After moving back like that for a bit, Noctis, ready with whatever he had going on, jabbed his spear towards their position.
The soldiers skillfully struck the spear down with a downward motion, before they could follow up to attack however, Noctis retreated.
'tsk. Alright again'
Noctis again moved the energy into spear point, concentrating its essence before jabbing once again.
Only to be struck down.
It followed like that for some time more as Noctis tried again and again.
He clicked his tongue again and again in the background of still groaning soldiers.
He had perfect body targets in front of him, as he was a bit more agile than them, but he only had his instinct to guide him.
The soldiers now a little emboldened advanced a little faster now, jabbing their spears with proper hip drives to generate power.
Noctis evaded their thrusts skillfully, focused on their movements.
Thinking to a point something clicked in his mind.
Noctis jumped back, sharply retreating and making some distance between them, once again concentrating the energy from the shaft to the blade of the spear.
Coalescing and pinning it further and further until his hands started shaking a little, Noctis took his stance.
Rather than just throwing his spear forward and hoping to blast it at contact, Noctis this time did not cut the flow; rather he formed it into a hammer slightly touching the energy pinned.
As the soldiers came close to him waving their spear up and down, Noctis jabbed once again, hammering all his energy into the ball while thrusting the spear.
A very faint bluish white light emitted from his spear a little earlier than he intended but the blast was enough to knock the two soldiers back.
Noctis followed immediately towards their location to see their condition.
Before even reaching there he noticed their arms were entirely gone. Blood was dripping from their orifices non-stop.
Little closer, their tunics were entirely red with blood leaking from the regions that weren't covered with leather strapping.
Looking at it it seemed like the strapping was the only thing holding the body together from falling apart entirely.
'Ooooohhh…. This is good'
Noctis thought with amusement and mirth in his head, forgetting that very well could have been his own fate not too long ago.
After marveling at the scene, Noctis gave a cursory glance to the whole scene.
Three men laid dead with various gashes around their necks and faces. Two writhed on the ground as blood continued dripping from parts of their body.
He became strangely irritated, as he looked at the bloody scene around him.
'Damn idiots trying to provoke me when I'm already having a bad day. They make me look like those mongrels who kill for fun. Tsk'
Noctis threw the spear down before moving towards the steam to cleanse his bloody hands.
His hands were bruised now too along with many minor cuts throughout his body.
After washing his face and regaining some calm, he went to one of the two men still alive on the scene.
He went to the soldier whose head was brutalised by the helmet of another soldier he flung towards him.
'A little superior strength and reflexes really do go a long way.'
He wouldn't have the luxury of taking it so easy against multiple armed and armoured men.
"Alright tell me who you are and why you'd attach me and maybe I'll give you a quick death"
The soldier didn't even make eye contact with him as he just rolled around the ground, whimpering somewhat.
Noctis waited for a bit before thinking maybe his voice got busted too.
This he asked the same to the man with busted groins.
He made eye contact with the man. His eyes held deep fear as tears streamed down his face.
Neither replied. He sighed.
"As such then."
Noctis started making his way towards the direction they had come from, not before impaling the fallen men multiple regions of their exposed body.
***
Noctis stayed close to the stream as he moved, the trees still gave him weird vibes.
He soon came across something extremely peculiar. There was a clearing in the middle of the clean rows of equally spaced trees.
The clearing had a stoned pool of water studded white marble and jewels. The pool was decorated with various motifs and statutes on its walled fence.
A little stream dug from the pool to the river filled it with water.
There were walls similarly made with marble stones behind the pool with dark pathways that lead further into the strange forest.
The trees continued with their clean but odd canopy and spacing further ahead into the horizon.
What a strange, strange sight.
Such intricate carvings and sculptures in the middle of the forest, along with the dense mist darkening the surrounding in the middle of the day gave it a very surreal feel.
Noctis moved towards the pool. Reaching it he noticed, even more bizarrely the pool connected to the cold steam emitted faint heat and a pleasant smell for some reason.
Noctis put his hand into the water just to make sure, and sure as it could be it was slightly hot.
Remembering the wound on his hand that would surely stung he ejected his hands out, only to realise it didn't sting.
In Fact it felt better?
He dipped his hand again. And indeed it felt soothing.
Tired as he was, with the pleasant smell inviting him further, Noctis just went into the pool.
Noctis took a deep breath as he relaxed leaning onto the stoned fence of the pool.
Hot water enveloping him in a healing warmth that felt like he was in a luxurious hot spring.
He could very easily get used to this, what with the lifestyle he was leading in this world.
Relaxing like that his thoughts went towards the very eventful couple days so far it have been for him.
He had surpassed a normal human limit in a single night; he had a strange world inside him; he had encountered creatures that could toppled buildings with their power and now this anomaly.
He felt anticipation as well as dread for the challenges this world could very possibly present in his quest.
'will take it as they come'
He took another deep breath as he resolved his goal and relaxed once again.
The relaxation wasn't for long however as his eyes went wide and the goosebumps spread throughout his body when he heard a bell-like feminine sound from his back.
"Teehee~"