Wayward Home could back this rental service to guarantee that you would not risk a loss,¡± Aria began to talk over Axel. Jareth chuckled and pulled out his pipe, filling it with some dried plant. Axel stayed silent; he did not have anyone as a guarantor to cover this and was a bit surprised that Aria had brought her foster mom into this. Axel had the feeling from meeting Sapphire and Aria''s nature that it felt unlikely for Aria to even bring that up. ¡°I know of Sapphire, of course, but her assets are tied up and non-liquid at this time,¡± Jareth started, much to the wince of Aria. ¡®Was Aria bluffing?¡¯ Axel thought, based on how stiff her wings were and how she was sitting up in her chair. ¡°But I can see that you both are skilled hunters by what you sold me earlier,¡± Jareth continued as if Aria did not show how down she was. ¡°I also have learned that Axel and your new friend Lyra both don¡¯t have a village or guardians to offset the risk.¡± ¡°I have a counter-proposition for you,¡± Jareth leaned forward with a scary twinkle in his eyes. There was what Axel would swear was a hint of madness in his eyes. ¡°Work for me until you make Adept! At the rate you are likely to grow very quickly, you won¡¯t need to work for me for long, but I am in need of hunters that are skilled and trustworthy to hunt between the novice zone and adept zone for several rare beasts.¡± Axel leaned back, not expecting such an offer. With how much wealth Jareth seemed to have, Axel did not see him needing two novice hunters. ¡®Can we afford to deny this opportunity though?¡¯ We have some money, but we need more gear. Axel thought and began to run options through his head quickly but could not come up with anything better. Even saying no, then making a team to gem craft and maybe help others in their Cycle, it was the best option to take up Jareth. Axel then looked at Aria to see her waiting for his decision. He gave her a small nod and let her do her thing. ¡°Aria thinks that can work as long as we can gather a decent team. As you mentioned, we have three members and a line on a fourth, but this would need to be a five-person group, not counting yourself, if this is going to be safe. Aria can work as a scout in a standard hunting group, Axel works well as a vanguard to hold a beast, and Lyra is good back support with healing through her blessing. Aria knows of someone who would be interested, but they have not been introduced to the group,¡± Aria started, getting a nod from Jareth as he relaxed back into his chair. ¡°Though this person would be more interested in being a base camp support for now than fighting on the front line.¡± ¡°Aria and Axel do not know anyone else to bring into this venture. Aria would take any recommendations, and Axel would likely want to vet them as well,¡± Aria looked to Axel and received his nod in agreement. ¡°I have two people I know are trustworthy and could help with this if I can get your group on board. I trust them implicitly, and they have always been trustworthy to work with,¡± Jareth added after Aria stopped talking. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Axel nodded and added. ¡°So when do you want to get this going? Our group will need a week or so before we can leave, as there is training remaining after completing our first trials for Lyra and me.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Jareth stopped and looked at Axel in confusion at that statement and asked, ¡°Completing your first? I know from my sources that Lyra was new, sadly that she could not be a full healer, but she would have been wrapped up by the Healers if that happened. But how is this your first? I could feel power coming from you when we first met.¡± Sigh, ¡°That is a long story, but the short version is I am the holder of a proto core, and my father was Glenn Thunderstrider, who completed the Trial of Ordeal to get a master tier material to save me as a baby,¡± Axel replied, much to the shock on Jareth¡¯s face. ¡°Well, I will be damned to the crimson. I had heard about that years ago, but it was during a trying time in my life, so it is a little fuzzy,¡± Jareth replied to Axel¡¯s condensed life story. ¡°That would also explain your reaction to Aria being hurt in the fight. I could barely follow you when she called out in pain.¡± ¡°I am still coming to terms with that, as a proto core is complicated, but I don¡¯t wish to go into this much more, sorry Jareth,¡± Axel explained. ¡°Also, now that I think of it, why do you know about Lyra?¡± ¡°Ahahahaha, I just happened to come across dear Aria over there on a date with a lovely human woman and got curious. I did a little digging and asked a few inn staff members questions. This is not too hard to do,¡± Jareth laughed and tried to explain. ¡°I was also keeping an eye out for you to complete what I thought was your second cycle and was looking to recruit you and Aria as you fit best into my plans.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t think too much into it. I do this with everyone who I think to bring into a venture like this, as you can never be too careful,¡± Jareth finished, taking up his pipe again and relighting it. ¡°I will leave it alone for now, as too much suspicion could hurt us all at the start of something like this, but please just ask things next time,¡± Axel looked Jareth in the eye when he said this, thinking of the strange situations he had seen in the alleyways the last couple of weeks and the fact that no bounty hunters had found him yet. ¡°Good, good! Now I will also need about a week to contact the other two that will join this. I suggest you see about the person you want to work with, and we all meet here at the end of next week to plan and pack. This will be dangerous, but if we can succeed, you will likely not need to hunt again until after your third cycle and can focus on growing your powers through the trials,¡± Jareth said with the red glow of his pipe lighting up his face. ¡°Aria will also need the contract to look over this,¡± Aria chirped as things settled, much to Jareth''s amusement. ¡°I will get it to you by the end of the week if that is fine?¡± At Aria¡¯s nod, Jareth smiled. ¡°Good, now as you can see, I have a lot of paperwork to complete here and now need to write up a contract, so please close the door on your way out.¡± Jareth then led them out the door and, after shaking their hands, closed it right behind them. Axel led Aria back down the stairs and out of the shop with a wave to the shopkeeper as they left. ¡°So that was strange or was I overthinking things?¡± Axel asked as they walked down the sidewalks. ¡°So that was strange, or was I overthinking things?¡± Axel asked as they walked down the sidewalks. ¡°Definitely sus. Aria wants to trust Jareth, but we should be careful as we have only known him for a short time,¡± Aria replied while looking around at the shops. ¡°Also, Aria thinks we have a tail following us.¡± Aria¡¯s non sequitur caught Axel slightly off guard, but he kept his reaction in check by stopping at a food vendor and buying some meat skewers for him and Aria. He tried using his peripheral vision but could not see who Aria was talking about. ¡°You sure?¡± Axel asked quietly as he handed her the skewer. ¡°Yep. Aria has been watching them through the glass reflections for a while. They are decent, but there are only two of them that Aria has seen, and their tailing rotation needs work,¡± Aria replied happily, eating the skewer and kissing Axel on the cheek, leaving some of the sauce on his cheek that she then licked clean, causing a shiver down Axel¡¯s spine. ¡°We doing anything or trying to lose them at the launch and heading home?¡± Axel asked, feeling more confident about his safety now with his new power. ¡°Nope, we let them pass. Aria thinks they may be part of the thieves guild based on how they are tailing us, and Aria already gave them the sign to back off while cleaning your cheek,¡± Aria replied casually. ¡°Thieves guild? Okay, you are getting to be a little much there, Aria. How are you involved with the thieves guild?¡± Axel asked as this was getting to be too much for him to handle. ¡°Foster Mom wanted Aria to have the best knives trainer growing up, and that was a man in the thieves guild. Aria would only be considered an outer member as she trained under her master for a time, but they are well respected, so Aria knows how to get the lower members to back off,¡± Aria explained as if this was nothing. ¡°Aria, I think you have led a much more interesting childhood than you led me to believe before. Also, Sapphire is beginning to scare me a bit with how connected she seems to be,¡± Axel told Aria as they reached the launch. ¡°You have nothing to worry about. Foster Mom was quite taken by you when you came over. Just treat her as an old lady that wants to help kids, and you will be fine,¡± Aria said as if a woman who knew upper members of the vanguard and the thieves guild while being able to just call in favors on a whim was the most natural thing. The ride on the platform did not take them to the inn as Axel was expecting but to the Crimson Vanguard. Axel looked at Aria, but she just said that they were meeting the new prospective member. Not knowing what Aria planned this time, Axel just tried to enjoy the ride through the city as the weather was beginning to leave winter completely and come into spring in full. The twin sun''s shone through the light cloud cover, giving the tall buildings a lovely color and accentuating the beautiful architecture built so long ago. Chapter 27 Aria led Axel through the main building door, the lobby, and then down a side pathway to a larger metal door. There were muffled banging noises. Aria then reached to a box off to the right and grabbed a pair of ear muffs to hand to Axel. As Axel put them on, Aria pressed a gem on the side of the ear coverings, and the sounds both became more muted and sharper at the same time. The background noise was muted, but the sounds of people¡¯s voices seemed to be clearer and easier to hear. ¡°This is the training area for flame, metal, and other skills for things like blacksmithing,¡± Aria explained. ¡°I recommend staying in the yellow-painted zones to avoid being burned.¡± With that, Aria opened the large metal door to a large room with dozens of people as a wave of intense heat washed over Axel. There were large metal vats where ore was lifted off the ground by someone with either a metal manipulation talent or some kind of telekinesis skill. Next to the vats, one or two people were heating them with fire-based powers. There were large towers that raw ore was being placed into, using a combination of aero and elemental fire to heat, seemingly separating the metals. There were also blasts of lightning onto large box-like units with different refined ores that seemed to be melted together into a new one. As the pair walked, staying in the safe zone, Axel could see a large mixed group of smiths taking the metal that came from the vats and running it into different molds. One of the people would stand over each, furrowing their brow in concentration. There were smiths rhythmically pounding metal with sweat almost evaporating off their skin as they withstood the heat. Axel saw Thalaxians spinning webs around heated materials and out came completed objects for tools or devices. Axel even saw people working on forged items, getting intricate patterns carved into the metal. These patterns would then be filled with a crystal-like substance that was then put back into the forge to melt into the grooves. Axel saw a finished product and then had a beast gem inserted into a premade slot. For this object, a Warhammer, a purple glow surrounded the hammerhead until a loud crack happened, destroying the hammerhead in a small explosion. The man who inserted the gem must have been expecting a failure as he was fast with a forcefield to contain the blast, leaving him with a large metal stick and a lot of fragments in a bubble. The man also looked very pale as Axel guessed that his core was now empty from withstanding that blast. Axel could see many others doing tasks that he had no idea of, as they seemed to be using some kind of mental power to coordinate the myriad of projects going on in this space. Aria led Axel through this workspace quickly to another side room labeled ¡°Experimental Lab 3¡± above the door. There was a red-lit gem above the door. Aria knocked on the door, and a green light replaced the red, causing Aria to open the door. Axel followed her into the room, letting the door close behind him. In the room was a single Thalaxian who was controlling an intense flame in a furnace through the use of gems as the metal inside molded into shapes on its own. The metal was in a semi-liquid state that rippled and changed shapes until it looked like a sword. Axel could see hundreds of tiny lines creating intricate patterns all along the blade and tang. Axel was still not sure what was going on, but Aria was standing there quietly, waiting for it to finish. Axel just watched the process of the sword being finished by dunking it in an oil of some kind. After being dunked, the Thalaxian turned and looked at them with its large eye and waved its front legs in the air at Aria in excitement. In Axel''s head, he heard a rather immature female voice, ¡°Aria! I am so glad to see you! Is this the person you mentioned becoming your mate? Axel, right? You''re Axel, I believe. Call me Moon Hidden Due to the Jealous Sky. Everyone calls me Sky, though, as it is hard for others not of my kind to keep our names straight.¡± The voice went a mile a minute in Axel''s mind, not giving him a moment to reply and barely the time to process what her mind was bombarding him with. Axel had met many Thalaxians, and now that he looked at her, this was a female of the species. They had larger, more expressive eyes, the thorax was bigger on average, and they tended to be on the larger side for their kind. ¡°Aria is glad to see Sky again, and yes, this is Axel,¡± Aria replied and made a hand gesture to Axel. ¡°Greetings, Sky. It is nice to meet you. Aria has told me nothing about you¡­ oomph,¡± Axel began, only to get a jab to the ribs. ¡°Eeeehhhhh, you are so cute together!¡± came the high-pitched mental screech that Axel could almost think was an attack on his mind. Looking at Aria holding her head, she also received it. ¡°Sky, please watch the mental yells. It hurts a lot,¡± Aria explained while rubbing her temple. ¡°Sorry, I am just so pumped that you are thinking of letting me join your Seeker group. You were amazing in our Trial together, killing both Crimson with your bow when I stunned them,¡± Sky apologized. ¡°That¡¯s fine, Sky, just keep it in mind, okay?¡± Aria received a nod. ¡°Like I introduced to you last week, we are a small group so far and looking for more members. I remembered that you were looking to gather more materials and wanted to get stronger so you could create more intricate things. Is that still correct?¡± ¡°Yes, my craft will only get so far if I stay safe here in the city, but it is hard to find others not of my kind that would want to take me on,¡± Sky explained. ¡°Well, Sky, I think you could be of great help to our group. We plan to spend time hunting to speed up our cycles. If you are fine with this, I am more than willing to welcome you to the group,¡± Axel said, deciding on the spot. As strange as it seemed, the young Thalaxian seemed just too genuine and expressive to deny her the chance. Plus, getting to know a crafter could help later down the road. Sky swung her manipulators in the air with great cheer. ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will not let you or Aria down. I am looking forward to meeting the other members of this Flame Seeking group.¡± ¡°Well, it looks like you are busy here, so I don¡¯t want to keep disturbing you. Can you meet us at our inn in about a week? That is when we are planning to get the expedition together,¡± Axel then gave her the address and a quick introduction to their expedition plans made earlier that day. Seeing Sky nod happily and get back to her forge, Axel looked at Aria, who was trying very hard not to laugh. She was holding her sides with an expression between pain and mirth. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Aria knew you would get along with Sky,¡± Aria said after taking a moment to gather herself. ¡°I am glad that this went off as well as it did. Let¡¯s head out. I have already mentioned to Lyra that we would meet her after her training for the day. I wanted to bring Lyra, but no time matched up for it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. It looks like Sky is lost in her work, so let¡¯s leave,¡± Axel tilted his head to Sky, who was already placing bars of metal in the forge to work on her next project. As they turned to leave, Sky¡¯s voice echoed in Axel¡¯s mind again, ¡°Oh, Axel! What¡¯s your favorite metal to work with? I¡¯ve been experimenting with some new alloys and would love to get your opinion!¡± Axel chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m more of a user than a crafter, but I¡¯ve always liked the strength of tempered steel.¡± Sky¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle even more, ¡°Tempered steel, got it! I¡¯ll make something special for you to test out next time!¡± Aria laughed, ¡°See? Aria knew that she would be a great fit. Let¡¯s go before she ropes you into a crafting session. Aria was stuck in her for hours when she introduced the group idea to Sky.¡± With that, Axel and Aria left what they learned was the blacksmith training facility of the Vanguard. It was the premier blacksmith training place in the city and was very hard to get a training slot. After returning the earmuffs, Aria led Axel to a food court on the fourth floor where they got some food and waited for Lyra. The wait was not too long as Lyra came in about an hour later, looking tired and freshly showered based on her still-damp hair. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before Rex finds more for me to train on and ¡®fix¡¯ errors in my training. I am so tired,¡± Lyra said as Aria got up and hugged her. The group then left the tower and headed for a launch to go back to their lodgings. They found that the launch was out of order, and they would need to go on foot to another as it would take a few hours to fix. They looked at each other and shrugged, heading in the direction of the inn, looking for a launch that was working. They passed two more that were also out of order, but the whole system did not seem down as they could see platforms zip past. After the third, Axel began to get suspicious as the walkway to cross one of the main roads and the easiest way to get to the inn while following the main road was closed. This forced them to take a very long route back or make cuts through alleyways. Axel could also see tension in Lyra¡¯s shoulders, and while Aria looked relaxed, her eyes were narrowed and swept the area. Axel was starting to get that chill of being hunted again when they came to a side street that was blocked off by a wagon that was tipped over. With a sigh, Axel loosened his halberd from its holder on his back. He heard the sound of Lyra drawing a sword and Aria drawing her bow. Axel made to blink the combat command to his journal when he remembered the upgrade after completing the process. Hopping over the wagon were a man and woman wearing white leather outfits with long coats. The man had red hair with a slim build, and the woman had blue hair with a curvy build. Blocking the way back was a pair of Krellians, one big and bulky while his partner had a very slim, lanky build. ¡°Well, well, well, look what we found here. You know, Axel, you are hard to pin down,¡± the red-haired man started. ¡°Though that bounty for you will more than makeup for this trouble.¡± ¡°You should just surrender now if you know what¡¯s best for you. Bringing you in alive is worth so much more than us having to beat you to death,¡± the blue-haired woman continued right after the man. ¡°I don¡¯t think you want this fight,¡± Axel replied calmly. ¡°But we do! You are our big payday and break in the bounty guild. Ladies, if you step away, you can walk and not have to get beat up for this guy,¡± the red-haired man tried to get Lyra and Aria to leave. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Not happening,¡± came the simultaneous replies from Aria and Lyra. Then the fight was on. Having no time to plan, Axel decided to take the two in front and hoped Lyra and Aria could take the two behind. Axel launched a two-handed swing to either cause damage or make the pair back off. What Axel did not expect was the man to step into the swing and hold out his arm to take the swing. Axel had committed to the attack, and as he hit, he felt nothing. No impact, bending of the shaft, or anything. His axehead was lightly held in the man¡¯s hand without any strain. The blue-haired woman behind the man reached her hand over the red-haired man¡¯s shoulder and pointed a finger at Axel. Axel then felt like he was kicked by a Thunder beast and was sent flying into a nearby wall, shattering concrete. Wondering what the hell just happened, Axel saw Lyra dodging a flame whip while Aria seemed to be struggling under some kind of restraints as she was not moving with her normal grace. Axel knew that they were in a bad situation as these people were much stronger than them, and that man seemed to have a power that countered Axel¡¯s combat style. Axel got up and saw that the man and woman were wearing cocky smiles. Axel decided to switch things up and jumped back to Aria¡¯s side to find that he was now weighing a lot more, but he had the strength to ignore it. ¡°Aria, the red one has physical negation, and blue has telekinesis of some kind. I will take this and swap it with you and Lyra. They are not good against me, and while you have a bad match here, I can take these two on.¡± Axel then grabbed Aria and tossed her out of this zone, then took the fire whip with his halberd, giving Lyra a moment to back off her fight. ¡°Well, that won¡¯t do. Jess, can you fix this situation, please?¡± the red-haired man asked the blue-haired woman, who seemed to be named Jess. ¡°Of course, Jack. We would not want our friends over there hurt by our prey.¡± She then made a twisting motion with her wrist. All of a sudden, Axel¡¯s overhand swing on the flame whip guy landed on the man named Jack. Again, just stopped its momentum as the blade of the axe head touched his shoulder. The woman named Jess did look very tired, though. ¡®Shit,¡¯ Axel thought to himself. ¡®The only good thing is that Aria and Lyra only have to deal with the flame whip.¡¯ Axel could see that the bulky Krellian was still here in front of him. Trying to decide what to do, Axel knew that this was a losing engagement and decided to go broke. Thinking to his journal, ¡®Activate Berserker,¡¯ everything came into a crystal-like focus. Axel saw out of the corner of his eye his core energy dropping quickly. All of Axel focused on the three in front of him, but he fought this with all his willpower. Axel had a plan that he needed more strength to do. At this time, Jess raised her hand, though it seemed to be taking its time floating up to point at Axel. Using his prodigious power, Axel jumped back and scooped both Aria and Lyra over his shoulder and took an attack from the back of Jess and the front from the fire whip. Axel leaped over the whip user and used the force from the blast to assist his leap. As he made the jump, he felt gravity increase and something attack his mind but ignored it as there was a scream of pain from a side alley that was just after the tipped wagon. Axel then ran in a leaping run, feeling the scorched flesh on his chest where he took the fire whip healing. This drained his core faster, but he needed to make distance now. Axel used about three minutes before trying to deactivate Berserker, but it did not want to shut off. As Axel dropped to a knee when the fourth minute finished, his core state released Axel, and all the pain returned at once. Axel felt his vertebra, back, and ribs broken, and that was just from the attack that he took and let him move with it. Axel¡¯s regeneration slowed as the core power was low but was working much faster than what his blessing would do on its own. Axel then felt a wash of healing energy through his body from Lyra, who was sliding off his shoulder. Seeing the healing fix the worst of the pain, Axel breathed a sigh of relief when it suddenly cut off as Lyra dropped on her butt in exhaustion. Aria was looking annoyed and kept her bow out to attack anyone else who would like to take advantage of her friends'' states. Chapter 28 It took a few minutes before Axel could move at anything short of a crawling pace due to the pain from the burns, torn muscles, and healing bones. The regeneration was really coming in handy already, as Axel''s journal reported that the damage he had taken was well on its way to being repaired. He also noted that his body took damage from the running, as his body was repairing ligaments and a fractured knee. Lyra got back on her feet a short moment later, still looking drained, and the group made a quick trip to a launch station and took a platform back to the inn. None of them talked about the ambush until they were safely back in Aria and Axel¡¯s room. After closing the door and locking it, everyone collapsed at the same time, almost like they had practiced it before. ¡°Well, that was close,¡± Axel said into the silence. ¡°I think they were all at least cycle three, if not four, with how powerful they were.¡± ¡°Yeah, Aria was not expecting to be jumped by them,¡± Aria said with a shaky breath. ¡°I thought we would be harassed by maybe some riffraff from the Guild.¡± ¡°Those four were not riffraff, and even though I had been expecting an attack ever since I heard about the bounty, this was a stronger response than even I expected,¡± Axel said while looking at Aria. ¡°We need to get stronger fast if that is what we have to worry about. I don¡¯t think we can take that group head-on,¡± Lyra said in a shocked tone. ¡°I am now on the let¡¯s go hunting plan. We need to get out of the city and lose our hunters.¡± ¡°The other option is for you both to stay far away from me so that they¡­¡± Axel started, then received a pillow and shoe to the face for his trouble. ¡°If you suggest that one more time, I when I have more energy, will get up off this floor and kick your ass!¡± Lyra said. ¡°There is no way I am going to abandon you in this situation, so just stop those thoughts now.¡± ¡°Aria knows that you are rattled, Axel, but if you think you are leaving Aria when you are in danger¡­¡± Aria said while getting up and invading his personal space, getting her face nose to nose with Axel. ¡°I just want you both to know you have the option to get out now. My gut says this is just the start of our troubles,¡± Axel replied and kissed Aria on the nose to get a squeak of surprise from her. Aria then sat on Axel¡¯s lap and looked over at Lyra. ¡°Aria thinks the people who ambushed us said the bounty went up, which is likely what drew stronger people than expected. Do you know what the original was, as you were the one that first warned us about it?¡± ¡°I never heard a number, as I only heard it mentioned from several guards that were traveling with the villagers,¡± Lyra replied with a head shake. ¡°Problematic, as it is now too dangerous to check with the Guild to see what it is, as now Aria and Lyra are kidnap targets to be used to draw Axel out. None of us have the strength to move alone anymore, and goddess forbid that the bounty has reached a level that draws in Adepts, we are really in trouble if that happens,¡± Aria said, then put her head on Axel¡¯s chest, seemingly needing to either breathe in his scent or take in his body heat. ¡°Good news is that bounty hunters are unlikely to hit a Seeker inn, as there is no way to know if they will anger someone staying that is stronger than them, and there is normally an Adept on security to allow peace of mind,¡± Axel comforted Aria while wrapping her in a hug. ¡°Yes and no,¡± Aria¡¯s muffled reply came as she pulled her head back and looked Axel in the face. ¡°There are killers in the Guild that take contracts to kill people on the grounds of a Seeker inn, but those are very expensive contracts, and Aria finds that the price on Axel¡¯s head has not reached that level yet.¡± Axel could feel Aria shaking in his arms as she said this. This was the first time that he had seen her this scared on a subject, and that worried him more than he wanted to admit, as Aria always seemed to have a crimson-may-care attitude about life-threatening situations. This shaking, more than the dangerous fight, was what shook Axel the most. He could face a hundred bounty hunters with nary a care, but with Aria shaking in fear, he was having doubts. The group went silent for a while as they all went through their thoughts. It was a long time later when hunger drove them to go to the common room and get some food. They ate in silence while keeping an eye on their fellow patrons before heading back up to the room. ¡°So, I think we may want to accelerate our plans with Jareth or leave and have him catch up. We are going to burn out from nerves and suspicion if that meal was any indication,¡± Lyra said after the door was closed. ¡°I would like to agree, but we already told Sky when to meet, and it sounds like Jareth also needs the time. We can see about speeding things up, but there is more in play than we were planning on even this morning,¡± Axel replied while he sat on the bed, tired of sitting on the hard floor from earlier. ¡°Aria also does not suggest that we leave on our own. There is no way to know if a bounty hunter has a guard on the payroll to snitch on Axel leaving. There is bound to be many that will take that bribe and see it as a bonus to their pay,¡± Aria added, then sat on Axel¡¯s lap, seeming to need more time in contact with him. ¡°Well, what do we do then?¡± Lyra asked in frustration. ¡°I still have training to complete, and while I think Rex will understand me trying to end it early due to the circumstances, there is a large target now on all of us, bounty or not.¡± ¡°About that, Aria would like to know, do you have energy healing or enhanced reflexes, as you were parrying the fire whip much faster than anyone with our body¡¯s blessing could do,¡± Aria asked as she thought that Lyra had taken a healing orb to make her core. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°About that¡­the Goddess helped me and used the fragments of the reflex orb and healing one to create a twin core to hide my new healing power,¡± Lyra explained. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Aria started when Axel put a hand over her mouth and said, ¡°I assume there is a downside to this?¡± ¡°Yes, first, each core only has about one-third of the power a complete core would, though they can draw on the power of either. To keep them stable, I need to use my Goddess Blessing to keep them balanced as if it gets too far out of line, it would be bad,¡± Lyra explained. ¡°Last, it takes a moment to switch between powers, and unlike if I had a whole core, there is at this time no way to run both powers at once as my mind can¡¯t handle the process.¡± ¡°There is also the downside that I need to, when I advance, feed both cores. This does mean more powers but will get harder and harder to balance them as I go on. The Goddess gave me this option but warned me that this is the hardest path that she had calculated for the Cycle,¡± Lyra finished with a deep breath and lay back on the bed, seeming out of energy. ¡°Sounds like trouble,¡± Axel said in a consoling voice. ¡°But it could give you an edge in the future if you can do it right. I assume each of these mini cores has to follow the Cycle and have a different type attached to it?¡± Lyra nodded from her laying position and left it at that. It was at this moment that Axel was bitten by Aria as she was tired of her mouth being covered. ¡°Aria still thinks that is amazing! Now Aria is jealous that both Axel and Lyra get special privileges from the Goddess, but that doesn''t negate that what you have done is so awesome!¡± Aria said while bouncing on Axel¡¯s lap, causing discomfort that had nothing to do with her weight. Putting his hand on Aria¡¯s shoulder to stop the issue, Axel looked over at Lyra and told her, ¡°I can understand why you didn¡¯t tell us, but if you need anything, just ask, okay?¡± Lyra just gave a thumbs-up and covered her face with her arm. ¡°I thought there would be a worse reaction from both of you as I am different and have to follow a new path.¡± Aria responded to this comment by leaping off of Axel, breaking his weak hold, and landing on Lyra, beginning to tickle her. ¡°This is your punishment for keeping it secret. Regret Aria¡¯s wrath!!¡± Aria said in between laughing as she tickled Lyra. ¡°P-P-Please s-s-s-stop! I am going to wet my pants if you don¡¯t!¡± Lyra begged for mercy. Aria stopped her assault on Lyra and gave a magnanimous huff while sashaying back to Axel¡¯s lap to retake her seat. ¡°Now that Lyra has been so thoroughly punished, let¡¯s make some temp plans until we can¡­¡± Axel started when there was a knock on the door. Everyone reacted by reaching for a weapon, and Axel moved slowly to the door. His core was only about thirty percent, but it would have to do. ¡°Yes?¡± Axel asked from the side of the door. ¡°I have a message for an Axel and Aria from a man named Jareth.¡± The reply came in a light soprano voice. Axel looked to his companions and received nods before opening the door. Standing in the door frame was a young female Vortan. Axel was bad at telling their race''s ages, but she had not completed her Trial as he felt no energy from her. Axel took the letter from the young woman and handed her a silver for her trouble before shutting the door. Axel didn¡¯t talk until Aria gave him the sign that no one was listening at the door. Then he opened the letter and began to read. ¡®Friends, It has come to my knowledge that after you left my shop you were attacked. My sources say that you got away but were injured in the process. I hope this letter finds you well or on the road to recovery. I would have found you myself but I was not sure if you had returned to your Inn or at one of several places you would find safe so I am sending a courier to several in hopes one finds you well. I have done some checking with other friends and found that Axel your bounty has risen from 100 gold to 1000 gold with a bonus of 250 gold to bring you in alive. This is a substantial bounty for a Novice but has a low chance of bringing in anyone higher than an end-tier Novice to hunt you. I recommend you stay in open areas for now and run if you feel anything is wrong. I also don¡¯t recommend you leave the city on your own as you will be caught quickly in an unprotected area. I can move my plans up to about two days from now and have you meet me at my warehouse to sneak you out. If something else changes our plans meet me at my shop and we will work from there. Stay Safe, Jareth¡¯ Axel handed the letter to Aria, after noting an address on the back, who read it and then handed it on to Lyra. As the other two read, Axel sat on the bed, regretting again that he broke the chair, and started to mentally map out a plan. Axel¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by Aria again taking his lap. ¡°So our whole schedule is messed up,¡± Lyra started. ¡°On my end, I need to talk to Rex. I would like more training time to get used to my ability, but I am not sure if we have it.¡± ¡°Aria is not sure how we are going to get this issue under control. We also need to train together and get some kind of teamwork down, as what happened in the ambush showed that we can¡¯t just work as individuals,¡± Aria added. This was when a thought struck Axel that could help solve at least some of their issues. Axel first lifted Aria and placed her on the bed and wrote a note before he forgot and turned to Aria and Lyra. ¡°So here is the plan. We go with Lyra and see if Rex will do more intense group training to help Lyra get used to her power, and this will allow for us to get teamwork training in. Next, if Rex agrees, we talk to Sky and see if she wants to join, and then we have at least four, making it harder for others to attack us,¡± Axel started to explain. ¡°Two days of intense training is not a lot, but it will keep us in a safer area and start fixing the cracks in our teamwork,¡± Axel finished. ¡°I am fine with that, but didn¡¯t you want to go to that library more? I swear you were beginning to take up residence there the last two weeks,¡± Lyra said, leaning near the door. ¡°I would love to expand my knowledge more, but that seems like one of the places that I would be looked for,¡± Axel said sadly. ¡°Aria thinks this is workable for now, and Rex is very likely to agree. He loves it when people volunteer for intense training,¡± Aria said with a shudder. ¡°Since it¡¯s late, do you both want to turn in for now?¡± Axel asked, and both girls agreed. Everyone took showers and repaired their equipment, then headed to bed. Lyra decided to stay in the room with Axel and Aria, sleeping on the spare bed as she was scared that something would happen if she was in a room on her own. This put a cap on Axel¡¯s plan for the night, but he could not blame Lyra for wanting to have others nearby after a bad fight. Aria though seemed to have other plans as she began to quietly initiate things while hitting it with her wing and blanket. Axel was unsure if this was a good thing but went with his mate as it felt thrilling until he started to receive warnings of increased heart rate, spiking hormones, and low blood pressure killing the mood as he was forced to fight his journal to get all the alerts out of his vision. When he was done Aria had dozed off leaving him feel very stifled. Axel decided to update the Goddess and go to sleep as he was still tired from everything today. Chapter 29 That morning, Axel woke before either Aria or Lyra and began to extract himself from the bed when he noticed fading bruises around Aria¡¯s midsection. With how quickly the body healed with the blessing, she must have been very injured for the bruising to last this long. Axel was more than a little upset; he had hurt someone he loved again with his strength, and Aria hadn¡¯t informed him of the injury. Axel ran his mind through the aftermath of the fight. Aria had been slower but still acted as he expected, with her tickling Lyra as a prime example. Axel decided to talk to Aria about this, feeling that she should have told him he had hurt her. To try and make up for it a bit, Axel gathered breakfast for both Aria and Lyra, who were still in bed. When he arrived back in the room, he found them both awake. Aria was quickly pulling her shirt down, and Lyra was removing her hand from Aria¡¯s side. Axel brought the tray with all the food and placed it on the chairless desk in the room, looking Aria in the eye. ¡°I wish you would have told me I hurt you during the escape,¡± Axel stated. ¡°Aria knew you did not do it on purpose and it was to get us all away safely,¡± Aria replied, looking away. ¡°Aria didn¡¯t want you to worry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, just let me know when you are hurt, as that could affect everyone. Lyra or I might expect something from you that you can¡¯t do,¡± Axel said, kissing her on the head. ¡°Now eat up, you two, and be ready for a long day. I have a plan for what to do.¡± ¡°Hey, why didn¡¯t you say anything about me? I might have been injured too,¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Because you are a trained healer and we grew up together. You would have told me if you were hurt,¡± Axel replied, pointing at the note he wrote last night next to the food. Axel went to take a bath to clean up while Aria and Lyra ate and hopefully figured out what they might have messed up in the room last night. When Axel returned to the room, the plate and note were gone, and both girls were likely cleaning as well. Axel used this time to pack his things that had been scattered around the room over the time he had been in the city. By the time he had finished packing Aria¡¯s bag, both Aria and Lyra were in the room with their bags. Tossing Aria her bag, Axel led everyone out and headed to the innkeeper, telling him they were checking out. Even though they had another two weeks they could stay before having to pay due to Axel just taking his trial, he felt that they needed to move as they could have been followed there. Axel was also unsure if anyone had the power to eavesdrop, and that was what his note warned Aria and Lyra about, as they might have let something slip in their time of perceived safety. Leaving into the warming spring morning, Axel could see deep and heavy clouds in the sky, signaling heavy rain. Axel hurried to the launch and hired a platform for the Vanguard tower. Lyra had an appointment with Rex this morning, and Axel wanted to see if the veteran would have any ideas about what to do in this situation, as Axel was getting way out of his depth. Axel¡¯s next bet was Sapphire, but he did not want to bring trouble to her door with kids around or bounty hunters anywhere near those kids. The platform ride was swift, but the rain started to pour down, hitting the protection field more heavily and intensely as time went by. As the party arrived at the tower, Axel could barely see it through the heavy rain. The lobby floor was dry as the water-soaked trio entered, only for a staff member sitting near the door to wave a hand and pull all the water off their bodies and the floor under them. Axel thanked the man and then followed Lyra to her training room that was reserved for her and Rex. Waiting in the room was Rex, slowly going through sword forms while waiting for Lyra. He turned and was about to address her when he noticed the group all enter. ¡°Well, this is interesting,¡± Rex said, flaring his wings a bit to loosen them. ¡°I was not expecting Aria and Axel to come, in full armor with weapons to boot.¡± ¡°There has been an issue that reared its ugly head,¡± Lyra said to Rex¡¯s raised eyebrow. ¡°We were ambushed by bounty hunters on the way back to the Seekers Inn yesterday, and while we got away, the hunters likely underestimated us,¡± Axel continued. ¡°Details,¡± was Rex¡¯s only reply. Axel explained what happened yesterday along with his worry that they were spied on in their room at the inn. Rex stayed silent for about ten minutes and finally said, ¡°While it is not out of the realm of possibility to be spied on at a Seeker Inn, it is unlikely as the rooms have gems placed for privacy, and you would need to be screaming very loud for anyone in the next room to just barely hear.¡± Aria began to blush very brightly as Lyra looked at her, but neither said anything as it was not the time. Axel could only shake his head a bit and ignore the heat he was feeling on the back of his neck as well. Rex also decided to let it go and continued, ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, you are not ready for the heat you are drawing. Axel, you have your first power and a slightly stronger core from what I guess is your proto core giving you a boost. Aria has stabilized her core and is ready for her next, and Lyra needs at minimum another few days of training.¡± ¡°You all are also very differently trained and need time to mesh together as a team to even have a shot at fighting off a group of mid to end Novice bounty hunters,¡± Rex continued, not reacting to the wince that all three made to the comment. ¡°This is not something I normally do, but Aria is like a niece to me, and I have grown to like Lyra in our training. Stay here for your original two weeks and train with me. I will get you the higher cores you need to get your second ability and help you get out of the city unnoticed,¡± Rex offered. All three of them just stared at the man in shock. Axel was unsure how long it took before one of them spoke and it was Aria who shook off the shock first and said ¡°Like a niece?¡± ¡°Aria I watched you grow from the scared little girl whose world collapsed on her when her parents died, to the girl unwanted by other families as they were scared to take her, to the young woman who put her all into training and heart into helping little ones get past their grief and now I see the woman in front of me who survived in a jungle being fair better skilled with aero then someone who had been training for a month,¡± Rex said calmly and looked in her eyes. ¡°Aria you may not know but your mother was a friend and fellow Flame Seeker. I was there when you were born and your mother took her position in the Guardians as a Stormlord. I was not around as you were growing up before your loss as the rest of our team did not want to stop.¡± Rex continued sounding tired and older than he looked. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°The thing I regret most was being halfway across the continent when your mother and father needed me most. By the time my team arrived, they had been dead for weeks.¡± A single tear rolled down the right side of Rex¡¯s cheek. ¡°The team and I then spent years hunting the bastard that did the killing but by the time we had found him, you were grown and I did not want to interfere with your life.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything though?¡± Aria asked in a choked voice ¡°It was too painful but I can see now that if I did not say anything you would not have taken this gift as you have always been someone who wanted to gain through your own power, or do I have to mention all the help that Sapphire has offered and you turned down?¡± Rex thumbed the tear away and waited for Aria to decide. Aria stood there, thinking about everything while a trickle of tears still shined on her cheek. Axel moved forward to offer any comfort he could with his presence but waited for her to decide. As much as he wanted to take this opportunity, it did not feel right to say anything at this moment. After a few more moments, Aria took a deep, steadying breath before replying to Rex. ¡°Alright, Aria will take your help but on two conditions.¡± Aria waited for Rex to nod his understanding. ¡°First, we want your best training, and we have another member who could use this training.¡± ¡°I can agree to that,¡± Rex approved. ¡°Second, Aria gets to call you Uncle from now on,¡± Aria said with a smile on her face. ¡°Fine,¡± Rex said in a slightly aggrieved tone that Axel couldn¡¯t tell was serious or annoyed. ¡°Let¡¯s get this started. Axel, if you could send a message to your merchant friend and have the time reset back two weeks? Lyra, begin warmups and light workouts. Aria, contact your missing member to inform them of everything and give them the option to back out or get training with your group.¡± Rex reverted to his more stony exterior and began to give orders. ¡°I will need a couple of hours to set up lodging here, work on a training plan, and use stored credits with the Vanguard to get you the cores you need,¡± Rex continued. ¡°A week and a half of intense training, your group taking your second trial, and about another week to get you used to your power should work.¡± ¡°This is a little outside of your original time frame, but this is the best I can do. After that, you should hunt and get used to combat outside of training to let it all sink in,¡± Rex finished. ¡°I think that can work. Thank you for all this help, Rex,¡± Axel said, then pulled out stationery and a pen from his bag to write what was happening in general terms to Jareth. Axel also told Jareth that they were staying elsewhere but he could contact him by leaving a message at the Vanguard tower. Rex said nothing to the thanks and left right after giving his instructions. Aria left shortly after, while Axel followed and paid a silver to get the message sent to Jareth. This was way overpaying for this service, but Axel felt that it would be more likely to make the trip safely. After that, Axel returned to the training room and also began to go through warmups. Aria arrived with Sky close to an hour later, Sky moving hesitantly into the room, looking around as if expecting to get attacked. ¡®I heard from Aria what happened after our meeting,¡¯ Sky¡¯s thoughts entered everyone¡¯s mind. ¡®If you will have me, I would like to stick with you all.¡¯ ¡°We would be happy to have you in our group, Sky,¡± Lyra said first. ¡°Of course, we would be glad to have you as a member of our group,¡± Axel followed. ¡°Aria told you that it would be okay,¡± Aria patted Sky¡¯s leg. Sky skittered side to side happily, her thorax moving up and down. Sky then spoke to everyone¡¯s mind again, ¡®I wish to train with you, but I also need to keep working on my blacksmithing and rune craft lessons during this time.¡¯ ¡°I think we can work something out for you,¡± Axel consoled her. This was the time that Rex entered, bringing with him a box under his right arm. He looked at everyone with a sweeping gaze before saying, ¡°I see everyone is here. Good!¡± ¡°Sky, I see you found people to travel with,¡± Rex told Sky as he continued into the room and set the box down. ¡°Now here is the thing. You all will train together for at least eight hours. Sky, you will have any time after that to work on your crafting skills while I will do individual work with the rest of the group.¡± ¡°Axel, since you picked up Fixed Point Regeneration, please turn it off while training so you get the most out of this,¡± Rex said while looking at Axel but did not wait for his acknowledgment. ¡°You all will have a barracks room shared between all of you.¡± Rex then opened the box and threw each person a core. After everyone swallowed one, he handed them all the meat from the box to help build their bodies up. After a few minutes for the food to settle, Rex began his training for them. It started with a cardio obstacle course on the thirtieth floor. This would not have been the worst until Rex pressed a large gem that increased the gravity by what felt like two to three times. Axel could take it, but he could see Aria and Lyra starting to sweat heavily, though he could not tell how this was affecting Sky. After the first hour, Rex let them drink water, then had them eat another round of meat and sent them out again under what felt like four times gravity. When this training was over, everyone was shaking from the effort, though all they received was a slight frown from Rex as he again let them drink and led them to another floor that was a large open room labeled "combat simulator." Rex explained to the group, mostly Axel as he skipped some of the standard training to get his powers, that this used light and mass powers to create people, beasts, and crimson entities to fight. It was not used a lot outside of training to get used to powers as many did not see such soft training to be of much use. Rex disagreed and set the room to Novice mid-level and threw the group in with the statement that they would think the cardio was easy if any of them were simulated killed in this training. Axel had little time to think as a wave of beasts made of yellow light attacked them. Axel would have loved to say that they did valiantly, but it took the simulation about five minutes to kill them. Axel tried to lead as a vanguard to hold the wave off, but Sky panicked as one of the beasts flanked the group, causing Axel to get hit by a wild lump of metal. This caused a domino effect that pulled Lyra out of position, allowing a different pair of beasts to attack Aria while she was providing ranged support for Axel. The prize for this failure was a team ¡°spar¡± with Rex. Axel was allowed to turn his regeneration back on, but that just meant that he was beaten longer than everyone else. In the end, they were at the four-hour mark and fed another core, which felt like a waste to Axel, while Lyra used her gift to help everyone in the group better optimize their growth. After eating yet more meat, everyone was led back to the combat room, and this time they needed to fight a group of people. Axel¡¯s group lasted a lot longer than last time, but they were still defeated in about ten minutes as two of the people locked Axel down with a combination of powers. Rex called out that Axel was immobile for twenty seconds when they hit, causing a scramble of the others to both protect him and keep themselves alive. After this defeat, they were all led again to the obstacle training course, though the gravity seemed to be set to the same level, but this time they had to avoid bolts that shot from random locations in the walls that hurt and stung when hit. This cycle repeated with everyone eating and drinking, going back to the simulator, lasting a little longer or sometimes shorter, then a spar with Rex constantly attacking everyone¡¯s weak spots, and lastly, after nearly eight hours, cool-down exercises. ¡°Well, that was good for an easy day,¡± Rex said to the group who were lying on the ground completely spent. ¡°Sky, you can go back to your training. Be here tomorrow morning at seven a.m.¡± ¡°The rest of you can have the night off after practicing your weapon forms a hundred times.¡± Rex looked down at everyone before adding, ¡°I now have a good baseline for you all and can figure out a more effective training plan. Be ready for the real training to begin tomorrow.¡± Chapter 30 After practicing his weapon forms, Rex led everyone to a group of small individual rooms where each had a bed, nightstand with a clock, armor rack, and weapon rack. There was a lone window that overlooked the street below, allowing natural light in through its tinted glass. This would be where they all would stay for the next two-plus weeks. There was a communal bathroom with showers down the hall and a cafeteria that sold food two floors lower, though, after all the beast meat he had eaten in the last few hours, Axel was not hungry. The group split up to take showers and unwind after their workout. Sky had a room elsewhere in the building due to her tradecraft training and left to work on some project or other. Axel was unsure how she still had any energy after all they went through. After a hot shower, Axel bid good night to Lyra and Aria as they went into their rooms, and Axel sat in his. Axel updated his journal so that the Goddess would know all that happened that day and meditated for a couple of hours as he was unsure about going to sleep. This was the first time in a while that he was sleeping alone, and the possibility of nightmares was robbing him of more sleep than the nightmares themselves likely would. Axel finally laid down to sleep, knowing he would not be able to do the training if he stayed awake much longer. As he slept, the dreams came: images of Cade¡¯s lifeless body staring at Axel in accusation, the top half of Cade¡¯s body crawling to Axel and grabbing at his ankles, trying to drag him down. The dream moved to Cade covered in shadowy wisps, holding Lyra by the throat and saying something to Axel that he could not hear. The last part was a vivid scene of Cade cutting Aria down while Axel was frozen in place, unable to move, only for a deep rage to break the paralysis and Axel threw a punch to stop Cade. Axel woke to a loud CRACK noise and pain in his hand. He looked around his room in a panic, covered in sweat, adrenaline pumping, and everything in a clear hyper-focused state. The only thing he saw was the faint outline of his nightstand thrown into a wall from the moonlight filtering in from the window. The clock had a crack in its face, and the time it showed was 5 a.m., with the second hand still moving along its merry way, leaving a tick tick tick filling the void in the sound that only had Axel¡¯s ragged breathing. Axel noticed that his hand was healing at its normal rate and turned his regeneration back on. Large bloody splinters popped out of his hand moments later. Heading to the bathroom to wash the sweat and blood off, Axel found a frightened-looking Aria and Lyra with weapons in hand coming to his door. A wash of embarrassment overtook Axel at this moment from waking his friends this early. ¡°Axel, are you okay?¡± Lyra and Aria said almost at the same time. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just hit the nightstand in my sleep. Need to clean up is all,¡± Axel replied, trying to play it off. Lyra gave him a dubious look but kept quiet while Aria narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°Clean up, then come to my room.¡± With that settled, Axel took another shower, found some cleaning supplies and bedding, then cleaned up the mess in his room. Axel also found that there was a basket in the hall for dirty bedding and a large trash can to throw away the nightstand. After that was all done, the cracked clock showed it was about 6:15, and he gently knocked on Aria¡¯s door. The door flew open instantly, and Aria pulled Axel into the room, then shut the door. Aria then led Axel to her bed and had him sit before turning to sit on his lap, looking him in the eye. ¡°Are you really okay?¡± Aria asked with a worried look on her face. ¡°Just more nightmares is all. I will be fine,¡± Axel assured her. ¡°I am likely reacting to the stress from the bounty hunters. Give me time, and I should be fine.¡± Aria tilted her head when she heard this and just shook her head. Axel believed this was over when Aria headbutted him in the nose, stunning them both for a moment. Axel¡¯s regeneration and blessing stopped the nosebleed before more than a trickle left his nose. ¡°Owww, why did you do that?¡± Axel complained, pinching his nose out of reflex. ¡°Aria wanted to snap you out of whatever you were going through,¡± Aria replied while rubbing her head. ¡°You were pale, your eyes were dilated like when you attacked the bandit during the caravan, and your voice lacked any real emotion.¡± Confused, Axel saw that his core had been trickling out, even accounting for healing from his regeneration, and a fading indicator of Berserker was leaving a status bar under his core power level. Axel also noticed that the crisp hyper-focus was leaving his vision and tense muscles unclenched that he was unaware were very tight. ¡°Thanks, I think, but next time please use your words and not your forehead if you think something is wrong,¡± Axel complained. ¡°But Axel would likely not have gotten it through his thick skull that something was wrong without Aria transferring it through percussion insertion,¡± Aria proudly said. ¡°I don¡¯t get you some days, Aria,¡± Axel shook his head. ¡°There are days like this, and then there are days where you seem to be different.¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Aria has a multifaceted personality, and Axel should not worry about the small things.¡± Aria smiled and got off Axel¡¯s lap, getting her cleaning supplies and heading out of the room with only a slight look back. ¡°Aria thinks you should get to the training room as soon as possible, or Rex will make it so much worse.¡± Axel changed into a training outfit and made a note to see about this place¡¯s laundry. He needed to do a better cleaning on his armor after all the sweating he did in it. Axel then headed to the training room to find Sky and Lyra there warming up. Axel followed suit, turning his regeneration back off and working through his weapon exercises. Aria arrived in a hurry, hair still damp, only moments before Rex walked through the door. ¡°Good, you are all here,¡± Rex began. ¡°We will get started then.¡± Rex led everyone to where the obstacle course was, but it seemed to have changed overnight. Rex then said they needed to do four sets around the course, but they only had ten minutes for each lap. Axel knew at that moment that they were in trouble as it would take about three laps looking at the course. Rex then handed everyone but Sky an armband. Sky received a band for her manipulator, and the group was told that it was not finished until everyone made it past the finish line four times in the under-ten-minute lap. The lap began, and Axel felt his entire body weigh down massively, and his movements slowed greatly. Axel saw that the others didn¡¯t slow, but Lyra seemed to be off-balance, Aria as if she was walking on ice, and Sky was running backward when she seemed to want to move forward. Axel began to try and help the others until Rex told him that was not the point of this training and he should focus on completing it under his own power. Glaring at Rex, Axel did not agree with the rules but decided to trust Rex this time and worked his way through the course. It took well over an hour before everyone completed this exercise and were then fed cores and meat. After being fed, they were led to a gravity training room and worked through muscle training for another two hours. At that point, they were given a break to eat and get anything they needed to do done. Axel checked and found a note from Jareth telling him that he would change the plan back for now, but if Axel needed anything, to send him a message. Axel then went to eat something that was not cooked meat and returned to the combat simulator for the next training. Combat went well, with this time being a human group again until Axel overcommitted to a swing and missed a target that was keeping distance, causing a chain reaction in the rest of the group to fail. After getting a rundown from Rex on the issues he saw, the group was led through a round of sparring so Rex could help them work through these issues. The group was fed meat and cores again and led through the same obstacle course, this time with the light constructs guarding different spots on the course that each of them needed to be or bypass to move on. This took almost two hours to complete with the armbands as they did not know that on the second completed lap, the stun bolts also began to fly, and when they failed, the count started at one again. It was at this point that each of the groups began to help in ways they hoped Rex didn¡¯t see so they could get through it. Rex gave everyone a short break to deal with another issue while Lyra went over everyone with her healing to help optimize their growth. When Rex returned after thirty minutes, he led them again to the simulation chamber and forced them to fight wave after wave of enemies. Every time one was beaten, another showed up until they failed. Then he did a quick review and threw them right back in to fight more. Axel fought more in the next three hours than he ever had before. The group only received small breaks to go over what went wrong and returned to fighting. When the eight-hour training day ended, Sky skittered, with a lot less energy than yesterday, to her blacksmithing training. Rex looked at the tired and sweating remaining trio and led them to get cleaned, changed, and fed. When this was done, Rex then led them to a classroom and began going over basic combinations of powers, how the most successful Flame Seekers used them, and strange esoteric power combinations. This lesson lasted for a full three hours, followed by basic weapons practice to end the day. Axel did find out that if he left his laundry in a hamper in his room, it would be picked up and done each day. Axel then did the needed maintenance to his armor and meditated. As Axel finished, he saw the clock; it was just after midnight, so he made a quick journal entry and lay in his bed, dreading sleep as he turned off the light gem in the room. As Axel tried to get comfortable, his door opened, and Aria entered the room, pushing Axel to his side and holding him on the small bed until they both fell asleep, Aria hugging Axel from behind. While the dreams were not present, Axel could not remember much besides that they were bad. Feeling much better than the day before, Axel prepared for more training. --- The rest of the week continued in this vein, with everyone lasting longer in the simulator fights, the obstacle course changing every day, and new challenges added to it. The worst in Axel¡¯s mind was the sparring with Rex, as it left everyone bruised and battered while they then had to go back to the simulator, gravity room, or obstacle course while trying to take in the lessons Rex imparted. Rex explained the afternoons, covering common powers, strange special powers, and even Crimson Entities up to Lesser Crimson Entities and how they begin to blend their abilities. When Rex was satisfied with the group¡¯s progress, it was almost the day of the time frame that was originally suggested. They were then scheduled to take a trial. ¡°I am glad you all stuck through my training and hope that you have decided what ability you will be hunting for,¡± Rex began. ¡°If you are unsure, I have suggestions for you, but looking at your faces, you have made your choice.