《The Immortal Dragon And Dragon Girl》 Chapter - 1 Yes! I did it! I finaly got him, stupid salamder! Who''s the boss now huuuh? Well then, what should I do with him? Good question, I always ask such good questions. But I should probably deal with all the fire salamanders closing in on my position. But that''s no problem, no problem at all. Just have to, use my... Crap. I used up all my arrows on the big salamander. That¡¯s just typical, now I have to use mydagger to fight. Darn it. Close quarter combat has never been my specialty, especially against bigsalamanders. It''s even worse against those that canbreathe fire. Typical. So very typical. Well, you got to do what you got to do. Though it troubled me thatthey were climbing this, goddamnmountain so quickly. Usually, monsters would have trouble climbing a ninety-degree angle straight upwards in an altitude of maybe five thousand meters? I¡¯m not exactly sure how far up we are. Istopped counting when the ground stopped being visible. But apparently these stupid, fire breathing salamanders, are too stupid to understand that they are defying physics and should not be able to sprint up this wall so damn easily. It¡¯s as if some burglary alarm went off in their home. And to be more precise, there were four fire salamanders running towards me. Even with my vantage point overlooking the mountain, the recently killed salamander under my butt. I felt pretty, let¡¯s just say. Unprotected, with just a knife. The way they effortlessly climbed this mountain with no problems also screamed trouble. Although, it would have been a completelydifferent story if I had any arrows. Which I do not. I just used them to make the salamander under my butt into a pincushion. Just my luck. Well, my options are to either scale the mountain further up with the salamanders hot on my tail. Or try to fight them in this little cave that i stumbled upon with the, now dead, big salamander sleeping inside. Wait, a minute. Was this guy, their boss? or mom? And i just kinda. Killed him. It... her? ... Don¡¯t think about it. No time like the present! A tactical retreat it is! Trusting in my expert stealth abilities,I quickly jumped and grabbed onto a rock sticking out, climbing swiftly. Feeling inadequate in my skillsafter just two seconds. Gaddammit, whyam I so weak? I''ve climbed this mountain for days, days! Yet, I feel weaker than when I started. While deep in thought, I took a second to look down,seeing the salamander gaining on me. Quite quickly, might I add. Lucky for me, the cave was blocking their path, or maybe it was their destination? Whatever the case, I tried to quicken my pace, one hand over the other. All the while climbing diagonally. Hopefully, keeping them from spotting me. Peaking over my shoulder to look down again. Isee big red eyes on the four salamanders, unblinking and shining. Seeing that, my bum puckered up, clenching as my thigh muscles did the same. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap CRAAAAAAP! I should have waited I should have WAITED! Then I could have fought with myknife. Instead of trying to kick them to death. Why did I not bring enough arrows? Why did I have to be so stupid? Wh- oh, wait. They¡¯ve stopped Looking at the corpse of the big salamander, They are licking the air, thinking, pondering¡­ Do salamanders even have brains? Of course they do, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t be this stupid! Hahaha get that you stupid lizards! I am the one who conquers all And you don¡¯t even know who did it Hahaha- Oh. They are looking up Looking for something. Looking for me? They can¡¯t... See me? They can¡¯t?! Haha! They can¡¯t see me! Haaa HAA! take that stupid fire breathing, salamanders! The stealth master strikes again! Another victim within my grasp Wait They are looking directly at me. ¡­¡­ NO! THEY ARE MOVING AGAIN, TOWARDS ME! HOW DID THEY SEE ME?! AAAH! Stupid mountain, stupid salamanders Stupid everything! CRAP! Time to move faster! Here I Go! How in the hells are they so fast, they are probably only, ten meters from me now Eight Six Oooh crap Climb you stupid son of a.. Arms MOVE crapcr rapcr apcrpcpar cpracprap CRAP! Suddenly, something hot heats upmy left cheek. Turning to see what did, I notic a black charred mark in the rock, mere centimeters from my face. Then the smell of burnt leather and hair reached my nostrils, my face souring like a ripe lemonEnsure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Why do they have fire?! It¡¯s SO unfair Stupid, stupidstupdi STUPID How in th.. Wait! There¡¯s a hole up there, maybe, No Yes! No? Yes!yes I can fit there! come one, just a little further, and Jump. Pulling with my entire weight, Ithrust myself upwards, hearing the sounds of rocks exploding just underneath my feet. Quickly taking a hold of the, ermIguess, hole, Ipull myself in as quickly as possible. Tucking in my legs as fast as I canwhile swiftly worming myself in. The hole was small, barely big enough to fit me. But the panic of getting my feet nibbledor blown off was enough to make me the greatest and fastest worm. A loud crashing echoed behind me, probably the claws of the salamanders, maybe its teeth. My mind giving me pictures of razor sharp teeth and burning meat. I¡¯m not tasty! Please go away! I didn¡¯t mean to kill your mom! I need to hurry any second and they mightbreathe their stupid, totallyunfair, fire breath Stupid, lizazaAAAHHH Suddenly, I¡¯m falling. Too quick to notice other than to scream Falling flat on my face.
Uugh, what happened? Trying to sit up, a bolt of pain attacks my head. Aowaowaow.. okay sorry I¡¯ll stay down. Gently touching the top of my head, a spike of hot pain flashes in my head. Aaah, that will totally be a big bump on my forehead. Darn it, just my luck. Laying down, lightly caressing my temple, I start carefully looking around. Doing small movements to lessen the pain. And to my total surprise (not really), I can¡¯t see anything. Not a thing, nada, zip Zero. Of course it¡¯s a dark cave. Why wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°EEEECHOOOOEEE! aaaah¡± (eeechooo aah) I screamed out, stopped as the pain heightened. Stupid. But still, cool. Okay, cool down now, lets think about this. I climbed a mountain. Check. I fought a big salamander, being a total badass. Check. Then I got chased by stupid, totallyunfair, fire salamanders... Check I guess. And after that, I find myself in a cave. And I have no idea where I am¡­ I guess it¡¯s not too bad. I could have been salamander food. Well, no time like the present. Grabbing my backpack, I search for my fire stone, hopefully not dropped in my mad climb upwards. Phew, it had not. Okay then, Abra-kadabra! ... Yeah, I know that won¡¯t work, don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m stupid okay! Focusing my attention to the fire stone for a second, I channel a part of my mana through it and felt it greedily sucking away at my small store of mana. I don¡¯t understand how mages can use this so often. I¡¯m usually spent after three of these, maybe four if I press my luck. After a second or two the fire stone flares up, enveloping my entire hand in a big flame, dazzling, partially blinding me, but not hurting. Perfect! Time to see where I a- a- am... In front of me stands a very, very tall rocky-looking wall? Jagged and almost looking like interlocking diamonds, reflecting the light off of my fire as it sparkled blue, reminiscent of sapphire. Looking further up, stretching my neck to the breaking point, I tried to see an end to the diamond wall. But I could not see one, seeminglystretching infinitely. Or at least within this mountain. Maybe more than fifty meters? Probably more. I quickly close my mouth Wiping the small trickle of drool. Hehe, maybe it IS my lucky day. Ruffling around in my backpack, I find a small pickaxe. This should be perfect! Who would have known that the Forbidden Mountain would yield me such a treasure. I knew coming here was a perfect idea. Yeah, I know it¡¯s called the Forbidden Mountain. Haviing dangerous fire breathing salamanders and flying wyverns And I know I was very close to dying But! It is actually called ¡°Drepa Fjallie¡± And when I came here, I wasactuallycoming because it sounded nice¡­ Wait. ... That name is even worse now that I think about it. So nevermind that. Let¡¯s just say, I wanted adventure¡­ Yeaaaah. No time like the present! With a big overhand swing, I let the pickaxe crash down. *DING* Feeling the vibrations from the impact travel from pickaxe, to arm and then to the rest of my body Feeling very much unpleasant. Actually hurting, very much so. Looking closer, with fire stone in hand, I look for any markings on the diamond surface. But find, to my surprise, nothing. Not even a scratch, a dent, nor a soot mark. That¡¯s not good, Ireallyused all my strength on that swing. Hmmmm, maybe I should shoot- Oh yeah, no arrows. Then, hmm... ¡­ Aha! But I really don¡¯t want to use that, especially in this small cave. Wait. Is it even small? I have not even looked around yet. Turning around to get a bigger picture of my enclosure, I started scanning. From the looks of it, I seem pretty trapped in this space ofmaybeten meters, going from one end to the other. The room beingoval, looking like an egg, maybe more square-ish. Hard to tell when it was so damn dark! From where I stand, I can¡¯t see the roof, even with the bright light glowing from the firestone. But on the plus side, it''s a diamond wall, Even behind me there are diamond walls, Actually All around me there are diamondwalls. Hmmm. Wait a second. The first wall I looked at didn¡¯t seem to stop, no matter the height. But the wall behind me is small in comparison, going up only eight meters. Give or take. I could probably climb that. No time like the present! I looked in my backpack to find some rope attached to a hook, my go to equipment to climb. Standing up, I measured the height for a second, then started swinging. A few swings overhead, aiming carefully AND SWING! And a miss. Okay, one more time. A few more swings overhead aaaand, away you goo! Yes, ithit! I¡¯m not a ranger for nothing. A few tugs at the rope to ensure that it¡¯s stable before I start climbing. Good, seems stable Aaand here I come. The diamond surface is very slippery, making it almost entirely a case of me using my arms to drag myself up. And if you have not guessed already, im really not that strong. I focused a little too much on my dexterity. And to add to that, the rope would wiggle each time I pulled. Findingmy bum puckered up with nerves. But at least there¡¯s a foothold every eeer. Length of me.... And I¡¯m not telling you how tall I am! Although climbing this wall is a new experience. It is actuallyprettyweird. And that¡¯s coming from someone that hasscaled an entire mountain at practically a ninety-degree angle. Yes, I know, I¡¯m perfect. Anyway, after scaling maybe half the height, about foure meters,the¡°footholds¡± seems toalways beperfectly placed every... My length... And looking closer, they have this oval shape to them. Hmmm... Very interesting For a scientist that is, I really don¡¯t care. Just count my lucky eggs that I can at least climb it. No time like the present! Aaand here we go. Up up and away! With a few uneasy steps on the very slippery surface, I find myself on top. A little surprised at the fact that the place I climbed, curves upwards and into a crescent moon shape. Looping with itself as it forms a way up to the part of the wall that I couldn¡¯t determine the height off. A wall? Wait. No, this is not a wall, this is like, like, eeer A ramp! Yes, a curved ramp that goes from one end to the next, I guess. But it looks too perfect to be natural, someone must have built this. Hmmmm, Maybe the dwarves? Eeeh. Nothing for me to consider! Just report it to the closest settlement. That is, after I¡¯m back and rolling in the cashmoney! Hell yeah! Sooo, where should I put these big boom-thingies (never learnt its name, just kinda thought I¡¯d never use it) It would probably be best to place it on top, but I don¡¯t actuallyknow the timer for the bombs. Andit would be prettybad to explode them while standing on top of them. You know, because it¡¯s hard to survive an explosion. Eeeh. Worst-case scenario, I can just jump off the wall or slide down the ramp. With rope attached,of course,I¡¯m not stupid alright I¡¯m not. Okay!? Anyway, walking up this ramp is hard. Not only is it slippery but also a little curved. Not much mind you. But enough to tilt it a little to the left and right. If anyone built this, it is very inconvenient, totally not suited for anyone that might lack a leg or two. Or four, It¡¯s weirdly long, this ramp. Going maybe a hundred meters? Not sure, the light doesn¡¯t reach from one end to the other. I think it¡¯s even longer than that, actually It¡¯s reallyhard to tell Oh, wait. For how long does the light shine, Idon''t remember how much mana I need to use for the bombada-bang thing. It would be totallyuncoolif im out of mana and the light goes out. I should think about using the big boom or light. Or someway preserving mana Or maybe walk in the dark? Or just using the light to light the boomer. Eeeeh, no problem, Just Don¡¯t think about it. Nothing can¡¯t be solved without a little... Non thinker-y It will probably solve itself. Probably.
