Chapter 63: Mako And Jak

The sound of the Dragon ripping through the giant tree could not only be heard throughout all of NorthClaw as well as at the Parthenon, but could be felt throughout all of Ard Araml. Various villages stopped whatever they were doing as a wave of magic swept through the planet, a fiery hot gust of mana that surpassed that of even the intense desert heat. Having felt the rumbling of the World Tree’s emergence some hours prior, many could only wonder what all the commotion was about.

A number of individuals even took note of this and began making plans to investigate.

As for the those within NorthClaw, namely a slightly fatigued Mako and Jak, they got to witness firsthand as the Dragon erased a chunk out of the World Tree’s lower base. A generous portion of the World Tree ceased to exist as the powerful combination spell pushed through its innards and out the other side. Then, with almost nothing left to keep it in the same position, the World Tree began to fall, it’s massive weight leaning to the side where it’s support had disappeared. A crack echoed through the area as it began it’s slow descent downwards, the Tree fighting to keep itself standing.

Of course, even while that was happening, the two Adventurers fixed their gazes onto their opponent. Trickles of sweat poured down Mako’s neck and blood traced their way along Jaks face from his open wounds, but they remained where they were. Unfaltering.

The Nature Spirit didn’t seem too pleased by the newly developed situation, especially when she had almost managed to stop the Dragon in its tracks. If possible, her hatred towards the bright haired children had grown in intensity.

Crack! The sound of World Tree splintering resonated as the green-skinned woman floated towards the duo, lowering herself until her bare feet were touching the ground.

"I was instructed to let the two of you live." The Nature Spirit glanced from Jak to Mako, anger and disgust clouding what could have been beautiful green eyes. "So, I’ll only ask this once. Retreat and I shall not harm you."

(("She was instructed?")) Jak frowned slightly, giving Mako a quick side eye at this new piece of information. (("Then she isn’t here purely for destruction. And she isn’t working alone. Then what are they after? Does this desert planet have something worth offering that we dont know about?"))

An image then flashed through the youths mind, the image of the secret room hiding within the depths of the Pyramid Dungeon.

"If that’s the case, then why did you try to kill us earlier?" Mako questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Also, sending these monsters after us? Seems counterproductive to not harming us, doesn’t it."

"Because I, Meopia, want nothing more than to kill you. Which I had every intention of doing." The Spirit waved away the question without a second thought. "However, after a brief contemplation, Ive decided against it. I deeply respect the one I serve, for he is a noble hearted individual that I do not wish to disappoint. Therefore, if you leave now, I promise not to harm you humans any further. Leave this planet at once and forget what you saw."

Mako didn’t say a word, staff held at the ready. All he did was return the side eye that Jak had initially given to him. It was pretty clear what he was trying to convey, even without any sort of words being exchanged. He was leaving the decision solely up to the redhead, whether to follow the woman’s instructions or to continue standing their ground for as long as they possibly could.

Letting out a slow breath, Jak looked into the far distance, in the same direction as where the Parthenon lay.

"The question is never what others can do for you Jakklo. It’s what you can do for others. Kindness begets kindness. Bonds are formed through trust, respect, and camaraderie." Dante grinned as he tossed a smooth, flat rock up into the air before catching it. "True Adventurers help others not for themselves, but for the sake of forming these bonds, for making these friends. An adventure without friends. Is it really an adventure?"

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"You think one day I could make something like that, Knox? Something that could cheer up others. Yeah. It is pretty silly isn’t it. I’m just a slave. Slave 42."

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"I WANT him to be proud of me. But it seems like the more I do, the more I disappoint him.

The choice was obvious. It didn’t even take Jak a second to reach an answer.

"Mako." - Jak

"To hell and back brother." - Mako

Boom! Boom!

Jak launched forward from his position, Masamune clearing its sheath in the very same breath, crimson surface catching the light coming from the various moons. His compatriot wasn’t too far behind, having taken a wide arc rather than barelling straight ahead like the redhead. Meopia clicked her teeth in annoyance, readying herself for a fight. Behind her, multiple vines, much thicker and sharper than before, rose up from the ground and shot forward. Moving in intricate patterns, they surrounded Jak from all sides with the clear aim to skewer every inch they could reach.

Flames surrounded Masamune as the fiery redhead flicked his sword, swinging it in one clean motion. A trail of red, yellow, and orange followed the katana as burning pieces of vines rained down around the sprinting Adventurer. Sword ablaze, he rapidly closed the distance.

