《World War, The Beginning》Chapter 15: Prelude of Exploration
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Within the inner dwellings of the castle, King Balin was setting his sight on the horizon from the balcony of his majestic King’s room. His expression was solemn with his mind wanders. Loredon for the past years was peaceful and prosper by the hardworking citizen that live their day cultivating their farm, raise their cattles and earnestly earn their keep.
Before the peace came to this land, Loredon was in turmoil. Their land was desolate with war brewing between nations. At the forefront of that war King Balin was the one who lead the armies of Loredon into the battlefield. With his might and prowess in swordsmanship and battle tactics he has defend Loredon from the brink of extinction.
But now he has aged, the body that has defended this country has passed its peak. Along with the coming of the outlanders from the other world have brought great worries to the old wise king. Seeing their incredible status and abilities has astonish him, one would have thought that this was a blessing from the heaven but to King Balin it was a dark future that clouded the horizon of Loredon.
If one could hold such power, what would have happen if war broke out within the continent? News has travel from afar to the ears of the king. Similar occurrence was occurring in other nations, amazing individuals with extraordinary talent have emerged from the light of summoning.
With this thought in mind, Balin fear the worst have yet to come. If the continent was engulf in a war, this individuals will prove to be a force that will influence the tide of the war. But the things that worried him were to leave the fate of Loredon into the hands of outlanders. It grief him to be unable to protect the dear country that he reign.
The first time that he saw the trio emerging from the light, only one catches his eye. the other two were astounding in their nature and also in their abilities. But their attitudes and their first impression doesn’t reassure him to hand Loredon’s fate to mere strangers.
But a young man from the light caught his eye and there again he peculiar attitude and also his strange abilities make him pique his interest. Time and time again, this young man surprise him and along those notion he had sent a reliable teacher or more of a companion to guide the young outlander.
He had hopes for this young man to save Loredon and this hope was the only one that held him to kept believing in the power of an outlander.
‘may the heaven gave grace to the young man as he is the only hope for Loredon’
Said the King to the full moon that was dangling up on the night sky.
The scene then change to a man with a huge sword standing in front of a training dummy. The sword that he wield was known to the soldiers of Loredon as claymore. A sword that can cut a horse in half with single swing of its mighty blade.
That man at the training ground was none other than the Hero of Claymore, Aaron Underwood. His eye was full of scorn to this world. he had dream to be an elite from his younger days, and as he each step he takes he progress to the goal that he made. To be the best of the best, with his breath sound was loud as it resonant through the training ground. His eye was fixed to the training dummy but none could tell what he really saw.
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He remembers the days when he was young and cheerful. Playing on the front yard of a big mansion, with a large golden retriever. He was only 5 years old at the moment and he was truly blessed with a wealthy family. His father was the CEO of a renowned company and with his skills and intelligence brought his company to the top of the business world.
But Aaron happiness was cut short, a scandal broke out among the higher ups of his father company and his father was used as a scape goat. Their wealth plummets and taken away by the men that was view as an enemy from his family.
From the big mansion in a luxurious neighborhood to a broken down apartment located at the part of a bad neighborhood. With his father in jail, he was then left alone with his depressed mother. Day by day, his was not as pleasant as it used to be. The caring mother he know of was gone and replaced by the always intoxicated woman that drowns herself in alcohol.
It was a hard life for Aaron and as he grew up, he strives to be the best that he can be. Excelling himself in academics, sports and even social activities lead him to be the top of his class. As he grow up he learn the way to communicate with people and above more to take advantage of them. With the burning desire of becoming the best, he used what was available for him in goods or in bad.
He had developed an attitude as the ever growing capabilities of his excellent skills. An arrogant attitude emerge from the boy. His arrogance was due to his pride of once being an elite, and once again he would again receive that title in the near future. Graduating from high school he then went to the prestige ivy university, Princeton.
Adorning the emblem of Princeton he had believe to achieved half of his long term goal and again this place would be a stepping stone for him to excel into the near future. To be a man that his father once is, to be a man that would achieved much more than his imprison father.
Living his life to strive for success, working his ass off to make sure that he would gain the most advantages among his colleagues. But suddenly at one night, walking back from his usual business of meeting among the student council, a ring of light emerge from the ground and sent him to the unusual world that he do not recognize.
Returning back to the present time,
Aaron was still fixated to the training dummy, as his anger swells up he tighten his grip to the claymore hilt. With an angered yell, he dash and swing his sword unleashing a horizontal slash with the claymore glows as he shout the words of his skill;
‘Heavy Slash!’
The training dummy was cut in half cleanly with one stroke of his claymore.
His eye wavered with his emotion run amok within himself, his worried regarding his original world has built up within him.
