Dimitri furrowed his brows as Haruto detailed the unusual developments around the black lakes and their potential link to the unnaturally accelerated evolution of local wildlife. "Hmm, it seems these lakes might be catalysts for the anomalies, or perhaps even directly responsible for this surge in creature intelligence," Dimitri mused, his voice echoing subtly in the celestial chamber adorned with cosmic imagery.
While creatures naturally evolving was not unusual, the alarming rate of these changes suggested a forceful intervention—an evolution propelled by some external influence, possibly magical or divine.
Leaning back, Dimitri gazed through the transparent celestial dome overhead, showcasing a breathtaking expanse of the cosmos, pondering the implications. 'Whats orchestrating such disturbances?' he wondered silently.
Haruto doubted if his update was sufficient. He wasn't deeply versed in the magical realms yet, but he understood enough to know that unsettling a deity was no trivial matter.
Before exiting the celestial being's presence, Haruto glanced at the communicator Dimitri had provided. Such artifacts were not uncommon but using one openly could still invite unwanted questions about his sanity.
Exiting the alley, Haruto accidentally collided with a stout, irritable man. "Hey, watch where you're going," the man snapped, eyeing the Warlord armband on Haruto's arm and noting his lack of guild insignia.
"Oh, what do we have here? Looks like a newbie," remarked the plump Warlord, gesturing to his companions—a lean man with a vine-wrapped rapier and a muscular third with a similarly adorned hammer. Their band emblems glowed with the image of an orange torch, marking their affiliation with the notorious GoldenAge Guild. "Hey brat do you want in on this? I heard she's quite good with the right motivation."
Haruto's attention quickly shifted from the aggressive trio to a distraught woman kneeling by their feet, desperately shielding a young boy. The bystanders seemed indifferent, merely casting fleeting glances at the scene before moving on. Disturbed by the public's apathy, Haruto approached the woman. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
The Warlords and the woman looked at Haruto as if he'd spoken in riddles. "Hey, look at this boys, ha-ha , if you knew what's good for you, you'd keep walking. She refused our kind offer and inconvenienced us, and you'd do well to avoid the same fate. Don't you know who we are? I'm ranked 220, and these two are 234 and 235 in our guild," the pudgy Warlord bragged, assuming Haruto understood the significance.
Undeterred, Haruto challenged them, "Inconvenienced you? Refused your offer? Is that supposed to be some kind of a joke? How do you justify terrorizing a woman and a child?"
This defiance seemed to suck the air out of the vicinity, with the Warlords nearly coughing up blood. The woman, her hope rekindled by Haruto's courage, stopped crying.
Irritated by her reaction and Haruto's audacity, the tallest Warlord unsheathed his rapier. "So you dare deny us face? Let me handle this brat."
The leader Nork smirked. "Go on, Sneed. Show this fool what we do to pests who step on the name of Golden Age"
As Sneed advanced, the woman's fear returned. "Please be careful!" The Woman suddenly shouted surprising even herself. This seemed to piss the three off even more. "Who told you to speak?" As Nork readied an attack, he felt a wind blade slam into his body knocking him down. He grit his teeth mouth now bleeding. "Sneed get him!!"
Sneed rushed in and as Haruto readied himself, Sneed's rapid rapier thrusts caught him off guard, slicing his arm and torso before he could fully react.
"Looks like the brat's finished," jeered the muscular Warlord as Haruto regrouped, puzzled by the rapidity and reach of Sneed's strikes.
Undeterred, Sneed attacked again, combining his rapier lunges with a physical kick that pushed Haruto back but surprisingly did no further damage—Sneed felt like he had kicked a wall.
As the skirmish continued, Haruto noticed more injuries appearing on his legs. Confused and trying to comprehend the attacks' mechanics, he heard Sneed taunting, "You'll never figure out my magic!"
'What the hell, how am I being cut?' Haruto wondered. Ready this time, he snapped his fingers summoning fire balls in each hand while simultaneously launching them. He wanted to try the lightning again, but he had yet to fully get a grasp of it and he couldn't risk injuring the woman and child. Fueled by necessity and a flash of insight as Sneed charged once more. Something then caught Haruto's eye. As Sneed dodged the fire, Haruto realized the wind's subtle shifts and betrayed the true direction of the incoming attacks. 'That's it!' Armed with this new understanding, he went on the offensive with fire magic, disrupting Sneed's seemingly unavoidable attacks which were nothing but illusions. The real culprits were revealed. Vines.
Sidestepping easily as Sneed's real attack missed, Haruto grinned, "Clever trick with the mirages, but once you see through it, it's simple to counter."
Now exposed, Sneed's confidence wavered, marking a turn in the confrontation.