There were a bunch of them, and getting through them was impossible. Or at least seemed impossible.

The one good thing though.

They were very vulnerable to flames.

But this was not as easy of a solution as it was supposed to be.

For some reason, these hulking beasts of claws and feathers populated the treeline, circling the entire forest and refusing to back down. They were incredibly annoying. When I shot towards them with flames, they retreated back into the air and from the distance threw cones of compressed air shockwaves.

This was one of those times my instincts told me that one of those things must not hit me. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Watching them fall on the ground and unravel the stones with so much brutal force, was enough warning for me.

But because of their annoying disturbance, moving within the forest was incredibly difficult.

First they were monitoring me from the tree tops, each one of them was fairly large, enough to not be able to rest on the fragile treetops I was seeing.

But they could do so. Although, they would spread out their granite-like wings and grip the branches with those grey claws. No matter how thin and fragile the branches looked I had never seen any one of those things break.

For a few minutes, I was forced to run about.

But my running about was useless, they were controlling my movement with the cone of compressed shockwaves they kept slamming down with their wings.

Hence, in due time, I knew I had to do something very drastic.

If I could not run to the exit of the forest the way I wanted to, then I had to take out the creatures.

The only problem was their numbers.

’Calling Kassie and White Feather is a choice.’

But I was skeptical.

After White Feather’s warning about the Grimmwald territory, I was hoping I would simply sweep into this place and sweep out.

So, I wanted to do it alone to avoid unnecessary attention.

’Besides, it’s just a bunch of Level 2 Apex Beasts. So what if there’s twenty of them?’

"Heeeehhhh... are you going to deal with that on your own."

My brows darkened immediately and my entire muscles tensed.

I turned to my right side with calm. But I was not a bit calm, not in any manner calm!

Something was terribly wrong!

I had not felt or heard a step of this young man!

’When did he walk up to me? Are they not attacking him? How is he...’

He averted his gaze from the birds and gave me a dashing smile.

"You look ready to face them, we can do it together."

He belatedly observed me and quickly added, growing slightly awkward.

"Oh crap, I mean, I don’t mean... ah, oh, uhmm... A suggestion is all it is!"

I tilted my head, still grimacing.

In that instant, though, both of us, at the same time flew back. A cone of air fell right in the middle of us, pulverizing the ground in a spray of debris and dust.

Our eyes were still fixed on each other for some reason. Mine was carrying hostility, while he gave a disarming smile.

His disarming smile though, seemed to be harming me.

First, he was calm, he looked very timid and innocent up front but damn me. I may not be good at seeing the true nature of ladies, that of men, was something I wouldn’t fail to see.

His smile was a pretense, even the childish awkwardness was a pretense, and he was giving me a really bad and dangerous vibe.

Another cone was falling, I casually walked away from where I was, stepping behind one tree.

Barely a second after I was behind the tree, the ground exploded again, several explosions followed after that and he also had to seek shelter.

"Listen buddy! I’m not sure who you are or where you’re from, but I’m sorry for sneaking up on you! I just think you and I need to work together and I was excited to meet a cool Heroic Summoner, like my subordinates!"

’His subordinates?’

He has Heroic Summoners for subordinates?

’Let me guess, another big shot noble.’

White hair, golden eyes, porcelain skin. He had a beauty that bordered on heavenly. He looked like a celestial being more than a flesh and blood like me.

In fact, next to this bastard, it was as though I was the fiend.

’What? They are the fiend! It’s not normal to have a face like that, bro’s looking like an angel, but he’s just a demon in the skin of an angel... he’s not even an angel!’

"Ohhhhh? I can feel so much malice coming from you. Do you happen to know me from somewhere before? Why so much hate?"

My gaze darkened further.

I inhaled and looked up, getting ready to take off.

But he shouted through the forest again.

"That will be a very bad idea. You do know we are in the Grimmwald territory right now. They’re non religious folks, whether Tyrvas worshippers, be it Solarius or even Verdania, they will kill anyone. Now, in a territory like that, it’s best to go in and out ducking your head. You seriously, don’t think entering their skyline is how to go about that, do you?"

I felt something in me threatening to snap. No, it was not my ego.

After a few moments of silence, frowning, I shouted back.

"And what would you suggest, White hair?"

Immediately after I spoke, the ground exploded again, and again.

Then his voice came after silence descended.

"Oh no, call me Althie."

"I am not calling you that."

He sighed.

"Altharion would do, I was thinking we could kick our friendship right off the bat."

"You do know I asked you a question right?"

My words were met with silence. I wasn’t looking to his direction and in that moment of silence the compression of shockwaves were not falling too.

Then I heard his footstep, one unhurried step after the other.

He was standing in the middle of the trees now, open, and right beneath a couple of those vicious birds.

He raised his head, smiling.

"What else? We force them to come to the ground."

Immediately, he swung out an axe, one twice his size, then with a leisurely swing of his hand, he chopped down the tree next to me.

My eyes went wide with disbelief.

’This... bastard!’