Hunters & Dragons by Nick Venom (some good books to read .TXT) 📖

towards Juggernaut with his fist prepared to make contact. The first punch hit Juggernaut’s torso, pushing Juggernaut backward. 

Juggernaut attempted to stand his ground, creating a crater where the two stood, but the raw strength that Noah held overwhelmed Juggernaut and threw him over a hundred miles backward through the trees, breaking them upon contact. Juggernaut ended up creating a direct line towards him, empty of debris and life. Noah then started to chuckle slowly.

“I did it… I protected e-everybo-” He started before suddenly collapsing under fatigue and his wounds. Jean rushed to his side while crying out to the others for help. I saved everyone, Noah thought before his mind fully turned off.

 

TBC…

Episode Eleven "Lost Knight"

“Where am I?” Kendrick Ford asked himself. He stood in an open field surrounded by trees on each side, leaving his front and back open for enemies to locate him. Kendrick continued down the open field in hopes of finding his comrades. Unfortunately for him, the night began to set, leaving Kendrick alone and without any resources aside from his armor and weapon. He wielded a double-edged sword, twirling it around in circles whenever he needed to scare off lower-level monsters. He wore silver knight armor with an identification number on the left side of his chest, ‘#4545’. His dark brown hair was buzz cut and he wore a pair of stud earrings that worked as trackers. He continued to wander with no idea of where he was going.

“Hey! Run!” A voice shouted. Kendrick looked up at the path in front of him and noticed an elf pointing behind him. Kendrick glanced over his shoulder and took in the sight of a bear that was three times his size. He turned his attention back to his front, sprinting away from the bear and towards the elf. The elf turned around and ran away from Kendrick and the bear.

“Screw this! Screw this! Screw this! Screw this!” He repeatedly shouted as he dashed away from the bear. Kendrick followed the elf to an eleven village. Another elf with a similar appearance to the first elf that Kendrick saw, except a lot older, raised an invisible barrier after Kendrick to prevent the bear from entering the village.

“Zero!” The older elf shouted. Kendrick turned around and watched as the bear was sliced into pieces by an unknown figure dressed in a cloak. The cloaked person disappeared without leaving anything aside from a slashed corpse.

“What was that!” Kendrick shouted. The older elf allowed the invisible barrier to collapse before turning to face him.

“An Eon Bear. They tend to stay away from people, but some developments have displaced them.” The older elf told him. “May I ask… who are you?

“My name is Kendrick Ford, a knight-in-training from the Atraciral Kingdom!” He declared while placing his palm over his heart.

“I am the village’s chief. You may call me Fox.” Fox turned around and opened his arms towards the village. “Welcome to Titoria!”

“Titoria?” Kendrick asked. “I can’t believe I’m this far out then.”

“Excuse me?” Fox asked, tilting his head slightly.

Kendrick placed his right hand on his nape and slightly muttered. “I-I… I got separated from my squad during training… and I can’t find my way back to camp.” Fox nodded and led him inside of a nearby two-story house.

“I apologize, but with the Eon Bear population roaming in the darkness, you can’t go out. I’ll allow you to stay here for the night and leave in the morning.” Fox told him.

“There’s no way I can return right now?” Kendrick asked while taking a peek out of the closest window to him. Fox shook his head. “Okay then… I’ll take you up on your kindness.”

“Perfect, but before I send you to the inn for sleep, I want to know some information about Atraciral,” Fox said while motioning for him to sit down at a four-chair table. Kendrick nodded and sat down, opposite Fox, at the table.

“If I have any knowledge about it, I would be happy to tell you,” Kendrick said. Fox grinned before placing his hands on the table and intertwining his fingers. He stared at Fox and tilted his head slightly to the right.

“Where’s the Red Guardian?” He asked.

“I heard that he’s on the frontlines against the Warkinger Kingdom. Anything else from that, I don’t know.”

Fox nodded his headly softly. “But he’s alive for sure?” Kendrick nodded his head.

“It would take a rank S monster to kill him.” Kendrick declared. 

Fox nodded and smiled. “It would… Okay, how is the king doing?”

“King Ash the Fifth? I heard that he’s in perfect condition and should be making a public appearance in the capital soon. Oh, and one of his daughters should’ve been here as well.” Fox nodded at his statement.

“She left earlier today. She’s a nice and respectful young lady. Reminds me of her father.” 

Kendrick tilted his head to the right and raised an eyebrow.“You know the king?”