Phew, finally on top, and Igot to say, it¡¯s a neat view. That is, if you consider darkness and rocks to be your thing. I don¡¯t reallydig it. Fastening my hook on a sturdy-looking foothold and tying my rope for the third time, I carefully placed the big bang boom. Noting down where I placed it, and how conveniently hollow it was. It felt too convenient, like a god wanted to help me out suddenly, and if there¡¯s something I know, it¡¯s that gods never help without repercussions. When I look at it again, it sorta looks like a closed eye. ... Well, no time like the present! Aaaaand heeere we go! Channeling my mana to the boom-boom, I feel a huge pressure building up behind my temple as it sucks away the feeble supply of mana I have. Only two seconds later, it audibly clicksand starts ticking. Okay, so did I arm it? What do I do? Should I start running now. Isn¡¯t it supposed to like, give me a timer or something. Damn it! I have to listen more when people tell me stuff. Oh. Maybe I should tell the boomboom to blow up? Focusing on it, I let a trickle of my last remaining mana tosupply the big bada-boom,then thought. Erm, blow up, in, eeeh, soon? A new audible click emanated from it Huh, I guess it¡¯s that easy. Then a two red numbers flashed to life, forming the numbers te- Nine, eight. Erm, Wait Sheeeeeeeeee- I quickly jumped of the wall, holding the rope in whitening hands, skidding across the slippery surface in a rapid pace. Almost free falling, feeling the burn on my hands and scratches on my legs. Don¡¯t think about the burning Nor the blood. I have a healing potion! Wait did I not drink it after that fighting the big sala- ... No time like the present, MAKE HASTE! Skip, jump, fall, skip, jump, fall A little routine as I climbed downveryrapidly. Wind rushing past, If there was any wind to speak of At least my hair was flapping around This was almost nice. If you forgot about the burning sensation on my hand, and terrible aching on my legs. If I just had a litt- *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* A loud thunder, then the rope went limp in my hands, making me fall. AAAAAA- *Thump* Oof. I whimpered out as I hit the ground with a big thump, all the air in my body rushing out. Leaving me breathless and gasping. And as I collected myself, found my head groggy and rollinga round. That sucked At least nothing¡¯s broken... I think. Okay, nothing was, phew. Time to get up and loo- *Thunk* AAAAH Skittering away from the sound, I quickly looked to my right, seeing a bent hook, a meter away from me. I-I s-should probably not stand here. Quickly looking up, I searched for any more debris, light on my feet, yet clusmy, still groggy from the fall. Any second now Any sec- Or not. I guess that explosion wasn¡¯t big enough. Well, I could at least climb up again and try digging where I blew it It should probably be weakened after that blow. Picking up the bent hook and firmly attaching it back to the rope, I turned around to climb again. Only tobe stopped in place as I heard something. Like the start of an earthquake. All around me the ground started to move, shaking, trembling. Making me vibrate, stones grinding against stone, chilling me to the bone. Then the sound stopped. I turned around Greeted with the sight of two big blue eyes. Glowing like the brightest star. The most beautiful stars. Did you, Human, Disturb my sleep? My mouth gaped open. As the voice of a thousand, pulsating stars echoed out from nowhere, yet everywhere. Loud enough to shake the weak Booming enough to make most feel small. This was not what I was expecting. It¡¯s a freaking Dragon Those mystical beasts of old. Faught by heroes of centuries past. All thought to be extinct, to have been overwhelmed during the last ages of Dragons. But no. There is a fricking Dragon in front of me. Human, are you here to fight me? To test your might? I can assure you, Human, that I have fought your kind for millennia, for thousands of years. And if you think you can defeat me. Then you are sorelymistaken. For I, I AM ¡°I WANNA TAME YOU! PLEASE BE MY TAMED DRAGON!¡± .... ¡°No¡± .... ¡°Oh¡± Chapter - 2 Something interesting happened today. I met a human Not the normal kind This one was¡­ A little special If that stupid smile was any indication of her feelings, I dobelieve She does not fear me. Very interesting. But this is not a first, many times have Imet humans too stupid to understand their weakness. Their total lack of understanding That I! I stand above all! No one can kill me. Yet, this, this human in front of me She does not want a worthy fight. Nor an honorable battle. A battletold for centuries. Neither did she yearn for treasures, no mere mortal could ever comprehend. No, she wants to tame me ME? I have laughed in the face of armies I have killed hundreds, if not millions! No one who dared face me escaped death. ... So what should Ido with this.. Human? This is a first. She reminds me of different times. ... Hmmm I should ponder this ¡°Preeettty pleaaaase! your soooo gorgeous!¡± Hmpf, that is right, My scales have developed for millions of years. If there is something Ipride myself in, it is my total, undeniable, beauty ... Wait, did Ijust.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Agree with a human? ¡°Human, do not speak to me so lightly!¡± ¡°Come oooon, but you aaare!¡± ¡°I understand that my wonder is a true marvel for humans such as you. But Ido not care for your simple attempts to praise me.¡± ¡°Naaaaah, is the little dragon a little ShyyyyY?¡± Huuuh What? Did she just¡­ Ho-hoow dare this human! I would never stoop to this level. Such.. such Insolence! ¡°HEY! don¡¯t turn away from me! Iwant a proper answer! come on you stupid dragon!¡± Pffff Why should Iever grace you, human, with answers? You should understand it yourself A Dragon such as me would never answer someone like you. You, you... STUPID HUMAN Ah Calm down. Just. Calm down. You can just go to sleep. The next time you wake up she will not be here You will not have to worry She¡¯ll be long dead Yes. Perfect. Sleep. Sleep away my problems... Like always. ... ... ... *BOOOOOOM* AAAAAH GADDAMIT! STUPID HUMAN WHY DO YOU WAKE ME SHOULD YOU NOT KNOW YOUR PUNY WEAPONS CAN NOT HARM ME THIS IS AN ACT OF AGGRESSION BE PREPARED TO DIE- Wait... That did not explode near me No harm has befallen me No attempt has been made on my life ... Why? ¡°Ahaa! you are finally awake, I¡¯ve screamed for days, you stupid, shitty dragon! JUST ACCEPT ME AND YOU WILL BE HAPPY!¡± Stupid. Shitty? This human¡­ Thi- Happy? She speaks of happiness? Such crude emotions Do you truly think a lowly beingsuch as you can Help me ... ¡°Tell me human, how will you try toaccomplish this?¡° ¡°WOOHOOO! The dragons is finally talking to me! Such a good day¡± Hmpf, this human Does she even understand her position? ¡°Woah wooooah, watch out with your fire breathing! you almost torched me there, I could have become a living torch! i¡¯ve already escaped that faith from those stupid FIRE SALAMANDERS AAAH WHY DID YOU REMIND MEEE¡± Oh, Iguess she does ¡°Human, answer my question¡± ¡°AAAAAH!Oh sorry, Ithought Ianswered... eeeer... Iguess... I dont? hehehe. DONT THINK ABOUT IT JUST FOLLOW ME AND WE WILL HAVE A GREAT TIME!¡± Huh What great confidence she has Very Interesting. Hmm. Should I humour this human with her silly request? It has been long since I havebeen out. Maybe its time Time to stretch my wings Feel the wind The world all around me Bringing my perfect self out to the world Letting all gaze at my glories form ... ¡°No¡± ... ¡°You, stupid dragon¡± ¡°No, you are.. Stupid¡­ Human¡± Chapter - 3 This stupid dragon is getting on my nerves It has been two days since Iwoke him up, again, and he still wont talk to me So stupid. Fine, Ican acknowledge that using a bomb to wake someone up can be a little... Mean. But come on, Iscreamed for days. No girl in their right mind can handle getting ignored for so long Im not easily angered okay! Im not! But anyway, he has not talked to me;Idon''t understand why. ¡°Heeellloooooo?¡± No? No... Still nothing. Well, luckily for me Ihave enough food to last for days! But if this continues, it might not last. And Ireally don''t want to have to rely on pure mana, Not very filling At leastIwas smart enough to bring a water stone, Iam fantastic at planning, so smart of me. I am truly the smartest and bestest person alive! ... This place smells. I know that most of the smells are from me, but what do you expect, he doesn¡¯t really move so Idon¡¯t have a way to get out. Now that I think about it I hope he knows a way out, he¡¯s kinda, Really big And Ican¡¯tsee a big enough opening, or hole, for him to squeeze through. Maybe he can transform. Oooh maybe he is one of those super handsome shapeshifters that shifts to your biggest desires. Eeehehehe¡­ ¡­ Or erm, maybe not. Ahem. I heard that they do that to lure in prey, then devouring them slowly and brutally. ... Don''t think about it! ¡°HEEEELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOO, don¡¯t make me use my bombs again you stupid dragon!¡± ¡°Dont call me stupid, Human¡± Aaaah! oof ¡°aow oooh my butt, geez you don¡¯t have to scare me like that¡± Stupid dragon¡­ Well, he¡¯s speaking at least, now we just need to come up with a plan and get out of here! ¡°MISTER STUPID DRAGON! I THINK WE SHOULD GET OUT OF THIS MOUNTAIN¡± ¡°Human, for the last time, I. Am. Not. Stupid.¡± ¡°Well, stop acting like one then.¡± ¡°Human, I havedebated scholars of science and magic, I have made people go mad at my facts and logics. No mere, Human, could even dare to hope match my intelligence.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Hahahaha ooh mister dragon you are such a joker!¡± ¡°I tell no jokes, Human¡± ¡°Oooh your one of those, sorry about laughing at you, but don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll get you up to snuff in no time! A quick adventure makes everyone giddy and happy. No more upptity assholery here, no sir.¡± ... ¡°Human, why do you care about my happiness?