Apologies for the delay, everyone. I've been dealing with some personal and health issues, which have affected my ability to focus on this chapter. In addition, new ideas and other stories have been demanding my attention, including ones I want to revive on my FanFiction account. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Your reviews are always appreciated, and I look forward to reading more of them.
The Guild Hall of the Adventurers Guild was quite empty at this hour, with only a few occupants turning in last-minute completed quests to collect the rewards. The desk clerk was not the usual man from before, like the guards stationed outside the palace. There was a changing of shifts between desk clerks, allowing the Guild Hall to be open day or night, especially if the person themselves enjoyed the night more than the day, which suited Snowy well.
Snowy was a beastman snow owl woman who was well past her prime. she said comfortably as the stand-in for the lobby clerk for the guild when the senior members delegated the upper management of the various guild functions. Her yellow eyes were fixed on the various documents that she was still sorting through. While she waited for any adventurers to approach her, she only stopped to look out the window towards the palace, reminiscing about her former adventurer partner and her youth.
"Violet Ice, truly you've become the queen that you have always desired. Long do I miss the good old days when you could act as free as you used to be, and I hope your preferred heir does more than just carry the legacy that you have carefully sculpted," she softly muttered to herself as she closed her eyes, imagining and remembering a teenage Mirellia decked out in starter Adventure gear with a porcelain tag. Her eyes were filled with fire and determination, like any other youthful adventurer. Sure, the girl was younger than her by a handful of years, but the adventures they had were nothing but spectacular. Even before she had discovered her companion was a royal, it only added more excitement to their partnership and lifelong friendship.
Her musings were quickly halted as a horrible stench entered the guild, causing her to open her yellow-piercing eyes and stare at three individuals approaching the lobby desk, one of whom she immediately recognized "Jake! Have you brought something rotting into my guild hall again? If it weren't for the fact that you have risen in the ranks so quickly and your skills are so invaluable, I would petition the guild masters to have you stripped of your rank and kicked out of the guild," she screeched at the rattlesnake demi-human. Her screeching words didn't seem to have much effect on him as he rolled his Hellfire eyes and tossed the bloody bag of already decaying flesh onto her desk.
"I'm here to turn in the marks of flesh with me and my new partner and his apprentice," Jake said, scowling at Arthur.
If it weren't for the fact that he was carrying Keel on his back, he would have thrown his head back and started laughing at the impossibility of the outcome of the duel he had with the rattlesnake. Yet Arthur had faced stranger events during his travels when he was part of Dutch's old gang. A bolt and a bullet hit the dead center of the coin, causing it to spin on the ground, then stopping in perfect balance and refusing to fall over on one side or the other. It was a perfect tie, and from there, the two agreed to split everything evenly in a combined partnership.
The snow owl woman let out an unladylike squawk with the realization of what had just been tossed on her desk. She used her magic to levitate and capture the dripping blood that was ruining much of her paperwork. "Damn you, Zeltoblen mercenary Barbarian! I should take the reward from your collection as a punitive payment for your disrespectful display in the guild lobby," she continued screeching and squawking at the snake, who didn't seem fazed by the snow owl woman.
"Well, I'm sorry for dropping my mess on your desk. The bounty didn't specify how clean we were to present the mounds of flesh, plus the ringleader of this band of street bandits," Jake stated as he lifted up his snake-like tail that still had the Viper gang leader wrapped tightly in its grip.
She continued to levitate the bloody bag before her piercing eyes landed on the person Jake was talking about. Looking at this, this person didn't give her any indication that this was actually the leader of the Green Viper gang, as his identity was unknown. One thing was for sure: there had not been any female bandits in the Kingdom of Melromarc since the time that she was a young owlet, such as the queen of blades or the twin silver sisters Now, those were true scourges of the kingdom, with bounties going into the hundreds of thousands, and they weren't shy and were more than willing to leave a few of their victims alive to describe their identities, unlike today bandits. "How are you certain that this one is the leader of the Viper gang?" she questioned the iron-rank adventurer.
"He told me so, but he's only acting on behalf of another. This could be a criminal proxy situation or some rogue noble acting on a number of behalfs that are benefiting him," Jake slightly bent the truth as he wasn't going to indirectly say a knight. If he did, then the guild would officially turn the true leader bounty into a quest on behalf of the kingdom for any high-ranking adventurers that might be steel rank or higher. This would leave himself and his new companion with just the earnings they had gotten from the local problem and then take the large bounty that would fill their coin purse to bursting.
With her frustration and anger completely extinguished, Snowy stepped around her desk and approached the unconscious bandit. With a wave of her hand, without the use of incantation, she removed the unconscious bandit from Jake's grip and had him float in the air before tapping his forehead, waking the bandit up Before he could even say anything, her yellow piercing eyes penetrated into the depths of his mind, seeing all sorts of depravity that she was well familiar with when it came to these types of bandits. Murdering, stealing, and raping were common things that this scum had done over the years before receiving a mysterious benefactor. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to hear any details due to her ability only allowing her to see what he had seen, not instantly knowing what was said or remembered. "I definitely see a benefactor of some kind shrouded in shadow, never revealing himself. Smart," she stated as she ended the little mind probe before sending the bandit back into unconsciousness.
"So can we continue this little open quest to its end and perhaps make it into an official quest for me and my companion? Also, I want to apply for the expedient promotion of Mordred into iron rank, with his apprentice being promoted into porcelain," Jake requested on his own behalf and that of his new partner. If he was going to travel with Arthur under the alias Mordred, he would like to have a fellow adventurer with the same clout and respect of iron.