¡± ¡°The only thing I can recommend now is to see if you can access the same power type, as this is the only way to see if you have the ability to hold several of the same in a tier,¡± Rex recommended to everyone while leading them to a preparation room much like the one Axel and Lyra used for their trial. Waiting in the room was a young Vortan male who held a spear in his hand and wore leather armor. He stood about seven feet tall with a series of bones circling the side of his head. Rex led the way into the room and introduced the young man. ¡°This is Salmar. He has completed his third cycle, and I know he is trustworthy to be your fifth.¡± ¡°Greetings,¡± Salmar bowed to everyone. ¡°I thank you for helping me complete my cycle.¡± Axel then introduced the others and led everyone to the elevator as they were all geared up. As the elevator door closed and began to lower, Axel could feel the tension in everyone but Salmar. They were going into a situation where none of them had any experience. Chapter 31 Axel had no idea how far they had gone as the only thing he was aware of was the sense of motion. Axel looked over at Salmar, who was no longer looking the most relaxed as the ride went on. ¡°So, Salmar, you have done trials before? What are we expecting down there? All the lessons just state to explore, and when you want to leave, follow the orange line to a safe zone,¡± Axel asked to break the ice. ¡°The Novice trial area is a twisting maze of corridors that lead into rooms where the crimson tends to stay. That is not to say that you won¡¯t find any in the hallways, but it is rare,¡± Salmar explained. ¡°Whatever the Goddess does to draw them here, it seems to condense in those rooms.¡± ¡°Since we are all working on completing a cycle, I will start first. I am looking for a Zone Walker. It has a movement ability that I think will complement my abilities well.¡± As Salmar was explaining to everyone, a shiver went through the group as the elevator passed some kind of barrier. ¡°That took longer than normal,¡± Salmar commented, ¡°but that is not really unusual.¡± ¡°Why is the time to the Trial area taking longer not unusual?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°Time can work a little strange in the Trial,¡± Salmar explained as the elevator stopped. ¡°Only the Goddess would know why; it just is how it always has been.¡± The door of the elevator opened to a clean room with three doorways leading out: one left, one right, and one forward. Each had a shimmering field of energy that was a light blue hue in color. As everyone left the elevator, the doors closed, but it did not sound like it ascended. As Axel looked around, he saw a clock above the elevator saying that it was just after nine in the morning. Considering that they entered around that time and Axel knew that they had been in the elevator for over ten minutes, that seemed wrong. ¡°Well, the trial is slow on the inside this time,¡± Salmar said, then pulled out a pocket watch matching the time. ¡°Those clocks are always somehow set to the time outside the trial, so it is a good plan to have a timepiece so you know how long you have been in here,¡± Salmar distractedly commented. ¡°It will help to know how long before you should leave.¡± ¡°Leave?¡± Aria asked this time. ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t want to stay more than twenty-four hours as the elevator will be recalled with you assumed dead.¡± Salmar¡¯s voice deepened in a warning tone. ¡°You can still get out after, but it will suck as paperwork, checks for possession, and other annoying things will need to be done before you can leave the prep room.¡± ¡°So what all are you looking for so I can bring up my trial index?¡± Salmar began to blink, likely bringing up said index as they talked. ¡®I am looking for a Stone Herd,¡¯ Sky was the first to answer. ¡®I look to complete earth and metal fusion.¡¯ This was about as common as Aero plus Wind or Pyro plus Fire to create elements and control them. Earth and Metal were a bit harder as the user needed a good knowledge of metals and earth to use it. The material generated with this power also vanished after a time, so it was unable to be used but for a short time. ¡°I am looking for an Energy Fiend,¡± Lyra said, though Axel could almost feel the sour note in her voice. Energy Fiends would increase the core¡¯s energy pool. This would help mitigate Lyra¡¯s core storage but was not in Cade¡¯s original plan. Axel thought she would have gone for Vibration and Lightning, but he guessed she did not want to reveal her core. ¡°Lyra, did you bring those gems?¡± Axel asked, causing Lyra to look at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t Sky want to make you a weapon that held both lightning and vibration?¡± Lyra blinked and took only a moment to nod. ¡°Salmar, if that would not be too much trouble?¡± ¡°Could be trouble, but both the Thunder Stalker and Shatter are known to be in the same area as what I want to hunt, so it should still work,¡± Salmar replied while his eyes were unfocused, looking at his index. ¡°Aria wants FIRE!¡± Aria said with great effort put into the word fire. ¡°Fire?¡± Everyone looked at Aria in surprise. ¡°Yes,¡± was Aria¡¯s only reply and she would not elaborate further, even to Axel trying to coax it out of her. ¡°Well, I will mark the location of Blazers then,¡± Salmar said in a tone that he really did not want to fight those. ¡°I have my eye on Gravity,¡± Axel said. ¡°I would prefer to get it from a Tormentor if we could.¡± ¡°That¡¯s worse than her fire plan,¡± Salmar complained when he heard that. ¡°Could you not try and get the one from an Iron Colossus? Those are easy to take down.¡± ¡°I want the variant that comes from the Tormentor if at all possible,¡± Axel replied firmly. ¡°This is going to be a long day,¡± Salmar said under his breath and then seemed to get to work. It took about twenty minutes before he was finished, then he looked again at the clock and nodded. ¡°Alright, so we will need to move swiftly. Lyra, all the ones you want are in the right door, along with mine and Sky¡¯s. Aria¡¯s would be through the left door but tend to congregate close by, so it should be easy.¡± Salmar used the elevator door to his back and gave directions. ¡°Axel and Sky, luckily yours are also in the same rough area, but getting a Tormentor will take more than a bit of searching.¡± ¡°This means that this will be a grab and go with no stops to do the core upgrade until we get them all, as my index says that we will need at least eight hours of travel alone to get to the areas where what we want are at.¡± Salmar then held out his hand and light appeared, showing a map that must have been zoomed out greatly as they all were tiny dots. The map then ran through several routes, dodging red areas that were deeper red than others on the map. ¡°The most time-consuming will be the hunt for the Zone Walker and Tormentor,¡± Salmar went on, ¡°so we should follow this route and pray to the Goddess that neither of our prey are being elusive.¡± ¡°Does that happen often?¡± Axel asked. ¡°This is my fourth attempt at trying to find a Zone Walker, and we will search the known locations, but if we can¡¯t find it, then we move on,¡± Salmar said in the tone of someone who was tired of a task. ¡°Same with your Tormentor.¡± Axel nodded in agreement, as wanting to hunt a variant came with that kind of risk. Axel took the map in and memorized it to his memory palace just in case something happened to split the party. ¡°Remember to follow the green lines if something happens, as they should lead you back to this zone,¡± Salmar reminded. ¡°Though don¡¯t always just trust them, as many entities can mess with sight or mind.¡± At this warning, Axel felt like he was overlooking something, but the feeling faded as fast as it came. The group went through the right door. The hallway was not lit, and everyone pulled out a light gem as they moved through a corridor that could only fit two people side by side. Axel and Salmar took the lead with Aria and Lyra in the middle, and Sky took the tail end as she was just wide enough that it made anyone trying to walk side by side with her difficult. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The hallway was empty with no sound but their feet falling on the floor. Salmar led the group through several turns until they arrived near a smaller room. In the room was a Crimson Entity that had six legs, a large body about nine feet in length from a large eyeless head to its three-foot whipping tail. This entity had four long tendrils with mouths on them, eating another Entity it seemed to have killed. It seemed to be feeding on the orb that was left behind from its kill and was distracted by its meal. As the Entity fed, its body changed from a crimson red color to a shifting purple. Salmar made hand signals common to Storm training, pointing to a range they could sneak to and spread out a bit. When everyone was in position, Salmar motioned for Aria to fire an arrow at the entity. Aria¡¯s arrow ripped right through one of the tentacle stalks and nailed the Energy Fiend in the head as she made a small jump shot to get the angle. This angered the thing as it turned and ran to where the shot came from. This allowed both Axel and Salmar to pin it between their halberd and spear, though even with his strength, this caused both of them to skid back several feet. Lyra moved in and dodged the remaining tentacle stalk while a flat, sharp metal disc filled the space where her head was, slicing the mouth on the end right off. With that done, Axel pushed his strength to the max, feeling his body ache as Lyra rushed to land a finishing blow, only to sidestep as a beam of energy blasted out of the Fiend¡¯s open maw. The color drained and returned to normal as the beam hit the back wall while Axel and Salmar kept it from turning its head. Lyra finished her strike as the Fiend¡¯s energy beam flickered and faded. With a clean strike, the sword cleaved halfway through the neck. It took another two blows from Lyra to fully remove the head. The Fiend broke up in motes of light, leaving an orb behind which Lyra picked up and pocketed. It would not be able to leave unless added to a gem, but they needed to keep up the front for Salmar as the news of Lyra¡¯s split-core could be leaked otherwise. ¡°Not the cleanest kill on a Fiend I¡¯ve had,¡± Salmar laughed and shook his arms and legs, trying to get the chemicals in his body to move on. ¡°I don¡¯t recommend moving into the front of one after it just fed, but they have great hearing and I did not want to tip it off to us being here.¡± ¡°Well, now I know, but thanks for the delayed warning,¡± Lyra replied, sounding tired. Axel guessed that she used a lot of her core power for her enhanced reflex to dodge. Salmar looked the group over, seeing no injuries, and started leading everyone down another hallway that was off to the right of the room. No one talked as they went deeper into the trial, the only sound was mostly the soft clicking of Sky¡¯s legs as everyone was moving as quietly as possible. Axel was not sure how much time passed when Aria tapped both his and Salmar¡¯s shoulders, halting them and motioning for them to back up. When everyone moved back to a junction point in the trial, Axel heard the sound of thudding feet. Everyone shut off their gems, leaving the hallway in a murky gloom but not full darkness like Axel expected. The light level seemed to be about the level of light when the moons were just past the new cycle, leaving everything in near but not total darkness. Coming through the junction that the group would have made about that time was a large group of Entities made of stone, shaped roughly like humanoids, eight feet tall, and leaving ground dirt behind. This was followed by a pair of disfigured children with misshapen wings. A pair of Umbral Dolls that were bigger than the ones that Axel and Lyra had fought during their first trial. Aria also pointed to a small humanoid that was green-skinned, two feet tall, and covered in rock dust coming off the group of large entities around him. This was a Rock Herder from what Axel had studied, but it must be on the verge of changing to the next tier of the creature as having six rocks as its party or flock, as they were known, was a sign of its power. Everyone held their breath while the group went down another section away from them. ¡°What is a Stone Herder doing in this part of the trial?¡± Axel asked Salmar. ¡°I thought you said they would be way off in another part of the trial?¡± ¡°This is very uncommon,¡± Salmar looked a little worried. ¡°I hope we didn¡¯t get caught in a shift.¡± ¡°Shift?¡± Aria took up the question before anyone else. ¡°Every few years, as Crimson survives, some get to the point of upgrading their life and the rooms shuffle what is in them,¡± Salmar explained. ¡°This would be a shitty time, and we need to hurry up as we will likely not find what we are hunting if they have already pushed or were pushed to a location of their liking.¡± ¡°This is also the most dangerous time to be in the trial as there are more everywhere moving from their known homes,¡± Salmar finished. ¡°If it was not for a confirmed sighting of the Zone Walker, I would say we get out now, but I don¡¯t want to give up this chance.¡± ¡°Do we take out that Stone Herder then?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°That is risky as it is on the end scale of Lesser Entities. It also has that pair of Umbral Dolls to heal it and its minions, but I don¡¯t see any other way as it is heading in the direction we need to go for a better shot at finding a Zone Walker or the ones needed for Lyra¡¯s gems,¡± Salmar said while thinking about the fight ahead. ¡°We will need to ambush them. Lyra, Sky, and Aria will take the Umbral Dolls,¡± Salmar began giving assignments after seeming to make up his mind. ¡°Axel, I assume you have taken a strength cycle, so I will need you to hold the flock and push them away.¡± ¡°The flock that a Stone Herder has had a great defense but are very clumsy, so hit them with a running push to clear the field for me to kill the Herder,¡± Salmar finished and had everyone start moving so that they would not lose their new prey. ---- The group moved swiftly through the now-dark hallway as they kept their gems shut off to avoid lighting the way for them. Axel could see a sickly green glow coming from ahead as the Umbral Dolls were letting off a light, seeming to be healing after a scuffle with other Entities as there were over a dozen orbs laying on the ground on the other side of them from Axel¡¯s group. Axel also noticed that the flock was down two of its members and the Stone Herder was getting ready to resummon more. Axel felt a hand slap him on the back twice to signal his charge. Axel pulled up Berserker and kicked off the ground, going full tilt in a straight line. Axel then shifted his halberd to fill the hall and before he knew it, he was past the now startled Umbral Dolls, feeling the impact from arm to shoulder to his back. While Axel¡¯s momentum slowed a bit on the impact and now dragging the flock with him, he still managed to cover another twenty feet before the weight bled all his momentum. Axel could not feel the pain, but he was seeing warnings all over his body as the hulking stone men reassembled back to a standing position. Axel then needed to dodge back from four fists slamming down on him, trying to crush him to paste. When the fists hit, they left small cracks, but the air pressure belied the perception that there was no weight or strength behind those swings. Axel used the time that they were off balance from the swings to let go of his halberd and made a leap at the stone men. Axel then grabbed both of their faces and slammed them together with a resounding crack. Both ¡°heads¡± had large chunks broken off and each staggered back from the blow, but a green glow started on each only to cut off the next moment with childlike shrieks of pain. Axel had no time to look as he was now dodging between all four, trying to tangle them all up in each other to give himself more time. Axel could see that his available energy was already down to half and the fight had only gone on for a short time. Axel was still finding the way his perception changed into such a more focused way strange. It also must have sped up some as things seemed more floaty for lack of a better word, but Axel had a harder time keeping track of what was happening outside his fight and hoped that his friends had their part covered. As Axel received a warning that he needed to shut down Berserking, the stone men crumbled into piles of dirt and then vanished. Axel forced his system to shut down Berserking mode and all the pain rushed in. Axel noticed all the damage warnings he had ignored to this point in glaring red. He also must have been glanced at by the stone men as his right rib section was destroyed. Regeneration was working, but it was still long minutes before he would be out of pain. Axel just kneeled there, trying to focus on breathing in and out, pushing out the pain when a hand landed on the side of his neck to send a wash of relief, helping his body heal quicker. ¡°You messed yourself up there Axel,¡± Lyra commented while using her gift to help shift the damage making Axel¡¯s gift and regeneration more effective. ¡°Ya, but this is what I knew would happen when I chose regeneration as my power,¡± Axel replied unsteadily and rose to his feet. ¡°You ok there Axel,¡± Salmar asked in a worried tone. ¡°Ya they just got in a glancing blow but my blessing will have me back going here soon.¡± Axel gave him a thumbs up and walked slowly back to the group. Sky was looking over the pulsing orb and stored it in a pouch she along her side. She carried many pouches and even a pack that opened on the top for her gear. When Axel arrived everyone rested for a good while letting cores recharge and wounds heal. As everyone was recovering Salmar tossed Axel an orb. ¡°It''s always good to see if you are compatible with healing,¡± Salmar said as Axel fumbled to catch it. Axel received a warning from his journal when he held the orb Caution user is not advised to add this to their core. Due to the following reasons: Seeing the warning Axel shook his head to Salmar and tossed it back. Several others held it and all shook their heads and Salmar added both to a beast gem each. ¡°Well, we at least have some emergency healing. With the potency, these can heal about ten times before expended.¡± Salmar said and put them into a pouch. ¡°We have rest enough, we need to get a move on.¡± Salmar then blinked a few times considered his map and chose the next route. Everyone got up and Axel noticed that his core was at about eighty percent and took his position in the group. Chapter 32 The group relit their light gems before continuing on, as there were drawbacks to moving in the dark since there were Crimson that hunted better in it. As the party moved, Axel was glad that Rex had teamed his group up with Salmar, as even knowing every turn they took, Axel was having a headache making a mental map as they traveled. It was long minutes later before they arrived at the next planned location. Inside were three insectoid-like Entities with sticklike bodies, large curved blade forelimbs, clear almost translucent wings, and eight thin legs that ended in blade points. Each was around seven feet long and stood at about eight feet when in a more upright posture. Salmar stopped everyone just before the entrance and said, ¡°These are fragile but deadly Crimson. They will cut through steel and most novice-grade equipment like it is nothing.¡± ¡°We will need me, Lyra, and Sky to keep their attention while Aria tries to land headshots,¡± Salmar then looked at Axel and said, ¡°Axel, you can stay at the entrance as these are not the kind of enemies you are built to fight and would likely get torn apart if they hit you.¡± ¡°Sky, you keep a distance and use metal to distract them but watch out for the blast they can do with their wings as it can cause internal injuries by shaking your insides,¡± Salmar finished. This annoyed Axel greatly, and he decided to speak up after a moment of pushing the anger back down. ¡°I think I can be useful and likely able to finish at least one quickly if given the chance,¡± Axel said in a deliberately neutral tone. ¡°Oh?¡± Salmar looked at Axel inquiringly and motioned for him to continue. Axel loosened a trio of throwing knives from their holsters hidden at the small of his back and then whispered to Aria, ¡°The one who kills the most gets to choose what we have for our celebration dinner after we leave the trial.¡± ¡°Aria is so going to win this!¡± Aria grinned at Axel. Salmar just looked at the pair and shook his head, getting everyone into position, then signaled for them to rush in. As the group ran in, Axel threw one knife only for it to be deflected out of the air by a vibration, but blades two and three slammed into the Entity, sending it into the wall with a loud bang. Axel then turned to draw more blades, but the fight was already over. Aria had nailed hers in the head several times, but the last was minced by several bladed discs from Sky. Salmar and Lyra just looked on at the now-vanishing Crimson as they halted their charges about halfway through the room. Axel then saw Aria¡¯s pouty face and had to laugh at the situation. ¡°Well, I guess that is a draw,¡± Axel said while walking over to Aria and kissing her. ¡°I guess we just both need to order a dish we want.¡± Lyra walked over to Sky to get some beast gems and when Salmar was distracted, put the fiend orb into one and one of the Shatter orbs into the other while pocketing the last orb. Salmar took the last orb into a beast gem and tossed it to Sky as he did not need it, having gained two healing gems earlier. Due to standard loot rules, ad hoc groups like theirs would split the gems equally unless it was being used for their Cycle, then it was not counted. This was followed by everyone as any arguments had to meet an Arbiter, which from everything Axel heard was not a fun time. As everyone was retrieving projectiles, Axel found that the knife that was deflected had cracks throughout it and would likely need to be recycled as repair looked like no option, but he would have to ask Sky later to see if there was something to do about it. The other two blades were in better condition and would need to have the tips repaired as they were blunted from the throw. Axel went to see if Sky could do anything about the knives only to get a loud enthusiastic mental message of ¡®YES!¡¯ Sky then focused her power on the two blunted blades and Axel saw them return to their pre-thrown state. Sky then took the cracked blade and put it into one of her pouches, telling Axel that it would need a forge to have a chance to fix. With everything done and no one using a lot of power, the group packed up and began to move through the hallways again. An hour later, they ran into another group, but this time it was the light gems that saved the group and not Aria¡¯s hearing as strange shadow Entities tried to attack them but were repelled by the lights of the gems. These were Shades and gave the power to move through shadows and would grant the user the same ability, but they were very hard to pin down and after harassing the group, vanished back into the shadows again. No one knew if they were gone or stalking them. Aria wanted to shoot them, but Salmar stopped her as you needed abilities that could hurt them, like a fire or light-based power, which no one in the group had. This got a grumble from Aria that if they had gone for her power first, they could, but this was shot down as it takes time to get used to a new power and no one wanted Aria to fire uncontrolled flames in a tight space. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. After that ambush, everyone was now nervous, but Salmar forced everyone to stop to eat and drink, trying to settle them down. After the short break, everyone kept moving when Aria heard the sound of ponderous steps down a right section of a T-junction. It was not the way they needed to go, but the party did not want something coming to their backs as they were near where the Thunder Stalkers lived for the lightning-based power could be gained. The only issue was they could not do the same trick of shutting their light gems off as there was still the chance for one or more of the Shades still lurking around. The only thing to do was take this challenge head-on or run, but as the group tried to decide, the choice was taken as a pair of Thunder Stalkers came around the corner and saw them. Each looked much like a lizard on four legs but with scales of indigo and violet edges. Each beast also had a set of jet-black spines along their back that sparked with arcs of blue lightning between them. Axel and Salmar charged down the hallway, hoping to limit the damage while an arrow and metal disc shot past between them. Both aimed at the same beast, killing it quickly, but not before the second one opened its fanged maw and let loose a blast hitting Axel in return. This blast caused Axel¡¯s whole body to seize up, making him drop his weapon and blowing out his light gem. Lyra and Salmar both kept going, trying to get the beast before it recharged for a second shot. Just when the forward pair got to the Stalker and Axel was feeling his limbs again, there was a terrible pain in his stomach as a shadowy hand shot out from below and was shoved right into his stomach, causing Axel to cough out blood as the Shade slammed its other hand into his chest. Axel saw that he now had a punctured lung and several internal organs were damaged. Axel heard Aria yell something and three arrows go through the Shade along with a large metal dart, but none of the attacks had an effect. In desperation, Axel tried activating Berserking mode for the pain removal and clarity, but his system warned him that the ability was still in a dormant state from an earlier activation and Regeneration (lesser) was taking all available power for triage. Axel realized that he had never tried to use it multiple times in training as he was worried about what he would do under it. As Axel felt the hand leave his stomach, pulling several intestines with it, Axel went for a desperate move and grabbed the old light gem that he had taken from his house the day he had to flee the village. He hoped that it still worked and was not damaged by the lightning blast. In the time he grabbed the best gem, though, he was stabbed three times and there were soft tissue alerts throughout his abdomen. Axel then slammed his hand into what he thought was the chest area and, riding the surge of adrenaline, clicked the stud while saying a prayer to the Goddess. ¡°Let there please be light!¡± The words were more gurgly than he wanted his last words to be, but as the light illuminated the inside of the Shade, it released a wordless scream of agony and shattered into motes of darkness illustrated by the light gem falling from Axel¡¯s now limp hand. Then everything was blackness as his brain shut down from pain and other issues he no longer cared for. Axel awoke to having his head on something soft while his back was on something cold and hard. Axel opened his eyes to see a red-eyed Aria above him and a wet sensation on his stomach began. With effort, Axel looked down to see that Lyra was cleaning the wounds, correct that, former wounds as his Journal stated that while still suffering from minor internal damage, he would be back to full strength within the hour if he ate food strong in iron to help replace what was lost with the blood. Axel did wish to know how long he was out when a clock appeared over his sight showing him it had been about ten minutes of unconsciousness. Axel found that a little absurd recovery time until he noticed the pair of burnt-out beast gems on the ground next to his right arm. These must have been the ones holding the healing energy that the group gained from the Umbral Dolls earlier. All of Axel¡¯s movement alerted the distracted group to his wakefulness and Axel was nearly suffocated when Aria leaned down and hugged his face. Axel was struggling between the need for air and wanting it to keep going, but air won out as he forced himself to sit up. ¡°Hold on there!!¡± Salmar said, trying to stop him. ¡°I know you just got healed from like twenty healing charges, but your body took a lot of damage there.¡± ¡°I am better now, but thanks,¡± was Axel¡¯s reply. ¡°I don¡¯t have a strength cycle but a fixed-point regeneration one.¡± Axel hated to admit that as it would cause questions, but that was the only thing his brain could cobble together for an answer at the moment. ¡°Ok¡­since I can already see the scar lines fading, I have to take your word, but I thought you were only on your first Cycle like the rest of your group,¡± Salmar replied with a look that he wanted more details. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t really go into it right now,¡± was Axel¡¯s only reply, much to Salmar¡¯s disappointed look. ¡°Just treat me as if I have both and please leave it at that.¡± ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t pry into it, but just know that I am glad you survived.¡± Salmar then tossed Axel the orb. ¡°This is yours if you want it or you can gem it. Shade gems go for a lot on the market, but you have to sell it to the Vanguard or Storm as they are on the controlled list.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a few more minutes of a break before we keep going.¡± Salmar finished and leaned against the wall only to slide down it, landing on his butt. The break was much appreciated by Axel as he was bombarded by Aria on whether he was really okay. Axel did get in thanks to a pale-looking Lyra for getting his insides back inside. She did not laugh at the joke or even acknowledge it but just sat in quiet contemplation and looking like she was trying to recharge her core. Axel was almost fooled by that until he saw an orb in each of her closed hands letting off a faint light that was drowned out by the starlike light of several beast gems. Chapter 33 As Axel relaxed against the wall, letting his nerves calm down, his body was reporting that everything was about to return to peak, but the adrenaline still pumped in his veins. When the after-combat shakes stopped, Axel also noticed that Lyra had empty hands and a very pale complexion. Axel did have to wonder which of her cores got which ability, though if she had other standards, it would be vibration with the reflex and lightning with the healing unless she was a special variant mutant on top of being a true healer. Axel, not wanting to let Salmar know that Lyra had just integrated into her second cycle, just patted Lyra on the shoulder as he passed in a silent congrats. Then he checked on everyone else in the group, finding Sky and Aria still a bit shaken but on the rebound, and Salmar frowning into the air while moving his hands. Axel walked up with heavy steps so he did not surprise the man and waited for him to respond. ¡°We are about three hallway junctions from my prey, but as we get closer, I am beginning to get nervous. We have run into several Crimson that were stronger than normal and Stalkers in a hallway,¡± Salmar said to the air in front of himself. ¡°I assume you have a plan for this one?¡± Axel asked. ¡°Yes, but after that last fight, I, well, shit, I am a terrible leader,¡± Salmar said, much to Axel¡¯s surprise. ¡°I should have told Lyra to move in front with her shield, I should have tossed you my light gem knowing that we were still likely being stalked, I should have designated targets for our back line.¡± Salmar then blinked, but not in a way, Axel thought was changing his journal, and a single, almost silver tear rolled down his face, leaving behind a sparkling metallic trail. Salmar then grabbed a cloth and cleaned off the evidence quickly. ¡°I want you to know, Axel, that I failed you and will try to do better,¡± Salmar vowed in a solemn voice. ¡°Also, it is about time for everyone to get moving if you are recovered?¡± ¡°I am good, though the adrenaline is still there in my system,¡± Axel gave an affirmative. ¡°You humans and that dangerous chemical. I will never truly understand why the Goddess gave humans that evolution.¡± Salmar shook his head and called for everyone to gather. When everyone grouped back up again, they began to head in the direction of the Zone Walker. As the group walked, Salmar handed Axel his spear for a moment while he dug something out of his bag. After a short time rummaging, he pulled out four large beast gems that glowed with a black light. ¡°So if the Zone Walker is in the room I hope it will be, we will need to get these gems into each corner quickly,¡± Salmar explained while handing out the gems. ¡°They will stop it from fleeing and reduce its mobility greatly.¡± After the explanation, Salmar traded a gem for his spear with Axel and looked over the group one by one. ¡°I will need you all to block the door as if it gets out of the room, it will be gone in moments.¡± ¡°Alright, but is there anything else we can do to help?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°No, this is my fight and I will get my prey,¡± Salmar shook his head. ¡°Just make sure it can¡¯t get away and you will have done your part.¡± The conversation felt off to Axel, but as he was about to say something, they arrived at the room. Standing in the room was a large humanoid that almost looked like it was in armor with a pair of curved single-bladed swords in its hands. It was semi-translucent with what looked like stars filling its body, and as it turned to the group, a cloak of dense stars swished out. Axel also noticed that the room had several corpses scattered about in tattered clothing and mostly bones left. The room also held four doors and a high ceiling. Salmar quit talking and focused on the Zone Walker with all he had, failing to give out any more directions. Axel took over and gave hand signals his group had trained in the Storm and further refined under Rex. Aria was sent to the far side while Axel took the right, and Lyra was sent left. Sky connected everyone¡¯s minds, something she did not enjoy as it was a strain with just her natural gifts but trained as they would not have a lot of time to shout if someone needed help. ¡®We have your back, Salmar,¡¯ Sky mentally sent. ¡®Go kick some ass!¡¯ Aria was already shooting for the ceiling and sent, ¡®Aria will keep this to the room.¡¯ Axel and Lyra only sent a ¡®Go!¡¯ Salmar shot forward at a blistering speed just as everyone made their positions. As he moved, he began to pressure the Zone Walker with his spear, blurring snakelike strikes, as the Crimson weaved a mesmerizing pattern with the swords. This gave Axel a worse feeling as this was too advanced for this level of Crimson. Weak Crimson were more one-dimensional with their abilities, while as they got closer to a Lesser, they would pick up sub-powers until they evolved to Adepts. That was when he heard something coming down the hallway to saw a large muscular ironman. ¡®What the hell was an Iron Titan doing in this part of the Trial?¡¯ Axel mentally sent to everyone. ¡®Did a shift really happen?¡¯ ¡®Aria is seeing a pair of Shatter coming,¡¯ Aria then said. ¡®Crap, a beast-looking Crimson just came around the corner and it seems to have a mane made of fire and from the look of the hallway it is really hot as the stone is glowing red,¡¯ Lyra sent. ¡®Sky does not see anything on her end,¡¯ Sky¡¯s chipper reply. ¡®Lyra, you are looking at a Blaze,¡¯ Axel sent as a reply. ¡®They are the main source of fire abilities, but that one sounds very advanced based on the description.¡¯ ¡®Plan?¡¯ Sky asked through the thought link. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡®We could retreat as this seems to be bad,¡¯ Lyra suggested while looking at a large fireball heading her way, forcing her to duck out of the door as it hit right in front of it. ¡®Aria does not think Salmar will though,¡¯ Aria replied while shooting several arrows down the hall, only for the sound of them shattering to break up the constant ding from the back and forth between Salmar and the Zone Walker. ¡®These Shatter are cheating,¡¯ Aria also complained. ¡®They are taking turns knocking Aria¡¯s arrows out of the air.¡¯ ¡®Aria and Lyra change doors fast,¡¯ Axel instructed. ¡®I will hold the Titan. Lyra, you will have to take the Shatter as they will rip Aria to shreds if they get a touch in. Aria, you wanted fire, go get it.¡¯ ¡®Sky, you are back up if any Crimson makes it past us or if another comes down your hallway, give us a warning,¡¯ Axel finished and took position while putting his halberd to the side and hitting it against what looked like a living chunk of iron seemed futile and likely to damage his weapon. Axel cracked his knuckles and gave the command to activate Berserker. When he received a warning over the side of his vision: Warning: Safe use of this skill is still on cooldown. Excessive use will breach the containment setup and cause user to suffer backlash. Axel focused on overriding this warning and another message appeared: User wishes to override safety? Y/N Axel focused on yes and began to feel his focus sharpen. Just before his enemy arrived, one more message appeared: Safety overridden. Please deactivate as soon as possible. Things became floaty as Axel sidestepped a swing and then felt a great weight on his body. It was as if he had put on hundreds of pounds, but with his current power, this did not slow him down except for the moment it changed. That moment sucked as it was when he was about to dodge the follow-on punch. Axel still dodged, but the air pressure from the graze sent him tumbling into one of the hallway walls. The Titan seemed happy that Axel was out of the way and looked to want to help the Zone Walker, but Axel would not let this thing get around him. He rushed forward to grab it from behind and, with all his power, lifted it to either slam or throw it back down the hall. This only worked for the first few inches off the ground as the Titan''s weight doubled and then tripled moments later. Axel didn¡¯t care and, with all his power, slammed the Titan up and over his head. The extra weight then helped Axel as the Titan landed with a powerful boom. Axel then rolled to the side so that the Titan could not squish him with the rest of its body. A small part of Axel saw that he had destroyed muscles all over his body; both arms and his back were heavily damaged. Regeneration and his Blessing were working overtime when he staggered to his feet with his back to the door. Axel then felt an air pressure pop behind him, and he ducked on reflex as a translucent sword flew over his head. Axel then felt the pop again, followed by a metallic clang, which Axel just knew was Sky covering his back but did not have time to confirm. A cracked and damaged man of iron was rising unsteadily back to its feet. It was at this point that Axel came up with a plan to hopefully beat this thing as the slam seemed to have done a lot of damage to it. Axel moved as the Titan just finished standing and slid between its legs, where he then rolled back to his feet and made it look like he was going for another slam. The weight cranked up to five times, causing even Axel to breathe a bit harder, but instead of doing a slam, Axel went for the knees and used the Titan''s height and new weight against it. With the sound of a shoulder snap, Axel slammed his body into the knee joint and toppled the Titan again. The quake that accompanied the fall took Axel off his feet. Out of reflex, Axel tried to use his right arm to get up, but there was no response, likely because it was too damaged to get him up. The left still worked, and Axel got to his feet as the Iron Titan was turning into motes of light. Axel, breathing heavily, tried to pull that focus back, but when he did, the pain was an almost overwhelming flood that followed. It was getting harder to think with this focus, and there were ever more alerts, but the worst was Axel''s mind already seeking the next fight. He felt the need to keep fighting and to destroy all that was in his way. Axel¡¯s vision was hazing to a red hue when three loud shouts hit his brain like a hammer. ¡®AXEL!¡¯ Lyra, Aria, and Sky screamed at the same time, bringing Axel back from an edge he didn¡¯t know he was about to step over. With this moment of clarity, Axel assessed the situation and his condition. Lyra was bleeding but whole, her sword shattered at the hilt, but the two smoking Shatter bodies that were changing into motes of light showed she won her fight. Aria was still standing, slightly burned and her hair curled from the heat, but holding a glowing red orb absentmindedly in her hand while looking over at Axel. Sky had slash wounds all over her body and a heavily damaged metal shield barely floating in the air protectively near her. Salmar lay in the room holding a blue-green orb in his hand, bleeding from many wounds, many of which looked very serious. Axel then saw his status and was surprised he was alive as the red alerts showed that he would likely die of shock the moment he felt the pain, and his core was down to about eight percent and falling. Warning: Crimson corruption has reached 4%. Please disengage Berserker. Warning: Crimson corruption has reached 5%. Please disengage Berserker. Axel could see that this warning was rising every minute that he had his power going. As it increased, Axel could feel the red haze creeping over his mind and had to make a choice now while he could. Walking with slow and heavy steps, as if his body was fighting his order, Axel knew there was only one thing he could do, and that was to take in the Iron Titan material and upgrade his core. He could use the energy from the upgrade for his regeneration and cut off Berserker. Leaving his life in the Goddess¡¯s hands, Axel picked up the orb and received the prompt: Integrate Elemental Power: Gravitational Field? Y/N Power flowed through Axel as time slowed down again and the vision of the Goddess appeared before him. She looked over the scene with a dispassionate gaze, then turned her head to Axel and a small, almost imperceptible frown appeared on her face. This was the first time Axel could remember her changing expression, though it was only the second time he had seen her face to face. ¡°You almost did something very foolish, Axel,¡± the Goddess said, then touched her finger to Axel¡¯s head. The alert that was slowly appearing stopped, and Axel felt the focus begin to lessen. ¡°Please don¡¯t override safety like that,¡± she said in a cold tone. ¡°Your body cannot handle the full might of your proto core.¡± ¡°It was this or let my friends and companions die,¡± Axel replied calmly, as he felt drained of emotions at this time as Berserker faded. It felt harder to draw up any emotion until the Goddess sighed and touched his forehead again. Axel felt his body heat and something leave his body through the pores. In this time dilation, his clothing started to stain black. ¡°It is a good thing that you have regeneration as this would kill you in your injured state otherwise,¡± the Goddess Hope informed Axel. ¡°I was going to help you access more systems in your journal, but I think the purge function is what you need right now.¡± ¡°Purge?¡± Axel asked though he was beginning to feel his emotions again. ¡°Yes, it will help you remove corruption from your body much like a Medic could or what you call a Goddess Blessed healer,¡± Hope replied. ¡°This will not be pleasant, but after our meeting, you will likely pass out for a time as even with the energy boost, your regeneration will take¡­ thirty-two minutes to fix that damage and purge your body.¡± ¡°I am nearly out of time for now. Please be careful as you are walking into¡­¡± Hope vanished midway through her sentence. Well, she did not vanish as Axel¡¯s brain shut down and he was plunged for the second time that day into unconsciousness. Chapter 34 Axel slowly regained consciousness with phantoms of pain shooting through his body as his mind tried to catch up with everything. His body seemed to be in decent shape, from what his medical information told him. Axel opened his eyes and saw a white ceiling with small splashes of blood. He then shifted his head right only to see someone covered in cloth nearby, but it did not seem to be the body shape or size of any of his companions. It was at this time that Axel noticed he was not hearing anything either and just closed his eyes, trying to get a better sense of his body. It felt like his nervous system was scrambled and slowly untangling back to normal. Axel then opened his journal to see what had changed, only to see a list of warnings and messages appear before his eyes. Update: Integrating Elemental Power Gravitational Field Omnidirectional Warning: Crimson corruption has reached 10%. Please disengage Berserker. Update: Novice Core is now at Cycle 2 ¡­. Updating data ¡­. Warning: Berserker disengaged from Admin Hope. Journal enacting safety lockdown. Warning: Berserker will be unavailable for 63 hours before safe use is open again Warning: Admin Hope has activated Core Purge to remove corruption. Warning: Elemental Power Gravitational Field Omnidirectional has also been purged from the body. Warning: Novice Core returned to Cycle 1 Warning: All waste materials extracted from the body and released through nearest waste disposal system. Update: Crimson corruption has returned to nominal levels. After getting through the list of alerts, Axel pulled up his Journal menu with a thought, easier now after all the practice he had been having while figuring out the interface settings. Axel did notice that there was an extra option of Purge on the list but decided to work through everything to see if anything went wrong from what the Goddess had done. Journal Menu: Axel opened Health Data first and saw the mess that was his body¡¯s internal state. It seemed the purge had happened as Axel was building internally the channels to use Gravity, but it was canceled, and his body was repairing that damage. From the data, it would take another couple of hours without help for his body to sort this out, and he would be mostly immobile as his nervous system seemed to be shorted out, sending mixed signals throughout his body. It did look like he would not need to fix his body¡¯s cycle and rebuild as the change was stopped at the beginning of the change. All other health readings looked to be normal to slightly elevated, so Axel closed out his Health Data and opened his Core menu with trepidation. Core: Axel noticed that the numbers were slightly higher than before and was shocked. He fully expected to have lost Core Power, but it seemed that not all the material was lost, or because he had accessed more of the proto core, it had increased power output and storage. Axel had no real answers to this question, so he made a note of it and closed this menu. Axel checked Power and Index, but there were no changes to them while the Journal had a quest. Quest updates: Axel closed out the Journal for now and investigated the new option. Purge Description: This is a function to remove excess Crimson matter from the user''s body. It can also reset a user to the beginning of a Tier. If used to remove corruption from the body, it will be removed until corruption is removed or reaches the beginning of a Tier. Warning: The process is painful and could cause the user issues until the body is healed. Would you like to purge the system? Y/N Axel told the Journal no and closed this Journal option. If he had to make a guess, this was what Goddess Blessed healers accessed to remove powers from people. Axel started to get more feeling back into his body and felt a warm hand on the side of his neck. After feeling this touch, Axel opened his eyes to see Lyra with a pair of fingers on his neck. Their eyes met and Axel saw Lyra relax in relief before she put her healer¡¯s face on and began to check him through her Journal. The check-up took about ten minutes, and Axel was starting to hear things again with the sound of rushing air and fire taking up most of it. When she was satisfied, she said, ¡°Salmar didn¡¯t make it.¡± ¡®Shit,¡¯ was Axel¡¯s only reply. ¡°He took too many internal wounds for his blessing to heal, and I was empty from my fight with the Shatter,¡± Lyra said in a small voice, not stating that they had used the earlier healing gems on Axel. ¡°I don¡¯t think he tried to dodge many of the blows in his fight.¡± ¡°He also took a blow for Aria, that was a fatal one to the heart when the Zone Walker was making a go on each of us when it was trying to escape,¡± Lyra reported with as little emotion as possible. ¡°He survived for a time after the fight and told me that if he was going to pass, it would be best if he killed the ones who took out his friends.¡± ¡®I thought something like that happened when we arrived here,¡¯ Axel said with a soft sigh. ¡®I noticed the corpse and the way he was acting.¡¯ If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°He did leave one last gift for you.¡± Lyra then took out a piece of beast skin that had a map burned into it. ¡°This is the area that the Tormentor frequents if you still want to hunt it.¡± ¡®Well, since the Goddess decided I needed a purge mid-cycle upgrade to fix a self-imposed problem, I think I may need to hunt that,¡¯ Axel replied. ¡°You could also take the Zone Walker orb. Salmar did not use it as he didn¡¯t think he would survive the upgrade,¡± Lyra told Axel and placed the blue-green orb next to him. ¡°Also, we needed to burn that set of clothes and use a water gem to clean you. A purge leaves very distinct smells and leavings, but it did give Aria a chance to practice her new fire.¡± ¡®Good to know,¡¯ was Axel¡¯s only reply to that, and being glad he brought three sets down with him. This was the second one down, so he had only one spare set left. ¡®Well, I am still not moving for a bit, so is anything else happening?¡¯ Axel asked while trying to move his head with little success as his right eye began to blink at that signal. ¡°Well, I have gathered Salmar and his old team¡¯s Journals, but we are unlikely to be able to remove the bodies,¡± Lyra began to explain while trying to make Axel more comfortable. ¡°Aria is working with Sky using her Aero and new Fire together. Sky thought that she could, with a bit of time, make me a temporary weapon as I used my new Vibration powers and destroyed my old one.¡± ¡®And that is why it¡¯s not recommended to try new powers while in a Trial,¡¯ Axel said in his best Rex voice. ¡°You have been out for about six hours, and we are at about the halfway point time-wise if Salmar¡¯s watch is still correct,¡± Lyra ignored Axel¡¯s comment. ¡°Sky took in her orb to have more power available in case anything happened.¡± ¡°Axel, I upgraded her Journal,¡± Lyra admitted. ¡®Good, I think she is trustworthy, and the Goddess would want to be able to talk to more people. We just need to be careful, not hold it only to our use,¡¯ Axel agreed with Lyra. ¡°Also, you freaked her out there when you activated whatever you did as none of us could contact you,¡± Lyra said in a fearful voice. ¡°Also, the way you looked when you beat the Titan, it was almost like you were not in there. You scared me, a lot.¡± ¡®I accessed my proto core with only my base ability, but I went over the safety limits and was being corrupted by the overwhelming power. It was only all of you yelling into my head that snapped me out of it,¡¯ Axel admitted as his mouth went dry, and when he tried to look away, he looked up¡ªdamn jumbled nervous system. ¡°Aria knew her hero would break free,¡± came a cheerful voice from Axel¡¯s left. ¡®While you scared me, I know you would not hurt your friends, Axel,¡¯ Sky¡¯s mental voice came shortly after. Sky then moved a new blade across Axel¡¯s vision to Lyra. The hilt still needed a wrap, but it looked like a fine blade, though Axel had no idea how they would quench the blade in this situation. ¡®Not my best work, but with my metal control, it should work well until I can forge something better,¡¯ Sky then grumbled about it being a waste of good metal. ¡°Axel! Axel! Aria with Sky has made so much progress with her fire!¡± Aria exclaimed while moving into a position to put Axel¡¯s head in her lap ¡°It only took burning half a hallway before the blasting stopped being way too high on the output!¡± ¡°Good job,¡± Axel said in a forced happy voice ¡°That was way faster than your Aero skills sharpened from training.¡± ¡®She was using Aero to control the fire.¡¯ Sky cut in as Aria was about to keep going ¡®Damned to the Crimson if I had ever seen anything like it besides in an enclosed furnace.¡¯ ¡®I look forward to seeing it when I can move,¡¯ Axel then frowned at Aria while trying to smile. ¡®Sorry about that, nerves still acting up.¡¯ Axel then realized that he should not be able to talk with this nerve issue as his mouth was moving but not saying words when he felt Sky brushing his mind. It took a long moment for him to come to the fact that Sky had kept a thought link and transfer up or at least put one back up when he woke up. This touched him as Axel knew how hard this was for her to do with others not of her race or a telepathy power. ¡®Thank you, Sky,¡¯ Axel sent and stopped trying to talk with his mouth while his body was messed up. ¡®You''re very welcome!¡¯ Came Sky''s loud reply came in a happy voice. ¡®Sky volume please¡¯ Axel begged as his head pounded ¡®Sorry¡¯ Sky sent back much more silently After this, everyone seemed to have run out of things to say and lapsed into silence for a time. After a while, Lyra handed out food from her pack and helped Axel sit up and drink some water. When Axel could move and talk Sky shut the link down with a tired sigh. Axel during the downtime memorized the map and hoped the shift had not moved his prey or that his prey would not be as tough as this last fight was. After being able to move Axel went through several exercises to make sure his body was moving right and gathered everyone together. ¡°Let¡¯s say our last goodbye and get moving. We are likely to be cutting it close as we have a lot of distance to cover and with how the journey here went we are likely to be slowed down.¡± Axel started and had Lyra take the front with him, Aria in the middle of the group and Sky holding the rear. After the quick planning session and Axel handing the map to Aria, he walked over to the five cloth-covered figures and kneeled while he prayed to the Goddess to take them into her embrace. After this moment of silence, the group broke their temporary camp, gathered weapons, and began to move in the direction that Salmar mapped for them. Just as the group began to move Aria started to wave at things in her face and turned a little red. She looked at Axel and said, ¡°The Goddess wanted me to remind you that it is rude to pass out while she is trying to warn you.¡± ¡°Warn me?¡± Axel asked while thinking hard about what she was saying ¡°My memory was a little fuzzy and overwhelming pain makes it hard to think about it.¡± ¡°She passed to Aria when she was upgrading that there are people hunting us from other novice groups that had come down at the same time.¡± Aria relayed to the group ¡°Also we are in more danger than we assume and should keep on the lookout.¡± ¡°As helpful as that warning is, does not change anything for us right now,¡± Lyra said after a little thought ¡°We didn¡¯t know about other groups down here but I am not that surprised as what twelve to fifteen groups can go down at the same time from the Vanguard locations in the city?¡± ¡®It is twelve as the Tower drops three and there are nine other locations that drop one group each.¡¯ Sky said in everyone¡¯s mind ¡®It can double as all branches can drop two but those extra tend to go to the Adept Trial.¡¯ ¡®Also, the branch locations do Gem runs while cycle upgrades are forced to go through the Tower,¡¯ Sky finished ¡®It is so that controls can be done for the list of controlled power.¡¯ ¡°Well Aria you keep your ear open, and we will try to stay sneaky but at least it will not be people too far above our level. Let¡¯s get my orb and get out¡± Axel then began moving forward as they had a timetable to keep. The trip was quiet and while the group ran into one or two small patrols of crimson they were just a pair of Wind Serpents that were killed before they knew anyone was there from Aria and Sky. The second was avoiding another Iron Titan that looked much smaller than the one Axel fought but he didn¡¯t want to deal with it, but Aria wanted to show off her new fire, thankfully she was outvoted by everyone not wanting to deal with her new ability in a hallway. The group made great progress when they arrived at the room marked on the map. In the room was a humanoid being that had a large well built upper body, blue-grey tinted skin, and strange robe-like clothing. It also had nothing below the waste, after its large belt with intricate buckle but earth-like dust that swirled in a small tornado. The Crimson was living up to its name as it through around the room a pair of Shatter with just gestures of its hand. ¡°Alright he has the ability to directionally control gravity,¡± Axel explained while the group hid outside the room ¡°The Iron Titan just releases its gravity all around it while the Tormenter can push or pull gravity on objects or people from different directions.¡± ¡°We will need to spread out when we get in there. I will try to make myself the biggest threat, but it will be up to Sky and Aria to kill it before it kicks my ass too much,¡± Axel began to lay out the plan ¡°Lyra you are the backup in case it flings me at one of them. Its weak point is that buckle on the belt, it''s where its essence is stored.¡± Chapter 35 Once a workable plan was in place, Axel tried to sneak up on the Tormenter when its back was turned, giving everyone else time to spread out to limit the Crimson''s ability to fling everyone around. Axel made it about halfway through the room before the Tormenter turned, as if sensing something, and noticed the group. When this happened, Axel roared at it and charged, only to see the Tormenter point at him and then at a far ceiling. Suddenly, there was no ground under his feet as Axel seemed to be pulled like a magnet to the corner, slamming into it with a speed and strength that left bruises and a fracture on his right rib section. Axel also felt all the air leave his chest. At the same moment, he saw Aria land several arrows against the Crimson¡¯s weak point before she was flung into Sky, ruining the shot Sky had lined up. Aria flared her wings as she began to move, and Axel saw swirls of air catch her open wings, slowing her impact. As Axel hit the ground, he could see Sky and Aria tumbling together, but this gave Lyra time to get in range to slash the weak point, making the Tormenter scream in frustration more than pain. The Tormenter then pointed at Lyra, and she was flung to the ceiling. Axel used the reprieve to catch his breath, then charged forward, throwing several knives. He scored one hit on the weak point and two that looked like they sunk into soft clay as they hit its body. Axel noticed that this Tormenter was tougher than the texts stated, and if they did not finish this quickly, injuries were going to start to accumulate. The Tormenter pointed at Axel, but he was better prepared for it and threw his discharge chain at the Crimson. As the chain wrapped and locked in place, Axel felt the pull again, but it was much weaker than the last time, and he received a surprised look from the Crimson as it came for the ride. As Axel hit the wall again, he was ready and moved his body to land against the wall with his feet. Axel then yanked the chain with a strong swing, cleaving the Tormenter in a diagonal slash, killing the Crimson. This had the issue that he was no longer being held to the wall and needed to make a rolling landing to reduce the damage he took. The crimson orb bounced around the room due to its momentum until it landed near Lyra, who was getting up off the ground. As Axel walked across the room, Aria and Sky untangled from each other, and Lyra picked up the orb before heading over to where Aria was looking at a broken wing with a pained expression. ¡°Owwww, this hurts,¡± Aria whined to the oncoming Lyra in a pitiful tone. ¡°Aria will not be able to fly for a while now.¡± ¡°Give me a moment to see how bad it is, and I will see about fixing you up,¡± Lyra told her while throwing the orb to Axel. ¡°Lyra, please fix it and make it feel better,¡± Aria looked at Lyra with big tear-filled eyes. ¡°Make sure to kiss it when you are done, as Aria knows that always makes it feel better.¡± Axel caught the orb and checked on Sky before internalizing the upgrade to make sure there was nothing wrong with her, but he was waved away before he got close. With everyone seeming to be doing okay, Axel gripped the orb and received a notice: Integrate Elemental Power: Gravitational Field? Y/N Axel thought "Yes," and power flooded through his body again. Then time slowed as the Goddess stood before Axel for a second time that day. Time slowed to Axel¡¯s perception again before a silver flame appeared before Axel and took the form of the Goddess. The Goddess Hope¡¯s silver flames flickered as she took several delicate steps across the floor to stand in front of Axel. ¡°That was sixty percent faster than my predictive models showed you would complete this cycle,¡± Hope''s light voice said to Axel. ¡°You also don¡¯t seem to have any more corruption than you did when we last communicated.¡± ¡°This is good news, as your survival prediction has increased by three point four percent,¡± Hope tilted her head to the side. ¡°You are also well on the way to being able to complete my task in time.¡± ¡°What is your task?