Chapter 50: Ch89. King’s respect - 4 (Encounter)
Kurt’s body immediately disappeared from Groth’s sight, leaving only the afterimage for the King to strike against, and the axe hit nothing but thin air, grass and dirt.
The next split-second, Kurt reappeared exactly one meter ahead from Groth.
He grabbed the hilts of his daggers and kicked the King right in his nose.
Kurt felt the cracking of the King’s nose as much as the King himself did, only without the pain.
Groth let out a nasal howl, followed by a gush of blood that painted the grass’ green in red.
"Powerful or not, you’re a wolf after all, and you DO have a weak spot!" Kurt celebrated, getting up.
Only to see the handle of the war axe just about to hit him on the ribs again.
’[GHOST MOVE]!’
[VP REMAINING: 50/150]
Kurt’s image blinked and reappeared right behind the Direwolf King, and in the blink of an eye, he knelt, unconsciously avoiding the axe handle strike, that Groth began to use like a stick.
After successfully avoiding the attack, Kurt’s blade made a full arc upwards from behind him, and Groth immediately fell on one knee.
Groth’s massive hand flew backwards in a desperate attempt to hit his formidable enemy, but hit nothing but thin air again.
’[GHOST MOVE]!’
[VP REMAINING: 000/150]
He appeared in front of Groth this time, and before the Direwolf King was able to strike or even notice that his enemy was there, Kurt touched both his blades with the King’s neck.
Groth turned his head to face Kurt, unable to move even an inch without having his head be separated from his neck, and when Kurt’s brown eyes met Groth’s ice-blue eyes, Kurt could swear that the King was smiling.
"I yield." Kurt saw the King move his mouth and say.
[THE EFFECT OF THE SYNERGY – UNYIELDING HUNTER – HAS ENDED]
[YOU HAVE WON AGAINST GROTH – THE DIREWOLF KING]
"Wait... You can speak?"
Kurt’s eyes were wide, but he didn’t move his hands an inch.
"You humans think very lowly of us, but yes. Even though just a few of us are capable of doing so, yes, we can speak."
Kurt noticed that Groth wasn’t moving, so he took the chance to ask.
"I suppose that... When you say ’just a few of us’, you’re referring to the Kings, yes?"
"You’re quick to get the grasp of things, no wonder you defeated me, despite having a weaker body than mine." Groth smirked. "Or should I say... Having a weaker body than mine ’for now’?"
Kurt’s brow went up and he wanted to ask how he knew about him getting stronger, if the King was just a being inside the Nest, but it didn’t feel like he was going to understand that question.
So Kurt asked the other question that lingered in his mind.
"What are the Kings?"
Groth’s eyes lowered a bit, looking a bit sad.
"You’ll find out soon enough, but for now, I can’t tell you much. All I can say is, is the defeated allowed to make a request to the champion?"
Groth looked like a real king, even in defeat.
Kurt felt the honor and glory that the Direwolf King held for God knew how long, and he didn’t feel like denying him the right to at least ask.
"Name it, Groth."
The Direwolf King’s eyes widened, and Kurt could swear he saw one tear falling towards the King’s facial fur.
"Please... Take good care of me when I return." Groth asked, and before Kurt could ask anything else, or even feel perplexed about the strange request from the King, Groth took both Kurt’s hands and dug the blades into his neck.
"NO!" Kurt yelled, shocked.
[LEVEL UP]
[LEVEL UP]
[THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SPECIAL QUEST – AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE CHILDHOOD HERO – HAVE BEEN MET]
[YOU ARE NOW BEING REDIRECTED TO THE PLACE WHERE THE ENCOUNTER WILL BE HELD]
Kurt felt Groth’s warm blood flowing to his hands, but suddenly, the blood evaporated in what looked like tiny particles of light, along with Groth’s body.
And after that:
Beep!
[YOU HAVE ACQUIRED - THE DIREWOLF KING’S BEAST CORE]
[YOU HAVE ACQUIRED - THE DIREWOLF KING’S ESSENCE]
[YOU HAVE ACQUIRED - THE DIREWOLF KING’S HOWL]
[YOU HAVE ACQUIRED – WULFIR’S STEPS]
While the system spoke to Kurt, everything around him changed, and it felt like he was moving through space and time, until his feet landed on a white floor.
And he felt the familiar sensation of being inside the system again.
"You finally made it, kid." Orkas said, behind Kurt. "I’m glad it didn’t take longer than ’he’ was expecting."
Kurt felt kinda comfortable, knowing that he was back inside the system, even though he didn’t have many good memories about the place.
Even though he didn’t have good memories ’at all’ about the place.
But when he turned around and saw the man, his childhood hero, he couldn’t help but feel...
"Orkas?"
The man didn’t look like a hero, much less like he had been strong at some point of his life.
In fact, the person in front of Kurt didn’t look like a man at all.
The hairs on his head were all black, scarce, and so thin, that you could see the skin underneath it.
He was sitting on an armchair, and his frail hands shook like nothing in the world.
Orkas’ ghostly pale skin looked like old parchment, and aside from his voice, he looked like he went through a time machine.
Only that it was backwards.
"Yeah, I know I look... Old." He laughed or coughed, Kurt wouldn’t know. "But I rather not talk about it. ’He’ is watching."
Orkas’ eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.
"Who is ’he’?" Kurt asked, although he had a faint idea about it.
From the moment Kurt set foot wherever he was at the moment, he knew something weird was going on.
But it wouldn’t hurt to ask, just to be sure. "And..." Kurt knew from what he had experienced in the [MEMORY FRAGMENT], that the great Dark Hero, Orkas, wasn’t supposed to look like that. "What happened to you?"