Hearing the request made the senior owl's yellow eyes widen for a brief moment of surprise before a little grin appeared on her small beak. "It's not like you to go ahead and help those around you; I can only presume that you and your new partner had a bet and you were swiftly defeated." Her grin started to widen when she heard some grumbling and growling coming from the rattlesnake.
This was Arthur's cue to be noticed as he walked up next to Jake and introduced himself. "I wouldn't say defeated; rather, we ended in a tie, and we both agreed to split whatever we got from this little venture equally. Also, is there anyone up that can perform healing? My apprentice is injured. I managed to bandage up the wound, but I don't want to leave him behind while we're going out on this quest." After explaining how they came to an agreement and pointing out Keel being injured, he saw the Owl Woman pull out what looked like a white bell that had a red cross on it, and she immediately rang it.
What looked like a firefly with a trail of pinkish sparkles following behind flew around and stopped right in front of the Outlaw's face. It was only then that he could see the little firefly look like a tiny person with fast-moving wings, a young woman who looked like she was in her early twenties, or at least one woman who would look like a woman in her early twenties if she were miniaturized, wearing very little besides what looked like a nurse's outfit.
"Why, hello there, handsome. Maybe after I heal your apprentice, you and I can go out and get a drink or two and see what type of fun we can get into together." The medical pixie tried to flirt with Arthur, with her tiny eyelashes fluttering just as quickly as her wings, just for a moment, while giving a saucy grin.
Arthur didn't know how to react to the presented offer. One part of him considered the idea of having free drinks, but knowing what the pixie actually wanted, he didn't think it would be a good idea, especially the way she was looking at him, the same way that most women who were at least attracted to him would often times give him signs or signals that they were more than interested in his wallet. "As tempting as this offer is, I really need to settle other business affairs before I am going to taste the local wine." He softly turned down the pixie as he redirected the pixie's disappointed gaze towards an injured Keel.
At the sight of the husky-demi-human, the pixie let out a high-pitched squeal and delight at seeing a cute demi dog. She had fluttered around Arthur at high speed before casting a spell to levitate Keel off of Arthur's back and towards a nearby wooden chair. With the continuous use of her own magic, she ripped away the bandages to truly survey the injury and immediately recognized a bolt wound. A few moments later, she was shooting healing sparks into the open wound and began sealing it from the inside out until it was completely sealed, leaving behind nothing—not even a scar of the injury. "For a little cutie like you, this injury is on the house." Her words caused Keel's cheeks turn Rosie Red at the Pixies words followed up with the light pack on the cheek coming from the energetic flirtatious pixie that had zipped around the lobby area for a little while longer before back to where she had come from, wherever that would be within the guild building.
"She's almost 300 years old, and yet she still acts like a child who has eaten too many sweets. Then again, having eternal youth might play a role in the way she behaves." Snowy placed her hand over her head as she lightly shook her head, whether it was in annoyance or amusement that often came with the senior healer of the guild's antics.
It took Arthur a moment to remember that such beings as Nyx were ancient beings that had existed for a long time, and most likely he'd run into more who were just as old if the stories and rumors he had heard from Erhard's brief mentions and descriptions were true. Such as monstrous creatures that he had heard or had seen in his own world like vampires or other creatures that he had heard from stories that his own mother had told him when he was a boy barely even old enough to know anything of the world.
Jake only scoffed; she wasn't the first pixie he had run across who was just as energetic but a lot older and considered higher in the food chain of the fairy race. "Well, at least we won't have to sacrifice some coinage for medical expenses now if you would be so kind as to give us our written form for our shared quest and get started on the paperwork to wrap up the promotion if you would be so kind." He tried to sound polite, yet between the events that had happened, his growing exhaustion was playing havoc with his civility.
She let out an unladylike huff, and she pulled out a blank piece of paper and began speedily writing up an iron rank quest and how Jake took it. "I don't have iron or porcelain dog tags at this moment in time. I will pass on a note stating Mordred and Keel are in the lineup to be promoted next if they come back from this quest," she stated as she wrote up the form note, tapped it with her talon finger, and enchanted the parchment to begin changing into a paper owl that immediately began flapping its wings and going to the guildhall room of records. After that, she used her magic to count up the bits of flesh that were collected, despite her revulsion and almost the sickening feeling of spewing her Sunset breakfast at seeing a few of them still having a little more meat on the bits of skin that she had to count. All the while, she mentally cursed herself for becoming so soft over the years of being behind a desk compared to her old self of being in the field and seeing such grisly things as a common occurrence.
"70 successfully retrieved marks," she grimaced as she neatly returned the flesh back into the sack and put a bubble preservation spell that would contain the stink and the oozing blood. After that, she did a quick calculation of what the reward was in silver. "1,050 silver coins without a guild fee of silver pieces, leaving a sum total of 500 silver pieces each." She announced what would be the reward for the two adventurers. She went back behind her desk and grabbed hold of the drawer that had a magic lock with a simple pulse of her own magic. The walking mechanism disengaged, and she was able to pull out the lockbox that contained the appropriate amount of silver coins. All she needed to do was place her hand on the lockbox, close her eyes, and think of the number that she required. With an audible metal thunk signaling to her that the amount that she had requested was placed into the metal box, she opened it up and saw two separate bags of silver. She tossed one at Jake while she handed the other to Mordred. "Once you find the leader who controlled the green vipers, make sure you bring them back alive so we can appropriately interrogate them, and if they have nothing of worth, they and this one can hang for their charges," she pointed her finger at the unconscious and bound figure before snapping her fingers and immediately teleporting them to the adventurer guild's holding cells that were just underneath the guildhall.
