End Of The Beginning

On the paved road, the cart was moving in a modern speed, the boars were trying to avoid as many pitfalls as they could since they had received a knife jab in the behind when a muffled scream came after the cart suffered a small bump

Within the cart the atmosphere wasn't any less tense, all that could be heard was Ellis's hard painful breathing, it seemed that she was in more pain than when she started but that wasn't true, the pain then was so strong that she could barely breathe and could only squirm, whether it was because the changes in her body slowed or it was YuJu's own efforts at massaging her head that made her feel better was unknown, either way, she was more than happy to finally feel a little relaxed

Batut..."Oiiiin""Oiin"

The cart suffered from minor bump but that was enough for a painful expression to surface on Ellis's face resulting in YuJu sending two knives toward the behinds of the two poor boars outside, making theme try harder at giving them a smoother ride

As he got back to massaging the pain away a small light flashed in the corner of his eye, alerting him of a system notification

'Finally got the skill? It took it quite some time to bring it up'

Usually the skill would be given the second the person's body adapted to the new power, latency like this was quite uncommon, although not unheard of

'Usually it's those strong skills that take quite some time'

He opened the notification with a bit of expectation

_________________________________

-Skill "Empty Strike" Acquired

_________________________________

'Oh, Lame'

This skill was something hed known about for a long time, it was a basic advanced stealth-based class skill, usually used by Ninja related classes, basically it allowed the weapon to retain some of the user's stealth after leaving their hands, useful when used with throwing weapons

'Probably got it because of my constant knife throwing, would have been good enough for now if could have even used it'

At the beginning stage where every skill could make the smallest difference, this would have been a god sent, the problem this skill was useless against weak enemies if he wanted to weaken them for Ellis and Anput, as for beings strong enough for him to need this skill for then there was no need to fight them at all as Elis and Anput couldn't handle them while he couldn't kill yet

'By the time I can use this I would already be able to use that technique I made'

Anyway, he ended up with useless skill, he wasn't saddened by it though, the first hundred milestone isn't meant for truly strong skills anyway

Focusing back on relieving the pained squirming woman in his lap he let go of his disappointment and awaited their arrival, hopefully her pain would be bearable by then

Sometime later the cart started slowing down, whines could be heard from the boars as they were torn for choice, they knew they might be killed or tortured if they stopped but also felt death looming from the view far away from them, so the only thing they could do was stop and wish the monsters inside the cart would spare them

Much to their relief they saw the man who been slicing at them from behind cut off their reins and let them run wild, giving them freedom to escape from him and this scary place

Ignoring the happy snorts of the escaping boars he looked ahead toward the red walls, their unending hight reached beyond his vision as well as spreading east and west, encompassing the land in a dome he would guess, or maybe a square, he never really knew what shape earth took when it was flattened into the Infidome, it didn't matter too much though

"Feeling any better?"

He asked with his back toward Ellis who had stopped breathing from her awe at the wall

"...slightly....."

She barely said, that was enough for him tough, so he turned around and picked her up, draping her over his back allowing her to wrap her legs and arms around him for a safer grip

Anput was picked up in a bridal carry again making Ellis smile even though it was her second time seeing this funny scene play out

Once he made sure Ellis was holding tight he started slowly making his way toward the wall, his face turning expressionless with each step

Once he was near the walls he looked up, hoping to see the scene that always gave rise to various emotions, a scene that made all the beings who'd seen it tremble at least once, there was none that ever escaped the fear of facing it for the first time

Sure enough, the walls did not disappoint, their steady build that gave off an ancient never falling feeling started to shake immensely causing rumbles to sound across the sky and earth, even the sea was not spared, their shaking caused no harm but the sheer sound made one afraid

That was nothing but a warning though, a taste of what was to come

TUUUUUUUU

A horn was blown, or so one thought, but it was the walls going down, pieces of it breaking and turning into nothing, it started from the top, from beyond one's vision, feeling, and hearing, yet everyone knew where it was coming from, whether they be near the walls or ways away

Earth-shaking, sky breaking, those were mere words that no one knew the real depths of, yet when it came to this moment every creature on earth felt precisely what those four words meant, there was never a time they realized how small of an existence they were before now

The sound continued to blow dread into the very depths of everyone's soul, judgment day was coming, all of them thought. refusing to believe that the disaster that started a week ago could be compared to what was happening now

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of suffering, when every being had prayed for mercy, the walls fell, an anchoring sound coming with its end, echoing the mark of a new beginning and the end of their peaceful struggles

Every creature's eyes were stuck toward the direction of the walls that surrounded them no more, awaiting something, anything, but hoping that nothing would come

Sweet dream were their hopes as soon the wind howled, earth cracked, and the sky was filled with savage war cries and roars, all heading toward them from every direction possible, there was no escape, one could only hide, hide and hope their turn never came

".....Blow the Carnyx and let them tremble, watch them fall with the walls that crumble"

He said, gazing at the path in front of him of which the walls covered no more, Ellis was hanging loosely on his back, still in fear, Anput was kicking widely in his hands, whatever inspiration she was having perhaps turned into a nightmare that she was readily escaping

Silence followed his words as he looked beyond the burnt forest that came into sight, it was time for his journey to start once again

'This time, this time for sure, I will reach the top'

Determined he took the first step toward his and his followers new future, one filled with the unknown