(Attendances… plz…)
….
Even before Veldora's mysterious disappearance, the Great Jura Forest was not a welcoming place.
The books described it as a brutal 'survival of the fittest' forest, where weak creatures were hunted and devoured by the strong.
But even then, in those days, there was a kind of order. The Storm Dragon's overwhelming aura, even while he was sealed, acted like a blanket, suppressing the goals of the forest's strongest monsters. It forced them into a grudging, territorial peace.
Now, that power is gone. The air in the forest felt somewhat different. It was like walking into a haunted house, where you knew something was about to jump out at you, you just didn't know when or from where.
The party continued their journey, moving quietly through the trees. So far, their path has been clear.
They hadn't encountered a single monster, so their journey was smooth and silent, filled only with their quiet conversation if it did happen in between. But they were all ready for any and all surprise attack.
Shizue was not very chatty. She mostly kept to herself, only answering when Ellen asked her a direct question, turning the quiet journey into a sort of one-sided girls' chat. Kaval and Gido would occasionally ask her something small, but that was it.
Shizue was a little baffled by how relaxed the trio seemed. It was as if they fully expected a monster to pop out, and they were completely confident they could deal with it when it did.
The three of them looked like a normal, if a bit eccentric, adventurer party.
But the red-haired boy, Reinhard, stood out. With his pristine white noble's uniform and the expensive-looking sword at his hip, he didn't fit the picture of an adventurer.
She hadn't been in Blumund for very long, so she could only assume he was some noble's son trying his hand at adventuring with an experienced party.
She had seen it hundreds of times in her long life as an adventurer. Sometimes, she'd even been the one hired to babysit them.
While Ellen chattered beside her, Shizue's focus remained sharp. Her gaze constantly swept the trees, her senses alert for any sign of a surprise attack.
And then, she felt it. Magicule signatures from multiple sides and sources. She stopped instantly, and Ellen, noticing her sudden halt, stopped too.
"Above us," Shizue said, her voice sharp and clear through the mask.
They all looked up. The green leaves and patches of blue sky that had been above them a moment before were now blotted out by dozens of multi-limbed shapes, large spiders, descending from the treetops.
Their many red eyes glowed with a hateful light as they looked down at the living creatures on the forest floor.
They were hanging from thick, steel threads, and in a matter of seconds, they had completely surrounded the party. They were Knight Spiders, and there were dozens of them.
Before Kaval, Gido, or Ellen could even raise their weapons, Shizue moved.
She unsheathed her sword in a single, fluid motion. Flames erupted along the blade, clinging to the steel like a living thing.
She became a whirlwind of fire and motion, striking at the descending Knight Spiders.
Even the smallest cut from her flaming sword was enough to set the monsters ablaze, their steel-like exoskeletons melting under the intense, magical heat.
She moved as fast as she could, using as little power as necessary. She knew she couldn't unleash her full strength at once; the risk of Ifrit taking control was too great.
Lately, she'd been feeling weaker, her own will fading, and the fire spirit's will to take over was growing stronger.
She sliced through the first dozen spiders, and while she didn't break a sweat, she was left breathing heavily, gasping for air.
The trio stared in shock, especially Kaval. He thought back to how arrogantly he had spoken to her three days ago at the first meeting, and a wave of shame washed over him.
Why does everyone I act cocky towards turn out to be incredibly powerful? he thought miserably. First Reinhard, and now her.
Ellen rushed to her side, her eyes wide with excitement. "Wow, Shizue! You just went whoosh and swish, and then all of the spiders were on fire!"
"Yes," Reinhard said, his voice calm. "Impressive."
Shizue didn't look back at the burning monsters. Her masked face was still pointed forward, into the deeper woods. "That was just the first wave," she said, her voice strained. "There are dozens more of them coming, at full speed."
"Damn, more of them?" Kaval swore.
"Did our bad luck finally catch up to us?" Gido groaned.
"We should run," Shizue said, her voice urgent. "I'm not confident I can deal with that many."
Reinhard knew she was weaker now than she had been in her prime. He knew her control was slipping over Ifrit slowly.
He stepped forward and casually picked up a long, straight stick from the forest floor. It was, by a total coincidence, shaped vaguely like a sword. He walked to Shizue's side, looking in the direction she was staring.
"Thanks for dealing with them," he said. "I can take care of the leftovers."
Shizue looked at him, completely confused. What was this kid saying, holding a flimsy stick and facing down a horde of A-rank monsters?
"Ellen, Kaval, Gido," Reinhard said over his shoulder. "Please stay behind me."
The three of them didn't even question it. They immediately moved to stand behind him, pulling a very confused Shizue with them.
And then, it happened.
Reinhard raised the stick, holding it forward like a sword. His entire aura changed.
A visible, shimmering of energy enveloped him as the magicules in the surrounding air were drawn toward him, swirling and condensing around the simple piece of wood in his hand.
When he was ready, he swung the stick like it was the sword.
For a single moment, the surroundings went silent. Then, an unbelievably powerful wave of pure magical energy erupted from the stick. It shot forward, a wave of energy that destroyed everything in its path.
It cut a clean, wide swath through the forest for tens of meters, instantly wiping out the entire oncoming horde of Knight Spiders and everything else that was unfortunate enough to be in the way.
A powerful backdraft of wind washed over them. Kaval and Gido, caught unprepared, were thrown back against the trees. Ellen managed to grab onto Shizue's waist to keep them both steady as the wind whipped their hair and clothes.
When the light faded and the wind died down, the forest in front of them was changed. A long, perfectly straight scar had been carved through the forest.
Trees and all that was in the way was destroyed. The dozens of Knight Spiders that had been charging at them were simply… gone.
Shizue couldn't believe it. It was impossible, unbelievable… and yet, it had happened right in front of her. The only thing she could manage to say was a single, whispered word.
"What?"
Reinhard lowered the now-normal-looking stick and turned to them with a calm, friendly smile.
"That should settle them. I hope I didn't go overboard."
Kaval, Gido, and Ellen, all picking themselves up from the ground, had the exact same thought at the exact same time.
You did.
The only thing that wasn't okay was the stick Reinhard was holding, as it gave out after the attack and flew into the air, turning to dust.
….
A/N: So, How was it?! First of all send power stones to support this fic. Second, i used the style reinhard used against elsa in the anime ep 3. I wanted to do it with sword but then decided on stick after asking on discord.
Next two chapters are already on my discord.
Melatonin, spawn and many more on my discord … thanks for beta reading this fic and not to mention suggestions too.
Hoped you all liked the chapter and all.
And if you want to read ahead you can do it by just joining my discord server.
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you can join my discord server: https://discord.gg/5Y7uZ2kN2Y
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