A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

"Hah…" Beam gave a sigh of relief as he sat on the floor.

"Ah, good. I thought I was going to have to wait another hour before you finally settled into your rhythm. It seems even you can settle things quickly if you put your mind to it," Dominus teased as he drew up next to him.

"That was tough," Beam said as he looked upon the corpse.

"I'd imagine so. In the end, it was merely your superior speed and strength that settled it. Were you unable to tap into the skill you used against the hobgoblin?" Dominus asked.

Beam shook his head. "No… I mean, it seemed kind of slow. Its movements were blurry, but I can't tell if that's real or not, since the whole world has been blurry for the past couple of days. If I don't concentrate, I get pretty damn dizzy."

Dominus raised an eyebrow. "That's the first I'm hearing of this. Those are certainly not good symptoms, especially given the severity of your fight the other day. They could be the signs of something more serious."

"Maybe…" Beam agreed. "It was pretty bad yesterday, as I was trying to get to sleep. Felt like the whole world was saying underneath me."

"Hm…" Dominus studied him with narrowed eyes. "That's something we'll have to keep an eye on. Let me know if it gets worse."

Beam nodded. "I will… But I guess I wasn't able to use that skill after all, huh? I wonder if it's like you said, and maybe it was just a one time thing, because of the circumstances of the day."

"Maybe," Dominus said, but he sounded unconvinced. "Though I do not think that to be likely. Your rapid growth during that battle had to have been supported by something – my only issue is whether you can manifest that same something again. What do you think was missing this time?"

Beam tilted his head as he considered it. "Well… I dunno. I guess maybe, this time, it didn't feel like I was fighting another creature. It felt more just like cutting down a tree."

"Ah, you mean it lacked soul?" Dominus said, putting a finger to his chin in consideration. "That's interesting… Indeed corpse soldiers are just that – mere corpses. In large part, their soul has already moved only. Only the tiniest fraction remains, the part fuelled by resentment and lingering attachment. That part is then built into something more artificial using the goddess' curse as filler."

"Right, right! That's it!" Beam said, his brain flashing with realization. "It felt like, no matter how hard I fought it, there was no will for me to overcome, because it didn't have one itself. It didn't really feel like much of a duel."

"Hm…." Dominus fell into thought again. "Well, whilst interesting, I believe we should put such conversation on hold for now. The sun is rising ever higher in the sky."

Beam glanced upwards at his pointing, noting just how high the sun had gotten. "Oh! Gods! I've barely got an hour left. I better get running then. Do I need to go all the way back to the campsite?

Oh, and what should I take to show Greeves that the corpse soldier has been slain?"

"You don't need to take anything. That merchant already believes in the value of your word by now. If you say it's slain, he will not press you on it. And no, you need not go as far as the campsite. Merely make it to the edge of the forest by the village before midday and I'll consider this test passed."

"Got it!" Beam said, as he sheathed his sword once more and handed it to Dominus, before dashing away as quickly as he could.

The feeling of freedom as he ran was immense, now that he had been freed from the burden that the stone posed. He was able to stand up straighter and fill his lungs more easily with air, without its weight pressing down on his back. But more than all that, he could finally taste his speed, the rewards of his struggle.

He tore up the ground like a deer, as the wind rushed past him, sending his short hair flying up above his head. He couldn't help but laugh in jubilation as he picked up yet more speed. It was the same exhalation he'd felt as a child – the knowledge that he now stood closer to the top of the mountain. That this speed was indeed, once more, something special.

That his strength has finally progressed to go along with it.

Even as his lungs burned, he did not slow, merely continuing to race, pounding through the long grass of the vast plains, the autumn sky blue overhead and the sun warming his back as he ran.

'Finally,' he thought to himself, enjoying that speed. He clenched his fist. 'Finally.' He said again. 'With this, there was finally progress. With this, I pass all my tests and the change I've been looking for finally comes storming in.'

As he thought such a thing, he came to a realization – the change had indeed already began. A quick reflection on the events of the past weeks confirmed that thought readily. All those years of stagnation, all those years of mere survival – he finally had something to show for them and in just the span of a month too.

Monsters that previously would have been able to kill him on sight – he was now able to best them. A mere month ago, goblins had posed a problem, and yet now, he'd overcome the peak of all hobgoblins – an evolved specimen. Not only that, with mere physical prowess, he was able to comfortably overwhelm a corpse soldier, an enemy that of everyone in the village, only Judas could hope to match.

It was not only his victories that excited him, though – it was the promise of future potential. The realization that he could fly higher still, that his road was still far from over.

With such pleasant thoughts on his mind, his run concluded pleasantly. He came to a halt on the path that led from the village to the forest, putting his hands on his knees to recover his breath.