He was anxious, frantic, and clearly unstable. With the news of him that he will be going on a venture to the unknown dangerous place Dome, his time before he could elude himself from the prelude of war was getting shorter. Means of him to return back to the original world was still blur as the dark fog.
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At the far distance of within the realm of Loredon, a man was walking on his two legs with weighted compartment hangs on his four limbs along with his torso. Each compartment hold 20 kilogram of minerals that was as fine as sand but heavy as a rock. Today was the last day before his exploration training in the dome begin.
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To the weird things that was strap to his body was all plan by the mischievous Bra. It all happens after the first time that he fell unconscious to the tiring bout between him and Bra. The death training 202 made by Bra, was the grueling session of unstoppable clashes between dagger and sword. He has endured the training for 4 days straight and the end of each session was when his mind and body breaks.
He remembers back when he just woken up from the first time that he fainted;
‘ugh.. my head..’
*grumble* *grumble*
A weird sound came from his abdomen
‘damn im hungry, wait im alive!! But how??’
Confused by the sudden development, he then saw a note just beside his head. above the note was two meat jerky, reading the note he then turn furious;
‘hye Red-chan~, you must be hungry right?? So I gave out some jerky, try to hold for much longer or it wouldn’t be fun and by the way you may notice my present hihi’
After reading the last words on the notes, he then sense something was amidst, his limbs and body felt heavier. He frantically search his limbs and found the compartment, it was like a small pouch of silk tie to each one of his limbs and larger pouch hang at the back of his body. feeling the inside of the pouch were like fine sand but only small amount not enough to have the same weight that he felt.
When he tries to remove or dump the sand was in futile, it tightly bound to the extent of him trying to chopping it off with his sword was in vain. At that moment he could on saw the face of a snickering bra with her pair of breast jiggle with a cold laugh. Red could only sigh, but…
*grumble grumble*
He was tired and hungry, he has no other choice then to eat to the jerky. After consuming both of it, he then raises his from the ground. His body literally felt heavy, moving an inch was even hard to do. Suddenly he then sense a familiar and wrenching aura. It was Bra!!
Like a bolt release from a strung crossbow, the speed that it was heading to Red was fast. He immediately need to cast all his support spells. As soon as he finish casting, Bra emerge right in front of him with her mischievous smile and eye. but as she spoke;
‘ready?’
Her eye quickly turn to those that Red was afraid off, it was a start of another bout. He unsheathed his sword and block the close call death define slash that could lead you to the after life but you may live much happier than now kind of strike haha.
Red could barely avoid the first attack, his body felt sluggish and heavier it seems even with the use of his spell the weight could thoroughly be felt.
Returning back to his sense, Red wasn’t really inclined on remembering those torturous bouts against the monstrosity of Bra’s strength. He was getting nauseated just thinking about it, better to let it past on his mind and stay on his body as a reminder.
But one thing for sure his body clearly shown a difference from before, maybe not as buff as those in fantasy story after finishing their training but more of a sturdy look. His posture was more well balanced, his sense show weariness to his surroundings, his body full of scars made by the woman that he once ogle her magnificent mounds and one more important feature that he gain the eyes that show no such hesitancy.
Slowly walking along on the road, his destination currently was to reach the Dome. He could easily ride a horse to the Dome and can reach it by 3 hours top but contrary to that, Bra forced him to run to the Dome with more added weights. He could only grunt to his fate but nonetheless he knows the intention of Bra was for him to survive.
From afar he could see smokes coming up to the sky, black smokes were mixing with natural white cloud the sky. It’s a hint that the base camp of the soldiers must be near, but even then his heavy step was an obstacle that needs to be overcome by his will alone.
At the base camp,
Large and small tents were set up with soldiers running around the proximity doing their assign task. Some were moving boxes of crates and some were yelling at their subordinates. It was a hectic scene. based on sight, the number soldiers were around 40 to 50 people not including those that already inhabited the tents and others that were searching necessities around the camp.
The strength of this group of soldier are at 100 people. With the combination of Loredon soldiers plus two ten men platoon of Royal Guard, it holds some of the elite and best knight in the kingdom of Loredon. The purpose of the expedition was none other to help their fellow heroes to cultivate experience in the battlefield.
Among the chaotic scene of the camp ground, two white tents that are the official housing of the heroes were occupied by them. Miranda, the spell casting heroine was leisurely eating some snacks while relaxing herself on top of a comfortable sofa like chair which were carried by the soldiers themselves. Different from the scene of the outside, the interior of her tent was nonetheless do not match the word ‘camping’.
