Argio Kingdom, Canpalla- Present Day
Rift Realm
Boom! Crash! Other noises!
Dust clouds formed for roughly a mile around as a small scale battle decimated parts of the forest, parting numerous trees in its wake. The ground constantly shook, plants were flattened, and the sky was repeatedly littered with debris as two blurs clashed with each other over and over. Growls and protests could be heard over the loud crashes of the tree trunks hitting the ground, the figures embroiled in a fight that caused mass destruction to the previously dense foliage.
Standing off to the side, watching the battle with a small smile, was a captivating young woman with pointy ears and a light complexion. With a long flowing white dress that reached down to her knees and waist-length blonde hair that fluttered in the wind, she was the epitome of a world-class beauty, her light blue eyes only adding to the already picturesque view. This elf could easily capture the hearts of men and women alike and yet the whole image was ruined thanks to the thick slab of meat she held tightly in her right hand, her small fingers encircling a piece of bone.
Lifting the cooked meat up to her mouth, she took a big bite of it, tearing off a sizeable piece.
Julia Fortis chewed carefully as she watched the ensuing battle, her eyes flickering from side to side. She had been standing in the same spot for roughly ten minutes and had called out to the two of them for around the same amount of time. However, the two were so engrossed in their fight that they couldn't even hear her clearly. Though this had happened many times before, it still slightly annoyed her whenever they did it.
After swallowing the meat, Julia took a deep breath and prepared to shout once again. "OI, I'LL EAT EVERYTHING WITHOUT YOU!! LAST WARNING!!"
Just like that, the world seemed to come to a standstill as the sounds of fighting died out, almost immediately. The shaking of the ground stopped although the kicked up sand and dust still hung about in the air, making it very difficult to see anything beyond a few meters in front of one's face.
"I swear your so pushy sometimes, love." A calm voice sounded out as a shape emerged from the dust cloud. A male of average height with shaggy snow-white hair and bright green eyes walked forward to stand in front of Julia, a bright smile on his face. "You and I both know that even you can't eat a whole Demonic Bear by yourself. Only Kuu has that ability."
Julia tilted her head as she reached up and wiped a smudge of dirt off of Koda's forehead, her eyes filled with laughter. "Of course I can't silly, but it managed to get the two of you to stop your sparring session. Where's Kuu?"
Pointing downwards, Koda gestured at a small red fox near his feet, about the size of a chihuahua with two long, fluffy tails. It would be easy to miss if one didn't look down and therefore was easily overlooked by the young elf whose gaze had been focused on Koda. The small fox opened its mouth and let out a growl, one that neither matched its size nor cuteness. It was a growl of pride and strength, one that could easily cause fear to develop in the hearts of others.
"Oh, sorry Kuu." Julia knelt down and ran her fingers over the top of the small fox's head. The small red fox let out a sort of purr as he closed his eyes. "I just didn't expect to see you in your small form. After that intense battle, I thought you'd be in your battle form."
"Well he was indeed in his battle form but after hearing that you'd eat all the food, he changed rather quickly." Koda put away his two daggers in the double sheaths located on his biceps. "Now. Which way is the food my dear Juju? Feel free to lead us to it."
Koda had actually wanted to get a few more hours of practice in but that was obviously not gonna happen. If he spent any more time training, Kuu would definitely eat everything before he could even get a nibble. So, disappointed as he was, he decided to accept the short break and eat something.
"It's about a mile away from here," Julia said as she took Koda's hand. "I didn't want the meat to get ruined by the dust you two knocked around."
"Okay then, let's go," Koda replied, giving her a warm smile. "I'm eager to see just how well you made the food today."
Julia made a face before hiking up her dress slightly and climbing onto the young man's back. Though she blushed when his hands held her up by her bare thighs, she said nothing about it. "Dummy. You know I'm at the top when it comes to cooking. I'm even better than you. Plus I brought all of the seasoning you stole from that vendor back in the Kata Realm."
Koda let out a laugh as he began to run with Kuu close by his feet.
The Demonic forest, a place that was exactly as it sounded, a forest filled with a wide variety of powerful demonic beings that roamed around. This forest rested in the Rift realm, the last part of Argio Kingdoms capital city Canpalla, it was an area that surrounded the capital for nearly a thousand kilometers in every direction, stretching out a vast distance before ending at the next cities. The Rift realm was also known as the Forbidden realm as it was strictly off-limits to anyone belonging to Kata or Lana realm. However those belonging to the Rasa realm, more popularly known as the Slums, could easily ignore this rule as not a single person in the entirety of Argio Kingdom would care about where trash ended up. The Slums and the Demonic forest, lawless areas where the outcasts and downtrodden ruled without fear. It was precisely this reason that Koda and Julia were in the forest, about 15 full kilometers away from the Slums.
Each and every day, Koda and his partner, a little demonic fox named Kuu, would travel out to a deserted spot in the forest and train themselves. Due to the ferocity of their daily spars, if they didn't put some distance between them and Rasa then they would no doubt destroy buildings, angering the other residents. Even Julia, a young woman of the elven species that usually accompanied the two, would have to put a sizeable distance between them in order to not get drawn into the battle. Koda and Kuu held nothing back when it came to their battles and it never failed to show when the two finally finished, leaving a wrecked landscape behind them. Today wasn't any different as Koda ran away from the scene reminiscent to that of a large scale bomb as the dust still hung about in the air.
