Rai made a run for Zigga, grabbing the discarded blade; however, he collapsed before he got there, clutching his ears in agony.

  “What’s happening to him?” Lily said.

  “Zigga’s giving him a taste of his root ability.”

  “Something wrong? You seemed so sure of yourself earlier,” Zigga said.

  Veins stood out on Rai’s reddening forehead as he painfully rolled in the mud.

  “I merged with the Screecher Root, made from screeching orchids—flowers that scream when plucked,” Zigga said, crushing Rai’s hand underfoot.

  His scream was cut short as a mud ball smacked Zigga in the face.

  With the sound in his head disappearing, Rai pulled back from Bandit Lord Zigga. Ears ringing, he shouted, “What in the world was that?”

  Wiping the mud from his face, Zigga said, “Who threw that?”

  Rai glanced at Lily, who gave an innocent shrug.

  “That’s a neat trick,” Rai said, drawing near Zigga once more.

  Zigga, his hair vibrating again, replied, “It’s very convenient, especially when—” Another mudball slapped against his face.

  Rai happened to be jugling another, saying, “Sorry, did I soil your moment?” He tossed the second which slapped Zigga again, causing him to stumble back.

  Sliding under Zigga’s legs as he wiped the mud from his face, he swung from behind, however, Rai was met with an peircing sound as Zigga’s hair shook.

  Placing his hands over his ears, a heavy punch sent him across the field.

  With his fingers plunged into the wet soil, Rai seized the stick, imbued it with flux, and threw it at Zigga, slicing his leg and forcing him to a knee.

  “As if a stick is going to stop me,” Zigga said, but to his surprise, as he looked up, he saw Rai twisting into a kick.

  Zigga’s hair began to tremble, but it was too late.

  Rai slammed his foot into Zigga’s face, sending him rolling away.

  Poking fun at his attena-like hair, Rai said, “Make sure to broadcast this to the guys in the back,” gesturing behind him. “I don’t want them missing the show.”

  “One kick,” Zigga said, grasping his jaw. “You ain’t just some start up, are you.”

  “I’m the future number one elite,” Rai said, before charging. “Hardly a comparison!”

  Falling back, Zigga quickly activated his ability, causing Rai to curl over once more.

  “This dance ends here,” Zigga said, grabbing the machete, inches away from Rai.

  “Rai, watch out!” Lily said.

  Zigga lifted the blade triumphantly, and everyone cheered.

  Though, Rai’s initial cries of pain briefly transitioned into laughter, leaving everyone puzzled.

  “What gives?”

  “Did Zigga rescind his ability?”

  “What’s the meaning of this?” Zigga said.

  Rai grinned, clenching his fist. With an upward thrust his fist collided with Zigga’s chin, sending him hurdling back into the crowd of bandits.

  “Lord Zigga!” the bandits shouted.

  Coughing blood, Zigga was shocked by his opponent’s power, thinking, one more hit like that, and I’m finished. “Wait a sec…”

  “Once I realized you relied on sound, I stuffed mud in my ears when you weren’t watching,” Rai said.

  The bandits waved and shouted angrily, but Rai couldn’t hear them. What about 'packed it in my ear' do they not understand? Rai looked at Lily, who was gesturing to her head. Upon touching his head, Rai discovered the helmet was missing; it flew off with his upward thrust…

  “The first one to kill the intruder keeps the girl!” Zigga said, as his men brought him Lily.

  “Well... this just got complicated,” Rai said.

  “Rai, get out of here!” Lily said.

  Unexpectedly, another bandit appeared before Rai, protecting him. They also wore a helmet that hid his face.

  “What is the meaning of this?” The masked figure didn’t respond. “Fine, you can die together,” he said.

  The mysterious figure reeled back their fist and punched the air, generating an invisible shockwave that fractured the ground beneath them, causing numerous bandits to fall unconscious.

  Stunned by the unexpected, unseen assault, the others froze.

  “What just happened!?” Zigga said.

  In a matter of seconds, nearly a tenth of the bandits present were taken out.

  “Just who is this person?” Rai said.

  In a panic, Zigga said, “Why are you hesitating!? There’s only two of them!”

  The bandits roared, each taking their chance at the two within the center.

  “You wouldn’t happen to be an elite?” Rai said, standing back-to-back with the masked fighter, but they didn’t respond. “Not much of a talker I see.”

  Zigga grabbed Lily by her bound hands, his grip firm. “Don’t even think about resisting, unless you want your brain fried.”

