IM1: Chapter #25 (Patreon)

Next to Thorn, Aloxal and Zelix were continuing to release ranged attacks, weakening and thinning the incoming lizards to make it easier for Gorrell to get a handle on them. Sensing that it was his turn to get involved, Thorn unsheathed his bone weapon and sent a surge of mana into it, causing a lightning blade to spring up. Lifting it up over his shoulder, he dashed forward and brought it down in a clean arc on the fallen Shriek Stalker. The monster was just starting to struggle to its feet when Thorn’s blade bit into its neck, cutting deep into its spine.

Feeling his blade slow down as it hit bone, Thorn leaned into the blow, forcing the blade through until it sank deep into the dirt. If he had been wielding a normal blade, Thorn would have been concerned that such brutish attacks would have dulled the blade, making it worthless, but so long as he continued to pump mana into the bone sword, the lightning blade would reform, quickly returning to its strongest state. Kicking the skull of the Shriek Stalker away, Thorn saw Akira and Hati dart forward, both of them pouncing on another Shriek Stalker that had turned to attack Gorrell’s side.

Within seconds the large lizard had been turned into little more than bloody scraps of meat and crushed bone as Hati’s teeth and Akria’s claws brutalized it. Seeing the ease with which the Moon Wolf’s snapping jaws bit through scale and bone alike, Aloxal and Zelix exchanged glances, happy that the giant wolf was on their side. No less impressive were Akira’s flashing claws that left streaks of crimson flame in the air wherever they passed. With Hati protecting Gorrell’s right side and Thorn charging forward to protect the left, the fight quickly turned against the Shriek Stalkers.

Even though he was the same tier as the large lizards, Thorn’s attacks were too sharp to be stopped by their scales, allowing him to cut them apart with relative ease. However, compared to the rest of the party, Thorn’s attacks looked almost childish. Both Zelix and Aloxal’s ranged attacks struck with terrifying precision, hitting the Shriek Stalker’s weak points at just the right time to do the maximum amount of damage. Akira and Hati chewed through the lizards like they were made out of paper, sending blood and flesh splattering with each slash and snap.

What impressed Thorn the most, however, was the sight of Gorrell standing like a rock amidst the raging waves. No matter how they slammed into him, the shield warrior didn’t shift even an inch. Using his shield and sword to deflect their attacks, Gorrell expertly sent the enemy stumbling into the path of Thorn’s blade and Hati’s teeth. The fight was furious as the Shriek Stalkers showed no fear, but within a few minutes, it had died down and soon Zelix unleashed a final bolt of flames from his wand, scorching a hole through the last Shriek Stalker’s skull.

As silence fell over the jungle, Thorn surveyed the battlefield, marveling at the incredible displays from his teammates. It was a strange feeling for him, but he couldn’t deny that he was the weakest person in the party. He was probably more than twice as strong as both Zelix and Aloxal, but their ranged attacks were absolutely terrifying and from the relaxed way they fought, Thorn was sure that they were not displaying their true abilities. The same went for Gorrell, who had handled the charging Shriek Stalkers with ease. Far from growing depressed, Thorn felt a surge of excitement in his chest.

He had a long way to go to be able to grow to the point where he would be able to rival his teammates, let alone some of the more powerful people in this world, but he found himself looking forward to the journey. Hearing a shout, Thorn snapped out of his daze and looked toward the gate where Aloxal was starting to argue with the group of Axaz who had led the Shriek Stalkers over. Frowning, Thorn was about to walk over when he felt a faint thread of danger. The feeling was so slight that he thought he might have imagined it, but then he saw Hati’s head rise and turn toward the jungle. A moment later, the feeling was gone, and Hati lowered his head again.

“Aloxal, let's go,” Gorrell urged. “It was an accident.”

Still glaring at the Axaz group, Aloxal spat on the ground.

“Accident or not, they should know better than to lead Shriek Stalkers here.”

“And they’ll get fined accordingly. The guild will send them the bill.”

“Hey! What do you mean by that?” One of the male Axaz protested.

