A Common Occurrence

The group weren't dressed in a uniform or anything of the sort. Their clothes were quite in different styles. So, it was unlikely they were from a sect. 

"Hello. We are only travelers on the mountain. If you don't mind us, we will be taking another path," Mira said.

She already grabbed Gareth by the wrist. Ready to back away and take another path as she told them.

This surprised Gareth, and he looked at the five men blocking their path again. What was so special about them. They were strong, yes. But, so what? He, however, was not impulsive. She must have a reason for doing this.

"Wait a moment," one of the men said. He moved forward. "I will like for the both of you to accompany us for a while."

Gareth was stunned at this absurd proposition.

"We will like to continue on our journey now. Maybe another time we will be able to accompany you," Mira told him plainly. 

"Now is as good a time as any." The man was still moving forward. Taking a step at a time.

"We have no concern with whatever you are doing? Some things should not be forced," Mira could not bother to be polite any longer.

"We will just have to make sure of that," the man also threw courtesy out the window. "And, I don't like your tone."

He attacked. His fist punching out. A large flaming fist shot at the two. 

Gareth discovered that the situation was abnormal, but he did not expect the man to be so brutal. Attacking so abruptly. The large flaming fist bearing down on them was strong. Stronger than anything Gareth ever saw.

Before he could react, he was already pulled back, out of the way of the flaming fist that went on to punch through a few trees before it went off. It was Mira, and it looked like she was already prepared for this. 

"He is at the initial completion," Mira said.

"What?"

"Yeah." Mira's tone was not cheery at all.

"I guessed I should not be too surprised you dodged that." He cracked his knuckles.

"Are we going to fight?"

"Sure. What else?" Mira was grinning as she said this.

"While I am surprised, it does not matter. You should be a good training dummy for these four here." He waved the four men forward.

The four did not waste time, they moved with full force. Their weapons drawn, and their techniques activated. They weren't fools. That woman could dodge a casual move from their boss, even though she was of the same strength as them. It definitely showed that she was talented and experienced.

Reaching the initial completion might not increase one's combat power by too much. It however gave one a ridiculous increase in control over world energy. Your techniques become stronger in might, your casual moves resonate with the world energy around you. It was like having some unknown heavy burden lifted off you.

Mira also unsheathed her sword. She activated her techniques and dashed at the four. Gareth followed behind her. He moved at a moderate pace, that could be considered slow compared to those who were currently fighting.

It was not the time for him to show off his power. He was sure Mira could handle those four. At least she would not die. He always had the feeling that she was never showing her full strength. The true threat was not those four. It was that man who was currently watching everything with indifference.

Gareth knew that he had to be smart with his approach, if he wanted to successfully ambush him. He could not make himself catch his undue attention.

Mira had already engaged those four. Her sword rays appearing everywhere, attacking her opponents and defending her position at the same time. Even with that, she was pushed back, one step after the other. Those four weren't pushovers, they were quite strong.

Techniques were pitted against techniques. Sword rays, flaming hammers, ice swords. The techniques unleashed by the five caused the trees around them to suffer, as they were blasted all around. 

The attack that man had used earlier, Gareth felt he could dodge it if he was prepared. If that attack had hit him, he felt it would hurt, really hurt him, but it was far from being capable of knocking him out. 

He was already seeing the importance of techniques now. He had only gotten a cultivation technique. It was only rated as a one star cultivation technique. These types of cultivation techniques could be easily gotten. It was however to find techniques that could help one in fights, in a place like the city of Welles.

He got closer to the ones who were fighting, he was careful enough not to move into their range. He could have ran away, but that man could easily throw his techniques after him. If one didn't work, he could just bombard him with enough. Even he would have a hard time escaping such a thing. 

It was time to do something stupid, and hope the man would just be too amused to let him get near. He already moved past the fighters. Now, he was running towards the man, his speed hadn't changed much. He shouted as he ran. Anyone seeing him would think he had dredged up every shred of courage he had to face death gallantly. At least, that was what it looked like to the four who were fighting Mira. They had slowed down a bit when they heard Gareth's shout, giving Mira a slight reprieve. 

The man turned to Gareth when he heard his shout. He hadn't paid much attention to this brat that had just recently awakened. He simply could not care to, this guy was even less than an ant in his eyes. He could not deign to attack him, if he had just stayed where he was. Even as he noticed the brat jumping around, he couldn't care. It might be a different matter if he tried to escape. However, never once did he think that the idiot would court death by rushing at him like this.

The man saw that the brat didn't stop even as he turned to look at him. That seemed to bolster the brat's resolve even more. He was suddenly interested in seeing what this guy would do.

Gareth continued running towards the man, he was relieved that the man had not attacked him yet. This was good.

The man saw that he was getting nearer, and was almost reaching his position. He had thought the brat's courage would fail him as he got close. Maybe, he might even turn around and run away with his tail tucked. The brat's courage however was quite admirable. But, whatever. It simply did not matter. 

He could not be bothered to watch anymore. There was no way he would allow an ant sully his dignity, just to watch how this would end up. It was time to burn the ant up.

This time it was not even a fist. He waved his hand, and flames appeared, reaching Gareth in an instant. The flames were as tall as Gareth, and they covered his whole body at once.

He screamed. A heartwrenching cry.

Gareth, of course, was not hurt. The move the man made this time around was weak compared to the first one. Gareth only felt the heat. It felt like a hot bath, but not as comfortable as one. His clothes however were a different story. He was buck naked.

The moment the flames covered him, and he had let out that necessary cry. It was necessary. He moved with his whole being.

Ever since he had awakened, this was the first time he was moving with all his strength. He leveraged everything he had in him. Throwing himself at the man, who had already looked away after throwing that fire.