  Lily’s eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head slightly. “Huh, did you say something?”

  “I said—” Before Zigga could process her words, she jolted her head back and slammed it into his face.

  “Nefarian scum…” Holding a hand over his bloody nose, he used his ability on Lily, causing her to squirm in pain. “Try that again and you’re dead!” he said, dragging her away while gradually retracting his powers.

  “This muds not much help,” Rai said, digging it out of his ears.

  “Rai!” Lily said, disappearing around the corner of the bandit lords tent.

  Ducking a blade, Rai said, “Crap, he’s got Lily. I’m on my way!” The gap quickly filled with bandits blocking his way. “Easier said then done…”

  Behind Rai a bandit lunged, shouting, “You’re mine!”

  In a sudden burst of speed, Rai’s companion smashed over him, cratering the bandit into the floor.

  “Thanks.” Rai glanced around.

  “Where are you taking me?!” Lily said.

  “Be quiet,” Zigga said, throwing Lily over the horse. Jumping on he took off towards the forest in the south.

  “I need to find a way to Lily, but the hostages…” A slight nudge forced Rai to take a step in the direction of where Zigga departed. “Watch it.”

  Rai turned around to see the masked bandit arm extending out, before offering a thumbs-up. Without responding, they raced forward, striking down many more bandits.

  Rai thought, do you want me to go after her? “Alright. Don’t go getting yourself killed now!” Rai said, darting after Lily. “Once I’ve dealt with Zigga, I’m coming back to help!”

  A guard’s blade whistled past Rai.

  Twisting his fist into their stomach, they fell to the floor.

  In the distance Rai noticed Zigga escaping with Lily. Hotly pursued by many bandits, appeared around the corner where many horses were secured.

  As an axe flew by, it severed one of the ropes tying one down.

  “Thanks!” Rai said, leaping on and taking off.

  The bandits pursuing Rai halted abruptly before a horse.

  “They’re headed into Kalumi territory…”

  “You going after him?”

  “I’m not drunk or stupid enough to go into that forbidden forest.”

  Within the forest of Kalumi, the epic trees, along with multiple plants and animals, carried a deep mezmorizing glow—even the algae in the small river gleamed in a light blue luminescent!

  Since the leaves were so thick, no sunlight filtered in, making the ecosystem the only source of light.

  Ziz-zagging through the forest, the bandit lord was in deep thought. That type of power requires the strength of an elite, and I refuse to end up in jail.

  “Let me go!” Lily screamed, wailing and kicking.

  “Stay still, will you!” Zigga said.

  “No!” Lily barked back.

  Suddenly spooked by something in the woods, the horse threw them both off and galloped away.

  “Damn horse,” Zigga said, steadily rising from the floor. Lily got up and ran through the forest as fast as she could. Zigga glanced at her, making an attempt to use his powers. He scowled, muttering, “Out of range,” and ran after her.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Lily darted past a pink fuzzy-ball-covered tree in the dense woods, then crouched to inspect her restraints.

  “Even if I get these off, his abilities still make him dangerous,” Lily said. As Lily leaned against the tree, she accidentally set off a pink, ball-shaped plant, causing a pollen puff that made her instantly sleepy. “Not, good…”

  Asleep, she collapsed.

  “There you are,” Zigga said, his hands outstretched towards her, but a knee smashed into his face, launching him backwards into a distant tree trunk, unconscious.

  A small tube hovered close to Lily’s nose, and she awoke.

  “You okay?”

  Lily noticed she was in the arms of another. “Get away!” she said, shoving him and scooting back.

  “No need to fret,” Eiji said, stepping closer with his hands up. “Your knight in shining armor has arrived.” Eiji straightened up, puffing out his chest as he proudly pointed to himself.

  “Don’t touch her!” Rai said, emerging out of a bush where he collided with Eiji.

  “Who are you?” Eiji said, trading blows.

  “Don’t worry about it!” Rai said.

  “Wait! Stop!” Lily’s cries went unheard as the fight moved deeper into the forest. “At least untie me!”

  A sigh slipped from her lips as they vanished, but the distant howl of a wolf sent a jolt of panic through her. Frantically, leaning over a sharp rock, she began sawing at her bonds.

  “You’re trespassing on Kalumi territory, turn around or I’ll be forced to stop you myself,” Eiji said.

  “You and that flattened orange peel you call a haircut don’t scare me,” Rai said, slamming his leg down. “And plus, I don’t let people who try to take advantage of other’s kindly!”