¡± Huuh? What does he mean, has he never been happy before? Or wait, is he confused to why I¡¯m so nice Ooh that must be it, well it is true, Iam a beacon of nice¡¯ness. A saints of all saints Truly a nice person! ¡°Dont worry mister dragon, don¡¯t sweat the small stuff, you don¡¯t have to have a reason to be nice, just, eeeerm, think like¡­You treat others the way you want them to treat you!¡± ... ¡°Then stop calling me stupid, Human. And that was not even my questio-¡± ¡°OOOOH YEAH, sheet now that you mention it Idid call you stupid. I¡¯m sorry, hehe don¡¯t preach what you don¡¯t do. Or something like that.¡± Ahem. Caught red handed. ¡°But anyway mister dragon, you don¡¯t happen tohave a way out of here?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Yes! great!¡± ¡­ ¡°Sooo, shall we go?¡± ¡°Not now. Ineed to think¡± ¡°What do you mean think? Have you not already thought enough?! It¡¯s been two fricking days! Lets justgo already!¡± ¡°SILENT! You, Human, with your pathetically fast lives. You would not comprehend how much Ithink and therefore how much time Irequire thinking.Time for me moves faster than it does for you and your, pathetic kind. Human¡± ¡°So you mean like, you¡¯re a slow thinker and a little bit stupid? That would explain things. Don¡¯t worry mister dragon, if you are that slow Ican give you more time to think¡± ... ¡°I am ready to go.¡± ¡°WHAT!? Really?! YES! Where is the exit?¡± ¡°I¡­ Do-don..I shall create one¡° ¡°You will? But, why can''t you come from the way you came?¡± ... ¡°Human, do not question me. Just be happy Iam willing to show you my great power¡± As he said that, he started moving The sound of stone grinding against stone echoing through the large cave. Debris of small stone falling and vibrating the very ground Istood on. Some hitting my head, forcing me to shield it. Shaking in my boots,Istared in awe at the massive dragon, moving slightly, his body grinding and pushing against the mountain, being painfully slow. Wait, is it a he? I just kinda assumed. But what if he¡¯s a she? ¡°Hey mister dragon, are you a he or a she¡± ... No answer, typical Well, he looks focused right now. Still moving about, looking like he¡¯s searching for a weak point in the mountain. Or maybe he¡¯s just stretching? He must have slept for a long time before Icame. I know Ineed a nice long stretch before doing anything. Especially after sleeping on this hard floor for the past..Week? He did say something about time going slow for him, maybe he¡¯s retarded? Oh, wait. He¡¯s stretching back his neck, Looks like a giant snake ready to pounce, although kinda hard to see in this dim light. He¡¯s getting ready, Any second now Aaaaan- #THUNK# Faster than my eyes could even perceive. He struck the side of the mountain. Making me fall flat on my butt quite ungracefully. Debris of big chunks of rock falling everywhere Making me quickly scrambled back up on my feet as rocks after rocks fell near my location, almost squishing me flat. CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP! I thought, managing by the skin of my teeth to escape harrowing death. Why did he not warn me beforehand? You stupid dragon Stupid! The rocks are just falling harmlessly of your scales While it took me every ounce of dexterity to survive that rainfall of rocks. I hope he gets struck by lightning or something that STUPID DRAGON! Okay calm down, lets see how far he got through ... Huh, he didn¡¯t get that far. And¡­ It looks like he¡¯s going tostrike again Oh no I got to run- #THUNK# Almost flying to the side by the impact. Ionce again move swiftly to my feet, dodging the flying debris. ¡°YOU GADDAMN STUPID PIECE OF GLITTERING PILE OF POOP!¡± Aaaah Stupid dragon! Why does he not give me even a single warning ¡°DRAGON STOP! I SAID STOP!¡± But as if Iwas just a flowing breeze, he ignored me. Readying another strike Oh no, crap.I need to run Run fast, to the far side of the cave Quickly Hurry! Be swif- #THUNK# For the third time, Ifall down on the ground, feeling a sore spot on by butt, it¡¯s going to be an ugly bruise. Luckily, this time Iwas far enough away to easily dodge the debris, giving the dragon an angry glance as I looked up to him. And, in my surprise, Imet his eyes, staring back at me. The dim light of the moon illuminating us, Sparkling Shining Beutifull ¡°You are reallybeautiful¡± ¡°Hmpf¡± He did, llifting his head slightly, blowing out a small stream of fire from his nostrils. Shaking my head,Iquickly shook the thought. No, don''t call him beautiful.He''s a stupid dragon! ¡°And stupid¡± ¡°No you are stupid. Human¡± ... ¡°Well, let¡¯s just agree to disagree.¡± ¡°Let us.¡± Chapter - 4 A very interesting human indeed I have been thinking Pondering. Have Iever met such a human? I have lived many lives. Generations upon generations I have seen mountains fall. Oceans dry up Continents form Even amongst dragons, Iwas old Dragons My Dragons ... This, human Is interesting. Very interestingindeed. I think I havebeen thinking for two days now But she does not leave. Very, peculiar Her kind is usually not this patient. ... She is also very frustrating. Very, indeed. Hmm? Oh. She is trying to talk to me. Ishould probablylistento what she has to say. ¡°HEEEELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOO, don¡¯t make me use my bombs again you stupid dragon!¡± ... Maybe not.. You, frustrating Incomprehensible Annoying HUMAN! ¡°Dont call me stupid, Human¡± No, calm down. Do notbe dragged into this humans tom-foolery. ¡°MISTER STUPID DRAGON! I THINK WE SHOULD GET OUT OF THIS MOUNTAIN¡± ¡­ You Insolent human. ¡°Human, for the last time, I. Am.Not. Stupid.¡± ¡°Well, stop acting like you are.¡± What? How dare she question my intellect!This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I am going to tell her Make her shut up. Feel incompetent in the face of REAL intelligence. ¡°Human, Ihave debated scholars of science and magic. Ihave made people go mad from my facts and logics. No mere, Human, could ever dare to hope match my intelligence.¡± ¡°Hahahaha ooh mister dragon you are such a joker!¡± Joke? ¡°I tell no jokes, Human¡± ¡°Oooh you''re one of those. Sorry about laughing at you, but don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll get you up to snuff in no time! A quick adventure makes everyone giddy and happy.¡± Huh. This human What is she even saying? I do not Understand? Why does she care for me, Why is she even here Why? ¡°Human, why do you care about my happiness¡± She gazed up at me, a briefmoment of silence before she put her hand on her face. A human gesture to signify that she was in deep thought Typical human Then here eyes lit up, her hand reaching up while pointing at the roof of the mountain. ¡°Dont worry mister dragon, don¡¯t sweat the small stuff, you don¡¯t have to have a reason to be nice, just, eeeerm, think like¡­You treat others the way you want them to treat you!¡± What a hypocrite How stupid can one human be ¡°Then stop calling me stupid, Human. And that was not even my questio-¡± ¡°OOOOH YEAH, sheet now that you mention it Idid call you stupid. I¡¯m sorry, hehe don¡¯t preach what you don¡¯t do. Or something like that.¡± She then went silent for a moment, caughing into her hand. Weird, she did not seem to be sick. ¡°Anyway mister dragon, you don¡¯t happen tohave a way out of here?¡± Of course I do Why would you even think otherwise, human? ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Yes! great!¡± The human said, looking up at me expectantly. ¡­ ¡°Sooo, shall we go?¡± How little patients can one human have? ¡°Not now. Ineed to think.¡± ¡°What do you mean think? Have you not already thought enough?! It¡¯s been two fricking days! Let¡¯s justgo already!¡± How dare this human? ¡°SILENT! You, Human. With your pathetically fast lives. You would not comprehend how much Ithink and therefore how much time Irequire thinking.Time, for me, moves faster than it does for you and your, pathetic kind. Human¡± ¡°So you mean like, you''re a slow thinker and a little stupid? that would explain things, dont worry if you are that slow i can give you time to think¡± ... ¡°I am ready to go¡± ¡°WHAT!? Really?! YES! So, where is the exit?¡± If you would not be such an un-patient young human, Iwould have had time to remember You must really be stupid to not understand that even the mighty me can sometimes forget ... Uh. ¡°I¡­ Do-don...I shall create one!¡° ¡°You will? But, why can¡¯t you come from the way you came?¡± ¡°Human, do not question me, just be happy Iam willing to show you my great power¡± If she insists to get out now I shall create her desired exit Although not in the way she hopes for #THUNK# Ha, she fell on her butt Silly, unstable, human Look at how she is dodging those rocks Myself, I just shrug them off. I would never have to fear such measly pebbles #THUNK# ¡°YOU GADDAMN STUPID PIECE OF GLITTERING PILE OF POOP!¡± HAHAHA Human! I applaud you ¡°DRAGON STOP! I SAID STOP! HAHA WHY WOULD I STOP NOW? HUMAN THIS IS EXHILIRATING SEEING YOU FUMBLE LIKE THAT #THUNK# HAHAHA BEHOLD! MY GLORY I HAVE CREATED OUR EXIT I HAVE MADE YOU DANCE BY MY FEET A GLORIUS OCCATION ... Wait. Did I just Have Fun? ... Letting my head tilt down, I looked at the human. Staring at the, Very interesting Human She is so tiny So useless So... Fun. ¡°Beutifull¡± The human whispered. ¡°Hmpf¡± Hehe This human She might not be that bad ¡°And stupid¡± Ornot. ¡°No, you are stupid. Human¡± ... ¡°Well, lets just agree to disagree¡± ¡°Let us¡± Chapter - 5 This should have been such a lovely day. The sun is shining, Being in a beautiful forest with very, very big trees Enormous, actually. Far too high to see the tops. Andit¡¯s absolutely the perfect temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. The whole forest is swarming with wild creatures. Cute ones, pretty ones,big ones. Yes This should have been such a perfect day. So why am Ibeing chased by giant man-eating chickens that should have gone extinct after the great chicken hunt ahundred years ago? I really dont know. And at this moment, I really don''t care. I just don''t wanna be eaten ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH¡± ¡°HELP ME YOU STUPID DRAAAAAAAGOOOOON!!!