With the long range attacks rendered obsolete, Meopia shifted into an offensive stance with her makeshift battle axe held at the ready. Silently, she dashed forward to meet her opponents.

Mako and Jak hit the woman at the exact same time, with the blue-haired Rookie charging in from the left. The initial exchange only lasted a few seconds however as Meopia parried a number of the redheads strikes before immediately following up with a kick to the chest that sent the youth flying back a few meters. Mako’s attacks were negated by a swarm of Mugen Leaves, forcing the Rookie on the defensive as the iridescent foliage switched from blocking to pursuing without missing a beat.

Jak flipped midair and landed on his tiptoes, skidding against the grassy floor. The moment his feet managed to get a solid purchase on the ground, the redhead leapt back into the fray with Mako following suit from where he was.

Ching! Ching! Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the area as the three of them went back and forth in and all out battle, a fight in which a single mistake would cost a life. Magic attacks were exchanged every so often, Mako deploying as many lethal yet creative spells to avoid the Mugen Leaves and Jak pouring on the Red Strings.

"Water Manifest: Inverted Harpoon Gatlin!"

Meopia switched to evasion as she flew backwards, doing her utmost to dodge the spell. Sharpened spears of water shot in her direction, zigzaging and crossing each other as they flew around the area while tracing her movements. The Mugen Leaves were pointless, unable to keep up with the random attack patterns of the liquid harpoons. All the Nature Spirit could do was slash, parry, and avoid as the aquatic spell rained down around her.

Then, from behind, Jak shot into the picture. While she was off balance and distracted, the youth summoned a line of pure crimson to his katana.

"Flame Manifest: Red String."

Meopia clicked her tongue in frustration before summoning a shield of thick moss between the sliver of distance left betwixt her and Jak. The sword smacked into the foliage with a heavy handed strike, pure destructive force hitting everything within its range, including Meopia and Jak himself. Burned and slightly disoriented, the Nature Spirit retreated to a safe distance void of any potential threats.

As the skirmish momentarily deescalated, the World Tree finally completed its descent, slamming into the ground with enough force to shake the very planet. Dirt and debris were scattered everywhere, kicked into the air and blocking out the sight for all three fighters.

It didn’t stop them though. In fact, it was used to one’s advantage.

"Great Forest Manifest: Zapist Minefield!!"

Within the cover of the thick dust cloud, Meopia cast a spell that Mako and Jak couldn’t begin to interpret nor detect. The Earth beneath their feet rumbled gently as some unknown entity broke the surface of the battlefield. With no idea what was going on, the dual Adventurers moved back to back in order to avoid potential sneak attacks. Instincts on high alert, the two said nothing as they looked around for the newly cast spell.

At first, nothing happened.

Then, Mako took a single step to the left. A careless step. Purple lightning sparked into existence as it travelled through the youths body, paralyzing him where he was. Jak didn’t even have time to question what had happened before a vine swung through the smoke and struck the electrocuted Rookie, flinging him through the air and out of sight.

A resounding BOOM could be heard as Mako’s body slammed into the root wall of the destroyed World Tree far into the distance.

Strong gusts of wind then momentarily lifted the veil of dirt, long enough for the redhead to see what had happened to his compatriot.

At first, it was extremely difficult to see anything that really stood out. The various vines and plants surrounding him appeared no different from how they had been upon his arrival within NorthClaw, aside from the fact that they weren’t supposed to be there. It was only after Jak really took a closer look, mainly lowering himself closer to the floor, that he found what he was looking for.

Some of the vines that littered the surrounding area were glowing a faint purple, almost unnoticeable to the naked eye. This was made even more so by the layer of dust and debris that now covered the battlefield, making it into a literal minefield that was virtually undetectable by normal or magical means. It was a nasty spell to say the least.

"You’re outmatched, child." Meopia slowly walked forward, stepping out from the cloud of thick dust. Despite some singes and light burns, she looked completely unscathed with no visible hints of fatigue. "I haven’t even begun to regain a fraction of my magic and you’re still struggling against me. Would it not be wiser to simply return to your home and put this behind you? Surely you have no attachments to these people or this world. A filthy human like yourself should WANT to preserve their own life over others. It’s how you’re wired, is it not?"

Jak wiped some blood away from his eyes, but said nothing in response. No words were needed. All he did was tap his sword to the ground before igniting it on fire, burning away at the Zapist Vines that surrounded him.

