Considering the time between their contact previously, Ikazuchi was surprised to receive another letter from Kaen. It let him know that his assistance last time had led to a peaceful and beneficial coexistence between the two villages. It was to the extent that they had quickly decided that it would be best for the two villages to merge and combine their cultures. The elves tended to live in isolation, but the nature of Kaen’s village was similar to the elves. Their inherent respect for nature after living in the Worth Woodsea for their entire lives bridged the gap between the two more than the previous trade deal ever had.

Unfortunately, there were other nearby tribes who weren’t fond of the two villages merging. A nearby elf and human village were both actively trying to drive a wedge between the two sides, so there was another request for Ikazuchi’s assistance. Kaen had learned during the last duel that Ikazuchi was much stronger and reliable than he thought, so he didn’t hesitate to reach out at the first sign of trouble. Ikazuchi was thankful for this, as he didn’t want to learn that things had fallen apart during the short time that had passed. ‘Let’s see what those bastards want…’

Word Count: 200

It was nighttime when Ikazuchi received the letter, so he chose not to set off for the village considering the time. The night wasn’t much different than day for him, but he knew that the villagers would panic if a wyvern suddenly appeared over their homes. They adored his wyvern, but it wasn’t as if they could tell it apart from others at a glance. ‘I guess I should let that guy rest too…’ When he thought about what his wyvern would deal with, he couldn’t help feeling amused. The children treated the creature like a toy, so Ikazuchi knew it wouldn’t have a peaceful day until they returned.

It wasn’t too late, so he had the chance to prepare his equipment for the request. He thoroughly examined, repaired, and maintained his gear without any negligence. He was particularly careful with the recent addition to his collection. It was a sword originating from Iceberg that produced an effect similar to the spear Xerxes owned. By comparing the two, he hoped to understand how to replicate the effect and apply it differently. If he could, the potency of the items he created could only increase. Other than that, he prepared the various tools and necessities he would need during his stay.

Word Count: 210
Total Word Count: 410

“It’s time to get up…” Ikazuchi spoke as he actively irritated his slumbering wyvern. It was currently early in the morning, around dawn, and Ikazuchi was ready to depart. ‘Lazy thing…’ He poked and pushed at his wyvern that insisted on trying to ignore him. Ikazuchi wasn’t too forceful initially, so the wyvern managed to easily shrug off his efforts. Ikazuchi could only pause after realizing that being gentle wasn’t working. ‘Okay, we can do it the hard way.’

“I said…” Ikazuchi’s foot gently slid underneath the wyvern as he spoke. “...WAKE UP!” And with that shot, he put force into his leg causing the wyvern to shoot out the large door into the open space. The look of shock and betrayal that the creature gave him as it flew caused him to smile. “I already let you sleep last night, so no complaining now.” His words were an explanation to it, but they did little to appease it. Ikazuchi knew that the wyvern was extremely lazy, so it slept during the time when it wasn’t forced to work. He knew that it was thoughtful and intelligent, but he wished it would get over the laziness. ‘That won’t happen though…’

After being forcibly woken up the wyvern was surprisingly obedient. It was as expressive as always, but it never rebelled against him when it was unrelated to sleep. ‘Cute guy’ He couldn’t help but approach and pat it along its neck. “We’re going back to the village.” It perked up in response, but he also noticed a slight sigh from it. “They’ve run into trouble and need help.” Ikazuchi continued patting its neck, almost as if he didn’t notice the wyvern’s body tense due to anger.

“Are you finally awake?” The snort that he received in response made him chuckle. “Good, let’s get ready to go then.” After that, Ikazuchi equipped the saddle that was stored nearby. He had already loaded it with everything he needed, so this was the last thing he had to do before heading off. “Are you ready to go then?” The wyvern nodded in response to his statement as he climbed onto the saddle. “Good, let’s get going then.”

Word Count: 360
Total Word Count: 770

It seemed that his wyvern had renewed its attachment to the village after their recent visit due to the effort put into the flight. Ikazuchi shared the sentiment, but he was also entertained by how protective it was. Rather than the village, he knew that the wyvern was attached to the children that constantly gathered around it. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.’ He couldn’t speak due to the wind, but his hand that was placed against the wyvern’s scales was enough to comfort the creature. It knew that Ikazuchi could take care of everything as long as they reached the village. It flew harder than ever due to that trust and belief. Even if it exhausted itself during the short flight, that just meant that Ikazuchi could resolve the issue sooner.

Their arrival time was nearly half of what it was during the last trip, clearly displaying the urgency that his wyvern felt. The letter didn’t explain how urgent the situation was, but they had both determined that the situation deserved maximum urgency. Ikazuchi was thankful for this after seeing several broken buildings on the perimeter of the village from the sky. Killing intent surged endlessly in his heart after seeing this causing his wyvern to shudder slightly before quickly descending.

“Kaen!” They had landed directly in front of Kaen’s home, so Ikazuchi hadn’t hesitated to call out to him. No one was out of their homes, unlike the average morning. There wasn’t an immediate response as Ikazuchi quickly dismounted and rushed to the door of Kaen’s home. He was just about to knock when the door slowly opened to reveal Kaen covered in bandages. “Kaen?”

