For thirty long minutes, we moved in a steady, measured pace, our footsteps muffled by the soft, mossy ground. Every now and then, a strange, sweet scent—like wild orchids mixed with damp earth—drifted by, heightening the surreal quality of the forest inside the giant pillar.
As we neared a small clearing beside the river, Galina’s voice cut through the ambient sounds. “All right, everyone, prime your grapple gauntlets!” she ordered, her tone both authoritative and brisk. I could feel the pulse of anticipation quicken in my chest as I fumbled with the straps on my gauntlet. Beside me, Silas adjusted the attachments on his mechanical arm, clicking them into place with practiced ease.
“Wait,” I asked, glancing down at the small dial fixed to my gauntlet’s side. “What do you mean prime? Is it this dial here?”
Galina turned, her black eyes sharp and steady as they met mine. “Yep, twist it to prime it. When set to maximum,” she explained, “it reduces the effective length of your grapple, but it boosts the speed of its output and retraction. In short, it lets you move rapidly through tight spots like the cluttered forest.”
I couldn’t help but feel a mix of exhilaration and trepidation at the thought. The promise of swift movement could prove useful, but one wrong step and we could break a spine.
“Make sure your straps are secure,” Galina barked. “If a scrollguard comes, we need to be ready to outmaneuver it.”
“How will we know it’s a scrollguard?” I asked.
“You’ll know,” Galina said.
Galina didn’t elaborate. Instead, she pivoted on her heel, lifted her leg, and drove a devastating kick into the nearest tree. A loud CRACK rang through the forest as a thick branch snapped clean off, thudding onto the mossy ground. Without missing a beat, she turned and delivered another sharp kick to a nearby sapling, shattering its upper half like it was made of paper.
We all stared.
“. . . What the hell are you doing?” Silas finally asked, shifting his mechanical arm as if unsure whether to be impressed or concerned.
Galina dusted off her foot and shot him a flat look. “What exactly do you all plan on fighting a scrollguard with?”
Silence.
Mel blinked. “Uh . . . our fists?”
Sora hesitated. “Our grapples?”
Luna simply tilted her head and smiled as she had started to do often.
Galina exhaled sharply, shaking her head in disappointment. “Idiots.” She crouched down and grabbed one of the fallen branches, flipping it in her hand before giving it a testing swing. “If you don’t have a weapon, you make one.”
Something clicked in my head. “Oh yeah . . . Hopsander did say the staff can be made the simplest out of all weapons.”
Galina nodded approvingly. “Took you long enough.” She tossed the branch at me, and I caught it, the rough bark pressing against my palms.
One by one, the others followed suit. Silas grumbled about the lack of craftsmanship while Tevin tested his by smacking it against a tree trunk. Sora twirled hers like she was testing its balance, while Luna simply stood there, already holding the perfect branch as if she had planned this from the start.
It wasn’t much—just crude, uneven wood—but it was better than empty hands. How we were supposed to fight a giant reptile was beyond me. I had to place my faith in Galina.
“All right,” Galina said, turning back to the path ahead. “Let’s move.”
We walked for another hour, the thick rainforest humming around us with life. Beads of sweat gathered on my forehead, and I found myself glancing at the distant, misty horizon. Had Waelid’s group made contact yet?
Just as I was about to ask, a rustling sound echoed from the brush ahead.
We froze.
Galina lifted a hand, signaling silence.
Then—movement.
A sudden, violent rustling erupted from the foliage ahead. The snapping of trees echoed around us, and the ground shook. With a deafening crash, a massive, lizard-like creature burst through the dense underbrush. Its scales shimmered with an iridescent sheen, and rows of razor-sharp teeth gaped from its monstrous maw. Strapped to its back, wrapped in glimmering golden rope, was an enormous scroll—the prize we sought. In that instant, the forest seemed to hold its breath.
“Scrollguard!” Galina bellowed.
Without hesitation, she sprang forward, her wooden staff raised high. With a swift motion, she launched her grapple toward the creature.
THUNK.
