Beastforged World - B1 Chapter 8

“Do you really think I’m ready for this?” I fidgeted with my belt, tightened it, and then put it back into the same position when it didn’t feel quite right.

Daniel didn’t look back. He strode calmly along the sidewalk, his eyes diverting from the massive structures of the Bastion to the patches of grass and flowers separating them from the dome. The only structure carved into the surrounding land was a straight, several-kilometer-long street, connecting the Bastion’s main street with the edge of the dome.

The empty land between the dome and the edge of the Bastion could be used to expand infrastructure, but such development seemed unlikely anytime soon. Everyone sought the safety of the Bastion—the protection of the Blessed living in its center. If something happened, nobody wanted to be near the dome.

“We will see about that soon enough,” Daniel responded at last, but his words were far from reassuring.

Confidence and excitement flowed into me through the bond, yet even Aureus’ attempts to reassure me didn’t work. Not right now. Not with the first hunt, the first kill, waiting for me.

Aureus yapped, fully invested in his new hobby of combining sounds like clicking, chirping, and other noises, trying to distract me. His tiny head popped out of my chest pocket, and I had to tone down our bond to avoid the monsoon of utter excitement and uncontrollable joy that would have otherwise overwhelmed me at full power.

Why was my Soulkin such an excited child? I grimaced and cursed my fate, only to give in and pat the little glutton’s head as our journey to the edge of the dome continued.

Aureus was growing fast. A lot faster than Daniel and I had anticipated, to be precise.

However, the Soulkin’s growth was not focused on the physical aspect. Quite the contrary. All that seemed to grow was Aureus’ hunger, intelligence, and the increasing soul energy required to maintain our bond.

“Take this.” Daniel slowed down to walk beside me, a scabbard resting in his hands. “This is a silvernit sword. Precisely, it is the sword I used when I was a Novice. It’s made from a simple alloy and is commonly used by young Novices. It is very durable and has a decent ether conductivity, which allows you to augment the blade.”

He put the scabbard into my hands and helped me fix it to my belt before we continued walking.

“While augmenting the blade won’t be important for today’s hunt, you can further refine your ether control by experimenting with the silvernit sword. Then again, I doubt you will have any problems with that,” Daniel said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Regardless, you can test it out once we’re back. I want you to keep the weapon so you can practice even when I am not there. Putting that aside, the blade won’t dull easily. It is also sharp enough to harm an Awakened beast as long as you apply enough force.”

He shrugged at that and glanced in my direction as if to look for a reaction. Clearly, Daniel didn’t think I was strong enough to harm an Awakened beast. But who was I kidding? I doubted I could survive a fight with an Awakened beast for more than a second. Maybe I’d last a full breath if the Awakened toyed with me.

“I see. Thank you,” I muttered under my breath, one hand resting on the silvernit sword’s handle. Ether swirled out of my World core on command. It riveted smoothly through my body and out of my arm, pouring into the sword, analyzing its internal structure.

It was easy to move ether at will, and it didn’t take long to analyze the ether pathways within the blade either. I unsheathed the blade and inspected it thoroughly. The silvernit sword was well-balanced and rested easily in my hand. It was a little short for a longsword, but I suspected Daniel wielded it when he was younger. It was not hard to tell that it had been a while since Daniel graduated from being a Novice.

Was he ever a Novice? Probably no longer than a few months when he was a literal child. I mused to myself as old memories of our childhood resurfaced—of that particular day Daniel spent bragging about his massive World; the same day he begged his parents to gift me a beast egg.

That day had opened my eyes in many ways—most importantly, it showed how different people could be. Being born in the same Bastion didn’t mean anything.

Shaking my head to discard the thoughts, I wove the ether within the sword through the vein-like pathways naturally and augmented the blade.

It vibrated faintly, and I was certain it glowed ever so slightly in the reflection of the early morning sun.

There was no obstruction, nor any challenge that could help refine my ether control.

“Why did you say I won’t have a problem with the sword? I mean, I understand what you’re talking about because everything feels so natural. The only thing I can learn with the silvernit sword is probably how to micromanage my ether consumption.”

I quickened my pace to look at Daniel. He met me with a faint smile as I added, “Is that related to why we’re moving out of the Bastion ahead of schedule?”

He nodded and motioned for me to put my sword away. “I know your bond has already granted you access to natural ether recovery, but you shouldn’t waste too much energy. You will need every bit of it later.”

I scoffed at him, trying to hide my increasing anxiety, and put the sword away.

“To answer your earlier question, we’re going outside because of what you can do.”

