Chapter 54

"What are you doing? Darvin asked.

Aldin turned to see Darvin who had just arrived.

"Oh! I'm just practicing some martial arts." Aldin said surprised by Aldin's presence.

"Where did you get this book?" Darvin asked.

"Professor Kyle gave it to me." Aldin said.

"Can I have a look at it?" Darvin asked.

"Sure, you could even try one of them out, Professor Kyle said these are pretty strong martial arts." Aldin said.

As Darvin read them, he was intrigued by them, they were all based on improving the combat ability of a mage.

"These are awesome." Darvin said. "But I can't join you I still have rune smiting to do with the principal."

"Okay, you'll find me here when you get back." Aldin said.

"But shouldn't you at least take your lunch."

"Yeah right, I probably should."

The two headed down to take their lunch.

"I picked the ice king's dance since it is most suitable for me, great attack power and also has a good defense." Aldin said.

"I'm going to pick sky's willow. It is good for evasion and also suits my attributes." Darvin said. "The problem is when to practice it, in the evening I'm too tired to even think about exhausting myself even more."

"How about during the weekends, when we go to the woods we can practice from there."

"Great idea and we can even go on both days."

"And what about our quotas?" Aldin asked.

"Well with rune we just need do find huge packs and strike them from the above then rest for a bit and begin training." Darvin said.

"That's great, good thing tomorrow is a weekend." After that short talk Aldin went to the practice area to work on his martial arts.

The first form was one that required one to utilize their palms and after a pattern of movements the hands momentum would all be aimed at the area to be attacked and with ones palms one would be able to land devastating force. Aldin practice the patterns diligently but they were not smooth enough only after doing it over and over was he able to improve on them but when Darvin came in the evening, he had made quite the progress. After dinner he went to bed due to exhaustion. Darvin took the book and headed to the training area to have a try at it. Its first form was similar to Aldin's only it served the purpose of redirecting attack, the book detailed various ways of doing so. After reading through the entire first form, he began practicing it, the flow of the movement was very much suitable because with his wind attribute he was able to make the movements flow easily. The slow and effective movements also had a calming effect on him, he continued to practice until he had to go to bed. Although he hadn't planned to practice for long, he ended up practicing for an hour, when he slept his body was comfortable, all his muscle were relaxed and when he woke up to the following morning he was as fresh as a daisy.

Aldin woke up to find a jolly Aldin on the table. He was enjoying his breakfast.

"You seem to have woken on your good side." Aldin said.

"Yeah, the practice I did yesterday left me refreshed."

"Well that's good for you. My whole body felt uncomfortable the whole night that I had trouble sleeping." Aldin said before yawning. Slightly.

"Must be rough. Get some tea since we are about to leave." Aldin immediately rushed to the table and picked up a cup with a lot of hurry and accidentally broke it with his grip.

"And don't forget to control your strength. " Darvin continued

They soon left the academy and were on their way to the woods, Aldin slept on the way, he was way too exhausted.

"I'll continue practicing first, you go fill your quota first." Darvin said and Aldin went into the woods too tired to care, went on a rampage, he far surpassed his quota in an hour and since he didn't want to get a scolding from Darvin set aside some of the best in his hunt for the quota and used devourer's touch on the rest, he absorbed it all and energy filled his being again. He felt very energetic now. He went back to where he had left Darvin and after placing his quota on the ground, he began practicing the first form again, with the renewed energy he was able to use the technique once more and this time faster, it was very first that it almost was had to follow. Meanwhile Darvin had gotten his quota as well and came back to find Aldin still practicing not tired at all and till at the same pace, he too joined in the fray and after some intense work out they sat down to rest.

"It felt great." They both said sweaty and tired.

"Since were done with training for today why don't we head out and hunt some bonus beast, this time I am tempted to go in search of a tiered magical beast." Aldin said.

"Just don't get into trouble." Darvin said as he sat down to rest.

Aldin left and began his hunt for bonus beasts. The forest was full of them and when he would kill on he would throw them all into a light contrast box behind him.

As he fought the beasts he began adding the martial arts he had learnt and using them in battle, he began to get a thrill from this and easily lost himself in frenzy.

"I should probably head back with this catch." Aldin said to himself and began picking up the corpses around him and threw them into the light construct with the rest.

But just as he was about to begin his journey back he had loud screams from further into the woods, since he also had to guard his prey with him, he rushed there together with the carcasses curious on the origin of the scream.

Aldin ran over to where he had heard the sound, he even had no need to since the ruckus was easy to notice. As he was headed there he found a man, tall and had brown hair, with wounds all over, escaping from the source of the sound.

"What happened there?" Aldin asked.

"Don't bother going there, it's too dangerous over there, just run away, you'll die for no use of you." The man said.

"I don't care I want to know what caused that sound." Aldin said as he escaped the grip of the man.

"Don't go there kid, can't you hear me." The man said as he tried to grab Aldin again but Aldin again escaped his grip.

Meanwhile at the Lornes's royal family's castle in the capital a magic knight was giving the King a report on occasions that occurred within the kingdom.

"Any leads on what happened to the Dark guilds all over the kingdom five months ago?" The king asked.

"There have been no substantial evidence on what happened to them but were still investigating." The magic knight said.

"To date I still find it hard that somebody was able to deal with all of them in one go. And what about those strange beasts, the mutants." The king said.

"The origin is not yet known. And the rate of their appearance had gone down." The knight said.

"That's at least some good news for today." The knight said. "And on other unrelated news, there is news that Dusk and winter are back."

And at those words the Kings expression went dark instantly, he seemed ro be filled in fear, his body began to slightly quiver

'Why now of all times, couldn't you just stay dead!' He thought to himself each time with more of his emotions showing.

"Is there anything wrong your majesty?" The magic knight asked with a tone of concern in his voice.

'This is just the start.' The knight thought to himself.

"Nothing, you can leave now." The king said and theag8c knight opened the door, left and closed the door behind himself.

Back in the woods, Aldin had escaped the man's grip and maneuvered his way through the woods until he got to the source of the ruckus

When he got there he came face to face with a bear, but it wasn't a bear, it had a scaled body but still maintained it's features.

'What the heck is that, I don't think I've seen anything about such beats in my books. Or is it a mutation.' He said and at that moment by the beasts noticed him and fired a slash ag him and he could feel the power in that swipe. He moved to the side and was able to avoid the strike. The trees behind him were not as lucky as they were all cut down.

'and from. The looks isn't that a fire attributed bear, how does it have the attribute of water. And no beast are able to manifest two attributes.