Letting out a grunt of acceptance for the payment, Jake attached the sack of coins to his leather belt, which was hidden underneath his black clothes. As he turned to make his way out of the guild, a feminine cough caught his attention, bringing his focus back to the owl. The owl gave him a raised eyebrow expression and pointed her finger at the weapon that was noticeable over his shoulder and still attached to his back. "It was part of the spoils of the confrontation I had to go through with my new partner," he quickly explained. Then he turned his back and continued heading towards the exit of the guildhall.
Arthur did the same with his own little sack of coins. Then his attention quickly went back to Keel, and surprisingly enough, the boy wasted no time getting back onto his feet and began hopping on the once-injured leg before starting to walk around as normal. "Damn, healing magic definitely works wonders, don't they?" Another thing he couldn't help but like about this new world was that magic could do almost anything, especially healing magic. From what he had heard, there had never been an infection that magic could not treat, except for illnesses that cannot be simply made to go away with a simple wave of the hand and a muttering of enchanted words. That's where magic potions come into effect, something that he was quite interested in getting into, especially since he wasn't bad at using herbs and healing salves. Back in his own world, maybe he could go into the clean market trade of healing potions.
She couldn't help but smile at Arthur's comment, and she shook her head in agreement. "My father told me that there were some who could cast powerful magic that could either destroy or heal. I'm happy to see this type of magic." She could still feel a little bit of tingling sensation when the pixie had forced her magic into the wound; it almost felt like every nerve was being tickled. It wasn't too bad, nor was it irritating, as it was already starting to fade as she moved around.
He was happy to see that Keel was doing fine now, but he couldn't help but notice when they mentioned that they were happy to see this type of magic. Arthur could only guess that they were talking about the slave crest or some other dark event where they had seen magic used for far darker purposes compared to this benevolent form of magic. But he didn't focus on those thoughts too much as he placed a hand on their shoulder. "It's high time for us to turn in for the night. I don't doubt our new snake companion will be up early to make tracks to the Old Capitol, so we best go ahead and tuck in and get some much-needed shut-eye." He suggested, and Keel didn't disagree much when they started letting out a wide and loud yawn. This caused Arthur to do the same, letting out a yawn of his own as he led the way to the one place where he could sleep without the fear of someone robbing him or stabbing him in his sleep.
Snowy couldn't help but eavesdrop on the mention of the Old Capitol. She grabbed hold of a map that Mark and restricted a number of adventurers from visiting certain areas in order to gain XP and become stronger to take on more difficult quests. With the map rolled out, she looked at the Old Capitol, which was nothing more than old ruins from a millennia ago when the previous spear hero failed to protect the capital and fell prey to an evil seductress of a queen that twisted the hero's heart, forcing that hero of that era to commit suicide, leading to that era's doom. Her yellow eyes immediately widened as the area that was the old capital was marked out, forbidding any low-ranking adventurers and even iron adventurers from visiting that area in the kingdom, as indicated by the demon skull and crossbones. She was about to inform Mordred about the danger and unlikelihood that they would not return alive if they continued on this quest, only to see that both human and Demi were already gone by the time she had made her discovery. Having no general idea where they would be resting their heads, there was nothing much she could do other than mark the three adventurers on the unlikely chance that they would return alive.
Walking up the steps towards the high mountain, a group of freelance adventurers had accepted the quest that was posted just in the town resting at the base of the mountain. Unknown to all of them, Ren had joined in on the quest not just to help the townsfolk but rather to go for the glory of slaying a dragon and collecting some dragon components to help augment his weapons, along with his recently unlocked gunsword. Despite the disapproval of his own party members for equipping this weapon compared to other sword-related weapons, he still found it following the rule of cool when it came down to cool and rare weapons that usually would not be in a fantasy game like this. So he opted to ignore the disapproval from his own party members and sent them off to gather experience, leaving him to solo much of his own experience. Gathering and exploring this world, which was quite different from the one that he was familiar with, there were only a few things that he was familiar with, such as the overall theme and plot, but everything else seemed to be out of sorts. All it was was a new challenge and a new form of experience that he could entertain himself with by trying to figure out the mechanics of this world like any other true gamer. Try out everything, find what works, and stick with it. Only change when your character starts dying repeatedly and you can't use the same methods twice, as the old saying goes.
"I heard this dragon has a mountain of gold hiding behind his scaly ass. I can't wait to cut off its head," one of the freelance adventurers stated while brandishing a rusted axe. He then proceeded to do a fake chopping motion of cutting off the head of the dragon as he imagined doing once, reaching the lair of the Great Dragon.
A few laughs were shared, while other simply rolled their eyes at their fellow adventurer. "Gold is good, but I plan on collecting at least a few things from the beast, such as the fire bladder in the dragon's throat. A great many alchemists would find a great deal of use for creating explosive potions along with the dragon's blood, which is quite valuable for creating regenerative tonics and cures," stated the freelance adventurer, who was wearing black robes and a pointed hat with the tip slightly bent. They were wielding only at staff with a purple gem at the end.
"I think the main reason that we're all taking this quest is more than just simply obtaining valuable materials from the dragon or taking its horde. The real reason for doing this is a simple act of thumbing our noses at that disgrace of a guild that allows dimi-humans and beastmen to become adventurers," spoken by the finely dressed Noble and carrying a rapier as their only weapon.
Everyone agreed with the disgraced yet somewhat wealthy noble. Their conversations amongst themselves continued about how they were going to bring the head of the dragon, throughout Castle Town and then leave its head in front of the Guild Hall of the Adventurers Guild as an insult, stating that freelancer adventurers were worth more than that of the guild. It was petty, but without outright attacking the guild, it was the only thing that the freelancers could do without incurring the wrath of the warrior Queen once she returned from her diplomatic mission.
