Few hours has passed and we were near the Second Ark. We stepped out of the cargo that gave us quite a bumpy ride every so often, I stretched as if to loosen up my stiffened shoulders.
"Is this the Second Ark? Dang, it's massive." I blurted out of amazement.
"Are you ready? Let's go, Astral."
We walked inside and I was like a kid revolving my eyes at the insides of The Great Second Ark— so I thought. There was moss splattered across the floor, crushed floors that shrieks, and vines that entangles the entirety of Second Ark. Every time you roll your eyes out; you would see many— things... disturbing ones...
...
We walked for quite a while and finally, some people greeted us. Well, not the warming welcome one.
"Yahaha, are you kids lost or something?"
"Do they have money?"
They were bandits; a dozen of them hastily surrounding us. I placed my hand near my sword. Koukei unfazed walked straight to what seems like the bandit leader.
"Umm... we are travelers and we would want to use this route."
"Money, do you have any?"
"About three gold coins."
At the mention of gold coins, they were all quivering in excitement.
"Give it to me."
"Will you let us go then?"
"Let you go? Hahaha..."
The bandits' burst of laughter at Koukei's statement.
"After you give me your money, I'll kill you and your little bud over there."
He shot glares at me.
"I see, then that's how it is."
"Yeah, that's how it is, so give me your mon"—
The bandit flew away crushing the wooden thick post. They all reacted but Koukei let out an intense bloodlust silencing them. Weeps of tears were all they could manage as they hastily ran. Koukei and I pick up our pace and started running for the lost time we wasted with those idiots.
'I forgot he is strong. Although once you get to know him he's annoying to deal with...' I trailed off my thoughts as we ran.
We would stop and catch our breaths. Sometimes more bandits came after us only to run away with tears.
"Remind me Koukei why did we use this route again?"
"Because the Main Road is mostly under the control of the Elves remember? The World Tree is governed by Elves which was somewhere not far away from the Main Road, right? If we use the Main Road who knows how will the Elves react."
Koukei continued on.
"And by the way, when we get to Oaphyllis do not wander off from the lower and upper regions. Our business is in the middle regions so remember that."
"Yeah, I know. But if the bandits reside here then shouldn't the army of the Baullheart Kingdom or anyone apprehend these people?"
"I suppose you would think that because you haven't used this route yet."
"What do you mean by that?"
We stopped and I looked at Koukei for answers.
"There's an infamous criminal residing here in the Second Ark. And he has built a town inside here."
Koukei continued on.
"He is the boss of the bandits in here. He is currently the one who controls the Second Ark."
"If he is an infamous criminal then wouldn't bounty hunters or other tried to detain him?"
"Obviously that would be the case. However, he has a... dragon. And if we want to get out Second Ark we need to pay him a fine the three gold coins I showed to the bandit earlier."
"And if we don't pay him?"
"He'll kill us with his dragon."
Well, any sane minded person would just pay the fine.
"A dragon huh, you don't hear that word every day."
"Rumours say that he tamed that dragon when he got here. And even without the dragon, he's pretty powerful. He's a Rank SS Criminal in the World Records. It would need a powerful person to bring him down especially with him having a dragon. Like, the Crownless Heroes perhaps."
Koukei shifted his gaze to me who reacted to his last statement. That encounter with them is still etched in my mind.
"Anyway, we just have to pay him three gold coins? Sounds neat let's go then?" I shrugged my worries and started running again. Soon after Koukei followed and didn't mention anything about the Crownless Heroes.
'A Rank SS Criminal... Can we get out of Second Ark this easy?' I doubted.
...
A few more hours and it was already nightfall the inside of the Second Ark is pitch black. Soon we reached where there is a light source. We got to the town Koukei mentioned.
"Geez, running blindly to that dark pathway took us hours to get here."
"You were the one running blindly, Astral. I chanted an orb of light and you were lost in your thoughts you basically went the other way. How come a person does that?"
We stopped near the entrance.
"All right I get it..."
"Doesn't sound like an apology to me."
I didn't say any further and walked to the town.
Even if the entrance of the Second Ark earlier was disturbing this town seemed more cleaner and there are actual people residing in here except for bandits. We walked a bit.
"What are we going to do now, Koukei?"
