None but the last notification made Andy pause.
I need to see if that's the same place with my own eyes. I need to see what's beyond there.
Andy thought with urgency; however, if he pushed any further, the Fragmented Shard could break, leaving him nothing.
If I can confirm that that place is indeed the academy's grounds, then perhaps I can search for a way to escape…
[Warning, return to your horse's side in 30 seconds or the Fragmented Shard will break!]
[Warning, Completion Rate has dropped: -1.4%]
Tightening his fist, Andy knew that he had no choice but to return. Seeing the countdown, he turned back and rushed towards their resting spot.
Yaroslav was already breathing a bit too heavily, as though he had done something strenuous. Even Andy was worried that something was wrong.
[Identity Synchronization: 39%]
While the completion rate did enter the negatives, the synchronization rate went up. Andy wondered if that happened because he had used the man's skills.
"Commander! What happened?" Fyodor, already drawn his sword, looked at Yaroslav suspiciously. Though the other soldiers didn't go to that extreme, they too didn't were suspicious of his action.
His commander wasn't the type to rush out without informing him of anything just like that. He had always called Fyodor to accompany him.
Fyodor, knowing that Yaroslav had weak endurance when compared to the abilities he was capable of wielding, had to be there to save his lord in his times of weakness.
For a man who hadn't rested fully since yesterday's battle, to execute such speed unannounced, it either had to be urgent, or it wasn't his lord.
[Your soldiers do not trust your identity.]
"I thought I sighted a Wesen in the distance," Yaroslav said, brushing it off lightly.
Fyodor's brows shot up, "Really? Why didn't you just shoot it from here, Commander?"
"I wasn't totally sure… perhaps because I still haven't rested properly. My sight seems to be shaky. It's a good thing I didn't shoot anyone. Turns out they were just children displaced by snow…"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers calmed, and even Fyodor seemed to be filled with worry. "Commander, you should have let us scout for you. You need to rest as much as you can."
"I'll be fine, Fyodor. Let the horses rest till the sun makes our shadows a bit longer."
With that being said, he went to sit by a tree and closed his eyes, as though he had gone to sleep.
Why was that lie able to work?
Due to the increment in their synchronization rate, Andy was able to see more into Yaroslav's memories. He even saw a bit of the battle that took place a day before, against the Ming Dynasty's soldiers.
Yaroslav was an archer.
In fact, calling an excellent archer would be an insult to his abilities. When one has been marked as a target within the range of his sight, there is no stopping his arrow.
The man was too fast to be easily caught. Too sensitive to danger to be ambushed. He has been the sole reason why the Ming Dynasty has been on the defensive since the war between these two hegemons began.
Yaroslav has killed more than a dozen of their high-ranked Generals, making a mockery of their defense.
The problem wasn't only in trying to defend against his arrow, but also from the distance he shoots from.
Andy had just gotten a glimpse of one of his abilities.
This made Yaroslav fear on the battlefield. Their only saving grace is the fact that using his abilities seemed to drain him very quickly.
He had weak endurance when compared to the ratio of his other qualities, and no matter how hard he tried to train his endurance, it had never really grown to match his other qualities.
Nonetheless, the enemies preferred to tread carefully with him.
Seeing all of these memories, Andy's mind couldn't help but go numb. This wasn't within the range of human capabilities anymore; they were all superhuman.
If only I were this powerful… Andy lamented. He tried searching for more memories, but this was all his level of synchrony could afford him.
He wanted to learn more about Wesens, what they were, and how to deal with them.
By the time noon reached, the horses had been well rested, fed, and already continuing their journey.
It took them another hour or so to exit the edges of the snow-covered forest they were surrounded by, coming into a valley of rocks and snow-covered mountains.
While moving, Yaroslav's horse began slowing down, against the man's orders. This horse hardly ever disobeyed the man, and here it was, doing just that.
Yaroslav paused, knowing that something was wrong.
He then used his Eyes Like The Wind to scout the area; however, unlike Andy's inexperienced way of utilizing the ability, it was used in a more controlled and focused way.
Only envelops an area of four kilometers.
"Commander, something's wrong; the horses sense something dangerous ahead," Fyodor said as he rode to his lord's side, waiting for the man's directives.
Yaroslav silenced him by raising a hand and pointing at a rock in the distance.
Though he hadn't said a word, Fyodor had understood. He rode back to the other soldiers and gave them orders to prepare for battle without uttering a word.
The group didn't draw their weapons, no, they continued on their path, only moving at a slower pace this time. One would find them unassuming if they gazed upon them from afar.
What's happening?
Andy could tell that Yaroslav sensed danger; in fact, he could tell the direction from which the danger was coming. But he was still heading towards it.
Why not turn around and take a different route? There's something ahead.
To Andy, for someone as strong as Yaroslav to find something threatening or dangerous would surely be above what he could handle.
Even if this wasn't real in a total sense, the experience was.
[Identity Synchronization: 40%]
[Completion Rate: -1.1%]
Upon seeing the completion rate's growth, Andy wondered if it would fall deeper into the negatives if he forced Yaroslav to take a different route.
Just while he was considering this, the General picked up his bow and had already logged three arrows on it.
A thread of a type of Mana Andy had never felt or seen before gathered in the blink of an eye and embedded themselves onto the arrows.
Whoosh!
As though the air was violently being torn apart, these arrows flew in three different directions, as though they had eyes of their own, moving faster than anything Andy had ever witnessed.
They left a line of cold wind behind them.
Boom!
The arrow exploded upon contact with the boulders Yaroslav shot them at.