Seed of Titan-Chapter 168: The Gallop and the Ascent

After they arrived at the periphery of Misty Forest, Madeleine’s spell finally dissipated, freeing Drai and Max. At the same time, a loud neigh was heard.

"Horsie!" Drai exclaimed upon seeing the grown foal exit the woods and gallop toward them. He didn’t know whether Horsie got out on his own or had also been sent here by Madeleine, but that wasn’t important right now.

"Max, what about the camp? Should we clean it up?" Drai asked as he brushed Horsie’s lush mane.

"I don’t think we have the time," Max said. "Just let Madeleine handle it—I’m sure she can use her spell to remove or conceal it. We should hurry up and head out in the direction she told us. You have her map, right?"

"Yeah." Drai projected the map and inspected it. "She said to go west, but I think we need to veer north a bit ’cause that’s where the alpine biome is."

"Alright. Let’s go."

When the two had taken a few steps forward, Horsie suddenly neighed and nudged Drai.

"What is it, Horsie?" Drai asked.

Horsie snorted and gestured toward his back with his muzzle.

"You want us to ride you? Will you be okay?"

Drai was a bit worried because this would be his first ride—he hadn’t had the time to ride out with Horsie yet due to his assignments. Max also didn’t seem to have done it either since the man would’ve probably told him about it if otherwise.

However, contrary to his worry, Horsie simply snorted proudly, as if saying that it was a trivial task.

"Well, if you say so. Come on, Max," Drai said before jumping onto Horsie’s broad back. Max quickly followed suit.

Horsie neighed, urging his riders to buckle up.

Drai and Max looked at each other, unsure how to secure themselves. There was nothing to hold on to aside from Horsie’s mane. Besides, their positions were also quite awkward since Horsie was way larger than a normal horse, forcing them to half sit, half squat.

Sensing that the two men still hadn’t buckled up, Horsie snorted again, causing parts of his mane to wrap around Drai’s and Max’s waists like a seatbelt, fastening them to his back.

Then, Horsie galloped forward with such speed that astonished Drai and Max. The two were rocked hard by Horsie’s powerful gait, but the mane strap was able to secure them to their seats and even softened their swaying quite a bit.

"Holy... I didn’t know Horsie was this fast!" Drai loudly exclaimed amidst the churning wind that was being violently parted by his mount. He estimated that their pace was nearly as fast as his maximum flight speed.

"I wasn’t aware of it either," Max remarked from the back. "Well, at least all that food we fed him didn’t just turn to manure."

For the next hour or so, the three of them breezed through the grassland like a land rocket. It also became apparent that Horsie didn’t just possess power and speed but also endurance, as his galloping pace hadn’t slowed at all. Along the way, Horsie’s long black mane twisted like a blazing dark flame, framing the majestic sight of a myth-like beast and his gallant riders.

After some time, the scenery gradually shifted, and soon, the party slowed down to a trot as the snow was too thick for Horsie to traverse normally.

"That’s enough, Horsie. Let’s swap," Drai said as he patted Horsie’s neck, causing him to halt his heavy steps. Horsie’s mane also loosened, which Drai quickly moved away before he jumped off.

"Just stay there, Max," he advised upon seeing Max attempting to follow suit, to which Max nodded and stayed seated. Drai then went under Horsie’s chest and propped it on his shoulders before slotting his hands right under the armpits. Feeling ready, he announced, "Passengers, this is your captain speaking. The weather is mostly sunny with a small chance of a snowstorm. Buckle up and prepare for takeoff."

Hearing this, Max immediately scolded, "What the hell are you acting for, lad? We’re pressed on time—just go on with it."

"Well, I figured you needed some lightening up, Mr. President," Drai lightly replied. "You’ve been looking unwell since we left Misty Forest, you know?"

Drai’s comment stunned Max. He raised his head and gazed at the blue sky, sorting his feelings.

’Come on, Max—what’s the use of lamenting? You can’t retrieve your lost years or rewind time. Besides, who would’ve saved Drai from that spider if you hadn’t been around? Just move on and embrace the present, won’t you?’

His thoughts seeped through the air, quieting Drai and Horsie.

Shortly after, flames suddenly burst out from Max’s palm and singed him, prompting Drai to check on the unpleasant smell.

"Hey, what are you—Oh."

