"That was quite the fight." The man had a sleazy grin and oily slicked back hair. "I honestly don't know how you took that hit." The man finally stopped his slow clapping. "How did you know that it wouldn't attack you before you closed the distance?"
Everyone, except Alex and Eluril, were worriedly watching the newcomers. Alex simply rested with Eluril.
"It was the Blacksmith." As Alex said this, oily haired man's face dropped.
"I think you mean, Master Blacksmith Gavannon!" His tone was as biting as a winter wind.
"Yeah, sure." Alex said as he waived absently from his seat. "Anyway, he told me that these salamanders, live very lazy lives. They cant afford to waste energy much. That is why they have super thick hides."
"I don't understand?" The oily man seemed to be genuinely confused.
"It's simple, Master Blacksmith Gavannon told me, 'between your weak aura, it's high defense, it's pride, and laziness it would not be bothered to make the first move. Take advantage of this opportunity.'" Alex shrugged.
"That is all? You bet your life on this information?" The oily man seriously seemed surprised by this idea.
Alex stared at the man as though he was a fool. "Have you ever known the Master Blacksmith to be wrong?"
The oily man seemed confused for a moment. It almost seemed as though he wanted to ask more questions. Alex's simple logic quickly convinced him. "True enough, I suppose." He said, with a shrug.
"Now how about a question from me?" Alex asked. He received a nod in response. "Kevin." The name sounded more like a curse than a proper name when Alex said it. "Who told you I was coming out here?"
"What do you mean?" Kevin said, playing innocent. "Shouldn't it be luck that we met in the forest. We have not seen each other in the last couple of days. I am sure by now you have missed our talks." The sleazy smile sliding back onto his face.
These people were the first year lackeys of Mason Pheonix. Almost every day for the last month, they had looked for Alex to try and acquire the book that Gavannon had given him.
Every time they came they would use flowery language and bargaining to try and get what they wanted. They would only approach him when he was alone. Some times they even camped outside his house until he came home from the forges.
"Fine." Alex said with a sigh. "Whatever, I have no energy for you guys today." Alex began cleaning and bandaging his arms finally. He completely disregarded these peoples presence.
"Um... Mind introducing us man?" Tom asked, clearly irritated by the appearance of these people.
Alex looked at his teammates, they were tense and on guard. With a look of apology he filled them in. "These guys are in our classes. They are Mason's people." Then went back to work on his arms.
"Oh, nice to see you all again. You can call me Red." Red relaxed visibly. But the others noticed that his hands entered the pockets that held his enchanted gloves. "How can we help you gentlemen?"
"Right to the point. Very thoughtful of you. Thank you, Red." Kevin's tone was slightly condescending.
"You see, our friend Alex here was awarded a book from Master Blacksmith Gavannon. It is very simple, Mason would like that book." His tone dropped to dangerous levels.
Everyone's hands slowly lowered to their weapons. Even Alex. He stopped bandaging his arms and stood, placing his hands on the axes at his hips.
"Good. You are smart people after all." Kevin said, as Alex and the others all took more defensive postures.
"I am sick and tired of groveling and begging. Today we will get the book." He said with a cocky grin.
The nine men and women behind Kevin fanned out around the group. Every one of them was a spirit contractor.
They were facing ten people, each at least rank 1, and ten spirit animals, each at least rank 2. None of the group liked their odds.
Next to Kevin was, what appeared to be, a large rat. It was five feet long, with a tail to match. It had no hair. Instead it's body was covered in a craggy, rock like, crust and bright flames would often pulse from the glowing cracks.
"The one next to Kevin is a magma rat. It is rank 3. That means he is at most likely rank 2 himself." Eluril told Alex as she moved to stand in front of him.
Since they had ranked up Eluril had gotten much more energetic and was now much bigger.
"Shit. What do you think we should do?" He asked back as he looked at the others. Worry creasing his brows.
"Give them the book." She said with a shrug. Not really seeming to mind the thought in the slightest.
"I can't. The smith gave it to me."
"What do you mean you can't? It's just a book. Not to mention that all of the information in it you have already mastered. What use is it to you now?" She wasn't wrong, but it felt like he would be betraying Gavannon if he gave it to them.
"What do you guys want to do?" Alex whispered, just loud enough for his friends to hear him.
"I got your back. I don't mind a few more scars." Tom huffed, louder than he meant to.
