𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 9: 𝕯𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖓 𝕱𝖔𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖙 1
The hill shattered into grit with one swing of Anthony's sword. He bent his knees and launches himself up unto a hundred feet tall tree landing on it's branch. He launches again cutting readily through the air and landing on the next branch.
"Ho-Ho!" Anthony yelped thrilled of how far he had come since the previous weeks.
He launches for another tree over a dozen feet away cutting through the air faster than a flinged spear. He lands on the tree branch firmly.
"Arrrgh!" Anthony raised his sword and swung for the trees in front. His swing sends a large crescent beam of flame that severs them perfectly in half.
He grinned as he finally launched down to the wooden roofing of the cottage, landing lightly on his feet in front of Senior Kiraya who sat there meditating silently.
He sits in front of Senior Kiraya, not wanting to disturb him.
Senior Kiraya's eyes shot open drastically and in a blink of an eye he landed a slap on Anthony's face.
"Owww!" Anthony grunted in pain clenching his cheek hard.
"You cut down so many trees... You also cut down the fruit tree I planted a month ago," Senior Kiraya scolds.
Anthony's smiled running his left through his hair, "Senior Kiraya it's not possible to grow a fruit tree that tall in a month."
"Arrrh," in a blink of an eye another slap connects with Anthony's exposed cheek.
"I don't lie... I despise falseness..." Senior Kiraya yelled out energetically with his never ending smile on his face. "Anthony!" He called out.
"Uhm."
"Look around you what is the difference in the sizes of this tree since when you arrived here till now?"
Anthony took deep glances at the forest, at first he couldn't see anything but later noticed the indifference. "They are taller."
Senior Kiraya shook his head and cackles, "they are more nutritious because of the Aura you pull and release back into them." He paused to see if Anthony was following, he was eye glued to his teaching and hearkening. "So you can actually grow a one year plant in a month."
Anthony found Senior Kiraya's gaze transfixed on him. "What's wrong Senior?"
For the first time, Senior Kiraya didn't reply his question immediately, all he did was smile and stare.
"Senior..." Anthony called out agitated. "Senior!" He yelled out panicking stunned by Kiraya's sudden behavior.
"Senior Kiraya!"
Senior Kiraya shook his head closing his eyes and giving Anthony a reasurring smile, "what Anthony K... Yelling is awfully rude you know. Why are you yelling?" He asked calmly.
Anthony's eyes twitched, "you bloody froze up on me! You didn't blink... You were like, dead!"
Senior Kiraya opened his eyes and gigled softly before replying, "sorry I was just thinking of how much you resemble my brother."
Anthony threw his hand to his head slapping himself hard. "Awww! Why do I even try talking to my weird trainer."
"Huhh, weird is a hurtful word, use awkward," Anthony turned to Senior Kiraya. "Things you don't understand are special, calling them weird would only deliberate on how foolish and half sensed you are, awkward is a much better term to define it."
The lesson was truly 'awkward'. "So what's next Senior?"
Senior Kiraya exhaled, "I guess it's time for you to go to the demon forest."
"Are we..."
Senior Kiraya cuts him off, "no, you will go at night. Rest up for now."
Anthony smiled in accordance, "I need to fill up my belly." He leapt off the cottage roof leaving Senior Kiraya.
Senior Kiraya tilted his head to gaze at the sun, he huffed out calmly and said within himself, 'Kimaya'.
...
Senior Kiraya escorted Anthony to the Aura rain once again. They had come to an halt when the rain was just several feet away.
Anthony's gaze fell on Senior Kiraya. He bowed his head in respect. "Thank you!" He said.
Senior Kiraya smiled as tears roled down his eyes, "you are about to grow up into manhood... When you come back.... You will no longer be a boy!"
Why was he so emotional about it. Anthony stood upright, "don't worry I won't change a bit." He assured.
Senior Kiraya smiled, "if you don't come out of the forest after twelve months, you fail the test."
"Is it possible to actually spend more than twelve months in that forest?" Anthony asked.
"Many have gone in and come out four years later," Kiraya answered with a frightening tone.
The thought of it made Anthony uneasy, "can I have an idea on what I will face in the forest before I depart?"
Senior Kiraya turned his back to him and baganto walk away, "death," he spoke lastly before launching into a tree and disappearing fast.
Anthony turned back at the rain, it was until now he heard the noise of it's drops colliding with the ground, it was overwhelming. He tottered to it before stabilizing his footing, his hands were suddenly clammy, his throat dry and his heart palpitated. For some reason his body was panicking.
He wrapped his hand on the hilt of his sword, the scabbard fastened to the left side of his waist.