Silencing him with a level glare, Gorrell swept the group with his gaze as he spoke calmly.

“You have benefited from the protection of the adventurer’s guild, so a bill will be issued. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with Guild Master Fitzburn.”

“We’re on official city business!”

“And we’re not. Like I said, if you have complaints, take them up with the guild.”

Turning away, Gorrell waved for Aloxal to follow and the two of them rejoined Thorn and the others on the edge of the jungle. Shaking his head, Gorrell smiled apologetically at the Titan.

“Sorry about the delay, we’re ready to go.”

Ignoring the arguing behind them, Thorn and the others stepped into the jungle and were soon surrounded by nothing but twisting trees and thick leaves. Leading the way forward, Aloxal moved at a steady pace, occasionally stopping to listen or examine a track she had found. At first they followed no path, turning this way and that as they wove their way through the thick jungle, but after close to an hour of travel they stumbled upon a small trail that cut through the trees.

After a moment of hesitation, Aloxal turned down the trail and sped up. Moving at a light jog, she kept up that pace for close to two hours until they arrived at a large nest of rocks. The light in the jungle was always low, which made it hard to track time, but thanks to Eve, Thorn knew that it was around eleven o’clock at night, so he was surprised when Aloxal called for them to set up camp. According to her, this was the safest place to camp between the gate and the mines.

Starting a fire was risky, so they ate jerky and drank water they had brought with them and then, after setting the watch order, lay down among the rocks in their blankets, trying to get some sleep. Unused to sleeping outside, Thorn slept fitfully and it was with some relief that he got up to start his watch when Zelix nudged him early in the morning. Seeing that Hati was already up, Thorn walked over and crouched next to the Moon Wolf.

“How’s it look?”

[Everything is quiet. These stones seem to possess a suppression effect on the local wildlife. They’re marked by a powerful beast of at least the seventh tier, which keeps the lower tier beasts away.]

Raising his eyebrows, Thorn examined the rocks a bit closer, soon noticing the markings at the very top of the rocks.

“Huh, I thought that there were no seventh tier beasts in this strata.”

Shaking his head, Hati seemed to smile at Thorn.

[There probably aren’t. These marks were most likely created by a contracted beast to give the people passing here a safe place to rest. The mana is too thin here for a beast in the seventh level to live.]

“What about you?”

This time, Hati did smile, his lips drawing back to reveal his sharp teeth.

[What about me?]

“Aren’t you higher than the seventh level? Are you okay here?”

[Ah, you misunderstand. I am a god beast. The rules we follow are different.]

“Aciakko mentioned that. What exactly is the difference between a… beast like you and a regular beast?” Thorn asked, leaning against Hati as he swept the area with his awareness.

[Do you remember what Aciakko said about domains? God beasts are born possessing domains. They grant us power and also sustain us.]

Frowning slightly, Thorn tapped his finger in the air, forming two small runes that floated into the ground, forming a silencing ward just large enough to cover him. Once he felt it activate, he swept the area with his mental sense again, making sure that no one had noticed his spell. He didn’t believe that anyone was listening, but given Aciakko’s reaction to the knowledge that Hati was a god beast, Thorn didn’t want to take any chances.

“So, you mean, that as long as night exists, you will exist?”

[My domain is not actually night. Rather, it is the moon, and the hunt. When I was born, my mother gave me the name Hunter under the Moonlight, and my brother Skoll the name Slayer under the Sun. Those names determine our domains. But your assumption is basically correct. So long as a moon exists, and so long as there are hunters and hunted, I will remain.]

Trying to process what Hati was saying, Thorn sat quietly for a moment before asking another question.

“Does that mean you can’t be killed?”

[Hah, that would be nice. And there are god beasts who have reached that point. My mother, for example. She is not named under the moon, but is the moon itself. But no, my saga is not that strong. Maybe someday.]

“Saga? What is that?”

[The source of my power. Where the other races grow their power through developing strength, skill, or magic, god beasts like me develop our power by growing our saga. Each time we complete a feat of renown, we grow stronger. You might think of it as a way of proving our identity to ourselves. In many ways, it is similar to your forging.]