¡± Axel asked as a slight headache was starting already. ¡°I find that most people would worry too much about this to focus, so until you are at Adept cycle four, I will hold onto this for now,¡± Hope answered. ¡°I recommend you leave the trial soon as the shift has accelerated the time, and if you get trapped, you will be stuck in here for an extra twelve hours.¡± ¡°I thank you for the warning, but we were going to leave anyway after this,¡± Axel replied while looking at the Goddess in question. ¡°I expected that, but your group tends to be slow on updating your journal, so I find that you may need a push to rush,¡± Hope gave Axel more context to the warning. ¡°Also, there is a group likely staying at your extraction elevator waiting for you.¡± ¡°Well, that is not great,¡± Axel said in a worried tone while he started to run options through his head. ¡°I predicted that all elevators to the tower have a team waiting at them to catch you,¡± Hope added. ¡°Though this only has an eighty-three percent likelihood as most in a Trial do not journal.¡± ¡°Our time is now running out, and you are unable to support the activation of another system. I will take my leave before causing you any more pain than needed,¡± the Goddess said as she faded away and time sped up again. Axel only had a mild headache this time and not the great pain he was in the first time he met the Goddess. Axel saw that Lyra was setting Aria¡¯s wing, based on her yelp of pain, before a light green glow came from Lyra¡¯s hand and covered the damaged location. Aria visibly relaxed shortly after and hugged Lyra, much to the healer''s blushing embarrassment. Axel pulled up his menu to check the changes to found that nothing changed on the main menu. Axel then accessed the Core menu to find that his available storage and generation increased significantly. Core: This was not beyond expectations, as every upgrade, besides one meant to increase storage, would raise the core storage by around a hundred. His body was also reacting normally, thankfully, by increasing the body-reserved power to keep the core stable until it reached the critical mass needed for an Adept core. This would take up a lot of power by the time he reached the end of Cycle Four, as the closer one got to the next stage, the harder it was to keep the core stable. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Axel knew that his new power would drain this available pool of energy quickly if his research was correct. He then accessed the power menu to see if his powers had changed with the new addition. Powers: Axel first checked over his current powers to see if there were any changes and was pleasantly surprised to find that there were. Proto Core: Master Tier Berserker Finding that the strength of this ability increasing was a little bittersweet, as it was a great trump card, but the danger to himself was something Axel was still coming to terms with. He would also need to get used to his new strength, as it would throw off his fighting until he did. He also noticed that the Goddess had updated the description in a rather unhelpful way. Axel then looked over regeneration, and it only seemed to be drawing more power, but this likely meant that it would be healing quicker and that his body was advancing, making it hard to heal quickly, which Axel was fine with. Novice Cycle 1: Regeneration (Lesser) As Axel closed out regeneration, he started to look over his new power. It seemed to have great versatility, but from what he was reading, it would be a great asset to him. Novice Cycle 2: Elemental Power Gravitational (Point to Point Directional) With that, Axel noticed there was a new quest notification and checked his journal to find a quest with a timer ticking down. Quest: That was not a lot of time to safely make it to the exit elevator and dodge crimson along the way. Axel gathered everyone and checked on their conditions before telling them what he learned. ¡°Alright everyone, any injuries we need to worry about?¡± Axel asked. ¡°My wing is set, and Aria won''t be able to fly for a few hours or use it, but otherwise all good,¡± Aria said first while gently stroking her damaged wing. ¡°My core is on the low side with healing me, Sky, and Aria,¡± Lyra added in a tired tone. ¡°We are not also hunting gems, are we?¡± ¡°No, but I will get to that in a moment,¡± Axel said and looked at Sky. ¡®I¡­Am¡­OK¡­but¡­.HEAD¡­.iS¡­ShaKeN,¡¯ came Sky''s slightly garbled mental reply. ¡°She has a concussion, and from what I read in her Journal, it should clear up in about an hour,¡± Lyra added with a pat on the Thalaxian''s side. Sky gave a slight nod. ¡°Well, that is troubling as we have under four and a quarter hours to make it to our extraction elevator, which may have people waiting for us there,¡± Axel informed the group. ¡°Should it not be like seven to eight hours left?¡± Lyra asked while pulling out a gold pocket watch that belonged to Salmar. ¡°According to the Goddess, the shift is causing issues, and if we don¡¯t want to be stuck in here for an extra twelve hours, we need to move now,¡± Axel added to Lyra. ¡°Also, I wish the Journal came with a clock function.¡± After saying that, a time display appeared in his upper left sight above his health data. Axel swore several times to the shock of his group. Grumbling as Axel received the odd looks, he explained what happened, much to everyone else¡¯s chuckles. ¡°I have no idea how long the journey back is, but I do remember the map Salmar showed us of this section of the Trial, and the return signs will help,¡± Axel said while trying to move things along, away from what just happened. ¡°Any thoughts on how long we rest as we have unknown patrols, unknown travel time, and likely a fight when we get to the elevator?¡± Axel asked the group. ¡°I think we can only wait for Sky''s injury to heal and move then,¡± Lyra said while looking at Sky. ¡°Anything more, and we are risking either being caught down two or having to protect Sky from whatever is waiting for us.¡± ¡°Aria agrees, but from what the Goddess told Axel, we are running very short on time,¡± Aria added. Sky did not respond to this request for comment but just waited for the group to come to a consensus. Axel thought about it and looked at Lyra. ¡°Any chance you can heal it faster?¡± Axel asked, though he knew the answer as he asked. ¡°I could, but it will drain me dry,¡± Lyra confirmed Axel¡¯s fear as she had not healed Sky earlier. ¡°Alright, plan C,¡± Axel described. ¡°Lyra, heal Sky and drain the beast gem from the fiend to recharge. Then you will take the Shade and Aria the Zone Walker beast gems.¡± ¡°That is a lot of money wasted, but sure,¡± Lyra replied and went to healing Sky. ¡°What are we going to need with those two gems?¡± ¡°Because when we find the sad sacks waiting to ambush us, you both are going to appear in the back line and take out any support,¡± Axel said in a low voice. ¡°I am already not in a great mood with Salmar, and now these bags full of crap want to hurt more of my friends.¡± Aria and Lyra nodded at the plan, but he could tell that Lyra was thinking of all the gold that these could have been sold for. Sky began to perk up after the healing energy washed over her head and thanked Lyra, only to then try to hug her with her manipulators, but Lyra just said the thanks was enough and backed away quickly. Lyra then filled her core with the fiend gems, causing it to dim a bit, and took the Shade gem from Axel. Aria took the Zone Walker before everyone began to head down the hallway following a map from a dead man. Chapter 36 As the group moved through the labyrinthian connection of hallways, Axel followed the map and avoided as many rooms as possible. This didn¡¯t mean that entities were not encountered, as the longer the party moved, the more they were discovered. The first was a group of Wind Serpents resting at a junction point that must be crossed. Axel tested his new power and linked a throwing knife with one of the serpents, while Sky created a metal spike with her new powers to kill the pair before they knew what hit them. Axel used this to see how much energy was drained with the smallest object he had. A throwing knife with a throw used only about one core power, which was great as he had linked and flung the blade from around the corner. However, he found he could only link the gravitational points at the center mass of the target. Axel did discover that he could link the other point to any spot on the knife, revealing interesting limitations to his power. Sky was a little slow with generating a spike with her power, but this gave Axel a chance to see if he could link a created object to another object, which worked much to his and Sky''s surprise. This allowed Axel to avoid wind blasts from the other serpent and nail it with a spike, with Sky helping to add momentum. Aria and Lyra gemmed the cores on the way, and the group did not stop for more than a couple of minutes as no one wanted to linger with the clock ticking on getting out of there. The next encounter was a roaming Iron Titan ahead of the group, large but not as massive as the one Axel had fought earlier. ¡°This one is Aria¡¯s,¡± Aria stated, stomping her foot. ¡°Aria is the best to handle this without anyone getting hurt.¡± ¡°This can also be a great controlled test of how my new power works with my Aero,¡± Aria argued as Axel was about to say something. She stared Axel right in the eye, daring him to fight her on this. ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t overdo it, please, and ask for help if it looks dangerous,¡± Axel relented, not having the energy to argue with her. Axel also couldn''t argue with the determined look she was giving him and stepped back with Lyra and Sky, knowing that while Aria was immune to her fire, the rest of the group was not. Aria held out a hand, and a small pillar of red and yellow-accented flame shot up to the ceiling about fifteen feet up, alerting the Iron Titan to her presence. She began to flap her wings, and the pillar started to feed into a ball that grew hotter and hotter with each beat. The flame''s color shifted from blue to white as the heat intensified. Axel guessed that Aria was using Aero, combined with the movement of her wings, to contain and feed the flames. A dull roar emanated from the now white-hot ball, but it seemed that Aria, with her current skill and strength, couldn''t make it any hotter. The heat had increased to the point that Axel, standing a good twenty feet away, felt a sting on his skin. As the Titan closed in, now halfway to Aria, she flung her hand forward with a yell of, "FIREBALL!!!" The fireball shot across the forty-foot gap in an instant, leaving a streak of white in its wake, and struck the Titan in the chest. The explosion, even from Axel''s distance, left a stinging sensation on his skin and made him stagger back several steps from the impact force. As the fireball blast cleared, Axel saw the Titan glowing red with small cracks spreading from its chest. Surprised that the Titan was still standing, though it had staggered back a step or two, Axel then turned his focus to Aria and lost his breath at the sight. Floating above Aria were two growing white fireballs, each being fed from a flame in her hands. She was not flapping her wings this time, but her leather armor moved as if there was an air current flowing around her. It hit Axel that Aria was recycling the air pressure to feed her flames, likely to decrease the effects on her team and save energy. Each ball filled in seconds with the same white fire as the first. Axel then heard Aria¡¯s clear voice ring out in the hallway. ¡°Maybe you did not hear Aria the first time,¡± she said, making a grandiose hand gesture at the Titan. ¡°FIREBALL!!!¡± Two streaks of white shot at the Titan this time, and Axel grabbed Lyra and Sky, using his power to anchor against the blast and shield them from the damage. Less than a second later, the two blasts merged into one. The pressure wave stole Axel''s breath away, and the loud explosion activated his regeneration to heal his now ruptured eardrums. When Axel could breathe again, he quickly turned to see if Aria was okay, only to see her in a swirling shield of air that held quickly cooling globs of metal as they began to fade into motes of light. The crimson likely died in that blast. Axel then ran up to Aria to check on her but stopped at the spinning shield of air, unsure of how much power was in it and wary of getting hurt if he tried to breach it. As Axel stood there, he was jabbed in both ribs, realizing he was still holding Sky and Lyra. There were even drag marks from Sky''s large slender legs trying to stop Axel. Axel let both go and apologized to the pair before looking back to Aria as the wind shield dropped to reveal a very tired but grinning young woman. Axel was about to yell at her but received a tackle hug and laugh from his mate. ¡°Sigh, what was that about not overdoing¡­¡± Axel started to say as his lips were sealed in a kiss by Aria. The kiss lasted a while, and if Axel was not short of breath before, he was now. An unknown amount of time later, Aria released the kiss, and Axel could swear he saw stars twinkling in her eyes. ¡°That was so amazing," Aria said, equally short on breath. ¡°That was so worth sixty percent of my core power.¡± ¡°Aria¡­¡± Lyra said from the side and grabbed her by the ear, pulling her over. ¡°You used sixty percent of your core, made a lot of noise, and scared me greatly. What the crimson?¡± ¡°It was awesome though, right?¡± Aria asked instead of answering Lyra¡¯s question. ¡°I even thought of those cool lines on the spot!¡± Lyra, with a scream of frustration, started to shake the aurelian by the shoulder and said, ¡°THAT IS NOT THE POINT!¡± ¡®We should get moving,¡¯ Sky sent to everyone, trying to calm the situation. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I agree with Sky. Let''s keep moving, and Aria, be careful, okay?¡± Axel said while breaking up Lyra and Aria before they were sidetracked more. As they headed down the hallway, Axel saw that the white stone was scarred and marked but relatively undamaged. He could also see it was healing at a speed his eyes could track. The orb was not found as they traveled, and while a gravity gem would be nice, there just was not the time to stop. If he judged the distance traveled and what they needed to travel yet, even without delays, there would only be about twenty minutes left on the clock, and he had the feeling there would be more fights on the way. Thankfully, the explosion either drew the crimson away through other routes or scared them away. Axel didn¡¯t know enough to guess but was thankful all the same. As Axel¡¯s team was within two junctions of the exit, Axel halted the group for a short rest and planning session. He also opened the Journal and saw: Quest: ¡°Alright, we are about two minutes away from the elevator and another hard fight,¡± Axel began. ¡°Anyone else thought of other ideas before we get there?¡± ¡°Aria could fir¡­¡± Aria started when Lyra knocked her upside the head. ¡°No, it will give you away, and we don¡¯t know if they have a long-range power to attack you. You are a big bright target while you prepare it.¡± ¡°Oww,¡± Aria complained while rubbing the back of her head. ¡®I could, as we move, generate a large metal shield slab to shoot down the tunnel ahead of me and Axel while Aria and Lyra use the gems,¡¯ Sky added with a mental voice that shared the worry she was feeling. ¡°Ok, I can help by trying to link it, but the person may fly to it more than it to them,¡± Axel replied. ¡®Just be ready for anyone with movement power to use what we plan to do to them as this will take a lot of power from me,¡¯ came Sky¡¯s happy mental voice. ¡°Alright, Aria and Lyra, try to take your targets out in one strike to reduce risk,¡± Axel finished as he got up and began to move. ¡°Ummm¡­has anyone thought that they may be innocents waiting on an exfil elevator after a shift?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°We could be just attacking people who are just trying to get out.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the Goddess say that they would be baddies?¡± Aria asked in turn while looking confused at Lyra. ¡°I am just saying we are doing a pre-emptive strike on strangers without knowing if they are enemies,¡± Lyra looked away from everyone and hugged herself a bit. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill people if it is not needed.¡± ¡°I understand, Lyra, but if they are trying to avoid a shift, they should have taken the elevator up and sent it back down after returning,¡± Axel tried to reason. ¡°If there is a group camping our way out, they are likely not friendly, and we are still weak compared to most groups.¡± ¡°I know, but this just doesn''t feel right,¡± Lyra refused to look at Axel as she replied. ¡°I can deal with things happening in a head-on fight, but jumping them feels so wrong.¡± ¡°Well, do you have a better idea?¡± Axel asked and waited as the timer ticked down. He would give her what little time he could, but the sands in the hourglass were running out quickly. ¡°No,¡± came the only reply Lyra seemed to be able to come up with but could still not look at Axel. ¡®No, sadly,¡¯ Sky was next with a mental tone laced with sadness. ¡°Aria hates it too, Lyra, but living the lives we want means conflicting goals,¡± Aria took Lyra gently by the chin with her hand. ¡°They likely want money to get stronger and climb higher, while we want to survive and get stronger to complete our goals.¡± ¡°If your goals are not that strong, Axel can take your place, and you can guard Sky on the frontal attack,¡± Aria kept up with a gentle voice and her eyes holding a softness. ¡°But we don¡¯t have any more time to hesitate, or we will be fighting for our lives for the next twelve hours, as during a shift, there are no safe zones in the Trial.¡± ¡°Axel, I just can''t do a sneak attack like that ¡­ I am sorry,¡± Lyra said while still not looking Aria in the eye. Aria just hugged Lyra and wrapped her wings around her while whispering something Axel could not hear into Lyra¡¯s ear. Axel received the Shade gem and changed his place in the attack. With no more time, Axel led the group as Sky built a shield as they moved. It thickened and grew quickly, but Axel could see Sky start to struggle as they entered the home stretch to see a group of five waiting for them with weapons out. The group held two humans, two aurelians, and a thalaxian. The first human was a male who held a shield and axe while his body glowed a dull grey from some kind of body enhancement. The other human was a female who held a spear and moved from foot to foot as if she needed to keep moving. Of the aurelians, a female one wielded a bow, and Axel could see swirling air blades circling her position. The other aurelian was covered in steel armor that made it hard to see if they were male or female, but they held a heavy sword that Axel bet needed a strength cycle to use. The thalaxian was the odd one out, and Axel could see it was standing off to the side of the others. The most worrying thing, though, was that the ground around it was red hot. After taking this in at a glance, Axel picked his target and looked at Aria to see that she had chosen hers. The group was not in a mental link as Sky did not have the power to have one up and move the shield at the same time. Then the attacks launched from the other group, making Axel and Aria duck behind the metal slab and pull out their gems. Traveling with the shade gem was strange as the world became inky in color, and it almost felt like the warmth of his body was draining out of him, but then it was over, and he was behind the archer who was throwing wind blades and trying to curve arrows around Sky''s shield. Axel could see that the thalaxian was unleashing a stream of flame at it, trying to heat it up. Axel read that when metal was heated or chilled to a certain temperature, it caused metal controllers to have issues moving that metal. The shield and axe user was preparing to take the attack head-on with his weapon giving off a shimmer much like a shatter. Axel did not see the spear user anywhere and thought that they might have shifted locations like him and Aria. Axel stepped out of the shadow and, using point to point locked the archer''s feet in place, then swung his halberd in a two-handed swing. The woman reflexively tried to launch herself in the air, a habit Axel noticed was common in her race, but she was locked to the spot. This was her doom as the attack slammed into her chest, seeming to slow on some armor behind her clothing, but the halberd head dug deep and collapsed the front of her chest in. With a tug to free his weapon, Axel found that holding her through his swing drained a large part of his power pool. Axel looked for his next opponent and saw Aria cleanly disabling the heavy sword user with a combo of knife stabs that started at the back of the knee, followed by ducking, then disabling a wing, then the right arm at the elbow, and finishing with her left dagger up and under the helmet. Aria was forced to release both daggers and roll out of the way as a wave of flames filled her previous position. At this moment, Axel heard a crack of thunder from behind the shield as the axe user slammed his weapon while trying to block with his shield, shattering Sky¡¯s metal block. The axe user did not receive the best end of that as many pieces of molten metal flew everywhere around him and everyone in his area, which sadly meant Aria, Axel, and the thalaxian all had to deal with it. Aria erected another air barrier that diverted the pieces, the thalaxian did something with heated air and thick fire, but Axel just hit the floor to make himself a smaller target. This helped as Axel was only hit by a couple of chunks that, while hurting some, until the healing kicked in a moment later reviving those nerves, which caused more pain. The metal faded from existence as it was a conjured material. As Axel returned to his feet and took a look around, he could see that while his group had taken out two of theirs, this fight was not over. Aria faced off against the thalaxian, Sky was helping Lyra with the spear user, and Axel was looking at a large man who looked to be shaking off remnants of molten metal. This was likely to be a rough fight ahead. Gripping his halberd tightly and feeling the pain already fading, Axel charged at what would be his foe. Chapter 37 As Axel charged into combat with the axe wielder, he slammed the spear tip of his halberd into the chest, but it was blocked by the axe user''s shield. The axe wielder¡¯s weapon glowed softly and chopped at Axel''s weapon. Seeing this, Axel shifted his center of balance and yanked his weapon to the right, using his strength and anchoring his feet with gravity to throw his opponent to the side, ruining the attack. Even with this, Axel felt his halberd vibrate painfully in his hand, making it hard to hold. The axe user tumbled with the momentum, dislodging the spear tip from his shield. The shield was cracked and didn''t look like it would take many more attacks, but Axel noticed a gouge in the shaft of his halberd from that glancing blow. Behind Axel¡¯s now tumbling opponent, he saw that Lyra and Sky were struggling to keep up with the spear user, who kept trying to bypass Lyra to attack Sky with fast and quick strikes. Lyra must have been pushing her core as her sword parried attack after attack to give Sky time to attack with small spikes that didn''t seem to hit. Then, out of the corner of Axel¡¯s eye, he saw white and locked his feet with gravity as a blast hit him, trying to fling him across the room. Seeing his opponent flung to a wall as he was just returning to his feet, Axel looked over to Aria¡¯s fight to see the fireball dissipating against a shield of blue flames. Aria was looking winded after such a short fight, likely not having a full core when the fight started. Axel could do the math, but it did not look good. His opponent still looked fresh even after being thrown from that blast and taking Sky''s metal wall at the start of the battle. Lyra and Sky did not seem to be making any headway with the spear user, and Aria was burning through her core power quickly. Their enemies were likely at Cycle three or four with a deeper pool of reserve power and more practiced powers. Axel needed to shake this up, or his group would lose even after the two quick kills at the start of this engagement. Axel then saw something that gave him an idea. He looked to Aria and pointed at the axe user yelling, ¡°Pull.¡± Axel then linked the man and the wall on the other side of the thalaxian in line to collide together at an angle, launching the axe user again. Aria noticed this right away and flung a fireball at him with a scream of ¡°FIREBALL!!¡± The fireball launched with speed but began to deviate right away as the thalaxian was trying to manipulate her fire. This was not cool, so Axel threw his halberd to distract, causing the thalaxian to then make a shield of flame to deflect the halberd. This broke its hold on the fireball, and Aria manipulated the air around it, causing the ball of white fireball to slam into the axe user right in front of the hallway. Sky and Lyra, hearing the yell from Aria braced for impact, much to the spear user¡¯s surprise. Then the blast happened and caused the axe user to scream in pain for the first time in the fight. When the spots in his vision cleared, Axel saw that the spear user had a metal spike in her knee, and Lyra was swinging her now glowing sword that held the power of shatter. Lyra¡¯s sword made contact it shattered on impact, but a gaping wound in the spear user''s neck was left and the metal shrapnel covered the entire left side of her body. Lyra did not look great either but was still in fighting shape from the way she was standing. Sky was lying on the ground in exhaustion, seeming to be spent completely. Axel then heard, with his recovering hearing, a sizzling sound and a meaty thud. The axe user, who was still being carried by Axel¡¯s power after being knocked off course for a time by the fireball had now hit the shield of the thalaxian, dealing more damage and sending both into a wall. Axel then felt very tired suddenly and could not support himself dropping to a knee. Axel saw that his energy meter in his vision was nearly empty, with his core down to only three percent. Axel slowly returned to his feet as he did not know if this fight was over but the effort felt difficult but his fear was soon confirmed when both the thalaxian and the axe user slowly rose from the wall Axel sent them into. The axe user was burned badly from head to toe with heavy damage to his gear. The thalaxian was staggering and bleeding from cracks all over its carapace. Small flickers of flames appeared but vanished almost immediately as it seemed to be having an issue with either control or low on power. As Axel saw this he reached for his throwing knives, trying to ready a throw, but his hand was still shaking from earlier, and each blade went wide after release, only hitting the wall as there was nowhere else to go. Each of the remaining enemies turned to look at Axel after the failed throws, but the next moment, an arrow landed in the eye of the axe user followed by several into the nerve clusters of the thalaxian. Each enemy dropped right after. Axel was breathing heavily when the axe user fell to the ground and did not move anymore. Axel then checked the time and saw there were only five minutes left on the clock. ¡°Guys, keep moving! We have less than five minutes to get in,¡± Axel called to his team. ¡°Retrieve gear, loot, and Lyra, if you can, retrieve their journals.¡± This got everyone staggering into motion. Lyra took a knife to the base of the spear user''s neck, Aria retrieved arrows for her now empty quiver while looting bags, and Sky moved at a slow pace to get to the elevator as she was unlikely to help in a quick search but was carrying everyone else¡¯s bag. Axel grabbed his halberd but didn¡¯t even try to find the missing knives. He searched the archer and heavy sword user, grabbing their burned bags and quickly opening the back of their skulls with a knife to retrieve a small square journal from each. As Axel wiped his knife, he received a warning. Quest: ¡°Time''s up, MOVE!¡± Axel said while holding a pair of packs and dashed to the elevator. Aria and Lyra were on his heels, and all of them entered with twelve seconds to spare. As everyone slumped against a wall, the doors closed, and the lobby button lit up. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Roll call,¡± Axel managed to say. ¡°Anyone too badly off?¡± ¡°Aria is just out of power and low on arrows,¡± Aria said and slid a pair of damaged knives to Axel. ¡°Also, you lost these.¡± ¡°I have some minor shrapnel, but my armor and shield caught most of it,¡± Lyra added from her seat on the floor. ¡°I think we will have to look into new armor after this.¡± ¡®I am just tired,¡¯ Sky¡¯s mental voice said at a barely audible level. ¡®We likely have a while for the trip up as I hear decontamination always takes time. Let¡¯s check what we got so we can declare when we make it to the preparation room.¡¯ As the elevator moved and strange green lines went over the group repeatedly, Axel, Aria, and Lyra all opened a pack. Aria threw the other thalaxian¡¯s pack to Sky so she had something to go through. Axel found that the archer had a small pouch of money, a bounty notice, and three gems. This did not count clothing and other necessities. The gems were elemental wind, gravity, and elemental fire. Aria found in the axe user''s heavily burned bag a pouch of melted coins and several destroyed gems. Everything else in the bag was heavily damaged much to her disappointment, so Axel threw her the heavy sword user¡¯s bag. In that bag was a large pouch of coins, several books on herbs, a book on rare metals, and six gems. The gems included elemental earth, water, three wind, and a healing. These could sell for a fair amount for the elements to a large amount for the healing. Lyra sorted out a book on spear moves, a bounty hunter¡¯s badge, a bank key, and a small pouch of money from the spear user''s bag. She then pulled out ten gems which included four shatters, three fires, two lights, and a healing gem. The haul seemed great to replace or repair their gear. Sky was pulling out many tools, and supplies. There were about eight gems that were all metal control gems from her pack. There was other clothing and gear carried in that pack that seemed to be most of that group¡¯s food and survival supplies. When everything was repacked into their bags, Aria put the things they didn¡¯t want in the bags they did not want. The ride lasted well over an hour, and Aria had moved over falling asleep on Axel¡¯s shoulder while waiting for them to reach the exit. Lyra removed shrapnel that her blessing moved to the surface and healed the wounds shut. Sky just rested with her eyes closed, still exhausted from the day¡¯s events. When the door opened, they were greeted by Rex standing in the room with crossed arms. Rex looked over the battered smaller group with a grim expression. ¡°Salmar not make it?¡± It was a simple question that was met with sad shakes from everyone at the same time. ¡°Come out and let¡¯s get the necessary tasks completed, then you can debrief me on everything that happened.¡± Rex then led the group to a woman holding a truth orb and two other staff members in guard gear. Everyone then declared the power gained to be added to their Vanguard profile, with Lyra stating that she gained shatter which was true while holding the orb. They each then stated which gems they came out with and sold all but the energy fiend one and the two healing gems for a large payout. After this was done, the group was told through the tone of voice of someone who made this statement hundreds of times. ¡°You are required to stay in this room for three hours to make sure that you did not bring anything out of the Trial or missed the scans.¡± With that, the worker left with the gems, and the door closed and locked behind her. ¡°Well want to tell me what happened down there?¡± Rex asked in a stony tone. ¡°It all started with everyone working with Salmar on where to find their powers,¡± Aria started for the group and began to tell what happened in the trial. Axel, Lyra, and Sky fixed the parts where she exaggerated and added details. ¡°Then we made a run after the ambush.¡± Aria finished the tale and fluttered her wings. ¡°We did retrieve their journals, but we are wiped. Can Aria pull out one of the beds and nap now?¡± Rex just nodded and asked for the Journals so that he could take care of them. Lyra handed over all of the Journals as she was given all from the ambush party. Rex thanked her and then left the room after a dozen lines of red light from a small lens above the door swept over him. Axel went to the showers attached to the room and cleaned up. He then got into clean clothing and poked Aria awake to make her go clean up. This then caused Sky and Lyra to go clean and change before relaxing on benches and beds to rest. As Axel leaned back in his chair, he must have dozed off as he was awakened by a loud beep as doors opened to let them out. With this abrupt awakening, they left to decompress and likely go to bed; while it had only been about four hours here each of them had just run around in trial for over sixteen hours. Before heading to bed Axel sent a message to Jareth. The message only told Jareth that things were on schedule and to contact Axel if anything on his end went wrong. Lyra and Aria left together with Sky heading to her forge with most of their weapons for repairs, her idea and she would not listen to anyone¡¯s protest on this as she stated it was her relaxation. After this Axel took an elevator to a training room and started working out as he was still feeling adrenaline running through him even though his medical stated otherwise when he checked it in full mode. This did help Axel as he beat his body into a sweaty mess while processing that he had taken yet more lives. The thing that bothered him most was that this just felt easier to him. After a few hours, he came to the conclusion that it was more about the situation than people as he knew they were there to kill him. After working out Axel noticed it was well into the night now. Wanting to still keep a good sleep cycle Axel left to get cleaned up again before bed. After showering then lay down in his dark room, lit only by moonlight trailing across the floor and ending halfway up the door. Axel after laying there trying to sleep heard his door quietly open. Aria, her damp hair glistening in the moonlight silently moved into the room. Axel shifted in the bed allowing her onto it as she smelled herbs he associated with Lyra causing a raised brow at an innocent look from Aria. ¡°Aria¡¯s flock is likely growing soon,¡± Aria said in a soft voice ¡°Lyra was having issues after killing her first person and Aria spent the afternoon helping her process it, which led to some light play but nothing more as Aria has a promise where Axel''s permission is needed before adding to the flock.¡± ¡°Aria, I told you when I became your mate that I knew what being with your kind meant,¡± Axel said while trying to quell the feelings welling up. ¡°If this is what you need, it''s what you need. I will not say from my perspective it does not suck, but you are not human.¡± ¡°Aria is still struggling with why your people see relationships so linearly, but thank you,¡± Aria said in a gentle voice. ¡°Aria does see that Lyra needs someone to help comfort her and give her an anchor after what has happened.¡± ¡°Leave it at this please,¡± Axel replied still fighting the jealousy burning through his chest that refused to go away with how he recently told Lyra he was interested in her only to be turned down. ¡°Aria feels that there is something wrong with your statement and needs to be fixed,¡± Aria then began lightly kissing Axel while whispering in his ear. ¡°Axel is Aria¡¯s mate. As much as Aria is interested in Lyra, Axel will always hold Aria¡¯s soul.¡± Axel did not get anywhere near the sleep he planned that night and learned a few more tricks from Aria while the moon''s light glowed off of flared wings. Chapter 38 Axel walked through his home village, talking to Lyra about how unreasonable his mom was with her training. The sun shone brightly, and the breeze was a warm caress on his skin. However, the other villagers seemed to be gone. As he walked, he started to notice that many of the buildings were deformed and misshapen. The further they walked, the worse the situation became, with strange shadows moving from the trees and homes. Axel tried to bring this up with Lyra, but she said it was all in his head. Abnormal energy levels were detected. Contacting support from main system support. When they arrived at their home, it was as strange as the rest of the town. Suddenly, Lyra was wrapped in chains of blood that shot out of the shadows and yanked her into the sky. Axel reached for a weapon or power to fight whatever had grabbed her, but there was nothing. Lyra then started to change into Aria, and the chains began to slowly tighten, tearing her apart. ¡°NO!!¡± With a scream of rage, Axel tried jumping up to the chains, but some power locked him to the ground, and laughter filled the space. Axel turned his head to see Lyra and Cade standing on the roof of his home. ¡°Everything you love,¡± Cade started. ¡°Will be taken,¡± Lyra continued. ¡°Because your hands are dyed by,¡± Cade said, with blood beginning to fall from his mouth. ¡°The blood of everything you cared about,¡± Lyra completed, now with bleeding empty eye sockets. ¡°SHALL BE REAPED BY YOUR OWN HANDS!!¡± Both voices echoed, followed by the sound of tearing flesh and the rain of bloody feathers. Axel felt a deep horror as he looked down at his blood-soaked body, each hand holding a chain that was pulled tightly¡ªthe same chains that had held Aria in the sky. The sky continued to rain blood as the laughter from Lyra and Cade distorted, and each of them changed into beings of blood. Blood with a humanoid shape began emerging from the shadows of the homes, each taking a strange and off form of someone Axel knew. Each was repeating different words, but "traitor," "murderer," and "killer" were the most common. As Axel swung to stop them, he heard Aria¡¯s scream of pain above him, causing him to look up and see the chains wrapped tighter around her. Every time he swung his fist at the blood creatures, the chains tightened, making deeper wounds. Stuck in a quagmire, all Axel could do was defend his body. The blood monsters did not hurt him, but as each attacked him, more links began to form on the chains binding his hands. This lasted for a long time as Axel tried to stop the blood monsters without hurting Aria. The chains finally wrapped from his wrists to his shoulders. There were even chains wrapped around each of his legs when no more blood monsters appeared. Axel could no longer move without causing Aria to scream in pain. ¡°Bound in blood,¡± came Finn¡¯s voice from the air. ¡°Weakened by love,¡± came Quinn¡¯s voice. ¡°Betrayed by friends,¡± came Lyra¡¯s voice again from the roof. ¡°You are nothing, Axel. Just a fool who could not see the traps laid by others to destroy you,¡± Cade¡¯s voice said, with a gurgle of blood foaming from his mouth. ¡°Fool!¡± the voice of a hundred people sounded at once. ¡°But fear not, as you will be able to spill blood without these pesky feelings slowing your hands.¡± A new voice appeared, coming from the sky. As Axel looked up, he saw a man who seemed to have no skin. He was covered in muscles, and each eye socket held an eye made of diamonds. Warning! Proto-core trying to break containment. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°I have waited years for you, young Axel,¡± the strange being said, though it had no lips or tongue to speak with. Its voice was crystal clear to Axel¡¯s ears, almost soothing to his mind. ¡°All you need to do is embrace your true power through me, and you will no longer be bound,¡± the being¡¯s voice was calm, and its skinless hand made an open-palmed gesture. ¡°Embrace the chains and make them yours, and you will be free of worries, fear, loneliness, and betrayal.¡± ¡°What the crimsons is happening here?¡± Axel replied as the chains began to squirm and tighten. ¡°Release me and Aria now!¡± ¡°But that would defeat our whole purpose here,¡± the calm voice replied. ¡°I am trying to help you. You are tormented by Cade¡¯s death, the fate of your family, the betrayal of your heart.¡± ¡°It must hurt so bad. I can only guess, as your kind and mine do not process these things the same way, but living through you has helped me understand,¡± the skinless man explained while floating down to look Axel in the eye. ¡°So much pain in those lovely eyes that I could not take it anymore.¡± ¡°It pains my essence to see you in this state,¡± the voice projected a feeling of loss to Axel. ¡°Just embrace my chains, and that will all be gone.¡± ¡°No...¡± Axel whispered. ¡°Why? Why do you hold onto these useless things?¡± The skinless one pointed to Aria¡¯s bleeding and battered body above him. ¡°All she will cause you is pain, loss, and sadness. She ties you down and stops you from being as strong as you could be.¡± ¡°She is my light... She holds me together... She pushes me forward,¡± Axel pushed out, though his mouth did not seem to want to work. ¡°If you need light, you can light a fire. My chains would hold you together stronger than those weak emotions, and with me, I can pull you to the top,¡± the being whispered in Axel¡¯s ear, trying to entice him. As much as Axel was repulsed by it and tried to ignore it, it was as if the words bounced around in his head. ¡°Why do you want to keep feeling this?¡± The being waved its hand, and memories began to flutter through Axel¡¯s mind in rapid succession, each playing in full. Scenes of being rejected by other kids, the pain of all the times he shattered his bones and needed to heal, Lyra telling him she could not love him, Cade challenging him on his only chance to leave a legacy with the woman he loved, the ill-fated duel ending his friend with a rage-filled attack, having to flee with a broken body, the bandit he killed, and on until he reached the moment where Aria told him about her wanting to have Lyra as one of her flock. The pain felt a hundred times worse than he remembered. ¡°See all that pain?¡± The skinless one was still standing there after forcing Axel to relive all those memories. ¡°Why do you allow yourself to be tortured like this?¡± ¡°Just take the chains, and you will no longer have to worry,¡± it whispered gently into Axel¡¯s ear. ¡°Just give in, and it will all be gone.¡± ¡°N..n¡­no..¡± Axel denied as the scenes played again through his mind, but with everything negative increased. ¡°I wi..will not give you what you want here.¡± ¡°Oh Axel, please don¡¯t make me keep doing this to you,¡± the being said in a voice filled with sadness. ¡°This does neither of us any favors.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy this, but if you don¡¯t let me save you from the pain, how can I help you?¡± It continued in a suggestive tone while pointing at Lyra and Cade. ¡°Look at them. They let their pain and worry lead them to this, and now they will live in pain or feel nothing again. I am only trying to take away this pain from you.¡± The chains wiggled and squeezed against Axel¡¯s arm, leaving broken bones but then pain relief when they tightened. Over and over, for what felt like days, Axel was shown all his worst memories and the pain of the chains¡¯ release. Axel began to lose track of time in this realm, as it seemed time had no meaning here. Containment protocols were upgraded and the cooldown on Berserk was completed. Proto-core returning to normal. Abnormal energy levels return to normal. As Axel suffered, he heard light crying from above. Having forgotten who was there, Axel looked up and saw a young girl with hair that shone in the sun and wings crying over the ashes of her home. Then the scene morphed into a girl who was unwanted by all who took in the young, as she never spoke and hardly ate. This was followed by a girl sitting with a young human boy who had lost his parents, helping him find a way to go forward. After that, it changed to a young woman who took every bit of training she could, practicing with the bow and knives until she collapsed in the training yard but returned to her feet to wrap her bleeding hands. The last scene was of a woman who killed a Shadowfang with another young man she tackled. ¡°AXEL!¡± She screamed at him from the chained area above. ¡°You are Aria¡¯s soul. You are not allowed to give that to anyone else.¡± ¡°Ahhh, our time is up, young Axel,¡± the skinless one appeared on the roof where Lyra and Cade had stood so long ago. ¡°Well, I could not convince you yet, but the more pain that builds up, the more you will seek me to release it. Maybe one day you will take my offer and truly be free of all that suffering.¡± ¡°Until next time!¡± The skinless one bowed, and the village disappeared, the blood broke up, and the chains dissolved into a black oblivion. As Axel floated there in the quiet darkness, another voice quietly, not of the demon said, ¡°That is just what you have earned.¡± Chapter 39 Axel woke to the noon suns gleaming brightly in his room, casting light onto the ceiling above him. He was covered in sweat, which had soaked into the mattress, making it wet. There was no feeling of Aria in his arm, but he felt two weights on his body¡ªone on his chest and one on his stomach. Axel could feel aches throughout his body, but they were not the usual kind from a fight; they were deeper, more profound pains. As he moved his head to see what was happening, he saw Sky sleeping on the floor off to the side. Axel had never seen a Thalaxian asleep before, but her legs were curled up around her, and her manipulators were twitching. From his position, he could also see that Lyra was sleeping on his chest, with Aria¡¯s wings in the background, meaning she was the weight on his stomach. Not knowing what was happening, Axel swept the room with his eyes and saw a small figure, no more than five inches tall, sitting on his nightstand. The Goddess sat there, poised, with tiny flickers of flame leaving her body. ¡°I calculated that you would awaken now based on your biological data,¡± Axel heard in a crisp and clear tone. ¡°It is good to see that you did not submit to the entity, as your brainwaves, while slightly disturbed, are within recorded ranges.¡± Axel blinked at this but could not seem to muster the ability to speak to her. ¡°It was unexpected that the material from that entity had surviving thought patterns. This was out of expectations, but your case is singular due to how you received it.¡± Hope¡¯s voice modulated into a concerned tone. ¡°This was a close thing, Axel. You could have been taken over or changed completely by the entity. Your companions burned through the power of their cores over the last 48 hours to give me the power to help you.¡± ¡°I am only still visible to you because of the power they gave.¡± Hope gestured to her diminutive body. ¡°I am also in a lower bandwidth mode that was created because you could not sustain cycle upgrades at the speeds necessary to contact me when needed.¡± Axel weakly nodded and noticed that his core was draining, likely from this conversation, and would only last a short time before he was empty. Still unable to talk, he brought up the journal interface and started a journal entry. ¡°Thank you for your help, Goddess. I know you likely have hundreds of tasks more important than me,¡± Axel mentally typed and sent. Hope blinked a moment later and nodded to Axel. ¡°I have billions of tasks running at any given time, but your group has a higher priority due to the nature of the mission I need you to complete in the future.¡± ¡°I have high expectations of you, Axel, and of your companions. While I do have backups if you fail, none of them have even half the projected success rate your group has, so please stay safe and keep risks to a better-calculated percentage.¡± Hope raised her hands and clasped them together. ¡°I will go now, as your enhancements are still not up to communications at this speed for long.¡± With that, the little silver flame vanished, and Axel felt a stirring on his chest and stomach, likely a reaction to his movement. Lyra raised her head, her right-side hair sticking out at a right angle, while Aria had a strange bedhead in the left direction. ¡°Good morning, everyone. Nice to see my room is popular,¡± Axel said in a hoarse and low voice, trying not to wake Sky. ¡°AXEL!¡± Aria ruined what Axel was attempting to do and hugged him with a shout. ¡°We were so worried!¡± Lyra yawned and added, ¡°You have been out for a little over two days. Aria noticed that morning and had me come over.¡± ¡®Morning, is it time for food?¡¯ Sky¡¯s voice said in his mind softly, interrupting Lyra before coming alert and jumping to her feet. ¡®AXEL!!¡¯ ¡°Och, Sky, lower the voice, please,¡± Lyra complained, rubbing her head and glaring at Sky before picking up where she left off. ¡°So, you were burning up with a fever, and your journal was sending out alerts about your core being unstable.¡± ¡°Aria ran straight to Lyra when she noticed!¡± Aria added with an almost chirp to her voice. ¡°Anyway, we could not figure out what was happening but did not want others involved as we still don¡¯t know who to trust with your bounty,¡± Lyra pushed Aria back in her seat. ¡°For the first twelve hours, I used everything I could to get your temperature down and find out what was happening when Aria suggested we journal to the Goddess and get help from her.¡± ¡°Aria got a quest right away and got Sky to help too,¡± Aria picked up the story. ¡°Sky started panicking when she could not feel your thoughts.¡± ¡®I did not panic!¡¯ Sky replied indignantly. ¡°It is just strange that I could not feel his thoughts, is all.¡± ¡°So everyone followed the Goddess¡¯s instructions, and as we did, you started to form strange bruises and mutter in pain.¡± Aria ignored Sky¡¯s complaint and kept her story going. ¡°You were saying strange things, and I decided to have Sky start yelling into your mind as it was worrying.¡± ¡°Which I still think was a poor idea as we did not know the situation.¡± Lyra cut Aria off this time. ¡°When you stabilized, we worked in turns keeping your core topped up, but the efficiency left a lot to be desired, about twenty percent, and well, we all kind of passed out when your journal stated that you were back to normal.¡± ¡°So, Axel, what happened if you know?¡± Aria asked, getting close to his face. Axel needed a moment to gather himself and think about what to say. ¡°It started as a nightmare and then,¡± Axel explained what he could remember of the nightmare, leaving out what the crimson said while torturing him as he did not want to burden either Aria or Lyra with how his jealousy was used to attack him. He also got off the moist bed and removed his nightshirt, only to see that he had chain-like bruises all up his arms that were very slowly healing. Everyone listened, though Aria had a small frown, and Lyra had narrow eyes around the time he talked about what the crimson used to torture him, but neither said anything. Axel then thanked all of them and did not know what to say. If his guess was right based on what the Goddess said, there was a hidden danger from his proto-core that if he overused his berserking powers before he was ready, he would likely have to suffer like this again. This thought sent a shiver through his spine, and even standing in the sunlight, Axel felt cold. There was little he could do but keep vigilant and not overuse his abilities. As everyone saw the bruises, they tensed up, and Lyra tried to use her powers to heal them, but nothing happened. ¡°I have never heard of anything like this before,¡± Lyra said while the green light washed over Axel¡¯s arm. ¡°It does seem to be fading, but neither my power nor your regeneration seems to be dealing with it. I would keep that hidden for now, and we can only let it heal naturally.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Thanks, Lyra. I think I need some food and a shower now, so if all of you ladies would vacate and let me get cleaned up, we can meet at the training room in like two hours.¡± Axel shooed everyone out, shut his door, and leaned against it. What he could not tell them was that he was still feeling all the pain from those chain bruises still, and looking at Lyra and Aria made the jealousy he felt more intense than before. Axel was unsure if these were just natural feelings or something enhanced by his experience in the dream if it could be called a dream. Taking a moment, Axel began the rhythmic breathing of his meditation exercises to calm his mind and center himself. He then showered and went to get some food, which thankfully the cafeteria was open to handle. Axel then went to see Rex, as the group should have met with him a day ago for training, and no one mentioned anything about informing him about what was going on. --- Axel found Rex¡¯s office with the door ajar, and only the sound of pen on paper could be heard from the room. Knocking lightly, Axel received an ¡°Enter¡± and walked into the room. Rex¡¯s office was simply decorated with bookshelves along the wall, a simple but sturdy metal desk, and some chairs in front of the desk. Rex sat in a special chair for his kind that allowed for their wings to not get stuck. ¡°Awww, you¡¯re awake, I see,¡± Rex looked up and sat back from his hunched-over position. ¡°I hope whatever happened is solved. Your teammates only said that you were having some reaction with your core and that they were handling it.¡± ¡°It was complicated,¡± Axel said. "Mind if I take a seat? You are one of the only people I can think of to talk about this with.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Rex pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk. Axel closed the door gently but firmly and sat down. Right after Axel sat down, he saw that Rex pulled out a set of glasses and poured a liquid into them from a bottle in a different drawer. Rex then handed one to Axel. ¡°You look like you might need something with how grim your face is.¡± Rex then took a sip of his drink. Axel took a drink, and it burned like one of Aria¡¯s fireballs down his throat but left a pleasant aftertaste. ¡°That hurts to drink, but thank you,¡± Axel said after coughing and then looked Rex in the eye. ¡°Look, you are one of the few people that I feel like I can trust here, so this is what happened.¡± Axel then explained the whole dream, including what the crimson tried to use to break him. Axel talked about all the worries, doubts, and how it seemed to enhance all the feelings he had during this encounter. As Axel talked about what happened, Rex just stayed silent and let Axel run through everything. ¡°That is a whole lot of sucks,¡± Rex said. "I will not sugarcoat this, but you are likely in a lot of trouble if what you think is happening is happening.¡± ¡°I have been around and only heard of this a couple of times,¡± Rex took another long sip and refilled his glass, then offered to refill Axel¡¯s. Axel shook his head, so Rex continued, ¡°This has happened when people skipped the Cycle and tried to get powers beyond their bodies'' ability to handle. The blessing just does not have the power in that case to cleanse the core of the crimson completely.¡± ¡°Your case seems worse, and there seems to be more of the crimson left than in the cases I have heard about.¡± Rex then stood from his seat and paced a bit. ¡°But that is not the worst of it. If it was only the crimson, I feel you would not be this upset.¡± Axel nodded to the older man and said, ¡°I think it is using every negative emotion to get to me.¡± Rex nodded and motioned for Axel to go on. Axel was hoping Rex would pick up from where he left off, but after a few moments of slow breathing, Axel kept talking. ¡°So there are three things that I think it is using to get a wedge into me,¡± Axel felt his hand get wet and looked down to see them shaking. He put the glass on a holder on the desk, then held one hand with the other and continued, ¡°First is how I killed my friend in a duel. It is a mistake that haunts me nightly, and I have only been able to sleep with the help of Aria.¡± ¡°Next is having to kill several people so far,¡± Axel looked down in shame. ¡°It feels like it is getting easier, and that just feels wrong to me.¡± ¡°And the last?¡± Rex asked as Axel went silent for a while. Rex then waited patiently for Axel to get the words together. ¡°Aria is building a flock and decided to add Lyra to it,¡± Axel said finally after he could no longer take his own silence. ¡°I know Aria is not of my kind, but I love her and want to make her happy. I just feel a very intense jealousy, and the crimson came the closest to breaking me with that.¡± ¡°It was not the pain, the shunning, or even me killing my best friend,¡± Axel pushed through. ¡°It was a hatred at myself that Aria picked a woman I had loved but could not love me as someone to go to.¡± Axel stopped talking after that and could not even look at Rex as the shame and hatred washed over him. As the silence stretched, Axel got up and started for the door, wanting to leave this situation before he embarrassed himself even more. ¡°STOP!¡± came Rex¡¯s authoritative voice. This was something Axel only heard in training when he made mistakes he should not have. This caused Axel to instinctively freeze in place before he heard the clink of a glass on the desk. ¡°Sit back down, please.¡± This time Rex was talking in a much more gentle tone. Axel turned back around, and Rex had his back to him, looking out the window in his office. The window looked over the city from twenty floors up. Axel moved slowly back to his seat and decided to take another drink. This burned as bad or worse as Axel tensed before the drink, but the burn helped distract him. ¡°Axel,¡± Rex started but did not turn around. ¡°You may not realize it, but I have suffered many of the same doubts as you over my long life.¡± ¡°I am not going to sugarcoat it,¡± Rex now added his common phrase. ¡°The life you are in now is a lot harder than many others. You are being hunted at a young age by many people who have grown calloused to these same issues you are struggling with.¡± ¡°I will start with the easiest of your problems but likely the longest to solve, if it ever is,¡± Rex sipped his drink and then said, ¡°Your friend¡¯s death was likely your fault, and it will haunt you. There is no potion or word I could say to make it better, and short of you having a mind master take those memories, it will always be there.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recommend the mind master,¡± Rex stated. ¡°It will not truly solve this issue for you. Only you can heal that wound, and it will hurt.¡± ¡°Now, what you can do is use the pain,¡± Rex looked at Axel through the glasses'' reflection. ¡°Let me tell you a personal story. There was a young man full of more bravery than smarts. He led a team of Flame Seekers, and they adventured throughout the world.¡± ¡°Then came a day that his group went to a forbidden place deep in the mountains. His group thought that they could get through this dangerous area to get something that would set all of them up for life,¡± Rex stopped focusing on Axel in the reflection. ¡°This young man led his team to their deaths. The only ones to live were him and another who left the Flame Seeker life to settle down.¡± ¡°This young man was haunted by those deaths and tried everything to forget, but nothing worked,¡± Rex kept looking off into the distance. ¡°It took the death of the last original member of his team to figure out how to move forward with his life.¡± ¡°You need to use those memories as a talisman to strive to be better,¡± There was a bit of raw emotion in Rex¡¯s voice along with a single dropped tear. ¡°Always remember your friend, but don¡¯t get lost in the sadness of his lost life. Grief is natural and is just all the unexpressed love you have for the one who passed.¡± ¡°For you having issues with the lives you have taken, again there is little my words will do to solve this for you, but if you can take it to heart, find a code to live by.¡± Rex started again after wiping the tear away. ¡°A code?¡± Axel asked while sitting forward in his seat. ¡°Yes,¡± Rex then turned to Axel and looked him in the eyes. ¡°Give yourself a set of rules to follow when you need to fight other people. This can at least be a compass to keep you settled and find your way through the hard choices.¡± Axel nodded but did not say anything, deciding to think about it for a time. Rex then leaned forward and smacked Axel upside the head. ¡°Ow!¡± Axel complained, rubbing his head. ¡°And that will be the last bit of help,¡± Rex said and sat with a huff. ¡°I refuse to give love advice and hope that smack will clear up your head. Talk to your mate about this; it will only get worse if you stew on it like you seem to be.¡± ¡°Aria is smart and very clever, but you will not solve any of this without talking to her.¡± Rex then took the empty glass from in front of Axel, refilled it a little, and handed it back. ¡°Our people have had a long history of the thorny path it is with falling in love with others, but you will only hurt everyone if you don¡¯t be clear with her on this. If it does break your mating bond, then it is better to know now, but I am just an old man at this point.¡± ¡°Alright, I will try and talk to Aria after training today,¡± Axel promised and then raised his glass to Rex. ¡°Thank you for listening and your advice. You have given me a lot to think about.¡± With that, each of them downed their drinks and just sat in silence for a few minutes. Axel left shortly after to get prepared for training. Chapter 40 Axel wandered for a while, thinking about his conversation with Rex and what he should do with his life. Bloodshed would be a part of it for a long time to come, as he was being hunted by someone who wanted him to suffer and die. Axel changed into training clothing and headed to the training rooms that Rex had set aside for their group before the Trial. Axel met Aria, Lyra, and Sky, who were warming up before training. After warming himself up, Rex arrived and started to run them all through standard drills for each of their powers. Axel went through the motions in the training room and completed the exercises that were assigned without saying anything. The training was good to give Axel a gauge of how much power was needed for actions, but his mind was not into the training, which led to getting smacked by Rex. Axel then focused on the training to completion. He could see the glances the others were sending his way, mostly as it led Rex to smack each of them for being distracted during training. The day flew by as Axel decided not to bring up what happened when he woke up that afternoon. He did not know how to handle his relationship with Aria but began to form a set of rules of combat that he could live with. After cleaning up from training, Axel returned to his room and locked the door behind him. He then pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down his rules. ¡°Rules of Engagement
