Chapter 16 Fresh location
Vandal wandered deeper into the vast cave. His footsteps echoed through the silent chamber. Ancient weapons of every shape and size lined the walls. Each one hummed with faint but dangerous power. At the far end loomed a massive iron treasure chest. Its surface was alive with intricate runes that pulsed like a warning to anyone foolish enough to approach.
He placed both hands on the lid. It refused to budge. There was no ordinary lock, only a small sigil-shaped depression that stared back at him.
“I don’t know how to open you,” he muttered, “but my blood might be the key.”
Gripping a sharp rock from the ground, Vandal slashed open his palm and smeared the fresh blood across the sigil. The runes ignited with blinding golden light. Excitement surged through his chest for a split second.
Then the chest erupted.
A violent shockwave of raw energy exploded outward like a raging storm. It slammed into Vandal and hurled him backward. He crashed against the cave wall, pain flaring across his back and shoulders. Gasping, he quickly pushed himself up and slammed his bleeding palm back onto the sigil, forcing the lid shut with desperate strength.
The devastating energy vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
“Too strong…” he muttered, rubbing his sore shoulder. “I’m nowhere near ready for whatever treasure is locked inside that thing.”
Still breathing heavily, his gaze landed on a colossal bow and quiver hanging on the wall. The weapon was enormous, clearly made for a giant, and radiated overwhelming power. Driven by curiosity, he reached out with his bloodied hand and touched it.
The bow instantly shimmered and shrank. It resized itself perfectly to fit his smaller frame. Vandal’s eyes widened in genuine awe.
“Giant craftsmanship…” he whispered.
Somehow, with absolute certainty, he knew this had been forged by an Anakim blacksmith. Even more astonishing, the bow could fire Force Echoes as arrows.
“Wait… how do I know all this?” he muttered.
The answer hit him instantly. It was Alarik’s gift. The torrent of ancient knowledge still swirled inside his mind, granting him understanding of the giant tongue. He tilted the bow and spotted an elegant inscription carved along its limb.
Force Echo Bow
A small, satisfied smile tugged at his lips as he claimed the weapon.
Nearby, a plain silver ring caught his eye. The moment he slid it onto his finger, he sensed its spatial nature. It could store items in a hidden dimension. On the inner band was a tiny, unique blacksmith signature. A flash of inherited memory surfaced. High-level Anakim blacksmiths always engraved their personal signature on their creations. That mark did not just show ownership. It personified the item, breathing extra power into it and setting it apart from ordinary echo weapons.
“Alarik…” Vandal murmured softly, recognizing the signature. “So this was one of yours.”
He focused on the ring. The knowledge was there, but using it still felt hazy and awkward. After several clumsy attempts, he finally managed to store the quiver inside the spatial ring with a faint shimmer. Storing the bow took even more effort. The techniques sat in his mind, but they did not feel natural yet. Mastery would clearly take time and painful practice.
Vandal glanced back at the sealed chest and the countless weapons still waiting on the walls.
“I’ll return when I’m stronger,” he vowed quietly. “There’s far too much here to claim in my current state.”
He rested for what felt like two days. He needed to recover, and the water in the vault had special properties. Strangely, he didn’t feel hungry. Whenever he drank from the water trickling down in the cave-like entrance, he felt completely satisfied.
With his new treasures secured, he made his way back through another entrance. The first one only opened one way, and he had tried to open it with no success. He noticed another entrance that led to a pool. He dove into the pool, and it led in a different direction. As he swam through the crystal-clear water, he noticed something strange. Running a hand through his hair, he realized all the dark strands had turned milky white.
When he finally broke the surface and climbed onto dry land, the truth struck him hard.
The forest looked completely different. Lush green foliage surrounded him, vibrant with spring growth. Warm humidity clung to his skin, and the rich, earthy scent of blooming flowers and damp soil filled his lungs.