Again, Thorn was left puzzled by Hati’s words. Sensing his confusion, Hati bumped Thorn’s shoulder with his head.

[Did you not realize that the core of your strength is in your forging? The training that you are undertaking is good, as it will help you apply the power you possess, but if you want to gain power, you must forge. You are a Voidforger Titan, a being that crafts items of unsurpassed wonder. It is only through unlocking that destiny that you will be able to come into your own. Think of it like a long hallway with rooms on each side. All that strength already exists in you. You might call it your potential. However, those rooms are behind locked doors at the moment. Training yourself will allow you to use the rooms that are opened more effectively, but only through forging can you unlock new doors.]

This time, Thorn sat in silence for a long time, thinking about what Hati had said. When the silence was finally broken, it was Eve who broke it, not Thorn.

[What about Akira. She is not a god beast, but she seems fine on this strata.]

[Akira is… unique,] Hati said, his deep voice carrying a thread of uncertainty. [I’m afraid I don’t understand what is going on with her either. Since I do not use mana to sustain my life, the density of the mana in my surroundings does not have an effect on me. Akira should be the opposite, but somehow, she is fine. My best guess is that she is sharing the effect of the Stone Heart and is sustained by the endless supply of mana that it produces.]

[That makes sense,] Eve said, [since she is tied to Thorn on a soul level. But that doesn’t explain why no one can sense her aura.]

[Ah, I do know the answer to that,] Hati replied. [She is an ancient race, the purest form of her species and an exact copy of the first Ailuridae. This is because of the purification of the sap of the world tree, and the endless supply of mana that she has absorbed from the Stone Heart. As a result, her mana control is nearly perfect. Only those of a significantly higher tier will be able to sense her strength.]

[Hah! I knew there was a reason that the sap didn’t work on other creatures!]

Hearing Eve’s exclamation, Thorn’s forehead furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

[I got a dozen officially filed complaints from Mina that giving her Ailuridae pet sap from the world tree didn’t turn it into a True Ailuridae like Akira.]

[That’s because I’m the best Ailuridae,] Akira cut in with a yawn. [And if you are talking about my cousin, that’s because he is too dumb.]

Laughing as he imagined Mina’s complaints, Thorn reached out and scratched Akira under the chin as she stretched.

“So, why did Aciakko respond so strongly to finding out you were a god beast?” Thorn asked Hati.

Letting out a huff of air, Hati shook his ears.

[Because of the great war. As she said, the god beasts have been fighting the other races since before I was born. The reasons are varied and complicated, but suffice it to say that the other races are worried about the god beasts’ power. After all, the stronger a domain, the harder it is to kill the owner of that domain.]

“Hold on, if you’re at war with the other races, how did you end up in Angoril, protecting them?”

[Ah, that was thanks to your father. My companions and I were ambushed by a god hunter and forced to flee. After a long running battle, we were saved by Kamag’tal and asked to protect Angoril. Since it was a good place to hide from the god hunter who chased us, we agreed. Typically, god beasts are not able to step foot in lower worlds, but Angoril was… special.]

[You keep mentioning god hunters,] Eve said. [Who are they?]

[Not who, but what. God hunters are beings made of pure energy who are designed to find and seize divinity. They are intelligent but not in the way that you or I are intelligent. Rather, they possess cunning to match their strength. Their powers are anathema to ours. Unfortunately, they do not care about casualties either, and will gladly destroy a whole world for a chance to slay a god beast. Only an ascended god beast, like my mother, can resist their power.]

“And this monster is after you?” Thorn asked, his forehead furrowing again.

[Yes, though I should be safe so long as I don’t use the power of my domain too much.]

About to ask another question, Thorn saw the rest of the party stirring through his mental sense and realized that the night had finally passed. Quickly erasing the ward that he had created, he stood up and joined Aloxal who was rolling up her bed.

“Looks like we’re in for good weather,” the Axaz scout said, her tongue tasting the air. “We’ve got a long way to travel today, so let’s get packed up.”