¡± I screamedat the stupid dragon, flying overhead. ¡°Hrmpf, why would Iever deign to help you? These inferior creatures should be no match for you human. Isaw the great slaughter your kind did to these things once before¡± ¡°I WAS NOT A PART OF THAT YOU- AAAAH¡± A bite near my head cuts me off, and Istart running even faster. Legs pumping adrenaline like chugging water. I quickly glancing back, seeing maybe four giant chickens. I could probably, no, easily deal with them. If Ihad any arrows Which Iof course, Dont. I only have this stupid small dagger. Probably not even thick enoughto deal any lasting damage. So, Ihave relegated myself the honour of running Running reallyfast. Which, turns out I¡¯m very good at. But of course,this would have not been a problem if this STUPID DRAGON could just ¡°HELP ME!¡± ¡°No¡± Well, as you can hear No. So stupid. Well, at leastIdon''t have to worry about losing him, he¡¯s kinda Ginourmes He kinda sticks out like a big blue sore thumb. And I take credit for inventing that word. I am truly a genius. A master of speech. Anyway,here are my options Run Which I¡¯malready doing. The problem is that Idon''t know how long these chickens can run for. If the past fifteen minutes of full speed running is any indication of how well they run They can run prettywell. So option number two I stand and fight. Not an option. So my third and final option, which I¡¯m leaning heavily towards is- ¡°Human, can you hurry it up, please get eaten, or kill them. Ido not really care either way¡± Shut up! You stupid dragon. Anyway, let¡¯s do this. First, I need a brief opening where I can open my bag, and as I am already running at full speed, my only option is to climb those trees. Not the whole way up mind you. Just enough so they won''t reach me Hopefully, they can''t climb. Okay, lets see lets seeee, Eeeerm, I choose, eer, that tree! I choose you! Looks so adorable compared to the others... I mean, it looks easily climbable Perfect fitEnsure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Here we go! Humf And it was a perfect fit! I fit sooo snuggly on it. Aaaah, so nice I knew this tree would be awesome. Wait I NEED TO CLIMB CRAP! One arm after the other, quickly! A glance down, Holy moly they are close, staring up at me, Just out of reach Phew Very close. Now time to fish out the explosives Aaand there is one. Let¡¯s aim it properly. That should do. And a one, and a two And, drop! ... I forgot to arm it. ... Channeling my mana into the next bomb, I mentally think ¡°a timer of five seconds¡± And a one and a two, And a drop. Now lets see how effective those bombs really are three seconds four aaan- #FWHOOOOM# AAAAAA- Ooof Flying out of the tree sideways, I once again crash into the ground, air forcefully leaving my lungs, gasping for air. Lying limp on the ground Heaving as Ipanickly try to breathe. And a few seconds of gasping, some air finds its way into my lungs Then, a wave of pain assaults my entire body. I stay silent. Thoughts forms, replaced by pain Pain Aching Hurting. Then, slowly, the pain slowly drifts off Thoughts forming. Aaaah, what happened? It hurts Aow, wait, health potion, health potion Health Potion. Looking around, I search for my bag, only to see it a few meters away from me. A little rugged, but otherwise perfectly fine. I try to stand up, only for my legs to give out a wave of red hot pain. Stopping for a second, I wait for the pain to seize. Looking down at my legs, I see white where white should not be Blood that should be inside Leg turned the wrong way. Quickly looking away, I glance to the bag. I got to get myself there. Somehow. Slowly, I test my arms Feeling a dull pain. But otherwise fine I, slowly, drag myself over the uneven ground. Legs lagging behindas they eke out waves of hot pain, each pull pulsating wetly in my mind. Teeth clenching Eyes shut Mind focused on pulling. I find myself, after an excruciatingly long time, by the bag. Rummaging through it, I find the health potion Quickly unbottling it and gulping down its very sour content. Then as I finished, throwing it away, laying down on my back Staring up at the dark ceiling that is the trees leafy crowns. Then closing my eyes before the itch overwhelms me. Tomorrow me, will hate today me. But that''s for tomorrow me. No time like the present. Fatigue creeps on, taking over. And mind fades to black. --------- Uuuuuh, noooo I don''t wanna wake uuup. I had such a nice dream, It was about dragons And... Oh no, I remember Oh no, the itching THE ITCHING AAAAAAAAAAAH! Quickly shooting up to a sitting position, I start scratching my legs. Feeling the sensation of my nails scratching furiously. Not even hampering the itching It was as if thousands of snakes were slitheringjust underneath my legs Like millions of ants crawling around. Like the worst rash, ever. This is the worst. But at least my legs are fine. I would a hundred procent take this itching over two broken legs. After a furious tenminutes of scratching and itching, I find myself at peace. The itch is still there, butmanageable. More like an annoyance than a hindrance. Although I kept scratching for a tinybit longer. Okay, cross my thumbs and hope to die Please don''t let my legs be, Bad. And jump up. And fall down again Aow. Okay, they are not perfect. Iwon''t be able to run a marathon, nor sprint properly. But I can clearlyfeel them, and they respond quickly enough, even if a little slow. Now, where is that stupid dragon at? ¡°Helllooo dragon?! Where are yooou?¡± ¡°Took you long enough, I thought you would finally die.¡± ¡°EEEK¡± Huh Where did that come from, was he not supposed to be this giant, huge, one hundred meter long blue dragon? Even after spinning around two times, Ican''t find him ¡°WHERE ARE YOU?!¡± ¡°You dense, stupid human. I am right here¡± Taking my eyes away from the sky, I look back down. Being met with a small, white bird Feathers coloured white, with blue tops in a zigzag pattern. Flames of blue, burning lightly over its entire body Its entire length just longer than my upper arm The bird, if described with one word, was ¡°Gorgeous¡± The bird seemed to straighten at the words, then opened its beak. ¡°No, human, this form is not gorgeous. This form is a wonder, a spectacle, a true form of beauty, the pinnacle of survival. This form, the phoenix, can die, only to be reborn again. It holds no fear, no malice, just pure survival. And I, in my great wisdom, have spent decades. No, millennia, to perfect this form. The perfect form, a window into true art. Dare I say, I am a natural-born genius.¡± ¡°Maybe gorgeous is the wrong word. Yes, I would totally call you cute right now!¡± ... ¡°I am not cute. Human.¡± ¡°Naaaah, the little baby dragon is shy.¡± ¡°I AM NOT A BABY DRAGON! I AM A PHOENIX!Maybe not a complete phoenix, but in form and structure I am complete!¡± ¡°Can I touch you? pwetty please?¡± ¡°No, absolutely not.¡± ¡°But you let me touch you when you were big!¡± ¡°I did no such thing.¡± ¡°Oh you did, I totally climbed you, and you did nothing to shake me off¡± ¡°I WAS ASLEEP!How could I have known a tiny little insect would be climbing me?¡± ¡°Oooh. So, what you are saying, is that in your great wisdom, you did not know I was there?... Hmmm?¡± ... ¡°Wait, where are you going! Dont fly away from me! HEY, YOU PROMISED TO GO ON AN ADVENTURE WITH ME!¡± ¡°I will be back. I need to hunt.¡± ¡°HOW WILL YOU FIND ME?!¡± ... ¡°GADDAMN, STUPID DRAGON! AAAH¡± Stupid dragon Being such a fricking jerk¡­ At least he¡¯s smaller now, and he¡¯s cute Hehehe. ANYWAY! Let¡¯s see how much meat I got from those chickens. Thinkingthat, I looked around for the tree I had, accidentaly, ACCIDENTALY! blown myself up at. Praying to my lucky star that I had killed at least one chicken. ¡­ Erm¡­ That''s a lot more chickens than four. It¡¯s prettyhard to count when you consider the shape of the bodies. Or lack of bodies It just looks like a giant pile of meat and bones. And legs, wings, and heads. So many heads, That¡¯s not four heads. They aren¡¯t even near the tree Iexploded. I know, because I can see the hole from here. And within it, I can clearlysee four mangled corpses coupled with dried up blood. From here, it does not look very edible. Well, the corpse pile looks more edible¡­ I guess? At least the smell is nice, smells like burnt chicken... Anyway, let¡¯s erm, try to find some edible meat amongst the big pile. Maybe. It looks pretty burnt
