"So, are we ready?" Lone asked Stewart, two spears in hand. One was [Slone], and the other was his new spear made from the giant leech. The metal fang shone brightly under the dimming fire, its pulsating red flesh making the spear seem more alive.
[Inspection]
_______________
[Writhing]- Once a living being that strived for greater power and a greater purpose. Now struck down and transformed to accompany a Wandering Knight, as they figure out the true limit of their power. Skill: [Feeding Frenzy]- A skill that allows the user to open a black space that leads to a dark space that summons the maw of a giant leech to strike at those targeted. The more the leech devours, the stronger the spear becomes.
_______________
"Yeah, just carved the last of the useful meat," Stewart said as he wrapped a carved chunk of Bestial flesh in a cloth before putting it into a sack. If you could call the drained stomach of a Bestial a sack.
"You sure that... "thing" will actually work? I mean, isn't there a chance that we both will get sick or something from eating meat that we stuffed inside of it?" Lone asked as he stared at the stomach. Hearing this, Stewart just lifted the stomach over his shoulder and sighed.
"If we were regular people, then yes. In fact, we both might die if we ate the meat just because it came from a Bestial. But we aren't regular people, we are Wielders. Our bodies can take more abuse than regular folks," Stewart said as he looked up at the starry sky and raised two fingers up. His goal was simple, try to find some familiar stars in the sky and determine how far they were from the city.
Lone didn't say anything else, not wanting to interrupt him and all that. Though it would be a lie not to say he was curious about Stewart's background. Surface level, he appears to be a happy, calm guy that you could hang out with.
But when you watch him more, he is either a focused fighter who doesn't care if he is hurt or a very calm strategist who knows so much more than what a regular soldier should know.
"Actually, what was his job before he became my escort?"
Lone just stared at Stewart for a bit before turning away. Whatever Stewart did in the past didn't really matter right now, well, maybe it did, but he would find out once they made it to the city.
Lone stood there, his eyes scanning the horizon as he breathed out. His body was aching like hell, and his wounds were still open, but over time, they seemed to have slowly healed. Though it wasn't by much. Maybe this was something that Wielders could do?
"Have you found the star you're looking for?" Lone said as he spun [Writhing] around in his right hand. The more he used his ability, the more he understood Wielders.
What were Wielders?
Wielders are those chosen by Arcana to be able to wield great power. The sign of this great power is the tattoo every Wielder is given that shows the path they have chosen for themselves. What decides a person being chosen? What decides the shape of the tattoo? What decides the ability given? But the real question is, what is Arcana?
While he himself did not know the answers to these questions, maybe in time he would understand them.
"Do I have a tattoo? If so, what does it look like?" Lone thought as he walked to Stewart's side.
"Yeah, I found the Summit Star," Stewart said as he began walking. Lone followed behind, spears resting on his shoulder.
The two walked out of the destroyed part of the forest littered with corpses and into the dark, lively forest once again. The two walked once more through the dark forest, but with a clearer goal than before.
As they both walked, they did not relax. Just because it was quiet did not mean that there were no Bestials nearby. In their current state, fighting would be their loss, for they would not only lose time but also gain more injuries.
"Stewart, tell me what the city is like?" Lone asked as he walked, his voice silent.
Stewart glanced at Lone before opening his mouth, "The city isn't like the towns you are used to. While the towns you lived in could hold maybe a hundred or so people. The city holds all of humanity, so in the millions or billions. I don't know the specific numbers."
Lone paused, his steps faltering as he processed Stewart's words.
"All of humanity!" Lone shouted silently, "But you said it was a city!"
"It is a city. The only city humanity ever made," Stewart said, a bit confused as he ducked under a branch, "I don't know how your folks described the city, but it isn't like a giant town you are thinking of."
Stewart walked behind a tree, "The city is basically millions of towns built into one big area that is walled off from the outside world that extends both upwards and downwards in seven levels. So you have about seven floors going up and seven floors going down, for a total of 14 floors. It is also separated into nine sections, with each section made for a God."
Lone stared, gobsmacked as he comprehended what he had heard.
"14 floors, nine sections, all holding millions of people, and there are gods", Lone thought as he slowed his pace. Just thinking that such a place existed bogged his mind. How can such a place even operate?!
Lone realised that he slowed down too much and sped up.
"Why did we build that single city instead of building multiple cities?" Lone asked as he caught back up to Stewart, "I mean, wouldn't it have been a whole lot better if we just built more than one city?"
Stewart stared at Lone as though he had heard a very dumb question. But that look changed once he remembered how old Lone was, "I keep forgetting you're just a kid. But still, your town should have taught you this stuff in their schools."
"Let me ask you this, do you want the long version of our history or the short one? We have enough time for me to tell you about the history of the city and the world we live in," Stewart asked as he looked at the nearby trees.
The lack of Bestials was good for them, but it did not bode well. At least for Stewart, it didn't. Maybe the one's that attacked them killed the ones around them? But if so, there should be signs of a battle nearby. But there wasn't.
While Stewart wondered why there were no Bestials, Lone thought about Stewart's offer.
"I mean, Z promised to tell me the lore of this world but said basically nothing. Just things I needed to know, and that was it. Also, we have a long way to go before we reach the city. I think we have a long way? But still, it's a good way to know what the heck is going on with this world," Lone thought as he stared at Stewart.
"I mean, I don't know much about Bestials. Only that they are animals enhanced by Arcana, and it seems that there is more to that than even Stewart and the people in the city know about."
After a couple of seconds of thinking, he came to a conclusion.
"We have time, so go ahead", Lone said to Stewart, though he was thinking of his question in his mind. He wasn't blind to Stewart's actions, his eyes scanning and his face scowling as he looked at the trees.
"What's wrong?" Lone asked.
Stewart didn't say anything as he just stared at the trees. After a couple of seconds, he sighed, "I think we don't have to worry about Bestials for a while."
Lone stared at Stewart; he didn't need to ask to know what he was implying. The Bestials were obviously listening to a powerful being and moved under its control.
So if a once-abundant forest full of Bestials is now silent, it only means that they were ordered to move and converge on a single location.
"How many people are stationed at the fort?" Lone asked Stewart, concern hanging in his words.
Stewart sighed, "About five hundred regular soldiers, two hundred or so prisoners, and only fifty Wielders, with only one of them being at the Warlord rank."
"How strong is the Warlord rank?" Lone asked, a bad feeling already crawling up his stomach.
"I don't fully know, but if I compare my strength to the Warlord in the fort. Then I would say he is far stronger than me," Stewart said with confidence in his words. Yet, his face said otherwise as his eyes seemed hollow.
Lone didn't say anything as he stared back.
A war between man and beast was waging.