Stone Will

by Kirill Klevanski

  The march had started too soon. Colin had reacted to Hadjar’s attempt to speak during the council too sharply. And if the Prince hadn’t spoken, then he would have obviously fallen into the meat grinder along with Dogar's squad. And if Hadjar hadn’t silenced Colin, he would not have had the opportunity to speak.

  Everything had deviated from what he’d initially planned, but still... Even now, he could get out of it.

  He hadn’t been a circus freak for anything. And they were capable of all sorts of tricks and deceptions. Life had forced them to learn.

  “He will not get to me during the march. And while the war with the nomads rages on, he will have an even harder time getting to me. Then, after that, no one knows where our army will be sent. The power of the General of Spring does not extend beyond Spring Town itself.”

  “You forgot the Ax clan.”

  The Ax clan... It was something like a horror story that scared nobles, not children. This was one example of a mafia family becoming an organization. It had acquired disciples, its own territories, and even a school for the arts. Martial arts, of course. They even had their own cities from which they received taxes.

  The Axes were known to carry out any mission they’d been hired for. From protecting a trade caravan to killing someone. In general, they were like some kind of mixture between mercenaries and assassins.

  “That just means I will need to become even stronger, strong enough to not fear even them.”

  “Damn crazy,” Nero repeated and jumped down from the top of the pyramid.

  He pulled his heavy, two-handed sword out of its scabbard. Despite its size, Nero was far from slow and clumsy with his weapon. Hadjar had seen what had happened to the last fool who’d thought so. He’d been halfway chopped into sushi during sparring, and not even particularly appetizing sushi.

  Nero handled his blade only slightly worse than Hadjar did. But this “slightly” had allowed one of them to become ‘One with the Sword’, and the other to just avoid becoming a laughing stock.

  “What do you think,” Nero asked while they sparred, like they had all the previous evenings. “Will it be scary?”

  “What?”

  “Fighting in a battle... my father never told me anything about war.”

  Hadjar had wanted to answer “me too,” but stopped himself on time. After all, he was from a mountain village that had never produced even a single soldier. Hadjar was supposedly the only person in the whole village talented enough that he’d been allowed to descend into the valley and explore the wide world.

  “I don’t know. Probably.”

  Each of them assumed a fighting stance. Nero held his sword with both hands, the handle positioned slightly over his right shoulder. Hadjar angled his blade in front of him, raising his left hand, which served both as sight and a way to balance himself, above his head.

  “Do you remember our agreement?”

  Hadjar sighed.

  “I remember.”

  “If you end up having fewer honor points than me,” Nero smiled broadly, “Then I take you with me to the fun house.”

  “Call a spade a spade, you’re gonna take me to a brothel.”

  And then the swords struck against each other which caused barely noticeable waves to ripple through the sand at the force behind their blows.

  A heavy, almost metallic atmosphere thickened over the camp. Only a few days remained before the march.

  Chapter 45

  “Status,” Hadjar ordered.

  The neural network responded immediately and appeared in front of Hadjar's eyes. It was like he was wearing augmented reality glasses. But, alas, local scientists could hardly have created something like that.

  However, they still had plenty of mysterious spells which the Prince still hadn’t learned or seen.

  Name

  Hadjar

  Level of Cultivation

  Bodily Rivers (11)

  Strength

  1.8

  Dexterity

  2.1

  Physique

  1.85

  Energy Points

  2.9

  Yes, thanks to the help of the doctor and Dogar, Hadjar had once again been able to achieve an awesome result with his training. After three weeks of training, he had been able to advance by four levels, then, in just one week - by as many as six.

  It had been possible only because Dogar and the doctor had almost opened a line of credit for him. He’d borrowed so many different potions, powders, and herbs from them... Most likely, he would end up having to spend his whole “premium” after the battle with the nomads to pay off the debts. And even then- it'd probably not be enough.

  Well, something told Hadjar that the heart beating in his chest was also somehow involved in this rapid progress. It was a pretty weird heart. Too weird.

  Hadjar didn’t feel much difference between when he’d been a six-year-old boy and the present, almost twenty-year-old young man he was today. Although, according to the neural network, he was no older than three months. That was the time that had passed since Traves had died, breathing new life into a little man.

  At the same time, such stats should never have been able to allow Hadjar to shoulder the seventh log. And that was what he had, secretly, in order to make sure, done that morning.

  Even Dogar, with his advanced Formation stage and insanely muscular and strong body, could not have carried more than six logs. And even then, the sixth log would’ve left him breathless and without any energy at the end of the day.

  “Data analysis,” Hadjar ordered.

  But, the same as with all his past attempts, the neural network simply responded with this:

  [Data analyzed. System failures - 0. Errors in calculations - 0.]

  “Useless thing,” Hadjar said.

  He still couldn’t understand how the heart of the dragon affected him. Why the numbers said one thing, but in reality, everything was completely different.

  “To hell with it,” Hadjar waved the matter away.

  He put on his patched and threadbare clothing and, placing the sword behind his back (to make running easier), left the tent. He was probably the only officer who looked even poorer than the brand-new privates.