All their conversations and petty remarks towards the Adventurers Guild went completely ignored by Ren as he was focused on the path ahead. Despite it being night, he hoped that by the time they reached the top, the sun would be just rising on the horizon, creating the perfect light setting for this one-on-one match.
The group stumbled upon an ancient checkpoint, drawn by a haunting scraping sound. In the moonlight, they discovered a towering woman with draconic horns, flowing silver hair, and a protective silver fur coat.
"Thou must return whence thou came. This land is peaceful, its inhabitants kind, but thou do not belong. I beg of you to turn around and hurry home." Her voice was that of sweet silk but had the cold edge of winter. As she spoke, she raised her head with her emerald eyes and slit pupils, staring at the group of adventurers. She gently placed down the whetstone and stood up to her full towering height with a giant black full metal scythe that she held with only one hand to her side, as if it weighed nothing.
He had to blink once, twice, and three times while feeling a bit of warmth in his cheeks at seeing the draconic-looking tall woman. Ren had to think back on any character that he had encountered in the game he once played, and he couldn't think of anyone that matched this NPC's design as well as the manner of speech that she had spoken and the way it felt to hear her speak. Then it was her weapon and the way she moved, even without having to try to see her level; she was well beyond his own current level and possibly everyone who was here.
"Out of the way, you inhuman BITCH!" the disgraced noble spoke very disrespectfully as he took a step forward, almost daring the half-breed Dragon to attack him, giving him the opportunity to utilize his poison rapier to stab her in the heart if she got close enough for him to strike.
Despite his disrespectful words, she was not the least bit affected by them. She simply tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, standing in the same place as a lone Sentinel against all who would try to pass her.
The barbarian, wielding an ax, wasn't interested in playing with words. He ran in and let out a bellowing war cry. Despite the dragon woman's appearance, she was just another creature for him to slay on his way to kill the world's most dangerous creatures. He was willing to cut down such a pretty thing, though he would prefer her on her back like any proper half-human creature. Just as he was about to strike her, she vanished before his eyes. He felt an odd sensation, a bitter cold that traveled from his shoulder to his hip. Then his two-handed ax split, along with his torso, caused the rest of his body to collapse in half.
"I expected as much from you. Why are you rushing towards your death?" she said softly, standing right behind the collapsed barbarian corpse. She still wielded her weapon with just one hand, causing many adventurers to take a step back. They had never expected the entrance to the Dragon's Lair to have a guardian, especially one this quick.
She lifted her sight, pointing in the direction they had come from, indicating where she wanted them to go instead of fighting and dying. "Hurry home or die," she warned. Many adventurers felt fear creeping into their veins, but desperation and desire quelled any fear they had. They renewed their determination, focusing on the reward that awaited them after completing this quest.
Despite her warning, many of them charged forward. However, she moved faster than the eye could see, slaying two more adventurers by bisecting them. Another unfortunate soul received a blast of her ice breath, turning him into a frozen statue. She shattered the statue with the butt of her scythe. The noble gentleman seemed to be the only one who could follow her movements enough to avoid a lethal strike. He managed to stab her shoulder with the poison tip of his rapier, hoping the poison would take effect and allow him to slay her.
With a not-so-masculine yell, the noble gentleman caught her shoulder, but his hand was partially caught in her grip. His rapier only partially penetrated her white silken coat-like dress, causing a spot to be stained with blood. Triumph turned to panic as she hoisted him off the ground, gripping his rapier.
She felt a slight pain in her shoulder and could sense the subtle effects of the poison coursing through her veins. It irritated her more than it could actually hurt her, given her nature and resistance to poisons. She lifted the arm that had caused her pain and irritation, looking into the offender's eyes before slicing off the offending limb. The noble gentleman fell to the ground, clutching at the stump where his arm used to be. She didn't want to be cruel to those who had harmed her, so she quickly ended his suffering with a stomp on his chest, followed by the sickening crunch of his rib cage collapsing.
With no more individuals charging at her, she surveyed the area and noticed a great number of dead bodies. She couldn't help but lament the waste of life. Then, she noticed a lone swordsman who hadn't joined the fray and had met his end.
"Who are you? Are you one of them?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side as she examined the black-wearing swordsman. She briefly used her innate magical ability to sense the magic within humans and noticed that he looked no older than 16 years old. His magical presence was average, but his weapon hanging on his back caught her attention. The magic emanating from it was ancient and powerful, yet she sensed a youthful energy as if it had been recently born. It intrigued her, and she wanted to solve the puzzle if the swordsman would allow and not waste his life.
The swordsman didn't know why, but he dropped down onto one knee and placed a fist over his heart. "Forgive my trespass, my lady. I came here to fight the dragon. I never expected to find someone like you guarding the entrance. I am Ren Amaki, the sword hero," he spoke politely and respectfully, keeping his head slightly lowered but still able to gaze upon her beauty.
She narrowed her emerald eyes for a moment before widening them at his identity. "You are the chosen sword wielder?" She managed to keep her surprise calm and continued her examination of the human, taking a few steps forward until she was about a foot away from him
Despite her enormous size, she moved silently. Even the snow beneath her feet seemed muted. Raising his head, the swordsman could see her curious gaze upon him. "I am," he answered, getting lost in her emerald eyes.
"Do you seek an audience with Father?" she asked. Throughout the centuries, her father had never encountered any of the Cardinal Heroes who helped defend the world from the Thousand Year event, where waves of calamity would appear, followed by the summoning of great heroes to repel them.
