Chapter 45 - The Great Bjorn
Bjorn was a blacksmith, just like his father and the father of his father. The Great Bjorn people spoke of, for he had the size and muscles of a man before he even became one, and when he did he looked more like a giant among his fellows than a man.
Bjorn has always been proud of his stature, his instincts and his muscles built by fire and steel in the family forges. Which is why, unlike the others, he was content to be an apprentice, a blacksmith without essence, however good he was, he was bound to be just a man and steel just steel.
He remembers even now the joy he felt when the rock of enlightenment shone white, announcing to everyone that the great Bjorn would become even greater. Remember drinking heartily with your friends and partying with girls. He was selected in his eighteenth year and was so happy that he almost thanked the Fallen for taking down Ortea and getting the Order to advance the selections.
Bjorn was not only big in body, but in skill and spirit as well, crushing apprentices in every class he applied to, whether it was essence forging or close-quarters combat. Soon the other apprentices started calling him Bjorn the colossus, a name even bigger than the one he held before.
A name that made Bjorn proud, self-centered… Careless.
"Youth, always too curious and too little wisdom," declared the old man.
"Why are you doing this?" Bjorn asked to buy time. His body was starting to get used to the ominous sensation.
"To find a man of course," replied the old man. Looking at him curiously. He seemed to know what Bjorn was up to and didn't seem to care.
"What do you mean by man?" Bjorn asked. His fingers were already moving.
"See, there are no men up there, just dogs and devils, dogs are just dogs and devils pretend to be men," replied the man pointing a finger up.
"A witch talking about the hell, what a hypocrite," spat Bjorn. His arms were already having little spasms.
"Hypocrite? No, I'm true to who I am, there are only devils above. You call me a witch for using the Siaks, but I've never seen a Siak kill his fellow," declared the man.
"That still doesn't answer the question, why are you doing this. Witcher?" Spoke Bjorn with venom to try to engage the man in conversation. His legs were already shaking a little.
"For only in despair is a true man born, only in anguish are devils redeemed," replied the man with unshakable conviction, as if he were speaking an absolute truth.
"So what? Will you kill me and everyone above with the help of the Siaks? And for what? Nothing has changed," Bjorn replied.
"The ones above? Yes, but You? No, no. It won't be necessary for the Siaks, they're preparing for the foolish invasion anyway," replied the man nonchalantly.
"So be it," Bjorn said. Finally he was able to move.
Meticulously pouring essence into the muscles of his leg, he ran like a bear toward the man. It was a trick of his own, he created to help him be meticulous in the forge, it wasn't an aspect, but it came close.
Bjorn's heavy, heavy footsteps created cracks in the mossy ground, and when he reached the man's reach, he braced his right foot and twisted his body to deliver a powerful punch with his right fist, aiming for the old man's head.
The man kept still, but his black eyes followed Bjorn's every move, and when he threw the punch, the man just raised his right hand. A slightly translucent yellow sphere formed around his fist, blocking Bjorn's punch and breaking his fingers.
A muffled "bam" followed the impact and echoed through the tunnels.
Bjorn didn't allow himself to stop, using the recoil from the impact to the right to launch a low left hook aimed at the enemy's abdomen, while healing his other hand at the same time.
The answering man raised his left hand and blocked it again, breaking Bjorn's left hand.
'What?' Bjorn thought. He understood why he broke his fingers, his thrust was too strong and the man's barrier too rigid. Making Bjorn decide to heal the hand instead of filling it with essence to withstand the impact, as it would consume less energy.
But the second punch didn't make any sense, it had half the power of the first and was layered with essence for protection.
Looking at the brief bewilderment in Bjorn's eyes, the old man's eyes gleamed in amusement and a brief smile crept to his lips, before he ducked a few inches, just enough to propel himself into a right side kick, sending Bjorn ten feet away. to the left.