There were a few hours until sunrise, and many were asleep at this time. The birds that usually sang in their melodious tunes slumbered, and the kings of beasts rested. Humans were no different, as they slept to regain their strength during the night. Yet it wasn’t the same for all of them. Just as there were some animals that hunted at night, some humans also progressed and worked at night. In this case, there were humans who chose to use this time to travel.
The wilderness was vast and filled with all sort of creatures. There were those creatures powerful enough to remain under the open sky because they didn’t fear any ambushes from other beasts. Their power gave them the confidence to remain in the open yet feel no threat. There were also creatures that were sly and cunning. They weren’t the strongest creatures in the wilderness, but their cunning and intelligence allowed them to survive in the cruel world.
A large snake hid between the grasses, it
Although the sun hadn’t fully risen, a new day had already began. As others prepared themselves for the events of the day, some were already on the move. Every village, town or city was separated by a huge stretch of land, and this land formed part of the vast wilderness. Currently there were people traversing the vast and dangerous wilderness as they sought to get to Asher City.Four horses traveled at a speed so fast that the naked eye would only see blurry images of them. Two of these horses only carried luggage, with each of the two carrying two large bags. The other two horses carried people. There were four people in total – three males and a female – and each horse carried two of them. These people were Ivor, Lam, Mane and Lily. Ivor and Lam shared one horse. The large stature of Red Maned Horses made it so that even Ivor’s large build was easily accommodated and Lam didn’t feel uncomfortable. Mane and Lily shared the other Red Maned Horse
The four traveled for about four days before they finally saw the outline of Asher City. They started each day at dawn, and stopped to rest when the sun was going down. This schedule was only possible because they were riding Red Maned Horses. If they were using other means of transport, they wouldn’t have made it here so quickly by following such a schedule. After all, they didn’t have much time to get to Asher City before the next contest. They had about a week to get there. With regular mounts, it would have taken 3 weeks to get to Asher City if they took only 3 hours of rest each day. But with Red Maned Horses they were able to do it in only 4 days and get ample rest too.“It is large,” Lam had an expression of awe as he gazed upon the magnificent walls that blocked the houses of the city from his vision. Although they were still some distance away, he could see the tall and strong walls of Asher City.Over the course of four days, the twins
As they rode through the bustling city, Lily and Lam stared wide-eyed at everything they saw. Everything was a hundred times bigger than it was in the village they grew up in. There were several market places, each of which were several times larger than the single market place their village possessed. And the people here were very elegantly dressed.“This place is gorgeous!” Lam was in deep awe of everything he saw, and Ivor smiled at his naïve expression. Seeing Lam looking left and right with an insatiable expression on his face, Ivor smiled broadly as if the city was his.“It is several times larger than the village!” Lily was just as smitten as her brother, if not more so by what she was also seeing. Her eyes sparkled delightfully as she watched the sights around her. Everything appealed to her. The precious stones, the jewels, the beautiful clothes, and the grand buildings. Most buildings were two stories tall, and there were some tha
“Oh? Someone is interested in your girlfriend.” Hildegarde who was seated on Mane’s shoulder was quick to tease Mane upon hearing the words of the fully armored Thrasher. Although Mane didn’t know much about the opposite sex and love, he knew what a girlfriend was. After all, Frederick had been constantly saying he wanted Selina to be his girlfriend. And Mane’s father, Ray, always boasted about how he had won his mother, Alexis’s heart and made her his girlfriend when they were only teens.Mane turned his attention to the carriage that the Thrasher was responsible for guarding. It was a luxuriously decorated carriage. It was a large white carriage with gold ingots adorning the door. The horses that pulled the carriage were large and strong. They were called Gold Hoofed Horses due to the yellow color of their hooves. They were expensive and difficult to come by. But they weren’t as rare or as strong as Red Maned Horses. So if Red Maned
There were very few people using this route, and those that were tried their hardest to get as far away from the events that were happening as possible because they didn’t want to get caught up in anything. There were a few houses around, and some people peeking through the windows of these homes to see what was going on. Mane could hear the murmurings of these people. Although they weren’t close, he could still hear what they were saying since he was a Scholar. And from their murmurings he picked up a lot of useful information.“Young Master Twain is at it again”“Just because his father is a Predator he thinks he can do whatever he wants?”“What do you mean by saying he thinks he can do whatever he wants? He can actually do whatever he wants. When has Young Master Twain ever wanted something that he hasn’t been able to get it? After all, the Predator Houses are all very influential and few people can afford to of
Now that the tour had been ruined for them, the entourage comprising of Ivor, Mane, Lam, Lily, and Tucker their new addition, made its way straight to the residence of the Orange Team. As they rode towards their destination, Tucker got acquainted with the group. He was stunned to learn of Ivor’s identity, and it was strange for Mane and the twins to see his face turn pale when he heard the name Ivor the Tattler. The weirdest thing was he actually begged for Ivor’s forgiveness for his earlier impudence, and the fear in his eyes could easily be seen by a person an entire mile away. So it was right to assume that the twins and Mane saw this – and they did. This made Mane even more wary of Ivor.“I wonder what kind of things he has done for so many people to be so fearful of him” That was what Hildegarde said when she saw the fear in Tucker’s eyes. And Mane wondered the same as well. It was clear that Ivor wasn’t respected but feared.
Vital Orange had a surprised expression on his face when he head Ivor’s words. He looked at Mane and tried to see through him. The young man was bright and handsome. His dashing good looks could make many men feel inferior, and the aura he exuded was so full of confidence that many would feel slighted when seated within his presence. His beautiful golden hair and deep blue eyes seemed to contain the mysteries of the world, and his build was good. Yet Vital Orange couldn’t find anything extraordinary about the boy’s strength. Although he had a good build, there were many who weren’t even at the level of Fighters yet had good builds. So that wasn’t enough. As for the confidence and mysteriousness Mane exuded, Vital Orange didn’t think much of it since he had met people who belonged to powerful families but had no strength themselves who possessed such auras. So it also wasn’t enough to come to a conclusion that Mane was a powerful warrior.
“I hope you understand why we are doing this.” Vital Orange stood quite a distance away from Mane and softly spoke to him. The two were standing on a field within the mansion used for training.Vital Orange was topless, wearing only his shorts and his combat boots. His ripped physique was exposed to everyone, and anyone who saw him in this state could already feel the power contained within those muscles. In contrast to Vital Orange’s battle hardened physique, Mane looked like a noble going out for a stroll. He wore loose clothes and had a small smile on his face even though he was about to battle. He was barefoot but wasn’t truly exposed. His arms, legs and feet were completely wrapped up in black bandages, and two swords were strapped to his back – one heavy sword and one light sword – making it difficult for one to analyse what exactly his fighting style was.“I do. You said you wanted to understand my level of strength.&rdq