The solo player found the offer too tempting to pass up, and he might get a new cool weapon from accepting it. "I do if he's welcoming random guests," he said as he stood up and looked around at the dead adventurers scattered throughout the ruin.
he should be all he's been napping for the last 500 years; he should be more than welcoming." She gave the sword hero a smile, and then her eyes followed his gaze to the various corpses, which didn't bother her too much. She lifted up her hand that's still held the silver Rapier and emitted some Frost magic that began freezing all the corpses and then shattering them into ice and bones. Next, she used her magical sight to catch sight of the invisible mage; he was already backing away after realizing that he wasn't completely unseen by the dragon priestess, who had given him a stern glare, daring him to do as his fellows had done.
Seeing how fleeing was the best form of valor, he turned tail and ran while still invisible. There was some hope that he could run across the villagers and inform the turncoat swordsman, who had changed his stance on slaying the dragon and was now treating the beast.
The Dragon Priestess went to a stone arch and began pouring her magic into the structure, creating a portal that led directly into her father's lair. She stepped through the blue swirl that was the portal and disappeared. Ren was quick to follow as he stepped through the portal and felt as if he was spinning around from side to side, backwards and forwards, before stepping out on the other side with a small bit of vertigo. Despite the odd sensation, he managed to maintain his strong, cool stance and not allow the effects of his dizziness to affect him too much as he started to look around his new surroundings. At first, he thought he would be in a cave of some sort that was typical of dragons, but instead he found himself in what looked like an underground city of sorts, but it appeared to have been abandoned long ago in some bygone era long forgotten in the passing ages. Buildings and housing were built on top of giant stalagmites and stalactites and along the walls of the caverns. In the center was a massive dragon, almost as big as Castle Town, if not slightly bigger, with silver scales covering its body, almost like platinum. By all appearances, it looked like it was slumbering if the light rumbling snoring was any indication, along with its eyes closed.
The two individuals approached the slumbering dragon. Once they were close enough, the dragon priestess raised her hand, touched her father's snout, and began pouring her magic to wake him up. A different type of rumbling could be heard from the dragon as he slowly woke up from his long nap, which he had decided to take 500 years ago. He planned on waking up for an additional 500 years just to see how the world had changed and whether or not he needed to step in and cause some lasting change to keep the world progressing forward.
Opening his silver platinum eyes, he raised his head and looked down at his beloved adopted daughter. The memories of a little human girl offering herself in exchange to avenge her fallen kin and her destroyed home still came to the forefront of his mind whenever he looked upon the beautiful woman he had raised. She wasn't clearly human anymore, indicated by the scales, horns, and furry tail that could be seen. Then his gaze switched over to the individual next to her, a young human in black and blue. his thoughts began to ask a number of questions and theories, wondering what may have happened during his nap. "Have you brought a boy home and sought my approval of him?" As he asked the question, he had a draconic smirk, causing the human boy to blush, while his daughter remained stoic and unfazed by her father's joking mannerism.
"No, father, he and several others were conspiring to break into your home to fight and slay you, though I doubt any of their weapons could actually harm you, especially things like this." She raised the silver rapier for her father's inspection and immediately noticed his silver eyes glowing slightly before he nodded.
"That is unfortunate that the weapon wouldn't even pierce my platinum five-star hide. If anything, the fancy blade would have simply bent, and the poison itself would make me feel a slight tingle, but nothing else." He raised a single claw and tapped the tip of the rapier that was still held out. He immediately teleported it into his daughter's horde of weapons hidden within the remnants of this city of a forgotten civilization. Then his attention went back to the young man, and without even asking, he knew that this one was a cardinal hero, given the fact that he could sense the holy magic emanating from the blade he carried. "Cardinal Hero, it has been some time since your predecessor 5,000 years ago came before me and tried to fight me but ultimately failed. At least you, being his successor, have the good sense not to want to fight me." The dragon lightly chuckled, imagining the young swordsman brandishing that holy weapon at its strongest state in an attempt to harm him, only to end up barely scratching his reinforced magical hide.
Again, Ren felt glad that he chose the dialogue route over the confrontational route. If what the dragon said was true, and given his enormous size and the slight hint that platinum dragonhide was five stars, he doubted that his own weapon would have the capabilities to deliver any significant damage. It wouldn't be the first time he came across a boss whose defensive stats were too high to be approached, especially with his weapon not being as high-level or having very few unlocked skills thus far. "Well, I figured that if the guardian was as strong as she was, I can only guess that you are stronger. It would be pointless to try to fight you even now while visiting your home, though I never thought that dragons could speak." That last statement he made was somewhat true; dialogue with creature NPCs was a rare thing to have included in the game mechanics and story.
The dragon let out a snort at the statement. "After the first thousand years, we dragons gain sentience, especially if the dragon in question is of the metallic species, such as I platinum dragon. We are incredibly rare to the point that only one of us could be seen in a single entire continent, compared to other places where others are more common, but there are also chromatic ones. No matter how much time has passed, they will never gain sentience or intelligence. They are no different than most beasts. They desire nothing more than destruction and adding to their current horde." he remembered a few of crimson dragons came to mind, with their chaotic destructive behavior and setting fire to most of the ancient kingdoms before he stepped in and forced many of those dragons off the continent to travel elsewhere, or many of them slipping into the various tears into reality during the wave events that have happened for the last couple of thousand years.
He made a mental note of this information and planned to fact-check it later at an available library. Rinse's thoughts returned to what was previously said by the guardian about seeking a new quest or perhaps gaining something from this intelligent dragon. "If I may ask, is there anything I could do to curry favor, or maybe something you have no use for that I could use to aid me on my own quest to combat the ways of calamity?" He took a step forward and waited for the dragon's response.