My lips parted, but Daniel lifted his hand. “Because of what your bond allows you to do.”

“Are you talking about the soulshare? But I am not getting a big share, and you know that.”

I didn’t think as the words escaped my lips, and technically, I wasn’t being truthful. My bond with Aureus was firm and constantly growing, diminishing the requirements to maintain it, while simultaneously providing us with more benefits. If not for that, I’d be scrambling, trying to collect the shards of my World, which would’ve burst into countless fragments by this point.

“While it’s true that your situation is somewhat unique, it is not unheard of—some aspects, at least.” Daniel waved dismissively. “Either way, repetitive testing indicated that nothing is wrong with Aureus. But you know that already. You’re also aware that Aureus is basically a 2-Star Wild, even if the soulshare barely provides you with a physical empowerment, right?”

I nodded. Everything Daniel had said so far was logical and known.

“Why’s that the case? It is simple, really. Aureus is small and fragile. There is little your Soulkin can share in terms of physical prowess. However, that gluttonous lizard of yours is intelligent and also provides other benefits. That leads us to believe that he’s not a physical Soulkin like his peers.” He continued to explain, a smile tugging at his lips. “That could change once Aureus evolves, and there is a low chance he will be physically stronger once he’s fully mature, but it’s highly unlikely. Postponing our first hunt, hoping Aureus’ soulshare will empower your more physically, is therefore a waste of time. Time we could utilize much better”

Initially, Daniel wanted to wait until Aureus matured, until the Soulkin’s physical soulshare would improve my strength, increasing my chances in a fight against beasts with stronger physical attributes, but the situation appeared to have changed.

“But while your companion’s situation is different…” He looked at me from the side, his eyes lingering on my lean figure, “…so is your physique.”

I recognized the envy in his voice.

“What did you mean by ‘us’?” I asked, only to receive a confused look in return. “You said ‘leads us to believe’ earlier.”

Daniel slowed a little, his head cocked to the side. He looked at me for a moment and nodded, his eyes widening ever so slightly.

“Ah, that’s what you meant.” He said calmly, checking his bracelet when he received a notification. He read something on the holographic screen that materialized on his forearm and grimaced. “That was Teach. He wants your data. More data, to be precise.”

He must have caught my look and explained, “Teach found out what we’ve been doing. He was a bit angry, but that didn’t last long. Teach is no longer angry. If anything, he is very interested in your… predicament.”

Daniel ruffled through his hair and looked away, but I caught his conflicted expression anyway. “Teach wants more data from you and Aureus. He said he might be willing to sponsor you if the combat data is as interesting as all the other data and records have been. I’m sure your combat data will be very interesting — nothing to worry about.”

He looked back at me and shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the deadly glare I shot his way. “Don’t look at me like that, buddy. You’re the one who’s been complaining to me about your family’s financial situation since your father returned from the hospital. Furthermore, it is none other than yourself who makes it look like I punch you in the gut whenever I give you something, no matter how used-up or cheap it is .”

I wanted to be angry, but there was nothing to be angry about. Daniel had done nothing but help me for the last few weeks. Furthermore, my data would be in his teacher’s records whether someone told him about me or not. It wasn’t even like Daniel’s teacher asked for money either. That was already good enough, especially with the dozens of tests they’d performed over the past few weeks.

Just thinking about having to pay for them made me shudder. Giving Daniel’s teacher more data in exchange was already very generous, and the possibility of earning money for providing combat data and related services was enticing as well. It sounded perfect.

Almost too good to be true.

“Why is your teacher so interested in my situation?” I asked, patting Aureus’ head. The Soulkin didn’t seem to mind that I considered it weak. If anything, the glutton flooded me with emotions that made me feel like a fool.

Why are you so damn intelligent?

Aureus could understand us clearly, and while he couldn’t talk, he had learned to communicate with emotions and fragmented images, though the latter was rare and draining.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Daniel snorted. “Your bond is firmer than it should be at this point—Teach thinks that’s related to the World’s synergy with Aureus—and your physique is phenomenal. I do understand that you cannot fathom it since you don’t have anyone to compare to, but your physique is already comparable to a weak 2-Star Wild with pure physical attributes, even though your Soulkin doesn’t empower you physically.”

The envy in Daniel’s voice returned as he went on and on, but I tuned him out for a moment.

He mentioned that my body was highly attuned to ether tempering.

“Teach is very interested in your body’s need for ether. How you’ve been ‘crippled’ before gaining access to ether, how the etherstones helped you temporarily, and how you turned into this.” Daniel motioned exaggeratedly toward me. “A natural, a few weeks into being a Blessed. You may not get it, but many spend months tempering their bodies with worse results.”

