TS5: Chapter 28 (Patreon)

Looking carefully at each of the other Prime Ascendants, Muras spoke in a calm but grave voice.

“Their strength will be nothing to scoff at. In years past, there have even been reports of those god beasts whose physical strength has reached the tenth tier without them breaking through. This means we will be at a significant disadvantage.”

[Master, how surprised are they going to be when they see what you can do? You should beat all of them up so they see that you are stronger than any stupid god beasts.]

I don't want to create a stir, so let's leave it as a surprise for now.

Unaware of the conversation happening in Thorn’s head, Muras continued.

“There have only been a handful of times since the puzzle opened that the Temple of Man has successfully beaten the god beasts, but I have a good feeling about this year.”

"Um, excuse me," Thorn interjected. "Can you talk me through a little bit about what the puzzle actually is? How are we competing with the god beasts?"

"You don't even know this? Such a simple thing?" Joresh chided.

"Be quiet, Joresh," Tolariah said. "I can answer your question, Thorn. The puzzle is a series of shrines, seven of them in total, each attuned to a different element, that get progressively harder the further in you go. At the end, points are tallied based on how far each team has progressed in each shrine, and rewards are given accordingly. There are two leaderboards, one for teams, where we will be judged as a whole, and the second for individuals."

"Interesting. Thank you," Thorn said.

"We are picking a leader to help with the team competition portion of the challenge, and to help defend against the god beasts," Muras said. "There are areas in the puzzle where the prohibition against killing one another is lifted, and depending on how the teams are organized, there is a significant danger of being ambushed by the god beasts."

"I think it's more likely that we'll be doing the ambushing," Kitsek said, shaking the tassel on his spear. "I have yet to see a god beast who can withstand my Raging Dragon's Stab."

"You will," Muras said calmly, causing Kitsek's face to flush red. "Now, shall we establish our ranking?"

"I'm out," Tolariah replied immediately, holding up her hands. "I have no desire to be the leader."

"Me either," Thorn said, waving. "We'll coordinate with everybody else, but as far as I'm concerned, one of you three can have it."

"Isn't it funny how the big ones are always the most scared," Joresh said, sneering at Thorn.

"Are you insulting him?" Thorn asked, pointing at Muras, who at seven feet tall, towered over Joresh by almost a foot.

"What? No," Joresh said. "I'm insulting you."

"Oh, well, I didn't know," Thorn replied, "because he's taller than you. In fact, apart from Lady Tolariah, I think you're the shortest person here."

"What are you implying?" Joresh asked.

"Nothing," Thorn said, "just a simple observation."

"Prime Ascendant Thorn, I know you wish to avoid conflict, which I personally find admirable," Tolariah said, "but I think it might be wise if you give us a true demonstration of what you are capable of."

"Weren't you all watching me during the challenge?" Thorn asked. "You should have gotten a sense of my strength then."

"Oh, please, just because you cleaned up a bunch of weaklings doesn't mean you have the strength to stand on equal footing with us," Kitsek snapped.

"And you all feel that way?" Thorn asked, looking at each of the Prime Ascendants in turn.

Muras nodded and stepped forward. "Yes," he said. "Until we understand the extent of your strength, it will be hard to assign you the most helpful position."

"All right, that's fair," Thorn said. "So who am I demonstrating with?"

Both Kitsek and Joresh stepped forward immediately, their eyes blazing. But to Thorn's surprise, Muras lifted his hand.

"It will be me," he said.

"What? I want to fight him," Kitsek snapped.

Turning to glare at Kitsek, Joresh tapped his own chest.

"Get in line, buddy. I'm up first."

"Both of you will stand down," Muras said, not even looking at them. "If you are unsatisfied, after Prime Ascendant Thorn and I have sparred you can request matches of your own."

"Or you could all come at me at once," Thorn said, earning himself four incredulous looks.

With an angry laugh, Joresh shook his head.

"You seem to be mistaken about something," he said, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Thorn.

Holding up his hand, Thorn interrupted.

"No, I think you're mistaken about something. I have a soul-bonded battle pet," he said, "so if you want a true measure of my strength, I won't be fighting alone. It's only fair that you have roughly equal numbers."

The others all looked at Akira, who smiled and waved at them.