The dragon's draconic smirk faded as he glanced towards his adopted daughter and then back to the swordsman. He nodded his draconic head. "There is indeed a quest that you could take, but it requires you to enter the dragon covenant with me." Seeing the confusion on the boy's face, he began to explain. "Quests from dragons are usually not the norm, for there are very few things we require. My horde is filled with forgotten and lost tomes and artifacts from civilizations that have come and gone over the last tens of thousands of years that I have collected since I was first hatched into this world. But there is one thing that I desire: the removal of corrupted dragon gems." He raised a clawed front paw and immediately teleported a corrupted dragon gem, about the size of a man, from his magical horde. "This is a corrupted gem; it pollutes and disrupts the natural magical flow of the world. If you enter a covenant with me, you'll be able to sense them not just in dragons that carry these gems, but also in creatures and occasionally even people. Just as the waves of calamity allow certain creatures into this world to corrupt the landscape and cause problems in the wilderness, these gems do much the same, creating monsters that destroy and consume anything in their path, including their own kind, while also corrupting the land and causing it to wither and burn." With the gem still floating in the air, he summoned a potted plant of an unknown species that was quite common. He easily broke off a shard with his telekinesis and sent it into the plant, causing the plant to grow, glow purple, and transform into a monstrous creature with multiple eyes and claws. But before it could cause any harm, the platinum dragon breathed white flames from his nostrils, destroying the plant and leaving behind the corrupted gem shard before rejoining it with the fully intact gem.
Seeing the monstrous transformation and what was offered, the solo sword hero considered the offer of the Covenant within the few seconds that it was explained to him and gave the platinum dragon a wide smile. "I'm more than honored and willing to join your covenant. But how will I give you these corrupted gems if I do retrieve them?" he asked the platinum dragon.
Again, the platinum dragon smirked as he vanished the giant corrupted gem, and in its place, a stone pillar-like goblet appeared, and softly floated down the ground. "In the Covenant, you will have access to the dragon shrines. Here, you will send the corrupted stones through the flames, and I shall receive them and add them to the already enormous gym I have in my possession. In return, you'll gain draconic abilities from what you will receive, even though I do not know, for it is your choice to do what you desire." lowering his draconic paw, you look down on the human more closely, watching him take a few steps closer towards the Dragon Shrine.
"I take it that these dragon shrines are throughout the kingdom, right?" Ren placed a hand on the stone dragon shrine and could feel its warmth, reminding him of a warm summer day despite the surrounding cold.
"You are correct. Not just in this kingdom but in others, the dragon covenant once spread across the continent, but now many of them have forgotten it. Others are just simple curiosities for noble collectors, but enough prattling, it is time to welcome you fully." The platinum dragon's eyes glowed brightly while the human had his hand on the Dragon Shrine stretching extending his magic through the shrine as a medium and began pouring into the Cardinal hero.
Ren Good felt electric warmth flowing into his right hand that was on the shrine, it was starting to move up his arm and spread throughout his body, and within a few moments later, he could see what looked like a snarling dragon tattoo glowing through his glove. taking his hand off the stone, trying the glow, he immediately stopped pulling the glove off. He could see the brand on the back part of his hand. "So, where do I go to to start collecting these gems?" united unit eager spark in his eyes for the wide smile as he put the glove back on, excited to begin the end-game quest.
Letting out a draconic chuckle, the dragon used the flames from the stone shrine that immediately became lit as soon as the human boy became part of the dragon covenant and showed him where he needed to go. "You need to head to the Old Capitol. Several corrupted gems reside there from the breaking of the Dragon hourglass. Each bearer of these accursed things will vary in strength. Besides them, there are the accursed victims of the hourglass destruction, causing many denizens that once resided in this part of the kingdom to become bound to the land and Wilderness of the Old Letting out a draconic chuckle, the dragon used the flames from the stone shrine that immediately became lit as soon as the human boy became part of the dragon covenant and showed him where he needed to go. "You need to head to the Old Capitol. Several corrupted gems reside there from the breaking of the Dragon hourglass. Each bearer of these accursed things will vary in strength. Besides them, there are the accursed victims of the hourglass destruction, causing many denizens that once resided in this part of the kingdom to become bound to the land and Wilderness of the Old Capitol. Some refer to them as Hollows or curse it. Undead, beware, for they know not what they do, for they have lost their memory in mind throughout the passing centuries. They have been trapped there, trying to draw new strength from those whom they called friends; some remain with sanity, and they may help you on your journey." The platinum dragon shows the surrounding lands near the Capitol through the flames. Some refer to them as Hollows or cursed Undead, beware, for they know not what they do, for they have lost their memory in mind throughout the passing centuries. They have been trapped there, trying to draw new strength from those whom they called friends; some remain with sanity, and they may help you on your journey." The platinum dragon shows the surrounding lands near the Capitol through the flames.
Ren took in an ounce of information that he was receiving and poured it into his memory, all while maintaining an excited smirk. "I think I know where the old capital is; some adventurers from the Adventurers Guild mentioned something about it being dangerous, but if that's where the dragon gems are, that's where I'll be," he pumped his fist in the air with exuberance.
"I hope you keep that excitement about your journey. You'll face trials and tribulations like any other great adventurer, though I urge you to join the Adventurers Guild. You can have my recommendation if you have problems getting accepted," extending a dragon claw, an ancient parchment appeared floating just on the tip.
Reaching out and grabbing hold of the scroll and not its head, he said, "Thank you, though I wish to know your name so I can best remember this moment." Ren requested and waited patiently for the dragon to give his name.
"You are the second one in this century that has requested my name, and I shall tell you, young hero," raising his head as high as he can go while stretching out his metallic platinum wings and allowing the moonlight to glisten on his platinum and silver scales, almost like Starlight. "I am the Heavenly Dragon Emperor Romulus, first of my name, Lord and Master of the skies and fire. Why is the Dragon of the Four Corners remembering my name well, for a few deserve the privilege to know Thy Name?" He said it with a booming voice, causing much of the cavern to shake in his introduction.
