A day has passed since I finally reached the Stone Jaguar stage.

After some talk, Imani and I managed to book a hunting trip with the Ajnal.

And here I am, standing in the plains near the river. The grass runs waist-high in some spots, rippling with every gust of wind. Sunlight beats down, the sky wide and cloudless, and the steady rush of water echoes faintly from the east.

My arms are crossed casually, a smirk on my face as I enjoy my pal's fight.

Imani blocks the charge of the triceratops-looking creature with his shield. His boots scrape deep lines into the dry dirt, but he holds steady.

The beast roars, trying to push through him, but he shifts his weight, and sidesteps at the last moment—letting the creature's horn tear harmlessly past his side.

A clean dodge.

He pivots, bringing the shield up—absorbing the second lunge with a solid thud.

Then he swings his shield sideways, releasing his accumulated charge into a crushing counterattack that smashes hard against the creature's skull, a cracking sound echoing through the clearing.

The massive beast tumbles to the side as an arc of blood sprays into the air.

Imani doesn't waste time. He steps forward and swings his shield down in a brutal, two-handed bash.

The shield strikes the skull with a final, heavy thud—ending the creature's life.

I notice the Ajnal hunters staring wide-eyed at him, stunned. And I can understand them.

Imani isn't even considered a proper warrior by their standards… yet he just showcased strength comparable to a Stone Jaguar.

I smile as I walk toward him.

"That was quick and easy."

He nods as he stares at the shield. It's slightly dented.

"I should probably be looking for a replacement."

"Yeah… same with my swords. It's interesting how The Tower gave us indestructible equipment as a kind of free trial… and now it's over and we have to fend for ourselves. But hey, we got a smithing apprentice in our ranks, don't we," I grin.

"Not even that… I heard to be an official smith apprentice you have to be at least a Stone Jaguar. So I'd say you're closer, aren't you?"

"Nah… I don't think I have the patience for it. I'll trust in your skills."

He shakes his head, stepping forward to scavenge the orb.

"How much?" I ask.

"9.256%."

"Ok. Let's see if the hunters don't raise any alarms and we can hunt a bit more today… but," I glance down at the dead dinosaur, "something tells me the hunt's close to over, unless they've got a hidden freezer somewhere."

"They have the means."

"Well, in any case, with your current SP, perhaps you can reach the First Pillar State… today? Latest tomorrow."

"Yes," he pauses. "So you have to leave in seven days?"

"Indeed… battle calls. Against the Xok'al no less. But by seven days you should be a Stone Jaguar too. With Arjun undergoing his trial right now, that'll be the three of us battling together. Should be fun, and we should be able to rack much more SP on the battlefronts."

"Was the trial hard?"

"I wouldn't say it was hard, it was more of the painful and long type. As in very painful and very long. But just the first part—forming the capacitors. The rest felt more like a spiritual initiation of sorts," I chuckle. "And the last part was like a kick in the balls, but after that, it's good. In my case it was a bit more complicated because I had no idea what to do, but I gave Arjun the tips and I'll do the same for you before you go. If you know what to do, it's easy… I mean, simple. It's still gonna hurt like hell. Also, go with a full belly. Don't be like me going at it after coming back from a twenty-plus-hour cave expedition."

Imani stares at me deeply.

"You don't always have to brace the danger for the rest, Alonso. Remember to leave some trials for the rest of us too. Being always at the vanguard… can be tiresome on the mind and body."

"Yes, well… I was given a chance to accelerate our progression and took it. I'm sure The Tower was very intentional in setting that trial as it was for me—and if I hadn't taken it at that moment, that would've been several more days, until we ranked enough Tohk'uh for it."

Imani remained silent. "What about Mei, Maurice, Diego and the rest? Do they have to stay behind?"

"Yes. We will be moved to a battlefront outpost and they cannot follow us. There we will be involved in active skirmishes against the Xok'al until we can get enough Tohk'uh to apply for a Lord of Sparks position. Should take a while."

"So they will stay here until they can become Stone Jaguars themselves?"

"That should be the case. And I think it's ok. Here they will be safe, and the pressure to meet with us again should keep them motivated to advance. Mei and Maurice are pretty talented. I'm sure they'll reach the Red Warrior stage in a week or two at most."

He slowly nods.

"Are you excited about joining the war?"

"Kind of. There's no wild creature nearby that can give me a challenge anymore—well, the wyverns are an exception, but they're still out of my league. SP gained is basically scraps. And… I want to see her again. I want to see her again quite badly, to be honest."

Imani sighs.

"There are faces I want to see again badly too," he stares at me. "But I will have to wait much longer than you."

Yeah... for him, it's a whole family out there.

It's harder. Much harder.

"By the way, I haven't seen you in action yet. You look like a hunting supervisor?" he says with a casual smile, the previous longing in his eyes hidden already.

He's tough alright.

"The orb goes to he who hunts it. You gain more SP than me right now. You also need it more."

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"K'amik B'alam Tun. Tz'ib'ik k'uh," he says with a slight bow.

"Fuck off," I chuckle.

Imani smiles. "But still, I am curious. You said you practiced for a bit and it felt rather natural, but I do want to see what you are capable of after becoming a Stone Jaguar," he steps back slightly, his helmet covering his face again. "What about a friendly spar?"

"Are you sure? This is not gonna end well for your shield."

"I still need a replacement, so no worries. And as strong as you may hit, you are not gonna dent it more than a two-ton dinosaur charging at it."

"Well, you asked for it," I glance back at the Ajnal hunters and send them a wave telling them I will spar with Imani.