Sitting on Horsie’s back was no longer a hobo-looking man—Max had burned off most of his hair and beard, leaving himself with a strangely-neat, short "haircut" and an imposing mustache.

This sight astonished Drai, as before his eyes, Max’s face overlapped with that of the valiant young man from his memory, whom he saw once in the keepsake video played by his VV seniors during their first gathering. The young man’s scars had multiplied considerably and deep wrinkles now riddled his ever-hardened face, yet his striking gaze was unchanged—vibrant and unwavering.

"What are you staring at? I thought we were supposed to take off," Max said to the currently dazed Drai.

"Ah—right."

Drai scurried back and reassumed his earlier position, activated Nova Flux, and immediately took off.

"Fly higher, Drai," Max instructed not long after. "There are hardly any aerial beasts here, and we want to avoid getting attacked by the icy residents on the ground."

"Sure," Drai replied before adjusting their flight altitude, rising dozens of meters more into the sky. The wind grew more violent, forcing Max to tighten the wrapping mane and gripping another part of the mane with both hands.

Meanwhile, Horsie seemed to be relishing this novel experience, as he kept letting out cheerful neighs along their flight, completely ignoring the slapping gales.

"Who’s the King of this area again?" Drai yellingly asked, making sure he could be heard amidst the loud winds.

"The Yeti King. He’s a big blue bear," Max shouted back.

"Then why not call him Bear King, Blue King, or Ice King? What does ’Yeti’ even mean?"

"It’s a name from a folklore. Sounds pretty cool, right?"

"Duh. Why wouldn’t it be cool when the guy lives in a snowy area? Anyway, are you sure he can’t reach us up here?"

"Yeah. He’s built like a bulldozer and can’t fly. He also doesn’t have a bunch of underlings unlike the Lightning King."

Hearing the Lightning King getting mentioned, Drai was reminded of something, so he asked, "Did the Lightning King rise to his position after you arrived here?"

"I don’t know. I only met the guy after living here for years. Why?"

"Madeleine said she had known that guy ever since he was an adolescent, an underling. That might’ve been before you arrived here. So, how many years do you think she’d been here?"

"If she started living here from her twenties, then at least she’s spent half a century here. Why the sudden interest? You could’ve asked her before if you really wanted to know. Is it because something she said before we parted?"

"Something like that," Drai vaguely answered before falling silent, pondering over the amicable old lady. He had set Nova Flux recovery beforehand, so he didn’t need to monitor the skill’s remaining duration, only their flight path.

’When did Madeleine enter the Verdant Order, before or after she joined her mysterious organization? Was her joining the organization due to the Order’s instructions to make her an undercover or sleeper agent? Hmm... I should ask Zar about Madeleine when I meet the old man again—I want to repay my debts.

’But from this, I’m a bit more convinced of Zar’s words and his Order’s goals. But I need to meet a few other members first before I can completely trust them. There’s no telling if all of them are like Zar and Madeleine or whether there are shady figures among them.’

The three kept flying for a while, with the occasional exchanges between the men and excited neighs from Horsie. Drai had restocked his essence during these past few days as he waited for Madeleine’s call, so he wasn’t too concerned about running out of flight duration. Max’s words also proved true as their flight remained uninterrupted, perhaps in part because Drai had made sure to steer clear of the towering snowy peaks that lay in their path every now and then.

Eventually, a vast barren strip emerged from beyond the white landscape ahead.

Drai descended to a lower altitude and slowed down. Soon, they landed among a cluster of trees some distance away from the Strip.

"Huh? This is the place, right? Why don’t I see any creatures?" Drai remarked as he eyed the barren land ahead.

"They won’t go out unless an outsider trespasses their territory," Max explained. "That’s how I almost died when I first ventured into the seemingly empty area—I was caught off-guard."

"So it’s the same for other parts of the Strip? They’re all like this?"

"Yeah. And the beasts that attacked me were also the same, though since they’re supposedly illusions, they might actually be entirely different. Who knows?"

"How do these illusions even work? Will I see the same thing as you, or are they shared?"

Max shrugged. "Beats me. I’ve always faced the Strip alone. Guess we’ll have to see."

"Alright then. Horsie, stay behind, okay? We’ll test the waters first," Drai ordered.

Horsie seemed to understand the situation and softly neighed as he rubbed his head against Drai before trotting away, hiding himself among the denser trees.

Both men looked at each other and nodded. Then, they marched forward.