Normally the trip should have taken three days to get to Dwargon, but me and Ranga got caught up in a competition for who was faster.
At the beginning of our trip, I was keeping up just fine on my two feet. Rimuru and the goblins very quickly got rid of any doubts or questions about me being able to keep up with the wolves.
Going through the forest was like a blur of green. It felt really good to be able to run this fast. It felt so liberating and if I wasn't wearing my armor I'm sure the wind hitting against my face and body would've felt refreshing.
While running through the forest I noticed Ranga was inching just a bit ahead of me, so I got a little ahead of him and then he went a little further.
It was clear what was going on and I wasn't one to get left in the dust. Literally.
"Are you challenging me Ranga?"
"I don't know what you are talking about." Ranga responded while going a little faster to get ahead of me.
"Hey, you guys if you keep going how you are we'll leave the others behind and Gobta won't be able to guide us!"
"New plan. Gobta, get on Ranga with Rimuru. For the others, just follow our scent." I gave some quick orders on the spot.
Gobta somehow was able to jump onto Ranga from his wolf and was cushioned by Rimuru.
However, I don't think Rimuru breaking his fall was planned.
With that out of the way, I put the pedal to the metal and sped past Ranga.
Rimuru knowing what was about to happen tried to salvage the situation. "Hey Ranga, I don't think this race is that serious." Even RImuru didn't sound confident saying that.
"Master, this once I must disagree with you." Ranga, with a newfound sense of speed, completely blitzed through the forest starting a race to see who could get to Dwargon first.
At least RImuru tried. Key word, tried.
/\/\/\/\/\
I was absolutely blitzing my way through the forest. Nothing was getting in my way. Any branch, bush, and obstruction I was running through as if they weren't there. Eventually, there was a river that I just jumped across in one simple leap. I could see Ranga behind me trying his best to keep up.
"Come on Ranga is that the best you have? Cause if it is, I'm surprised, I didn't know 'slow' had a mascot until I saw you run."
Some casual trash-talking seemed to REALLY get him boosted up further. Unfortunately for him, I was still faster. I wouldn't be surprised if he got a unique or extra skill that deals with speed.
I could sense Rimuru and Gobta holding on for absolute dear life. Gobta was using his hand to hold on to Ranga while his whole body was just swaying in the wind. Rimuru was looked worse somehow. Bits and pieces of his slimy body were flying off like a liquid.
I'm sure they wanted to scream or say something about what was happening, but they knew they would be ignored so they focused on not falling off and being carried off into the wind.
I was running and jumping around cliffs and edges due to the terrain changing as we got closer to Dwargon. It became more mountainous and rigid, the kind of terrain that would forcefully make someone slow down with all the sharp turns and edges.
Except for me.
I sensed Ranga and I had to say, it was admirable that he was trying his absolute best to keep up even with added baggage on his back. Don't get me wrong, he still going fast, but the environment was getting to him just a tiny bit. It might not be much, but against someone like me, it will make a huge difference.
In the distance, I saw a large mountain that had a huge steel-looking door built into it.
"Hey Ranga we're getting closer to our destination! You should try going a bit faster cause it seems like your top speed is set to 'tortoise'!"
That seemed to really motivate him. He seemed to get a second wind and hit one final burst of speed. He had black lightning surrounding him and at its activation, he went fast. VERY fast.
The lighting trailed behind him, looking more like a black blur of lighting instead of a wolf. He caught up to me fast and even got a good distance ahead of me.
But he wasn't the only one who could use a speed-up ability.
Would it be overkill to use this ability only for a speed contest? No. No, it wouldn't
'Torrent of Light'
Torrent of Light. A better version of Mana Burst. I can use magicules to improve my physical performance and also on any weapons I have.
I don't use too many magicules since it wasn't necessary. I use only enough to only beat Ranga.
I could sense it. Ranga thought had me beat. I could feel the smugness coming off of him and that smile he had plastered on his face.
That wouldn't last long.
Activating Torrent of Light, I see the world around me pass like a blur. I could still control my body and keep up with the speed, but experiencing this firsthand is an amazing feeling.
I pass Ranga almost instantly due to the distance and when I passed him. I could see the complete shock on his face. He was so shocked he tripped on the ground and rolled with Rimuru and Gobta still somehow holding on.
Still running, I finally stop at a little ledge overlooking the main road to the entrance of Dwargon.
It was fun being able to go that fast. It was a truly enjoyable moment, though it might start a rivalry with Ranga probably.
I was so caught up in the race, I didn't notice that it was nighttime. To be more accurate it looked more like an early sunrise. It was still mostly night, but there was a little blue signifying the sun was about to rise.
'I thought it was supposed to be three days to get here. It seems we might have gotten ahead of ourselves with our race.'
I looked behind me and saw Ranga, Rimuru, and Gobta just laying on the grass.
I'm positive Gobta is passed out, RImuru looks…fine? I think he does at least. As for Ranga, he looks like he's seen better days. He was panting hard, some drool was escaping his mouth, and his fur looked very disheveled.
'Ranga is panting and tired!? I feel fine though. Looks like I'm built different.'
Rimuru seems the first to recover and talks to me. "Artoria. I know we got here very fast, but now we'll have to wait for the others to show up."
"Don't worry about that, the other wolves will be able to follow our scent. But if it makes you feel better, we can wait for them here, while camping out."
Rimuru agreed and went back to throw a potion at Ranga and Gobta and just rested with them.
I went back and sat down with them and Ranga finally talked to me. "I've never been pushed so far in my life before. Even after my evolution, I was pushing with everything I had, but I still couldn't keep up with you."
"Don't worry about it Ranga, I'm very strong and I'll admit, the last move you did at the end was a little surprising."
"That was a new skill I learned. It lets me use black lightning to increase my speed. I would like to thank you for helping with that."
"No problem Ranga. Just rest while we wait for the others to arrive."
Ranga decided to sleep, so I decided to sleep as well to pass the time.
/\/\/\/\/\
(3 days later)
Well, three days passed by. We really didn't do much. The only active thing anyone did was Ranga hunting for food so Gobta could eat.
Rimuru learned from Gobta about what to expect from Dwargon from its city and some of its laws. He also learned about who was the one that named Rigur. A person named Gelmud.
Not that it mattered to me. I could easily beat him.
And yes, he learned about the elves in Dwargon. That ended up being the thing he focused on the most. Not that I blame him. I would too.
Overall we just talked with each other waiting for the others to arrive.
The other goblins and wolves finally arrived and they looked dead tired. It seems they felt a sense of urgency to catch up as soon as they could, but it seems to have backfired on them.
Rimuru threw them a health potion and that got back up like new.
We were finally going to line up to get into Dwargon and Rimuru was explaining who he would take with him.
He decided that he himself would go along with me and Gobta. Everyone else would stay behind and wait for them to return. There was obviously some protest, but RImuru calmed them down mostly by saying that I would be there.
So it was time for us to finally get into Dwargon.
I'll try not to get us thrown in jail.
I jinxed it didn't I? Nah, it should be fine.