Chương 9: Chapter 8

It took a while to clean himself, but the cold water was a blessing in disguise. First and foremost, he did not have to fight a giant python in the lake. No monster attacked him after the beetles and ants were taken care of. Their bodies disintegrated, a tribute to thank the Ancestors for their generosity, and he was left all by himself… and the disfigured carcasses of the monsters the ants had feasted on previously. Once Hakon was clean again, he focused on the patch of land in the middle of the small lake.

The distance was not noteworthy, but swimming across would leave his back a prime target to beetle spit.

"The Fracture." He grunted, shifting to the violet arc cutting through empty air. It resembled the tales Hakon heard of the Colossus that sucked several Barbarians to the bottom of its lair. The Colossus had already been taken care of, the lake it called its lair no longer as dangerous as it used to be, but the tale of a vortex killing several mighty warriors was etched into his mind. There he was, watching a violet vortex, stretching wider and taller than their hut back in the tribe.

It was his target, but dozens of monsters obstructed his path. Several beetles eyed him and spat in his direction but the projectiles fell short. The ants, their bodies much larger than the brethren Hakon fought before, no longer minded his presence.

"They have to get across the lake somehow." He mused, changing his tactic. Time was of the essence, but rushing into certain death would not help him. Hence, he geared up again and returned to the forest's undergrowth. He squatted down, his steps even quieter than before as he circled around the lake, taking in as many details as possible. Hakon could vividly imagine Astrid praising him for 'being different from the other fools', and Björn cursing him for being such a pipsqueak.

Thinking of his friends brought a smile to his lips, but he soon focused back on the island. It was even smaller than expected. Few plants survived getting trampled by the beetles and ants, but there was more to it. Some of the plants responded aggressively to the monsters coming too close to it. One less fortunate ant was entangled in a mess of roots and what appeared to be vines. Its exoskeleton was brittle and broken, and the rest of its body didn't look much better.

It was hard to tell how long the monster had been caught in the entanglement, but none of its brethren seemed to care. They skittered past the ant, some heading to the island's center where the Fracture was located, while others crossed the lake. Or tried to. Several ants and beetles sunk to the ground and did not resurface no matter how long Hakon waited. Others appeared to walk across the water without sinking. It looked like there was a path, maybe a set of larger stones or a bank of dirt and wood.

Regardless, their ability to cross the lake carried its own set of problems. The ants were stronger than the others had been. Fortunately, only a handful managed to reach the forest in the time he spent scouting the island and its inhabitants' behavior. Even better; some of the beetles that would have made it across the path were shoved aside by ants and disappeared in the lake. Slowly but steadily, Hakon grew impatient. Alas, his options were limited.

I could fight the ants and claim the path connecting the island to the forest. That idea was quickly discarded when he remembered the beetle's spit. No matter how useful [Evasion] and [Combat Awareness] were, a narrow path offered too few options to escape deadly spit. He could leap into the lake but then he would lose control over the path. As he came up with a few ideas, Hakon trimmed a few trees. He cut a few branches and worked on them, the axe in his hand moving smoothly as he sharpened them.

He could think of a few decent ideas to crush the ants but most required more time than he could afford to waste. Hence, he finished the first set of wooden spears and closed the distance to the island path. It didn't take long before the next ant dared to cross the path. Reaching for one of the spears, Hakon spun it in his hand, tested its balance and weight, and pulled back. He adjusted his stance instinctively as he emerged from a set of densely grown shrubs and threw the spear with all his might.

It was far from perfect. He could have thrown the spear a fraction of a moment earlier, his grip hadn't felt right either, but he hit the mark – somewhat. Instead of piercing the ant's skull, it struck the monster's abdomen. The spear didn't even leave a scratch and landed in the water with a splash instead. Surprisingly enough, the ant was not unaffected. The monster was not injured, but its balance was interrupted, urging Hakon to throw another spear.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The throw felt a lot better than the first even though he didn't hit its skull again. If that had been his target, he would have been annoyed. Instead, he smiled as the ant fell into the lake.

"Yes!" He exclaimed-whispered and retreated into the forest to carve more spears. Hakon went as far as to collect stones and rope to create a makeshift spear with a dull but heavy tip. Then again, it hardly looked like a spear at this point. If anything, it was an odd-looking hammer… or a mixture between hammer and mace? Regardless, Hakon returned to the bushes near the island path, skulking around the larger ants that made it to the forest, to kill a few more of their brethren.