The swordsman took heart and pride in being one of the few honored to hear the name of a great and powerful dragon emperor, and he hoped he could live up to the honor bestowed upon him.
Sometime later...
Both Ren and the dragon priestess stepped through the portal that connected the magic archway to the ruined outpost. The swordsman couldn't help but stare at his right glove. He may not be able to see his tattoo, but he couldn't help but be excited about what it could unlock for him and his sword. His staring didn't go unnoticed by the dragon priestess, who glanced out of the corner of her eye, noticing how the human was still captivated by the gift he had been given. However, her attention was quickly diverted to the familiar sounds of a large number of humans approaching.
"It seems that this decade is not in short supply of fools who seek to die by thy blade," she said with a bit of a growl in her throat as she lifted her scythe from her shoulder and held it at her side once more, with a small bit of ice magic starting to float around her free hand.
A single hand stopped the dragon priestess from moving forward. She looked at the swordsman with a tilted head in puzzlement. "Allow me. I think I could talk them down from doing anything stupid and maybe convince them to leave you and your father alone. After all, I am the sword hero, and the people should listen." He said it with confidence, despite not seeing the doubt on her face about his ability to talk down the stubborn townsfolk and the one surviving Mage that she allowed to live.
The Mage had lost many of his companions; he didn't mourn their loss but rather found it irritating that the meat shields died so spectacularly. Now, he had new meat shields to throw at this creature and gain access to whatever hidden knowledge and alchemical substance he could get from this dragon. Maybe if he's lucky, the townsfolk will only badly injure the guardian just enough where he could apply a slave crest. What he could do with such a guardian at his command was more than just protect him; maybe even become a plaything for a while. The mage had a sadistic grin on his face as he marched in the center of the enraged mass of .
The group of townsfolk were mostly young and brave, incredibly stupid folk; they considered their own numbers to be superior to that of any monstrous creature's strength or skill the guardian may have, and possibly her newfound ally, whom they had heard came from the freelance mage, never realizing that the person who had allied with the guardian was a sword hero. All of them had stopped just before the entrance of The Outpost at the sight of The Swordsman, as they could see a confident smile on the black and blue adventurer.
"A fine night to gather in mass and march up this mountain, don't you think?" Ren said half-heartedly as he approached the group, who didn't look pleased to see him, but once he revealed himself as the sword hero, the dialogue route should take a more positive turn, at least that's what he thought in his head.
Pushing through the group, the mage was now in the front and sneered at the swordsman. "Yes, a fine night to betray your fellow humans to this half-creature who guards the terrible beast that would one day awaken and destroy the base of the mountain along with the surrounding lands." He said in a sarcastic drawl that seemed to amplify the distrust and hate for this swordsman amongst the people.
Hearing the words from the mage caused the sword hero to frown a bit before flexing his right fingers and remembering the warm feeling he got from the mark, returning his smile. "I did not betray anyone; they were fools to try to fight the guardian. I chose a non-lethal approach, and I assure everyone that the Dragon Emperor Romulus means no harm to anyone as long as no one tries to harm him. All is well," he corrected, as well as announced to the people in the situation that it wasn't necessary to fight the dragon anymore.
"So you spoke to the beast. What should it matter whether he tends to harm or not to harm? He is but a beast, an old beast. Either bend or break beneath our heel. After all, this world belongs to humanity. You'll either show us where to find him or exact justice upon you for those who have fallen this day," the mage said with a grumbling of agreement from many of the young townsfolk who were eager to spill their amount of blood and take their pound of flesh.
He let out a sigh, knowing that he would have to flex his title, something he had seen Motoyasu do well before they left Castle Town and went off in their own chosen direction. "Would my word as the sword hero mean anything? Would you still attack knowing that fact?" he questioned both the mage and the group of people.
This actually caused everyone a moment to pause, including the mage, who dropped his sneer and looked at The Swordsman up and down for a brief moment. He could see the brief description in his mind about the Cardinal Heroes. But at the same time, as he was examining, he was also remembering how the bow here turned like a dog that turned against its master. This caused the mage to return his sneer and lash out in a snarl as he pointed his staff at the sword hero. "You are no different than the corrupted bow, a traitor to the holy weapon to which you are bound," the mage cried out, causing the crowd to also begin sending hateful glares that were once fearful of the sword hero. All of them brandished their makeshift weapons, ready to attack.
He blinked in confusion for a brief moment, and he was about to respond to that accusing statement, only to quickly jump back and slice the head of a pitchfork before having to jump back again from someone who was about to take his head with a wood ax. He couldn't understand why they were so angry and attacking him. He was the hero, wasn't he? Thoughts of the throne room and the accusations against Arthur and Naofumi flashed through his mind, causing guilt to bubble up over the supposed rape of the Adventurer girl. He had questioned it before but pushed it to the back of his mind and focused on gaining experience. Now, those thoughts resurfaced. 'Is this karma?' he mentally questioned himself as he tried his best to avoid engaging and dodge the attacks from the townsfolk.
"Enough!" said a booming feminine voice as she leaped over the few ruined columns with her scythe in hand and landed on the ground with a loud boom, crushing stone beneath her feet and sending out a small shockwave of air upon her landing. She then pointed her weapon at the mage. "I showed you mercy, and this is how you repay me. Gathering up the rabble is too stupid and desperate for coin, and not just that, but also allowing the group to go into a frenzy and try to attack the sword hero, the single most important individual in this world who can counter the waves besides the sacred beasts. But if you wish to continue to fight, then I will gladly oblige." The blade of her scythe began to mist with ice magic.