“So… the combination of both our mutations is enough to get sponsored by your teacher?”

“We will see about that,” Daniel said with a smile on his lips, but something was off.

He looked like he had more to say, like he was hiding something, yet he looked away and cut the conversation short. His steps grew wider and he accelerated, nearing the border.

I’d known Daniel long enough to know there was more to it. But he wasn’t lying to me. Not directly, at least.

Suit yourself. I mused and followed behind with hurried strides.

This was not the time to distrust Daniel. He had helped me more than any friend would. If someone deserved my full trust, it was Daniel!

***

The border didn’t look much different up close, even if it turned out to be much bigger than expected. Seeing it every day from the Bastion made it look smaller and less impressive than it was.

“We will visit the edge of the Windbloom Forest today. The outskirts are close by and mostly populated by 1-Star Wilds. We might encounter a 2-Star or 3-Star, but you don’t have to worry about them. Once you’re in serious danger, I will help you.” Daniel recited our plan before stepping out of the dome. It looked like he merged with the milky-white barrier as he stepped through.

My heart pounded louder than the drums on Surviva as I inched closer to the milky-white barrier. It rippled as I tapped it lightly, and my hand phased through when I pressed it firmer against it.

The dome was a unique structure. It was neither solid, liquid, nor gas. It felt more like a mixture of all three.

Nightmarish stories I and other children had been told about the outside resurfaced in my mind, but they dissipated in all directions as ripples of joy and excitement filled me. Aureus chirped excitedly, urging me to escape the confines of the Bastion and join Daniel.

You’re quite cocky for someone this weak. I teased and phased through the milky-white barrier.

While many stories about the outside were true, research had shown most were exaggerated. Sure, the outside was dangerous, and people could die there, but there were many ether-scarce areas near the dome. Even the unBlessed could survive outside if they knew what they were doing. That was how my father had survived, even though he’d ventured toward the Oridon Mountains. Dad nearly died out there, but he had been alone, lacking knowledge and training, crossing a distance of several kilometers as an unBlessed without the right equipment to fight any beasts, yet he survived.  

I’d done my research. I had a sword, was Blessed, and had tempered my World and body extensively.

I can make it work! I swore to myself, emerging on the other side of the dome.

In the worst case, Daniel could rescue the damsel in distress.

Taking several deep breaths, the first thing I noticed was the strong earthen scent, enriching the more subtle fresh and flowery smell. A breeze swirled around me, as if to greet me, and I welcomed it with a smile.

Outside was… different from what I’d expected. There were no massive structures like in the Bastion, yet I noticed several tents, smaller wooden and stone structures, and dozens of people—Blessed with their Soulkin—roaming around.

“You didn’t expect that, did you?” Daniel chuckled, grabbing my shoulder to lead me through what appeared to be a makeshift village.

“What I’m about to tell you won’t matter today, but it might be useful later,” he said, gesturing to various structures that turned out to be a makeshift infirmary. Several patients were being tended to as we spoke, and there were also some more-or-less luxurious stalls where one could buy and sell goods.

“Rushing to the hospital and finding someone with the ability to heal severely wounded Blessed takes time. Time you won’t have if you get badly hurt in combat. That’s why there are several outposts with proper healers to tend to the worst wounds. Other than that, most Blessed won’t bother returning to the Bastion every time they collect a corpse or harvest an etherius plant. They sell them here instead.”

He motioned to the rest of the village. “This place is also the first line of defense, and a place where all adventurous Blessed can stay if they like the freedom of the outside more than the confinement of the Bastion. As you grow closer to your Soulkin, you may notice that you’re drawn to certain locations. Sometimes that may mean the mountains or a forest. Your personality may also shift. You might feel more inclined to be alone or seek solitude. That’s also part of the soulshare—something you should pay attention to. After all, your Soulkin won’t only learn from you. You’ll learn a lot from it as well.”

And once I had more, my Soulkins would learn from each other and influence one another too. I’d read about that before, but that didn’t mean I expected there to be a full-fledged village outside the dome.

“Are there many villages beyond the dome? Or other settlements farther out?”

Daniel’s smile cracked for a moment, and he guided me away from the village. The nearest trees and shrubs of the Windbloom Forest were still a little further away, but we closed in on the Wild zone quickly.

