A path to ascention. Soul lords trials.

Rex took a single arrow from the quiver, slightly weighting it with his hand, then juggled it between his fingers, appraising its properties. The bow in his hand was not made for such a distance. Add to that the arrows, Rex had to do quite a bit of calculating to figure out the proper angles and power he could infuse to achieve the wanted result.

"Have you heard of the benevolent forest spirit?" he asked Oren, as he finalized his calculations, slowly notching the arrow on the bowstring and drawing it, at the same time infusing a bit of his mana, as well as the tiniest amount of space laws into the tip. He vinced as he did so, a slight pain permeating his boddy, not quite there yet to draw on such a high level of concept.

"It normaly dwells in a random tree, enjoying the natural cycle of teh small beasts eating grass and plants and the predators in turn hunting and feasting on the aforementioned. Enjoying the countles songs of birds, or the pitter- patter of the rain. And yet, sometimes, it takes interest in a larger conflict happening in its domain. A group of greedy men, chasing a poor maiden through the woods, only their desire to slake their carnal thirst guiding them. Or they hunt said damsel for coing, entirely detached from the hunt itself, only the promised rewards in their sight."

Rex took a couple of breaths, before he continiued. "It is in times like those, that the spirit takes offence, or it might be just a flight of fancy. Perhaps it considers the maiden, running for her life, more worthy of life than her pursuers. Whatever its reasons, the result remains the same. It takes form, as a vengefull spirit, stalking the forest it inhabits, tearing the offenders apart." With thoise weords said, he released the arrow, a whistling sound resounding as it flew with speeds beyond Oren imagination. A split second later, a powerfull crack resounded, the sight before his eyes causing him to hang his mouth open, disbelief taking over his faculties.

As the arrow connected with the first Bork, on the outer edges of the large group, a cracking sound resounded, followed by a black tearing scar in the air itself, splitting dozen orcs in half. And then, as fast as the dark slip appeared, it dissapeared, as if it had never been there.

"Cough." Rex coughed, spitting out a small bit of blood, as he took the second arrow from Orens quiver. "Cough, would you look at that, he he. Will not have to worry about being recognized. Sorry about the arrows though."

He slowly drew the second arrow, even slower than the first, as a large chaos started to spread within the Bork group, who had turned around towards the origin of the loud sound just moment before, both confusion and fear appearing on their faces as they saw the groupd of split Borks. It did not take too long, for another similar cracking sound to overwhelm any other sounds in the vicinity, as an even larger space tearing scar appeared, killing even more of the Borks, though that was not even the most terrifying of the events that transpired.

For just a blink of an eye, something radiated from the tear before it dissapeared and whatever it was, it made the hair on both Borks and hunters, stand on end. What they felt was pure and unconcealed malice. Desire to ravage, devour and corrupt. Not a single Bork, still drawing breath remained around the tree, each and every one scrambling away in utter panic and horror. Unlike the humans, who were distanced from their primal instincts for long enough to just freeze there on the spot.

Luckaly, they all came out of their stupor a few minutes later, and realizing their chance, quickly descended from the tree and ran away, back to their camp. Rex and Oren, who was helping the younger man walk back, Rex's hand stretched over the older hunters shoulers, had dissapeared a minute ago.

"What was that?" Oren asked a while later, noticing Rex coughing up some more blood.

"Technique thats too taxing on the body, obviously. What else was it." Rex replied as he winced in pain. 'Thats what you get for playing the hero.'

"Duuhh." Oren rolled his eyes at the response."I mean the feeling that came from that crack."

"Fuck if I know. Some nasty fucker living on the other side."

"What other side?"

"Come one man. You saw the cracks. On that otehr side. Cough, cough. Need to not talk. Bad for lungs."

"Fine." Oren grumbled. "Be that way. You did save my friends. What now?"

"Later, in camp. Yea?"

"Fine, rest for now. We should reach there soon anyways. Gotta be extra carefull though. That thing stirred the forest bad."

The rest of their path time was spent in silence. Oren was thinking many things over, mostly though he could understand why his charge was such a quiet and absent creature. He was indeed a monster, with instincts for something far beyond his meager understanding. And yes, unless you kept quiet about it, you either get quickly shackled and used and beaten by those who are more powerfull than you at the moment, untill there is nothing more than an obedient husk of a slave remaining, who, even when stronger than the innitial slaver, would never even consider to rebel. Or permanently removed, out of fear of you rising in power and taking away the positions of those who had nestled deep in the best places in the nation. But if you could grow, well, the world was your oister. Yes, he understood perfectly well why the younger man next to him wanted to become an adventurer.