"Are you sure it's okay to let your battle pet fight?" Tolariah asked. "Isn't she a little… small?"

Rubbing his cheek, Kitsek nodded.

"If she wants to join the battle, I'm fine with that," he said, "but she'll be responsible for her own safety. I can't guarantee I'll be able to control myself."

"Oh, you won't have to worry about that," Thorn said with a chuckle.

"Three against two is not fair," Muras said, "and I would prefer to fight you on my own, so I'll let the others have the first spar."

"That's fine with me," Joresh said, lifting his sword and pointing it at Thorn. "I'll do my best to leave you in one piece."

"How kind of you," Thorn replied. "Akira, which one do you want?"

"I'll take both of them, Master," Akira said, her eyes blazing as she jumped down from Thorn's shoulder. Before the others could respond, her body exploded in size, growing to nearly fifteen feet tall. Her aura poured out, covering the training room, forcing everyone to take a step back. Rearing up on her hind legs, she stared down at the two dumbfounded Prime Ascendants, her head nearly thirty feet above theirs. "You shouldn't have insulted my mistress," she said.

"Wait!" Joresh barely managed to get the word out when Akira's paw slapped him across the room. Her tails, flaring with mana, transformed the air into a fiery windstorm that ripped at Kitsek, who lifted his spear in an attempt to block, falling short as the ground under him transformed into a muddy swamp at the same moment, but he managed to avoid sinking in by unleashing a blast of his aura that shot him up into the air. Before he could escape, Akira's other paw slammed into him, driving him back into the ground.

With a shout, Joresh, whose face was bleeding from where Akira's paw had struck, stormed forward, his sword lifted high over his head, lightning crackling around him. A thick pillar of earth sprang up in front of him, blocking his advance, but with a heavy slash, he tore it to shreds, only to let out a startled yelp as Akira's claws stabbed towards his chest. Down on the ground below, Kitsek shook himself free of the mud that coated his body and let out a loud yell, charging forward, his spear extended. Fierce wind swirled around him, carrying him forward with supernatural speed, and his battle cry turned to a cry of triumph as the razor-sharp tip of his spear stabbed into Akira's leg.

*ting*

Kitsek’s cry choked off as the tip of his spear bounced off of Akira's fur, not managing to penetrate it at all. Fear filled him, and he quickly lifted his spear, blocking one of Akira's tails that whipped towards him, driving him back.

"What in the holy saint's name is going on?" A loud voice boomed, causing the fight to stall.

Looking over, everyone saw Yol Barton standing in the doorway of the training room, a massive axe slung across his shoulder as he stared at Akira. Sensing that the commander was about to attack, Thorn quickly stepped in front of Akira, commanding her to return to her normal size as he bowed. With a whoosh, she rapidly shrank down, hopping onto Thorn's shoulder as she blinked her cute eyes at the commander.

"I'm sorry for disrupting you, Commander," Thorn said. "My companions here were curious about my battle pet's abilities."

"That monster's your pet?" Yol said, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Looks an awful lot like a god beast."

"I can assure you she's not," Thorn said with a smile. "She has no divinity. This was confirmed at the Temple of Man."

Frowning, Yol Barton walked forward, his eyes scanning over Akira, as he hunted for divinity. There was a strangeness to Akira that many people had commented on, but because she was tied to Thorn’s soul and her aura was so closely intertwined with his it was hard to pin down. After a long moment, he nodded and turned toward Thorn, bowing in a warrior’s salute.

“My apologies, Prime Ascendant Thorn, I hope you’ll forgive my suspicion. It’s rare to see a creature of such strength that isn’t a god beast.”

"It's no problem at all, Commander," Thorn replied, returning the salute. "Again, I apologize if we startled you."

Waving it off, the commander gestured to Kitsek and Joresh.

"Feel free to resume the fight if you would like."

"I don't think there's any need for that," Muras said, stepping forward. "It was just a friendly spar to see how strong Akira is. Did I get her name right?"

Seeing Thorn's nod, Muras cracked his knuckles.

"Thorn and I were about to have a bit of a spar of our own, if you'd be interested in watching, Commander."

"Oh, is that right?" Yol said, looking back and forth between Thorn and Muras. "That sounds like it'll be quite the fight. I'd be honored to watch."