  “Take advantage?” Eiji’s thoughts lingered an image of him embracing Lily as she woke. “I was not!”

  A flurry of punches concluded with both fighters being knocked back simultaneously.

  “He’s human, but I can’t sense any flux coming from him.” Rai glanced at his hands which quivered slightly. Feels like I’m going toe to toe with a nefarian…

  Breathing hard, the fighters halted; then, Eiji froze, a puzzled expression on his face. “Rai?”

  “You know me?” Rai said.

  “Get out of here, it really is you! It’s Eiji from the orphanage!”

  “Orphanage?” Rai said, easing up slightly.

  Eiji playfully tackled Rai, putting him in a headlock and playfully messing with his hair. “How long has it been?!”

  “Cut it!” Rai said, shoving him away.

  A well-aimed strike to both of their heads caused them both to curl inward, clutching their head in pain.

  “Next time, have some common decency before you leave a girl stranded in the middle of nowhere!” Lily scolded, tossing the rock aside.

  “I came to rescue your ass!” Rai said.

  “I actually rescued you...” Eiji added, nursing the bump on his head.

  “Hm,” Lily responded, folding her arms and turning away.

  A swift breeze hit the three, followed by a low rumble emanating from the dense plants behind them.

  A huge beast emerged; its back was entirely covered in moss, many long, oddly-shaped horns.

  “Don’t look now, but we’ve got a big problem,” Rai said, retreating bit by bit.

  “Should we run…” Lily said, doing the same.

  “Huh?” Eiji turned around. “Oh, it’s just a thorn drake—forest puppies, basically.” He casually patted the creature’s leg. “See?” The leg of the thorn drake slipped from Eij’s palm as it rose high above. “We should run,” Eiji whimpered, darting off with the others as a foot slammed into the ground.

  The ground trembled as the creature roared, bringing its legs down hard. In its rampage through the forest, it easily crushed smaller trees and pulverized rocks.

  The three narrowly avoided being crushed underfoot as they dodged the destructive path of the giant.

  With its spiked snout, it carved a deep trench through the ground, sending Eiji flipping into the air before he landed safely on his feet.

  “Hey, I’ve got chocolate,” Eiji said, holding up a bar he pulled out as he ran. “Your kind loves chocolate, right?”

  A rock pelted the creature in the eye, directing its attention to Rai.

  “Uh… nice thorn drake,” Rai said, standing beside Lily.

  “Here it comes,” Lily said.

  They both sprinted away, splitting apart, but the drake continued after Lily.

  As Lily ran, she stumbled on a tree root near the thorn drake. The ground near her was crushed by its legs.

  Scrambling, she rose, lunging behind a rock that burst into pieces as she fled for cover.

  “This way!” Eiji said, grabbing Lily’s hand as the creature smash down over her. He led her across a grassy field, the beast in hot pursuit.

  “You’re just a couple seconds away from getting a new career as a rug. Get a move on!” Rai said.

  Right before the creature could crush them, yellow elastic vines above snagged its thorns, yanking it back.

  “Guys!” Lily said, pointing to numerous gum gums tendrils limiting the creature’s movements.

  Nodding, the others changed direction, heading towards, not away from, the thorn drake.

  Using the stretchy tendrils, Lily and Eiji weaved between the legs large beast, meanwhile Rai leveraged their elasticity to boost himself higher into the trees.

  “At my signal,” Rai called, as he traversed the branches.

  The branch nearest Rai splintered into pieces the instant his foot left it, struck by the charging thorn drake.

  Wrapping a tendril around the thickest back thorn, Rai steadied himself.

  The creature struggled violently, attempting to throw him off.

  “Whoa, Nelly,” Rai said, struggling to stay upright.

  “Finished!” Lily said as they both departed.

  The creature’s struggles lessened as the ropes tightened around it.

  With a firm hold, Rai stretched the gum vines to their limit. “To infinity—“ With a heavy shake from the drake, Rai’s foot slipped and like a slingshot he was rocketed into the air.

  Concurrently, the other two yanked the tendrils they held, buckling the creature’s front legs.

  At his peak, gum gum’s still in hand, Rai then plummeted downward at an alarming rate.

  “Time to smell the roses, big guy!” Rai said as both his feet collided with its snout.

  Bound by the vines, the thorn drake slowly crashed to the ground, causing the earth to tremble.

  “We did it,” Lily said, breathing heavily.

  Eiji walked over to the thorn drake, chewing on the candy. “No chocolate for you,” he said, savagely devouring more of the chocolate bar in front of it.

