Making a seat on the gritty ashen soil, I noticed the village chief's messenger daughter scanning her surroundings with inquisitive eyes before they landed upon me. Unfortunately for her, warrior Jean was resolute in his refusal to repeat any information he had previously disclosed until the entire group had awakened. Thankfully, although the wait was somewhat tedious, they all eventually roused from their slumber thirty minutes later.
Witnessing the confusion among the group, warrior Jean abandoned his snacks and launched into a detailed explanation, reiterating what he had previously revealed to me and expounding further on some key points, particularly the limitations unique to each warrior.
"Let me break it down for you," Warrior Jean said, taking a deep breath before and began to explain, "A warrior with a three-star potential can safely consume a Vylkr vine with a rating of one, two, or three stars. However, they cannot handle a four-star Vylkr, which makes them weaker compared to a warrior with a four-star potential. That's why a warrior with a lower star potential may find it challenging to handle a Vylkr vine with a higher rating," he concluded wearily from all the explaining he had to do.
"But it's best to know your limit," he continued, with a renewed sense of urgency. "If you ever try to consume a Vylkr vine with a star rating higher than your potential, the village will be there to help pull you out of danger. However, whatever happens, will be your own fault. And if you ever face a Vylkr vine with a rating higher than your potential, don't go alone. The village won't sacrifice warriors to save someone who foolishly put themselves in harm's way when it could have been easily avoided," he warned sternly.
"But if you still choose to ignore my warning, you're on your own, as long as you don't put the village in danger," he finished, his voice laced with a tinge of worry for those who might disregard his advice.
After completing his explanation, warrior Jean sprang to his feet and slammed his left foot into the ground with a resounding "Boom!" and "Crack!" The force of the impact easily penetrated the ashen soil, grabbing not only my attention but that of the others as well.
"I know some of you are already aware of a warrior's unimaginable strength," he said, pulling his leg from the rubble he had created with a grin. "But as you can see, and most of you have probably guessed, the Vylkr energy can activate every bone and muscle in our body, making us stronger than the average villager. However, there is a catch..." He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing. "If you want to harness the full potential of the Vylkr energy and your body's strength, you must train your body. Luckily for all of you, our stronghold serves not only to protect the village, but also as a place to train your body or push it to its limits."
As I listened intently, everything started to make sense. Fiona's impressive, muscular physique was a result of her dedication to training her body to its absolute limit, as she had previously confided in me. It was also becoming clear why every warrior I had met so far had a strong and physically imposing build, even if it wasn't as extreme as Fiona's. The Vylkr energy could activate every bone and muscle in our bodies, but it was up to each warrior to train and push themselves to fully harness their potential.
After the lecture, warrior Jean turned to the rest of the group and began to give instructions on how to combine their energies and activate their gifts.
After mastering the combination of their energies and activating their gifts, Grim transformed into his horned golden eagle form. This time, he was larger than ever with a wingspan of about 5 meters (15 ft) and a length of 2 meters (6 ft). As he took to the sky, his massive wings cast a shadow over us, blocking out the sun.
As I watched the sky, a sudden burst of heat caught my attention. I turned to see Thak's daughter with a wisp of deep green fire burning in her hand, now with a dark shade underneath it. The flames grew brighter and bigger as she flung her hands sideways, and we watched as it stretched forward into the sky, setting the air around us ablaze. The flames came perilously close to touching Grim, who had been hovering in the sky, but he quickly descended to the ground and gave her a disapproving glare.
"Sorry," the village chief's messenger's daughter immediately apologized, "I didn't notice you." Her tone was indifferent yet sincere. I almost clicked my tongue disapprovingly, but before I could, I felt my body slowly ascending into the sky as my legs left the ground.
I didn't have to guess who was behind my sudden lift off the ground when I looked up to see Ursa beaming at me. "I can perfectly control my movements in the air now, and even carry someone with me," she exclaimed, her cheerful tone infectious. With a flick of her wrist, Ursa commanded the winds to lift me higher alongside her. As we soared higher, I couldn't help but enjoy the view beneath us. And as Ursa danced and twirled around me in the air, I couldn't resist sneaking a peek at her pink hole and bare buttocks which looked even more impressive from this angle.
"AARRGHHH!" The sudden and agonizing scream pierced through the air, bringing our actions to an abrupt halt. All eyes turned towards the source of the sound, where we saw Gorg convulsing and vibrating, as if in excruciating pain. Both of his hands were illuminated with an intense, glowing orange light that illuminated the surrounding area.
"He's awakening his gift," Ursa exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening as she gazed in his direction, undoubtedly curious about what his gift might be. However, I couldn't help but furrow my brow at the scene. From what I had gathered, I was certain that awakening one's gift wasn't supposed to be so painful. It was supposed to come as naturally as breathing. At least, that was how I had experienced it when I awakened my own gift.