Seven nights had slipped by since Kyro made a solemn promise to himself to be more diligent in his training. This time, he had fully committed to the process, pouring his heart and soul into refining every aspect of his technique. Over the days, Hunter had grown increasingly impressed with Kyro's rapid progress and the remarkable pace at which he was evolving. He started to teach Kyro more complex movement with the axe and various types of swings he could use in battle. At this rate, it seemed that Kyro would be ready to leave the village far sooner than Hunter had anticipated.
On the eighth night, Hunter decided it was time to put Kyro's skills to the test by challenging him to a one-on-one combat session.
"Alright Kyro, you've done exceptionally well this past week. Dare I say, you might be ready to step out into the real world?" Hunter said, a wide smile illuminating his face as he reveled in the boy's growth.
Kyro felt a surge of ecstasy at those words. Finally, all his hard work had paid off, and he had even earned a compliment from Hunter.
However, Hunter's smile soon faded. "But there's still one more training session you must complete before I can let you go."
Seeing the smile vanish, Kyro braced himself for more criticism.
"And what might that be?"
Hunter pulled a small dagger from his right back pocket. "You have to face me in combat and defeat me."
Kyro exclaimed, "Defeat you? How am I supposed to beat someone as experienced as you?"
Hunter sighed, "Excuses won't get you far. Besides, you have my axe, you've learned my techniques, and I believe you're more prepared than you realize. All I have is this one dagger."
Doubt crept into Kyro's mind; he was unsure if he could truly defeat Hunter in a one-on-one match. His lack of confidence was evident, and Hunter could see it etched across his face. Yet, Hunter had a knack for motivating him with his words.
Hunter shrugged, disappointment flickering in his eyes as he said, "Man...I guess I was mistaken about you. You're already scared to battle me; how could you face real enemies—"
Without waiting for another word, Kyro lifted the axe that had been planted in the ground and rested it on his shoulder.
"I'm ready, and I won't back down from you," Kyro declared, determination igniting in his eyes as he prepared for the challenge.
Hunter smiled, taking his stance with the dagger poised in his right hand. "That's the Kyro I know."
Kyro charged forward with the axe, yelling as he ran. As he ran towards Hunter, Hunter closed his eyes as the wind began to circulate around him. In a split second, Hunter then jumped off the ground lightning quick, propelling himself towards Kyro and clashing his dagger against the axe.
Kyro grunted, "What is this…power?"
Hunter recoiled from the clash, "You can't expect every battle to be fair either."
He charged back in, with the same speed he used before, appearing behind Kyro and tripping him to the ground. Kyro struggled to rise, feeling dizzy from the rapid movements and fatigued from earlier training.
"Ugh," Kyro groaned as he shook his head.
"Man, whatever power he is using is such an advantage…what can I even do?"
Without hesitation, Hunter charged face-to-face towards him, but this time Kyro managed to defend himself by raising his axe in front of his body.
"Nice defense," Hunter exclaimed.
At this point, Kyro was at a loss. Matching Hunter's speed was nearly impossible, especially given his lightning quick movements.
Sensing Kyro was nearly out of breath, Hunter backed off, observing him closely.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Hunter asked.
Not wanting to show any sign of weakness, Kyro replied, "Nothing at all…I'm going to win."
"Not the way you're going about this," Hunter said as he stood relaxed, the power emanating from him dying down.
"You're so focused on my speed that you're neglecting what you can do yourself," Hunter pointed out.
"Power isn't the be-all and end-all for winning battles. If you're going to fight, 99% of the time it's about technique, form, and most importantly,"
Hunter tapped his head, "Your mind."
"My mind, huh?" Kyro pondered, reflecting on Hunter's words.
Hunter sheathed his dagger in his back pocket, signaling the end of the fight. "Why don't you sleep on it, and we can try again tomorrow when you're more refreshed?"
But Kyro, sweat dripping from his forehead and his arms trembling, boldly declared, "No, I'm not leaving until I beat you."
"His power might be overwhelming…but I will finish my training right here!"
With renewed determination, Kyro readied his axe and charged at Hunter once more.