Who did not want to when they were young. Some even tried. Those that did, either died, experienced a traumatic event and decided to never do that again, made a meager living with whatever jobs they could take on, or became the backbone of the adventurer guild. And then, said backbone split int o two groups. The middle ranked adventurers who fulfilled the majority of the guilds quests and the very best of them all. The elites who swam in money and pretty ladies, or lads, commanding respect and fear whereever they went. The very top would be respected and adressed with utmost care, even by kings, each one of them more dangerous than even elite warrior squads, sometimes possibly even surpassing small armies in pure destructive power. Or assasins of such stealth and skill that once on their list, the target could only await their innevitable death.

With their slower pace, due to Rex's internal injuries and exaustion, they took longer to reach the camp, where quite the commotion was taking place. Rex had regained a bit of his strenght during this time and entered the camp on his own, with Oren closely behind him. The older hunter had volunteered to deal with the days quarry, as well as preapearing their supper. Rex quietly thanked the man, informing him that he would rest in the tent. he had assured Oren that, while injured, he could recover on his own, but it would take most of the evening, and he would not be able to pull anything like that any time soon, so the older hunter should not expect any additional miracles from him. oren was entirely fine with it, what Rex had achieved was already unreasonable, so his condition was perfectly understandable. Should the hunter learn of the eventuallity of Rex being able to spam such attacks, he might just faint from the idea.

Their great hunt was over, with this being the last day, even if a few of the smaller hunting parties with his peers were still in the forest, trying their best to attain some last second points for the evaluation. Oren had shared some tidbits with Rex, not because the younger man was interested in teh success of the others, but because there had been a slight ruckus during one of the evenings. The same group they had bailed out today had managed to take down a rather large sized boar, feasting and bragging all evevning , and morning too, if the words from Oren the next evening were true.

There was no such ruckus today, even if said larger party had managed to donw a Bork or two. they had been so close to death, and the experienced hunters did not waste any time to grill the younger, and too overconfident hotheads of their mistakes. The fact that they were alive now, saved by who knows what, was a blessing in and off its own, so the young ones were back in their tents, reflecting on their own mistakes, or so the older guys hoped. They themselves were around the campfire, sharing ideas and thoughts on the matter, more than just a little gratefull for the second chance they had recieved. Most of them would also never agree to be a part of the rite, the foolishness and arrogance of the youth almost being the end of them all. Lady luck had stood by their side today.

And while unknown to Rex, the tale of the benevolent spirit started to spread around the camp. With Oren only trowing the idea out during the cooking as a joke, somehow forced into retelling the story Rex had shared, even if there were quite a few deviancies, after his friends and colleagues had coaxed him enough. And so, while laughing they deemed that it had indeed been some sort of a benevolent spirit. After all, no human could have achieved such a feat, with none of the hunters having ever witnessed, or even heard of the technique, or what it trully did. Space mages were just that rare, and most would spend their time studying the theories and ideas behind space storage. After all, the larger space storage a space mage operated, the larger profit they could earn to work as some sort of smuggler, or special expedition quartermaster.

The dinner was rather quiet, with Oren only speaking a bit about the current situation, as well as the general state of the rite. He guaranteed Rex that he had scored him in the average range of scores, giving him enough to aquire a decent name, should he care whatsoever, while at the same time, not standing out too much, which he would deffinetly do, should the Borks he had felled earlier today be added.

"Good thing no one knows, can prove, or would od such an unwanted act." Rex lightly smiled as he spoke.

"Indeed. I have to agree with you."

"Remember, you have earned a favour from me that can be cashed in at a later date. Just look for an adventurer by the name of Rex in the adventurers guild, while giving my description and ask for a personal quest, while giving your name." Rex spoke after their meal and before both went to sleep, each in their own corner of the tent.

"I would advise to save said favour for a critical problem solving. The longer you wait, the more Ican help with at the time."

"Yea, I reasoned that much too."

----------------------------------------------------

Rex woke before Oren onc again, feeling much better than last night. And while mostly healed, he would not pull off such a dangerous move for the forseeable future, that was for sure, well aware of the dangerous strain his body had been put under. That and the rather stiif feeling in his muscles that needed to go. A feeling that Rex prompty stepped out of the tent to solve. The spent the next few dozen minutes stretching and straining hims aching muscles untill a rather pleasant warmth set in, indicating his success.

Returning to the tent and collecting the remains of yesterdays gains, the things his proctor had not used for coooking, he once again left the tent, quite ravenous ater a night of circulating both mana and aura, healing his internal injuries away. he was mostly done what Oren sat on a log nearby, the older hunter having woken up just moments ago.