One of the larger ants roaming the forest found him at last, but it was quickly dispatched. He used his makeshift weapon to crush its skull after closing the distance with [Dash]. [Dash] let him move faster than before, its improved version granting many benefits. Using the Skill's momentum, his crushing force worked wonders, though the weapon shattered. His grip was too hard, breaking the branch, whereas the ant skull cracked both stone and itself as they collided. [Proficiency gained. [Throwing Lv. 2] improved to [Lv. 3]] [Skill [Field Crafting] has been learned.] [Blunt Weapon Mastery has been recognized. Skill generated. Level adjusted to proficiency.] [Experience threshold met. Level Up!] The timing was perfect. Mana flooded him, filling his reserves and expanding the mass. His strength increased once more and his strategy changed with a moment's thought. Locating a lone, large ant nearby, he dispatched it with three quick axe strikes. Hakon salivated at the pulse of power, his muscles bulging.

He [Dash]ed to a second large ant near the island path and struck it with all his might… and he overextended, relying too much on his strength rather than skill and combat experience. His handaxe tore through the ant's exoskeleton and cut deep into its thorax, but the monster was far from dead. Its mandibles snapped at Hakon, his instincts screaming at him. He forced a trace of mana into his legs and he leaped backward just in time.

The mandibles snapped shut, missing his left leg by a hair's breadth, yet pain raced through his muscles nonetheless. The pain ought to be a lesson, but Hakon threw his axe at the target and charged fearlessly. He ignored the pain and pulled his sword out. A few moments later, the monster succumbed to its wounds.

"That was stupid." He commented quietly and waited in silence until the proximity was clear. Not even the beetles on the island took note of him at this point. His weapons retrieved, and sword in one hand, Hakon approached the path. He felt as ready as he could be, yet he failed to recognize what the island path was until he stood before it. His father taught him a lot about monsters and the dangers lurking in the forest, but the chieftain never prepared his son for this.

Hakon's eyes widened and he froze in his tracks as he realized that the island path was no natural occurrence. It was no creation of nature; the island path was a mountain range of corpses. Beetles, ants, and other monsters he hadn't seen before.

"That… How?" He gasped, dark carapaces, exoskeleton, and more stretching deep into the lake. There had to be hundreds, if not more. They should have disintegrated, yet they did not. Hakon thought about it for a moment and nodded as realization came to him. Nature killed them. There had been no Barbarian who offered them to the Ancestors as a tribute, hence the carcasses did not vanish. His hair stood on end as he looked up to scan the depths of the lake.

It was hard to tell at first but knowing what awaited him made it much easier. Monster corpses. Countless, and their numbers only grew the closer he inspected the island's surroundings.

"So many." Hakon swallowed hard, wondering how the tribe would have fared if all of them would have infested the forest. If they'd struck the tribe in unison rather than walking into certain death.

"Is that why you lead me here, Ancestors?" He asked, looking up to the sky in search of the silver moon. It was hard to tell how long the mountain range of corpses connected to the forest, but it couldn't have been long. If it had, Hakon would have never made it this close to the Fracture. He would have been overwhelmed by hundreds of spitting beetles and snapping ants. Or maybe the forest protected itself against the Fracture's monsters. The Fracture had to be conquered.

It was the Ancestors' will, and Hakon was their executioner. They chose him, guided him as they always did, and he finally understood it.

"The hunt with father. The hide scrolls. Enhanced Comprehension." He murmured, a smile pulling on his lips. A moment later, Hakon stepped onto the mountain of corpses, his hesitation fading into nothingness. If the Ancestors wished, he would survive and return with glory. Conquering the Fracture was fated to be just one of many feats as long as the Ancestors did not forsake him. He'd rise, his power soaring, his wishes coming true. But a Fracture was not easy to conquer. It was not easy to survive.

Death loomed over all those daring to enter a Fracture. Even the experienced died often enough, their corpses never to be found, their feats forgotten, their Saga devoured. But with danger comes reward. Honor. Power. It was worth it. All the pain and torture was bound to be worth it. As long as you survived to tell the tale. To carve your Saga and join the Ancestors' feast. Hakon's heart raced. He was excited. Overwhelmed. How could he not? This was the start of his Saga, after all!