Hunter, taken aback, quickly drew his dagger and clashed it against Kyro's axe, feeling a surge of power from Kyro's strike.
Smiling, Hunter retreated swiftly, using the same speed once more.
"He's going to try to go fast again, isn't he? In that case…" Kyro thought as he dashed deeper into the forest.
"That's not going to help you against my speed!" Hunter shouted.
With a powerful push off the ground, Hunter bolted towards Kyro.
As Hunter lunged, dagger poised to catch Kyro by surprise, Kyro astounded him by embedding the blade of his axe into a nearby tree. He swung himself around the tree to evade Hunter's attack.
Hunter missed his target as he barreled past.
"Ugh!"
Kyro recalled the time he had protected a woman from a strange man, using the ground to create a distraction. Although the forest was merely grass, he envisioned a similar tactic that could work.
Kyro retrieved his axe from the tree trunk, preparing to implement this new strategy. But before he could act, he heard Hunter's speed circling around him in the forest.
Quickly, Kyro slammed his axe into the same tree trunk, causing it to begin to topple over.
Hunter, circling him, watched from a distance, "What is this boy up to?"
In an instant, Hunter charged in, aiming for a direct hit on Kyro. With instinct kicking in, Kyro blocked Hunter's dagger with his axe, preventing contact.
Kyro then kicked Hunter away with all his might before scrambling to the top of the fallen tree. His plan was to slam the top of the tree, sending leaves swirling around to disrupt Hunter, just as he had done before.
Hunter, slow to rise from the powerful kick, noticed Kyro's intentions and rushed after him.
Kyro reached the top of the fallen tree and slammed it down, unleashing a flurry of leaves into the air.
Hunter quickly realized, "This is just like that!"
With leaves swirling around, Hunter struggled to pinpoint Kyro's exact location. He considered throwing his dagger into the chaos but remembered how Kyro had used the dagger from the odd man to his advantage. Not wanting to fall into that trap, Hunter instead sprang into the mess, using his speed to propel himself while gripping his dagger tightly.
"I've got you now!" Hunter shouted as he sliced through the leaves, making his way to the center of the whirlwind created by Kyro's axe slam. To his astonishment, Kyro was nowhere to be found.
"What?! Where did he—"
Before he could finish his thought, Kyro had his axe pressed against Hunter's neck, signifying his victory.
"I…win," Kyro panted, a triumphant smile breaking through his exhaustion.
Hunter stood speechless, speechless of Kyro tricking him. Although he could quickly move out of this sticky situation, Hunter chose instead to let Kyro have this victory for his clever thinking.
Hunter placed his dagger back in his pocket, turning to Kyro with a proud smile, "Wow, impressive Kyro! I never imagined you would use it as a decoy. I thought for sure this would end like last time."
Kyro, placing the axe into the ground, replied, "Well, initially I thought to do that, but once I heard you leaping and no dagger being thrown, I moved to the side as quickly as possible."
Hunter laughed heartily, "Bahaah, you had a contingency plan in case your initial strategy failed! I never would have guessed a new adventurer like you could think so far ahead."
Suddenly, Hunter placed his hand on top of Kyro's head, "I think you're ready, boy, to embark on your adventure now."
Kyro looked up at him, joy radiating from his eyes, knowing he had finally earned Hunter's respect.
"However this is not the end of your training just yet," Hunter exclaimed.
Kyro exclaimed, "What, are you serious?!"
Hunter chuckled, "Well, you do want to learn how to use aether like how I used in battle right?"
Suddenly remembering the strange powers he faced in battle, immediately his face had a much happier expression, willing to learn.
"That's more like it!" laughed Hunter.
"Why did you not tell me how to use aether before?
"A couple of reasons. One, if you remember what I said earlier, aether is draining across the country meaning it is very unstable to use in combat directly. We would need to get you something called an aetherite crystal. "
"And then two, aether is not everything in a fight. We are not gifted with unlimited reserves. You should know how to fight even without aether, it will make more of a well-seasoned warrior on the battlefield."
Hunter then put up his right sleeve, showing a bracelet, with a bright blue aetherite crystal in the middle of it.
