Arc | Chapter. 61: Saraknel (Patreon)

Chapter. 61: Saraknel

Sorry for the super late chapter. 

The man left and I moved to the outskirts of the small town, people made way for me and their eyes held nothing but respect, though they still busied themselves with instructions given by the strongest warrior. Meanwhile Manz quietly followed after me, slowly eating what remained of the skewers she had.

And a couple of minutes later we reached the northern entrance, this one happened to have a pillar with the same carvings as the one at the center of the town. So, perhaps I took it as a sign that I should be waiting here for the monster to be awakened.

Finally, Malz finished eating and decided to speak up.

“So, when is the stopping point for you, Arc?”

I raised my brow. “Stopping point?”

“When will you be strong enough?” She asked, curiosity in her eyes. “I know you want to be strong enough to protect yourself from the hero of flames but if you ask me…”

I stared at her as she met my gaze, her piercing golden irises shining to the torches around us.

“You’re already more than strong enough to defend yourself against him.” She smiled, her eyes closing. “And, now that I’m here we could easily kill him in a two against one.”

I nodded, slowly agreeing with what she was saying, and then Malz returned to a neutral position turning to me casually.

“So? When is the stopping point Arc?”

I blinked before pondering on what she had just asked. When would I stop trying to get stronger? It was whenever I felt comfortable at my strength, but I didn’t think that would happen.

After the encounter with the Hero of Flames it was as if a switch had been flipped, the clarity that I in fact wasn’t the strongest, and that if I slacked off I could potentially die. There were other stronger beings than the Hero of Flames, probably much stronger.

So the answer was clear.

I closed my eyes. “I don’t know, whenever I feel like my life isn’t in danger to anything.”

“So even if you are the strongest in the world, if the corruption of the arcane makes you feel threatened then you will⁠—”

“Yes, I’ll continue to try to grow stronger,” I said with a sigh. “Otherwise I don’t know how I’ll have peace of mind.”

“Hmm…” Malz thought for a moment before shaking her head. “Sounds complicated. I can’t say I haven’t been there and done that, but sometimes when you look at what the world holds it feels… helpless.”

“Well, can’t say I haven’t felt that way before,” I said bitterly.

Truth be told I wanted to get stronger, but it wasn’t a driven desire, not after I had defeated the Heroine of Spiders anyway. It was more like a long term desire but not something I actively sought.

However…

I shook my head.

“I’m still not going to give up, especially not when I see opportunities to grow stronger in the form of this primordial beast and the Forgotten Places.”

Malz nodded but asked. “But when those opportunities stop, what will you do?”

I smiled at her.

“I don’t know.”

* * * * *

The Miri-Sunre Republic, one of the biggest territories in the Nahar Continent, a place that could be said to birth the strongest warriors in all of the land. Of course, those were rumors, but so far they had proven to be true, until today that was.

Si-Arik started the preparations towards the ritual of awakening for the beast of ancient times, it was a melody of old, it was composed of two parts. One that kept it in deep slumber, and the other was to awaken it. It was a ceremony held once a year, but this time it was expedited, all in order to defeat the beast that plagued the land once in for all.

It was something that only the locals of the town knew and kept to themselves with utmost secrecy, neighboring towns too had an idea of the possibility of disaster, but aside from that the world was completely dark on the beast slumbering below the town of Lan-Ronar.

Si-Arik believed that the Chosen One would be a woman from the Miri-Sunre Republic, it was the place where the strongest people came from, but today his beliefs had been shattered. It was undeniable. While he didn’t understand how strong the white-haired woman was he did feel that she was more than met the eye.

Closing his eyes he remembered how he had been looking down on her and next thing he knew was darkness. A dull pain pierced his entire body as people came to his aid. According to eye-witnesses she had punched him, and yet he had failed to sense it.

Even looking back in his memory, there was none of it.

It was odd, something that he struggled to comprehend. A stranger from a far away land had turned to be the Chosen One, and while he had accepted it, it was still boggling to his mind. It was… hard.

A hard thing to process.

But still, Si-Arik believed in her capability to defeat the monster. He was the strongest warrior in Lan-Ronar, however he was far from being the strongest in the entirety of the Miri-Sunre Republic.

Perhaps in retrospect he could’ve sought out the help of the Ultimate Warrior of Miri-Sunre, but he had been raised to believe in the prophecy, to sit and wait. All his life had been like that, and now the answer had finally arrived at his doorstep, but it didn’t come how he expected it to, and perhaps that was for the best.

But Si-Arik still couldn’t help but wonder.

Had his horizons been too narrow?

His mind continued thinking about all he knew, and what he understood, all while arranging for people to stay at certain places of the town and giving instruments.

Was he ignorant of the world?

It was no secret that those from the Miri-Sunre Republic liked challenge, but most inhabitants stayed within the territory, not venturing to the lands beyond due to the lack of challenges there. However, seeing the white-haired woman, he couldn’t help but think that perhaps he and many others had been wrong.

The Ultimate Warrior had been wrong.

Si-Arik didn’t know what to do with that information but he still focused on the task at hand, his heart beating in palpable nervousness for what he would do in the future. However, perhaps he would seek the guidance of the Ultimate Warrior, the man who called himself a hero.

Perhaps he’d provide him with useful answers…

Shaking his head he focused on finishing the preparations. Now people stood across the sandstone rooftops, they stood beside the houses and across the town, all in an intricate pattern that had been rehearsed since they could remember.