  1. Do not strike out in anger: If told I am fighting in anger, disengage the fight if I am able.
  2. Don¡¯t start the fight: Don¡¯t start a fight unless someone else is going to die or be hurt if I don¡¯t intervene.
  3. Use minimal force: Only use the amount of force necessary to subdue the opponent if they are not aiming for my life or a friend''s.
  4. Lethal force: Match a lethal fight with lethal means, as your life is as important as theirs.
  5. Maintain control: Keep a clear head and stay in control of your actions. Do not let emotions cloud your judgment.
  6. Learn from each encounter: Reflect on each fight to understand what went well and what could be improved. Use these lessons to grow stronger and wiser.
¡° While these were simple for now, it was a good start. After writing this down, a small part of Axel felt more relaxed. He felt that he could live with himself if he followed these for now. As Axel leaned back in his chair, a memory fluttered to the surface of his mind. --- Axel was sweating hard, the pole in his hands stinging from a bit of torn skin. Standing against him was a large one-armed man holding a training axe. His clothing was not even out of place from the last half an hour of ¡°practice.¡± Axel moved in for another attack, but he only saw a blur of motion sending his momentum way off course, causing a tumble. As Axel got to his feet, he punched the ground in anger, and a red rage crept into his vision. ¡°Son, anger is not your ally,¡± Axel¡¯s father said in a calm voice. ¡°You think it gives you power, but all it does is cloud your sight.¡± ¡°All you are doing is swinging with all your might and turning your brain off,¡± Quinn casually deflected attack after attack, running Axel out of energy quickly. ¡°You have wasted so much effort for so little gain.¡± ¡°I hate you!¡± Axel screamed in rage. ¡°Why do I have to do training like this day after day while all the other children can play? The only time I am not being beaten up by you is during class or chores.¡± ¡°Well, you should not have snuck out with Cade,¡± Quinn deflected another shot. ¡°You scared everyone greatly.¡± ¡°That was months ago at this point!¡± Axel thrust at Quinn¡¯s face, only to be dodged by a slight head tilt and then thrown into a pile of drying weeds after Quinn grabbed his pole and threw Axel. All the air was blasted from Axel¡¯s chest, but his anger built up higher. Thinking was getting harder, and all he wanted was to beat his father at this point. ¡°You don¡¯t truly see it now, son,¡± Quinn tucked a strand of hair that was displaced from the slight dodge, ¡°but you are different from the other kids. You, for better or worse, have great gifts but even greater weaknesses.¡± ¡°You are starting with a body that you can¡¯t fully control but will be much more advanced than anyone your age or level,¡± Quinn continued as Axel caught his breath and renewed his attacks, ¡°but your anger will always be your weakness. You are easy to upset, and then you spiral into this state.¡± Quinn had to stop talking as he could tell that Axel could not hear him anymore with the way he was yelling, and the memories fuzzed for Axel as even with his memory, his mind stopped thinking and just attacked. The memory cleared up with Axel aching all over his body and the anger ebbing as he just did not have any energy to sustain it. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°As I was saying,¡± Quinn stood above Axel, looking down at him, ¡°there will be a time when this anger gets you into situations your wit would have avoided. Now breathe in the meditation way, son.¡± Axel followed what his father said, and he calmed down quickly, realizing how he had acted over the last hour. Axel felt a lot of shame as this started because he was getting frustrated with trying to learn the axe from his father, trying to make use of his punishment to grow. ¡°Father, why did you sacrifice your arm to save me?¡± Axel asked, still unable to get up. ¡°I seem to always let you down.¡± ¡°The only time you will let me down is when you refuse to get up after a mistake, son,¡± Quinn then reached down and pulled Axel to his feet. ¡°Everyone makes mistakes, but as long as they learn from them and keep moving forward after learning, then I will never be ashamed to have given up an arm for your future.¡± -- As the memory faded, Axel felt an empty space in him that seemed to be missing something. He decided to meditate for a while and just clear his head. Time passed without meaning until a thump hit his door. ¡°Owww, why is the door locked?¡± Aria¡¯s muffled voice came through the door. ¡°Axel, open up. I am worried about you. You have not been yourself all day.¡± Axel leaned back so that his back was supported by his bed but did not answer. He knew that he needed to open that door and talk to Aria about what was going on, but his butt seemed to be glued to the floor. Images from the dream started to repeat themselves: Aria being torn by chains, her blood covering him, and the chains tightening to her screams. This hit Axel out of nowhere and was looping, making the bruises throb in pain with his quickly beating heart. Each beat brought the pain, and this pissed Axel off. No crimson was going to control and scare him away from what he wanted. As the anger rose, Axel realized the trap that was raised and breathed to calm it. He was never going to beat a being of anger with more anger. Fighting down the rage with the tricks his father had beaten into him over the years, Axel slowly rose to his feet. He dispersed the rage and let it flow through him, as from his experience, just pushing it down would only delay its removal, often making the comeback worse. Each step to the door felt like it took longer than the last, and as he reached the lock, the bruises of the chain sharpened greatly, but the crimson chose the wrong response to try and stop Axel. As the door clicked, Axel could swear there was the sound of glass breaking, and the strange bruises vanished off his arms just as the door flew open, hitting Axel in the face as Aria shouldered it in a panic. ¡°AXEL,¡± Aria inadvertently yelled as she bounced back from hitting him and landed on her butt. ¡°Oww, why is Aria bouncing off things tonight?¡± Axel grunted and popped a broken nose back in place with a grunt of pain, bringing Aria¡¯s attention back to him. She jumped to her feet, rushed over to Axel, and started to look him over. Then she looked deeply into his eyes and ended up hugging him. ¡°Aria was so worried after training. You didn¡¯t talk to anyone,¡± Aria said into his shirt. ¡°Aria could tell that you left out things from what happened, and her sixth sense was telling her that you need not be alone.¡± ¡°Aria looked all over the building and could not find you,¡± Aria then looked up from his chest. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer when Aria knocked hours ago, so she checked with the others, and everyone was looking for you.¡± ¡°Sorry to worry you, Aria,¡± Axel said in a calm, quiet tone. ¡°I needed to work through some issues and advice Rex gave me.¡± Axel then led Aria to the bed and sat her down. He was now feeling better than he had in what felt like forever and quickly came to a decision. ¡°Aria, to lay things out plainly, I have been conflicted about you adding Lyra to your flock,¡± Axel started and kept looking into Aria¡¯s eyes to see a change. ¡°I told you before that I loved her and she could not love me the same way.¡± ¡°This is why Aria said she would wait for you before doing anything,¡± Aria replied with a tilted head and a frown of concentration. ¡°What is the problem?¡± ¡°I am jealous of you for being able to do what I could not with Lyra, and it is starting to eat me up inside,¡± Axel explained slowly and kept his calm. ¡°It is hard for me to see you both together and not wonder what could have been if things were different. I now feel that I lost to Tess and now you, and I know that is not how this works, but that is what I am feeling.¡± ¡°But Axel is not losing Aria?¡± Aria said in confusion. ¡°Lyra has made it clear that she would not be a possible mate to Axel, so how are you losing something that was not happening?¡± ¡°It is that emotion of jealousy, Aria. It is not easy to shake for people who have it, and I will still not get in your way as you are not human.¡± Axel tried to explain his feelings but could not put it all into words. Aria was silent for a time and leaned in to listen to his heartbeat. Time passed, and the moon became visible to Axel through the window as he waited for Aria to speak. ¡°Aria is having difficulties with what you are talking about, but your heart, while fluttering, is steady,¡± Aria started. ¡°This should mean that Aria did not lose you to a misunderstanding, which is good.¡± ¡°Aria wants you to know that you own her soul and heart,¡± Aria said while moving closer to Axel¡¯s face. ¡°Aria loves you with every feather and breath in her chest. Aria wishes to claim Lyra for her flock as she needs Aria as much as Axel did, to calm the storm of our lives, and she is sexy.¡± ¡°Not helping with the sexy comment, Aria,¡± Axel said, leaning his head to touch her forehead. ¡°But it is a fact?¡± Aria questioned but moved on. ¡°Aria can feel the pain that Lyra has, and this is the best way to help that Aria knows about, but Aria can wait as our mating bond is still thin, and foster mom did warn her that going too fast could ruin things.¡± ¡°Is Aria going too fast?¡± Aria asked Axel with wide eyes. ¡°You are a little fast, but if you feel you are not pushing Lyra too quickly, I will be supportive as I know that the Tess situation likely hurt her greatly,¡± Axel compromised. ¡°We just will need to have more of these talks as you progress with her, as it is hard for humans if their mates take others in.¡± Aria nodded and closed her eyes for a bit before saying, ¡°Aria can work with that. Lyra is in so much pain that it is hard not to hold her whenever Aria is around her. Thank you, Axel, for being understanding that it is in Aria¡¯s nature.¡± Neither spoke for a time until Aria said, ¡°Your room still smells of sweat, so let¡¯s sleep in mine for now.¡± With that, Axel slept the night away wrapped in a hug with Aria, falling into a deep sleep. Chapter 41 The next morning came quickly, but thankfully, with no dreams, and Axel was not the first one up for once. Aria was not in the room, so Axel got up, went to his room, and grabbed his showering things. After a quick cleanup and change later, Axel went to eat something, and the food tasted better than yesterday. Axel followed this up by checking with the desk to see if Jareth left any messages, but there was nothing. With nothing else to do for another hour, Axel decided to go to the training room to warm up and work on his power. The room that was normally used by his group was in use by other people training, so Axel moved to a gym that had basic training gear. After a quick warm-up, Axel started lifting and using his power to try and refine how much power he was putting in. If he got the weight too heavy, he used the gravity points to lighten but not completely pull. This drained his core quickly at first, but Axel began to get the hang of it, reducing the drain and still getting good physical training in. When it was getting close to time, Axel stopped and reactivated his regeneration, as today was going to be a combat-heavy day and he knew he was going to need it. The simulator combat room was empty when Axel arrived, but he was not alone for long as Sky was the next to arrive. She skittered across the floor happily and moved up to Axel in almost bouncing steps. ¡®Axel, I am so glad you seem to be better,¡¯ Sky sent to his mind while circling him. ¡®Even your mind is brighter than yesterday.¡¯ ¡°I am feeling better, Sky,¡± Axel said while giving up trying to follow her with his head as he was getting a bit dizzy. ¡°I needed to work through some things, but I think I can move forward now.¡± ¡®Great!¡¯ Sky said enthusiastically to Axel and stopped in front of him again. ¡®I have started to repair everyone¡¯s gear plus trying to upgrade it. Aria stopped by this morning and asked for several things. They are going to be so fun to make!¡¯ ¡°Oh? What did Aria ask you to make?¡± Axel looked into Sky¡¯s many eyes and asked. ¡®Many things, but they are to surprise you with later,¡¯ Sky replied with a happy tone. ¡®I should not have said anything.¡¯ Sky¡¯s whole body drooped as she said that, and Axel could even hear her slight mumblings coming through the mind link that would be disconcerting if he did not know who was talking. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I won¡¯t ask anything else and won¡¯t mention it to Aria,¡± Axel promised the now depressed-looking Sky. This was something Axel did not want to see, as Sky needed to be happy to be Sky. ¡®Thank you!¡¯ came Sky¡¯s reply while bouncing back up. ¡®You will love it!¡¯ ¡°I know I will, Sky,¡± Axel said and smiled at her. It took another fifteen minutes before Lyra and Aria arrived together, looking out of breath like they rushed here. Both were adjusting sets of new leather armor, reminding Axel that he needed to replace his as it was shredded by the Shade and was not very repairable after everything that happened in the trial. ¡°Sorry, are we late?¡± Lyra said while finishing a strap on the chest armor. ¡°We were spending the morning replacing gear at the store in the tower and lost track of time.¡± ¡°Aria also bought Axel a replacement, but the quality here is not the greatest as most of what they sell is for people doing their first trial,¡± Aria added while messing with some straps as the armor for her kind had to be put on up and under the wings then locked in place. Axel walked over and helped with the difficult strap and could tell that this was not beast leather but likely a domesticated animal product that could deflect or reduce the damage but would not survive long in any real combat. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t pay a lot for that,¡± Axel said behind Aria as he helped her get the strap over the shoulder and through a loop in the front piece. ¡°They were cheap, only a few bronze, but it is better to train in armor than not as you get used to moving in it while fighting,¡± Lyra said after she finished her armor and started testing the movement with a frown. ¡°Though this may be worse than no armor. The mobility is crap, and I don¡¯t think these straps can hold through all of training.¡± ¡°I remember that quote, Lyra,¡± Axel then moved to look over Lyra¡¯s armor to see if he could help her with it, but it was not very quality work. With a bit of work plus some emergency crafting from Sky for new buckles, it allowed the movement Lyra wanted. It was now a good twenty minutes after the start of the training session, but Rex had not arrived. Not knowing what to do, Axel picked one of the harder training simulations that they had done before and got the group going. Axel learned an interesting quirk of his power: it could not attach to light constructs. Axel improvised by using his ability to launch Aria into the sky with a short burst for her to dodge an encirclement when she tried to flank and worked on his anchoring tricks for more leverage on swings. Lyra was switching between lightning until she was half empty, then switching to shatter and reflex to move through the light construct humans like a ghost. Sky was using her control for barriers, creating weapons, and sending Lyra an extra weapon when she lost control of her shatter, which destroyed her new sword that she apparently bought with the armor. Rex still did not arrive after the first simulation, so Lyra led everyone to the physical training room to put everyone to work. She checked everyone over and gave out training based on each person¡¯s needs, as this was a big part of her training as a Goddess-blessed healer. When the physical training was over and Rex still had not shown up, everyone started to worry. Aria headed to his office, but he was not there. When she came back, no one knew what to do, so they decided to keep with the training plan they had last time and went to the obstacle course where Sky worked the panel for a while to set up the track. Sky set it to one level higher than what they trained last time, and everyone put on the gravity-increasing gear and ran. What Axel did not realize was Sky set the training for ten times what they had last time, and everyone fell to the ground unable to move. It took a lot of effort and healing before Sky fixed her mistake, and even longer to get Sky to stop apologizing, as she had hit many buttons at once with her manipulators. Everyone finished this training on the correct level and did not know what to do now. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. At this point, they would normally spar with Rex as he helped them fix errors he saw in their styles, but since he was not here, each of them paired up for spars instead. Aria took the lead here, seeming to know most of the problems everyone was having, and worked with Lyra. Axel worked with Sky, as even now he was still trying to get used to the slight increase in strength becoming Novice Two gave him. Just before the end of the sparring, Rex arrived looking like he was going to murder someone. He did not say anything for a time as everyone wrapped up their workouts. When he was sure they were done, he motioned for everyone to come over. ¡°So we have a problem,¡± Rex started in a very slow and deliberate tone. ¡°Someone in management decided that I have been giving your group too much special treatment, and it looks bad.¡± ¡°Are you in trouble?¡± Lyra asked with a slight frown on her face. ¡°No, every instructor can do what I am doing by tradition, but it is not written in the rules,¡± Rex explained, still in his slow tone. ¡°I think someone is trying to flush your group out and paid someone just high enough on the ladder to try and shake you all loose.¡± ¡°I spent most of my day running this up the chain, but this manager is the cousin of someone high enough to be annoying.¡± Rex continued and took a breath. ¡°Since you just completed your second Cycle, you are allowed to train for this week, but as I explained to by that manager, ¡®If they can afford the cores and meat to Cycle within the first week, they can find lodging elsewhere.¡¯¡± ¡°I did get this solved, but you are being watched now by several staff, and I am not sure if your abilities were leaked by the manager.¡± Rex finished and punched a wall, leaving a dent in the reinforced metal surface. ¡°Alright, that is bad but not unsalvageable,¡± Axel said. "We were planning to leave in just over a week at this point anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah, and once we are gone, this pressure will be off you,¡± Lyra continued while healing Rex¡¯s now bloody hand. ¡°Also, next time, please don¡¯t break the bone. This will take a while since you are much stronger than me.¡± ¡°To be so young again,¡± Rex muttered. ¡°This means that anything you train in here is likely to be leaked to your hunters. Your hunters will be more prepared than your last ambush, and it will be much harder to get you out of the city if they can afford to bribe that waste of breath.¡± ¡°We understand that from your first explanation, but Aria does not see how to get around this with having to wait for Jareth and all,¡± Aria said in her normal tone. ¡°We also won¡¯t show more than the basics here in training and save the big surprises for later.¡± ¡®Sky will only need a day or two to finish my projects if I skip training,¡¯ Sky sent to everyone. ¡®I am not a front liner, and my powers are more synergetic than everyone else¡¯s. I can also practice while I work in the forge.¡¯ ¡°Sky, you will not be skipping all training,¡± Rex looked at her. ¡°Your combat reflexes are not very honed, and that means you are likely to die in a fight. Lyra, I am sorry, but you are on reflex and shatter for now, but when Sky goes to forge, work on lightning in Sky¡¯s lab as it is separate management for that area, and Sky earned her privacy.¡± ¡°Axel, your power speed and accuracy need work, so you will be on basics until you wish to die,¡± Rex then looked at Aria. ¡°Aria, no fireball. You can practice intensity and generation but keep your combos under wraps.¡± ¡°Not even a little fireball?¡± Aria asked while pinching her fingers with a tiny space between them. ¡°No!¡± came Rex¡¯s firm reply. ¡°I will also cut the obstacle course, and you will be doing more sparring with me. Sky, you don¡¯t need to be here for all of these but at least three a day,¡± Rex began to slip out of his slow speech. ¡°Let¡¯s get started on the sparring as I noticed so many errors.¡± Rex then began to beat each of them until they were lying on the ground exhausted. He then threw water on them and dragged them to the simulator area and forced them to fight several levels higher than before. This was how the week went, but after that day, there was someone stopping by from time to time to look over their training. This was a taboo in their world, but these people did not seem to care as they made notes after watching for a while and left. Axel received the most attention as both Aria and Lyra went to Sky¡¯s forge to practice their powers in secret, so Axel had one-on-one time with Rex during this time. Axel could only think of the time his father spent a month of special training every time he got in serious trouble. Each night, even with regeneration, Axel needed to be helped to his room by both Lyra and Aria. There was even a time that Sky needed to make a floating stretcher as the spar got to the point where Axel shattered several bones to the point of needing about an hour to heal them to the point of moving. When the time was up and Jareth sent a message to meet at what was called the station, something that took Axel a while to figure out where it was, Axel was ready to leave. It still felt bittersweet as from Jareth¡¯s message, they would be leaving the city for another one as the heat from the bounty was rising. Apparently, the price on Axel¡¯s head rose again in the Guild. ¡°You will take this tunnel in the morning as I have you scheduled for another training to throw off your pursuers,¡± Rex explained on the last day. ¡°Aria, watch yourself out there as I don¡¯t know when next we will meet but know that Sapphire and I will do what we can to help.¡± Rex then handed a letter to Aria with writing that Axel recognized as Sapphire¡¯s. Aria nodded and put it away. Everyone packed up and had Sky move their things to her lab. When Axel, Aria, and Lyra arrived later that night, Axel noticed that there were three racks with weapons on them. To the side, there was also leather armor with a grey metal armor attached in a way that Axel knew was to prevent obstruction of movement but give great protection. Sky was bouncing again as everyone saw her creations. She then moved over and dragged everyone to change into their new armor and began to show off her work. Sky bounced over to the first set of weapons while she talked into all their minds. ¡®I have made some progress with an infusion of powers into items permanently,¡¯ Sky started. ¡®Each of these armors has a power of inertia damping. While it won¡¯t stop a hit, it should reduce the impact by a lot, but it can only take so many before you will need to use your core to fill it with power.¡¯ Sky then handed Lyra a shield and sword. ¡®The shield also has what the armors have but stronger as I could make a more complex circuit to hold more power.¡¯ ¡®The sword is unpowered, but I found a way so that you can channel your shatter through it more easily without breaking it on hit. It is also made of a much harder metal than normal, so the edge is not the best, but you can make up for this with your power.¡¯ Sky continued to explain while moving to the next rack that held Axel¡¯s halberd. ¡®I could not do the most with this as whoever made it was a master at power circuits and increased its durability greatly.¡¯ Sky then handed Axel back his weapon and also several bandoliers of throwing knives. ¡®These I also increased their durability using what I learned from the halberd. Not as good but should not shatter on a miss as often.¡¯ Sky lastly showed a pair of short swords to Aria. ¡®I did not have the time to work on a ranged weapon for you, Aria, but these blades should take your channeling of fire to give them more punch.¡¯ Sky then handed the blades to Aria, and they lit ablaze with little effort from Aria. ¡°It uses so little energy to do this,¡± Aria exclaimed happily. ¡°Thank you, Sky!¡± Aria then hugged Sky, much to her embarrassment, if the twitching legs and manipulators indicated. Everyone got into their new gear, including Sky, who made herself a heavy-plate armor set that did not seem to hinder her even with its massive weight. She explained that she only used a little power to keep it up, and even without her power, she could move in it but slower. Everyone then threw on cloaks to cover their gear and left through the tunnel Rex told them to. Chapter 42 Everyone walked through a hallway lit with light gems for what felt like a mile before they arrived at a large metal door. The door required more than a bit of strength from Axel to turn a rusted locking handle until Sky waved her manipulator, and the handle moved with ease. They opened the door to an empty building somewhere in the city. After exiting into a Vanguard substation, the group closed the exit and left through a side door of the building. The sky was overcast as Axel stepped outside, and a deep fog bank had rolled in from overnight rain. The group moved to where Rex told them the nearest launch was to hire a platform. When Axel asked to be taken to the station, the driver nodded and quickly sent the platform off. The ride through the fog-covered city felt like they were in a different world of swirling whites with interspersing views of buildings in the growing dawn''s light on the horizon. As the platform arrived at the Station¡¯s launch, the morning suns were burning away the fog to reveal a behemoth of metal sitting nestled in a large building. This metal thing sat on tracks of metal and was likely about a mile in length. Axel left the platform and had Aria lead the way to the meeting location that Jareth had given them through a personal courier sent a few days after the group¡¯s trial. The meeting point was a warehouse that sat at well over five floors in height alone. Aria knocked in a prearranged pattern, and the door was opened by a human man in rough clothing, stained with a black substance, who allowed Axel¡¯s group into the building. Inside the building were crates stacked on crates, likely full of goods going to market or being set to ship elsewhere. ¡°Ahh, my friends,¡± Jareth¡¯s voice echoed from where he was looking over a list and crates that had numbered markings. ¡°You are early, but that is good.¡± ¡°Thanks for the help, Jareth,¡± Axel greeted him with a handshake. ¡°Oh, this is not charity but business, as I plan to make a killing from our venture,¡± Jareth smiled warmly at Axel, then greeted the rest of the group. ¡°I see Aria, but I have not been introduced to the other two formally.¡± ¡°This is Sky and Lyra,¡± Aria introduced. ¡°Also, we need to finish the formal paperwork, Jareth. Don¡¯t think Aria has forgotten about that.¡± ¡°Never, my dear,¡± Jareth agreed. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go into the warehouse¡¯s office, and I can introduce you to our other travel companions while getting that paperwork out of the way.¡± Jareth then led the way through what seemed to be a maze of crates to an office hidden under scaffolding and out of sight due to the way the crates were set. As Jareth opened the door, Axel saw a pair of familiar faces, twin Krellian sisters named Larimar and Pearl, who were leaning against the desk in the room. Each wore more standard combat gear and not what they were wearing as Tidewalkers. Pearl wore a light set of combat armor meant for mobility, with a metal breastplate and strategically placed plates that protected many of her vital spots without slowing movement. The whole set was dyed in mountain colors. At her side were a pair of axes hanging in loops, each with a nasty-looking hook under the blade. Larimar wore a simple set of leather armor that seemed to be tailored to her body. She had a long trident that was a signature weapon of many Tidewalkers. The weapon almost glowed in the lights with a silver sheen, showing off several intricate symbols etched into the head and shaft. Having just been given gear from Sky, it was easy for Axel to guess that the trident was enhanced. As everyone in Axel¡¯s group walked in, Axel felt Aria move behind him with a small ¡°eep¡± to avoid the line of sight with the twins. Axel saw a wide smile appear on the twins'' faces when they heard that noise and saw Aria hiding behind Axel. Pearl put down a mug of tea and looked Axel up and down. ¡°I remember you both.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they the ones who wanted training during the last beast tide, sister?¡± Larimar looked at her sister and asked. ¡°They are!¡± Pearl said enthusiastically. ¡°It is always so fun to get to train with fresh newbies.¡± ¡°Sister, be nice,¡± Larimar gently touched her sister¡¯s shoulder, causing Aria to relax based on her grip on Axel¡¯s arm. ¡°We should only soak them to the bones a couple of times.¡± Aria hid quickly and tightened her grip, causing Sky and Lyra to move to her sides out of protectiveness. Neither seemed to know what was going on but were reacting based on Aria¡¯s actions. ¡°Enough, you two,¡± Jareth said, with the jovial air to his tone gone, taking a much more serious note to his voice, causing the twins to stiffen. ¡°I know you enjoy messing with people, but we will have work to do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Sky and Lyra,¡± Axel calmed his team. ¡°They helped train Aria and have water-based powers. Aria does not enjoy getting soaked, and these two loved doing just that during some paid training.¡± ¡°It was so much more fun than guarding the riverside wall in that town,¡± Pearl added. ¡°It is so rare someone pays for a time like that for training.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Jareth returned to his more jovial tone and sat at the desk with a huff. ¡°So it is rather inconvenient right now with your bounty, Axel, but I think I have figured out a way to get you out and avoid your hunters.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Well, I am all ears,¡± Axel said, ready to hear what Jareth had planned, as even though Axel put a lot of thought into it, he could not come up with a plan that had a good shot to get past the gate guards. ¡°Aria thinks this is likely to be about why we are near the steel carriage, right?¡± Aria added quickly to Jareth. ¡°Steel carriage?¡± Axel turned to ask but was then preempted by Jareth answering. ¡°It is called a train based on the ancient journal that was found allowing it to be created.¡± Jareth continued to explain while pulling out papers and filling out a few areas in what looked to be something already mostly filled out. ¡°Currently, it only is connected to the City State of Stormwatch, but if it shows its uses, more cities will be connected.¡± ¡°Does this not draw beasts?¡± Lyra asked with a hint of concern in her voice. ¡°This is why this venture is still only connected to this city and Stormwatch, as you need at least a team of Expert tier to ride along for safety, along with many Novices and Adepts in support,¡± Jareth explained and then pushed the papers over to Aria to look over. ¡°The tracks also need specialists to come with to repair any damage, which costs a lot in both money and manpower, but it turns a month by caravan, which is still very dangerous, into a four-day trip that can haul a lot of cargo at once.¡± ¡°I think this is the best way to move you away from this city where the danger is most present and put some distance between you and your trouble,¡± Jareth kept explaining and took the contract back from Aria, frowning at her alterations. ¡°While expensive, Stormwatch has a lot of beasts that are worth a lot and potent for you to keep going in your cycle while not wasting my nieces'' time hunting.¡± ¡°We hate wasting time,¡± Larimar looked at her uncle and said. ¡°We are on our annual leave from the Tidewalkers to allow us to hunt for our cycle, and our uncle here called in a favor to help him with his new investment.¡± Pearl picked up her tea again and slowly took a sip while watching Axel¡¯s group take this in. Axel thought through the plan and saw a glaring flaw. ¡°Won¡¯t I still be seen leaving on the train?¡± Axel asked Jareth, which interrupted his argument on contract terms. ¡°I was planning to have you hide as cargo at first, but Pearl said this would not work as cargo is now being checked heavily by the guards and suggested the train. So you will have a ticket instead of being smuggled out. We decided that speed would be better,¡± Jareth explained, then went back to argue with Aria on some clause and subsection that they were both contesting. ¡°This plan also gets us out of this city and to a new one that would open up more options.¡± ¡°That seems fine to me,¡± Axel agreed. ¡°I was already thinking about how to get us out of the area anyway.¡± ¡°I am fine with this plan,¡± Lyra said. ¡°I really don¡¯t have anything holding me here anyway.¡± ¡®I really want to go to Stormwatch!¡¯ Sky¡¯s happy voice chimed in, making Jareth, Pearl, and Larimar flinch out of some reflex to hearing her talk to them for the first time. ¡®That is the city at the leading edge of enhancing right now.¡¯ ¡°Well, it did cost a few gold, but since this was bought today, it should slow your hunters down,¡± Jareth continued and looked over the contract again. ¡°I will also have a few people hired that look like your group leaving the city gates today and run for the normal hunting areas for your assumed Cycle to buy time.¡± ¡°Jareth, I don¡¯t think we can thank you enough for this help,¡± Axel started but was waved off. ¡°This much is simple to achieve with a little money and experience.¡± Jareth looked up from the contract into Axel¡¯s eyes. ¡°I have a keen instinct for things, and you will be someone who can lead me closer to my goals, so it is the least I can do to help get this venture off the ground.¡± Everyone stopped talking except Aria and Jareth, who were fighting it out in an intense negotiation before concluding with a firm handshake and Aria signing a stack of papers. Axel and the others had to sign the contract after reading it, including the twins, before it was all set. Aria happily told Axel that he did not get latrine duty this time. Jareth then led everyone out of the office and back through the maze to where his wagon was sitting near the warehouse¡¯s big door. The large familiar pair of Pollox stood on their four feet, happily eating out of a feeding trough and not yet hitched up to the wagon. Several people were loading the wagon with large boxes and tying everything down securely. When the wagon was ready, everyone got in, and it headed out. The fog was almost all burned away as the wagon made it to the station and moved to a large side door. Jareth showed his ticket, and everyone else pulled out a ticket that he handed to them before loading into the wagon. The guard looked over each person in the group but did not find anything amiss and then waved them through the gate in a bored way. Jareth just nodded and led the wagon into what he called a yard and down the line of large steel carriages until he found one with a ramp waiting on a wagon. It took a few stern commands to get the Pollox to enter, but after that, it was easy to get them in a pen that was in the carriage and lock his wagon down. After this, some station personnel moved the ramp away to another carriage and helped another group enter with practiced ease. Jareth led everyone to the station proper and had them enter a carriage that held several small rooms, including four with sets of beds, a room for storage, and one that held secure seating plus tables. Everyone secured their bags and larger weapons in the storage area, but there were signs stating that all passengers needed to be prepared to defend against beasts if the train encountered them in large numbers. Axel and Aria took one room, Lyra and Sky in their own, Pearl and Larimar took a room, and the last room was Jareth''s. After everyone was settled, all there was to do was wait for the train to start. It was well after lunchtime when the train started to move with a stuttering start. Axel could hear the slight sound of grinding metal as the carriage began to pick up speed. Lunch was served in another carriage that was linked through tunnels that led through all the other carriages to a large car full of tables. Everyone ate while watching the city disappear into the distance and a hilly jungle slowly began to increase in sight. The train traveled through land held by what were known to be cultivators. This was a group of people who grew food for the city and needed to have both the skills for fast-growing food and to defend against the beasts during the smaller beast tides. To be a cultivator was a high badge of status in their world, as everyone would die without their food, and they raised fast-growing domesticated beasts. The cultivated land was all on the side of the city away from the jungle to blunt any wave that hit and was miles wide. Each cultivator homestead usually held an Expert and dozens of Adepts, along with people who focused on just food-making abilities. As the train left the cultivating land, Axel returned to his carriage as he really did not have the energy to be in a crowded social setting right then. Axel then just relaxed in the seats, enjoying the view of the terrain flying by at speed. Chapter 43 Axel used the scenery flowing by to relax and let his worries of the last few weeks leave him. As Axel adjusted his breathing and relaxed, a tension in his body let go, causing Axel to doze off into a dreamless sleep. Axel slept for a long time and only awoke when the sound of the carriage door opening with a loud slam was followed by stomping and another slam of the door connecting to the next carriage. Axel saw that the suns was well across the sky at this point, meaning that he must have slept for at least three or four hours. Wondering what happened to his team, Axel got up and stretched, only to find a knife in his hand, which he sheathed. He then decided to look for everyone. A quick check of the carriage showed that no one was there, so Axel then moved on to the dining carriage. While partially filled, none of his group was there, so he asked one of the waiters, but he had just started his shift and did not seem to have seen anything. The staff member did point out that two carriages forward there was an entertainment carriage. Axel decided to check this one out next. Two more diner carriages later, Axel arrived in what looked like a small casino with several tables where people were playing cards, a dice game, and a game where people were shuffling tiles. Almost right away, Axel found two of his group, a blond-winged woman and a red-haired woman, at two of the tables. Aria was playing a card game with several people, and for some reason, she had a large amount of small coins on her side of the table. She even had one of the staff members moving some off the table to a case as the bumps on the ride would cause the pile to shift precariously. Lyra was shaking a cup with dice and then slamming it down. As she did, others at her table called out numbers and placed bets down. Oddly, Lyra was not making any bets but was receiving a small amount from the pot each time she shook the dice, much to her table¡¯s enjoyment. Axel left Lyra alone first, as from the body language of one of the men at the table Aria was at, he was losing more than he could afford. Axel moved over to the table as the angry man threw down his hand when Aria refused to up the chips in the center, and the man cursed in frustration, pulling a small pile of custom coins with a grumble. ¡°Hello, dear,¡± Aria looked up and smiled radiantly at Axel while putting her cards down. ¡°Well, gentlemen, it looks like Aria¡¯s time is up. Have fun!¡± Aria then asked the staff member to move her coins to the case so she could leave. This caused the large man to argue that he did not get a chance to win his money back. Aria looked at him and shook her head sadly. ¡°Aria is sorry, but she will no longer be able to take your money,¡± Aria told the man with a sweet smile. ¡°Please have a great day!¡± A large vein throbbed on his head, but to Axel¡¯s surprise, he made no move and sat at the table with a grunt, telling a staff member with a deck of cards to deal another hand. Aria received the case holding her coins and tried to hand a few to the person, only to be refused as it was against the rules to receive gifts from passengers. Axel and Aria then moved over to Lyra¡¯s table, and he could see her using her power to shake the cup in interesting ways. Axel saw right away how she was shaking, why the group of gamblers were paying more attention to her than their bets. After the cup slammed down and bets were placed, Lyra moved the cup, showing three dice. The person with the closest bet won. The coins at this table were not even a quarter of what was being placed down from what Aria¡¯s table was doing. ¡°Lyra, time to head out,¡± Aria said, touching Lyra¡¯s elbow. ¡°Good,¡± Lyra replied, putting the cup to the side and taking the small amount of chips that were pushed to her from the winner. ¡°Well, everyone, I need to go. Please have a great time.¡± Everyone at the table booed and tried to get her to keep going, but Lyra just shook her head and left with Axel and Aria. Aria then led the way to the back of the carriage that held a small room with a woman sitting in it. Aria handed her case, and Lyra took out a small bag to hand over. Each received a pouch of money for what was returned. Axel just shook his head and waited for the money to be counted out and handed over. Aria then led everyone out of the carriage and back to theirs. A couple of times Axel tried to say something, Aria placed a finger on his lips to stop him until they were in their group area with the door shut. ¡°So, what is going on?¡± Axel asked after sitting down. ¡°Aria didn¡¯t want to talk and walk with this money out in the open,¡± Aria replied. ¡°The casino carriage had an expert protecting it from fights, but that protection stops after leaving.¡± ¡°That makes some sense, but I¡¯m still confused about how you two ended up there and where the others went,¡± Axel asked while leaning back. ¡°Well, Pearl was at my table until I trounced her at poker,¡± Aria said proudly. ¡°After she left in a huff, Aria does not know, while Sky went to talk to an engineer about the train, and Jareth went to talk to other merchants about something.¡± ¡°I lost all of my money at the dice game, so the players said if I would be the dice shaker, I could make my money back,¡± Lyra said while her face was slightly red. ¡°I also noticed the more enthusiastically I shook the dice, the bigger the amount of chips that would be sent my way.¡± Axel laughed as the red crept all the way to the top of Lyra¡¯s face, but after a breath, he looked at her, saying, ¡°Sorry!¡± ¡°Yeah, laugh it up,¡± Lyra put her face in her hands and said in a quiet voice. ¡°It was fun to do, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Aria came over and hugged Lyra, causing the shade of red to go deeper on the woman¡¯s face to start matching the hue of her hair. Aria then went into detail about how bad the people at the table were with their tells and that if they had gone to any den in the city, they would have been fleeced for every coin and then dumped on the street naked. This reminded Axel that he and Aria led really different lives before they met as Aria moved to stories of learning the game to get better at being a scout. Axel was not sure how the two interacted but let Aria tell her stories. Another couple of hours later, Sky entered and took a seat. ¡®The engineering and power circuits are so amazing!¡¯ Sky told everyone while spinning her seat around. ¡®The size, complexity, and power throughput are works of art.¡¯ ¡®The engineers who run this train say that there is already a better version in the works,¡¯ Sky gushed over her mind link. ¡®I really wish I could take it apart, but that would get me in so much trouble. But what I could learn!¡¯ You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Sky then started explaining formulas and other circuit-related knowledge with how it related to a project as big as the main engine of the train. Aria just nodded along while attempting to teach Axel and Lyra how to play poker. The game seemed simple, but as she started to do practice games, it got much more complicated for Axel as he had to keep the used cards in his head, run the odds, and make reads of Lyra¡¯s and Aria¡¯s body language. Time passed quickly, and the twin suns set before anyone knew it. Pearl, Larimar, and Jareth returned and joined in the game. After Aria destroyed everyone several times in a row, Pearl pulled out a box of tiles and taught everyone a matching game with them. When Pearl also kept losing to Aria in this, Jareth called an end to the games and suggested they all call it a day there. -- The night passed swiftly, and day two of the ride got exciting as the morning came with the train hitting something followed by the sounds of fighting. A small horde of beasts seemed to be running alongside the train and were being fought off by the security team. Axel watched as powers of light, fire, and lightning were combined by an Expert into a branching chain attack that killed dozens of beasts in a strike. There was a combatant flashing between each beast, making precision strikes to weak points and moving on to the next. Axel could not see what was happening on the other side, but from the sound, it was just as intense. The strangest thing was the train did not even slow down at all. With that excitement over, everyone cleaned up as the train even had a carriage for showering and ate before regrouping in their lounge room to make plans. ¡°Alright, so we are heading to Stormwatch,¡± Jareth said and put down a map on the table. The map showed a mountainous region that held three of the sacred mountains. Jareth then pointed out several pre-circled areas on the map that ran along the jungle mountains. ¡°These areas will be our targets for the hunts,¡± Jareth used his pen to point at each. ¡°These areas are known to hold beasts at mid to end Novice and up to mid-level Adept beasts.¡± ¡°As our group is mixed, this will work in our favor.¡± Jareth then pointed to Pearl and Larimar. ¡°They need to hunt and will take the lead on any Adept beasts, while Axel will take the lead on any beasts that are of the Novice rank.¡± ¡°Now, these areas need to be avoided at all costs if possible,¡± Jareth then circled several mountain areas. ¡°These are the Storm Drake nesting grounds, and I really don¡¯t want to be food for a hatchling.¡± ¡°Jareth, I would suggest not hunting in the second area,¡± Axel pointed and added. ¡°I have done some research on Storm Drakes in Greenhaven, and that one is well within the range they hunt in for food.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± Jareth then marked off the spot with an X. ¡°That leaves locations one and three.¡± ¡°One will likely be heavily hunted as it is close to the city,¡± Pearl pointed out. ¡°It will be harder to get prey there as it will have learned the habits of hunters.¡± ¡°Location three is also bad,¡± Larimar said. "I checked storm reports before we headed out since you told me we were heading this way, and since the last Starfall and beast tide, that location¡¯s population was shifted around.¡± ¡°Well, this is just what I could gather from the other merchants,¡± Jareth said with a sigh. ¡°These were the areas with the lowest risk to reward.¡± Jareth then marked a location deeper in the jungle near a village named Rainshadow. This village likely hunted for the city to sell the meat, cores, and hides of the local beasts. Axel looked over the area terrain and found a spot a few miles away from the village. Using his knowledge from his training, he pointed out an area of the map that had a large water source and met the criteria of beasts he researched before. ¡°This should be a good hunting spot,¡± Axel said. ¡°Why?¡± Pearl asked. ¡°With such a big water source, it is likely to draw high populations of Adept level beasts. It could be dangerous if the number of beasts is too high.¡± ¡°If you look at this, this, and this,¡± Axel then pointed out a pair of mountains in the area and a deep gorge. ¡°That is the kind of habitat that Quakes enjoy. This will keep the populations of Adept tier beasts down as they are territorial to other larger beasts and will be good hunting.¡± ¡°Quakes being herbivores means that they are less aggressive and move in small herds of no more than six and are often alone,¡± Axel said while then pointing out the village. ¡°The village is also unlikely to hunt this area as here and here I would bet a lot of money are Tempest beast territories, so the village would likely hunt in the other direction for safety.¡± ¡°Aria can see a path we can take if we don¡¯t go to the village and come south from this village,¡± Aria pointed out a path that avoided the Tempest beast territory and led right into a location near where the Quake would be. ¡°This should be a relatively safe route, but we would need to take it slow until we reach the hunting ground to not disturb any of the predators around there.¡± ¡°Seems like a plan, but I will keep talking to the other merchants to see if I can sound out any other safer locations. But Quakes sell very well as they are hard to locate and hunt as their territory is deeper in the jungle normally or on the plains in large herds,¡± Jareth said after thinking for a while. ¡°After this hunt, your group can use the Trial in Stormwatch to complete a cycle. Pearl, you will need a while, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Larimar and I just finished our second cycle, so unless we hunt high-maturity Adept beasts, we will need quite a while for this cycle,¡± Pearl replied while scanning the map. ¡°But if the Quakes are there, we may be able to speed it up.¡± ¡°We also only have a couple of months to hunt, so this should be a good spot before we would need to return to our duty in the Tidewalkers,¡± Larimar added. ¡°We were originally set for the great river guarding before you contacted us, and those posts are hard to get.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Jareth nodded. ¡°I thank you again for this favor.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think about it, Uncle,¡± Pearl shook her head saying. ¡°What are family for? Plus, we can earn more at Cycle three if we can complete it in these couple of months.¡± ¡°That is not to say that Stormwatch is not also a great place as it has several crimsons with abilities that you can only find here that we both are looking for,¡± Larimar added with a smile. ¡°So it¡¯s true that after Novice, the various cities have variants that only appear in their city?¡± Axel asked. ¡°I saw it mentioned in a couple of books but could not find anything that was verifiable as there were other books that said that any crimson will show in any city.¡± ¡°Kinda true,¡± Pearl looked from the map to Axel. ¡°It is more that the higher the tier, the more certain types have evolved more often in different cities for various reasons.¡± ¡°In the Adept tier, given time, you would be able to find a crimson you want, but this could lead to weeks of searching and stagnation if what you are looking for does not evolve often in your city,¡± Larimar continued from where her sister left off. ¡°This is why flame seekers originally came from as people would travel the land to find the crimson they wanted for their power sets.¡± ¡°Flame seeking is also difficult as each trial is different from the other, so if you are used to the dangers in one, they could be completely different in another,¡± Pearl picked up in a bored tone. ¡°For example, if Greenhaven had a lot of mind benders, you would likely pick up defenses to protect against them, but say Stormwatch has no Mind Benders but Lava Fiends, you would want protection against heat.¡± ¡°Thank you for clearing that up for me,¡± Axel thanked each of them. ¡°I was always curious about that.¡± The conversation moved on from that but sputtered out after a list of supplies was made. The ride to Stormwatch continued unhindered after that, with the guards on the train taking care of several more issues but nothing that Axel and his group needed to be involved in. As the train traveled through a tunnel drilled through a small mountain, Axel saw Stormwatch for the first time. It was a strange sight as it was built up alongside the mountain with what looked like a several-tiered system of buildings with hundreds of landing pads. At the base of the mountain, there was a large wall similar to what surrounded Greenhaven, but Axel could see many of the buildings were carved into the side of the mountain as it expanded. There was also another set of towers that loomed over the walls built the same way as the Vanguard that Axel stayed at before. As Axel looked over the city, he saw many strange metal contraptions that came out of the older-looking buildings that had wires running to them. Axel could also see a storm coming on the horizon filling the air a deep pressure preceding it. Chapter 44 The train arrived at the station with a lurching halt, and the sound of grinding metal announced their arrival in Stormwatch. Axel¡¯s group had already packed up their gear and left the train along with the crowd of people. As the group walked, several people were giving Aria dirty looks as she was asked on the second day not to play in the casino anymore as she was affecting business. Axel had to deal with that pouting for the remainder of that day. When the group arrived, their wagon was already unloaded, and the Pollox was being guided off the carriage. Jareth took charge of the beasts and hitched them to the wagon. When everyone loaded up, the group headed into the city. Getting through the inspection was a process but it did not take too long. Axel was frisked by a female guard who gave him a little more attention than he felt was necessary, but he held his complaints as they needed to be in the city for a day for Jareth to make some trades. Stormwatch was much different from Greenhaven as instead of platforms taking people everywhere, there were larger platforms that took people between the different elevations of the city. Jareth drove the wagon with ease that told Axel he had been there many times before, as he neither asked for directions nor slowed down to look for street signs. It took the group about ten minutes to arrive at a large marketplace when Jareth then jumped off the wagon and looked over at the group. ¡°This should only take about an hour, then we can leave for the hunting trip,¡± Jareth said while heading to an old-looking shop. ¡°If you need anything, get it now while you can.¡± As everyone had spent the last two days going through maps and supplies that they needed, everyone broke up into groups of two. Axel was shopping with Sky this time, and they headed into the shopping area that held smithing and tools. Sky moved from building to building in happy little dances before going into one and starting to pick through tools. The shopkeeper was a Thalaxian and seemed to greet Sky as she nodded her head. Sky then moved through tools and bars of metal, putting some to the side while turning to the shopkeeper and shaking her manipulators at them. Axel really could not tell the gender of the large spider being. It was kind of strange as the only noise was the movement of feet, objects being picked up or put down, and Sky at one point slamming her manipulator on the counter in what Axel guessed was a heated negotiation. Money was then handed over to the shopkeeper, and Sky bagged up the bars of metal into a storage bag that seemed to be bigger on the inside. ¡°You all good, Sky?¡± Axel finally asked as the silence was starting to get to him. ¡®Huh? Oh!¡¯ Sky seemed to realize that she was having a mental conversation with the shopkeeper and left Axel out. ¡®I am sorry, Axel. It is a habit to enter the local hive mind when talking to my kind. I didn¡¯t mean to leave you out of the conversation there.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Axel replied and lifted the bag that Sky filled with a small grunt of effort as all the weight was still there even though it looked like a normal bag. ¡°Let¡¯s start heading back as we are getting close to the time we need to return.