After searching and almost puking for a long time. I managed to scrape up some edible meat that wasn¡¯t contaminated by insects or those weird burn marks. Taking out my fire stone and collecting a small pile of wood, I made a fire. Which wasn¡¯t as easy as you would think, considering that I needed to drag my legs everywhere. Even searching through the pile took a lot longer than it should have... Don''t think about it, they at least work. After searching for a bit, I find a big round and flat rock. Putting it over the fire, I wait for it to heatup. While waiting, I carved out a chunk of wood from a nearby tree. Sitting myself down and making myself usefull by crafting some new arrows. Luckily for me, there are heaps of feathers nearby. How they survived the weird fire is not something I care about right now. My only concern being if this wood was sturdy enough to create arrows for me. Then if I could find any wines that couldbe turned to rope. But luckily for me, my concerns were for naught, as the wood was harder than any I had ever seen, but not too hard to be unbendable. And there was an abundance of low hanging vines and small trees that could easily be turned to rope. Well, now I have something to do while waiting for that stupid dragon. So stupid A stupid dragon. ... But I have to say It has been fun. Long time since last time A small smile grows from tired eyes. Yes, a long time Chapter - 6 This has been an amusing day. It is not every day that Isee humans. A, human. Getting chased by chickens. Hehehe Stupid human Such a lowly creature Running for your life from such a Basic creatures. I thought more highly of you But Iguess you are only on the level of chickens. Okay, Ican not be too harsh. That humanmanaged to blow up four chickens before going down. She crawled for a minute before drinking some red potion. And now her legs are glowing. Now it looks like she fainted Maybe she died? Humans. So weak. Well, if this is how it ends, Ihave to say it was something new Not often that happens. Should Iwait or should Igo? Hmmmmm. Eh I can wait. What is waiting for a few days? I got nothing better to do. ... But Ihave to say There is an alarming amount of chickens in these woods. I thought humans hunted them to extinction. Peh. Humans Can not even kill things properly. I can at least understand why they tried Even though these chickens are gazing at my mighty form None seems to be bothered by my presence. Some are even trying to peck at my glorious legs Which is out of the question. How dare these mere mortals face me? I,of course,squish them into oblivion. I can not allow such filth to touch me. They are even closing in on that stupid human How dare they? That human fought and won honorably How dare you touch that human? Do not go closer to the human. Do not move closer I SAID DO NOT! I SEE YOU WILL NOT LISTEN. THEN TASTE MY FIRE AND FLAMES MY THUNDEROUS ROAR MY GIANT CLAWSThis story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. OVERWELMING POWER! DIE! YOU WEAK MORTALS! ... Oh. I kinda went overboard. Erm, I think. I killed.. To many ... Well, it is their own fault. They tried to dishonour an honourable battle Ahem. Let us just Sweep them under the rug and Ehm. Pretend that nothing happened here. Yeah. That human is too stupid to ever figure it out. I hope. And I have to admit that it does not suit this form to clean up this mess. It is perfect in every other way. Dragons are, after all,the pinnacle of superiority Of perfection. Anyway. Luckily Ihave the perfect form for this task. Aaaaah. How long has it been since i turned to this? Two hundred years? I think it was after those lizard men tried to carve a tunnel underneath my sleeping lair and Ihad to investigate. Which led to them Starting to worship me. I,in my great wisdom, dounderstand why they would worship someone as great as me. But after they figured out that I amactualy aDragon They freaked out. The small tribe turned huge. And now, underneath that mountain, is a giant maze of lizard men tribes. Like a giant anthill, Housing millions upon millions. Though, that is of no concern to me. I do not really care what happens to them. They never bothered me, so Inever bothered them. Not like this stupid human who seems to do everything in her power to annoy me. Oh I am done. How long did that take? The pile is prettybig. What would you expect from someone as great as me? Oh, and now the human is waking up. Hehe She is attacking her own legs Stupid human, your puny little claws are not nearly long enough to cause bodily harm. And now she stopped And now she fell So weak. ¡°Helllooo dragon?! Where are yooou?¡± I am here, you stupid human ¡°Took you long enough, I thought you would finally die.¡± ¡°EEEK¡± Now the human is turning in circles. It is like looking at a headless chicken Hehe So stupid ¡°WHERE ARE YOU?!¡± ¡°You dense, stupid human, Iam right here¡± The stupid human is finally looking at me No The human is staring ¡°Gorgeous¡± Yes, human. That is correct. Sometimes even you are wise. Even I, if Iwere to see myself, would stare in disbelief. Aweing at my awesome splendor. But still, I would not call this form ¡°gorgeous.¡± I need to fix her attitude. ¡°No, human, this form is not gorgeous. This form is a wonder, a spectacle, a true form of beauty, the pinnacle of survival. This form, the phoenix, can die, only to be reborn again. It holds no fear, no malice, just pure survival. And I, in my great wisdom, have spent decades. No, millennia, to perfect this form. The perfect form, a window into true art. Dare I say, I am a natural-born genius.¡± ¡°Maybe gorgeous is the wrong word. Yes, Iwould totally call you cute right now!¡± What? No. Absolutely not. ¡°I am not, cute. Human.¡± ¡°Naaaah, the little baby dragon is shy.¡± BABY DRAGON?! HOW DARE YOU! I AM NO SUCH THING ¡°I AM NOT A BABY DRAGON! I AM A PHOENIX!Maybe not a complete phoenix, but in form and structure Iam complete!¡± ¡°Can Itouch you? pwetty please?¡± ¡°No, absolutely not.¡± ¡°But you let me touch you when you werebig!¡± ¡°I did no such thing.¡± ¡°Oh you did, I totally climbed you, and you did nothing to shake me off¡± ¡°I WAS ASLEEP!How could I have known a tiny little insect would be climbing me?¡± ¡°Oooh. So, what you are saying, is that in your great wisdom, you did not know I was there?... Hmmm?¡± ... ¡°Wait, where are you going! Dont fly away from me! HEY, YOU PROMISED TO GO ON AN ADVENTURE WITH ME!¡± ¡°I will be back. I need to hunt.¡± ¡°HOW WILL YOU FIND ME?!¡± The last of her words escaped me as Iflew straight up Escaping- No ahem. Going hunting. Yes Hunting. It has been a while since I have looked for food. It should not take too long... I mean, of courseit will take a while. It takes time to do a perfect hunt. And during that time, she might die Yes. That would be nice. Alone again Like always ... Maybe I will not take to long I mean I do want toosee how that human dies It will probably be endlessly amusing. I can not wait. Chapter - 7 ¡°You know, any good adventure needs a destination. And you want to know which is the best destination?¡± ¡°Somewhere where you will not talk?¡± ¡°No you silly dragon. Imean the land of the elves! Who would not want to go there? Imean, like, they are elves you know! SO COOL¡± ¡°Oh yes, the elves. Snobby brats that can not see further than their borders. I have to say that your sense of adventure is alarminglybad.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Ihave a great nose for adventure! AndItell you what, the elves is where its at!¡± ¡°I rather fight a giant hornet than speak with another elf. All a bunch of brats.¡± ¡°Oooh, I see. You don¡¯t like them because they remind you of yourself. Don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°No, you could not be further from the truth. Elves see themselves above all else, thinking themselves superior than all others, which is false. They will not even deign themselves to be involved in matters of the world.¡± Mister dragon spoke with bravado, waddling on the ground like a cute little chicken. ¡°I,on the other hand,care about others... When Ifeel like it.¡± ¡°Uh huuh. Isee. Sooo you¡¯re telling me, that you are just like an elf. But more selfish?¡± ... ¡°Why do Ieven bother trying to explain things to someone as stupid as you, human.¡± ¡°HEY! I¡¯m not stupid, YOU ARE!¡± ¡°Hrmpf¡± ¡°And watch it with your fire! IfIdidn¡¯t know anybetter,Iwould have assumed you were trying to kill me!¡± ¡°But Iam.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Aaah you so silly, Iknow that you love me.¡± ¡°I love no man¡± ¡°But Iam no man. Got ya good didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You...¡± Mister dragon hissed out, flames licking the air through his flared nostrils. So, for the last week, me and mister dragon has been walking through this ginourmous forest. Seeing little but wild animals and trees. Not the most amazing adventure if I say so myself. I guess the occationall bear or two has been fun. But not when they all focus on mister, stupid, dragon and his stupid tendencies to just outright kill them in seconds! What is the fun in that? I guess I understand why they attack him instead of me. He is,after all,a bright, glowing bird that is probably rarer than even the stupid dragon that takes its form... Okay, maybe not that rare but like HELLOO I am right here! Try to kill me instead! I''m probably a lot tastier than that stupid dragon! Maybe? Pfffff. ... Iwanna do something. It''s boring to just watch him huff a puff of smoke on them, seeing them burst like a bubble. I mean¡­ Wait, now that I think about it Its actually kinda disgusting. Stupid dragon. Anyway, one thing I noticed during his short battles, is that his fire is very hot And I mean veryIf you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Extremely. Even as he¡¯s breathing his flames at something maybe three meters away from me, I can still feel it singe at my skin. I think I¡¯ve lost parts of my eyebrows already. Also, his flames are like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen before. They are in the brightest of blues. As he breathes out, they make even the darkest of nights into the brightest day. Dancing like the most beautiful dancer. And his eyes They are so dreamy Hehe. I wish I had eyes like those. Mine are a boring green. But like, I¡¯ll never tell him any of his. His ego is already inflated as it is. Anyway! Now that we have a destination, the adventure can begin! Nothing can stop an adventurer when you have a destination! I think, maybe? Idon¡¯t know Never been on one before But I¡¯ve heard they are fun! ¡°So, erm, mister dragon. How do we get to the elven kingdom again?¡± ¡°I never told you¡± ¡°Then tell me!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But why not?!¡± ¡°I do not want too¡± ¡°Dont be such a crybaby. Just, you know, point me in a direction.¡± ¡°Human, I am no such thing as a crybaby.¡± ¡°Pffff, when you talk like that you are. But okay, I¡¯ll stop. But only if you point me in the right direction¡± Giving a last fire breathing ¡°Hrmpf¡± he casually starts soaring upwards, turning a few times before coming back down and pointing with his beak in a direction. ¡°Over there.¡± ¡°Thank you, mister dragon! That wasn¡¯t hard, was it? You are so nice. Now, erm, how far?¡± ... Okey, I guess I was a bit too mean there. I guess I kinda deserve that. But anyway, now that we have a direction and a purpose, this will be so much more fun!
