The chirping of the birds could be heard early in the morning, waking up Rowan from his slumber in the hammock made of taffy, high up on the trees.
'I should probably head back now, things should have cooled down by now.' Rowan had stopped hearing the explosions for a while, but he was quite deep in the forest, so he didn't really know.
From this one trip, Rowan had gained several levels, increasing his combat experience and understanding of his abilities and traits. Rowan liked being prepared, and he wanted to stay longer, but the enemies were giving him less and less experience. He would either have to find stronger enemies or a better place to farm experience.
Swoosh
Now in his basket again, he flew through the sky, and if one looked closely. the patterns and shapes among others on the basket were more well defined. As he learned and explored his skills more, his manipulation and applications of his skill became more pronounced.
The journey back was relatively boring, Rowan almost wished that a hawk or eagle would attack him again, but no such thing happened. It seemed that the stronger monsters have yet to show up. This situation was very similar to his past world, when he would hit max level or complete a storyline, and be forced to wait for updates.
'This is really like a game.' Rowan thought, as the city was finally within his sights, he had been traveling for several hours. Hours which would have taken days, if not for his application of his skills.
As he was about to land, he heard the sounds of fighting and yelling nearby. Those that were fighting, fought without care for anything, trading blow for blow.
Rowan just observed, with no intention to interfere. He could barely make out what the yelling was about, but it was mostly obscenities being thrown around, and phrases voicing out support for a certain prince or princess. Yes, contrary to what Rowan may have thought before, in this world such instances were not as uncommon as he thought it was. Even more so during this period, where levels and power were starting to take precedence over all else.
Among those fighting, there were two figures that stood out, those two appeared to have more of a unique class, which their abilities reflected.
One of the figures was wielding a longsword, he had long black hair, tied into a ponytail. His body was shrouded in lightning, which seemed to protect him well, and he was taking advantage of that to be more aggressive.
The second person facing him seemed to be at a disadvantage, both with weapons and in skill. He was actually conjuring plants to assist him, only to have them destroyed every time the lightning clad figure rushed in. The second figure, in contrast, had a shortsword and a shield. His hair was auburn, and it was shorter, he sported a well maintained beard.
"Barry, do you think these cowardly tactics are enough? Will you only be convinced, that you were wrong to go against the first prince, when you see the head of your friends and family hung over the gates, to rot for all to see? How long can your ragtag group fare?" The man clad in armor, with the ponytail, spoke. Contrary to his aggressiveness and actions, his voice was soft and gentle, as if he didn't say just say those cruel words.
"Cowardly tactics, have you no shame?! Diarmuid, who was there with Prince Declan, since the beginning should know very well how vicious his methods are. Didn't you succumb to his plots, joining him in utter humiliation and fear?" Despite being repeatedly being pushed by, Barry didn't back down one bit, striking at Diarmuid's weak spot.
Diarmuid's eyes gleamed dangerously, he hated it when people mentioned that incident. Because of the promising talent from young and his prideful unwillingness to bend the knee to any prince, he fell victim to one of Prince Declan, after all, how could a peasant go against the nobility?
With this, it was clear the alignments of the two sides. On one side there was Prince Declan, representing the nobles, as well as being back heavily by them. Prince Declan's faction stood for oppression and rule through power and force.
As for the second "ragtag" group, it was made up of several princes and princesses, who although weaker than Prince Declan overall, could match him when allied. Of course, the alliance would be temporary, until Prince Declan went down. It seemed he was just that powerful.
BOOM
Diarmuid activated a skill, conjuring arcs of lightning that hit Barry directly, breaking through all obstructions, armor and plants alike. It was truly unfair, not just the fight, but this whole situation of Prince Declan versus everyone else. One would think that they would just simply gang up on him, and that would be it, however that was not the case at all.
"Fool, Prince Declan is backed by every single duke, and a vast majority of the lesser nobility." This was the case, for backing Prince Declan would be in their best interest, but there was another important factor.
Today, Rowan learned the true nature- no, he was reaffirmed on what he already knew, this was human nature and it always has been. Even those going against Prince Declan, voicing their support for the lower class and banding together in a temporary alliance to bolster their cause, were the same. Yes, there may have been some out there with the best interests of others in their mind, however they seemed to be at a severe disadvantage, soon to be six feet under.
And most importantly, this once proved that, now, power took precedence over everything. That being simply by the fact that Prince Declan was in the position he was, solely because of his father, the king. The princes knew it, the princesses knew it, the dukes knew it, everyone knew it. And yet, why did nobody contend with that?
Simple. The king, though mostly unknown to much of the populace, was actually the strongest. And only those privy to the king's class and abilities, knew the firsthand just how terrifying he was, not to mention ruler above all the kings, the emperor. This was all so, despite the system having just recently come about.
Rowan left after the battle was over, he would return to the city first, before finding another place to level up more. A unique and powerful class wasn't everything.