Before he could fully process the change, distant screams and the roar of battle shattered the silence. Not far away, a group of young echo warriors was locked in a desperate fight against a monstrous blue leopard.
“We’ve been hunting this beast for six months! Get him, Xander! Show that overgrown cat who’s boss!”
“Six months…” he whispered in calm shock. “Time inside the vault flows much slower or differently.”
Half a year had passed in the outside world while he was inside.
One youth stood out, a tall, arrogant boy named Xander. He moved with flashy skill, dodging lethal claws and landing exaggerated blows while his companions cheered wildly.
Xander grinned cockily and launched forward. He stabbed his longsword toward the leopard’s forehead. The blade sank half an inch into its skull, but the impact rattled through Xander’s arms and shook his insides.
In his arrogance, he dodged an attack but left his teammate wide open. The leopard’s claws tore across his chest in a spray of blood . Before anyone could react, the beast pounced on two other warriors. It ripped into them with savage bites and killed them instantly.
Roar!
Terrified screams filled the air as the leopard reared back. Its head glowed with swirling blue energy, charging a devastating Wind Echo attack.
At that exact moment, the beast sensed a strange resonance pressure from its left. Its eyes locked onto Vandal.
The brief distraction cost it dearly.
Xander used complex footwork and thrust his blade again, drawing another bloody mark on the leopard’s head. In fury, the leopard smacked him with a massive paw, sending him flying through the air.
Vandal moved on pure instinct. He summoned the Force Echo Bow from his spatial ring. He nocked a crackling arrow of pure resonance energy and unleashed a rapid barrage. The glowing projectiles streaked through the air like vengeful spirits, but most missed their mark. Only a few slammed into the leopard’s flank.
“I missed so badly,” Vandal muttered, shaking his head in annoyance. Mastering the bow would clearly take time.
The beast roared in agony. Xander’s wounds combined with Vandal’s shots finally took their toll. The massive creature staggered. Then it turned its focus on the exhausted Xander and leapt toward him.
“Xander!”
Sou!
A resonance arrow whipped through the branches and leaves, striking the leopard straight in one eye. The arrow remained corporeal for a moment before dissolving.
Roar!
The leopard howled in frustration and pain.
“Look, it’s blinded in one eye!” one of the warriors shouted.
Although the leopard’s defense was strong, its eyes were its weakest point. It whirled around in rage, searching for the human who had blinded it. The distraction gave Xander just enough time to scramble away.
Unable to find Vandal, who had ducked behind a thick tree, the leopard went into a frenzy. It charged the remaining warriors and tore another youth to shreds in a spray of blood. The gruesome sight sent a chill down Vandal’s spine.
He fired another resonance arrow, aiming for the leopard’s remaining eye. The beast roared and snapped its eyes shut at the last moment. The arrow barely scratched its eyelids.
Vandal sighed and shook his head again. The leopard was now on full guard.
“Eat this!” Xander shouted, seizing the short opening to power another sword strike into the same forehead spot.
“Good chance,” Vandal whispered.
He quickly snapped off a sturdy branch. He extended his fingernails into sharp claws and slashed the wood into a pointed stake. He coated it with poison from his claws and reinforced it with resonance energy.
“Let’s see how you tank this.”
He fired the enhanced stake with a resounding shot. It flew true and sank deep into the leopard’s forehead with a heavy thump.
The beast roared in agony, turned tail, and fled deeper into the forest.
Suddenly, a young girl in a flowing pink dress walked into the clearing. She was peacefully smelling a flower, eyes half-closed as she breathed in the spring air, completely unaware of the chaos.
Vandal’s eyes widened in recognition. That face… the girl who had been locked in the filthy cage back at the other forest. The one who seized the chance to escape when the mysterious attacker struck. He had not seen her since that day.
His blood ran cold. The wounded leopard, driven by rage and the heavy scent of blood still thick in the air from the slain youths, had circled back in its frenzy. It burst from the undergrowth, charging straight toward her. The beast was only inches away from her face.