As Arthur smiled with satisfaction a sound came from behind him in the woods, a tree branch cracking. Arthur jumped back with his hand on the hilt of the sword and was ready to attack whatever was in the bushes, but nothing jumped out, nothing...
"Huh.. Who was it? What was that sound coming from there?" Arthur thought as he slowly and cautiously approached the bushes with his hand on the hilt, ready to draw his sword anytime.
*Arthur stops and looks nervously around* "What was that?... Should I get closer?" *takes a few steps closer*
"Damn why am I this nervous... I- Aura Sense", as struck by lightning he remembered to use Aura Sense but he still did not find anything behind the bushes. *Stands up and walks over to the bushes*. "There really is nothing behind it." He realized and turned around.
Arthur felt a chill down his spine as he turned around to go back from the bushes. He could sense a presence and before he could act, a beast charged at him from the trees. It was a giant black creature with blazing red eyes, and it was coming straight for him, its claws ready to rend and tear. As he was still bending down with his hand on the hilt, Arthur rotated to the side while drawing his sword and slashing at the beast, barely parrying the beast's attack. He could hear the beast snarling and snorting looking for an opening. Arthur held his breath, his heart pounding in his chest trying to figure something out.
Arthur straightened up and shoved his sword into the ground. "Hmm... come at me you beast" Arthur taunted it full of confidence and it charged at him. A sinister smile appeared on his face, "Fire Strike", his fists started glowing slightly and a flame erupted from his fists. The beast tried to dodge, "Way too late", and he punched at the beast that was sent flying. It was a kind of panther with a snake as its tail and it was bigger than most of its kind.
He grabbed the hilt tightly and slashed at the monster cutting off its paw while rotating he also cut off the tail. Cold slightly glowing eyes and quite the blood lust were emitted from Arthur and he killed the panther by dashing at it and cutting it in half.
"Phuu, that was a good warm-up exercise", he said.
He sheathed his sword with a metallic clang, and with a determined stride, he set forth on his journey.
The sun set slowly in the horizon, painting the sky in a myriad of colors. A gentle breeze blew across the land, sending ripples through the grass and wildflowers. Arthur continued his journey, his steps determined and purposeful. The stars twinkled in the night sky, the moonlight illuminating his path.
"This time I won't sleep... Hey System how close am I to my destination?" Arthur asked and a window showed him a map and two arrows, a green one is where he was and a blue one for his destination. After studying the map he set forth, he did not rest but instead challenged his body to see where his limits were.
As he walked, he could feel the power of the sword in his hand, the metal humming with faint energy. He knew that he would need to use it again soon, closing his eyes and sending his aura away he could use aura sense and feel the monsters near him. He could feel every little living being, slowly opening his eyes, faintly glowing with blue light, he looked where the monsters have blocked his path, goblins on the back of wolves... some goblins hiding behind trees for an ambush and ohh there was even a shaman behind another bunch of goblins. "Interesting, activate Aura Vision." And with a smirk, he dashed at them, before they could react.
As the group approached, a sly smirk spread across Art's face. His mind was already made up - the shaman had to go first. With a quick draw of his sword, Art charged towards the shaman. But as he swung, a group of goblins jumped in to protect their leader. "Ohhh... Interesting," he mused, quickly spinning and kicking them away.
Undeterred, Art shifted his focus to the guards. He dashed towards them, sword at the ready, and swung down with all his might. Just as he was about to strike the shaman, the wily creature ducked and jumped back, leaving Art's blade to slice through empty air.
The goblin riders tried to stab him, but Art was too quick. He deftly dodged their attacks, leaving the shaman with even more guards. "Anyway, I shouldn't waste too much time on you guys," he taunted, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
Without a moment's hesitation, Art sheathed his sword and drew it again, this time with flames leaping from its edge. With a single strike, he unleashed a wave of fire that cut through the goblins and guards alike, burning them down until nothing remained but ash. It was a sight to behold - and Art couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the destructiv power he now had.
After the fire extinguished he looked above his head and kept going on on his journey, silent sound of flowing water and grasshoppers singing into the silent night. He stoped in front of a big old tree with a wide and low crown, he leaned against the trunk and fell asleep.
As Arthur slowly opened his eyes, he felt the cool morning breeze on his face and heard the gentle rustling of leaves. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his limbs, feeling re-energized after a good night's sleep.
He stood up and looked around, taking in the scenery. The sun had not yet risen, but the sky was already painted with hues of orange and pink. The trees were bathed in a soft golden light, and the grass was covered in dewdrops that glittered like diamonds.
Arthur felt a sense of calm and serenity wash over him. He realized that he had not felt this peaceful in a long time.
He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and started walking again. He continued walking for hours, lost in his thoughts and surrounded by nature. Eventually, he came across a small stream that gurgled as it flowed over smooth pebbles. He kneeled down and cupped his hands, taking a sip of the cold, clear water.
As he sat there by the stream, he realized that he had found something that he had been missing for a long time – peace of mind. The chaos and stress of his everyday life had made him forget the simple joys of life, like the sound of flowing water or the feel of grass beneath his feet.
He made a vow to himself to make time for moments like these, to take a break from his busy schedule and appreciate the beauty of the world around him. As he continued on his journey, he knew that he would face challenges and obstacles, but he also knew that he had found a source of inner strength that would guide him through anything.
He reached the border of the forest, there were some trees here and there but most of them were dead and the once beautiful plains are now orange-brown. Everything that once radiated life is now without it, skeletons of what were once supposed to be animals are now lying everywhere. As if death has corrupted this place.
His heart is pounding and he put his hand to his heart. "I would lie if I said that I'm not afraid of anything, but still I need to go." He knows that he is about to face something dangerous and he has no idea what it is, but he still needs to continue his quest. His former quest was really dangerous, but without it, he would not have grown so much in such a short time. And somewhere in the distance, a fortress could be seen, a mighty one.
He soon arrives at the entrance of the fortress and looks up at the towering walls, which are damp and cold. Guards guarded the entrance and held their hands out. "Entrance fee, five silver coins!", surprised at the amount Arthur takes to some money and hands it over to the guards who showed him inside. He takes a deep breath and steps inside.
Arthur takes a deep breath and steps inside. He is immediately struck by the dismal atmosphere. Everywhere he looks, darkness and despair seem to reign. People wander the halls, their faces hollow and gaunt from lack of food. The walls are damp and cold, the air heavy with a sense of dread.
He goes straight to some people, and most of them hid away as soon as they held sight of him as if they saw a beast... "What happened here for them to be like this?", he asked himself. Step after step he searched for a person throughout the town but nearly all of them went into hiding. Nearly, because a small kid was still there with a stick in his hand, shivering and trembling he held his stick and pointed at Arthur, but his eyes even though they were watered they were still ferocious and focused.
"HHHHHHHAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!", the kid shouted and ran at him with his stick held high... but he ended up stumbling and fell down. It was awkward right there. The little boy stood up again, his eyes watered up even more and he looked like he was about to cry but held it in. "I won't let you take any more from us! You thief!"
"huh... what?!" Arthur looked dumbfounded at the kid trying to figure out what he meant.