  Shifting in its large body in defiance, Eiji yelped, scampering away from the beast.

  “Yuck, I’ve got dirt in my nose.” Hearing the creature’s mournful moans, Lily said, “We can’t just leave it like that.”

  “I’ll take care of it, but you need to go now,” Eiji said.

  “You taking care of it is exactly what got us in this mess,” Lily said.

  “Fair, but now I’m trying to get you out of it,” Eiji moved Lily bit by bit, but she refused to budge, her arms crossed.

  Meanwhile, Rai removed the bandit’s gear. “C’mon, get in here,” Rai told Plu, who fidgeted until it was safely tucked inside Rai’s inner coat pocket.

  “Hey, where you going?” Eiji said, seeing Rai depart.

  “To look for Zigga,” Rai said.

  “Check this place out,” Lily said, having time to finally acknowledge her surroundings.

  “Wait, guys…” As they went separate directions, Eiji let out a sigh. “It’ll be fine, right?”

  Rai halted, eyes drawn to the soft pink glow ahead.

  Two flowers, one larger than the other, grew together, their faint glow pulsing with an energy that seeped into him as he approached. The warmth was calming, recharging, like the forest’s secret gift.

  “Lumi’s…” Rai said. I can’t believe I actually found one in the wild. Harvesting the flower, he placed it within the pocket of his coat. “Wait till Grace see’s this!”

  As noted in Rai’s notepad, the flower was a key ingredient in her special cookies—an incredibly rare one at that. It could only be harvested once every four years, during the Lumi festival.

  In most regions, the flower was protected. Those attempting to uproot them, like those within the Empire’s flower auditorium in Celestria, would be severely punished.

  Rai took a lasting glance around, “I need to get back to the camp to help the hostages, but Zigga’s still missing…”

  In Rai’s return, Lily said, “No luck?”

  “Keep your guard up, he’s got to be around here somewhere,” Rai said.

  Suddenly, Nefarian draped in red swarmed them.

  Lily and Rai were surrounded, spears pointed menacingly at them.

  “Oh, great. A welcoming committee,” Rai said.

  “It was only a matter of time,” Eiji muttered.

  “Eiji, what’s going on here?” Daisen, a muscular nefarian with long saber tooth teeth, said.

  “What’s going on,” Eiji said, clicking his heels together. “Well, you see, I stumbled across a couple of loss travelers. Eiji, squeezed into the circle, carefully lifting a couple of the spears skyward as he wrapped his arms around them both. “She’s blind or was it deaf, maybe both,” Lily raised an eyebrow, “and he, well he’s just a little slow,” Eiji said.

  “Who’re you calling slow!” Rai said.

  “I’ve got great hearing!” Lily said.

  Eiji hung his head…

  Daisen recognized Rai’s coat, saying, “Where did you get this?”

  “It was a gift,” Rai said, folding his arms.

  “Give it here, it doesn’t belong to you,” Daisen said.

  “Sorry, it’s a one-size-fits-me kind of deal,” Rai said, and the tips of the spears inched closer.

  “Yikes,” Eiji said, as the tip of one graced his back.

  “You deliberately left the village without permission, again, and now you’re aiding trespassers,” Birchet said, appearing beside the lot.

  “Birchet! My guy, boy am I glad to see you. Look who it is,” Eiji said, referring to Rai.

  Birchet gave Rai a look over, before redirecting his attention to Eiji. “Did you learn nothing of the potential consequences of mingling in the affairs of humans?”

  “Nope,” Eiji said, holding up a finger. “But I did discover fried Twinkies. And that, that was pretty amazing.”

  “He went past the border,” a nefarian said in shock.

  “Oops…” Eiji muttered.

  “Crossing into human territory, aiding outsiders. He needs to be reprimanded,” Daisen said.

  “Oh, come on, she was in trouble,” Eiji said. “It’s not like I was going to lead them back to the hidden village or anything.”

  “Hidden village?” Lily said.

  “South-east of here, you’d love it,” Eiji noted.

  Nefarian gasped.

  “Whoops,” Eiji swiftly covered his mouth.

  “He’s a liability,” Daisen said, brandishing his own weapon.

  “Actions can have consequences far beyond yourself,” Birchet said to Eiji, stopping Daisen. “Her fate is in our Mother’s hands, not yours.”

  “You haven’t even taken the ritual,” a nefarian with a lizard tail said.

  “Yeah, my nefarian half and I aren’t exactly compatico,” Eiji said, gazing at his one abnormally sharpened tooth in the reflection of a spear.