"We should stay in this town tonight. Who knows if we keep going all the way to the other side of the Ark you'll be there with me when I get there."
Koukei hissed, mocking me for earlier. I didn't say anything back but I just stare at him angrily for few seconds.
The day passed and after getting up early we walked outside of the town. And continued going to the other side.
...
After a while, we could see the other side, and a tall man with his black hair and green eyes greeted us.
"Oh, you're back using this route again, Koukei?"
"Yeah, I have reasons, Tetra."
Koukei handed down the three gold coins. Tetra got the gold coins and slid his gaze at me.
"I'm Astralish, Sir Tetra."
"Tetra's fine. Say, your name rings a bell." ... "Oh, you are the adventurer who subjugated the minotaur and defeated a monster raid all on your own! Then you must be strong."
Tetra exclaimed.
"Not at all. Not as strong as you."
...
"Say, why don't we spar a little, Astralish?"
Tetra peered at me.
"A spar?"
"Yeah, it's just for a moment. My whole body is stiffened and I need some exercise."
"That sounds great, right Astral?"
Koukei weighed in.
I gave in and accepted Tetra's offer. We moved to the top of the Second Ark where space was large and no one would be disturbed... or so I thought.
I could see the vast horizon here. I shifted my glances here and there. I could see a scenery I have never seen before.
"Shall we start, Astral?"
"Ahh, yes..."
I walked in the middle and Koukei was watching quite gleefully, I say. I took out my sword and stare at Tetra. Who was barehanded, I questioned but he answered that it doesn't matter.
'Belittling me like that...' I was kinda angry.
"Don't blink, Astralish."
Koukei signaled to start.
...
I looked at Tetra who is slowly assuming a stance. I chanted, "Ablaze" and coated my sword with much more fiercer flames than before. I took a step to charge right in.
"...!"
Tetra was already near me; bolting across the 12 meters apart in a flash. He clenched his fist pulling the centimeters of his fist and my gut in a mere second.
The force of his fist knocked me unconscious. I was ready to fall down. I gritted my teeth and it started to bleed out. Jolting from unconsciousness. I took a step back and vigorously slashed horizontally aiming from Tetra's abdomen. He quickly jumped back. His eyes were quivering with excitement. Once again he slowly assumed his stance and before I could realize his fist, once again aiming at my gut. I quickly evaded but that was a feint. His right leg darted my chin in a crescent form. It was inevitable. I got flipped backward and I tried to quickly regain my stance. He stopped in a few seconds.
An intense bloodlust gushed through me. Trapping my mind to a state of confusion. 'Damn it... I got scared.' I grumbled. Tetra's right hand was coated with mana.
"...! Okay, your 'little spar' is now over." Koukei immediately stopped Tetra's strike.
As if waking from a dream, Tetra realized he went too far.
"I'm sorry, Astralish. I got carried away."
"It's fine, Tetra."
...
"But I got to say, you caught me by surprise when you suddenly swung your sword at me. I thought I knocked you out."
'So he intended to knock me out...'
"Haha... Well, that would be pretty lame if I got defeated so suddenly."
I chuckled.
We walked back downwards where the exit of The Second Ark was.
"I'm sorry again, Astralish. I just wanted to see if the rumors were true."
"Rumors?"
I asked.
"Yeah, that you are strong enough to escape from the Crownless Heroes. I gotta say I believe now haha..."
"Well, I didn't escape. They just let me go."
"That doesn't matter haha..."
'Tetra's a weird fellow...'
After conversing with Tetra and recovering my stamina. Koukei and I started heading out of the Second Ark.
"You are going to the Oaphyllis, right?"
"Yeah, why Tetra?"
Koukei looked back at Tetra.
"The forest you are going to right now is 'The Forgetting Forest' right?"
'Forgetting Forest?'
"Yeah."
"Well, why don't you just hop on to Bruuteer?"
"Bruuteer?"
It's one after another. I couldn't catch on to what they were saying.
"Ehh... but wouldn't that alert the Elves?"
"It's fine I'll just leave you outside of the forgetting forest."
I didn't know what they were talking about at all.
"So who's Bruuteer?"
I couldn't hold it in any longer and ask.
"Oh, Bruuteer is my dragon."
"..."
'Say what...'