¡± Axel led the way through the door when he noticed several Aurelians were hanging around the rooftops near the shop. All but one were in ratty armor and not the greatest maintained weapons. There was one in very nice armor with, from what Axel could see, a well-crafted blade on his hip. This city was known to have a high population of Aurelians and Vortans due to the terrain. The issue Axel was having was the ones in the area were watching him and Sky walking in the street. ¡®Think we may have some trouble,¡¯ Sky sent and set up a link between them. ¡®Yeah, there are about six of them above, and they are not being subtle about it,¡¯ Axel thought back. As Axel was talking to Sky, a pair of Aurelians landed and blocked the path ahead while another pair blocked the way back. Axel could see that there was a pair on the roof with bows ready. Axel stopped and waited for the one in front to say his piece. ¡°So you are Axel Thunderstrider,¡± the one in a nicer set of armor started. ¡°You have a nice bounty on your head.¡± ¡°So I have heard,¡± Axel replied slowly back while sending to Sky, ¡®I will disrupt the two on the roof and fight the front two. Block or take out the pair behind.¡¯ Axel looked around in a deliberately slow manner. ¡°I am guessing you are here to try to take the bounty?¡± ¡°Yes, my men here will take you down quick...¡± The man started when his vision filled with the sight of a bag. The armor on his chest made a cracking noise from the weight and strength of the throw. Axel then heard the thunk of arrows above hitting something, and the light above went out as Sky made a shield above them. Axel then peeked out and connected the pair of archers, causing them to yell in surprise and make a loud smack as they slammed into each other. After Axel linked them, he avoided a wind blade from the last guy in front as he was making exaggerated motions, basically telling Axel where the near-invisible blades would be going. Axel charged forward and moved in a zigzag motion to avoid getting hit but was still tagged a couple of times. His healing took care of it in moments as this opponent did not seem to be well-trained. As Axel arrived, he controlled his punch and knocked the Aurelian out with a likely broken skull, but he was breathing in the end. Axel turned and saw that the archers were still struggling to remove themselves from being stuck. Sky seemed to have dealt with the last pair by sending spikes into the joints of her opponents, disabling their ability to move. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Well, that went well,¡± Axel said to Sky as he removed the bag from the well-armored man, but Axel was sure that he was not getting up again as the armor was only pretty looking as this was caved in from the bag. ¡°Sky, can you create a rope to bind them?¡± Axel then asked her. ¡°These seem more like the desperate than murderous types.¡± ¡®Axel, are you sure this is not going too easy?¡¯ Sky asked while creating the rope. ¡®Do you think they won¡¯t just come back with more or better fighters?¡¯ ¡°That is a possibility, and if they do, they die,¡± Axel said and looked each of them in the eye while only channeling a tiny bit of berserk. ¡°I can¡¯t blame someone down on their luck, and it will be worse for them as they will now need to get supplies to heal. They are very lucky to get this break, and if I find out they were the ones leading the next attack, I will find them.¡± Axel saw each of them shake in terror and huddle together. Axel then turned away and deactivated berserk, noticing the usage time had dropped from two minutes to one minute fifty-five seconds. ¡®Axel, you know you are very scary?¡¯ Sky sent, and Axel looked to see she was partially hiding in an alley, peeking out at him. ¡®Sorry,¡¯ Axel thought back to her. ¡®I am trying to find a balance with my life now so that I can live with my actions.¡¯ ¡®Alright, but just don¡¯t look at me like you did them, please,¡¯ Sky sent back and quickly moved to catch up. ¡°How long will those ropes last?¡± Axel asked out loud after they had traveled a few blocks. ¡®At my current level and how far we are moving from them,¡¯ Sky said and thought for a moment. ¡®I think about four more minutes.¡¯ Axel traveled the rest of the way, regretting a bit that he killed the one man, but given the situation, there was not a lot he could have changed being outnumbered given his knowledge at the start. Axel also did not realize when they surrounded him that most of them did not seem to be better than cycle two with poor training. Axel and Sky arrived at the wagon first, so while he waited, he used his memory to relive the fight, finding flaws he could not see in the moment. Pearl and Larimar were the next to arrive and seemed a bit surprised to see Axel and Sky there before them. When they arrived, Pearl tossed two heavy bags into the wagon and looked Axel over. ¡°Can¡¯t go a couple of hours without a fight?¡± Pearl said and pointed at a few spots of blood on Axel¡¯s shirt. ¡°Do you need a chaperone wherever you go?¡± ¡°Just a couple of bounty hunters that me and Sky dealt with,¡± Axel replied and gave a careless shrug, trying to make it look like nothing while he still was working through the fight. Larimar began to ask questions about it, but Axel just replied with generic descriptions as he did not want to talk about it in detail. As Axel was being badgered, Aria and Lyra arrived, each holding a bag stuffed with supplies that his group decided to get independently from Jareth and his nieces. Jareth was the last to arrive and motioned for everyone to hop in. ¡°We are wasting sunlight,¡± Jareth called from his driver¡¯s seat. ¡°If we leave now, we can make it to the village we want before night according to what I heard from the local merchant.¡± Axel stayed out of view as he had already been noticed once, which surprised him, but sometimes bad luck happens. The wagon arrived at the main gate a short time later, and after a quick inspection, they were let through the massive gate. Axel could see the walls had many scars along them, much like Greenhaven. The city looked just as amazing as when he could see it from the train, with the many layers each almost a small city in its own right. Just as the wagon turned a corner and would lose sight of the city, Axel saw a gigantic beast swimming through the air. It was a Sky Whale from the west, a gentle beast that could carry people over long distances. Axel had only ever seen a few as they traveled over his village when they were heading into the city that lived in the deep jungle. They tended to only be raised by large wealthy groups, and getting a ticket on one, according to his mother, would need the profit from an entire hunting season. Then with a swish, the Sky Whale and city vanished from Axel¡¯s sight, and the jungle thickened quickly. With the city out of sight, Jareth had the Pollox pick up the pace to a loping jog and pulled out his pipe, turning to look at the people in the wagon. ¡°Aria, do you mind scouting as we are not in a caravan this time?¡± Jareth asked, then looked at Pearl and Larimar. ¡°You two take turns on watch. Axel, Lyra, and Sky will partner with you two as they don¡¯t have the most experience with this, so try to learn from them.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Aria chirped and shot out the back, taking wing without looking back. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Pearl replied. ¡°I will take the first shift. Sister, you can take the one after lunch, and we switch at dinner.¡± ¡°I can work with that,¡± Larimar said and pulled out a bedroll to get comfortable. ¡°Axel and Lyra will work with me while Sky tries to keep in contact with Aria, so we don¡¯t lose her.¡± With jobs assigned, those who were not on shift tried to relax, and Pearl started going over the job with Sky and Aria. According to Pearl, it was normally preferred to have at least two Aurelians for this assignment as it made shift work easier. The morning went by quickly, and they only stopped for a short time for lunch before cleaning up. Axel sat in the driver¡¯s seat with Jareth to have a better view, and the afternoon was going much like the morning when Axel noticed off in the distance the sound of many feet. Axel also noticed that Jareth stiffened to the sound but showed no other reactions. When he looked in the back, Larimar was going over duties, not seeming to notice anything or at least reacting to the sound Axel heard. When Axel looked back at Jareth, the merchant was back to normal, smoking his pipe with his usual smile on his face. Something felt off, so Axel began to pay more attention to the surroundings for any beasts or bandits. Something came of his vigilance when they were getting to a break in the trees ahead that meant they were getting close to the village. Axel noticed that the foliage in several locations was misplaced and reached over the back of his seat, giving his team the hand sign for an ambush. Pearl and Larimar were unsure what the hand symbol meant as it was not the standard storm sign, but Sky sent them both a message, and they shared a look before getting into positions. Aria strung her bow swiftly, Sky created a lot of sharp spikes, and Lyra loosened her blade. Pearl donned her armor as she had removed it to be more comfortable while not on watch, and Larimar slid to the back of the wagon. Jareth then reined in the Pollox and hopped off, seeming to start checking the axle of the wagon for damage. Axel kept his posture relaxed and could see at least two shadows shift unnaturally on the right side. With his hand still over the back, he signaled that there were two on the right and unconfirmed more. Aria slipped out of the back of the wagon like a shadow and moved to get a better look. Sky did not set up a link as she was again setting up multiple spikes and could not spare the thought power but did relay to Axel. ¡®Aria says there are five on the right, four on the left, and two hidden in the trees behind,¡¯ Sky told him. ¡®She is not sure if she was spotted coming out of the wagon, but they likely know.¡¯ ¡®Fuck it,¡¯ Axel sent to Sky back ¡®Tell Aria it is time for plan F as I really don¡¯t think these are friendly¡¯s¡¯ Axel then heard a happy squeal from Aria ruining any chance for stealth on her end and a heat built quickly into a ball of white flame. Aria rounded the corner and yelled ¡°Plan F for FIREBALL!¡± Chapter 45 With that, the white streak moved in a blur and exploded in the bush that held at least five people. Axel used the wash of the blast to give himself momentum away from the seat, and not a moment too soon as three arrows and two blades pierced the seat back he was occupying. Axel could see as he was moving that the wood was bubbling and smoking from the projectiles. ¡°Poison!¡± Axel called as he arrived in the back of the wagon and rolled to his feet. On the way out, Axel grabbed his weapon and then leaped out the back of the wagon so that they would not try to attack it again. The Pollox panicked at the fireball and started to run off to the side away from the now burning foliage, throwing Axel''s landing off, making it more of a flop than a landing and taking away his cover from more attacks. Axel rolled to the side and positioned himself to fight whoever came from the burning area or the area that the ranged attacks came from. Axel then saw Pearl and Larimar taking off to fight the pair behind the group as both seemed to be Adepts hiding in the trees. Leaving that fight to the veteran Tidewalkers, Axel focused on his area as out of the fire came a trio of Adepts that seemed to be badly burned and were making a run to fight Jareth. From the looks of it, Aria did take out two people, but Adepts were tough with how advanced the blessing the Goddess gave was. Each of the trio wore cheap-looking armor that any shop carried and no weapons in their hands. The leader of the trio¡¯s hands had a glow shifting between blues and reds as he made a leaping attack at Jareth. ¡°Thunder and Fire,¡± Axel called and slammed gravity on the leader of the Adepts who was about to attack Jareth with an open palm attack, causing him to miss his timing, ruining his strike. This left an opening for Jareth to slap his webbed hand on the man¡¯s neck, and blood flowed out the leader¡¯s eyes, nose, and mouth. This would have likely killed him, but Jareth needed to use the withering man as a shield against attacks coming from the other two, a blade of condensed fire and another of air, which shredded the new human shield''s back. Axel heard the sound of something hitting the ground and saw that Aria had kept a windshield from the leftover force of her first blast that deflected a second round of projectiles lanced from a group of five leaving the bush. These five were also in cheap armor and had cheap-looking weapons, but something seemed off about them to Axel. The three archers all were using wind plus aero, the knife throwers were moving at enhanced speeds speaking of similar powers, and everything seemed too uniformly cheap-looking. Just then, two balls of fire shot past Axel but were beaten to the punch by a bolt of chaining lightning that caused all the Novice fighters to begin to seize up before the blast. This also stopped several powers that were forming on each of the attackers from forming. That was when fireballs slammed the front two of the attackers, the knife wielders, and thankfully Sky raised a shield in front of Axel as the two small stars went boom. The explosion left cracks in the hastily risen earthen shield and threw Jareth and his remaining attackers to the side as they were not prepared. Axel reflexively then locked Jareth in place with gravity so he would not be sent flying, and Aria recouped the wind energy into her shield. Axel noticed a displacement of air behind him and shot a backkick with all his strength, feeling a solid hit. Axel then used the kick to roll forward, just in time to avoid two other teleporters appearing where he was and striking with swords. Each attacker had bad burns and scorched gear that showed Aria landed that attack well. Axel then did not have any time to think as the one who was kicked was getting up and his friends moved in on Axel with swords. Each sword had a strange sheen from some coating, which told Axel he did not want to be hit as much as possible. Each man moved with enhanced reflexes and speed, and while Axel blocked most of the attacks, he was still tagged twice from the dozen exchanges. Status update: Warning, neurotoxin detected in upper right thigh, left forearm, and lower abdomen. Please remove foreign objects. Axel was surprised to see the third when he noticed a needle that snuck past his guard. Thankfully, Axel¡¯s team was there as Sky filled the knocked-down man with several spikes even as he tried to dodge, successfully on the first three, but then he rolled into the blast shield Sky made earlier that allowed her to slam home a full six more. These nailed him to the wall, either killing him or at least taking him out of the fight. Lyra had jumped in and with her enhanced reflexes matched one of Axel¡¯s two attackers blow for blow. With only one attacker, Axel went on the attack and bulldozed the last attacker, sending him sprawling on the ground. Axel followed up with a two-handed slash, shattering the man''s chest, caving it in like a rotten fruit. With this brief window, Axel looked at the situation while pulling out the needle. Lyra was still engaged, but her enemy was heavily burned and did not look like he would last long. Aria was on her knees panting, and the air shield had dissipated. Jareth was in an intense hand-to-hand fight where he and his enemy were trying to land a hit with powers wrapping their hands. This was when Axel noticed that the second remaining Adept must have attacked and taken the shield down. Axel could not see the attacker though as he checked the field until he looked up and there he was. The Adept was standing on a cushion of air, focusing on a wind blade aimed at Jareth. Axel was having none of that and loosened his discharge chain. With a yell of effort, Axel landed the chain through what felt like a curtain of air and pulled while anchoring himself to the ground. The Adept screamed in surprise as they were unceremoniously launched into the remains of the blast wall, shattering it like a clay pot hit by a rock. Axel did not give the man any time and followed up with a charge attack. This was not as successful as Axel had hoped as the man was back on his feet and deflected the attack. Axel slid to the side by the force of that deflection and leaped back. As Axel landed, he saw that Lyra was done with her opponent, Sky had moved to cover Aria, and Aria was on her feet with her bow out, though Axel could see that she was unsteady. Axel had not heard anything from Pearl or Larimar, but his hearing had a lot of interference from Aria¡¯s wind wall and this Adept''s wind attacks, not to mention healing from the boom of the fireballs. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Status update: Toxin removed from body. Axel also noticed that he had just over a third of his energy left after everything. The Adept began to dust himself off and raised one hand into the air as several wind blades formed quickly. Axel knew there was not a lot of time, so he took the lead, hoping his team would have his back. It normally took on average about five novices to fight one Adept, and if Axel wanted his team to make it, he had to hope he could divert this attack. As Axel moved, he saw out of the corner of his eye that Lyra was flanking from the left and Sky had launched several more spikes at the Adept. Each spike was deflected by wind blades, slowing the buildup and weakening the upcoming attack in the process. Aria launched an arrow for every one of Axel¡¯s steps, but they were deflected by a spinning shield of air around the man. Just as the man was lowering his hand to make the attack, Axel used a large chunk of his remaining energy to link him and his friend. This had the dual use of throwing off the attack and fouling his friend''s attack on Jareth. Then Axel¡¯s vision filled with semi-transparent blades, and he raised his forearms to block. Just before they arrived, a brown wall rose, but it was not thick enough to take the energy, and Axel felt pain all over his body. As the dust from the earth wall cleared, Axel saw Lyra pulling out a blade from the throat of the air user, and Jareth was cleaning his hands while standing over his dead opponent. Axel noticed damage warnings all over his body and an icon he had never seen before. It was an icon showing an arm away from the body. This was when Axel noticed his right arm was cut clean off, and then the pain hit him. Axel held in a scream and looked for the missing appendage. Axel was also getting alerts that the system had cut off blood from the area and was asking if he wanted to start regenerating or reattachment. ¡°Lyra,¡± Axel called out, ¡°need a little assistance here fast.¡± Lyra looked over at Axel, saw the situation, and rushed over. As she ran over, Axel picked up the arm and noticed the cut was very clean. There was also a healing wound on his chest as the blade tried to cut him in half. When Lyra arrived, she helped Axel line up the arm and, with the help of her healing, sealed the arm in place, letting the regeneration do its work. ¡°I would help more, but I am almost tapped out,¡± Lyra told Axel. ¡°I want to save a little bit in case someone has something life-threatening, and I can see from your Journal that you should be fine with time.¡± Aria came up at this moment and hovered around Axel, seeming to fear touching him in case he would fall apart. ¡°He will be fine with some rest, Aria,¡± Lyra told her as Axel was still in a lot of pain, though it was fading fast. ¡°Thank the Goddess!¡± Aria said and dropped to her butt in relief. ¡°Hey Aria, you want to do something about the budding forest fire?¡± Jareth called over while heading in the direction of where his wagon went. ¡°Shoot!¡± Aria got to her feet and started to run around the fire. ¡°Any ideas on how Aria can do that, everyone?¡± That was when dirt appeared over each fire, snuffing the large flames out. ¡®I would recommend cutting the air,¡¯ Sky sent to everyone. ¡®I can do it with dirt, but you should be able to do it with your Aero.¡¯ ¡°Thank you, Sky!!¡± Aria then hugged the Thalaxian around her head. ¡°I was all out of power right there.¡± ¡®I would recommend if you can save some energy for when we are in flammable areas,¡¯ Sky sent, but the mental voice had a flustered feeling to it. Lyra then walked over to Aria and smacked her upside the head. ¡°Owww,¡± Aria complained. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°First, don¡¯t yell the plan out when attacking,¡± Lyra crossed her arms and said. ¡°Second, please think ahead about using firepower in a forest.¡± ¡°What if there was a wind or the ground was really dry, and we had to avoid a forest fire during or right after a dangerous fight?¡± Lyra finished while Aria rubbed her head. ¡°But I feel my attack has more power when I yell its name,¡± Aria told Lyra. ¡°And it was so cool to call out the name of the plan right then!¡± Aria avoided another smack from Lyra for her reply. Aria did not say anything about the forest fire, though, as she obviously didn¡¯t have anything for that. ¡°But Axel called for plan F?¡± Aria tried to divert the blame to Axel. ¡°I thought he had a plan for the fire. He also called for Thunder and Fire, so he should take the blame too.¡± ¡°Anyone see Pearl or Larimar?¡± Axel asked as he heard no fighting, and they had not appeared yet. He also wanted to stop this line of thought as he didn¡¯t take into account a forest fire, but he thought that Aria had plans for that. This was something that their training together did not cover as they were forced to hide a lot of their new powers. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡®No,¡¯ came all three replies to his question. Hoping there was not another fight, Axel began to move in that direction when the twins walked out of the trees in armor that was beaten up but looking better than Axel¡¯s group. ¡°They got away from us,¡± Pearl said. "Teleporters are such a pain.¡± ¡°They also seemed to be more trying to stall us than kill us,¡± Larimar added. ¡°I think they were hoping their friends here would finish this fight and support them.¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t all that much of a fight, though,¡± Pearl kept saying while the twins arrived at the group. ¡°You all look like crap.¡± ¡°Where is uncle?¡± Larimar asked and looked over the damage to the enemies. ¡°Hell of a fight you guys put up too.¡± ¡°Jareth went to retrieve the wagon,¡± Axel said to the pair while holding his arm in place. His health system was telling him that full repair would take four hours, but the arm would hold in place for another four minutes. Jareth then returned and led the pair of Pollox by the reins out of the forest. ¡°Thankfully, they are trained for bandit fights and stopped a short distance into the jungle,¡± Jareth casually said while pulling his pipe out and lighting it. ¡°Would have been a right pain if they ran deep into the jungle or overturned the wagon.¡± ¡°Alright, a quick check on the bandits. Lyra, if you could retrieve any journals, we should keep on the road,¡± Jareth then patted down the bandits. None of the bandits had anything of value on them, and Lyra informed them that for some reason all the Journals seemed to have been damaged to the point of not being able to recover. Sky checked after the first one that was found this way, and there was a small device that seemed to have detonated and destroyed the Journal. Axel was rather shocked as no one did that, as knowledge would be lost if people went around and did that. Jareth only grunted and had everyone load into the wagon. Axel was put on rest until his arm was usable, and everyone took out food to help with healing and recharging their energy. For the next few hours, Axel felt very lethargic as his regeneration was just outperforming his core''s ability to generate power. Just as Axel¡¯s health data showed his arm was back to usability, the village came into view. Lightning Ridge was a large village with two sets of walls. There was an inner wall that protected the core of the village along with many of the houses and other buildings. The outer wall protected what looked like farmland and some herds. The village was also nestled next to a large ridge using it as a natural barrier to the north of the village. Axel could see many Vortan in this village and caves along the ridge were drakes and riders. This village was well known for training Storm Drakes and their riders before they were dispatched to other locations. The Storm Drake breeding grounds were also just to the north in the mountains. As the wagon bounced and jostled down the road, Axel relaxed against the side wall, watching a patrol of five Storm Drakes fly over their heads, likely to check them out before wheeling to the east. Chapter 46 The wagon rolled to the village checkpoint and was let through after a quick check by the guards. Jareth then drove the wagon to an inn that was the planned stop for the night. As Axel hopped out, he noticed that while the village looked a lot bigger than his home from afar, it seemed more spread out. The streets were widened, and many homes had large buildings attached, which quickly became apparent were for the Storm Drakes, as a Vortan was giving one a cleaning in one of these stables. The inn was a nice building with three floors and a common room where food was prepared. Axel paid extra to have a room for himself and Aria to share one of the two larger rooms. After the last few weeks of training and cramped accommodations, he felt it was more than worth the extra expense. Dinner was a nice stew, and the hall was filled with many Vortan and Aurelians sharing drinks and food. There were a few humans, but they were in the minority, and Axel almost did not notice them in the room. Axel while eating sent a journal update to the Goddess about what had happened and several worries he had. After eating and being told by Jareth that they were leaving early in the morning, around the seventh bell when the gates opened, Axel decided to take a walk around the town to have a little time alone. Knowing that this could be a risk, he told Aria and Lyra about his plans but just could not take being almost locked up all the time. Neither protested nor just told him to be careful while he walked and turned back to talking to each other. The village had a smell of ozone about it, but with the amount of lightning-using drakes, Axel was not surprised. As the sky began to fill with reds, Axel stopped his wandering and turned back to the inn when he heard a growl and snapping noise coming from a park. Curiosity overtaking his caution, Axel moved quietly to see what was happening when he saw a young Vortan feeding a young Storm Drake with malformed wings. Axel scanned the Drake with his eyes, and his index pulled up information on it. Index basic mode Storm Drake Known Dangers: Estimated Age: Youth stage, just out of infancy due to the size of scales and head along with the overall size of the beast. Beast Potency Level: Novice Low Axel was no expert on Storm Drakes, but it did not look like this one would ever fly. Based on the adult one he trained against, those wings would not hold it. Axel could see other health issues based on predators he knew, such as from the scarring. It likely lost a lot of fights for food, and its right eye was inflamed but healing, meaning something tried taking it out recently. The Vortan was throwing Gar from a hunting bag that the Drake was snapping out of the air. Axel found it odd that a young Storm Drake was in this park and being fed by someone. Not making a sound, Axel just watched until the Vortan was done and led the Drake to a fenced-off area and put it in a pen. As Axel read the sign on the pen, he learned that this was a training ground for Drake Riders and not a park like he first assumed. The last confusion, though, was every other Drake there looked perfectly healthy and much more filled out. The one Axel saw, on second glance, was very lacking in weight, muscle, and size. The Vortan left after giving the Drake a good rubdown with a cloth that was oiled. Wanting to know more, Axel leaned against a tree just near the training ground''s exit and watched the Vortan, male now that he had better light to see by, creep out. ¡°So, I am not from around here, but I get the feeling that this is not normal,¡± Axel said in a dramatic voice, causing the Vortan to leap in the air. ¡°Goddess!¡± The Vortan exclaimed. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Just a traveler, but I heard a noise as if someone was being eaten, so I checked on it out of community concern,¡± Axel told him with a straight face. ¡°I am a hunter, and that looked like a malformed runt. Quite the surprise that it is kept around, given how much Drakes are known to eat.¡± ¡°Ummmm,¡± the young man said while looking around guiltily. ¡°It''s there for training purposes and because its parent saved the village, so it is kept around.¡± ¡°Interesting, but why are you here after hours feeding it if it is being kept around for training? Should it not get fed regularly?¡± Axel kept leaning against the post, but as cool as this seemed in his head, there was a knot in the pole that was very uncomfortable. ¡°Uhh, it should be, but the person in charge does not like it and wants it out of the school,¡± the Vortan shuffled about from foot to foot while looking down. ¡°I don¡¯t want it to suffer.¡± ¡°That is fair, but what is going to happen after you leave for your Trial?¡± Axel asked while nodding to the young man. ¡°I have already done my trial and even completed my second cycle,¡± the young man looked Axel in the eye. ¡°I am up for the choosing ceremony soon and even picked up creature summoning as is required, but the only beast I want is that one.¡± ¡°Interesting to tell a stranger on the street,¡± came a voice above Axel, making him jump. Axel then saw Aria sitting on the top of the post, trying to hold in her laughter. ¡°Sorry, Axel, but Aria was worried about you and followed you. We will need to work on your ability to spot being followed at some point as you were way too easy.¡± ¡°We will talk about it!¡± Axel growled at her, making her do a faux lean back in fear. ¡°Anyway, her question is valid as I was only curious about why a little runt with malformed wings was being kept around,¡± Axel said and stopped leaning against the pole. ¡°You are sure comfortable talking to a stranger on a street corner.¡± ¡°I saw your group coming in this afternoon and knew you were hunters or were on an expedition,¡± the young man said and looked Axel in the eyes with his violet pupils. ¡°I was planning to try to see if I could talk to one of you, but the common room was way too crowded for that, but you stepped out.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I was hoping you would walk by here as this is one of the more beautiful locations in town,¡± the young man kept going. ¡°I hoped you would stop when I was training Star, but you did not appear until I was feeding him.¡± ¡°Ok?¡± Axel asked as this seemed to be a little convoluted to him, and he was not sure where it was going. ¡°I want to join your hunting group,¡± the young man then bowed deeply to Axel. ¡°We don¡¯t get many groups coming through, and if your group had not come through when you did, I may be forced to give up Star for a different drake.¡± Axel just blinked and was feeling very confused now. ¡°Forced to choose?¡± ¡°Yes, my uncle wants me to follow in the family tradition and become a Storm Knight like my father and mother before me,¡± the young man got up from his bow and wiped the sweat from his head. ¡°Star is the child of my parents'' Storm Drakes but did not form correctly, and now my uncle wants me to choose one of the others in the stable for my life partner.¡± ¡°Alright, I think I am getting you, but I am not from around here, so can you give me a more concise rundown?¡± Axel asked while holding up his hand. ¡°So, every young in this village of Vortan heritage tries to be a Storm Knight for the Storm,¡± the young man restarted and waited for Axel to motion for him to go on. ¡°My parents were well-regarded riders that retired here and had me, rare as they were both experts, and about five years ago, there was something that caused the unbound Drakes to go into a frenzy, but they solved it, costing their lives.¡± ¡°I have been raised by my uncle, and he wants me to continue their legacy, but since Star would not allow me to join the Storm as a rider, he is trying to force me to choose another Drake.¡± The young man kept going. ¡°I am pretty sure that he is paying the keepers to try and make it so Star does not make it to the end of training.¡± ¡°Ok, but how is my hunting expedition involved in this?¡± Axel asked while listening. ¡°I plan on leaving the academy and calling on my heritage rite to take Star with me, but without proof of employment, my uncle has ways to block it through a Trial.¡± The young man¡¯s voice took a hard note. ¡°If he does, he will use it to put Star down, as if I leave, there will be no one to stop him from having an accident.¡± ¡°Take him with you,¡± came a melodic voice from everywhere. ¡°He will help you survive and make the task later six percent more likely to complete.¡± Axel looked to the side but did not see anything until he noticed that there was a small Goddess on his shoulder that was rhythmically swinging her tiny legs. She was the size of a small doll just sitting on his shoulder, but he could not feel any weight. ¡°I had a quick look over journal entry system, and while I don¡¯t have the computing time to search through all current journals, a subprocess that tracks trends finds your guess has a high likelihood of being true but has found nothing that is allowed to be shared in any companion journal at this time,¡± Hope informed Axel. ¡°Each of your three new companions does have abnormalities in their journals, but due to privacy restrictions, I cannot tell you anything about them without permission being given.¡± ¡°Aria gives Axel permission to access hers if it is ever needed,¡± Aria chirped from above, causing Axel to look up to see her looking at the tiny Goddess on his shoulder. ¡°Accepted and added to permissions,¡± the Goddess said with a nod. ¡°I can now say for sure based on Aria¡¯s Journal that she was not involved in that attack directly.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± Axel nodded. ¡°I also give Sky, Aria, and Lyra access to my Journal if it is needed.¡± ¡°Umm, what are you two talking about?¡± the young man asked. ¡°Talking to the Goddess,¡± Aria said without missing a beat. ¡°Ok?¡± the young man said, taking two steps back and giving both Aria and Axel strange looks. ¡°Just take it as a religious thing,¡± Axel told him and motioned for him to keep going from where he left off. ¡°Anyway¡­ I can take Star with me if you hire me,¡± the young man continued. ¡°After we return to the city, I can join the Storm, get jobs, or become a Flame Seeker.¡± Axel looked at Aria, and she shrugged, leaving the decision to Axel. Thinking about it, Axel did not have too much of an issue, and the Goddess took the time out to pop into existence now, so this added weight to the argument. ¡°Alright,¡± Axel said, ¡°If I agree, and I have not yet, we are missing the most important information from you.¡± ¡°What?¡± the young man asked with an eager look on his face and leaned forward. ¡°My name is Roran Redsky,¡± he said with another bow. ¡°Well, it is nice to meet you, Roran,¡± Axel said and looked up to Aria. ¡°Think we can get him on the contract?¡± ¡°Hum,¡± Aria said while thinking about the question. ¡°There is a clause we could use for local support help, but whoever brings them in must take their pay out of their share.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Axel looked over at Roran and reached out his hand. ¡°We leave in the morning after the seventh bell when the gates open. Meet us at the inn, and I will take it out of my share.¡± Roran shook Axel¡¯s hand and headed back into the training grounds. Aria landed lightly near Axel and hugged him while looking to a side street. Axel also looked over to see Sky and Lyra peeking out at him, causing him to sigh. ¡°Alright, Aria, we do need to go through that training, I guess,¡± Axel admitted. ¡°You all heard that, so I am guessing you don¡¯t disapprove?¡± ¡°Nope, and we both gave both of you access to our journals,¡± Lyra said. ¡®I am fine with it,¡¯ Sky added in. ¡®Always wanted to work on Storm Drake gear.¡¯ ¡°Alright, Aria, we are going to rely on you to give an amended contract to Jareth and to hand it into the local Storm branch for legal reasons,¡± Axel looked at Aria, saying. ¡°Also, everyone please meet me in our room before bed as there is something I want to go over.¡± Aria sighed, and the others nodded in agreement. With his group, Axel returned to the inn to see Pearl playing cards with the locals, Larimar reading a book using the hearth''s firelight, and Jareth talking to what Axel guessed were local merchants as they seemed to be arguing over their ale cups about the price of some local fruit. Axel led his group to the room and had Sky check to make sure there were no items that should not be there. Learning about circuits from her, he felt paranoid that there were ones that could transmit sound elsewhere. Sky did not find anything but noticed Axel¡¯s worry and pulled something from her pack that looked like a palm-sized box. ¡®This will make a bubble around us that will not let sound out,¡¯ Sky told them and activated it. The box hovered in the air, wrapping each of them in a bubble where they could hear each other but nothing outside the bubbles. Axel then went over what he noticed in the ambush and his worries about Jareth or his nieces, but he did not have any evidence, and the Goddess did not find anything in their journals that showed anything she could share. Axel¡¯s running theory was that they were there for Jareth, as those Adepts were not acting like normal bandits and just going for the kill. ¡°Aria noticed the gear,¡± Aria added. ¡°They also were pretty organized with their skills and not like most criminals that Aria knows.¡± ¡°I thought it was strange that their journals were wrecked but did not think of the gear,¡± Lyra added. ¡®I found the poison and teleports the strangest,¡¯ Sky added. ¡®While most teleports are not restricted, you are kept on a list if you have one, which does not lead to banditry as you would be more easily tracked down.¡¯ Axel did not know that if you picked up a teleport, you would be added to a list, but Sky then told him that this list was under lock and key at the Vanguard and needed to have an Enforcer on a hunt for that kind of criminal to even have a chance to access. This was denied about nine times out of ten unless there were multiple murders or other heinous crimes to be able to access even for an Enforcer to get a look at. After this, Sky shut off the bubble, and everyone relaxed as Aria kept trying to teach everyone poker until it was time to sleep, at which point Axel pointed out she still had a contract to write, which got him a drooping set of wings and a pout but was needed. Aria then spent several hours writing up the contract for the morning before joining Axel in bed to snuggle. Chapter 47 The morning came as fast as always with the bells chiming six rings. Axel completed his normal morning tasks, including getting Aria out of bed, and went down to meet everyone for breakfast in the common room. The only ones in the common room when Axel arrived were Lyra and Jareth, who were both eating porridge with slabs of cooked meat on the side. As more food was being served to Axel, the rest of the group arrived and sat at the table. As the food disappeared almost as if by magic, Axel decided to bring up what happened the night before to Jareth. ¡°So, Jareth, something came up last night,¡± Axel started, then explained what happened with Roran and amending the contract that took from his, Lyra, Sky, and Aria¡¯s shares. Aria tiredly put a new contract on the table while drinking some tea. Jareth frowned during Axel¡¯s explanation and read through the contract quickly. After making a couple of corrections, Jareth slid the contract back to Aria and looked Axel over. ¡°So why are we taking in someone who we know nothing about in the middle of an expedition when you are already worried about people hunting you?¡± Jareth asked while putting his elbow on the table and leaning into his hands. ¡°Because I have a good feeling about him, and the Goddess gave me a quest that involved him,¡± Axel explained while hiding the fact that the Goddess appeared and cleared this young man. ¡°Axel, you do know that quests are only suggestions by the Goddess and not mandates, right?¡± Pearl butted in while putting down her food. ¡°Please don¡¯t take everything she says as you must do. That has led to very terrible ends for Tidewalkers I have known.¡± ¡°Axel,¡± Larimar started but was then stopped when she was cut off by Aria. ¡°Aria has also voted to bring him on and spent hours last night making this contract,¡± Aria stared Larimar down until the woman stopped talking. ¡°That work will not be in vain.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ anyway, if you feel that way, we just want to be careful about strangers joining,¡± Larimar said after looking away from Aria. ¡°I am fine with a Storm Drake rider joining,¡± Lyra added after cleaning her plate. ¡°You do realize it will be a lot more food for the beast?¡± Pearl argued. ¡°That will cut a lot out of your share.¡± ¡®This is fine with us, and we talked about it last night,¡¯ Sky sent while still eating. ¡°Alright, if your group is set on this, it is all within the contract, so it¡¯s on you, but why?¡± Jareth asked, seeming to be trying to understand why they would go out on this limb. ¡°Why did you help me and Aria,¡± Axel turned the question back on Jareth, ¡°or take the risk with this whole expedition when there is danger involved? Look at what happened with the bandits, we don¡¯t even know if they were not bounty hunters.¡± Jareth sighed and looked Axel in the eyes and said, ¡°I am helping you for my own reasons and because your group seemed like a good investment. I can guess you would have worries since your life has turned upside down with everything, but I am trying to help you.¡± ¡°I believe you, but as you gave me a chance,¡± Axel kept eye contact with Jareth and stated, ¡°I want to give him a chance to save the last thing of his parents legacy and grow how he wants.¡± Everyone stopped talking after that and finished their meals. Bags were then gathered, and Jareth brought the wagon out of the storage area and hitched the Pollox. As everyone waited, an armored Vortan figure ran up to the wagon. He wore armor, but it was damaged with several energy circuits that were exposed but seemed to have been repaired with care. Right as he arrived, the seven bells began to ring in the background while he looked up at Axel as he sat in the wagon. ¡°Did I make it in time?¡± Roran asked. Axel said nothing but held out a hand, which Roran grasped, being pulled up into the wagon as it started. As Roran put his pack on the floor, Axel introduced everyone to him and looked at him for a second. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Where is Star?¡± Axel asked. ¡°I thought your whole reason for leaving was to save them?¡± ¡°Star is right here,¡± Roran pointed at his chest. ¡°I told you I have summoning, right?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Axel asked, still confused. ¡°Well, Star is in stasis right now, and while it uses my energy to hold her, I can bring her with me anywhere,¡± Roran replied and put a hand on his chest next to one of his two hearts. ¡°Interesting,¡± Axel said and leaned forward. ¡°I never got to the sections in the library about those powers.¡± ¡°It is very uncommon for anyone not a rider to get the power, but it is the same one that many of these storage boxes use,¡± Roran explained happily. ¡°Well, a variant, but that is more that you need to be able to store living instead of nonliving.¡± Pearl and Larimar then explained the watch shifts but threw Axel under the bus as they realized that Roran did not know that Axel was being hunted and had a bounty on his head. When the awkward explanation was finished by a slightly embarrassed Axel, everyone settled down. When it hit noon, Aria was tasked as a pathfinder while Axel, Pearl, and Roran got out of the wagon to walk ahead through the dense jungle. As they got deeper into the brush, Roran released Star when a clearing was reached that held a water source. This scared away several beasts in the brush as Star roared in dominance. Roran turned a shade of blue over his pale skin and started to hush Star, calming the excited drake down. Pearl was giving Axel a scornful look but held her comments as even she could see that it was mostly from excitement rather than lack of control on Roran''s part. ¡°Sorry,¡± Roran said a little later while Star was drinking from the small river. ¡°Star has spent much of her life in the training grounds. This is all new to her and me.¡± ¡°You were never trained to go out and hunt?¡± Axel asked, as not having that training never occurred to him. ¡°I was trained to take prey from the sky,¡± Roran told Axel, and this caused Axel to rearrange all of his plans. ¡°So this may be harder than I originally thought.¡± Pearl, still not saying anything, just smirked at Axel from the trees off to the side. As the wagon slowly made its way to the water, while the Pollox rested and drank, completely ignoring the Storm Drake as if it was not a threat, Axel pulled Lyra and Aria to the side, bringing up what he learned. The lack of hunting training did not seem to occur to them either, and plans were rearranged on the fly. When the shift switched, Axel started to go over all the training that Roran had completed and what capabilities he and Star had. Axel learned a lot as Star was being trained to become bulky and more armored than the more easily airborne of her kind. Roran had electro and beast summoning as skills for his current power set. Both were the basic skills needed to be a rider as they could be electrocuted by their mount, and the other was needed for when they were in locations without stabling for their mount. For weapon skills, the lance, bow, and curved blade were what he was most proficient in. Axel talked with Aria as she rested and came up with battle plans that revolved around using the Storm Drake as a battering ram or ambush attacker during hunts. It should also keep other things away from camp, being one of the more feared predators in the mountains and light jungle. The first night in the jungle was uneventful besides a blast of lightning from Star to capture a night snack of a pack of smoking and twitching Snar. Axel also learned that if Roran used no other powers, he could hold Star for most of the day, but it meant that he would not generate power from his core, with it slowly draining. This did cut down the needed food to about a fourth of what it normally would be. The thickness of the jungle fluctuated a lot over the next few days of travel, but Star earned her keep by clearing the way for the wagon through the rougher jungle with her powerful frame. Aria kept the group going until they arrived outside a large valley that held a water source fed by two nearby mountains. In the valley were dozens of herds of Quakes, each with two large horns on the adults and a large hammer tail. The ground moved under their massive armored weight as they moved around. Packs of Quakes moved in and around the valley, with the older, stronger packs living near the middle of the valley. Axel started to do a quick count and estimated they could hunt about eight adults without hurting the breeding population. There were also Gar and other beasts slipping in to get the water in the area that could be hunted if they needed more. The trick would be to lead away a singleton or find one of the ones that went to forage in the mountains so as not to spook the larger herd and die. The camp for this hunt was set up a few miles north of the valley in what looked like a camp from another expedition, though it did not look to be used for several seasons based on the scattered debris around the area. Jareth then started to take out boxes that held tents, gear, and even a small forge to repair equipment. While this was set up, Axel and Aria did more scouting of the area around the camp but found no tracks of large beasts. Roran helped with putting special wind chimes in the trees that many flying predators were taught to avoid over the years to deter any flying attacks. The night watch for that night was split evenly between everyone, but it was always two-person shifts. It started with Axel and Aria, then Pearl and Lyra, followed by Jareth and Sky, and then the last shift had Roran and Larimar. Besides Axel and Aria, each shift had an Adept to watch for threats and let Axel and Aria get the most sleep as they would be doing the most during the hunting part of the trip. As the first night shift settled, Axel updated his journal and started to plan out the locations that would be good spots to set up attacks on the mountain. Journal (47.5) 25 Thunderstorm 644TD Moon Hidden Due to the Jealous Sky Health data transferred to Hope: Quest updates: New Status since the last update to Hope: Journal Entry: Goddess, Today was an amazing day! Aria, you know the one who chose to help me complete my first trail, invited me to join her group of Flame Seekers! I met her new mate Axel who seems to be a fine human, not that I know too many besides the few that work in the forge zones but he like my work so he cannot be bad. I am so excited to meet that last one named Lyra. I have so many ideas on gear for them from protection armor that turns physical hits taken into power to lighting gauntlets to a blade of condensed fire. They are even taking me into the Trial to see if we can get more gems for my experiment. I need to talk to the forge master to see if I can access more stock metal to work on my designs. Also I just completed my Journeyman training today, well I could have completed it like a week ago but then I would have lost my training space but Goddess I was not cheating the system but I need a place to test my theroy¡¯s, please don¡¯t judge me to hard. Back to work! Next Day: Oh no!! Disaster has struck my friend¡¯s Aria and Axel. They were attacked by people who wanted to kill Axel and bring him in for money. This angered me so much I shattered the sword that was commissioned from me. I have to redo all that work. Thankfully they are now staying in the Tower, so they are still close by and safe. I was even asked if I wanted to join them with training. Talk to you later Goddess as I need to finish this sword so I can meet up with Aria for training. This is going to be so fun! Following Day: This is not fun!! I have heard about instructor Rex but that did not prepare me for what he called a light training. He is now also beating me up in the name of training but at least he relented when I told him that I needed to keep working in the forge. I can¡¯t let the others down though so I will keep training as much as possible. As long as they don¡¯t give up on me I will keep working on getting better. After the Trial: We completed the trial for our second Novice power. Before we could celebrate Axel seemed to be attacked by something. I am not sure what but when you Goddess asked I happily stepped in to help Aria and Lyra to save him. This is the first time I have felt so close to a group outside of the Family, I am even thinking of breaking my vow and picking up telepathy so that we can work together better. The minds of other races are so strange and take so much work to communicate with. I have gained such a respect for the communication branch of my people who have to talk with them all the time. Anyway, we now have a plan for what to do in the short term, but I am worried that none of the group are looking at long term goal. That¡¯s fine thought as Goddess you have the future in your gaze. Now that you can talk to me, which is still so strange, but amazing, the future looks bright! Travel by train to the Hunting Ground: The Train!!!!!!!!! I have never seen such a marvel of engineering. The circuits and planning involved blow my mind. I need to meet the designers after our hunt so that I can learn from them. Axel even listened to everything I learned, he was so nice even with the slightly glazed eye¡¯s, and I have updated my experimental notes with what I have seen. -Experiment Journal updated with new notes This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. -Design database updated with new notes Anyway, Goddess I am going to work on more projects as I am just full of inspiration. Please watch over me!! ----- 4 Tornado 644TD Roran Redsky Health data transferred to Hope: Quest updates: New Status since the last update to Hope: Journal Entry: Goddess, I wish to thank thee for your grace and showing me a way out of my situation. Ever since Uncle took over as the head of the family, he has been pushing me to follow in the lineage of my ancestors as a Storm Drake knight. He would not see that while the skies are free with only the Aurelians know, how could I give up on Star? I have completed all the rites required of me to start as a Companion Storm Knight. The night vigil was completed, my vows are completed, and my name is carved in the pillar with my oath. I still fear my uncle will send someone to kill Star so that I would be forced to bond with a new companion. Goddess, please bless me with luck so that Star and I can grow to our potential and live up to each of our parents'' deeds. The dark is at its blackest as I sit here with one of the twins, Larimar. So far, I feel close with Axel, Aria, and Lyra as they took me in. Sky seems to be a ball of never-ending questions, but I don¡¯t know how to feel about the twins. Maybe it¡¯s that I don¡¯t have much experience with their race, as their uncle, the Merchant Jareth, also just gives me feelings of wrongness. Everything my Squire training has, along with what mother and father taught me, screams wrongness in the way they move. Goddess, I don¡¯t know how to explain it, but it¡¯s the little twitches, the way they sit on their feet, and how they are always watching the shadows. I feel that they have not lived honorable lives, but again, I could also be mistaken for racial traits. I am likely overthinking this, but I will be keeping an eye on them for now. Lastly, Goddess, please bless this hunt so that we can all grow together and find our way in your guiding light. ~Roran --- 4 Tornado 644TD Pearl Blossom Health data transferred to Hope: Quest updates: New Status since the last update to Hope: Journal Entry: Greetings Goddess, This was an eventful day as we gained a new surprise companion on this hunting trip. Uncle seems fine with this, but as ever, he controls his emotions, letting only what he wants people to see show. This new Storm Drake knight, as that is what he has to be, though he has not claimed that status like so many of his kind are so fond of. That reminds me of the pretentious knight that we were stationed around in the Canopy Village during the surge. I don¡¯t know why, but every time me and Larimar are stationed around a knight, they are always looking at us like we are criminals. I can already see Roran looking at us that way, as he hides his feelings like an open book, but at least he is more polite than many of his kind. I do need to do a delayed update on a bandit attack that happened on the way to the last village. I was impressed by the newbies, Axel and Aria. I can see that taking the time to train them was well worth their money. Lyra using a lightning gauntlet made by the Thalaxian was an interesting addition to a melee combatant that she is. Their teamwork was also well polished, likely by whoever was protecting them in the Vanguard, making them fight well above their level. May the deep waters weave your protection on us in this upcoming hunt. Tidal Walker Pearl ----- 4 Tornado 644TD Larimar Blossom Health data transferred to Hope: Quest updates: New Status since the last update to Hope: Journal Entry: Goddess, Ever since the last update to my journal when we were arriving by train, many things have happened to our traveling troupe. We were attacked, added a surprise knight, and found an amazing hunting ground. First: We arrived in the city where Pearl and I went shopping, though there was nothing there that stands out that I wanted to buy, and everything we got was boring supplies that I can¡¯t even remember what we picked up. The city was amazing, a clear number four of the cities I have been to. Second: While we were leaving, there was a Sky Whale!! I love them, and I still remember when mom and dad used their status as merchants to get us a ride on one that the clan used to rent for the fair trips. Third: The ambush was an interesting fight. It took only a look for me and Pearl to choose to attack the pair attacking from behind. They were, on reflection, a distraction as they did not fight well but had endurance plus speed builds that drew us away. The rest of the group had a very tough fight but did very well with their teamwork. Uncle, like always, is scary in hand-to-hand combat, like he was back in the clan. Thankfully, they handled the fight, and my sister and I were not even told off for going off on our own. Fourth: The new knight seems interesting. Never seen one that had a grounded Drake as their mount, but he seems to be very attached, likely a story there, but I feel like he is guarded around me, so I won¡¯t push. I need to get some sleep as I was given last watch with the new knight and want to give him a good impression. May the stars weave a string of protection over our hunt, Goddess. ~Larimar Chapter 48 Axel woke before the dawn burned away the early morning mists in the tent that he shared with Aria. Aria was, like always, curled along his back like a nexus of heat, somehow still feeling cold even while sharing a blanket and tent with Axel. Axel gently extracted himself from Aria¡¯s embrace as his new internal clock said there was still about an hour before they planned to wake up. As Axel left the tent, he noticed that Larimar was practicing floating dozens of bead-sized water droplets, and Roran was feeding Star by taking out several Snar from a small storage bag on his belt. Axel decided to keep quiet so as to not disturb anyone and used the pit they dug for a bathroom and started his morning exercises. After returning, Axel turned off regeneration and began to go through his morning exercises. After a few warmup rounds, Axel started to use his gravity powers to slowly increase his body weight by linking his body to the ground below him. This could only be kept up for so long as it was draining his core faster than its natural regeneration would keep it charged. When his core hit about fifty percent of its max, he decided to stop as they were not in a safe environment to go any lower. Axel made breakfast while waiting until his blessing informed him that his muscle breakdown and repair were completed. Then he turned his regeneration back on. As the smell of food roused everyone from their sleep, Axel asked Larimar if she could give him a shower. With a nod, they set up a curtain for privacy, and he was pelted with very cold water. This caused Axel to clean fast and get into hunting gear when the water stopped. Larimar offered the service for everyone, which was taken except for Aria, who filled a bucket and cleaned herself with a sponge quickly. After everyone grabbed some of the breakfast that Axel made, the day''s tasks were taken by everyone. Sky and Lyra would locate spring fruits and vegetables, Roran and Star would gather firewood, Larimar and Pearl would do a perimeter check, and Axel with Aria would gather local herbs to hide their scents and start scouting out prey. It took about an hour for Axel and Aria to find the herbs they were looking for, an herb that most beasts found soothing when smelled and completely covered the scent of any of the people. It always grew in large batches near the jungle''s edge, though the mountains made its growing area much sparser. The trip was not carefree as they left the small valley they camped in. Axel had headed away from the hunting grounds to avoid alerting the Quakes or any other prey around about their presence, but he and Aria must have roamed too close to the Thunderer¡¯s hunting ground. What made this worse was that Aria could not fly and scout as there was a flock of Storm Riders overhead, and they would attack her the moment she took to the air. Axel scanned the Storm Riders quickly and decided that being on the ground was safer for him and Aria. Index basic mode Storm Rider Known Dangers: Estimated Age: Varies Beast Potency Level: Between Novice Low to Adept Low. Storm Riders were more of a scavenger in the ecosystem near the mountains. They were unlikely to go out of their way to attack others unless you were taking their food or flying too near them. Axel decided to avoid the area they were circling, but this led him to his current issue of looking at a Thunderer through some bushes. Axel watched a titanic bipedal beast, a good five stories tall, as it roamed near a thinning area of the jungle, eating the carcass of a large four-legged beast. Thunderers were at the top of the food chain in the lighter jungle, and most were Adept to Expert level beasts in potency. Arcs of electricity gently arced off its hardened hide while it ate its meal. If Axel had to guess, the dead beast was a Tree Topper, a massive beast that when fully grown could even step over a city¡¯s wall, though one that big would need at minimum a Master to even hurt, if not stronger. Axel carefully scanned the Thunderer with his index, trying to not make much noise. Index basic mode Thunderer Known Dangers: Estimated Age: Youth stage based on size and general mass of the beast. Beast Potency Level: Adept End While it was an Adept potency, Axel did not want to try and hunt this beast with Pearl and Larimar as it would be very hard for them to hurt before it shocked or stunned them with its roar. This also explained why the Storm Riders were so far away as Thunderers were known to stun flying beasts with their roar. They moved very quickly and had a bite force that could shatter steel easily. They have two arms with claws that are very sharp and reinforced by the Goddess¡¯s blessing all their lives, making them just as deadly as anything else on the beast. Thankfully, it seemed to be getting full of the meal and began to trundle off away from Axel and Aria. With that scare done, Axel moved through the bushes to where he saw the herbs they were looking for and decided to leave now as he felt that he used a lot of his life¡¯s accumulated luck to not run into a hungry Thunderer. As they left, the Storm Riders dived silently onto the remainder of the Tree Topper, allowing the youngest to eat first while the older ones kept watch in the air. Neither Aria nor Axel made any noise on their way out with the herbs, though with how loud he was hearing his heartbeat, he was surprised no one else could either. Axel also noted that Aria¡¯s wings were shaking slightly as they moved. When they left the hunting grounds, Thunderers tended to have ranges where they hunted and let no other predator in other than a mate or a young child. Axel picked up his pace until he was a good couple of miles from the carcass and put down a trail sign to note that the beast was in the area so that no one would walk into it without warning. Axel guessed that this beast was young and was pushed to this hunting ground as Quakes were one of the beasts that were known to often kill any but the oldest Thunderer on sight. Axel and Aria made it back to the camp, and Aria leaned against Axel, putting all of her weight onto him. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Aria thought she was going to die,¡± Aria said while still shaking. ¡°Aria hates that she could not hear that thing eating until we almost went into that clearing.¡± ¡°Yeah, the Storm Riders threw me off and made me think the predator was in a different direction,¡± Axel rubbed Aria¡¯s shaking hands. ¡°We are not ready to hunt something like that yet. I think I could penetrate its hide, but I am not sure if my strike would not be stopped by its muscles.¡± ¡°Let''s not try and hunt what we were planning to,¡± Lyra¡¯s voice came from the side. ¡°We were starting to get worried about you being gone so long.¡± ¡°The herb we wanted was farther out than we thought,¡± Axel said while holding up a bag with the herbs. ¡°Anything happened while we were gone?¡± ¡°Pearl and Larimar cleared out a Gen nest that was nearby,¡± Lyra told Axel. ¡°They gave the prey to Star as it helped with that hunt. That should also help with Star''s food situation for a few days. Jareth kept the cores though.¡± ¡°Good to know,¡± Axel said and picked up Aria in a princess carry, though no one knew where the name came from. Aria squawked in surprise as he finished walking to the camp. ¡°Let''s get these processed so Aria and I can scout out some of the upcoming hunt locations.¡± Getting to camp, Axel saw Sky doing repairs on the wagon, likely from damage on the rough terrain, while the twins were doing maintenance on their gear. Roran still had Star out and was doing some training off to the side that Axel was not sure of but likely just Star needed to bleed off energy if his experience training with a rider before was any indication. ¡°Hey, Lyra?¡± Axel turned his head, saying to get her attention. ¡°Yes, Axel?¡± Lyra replied in a drawl voice. ¡°Anything you can do for Star?¡± Axel asked while keeping the rider and mount in his peripheral vision. ¡°Hummm,¡± Lyra said while tapping her chin in thought. ¡°Well, I have been trained in humanoid and Thalaxian physiology for my healing training. Riders have healers normally that specialize in Storm Drakes, but it is rare for a healer to want to do that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Aria leaned her head on Axel¡¯s shoulder and asked. ¡°Well, from what I know, beasts as they grow physically change internally, and healers are rare,¡± Lyra started. ¡°Getting the Healers to send anything more than an energy healer for a beast, even one as mighty or useful as a Storm Drake, is hard to do. It would take years of training just to understand the intricacies of the blessing involved. Also, Storm Drakes are very testy with anyone but their rider.¡± ¡°Well, could you not ask the Goddess about what changes you need to make to Star to help it?¡± Aria asked in curiosity. ¡°Because I did not think of that,¡± Lyra shook her head. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t know if Roran would allow me to try.¡± ¡°Well, there is no reason not to ask!¡± Aria said and wiggled out of Axel¡¯s princess carry. After landing on her feet, she ran over to the area where Roran was training with Star. She stopped at a safe distance and waved to get Roran¡¯s attention, which stopped the training much to an annoyed growl from Star. Axel arrived a short time later, walking over and not at Aria¡¯s blistering pace, with Lyra near him to hear the end of the conversation. ¡°¡­So what do you think? Lyra, with the Goddess¡¯s help, could help Star,¡± Aria said and smiled up at the young rider. Roran¡¯s skin shifted colors several times in rapid succession, making it hard to tell the emotions he was feeling. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, his jaw closed with a snap, making a sound that caused Star, who was lounging nearby keeping an eye on him, to jump to her feet looking around. Roran moved over to calm her before saying, ¡°I would have said you were crazy for saying that the Goddess would be able to help me, but I just received a quest to allow the healing.¡± Roran just looked perplexed as he calmed the Storm Drake with soothing sounds and gentle strokes near her eye ridges. Axel kept quiet as he did not want to startle the young man, or young Drake for that matter, and let him process what Aria had told him. ¡°Alright, there is no harm in trying, I guess,¡± Roran said and looked to Lyra. ¡°Is there anything you need from me?¡± ¡°Besides keeping Star calm while I touch her,¡± Lyra said and eased up to the Drake, which gave a low growl but calmed with a few more strokes from her rider. Lyra gently placed a finger on the side of Star and stilled. Axel began to notice there was something off when Lyra turned white as a sheet after a few moments and stepped back, breathing hard. Axel wanted to move closer but was worried that might startle Star and overcrowd the beast. After catching her breath, Lyra moved away and looked at Roran. ¡°So, good news and troubling news,¡± Lyra started. ¡°Which do you want first?¡± ¡°Trouble,¡± Roran said without any hesitation. ¡°Star''s malformation is not natural,¡± Lyra looked over the beast with pity in her eyes. ¡°The Goddess helped me analyze, and there is a toxin in her bloodstream that honestly should have killed her long ago. This is stunting her growth, reducing muscle mass, and likely reducing her mental capacity. ¡°I can only guess that it is pure stubbornness that has kept her going, as from my understanding, she should be in great pain and several vital organs are also failing,¡± Lyra informed Roran in a more emotionless voice that Axel learned was her healer''s voice. ¡°This seems to be long-term exposure from near hatchlings if what I am seeing is correct. It should also be making her very aggressive and prone to attack.¡± ¡°Sigh, I thought that there was something off as she did not seem off when she was born,¡± Roran said with a sad voice. ¡°I was worried my uncle was poisoning her for years, but all the healers that I could trust found nothing.¡± ¡°I hope that the good news is that you can help her?¡± Roran asked hopefully. ¡°That is a maybe,¡± Lyra said with a shake of her head. ¡°I can remove the toxin with a bit of time as Storm Drakes are hardy beasts with a strong blessing. We can then work on getting her healthy during the hunt, but the Goddess did not have the information available on a treatment plan, and something was using up her strength stopping to help make one with the available information.¡± Roran nodded and quietly kept rubbing the snout of Star in thought. After a short time, he turned and knelt before Lyra. He, in a formal practiced motion, placed his hands on his knee and completed it with a half bow. ¡°My lady Lyra,¡± Roran started in a solemn voice, ¡°I beseech thee to help me save my life¡¯s companion and the last of the Sky Shatter Drake legacy. If you can do this, I vow on my oath that I will complete any task you need until this debt is fulfilled.¡± Lyra looked flabbergasted with this, and even Jareth and the twins were looking over from the camp to see what was happening. An awkward silence trailed on until Lyra regained her voice and said, ¡°Your oath is not needed as this is a healer''s duty and should be done by the Goddess¡¯s will.¡± Axel could feel that some old ceremony was happening but stayed silent as anything else felt like it would ruin the atmosphere. Aria looked as confused as Axel felt and kept her silence, looking back and forth between Roran and Lyra. Roran, upon hearing Lyra¡¯s statement, raised his bowed head, a trickle of silver tears slowly rolling down his right cheek. ¡°Please arise, rider, and all I ask as a healer is for you to do your duty one of your station is born to do,¡± Lyra finished and held out a hand to Roran, helping him up. ¡°While you give the old vows,¡± Roran said while standing, ¡°know that you will always have my lance in times of need.¡± Roran then moved over to Star and led her away as she seemed to be agitated by what was happening. After they were gone, Aria could no longer hold her questions in. ¡°What was that?¡± Aria asked Lyra while tilting her head slightly in question. ¡°Riders are an old order, and they take oaths very seriously,¡± Lyra replied and started to lead them back to camp again. ¡°There is training that I received from¡­ I received a lot of etiquette training as the people of this planet have many cultures. Thankfully, I did; otherwise, Roran would be throwing himself between men and every possible danger until he felt that he had repaid the debt.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± Aria whispered and looked over to where Roran was now taking an oiled rag to Star''s scales before looking back to Lyra. ¡°Well, is there anything Aria can do to help?¡± ¡°Yes, you and Axel can help by sharing power with me at night for the treatments, and Star will need the best quality meat we can give her while she is recovering,¡± Lyra said. ¡°This will likely push our share of the hunting thin, but it is the only way I can hope to help Star recover as she is very far gone.¡± ¡°We can give her our share of the Adept beast meat and do more hunting of Novice beasts on the side,¡± Axel agreed with Lyra. ¡°We will need to get to work soon then, Aria. Let¡¯s eat quickly and get to work.¡± Chapter 49 Lunch was a quick meal of Gar meat, not all of the meat seeming to go to Stars meals, and started to work on the herbs into a paste. After the paste was completed it was mixed with water and spread on the body. The only issue with this was that the potency degradation was very quick, and this batch would be useless in a couple of days, and more would need to be made. The second issue was that different areas needed different mixtures as the beasts would smell something outside their environment. After taking care of that Axel and Aria began to scout out the herds of Quake¡¯s to see where they could single out prey away from the groups. There were many single males that seemed to roam between the herds, likely adults that were pushed out by the leading male of the herd, that Axel mentally marked down as they were also the ones pushed to the edges of the grazing area. After the scouting was done Aria did some air recon and checked what other beasts were in the area. What she brought back was much of what Axel suspected Snars, Gin, and Gar were plentiful. There were also several larger beasts that Aria was not sure of and needed to lead Axel to get a look at which led to Axel looking at a group of large mammals. Each of these beasts about twice as tall as Axel at the shoulder and about the same wide was covered in fur or hair that was fluffed out. The color of the fur was black and brown blending into the mountain near them while each moved in a very agile manner. It seemed as if the cliff and mountain walls were as flat ground as they walked on ledges and rocks Axel didn¡¯t think he could get a hold on. Each one had horns jutting out of their forehead that were more knife-shaped than a normal horn that Axel knew. Index basic mode Mountain Ghosts Known Dangers: Estimated Age: Varies Beast Potency Level: Between Novice Low to Adept Low. These seemed like good prey for Axel¡¯s group to complete their cycle in his opinion and also noted down where they were found. At this point Axel called it a day as the suns was starting to be hidden by the mountains, causing it to get dark much earlier than it would normally, and Axel did not want to deal with the night or twilight predators. Making it back to camp took longer than Axel initially timed for as the way back was blocked by a Quake that decided the nicest sleeping spot was the middle of their path back to the camp. This led to a tense moment later for during the detour Axel was sure that he caught a shimmer of a Twilight Stalker on the trees, but Aria helped him find a way around the beast without a fight that would wake the Quake. When they returned to camp Axel found Pearl and Larimar laid out the best hunting spots the scouting tripe had found, along with the Quake that was sleeping on the path that could be a good first hunt. Axel then moved to Larimar and Pearl to make sure that they had the scent masker while telling them that they would need to be ready before the suns, asking Larimar to wake everyone two hours before the suns rose, so that they could attack the Quake while it slept. He then pulled Aria over so everyone in the hunting group could plan a little more. ¡°Aria you are on lookout duty so that nothing sneaks up on us like a Twilight Stalker,¡± Axel started then looked at the twins ¡°Pearl you will need to restrict its mobility with ice, and Larimar you are on offense with me.¡± Axel then drew the area in the dirt while he continued ¡°Quake¡¯s main weapon is size, mass, and momentum. Their horns and armored hide are very resistant but Larimar your water can get in the openings to damage the joints and if it is slipping it will not get the momentum it needs to be truly deadly.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Larimar asked while thinking over the plan. ¡°I will be the obvious target to get it to not attack either of you,¡± Axel replied with a shrug. ¡°I think you are risking a lot their young man,¡± Pearl said while looking Axel over and placing her hands on her hips ¡°You are not nearly quick enough not to get smacked by the horns or that spiked ball of a tail. Me and my sister could make a water golem to keep its attention without risking you.¡± ¡°You could but then you will not be freezing and attacking to make this a quick kill we need it to be,¡± Axel calmly retorted ¡°We need this to be over in a very fast manner, well that would go for any of these hunts, as if we frighten or alarm a herd nearby that would be very bad.¡± ¡°Also, Aria can you grab Roran as I have a job for him.¡± Axel looked over to Aria and asked. Aria nodded then leaping into the air flew over to get Roran while the twins gave Axel a thoughtful look each seeming to have a conversation between each other with glances. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree that we need to kill the beast fast but you are risking your life like that should not be in the cards as this beast could kill you with even the smallest mistake.¡± Larimar added, ¡°While it would be draining I think me and my sister could multi-task and keep this safe.¡± ¡°Please trust me on this,¡± Axel asked them ¡°I have trained as a hunter all my life and I know how to help without putting myself at undo risk.¡± ¡°Alright, but I want your assurance that if I call out it''s too dangerous you pull back and let me and Larimar do all the work. We are the only Adepts on this hunt and you are a very fresh Novice.¡± Pearl demanded while leaning forward to invade Axel¡¯s personal space. ¡°Fair.¡± Axel relented as they had never worked together and he could see from their side that he was taking a stupid risk. It was hard at the moment for him to explain all the skills he had trained for a situation like this and they would likely not be impressed so he would let the fight do the explaining for him. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. A short time later Roran and Aria joined their talk and Axel looked to Roran and said ¡°I have a job in these bigger hunts for you if you want to help.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Roran looked at Axel and waited for an explanation. ¡°It is not the job that will bring the most honor but you and Star will need to help bring the bigger prey back to camp. While Jareth has his beasts I am loathed to use them as we would need to have Jareth accompany us which makes the camp vulnerable, and I know you want to contribute but Star likely does not have the training needed to safely help with the hunt like this.¡± Axel explained in a calm voice ¡°I know this is likely not what you wanted to do but until we find something that would not hurt Star or get hunting training in this is the best I can do for a job so you can do your part.¡± Roran stilled and opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, seeming to think about his answer before saying anything. The silence stretched on for several minutes before Roran opened his mouth again and said ¡°I think that is fair. Star has had some ground hunting training but she is not ready to fight an adult Quake and this could be good physical training but if we hunt less deadly prey I wish to give Star her chance to catch prey to earn her keep.¡± Axel nodded, and then the group broke up, though Axel noticed that Aria had been much more silent than normal. He fully expected her to try to help kill the Quake but did not respond to being put on sentry duty. As they walked to the cooking pot that Lyra was stirring while putting in herbs and vegetables, Axel nudged Aria with his shoulder and took her hand. ¡°You have been very silent, my love,¡± Axel asked. ¡°Anything on your mind?¡± ¡°Aria thinks your plan was sound, though you take too much on yourself with you fighting the Quake, but Aria knows you will be fine,¡± Aria said, then looked into Axel¡¯s eyes. ¡°The only issue is that Aria misses the time it was just the two of us in the little cave.¡± ¡°That feels like it was months or years ago, not a little over a month at this point,¡± Axel agreed with her that he did miss that time, even with the pain and danger involved. ¡°But this will be safer than that time since we have more than just you and I to cover the danger.¡± Aria just nodded and wrapped an arm around Axel¡¯s waist after releasing his hand. The meal was nice, with Sky regaling Axel about a breakthrough she made while looking over a nest of scatter bugs. Aria and Lyra talked to each other quietly while Jareth was tidying up the cookware. Pearl ate quickly and went to practice her ice skills while Larimar was doing repairs to a tent that Star had damaged during training. Roran apologized to Larimar, but she needed to take over the repair as Roran was making the damage worse with his attempts to fix it. When the night wound down, Axel took the first watch with Aria again, updating his journal and meditating while listening to the night around them. The morning came quickly with Roran shaking Axel and Aria awake. Axel also noticed that Jareth was also woken up early as he would take over guarding the camp while the other five went to hunt. Jareth also seemed to have put together a cart the day before to tie Star too, allowing her to better haul a multi-ton beast. Axel cleaned up and got everyone moving as they needed to attack before the beast or other beasts awoke to the suns. The travel was swift and smooth, with the only sound being Star¡¯s claws and the cart. Axel had Roran stop well before the sound would likely reach the beast and moved in stealthily with the others. Axel found the Quake just where he saw it sleeping on the way back before and motioned for everyone to get close to him where he whispered. ¡°Aria, keep high in the treetops but watch for hunting beasts,¡± Axel whispered to the group. ¡°Larimar, you will be attacking first from that tree to keep you safer. Pearl, wait to drop your ice from that tree until he sees me and starts to move to gore me with those big horns.¡± ¡°I will take its legs when he gets to around thirty feet, and that is when you ice the ground,¡± Axel instructed. ¡°Larimar, if you can help, do so, but otherwise attack his weak points. When it is grounded, I will move in and attack the point between the back of the neck and the large, well-armored head plate. Pearl, after the ground ice, attacks its weak points, but if it opens its mouth to cry out, fill that so it can¡¯t call out.¡± No one asked any more questions and moved into positions for the attack. Axel took this moment to look over the Quake with his index while waiting. Index Basic Mode Quake Known Dangers: Estimated Age: Adult Beast Potency Level: Adept Mid Everything was as Axel remembered from research and tales from other hunters he knew who had hunted such beasts. When everyone was in position, Axel made a standard Storm hand sign of ¡®Ready,¡¯ then made the sign of ¡®Release¡¯ when he received the signs back from everyone else. Dozens, then hundreds, of small balls of water materialized in the air around the beast, then each turned into a needle and struck. Many missed the small gaps, hitting the armor, but many more slammed home, startling the Quake awake. It opened its mouth to scream out in pain or anger when a water ball appeared in its mouth and froze, strangling the cry and starting to choke the beast. This was when Axel made large movements, drawing the beast¡¯s attention to himself, and as he hoped, it started to charge. While charging, it crushed the ice in its mouth with its powerful jaws, spitting out the crushed ice with a cough. Axel kept making threatening movements but stayed nimble, ready to get out of the way as these beasts did not have the best ability to turn or stop quickly. The only issue normally would be a swipe of that spiked tail on the pass if it missed, but Axel was ready. As the beast charged, the water attacks intensified, leaving blood streaking out of its body and also wetting the ground ahead of it to help Pearl. When the beast reached the thirty-foot mark, Axel launched his discharge chain around the front legs of the beast. An action on its own would barely slow the beast even with Axel¡¯s strength, but with the ground turning to ice under it, the beast lost its footing. Axel then rolled out of the way, not wanting to be hit by that mass, and as he regained his footing from the roll, launched into the weak point of the Quake. Axel landed on its back, using the spikes along the spine as a handhold to then attack the back of the neck. Axel¡¯s strike landed true, and the beast stopped fighting and dropped with a shudder. Axel then worked on extracting his weapon as he seemed to have used too much strength with it, even damaging his right arm and shoulder, which were regenerating the damage, when several whizzing sounds traveled next to his ear. Axel let go of his weapon and jumped to the side, ready for trouble, but it was already over as a Twilight Stalker was bleeding on the ground with four arrows in it. It took Axel a moment to let the adrenaline leave his system, but he was very happy that he had Aria for overwatch. Aria landed a short time later and kicked the beast before checking Axel over with a happy sigh. ¡°Aria hates those things,¡± Aria said and hugged Axel. ¡°They always attack at the worst times, but that makes them predictable.¡± Larimar and Pearl had climbed down their trees, coming over to make sure everything was okay. When Pearl saw the dead Stalker, she whistled and patted Aria on the back so hard she staggered from the force. Axel went back to removing his weapon while Larimar went to get Roran as Aria wanted to go back to overwatching the area. After Axel removed his halberd and Roran arrived, the true challenge was getting this Quake on the cart. With the application of his strength and gravity points, Pearl created an ice ramp, and a lot of pushing, it was moved onto the cart, and they were off back to camp as the suns began to crest the mountains. Chapter 50 The smell of blood from the Quake and the Twilight Stalker that this hunt had felled was potent in the air. The trip back to the camp in the early morning sun was peaceful with only the sound of the cart''s wheels and Star''s claws. Everyone else was silent and watching for any scavenger or predator that would try to take their kill following the scent. Axel worked the trial end of the group, trying to reduce the risk while Aria led the way. Thankfully, nothing happened, and they arrived at the camp unhindered by a beast that was hungry this morning. After moving the cart with its heavy load off to the side to be cleaned and harvested for meat, core, and materials, they released Star from the harness. Roran led the Storm Drake over to another area to feed and give a good rub down. Lyra also moved over there to start working on the damage from the toxin she had been ingesting since young. Axel walked over to Jareth, who was tending the breakfast pot as no one had eaten and they left early. As Jareth stirred in vegetables and meat, he looked over to Axel, saying, ¡°I see that your first hunt here was successful.¡± ¡°Helps we had an ambush on a lone Quake,¡± Axel replied with a shrug. While dangerous, this was not a challenging hunt for him. ¡°Following the plan, Sky will harvest, and you get the first core while the meat will be shared.¡± ¡°Yes, though I don¡¯t recommend eating anything too much higher than you in potency,¡± Jareth said while keeping his attention on the stew he was making. ¡°Always see young people trying to take more than their bodies can handle.¡± Axel knew what Jareth was talking about as it would be hard to even eat the meat, and the body would take a while to digest, but you would get a higher content of materials, of a higher grade as a beast as they aged or were of a greater potency¡¯s body would change the components to stronger types of materials. ¡°After breakfast, Aria and I will keep scouting,¡± Axel continued while looking at the novice cores that were cooking in a pan in the fire, likely from the Gir that were hunted yesterday. The meal seemed to be approaching completion, so he just sat down without saying anything else. Sky wandered out of her tent only to see Aria and drag her off to what looked like an improvised stone forge where Sky then forced Aria to be the fire and bellows while working on several skins, removing scales from the leather hides. The heat solidified the metal in the scales Sky was working on while Sky put the hides to the side to be worked on with oils later. Pearl and Larimar were conversing about something as they made a patrol around the perimeter. Until the kills were handled, there would be the threat of a beast looking for food. Depending on the beast, the twins would be an early warning or adding another beast to be harvested. ¡°Food is done,¡± Jareth called out while ladling out breakfast into bowls and handing it to people as they arrived. Axel received his bowl, a Gir core, and some bread, then went to sit on the back of the wagon to eat. As Axel ate, he pulled up his health data, seeing minerals and other needed materials being added to his body. Most people focused on meat from beasts to help in their building phase of a cycle, but the Goddess gave gifts to everything, including the plants on the land, though they had less noticeable benefits. After eating his meal, Lyra came over to get his help with Star¡¯s treatment. Since he had agreed before, Axel cleaned his bowl and followed her over to what was becoming Star''s area off to the side of the camp. Aria and Sky were already there looking over Star while waiting for Lyra to drag Axel over to help. ¡°So all any of you need to do is stay behind me, and when I hold out my hand, hold it so that I can use your energy for the cleansing,¡± Lyra instructed. ¡°Please release my hand when you get down to about half your storage as we are still in the wilds and don¡¯t want to leave anyone too weakened.¡± ¡°Is there anything else we can do to help?¡± Axel asked while checking his energy levels and shutting down the powers he could that were taking up his power pool, like regeneration, to have more energy to give. ¡°Nothing really,¡± Lyra shook her head in the negative. ¡°The only ones with jobs after will be Roran to keep Star calm and Pearl to clean Star off.¡± ¡°Aria didn¡¯t know that Pearl was helping with this,¡± Aria looked around, but Pearl was not there. ¡°Why is she not here to help with energy?¡± ¡°Neither Pearl, Larimar, nor Jareth are contributing energy as they are the camp''s protection, and it would not be responsible to ask them to do that,¡± Lyra said while placing a hand on Star¡¯s foreleg and starting to concentrate. ¡°She will just be helping clean up the mess that will be about to happen.¡± Roran stayed silent while holding Star''s attention, but Axel could tell that he was paying a lot of attention to everything said. Axel disagreed with Lyra¡¯s opinion on this, but it was her choice as the healer, as an Adept would have a much deeper pool that regenerated much quicker. After a bit of silence, Lyra held out her hand while keeping her eyes closed. Sky stepped forward first and put a manipulator in her hand, and Axel could feel the power leave Sky into Lyra and then Star in a steady stream. This lasted for about fifteen minutes when Sky released her manipulator and wobbled away. Axel could tell that she had given way more than fifty percent of her core power by the weak way she moved away from Lyra. Axel could feel Sky trying to connect with him, but nothing came through as she sagged on the ground in exhaustion. Aria started to walk forward but looked Axel in the eye before then placing her hand into Lyra¡¯s hand. Axel could tell by that look that he would need to hold off their scouting until after lunch as she was going to also drain herself into this. Axel could only sigh as his friends and loved ones were way too sacrificing, but that was one of their best traits in his opinion. Time flew by, and another fifteen minutes passed. Then Aria¡¯s hand was released, and she resisted wobbling, but Lyra was frowning with her eyes closed. Knowing her, she realized what Aria and Sky had done but did not have the time to reprimand them now. Axel moved in and took the still outstretched hand, but as he closed, a putrid scent was starting to come from Star, and Axel could see a black tar-like substance sweating out of her body. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it As Axel closed his hand in Lyra¡¯s, he began to feel a pull on his core, her hand gripping his tightly. Then a prompt appeared in Axel¡¯s vision: Access to power reserves requested. Give access Y/N? Access Granted Then Axel saw a notification appear and accepted it right away. He could feel his energy flow out of his core, up his arm, and through his hand. It was the strangest sensation he had ever felt¡ªalmost like when his arm had fallen asleep and was tingly, but this tingle flowed from his core to Lyra. As Axel watched his core power flow out, he decided to follow the two others and give more than half, as he could tell that Lyra was struggling to cleanse the massive Storm Drake due to its sheer size. As his core slowly drained, Axel noticed that Larimar had wandered over and was quietly talking to Aria in a whisper too low for him to hear. Axel watched for a moment but then turned his attention to Roran, who was speaking quietly to Star and stroking her snout. When Axel¡¯s core was down to about fifteen percent, a hand touched his shoulder. Larimar was standing there. She put one finger in front of her lips and had Axel remove his hand from Lyra, only to place hers there. Lyra jerked in surprise but kept her eyes closed in concentration as the flow of energy going into her stayed the same. Axel could tell that Larimar was sending about the same amount of energy as him, but he sensed that her pool was much deeper than he expected. This meant that she had taken the physical power to expand her storage and generation at some point in her path. Time kept flowing with no one talking, and more than an hour later, Lyra removed her hand from Larimar¡¯s and collapsed onto her butt. The rancid smell was so intense that Aria moved upwind and still looked like she was trying not to throw up. Axel felt queasy from the smell as well. Peal summoned water and started to wash off Star. After a thorough wash, Peal held the tainted water in the air, froze it, and then took it elsewhere to dispose of it. Sky, having recovered from being drained, chased after the frozen chunk to bury it. Axel looked over to Larimar, who was only slightly pale, and walked over to her as Aria moved to Lyra. ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± Axel said, keeping an eye on a relaxed-looking Star. ¡°I did not expect your help on this.¡± ¡°Well, after I asked Aria what was happening and why it smelled so bad, I had to help,¡± Larimar replied while stretching. ¡°I don¡¯t know why none of you asked me or Pearl to help with this.¡± ¡°I thought Lyra did ask,¡± Axel said, thinking about what Lyra had said before starting. ¡°Well, thanks for helping, as this would likely have taken a lot more effort without your help.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Larimar shook her head. ¡°I am only down about a third of my energy right now anyway. There is nothing much to worry about.¡± At this time, Lyra came over and bowed deeply to Larimar before saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to risk the camp for something that I thought could be done in chunks, but you saved me there.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Axel asked Lyra, finding her statement odd. ¡°That toxin was much worse than I originally expected, and there seemed to be a power mixed in that activated it when I started to remove it,¡± Lyra explained. ¡°It started to go wrong right after Sky began giving me energy, but it was taking everything I had to purge it.¡± ¡°We need to work on communication,¡± Aria said. ¡°Aria thought something was off, but she didn¡¯t want to ruin Lyra¡¯s concentration.¡± ¡°Aria motioned me over when you started to give energy and explained that something was wrong. She asked me to help with my energy,¡± Larimar added, stretching. ¡°Glad I could help, but I need to move around as I feel stiff.¡± After Larimar left to join Pearl and Sky with the ball of ice, Lyra sat on the ground, looking listless before turning to Axel with tired eyes. ¡°Who in the crimson goes to this extreme on a Storm Drake?¡± Lyra asked the air. ¡°I know of five powers on the proscribed powers list that could act like that, each at least in the Adept tier, but this seems odd,¡± Axel agreed with Lyra. ¡°Roran, how is Star?¡± ¡°She seems better than I have ever seen her,¡± Roran called back. ¡°I think there is still a lot of work to help her recover from what I know of her kind, but she seems to not be in pain as she has relaxed.¡± ¡°We will work on that tomorrow,¡± Lyra said, slowly regaining her color. ¡°I am completely tapped both mentally and physically.¡± Roran nodded and began to feed Star from a storage bag while listening to the conversation. Axel looked at Lyra, unsure how to restart the conversation. Aria seemed to notice his struggle and asked Lyra, ¡°Is there any way to figure out who did this?¡± ¡°Not definitely, but if we find someone with the ability to manipulate poisons and toxins, they would be a prime suspect. However, this was done so long ago that this person could be an Expert by now,¡± Lyra explained. ¡°Well, my uncle likely has some involvement, but I don¡¯t think we will be able to do anything to him as he just passed the Master tier last year,¡± Roran said with a sad sigh. ¡°That will have to be a problem for the future,¡± Aria said, patting Roran on the shoulder. ¡°All we can do is fix Star''s problems and grow stronger.¡± ¡°On that note, Aria, we need to get to the hunt soon so that we can get the cores needed for our growth, along with finding more prey for the Adepts,¡± Axel said, stretching and beginning to move. ¡°Roran, I know you want to help with these hunts, but the best thing you can do is help Star recover. She is in no shape to help after that cleansing.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Roran replied with slumped shoulders. ¡°For now, can you help Lyra and Sky with our other tasks?¡± Aria asked him. ¡°That would be great, as that Quake, even with Jareth''s help, will take hours to clean properly without losing the potency of the meat or core,¡± Axel said before leaving the area and heading to Jareth. Axel could hear Aria talking more to Roran, but there was nothing else he could think of to help with that situation, so he figured it was best to let Aria handle it. After a quick walk, Axel found Jareth at the Quake, arms deep into the body and pulling out a core that filled the palm of his hand. Jareth then placed the core in a cold box to slow down the loss of potency. ¡°Should I ask about the smell and what you all were doing with the Storm Drake?¡± Jareth asked as the blood on his arms removed itself and landed in a small pit nearby. ¡°Lyra found that someone had been poisoning Star and asked us to help with the removal of it,¡± Axel explained while looking at the massive Beast. ¡°Oh?¡± Jareth said, checking for blood stains on his clothing. ¡°She can share energy? How rare for a Blessed Healer to have that skill.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t like to advertise that, so please don¡¯t spread it,¡± Axel asked, realizing that sharing energy was not the standard ability of a Blessed Healer and that Lyra likely gained this from the Goddess. ¡°Hahaha,¡± Jareth laughed after finishing his check. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, and I will ask my nieces not to share it either.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Axel then changed the topic. ¡°Aria and I will be doing more scouting to see if we can find more novice beasts for their cores.¡± ¡°Well, take it easy, and I would recommend just scouting,¡± Jareth nodded toward the jungle. ¡°This area has a lot of Adept beasts and could also draw in strong predator beasts.¡± ¡°I know but if I want to get to a point where I am not always worried about being taken out I need to get stronger.¡± Axel nodded but knew that some risks, even if they were small right now, needed to be taken on any path to power. Axel then gathered some trail food before gathering Aria and heading out into the jungle to get to work. Chapter 51 Axel and Aria moved north to avoid the valley of the Quakes for the moment and, after a few miles, headed west towards one of the mountains. The jungle was spotty, with some areas holding only a handful of trees and bushes, while others were incredibly thick, making movement difficult. This would curtail their scouting as they had to manage their time to return. As they moved, both stayed silent, keeping an eye out for signs of predators. Axel found days- and weeks-old tracks of various kinds, but everything was too big, like a Quake, or moved in large packs like the Gar. Aria occasionally used the air, both by flying and through aero, to feel around for more chameleonic creatures like Twilight Stalkers. It was then that Axel smelled a whiff of ozone coming from upwind, which set off immediate warnings in his mind. He waved at Aria, who was in the air above him. When he saw that she noticed, he started to climb a nearby large tree quickly and as quietly as possible, adrenaline surging through his body. One of the first things a hunter from his village learned was if you smelled the scent of ozone, hide. If you couldn¡¯t hide, flee. If you couldn¡¯t flee, be ready to die. Aria moved close and leaned into Axel¡¯s side, right near his ear. Axel could smell the scent removers that covered her normal smell. ¡°What happened?¡± Aria asked in a whisper so soft that even near his ear, Axel could barely hear it. ¡°You seem panicked.¡± ¡°Tempest Beast,¡± Axel whispered back. These were the only words he needed for Aria to go very still and look terrified. A Tempest Beast was one of the deadliest, if not the deadliest, creatures outside of the deep sea, jungle, or mountains beyond the people¡¯s control. They stood between twelve and thirty feet tall¡ªtiny compared to many powerful beasts¡ªbut they were born at the Expert tier. They moved at speeds that generally required speed powers to keep up with, had the reflexes of a body expert, their bodies were tough enough that a normal novice would only scratch their scales, and generated a constant torrent of electrical energy. You might think this wouldn¡¯t be an issue if you had a hunter with electro, but unless that hunter specialized in having an enlarged energy storage, they would run out of power before a Tempest Beast. That was if the beast didn¡¯t target that hunter first with its speed and claws, making it easier to kill the other hunters. The true terror of a Tempest Beast, though, was its intelligence. While not as intelligent as one of the people, they adapted quickly to any situation. Older Tempest Beasts were known to figure out people¡¯s powers and tactics, even setting traps by wounding a hunter to either draw in others or create a distraction to escape. They also remembered encounters well and seemed to plan for the next time they met someone who had defeated them. Overall, if it could be avoided, do not engage with a Tempest Beast; it was a losing prospect even for a team of Expert hunters. A tense fifteen minutes passed when a herd of small, three-foot-tall, two-legged lizards passed below them. Each beast was almost neon blue and had tiny sparks of lightning wrapped around their bodies, moving in quick, jerky motions. Seeing these, Axel relaxed into the trunk of the tree. Zips. It was only a pack of Zips, thank the Goddess. The pack was about twelve in number with no younglings in sight, but it was hard to tell their age. While not as fast-breeding as Gar, they grew very quickly. A pack would normally be around eight to twenty in number, as any more would start causing issues with electrical discharges in their environment. Axel looked over them and scanned them with his index. Index Basic Mode Zip Known Dangers: Claws Speed Low-level electrical discharge Pack Tactics Estimated Age: Unknown Beast Potency Level: Novice Low to Novice Mid Now that his heartbeat was calming, Axel felt dumb, but training had taken hold when he smelled ozone. While Zips were a hard fight in numbers, a Tempest Beast would unlikely be upwind in this kind of area, as even as tough as they were, a Tempest Beast was unlikely to fight a herd of Quakes. Axel then decided to take out this helpless feeling on the Zips below. ¡°Stay high,¡± Axel whispered to Aria. ¡°The Tempest Beast was a false alarm, it seems. These Zips release the same smell when threatened or after hunting.¡± Aria nodded and drew an arrow in preparation while Axel loosened his discharge chain that was wrapped near the bottom of his halberd. Taking a deep breath, Axel dropped and swung the axe blade, taking the head of a Zip by surprise. Axel then rolled the landing to cushion the fall, only seeing slight cartilage damage to the knee and shoulder that healed before he was back on his feet from the roll. As Axel got to his feet, he threw the chain into the ground before seeing sparks shooting out of the Zips, but it was not controlled by a power. The electricity gathered onto his halberd, then through the metal rod in the shaft, and threw the discharge chain into the earth. As the pack tried to shock Axel, Aria rained arrows down on them, killing three more before the pack realized. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The pack milled around for a moment, trying to find the new threat so they could fight or flee. Axel attacked again with a sweep of his halberd, taking down another three. This made seven killed within moments of the fight''s start, but the fight was over as the remaining Zips fled. Aria missed her next shot as the little beasts ran in erratic patterns. With the fight over, Aria jumped down and landed near Axel, hugging him. Her scent was still covered, but Axel leaned into the warmth of her embrace. The fight helped relieve the adrenaline in his system and gave him a sense of control again after being terrified. Axel then breathed in and out in his meditation pattern to regain his center, clearing his head of memories now trying to flood his mind with the aftermath of the one that was found near the village. -- The sobbing wails of a wife holding her husband, they had just confirmed their mate bond a few days ago, filled Axel¡¯s ears as he and Cade sat wrapped up in blankets, shivering despite the early summer warmth. The disaster of their first hunting trip for training was still being tallied, with the blood toll being two Novice, five Adept, and three Expert hunters killed by a Tempest Beast. The Novice and Adepts were part of the original hunting group that ran into the beast, but the Experts were the rescue team sent. While Axel¡¯s father did finish off the beast, it took its toll on the hunters, and the money from its parts was being argued about. Axel¡¯s father would hand the money to the families that lost one of their members. As Axel looked over the bodies of people who, just a couple of days ago, were showing him how to trail a beast, now laying on stretchers covered by sheets. -- The memory stopped as Axel did not have time to go through the feelings that his mind was trying to invoke. Axel also seemed to miss what Aria had just said as she began to move away from him and secure the kills. Axel shook the wandering thoughts out of his head and went to help her. The process, as gory as cleaning a kill was, helped Axel finish centering himself. With the prey now secure, Axel turned to Aria and was ready to call it a day. ¡°Let¡¯s head back,¡± Axel said to Aria while picking up the bodies for transport. ¡°Aria agrees,¡± Aria nodded to Axel. ¡°Also, we need to talk to Jareth or Roran for an expanded bag to carry any prey back.¡± ¡°Fair,¡± Axel agreed, as moving eight bodies was going to be difficult through the jungle. ¡°This is going to be a long trip back.¡± Aria began to retrace their tracks back to the camp, but like always, no plan survived contact with reality. Axel again miscalculated how quickly the dark came to a mountain with a valley they needed to travel around. Dusk arrived well before Aria and Axel were ready for it, and with it came many dangerous beasts. Near a stretch of open area between dense patches of jungle, Aria held up a hand in a sign to stop. Axel halted his steps and placed down the pile of dead so that he could fight more easily. Aria had her eyes closed and seemed to be sensing something, so Axel covered her back and watched the deep shadows. This was when Aria lit a flame and created several fireballs. Before Axel knew what was happening, four balls of fire hit a dense brush and exploded in a burst of light. Axel locked himself and Aria down from the shock wave, but Aria had already taken care of it. Out of the now burning foliage, three Twilight Beasts fled, bodies still on fire, and started to roll around in the dirt. Axel could only look on in shock and awe at Aria¡¯s display of growing skill but then noticed that the fire was starting to spread. ¡°Aria,¡± Axel said with a sigh while looking at Aria¡¯s manic grin, ¡°please put your budding jungle fire out before it disrupts our hunt more.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Aria blinked from staring at the burnt and likely dying beasts. ¡°Oh!!¡± Aria then spent the next while trying to stop the fire, figuring out how to reduce the oxygen to the fire, and putting out her budding blaze. While Aria was putting out her problem, Axel made sure that the Twilight Beasts were dead and cleaned. The trip back was even worse than before that fight, as Axel now smelled of smoke and was hauling an even more awkward burden. When they made it to camp, Lyra rushed over to them, worry etching her face. Roran was only slightly behind her, though he seemed much calmer. When the pair arrived, Axel¡¯s burden was lifted greatly as it was split between the four of them. ¡°I was so worried,¡± Lyra complained as they completed the walk to the cleaning area. ¡°When the sun went down and you were not back, Pearl and Larimar had to almost sit on me before I started to go searching for you.¡± ¡°That would have been dumb,¡± Axel told her. ¡°While you have basic hunting training, going into the jungle at night would have only made the situation worse.¡± ¡°I know, but I was panicking,¡± Lyra whined. ¡°Aria knows, but please don¡¯t do that,¡± Aria said and placed her burden on the pile with a tired voice. ¡°It would have been so tiring to have to find you after returning from a hunt.¡± Aria¡¯s voice sounded about as tired as Axel felt. While his body still felt energetic, fatigue was laying over Axel¡¯s thoughts. The early morning, Quake hunt, Star¡¯s issue, and the scouting trip made for a long day. Sky sent a quick mental greeting and started to go through the pile, tearing apart the bodies with efficiency that made Axel blink in surprise. Leaving Sky to her work, she was even sending a mental humming noise that Axel was hearing. Axel moved to the stew pot. It was well past dinner, but a night stew was sitting over the warm coals, something made for night watches to eat, having several herbs that helped with alertness and warmed someone when the night¡¯s temperatures dropped. Sitting near the stew on a downed tree trunk was Jareth, poking the fire in thought, so deep he did not seem to notice Axel until he sat down across from him. Axel pulled out the trail food, though not that appetizing on its own, and served himself a bowl of stew. This seemed to snap Jareth out of his thoughts, and he looked Axel over with a sharp glance before returning to his casual smiling face. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you made it back safely,¡± Jareth said, still poking the embers with his stick. ¡°I was starting to worry that you ran into trouble.¡± ¡°Some,¡± Axel said after putting down his spoon after eating a mouthful. ¡°Had a scare with some beasts and misjudged when sundown happens out here. We were ambushed by a trio of Twilight Beasts, but Aria roasted them.¡± ¡°Then I was slow with bringing everything back,¡± Axel finished, eating another spoonful of stew. ¡°Rough, but at least you have material to work with until the next big hunt,¡± Jareth nodded to himself. ¡°With that fire and boom, I think we will need to wait a couple of days for the beasts to settle down.¡± ¡°I agree with that,¡± Axel said while relaxing. ¡°Had a bit of a scare and I still can¡¯t calm down from it.¡± ¡°Scare?¡± Jareth looked up from the fire to look at Axel. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Smelled ozone,¡± Axel said and did not need to continue as he saw Jareth sit up quickly but held out his hand to forestall his reply. ¡°It was a pack of Zip, but I panicked into a tree to hide.¡± ¡°That is a good reaction,¡± Jareth said with a sigh of relief. ¡°If a Tempest Beast was in the area, we would need to evacuate right away.