With a rueful sigh, Thorn rolled his shoulders to loosen them and took his place. Muras stood across from him, lifting his hands as he got into his stance.

"No weapons?" Thorn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No need," Muras said, "though you're welcome to use one if you'd like.”

“If you're going to make do with your hands and feet, I might as well do the same," Thorn replied, taking up his stance.

Since Muras didn't appear to be using his aura, or any mana for that matter, Thorn didn't summon his own, figuring that Muras was interested in having a pure contest of strength, a battle with their physical bodies alone. Not only would that help ensure that they didn't destroy the training hall, but it would also keep them from harming each other too badly, and potentially compromising their mission. It was clear that Muras, on top of being tremendously strong, was quite meticulous as well, and Thorn found himself admiring the Prime Ascendant quite a bit.

"I'm coming," Muras said, and a moment later dashed forward, his feet moving so quickly he almost seemed to float across the floor towards Thorn.

Shifting slightly, Thorn's hand rose, intercepting the punch Muras threw at his cheek, blocking it by guiding it to the side. He was about to shift forward when Muras's leg flashed, forcing Thorn to lift his knee to block the kick thrown his way. Stopping the blow with his leg, Thorn stomped down, unleashing his own punch towards his opponent's chest.

To his surprise, Muras didn't try to block, instead taking it squarely, even as he struck back. With a thud, both men stumbled backwards, each of their blows connecting at exactly the same time. Feeling a stinging in his side, Thorn rubbed a hand against his ribs, grimacing. From the pained expression on Muras's face, it was clear that he had not gotten off without damage either, but without saying anything, both men dropped back into their stances, getting ready for their next exchange.

Back and forth, they attacked and blocked, trading the occasional blow as their strikes grew sharper and faster. For his size, Muras was surprisingly agile and soon began dodging every one of Thorn's strikes, moving smoothly from side to side in a tricky pattern that made him hard to hit. Annoyed that he wasn't able to land a blow, Thorn suddenly switched his strategy, slipping past a punch and reaching out to grab Muras's shoulder.

As his hand closed in on his opponent, Muras used a palm strike to deflect his grab while shifting to the side, unleashing a kick aimed at Thorn's nose. With a shout, Thorn lowered his shoulder and slammed forward, catching Muras off guard. His shoulder rammed into Muras, sending his opponent tumbling backwards, while Thorn chased after him. Yet no matter how he grabbed or struck, Muras always seemed one step ahead, warding away his attacks even as they were flying through the air. Kicking his legs rapidly, Muras somehow regained his balance, shifting himself unpredictably to the side and causing Thorn to move one step past him. From here, Muras attacked Thorn's back, but an elbow strike forced him to dodge away.

For a moment, the two separated, glaring fiercely at each other before throwing themselves back into battle, transforming into a storm of punches, kicks, elbow strikes, and grappling attempts. Watching from the side, with his arms crossed, Yol Barton smiled appreciatively as he watched the high-level exchange. Every few dozen attacks, the two would separate for a brief moment before diving back in. During one of these pauses, Muras let out a shout, shifting from a closed fist to an open fist stance.

"Be careful," he said. As he finished speaking, the air around him changed, growing sharper and harder.

Lifting his hands, Thorn imagined for a moment that he was facing down two swords. Though the illusion was gone just as quickly as it had come, he could feel the danger emanating from Muras. A flash of golden light crossed Thorn's eyes, and suddenly he chuckled, his fingers slowly curling into fists, forming two impossibly hard hammers.

"Right back at you," he said with a grin, as Muras launched himself forward, slashing with an open palm knife strike towards Thorn's shoulder.

Dropping into a boxing stance, Thorn's right hook met the slash, creating a clash that sounded like two steel weapons smashing together. Following it up with an overhand left, Thorn was unsurprised when Muras ducked his head, slipping in under Thorn's right arm and stabbing towards his ribs. Thorn's right elbow fell, knocking aside the attack as the back of his fist flicked towards Muras's face. With incredible speed and precision, the two traded blows, their hands and arms moving so fast it was almost impossible for anybody watching to keep up. Suddenly, Muras took a step back, yet even as he did his body flickered, appearing behind Thorn as he slashed at Thorn's leg, yet only his fingers brushed past Thorn, leaving a long gouge in Thorn's armor.