Retreating was never an option, from the moment that all of NorthClaw had been ensnared. Kruger, Meru, Ontoki, Hunopil. Those that needed help and had reached out to him for assistance, with some of them even setting aside their own pride and prejudice to make the request. There were no scenarios in which Jak would abandon the Aramalians to whatever unknown fate that awaited them. No matter how much he himself still suffered or abhorred interacting with others.

And he was almost positive that Meopia knew it, because she let out a small sigh shortly after. Raising her hand in front of her, she made a fist before sticking out her ring finger and pinky.

"Come forth and bless me. Attain that which has been taken." Meopia narrowed her eyes onto the fiery redhead, an unknown power building up around her. "Bond to me and become my strength. Yggdrasil’s Blessing."

Immediately, upon the Nature Spirit’s finishing incantation, her mana levels spiked. Having already possessed a staggering amount of magic, the sharp increase was akin to overkill. Jak could only watch expressionless as Meopia’s power swelled to new levels, increasing more and more as the seconds ticked on by. It was all Jak could do to breath properly, the sheer pressure being enough to deplete the nearby oxygen levels and send thick gusts of mana in all directions.

"I provided you with an out. What happens next is of your own making, human child."

"You mean the part where we kick your ass? Cause I definitely wouldn’t wanna miss out on that particular event."

Jak barely had to turn his head as Mako stepped into the picture, taking a solid stance to the right of the redhead, staff held at the ready. The blue-haired adventurer looked scuffed and dirty in multiple places, not to mention bleeding in several others, but looked to be okay otherwise. His outfit on the other hand was all but torn to shreds, hanging off his slim figure like a couple of rags.

Though, he didn’t even acknowledge it as he slammed the butt of his weapon against the ground.

Meopia didn’t appear to be very happy to see the youth, which was to be expected, but she also didn’t look to be surprised that the individual was still up and about.

"I guess your species is as dumb as rocks." The Nature Spirit clicked her tongue in disappointment. "You should have used the chance given to flee. Cowardly it may be but your life would be spared."

Mako grinned, unfazed by the Spirits words or by the increase in her magic supply. "Well. You see. My bonehead brother can be a bit of a screwup. As the older one, it’s up to me to pick him up when he falls."

The corner of Jaks mouth tipped upwards as he stood up straighter, gripping his sword tighter. "You’re younger than me though?"

"Details details. Don’t overthink it."

"Youre an idiot." The fiery redhead cracked a smile. "But. There’s no one else I’d want by my side."

"That’s what I like to hear bonehead. Let’s flatten this tumble weed and get some grape juice!!"

Meopia slowly rose up from the ground, vines growing around her as the mana continued to grow and expand. At this point, it felt like an ocean worth of magic, enough to obliterate anything it touched or create anything the user desired. Yet still, it was far from that of a Rift Hunter and likely far off from the amount the Nature Spirit originally possessed.

"Odds of beating her?" Mako questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe point six percent?" - Jak

"Ooh. I like those odds. If you round up, that’s a whole percent more than I was thinking." - Mako

"..." - Jak

"You have no chance at victory. Now, prepare for your demise you-"

Before Meopia could finish what she was saying, the building aura surrounding her suddenly fluctuated violently, dispersing a bit before properly stabilizing. This happened again. And again. And again. In rapid succession, the amount of mana slowly stemmed off. The magic already collected was still there inside Meopia, but the rest of the mana still moving towards her disappeared before it could make contact with the Nature Spirit.

"Wha-" The Nature Spirit couldn’t even properly form a sentence within her confusion as she tried repeatedly to suck in more magic. "What’s going-"

"Well would you look at that." Mako twirled his staff in satisfaction, a proud look on his face. "I’d say he really outdid himself."

"I guess he really did."

Over a hundred kilometers away on one of the roots spreading out from the destroyed World Tree, a figure sprinted across its bumpy surface, a complete blur under the moonlight. Razor sharp Scimitars sliced through the dense atmosphere, raking across the various bubbles containing the ensnared Armalians. One bubble. Five bubbles. Fifteen. The figure didn’t pause to take a single breath as he hacked and slashed his way through the area.

Down at the very bottom of the root wall, dozens upon dozens of already free NorthClaw residents awaited for their comrades fall from their confinement.

Kruger had finally made his move. The battle for NorthClaw and the entire world of Ard Armal was nowhere near its conclusion.