"Anyways, this is crystal stored with an abundance of aether. These crystals as well, although can't grab as much aether as humans, it can provide a consistent stream of aether to us during these tough times. If things were normal, humans can draw steadier aether than these crystals but unfortunately, that's not the case," explained Hunter.
"I know a friend of mine in a village not too far from here who might have something for you so I can help you out in our next steps. I'll accompany you to ensure everything goes smoothly."
Kyro nodded in agreement, glancing down at the axe, realizing it wasn't truly his and that he should probably return it.
He lifted it from the ground, preparing to hand it over, but Hunter immediately raised his hand to signal him to stop.
"You don't need to give me the axe back."
"But it's not mine, and I'm—"
Hunter interrupted, "What use would the axe have back at the inn? Besides, you're going on an adventure, and you'll need it more than I will. Consider it a parting gift from me to you."
Kyro was taken aback by Hunter's generosity. A warm feeling blossomed in his heart, a sensation he had never experienced before, or at least doesn't remember experiencing.
He smiled and said, "Thank you, Hunter!"
Hunter smiled as he and Kyro made their way back to the Wolf's Inn, ready to rest for the night.
The next morning, Kyro came down to the lobby when suddenly Hunter had a little surprise for him. He held out some sort of strap for the axe which looked to hold the axe on Kyro's back in place so he didn't have to lug it everywhere.
"Here you go Kyro," Hunter said as he handed it to him.
Kyro questioned, "What is that?"
"Oh its just something so you can carry the axe on your back without the worry of lugging it around in your hands. I used it on my adventurer long time ago so I thought it would be useful for you."
Kyro smiled and nodded as he accepted the gift and equipped the strap. He then grabbed his axe that was placed next to the entrance of the inn and put it on his back to test it out.
"See, isn't that better," grinned Hunter.
Hunter then pulled out something else and rolled out on one of the tables in the lobby. It seemed to be a map of the country.
"Before we go anywhere, its probably smart I show you the map of the country and where we are."
The map stretched far and wide across the table. The land stretched far from east to west with a mountain range ranging from the far southwest and then curved a little west, secluding basically a part of the country behind the mountains. Near south of the map seemed to be a drawing of a couple buildings, an indication of the country's capital.
Up northeast of the map and southeast of the map, the land seemed to go off page. Kyro noticed that immediately and decided to ask Hunter about that.
"Hey, why does the map go off page?"
"Huh?" said Hunter all confused.
Hunter then realized quickly he was talking about the land northeast and southeast on the map.
"Ah this. Well, this is the map of Sylmora, our country, to be more specific. But of course, our world is much larger than this."
Hunter then pointed to a yellow star all the way to left of the map. "This is where we are, the small village of Willow. The buildings you see south is the capital, Tulsan."
Hunter then pointed all the way to right of the map to the mountain, "And this is this mountain range is called Thornveil Row. That secluded land past the mountains is mostly unknown to everyone, including a longtime adventurer like me. The royal family heavily advises going past the mountain range due to very unstable aether there."
Lastly, he then pointed a little northwest up from Willow was. "This is the village of Pinehollow, where my old pal can help you out."
Hunter turned to Kyro, "I haven't stepped outside the village for a very long time, so we both will have to be on the lookout for the dangers out there."
"But now that I got that away, I take it we both are ready, you're eager for us to get going?"
Kyro, smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
"Awesome, wait for me in the lobby for a quick minute. Need to grab a couple of things," said Hunter as he headed upstairs to his room.
After five minutes, Hunter descended the staircase, his appearance transformed. He wore a rugged leather tunic, intricately stitched with patterns that hinted at his past adventurous spirit. A quiver of arrows hung at his side, each fletching vibrant against the muted tones of his attire. On his back carried his bow strap which held his beautifully crafted wooden bow, its surface polished to a warm sheen. Beneath his leather tunic, a thick chainmail glimmered subtly, offering protection while allowing for ease of movement. His feet were encased in sturdy metal boots, their polished surface reflecting the light as he moved, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead. The aethertie crystal from before was still around his right wrist. Lastly, another strange crystal hung from neck in the form of a necklace but this time the color was orange.
"Ah, this bring back old memories…" thought Hunter.