Wearing a comfortable silk robe laying her curvaceous body on the sofa, her eyes was fixed on the material that she was reading. The silk robe excellently reveal her body line with its material hugging the owner body. from the front a wide view can be seen showing a cleavage between the two peaks. No one could appreciate this moment as she was alone by herself in the wide and spacious tent.
She was reading a text given by her new found master to study a more advanced type of magic that required the knowledge of fundamental that can be describe as hard to grasp. But for Miranda it was easy, with her innate comprehension skill making her able to easily understand the text of complex magic.
Since the event from one week ago, her new master has ask her to read and understand all of the book that was given to her. the book can be clearly seen stacked on top of a table that was beside Miranda. The books were huge and rustic like old document that could be view as a historical heritage, the amount were no way able to be read in a lifetime of a regular mortal but currently Miranda has read about a quarter of the overall books that she has been given proving she was genius in magic.
‘huh~ this new master is so bothersome, why do I need to read all this thick book!! Urgh!!’
Miranda was annoyed, she was very much annoyed with her new master. It seems she wasn’t really someone that would love to read, the incidence where she finish all her previous master books was because she was promise to have freedom in her choice of training but currently the new master wasn’t the rewarding type.
She then ate a grape while pouting her face. since she was getting bored of reading she then exit from her tent while stretching her body in front of the entrance. Numerous eye gaze to Miranda as when she stretch her sexy body excessively reveal her natural wonders. After stretching she then took notice of the eyes that watch her, putting both of her hands on her hip she shout angrily shout at the soldiers
‘Hey!! Don’t stare!! Or you want to be freeze alive!’
It seems even her character was starting to change to the worse maybe because of the Dome or is it the time of the month for the woman?
While glaring at the soldiers, something caught her eye from afar. A man was slowly walking toward the base camp dragging his weary feet to the perimeter of the camp ground. Her distaste face then turn to her bright and smiling face as the one that she saw was Red. Someone that deep in her heart she unconsciously care for the man. She waves her hand with a smile on her face while shouting;
‘Reddddd’
Hoping for a reply from someone that came from the same world, her expectation died down fast after seeing the body of Red dropping to the ground. With a worried look she ran fast toward Red, ignoring other from the surrounding her intention right now was to see if the man that she care was fine or not.
Seeing Red lying unconscious on the ground, she quickly put his head on her lap while she intently watches the face of Red with her eyes starting to get teary.
‘Red!! Red!! Are you ok? Please said something please? What happen to you Red!!’
She was frantic and anxious regarding Red situation, the soldiers who notice the commotion start to surround the both of them with confuse look. They were in unable to help seeing their maiden heroine crying over a collapsed man.
Then a voice resound from the back of the crowded area
‘Whats going on here!!’
As the crowd split apart making way for two individual to reach Miranda and Red, it was none other than the leader of expedition, Captain of The Royal Guard, Captain Gilbert and at his side was Aaron with his face still arrogant as ever but show no speck of worried after seeing Red unconscious on Miranda’s lap.
‘Captain! Its Red his unconscious cant you help him?’
‘you and you, go take a stretcher and bring The Assist to the infirmary A.S.A.P!!’
‘Yes sir!’
‘Yes sir!’
As the soldier run to take the stretcher, Aaron approaches them and conceitedly said;
‘so the trash already drop dead huh good for him then wont be dead weight for us anymore right Miranda haha’
‘why you…’
Miranda glare at Aaron with angered feeling swelling inside of her, on her pure mana was condensing without her realizing it due to the angered that she felt, Captain Gilbert noticing the mana on Miranda hand quickly barge between both of them and yell
‘stop it both of you!! Aaron!! Go to your tent’
Captain Gilbert was glaring at Aaron with a message in his eyes stating that he has probably cross the line, taking ahold of the captain message Aaron only snorted and turn his back to return back to his tent.
‘heh fucking trash’
Hearing the words from the mouth of Aaron, Miranda was ready to explode
‘what did you..’
Before she could raised her hand that was full of mana, Captain Gilbert shout at Miranda at close distance.
‘Magus!!!!!!!!’
She snap back from her furious state and stare at Captain Gilbert
‘cooldown yourselves Master Miranda’
‘but…’
‘don’t worry about Red, he is still breathing and he seems to be fine, the healers will monitor his condition and examine him after this so be patient as we wait for the strecher’
‘ok’
Miranda could worriedly agree, while waiting for the stretcher she caringly caress Red’s head.
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Within the infirmary, Red was laying on the bed. The infirmary tent was not that spacious only accommodating four beds which were design as those we see in war films. At his side, was a women holding his hand while sleeping with her head lay upon his side while she sits on a chair at the bedside.
