บท 161: Condensing the Aura

I ran through the forest towards the northern direction for the rest of the day. Whenever I was out of energy, I would stop to eat something, then continue running. I didn't want to spoil the opportunity Woody created for me, so I ran. When my food finished in the evening, I decided to hunt and continue running. The forest was not as peaceful as it was in the past, with that Eterian around. I found a group of wolves no problem and took their meat.

I ran through the night and only stopped in the morning. I was exhausted, food could restore my energy but the stress on my body, that required sleep, was mounting up. I was very far away from that village at that point but I didn't have strength to think straight anymore and simply fell asleep. The dream I had was hazy, I knew it was the dream where the Dark Traveller spoke to me but it was hazy like never before. 'Why is it so hazy, I can't make out anything he says' I thought.

The dream continued as usual but then something weird happened. The Dark Traveller seemed to talk in… Human Language? "In my world, it always rains. The dark ash falls…" and then it reverted back to the Ancient Language. I thought that is was just my imagination but it happened again. "It's a curse that I bare but it is also a.." then back to Ancient Language.

I was baffled by this and tried to listen carefully but the more attentive I was, the clearer the Ancient Language became. 'Why is it that when I focus, the Ancient Language is clearer?' I thought and decided to try not to focus at all, on the language. It wasn't easy to not focus on something completely, when you want to know what was being said.

After a few attempts, I managed to hear another sentence in Human Language "I will tell you the story passed throughout…". Then the language changed again. I had no idea why it happened but it was weird. After a while, I realised that I'm awake. 'The dream finished without me realising it. Why did the Dark Traveller speak in Human Language? Or is it that, I could translate the language to some extent?' I thought.

I had no answer to that question but I also didn't think it was my imagination. 'There is no need to worry about something I have no power over. I need to get away from here first'. I didn't have the time to check what sort of supplies, Woody handed to me. When I checked the bag, there were some carving tools, hammers, saws and whatnot. The ropes were also there, as well as some tailoring, smithing and so on tools.

What surprised me was a map. "FINALLY!" I exclaimed and hurriedly opened it up. The map contained a vast area of the Endrosian Empire. Not only was this map more detaily that any previous map I had, it also show what and where the north is.

'So that is how north looks like?' I thought. The most northern location on the map was like a land of shadows. The map displayed it as a dark place with no human settlements. It didn't display the whole northern location, it only show a bit of it. I assumed a very small bit of it. 'This is my destination it seems. It will take me over a month to get there. Even if I were to run at full speed, the time would only decrease by a week or so. It's quite far away but with the supplies I have, I should have no troubles reaching that place' I thought and resumed my journey.

I only took breaks when really necessary. Only after a week of such travelling, did I calm down and took it more easy. I also noticed that the closer I got to my destination, the stronger animals became. I even saw a Flaming Silver Fox once, running into the distance. I wasn't about to chase it down, even though I would probably be able to kill it. The Elites were popping up like mushrooms after the rain, they were everywhere. Black Variants were the norm here, then the Elites such as Silver Bears or Wolves and finally, the Flaming Variants.

For some reason or another, I never encountered another Black Mammoth. I didn't need to encounter one but I just wondered whenever they were very rare. I looked for stuff wherever I went. I took any herbs and ore I could find. Ore didn't come from the mines only, it could also be found in the forest. Some animals would transport it, weather could do that as well. I found a few pieces that I could use to make something but I didn't have a furnace.

I also went back to my usual training. I wanted to be as prepared for the north, as I could be. I also tried to mimic the Hunting Arrow that Woody showed me but to no avail. My skills in archery were the least advanced. Although I couldn't mimic or learn the skill just yet, Woody hinted at something I figured out a while ago. That is, to use the Aura in order to attack. My Domineering Aura was always released as an area type of effect but what if, I were to apply that to my arrow or dagger? Would the attack power change?

These were easy questions, the hard one was how? 'How do I apply the aura to my weapon? Woody released his aura first but then it transferred onto the arrow. Does that mean, I have to transfer my aura? But how?' I was lost in my thoughts and then an idea was born inside my head. 'What if, I try to condense it? Condensing the aura should be possible, if it's possible to transfer it onto an object' I thought and decided to give it a try.

I released my Aura and tried to condense it, so that the area affected is smaller and smaller. To some extent, I was able to do so but then I hit a wall. I could only condense my Aura up to 5 metres and then I couldn't do so anymore. 'This is weird. It proves that I can condense it but then, only up to 5 metres in circumference. Why can't I condense it more?' I thought.

Maybe it was due to lack of experience or skills. I didn't use the Domineering Aura that often and so I didn't know much about it. 'I need to use it much more often, the Auras of us humans seem to be very useful. I also need to think about developing other Auras. I already know that I need one for stealth but one for my hidden weapons, would also be great' I thought and left the Aura released.

This drained my energy faster, I had to focus as well as exert my will but the more I used it, the quicker I would get an answer. I practiced and travelled at the same time. I didn't have the leisure to sit in one place like before. With a potential tail behind me, I had to move constantly.

Another week passed, as I travelled and trained. My Domineering Aura was released at all times, except when I was getting tired or slept. I noticed that the more I used my Aura, the more control I had over it. I was now able to condense my Aura up to 3 metres in diameter. 'I'm getting closer but this is not enough. What I'm after, is a an Aura so condensed, that it doesn't leave my body. It's getting harder to improve it nevertheless' I thought.

In the past the Domineering Aura was spread out as far as it could reach but when I managed to condense it to the 3 metres mark, the effect was extraordinary. A Silver Bear that could be considered as an Elite, was almost bowing under my Aura, when I fought in close combat. Disposing of that bear was as simple as killing any Normal Bear.

'The effects are amazing. Although the scope is much smaller, the strength of my aura is at least 4 times greater. In the past, if I were to release that aura and fight with the Silver Bear, it wouldn't feel much of a difference but now?'. I was now hell bent on mastering my aura. The power would be incredible if condensed to a Point of Origin. I decided to call it like this, the Aura was coming from me and spreading, if it were to be condensed back to my body or very near it, it would return to the original point. Hence Point of Origin.

At that point, I was about two weeks away from that village. It was called Asturb on the map, a weird name to say the least. I knew that they would send people but Woody wouldn't search for me or he would pretend to do so. 'He may even misguide them to some different direction. That would be even better' I thought and headed north.