Kyro looked at him in sheer amazement to how Hunter looked.
"Amazing, you look great Hunter!"
"Thanks Kyro," proudly said Hunter.
"I wish I had more protective wear for you, but sadly most of it is my old adventuring clothes which you wouldn't fit in." shrugged Hunter.
Kyro didn't mind that all confidently saying, "Oh that's no problem I will be able to hold my own!"
Pointing to his own outfit, Hunter explained, "This was the outfit I wore when I was traveling Sylmora only of course carrying the war axe that you have now," said Hunter as he pointed toward Kyro's axe.
"Regardless, I picked up the art of archery on my way along in case I didn't have my axe so rest assured I shall be able to hold my own and protect you if need be."
Kyro nodded and then pointed towards the orange crystal, "What is that crystal handing around your neck?"
Hunter looked down at the orange crystal. "Oh this? Well…its a bit complicated, I shall explain it later when it all makes sense."
Kyro didn't quite understand what importance it possibly had but nevertheless, they both then exited the Wolf's Inn and headed the forest leading towards the village over.
Kyro was full of excitement, ready to embark on the unknown world for the first time as he could remember (which isn't saying much). Hunter enjoyed every second watching Kyro's excitement, reminding him of the joy he felt when he first went on his adventure.
They traveled for many days on foot with Hunter teaching him other survival skills he would need once Kyro would be traveling alone such as hunting for food, finding shelter, etc. Kyro was soaking it all in, venturing out in the outside world for the first time. It was an experience he would never forget.
At long last however, they finally made it to Pinehollow. Unlike Willow, this place seemed even more deserted with no sign of life. Houses were broken down, the streets were all messy and the few people they did see around only gave them a harsh stare before walking away quickly.
Kyro was shocked to see the place in distraught, even more than Willow, "What happened here?"
Hunter, with no change in facial expression, simply replied, "This is our unfortunate reality. My guess is it will only get worse from here."
He then pointed in the east direction towards a small, tiny wooden house, enough to only house one person.
"Over there is where we will find who we need. Let's go."
As they started to make their way over there, the glimmer of a tall blue crystal in the north end of the village caught Hunter's eyes.
"What the hell is this…I don't remember seeing that the last time I was here…"
Hunter then looked around Pinehollow reminiscing how lively the village was when he first visited as a young adventurer. It was so robust, full of life, people mingling with one another, houses in all proper fashion, the street all neat and clean.
"It kills me to see once a beautiful village be in the state it is right now…"
Finally, they made it to the doorsteps of the house Hunter pointed out earlier. Hunter sighed as he said, "Alright well here goes nothing."
Hunter knocked on the door as loud as he could. But no, a single step from the inside could be heard making its way. Confused, Hunter knocked once more, this time even louder.
"What's going on, where is he?" asked Kyro.
"Not sure at all," pondered Hunter as he wondered where his friend could be off to.
Suddenly from seemingly out of nowhere, a wooden spear with a steel point was thrown in the direction of Hunter and Kyro.
Hunter, noticing that from the corner of his eyes, quickly grabbed Kyro and jumped to avoid the hit from the spear.
"Who are you? Show yourself," shouted Hunter.
He then looked up and noticed a strange boy around the same age as Kyro on top of a broken wooden house. The boy was tall, a bit more muscular, with jet black hair and forest green eyes. He wore a fitted long black shirt that accentuated his athletic build, paired with dark jeans that hugged his legs. He wore a heavy belt that seemed to hold a bottle of sorts, probably for water. On his feet were sturdy combat boots, and a silver chain hung loosely around his neck, glinting in the light with a similar crystal in the middle much like Hunter's.
As serious as it gets, the boy quickly remarked back. "I should be asking you the same question. Why are you here?"
"We are just here to see his friend for some help," Kyro said as he tried to calm the situation.
"Lies," quickly barked back the boy.
"How stupid do you think I am to believe something so foolish?"
The boy then put out his right arm, opening his palm to recall his spear. A light breeze then flowed through the air as the spear was quickly picked up from the ground and right back into his hand.
"Step aside, before I kill you both," sternly said the boy, coldly staring them down.