Red’s eyelid then open up slowly with his sight starting to adapt to the new vision in front of him
Red’s monolog
Hmm where am I, and something is grabbing my hand.. shit Im to tired I fckng lazy to move my hand. At least I should see whats holding my hand. Ehh? Isn’t she kind of familiar and whats with her outfit isn’t it kind of too much hugging her body but by the looks of it she kind of has a hot body hehe… wait control yourself Red don’t let your mind wander to the forbidden area. If ‘SHE’ knows im dead when I get back to the original world.
Ouh yeah since I cant move how about I try the new skill I got. I have never try it since I got it.
Since he cant move his finger to open the skill window he use vocalization to open the it.
‘skill window’
Skill WindowSkill NameAid of the Old Oaken Tree(PASSIVE)Skill Level1A skill earn after the passing of times cultivating the inner mana within an old oaken tree. One could blend the mana of nature absorbing it and refilling the tank of their mana pool. Once achived the highest level it could open up numerous path of enlightment
Effect of increase in mana regeneration
Effect of increasing in health regeneration
*extra effect will be added for each 5 level increase.*
Red’s monolog
Not bad lets try it first hand,
Closing his eye, he concentrate and initiate the skill. even though it’s a passive skill Red can meditate and turn on it into a usable active skill which further increases in experience gain and effect.
Within the dark space, he notice an image of an oaken tree made by the accumulation of mana. He then saw trails of thin layer of mana slowly connect to the tree. The thin layer of mana slowly gain in thickness flowing into the tree, as the quantity of mana steadily increases so does the shape of the tree. The small and feeble tree quickly change it’s appearance with the budding of leaves of mana on its branch.
All of this symbolizes the state of Red’s mind, the tree act as his mana pool and the connected streaming layer of mana was the outside source of mana that was gain from his surroundings. The ground, the trees, the grass and even the tiny pebble stone. All of his surrounding contain mana and he slowly adapting himself to absorb those mana while in a meditative state.
He kept meditating until the break of dawn. Due to the effect of meditating, his overall body was getting better and the fatigue that he accumulated for the past 4 days was nearly completely gone.
Outside of the infirmary tent, soldiers arming themselves with their weapons and armor proceed to march to the front of the Dome entrance. Other soldiers were packing up, the tents were now being taken down.
The soldiers are all getting busy doing their task, as the camp ground was left with only the infirmary tent. A lone soldier enter the tent and wakes the sleeping magus.
‘Miranda-sama, please the Captain is calling you’
‘no I cant I need to’
‘the captain said it was to boost our morale and with your presence it would surely brighten the mood’
‘sure I will go, leave me first’
‘yes Miranda-sama’
Turning her glance at the sleeping Red but precisely mediatating, she gave a light kiss on his forehead
‘please be safe’
The soldiers were now station in front of the Dome entrance in rows. While the Royal Guards line themselves at the front line. Captain Gilbert was standing in front facing the entire troop with Aaron and Miranda each at his side.
‘Men!! Attention!!’
‘yes sir!!!’
The soldiers simultaneously respond to their captain order.
‘hear this men, we are about to embark into the zone of the treacherous Dome. Our force once achieved the 4th dimension but the results were us in terrible condition. But do not falter as we have the help of the mighty heroes Aaron and Miranda at our side. So once again we will conquer the Dome and bring the wealth of the Dome to our mother country, Loredon!! For Loredon!!!!’
‘For Loredon!!!’
Shouted the whole troop. Their morale was raised with the presence of the heroes and once again they will enter the den of the lion for the purpose of training their heroes and obtain the secrets and treasure of the Dome to their country Loredon.
‘Let’s embark!! Forward march!!’
Miranda then hastily cut short of Captain’s order
‘but wait!! Red is not awake yet shouldn’t we wait?’
‘Magus-sama, I have station a healer to his side. The healer is known to be the best of the best in the army so you need not to worry about the Assist condition, so please your presence is clearly needed’
‘but..’
Captain Gilbert knelt on one knee bowing to the Magus. The gesture that he has done was by right ignoring his pride as the captain of Royal Guard. Miranda could only accept the gesture with a heavy heart. She was sadden that she could not take care of Red but these people need her at the most of time. her heart was torn apart at one side Red was important but she still doesn’t recognize her true feelings to him and the other side was the soldiers that obviously need her to protect them from the danger of the Dome.
As the Dome’s door open a swirl of light was upon them.
The soldiers one by one enters the warp light until it was Miranda’s turn. She was one of those last in line as she prefer to wait for a miracle to happen. But the future seems dark, as she took her step into the light a noise from the back hinder from moving forward.
‘hey, you wouldn’t leave me behind would you’
A familiar voice that she always yearn of hearing, turning her head to the source of the voice. There she saw Red standing while trying to maintain his posture with a grin on his face.
‘yo~ Miranda-chan’
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