“There are settlements, but it’s difficult to protect them as they grow larger. Protecting the outposts is already a challenge—but it’s worth it. After all, the outposts ensure nothing gets close enough to the dome to damage it. They buy us time when stampedes happen and let us use the dome’s defenses to stall them.”

He ended the explanation there and walked me past a few Blessed carrying beast carcasses. We turned to the right when Daniel noticed several children wielding daggers, bows, and other weapons near the outskirts. He nodded curtly to a middle-aged man guiding the children and sped up when the man noticed us. The man smiled and waved enthusiastically, clearly trying to get Daniel’s attention.

“Do you know him?” I asked, but Daniel shrugged dismissively.

“Not really. I’ve seen him a few times with his students. He knows me, though—and that’s the issue.”

Right, his parents are well-known.

A small detour led us away from the students and their teacher, but I kept thinking about them.

“These kids are all Blessed and probably stronger than me, aren’t they?”

Daniel didn’t look like he was listening. He stayed focused on the forest’s edge, which was probably what I should’ve been doing too. But after a few seconds, he answered.

“Their Worlds are probably larger than yours, and they spend more time refining their World, tempering their bodies, and growing their bond. But if I’m not wrong, they’re still Novices with Wild Soulkins. They’re too young to bear the strain of bonding with an Awakened beast. Except for that one kid. I think I remember him. He’s the son of the Bluesky Battalion’s captain. He was born with a larger World and met the requirements to bond to an Awakened beast two years ago, I think. That was when he was seven.”

Daniel didn’t answer my question directly, but I understood what he was hinting at.

“Don’t look so dejected,” he said, glancing at me and patting my back. “A Blessed’s childhood may be the best time to refine one’s World, but that doesn’t mean you’re much weaker than them. They’re still children—their bodies still developing. You could probably hold your own against them in a real fight.”

That didn’t sound convincing. If anything, Daniel sounded like he didn’t believe his own words. But he wasn’t wrong. The academy students looked no older than nine or ten. They may have tempered their bodies, but they were still lighter and smaller than he was. He’d have an advantage with his range and his weight, though it was unclear how helpful that would be against well-trained Blessed, no matter how young they were.

“Stop thinking about such useless things and focus on the Wagur,” Daniel said, gesturing to the rustling bushes ahead.

A Wagur? My eyes narrowed, and I tensed, mind racing to sort through the information I’d researched about the Windbloom Forest and its ecosystem.

Daniel stepped back and vanished as a large frame emerged from the forest. He was still there, standing calmly, but his presence disappeared. It was almost like Daniel never existed.

Just like Daniel had predicted, a Wagur emerged from the bushes. Its physique resembled that of an ordinary boar, but it had a barbed tail, and large spikes grew from its spine. The beast was not even close to a height of one meter, and its tusks were short—indicators of the Wagur’s age and strength.

“1-Star,” I muttered, freezing in my tracks when something flew past me. It was a small stone, and it struck the Wagur square in its stupid face.

“Have fun,” Daniel snickered from behind. “And don’t die on me, dude!”

The beast swung around and faced me. I felt Aureus stir and peek out of the chest pocket, sounding excited as it stared at the purely physical beast. My body felt incredibly heavy as our eyes met, and I had to take several deep breaths to fix my posture and draw the silvernit sword. Feet pressed firmly into the ground, I watched the beast bleat aloud and charge at me.

It charged me, its eyes filled with fury and… Was that hunger?

I had to defend myself. This wasn’t a light spar with a friend. This was a life-and-death battle.

The beast was fast and closed the distance quickly. However, the Wagur was not as fast as I’d feared. I could move. I… was certain I could evade it.

I clutched the silvernit sword tightly in both hands and lifted it. Yet, faced with a charging beast, I felt my confidence waver.

Fighting a beast is one thing. I can do that. But should I really face it head-on?

Was that the right thing to do? I hesitated and recalled one of the things Daniel pointed out several weeks ago.

‘Never face your enemy head-on if you can avoid it. Any injury can lead to death outside the Bastions. Evade and counterattack.’

Daniel would probably protect me if I was about to die, but he wouldn’t protect me from injuries. I knew he wanted me to learn the lesson the hard way. Force me to be more careful and to prioritize my safety over a quick kill.

The Wagur was before me, staring me dead in the eye. My hair stood on end, and I leaped to the side, escaping a brush with death. A gust caressed my legs; the beast must have missed me by a hair’s breadth. But it missed. I scrambled to my feet and turned to face the Wagur again.

It slowed down, turned to me, and charged once again. And like the first time, I evaded the beast.

