Ugly Bastard

"Damn, I almost forgot how great it feels to fly!" Gerald exclaimed as his body cut through the air like a bird.

He was wearing his wingsuit and gliding at fast speed through the sky. It was a recent addition to his tool collection and was extremely well-made. Nothing like his first shoddy prototype.

Made of soft and at the same time tough black leather, the quality was much greater than what he made in the beginning. Since he now had money, why shouldn't he spend it on the good stuff? He had it made at the same place where he ordered his cloak, and the money was well worth it.

He was going at about 200km/h towards the west and still felt he was going too slow. His eyes were reinforced with Mana, so the wind didn't bother him, but that wasn't the reason for this speed.

The main issue was that greater speeds required much more Mana expenditure and he couldn't afford it. Even with his insane Mana regeneration he could at most stay in the air for about two hours if he used gravity-inverting magic sparingly while consuming Mana Potions.

His plan this time was to gather more God's Blood for his Mana Elixirs. The two new guys will have to be nurtured in this regard if he wanted them to be of use in heavy combat. The girls, although quite talented with magic, couldn't compete with men in terms of strength, endurance, or ability to take a beating. Not unless he planned to spend many more resources on them.

The main road he was following quickly veered to the side, and expansive forests covered his view. There were a few villages and fields here and there, but mostly the ground was covered with lush, well-maintained, green forests.

It was a nice change from the stone jungle that was the capital. It was also quiet, and he liked that.

Actually, it was too quiet. He didn't notice it until now, but usually, birds would chirp and fly in the sky with him, but there weren't any to be seen at the moment.

True, a storm was quickly approaching, however, the air was still warm and humid, and it was perfect for birds to snatch a few insects out of the air.

"Weird…" Gerald murmured, but didn't dwell on the thought for too long. Mostly because the first raindrops started to fall, and he wasn't going to fly through a storm. He landed on the ground at a random spot where the greenery was less dense and quickly made a stone hut for himself. It was raised from the ground so it would remain nice and dry.

He placed a fur rug on the floor, it once belonged to a bear or a wild boar, but he couldn't quite remember anymore. It was nice and soft though.

Rumble!

The first flash of lightning illuminated the forest, and soon after it, a loud thunder shook the ground. Drops of rain started to fall, and soon a downpour blocked out any other sounds.

Rumble!

As lightning and thunder intertwined playfully in the sky, Gerald sat in his new house and gazed into the misty forest, listening to the rhythmic sounds of rain, completely relaxed. He then even took out a piece of delicious roasted meat and savored every bite, chewing it slowly with closed eyes.

It was so relaxing!

Thunder was such a scary sound for some, but listening to the roar of the heavens was a rare treat for him. It reminded him of a time when he was young and would watch the summer storms, from the safety of a balcony, with his father.

Cold wind and violent rain clashed with the warmth and love of his parent's hug. The flashes of light and booming sounds became rare treats for the excitement of the heart.

It was nice.

Gerald unknowingly sank into old memories of the time when he was still young and clueless about the world, at the time when he knew no evil…

Splash, splash!

A sudden sound disrupted his peace. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination at first, but it sounded like running in the rain.

And indeed, not long after, a hooded figure came running by in the mud. Just as it ran by his house, it suddenly turned its head and abruptly stopped. Without a second thought, it jumped inside and hid behind the wall, with only its head poking through the door, seemingly looking for something outside.

Crunch!

The hooded figure jumped in fright as Gerald's teeth bit down on the cartilage on the bone. He was calmly chewing on it and observing the newcomer in silence.

"Who are you?! Where did you come from?!" the hooded figure shouted a question as it noticed him and took out a short sword and a dagger, clearly with aggressive intent.

"Mhm," Gerald slowly swallowed and then lifted a finger. "First of all, this is my hut, so I should instead be asking you! Who the fuck are you?!"

The cloaked figure put away the dagger and then arrogantly removed the hood in one exaggerated motion.

"Hmph, my name is Ilyana Falle, and I'm one of the seven…"

"Hold on, wait!" Gerald stopped her and created a ball of light in his palm. "I can't see shit in this darkness." But as soon as the Light illuminated the room, he almost exclaimed in a pleasant surprise.

"You are an Elf! A proper Elf!" His eyes sparkled in the light. It was beautiful. "Wow!"

"Hmph, but of course!" the Elf Ilyana turned her nose towards the sky arrogantly. "As a lowly human, you should be honored to be in my prese-"

"Can I touch your ears?"

"E-excuse me?!"

"Well, you are completely different from what I imagined, and Dark Elves' ears are so much shorter than yours… I'm just really curious." Gerald said, acting like a little kid in front of his idol.

However, the Elf seemed offended at his remarks. "Dark Elf?! How dare you compare me to those filthy animals!"

"Hey, they are my friends, don't insult them!" Gerald frowned. What the heck was wrong with this girl?

"Psssh," Ilyana snorted disdainfully. "I can do whatever I want. If I say they are animals, then they are animals! Even pigs rolling in the mud are better than those traitorous mix-bloods!"

Gerald's expression stiffened and his eyes showed a dangerous glint as he spoke with a deep frown and a somber voice, "Take that back. I know you Elves are said to be arrogant and proud, but this is too much!"

The Elf looked at him in disbelief, but then she threw her head back and laughed hysterically. "Haha, an ugly human weakling wants me to apologize?! Hilarious!"

Gerald's frown deepened. "You think I'm ugly?"

"Repulsive!" she affirmed. "You are probably the most revolting and disgusting-looking being I have ever seen! Even Orcs look like divine beings compared to you! Such an ugly bastard!"