Duae.
Boom!
I watched as the horned Tigre's Ki attack exploded a few feet from Gora. The girl had used her element to stop the fatal blow. For a moment, I thought the stunt wouldn't work. A person must have an expert level of understanding in Ki flow and concentration. To spread their element out to affect multiple objects at once. Yet here, Gora was under extreme stress and able to pull it off. However, she was only able to affect five or six of them.
Then she moved using the cloud of dust and dirt as her cover. The Tigre was on her in seconds, though, about to take the girl's head with its sharp claws. ( The girl has met her match.) I thought as the beast tainted Gora. It had been terrible luck for her to run into the mythical creature in the first place. Gora had forgotten to wash the blood off of her. She had become too complacent, thinking she could easily make her way through new territory.
Oh!" I said as the girl suddenly dodged the blow. I could see her grit her teeth in pain, but she still moved. The Tigre was just as shocked as I was as it charged after the princess. Then Gora turned, launching a tiny object at the giant deer-horned cat. I snickered a little but didn't dodge the pea-sized item.
Bang!
(I knew that was coming. Ha!) I laughed a little to myself. I had watched the princess hunt for months. I learned how her element worked. She would throw tiny objects covered in her dark Ki. The projectiles would seem harmless, but they all weighed hundreds of pounds. Around four hundred, to be exact. Against a person at her layer of two. The weight would surely crush them. Even a layer four would have a tough time dealing with the ranged attacks. Gora's aim had improved over these last months as well. Unfortunately, she was up against a layer six mythical creature—an apex predator.
The Tigre shook the blow-off and gave chase. A smile crossed its face as it ran after Gora. The girl was headed my way deeper in the forest. A good plan speed would not matter too much in the woods. one always had to slow down to avoid a tree. ( Too bad the Tigre is far more experienced in navigating the treeeeees.) I thought as the tree I was on began to shake and fall.
"The wentch chopped down my trees." I said under my breath as I leaped to another tree. I watch with my mouth open as the girl cuts down tree after tree. In the narrow spaces between the trees, she had no room to swing a blade fully. Yet she maneuvered like a master swordsman using her element and pure ki she cut through the thick wood. The trees had to be as wide as three men. ( The girl never needed a sword teacher. She had already acquired a sword-body. ) I thought as I slowly came to the realization. When a person is so in control of their sword, it is like an extension of their body. Where man and sword become one, it is said that only those who have trained their entire life can achieve such a state of mastery.
Gora was only ten or maybe eleven. I didn't keep up with the girl's age, so I couldn't say for sure. I did know that she reached sword-body. It was the only way to explain the amount of control she displayed. It takes an average demon years before they can channel Ki on their weapon. Even longer to coat their weapon in their own element. To do both at the same time show a master's level of understanding.
Although the feat was quite impressive, the beast moved through the fallen trees effortlessly. The beast laughed as it jumped into the air, cutting off the princess's escape. Gora rolled around the creature, who let her go without much fuss. Tigre's were known for playing with their food.
After getting away, the Tigre again chased after Gora. Off they went deeper and deeper into the forest. Gora would throw something at the beast whenever it would close in, causing the beast to slow down. One time the Tigre had gotten close enough to harm Gora during the chase, but she deflected the animal's blow with her bare hand. The princess put her Ti-Ki skills to the test. She mostly used the Tigres momentum to parry the attack, but it was still no small feat for someone her age. The princess was sent flying but corrected herself before hitting the ground. Her move gave her more distance from the predator, and she kept running.
( I underestimated her again. Her body is at least at the peak of layer three.) I thought as Gora ran and escaped death again and again. Initially, I thought the girl was a layer two Ti-Ki Artist, but after watching her run for hours, I was convinced she was at layer three. If not the peak of layer three. Even though her core only showed two layers, the girl's brute strength was almost two levels higher.
"Goddess her growth is increadible at this rate she will reach a layer five in just a few years." I said to myself while the chasse continued. Finally, the mad run was halted when the princess hit the cliffs. If she had fallen, Gora would have died for sure. The drop was so far. Even I didn't dare approach it carelessly. I was prepared to tell my sister the bad news when a thought struck me. It was an odd feeling, Although I knew there was no likely way for Gora to escape. I still felt that she would make it. A part of me actually held out hope for the girl.
The girl had surprised me too many times, so maybe it was that. If I were a gambler, I would surely pick the girl to win. She had found a way out of every other dire situation before, so she was a safe bet. I shook the thoughts away as the beast got closer to Gora. ( Goddess, please, watch over the young girl's soul.) I prayed. I had closed my eyes as the princess backed up to the edge of the cliff. It was safe to say she was a goner.
"NooOOO! You'll ruin the meat." The Tigre shouted, causing me to open my eyes. I watched as Gora leaped backward and fell a smile on her face. ( What is she doing?) I asked as I made my way down the side. I made sure that the Tigre didn't see me as I made my way down the hill.
I saw a bright white light shine through the trees. The light came from the direction that Gora had fallen. I made my way there quickly, making it in time to see fragments of a Ki shield floating around Gora. The girl's body was intact to my utter shock. I expect to see blood and guts everywhere. But I only saw the princess's mangled body. I got closer and noticed a bracelet glowing brightly on her wrist.
"A shield artifact, I never would have thought to use such a thing in this way." I said as I put my hand on her neck. I felt a faint pulse, meaning the Gora was still alive. ( You are quite the entertaining little girl.) I said as I stroked the girl's hair. I could see why my sister liked her so much.
"I guess I have to come to terms with you huh?" I said to the girl. She was unconscious so that she couldn't answer me. I had thought that she would most likely die in this forest. But Gora always proves me wrong. The princess has made this boring forest entertaining for me. I found myself wanting to see what she did next. Her every move was intriguing. The way she trained, the way she hunted. Even The jackal had benefited by being around the girl. Their level of growth was much faster than ordinary beast their age.
(Speaking of the hounds. I guess I will check on them.) I thought as I stood up. I also decided to delay the Tigre a little. The mythical creature was no doubt on its way to finishing the job. Wild beast loved the taste of human meat. It was like a delicacy for them. I decided to reward Gora with a much-needed rest. After her daring escape. I hated to admit it, but the girl had earned a little respect from me.
AHHHHH!
The roar of another alpha. Perce the forest air. A strong animal had issued a warning. It was a call that spoke to all intruders. It said, "leave our die."
Tigre: Refers to a mythical tiger with the horns of a deer. The aminal is green with blue stripes instead of orange and black like a normal tiger. The beast is known to be highly territorial and has a nasty habit of playing with its prey.
Sword-Body: The highest achievement a Swordsman can achieve. It is when a sword becomes like another limb. Sword-body is not exclusive to just swordsman. There is Axe-Body, Spear-Body, and many others. It usually takes a person decades to achieve such a state of weapon mastery.