Worlds' Strongest

by Simon Archer

  For a few minutes, all I could focus on was how angry I was that Elle left me, that she would accuse me of something so outrageous, simply because I said the wrong thing. Honestly, I wasn’t completely sure what it was that I’d said in the first place. She lived in a society that refused to acknowledge its flaws, but I didn’t quite expect her to be as brainwashed as the rest of them.

  Still… I couldn’t quite blame her. It wasn’t necessarily her fault that she’d been told people like me were dangerous, and that coupled with what happened to the dagger… No wonder she ran.

  After my anger finally began to subside, I began to think about the dagger. Then all I could think about was the dagger.

  I turned my right hand over to look at my palm again. Nothing. There wasn’t even a scratch. Right after the dagger shattered, there’d barely been an imprint from the pressure. Everything had been strange since I’d gotten here, but this seemed to make even less sense than everything else.

  Luckily I had enough sense to grab my dagger before setting off on my own. I pulled it from its sheath, and I stared at it for a moment, assuming it was fairly similar to the one she’d had. I brought the tip to the pad of my finger and gently pressed it in. There was definitely pressure. I pressed harder, but the blade didn’t draw any blood.

  How much was my curiosity worth? Finally, I took a deep breath, deciding I needed an answer, and lifted the dagger before slicing it across the palm of my left hand.

  Nothing happened.

  Nothing, not even a scratch, once again. I brought the dagger up and looked at it more closely. It looked as sharp as any other blade. It should cut like any other blade. It wasn’t blunt or dull, and I had no doubt that Elle’s wasn’t either. I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and nicked it with the dagger. The fabric cut easily. There was no way my skin was somehow tougher than cotton.

  I sheathed the dagger and stopped walking, trying to process everything that was happening while I examined my surroundings. As far as I was concerned, this part of the forest looked nearly identical to the rest of it. If I wasn’t certain I’d turned down the right direction, I would think this was the same place.

  Full of frustration and confusion and not knowing what else to do, I closed my eyes, desperate for things to make sense again. I tried remembering my surroundings, the way I had earlier before the huntress showed up. Seeing with my eyes closed honestly didn’t make much sense, but it made more than my sudden imperviousness to daggers.

  In a few feet, the footpath tilted slightly to the left. Earlier in the forest, it was starker, but for the last mile or so, it had been getting thinner. I could still see it for the time being, but I didn’t want to think about what would happen when I couldn’t. To my right was a tree with a spot missing bark, like something had caught on it and ripped it off, about the height of my shoulder.

  I glanced over at the tree and took a step closer, lifting my hand to examine the spot missing bark. It was a bright beige color underneath the dark wood, like the dramatic shade of wood stain you’d sometimes see on decks. I ran my finger over the ridges in the remaining bark, picking off a small piece myself. It was about that time I noticed that I’d never opened my eyes.

  I blinked them open, but my vision didn’t change. Shutting them again, it only took a mere second for my vision to return. With my eyes shut, I spun around to see a different part of the forest. My vision kept up.

  It was hard to believe that I was actually doing this, but I had to believe my own eyes. Keeping them closed, I continued down the path, seeing more new things around me. Once in a while, I’d open my eyes to check that what I saw actually matched my surroundings. It always did.

  As strange and foreign as all of this was, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of vindication surge through me. Maybe I didn’t need Elle’s help after all. She sent me down the right road. I could make it from here. I could find my way to Curve or Curl or wherever Draco was.

  There was one thing I wished I had her help for, and it was figuring out the world around me. I still wasn’t sure what about this place was different or what I could even do. For all I knew, with this mind magic, I’d be able to see through walls. Hell, maybe I could even teleport.

  It was a bit unnerving to walk through the woods by myself, however. Mostly because of how paranoid I was about what else was with me. I hadn’t even seen the creature that shook the ground earlier. It was hard not to jump at nearly every small noise when I wasn’t positive about what was making it or how dangerous it was. If I at least knew what the huntress had been aiming for, I’d feel much better. As it was, I had to assume the worst and just hope.

  Still, as I walked, nothing jumped out at me or roared. That was a good thing, at least. I’d glance behind me every so often to make sure nothing was following me, or maybe hoping to see Elle over my shoulder, but it seemed like the forest was empty save myself.

  The path went in one direction, occasionally curving around a tree or tilting to one side, but it was easy to follow. It was so easy that I didn’t pay much attention, so I didn’t notice as I walked that the path was thinning out. Where two people could walk before, now the road was just wide enough for one. Where thousands of steps had worn down the ground before, now it barely looked like it had been traveled.

  At some point, it hit me that the path wasn’t just covered with leaves. It had simply ended. I turned back around, and I could see about the end where it had faded into plain, grass-covered ground. It just ended. There wasn’t a place I could see where it branched off in a different direction. It merely terminated.

  I attempted to walk in the same general direction that the road seemed to go. It hadn’t exactly been straight, but the woods had to end eventually, right? At least most of the trees were wide enough apart that I figured it would make a convenient enough travel route.

