5 Journey

The journey from Swallowtail Mountain City to Golden Lotus River City was long. It would be a two day trip through Emeraldwood Forest which was the verdant heart that connected the two cities.

As Lassim, his father, and uncle Gryphon embarked on their journey, the morning air was crisp and invigorating. It filled their lungs with the sweet scent of moss and earth. 

"Ah, Emeraldwood Forest," remarked Gryphon, his voice carrying the weight of experience as he surveyed their surroundings with a vigilant eye. "These moss-covered pathways are a sight to see. It's been more than 8 years since your father and I had to travel outside the city. It's calm now, but don't be fooled young master. Danger lurks in every shadow and it's best to remember that."

Lassim nodded in agreement, his senses heightened as he stared outward. They delved deeper into the dense foliage. Surrounding the carriage the towering trees casting dappled shadows throughout the undergrowth of the forest floor. Lassim could pick up the occasional crunch of animal's footsteps on leaves echoed through the forest, punctuated only by the occasional chirping of birds singing their songs.

For the first several hours of their journey, Uncle Gryphon regaled them with tales of his own adventures inside this very forest. He recounted overly embellished epic battles with fearsome creatures that Lassim half-believed were even real, and a time he had a narrow escape from a sun bear. Apparently that one was a cautionary tale about drinking too much before bed out in the wilderness. Lassim rolled his eyes at the fable but indulged his uncle.

Around noon, they stopped for lunch and ate their fill of more savory sun fish pies packed neatly by Egelina this morning. She also included some of her delicious chocolate cake buns from the feast the night before as dessert. 

They then set off again on their journey, which continued to be uneventful besides the occasional animal sighting for another several hours.

As the sun was nearing dusk, their peace was soon shattered by a haunting howl that echoed through the trees. Uncle Gryphon's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword while his eyes scanned the surrounding forest for any sign of movement.

"Prepare," he warned, his voice low and urgent. "It's Wind wolves. This is a good chance to see what you've made out of your training so far young master. Show us your progress!" Gryphon gave Lassim a sly wink.

His heart pounding with adrenaline in anticipation. He remembered his lessons with Sir Ian and the descriptions he told of wind wolves. 

"Young master, one of the most dangerous pack creatures you might come across in the Emeraldwood Forest is the wind wolf. It is a formidable creature with green fur that ripples like the wind itself. Their main way of attacking is by using their sharp claws to maim and keen senses. They can use the element of wind to extend their claws' reach by 2 additional meters. They would be a strong opponent against a non-awakened mortal like you. Also, their howls are also dangerous as they are empowered by wind. It has a hypnotizing affect similar to Dragon's Fear where you may find yourself frozen and unable to move. Be careful if you come across them and signal for help with the flare your father gave you." Sir Ian stated during a lesson 2 years prior.

Lassim quickly grabbed his leather handled halberd made of simple steel from the top of the carriage. It was where his mortal weapon was stored and prepared by himself.

Gryphon and his father were decidedly standing by, ready to assist but wanting to let Lassim have first dibs on the attacking wolves.

Moments later, a pack of twelve wind wolves burst from the underbrush, their eyes gleaming with feral hunger.

Without hesitation, Lassim leaped into action towards the nearest three wolves that lead the hunt. His halberd flashing in towards them as he met the wolves head-on. He held no elemental energy in his veins. Relying only his own muscles, they seemed much stronger than any normal 8 year old should really have. The foundations for a strong spirit warrior in the making were sturdy.

With each swing of his weapon, he struck true. His movements and stances were a product of the Vanthar family's [Fire Halberd] technique. It was once created by a halberd user with a fire elemental spirit weapon in the Vanthar family. That person was actually Lassim's great-great-great aunt named Vanessa. She originally created the technique before sharing it into a battle art book inside the family estate's library.

Even with a plain steel weapon, he was able to master the basic movements for each of the 12 swings that made basis of the battle art. Learning the moves as a mortal would allow the user's body to eventually speed up the process of utilizing the flow of mana to fully empower the technique; once the user was properly awakened.

As the battle raged on, Gryphon watched with a mixture of awe and pride. He admired his nephew's courage and budding strength with each passing moment. Despite the danger that surrounded Lassim, he was actually fully under their protection. Also, surprisingly there was a sense of clear practice and flowing gracefulness among his halberd technique that Gryphon was witnessing. It made him smile proudly.

Suddenly, after Lassim had dispatched of 8 of the 12 wolves, a giant 3 meter tall alpha wind wolf lunged towards Lassim with a savage growl from behind one of the tall trees. This pack leader gave Lassim a fright and he briefly froze, unsure of what to do against a beast that size aiming to eat his head.