He took in a deep breathe, convincing himself to stay unfazed. Last time he was saved, this time if he didn't have enough aura to sustain him to the top, he might not come back.
He huffed out feeling the coursing Aura's around, he sensed the Aura of every substance there especially the rain, it appeared to be loaded with endless amount of Aura. He drew from it.
'In and out', he clenched unto his hilt even tighter feeling the overflow of Aura, "Ahhh!" Anthony gave a great battle cry charging into the Aura rain.
He tore past the wall and into the rain finally. He raced through the rain and up with all his might not for one second pausing or resting. The Aura he absorbed from the rain made him increase greatly in speed, he was covering dozens of feet in seconds and to his surprise the weight he felt before didn't faze him in any way. A chill of relief ran up his spine, his fear immediately evolved into overconfidence. "Argggh!" He bends in a crouching position, launching high into the air dozens of feet and covering more ground than when he ran. As soon as his feet touched the floor, he launched again into the air doing this continuously.
The road seemed to go forever not having an end, the mountain was too high up, Anthony thought. His legs were heavy, not from the Aura rain but from running and leaping consistently against the will of gravity.
The thought of nothing being at the top of the mountain or there being no top crossed his mind. Could he just be leading himself to nowhere or was this actually a test to see how far he could reach before running out of Aura?
Anthony ushered the thoughts out of his mind. He needed focus and not to let his guard down.
He came to a sudden stop instinctively, he smelled a deep scent of blood and ash, he could also sense the tiny tremors of battle and footsteps up the mountain, apart from the subtle rains tinkling down on his skin, he could feel the vibrations of other beings drawing closer.
Boom! Anthony drooped his head down raising one hand to protect it as multiple stray purple lightning flew from above striking down at the rocky mountain path.
"Ahhh!" He groaned as a bolt of lightning struck him in his left shoulder. The shock of the bolt zapped his whole body and froze him in place for a second.
He fell to his knees afterwards, his body exuding steam, "Ahhhhhh!" He wrenched out of his mouth in pain.
He rose to his feet slowly groaning and feeling all his bones rattle.
"Ahhhh!" The groan of a woman in pain he heard.
Anthony turned around narrowing his eyes to get a glimpse of who it was, but nothing.
"Hey! Where are you?" He yelled out to call the attention of the person, but no reply.
"I can help!" This time he sounded more persistent.
He scanned around to finally find a image in front of him closing in fast, it was too hazy to identify and only resembled a blurry ball.
The object in the air screeched like a bird as it doved for Anthony. It had a head of an eagle, body of a lion, large deep red wings, pitch black body, razor sharp beak and claws. It opened it's mouth wide showing the sharp roles of razor teeth and gave an ear piercing shriek.
Anthony reached for his swords hilt, he drawed it from his scabbard and swung diagonally for the beast.
The beast flew threw his attack unscathed digging it's upper claws into his shoulder.
"Ahhh!" Anthony fell to his back pounced by the beast, the pain paralyzing him in place.
The beast bites down for Anthony's face. He sees this coming and tilted his head away letting the fangs of the beast sink deep into the solid rock floor of the Mountain.
"Shit!" Anthony whimpered in fear as the bite force of the beast shattered the Mountains floors. It gave a low angry growl as it slowly turned to Anthony.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Anthony screamed pushing the beast up with all his might trying to force out enough space for him to swing his sword in defence, but the weight of the creature and will surpassed his greatly.
It showed it's sharp roles of teeth again letting black ooze drop from it's mouth to Anthony's face.
"Tsk!" Anthony groaned loosing focus and space between him and it's fangs.
Just when his arms were about to fail him, a huge purple sword ran through and out of the Creatures neck beheading it and letting it's black blood splash all over him.
Anthony instantly threw the still Creature off of him, he jerked his face up to be washed by the rain drops.
He turned his glance back to his saviour, dark in complexion, long braided hair reaching down to her shoulders, she had an aggressive look. "Get on your feet, weak bones!" She snarled.
Anthony rose to his feet, "thank you."
"Don't thank me yet wimp," she snarled pointing out a finger at the rain.
"What are those things?" Anthony asked scanning the rain for what she pointed at.
"Bloodbane Griffins," she answered. "Use your vibe to sense, your eyes was the reason why you were caught off guard."
Anthony dimmed his eyes and sensed his surroundings, he opened his eyes in agitation. "There are hundreds of them heading our way... We can't defeat that much."
Fiona hunched her back gripping her sword tightly, "not with that kind of weak attitude, you aren't."