It was not more fun. We have walked for another week now. Eating the wildlife and having little to no conversation. I guess he¡¯s still mad, Stupid dragon How long can you hold grudges? I mean, it¡¯s not like I am teasing him to be mean, He¡¯s just so much fun to tease Hehehe. But on the bright side, the trees are getting smaller. And if that''s any sign, we are probably coming closer to leaving this stupid forest. And yes, I said stupid! It ginormous, but like¡­ There¡¯s nothing special here! Aside from the chickens, but those were just stupid. I got to say; It has, so far, been the worst adventure ever. ¡­ I know it¡¯s my first. So technically it¡¯s also the best adventure I¡¯ve ever had. Always look on the bright side! Luckily, mister dragon does not seem to mind. He¡¯s just kinda Floating beside me, minding his own business. Being a friendly little killing machine I think his total kill count during our hike is- Two hundred and forty-nine? Maybe two hundred and fifty... I have not been counting okay! I¡¯m not holding a grudge because he¡¯s stealing all the fun away, I¡¯m not! No way okay. No way... Ehm.. I have a bunch of new arrows I¡¯ve crafted, which is nice. So Iwon''t have to worry about running out, I hope. And our food worries are basicallynon-existent, or I mean, my food worries. He does not seem to have to eat. Kinda weird, but when Iask him if he wants something, he usually agrees So he can eat, but I mean How can he handle starving? I know that theoretically all animals, including humans, can survive forever by just living of mana. If you know the trick, that is. But I¡¯ve never heard of anyone actuallydoingit. As it involves actively starving. And I don''t know about you, but I really don''t enjoy starving. ¡°Hey, mister dragon, how can you go without eating for so long?¡± ... Okay stupid dragon, stay silent like a sour little kid. I don''t care. I don''t. ¡­ Hmmm ¡°Mister dragon, let¡¯s rest here for a bit. I know it¡¯s not even night yet but Iwanna craft somemore arrows and practice my bow for a bit, it¡¯s been weeks since last I shot with it¡± A very slight nod in response was all I needed. Going around with a slight limp, I started collecting branches, wines and cutting out wood to craft. The sun was getting low in the sky, but I did not need much time to practice.
After crafting a bunch of arrows, I stood up Wobbling a bit as the ants in my legs swarmed, A few jumps later, with a bow in hand, I aimed. With no particular target, I decided to just shoot normally on a random tree. #THUNK# A loud thunk followed as I hit my target. ¡°Impressive human. If this was the first time meeting you, I would consider you worthy of facing me in battle.¡± Wha- Actuall praise from that dragon? ¡°Heheh thank yo- HEY what do you mean!¡± ... Silence meets me again. Stupid dragon, you think you found your way to deal with me, but think again. Aiming my bow straight at him, I swiftly pulled back and let loose. Without even a slight bend, the arrow swiftly brushed the top of his head. Arrow bursting into flames by the heat coming out of his body. ¡°Hehehehe, you look so dumb right now¡± If I was any better with phoenix expressions, I would totallysay that his was one of extreme displeasure. Hehehe AAAH ¡°HEY! Dont blow your flames at me! You could have killed me!¡± ¡°I merely aimed above your head. Like some certain human did¡± ¡°Shut up! You damn well know that if I had not dodged, I would have had no hair right now!¡± ¡°Not my problem. Only basic creatures care about hair. Glorius creatures, such as me, has no need for such filth.¡± ¡°Poo on you too. I actually reallylike my hair. Thank you very much. So unless you want me to rip off your scales, I will have to ask you to never do that again¡± ¡°Pfff, like you, human, could ever de-scale me.¡± ¡°IF I PUT MY MIND TO IT, I CAN DO ANYTHING!¡± I yelled out, stomping my food childishly hard. Oh, it turned dark. I guess we talked for quiet a bit. ¡°Hey mister dragon, I¡¯m going to hit the bed... I mean ground, so you take watch okay?¡± ¡°Have you ever taken watch?¡± ¡°Nope! GOODNIGHT!¡± Then jumping down on the ground, I snuggled myself into an uncomfortable sleep. Even after doing this for so long, I never get used to it. I really should have brought a blanket and a pillow. Sometimes I¡¯m stupid, Only sometimes tho. Then thoughts turned to dreams Dreams of dragons. And night continued on.
¡°Uuuuurh, once again a dream of dragons, why so many dreams of-¡° Wait a second, I¡¯m moving, Has mister dragon picked me up an-and STARTED FLYING! Opening my eyes quickly while moving to stand up I found myself in darkness, and my body tied tightly together Leaving me with very little room to move, nor see. Uuuuh What? ¡°Hello?¡± No answer? What is happening? Am I gettng Kidnapped? Is mister dragon finaly tired of me? Wait. No hands¡­ Then who kidnapped me? And why hasn¡¯tmister dragonwarned me? Or killed the kidnappers. What the heck man This is stupid ... Eeeeh, I¡¯m not dead yet, so I guess they need me for something. Just don''t think about it It will be fine. I think No time like the present right! Chapter - 8 This has been a boring couple of days. I have been following this human for Weeks? Time can be hard to tell when you have lived for as long as Ihave. And nothing is happening. Sometimes wildlife attacks us. Which I, inmy great might, easily deal with. Turning intothe human verbally insulting me. Why? I do not know. The human should be thankful... But to be honest I do not really understand anything about the human. She is, indeed. Peculiar. Anyway, back to the point These few days have been boring. But boredom does not really bother me anymore. Though Somehow Someway I kinda Assumed that The human would Entertain me More than she already has. ... ... Maybe Ishould leave? It is not like I have a reason to stay. I could just.. Erm... ... I should give her a little more time before deciding Yeah, I am the kindest after all. Oh Wait, what did the humansay? Something about staying for the day? To craft? Not that again Those puny arrows will not even harm a fly. #Thunk# Oh, or maybe it would First time Isee something impressive from this, human ¡°Impressive human. If this was the first time meeting you, Iwould consider you worthy of facing me in battle¡± The human responded, saying something about.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Thanking me? Ireally did not care, I do not feel like listening. The human is kind of. Blunt? Rude? Impolite? Maybe all mixed into one. I mean, no one has ever done that. Talked to me like that Not even my Dragon brethren. Even my enemies were honorable with their words Wait The human is aiming the bow at me Is she seriously considering this? Is this A call for battle? Has she gained a wish for death? #Swoosh# And it flew directly over my head. You Infuriating Human ¡­ Well, two can play that game. ¡°HEY! Dont blow your flames at me! You could have killed me!¡± Hehehe It would have been a glorious death. ¡°I merely aimed above your head. Like some certain human did¡± ¡°Shut up! You damn well know that if I hadn''t dodged, I would have had no hair right now!¡± Hair? Who cares? ¡°Not my problem. Only basic creatures care about hair. Glorius creatures, such as me, has no need for such filth.¡± ¡°Poo on you too. I actually reallylike my hair. Thank you very much. So unless you want me to rip off your scales, I will have to ask you to never do that again. ¡± ¡°Pfff, like you, human, could de-scale me¡± ¡°IF I PUT MY MIND TO IT, I CAN DO ANYTHING!¡± Yeah, sure human. ¡­ Hmm. Those words sounded absurd, Yet Somehow They do not feel absurd. Very interesting. ¡°Hey, mister dragon, I¡¯m going to hit the bed... Imean ground, so you take watch okay?¡± ¡°Have you ever taken watch?¡± ¡°Nope! GOODNIGHT!¡± And there she goes I should stop getting surprised. Well, Ihave never actuallybeen keeping watch I just kinda Fly up and sleep myself. But somehow, I never wake up to a dead body. Maybe her talent is luck? The gods might have blessed this human. I would not be surprised if it was that insulting god of chaos. He is nothing but a pain in the ass for everyone involved. Although, his subjects are often more fanatic, more. Chaotic. This human does not strike me as fanatic. Maybe crazy, yes. But not fanatic. Wait Something is coming ¡­ Ha Hahaha! HAHAHAHA! Look at that! It¡¯s rat people! A very interesting raceindeed. Very social and nice Although no one likes them- But considering their hideous exterior and a tendency to absolutely swell in numbers, destroying any local fauna in the process. I can understand why the lower races hatethem. But me. Ifind them intriguing. Even after going through several mass extinction events. They never die out. Even us Dragons Once tried to exterminate them But to no avail. You have to respect an enemy that will not die. Anyway, what are they doing here? I have never heard of rat people populating forests. Though, that never stopped them from populating deserts, nor oceans. Even I,have a hard time understanding that one. Hmmmm They are moving towards the human. Now they are... Dancing? Are they seriously dancing around her? Is this like a mating ritual? Did rat people not have their own mates to ma- Hmm, no. Now they are binding the human And carrying her away ... The human promised something interesting And Ihave to give it to her She has not failed to deliver This is interesting. Let us see what happens next. Chapter - 9