"Feeling better?" he asked Rex, recieving a simple grunt and a nod in return.

"Glad to hear." Oren replied, a small smile gracing his face. 'If he has enough focus to act up, probably aware of undesired eyes on us, he should be in a well enough condition.' he thought to himself.

"In an hour or so, the rest of the hunters should gather your peers and announce the end of the hunt, agterwards which we will lead you back home and give over the evaluation you and your pears have earned during the hunt. After which, the naming ceremony will begun, though I assume you will hate it the most." he smirked as Rex grunted in displeasure of the mention of village ceremonies. Since they both were quite the practical people, they held similar contempt towards such unnecessary and overly dramatic actions.

As Oren had spoken, aproximately an hour later the rest of the tents started to stirr and one after another, both hunters and the youngsters started to leave said tents, prepearing their last meal before departure back home. And similarily to the first two meals in this camp, this one was once again prepeared by the elder hunters, congratulating them for surving and finishing the rite, though there were also words of caution, both regarding the path ahead of them in their lives, as well as the danger that each and every turn of the river that was life could hold, referencing the accident that had occured to the largest group within their midst. And while not among his peers, having already finished his own breakfast, Rex could still feel a few smug and arrogant glances dirrected his way. For whatever purpose, he did not know, He had done a magnificent job in either avoiding his peers entirely, or presenting himself as the same simpleton he had always been considered.

Their return back home, as much as the village he lived in could be called that, was a rather calm affair, with little to none chatter resounding throughout the group. The youngsters were deep in thought, contemplating wheter or not they have earned enough recognition and respect from their proctors, to be graded well enough for the names they wanted to claim. Or if they could not claim the name most coveted by their hearts, what other names could they ask for, less recognized as names of great men, and yet powerfull enough to earn the respect and possibly fear from their peers, as well as the attention of the other sex, both within their own village and those nearby, who followed a simmilar tradition. There were numerous such couplings between the families residing in the villages and a powerfull name did wonders to earn that innitial attraction from possible partners who lived afar and were not personally familar with everyone in the other villages.

The sun was in its zenith, when the group finally saw the rather shabby looking, yet ow, so familiar, fence around their home village, looking quite pathetic when compared with the sturdy wall around the camp they had spend almost a week in. Though, truth be told, some of the schreeches and roars they had heard in the forest during their stay, made the reason for said walls existance quite obvious. The horror stories some of the older hunters told to their charges did not help either, as the more terrifying ones quickly found their way around the group, well everyone except Rex, as he was considered too simple to apreciate the art of storytelling.

Once inside the village, they walked into the central square, where their village chief was already waiting for them, once again dressed in his chicken, probably meant as a phoenix, outfit. There he recieved a scroll from Rilem, where the scores of the youngsters were written in. Taking the scroll, the chief bowed his head in gratitude towards the hunters and then turned and walked to a few other elders, who were sitting around a ratehr old, but sturdy oaken table. A rather large book was placed on the table already and dirrctly in front of the book sat donw the chief, placing the scroll he recieved from Rilem in front of the elders, while he himself took a quill in hand and signalled with his empty hand to the elders to proceed.

"Willow, come forward." Read one of the elders and quickly, a girl with brown, shoulder lenght hair, tied into a simple ponytail walked forward, standing in front of the table of elders.

"Speak, what name you think you have earned, and dream of?" asked the same elder.

"Rianna, elders." the girl timidly answered and waited for their response. There were a few whispers among the elders, as well the chief, with mostly nodding.

"Very well Willow, daugher of Anna and Rigar. you have performed well. From today onwards, walk with your head held high, Rianna, daughter of Anna and Rigar." A smile bloomed on her face as the girl nearly squeeled from happiness, shaking her tow fists in front of her in excitement, just moments after bowing to the elders.

"Thank you elders." she quickly bowed and retreated back to the youngster group, standing in the back.

"Owl, come forward." the elder spoke once again, a moment later, once the chief had finished writing the new entry in the big book.

"Speak, what name you think you have earned, and dream of?" the elder repeated the question and waited for the youth to speak.

"Orion, elders." the youth replied, a confident smirk on his face, quite assured of his choice. Others spectating were not anywhere as confident as the youngster, even the elders furrowed their brows, as they looked towards Owl. There was no whispering, no nodding among the elders this time, only a dissapointed sigh.

"Too arrogant boy. A hero's name can only be earned with heroic actions, and yours are nowhere near it. Think again, carefully, what name thou has earned, lest we name you Wu, the Fool."

An obvious grimmace spread across the arrogant youngsters face, as if he had recieved a humiliating slap across his face, and thruthfully, it migh have very well been so.