They look shocked for a moment but then send me the green light back.

I notice how they show much more respect toward me since I became a Stone Jaguar.

Imani and I move a bit farther, away from the corpse.

My helmet automatically covers my face as I unsheathe my swords.

"I hope your reaction time is not too rusty," I say.

"I hope I can feel your strikes this time," he replies back.

I smile under the helmet.

I push Overdrive.

But I do not rush.

I walk. Calmly. As I stare at Imani's stance. His huge shield protecting the front.

I notice the breeze. The swirl of the blades of grass, and the way the ground deforms beneath my boots.

Imani remains cautious, but I just keep walking straight, no stance, just a casual gait, my swords pointing downward, moving at the sway of my steps.

He does not react to my taunt. He knows his strengths well. He needs anchor. Movements would destroy that anchor.

I visualize in my mind what I know of Imani—his last moves, how he hunted, his reaction time, his dimensions.

How should we play this?

I then reach the point where I am just a meter and a half in front of him.

He can reach me with a single step and a swing of his shield—but he does not move.

I notice he is ready to step back instead, and his hold is tight but still flexible enough to quickly redirect the shield if I strike from the sides.

On equal grounds, Imani is a tough opponent in every sense of the word.

The fact he effectively weighs close to a ton under the current gravity, and his body's natural defense is as tough as the dinosaurs' hides, gives him the title of the toughest motherfucker of all of us.

But…

I activate my foot node cluster.

The floor slightly cracks under my feet.

I vanish from his sight, a pulse-aided step propelling me behind him.

A burst from the rear thigh nodes releases mid-move, adjusting my stance.

My swords slash.

My heel twists.

My body blurs as he finally reacts, twisting to the right—shield high.

But I moved left.

And I swing again, a downward cross from the opposite side.

I activate the side knee nodes.

My body tilts mid-air.

I blur left—slicing through.

Imani stumbles one step but holds the line.

I release a burst from my calf nodes.

Speed multiplies.

I step again—circle wide—slice.

Another.

Another.

Each move leaves a sharp crack of air.

I twist.

I rotate.

Imani swings his shield—too slow.

I dip under—slash upward.

I burst through the heel nodes—propelling forward.

I blur across his side—strike twice.

He shifts footing—but I'm gone already.

I activate the back nodes.

Twist around.

I cross behind him.

Slash low.

Pop right.

Slash high.

Shield snaps around too late.

He chases the afterimage, not me.

I release an upper burst from my spine nodes.

My body whips over—air slicing at my ears.

I slash down again—hard.

Another crack.

Another jolt through his armor.

Imani grits his teeth.

He tries a counter—shield bash straight ahead.

I pivot, activate mid-chest nodes to dampen impact.

Slide around him.

Slash.

Again.

Again.

Marks bloom across the metal—thin, almost invisible—but there, like tiny scars.

After I am satisfied with the carvings, I disengage swiftly, stepping back.

I stand three meters away now.

Swords lowered. Breathing steady.

I smile as my helmet retracts.

"Sure you're not just spinning for fun?" I say.

Imani shrugs. "Maybe I'm giving you false hope."

I chuckle and rest one sword on my shoulder. "Next time you take your armor off, you'll probably be able to read the tips for the Stone Jaguar trial straight off the dents."

He chuckles, shaking his head, but then he grows a bit more serious. "It's even more pronounced than I thought. Any downsides?"

"Well, of course. Each capacitor has to be charged again after use. And while only about 40%—the Jaguar nodes—are active for combat, and the other 60% are just quick backups... it still takes a couple of minutes to recharge after it's all blown out."

"So fighting like you just did isn't practical for long engagements."

"Absolutely not. That was wasteful," I grin. "But fun. On a real fight, the capacitors should only be used at the right moment. Charging a single node can be done in less than a second, so if you reach a balance you can keep it up for longer fights."

"And how does it work? Is it just a burst in acceleration?"

"Not at all," I say, shifting my stance a bit. "You can use it to generate strong quick pulses outward from specific nodes. That means you can merge them together and target the enemy's mind, stunning them briefly—or if they're weak enough, knocking them out cold. You can also fire the pulses internally to boost reflexes, activating the nerves directly, making reactions borderline automatic."

I tap the side of my head with the flat of my sword.

"You can also use it defensively, triggering quick pulses to counter or deflect enemy pulses. If their weapon or even their body is conductive—and most things with decent EM sensitivity are—you can slow them down just enough, just like what the Seventh Boss did to us back in the last stage."

Imani crosses his arms. "So it's basically boosting our EM output while also allowing for physical reflex enhancement."

"Exactly," I nod. "It's like installing a bunch of tiny EM engines all over your body, but the boost is limited and has to be managed, not overused."

"And how does it feel?" he asks after a moment.

"Oh, it still stings a bit," I say. "Feels like an internal shock, but nothing too dramatic. The last phase of the trial opened up 'discharge pathways' for all the Jaguar nodes, so release is much smoother than during the trial. But you still feel it. It's not hard to get used to though."

"I see… while the boost is limited, the difference between attaining the stage and not is huge," he says, eyes thoughtful. "No wonder there's a clear demarcation between Red Warriors and Stone Jaguars, and why the latter can actually battle it out against the Seventh Boss-like creatures one on one."

I nod. "I'm actually looking forward to meeting one of those bastards again."

"But makes you wonder," Imani says. "If this society has so many Stone Jaguars, and even Lords of the Spark and ranks beyond… and even an allied civilization… why do they seem like… they are losing the war?"

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