  Still, as I walked, I found it odd that a path that had been so well defined before would just taper off and disappear. People had to travel through this forest, and there was no way they’d just walk halfway through and turn back around, leaving half a road. It wasn’t like there’s been a fork recently, though, so I couldn’t imagine how else people would get out.

  I heard something rustle behind me and whipped around to face it. Nothing. I watched the direction of the noise while I took a few steps back before turning around, only to hear a click.

  I heard a whistle like the sound of the huntress’ arrows coming at me. Before I even saw where it came from, I dropped to the ground, covering my head. For a second, I entertained the thought that I might not have even needed to, but I settled on ‘better safe than sorry’ as the best course of action. Looking up, I saw a few more arrows fly over my head from a few different directions. Once a silent moment passed, I stood to my feet and moved out of the line of fire.

  “Dammit!”

  I turned around to the source of the original noise and saw what looked like a hunter emerging from the trees a few yards away. He had broad shoulders and looked to be half a head taller than me. He had dark-colored clothing that camouflaged well amongst the woods. Most noticeably, he looked pissed.

  “Who the hell do you think you are?” he roared, marching toward me.

  “What?” I frowned. “Oh, did I set off your trap? I’m sorry, it was an accident.”

  “That took us an hour to set up, kid,” another voice sounded from the left. I turned and saw another hunter with a similar build and expression.

  “Really, I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “I didn’t know—”

  “Obviously!” a third voice came from behind me. I turned to see another hunter whose appearance matched the others. “You should learn to be more careful.”

  “I’ll get right on that,” I smiled nervously, taking a step back in the only open direction. “I’m sorry, I’ll let you get back to-”

  “No way,” the second hunter hissed. The three of them were just a few feet away now. “You don’t get off that easy.”

  “U-um,” my foot
caught on a root as I backed up, nearly sending me to the ground. I stumbled back, catching myself against a tree. “Guys, I’m lost, and I really don’t want-”

  “Are you trying to hunt out here?” the third asked.

  “With those clothes?” the first one scoffed. “No way. He’s too busy scaring off game.”

  I shook my head. “Yeah, I’m just-”

  My mouth went dry when the second hunter pulled out a dagger. “We’re gonna teach you a lesson before you run home, kid.”

  My hands shook as they reached quickly for the quarterstaff on my back. It caught on the harness for a second before I could pull it out and jump back, holding it like Elle showed me.

  “Stay back!” I warned.

  The hunters hesitated for a second before laughter rippled among them. The third one stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak when I pulled the staff back and struck him across the face.

  He stumbled back, holding his jaw, and the hunters fell silent. Clearly, none of them had expected me to land a hit. Even so, I wasn’t positive I could do it again.

  “Oh, you’re in for it,” the first hunter growled, stepping toward me. I went to hit him with the staff, but he dodged it, catching the weapon with his hand and tearing it away from me. Then he started laughing. “You’re dressed like a fighter, you’re supplied like a fighter, but you’re not one. What are you?”

  I didn’t answer. I was focused on trying to keep my distance from him as he advanced toward me, pulling out his own dagger from his belt.

  “Oh well.” He shrugged, a dark smile on his face. “Doesn’t matter.”

  The hunter lunged at me with the dagger. I ducked out of the way, making a break for it as his weapon stuck itself into the tree that was behind me. I heard shouting and footsteps behind me, but I tried not to look back and slow myself down. I made a sharp right turn, hoping that might shake them, but their steps grew louder and closer.

  A woman’s voice rang through my ears. “Duck!”

  I didn’t hesitate to obey and dropped to my knees, nearly tripping over myself. I looked up as a horse whinnied over my head to see the black and tan stallion jumping through the air. I was stunned for a moment, as I hadn’t seen the animal coming, though it seemed like it came from the same direction I’d been running.

  The hunters were just as startled. They jumped back just before the horse’s massive hooves landed right where they had just been standing. One of them fell as they stumbled back from the animal. All three of them seemed to notice the animal’s rider at the same moment, sitting tall, bow in hand at her side.

  “Watch where the hell you’re going,” one of them shouted, helping the other up. “Get out of here.”

  I would have given anything to see the face of the huntress. She didn’t speak or move, which quickly angered the hunter that spoke to her.

  “Either you don’t hear too good, or you’re in for as much of a beating as that one is,” he glared. He took a step toward her, but the animal snorted at him, making him jump.

  At the same moment that the horse responded, the huntress raised and drew her bow. “You’re the ones who’ve been setting traps.”

  There was a second of fearful hesitation in the men before one of them stepped forward with a look of understanding. “Hold on. You’re the one who’s been destroying them, aren’t you? We’ve got a right to hunt in this forest, same as you.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Her voice was cool and even. “You can hunt here as much as you like after I’m done with the forest. Until then, leave.”

  “Who are you to make us do that?” He glared, stepping forward.

  There was a short pause before I heard what sounded like a drum. The drum quickly turned into a rumble that began to shake the ground beneath me, just like the roar earlier. I turned around just in time to see a team of horses stampeding toward us. I couldn’t see how many there were, but they were at least twenty wide, and I was in the middle of their path.