  All of his salary was being spent on the purchase of various drugs, without which he couldn’t have achieved such rapid progress. No, it was possible to manage with the bare minimum. But then the eleventh, penultimate step of the Bodily Rivers would’ve been achieved in a year. And Hadjar had no extra days, let alone an extra year to grow stronger.

  And it was during those days that he had to accomplish the impossible - break through to the level of the Formation stage. Only by doing that could he defeat Colin and prove his potential.

  After that, even if the adjutant’s father wanted revenge, nothing would help him except the Axes. Hadjar was hoping to achieve a high status earned by his own handiwork. Especially if the neural network had been right about how the rains would affect the future battlefield.

  Then, when the soldiers found out whom they had to thank for not being sent into a monstrous meat grinder ... Well, one didn’t need to be a genius to understand what'd happen.

  “Senior officer! Sir!” Hadjar called out to Dogar, standing by the marquee of his superior.

  Obviously stifled moans were coming from behind the not very dense fabric. Hadjar heard curses and, finally, Dogar’s red, perspiration-covered head popped out from behind the canopy.

  “What do you want, assistant?”

  “Let me go hunting.”

  Dogar cursed again.

  “Today's the last day and night before the march. All the other officers and privates have long been indulging in carnal pleasures. Are you really going to go into the forest, even now?”

  “Yes. Do I have your permission?”

  “Go, Officer Hadjar... to the forest.”

  Dogar had obviously wanted to say something different, but he stopped himself on time. Without delay, he returned to the tent from
where sweet moans could once again be heard.

  Passing by Nero’s tent, Hadjar prudently put his hands over his ears. Unlike the marquees, there was too little space in these tents. So, even though Hadjar didn’t hear anything, he saw the silhouettes of at least three people. Well, besides seeing the tent itself shaking quite noticeably.

  Hadjar probably wouldn’t have minded a chance to go to the center of the camp and choose one of the newly arrived priestesses of love. They were doing brisk business today. Most of the soldiers, married or not, always brought workers from brothels into their tents before heading out to battle.

  For some... for many, it was the last time they’d get a chance to do so. So they did not hesitate to spend their coin and “worked out” as if they would never touch the female body again.

  From the girls' whispers back at ‘Innocent Meadow’, Hadjar knew that the prostitutes themselves had been waiting for this day eagerly. They said that no man loved them as much as a soldier leaving for battle.

  But Hadjar had a completely different adventure planned that day. He needed to get 30 more points to finally have a hundred Honor points. He'd be able to copy a meditation scroll into the neural network’s database using those hundred points. It'd allow Hadjar to break through to the next stage in a short amount of time.

  So, Hadjar was going to have a proper hunt in the forest. And if he got lucky, he would even find a way to kill a weak Alpha.

  He could earn ten points at once for that.

  True, it might be an impossible task. At least…

  “Hadj! Wait a minute!” Nero was running after him, fastening his sash and putting his boots on as he went.

  … By himself.

  Hadjar turned around and looked at his friend in surprise. At that moment, two pretty, but upset, female faces looked out of the man’s tent.

  “Listen, I have a lot to do…” Hadjar looked at the sun. It was already starting to rise. There was very little time left. And, of course, he didn’t have enough time for group sex...

  “I'll go with you,” Nero interrupted him, smoothing down his hair and straightening his sword.

  Hadjar was really surprised to hear that. Genuinely surprised.

  “You're not obliged to do that at all, besides…”

  “In addition,” Nero again interrupted him. “There're as many girls in this world as grains of sand on a beach, but I have only one friend like you. I do not want any other soldier to cover my back in battle, only a sword that I can trust.”

  Nero extended his hand. Hadjar hesitated for a moment and then shook it.

  “Well, you’re almost not a virgin anymore.”

  “Why?”

  Nero moved his eyebrows funnily.

  “If you only knew what I've recently been doing with these palms and fingers of mine…”

  Hadjar sighed and, pulling his hand back, turned to the forest. He’d managed to read not just disappointment, but also real thirst in the girls’ eyes. Apparently, his friend was good at more than just gabbing. However, perhaps that was what had inspired those ladies...

  Shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of unnecessary thoughts, Hadjar entered the forest first.

  He would have time to spend with women. But only later. When he survived.

  “If we hurry, we will have time to get back to the ladies...” Nero muttered.

  Hadjar immediately regretted taking the talkative man along with him.

  However, he was glad that someone would be watching his back. For the first time in his life, he wouldn’t have to look back every few steps. It was a strange, but very... warm feeling.

  “What have we come to hunt for, my friend?”

  The early morning forest, full of moisture and almost lazy shadows, looked calm and peaceful. It was difficult to imagine that beasts could even live in it. It was difficult to imagine that any living creature could live here, disturbing the serenity.

  “For beasts at the stage of the ‘Awakening of the Mind’…”

  “Not as bad as I’d thought. We can handle one together if we find an old and weak one.”

  “And for Alphas,” Hadjar finished.

  Nero swore loudly.