"The most important person in this world? He's no different than the rest of us," one of the farmhands said, brandishing a sharpened hoe. "A hero? He ain't no damn hero; he's just some kid with a fancy magic sword that can get stronger. Maybe after killing him, one of us will be more worthy." Another farmhand voiced their opinion, followed by even more insults from others.
Ren couldn't believe the amount of vitriol he was forced to listen to. He didn't expect the people to have such a high opinion of an untested hero, but he didn't realize that the title of hero carried very little, if anything, and even worse, it brought hatred. For a brief moment, he now understood why there was such animosity towards the shield. He gritted his teeth and felt a small bit of bitterness welling up in the corners of his eyes. All he wanted was to be a strong noble hero, not a target for someone else's scorn.
A few of the townsfolk noticed that Ren lowered his head, almost as if trying to hide the fact that he was getting upset by their words, causing them to add more foul language and go as far as calling him a crybaby. The mage had had enough, though. As he raised his hand and prepared to launch a fireball, he assumed that the dragon guardian, being a mistress of ice, would be vulnerable to fire. But before he could release the fireball, he felt a cold, stinging sensation on the same arm that held the fireball, only to see The Swordsman with tear-filled eyes cleanly cut his arm, causing the mage to jump back, screaming at the loss of his appendage. The fireball, still developing, flew with his severed arm and exploded in the air, causing several townsfolk to catch fire or be knocked back by the force of the explosion.
"Traitorous wretch!" yelled a burly man, wielding a sharpened shovel like a spear. He was about to bring it down on Ren's neck, but The Swordsman quickly moved with unseen speed, slicing the man's upper torso in half, leaving only his lower half standing.
And so Ren continued to fight the trespassing townsfolk, killing them alongside the Dragoness Guardian with her scythe in hand. They fought until the few who were smart enough fled back down the mountain, leaving behind injured and badly burned mage.
"Damn you, damn you all," the badly injured mage said while lying on his back, fighting against the fear of death that was slowly approaching, either by the hands of the Dragoness Guardian or the Fallen Sword Hero.
Raising her scythe to block Ren from going forward, the Dragoness Guardian gave him a warm smile. "This one here has ruined your reputation, and I am partially to blame for that. Allow me to rid him for you," she said softly, sensing that he was dealing with his own internal issues of becoming a fallen hero.
He didn't so much protest but rather turned his back on the mage; much of his face was covered in shadow cast by the tilt of his head. "Make him suffer," was the only thing he said as he waited to hear the death blow of the one that caused him to become a fallen hero.
Instead of pleading or begging, the Mage simply sneered and shot hateful looks at the approaching humanoid Dragon Guardian. He tried to look to his side, saw his staff, and tried to crawl towards it, only to let out a painful grunt as he felt the tip of the scythe stabbing into his back. To make matters worse, he was hoisted in the air as blood started freezing in his veins, causing immense pain as his life essence tore his body apart from the inside, more so than the blade that had penetrated his back and gone through his chest in a way that avoided his vital organs. He turned his gaze onto the guardian, who looked at him with indifference and a coldness that matched the same temperature as the ice that was slowly freezing his blood in his veins. "Damn ice, she devil, damn you to the waves," was the last thing he said right before his skin began matching the state of his blood, which was freezing solid.
With one swift motion, she sliced and shattered the body, while the rest of it broke into shards, scattering the foolish mage's remains to the small gusts that began carrying them off to places unknown. The task was completed, and she turned her gaze towards Ren. He seemed to have a perfect impression of a statue, as if she had frozen him herself, but she could sense the slight turmoil coming off of him thanks to her innate instincts. Instead of saying anything, she rested her side on the ground, approached from behind, gave him a hug from behind, and softly began stroking his hair.
"All I wanted to be was the hero, the one that comes in and saves everyone with a sword in hand, and yet I killed everyone." Ren slightly hiccupped as he looked at the bloody bodies, having brief flashbacks of his own death at the hands of a serial killer who had stabbed him in the chest. Before his killer could harm his friend, he had used the same knife that was buried in his chest to slit the Steeler Killer's throat, ending his reign of terror in his version of Japan. He died in the way that he always imagined himself as a hero, but was he truly a hero or just a stupid boy trying to act like one? Was he now just a boy? A slight hushing sound, almost musical, filled his ears, as did the soft stroking of his hair and the side of his cheek by the woman who was comforting him.
"You are a hero; you are mine; you've protected this land alongside me and protected the Dragon Emperor. It matters not the opinions of others; as long as you maintain belief in your own spirit, mind, and body, you will always be a hero to me, and to those who truly see past titles as fancy armor or even weapons. It is the actions you take that make you a hero; it is also their actions that cause themselves to perish. Think not of what they said." She said it softly. As she continued to comfort him in the warm embrace of her fur dress and the gentle caresses she delivered to his head,
His depressing thoughts quickly subsided as he breathed in the scent of the fur coat, could truly smell the clean air of the mountain, and started to feel that this world truly felt like a game to him, only ever so slightly. "Thank you for your kind and wise words, but I don't think I'll be able to walk down the mountain without the rest of the townsfolk trying to bring me to justice." He started to pull away from her embrace, and she didn't resist. She watched him look at the path that he had taken to get up here.
"I'll take you through a secret passageway that will bypass the side of the mountain and lead you to an old hunting trail that was long abandoned but still used by wildlife. You will follow it to its end, and you'll find yourself back on the main road. There you can make your way to the Old Capitol." She had reached over and grabbed hold of her scythe, brought it over to her shoulder once more, and then extended her free hand as an offer for him to take so she could guide him.
Looking at her hand, he gave her a warm smile as he wiped off the stray tears from his cheeks and took hold of her larger hand. "Lead the way, my lady."
BTC