Fox nodded. “He was the one who saved our village from the Warkinger Kingdom. Without his help, we wouldn’t be alive and flourishing like we are.” He told Kendrick. Fox looked up at the ceiling, memorized by the patterns drawn on it. “We were a slave camp used for labor by the Warkinger kingdom. It was Ash the Fifth that fought for our freedom, using any method he could to allow us to live normal lives. He plunged money into our recovery. That’s why I feel grateful for him… to allow my children and the children of the village to live normal lives without suffering like we’ve had to.”

“Interesting… I’ve heard only rumors about your village, good and bad, but I can see that you truly are a caring village chief. Rumors did tell that the village chief was a wise man.” Kendrick told him. Fox let out a big smile and chuckled softly.

“I see… a wise man huh? I like that rumor.” Fox said before turning towards the front door and walking up to it. He opened the front door and shouted “Hybrid!” Into the streets. 

Within a few seconds, the same elf that helped Kendrick out, now stood in front of the house. “Take him to the inn. Make sure you tell Veronica not to charge him; I’ll take care of his fee.” He told Hybrid. Hybrid nodded and motioned for Kendrick to follow him. Kendrick nodded, following after him, but thanked Fox for his kindness before leaving. He was transported to the inn, where he stayed for the night before leaving in the morning to reunite with his commander. His commander, Captain Snow, expected that Kendrick would’ve found Titoria before Eon Bears appeared and devoured him. Captain Snow thanked Fox, Hybrid, and the other High Council members before taking Kendrick back to their outpost within the forest known as the Eon Tower. Fox smiled and waved at the two as they left.

“I wonder how my wife would have fared in this new era? I believe she would’ve been ecstatic to see how Titoria is rising so quickly.” Fox muttered to himself after Kendrick and Captain Snow left.

“Are you okay, Father?” Hybrid asked. Fox nodded his head, facing away from Hybrid with a single tear bubbling in the corner of his eyelid.

“It’s nothing to worry about… just remembering some old memories,” Fox said before turning around and heading back into the village with Hybrid and the other High Council members following after him. It was a new day.

 

TBC…

Episode Twelve "I Love You"

A week had passed since the fight with Juggernaut. Since then, the season began to change with snow falling steadily, covering the capital with thick blankets. 

Noah stood in front of his house and looked up at the sky as snowflakes slowly descended to the ground. Noah didn’t remember what happened after he collapsed, but Russ and Jean informed him that after he collapsed, some members of the Blue Knights were able to transport Thatcher and him on a stretcher back to Atraciral. The remainder of the trip ended up going peacefully and they were able to get back quickly. Thatcher and Noah were able to undergo treatment until they were fully awake and healed. They were then discharged and allowed to continue their normal life. 

Noah balled up his fingers into a fist before releasing his fingers. He did that action twice more before he ventured away from his house. He went through the streets of the capital, looking at every shop during his walk. After searching for an hour, he found what he was looking for - a shack that was hiding in a dark alleyway. He walked up to the shack’s rusty iron door and opened it, struggling slightly. Inside the shack, a woman in her nineties waited for him. She wore a white cloak that slouched over her shoulders. A fortune ball stood in front of her on a barstool. “I’ve been expecting you, Noah.”

“You know me?” Noah asked. The woman nodded.

“I felt the wind change, recently. I haven’t felt that change since the last time my son used that skill.” 

Noah got closer to her and nearly shouted in her face. “You know my skill?”

The woman nodded. “Overpowered right? My son had that skill after he nearly died trying to save his girlfriend. After that, I found out that he received the skill from a goddess who never told him her name. He said that she had beautiful long pink hair.”

“That’s who I saw! She didn’t give me a name either.” Noah shouted, leaning forward. The woman motioned for him to back away from her.

“He compared his power to raw ore. It is boundless in potential, but worthless if you can’t refine and control it. Once you refine your ability to control it, then it’ll become stronger. If you can’t refine your ability to control it, then you’ll die.”

Noah nodded his head slightly. “For my skill to become stronger, then I’ll need to learn to control it.” He summarized. She nodded her head.

“He told me that as you control Overpowered, you won't faint as easily as you do.” She said before slightly chuckling.

Noah smiled. “That’s amazing! Can I meet your son?” The woman’s small smile fell upside down before she shook her head violently.

“Everything that I know about Overpowered is what my son told me while he was on his deathbed.” She told him.

“Oh… I apologize for any disrespect I’ve shown you.” Noah said before bowing his head to her. 

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, young man. I would suggest you return home soon or else you’ll miss a key moment.”