"It's just up ahead," Julia said after Koda had run for some time, her index finger pointing towards a cluster of trees. "The meat should be behind those trees."
Sure enough, Koda spotted the meat just moments later as he dashed past the trees, skidding to a stop, the blood-red fox close behind him. The meat was fresh off the fire and looked absolutely delicious, the meat resting off the ground via a makeshift net using some ropes that Julia had thrown together. Koda could feel his mouth-watering as the smell of the demonic bear meat drifted to his nose, causing him to inhale in a very barbaric like way.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Julia asked as she climbed off the young man's back. She had an amused smile on her face, her eyes practically sparkling with laughter as she stepped in between the white-haired youth and the bear meat. "Feel free to dig in. Or do you want Kuu to eat it all?"
Koda blinked, his train of thought which had previously shut down returned once again. "Don't mind if I do." He let out a chuckle as he rushed forward, looking to devour the meal before him.
Demonic meat. While normally toxic to most commoners, it was actually quite the treat to eat for nobles and royalty and was even served at parties, banquets, and special events, serving as a symbol of wealth and power. The reason that it was so special despite the demons being as common as water was that no one could eat it and live unless they could extract the demonic energy residue that remained after the animal had died. Only special class mages could manage this, making the demonic meat quite rare and not readily available to regular citizens. In fact, the only reason Koda and Julia could enjoy such food was thanks to Kuu. The demonic fox had the ability to absorb the demonic energy to use for its own power and growth with the added bonus of now having someone cook up a meal for him.
"How do you like it?" Julia asked as she watched Koda rip off a chunk of meat by grabbing the bone. She loved watching him, even when it came to something as simple as eating "Did I do okay? Did I cook it to your liking?"
With his mouth full of meat, Koda could nod as he chewed his food slowly, savoring the chewy and juicy texture of the bear. Though he had demonic meat on a regular basis, its taste truly was on another level compared to ordinary meat, fit for a meal for royals and nobles alike. Along with the seasoning stolen from the market in Kata, Koda felt like he was in heaven as he sat down on the floor, turning his full attention onto the meat.
"So, are you prepared for the enrollment into Costa," Julia asked, smoothing out her dress before taking a seat in front of a nearby tree. "Knowing you, you already have a plan for getting past the Guardians positioned at the Gate leading to Lana. Of course they wont let you through even if you hadn't destroyed a whole city block two years back. Us peasants don't deserve to go to such a prestigious school such as Costa, at least in the eyes of those in the Kingdom of Argio."
Koda chewed his food carefully before swallowing. He couldn't help but smile as he recalled two years back when he and Kuu had accidentally destroyed a whole lane of houses belonging to some nobles. "I do have a plan. After all, going to Costa almost guarantees you'll become a Guardian after graduation. Well, IF you make it graduation that is. Additionally, this is the only way that Slum residents like us have even a remote chance of becoming Guardians. No matter how powerful one is, if you live here, you'll never be a Guardian."
Koda looked up into the sky, his eyes gazing at something only he could see. "I'll be a Guardian no matter what it takes. I'll climb the ranks and prove that I'm the best."
Guardian Knights, a title bestowed on those top-class mages who far surpassed the capabilities of a regular mage. Even the weakest Guardian was equal to ten regular mages, the Guardians being the backbone and protectors of the Argio Kingdom and all of its major cities. To be a Guardian was Koda's goal, something he lived for. It wasn't because he cared about what happened to the Kingdom itself, but rather because he wanted to make sure everyone knew his name as he climbed the ranks to one day stand at the top as the Legendary Guardian.
Normally this dream would be impossible for someone like Koda to achieve, with him living in the Slums and not an official citizen, but there was a chance. If he could make it past the Guardian Knights in front of the Gate and make it to Costa Academy in a week's time where they held the Acceptance Ceremony, then he would be on the track to becoming what he wanted most.
"I already have a plan to get past them," Koda said as he set down the rest of his meat, beginning to feel full. He turned his attention to Julia whose eyes had never strayed away from him even once. "In this world, you can't just rely on brute strength to get by. Knowledge and smarts are also a power." Koda tapped his temple, flashing Julia a mischievous grin.
The elven youth smiled back, knowing all too well just the kind of man Koda was. Kind, caring, strong, and possessing a monstrous amount of willpower. These were the very things that defined the being known as Koda Fortis, words that were etched into his very soul. However, this youth also had another side to him, a side that made even her shiver. Beyond everything else, when it came to reaching his own goals, Koda was the most intelligent and ruthless being in the whole of Argio.
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Costa Academy Rule #1- The act of using one's own background/status is prohibited. The school is neutral ground, relying solely on strength and merit in battle. Anyone caught attempting to use their status from outside for personal gain will face punishment.
1st Warning - Minus 5 Stars
2nd Warning- Minus 15 Stars
3rd Warning- Minus 50 Stars
4th Warning- Expulsion