  I backed up against a tree, praying they’d go around me, and covered my head with my arms. The ground shook more, and the rumbling grew louder, mixed with the sound of the horses neighing and snorting. I heard the hunters say something, but if they were running, the sound of their footsteps was overpowered by the horses.

  The shaking of the ground came to a climax as I heard the first horse gallop past me, quickly followed by the rest of them. I kept expecting to feel something trample me, but nothing did. After a minute, I looked up to see the horses were splitting directly around me. When I looked over, I could just barely see the hunters running through the trees, followed by the stampede.

  I stood once the last of the horses passed me, watching them weave their way through the trees. The huntress swung her leg over her horse and dropped down to its side. The creature disappeared as soon as she did.

  “Thank you,” I blurted out as she turned to face me. I tried to say something else, but every sentence I could come up with made me sound like an idiot.

  “No, I should thank you.” She nodded at me. “They’ve been a thorn in my side for a week.” Her voice was less cool than before, almost gravelly. It was deep, but still obviously feminine.

  “What were they hunting?” I asked.

  She glanced back in the direction they’d run off to. “Two things. Small game, not worth the time it takes to hunt unless it’s your only source of food, I suppose, or they’re hunting something they’ve never heard of.”

  “Why do you say that exactly?” I blinked, furrowing my brows a bit.

  She looked back at me. Her eyes were a dark, stormy shade of green and felt piercing. “They’re from Grave. It’s the only town within two days’ journey of this part of the forest, but as far as I can tell, there’s no reason for them to hunt this deep into the woods. Everything they could want lives closer to their home, so why come this far in at all?”

  I swallowed hard, almost afraid to ask the question on my mind. “What would they be hunting then? What haven’t they heard of?”

  She looked me up and down before a smile crept up into her face. “You saw it.”

  “You saw me?” I blinked, taken aback.

  She rolled her eyes. “Of course. Did you think for a second that I didn’t?”

  “Um… I guess I just assumed.” I shrugged.

  “You assumed I didn’t hit you with an arrow by accident?” The huntress quirked an eyebrow in amusement.

  “Well, when you put it like that…” I tilted my head and nodded.

  She chuckled and shook her head. “It’s a kiregare. People called it a vicious herald. You and your friend didn’t sense it, right?”

  “No.” I frowned, recalling what Elle had said. “How did you know that?”

  “It was hunting you.”

  A lump formed in my throat. I tried to nod casually, but I could feel my eyes had to be wide.

  She shrugged. “Not your fault. It’s not supposed to be here. They’re not native to this area.”

  “Whoa, wait,” I frowned, “that means someone had to bring it here.”

  “Right,” she nodded. “I can’t figure out why, but that’s not my job. I need to hunt it, and those trappers have been screwing things up. Pathetic excuse for hunters. They’re piss poor at what they do too. A rabbit could break out of their traps.”

  “Um, yeah. I guess I ran into one of their traps, so that’s why…” I shook my head and focused on the more important topic. “Y’know, yeah. So did you catch it? The kire…”

  “Kiregare. No. Not yet.” The huntress blew out a sigh. “This one is mature, so it’s harder to detect, and harder to track. It’ll be easier now that they’re gone, though. Easier still once you’re out of the forest and quit distracting it.”

  “Oh. I’m… sorry?”

  She shrugged. “Don’t be. Just get where you’re going. If you could do me a favor and not send a search party for at least two days, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Right… Wait,” I shook my head. �
��What? Why would I send a search party?”

  “You-” She blinked, her expression shifting from the casual, light demeanor it had since stepping off the horse. “Why did you leave your friend?”

  “I didn’t,” I frowned, feeling a sense of concern spread through my chest. “She left. She doesn’t trust me. Why did you say search party?”

  The huntress simply nodded. “I was searching for the kiregare, and I saw a vision of her. I assumed you were alone because it had already happened.”

  “What happened to her?” I turned to face the direction that I thought I had originally come from, as if I’d be able to see anything.

  “Maybe nothing. She’s in danger, though.”

  “What did you see?” I pressed.

  When the huntress answered, her voice was so calm, a chill ran down my spine.

  “Her death.”

  A sudden knot formed in my stomach, and I felt as though I might throw up. I put a hand on a tree to steady myself, shaking my head. “Wh… Where?”

  I took a step in the direction I thought she might be in. It looked the same as every other part of the damn woods. I’d gotten even more turned around running from those hunters. My thoughts spun around in a whirlwind of confusion. I’d known this girl less than three days, and she was the one who had abandoned me in the woods… Still.

  In a town full of people, she was the one who came to look for me. I recalled the sight of her that morning, when she was no more than a silhouette blocking the sunlight. It would have been easy for her to ignore that I existed. It would have been easier still for her family to send me off without any help, but she thought to find me a mentor. She insisted on leaving her home and her family to come with me. She knew it was dangerous and that she could get in trouble for helping me. And she did anyway, right up until I scared her.

  I looked back at the huntress. “I have to find her.”

  I whirled around back where the hunters’ trap had been. Should I go get the staff? Was it necessary? No, there was no time. I had no idea how much time there was before something happened to Elle. But I had even less of an idea where to look for her.