Anthony turned to her and was baffled by her sword. It was three feet wide, several feet long, it's blade sharp and spikey, and tip long and pointy.
Her body began to give a loud buzzing, purple sparks emanating from her sword, "Darn beast!"
Boom! She darted for the fleeting hundreds with her sword clenched in her right. She reaches the first running her sword in and through it's neck, the purple lightning enamated by her sword making it's corpse crumble to dust.
Two Griffins doved down for her, she swung her sword diagonal letting out a crescent beam that severs one in half. She instantly turned around to the other which attacks stretching out it's claws to attack. She thrusted her sword deep into the chest of the Griffon, it goes limp almost immediately.
Several other Griffins doves down for her, beaks opened and claws stretched out.
She bends her legs in a crouching position and launches into the air to meet them.
"Grrrrraa!" She swung for the first cutting deep into it's neck. She dug her knee into the skull of the next sending it plummeting down. She gripped her sword tightly raised high overhead, "Ahhhh!" Her sword gave a purple explosion of lightning that struck down dozens of Griffins instantly burning them to ash.
She landed on her feet and exhaled, "weak!" She snarled.
Dozens of Griffins circled round her screeching and growling angrily. In unison they doved down for her.
Fiona gave a great battle cry as she lodged her sword deep into the Mountains floor.
Boom! The floor shattered as Fiona's sword sent an explosion of purple lightning into the air again. Streaks of lightning flew everywhere taking out dozens of Griffins at once.
A Griffin came unoticed and lodged it's upper claws into her back, "Ahhhh!" She grunted in pain, the attack dazed her for a bit, she slashed her sword backward swiftly cutting all of it's legs.
The numbers of this things were deluging, she thought shoulder rolling forward and evading several Griffin's claws.
"How many are you darn pigeons!" She snarled swinging her sword through a Griffins neck decapitating it.
Anthony released his breath and launched into the sky. "Ahhhh!" He gave a great battle cry as he slashed his flaming sword for an incoming Griffin. He inflicts a deep cut sending it plummeting down. "Ahhhh!" He swung his sword rapidly crescent beams of flame flying off and striking dead dozens of Griffins.
A Griffin came diving from the left for Anthony. He sees this coming and easily maneuvers himself away. As the Griffin flew by him, he clamped unto it's wing and lodged his sword deep in it's skull setting it ablaze and crumbling to ash.
He let's go of the Griffin's wing plummeting fast to the ground. He clenched his sword tightly pointing its end down to the ground.
Boom! Anthony met the ground sword first with a huge explosion of fire burning several Griffins. He sensed the approach of another fleet coming his way.
He needed to strike a decisive blow on their numbers, if not, they would surely be defeated.
He scanned through the storm rain desperately searching for Fiona. He finally locked unto her, she was dozens of yards away outnumbered and from the looks of it she was loosing stamina and strength fast.
He darted for her wasting no time, his movements immediately attracted the attention of dozens of Griffins which were fleeting around Fiona to him.
"Darn!"
A Griffin flew for him showing it's sharp roles of teeth. Anthony veers right evading it's attack, he impales it's neck with his sword making it instantly go limp. He slashed his sword for the next cutting deep into it's throat. He thrusted his sword into the skull of the next killing it instantly, he shoved it's corpse back with his right leg.
A Griffin came from behind unnoticed, it sank it's fangs deep into Anthony's shoulder.
"Ahhhhhh!" Anthony cried out in pain, he wasted no time as he lodged his sword deep into the Griffin's skull. It goes limp but it's bite force doesn't faze.
A Griffin doved down aiming it's beak for Anthony. He sees this coming and recedes by leaping backwards leaving the Griffin to crash into the ground, going limp immediately.
The rain entered his wounds and made it a lot harder to focus. "Tsk!" He needed time and a place to recover. Which was unavailable, and also he couldn't leave Fiona alone.
With all his might Anthony pried open the Griffin's upper jaw open with one hand. "Ahhhhhh!" He cried out in pain, the Griffin's corpse finally dropping to the floor.
Anthony turned to stare at Fiona in utter disbelief. She was panting, her face filled with fatigue, but below her hundreds of Griffin corpses.
Her eyes peers with Anthony he looked relieved and glad, "there is still more of this pigeons coming!" She said.
Anthony's gladness morphed into worry, "how do you... Know that?"
Fiona gave a low growl, "I bumped into one while I was going up, i tried killing it but it multiplied into hundreds, no matter how many I kill hundreds keep on appearing. The Griffins are the only obstacle on the way to reaching the peak. To get to the top we have to murder thousands of them!"
Thank you for reading this far