The hook latched onto the scrollguard’s thick, scaly hide, anchoring Galina in midair. Her acrobatic descent was nothing short of mesmerizing as she retracted the cable and twirled like a twister toward the beast, her staff following in a fluid, deadly arc.
Fern stirred in my head.
‘Let’s synergize, Erik. Go all out; use my strength!’
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I nodded and took a step back while the others, except Sora, ran forward. The short girl cowered behind the small branch she held. Her silver hair reflected light like a shaking mirror.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on a small space between my heart and my rib cage. This space, this nonexistent space, was a point of focus to access our synergy. We discovered it one day during training, and the results were incredible.
My body lit up and all my nerves activated, like each part had been asleep. I breathed in deeply through my nose, and oxygen filled my lungs. I could feel my blood flow through my veins faster, and with the wooden staff in one hand, I opened my eyes.
“Move! Now!” Galina roared. “I’m going to open some weak points, we knock it out. Do—not—kill.”
My body responded before my mind did.
Synergy snapped into place like a second heartbeat, and the world slowed.
The instant my feet hit the ground, I was already gone.
A burst of speed shot me across the battlefield like a phantom, the world blurring around me. Every step felt like pushing off solid air—I wasn’t just running, I was gliding. My staff spun in my hands, a natural extension of myself, balanced and precise.
I closed the distance to the scrollguard in a fraction of a second, faster than even Galina’s airborne assault. My staff slammed into the beast’s front leg before it had time to react, the impact boominglike a hammer striking metal.
The beast recoiled, and its massive body shifted off-balance while it let out a low groan.
“Nice one, kid! Now, all of you, take out the knees!” Galina barked.
I was already moving before she finished her sentence.
I pivoted mid-step.
“Mosshead, behind you!” Mel shouted.
I flipped over its tail as it lashed at me from my blind spot. Landing low, I launched myself toward its other leg and drew back the staff.
Fern’s voice rang in my head.
‘Kill it! Stab it in the eye!’
“Not happening,” I shot back, accidentally out loud. I swung my staff upward with inhuman force.
CRACK!
The scrollguard’s right leg buckled from the sheer force of my strike. It stumbled, its weight shifting.
Silas and Tevin were right behind me, striking hard at the weak points I had just opened. Another loud CRACK echoed as Tevin’s staff connected with its shin while Silas drove his weapon against its weakened joints.
The scrollguard let out a snarl, its clawed feet digging into the dirt for stability. It stood back up and snapped at us, forcing us to back up. Galina retracted her grappling hook and flipped off gracefully from the scrollguard. She raised her staff again, studying the creature while we regrouped.
Fern’s voice growled in frustration.
‘This would be so much easier if you just ended it. One good hit to the throat or brain, and it’s over.’
“We don’t need to kill it,” I snapped, twisting my staff behind my back as I ducked under a wild swipe of its tail. “We just knock it out like Galina said.”
Fern scoffed. ‘You hesitate now, and it’s going to cost you or—’
I shut him out of my mind, and the world blurred again as I kicked off the ground, closing the gap between me and the scrollguard. The dirt exploded around me, and just like in a superhero movie, I was beyond fast.
The scrollguard twisted toward me, its mouth opening to snap me in half, but it moved so slowly toward me, I might as well have frozen time.
I dropped, sliding under its belly in a fluid motion, my staff jabbing into its soft underbelly.
WHAM. The impact reverberated through its body, causing it to thrash and recoil wildly.
Too wild.
Its tail slammed into the ground—right where my leg was sliding.
My focus waned, and I panicked.
I twisted and scrambled to get up in an instant of carelessness.
The scrollguard twisted and reared back, claws flashing straight for me.
I knew I could dodge it.
I knew I could move faster than it.
But before I even could, something else moved. Silver hair flashed in front of me.
Sora.
Her staff swung up, blocking the huge claw coming down.
But the beast’s claws raked across her face. And Sora flew to the side.
A horrible, wet thud sounded out in the dirt where she landed, and my heart stopped.
Sora screamed. I felt my legs shake.
She isn’t dead. Do something.
I looked down and saw blood splattered onto my hands.