Whistling away on my favorite tune Singing a song a weird bard taught me Tralilaalilaaa Shooliloolilooo! And then at the solo, we go with a high-pitched scream. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-¡° ¡°Aow, don¡¯t kick me, it hurts¡± Hehe, at leastIknow Ican annoy them. I can get some sort ofenjoyment out of it. And, what makes it better, is that even after singing for hours They are not escalating the pain levels. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m somesort of High level hostage, or prisoner, or something. Hihihi, kind of fun to think about. Especially when you think of the alternatives ... I mean. Don¡¯t think about it. But Ihave to say ¡°Guys. This is very boring. ¡± No response. ¡°Can you at least like, talk or something?¡± Yet again. No response. ¡°I mean, you don¡¯t even talk amongst yourself. It¡¯s like your all deaf or something¡± Someone justled me, might have just been my imagination tho, because I got no response. ¡°Are you guys stupid?¡± Aow Okay, that kick probably means no. Stupid guys that captured me. Or are they girls? Are they like, amazons or something? Oooooh, that would explain a lot, and that would be soooo cool! Maybe they are taking me to assimilate me to their culture? Be a part of an amazing tribe of woman All strong and beautiful All fighting for the good of woman-kind And they are just doing this to surprise me Hehe, wow! Girls, Iwould cry tears of joy right now if I wasn¡¯t blindfolded. This means so much tome. But I¡¯m sorry, Ican¡¯t accept your hospitality I¡¯ve already promised myself to someone else Someone especially beautiful, and strong I have given myself away to him... ¡­ Euw That sounds kinda weird I mean like, Ipromised him an adventure. Yeah. Don¡¯t make it sound weird. Stupid. Oh, they stopped. And it smells kinda bad It smells like, wet dogs with a mixture of... Pee? No, not pee, but something similar. Why would they take me to their dog kennel? Ooof Aow, they dropped me Why can¡¯t they be more nice to me? At least they stopped, and finaly something is happening Ah, my eyes! The sun is so bright! I can¡¯t see I¡¯ve gone blind! I¡¯m never gon- Oh Ican see... What is this? Are those.Big rats? What the heck. Am Igonna get eaten? Crap... They are all looking at me, and I¡¯m still stuck in my bindings. They are all so ugly ¡°Wow, you guys are ugly. ¡± Aow.. okay.Ikinda deserve that kick And they are prettynumerous, Ihave to say. Maybe like, twenty? twenty five? Kinda hard to see them all when they bunch up like that. Even if I¡¯m almost an entire head above them all. Looking around,it seems like we are still in the forest But erm, It feels more like we are in a village. The few houses Ican see look human in design, so these guys maybe killed the original homeowners? That sounds bad, maybe they just copied? Yeah They only copied the design. Sound much better! Oh, something''s happening. The rat guys are moving aside. And out comes.. A new rat guy, but this guy is like, dressed in a dress.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. So a rat girl? Maybe, Idon''t know, they all kinda look the same to me. Is that racist? The only thing differentiating them is their weird ass clothing. I would call it tribal, yet refined somehow. Blending the fabrics and colours into a fine mesh. And the rat with the dress had the finest tribal clothing. ¡°Hello Human, You may wonder why we have taken you.¡± The rat girl is speaking! And she sounds very guttural and nasally. Like she¡¯s gurgling stones in her mouth. ¡°Er, yeah¡± ¡°But before we answer your questions, we need answersfirst.How did you find our territory?¡± Find? You guys found me! ¡°You guys found me!¡± ¡°No, you stumbled upon one of our sentries, they just hid before you or the phoenix could incinerate them¡± The phoenix? Idon''t understand¡­ Oh, they mean mister dragon. ¡°Oh you mean him, yeah he¡¯s my friend!¡± After saying that, most of the rat people surrounding us took a step back. The rat woman in front freezing in place, moving her hands down to the sheath by her waist side. Oh, Ithink Isaid something weird there. Glancing around, I noticed the rat woman leaning back, speaking a few words with one of the rat men close by. Shifting her sight from me to him. Then,after exchaning some words, she cleared her throat and looked down at the ground. ¡°Human, we.. We, mean no harm, I-we, of the tribe just, wanted to assure that you where not a... Threat to our survival... Yo-you won''t cause us harm?¡± She sounded a lot less sure of herself, when before she seemed to hold authority. Are they scared of mister dragon? He¡¯s harmless Well, unless you try attacking him,of course. ¡°Haha Sure! I actuallydid not know you lived here so erm. Sorry for intruding, Iwas actually on an adventure towards the elf kingdom!¡± Many looks were shared by the rat people. The rat woman in front seeminglyconfused. ¡°But, ehm, human. I am not here to question you nor your journey but. The elf kingdom is an ocean and continent away, the journey on foot could take months, if not years.¡± ... ¡°What?¡± ¡°I-I MEAN NO DISRESPECT!¡± Then she fell on her back, showing her stomach to me. What is she doing? Is this like... What ¡­ Anyway, that stupid dragon Not telling me how far we would have to travel If Ihad known it would take that long Iwould have picked something closer. Like, the dwarf kingdom. Or something Stupid dragon... He¡¯s so stupid. Anyway where was I? Oh yes. ¡°Erm, no disrespect, taken? Dont worry about it¡± When the rat woman heard me, she swiftly jumped to her feet, giving a light sigh as she brushed off some dirt from her back. ¡°Human, I must say, we of the tribe, want to express our sincerest apology. Ihave heard that some of our, people, has treated you badly, so in recompense you may do with them as you please.¡± ¡°And please, join us for the festivities.¡± ¡°Eeer, sure? Iguess, why not¡± With a loud screech, the rat woman turned around and made some hand movements. The rats surrounding me started running about, in somesort of, organized chaos. One rat moved up to me, shaking lightly as he brought out a knife. Gulping down some saliva, I stared him down Then he cut my ropes and ran away. Huh Thanks! But I got to say. It feels like they fear me? Am I really that awesome? Hehe, I guess I am. And I kinda guess, I¡¯m going to join some, rat people festival? maybe a party? I don''t know Don''t think about it too much It¡¯ll be fun. No time like the present! Standing up, I see that the rat woman is still standing, awkwardly, in place. Staring at me with bigbeady eyes. Of course,Ihave no idea what she¡¯s feeling. I never had a pet rat so I don''t know what that expression means. But she looks kinda cute, If you ignore how ugly she looks otherwise. ¡°When will the, er, party? Be ready.¡± ¡°Oh, that, it will have to wait for tonight. Until then, i¡¯v been bestowed the great honor of showing you our great tribe. If you have anyquestions, feel free toask me.¡± ¡°Hmmm, then I have one question. Why are you doing this for me?¡± ¡°Oh eh-he, erm... Yo-you¡± Then she quickly turned away to scream at some distant rat, speaking that weird rat language I¡¯ve never heard. Then, four rat men came up to me, visibly shaking in their boots, stripped down naked. And as they came up to me they all fell back on their backs and tried to lay still, failing miserably, shaking horribly. ¡°I have brought those that dared kidnap you, dear human. I also heard that they used some, improper means of attacking you. I¡¯m deeply sorry. You may do as you wish with them.¡± Uuuuuh What Oh yeah, she said something about me getting some revenge Hehe Yes My revenge! I¡¯m so going to kick them in the balls And after four, very satisfying kicks, with four equally satisfying screeches later I stood backin front of the rat woman. ¡°Ehm, human? Why did you kick them?¡± ¡°What? They kicked me, an eye for an eye as they say. But Igotta say, thank you for letting me kick them like that. I¡¯ve been building up some real frustration out there in the woods¡± The rat woman looked down on the four, still reeling from the pain in their scrotums. The rat woman going deep into thought. ¡°So what are you showing me? I so want to see where you guys poop.¡± Shaking herself from thoughts, the rat woman looked up atme. ¡°Our, poop?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard that any good civilisation knows how to handle their poop. So if you guys have a good system for poop, I¡¯m totally giving you guys a thumbs up!¡± ¡°I-I see. Well then, this way human.¡± Walking down the street, I got to say, this place looks prettyprimitive, Every house is very big and rounded, with wooden walls and wines or something for their roofs. Now that I¡¯ve gotten closer, it has the shape of a human house, yet bigger, too big for humans. And most of the rat people we passed were equipped with wooden tools. And the more erm, wealthy? Seems to have rock tools. Those that stood around me when I was captured, seemed to have rock spears. But I did catch a glimt of shining iron. For example, the rat woman who¡¯s guiding me seems like she has an iron sword in her sheath. Maybe it''s astatus symbol? Am I getting guided by the chieftain? That would be soooo cool! No wait. She said something about someone telling her to guide me. So, I guess she¡¯s second in command? Maybe? Eeh, I don''t really care. Anyway, there are a lot of rat people. And I mean a lot. Everywhere I look there are rat men. Most seem to be interested in me, all glancing as they passed. Some even following in an bad attemptto sneak behind. I can even see some tiny rat people They must be kids I have to say hi! Turning to the right, I headed straight for the group of kids Walking towards them, they quickly noticed me, freezing on thespot, looking up to me as if staring down death itself. ¡°HEELLLOOO! AAH, YOUR ALL SOO CUUUUTE!¡± The rat woman ran quickly up to my side, eyes opening wide in shock. Or I think they did I can¡¯t really tell. Then she looked uncertainly towards me, then the children ¡°Hey, translate for me!¡± Looking to me, the rat woman nodded ¡°Hey kids, you. Are. All. So. CUTE!¡± A weird look from the rat woman, then she said something in their weird language, And the kids started moving, looking up at me. Then one started talking, then another The rat woman tried to desperately translate their words, but it got very hard as all the children tried to talk at the same time. The gist of what I got from the rough translation Is that I¡¯m hideous and I smell bad. ... Stupid kids, ¡°No, you guys smell... and you are stupid!¡± Without even needing to translate, the kids seemed to understand what I said, Or at least the meaning As the kids started talking over one another again Some even moved up to me and started hitting me. Not hard, mind you. They were only the size of my foot, so I did not really feel anything. But when maybe, hundreds? Of kids started hitting you, you kinda feel bad. Especially when the rat woman beside you stops translating, looking kinda shocked, hands over her mouth. I think she looked shocked? Maybe she was laughing? Wait¡­ I think Maybe. That those kids are swearing. ... That is why I hate kids. Why did I think kids of rat people would be better. ¡°Stupid kids, is this a declaration of war? DO YOU WANNA SEE THE POWER OF HUMANS!