¡± Axel nodded in agreement, and both men fell into silence, staring into the flames. After a time, Axel was not sure how long as he did not even have the mental energy to check his internal clock. Axel got up and asked the twins for a shower to rid himself of the smoke smell. The cold shower also just felt good after the long day, feeling clean for the first time all day. Chapter 52 After Axel¡¯s shift on watch, sleep came quickly for him with how tired he felt. Dawn arrived swiftly the next morning, but today was not for scouting. Instead, it was for dealing with the kills from the day before, allowing the wildlife to settle back down and for everyone to work on their tasks. Larimar was again on the last shift and was amenable to shower duty, though Axel would swear it was colder than last time. Following this, Axel went through weapon practice and meditated on the twin suns just peeking around one of the lonely mountains. As Axel finished these morning tasks, Aria left the tent and arrived at the cook fire to the smell of sizzling meat. Axel got up from his position and joined her to see that Lyra was the one cooking, with large slices of meat and cores cooking for all the novice cores. While a core could increase the speed of your cycle, they became scarcer the higher the tier you went as the beasts became singular and more powerful. This did lead to more meat but was one of the reasons for the slowing down of a person¡¯s cycle. The second reason was that the more advanced a person¡¯s body became, the more material was needed to make better material. Axel had not seen either the twins or Jareth eat the Adept core, so he guessed they were either holding off for sale or waiting for more so there would be no arguments about who went first. The meal was well-seasoned and cooked by Lyra. Axel knew how long and how often his mother had taught them both, so it was not a surprise to him, though he did not have the gift for cooking himself. After breakfast, Sky moved through the pile of scales, bones, and other things to start working on them while Axel grabbed everyone else and began a team workout. There was much grumbling when he added his gravity anchors, as even out here, everyone needed to keep working. By noon, everyone was cleaned again and started doing individual tasks that were self-assigned. Lyra went to work with Roran and Star, Aria decided to do more scouting by air but promised to be careful to Axel, Larimar and Pearl took turns patrolling or doing their own things, Jareth worked with Sky on things found and what Sky could make to maximize profits, and Axel was stuck at an impasse as he did not feel like training but could not go out scouting and there were not a lot of books. Knowing that he had nothing else to do, Axel went to join Sky and Jareth as he remembered he needed to ask for a space bag for hunting. As he walked over, Axel heard Jareth say, ¡°These make better flexible armor than the hardened type. Trust me, through years of being a merchant, I have never seen a Zip or Gar that made good, hardened armor.¡± Axel assumed that Sky was just sending to Jareth right now as he then shook his head in exasperation before turning to look at Axel. While Axel was not trying hard to be quiet, Jareth seemed to be very aware of his surroundings as Sky jumped at his sudden movement. Axel just waved to them, more to calm Sky than anything, and looked to Jareth. ¡°I meant to bring this up yesterday, but do you have a spare space bag to make bringing back prey less troubling?¡± Axel asked. ¡°I do, but you will need to return it when we break camp,¡± Jareth replied, then headed to the wagon to get something. After Jareth climbed into the wagon and started searching through boxes, he took out a large sack made of some beast¡¯s stomach. Jareth tossed the bag to Axel, who caught it out of the air and looked it over. It was not very large, but Axel could feel something off about the weight of the thing. It felt too heavy for its size, which Axel knew meant this one kept some of the weight of the objects within. Storage bags came in increasingly expensive types, the cheapest being limited space and keeping weight, to the more expensive ones that held large amounts of mass and held no weight from what was stored within. Roran¡¯s ring was an example of the more expensive type, likely made from a crimson of Expert or even a Master, allowing it to be made into a ring instead of a bag. As Axel hefted the bag, Jareth came over and opened the top, only to reach to his elbow and pull out several full sets of armor. Axel was then forced to help move the now twelve full sets of armor to the wagon, only grumbling slightly at Jareth not emptying it in the wagon to start and using the strap to his waist. ¡°Thanks,¡± Axel said while wiping some sweat as the spring day was starting to heat up. ¡°No problem,¡± Jareth waved off and looked Axel over before saying, ¡°I should have given you one before. Could you also keep an eye out for more herbs? From what I have seen around the camp, there are several that are worth a lot if we can gather them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know more than the basic plants of this area,¡± Axel said but agreed to help with this as Jareth. Jareth thought for a moment before again returning to the wagon and retrieving a book. After handing the book over, Jareth went back to his conversation with Sky. Axel left after giving Sky a pat on the back before finding a place to sit and read. This also reminded Axel that he needed to finish reading the book his mother had given him as he had only really skimmed it to help Aria when she was injured. Axel then found a place to sit to study his mother¡¯s gift and learn more about the local plant life. Hours passed while Axel read, but he was interrupted by Aria returning in a hurry. This caused Axel to put his book away and hurry over to the landing Aria. ¡°Aria found an opportunity!¡± Aria said in excitement. ¡°A small group of Quakes are fighting the Thunderer we saw earlier.¡± ¡°That would be a tough fight for that Thunderer,¡± Pearl said while arriving at Aria¡¯s landing point. ¡°I think it would be worth looking into,¡± Larimar said while jogging over from the wagon. ¡°I agree with that,¡± Jareth said while walking calmly over from the cookfire where he was making dinner for everyone. Axel also agreed but was nervous as this would not be a controlled hunt like the Quake yesterday. Taking a breath, Axel nodded and, without any more words, gathered Roran and the cart as if any of the beasts would be too much for the bag he was now carrying. Jareth also decided to come with his beasts as, with the Thunderer fighting with the Quakes, he was less worried about guarding the camp for a short time. Lyra and Sky were left with instructions to flee if anything they could not fight showed up, as this was a risk but would allow for a large bounty if they could take it. The party then began to move quickly, led by Aria, to an open patch of jungle south of the Quake valley. Travel was swift through the jungle until they got near the fight ahead. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Axel could hear the fight from almost a mile away as roars, the breaking of trees, and the noise of smashing caused many of the beasts to wisely go into hiding. Roran, Star, and the beast Jareth brought stayed back while everyone else moved forward carefully. This clearing was wide but narrow, with dozens of trees knocked over from the ongoing fight. The Thunderer was wounded all over, including its leg that seemed to be savaged, but it was not alone as there were three dead Quakes and two more that were injured. Each of the remaining Quakes was trying to put the Thunderer between them for an attack. The Thunderer also seemed to be low on energy as only a few small sparks were coming off its scaly hide, a sign to Axel¡¯s training that it had discharged recently and would need at least another couple of minutes before it could unleash again. Their discharges were what likely gave it the chance to kill the three it did. This was an impressive feat to Axel, as generally, three Quakes could kill a Thunderer, but this one had fought five at once. Seeing that the fight would likely last a while longer, Axel turned to the others and started to lay out a plan. ¡°Alright, we do have a chance to get all of them, but it will be tricky,¡± Axel said in a low voice as another roar from a Quake echoed in the background. ¡°We have two options: wait for the fight out or attack to secure the kills. The Thunderer¡¯s strongest weapon is recharging, and both Quakes look savage, but the winner of this does not look certain.¡± ¡°I think we should wait,¡± Larimar said. ¡°We can then attack the winner in the end.¡± ¡°Depends on the winner,¡± Axel replied while feeling a tingle run through his hands. ¡°If the two Quakes win, they will likely frenzy around the area for a while, and if they are not more injured, we won¡¯t be able to take the pair without a lot of risk. If the Thunderer wins, we may be able to take it, but if it recharges, we could still be in a lot of danger as well.¡± ¡°Well, any plan on how to kill three Adept beasts without more risks than you listed earlier?¡± Jareth said with a calm voice that was only slightly drowned out by the clash in the clearing. ¡°Yes,¡± Axel then started to lay out his plan. ¡°Larimar and I will take the female with the same plan we used yesterday. Aria and Pearl, you will take the male as he is more injured, and you should be able to find openings in its hide. Jareth, you will distract the Thunderer as you seem to have speed and reflexes from the fights I have seen. If things go well, Larimar and I should take our beast by surprise, killing it quickly so Larimar can help with the Thunderer by breaking its footing, and I will help with the other Quake. If we can get it down quickly, then everyone will focus on the Thunderer.¡± ¡°Also, Aria, can you get Roran over here as we will need him just in case,¡± Axel said, and she went to get the young rider. When Roran arrived in a hurry, he looked excited to have something to help with in this hunt. Axel looked him over before laying out the plan to him. Roran looked confused at the end when Axel added, ¡°You will have one of the most important tasks because if you fail, one of us will die.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± Roran¡¯s attention seemed to sharpen on Axel. ¡°Yes,¡± Axel looked him in the eyes, and the Goddess must have liked the drama as a loud CRACK sounded in the background. ¡°You will need to stop that from happening to us.¡± Behind Axel, the Thunderer unleashed an eye-hurting bolt of electricity at one of the Quakes, but its aim was ruined by the other one attacking it. The bolt left a deep burning line in the ground in its wake, along with the smell of burnt ground and ozone in the air. ¡°That will kill or severely wound any of us, and it can do that every few minutes,¡± Axel finished. Roran nodded and took a very serious look while saying, ¡°I can divert at least one of those, maybe two.¡± Axel just nodded, and everyone moved after that as this fight could end quickly or take all day, as beasts also had the blessing of the Goddess, being tough and recovering quickly. As Axel and Larimar arrived at their side, the plan went sideways almost right away as their target charged the Thunderer at the same time as its partner. The Thunderer leaped to the side and rolled, but this left Axel with the wrong Quake, and there was nothing he could do. This could make it easier as this was the much more injured one but could slow down taking out the fresher Quake. Axel knew that this would slow their timetable down, but no plan survived meeting your prey, and Larimar launched her attack, freezing the ground in front of the male Quake. The male, mid-charge, lost its footing, causing it to crash, at which point Axel charged out of the brush and jumped onto the beast''s back. Axel was forced to hold onto a spike as the Quake tried to get to its feet, but he landed his strike well, dropping the beast quickly. Axel did not waste any time and started to run to the next beast to see that Pearl was attacking it with a construct made of compressed water. Axel could also see Jareth launching highly compressed needles of water at the eyes of the Thunderer, getting its attention. Larimar froze the ground around the second Quake, going off the plan, but Axel could not blame her as this situation had already gone off course. Trusting that Jareth could hold for now, Axel moved in and yelled to Aria, ¡°Support Jareth!¡± Aria then switched from her bow, which had been sending arrows into open points in the Quake¡¯s hide, each one laced with a paralyzing toxin. While it would not stop the beast, it would slow it down. She then launched a fireball into the side of the Thunderer¡¯s face, causing it to roar in pain, but it did not seem to be too wounded. The icy ground did not affect this Quake too much as its weight shattered the layers of ice, and it seemed to be shrugging off the construct''s attacks, but those attacks covered Axel''s assault on it from behind. As Axel rushed in, something must have warned the beast of danger as its spiked mace-like tail moved to intercept Axel. Knowing he did not want to take that head-on, Axel used some of the icy fields to slide under the strike, which still grazed him, but his armor absorbed the blow. Axel then slammed the spike into the side of the Quake to stop the slide, penetrating its armored hide more than he expected but stopping his momentum. This pulled Axel¡¯s shoulder out of place, and with a pained grunt, Axel yanked out the weapon but was then forced to roll out of the way of a huge foot that tried to stomp him. Its attention was drawn away as compressed water slammed into its eyes. With his reprieve, Axel noticed he had a broken rib from that glancing blow, but it was already healing. Axel could not waste any more time, as if a glance that his armor reduced still broke his rib, he would be really hurt by anything more direct. Axel then used an opportunity that Pearl made to get on the beast''s back and then needed to hold on for his life as the Quake began to buck wildly. As Axel held on, he heard a loud CRACK again and could only hope that Roran was holding his end as he found the opening and struck with all his might. This both worked and did not work as it killed the Quake, but one of the back spikes snagged onto Axel¡¯s belt, stopping him from leaping off the Quake before it toppled and rolled. Axel felt immense pain in his legs as they were trapped under the multi-ton beast. He knew at this point he was out of the direct fight as both his legs were a crushed mess. Axel used the adrenaline to ignore the pain and his strength to leverage the beast and free himself. As Axel crawled to get a sight of the Thunderer fight, he saw it being dismantled by fireball after fireball. Its good leg was being hit by water from Pearl and then frozen by Larimar, while Jareth had somehow gotten on its back, holding his hand onto its neck. Axel could also see that Roran was sweating and shaking from diverting the lightning, as there was another crater in the clearing. Then, out of nowhere, the Thunderer whimpered and fell forward, slamming to the ground, blood pouring from its eyes, nose, and mouth. Jareth made a leaping roll after riding it to the ground. As Jareth¡¯s roll smoothly transitioned to his feet, Axel just lay on his back, exhausted, as his regeneration worked overtime to turn the pulp that was his legs back to normal. Chapter 53 As Axel lay there, he wished for a power to reduce pain because, dear Goddess, was he in pain. Thankfully, he was the only one hurt, and Aria was heading over to him once she was sure the Thunderer was dead. This was a great haul, even with the damage he had suffered, and would put this expedition into profitability. Axel knew that Jareth would be happy with that, as the merchant, while a nice man, worried about profitability a lot. As Axel¡¯s mind wandered to random things, trying to ignore the pain, he noticed the clock on his display informing him that he would need at least three hours to have his legs fully working again. As Axel was looking at his medical data, something was shoved into his mouth that tasted very bitter. Before he could spit it out, Aria sealed his lips with hers and forced him to swallow. Shortly after, the pain started to recede, allowing Axel to think again. Taking a deep breath, Axel looked to Aria, who was still kneeling next to him with a worried look on her face. ¡°Thanks for the pain leaves, love,¡± Axel said while his head felt lighter. ¡°I think I am going to be rather useless for a while.¡± Given his experience, though, these herbs would burn through his system in a few minutes, but he did not want to bring more stress to Aria. It had always been a thing that his body just did not allow pain herbs to affect him for long. ¡°Aria is so glad you are fine¡­ Well, not fine, but alive and healing,¡± Aria said and hugged him tightly. ¡°Aria noticed that the Quake had rolled on you, but the Thunderer just kept taking hit after hit and shrugging it off.¡± Axel kissed Aria and just enjoyed her holding him as he could already feel the pain returning and his lightheadedness leaving. At this point, everyone else headed over to Axel after checking to see if any more beasts would try to attack them now that the fight was over. ¡°I am glad to see you are relatively whole, Axel,¡± Pearl said while walking over to him. ¡°I was worried there when our targets switched themselves up.¡± ¡°Thanks for keeping that female distracted, or it would have squished me flat,¡± Axel turned his head and thanked her. ¡°It was my responsibility, but damn, your legs look rough,¡± Pearl leaned down and looked at Axel¡¯s mangled legs. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± ¡°I should be fine in a few hours, but I won¡¯t be able to help much with the transportation work coming up,¡± Axel said while still holding Aria. With another squeeze, he got Aria to let him go. ¡°Love, there is still work to do, and I am not in any immediate danger. Please keep an eye out for any other predators that would like to eat me while I can¡¯t walk.¡± Aria nodded and leaped into the air before landing on a high branch to overwatch the area. Axel then looked to Pearl and shooed her away so that she could help with transportation. Axel was surprised again when Jareth took a large crate off the cart and tipped it sideways. Jareth then had Larimar lift the head of one of the Quakes and moved the crate sideways. The beast seemed to thin and disappear into the crate as it moved until it was gone, at which point Jareth tipped it back and put a lid on the crate. Then he, Pearl, and Larimar worked together, lifting the crate onto the cart, which had several more of these crates. Axel did not realize how many expensive space-holding containers Jareth owned until now. This process repeated itself for each of the Quakes, but at that point, Jareth ran out of storage containers, and everyone, besides Axel, worked together to haul the Thunderer onto the cart. After an hour, the clearing was cleared, and the cart was hitched by Jareth¡¯s beasts. The cart was heavy to the point that everyone also had to push behind it to help get it moving. Axel got to ride while sitting on a crate and watched as Star pushed while growling with effort, along with everyone but Aria, who was flying overhead. The trip was rough going back, but no beast decided to interrupt the journey, and in about twenty minutes, they entered the little valley where they had made camp. Axel was relieved that nothing happened while they were gone, as leaving it defended by just Sky and Lyra seemed like a large risk. After arriving, Lyra took one look at Axel and had Sky make a floating metal stretcher to get him down and into a tent for an examination. Everyone else just moved the cart into the location for harvesting hunts, then everyone went to rest as this was a demanding task getting the cart back with such a heavy payload. Lyra laid Axel on a blanket and then closed the tent after having Sky leave to check for any other injuries that may need her attention. With the tent closed, Lyra removed Axel¡¯s boots and cut off his pants before going over his injuries. Axel passed out for a few minutes when she removed the boots from pain. The worst part of all of this was Lyra was in what Axel thought of as healer mode and was completely silent, causing him concern every time it happened, even though he had his medical interface. When Lyra was done with her examination, she covered his legs with a heavy blanket, and Axel could just see a faint glow of green coming from under it. Axel also noticed that his medical interface was updating tasks and queuing new ones, which was cutting healing time down by full minutes. He could feel the healing energy working with his regeneration to speed up the healing process. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Axel could see how Lyra was using his blessing to either clean up the bone fragments, or place splinters into their original spot on the bone, and the regeneration boosted by her healing energy rebuilding the damage at a speed visible to the naked eye. With all of these, his system updated from one and a half hours to just under twenty minutes, which was only slow as his regeneration was running out of physical materials and seemed to be remaking him from pure energy provided by his core. ¡°I think that is all I can do for you right now,¡± Lyra finally said after wiping the sweat from her brow, then looking at some of the dried blood on her hands and frowning in annoyance as she smeared a large streak of blood across her forehead. ¡°You would have been fine in time, but I don¡¯t like watching you sit there in pain. I will also go get some food for you to help you rebuild your reserves as I can see you are already losing weight from your quick healing.¡± With that, she left before Axel could thank her, leaving him in his tent without pants. His pack was outside, and getting one of his spare sets would be difficult. With only low levels of pain, Axel relaxed his mind and just rested until the tent opened again, revealing Aria holding a plate stacked high with meat and a core. ¡°I brought dinner,¡± Aria said in a happy voice and set the plate down on the blankets still on his lap. ¡°Lyra said you need to eat everything on the plate. Also, this has meat from one of the Quakes that we killed today.¡± Aria then started to feed Axel, cutting the meat into small pieces and making him say "aww" with every bite. By the time Axel was done with the meal, his medical interface was giving him a clean bill of health, and he was pain-free. ¡°Thank you for the meal, love, but could you go and get me some pants?¡± Axel asked while putting aside the plate. ¡°Oh?¡± Aria said and grinned while lifting the blanket and looking underneath. She then gave him an evil little grin. Thirty minutes later, Axel finally had pants and talked Pearl into giving him a shower in the shower area this time. Axel also had a deep blush when Pearl gave him a knowing look and wink when he asked for the shower. After the shower, Axel worked through leg workouts to make sure nothing had somehow healed wrong, but besides some stiffness, he still had his full range of motion. Night had fallen on the small valley quickly, and Axel could still see Sky and Jareth working through the body of the Thunderer to harvest its parts. Roran was working with Star on commands, and the Storm Drake was already looking better to Axel¡¯s eye. Star''s muscle mass was more evenly distributed, and her malformed wings were starting to be straightened out. Pearl was cleaning her gear while using a small light stone to look for damage to the straps, while Larimar was making small ice sculptures of the Thunderer at the moment of its defeat. Axel saw that Lyra and Aria were sitting off to the side, with Aria wrapping one of her wings around Lyra while they talked in low voices. Deciding he did not want to deal with that last sight, Axel decided to head over and talk to Roran about how well he did in the fight today. As Axel walked over, Roran tapped Star on the nose, and she glowed lightly, turning into a tiny ball of light that went into Roran¡¯s chest. ¡°Roran,¡± Axel called out to him with a small wave. ¡°I wanted to thank you for your help in that fight.¡± ¡°It was really nothing to be thanked for,¡± Roran shook his head in denial. ¡°No, you kept the others from being injured badly,¡± Axel pressed the young man, though Axel realized that he was likely younger than Roran by several months. ¡°The only other way we had to deal with that lightning attack was me with my halberd and its discharge chain or being lucky with one of the water powers defusing it. Those other options, as you saw in the fight, were pretty bad as I was injured, and the only one who could try to defuse that bolt was Jareth. I could not see, but I am guessing he was not in a good position to do that in the fight?¡± ¡°No, he was forced to dodge back and to the side to avoid a bite while the beast then tried to launch a shot at Aria as she seemed to be hurting it with those ¡®fireballs¡¯,¡± Roran explained. ¡°Also, that had so much weight behind it that my core almost completely drained pulling it away.¡± ¡°Weight?¡± Axel had not talked to people with electro in their power much before, and this was the first time he had heard it termed that way. ¡°It is the best way I can describe the feeling,¡± Roran said while looking up at the sky. ¡°Depending on how powerful or how densely packed that power is in a lightning or electrical bolt, it carries more weight to it.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Axel thought about that and compared it to what his mother said about when she had to fight other air users. His mother explained that the more condensed she made her power in a fight, the harder it would be to stop, but it was also easier to grab compared to loose light attacks that were deflected easily but were harder to return to sender. ¡°Well, I still wanted to thank you, as without you, this hunt would likely have failed or caused a casualty,¡± Axel thanked him and bowed at the waist. ¡°Thanks, but again, it was my duty. Can I ask you something?¡± Roran forced Axel to stop bowing to him and asked. ¡°Sure, what do you want to know?¡± Axel said after returning to standing upright, then bent his back backward a bit to stretch it out. ¡°How did you get caught on the Quake?¡± Roran leaned forward a bit. ¡°You dealt with the first quickly, and then I saw the way you avoided the tail before the electrical buildup took my attention to the Thunderer.¡± ¡°Sigh,¡± Axel had a feeling that would be the question. ¡°The new bag I had gotten from Jareth snagged one of the back spikes. If it was just my belt or clothing, I could have torn that with my strength, but whatever that waist cord is made from did not budge. Then I was dragged down, which really hurt, by the way.¡± ¡°I can guess from the looks of your legs and how out of it you were.¡± Roran shivered from the thought of how much that would hurt. ¡°Thankfully, Aria got you some pain herbs, and you, I am guessing, have human regeneration with your strength. You must be far along with your Novice cycle, and I am glad you can help lead this hunt.¡± Axel just smiled but did not discuss his powers with Roran for now, as he was not close to the point of trusting that information to him. With a little work, Roran could find out more about Axel¡¯s powers by looking at the Vanguard registry or talking to an information broker, but for now, Axel left this conversation as it was. Axel bid farewell to Roran and started his watch as everyone was heading for bed for the evening. Aria sat with Axel as the jungle sounds surrounded them, and all Axel could hear was the rustle of Aria¡¯s wings and the crackle of the fire. As Axel let the sounds wash over him, Aria leaned her head on his shoulder. Neither wished to talk as they enjoyed the quiet moment together. Chapter 54 It was the fifth day after the Thunderer and Quake fight when Axel found a large group of Duradon tracks. This seemed to be a large colony with tracks of more than twenty different sets, which generally meant that it could be anywhere from double that number to even four times if it were a pack with a lot of young. Normally, Axel would avoid this, but with Star needing more food and the fact that this pack was relatively near the camp, Axel decided to bring in both Lyra and Roran to take this group down. The last few days passed with Axel and Aria taking scouting trips, but the local beasts were either still hiding, acting aggressively, or grouping up in larger numbers, making attacking them a losing prospect. This did allow Axel to better map out the area, though, as many of the smaller predators that would have harassed his scouting efforts were still hiding. Aria, however, was having issues with flying beasts as they were filling the skies, making any aerial scouting unlikely. The others were also not idle during this time. Even with Jareth¡¯s help, it was taking Sky a while to harvest all the beasts that were killed, about two days per Quake, as their hides took a lot of work to get through. Thankfully, storage containers like the crates seemed to put whatever was placed in them in a form of stasis, but unless you had a special or variant, they would not allow anything alive to be stored in them. Star was showing great signs of growth and recovery under Lyra¡¯s constant care, much to Roran¡¯s delight, but she was also eating about four times what was expected to fuel this growth. The early Gar meat was running low, so unless the group wanted to start feeding her the more expensive Quake meat, Axel would need to find another location for novice beasts. This was what was fueling more of the hunting than finding a lone Quake to hunt, and Axel believed that things would calm down soon as he saw more and more tracks of hungry beasts. Pearl and Larimar each received a core from a Quake and were using this time to build up to finish their current cycle. Axel learned from them that it took much longer to work through an Adept potency core than a Novice, so they would not need another for at least a week, but this would still accelerate their growth greatly. Axel found Lyra supervising Star through exercises and stretches. ¡°The Goddess says that these will maximize her recovery and growth,¡± Lyra explained with an exasperated tone. Axel knew that tone well, having had his treatment explained to him several times while growing up. ¡°But she does not seem to like this and is reacting like she is in pain,¡± Roran countered while coaxing Star through the stretches. ¡°Yes,¡± Lyra nodded while looking over the Storm Drake. ¡°She is being forced to build muscle and tendons that should have grown naturally but were stunted by the toxins hidden in her system. There is nothing we can do but physical therapy if she ever wants to fly, but the Goddess said that this regimen has a very high chance of working.¡± ¡°I still wish I could talk to the Goddess,¡± Roran said quietly. ¡°It must be nice to be a healer and have greater access to her blessings.¡± Axel chose this moment to step in, as he did not want their group¡¯s ability to talk to the Goddess to be bandied about. ¡°Lyra, Roran, I have a hunt that I would like your help with,¡± Axel said a bit louder than normal to get their attention. ¡°There is a large group of Duradons that could help feed Star and get us more cores to complete our cycle with.¡± ¡°I am for it,¡± Roran said with excitement and hugged Star¡¯s snout, letting the static current flow over him for a moment. ¡°Star would also like a hunt.¡± ¡°Lyra, is Star able to hunt?¡± Axel turned and asked the healer. ¡°I don¡¯t want to push her if she needs more time.¡± ¡°Against Duradons?¡± Lyra nodded her head in agreement after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°I think that would be good for her recovery and bleed the frustration. That kind of prey would not need her flight, so I would approve, but we will need to be careful not to draw in another predator looking to fight her on their territory.¡± ¡°Aria and I checked what we could around the area and could not find any tracks of larger beasts, so I think the risk should be reasonable,¡± Axel replied. ¡°Get your gear, and we should be able to get the hunt done today.¡± With that, both gathered spare gear, and Roran recalled Star into himself. Axel then brought them to Aria, who had wandered over to Sky, who was working on her share of the Quake loot as she had finished harvesting for the day. Sky was working the hide into a chest armor of some kind, and Axel looked forward to her work. ¡®Aria said you are going out hunting,¡¯ Sky sent mentally to Axel. ¡®Yes, we need to feed the large hungry belly,¡¯ Axel sent back through the link he felt in his head. ¡®Can I come with?¡¯ Sky asked in a mental voice that held tones of shyness. ¡®Of course, you can,¡¯ Axel said without a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡®Why would you feel worried about that?¡¯ ¡®Sky thought you invited her for crafting and dismantling skills,¡¯ Sky returned, still sending signals of nervousness. ¡®First, Sky, you are part of our group, so you are always welcome,¡¯ Axel replied with a sigh and rubbed his temple as the contact was starting to give him a headache from all the extra emotions being sent. ¡®Second, you have been talking with Aria too much and are starting to talk in the third person like her. If you want to join in on a hunt, unless there is a very good reason, I will always welcome more help from a friend.¡¯ ¡®THANK YOU!!¡¯ came Sky¡¯s reply, filled with happiness, not helping with the building headache, and she started to gather her things. ¡°Aria knew that you would say the right thing,¡± Aria came over after having a conversation with the excited party member. Sky¡¯s manipulators moved swiftly and attached a bunch of packs across her body, and she was ready before Axel could reply to Aria¡¯s statement. Axel then informed Jareth that they were going to hunt a large pack of Duradons and gathered everyone to head out. On the way to the location, Axel started to hand out jobs to everyone, starting with Aria, who was going to be overwatch from above. Lyra would work with him side by side into the pack, Sky would be herding and controlling how many Axel and Lyra would need to fight at once, and lastly, Roran could come out and stop any retreat with Sky. Axel kept the plan simple and flexible since none of the group had worked with Roran and Star. This gave him as much room for mistakes that were bound to happen. As the group reached the burrow, Axel could already see close to thirty Duradons eating the corpses of several people. This surprised Axel as he had not seen signs of anyone before, but what was being eaten were the remains of several humans and Krellians. Axel could not tell from here if the bodies were only humans, as the Duradons had shredded them nearly completely. Axel made a hand sign, and Sky linked to his mind quickly. ¡®Inform the others that this may be a worse fight than expected if this group brought down a group of hunters of at least six,¡¯ Axel sent when he felt the connection. ¡®Got it!¡¯ Sky sent back quickly, and Axel felt everyone but Aria stiffen and shift around. Axel then signed for Aria and Sky to take positions in nearby trees. Aria quietly used her wings to go above and around the burrow, and Sky climbed a tree near Axel quickly. Lyra moved with stealthy movements, having learned a few things despite skipping much of the hunting training growing up. Axel could almost swear Roran was making every sound possible, but it was time for Axel to draw the pack''s attention and start this fight. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. With a shout, Axel charged out from the underbrush, drawing the pack''s attention away from their meal. Axel could see that of the thirty, six of the ones on the outside of the meal turned and moved toward him. Each whipped their long tails with agitation and quickly moved in his direction with their long strides. As they rushed to Axel, he used his gravity anchors just as they reached the range of his halberd, causing the leftmost one to get linked to the one on the right, disrupting everyone in the center. This was when Lyra leaped in and struck with speed and precision, her blade reaping a kill in the first swing. The blade blurred with vibration, slicing through the hide as if it was not there, while Axel brought another down with a downward hit, the spike of his weapon piercing the beast''s thick skull. This was when the rest of the pack started to react, abandoning their meal and turning quickly to what was perceived as a threat. Axel was only freeing his halberd when what he took as the pack leader let out a guttural growl. This was a call to action if Axel ever heard one, and most of the pack hunters would leave the burrow soon, leaving only a few to protect the young and childbearing females. Feeling the adrenaline kick up, Axel made another sweeping motion to finish off Duradons one and six, the pair that were stuck together, while Lyra blocked the snapping jaws of one of the last two while killing its partner. This left only one beast, which retreated to the larger group. Axel let it go, as he wanted to draw more of the pack out and closer into this trap. Axel took a defensive stance with Lyra covering him a few steps behind to allow him room to swing but stop a beast from taking him from the back. Under Rex, they learned through bruises and fouled strikes the best way to stand, and this was a great time to put that knowledge to work. The Duradons were in no hurry to attack as they moved around Axel and Lyra to completely circle them with growling, snapping jaws. Shortly after the encirclement, reinforcements from the den arrived, with another eight joining. This was a much bigger pack than Axel had expected, but seeing the last of its members, Axel let out a whistle and heard a crashing noise as Star, in all her glory, made a large leap out of the forest with Roran on her back. As Star dived on the new Duradons, taking one with each claw and a third with her snapping jaws, Roran skewered a fourth with a lance strike from his saddle. This also scattered the last four from the momentum of the charge, sending each tumbling to the side. This surprise caused the pack to freeze for a moment, but that was all Axel¡¯s group needed. Aria fired shots from her bow while Sky raised several walls, trapping and separating the Duradons into smaller groups. Axel and Lyra also struck out in the direction they were facing as the new walls stopped any attacks that would come from the sides. The fight was quick and brutal as Axel used his gravity power to disrupt the pack leader and two of the biggest members. Each beast moved with grace, but this was marred when Axel linked the leader as he jumped to the wall, causing it to veer off course while Axel attacked the smaller pack mates with a quick thrust that easily hit as he switched his power to stop them from avoiding his powerful swings. By the time the pack leader recovered, Axel had killed its two pack mates, at the cost of about a third of his core power at this point. As Axel turned to face the leader, he saw that Lyra had killed three of the pack while Sky opened a hole in the walls, letting a few more through. Axel also heard Star making roars and the heavy thuds of her powerful claws. ¡®Axel, we have trouble,¡¯ Sky suddenly said, almost causing Axel to miss a dodge. ¡®How bad?¡¯ Axel asked while falling back to gain more space as the pack leader made another leaping attack. He hoped Roran did not get into trouble or was hurt too badly. ¡®A strange beast just came out of the burrow, and it is not something I have ever seen,¡¯ Sky said, then with a hiss. ¡®It just knocked Star into a tree.¡¯ ¡®Shit,¡¯ Axel then changed the plan as anything that could throw Star around would be very dangerous. ¡°Plan change¡­¡± Axel started calling out loudly and knocked the pack leader into a wall that grew a spike. ¡°Lyra, take over the pack leader. He is hurt but not out. Sky, open a door for me, and Roran, if you can, keep on the pack for now; otherwise, fall back.¡± With that, Axel retreated away from the pack leader, trusting that Lyra could handle it, and ran for the wall where the sound of Star''s fight came from. Just as he got there, an opening appeared, and Axel did not even slow as he ran through but skidded to a halt when he saw what they were dealing with. This was a beast he had never seen before or even read about. It was a sleek quadruped feline about ten feet long and six feet tall at the shoulder. Its coat was a dusky brown coated in an oily sheen, each platter-sized paw had several large claws that shone with a metallic sheen, and its red eyes held a fury that Axel had rarely seen. The beast was standing over one of the corpses, radiating a malice that vibrated in the air. Axel¡¯s index pulled up no data on this beast, but if Axel had to guess, it was a native of the eastern plains. Axel also guessed that it was a contracted beast much like Star, based on how it was standing next to one body, and that was very bad. Contracting was a power like any other, and depending on the size and strength of the beast, a Flame Seeker could contract a beast to fight with them. However, this practice outside of the Storm Knights was not popular. There were several reasons why, such as feeding, raising, and taming a beast, but the biggest was if the contractor died, they would release their charges, who would frenzy with their deaths. Axel took the little time that the beast was focused on its master to get a rough gauge of it. Axel could tell that the oil on its coat was either a protection or a form of attack, but the metal on the claws gave Axel another clue as they were strange in shape and wear. Axel could also tell that this was likely at the end of Novice or early Adept Beast. Axel ran out of time as Star seemed to have recovered from her stunned state and let out an angry roar. She then charged back out of the brush straight at the beast, opening her jaws wide to release a torrent of fire. Axel moved to the side and hoped that Aria was covering Sky and Lyra since Roran did not seem to be controlling Star well. They would need to work on that but now was not the time. When the flames ended, Axel learned what the oil on the coat was for. As Star roared in triumph as her cone of flames ended, a red and orange blur slammed into her again, sending her into one of Sky¡¯s walls, sending up a cloud of debris. The beast, after the hit, gracefully backflipped in the air, flames dancing across its fur, leaving a trail of burning flames in its wake. Axel did not lose this opportunity, though, and used an anchor point to try to slam it into the ground, but as he rushed in for a strike, the beast landed on its feet somehow and dodged to the side. Axel still managed to land a glancing blow, but the beast''s wound was burned closed by the time it landed. Axel also felt his anchor point snap, causing a rebound that drained a large chunk of power from his core, leaving him with less than half of his remaining energy. Axel then braced for what looked like a very tough fight as this burning beast rounded on him, ready to launch another attack. Chapter 55 As the beast circled Axel, several arrows came in but burned away as they hit the beast¡¯s fur, causing it to leap to the side in surprise. Axel could tell that this did not hurt it much, if at all, as it seemed wearier but still focused on him. The beast was also leaving small trails of burning liquid on the ground that slowly fell from its body. As Axel moved in a counterclockwise direction, mirroring the beast, he got a glimpse of Roran getting Star under control and leading her into the earth box to attack the remaining pack of Duradons. Axel could also see a small swirling near the beast¡¯s feet, but it would take Aria some time to create a vortex as she did not have any strong winds to feed off of with her Aero, so Axel was playing for time. Time, though, seemed to not be on his side as the beast bunched the muscles in its back legs and leaped at Axel ridiculously fast. If Axel had not seen the tell, he would have been hit squarely, but using an anchor point, he pulled himself to the side. The beast grazed him, leaving a burning gash along the arm of his armor. While it did not penetrate the armor, it left the arm on fire, along with fire spots on his chest and legs. Axel rolled longer than needed, but the flames seemed to stick to his armor and needed to be smothered to be put out. What surprised Axel, though, was that the beast did not follow up with an attack but seemed to pause, waiting for something. It clicked in Axel¡¯s mind that it was waiting for an order out of training, something that would never come but must have been a deeply trained reflex as even in its rage, the beast still completed that action. Axel used this time to run out a new plan for the team. ¡°Sky, we need a link fast,¡± Axel said in a calm voice and felt a connection between him and his teammates. ¡®I can only hold this for a couple of minutes,¡¯ came Sky¡¯s mental voice. ¡®Axel, are you okay?¡¯ Aria asked quickly. ¡®You are still burning.¡¯ ¡®For the moment,¡¯ Axel sent while covering the flames with a clump of dirt. ¡®This beast is likely low Adept and is too fast for me to get a strike on. I can wound it, but that is if I can get a clean hit.¡¯ Axel could see that the beast snapped out of its moment and looked at the bodies again. ¡®Aria, fireball and use the air to choke out the flames. Roran, you handle the rest of the Duradons. Sky, support, and Lyra, deflection and attack with me.¡¯ Axel¡¯s time was running out quickly, so he sent a quick burst to everyone with the bones of his plan. Axel then linked the beast between it and the burrow of the Duradons, getting a yowl from the beast as its back legs tensed again. As the beast was whipped sideways, Aria launched an orange ball of fire, likely not having the time to feed it like normal, hitting the beast in the side. This did little damage from what Axel could see, but the blast gave Aria the air movement to create a small whirlwind, stealing the fire¡¯s oxygen supply. As the fire went out, the beast jumped out of the whirlwind easily, its body¡¯s only damage showing was the cut Axel had done earlier. Oil was starting to gather on its fur again, causing an alarm to ring in Axel¡¯s head as this beast could not have something like a Storm Drake or one of the people throwing fire at it to start those flames. At this time, Lyra arrived at Axel¡¯s side and started to move in a threatening manner to draw the beast¡¯s attention. As the beast¡¯s attention was split, Axel moved slowly in the other direction to get a better chance of attacking without the beast avoiding his strike. Axel was going to strike without limiting his strength, but this was a risky gambit. As Axel moved, he noticed the back legs tensing again and threw his discharge chain to wrap the back legs and yanked the chain tight setting an anchor to lock him in place. This plan only partially worked as it did foul the leaping strike, but his chain snapped between the tensions involved. This also drained his power reserves more, to a level that Axel did not think he could make another gravity anchor in this fight, but it allowed Lyra to deflect the beast¡¯s strike and land one of her own. Lyra¡¯s blade sliced the beast from shoulder to hip, but the blade must have bounced off the bones as the wound cut to the muscles. As the beast landed, it was forced to roll to bleed the momentum, leaving a trail of blood. Axel then charged past Lyra, who was tossing aside her sword which was just a broken blade from the strike. As Axel moved, he noticed that the beast was flicking the claws on one paw together, creating sparks while it struggled to stand with the large wound. Axel grits his teeth as he can see that given his movement speed, he would not make it, so he shifts the weight of his halberd and throws it with all his might. Axel then felt pain all along his right arm as the weapon shot forward, nailing the beast to the mound as it lit itself aflame again but not nearly as completely as before. Following Axel¡¯s strike, Aria placed an arrow in the eye of the beast, and Lyra raised a hand, unleashing a bolt of violet lightning into the end of the halberd¡¯s handle, transferring the damage internally through the same path it would divert an electrical attack. As the beast twitched and tried to get up from the damage, Axel grabbed the handle while Lyra was still releasing a steady stream of electrical energy and lifted the beast to slam it back down. Axel did this repeatedly until the beast stopped moving. Lyra stopped her lightning with a flick of her wrist, little sparks dancing along her hand. Not taking a chance on an unknown beast, Axel yanked the head of his halberd out of the body and then, with a full-power swing, beheaded the beast, likely bringing down the value of its pelt, but it was already damaged severely from the earlier fight. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. As Axel looked over the still-burning beast, the earth wall lowered, and Star stood in the middle of a dozen Duradons, releasing a roar of triumph all around. Axel added another thing Roran would need to work on: seeing if he could train out the drake¡¯s habit of letting everyone know it was there, but again, that was for later. Pain throbbed through Axel. His medical interface was showing several breaks throughout his body, and he did not have the energy to care right now. They needed to clean this mess before it drew other beasts to the battle site. ¡°Aria, please check the hunters'' bodies. Sky, help collect our hunt. Roran, please do perimeter unless you want to put Star away. Lyra, if you have the energy, I could use a little help, then please gather the journals of the dead,¡± Axel listed off in a tired voice and leaned on his weapon, even though it hurt a lot to do. ¡°After I recover a bit, I will help with the prey, but we need to move in a hurry.¡± With that, everyone started to move quickly with their tasks while Lyra lightly touched Axel and frowned at him. ¡°Did you need to push your body that hard?¡± Lyra said while closing her eyes and letting a little green light glow from under the chest piece of his armor to hide it. ¡°We needed to finish it quickly,¡± Axel said while relaxing under the effects of her healing. ¡°You had already broken your sword, it set itself alight, and moved too fast for me to get a solid hit on.¡± ¡°I get that, but while this is not as bad as what you did to yourself with Cade, your whole body is injured,¡± Lyra complained in a low voice. ¡°From what I am seeing, even with your regeneration, you will need to rest for at least today and tomorrow before I would feel comfortable letting you out to hunt.¡± ¡°I am fine,¡± Axel waved Lyra off after she removed her hand. ¡°Let''s get this cleaned up and get out of here.¡± ¡°Axel, can you please come over here?¡± Aria called from the bodies. As Axel walked over, Sky took the bag from Axel in passing, and Roran returned Star to begin helping clean the area. Roran refused to look at Axel when he was near, but Axel figured that he was ashamed of how his part of the fight went. Axel just lightly patted him on the shoulder while walking by but did not say anything for the moment; there would be time later. As Axel and Lyra arrived, they saw that Aria was looking at the back of the head of the man who the strange beast seemed to be focused on. She was going over their wounds and had one of her serious looks on her face when Axel arrived. ¡°They were assassinated,¡± Aria said and then pointed at a wound at the base of the man''s skull. ¡°Clean work too, and Aria has found wounds on everyone in this group that are the same.¡± ¡°It is not unknown for bandits to take people out in their sleep,¡± Axel said while just trying to conserve his energy. ¡°This is professional work, Axel,¡± Aria said while shaking her head. ¡°They even sealed the man''s core to keep his beast in, not something most bandits would do, and then used these Duradons to clean up the mess.¡± ¡°How long have they been dead?¡± Axel asked. ¡°Aria is not sure, but no more than two days if the sealing technique was used,¡± Aria replied and then backed off the bodies. ¡°Lyra, can you see if their journals are retrievable because Aria does not want to stay any longer than needed.¡± Lyra then got to work, only to find each of the dead¡¯s journals were destroyed. The area was cleared within thirty minutes. Axel found out by going over the core that the new beast was of Adept potency, which was a nice bonus. After loading everything into the bag, he found that he was the only one who could carry it as the weight was ridiculous, the bag being one that had great internal volume but its weight reduction ability was not the best. The trip back to camp was much longer than the trip to the hunting site as Aria cleaned the trail and Axel was moving very slowly with his injuries and having to carry all the weight from the hunt. It was just off dusk when the group arrived at the camp, and everyone seemed to relax as they stepped into the camp. Axel dropped off the bag and asked Aria to fill in Jareth on what happened as he needed to lie down. --- Axel woke to a dark tent, a growling stomach, and an empty spot where Aria would normally be holding him. Axel decided to get up and see if the night stew was done while checking what he missed. The camp in the middle of the night, with only the low glow of the main fire to give light, was always an interesting sight. The best sight was seeing Aria sitting on the wagon, looking up at the sky full of stars, with the light of the moon making her wings glow. Moving softly, Axel walked up to Aria. As she turned, the light of the moon and the glow from the fire left a silver glow with red highlights in her normally silver-blond hair. Axel stopped and just stood mesmerized by her for a short time, causing her to leap lightly off the wagon and land next to Axel, wrapping him in a hug that enveloped him in her wings. After the hug, Axel said in a quiet voice, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me to watch?¡± ¡°Aria tried, but you were out, and after thinking about it, Aria thought you were more hurt than you said you were,¡± Aria whispered back in his ear. ¡°Aria also did not mind the time to be alone and think about life.¡± ¡°Did you find the answer to life while reading the stars?¡± Axel teased and kissed her lightly. ¡°No, but Aria found peace from the light that the Goddess gave,¡± Aria said while shaking her head. ¡°The bodies from earlier also worried Aria, but Jareth only said that we could only keep watch and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.¡± ¡°Well, unless we knew more, I don¡¯t blame him for that,¡± Axel agreed with the merchant on this, as they would only wear themselves out jumping at shadows, something Axel had recent experience with, and it was no way to live. ¡°Aria knows, but hunting will be harder now as we have people and not just beasts out in the jungle to contend with,¡± Aria said and leaned into Axel with her head resting on his chest. ¡°What are our plans after this hunt, Axel? Our group has not talked much about that as we have been moving from problem to problem.¡± ¡°Well, from what the Goddess has been hinting at, we need to get stronger as quickly as possible,¡± Axel said. ¡°It will also relieve the danger on us from my bounty, but I am getting the feeling of being stalked by something dangerous.¡± ¡°Aria is also feeling that way,¡± Aria¡¯s muffled voice came from Axel¡¯s shirt. ¡°It feels like a trap is slowly closing, but we can¡¯t see the parts in play. Aria does not like chess games like that, and this feels like we are being used like pieces on a board.¡± ¡°Well, dear, do you know what to do when you are in a game you don¡¯t like?¡± Axel asked with a small smile on his face, enjoying the company of his mate. ¡°Flip the table?¡± Aria replied. ¡°Find a way to flip the table,¡± Axel agreed with her. ¡°But we need to have the strength to do that, and we are too weak right now. But soon we will, all it will take is a little bit of time.¡± After that, each person returned to silence and watched the night sky as the sounds of the jungle at night and the light crackle of the fire filled the void of conversation. Chapter 56 The next morning, a storm rolled in and forced everyone to wait inside, except for the twins who were enjoying the downpour. With the forced break in hunting or training, Axel¡¯s group decided to wait in the wagon as it was the largest dry space and allowed everyone to relax. Aria again began to try and teach everyone poker, but the only one who beat her was Sky, much to Aria¡¯s joking accusation of cheating, who won the pot of snacks. While he had the time, Axel moved over to Jareth, who was sitting near the front of the wagon, also enjoying the weather like his nieces but staying in the wagon so that he could smoke his pipe. As Axel moved over to Jareth, he saw the man seemed to be deep in thought as he slowly puffed his pipe, letting the smoke flow out of the loose flap. As Axel sat down and waited for the older man to finish his thought, he used the sound of the rain as a form of meditation to clear his mind. When Jareth had finished his pipe, he looked over at Axel and raised his brow, waiting for Axel to speak. ¡°So we have hit our minor goals with this trip, and based on this storm, the summer storms will become more frequent soon. What¡¯s the plan on how much longer we are staying?