Do SOMETHING! I screamed at myself while Sora continued to scream. The scrollguard turned around as Galina dug her staff hard into its side.
“Don’t stop fighting!”
Everyone had stopped.
‘See?’ Fern’s voice hissed in my head, cold and sharp. ‘You should have listened. We should have killed it. Now look at her. This is why I need to be in control!’
My breathing came in short, ragged bursts.
Sora turned over toward me, her hands clutching her right eye—blood pouring between her fingers.
My fault.
My fault.
Luna’s roar shattered my thoughts.
She had been diving in, quickly taking small hits at the scrollguard, but something in her snapped. She launched herself at the scrollguard, her entire body a storm of fury. She swung her staff with such force that it exploded into splinters against the creature’s skull.
The beast lurched back and its eyes rolled back further. Its entire frame was thrown off-balance from the sheer force of her rage.
This is our chance, I told myself, forcing my guilt down.
My pulse thundered, electricity tingled on every nerve, and my heart felt like it had grown three sizes. I took a deep breath, and then I moved.
One moment I was standing in place, and the next, I was right in front of the scrollguard.
My muscles coiled, my stance perfect—
And I unleashed.
WHAM.
My staff crashed into the precise weak spot on its skull that Luna had opened. The impact sent a shock wave rippling through its entire body.
The scrollguard froze.
Its legs twitched.
And with a final, guttural exhale—
It collapsed. Silence. The beast was still and breathing. I staggered back, panting, my body still thrumming with the aftershocks of the synergy. It felt like my whole body had released some form of energy.
My gaze shot to Sora—
She was on the ground, and on one side of her face, she had tears rolling down from her clenched eye, and on the other, well, it looked like she had dipped her face in red paint. I held up a hand to stop myself from throwing up, but as I did, I felt shame for reacting that way. My friend was hurt, and I was getting nauseous.
Luna knelt next to her, clenching her hands with hers.
“Do we have any first aid, Galina?” I asked, rushing over to Sora. Galina shook her head and helped the two boys and Mel up. Mel had somehow gotten herself launched onto a tree and had gotten tangled up in a mess of vines.
“Burning-shit plants holding me back from ripping that thing’s face off. How’s short stuff doing? Is she al—oh . . . shit. Sora,” Mel said, worried as she ran over after being freed. Silas and Tevin ran over as well, equally concerned.
I ripped a long bit of fabric from my undershirt and gestured for Luna to do the same. Silas grabbed some water from the nearby river, and we cleaned her wound, made a makeshift bandage, and tied it around her face. Unfortunately, Sora had lost her right eye. The poor girl wouldn’t talk; instead, she was moaning in pain and sobbing.
Luna rubbed her back. “There, there. We are here for you. You’re so brave. Erik, you sure there aren’t any pain meds around? Galina?”
“What kind of leader doesn’t bring a first aid kit?” Mel said, jabbing a finger at Galina.
The coleader exhaled. “No extra tools allowed. We are lucky she survived; she will live thanks to all of you.” She strode toward the fallen scrollguard and kicked it over, her feet rolling it slightly to reach the scroll bound to its underside.
A voice cut through the quiet.
“We’ll be taking that.”
My stomach dropped.
I turned.
Marcus, the coleader and asshole from House Enlil, stepped into the clearing, a smug grin splitting his face.
Behind him, at least ten recruits emerged from the trees, forming a half circle around us. Two of them, we knew.
Lucius and Rinka.
They all held wooden staffs like us, but some also had slingshots.
Marcus rolled his shoulders, his smirk widening. “You put up a good fight. Took down the scrollguard and everything. Shame you did all that work for us. Now, I’m just gonna make this real quick. Recruits, stay back.” Marcus pushed back the recruits around him, and then he stood up on a small stump and closed his eyes.
My grip tightened around my staff.
This wasn’t over.
He took a deep breath, and then he transformed.
[LitRPG] [Cultivation] [Crafting] [Smart MC]
Synopsis (Click to Expand)
To transcend the heavens, one must first forge the ladder.
He is a Cultivator who values volume over speed.
He is a Chronicler who will not stop at the sky.