“I’m glad you’re here.” There was exhaustion on his face that hadn’t been present before. It was clear that the situation was far worse than the letter he received implied. Rather than talk at the door, Ikazuchi was led into the familiar room where the two would discuss what had happened. ‘I’ll kill them…’ Ikazuchi’s rage only grew as he examined his injured friend.

Word Count: 340
Total Word Count: 1,110

“Kaen, what happened? Things were going great when I left…” Ikazuchi couldn’t help but ask after he sat across from the man. Initially, he only received a sigh in response. “You’re right, things were going great…” Ikazuchi noticed the man’s fists clench as he spoke. “Unfortunately, what’s great for us wasn’t great for others.” Ikazuchi could only wait silently for the man to continue after hearing this.

“I’m sure you saw, but the village has expanded a lot during this time. The merger of the two tribes was going great. We were even in the process of establishing a tribal council in order to ensure that there was equal representation…” Kaen was doing his best to speak calmly, but Ikazuchi noticed his fluctuating emotions. He didn’t judge the man for being on the verge of tears considering the state of the village. It was extremely likely that there were casualties considering the damage, and these were all people that the injured man sitting before him took responsibility for.

“It was great, it really was… Until some nearby tribes started to express displeasure about the merger…” Tears refused to flow down the man’s cheeks, but it still hurt Ikazuchi to see. “Kaen, who was it?” Ikazuchi’s question calmed the man down as he finally started to get to the point. “There were two villages, one of the larger human ones and an elven one. They had been at war for several years now, and neither was happy to learn that a village like ours was merging…”

“Why was that related to them?!” Ikazuchi couldn’t restrain his anger after hearing that. Villages unrelated to this one were targeting them just because the humans and elves were co-existing? “Do you remember the former elf chief? The one that you took the arm of.” Ikazuchi naturally nodded in response. He may not remember every person he defeated, but that was a recent fight that wouldn’t be easily forgotten.

“He is the problem… After his son took over, he lost all of his authority. He couldn’t accept this, so he dragged the elf village into this.” Ikazuchi’s hands crushed the arms of the chair he was sitting in after hearing that. ‘Him?’ He regretted sparing the man after hearing this. It was something requested of him, but it also wasn’t something that he would normally do. “They dragged away the elves claiming that they betrayed their own kind. And immediately after, our fellow humans came and wrecked the village again for associating with the elves.” Ikazuchi stood up after hearing that and simply asked one question to his friend. “Where are they?”

Word Count: 430
Total Word Count: 1,540

Ikazuchi left Kaen in his home after he finally broke down due to his promise to make things right. He met the gaze of his wyvern that had been surrounded by children after exiting the building. This exchange was worth a thousand words as he simply nodded and sprinted off towards the human village first. He was very familiar with the Worth Woodsea, so he could navigate a large area around the tribe even without relying on his wyvern.

He radiated the same vibe as a predator as he moved, causing none of the creatures living in the area to bother him. They could tell that he was just passing through, and they instinctively knew better than to target him. If they stepped out right now, only death would await them. That was what the survival instincts of most of the creatures informed them.

Due to that fact, Ikazuchi arrived at the human village very quickly. It was large and well organized, clearly prospering due to the many guards that were patrolling and the activity behind the walls. ‘Unfortunately, you’ll learn today that there are some things that you can’t mess with.’ Thinking that, Ikazuchi approached the heavily guarded entrance. The guards were wary of him from afar, and eventually shouted for him to stop as he continued to approach.

Ikazuchi naturally didn’t do so. Instead, he sped up while drawing his swords. He didn’t bother to waste any words as he cut down any of the guards that he saw with a negative connection to the village. The others were spared, but still sent flying away from him with injuries. This continued until he reached the home of the village leader.

‘These trash…’ Ikazuchi felt as though his blood was boiling as he learned that the guards gathered outside were those who had all participated in the raid on the village. “You’ll all die here today…” After that, he went to action with extreme efficiency. The guards weren’t particularly weak, Ikazuchi was simply too strong in comparison. They were killed with extreme efficiency before he finally located the leader of the village attempting to sneak away using an invisibility relic.

The man flinched as he made eye contact with Ikazuchi, but he insisted on believing in the relic’s capabilities. “Do you know why I’m here?” Ikazuchi’s question was seemingly to him, but there shouldn’t be any way that he was found. “You won’t answer?” The leader of the village felt suffocated as he saw the blood splatter armor and heard the cold voice dripping with killing intent. “...It’s because you touched something you shouldn’t have.” Ikazuchi only said this after he realized the man would remain silent. After that, he simply decapitated the leader and left a message for the village to warn them about their actions. He didn’t know it, but the man’s son would go on to take over the village and use the remaining manpower to change it for the better. Unfortunately, that was a story for another time. Ikazuchi had immediately departed for the second village after killing his way into this one and taking the life of the leader.

Word Count: 520
Total Word Count: 2,060

OOC: Quest Completed