¡± Axel asked while enjoying the fresh air coming into the wagon. ¡°My nieces will hit their goal in another few days, and I should be fine with what we have already gotten after all of it is harvested,¡± Jareth said while leaning back against the wall. ¡°I would not say no to more, but with another week we should have everything completed. This has been a very profitable trip as it generally takes a much larger amount of time or a bigger team.¡± ¡°Back home, this would be a modest spring hunt, but my village was working in known territory and not in an area where we would need to scout as much,¡± Axel replied in a quiet tone and added, ¡°We also got lucky with the territory hunt of the Thunderer and the Quakes.¡± ¡°Luck is also a skill, young man,¡± Jareth laughed heartily and began to refill his pipe. ¡°Now, can you tell me more about what happened on your group¡¯s hunt of the Duradons? Aria told me some, but I would like to hear about it from you.¡± ¡°The hunt started with Aria and me finding tracks,¡± Axel started, and then went through what his group did until he arrived at the strange beast he had never seen before. ¡°Then, while Lyra and I were killing the Duradons, Sky alerted me to Roran having an issue, so I reassigned tasks and went to help,¡± Axel said, a shiver running down his spine remembering the look that beast had in its eyes. ¡°It was a beast I had never encountered before and moved with great speed and agility. This beast also coated itself with an oil that it lit with Sky¡¯s flame breath or from the looks of it, the beast¡¯s claws could also do this.¡± ¡°After we dispatched the beast and started to collect everything, Aria found that each of the people was dumped there with all their belongings missing and the core of the summoner likely to have been sealed,¡± Axel finished, and as he talked, the fight ran through his mind as if he was still there at the time. ¡°They seemed to be recent deaths, which means there are bandits, or this was an assassination of someone in that party,¡± Axel decided to add as this had been eating at him since it was found. ¡°The only thing is we traveled the only safe way here, and neither I nor Aria found any sign of these people. So either they followed us or took a much more dangerous route to be here, but whoever killed them also cleaned the trail they left, and what little they might have had was destroyed in our fight.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Jareth said but did not elaborate any further than that. Axel and Jareth fell into silence again, listening to the storm and Lyra now trying to teach Aria a game that the villagers loved to play while waiting for better weather. As time moved on, Axel soon noticed that the storm had released its fury and was receding into the distance. With a stretch, Axel got up and with a loud clap gained everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°The storm should be over in a couple of minutes, so let¡¯s get the camp cleaned and back to work,¡± Axel said, then left the wagon from the front. While it was still raining, the rain was a light warm drizzle, which felt nice to him as he noticed that the wind had collapsed his tent. Axel moved through the mud and started to fix his tent while working through the timetable and deciding if they could hunt any more Quakes or if they were going to hunt smaller Novice beasts. The Quakes would mean more money but would not help him directly with his Cycle. From what his medical data was telling him, he was very close to finishing Cycle three, which meant he could take a trial when they made it back to the city. The good thing about hunting more novice beasts would also mean that they would not need to worry about the group¡¯s growth until they reached the Adept tier. Axel felt that the growth was better than the money, as while they could buy meat and cores, they would still be getting a decent sum, minus Roran¡¯s cut from Axel¡¯s group¡¯s share, to get their journey started. With this decision, Axel went to help the others fix their tents while Larimar and Pearl moved the water in the area to dry out the ground. As Axel worked with each member of his group, each agreed to the plan of faster growth with lower profits in the immediate future. ¡°I don¡¯t think I should be part of this planning as you already took a risk on me and helped Star,¡± Roran abstained while keeping his work on Star after what happened with the earlier fight. Axel gave some suggestions he noticed while fighting but did not go further as he did not have the knowledge of beast training. After settling everyone, Axel decided to train for a while with his training weapon, as moving through the jungle after rain was not something he wanted to do. When Aria came over and pulled out a pair of training blades, with just a small look and smile, Axel moved them off to the side, to an open area that was used to train Star in, and created a large circle using his training weapon for them to fight in. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Our standard rules?¡± Axel asked and got into position, waiting for Aria to do the same. This meant first to surrender or be forced out of the ring while keeping lethal strikes in check based on who was attacking, as something lethal to Aria would only be a major wound to Axel as his healing would take care of it. ¡°Power?¡± was Aria¡¯s only question. ¡°No fire or gravity,¡± Axel said back, as he did not want to burn, and gravity would not be a fair or good fight with Aria. ¡°Wager?¡± Aria then added with a sly smile on her face, causing Axel to have a bad feeling. ¡°What would you like to wager?¡± Axel asked while trying to figure out her scheme but was coming up with nothing. ¡°The loser needs to have a date with the winner and one favor to be agreed on by both parties,¡± Aria said confidently. Axel could not see anything wrong with this, and the favor needed to be agreed on by both of them, so there should not be anything wrong with it as the wager. ¡°Deal.¡± Axel nodded and readied his stance. ¡°He agreed,¡± Aria called over to Lyra, who seemed to have been hanging around the wagon. ¡°Can you referee for our spar?¡± ¡°Sure, I can,¡± Lyra agreed and moved over to the pair as they both got into a fighting stance. Axel was keeping loose while moving his legs to stay limber as he would need to move and react quickly against Aria. Aria started in a low stance, holding each blade in a reverse grip that hid them from Axel¡¯s vision and seemed to be ready to blitz Axel. Lyra raised her hand and looked over both of her friends before bringing it down and saying, ¡°FIGHT!¡± On this, Aria charged in a random zigzag pattern, trying to move in a way that would avoid Axel¡¯s attack while Axel was attacking in small sharp thrusts to keep the reach advantage. This situation held for about thirty seconds before Aria, who was using wind to dry the ground throughout this whole fight, created a dust cloud to obscure Axel¡¯s vision. This worked but not completely, as while working with his new power for all this time, Axel had begun to gain a sense of objects around him like a sixth sense and could, even when not actively using his gravity anchors, still find Aria, who had gone over Axel with a quiet wing-assisted leap. Though Axel did have a general sense, it was not very precise, as even when Axel tried to block the overhead strike to keep away a ¡®killing blow,¡¯ he still received a bruise on his upper arm from the attack. Aria did not get away clean, as Axel used the contact made with the partial block to send her tumbling across their impromptu training ground. However, she stopped herself before going out of bounds as Axel could not transfer the needed leverage or strength in the brief contact to send her out from her angle of attack. The attack also cleared the dust cloud with the air wave that followed his strike, allowing Axel to see Aria was already on her feet and moving in to attack again. What happened next was a blur to Axel as he parried and blocked while Aria attacked from every angle that she could contort her body to strike at while using her aero to distract Axel. As the fight made it into the third minute, Axel had received and healed a dozen bruises to what Axel thought was about five Aria received, but he could tell that he was winning this as she was starting to flag visibly from the fatigue of her assault over the last few minutes. As Axel waited for his moment to finish this spar, he received two more bruises on his right thigh and inner right arm, just missing where an artery would be. Aria surprised Axel again by throwing both blades into the air while on the inside of his weapon. Not able to help himself, Axel¡¯s eyes followed the blades up for a moment before he corrected himself and returned them to Aria, who was the threat, with or without those daggers. When Axel returned his eyes to Aria, she had a pair of stones in her hands that she slapped together. This action caused a blinding flash and ear-ringing bang that disoriented Axel for a few critical moments. In this short moment, Aria seemed to have had a backup dagger, as when Axel could see and hear, there was a blade at his throat. ¡°Lethal Blow!¡± Lyra called, though Axel could only tell by reading her lips as it was taking a moment for his regeneration to restore his hearing. Axel then lowered his weapon and leaned on it while breathing a little hard from the exertion and adrenaline pumping through his body. Aria gave him a deep kiss, then went to retrieve her thrown daggers from the ground outside the training circle. Axel just smiled as he knew she had a trick, but she still pulled it off with that fake all-out attack to lull him into her pace. This also caused him to get complacent as he was waiting for a moment to make the perfect strike. ¡°Well, you won fair and square, love,¡± Axel said while walking over to Aria, who was putting away her daggers. ¡°Not that fair, as Aria had Sky make that trick to win the bet,¡± Aria said and looked down from Axel¡¯s gaze. ¡°That was well within our rules, and you pulled it off very well,¡± Axel praised and hugged his mate before kissing her deeply. ¡°Now I think I will pull the others in for some training.¡± After releasing Aria, he then went and pulled Lyra into a match, but she was limited on how much power she put into her vibrations. She would lose if her training sword was damaged by the power, and Axel used his gravity to help against her enhanced reflexes. This fight was also a back-and-forth fight, as while Lyra had issues moving from her location, she deflected all of Axel¡¯s attacks. But it ended with Lyra putting too much power in her vibration power on reflex and shattering her sword, which failed her this time. After this, Axel decided to take a break for lunch, but Aria dragged Roran onto the field. The young knight¡¯s personal weapon was a hand-and-a-half sword that was forged in a curved manner to better take advantage of his mount¡¯s momentum if he used it to strike during a charge. While mounted, Roran would likely use a lance or pull electrical discharges from what Axel had seen of his training and the little of the Duradon fight he could see before everything went sideways. Aria was the more skilled melee combatant, though, and even with neither using any powers, she tore through Roran in a matter of moments, several times as she reset the spar after each kill to show him what he did wrong. With this, Axel also added in his observations for both of them to try and help them grow, as while Aria did get the better of him with her trick, Axel could still see several issues with her fight with Roran. When the sparring finished, Axel moved over and helped Pearl with dinner as there was a lot more meat with the recent kills, along with another Quake being fully harvested. Dinner was fun as Larimar decided to regale everyone with tales of her and Pearl¡¯s adventures in the Tidewalkers, mostly guarding the main trade river from bandits and river beasts. As the last story was told, everyone readied themselves for their nightly routines as another day was completed. Axel decided to take the watch from a seat on the wagon and let the sounds of the night jungle take him in. As he listened, he could hear Aria talking to Lyra, though it was too quiet to hear what words were said, and then the thunder of another storm off in the distance rumbled, but from what Axel could tell from the winds, it would miss them this night. Chapter 57 The following week was spent getting any work done between storms that rolled through the area. Axel helped where he could to harvest the beasts brought in quicker and with Aria scouted out beasts to hunt every day. Most days, it was just a couple of Gin to add to the cooking pot, but his group did take down two more groups of Duradons with much better teamwork than the last time. Each pack was only around twelve in number and seemed to be splinter groups of other larger packs that were too large, thus forcing out weaker ones. This did help with getting more cores to speed up his group¡¯s growth. Pearl and Larimar even helped with another lone Quake, which seemed to have been hurt in a likely mating challenge, adding a total of six of the beasts taken during the hunt with the group''s teamwork much better than their first Quake kill. With the help of Aria, Axel also found and hunted three packs of Zips to add to the larder of this trip. The fights with the Zips only added about four Zips per pack as they scattered quickly, but that was twelve more cores, though all of them were low novice, which could still be used but were less effective. The last thing Axel did during that week was to find that Jareth carried several tomes of beasts which helped him with market evaluation, though they did also have other useful information such as a name for the beast that Axel fought. This beast was named Emberclaw, and they were known for the oil that their body produced that could not be extinguished by water; water would only make the fire worse somehow. Their hides were very fire-resistant up to levels that it would take an Expert who focused on fire abilities to hurt it with a flame attack on a very young one of this species. This beast was born around Novice End, and examples had grown in the wild to the level of Grandmaster in potency. These were very prized beasts for the people who lived on the plains for their hide and oil, along with being a common beast for a tamer. Axel also found from talks with Roran and Jareth that beast taming was very rare in the jungles, except for the Storm Drake knights, but on the plains, it was much more common. This in part had to do with how common the crimson with this ability was in the cities of the plains. After Novice, the evolution of crimson changed drastically from city to city, with each gaining more powers that were only found in their city. Axel knew some of this as that was why a Flame Seeker was a thing, but he always assumed that there were common power sets that happened in all cities. This became less true the higher the tier you went, as many cities shared abilities at Adept. For example, the summoning of beasts was in about four different cities according to Roran that had this power in their Adept trial, and three were in the plains while one was in Stormwatch. But every city¡¯s crimson that could give an Expert power was completely different from the others. Axel began to lament that his time in the library was cut so short by his situation as he guessed he could have come by this knowledge much sooner and more completely than by what he was learning now. The jungle was also starting to react to their presence with prey and predators changing patterns, which meant that it was time to move on as it was getting increasingly dangerous to even scout. Axel saw that the Quakes were moving in larger groups now, and other Thunderers in the area likely noticed the one missing from its territory and were slowly encroaching into it from the new territorial markings he had seen. Even the numerous smaller packs of Duradons were a sign that the local packs were becoming more territorial and reducing any weakness in the pack. On the first fully clear day of the week, Jareth called everyone to gather around the campfire and began to address them. ¡°Everyone, this has been a very successful venture with everyone completing a cycle and gaining valuable meat, hide, and bones that should more than pay for the trip,¡± Jareth said with a hearty laugh at the end. ¡°We will be heading out today as we have finished harvesting all the beasts, and our scouts say the other beasts are changing their movement patterns, making any other hunting more risky and less profitable. Get your things packed up and be ready to move out within the hour!¡± Everyone broke up after that and began to clean the camp of any of their presence, such as filling the latrine, picking up any trash, and putting down scent cleansers to clear away the last of the group¡¯s presence. Jareth then had the twins, Pearl and Larimar, drying the ground ahead while Sky repacked the earth to make it easier for the wagon to get out of the valley. Aria was again on scouting duty to check the path from the air, but Roran was trailing the wagon on Star. Speaking of Star, she had made a huge transformation over the two weeks of the trip, gaining both muscle mass and her wings looked like a normal Storm Drake¡¯s, not the malformed ones she had when Axel first met her and Roran. Also, her scales had a very healthy gleam to them that Axel could almost feel her health radiate. There was more intelligence and looks of wonder in those reptilian eyes than the ones that had the look of a beast just holding on to survival before when Roran joined his group or during the night he first saw Star. As Axel sat in the wagon as it rolled along, he leaned over to Lyra and asked, ¡°How are Star¡¯s chances of ever flying, do you think?¡± ¡°Pretty high from what the Goddess has shown me,¡± Lyra said after a bit of thought. ¡°It will mostly depend on her if she wants to or not now. She has lived her whole life grounded while most of her kind are in the air weeks to months after birth.¡± ¡°Well, you did a good job with helping her,¡± Axel praised his friend, then leaned back and closed his eyes. ¡°All we can do is let her do what the Goddess has planned and let nature take its course.¡± Stolen story; please report. As Axel rested his eyes, he worked on his mental training technique that he had been neglecting of late, going over all the recent hunts, the fight against the ¡®bandits,¡¯ and reviewing everything he could about what had been happening recently. Ever since his fight with Cade, things had been getting strange to Axel as his life was not going anywhere near where he had planned it. Axel also felt a resonance with Aria¡¯s words a few days ago as it did feel like they were being moved around by unseen forces to a purpose he could not figure out. Of the ones he could see a little of, there was Finn and his new guards. This seemed off to Axel before as Finn had a disruption weapon, something that only the Harmonizers would be able to access, and then he had hired people unknown to the other villagers as more protection. There were also the bounty hunters drawn by the bounty placed on Axel¡¯s head that seemed to hem Axel in but did not seem to overwhelm him. Why would Finn only put up a bounty that would draw in Novice tier opponents if what he wanted was Axel dead? Axel knew for a fact that Finn should have the money to draw in Adept bounty hunters, or maybe he did, and the stronger ones were stopped. Images of a man frozen in an alley and another found dead in another came to Axel¡¯s mind as he thought. The second was his benefactor Jareth, who had seemingly gone out of his way to help Axel and Aria. Axel liked the man, but even with how helpful and affable he was to Axel, Axel could feel something was wrong with everything around the man. His nieces were interesting, but again his mind went to the man frozen in the alley and how the pair worked together. The last was more of a feeling, but he felt there was another force out there but had no proof to point to besides... Axel¡¯s head throbbed with a headache as his mind tried to go down the path of Cade¡¯s death. Axel fought through the mental pain that seemed to intensify as he fought it, and he would swear that his memories were trying to change in his mental palace. Axel brought up his mental palace in his mind¡¯s eye, and it was a mess. Black corrupt vines wrapped and were trying to break the room that held the memories within. The black vines also seemed to reach into the new rooms made since the day of the duel, becoming thicker and each room speared with the pulsing vines. The only thing that seemed to stop them was another set of red vines slowly eating at the black and fighting them off. Then a soft sweet voice came from the side of the mind palace, ¡°Aww, you came to visit me?¡± Axel turned, and to the side sat a circular cage of strange glowing ribbons, each covered in intricate patterns like circuits that glowed silver in color. The cage looked perfect but for what looked like a repaired crack where a tiny bit of red leaked out and led to the mental palace. Inside the cage sat a humanoid being with no mouth, a gangly body with knees against its chest, and these legs had their arms wrapped around it as there was no other space. ¡°I see that you have talent,¡± the being¡¯s sweet and melodic voice filled the mental space. ¡°Now you can see all the hard work I have done for you. Be thankful that I find this intruder distasteful as it is such a subtle thing but has no true skill. It can corrode the mind, but this can be healed, fixed, or even changed. The entity that did this has more power than skills.¡± ¡°You are also bound to be mine, so I also need to keep my new home clean,¡± the creature finished with a sad sigh. ¡°I was hoping to have this all clean before you had the mental ability to arrive here, but oh well.¡± ¡®What is going on here?¡¯ Axel thought in confusion. ¡®I do not remember seeing something wrong before, but this has gotten so much worse. I also don¡¯t remember seeing this cage in my mental world.¡¯ ¡°Just a little bit of mental corruption is all that is happening,¡± the entity said and chuckled. ¡°It is very crude work, and its skills are so heavy-handed. As for your second question, I have always been here, but you have only cracked my seal recently.¡± ¡°So have you thought about my offer more?¡± The being turned its head and asked while the red ate more and more of the black in Axel¡¯s mental world. At the rate this struggle was going, Axel could see in days the black would be gone and covered in red. ¡®I still refuse,¡¯ Axel said without hesitation. ¡®Even if you did not torture me in that dream, I would never surrender to a crimson.¡¯ ¡°Sad but expected,¡± the being¡¯s voice was filled with a sad vibration that sent a shiver down Axel¡¯s spine. ¡°I will convince you that you don¡¯t need the pain you live with, but that will still take some time, but time we have in spades.¡± ¡®What¡¯s a spade?¡¯ was the only thought that went through Axel¡¯s mind when the pain returned. ¡°Oh, sorry about that, but as long as you are not bound to me, there will be pain,¡± the entity said in a voice tinged with sadness. ¡°But you will be free of this in time, sooner if you use my powers, but like most of your kind, you fear, so don¡¯t stress too much. Also, you should leave soon as the people around you are noticing something wrong.¡± Axel¡¯s view of his mental world cracked like a pane of glass and shattered into a million pieces, returning Axel to his body. After returning, Axel¡¯s view was filled with Sky¡¯s large eyes right in his face, looking at him intensely. Axel had to admit that it was a little disconcerting thing to see as he opened his eyes, but he could tell by how she held her body low on her legs she was worried about something, likely him given this situation. ¡®Oh, you¡¯re back,¡¯ Sky sent with a strong current of concern lacing her mental voice. ¡®I could not feel your mind¡¯s presence again, and I was worried about you.¡¯ ¡®Was I away long?¡¯ Axel asked while looking around, but the wagon was much like it was before he entered the mental world. ¡®I noticed a few minutes ago, but as soon as I began to probe and could not reach you, you returned from that mental void,¡¯ Sky told him while tilting her body slightly, her sign of confusion from what Axel knew of her. ¡®That¡¯s good, but please keep this between us for now as Aria needs to focus on the path and scouting, and this would distract her,¡¯ Axel asked his companion. ¡®I just found the Crimson that was sealed in me in my mental world doing something. I don¡¯t know what, but something else that is not the Crimson seems to have tried to¡­¡¯ Before Axel could finish the sentence, his head felt like a spike was pounding into it. Sky winced back, seeming to feel some kind of feedback from whatever was happening. ¡®I am not very skilled at the mental arts for my kind, but I will see what I can do to help,¡¯ Sky stated, then cut the link before moving to the front of the wagon. All Axel could think about through the pain in his head was thankfully that Sky wanted to help and would not worry the others for now. Axel knew this would come back to bite him, but it was all he could think about at the time. At this moment, there was a screech of several Storm Drakes overhead, heralding yet another issue that was going to arrive. Chapter 58 The wagon came to a halt after Axel heard the Storm Drakes, and he could see Jareth reining in the Pollux. Axel then moved up the wagon to see what was going on and saw several Storm Drakes landing in an open clearing. There were three Storm Drakes on the ground, and Axel could tell one was much stronger than the other two as it was much larger, likely one that was at the Adept potency, each with a Vortan in heavy armor. Looking at the knights in front of the wagon, Axel¡¯s conversations with Roran appeared in his mind as the knight on the larger Storm Drake walked to Axel¡¯s group. ---- ¡°Roran, I am curious,¡± Axel turned to Roran while doing maintenance on his gear and saw that Roran was working over a set of half plate as the water in the air lately was starting to cause rust to appear on the edges of his armor. ¡°I have met other Drake Knights, but most preferred lighter leather armor. When we arrived in your village, many wore armor much like yours.¡± ¡°The ones you meet are likely what are called free knights,¡± Roran put down his work and looked at Axel. ¡°There are two kinds of knights: free and house knights. The biggest difference between them is the resources and breeding of their drakes. Free knights tend to get their drakes from the training academies, and the house knights get theirs from their families who have century-long breeding programs.¡± ¡°Take Star, for example,¡± Roran pointed at his chest before continuing. ¡°Star was bred from two of the strongest alpha Storm Drakes that my family had ever had. Other things like size, strength, and speed come from this that allows a younger drake to carry someone in heavy armor.¡± ¡°How many houses are there?¡± Aria then chimed in from another side of the camp. ¡°There are currently around six large houses and another twenty smaller ones,¡± Roran replied with a weary sigh. ¡°Take my house, which is currently a large house but is in decline. Since the loss of my parents and several high-ranking knights, it will likely in a few decades be counted as a minor house unless we gather more strength.¡± ¡°How are houses ranked?¡± Lyra, who had been listening in, asked out of curiosity. ¡°To be counted as a major house, you need at least one Grand Master tier knight, but that would make you the lowest-ranked house. The more Master and Grand Master or higher tier personnel, the higher your house will be held in the Orders. The current highest house is even ruled by the solo Transcendent tier knight in all the city-states.¡± ¡°Orders?¡± Aria brought up in a confused voice. ¡°Don¡¯t all Drake Knights join the Storm?¡± ¡°As everyone is a member of the Storm, yes, they are, but to organize and keep everything in check, several knight orders have arisen,¡± Roran stated like it was common knowledge to the others. ¡°Orders came about because of tension between free and house knights so that gathered resources and political marriages could better be completed.¡± ¡°Your people do political marriages?¡± Axel asked in confusion now. ¡°Yes, how else could you avoid inbreeding Storm Drakes or keep a stable bloodline for a house?¡± Roran asked, confused by the question. ¡°What if someone, let''s say, wanted to be the mate with one of the other people?¡± Aria asked and moved over to sit in Axel¡¯s lap, seeming to want to make a point. ¡°If you are a house knight and want to do that, you must give up your house and become a free knight, but it is allowed under the laws,¡± Roran explained and seemed to want to leave the conversation. ¡°I need to get this maintenance done, so can we talk more about this later?¡± Aria just nodded and let the matter be, thus letting everyone get back to their original tasks. Aria then kissed Axel before she went to complete her chores as they had another day of scouting ahead. --- Axel left the memory as Roran and Star moved to the front of the wagon and Aria landed behind him. The largest of the Storm Drakes knelt down and allowed its rider to slide off, only for them to sink to their ankles in the mud as neither twin had removed the water that far in the path yet. With wet sucking noises, the knight walked forward until he was before the wagon and on the dry ground that was being set ahead of it. ¡°I am Sir Loran, knight of the order of the Rising Suns, and I am here to capture Squire Roran for the theft of a Storm Drake, Star of the Northern Skies,¡± the Vortan stated loudly and placed his mailed hand lightly on his sword. ¡°I am Roran,¡± Roran said proudly from his seat atop Star. ¡°I completed my training and am a Free Knight not beholden to my uncle''s Order. Star is legally my charge based on my parents'' will, and under the Order''s law, you have no right to her.¡± ¡°Roran, I am here on orders, and you will obey!¡± the knight Loran stated coldly and drew a couple of inches of steel from his scabbard. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Roran also reached for his sword when another voice from one of the smaller drakes called out in a commanding tone, laced with power that even stopped Axel as he was about to leap from the wagon to help his new friend. ¡°HALT!¡± Axel could not move his body for about a second, which scared him. If this was used in combat, it would be very deadly. The smaller drake moved forward, and a female Vortan removed her helmet and looked over Roran, Axel, and everyone else before turning her full attention back to Sir Loran. ¡°Sir Loran, you are escalating a situation that does not need it,¡± she said in a calm melodic voice. ¡°Roran, your uncle has claimed you have not completed your rites and have taken Star without the proper protocols being followed. He has ordered your return and to have you imprisoned for your transgressions against your family.¡± Roran, upon freeing himself from the command, jumped off his mount and knelt before the woman on her drake. As Axel was freed from the hold that the command had held, he took a good look over this female knight. She was in immaculate silvered armor that had tiny runes along the seams of the armor and the collar. Axel guessed she was rather tall, much like every one of her species, though it was hard to guess as she sat securely on her mount. Her helmet was sculpted to look like a Storm Drake''s fierce expression, and there was a long single plume that came from the top of the helmet to her mid-back. ¡°My lady Siloe,¡± Roran said and bowed his head from his kneeled position. ¡°I have completed my rites as is proper for my station. I sat my vigil and I claimed my blood right of Star of the Northern Sky. If you allow, I will hand you the papers from the knight who confirmed my vigil and the principal.¡± ¡°You may rise and present your proof,¡± she said, and her drake allowed her down as she landed gracefully beside it. As Roran moved to the wagon and asked Sky to hand him his bag, Axel took a better look at Lady Siloe. She did give Axel a feeling of presence and power in just the way she was standing and staring down the knight, who, based on what little Axel knew, outranked her based on each of their liveries. Knights, according to Roran, have stages of seniority from Squire followed by Knight Companion to Knight, followed by either Knight Lancer or Knight Scout. The leadership ranks came after that with Knight Commander and Knight Captain, with only the Master of the Order being higher than the Knight Captains. The head of all the orders was named Knight General, which was held by the solo Transcendent Knight, who was the current holder of this title. Axel knew that from what he saw, Lady Siloe was a Knight Companion, but with the way she was looking at the full knight, their ranks would be reversed. Axel already had a guess on who this lady was related to but kept his mouth shut and decided to let things play out for now. Roran arrived before Lady Siloe and bowed as he handed her a pair of scrolls. She took them gently, unfurling them to read what was listed. As the Lady read the scroll, Sir Loran had returned his sword fully to its scabbard and was resting his off-hand on the hilt, tapping his fingers. After a few minutes, the Lady rerolled the scroll and handed it back to Roran, then looked around once again to see Axel¡¯s group still standing ready for something to happen. ¡°Sir Roran,¡± Lady Siloe said in a solemn tone now, and Axel could feel it laced with power, making a statement, ¡°I bear witness and acknowledge you as a Free Knight Companion. You shall bear your name alone but with pride. You are free of family obligation and bear all consequences therein.¡± Lady Siloe then drew her curved blade and gave a crisp salute before returning it with a swift movement. She then looked over to Sir Loran and said, ¡°You can return to your house and inform its lord.¡± The man looked like he wanted to refute but stopped himself and nodded, leaving without a second glance at Roran, trudging back through the mud to remount. Once he remounted, the other rider that was on the ground with them lifted off with the knight flying north. This left the drakes in the air to land in the now open spots, seeming to wait for Lady Siloe and watching the jungle for dangers. ¡°Now that the ceremony is over, it is good to see you well, Roran,¡± Lady Siloe said in a husky tone and pulled off her helmet to reveal a beautiful woman underneath. ¡°I am glad that I tagged along with the search party as I felt something was off with how your uncle was pushing the Suns to look for you.¡± ¡°Lady¡­¡± Roran started to only have a single mailed finger to seal his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t Lady me when we are not in official settings,¡± Lady Siloe said and laughed while adding, ¡°You have been my fianc¨¦e since we were two, Roran. I have sparred with you since we were six, and you will be the father of the child we sired on the day we gained our powers. I may outrank you socially, but you are still the storm that protects my heart.¡± Axel had never seen Roran blush before, but his skin changed colors so rapidly that Axel could not keep up with the changes. Lady Siloe then held out her hand to Star, who smelled her and then rubbed her head into her hand. ¡°Star is looking much better,¡± Lady Siloe remarked as she looked the drake over with a professional eye. ¡°We had found she was poisoned, and healer Lyra helped remove it,¡± Roran said while trying to get himself under control. ¡°Then you have my thanks, healer Lyra, as even the most professional doctors of her clan could not find what was wrong with Star,¡± Lady Siloe said and gave a deep bow to Lyra, much to murmurs from the landed riders, which stopped when the lady snapped to stare them down. ¡°The goddess guided my hands,¡± Lyra said and bowed back to the knight. ¡°Then blessed be that she guided you to save Star,¡± Lady Siloe said, then turned to Roran. ¡°You should not return to the village as your uncle seems to be up to something. I will await the day you return and cast aside your current shield and complete the Trial of Homecoming to reclaim your family and marry me as is our duty.¡± ¡°I vow that as long as I have breath in this body, I will return to you, my Lady,¡± Roran said and drew his blade and knelt again to Lady Siloe. Lady Siloe kissed the top of Roran¡¯s head and whispered something, then returned to her Storm Drake. She then returned her helmet and lifted off to quickly vanish into the sky with her escort. No one said anything for some time as Roran stared after Lady Siloe¡¯s ever-shrinking speck with a focused expression on his face. When the speck was no longer able to be seen, Roran turned to everyone and only said, ¡°Let''s move out,¡± before remounting and taking his place at the rear of the wagon. Chapter 59 (reuploaded) After that confrontation, Jareth steered the wagon on a new course that would avoid Thunder Ridge and head straight to Stormwatch. While the route was shorter, it stayed in the jungle for a much longer time, though they avoided the single mountains that likely held either Thunderer or Tempest Beasts that were in the way of the travel back. No one mentioned the encounter to Roran as the companion rode in silence, Axel guessing he was lost in his thoughts about how his life was moving now. The next three days passed in relative silence as everyone was on edge for any beast or bandit. Though being off the road meant that bandits were unlikely to attack, there were plenty of beasts that would gladly attack and eat the group. Thankfully, the only beasts that were seen were packs of Zips, Duradons, and Gin, along with the ever-present Snars poking their heads out of the occasional bush, which eased everyone¡¯s nerves after a while. On the fourth day, the wagon arrived on a road about halfway between Thunder Ridge and Stormwatch, which meant they only had a bit over half a day¡¯s travel left before they could rest from this hunting trip. As the group stopped at noon for lunch and to allow the Pollux to rest from the hard journey, Axel began to have an ominous feeling that he could not explain. Axel looked around and noticed that everyone seemed to be feeling something off as their body postures were tense, but he could still not explain why. Axel then listened and noticed that there was not the sound of the jungle that was always in the background. All the nearby beasts had gone silent, which was never a good thing, but he did not hear any large beast or feel the ground vibrate from the ones that could mask their sounds. Axel then moved over to where Aria and Lyra were eating and leaned down to kiss Aria on the cheek. ¡°Something is off,¡± Axel whispered into her ear. ¡°All the beasts have gone silent in the jungle around us. Can you take flight and have a look around?¡± Aria finished her bite and nodded before putting her plate down to stretch for a flight. Axel then started to walk to Jareth as she lifted off with a gust of air, only to turn when he heard the sound of bow shots followed by something being hit. To Axel¡¯s terror, he turned to see Aria falling out of the sky with several arrows in her, two in the right wing and one more that seemed to have slightly penetrated her chest armor near her heart. Everything began to slow at that moment, and Axel¡¯s awareness seemed to expand so that he could see several groups of people. The strongest group of five, all Adepts from the power they gave off to Axel¡¯s sense, seemed to be heading for Jareth, while Pearl and Larimar each had two people heading to each of them. Then there were two more groups of five Novices, one heading for Sky and Roran while the other was heading for where he and Lyra were. Axel, on reflex, put a repulsion anchor on Aria and moved to catch her while Lyra faced off against an overwhelming number of enemies. Each person in the group wore cheap armor and carried poorly maintained weapons, but as Axel caught Aria, it struck him that again this was too uniformly geared for this group as some people should have better gear than others. Axel quickly visually inspected Aria only to see that Sky¡¯s armor held and only the tip of the arrow had punched through. Axel also noticed black and green lines around where the arrows hit Aria¡¯s wings and the world tinted red. Axel gently laid her on the ground, got up, and turned in a smooth manner. He could see that Lyra was only just fending off the attackers by forcing them to get in each other¡¯s way, limiting the number of attack angles. In his peripheral vision, Roran had summoned Star, and with Sky, they were holding their own, so he just moved to Lyra¡¯s side. In the corner of his vision, his journal was flashing a message: Berserking Activated. Axel did not seem to run or jump but almost appeared beside Lyra, and one of the enemies exploded from the chest upon his arrival. As he made his move to Lyra, Axel had used gravity anchors for traction and left large torn-up rents in the earth where his steps must have landed using all his strength for propulsion. Axel saw through his journal that he had broken all the bones in his hand but did not care. Axel looked at a heavily breathing Lyra and said ¡°Save Aria,¡± in a voice that held an arctic chill, then set to the grim work ahead. In the moment''s distraction, one enemy had stabbed Axel in the gut blade bypassing his armor like it was not there, but with his damaged hand, Axel grabbed and held the man''s sword arm in place, then the other shot out to grab the struggling man by his neck and then lift him to use him as a shield against the only other attacker that could get a swing in. This caused the other attacker to pull back his swing, at which point Axel kicked the man while anchoring himself, sending the attacker flying across the clearing and shattering a tree. Axel noticed that his boot was covered in the kicked man''s insides before the last two attackers drew his attention by moving in aggressively one glowing green gathering air and the other glowing a black color Axel could not identify at a glance. Axel put his gore-covered boot back on the ground as he then used the human shield as a club and swept the last two attackers with him. The human club did not survive the contact, body splattering from the force of impact and both other attackers tumbled across the ground from the impact. Axel also noted that the sword was still in him and his broken hand holding the forearm of his improvised weapon, so he yanked the sword out and then threw the blade with a gravity anchor at one of the Adepts attacking Jareth who had his back to Axel. This attack caught the man completely by surprise, going through him and ending in a tree across the clearing from Axel, this action startled the pack of attackers and made them back off for a moment, giving Jareth breathing room. Axel then wasted no time and finished the two attackers that he knocked down with his improvised club with a pair of throwing knives to the heads. Taking the slight lull in the fight, Axel noted almost robotically that Roran and Sky had taken one enemy down while Star held three at bay with a breath of fire, which was being blocked by what looked like a Pyrokinetic power user. Axel then sent another throwing knife at the pyrokinetic, linking his knife and the man, and then began to move in on the Adepts without confirming whether the knife hit or not. As Axel began to move he then heard a shout behind him, only to turn and see that Lyra had thrown his halberd to him from where he left it near where he was eating, before going back to work on Aria. Axel caught the weapon mid-stride with the help of a gravity anchor and kept running, only to receive a warning that both legs had suffered multiple fractures, and his right leg was on the verge of snapping under the strain. Axel calmly adjusted his strength to prevent the break but ignored the rest of the warning as he arrived. Axel struck out at the closest attacker surrounding Jareth on arrival with a diagonal slash and even with the Adept fighter blocking with his weapon, Axel shattered the man¡¯s sword with the axe head of his halberd and cleaved the man in two, much like what had happened to Cade. This thought almost broke the mental state Axel was in, but something pushed the memory and thought away, allowing Axel to stay focused in the moment. Jareth used Axel¡¯s attack to launch his counteroffensive, dodging attacks and using a stream of water to divert a bolt of lightning from a Vortan attacker. Jareth then hit the lighting user with a combo of blows to disorient him, but before he could get a grapple one of the last of the three remaining attackers forced him back with a concentrated blade of fire. Axel tried to help but was forced into a rapid escalation of defensive blocks as a large human wielding a spear that tried to match him in strength. Axel struggled to keep up as, while the man was strong, Axel seemed to be stronger, but that was Axel¡¯s only advantage as the man moved quicker and must have had a reflex-boosting power as it seemed like Axel¡¯s every attack was being drawn into the other man¡¯s spear only to then be diverted to the side. The fight with the spear-using Adept was moving quickly for as in as little as six exchanges of blows, Axel had received four new cuts though none of which were life-threatening and Axel was only able to force the man back once during their first exchange of blows as the enemy had tried to go toe-to-toe with Axel only then but realized he was overmatched. After the first exchange the spear user started to work around Axel''s edges and deflecting his blows to wear Axel out. Axel vaguely noticed during this dual that his mind was working differently than normal during this deadly struggle as the only fluctuations but none of the fear or worry was bubbling up and only the errors in his attacks and how to fix them so none of the enemy¡¯s hits came through the same openings. Then after five more rapid exchanges, Axel was completely on the defensive, out of nowhere, an orange ball of flame landed on the side of the man¡¯s face burning it and causing the man to turn his head with a grunt in pain. This allowed Axel to find an opening, as the spear strike veered off course, and slammed the spear tip of his halberd in and then through the man¡¯s neck cleanly beheading him and covering Axel in a wash of blood. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Axel wasted no time grabbing the spear from the last enemy and ambushed one of the last two men who were attacking Jareth by hurling the spear through the enemy combatant. This attacker noticed the attack and tried to dodge it to the side, but the gravity anchor corrected the course, causing the attacker to have a stunned expression on his face before he slumped over and slid down the shaft of the spear. Jareth wasted no time and, through a combination of hand-to-hand attacks that broke the Vortan attacker''s arm, then locked his enemy into a joint lock and pushed his power into him. The man started to seize as blood poured out of his eyes, ears, and mouth before Jareth released the now-dead body. Axel did not waste time watching as he knew that Pearl and Larimar were also still in danger. Axel moved and yanked the blood-coated spear out of the last man he killed, beheading him with a casual swipe of the axe head, and turned to see who was in the most trouble. Both Pearl and Larimar had killed one attacker but had taken injuries while doing it Axel noticed that in his group of friends, Star had injuries all over her body, but there were three dead attackers with Lyra having joined the fight and Aria leaning against the wagon, slowly and precisely launching compressed balls of fire in support. Sky seemed to have changed from the direct assault to helping the twins, as every time one of the enemies started to get an advantage, they would be shot at by dozens of high-velocity sharp metal bits, forcing that fighter to defend. Larimar¡¯s left arm was bleeding, but one of her enemies was an ice cube, gracefully dodging a user of a large hammer, while Pearl used a trident to fight off what looked like a skilled user of a sword. She seemed to have blasted a hole through one of her attackers with some kind of compressed water. Axel chose to help Larimar and threw the spear just after the man threw up a directional forcefield to block the attack from both Sky and Pearl. The man must have not been expecting the spear as it nailed him from behind, shattering his armor and breaking his concentration in the process. The force field user was much sturdier than the others Axel had seen as he was still standing from Axel''s blow but went down quickly as the attacks that were being blocked by the force field slammed through. The attacker was frozen solid by a wave of freezing energy, leaving icicles diagonally along his body when Sky then summoned a large block of metal above the man that shattered him into many frozen pieces. With that done, Axel turned to help Pearl, but Jareth was already there and had a hand on the man¡¯s neck, causing him to begin bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth. A moment later, the man began to shake and was dropped to the ground dead. With the Adepts dead, Axel began to move to help Roran and Lyra but was too late as Star ripped the last one to death with her teeth and then released a roar of triumph! Axel, still in the strangely focused state began to look for more enemies and his mind began to figure out how to eliminate Jareth, Pearl, and Larimar in their currently weakened states as they were threats to his mate in her injured state. Before he moved on to these strange thoughts, he was wrapped in a hug and he smelled a berry and herbal scent that his brain connected with Aria. As he looked to the source he heard her voice in a calm, soothing tone. ¡°Axel, return to me,¡± Aria said just loud enough for Axel to hear. ¡°The villains are slain, and the hero can now rest. Please return to me.¡± Something in Axel fought that calming voice struggling to keep unleash his destruction until she was completely safe. There was something in him that needed to destroy any possible threat to Aria and his friends. But why are Jareth and the twins a threat? Another voice asked, fighting down the voice calling to finish them before it was too late. Axel then closed his eyes trusting Aria and began to breathe in his meditation pattern, letting the red haze recede from his vision, as the strange state left him. Axel then saw a popup on the side of his vision: Berserking Deactivated As the haze retreated, Axel began to feel the pain throughout his body, and a wave of suppressed messages scrolled up his sight. User Poisoned Users internal Organs suffered critical damage User Core down to 50% User Core down to 20% User Core down to 5% User Core power has risen to 10% Regeneration cleared the Poisoned state User Core power has risen to 25% Regeneration (Lesser) in a heightened state and all injuries healing more rapidly than normal User, please disengage Berserking Mode as Crimson Corruption level has reached 2% The user has shut down Berserking Mode. Safe use cooldown: 24:55:22 Regeneration (Lesser) returned to normal state User Core down to 5% Axel then checked over his health data, and while his right hand was still damaged, the broken bones were healed leaving only slight fractures. There were still small fractures throughout his body, but from the looks of it, his blessing and Regeneration (Lesser) would have them fixed within an hour. Also, all the slashing and piercing wounds were mostly healed. The pain was still assaulting him as, while his body was healed, his nerves and brain were still catching up on the information that was suppressed. Aria must have felt him relax as she looked up into his eyes and smiled at him. ¡°Aria is glad you are back with me.¡± Axel had no words for her as he was still mentally catching up on everything he had just done, though even now it did not feel real but more like a dream. Aria let Axel go after that, and her armor was now covered in the blood that transferred from Axel, who realized he was covered in blood or worse and went to check on everyone. Lyra was moving to check on injuries, and when she first moved toward Axel, he waved her off and pointed at Larimar. Lyra nodded and changed directions to check on her, but from what Axel could hear, besides issues with a poisoned blade, Larimar was mostly fine, just exhausted like everyone else. Axel checked on Roran, but besides several gashes on his armor, he seemed uninjured. More likely, Lyra had needed to heal him as Roran was keeping a much closer eye on Lyra now, and Axel, on closer look, saw several of the gashes had likely found their way into the more open areas of his half-plate armor. Star seemed exceedingly proud and kept poking Roran with her snout for attention and praise, which he began to lavish on her. From the looks of it, when Axel hit the pyrokinetic, she had heavily injured or killed at least three of the attackers with her breath attack. There also seemed to be five attackers that were on Axel''s side of the field from the number of corpses his team needed to deal with twelve attackers as there were seven more dead in the line between the jungle and the clearing along with the five that came forward and attacked that side. Sky seemed to have minor injuries on her carapace, but she seemed fine as she waved her manipulator at Axel as he approached her. When Axel checked, she just sent calming emotions and ¡®I am fine, just drained.¡¯ to his mind. Axel took her word for it and began to help Pearl and Jareth clean up the battlefield. Jareth needed to leave just after starting as he went to retrieve one of the Pollux that had broken free. The cleanup was completed in silence over an hour as Pearl seemed to be avoiding Axel and worked on the other side of the field from him until Larimar, arm in a temporary sling, came over to Axel. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Larimar asked in a soft voice. ¡°I am mostly uninjured now if that is what you are asking about,¡± Axel replied as he was still trying to figure out the screaming feeling to kill both Larimar and Pearl. ¡°I am still suffering from the aftershock of a power.¡± ¡°That must be a hell of a third power,¡± Pearl, seeming unable to say anything, remarked. ¡°You never used it while hunting.¡± ¡°It is an intense power, and its aftereffects are never pleasant,¡± Axel said while trying to explain this ability without going into too much detail. ¡°Sorry if it scared you.¡± ¡°I was not worried about you,¡± Pearl immediately said, then shut her mouth after saying it. ¡°You did have a very interesting look in your eyes there at the end,¡± Larimar said, drawing Axel¡¯s attention back to her. ¡°I was in a mindset that was looking for any other attackers,¡± Axel said while hauling the body of one of the Adepts to be placed in a pile after searching it for anything, but there was nothing on the man but a few coins. ¡°I am sorry if I worried you there.¡± ¡°Well, nothing happened, but that seemed much like a bad crimson backlash,¡± Pearl told him and gave Axel a gentle smile before saying, ¡°You may want to talk to Lyra about maybe removing that power and building up more before you complete another cycle. I know you have been under a lot of stress, but you should take a backlash seriously.¡± ¡°I have talked to Lyra about it before, and we have things in place to deal quickly with any aftereffects,¡± Axel informed Larimar and then asked her, ¡°You think you have the power yet to give me a cleaning? This blood does not feel great, and that is all the attackers moved.¡± Larimar nodded and gave Axel a quick pressure wash, which caused something in Axel to want to dodge or fight, but he kept the feeling pressed down as those urges would not be helpful and was cleaned in a matter of moments leaving a large muddy bloody puddle. Axel still needed to change into a spare set of clothes and talk Larimar into giving his armor another washout. Jareth returned with the missing Pollux and, after checking with everyone to make sure they were safe to move, began to hitch up the wagon again. Lyra checked the bodies, but again the journals were destroyed like the last set of attackers. Sky and Aria worked together to incinerate the bodies, then everyone loaded up to get to the city quickly. As the sun began to set, the city appeared as the wagon came around the bend, the light of the suns shining off the many tall buildings.