ALL NOVEL Chapter 17: Chapter 17 : Bladewalk
Blinded by rage and frustration, the scar-faced wolf charged directly into Elias' attack, his blade whizzed through the air, threatening to take off the head of the beast.
But there was a reason the scar-faced wolf was the Alpha of his pack, being an alpha required a certain level of speed, strength, and intelligence. At the last minute, the creature evaded Elias' attack and jumped back a few paces.
Although the wolf preserved its life for the moment, it did it at a cost, for Elias' sword had cleanly taken off one of its front limbs.
The wolf whimpered in pain and growled at Elias', but Elias could care less. He didn't waste any more time before charging up for his next move; the second step on the unknown swordsmanship.
Elias stood poised, his body humming with the energy generated by Bladewalk. He felt the gathered momentum coiling within him, ready to be unleashed. With a sharp exhale, he transitioned into the next step.
In a fluid motion, Elias swung his blade in a graceful arc, channeling the force of his previous movements into the strike. The blade sang through the air, its edge gleaming with lethal intent.
Refusing to give up, the wolf howled and charged at Elias too, jaws filled with deadly fangs at full stretch and long sharp claws that could cleave a tree easily in half.
As Elias' sword met the wounded Direwolf's claw, there was no jarring clash; instead, his blade seemed to meld with the claws of the wolf, locking it in a seamless bind.
"[???? Swordsmanship: Second step: Bladebind]"
The wolf snarled in confusion, its eyes widened in surprise as it struggled to break free from the binding hold. But Elias' skill left no room for escape. His movements were precise, his control absolute.
With a twist of his wrist and a shift of his weight, he manipulated the bind to her advantage, guiding the wolf's clawed limb away, leaving it vulnerable.
In that fleeting moment of vulnerability, Elias's blade was already in motion, a blur of steel aimed at the wolf's exposed side. The culmination of Bladewalk and Bladebind had led to this decisive strike.
"[Slash (Basic)]"
Elias' sword sent the wolf's head flying a few feet away from its body. The Direwolf's cries rang through the clearing for a second as it saw its own headless body before life drained from its eyes.
Elias stood over the decapitated body of the Direwolf, an unsatisfied expression on his face.
He sighed, "In the end, I couldn't use the third step and settled for a basic slash, it would have been overkill.
At least I was able to see the effectiveness of the swordsmanship Godfrey taught me, it was quite good." He said as he brought his sword to rest on the throat of the wolf's corpse, cut a gap open, and brought out a green crystal the size of his head
"So this is what a beast gem feels like, it smells worse than I imagined" Elias wore a disgusted expression as he held the crystal as far away from him as possible
"It's only a green beast gem, the second lowest type of beast gem, but I'm sure I can sell it for a good price once I get to Eldoria. Now, to get back to the priest and maybe teach a certain acolyte a lesson" Elias said, as he slashed his sword through the air, causing all the blood on it to fly off.
"[Perception]"
*****
"That's the last one" Priest Mathias announced, dusting his hands as he burnt the last of the Direwolves to a crisp, "Let's move before we find ourselves fighting more beasts"
"Where's the boy?" Mathias demanded as soon as he noticed Elias was nowhere to be seen
Dickson and Nigel wore a defeated and sad expression, they couldn't look Mathias in the eyes
"I'm asking you, where is the child of light?!" Mathias roared, but Nigel and Dickson remained silent until Dickson spoke, "The…The Direwolf chased after him" he answered in a low tone
"What?! What do you mean 'chased after him?' And where the hell is Anias?"
Dickson opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Anias, "I'm here…Sir" he said, between breaths. He winced with every breath, his body stiff and movements labored. His clothes were torn and bloodstained, hanging off him in tatters.
"What the hell happened to you?" Mathias asked
Anias' face was a canvas of pain, marred by a constellation of bruises in varying stages of healing, from deep purples and blues to sickly yellows.
Both of his eyes were swollen shut, dark circles giving them the appearance of black holes against the pallor of his skin. His nose, crooked and crusted with dried blood, looked broken, and his lips were split and swollen, a trickle of fresh blood staining the corner of his mouth.
Swelling puffed out his cheeks, making his features almost unrecognizable, while numerous cuts and abrasions crisscrossed his face, neck, and arms.
His once neat hair was matted and tangled, sticking to his forehead with sweat and blood.
Elias emerged from the shadows of the trees with only his sword tied to his waist, "Anias saved me, that's what happened. He fought the Direwolf valiantly and killed it" he said, exaggerating the gestures of fighting, "He was truly brave, mhmm" Elias nodded
"Chosen one!!" Dickson and Nigel exclaimed as they ran toward Elias
Mathias raised a curious eyebrow, "He doesn't look like he fought the wolf at all, he looks more like…."
"...He was beaten severely" Dickson completed Mathias's sentence
"Haha..does he?" Elias laughed, "It was a tough battle and brother Anias here fought the wolf with his low mana reserves, that's why he couldn't heal himself, isn't that right?" he added, smiling brightly at Anias
"Y-Yes" Anias replied with his head hung low
"He got beaten up again, didn't he?" Nigel Deadpanned
"He did" Dickson answered
"Serves him right" Nigel added
"Ahh…I see, well done Brother Anias…I'll be sure to put in a good word for you with the higher-ups"
"Th–Thank you, sir"
"Shouldn't we get going? It's getting pretty dark and I'm sure no one wants to be here at night" Elias suggested
"Most certainly, let's get moving"
"Don't worry, we have Brother Anias, we shouldn't be scared of anything" Dickson said, a hint of sarcasm detectable in his tone
"Yes we do" Nigel added and the two giggled like a pair of high-school girls.