Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend

While standing there, Raegar felt his senses scream, causing him to cast Flash Step. Without waiting, he vanished just as a powerful Jungle Tiger slammed into the spot he was just in letting out a growl.

He landed atop a boulder moments later as the Tier Two beast spun, letting out a fierce growl that he shrugged off. ''Seems like your master is getting desperate, bandit tamer maybe?'' he muttered with an excited gleam in his red eyes.

It lunged toward him, but he jumped off the stone and threw the blades at the incoming monster. He watched as it dodged to the side. This caused him to grin before sending his Aether into the weapons.

When Raegar hit the ground, they slammed into the tiger's rear end, slowing the big cat down as it let out a pain-filled roar that echoed through the gorge. The beast somehow lunged, and he ducked under its sharp claws while hitting it with a powerful punch.

The force sent the tiger flying into the air thanks to the Enhancement magic that boosted his strength and speed. As that happened, he cast a dozen Stormfire Bullets into its torso, causing an explosion to erupte as it lit up the gorge.

Just as the monster's dead body slammed down, dozens of men and women surrounded him from all over the gorge as a robed figure stood on an overhang as a command rang out. ''Kill the Vaelthorne while I deal with the others.''

Upon hearing that, Raegar wasted no time. He raised his hand and sent a Stormfire Bullet skyward. The moment it detonated in a dazzling explosion, he thought. 'Jasper better have the defenses ready before the bandits strike.'

Then, the enemy's war cries shattered the air as they rushed toward him. With a burst of Aether, he became a blur, tearing through the battlefield. He weaved between foes, his blade flashing as he slashed, stabbed, and cut down any who dared come close.

Each strike was lethal, each movement a dance of destruction as chaos erupted. Raegar was bouncing all over the place, using the enemy bodies to jump from one bandit to another while killing them.

Panic swept over them as dozens died within a few minutes, prompting the enemies to back off. Just then, he spotted the robed figure, causing him to cast several Stormfire Bullets at the stranger.

He followed that up by throwing his daggers behind the magic, but the enemy tamer vanished when a massive eagle picked them up. His eyebrow rose at this scene until a man screamed while rushing at him.

The bandit's sword slashed through the air, but Raegar raised his blades, blocking the strike in a shower of sparks. The force of the blow reverberated through his arms, the enemy's strength marking him as a high-end Tier Two fighter.

Even so, he killed the man with ease, redirecting the sword with a twist. In a flash, his dagger plunged into the bandit's throat, silencing him. Without missing a beat, Raegar threw his second blade, the steel whistling as it buried itself in the chest of another foe.

Following this, he started using Stormfire Bullets that slammed into the remaining outlaws who were shocked when seeing the strongest among them drop dead with a couple of moves.

Raegar noticed they weren't moving and rushed into the crowd while slashing, stabbing, and casting magic. Lightningfire Blast slammed into the closest ones turning the bandits into ash before floating away on the breeze.

Ten minutes later, the last enemy dropped dead when she was decapitated after he threw his daggers at her. Once the gorge had gone quiet, he heard explosions in the distance but decided against going back.

'Let's clear out the Black Gorge so we can keep moving,' he thought before looting the bandit camp.

By the time Raegar was done, he ended up with a few hundred gold coins, a thousand silver and a chest full of copper. This wealth shocked him, but he sent it all into his storage ring while checking on the pile of Aether Cores.

''These will be useful if I ever run out of energy,'' he muttered while holding a Tier Four core that glowed a beautiful red.

Just then, an eerie voice echoed from around him. ''Come here, human child.''

Raegar whirled around, blades ready for action, but the gorge around him lay silent and empty. A chill prickled the hairs on the back of his neck as his instincts screamed of unseen danger.

His eyes swept the shadows between the trees, finding nothing, before he reluctantly pressed onward down the winding path. As he distanced himself from the ravaged bandit camp, a new unease settled over him.

He could sense multiple presences stalking just beyond his line of sight. This unnerved him more than any attack would have; they were steering clear of him as if wary of his lethal prowess.

'Why are they hiding?' he mused while spotting the road out of the gorge.

A concerned expression crept across Raegar's face, but as he turned, the expression shattered. Standing before him was a hideous mockery of a child, a humanoid abomination that froze his blood.

His eyes raked over it, an icy dread coiling in his gut as every instinct screamed that this thing was wrong. Its hairless skin was a sickly, ashen gray, stretched taut over its body. Sunken black eyes, lifeless yet glinting with a horrifying fascination, bored into him.

Then it smiled, a slow, unnatural stretch of its lips revealing jagged, blood-streaked teeth that glistened wetly in the dim light of the gorge. A shudder ripped down Raegar's spine, his breath catching in his throat.

''What the fuck?'' he rasped, voice trembling as he summoned his daggers with a sharp ching. ''Not a Nightwalker or Hollowborn. Neither Wendigo nor Wild People.''

The creature's grin widened, splitting its face into a nightmare, and his senses flared, prompting him to act. He whirled, casting Lightningfire Blast in a searing arc behind him, causing screeches to echo out.

Older, more withered versions of the monstrosity had been slinking through the shadows, their gnarled limbs and hollow stares closing. Raegar instantly reacted and started attacking the creatures.

When his daggers flew toward one of the adult's neck, as this happened it smiled at him before blocking the swing. The creature let out a strange clicking sound before vanishing into the shadows, leaving him shaking.

'Tier Five!' he thought with wide eyes. 'It was hiding its strength!'

Raegar was worried but decided to head back to the caravan while using Enhancement magic to sprint across the gorge. He killed any monsters he could until he reached a few feet from the exit.

A shrill, eerie whistle sliced through the air behind him, yanking Raegar's attention around. His gaze locked onto the Tier Five humanoid standing there alongside dozens of its kin, its hollow eyes piercing straight through him as if stripping his soul bare.

A creeping, primal fear slithered into his bones, rooting him to the spot, his breath shallow and heart pounding against the cage of his ribs. This caused a thought to run through his mind. 'They're waiting to ambush us!'

When coming to this conclusion, Raegar rushed toward the entrance only to see Yuki, Jasper, and a dozen soldiers standing there looking concerned. When the group saw him, they smiled in relief.

''Young master!'' the cat woman exclaimed with a big smile. ''Did you get to the other side?''

''Yes, but there are creatures in there that are smart and waiting for us to pass through,'' he revealed while storing away his daggers.

Jasper and his second-in-command, Luthian, stepped forward as his brother questioned. ''What type of monsters?''

Raegar glanced at the older man before telling everyone everything he came across, including the bandits, tamer and creepy humanoids. By the time he finished explaining, his brother's friend disputed it.

''I don't believe such a story, general,'' the man said. ''There aren't smart creatures, especially in the Black Gorge.''

''Then you're a fool,'' Raegar commented before looking at Jasper. ''You can travel through there, but I'm not taking Yuki, Saki, or any of the Blackwood Guards into that place.''

Following that, he walked back to the tent to get some rest and eat something. While doing that, the cat woman appeared beside him with a concerned expression. ''It sounds like they were something new, something horrifying.''

''The things were a creature straight out of the stories or a stupid drunken soldier babbling in the local tavern,'' he said with a sigh as his hands shook. ''They concealed their strength until I was surrounded.''

''You're shaking, young master,'' Yuki said while grabbing his head.

Raegar laughed before answering. ''Who wouldn't? Tier Five hunters that can hide are smart and have a plan.''

The young woman looked concerned, but he continued. ''Those things were strong and will show themselves again. The leader looked at me like it was running through plans only to settle on one that will get them the most food.''