The next day...
Sterling excitedly took a look at the inverted cheetah. The animal in question was happily sitting with a highly advanced collar wrapped onto his neck.
"Oh! How marvelous!"
He crouched and stroked its chin. The cheetah purred and closed its eyes. Charles who was standing behind him, puffed his cigar while scanning the cheetah.
"It's…beautiful. I wonder is this evolution or a chaos mutation."
"We'll only once the results come back." Sterling stood, cracking his back.
"Be careful, old man. You might break your back." Charles chuckled.
"Oh, shut it. I'm not that old…I'm just turning 63."
"That's means you'll have to retire after this expedition."
"Yes…that's why I'll make sure we get the most out of this expedition. Then, I can go back and live with family."
"We'll be losing such a brilliant mind such as yourself after this. I can't imagine."
"Me too…but time flies, doesn't it. I still remember teaching at Stratos…"
Right then, another research with a long white coat approached them.
"Sir Charles, Sir sterling. The test results are here."
They nodded and trailed the man to the tent. There, they were handed a folder by another scientist with the same clothes as the last. Charles took it and flipped the page. Sterling leaned over his shoulder and happily read it. After a few minutes, Charles closed the folder and locked eyes with Sterling.
"This cheetah's anatomy doesn't match with the others we found in the savanna and Arthur said that a dark aura was covering it…"
His lips couldn't help but curl up. Sterling also twisted his mustache and smiled.
"A chaos mutation it is then."
They laughed heartily, realizing their success at identifying another mutation.
"This will certainly make chaos mutation studies go mainstream once we return." Charles adjusted his hat.
"The theory of chaos mutation will finally get the attention it deserves." Sterling rubbed his hands together.
They paused and shook hands. Charles handed the folder back and exited the tent with Sterling.
"I'll go tell Arthur. You go and inform the supreme commander and the others." Sterling said, adjusting his glasses.
"Huh! Why is it always me?" Charles questioned, pulling his cigar.
"Oh, you're better with those people. I don't give a damn about reporting to them."
"Why?"
"Why should I tell such an important discovery to people who don't even understand it? I'd much rather tell it to fellow scientists."
"Yet, you're going to tell it to the lieutenant general."
"…He understands…better than anyone else."
With that being said, Sterling finally left to find Arthur. Charles sighed and put on his hat as he walked towards another large tent.
***
Arthur kicked rocks, bored out of his mind. Maple and Harvey were training the enforcers. Amelia was reading whatever book she had brought along on this expedition and Arthur was left alone. So, he thought kicking rocks at the coast would be a good way to pass time. Turns out, it even more boring when you're on an uninhabited continent with birds chirping in your ear every second. Then, he froze and remembered his promise with his brother.
'Aw, shucks. I forgot…I should probably start training.'
As he was about to begin, Sterling grabbed his shoulder. He was pulled back and turned around like a toy, facing his professor.
"Oh, sir…Is there something you need?"
"No – it's nothing. I just wanted to tell you that the inverted cheetah was in fact a chaos mutation."
"That's great! Have you found out what changed?"
"What changed? Oh, a lot changed. First, it's the skin as you know it. Another is that their fast twitch fibers are 1300% more developed, their spine is more spring-like with better flexibility."
"But wouldn't the cheetah overheat at that speed? Even that cheetah's we studied in the savanna only run in short bursts. Going for any longer would over heat them." Arthur inquired
"That the thing! Kay's temperature was over the top when he was scanned. They had to use 20 packs of ice to cool him down to normal temperature."
"But going at 300 mph is a lot. So, it would make sense…though it doesn't…" Arthur rubbed his chin.
"No – No, that's where you're wrong. The cheetah's speed when it accelerated was 300 mph but its consistent top speed was around 230-240 mph." Sterling shook his head.
"But you didn't answer my question. How?"
"This forest is filled with shade so, that would probably be its primary cooling method. Other than that, when Kay chased him, it felt danger so, it tried to lose him. The cheetah took 25 ice packs to cool down but it's fine now."
"Who's reporting this to the supreme commander exactly?" Arthur asked, worriedly.
"Charles is handling that part. I just wanted to tell you of its discovery."
"Thanks for informing me." Arthur lowered his head, out of respect. "Is it okay that I go training now?"
"Of course, Do whatever." Sterling turned around, leaving Arthur to himself.
Arthur watched the professor's back as he left. He rotated and began striding past the camp. He hopped upon the rocks on the coast of the river and eventually made it far away from the camp. He found an open area and looked at his palm.
'…I'll need to boost my mental capacity first but before that let's go over my abilities.'
He raised his hand and narrowed his eyes. The wind blew through the forest and his hair flowed with it. Minutes passed without anything and then, Arthur lowered his arm.
"Okay…that's works…I can feel it but can't see it …"
He sighed, opening his palm where a small orb appeared. It radiated immense light like he was holding a star in his hand. He looked deep inside and tried to find anything he was missing.
'This doesn't have enough mass but it's fine.'
He threw it like a baseball away from the camp and snapped his fingers. The orb instantly exploded and created a massive explosion. Arthur covered his face as the explosion pushed outwards rapidly. The next instantly, one of the red wood trees fell, which echoed throughout the land.
'Yeah…I think I should just focus on my swordsmanship. I'm still a grandmaster. My attribute can wait.'
Just as he expected, a shout rang out from behind him.
"What the hell was that sound?" David screamed.
Arthur walked back to the camp. "My apologies, general. I was practicing with my attribute."
David glanced behind Arthur. "And you knocked down a fucking tree?! What kind of attribute is that?"
"That would be confidential information, my friend." Lancelot gripped David's shoulder.
He locked eyes with Arthur and kindly smiled.
"Arthur, please be more careful next time. The old man almost had another heart attack."
Arthur narrowed his eyes to a slit. "I will. Thanks for the pardon."
Arthur passed them and headed to Sterling, planning to finally inform him of the gang of buffalo's they encountered during the mission to capture the cheetah.