"Ow!", Ax excimed as Houzi thrusted his staff at the center of his forehead and immediately followed up with an overhead swing. Knocking Ax back a few stops, almost making him lose bance.

  "Fucking hell, get your own token.", Ax compined as he repced his bronze gun with his sword.

  "Make me.", Houzi taunted him as he tried to hit Ax again, but Ax this time was able to side step away from the thrust. Catching him off guard. Ax immediately sshed at Houzi's head.

  However, he leaned back. Letting himself fall back on the ground, using the momentum he kicked upwards towards Ax's chin. Caught off guard, he fell back a few steps.

  "Full of surprises, did you train under an experienced master?", Houzi taunted him, half impressed.

  "Experience these nuts.", He said as he raised his sword back towards Houzi. He charged at Ax, striking the side of his head.

  But Ax used the ft of his sword against his other forearm to block the strike, still getting pushed a few steps. He aimed his gun at him and-

  CRACK

  Houzi backflipped off the ground as he saw Ax aim, jumping over the bullet altogether. Using this momentum to his advantage, he hit Ax with an overhead swing. But Ax was able to block it again, but the impact disorientated him.

  Ax was pying it safe, he would usually start to get tired by this point but... But his body still felt light, still felt like he had more energy to let loose.

  He dashed at the foe in front of him. Houzi striking him once more but Ax dodged it this time and shoulder bumped Houzi off bance.

  "AH!", he excimed as Ax bashed him onto the ground, as he opened his eyes he saw Ax's foot raised to stomp his head. But Houzi dodged by flipping over.

  CRACK

  Houzi looked over to his hand holding the staff, and it was frozen solid. He immediately looked up at Ax, his eyes widened in shock as Ax kicked him. His arm broke free but that's because Ax kicked him away.

  As Ax walked over to his foe lying on his back, Houzi jumped back onto his feet. His hand numb and wet from being frozen in ice. He slicked his hair back and grabbed his staff with both hands.

  "I've underestimated you... Axton.", He said as a grin spread from ear to ear. He was enjoying this.

  "Same here, Houzi.", Axton said as his thoughts spoke differently. 'Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck I fucked up, he's way too strong. I...'

  "...Regret this.", he mumbled the st two words under his breath. Houzi heard it.

  "I'll regret it? Really? We'll see about that!", He screamed as Ax pissed him off.

  "Wait wait you misunderstood-", Ax's words got interrupted by a strike which he had to parry with the barrel of his gun.

  ***

  The fight went on, Ax and Houzi going back and forth. Parrying, blocking and dodging each other's attacks. Steps going back and forth like a waltz of endurance. A dance Ax was losing. Houzi's movements were too erratic, too fast. Some hits slipped past his guard, weakening him. Slowing him down.

  'I can't... keep up. He's too fast.', he thought to himself.

  "Well well, all bark and no bite, Eh?", Houzi stopped to taunt him, noticing his fatigue.

  "You, jackass. I told you it was a misunderstan-", Ax's loud compin got interrupted by a loud thud. Both Ax and Houzi looked off in it's direction. Seeing that Ax is distracted, Houzi used this opportunity to jump off the ft mushroom and run away.

  "Hey!", Ax screamed as he started to off after him, stopping right before he jumped off. It was clear that he was too strong for him. So he shouldn't chase him down and look for a different token.

  So instead he raised his fist and flipped him off as he ran away with his token.

  "He ran off with my token like a monkey with fruit.", He mumbled to himself.

  "..."

  "...maybe I should keep that one to myself."

  Ax looked down after moving over to the ledge to see one of those bouncy, blue mushrooms again. He walked closer to the jump and-

  "Shit.", he cursed as he slipped off the tall mushroom and fell, back hitting the ground under him. Ax groaned in pain, his head hurt. As he sat up disorientated... He realized that it, didn't hurt nearly as much as he'd expect it to.

  "Huh.", Ax stood up and as he turned around, he heard crashes and rumbles. His dove perched on top of the flora of the isnd. It was watching him.

  He wandered towards the sound to see a seeker cshing against a...

  "Dragonfly?", he mumbled in awe at the sheer size of the jade insect. The seeker was aiming for it's wings with his sword, questions were raised.

  'Why?' was the most prominent one. As Ax studied the monster, he saw a silver chain hanging from its neck. A token shimmering in a metallic glow. As the seeker was sent flying against the stump of a mushroom, he swallowed an apple slice and immediately went back into the fight.

  Ax's eyes widened, he was able to connect the dots. He his behind the shroom and studied the csh.

  "So, either I have to look for the token lying about somewhere... or fight a monster for it? Seems fair enough... but there's only three hundred and...", Ax paused.

  "The trial sts a week, there's a thousand seekers on the isnd. But enough tokens for only a third of us... a limited amount of apple slices...", he mumbled.

  As the seeker grew tired, he ate another slice. Washing it down with some water from his canteen and ran towards a rge stump, one st time. Getting a running start, he jumped off the stump and was able to slice the head of the dragonfly almost clean in half.

  "He's strong...", he whispered to himself.

  "But he used two of his slices just in the first few hours... he won't have enough for the st few days if he keeps this up."

  "If the other seekers are like this... they'll be at a disadvantage down the line. A thousand seekers will definitely find three hundred badges or tokens... so we'll have to fight amongst each other for the tokens!", Ax excimed, the other seeker looked in his direction.

  Ax immediately got up and ran away, confusing the seeker who just let it past.

  "This isn't a test of battle. This is a test of endurance!", he screamed as he ran deeper into the forest.

  "That's when everyone else will be weaker... that'll be my chance.", Ax pnned out.

  "It's underhanded and unfair but... they are just stronger. There's nothing I can do about it.", He finished.

  ***

  Ax spent the rest of the day jumping from branch to branch, mushroom to mushroom. Running and inspecting as many corners as he could. But they all were surrounded by monsters or Seekers fighting each other OR the monsters. As night fell, Ax found a cluster of soft. Oyster mushrooms growing on the side of a much taller, LARGER mushroom.

  He snuck himself in between the yers and found it... rather comfortable. The spores were everywhere but it wasn't much of a bother. Just looked like he was peppered all over.

  As he drifted off into sleep, his stomach growled.

  "I'll have to... eat something tomorrow.", he said as he yawned.

  He started mumbling.

  "I wonder how Eine is doing... I hope she's having better luck than I am. I'm comfortable here."