And finally, he headed towards the northern part of the town this time with a special torch in hand, where he met the person he had placed all his hopes on. She seemed unworried, her arms crossed as she looked at the horizon. Her oddly dressed companion was standing there, leaning against the town walls as she yawned, and finally they all turned to him.

“So?” The white haired girl asked.

Si-Arik slowly gathered himself and observed her, both of the women were young, but she was much more peculiar⁠— both of them were. Then, he realized there was no point in comparing the two, both were basically alien to him.

He took a deep breath. “What will happen if you’re unable to fight the monster?”

The woman blinked, raising her brow as if the question hadn’t even been in her mind. But then, a sigh left her.

“I guess I’ll die? That or try to bring it away? I don’t know, Malz can help too.” She shrugged. “Not really an issue.”

Si-Arik felt skeptical, so crossing his arms he asked: “So, you wouldn’t run away and let it destroy the town?”

The woman shook her head. “No, not something I’d do, and not something I’m planning to do, besides…” She turned to the desert before cracking a smile. “If it’s a good fight then I’m certain even if I die in it I’ll keep fighting.”

At that moment, Si-Arik paused, seeing her expression. She was smiling. She was smiling at the notion of a good fight. It was a trait that natives of the Miri-Sunre Republic displayed, however it was still rare, very rare. Only the greatest of warriors across the entirety of the land had such a trait, and few lived to be so strong.

For some reason Si-Arik suddenly felt a sense of nervousness looking at her, though as he turned to her companion she seemed to be quietly smiling to herself, but it was also one of excitement.

Was she too excited at the prospect of an unwinnable battle?

Two people that showed such a trait, and both were unreasonably strong…

He gulped. Si-Arik found it hard to believe but it was right there, right before his very eyes…

His thoughts hadn’t lasted more than two seconds, so he recollected himself and nodded.

“Very well, I trust that you are a true warrior.”

With those words, he turned and headed towards the nearest source of fire, the special torch still within his hand. It was a couple of steps away, and yet he felt nervous, his breath grew rougher and rougher as he stood up before the torch on the wall. And then slowly, he lifted the stick on his hand towards the fire. The drenched rag at its top shining to the light, a loose string accompanying it as it swung like a pendulum.

Si-Arik felt like it was so slow until⁠— it ignited. Green fire immediately burst at its top, and now, he had no choice but to commit to it as the cloth rapidly burned. In an instant with all his strength he flung it upwards, numerous skills going at the same time.

The source of light traveled through the night, like a shooting star that was headed to the sky, and then as it reached its apex it exploded. Thousands of radiant lights littered the sky, like an explosion of beauty, and then the sound of drums began to echo across the town of Lan-Ronar.

Si-Arik took a deep breath.

There was no going back now…

It was time for the ancient beast to awaken.

* * * * *

Regis’karr wondered if he had made the right choice in not going with her. So in the end, he had left the pyramid and slowly headed to the nearest town. He had a lot of time to think while he did so really. He was in his human noble form, he could’ve turned back to a dragon but now he felt more comfortable like this⁠— for whatever reason.

However, he mostly just thought, he thought about Malz and her rather surprising behavior towards Arc.

Regis’karr understood that this behavior wasn’t the outcome of their battle but rather from something else. And it was something he didn’t understand⁠— or maybe he did?

He frowned, walking under the sparkling stars of the night.

Malz had always been pretty closed off, however if there was anything to be known about her from the other dragon elders, it was the fact that she was the most knowledgeable about heroes.

So perhaps she had found out about Arc’s ridiculous talent and potential?

He thought about it, and that he couldn’t tell whether it was good or bad.

And then, his thoughts were cut short by a green blast over the horizon. Regis’karr paused and rushed to stand atop of the sand dune in front of him. And there he saw it, and he heard it.

The town where Arc was. The town where the sound of drums echoed through the land. It went deep into the sand, it dug through the desert, and it shook the heart of something⁠—

Regis’karr felt it, the land began to shake.

He stood there, stunned and lost on what to do, and then a sand dune not far away from the town exploded. Sand flew, and from it came a gigantic black worm.

[Saraknel, the Terror of the Sands. Tier: ???].

Huh…

And a moment later it rushed.

* * * * *

It was here…

Si-Arik swallowed, standing next to the two women. In the horizon he heard a screech, and a moment later with an explosion of sand he saw Saraknel, a pitch black worm of death, its skin rugged and filled with battle scars, spikes littering its entire length, acid spewing from its mouth melting the surrounding sands, and all while it was coming this way.

It was more terrifying than ever.

“You can’t be serious,” the white haired girl said, annoyed.

Si-Arik’s heart skipped a beat.

What did she mean?

“It’s so damn…” And she sighed. “Whatever, Malz, can you deal with it?”

Malz blinked. “Oh, sure.”

She was asking her companion instead?

He watched as the black haired woman walked in front of everyone. The worm rapidly approached, soon to destroy the town in just a few seconds. And yet, the two women seemed as calm as ever.

“Alright, I guess I’ll just do it quickly,” Malz said, raising her hand.

Meanwhile, Si-Arik felt his heart threatening to explode. The beast was about to reach, some of the acid reached one of the houses and immediately melted it, and the woman was just pointing her palm at the beast.

It was over⁠—

And she pulled her hand curling it into a fist as if ripping something.

“[Dark Pull].”

At that moment the worm exploded, its skin ripping from its body, chunks of flesh streaking into the night, its poisonous blood flying through the air, its bones and spikes rippling across the land. Its shriek never to be heard as chunks of what had once stood there littered the land, no clear corpse to be seen.

Si-Arik blinked.

The terror that plagued the land had died just like that…