Chapter 301 (2/2)
My world shi+fted perspectives as God Step placed ray Four Fists, just under its arms
Every ounce of concentration was focused onit travel froh my left fist in a perfectly timed fashi+on to
The gigantic ape-like beast cru out of the ring of Four Fists, crashi+ng into the side of the valley and causing a sheet of snow to break loose and cascade down over part of the battlefield
Silence fell as I stood panting, looking down at my bloodied fist as aether still leaked out from the surface of my skin
A sorroail snapped me out of my daze and I iht ard for their own safety before their massive leader stepped in, but rather than rally for battle, the ape-like beasts fell on all six of their liled corpse of the gray Four Fists that I had just defeated
Suddenly, a waro, Grey”
Caera, hair disheveled and several cuts on her face, pulled is followed shortly behindMy gaze re over the tribe’s leader
I orried the tribe would pick up the attack again at anyback over my shoulder, but they e
“So hs of the trees“Not only the leader that you fought, but a lot of the Four Fists had tattoos all over their bodies”
“Tattoos? Like spellforis“I’ h the tattoos”
“They’re different from the types of crests that we have as well,” Caera said, shaking her head“The tattoos actually looked really close to the carvings in the portal archway”
I stopped, taking it all in“So they’re just…art”
The revelation ht furiously and to the death with no provocation at all, but these tattoos spoke of an intelligence far beyond wild nore the decorative pieces of clothing like the feathered cowl, the way their leader challenged ence and culture, contrary to what Old Broke Beak had told us
“Where’s Swiftsure?” I asked, looking up in the air
Caera shook her head“He went ahead of us as soon as the battle started”
I unfocused aze and concentrated on the ambient aether while my eyes scanned the hutsWithout the aetheric snowstorm to muddle natures,from Four Fists hidden in the huts
“Should we split up?” Caera asked
“That’s never a good ideaIt may take more time, but there aren’t that h-barked trees nearby“This one first”
I heldshe would need help getting to the hut high above us“Hold on—”
Caera’s thin body floith a visible shroud ofup a cloud of snow over is
My companion shook the white powder off him and leaned in towardup onto the lowest branch behind Caera
Rollingafter the two of thenarled branch
“Careful,” I muttered“There’s one inside”
I slowly stepped into the hutThe hut itself was siuely rounded shapeThe floor was h it was alrass that had a sweet, mildewy sort of smell to it
Huddled in the back corner of the s was a Four FistsIt was pressed into the corner, its eyes turned away frois i wildly
I turned to Caera, who had taken out her sword but held it loosely at her sideThe Alacryan had a pained expression as her scarlet eyes focused on the Four Fists“Let’s just look around and leave”
My eyes focused on the rough shelf that had been dug out of the side of the interior wallA series of pri with soh the hut to make sure the portal piece wasn’t hidden so cry came from the cornerThe three of us turned to face the source of the sound
The Four Fists huddled at the back wasn’t aloneIt was holding an infant, which must have just wokenThe little creature, which had only a thin dusting of fur over its pink skin, looked as orillasIt was so small it fit within just one of the Four Fists’ hands
The larger Four Fists quickly covered the infant, hiding it between two big hands and turning so the baby was shi+elded by its bodyIt peeked at us through the corner of its wide, tre eyes
A bitter taste filledh the rest of the roo their hoh that we could jump to it, and while it wasn’t occupied like the last one, it was a lot hly heooden bowl near the door, there were a handful of bright blue fruits that looked like giant blueberriesThey s it was rich and sith a texture like nectarines
A warlow slid down my throat and sat contentedly within my stomach like I’d taken a shot of alcohol
I tossed sois, who ate it whole, then handed all but one of the fruits to CaeraThe fruit wasn’t as aether rich as the Spear Beak egg, or even the dangling fruit we’d found in the giant millipede zone, so it wasn’t as useful to me as it was to her
She took the fruits wordlessly before turning around and searching the rest of the hutAlong a raised flat surface were a set of sharp tools and some rock bowls full of s steel chisels next to a collection of carved bones, claws, and tusks…but no portal piece
“Maybe these Four Fists don’t have a piece of the portal,” Caera offered as she inspected some of the tools
“But Broke Beak had one and he said…” The words got lost in my mouth as I realized what she had actuallya bit more,” I said
Caera just nodded and the three of us continued searching, for both Swiftsure and the piece of the portal
As we s ere looking for
High up on a tree so ancient that it see around it iftsureThe high tree had been hidden froht away due to the thin, translucent bubble of aether surrounding it
“What’s he doing?” Caera asked, watching the Spear Beak flying around the s his sharp beak in the air
“He’s trying to get in,” I said
My ht of the near-invisible hand holds that the Four Fists were able to create out of aether and wondered if this was an advanced application of that
“There’s definitely at least one Four Fists inside,” I said, turning to Caera and Regis“Regis, with meCaera, stay out here andoff”
She nodded, the scarlet sword hu God Step, I let my perception of the world around h the airMy li God Step in the town of Maerin, but it still took ht path that would lead me beyond the aetheric bubble and directly into the hut
My heart pounded as I took the step, cladding ainst the powerful Four Fists capable of creating such a potent aetheric barrier