  “Have I told you that you’re crazy?”

  But Nero didn’t suggest they go home. He followed Hadjar calmly.

  A nice feeling indeed…

  “Keep up with me,” Hadjar whispered and ran.

  Chapter 46

  Over the past few hours, fortune favored the hunters several times. They managed to catch and defeat five weak and sick animals at the stage of the ‘Awakening of Power’. Their five cores would bring in about ten points, but that was already a third of the required amount.

  At first, Hadjar had insisted that Nero take half of the money, but his friend refused, saying it was a contribution to the future and that there would be no sense in him helping Hadjar if he died in a fight with Colin. It was probably just an excuse, but Hadjar made a mental note—one day, he would pay his friend back for this.

  During the time they spent hunting, Nero learned some of the hunting signs. Now he could understand Hadjar, but couldn’t answer him. So, all of their ‘dialogues’ turned into ‘monologues’. Nero simply nodded when he understood the sign and shook his head if he hadn’t.

  At the moment, they were crawling along the ground, hiding under the branches of bushes hanging from above. It was a very dirty job, causing Hadjar to roll his eyes mentally. For a city boy, Nero had mastered hunting quite well (even if he didn’t have a neural network giving him hints), but his clothes… In his leather jacket, pants, and boots, he looked like an everyday, urban guy. A normal, very dirty, slightly tired guy.

  Hadjar raised his fist and they stopped.

  In a clearing lay a huge wolf, hidden from the sun by the thick crowns of the trees. It was so big that if you were to put a horse next to it, they would be the same height at the withers. And from the muzzle to its tail... well, it was about three and a half yards long, not an inch less.

  The beast’s main feature wasn’t its gigantic size, nor its frightening fangs the size of a man’s palm, not even the tight, corded muscles visible under its ‘fur’.

  No.

  The danger came from the fact that, instead of fur, he was covered in thin, emerald threads. They emitted a smooth, green glow and rang slightly in the wind. Their ringing caused small emerald spikes to shoot up from the ground. They would briefly dispel the darkness, then turn into dust, blown away by the wind.

  It was an Emerald Wolf, a beast at the Alpha stage.

  “Alpha. Wolf. Emerald.” Hadjar signaled to Nero, who couldn’t see the clearing.

  Nero shook his head. Then again. Then slammed his fist against his palm.

  Emerald wolves were considered to be one of the most dangerous animals at the Alpha stage. Comparable to a man at the stage of a ‘Heaven Soldier’.

  “Plan. Trust. We can. Hunting”.

  Nero sighed heavily and, with his glance, made it clear that if they died, he would get Hadjar in the next world.

  Hadjar smiled and nodded.

  Yes, while such a beast was comparable in strength to a real cultivator, it still lagged behind in terms of smarts. And Hadjar was going to use that difference.

  Like any other creature, an Emerald Wolf had its failing—light. That’s why it lay in the shade of thick foliage. If the sun’s rays touched the emerald threads on its skin, they heated up so much that the beast would burn alive.

  It took ten minutes to explain the plan using the hand signs. After that, Hadjar rose from the ground and unsheathed his sword.

  As soon as he came out of the bushes and into the clearing, the Wolf opened its eyes. Its pupils weren’t black, but green and the iris glowed slightly.

  Without rising up, it roared. This roar made emerald spikes pop out of the ground. They were sharp, thin, and could easily pierce steel armor. And, of course, Hadjar’s simple, damned useless clothes.

  The beast didn’t want
to fight. It wanted to sleep. Last night, it had had an unsuccessful hunt and it was tired. More tired than hungry. In addition, the two-legged held a glowing stinger in its strange paws. The light caused it discomfort. It wanted the two-legged to leave. So, it warned him away.

  Hadjar sighed. What had this beautiful beast done to him?

  Nothing.

  But that was how the world worked. Hadjar and the beast both understood that.

  They hunted and fought to survive and become stronger. The difference was that, right now, the hunter wasn’t the wolf, but the man.

  The beast understood that as well and jumped to its feet.

  It howled and snarled.

  Hadjar pushed off the ground easily and soared into the air. He managed to do so a second before an emerald spike shot out of the ground in the spot where he had been standing. It didn’t hurt him when Hadjar stepped on it. His bast shoes, woven from the bark of a special tree, were stronger than any armor.

  Thanks to Robin and the mysterious village of the Valley of Streams...

  Hadjar swung his blade, slashing toward the wolf. But it didn’t reach the beast, crashing into the emerald ‘wall’. From behind it, the wolf pounced like green lightning.

  Its long claws stretched out like sharp daggers, ready to pierce Hadjar’s chest. At the last second, the young man managed to step aside. He moved as gracefully as a swan taking flight, and as fast as a falcon swooping down to catch its prey.

  However, that wasn’t enough to beat a predator at the Alpha stage in terms of speed.

  When Hadjar descended back to the ground, blood flowed from a wound along his leg, where his flesh had been torn away, but he didn’t pay any attention to it. He had to soar into the air again to avoid being pierced with a spike.