"Speak for your self." Eveline said, obviously irritated. "I might not be overly prissy, but I definitely don't want any scars." This drew a chuckle from the others. "Seriously though, do what you want. It's not like they can kill us."
"That would be where you are wrong." Kevin's toothy grin greeted them as the group looked back in his direction.
"You see. We must get the book this time." The grin dropped from his face as his voice once again filled with deadly tone. "Even if that means you all need to have an accident in these woods."
"You are insane!" Eveline yelled angrily. "Do you really think that you can get away with something like that?"
Kevin and his rat slowly walked forward as he spoke again. "You ignorant little woman. Who do you think rules this city? Who do you think pays the law enforcers? The Pheonix family, that's who!" He finally came to a stop only five feet from the group.
"And that is on the assumption that anyone even investigates into your deaths." His cold logic was already chilling the hearts of Red, Tom and Eveline.
"You are all first years. On a whim you ran off into the woods, to go monster hunting. Only a month after school started." Kevin's words slowly chipped away at the three's bravado. "Would it really be that strange for you to have an accident and end up in the stomach of some beast?" Slowly, they came to a full understanding of their situation.
For the first time in their lives, they felt a real fear of imminent death crawl across their hearts.
The shame and anger they felt at this injustice made them want to rally. To fight, and scream, and kill. To fight to the last, and maybe, just maybe, make it out alive.
As they were each fighting an internal battle against their fear and their own mortality, Alex stepped forward.
"You are right." He admitted honestly. A feeling of shame, and anger, over his own weakness. Over his inability to control his own fate, assaulted him. Driving his anger into a frenzy.
"You leave us with very few options." Alex said, as he took two steps toward Kevin.
"But you have made one, very large, mistake." Alex's face was covered in a self satisfied grin as he came to a stop only feet from Kevin.
"Really?" Kevin asked, with a chuckle. "What possible mistake have I..."
Before he could even finish his statement Alex lept across the few feet that separated them and grabbed Kevin by the neck. Hoisting him from the ground.
"You came within range." Alex's deep voice reverberated through the area. It was quiet, but no one could hear anything else. His rage was building, kicking his qi into action.
Qi thrummed through his body. There was no whirlwind this time. No eye of the storm. Just rage!
With each pulse of qi through his body, he had to fight the urge to crush the neck of this disgusting person.
"Now. How about I tell you what you don't understand?" Alex rasped through clenched teeth. "You may have a numerical advantage. But, when people begin to die, do you really think things will progress smoothly? That there will be no openings for us to run, or better yet, kill you?"
Alex slowly brought Kevin in closer. A look of utter terror was on the oily mans face. "I swear by everything I hold dear, if it comes to that I will kill you first." He held Kevin gaze as he said this.
Turning his head to look at the other lackeys. "Then I will work my way through you all. One. By. One." He then threw Kevin to the ground, and pushed his qi to circulate through his meridians even faster.
The pressure Alex was exuding was crushing everyone at this point. He stood above the others like a war god. Some of the weaker lackeys began to waver. Even his friends were becoming frightened.
"I may not be able to kill you all. But, by god, I swear I will try!" Alex's blue eyes began to glow slightly as he stared at the lackeys.
Suddenly, he could see every fine detail of the surroundings at once. It was like he had a million pairs of eyes staring at every detail, all at once. This change was enough to stun Alex from his rage induced state.
Alex, absentmindedly dropped Kevin to the ground. He lay there, unable to stand due to the pressure Alex was exuding.
After a moment, Alex realized they were all waiting, with bated breath, for Alex's next words. As the force from his cultivation weighed heavy on their shoulders.
Alex shook his head slowly and closed his eyes.
He slowed his qi, until it stopped. His eyes, no longer enhanced, opened slowly as he looked at his friends. Who had yet to fully recover.
Pulling the book from his back pocket, Alex turned back toward Kevin.
"Take it to Mason. But if you ever threaten me or my friends again." He threw the book onto Kevin's chest. "I will crush your skull." No one doubted Alex in the slightest.
Bandages still hung from Alex's forearms as he motioned the others to follow him. As they left the area around the outcropping, Tom, Red, and Eveline looked back at the lackeys and their companions.
They felt the shame, and anger from earlier even more poignantly now.
To lose control of your own life and death. To know that there would be no justice. To know that their life was worth less than a book to these people.
Only now could they agree with Alex. They needed to grow stronger.