I didn’t get the chance to attack once and jumped out of the beast’s way half a dozen times, Aureus chirping in excitement, though an edge of nausea crept in as it was hurled around in the chest pocket. It clawed onto the pocket’s insides and held onto it as if its life depended on it… which was probably the case. I wanted to store the Soulkin in the World, ensuring its safety, but Aureus wanted to stay. It didn’t even matter that the Wagur was stronger than Aureus.

The beast, albeit only 1-Star, was tougher, faster, and stronger than Aureus. Yet, after evading the beast several times in a row, I didn’t have to leap out of its way any longer. I recognized its attack pattern—a simple charge that didn’t seem to change—and predicted its movements. I… could see how it was going to move.

I was fully locked onto the beast ahead and knew instinctively where to move to evade its tusks. The beast hurled its head around whenever I escaped the charge, but this time I moved in the opposite direction. I stepped to the side, clutched the sword handle tightly as I raised it, and let the Wagur do the rest.

The blade cut into the Wagur’s side and tore through hide and flesh. A tremendous amount of force slammed into the blade as the beast’s momentum carried into it, yet I never let go. The strain was worse than expected, but so was the sensation of cutting deep into the flesh of a living being. I felt the Wagur’s hide and muscle yield beneath the blade, and I couldn’t suppress the rising nausea as my gaze was drawn to the blood dripping onto the ground.

The beast’s charge didn’t end even as the blade sliced through its entire side. I turned around, blood dripping from the blade, struggling to remain in control of my body. My limbs trembled violently, and my vision wavered, shifting from the blood on my blade to the crimson sloshing from the Wagur’s side. The beast bleated weakly as it turned to me, and I half-expected it to charge again. Instead, it collapsed to the ground, blood pooling around it.

And I looked at it—stared at the beast as it writhed in pain, slowly bleeding out. Its eyes remained furious, locked onto mine with intense hatred, yet the light faded steadily.

The strength in my legs vanished suddenly, and I found myself kneeling on the ground, feeling the bile rise in my throat. Yet, I didn’t vomit, and my eyes never left the dying beast.

Daniel appeared beside the struggling Wagur. He emerged seemingly out of nowhere and gave me a subtle nod of appraisal. Then he bent down beside the beast, a blade manifesting in his hand, and slashed the Wagur’s throat, ending its suffering.

The world around me seemed to cease to exist for a moment before my body could no longer take it. My stomach revolted and my throat opened wide, releasing my breakfast in a single stream. Tears welled in my eyes, but I remained strong. At least, I tried to as I stared at the lifeless body ahead of me.

“My parents taught me to treat beasts like I wanted to be treated,” Daniel said, dead serious, but I could hardly hear him. “Just remember that if you want to receive a painless death, you better give your utmost to give them one as well.”

I spat out the bits of vomit stuck in my mouth and scrambled to my feet. Wiping the tears from my face, I stared at the corpse, and etched the picture deep into my mind.

It was the first time I’d seen Daniel like this. Decisive. Cold. Capable of killing.

But that was what this world was all about. Razarn followed a simple principle.

The strong rule.

It was survival of the fittest.

This time, I didn’t attack the beast. It attacked me and suffered the consequences because I was stronger. Because it was too slow to hit me first.

But what would happen the next time? Would I kill another beast for my own gain? Or would it kill me and reap my World—devour me and my World to grow stronger?

“Razarn is not fair. It never was. Nor was it ever peaceful.” Daniel gave me a steely look and approached, one hand resting on my shoulder. “If we do not kill them, they will kill us instead.”

We had to hide behind the dome and seek its protection to avoid beasts. However, even that was not foolproof, or the Collapse would never have happened. I had known that much. It was something everyone was taught. Mankind was only alive thanks to the Rulers and their tireless efforts to build the Bastions. They protected humanity and offered us the shelter we needed to thrive. But the Rulers couldn’t defend the Bastions alone. Powerful beings roamed Razarn, and they were growing stronger, trying to find ways to overwhelm the Rulers… to devour them.

After all, most beasts considered humans a delicacy. Maybe not our bodies, but the Worlds born within us were all beasts needed to transcend their limits.

“I understand,” I muttered, holding tightly onto the seed of determination rooting in my heart.

I knew I was far from perfect. If anything, I was riddled with faults. That didn’t change anything, though. Everyone was faulty in some ways. Perfection did not exist, and it wasn’t worth striving for.

However, I could always try to improve.
To become a better person. A better friend. Son, and maybe companion.

Aureus chirped excitedly, flooding me with a sense of affirmation and pride.

All I had to do was get up and move forward.