Free Web NovelChapter 198: I’m ready
Fen put on his helmet and bowed, then he took up a position by planting his foot solidly on the ground with his two hands raised, facing Stallus. "I am ready."
Stallus faced him, and her eyes were just as serious. She narrowed her eyes and made sure all the essence from her body remained locked in her core. She wouldn’t use any essence here.
But before the fighting began, she told the other six warriors to face each other and fight it out. Then she concentrated back on her own fight. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Fen flung himself forward to land the first strike and set the tone for the fight. And if he managed to land a critical hit, then he might just win! That was his thought as he crossed the distance between them in a blink and sent out a punch to her neck.
Stallus didn’t move until the last moment, and it was to raise her hand and catch the blow. She nodded at the surprised Fen. "You throw a good punch."
Fen jumped back, and he now realized that what he thought—that her physical abilities wouldn’t be high—was wrong. He thought since it was an enchanted tool, then it might not affect her physically, but that was wrong as hell.
Stallus didn’t bother to move from her spot, and her attention was on the other warriors fighting. That made Fen angry at the dismissal, and he put the rest of his essence into the next strike. He went out with his left fist in an upward punch, but as he got close, he went with his right in a downward strike!
Stallus smiled. She liked how he fought, but sadly, he was facing her, who was so far above him it shouldn’t be measured. She just brought down her palm and caught the punch, then she gripped his hand so tightly the metal groaned.
She finally opened her mouth and said, "That’s it, I’ve lost and you have won, Fen!"
Fen blinked as his hand was released. He tried to move the metal on his hand, but it had been bent. But before he could process what Stallus said, she was already back at her position on the platform looking down at them all.
In that moment, Fen felt extremely useless and insufficient. The painful part was that with the teenagers there, it was the truth.
Of the six warriors, only two were left standing. Four lay on the ground wounded and twitching. With Fen, that made them three, and it was then that he came to the realization that Stallus had used him to complete the slots.
Stallus spoke. "Good. We now have three Captains, now give your names!"
Fen stepped forward with a bow. "Fen!"
A thin man stepped forward. He carried a long wooden stick with a bulging head. He had a long face and a small brownish beard. "I’m Vorn!"
Then a woman with a spear stepped forward. Her spear was made entirely of metal, and the bladed tip was fat and flat. "I’m Nyssa!" free𝑤ebnovel.com
The rest of the warriors, except the wounded, had gathered now around them in semicircles, and they watched their new Captains with contentment. They knew their Captains were strong and fit to lead them.
Stallus seemed just as satisfied, and she turned to Azaroth, who gave a single, cold nod. That’s enough for her, and she turned to Alex. "You can now group them. Don’t forget to mix the strong among the three groups. And the wounded too."
Alex grinned and his eyes flashed. "No problem."
She watched him go over, and she sighed, whispering to herself. "I hope he doesn’t make a mess of things."
Blac drifted over and bowed to Azaroth and Stallus, then he said to the two of them, "What are my orders?"
Azaroth remained sitting, and his cold face revealed nothing, so Stallus took that as him not being interested, so she replied to him. "Right now, you can focus on improving the three squads. Teach them how to fight independently and together. Also, give special advice to the Captains. You are still their boss and will lead them during battle."
Blac nodded, but he already knew that his power was being split. "Then are you planning on taking on Rave?"
Stallus looked at Azaroth again, but her team leader just continued meditating, so she took it upon herself. "Not yet. We will stabilize the three Villages for now and focus on the warriors."
Blac nodded in understanding. Honestly, he thought they might rush things, but they were smarter than they looked. Again, Blac wondered why they let him stay with them when they knew he had his own motives. But now that they’ve stripped him of the warriors’ power, then he must find a new plan.
He bowed. "I will do as instructed."
Catena watched him go and he snorted. He’d run out of things to eat, and now he was just lazing about. "He’s got something up his sleeves, that one. But really, we need to hunt some crypts. Especially of our level. We haven’t been doing anything for our advancement these days, and we’re still in the early stage of the Acolyte rank."
That made Azaroth twitch, but he kept quiet as Stallus frowned and began to pace. "You’re right. We need that changed. We need crypts or we’d be stumped. To think the Crypt Master would leave us in a place where we can’t grow! To think we wouldn’t be able to grow!"
Azaroth finally spoke. "I doubt the Crypt Master would lead us to a place where there’s no crypt for us to hunt. His aim is to make us Masters as much as we want it. That means there must be crypts here. Especially in Greytown, because that must be how they are able to cultivate powerful Awakeners."
"We can’t access Greytown for now," Catena reminded them. "We have to find a crypt, and not just that, we need a lot of crypts."
Azaroth nodded in agreement. "We will rest here, and then we move to the next town. But before that, there’s something we have to do."