His father sprang into action like a bull protecting his territory. He turned ablaze with the ferocity of a raging inferno, his body and two-handed bastard sword blazed with elemental fire. The heat burned the ground to a crisp where he stood.

With an unbelievably quick and mighty swing, he unleashed a torrent of flame that engulfed the alpha wolf, reducing it and the remaining wolves to ashes in single a second. 

Lassim's senses hadn't even registered everything that had really happened until he saw the ashes falling slowly on top of the moss-covered ground. He stood in shock seeing his father's power.

For all his life, his father was always in his office or shouting orders at the knights in the training grounds. He couldn't recall ever a time where he had see his father actually wield his bastard sword with the elements. It was more of a decoration that he forgot about most of the time.

What's even crazier is it happened so fast that he didn't see his father's famed fire phoenix elemental spirit. He knew the stories of the bird that burned so intense and bright like a sun when it appeared, but the alpha wind wolf was burnt to a crisp so quickly that it wasn't even necessary. 

After checking to make sure the last of the wind wolves had been killed, he also took a moment to burn the bodies of the wolves Lassim had dispatched. Everard bent down to inspect the ashes before pulling something out amongst remains. Lassim saw his father pick up a few bright gems glimmering faintly amidst the scorched earth.

"Only a four out of twelve dropped this time," he remarked, his voice tinged with a hint of disappointment. Nevertheless, Everard scooped up the gems and turned to Lassim, his expression softening.

"Take these," he said, handing the stones to his son. "Consider them an early gift for your to use after your spirit awakening ceremony. They may not be many, but they'll serve you well to begin your cultivation as a spirit warrior. You earned these yourself since they all dropped from the wolves you slayed."

Grateful for his father's gift, Lassim accepted the gems with excitement. These were precious low-grade elemental source stones. He quickly stored them in his elemental magic pouch on his belt, an expensive container that could hold an entire house worth of items. He received it on his birthday a few years prior when he begun his initial training.

Recalling his teachings with Sir Ian, it was explained that elemental source stones were used as the main currency for valuable transactions across the world. Then particularly the low-grade ones found from killing weaker mortal grade monsters were often used instead to empower and speed up the process of hatching elemental spirits after the elemental awakening ceremony. 

After a spirit is awakened, it's common knowledge that new spirit warriors must slowly nourish and take care of their new spirits from ages 8 to 14 years old. Typically by the time they reached 14 years old, their elementals would evolve from just a cute mote of light representing their element into an egg that then hatches into a full elemental animal or mythical being. 

As the sun began its descent, casting a warm orange glow over the forest, the Iron Marquis, Lassim, and Uncle Gryphon decided to make camp for the night. They found a sheltered spot beneath the towering canopy of the Emeraldwood Forest. They laid their carpeted mats onto the mossy ground that provided a soft and inviting bed.

Uncle Gryphon expertly set up their campsite next to their carriage, while Everard started and tended to the fire. His elemental prowess allowing him to conjure and nurture the flames with ease.

As Lassim sat next to the fire, he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace settle over him as he listened to the soothing sounds of the forest, a stark contrast to the adrenaline-filled encounter with the wind wolves earlier.

His mind wandered back to the battle, the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he faced down the pack of fearsome creatures.

"Quite the battle, eh?" Gryphon's voice broke through Lassim's thoughts, drawing his attention away from the flames.

Lassim nodded, his eyes still fixed on the fire. "Yes, it was. I didn't think I'd have to face something like the Alpha Wolf trying to sneak up on me like that. I totally froze up."

Gryphon chuckled softly. "Welcome to the life of a spirit warrior, lad. You'll find yourself facing all sorts of challenges in the future."

Lassim's thoughts turned to his father's display of power during the battle. The ease with which Everard had dispatched the alpha wind wolf left a lasting impression on him.

"You saw how Father fought," Lassim said quietly, his voice tinged with awe. "He didn't even need to use his elemental. That was pretty awesome!"

Gryphon nodded, a proud smile playing on his lips. "Aye, your father is a formidable warrior, to be sure. But don't sell yourself short kiddo." He tussled Lassim's hair, "You showed great skill out there as well! I was impressed."

With cheeks flushed with embarrassment he replied, "Thank you, Uncle Gryphon. But I still have much to learn."

Gryphon clapped him on the shoulder. "That you do, lad. But with determination and tenacity like yours, I have no doubt you'll become a great spirit warrior like your father someday."

The flames danced before him, casting shadows that danced across the forest floor. Lassim soon fell asleep with his back against a tree while sitting on the carpeted mat.