  Redirecting his attention, Birchet said, “Boy from the slums, all grown up. How’s your sister?”

  “How do you know my sister?”

  Sniffing the air, Birchet looked towards Lily.

  Many nefarian circling Rai and Lily fell to the ground as Zigga burst out from a bush, knocking Rai away and placing a blade at Lily’s neck.

  “Don’t move!” Zigga said, his body smeared with oily dirt.

  Rising from the floor, Rai said, “He’s got Lily…”

  “He covered his scent in the mud,” Daisen said.

  “Oh come on, can’t you take someone else captive for once!” Lily said, but then Zigga pressed the knife closer, causing a drop of blood to slip from her neck.

  “I demand safe passage out of this forest. In return, I’ll spare this nefarian’s life,” Zigga said with a crazed smile.

  A Nefarian approached, so Zigga used his powers; however, Rai shielded him by taking the blast.

  Birchet raised his arm, pointing his fist directly at Zigga. “Iken,” he said, and a small, ethereal blast of flux force erupted, hitting Zigga in the forehead.

  Dead, Zigga crumpled, the dagger lying beside him.

  Confused and bewildered by the sudden turn of events, Lily was silent as her captor fell. She hastily moved beside Rai. “Did you see that?”

  “WHAT?!?” Rai said.

  Covering an ear, Lily took a step away.

  Zigga’s body gradually dissolved into flux, until only a small, shiny, oval seed remained. A white wavy line stood out against its orange glow.

  “Such is the fate of Abminus,” Birchet said, gazing at the seed. Birchet, walking towards the thorn drake, raised his fist.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Lily said.

  “You still have much to learn, little nefarian,” Birchet said, ignoring her. With the same technique, he severed the vines that bound the creature.

  The drake shook off the vines and stood.

  From the shadows of the woods, three smaller thorn drakes emerged, crying out.

  Lily’s eyes lit up, but then she squinted in frustration. “Little...”

  “So, does this mean we’re good to go?” Rai said.

  Birchet signaled to the other nefarian, and they once again surrounded Lily and Rai.

  “That’s up to the council. You two, bind the prisoners, we’re heading out.”

  “Prisoners?” Lily said with teary eyes.

  “Hold it,” Rai said. “I’m not going anywhere until I know for certain the hostages back in camp are safe.”

  “Did you not hear us the first time? We don’t mingle in the affairs of humans,” Daisen said.

  “Listen, two fangs, I know you’ve got a busy schedule, but I’m sticking around until I’m sure they’re safe.”

  “I grew up as the only nefarian in my village," Lily said, approaching Birchet. “Since I didn't have anyone teach me about our history, whenever my parents returned from a business trip, they would bring back books with tales of Kalumi during the Jade Wars. The strength our people displayed, I never felt prouder to be a nefarian. But, if you don’t help those people, you’re no better than Zigga. The Kalumi I read about would never do such a thing,” Lily said.

  “What would you know of nefarian pride, colluding with humans since you were a child,” Daisen said.

  “And what’s so wrong with that?!” Lily snapped back.

  “Is this really necessary,” Eiji said, positioning himself in front of Birchet.

  “Prisoners,” Birchet said, “including you.”

  “Why me?” Eiji said.

  “Assisting foreigners and breaching Kalumi’s borders; to name a few,” Birchet said, as two nefarian bound Eji’s hands. “Need I go on.”

  “I miss the outside,” Eiji whined.

  “This is the outside,” Birchet said.

  “I mean the outside of the outside, or the inside of it?” Eiji said, confusing himself. “In short, had I known I’d be permanently stuck in this village, I’d have never left Nyhud.”

  “It was your decision, not mine,” Birchet said, causing Eiji to slump.

  “Birchet...” Rai said.

  After a brief pause, Birchet said, “Daisen, lead a group to assist in freeing the captives.”

  “Birchet...” Daisen said.

  “In any case, we can’t have any of the bandits wandering through here. It’s best if we drove them away from our borders,” Birchet said.

  “Tsk, fine,” Daisen said, departing with three others.

  “Thanks for that,” Rai said.

  “Alright let’s get a move on,” Birchet said.

  “Are the penalties for trespassing into Kalumi territory bad?” Lily said.

  “You’ll be fine, people wander in here all the time. Just don’t pluck any glowy flowers, one’s incredibly sacred to the tribe, and messing with them could get you in serious trouble,” Eiji said.

  Rai began to sweat. He thought, there’s plenty of flowers around, what’re the chances…