¡± The rat woman jumped back, staring with her big beady eyes at the big mass of rat kids jumping at the human. The kids seemed to understand the meaning behind my words, as they escalated their aggression and started getting more fierce in their battle. I, in return, started grabbing the rat kids. Throwing them up in the air and grabbing them as they fell, poking them and staring, hoping that they understood that it meant death. Which they luckily understood, as those I had poked seemed to lie down on their backs and stay still. When the rat kids noticed that their tactics would not work, the number of kids quickly dwindling, They started doing hit and runs. Running back and then jumping forwards in an attemptto topple me backwards. Hehe, stupid kids, as if that would ever work on me! Mohahaha Aow Oh, they climbed the nearby building. AND THEY ARE GRABBING MY HAIR NOW YOU KIDS HAVE DONE IT Letting out a truly freighting war cry, I started poking even more furiously, Rat kids falling left and right The might of humans shall defeat all odds! But as the battle continued, even more kids joined the fray. It was like poking a beehive, they were endless And eventually I fell. They used my height against me as they bunched up behind me in a small ball meant to trip me. At the same time, jumping at my face, making me step back and fall as I stepped on their little trap. And as I fell back on the ground, cushioned by the little kids bodies. I startedlaughing. Which turned out, was prettyhard with hundreds of small rats on top of me. And while I tried to laugh, the rat kids started doing a little dance over my body. Doing some sort ofweird critter sound that I can only assume was laughteras well. A few minutes passed, and soon the kids jump away, some stubbornly clinging on, but mostly because they seem to find it fun to hang on me. Standing up, I¡¯m greeted with a very weird view. All around us were adult rat people, spears in hand and all pointing at the rat kids close by. The rat woman standing in the middle, looking like she¡¯s in charge as she''s rounding up the kids. ¡°Erm, what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Human! Please don¡¯t declare war! I promise that these kids meant no harm, they just... Wanted to play, their primitive minds far outweighs their tactical thinking. Please I beg of you¡± ... Oh yeah, I did say that, ¡°But.. I just said that as a joke.¡± ... ¡°What? but... you, killed those kids¡± As she said that, she pointed at the big pile of kids near the building, which in turn,started to move as they noticed all the attention they got. ... ¡°Oh, ehm, human? Is this, human way of, playing with kids?¡± ¡°Errrr, not really. I guess it''s a, me way of playing.Hehehe¡± ¡°Okay, I think I understand¡± The rat woman said, turning towards the surrounding rat men, barking out something in their weird language. Then, most started to scatter, glancing towards me while some still pointed their spears. Maybe I should not play with kids of a foreign culture as the first thing I do. I¡¯ll write it down for next time. But it was kinda fun. I cleared my throat and pointed at the rat lady, gaining back her attention. ¡°Now! Towards the poop hole!¡± And for the first time during our small time togheter. I understood the rat woman''s expression. As she shook her head in disbelief. Chapter - 10
Today, I¡¯vebeen summoned to the council of elders. We have been presented with a grave threat The fate of our rat people lay within the hands of us elders. A recent report from one of our border rats has told us of a frightening find A human, with a phoenix as a companion. It¡¯s unheard of How can this be? And why are they marching into our territory? ¡°Everyone, everyone quiet down quiet down! I, the speaker, herebyproclaim this meeting, started!¡± Upon the speaker''s words, the hall went silent. Only a few of the more prominent elders dared speak amongst each other. Skittering, whispering secrets to one another. I kept silent, not because I wanted too, but I had no one to speak with. The speaker looked out over the sea of sitting rats, speaking loud and clear. ¡°Now, my fellow rats, as some of you have already heard, we are on the precipice of disaster.¡± Yeah, you could say that thrice again. ¡°We have gotten reports from our southern border that there have been a sighting of a human.¡± I heard low murmurs amongst the gathered elders. Yet, those who had spoken before went silent. And my brow raised questioningly. ¡°And a phoenix.¡± The hall descended into chaos. The speaker screamed for silence For order But it took a gathering of seven elders to silence the big hall. All screaming at each other, taking minutes to calm down. I just sat there, tapping away with my foot, already aware of the news. ¡°Now that you have all calmed down. I have some good news. A cohort of our finest warriors hasbeen sent out to try tostop, or incapacitate the threat.¡± The gathered elders murmured with each other, not calmed by the speaker''s words. Not surprising. ¡°And to our great joy, they captured the human without a struggle. And as we speak, they are heading to our forward base down south.¡± This time, the elders was pleased, thunderous roars were yelled out. Rats applauding, laughing, talking loudly amongst each other. Letting the atmosphere turn brighter, the speaker spoke over the loud elders. I kept tapping away. ¡°Now, if the reports are correct, we can either assume that the human and phoenix areeither, just traveling together, or in a loose alliance. ¡± ¡°The reports say that, even as the phoenix where sitting high above the human, it made no moves to help, nor save the human.¡± A loud sigh of relief was heard amongst the elders. Yet, I wasn¡¯t. I kept tapping away with my foot. Feeling agitated. Something felt wrong. ¡°But, we can never be too careful. So I want one of you to travel to the forward village in the south and find out why this human is in our land, and what connection it has with the phoenix¡± And there it was, the bombshell. The gathering, turning silent, most letting their eyes meet the floor. The speaker sighed, shaking his head. ¡°As I thought, no one is willing.¡± The speaker then stood up,his hunched back,a testament of his great age. ¡°Then, in accordance with the laws. The one responsible for the village has a duty to represent it. And therefore, will be sent there to deal with this new threat. Any objections?¡± Dammit, Iknew something like this would happen. Andas a matter of fact I object. That village happens to belong to me. ¡°I object speaker on the ground that Ihave little to no foreign training. This, if Itake this task, will be the first time I¡¯ll be interacting with humans.¡± I paused for dramatic effect, letting the words sink in with the elders. But most importantly,the speaker. ¡°With something as delicate as this, should we not send someone with more experience?¡± One of the elders in the hall stood up. Oh no, not him, He¡¯s more wrinkled than a sour grape, and with the most stupid looking face of anyone I¡¯ve ever seen. More infuriating than a raging chicken. Might just be me thinking thatthough. ¡°My dear, we all have to start somewhere.¡± That stupid old fart, trying to shift all the responsibility on to me. Too afraid to get his paws wet. ¡°Dear elder. I know I need experience, but a matter with such importance, Ireally don¡¯t think Ishould take this¡± ¡°Oh dear, don¡¯t worry. You heard the report right? You will only need to ask some questions, and when all goes well, we will have one less human to deal with¡± Puh, like you believe your own words, you know just like everyone else that this is nothing but simple. For this human to so brazenly walk into this forest, it is nothing but simple. The human can¡¯t be anything but difficult. If I handle this wrongly, we might be in a war with an unknown tribe of humans. Those never go good for us, probably just what he wants. Probably a part of his strategy since he heard about the human. He was weirdlyquiet in the beginning of this hearing. That old fart. Suddenly, four other elders stood up, all raising their voices. ¡°We agree with the honorable elder. She who has reign over the village should be the one dealing with this.¡± The four stooges, all in the pocket of that old fart. My faceturning a shade of grey. Then, as the other elders heard the four elder''s words, the proverbial floodgates opened Loud voices barking out of the hall All agreeing with the proposition Gosh darn it. I¡¯m in deep shit. ¡°Silence, silence!¡± The speaker shouted, waiting for the gathered elders to calm. ¡°Then, my fellow elders. We have come to an agreement, she who has the honorable task of dealing with the human within our lands shall meet the human by the lands in the south. Council dismissed.¡± No, asshole. This is far from all right. Gaddammit Standing up,Iswiftly make my way to the exit. Casting a glance backwards, noting a smile on the ugly old fart. Feeling rage boiling within. And as I moved towards the exit, elders shuffled out of my way, presumably to avoid getting dragged into my mess. Like Iwould ever rely on any of you old farts. I have a task to complete. Making my way outside, I¡¯m greeted with the low light of the rising sun. Looking to the right, Isee my small cohort of twenty-seven rat warriors, all armed with the best stone spears made in the entire village. Maybe the finest warrior in all the lands, One of the few things I¡¯m proud of. These rats, they made me who Iam today. We were more before And we will be many more again. But if this continues, we might not exist for tomorrow. Lets pray that this goes well. ¡°You¡¯ve heard the news.We are heading for the village in the south, gather the supplies and meet me by the gate.¡± In unison the rats saluted, then scattered off on four legs, gathering supplies This will be a long day.
The journey to the village was an uneventful one. Little happened, but we covered much ground. Well, I¡¯m not being totallyhonest when Isay uneventful. We encountered some wildlife, but theywere easily dealt with. Our superior numbers and skill made short work of every enemy. And soon enough,we were greeted by the sight of the village, and then a scout running towards us.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Are you the ones sent to deal with the human?¡± ¡°Yes, has it arrived yet?¡± ¡°No, miss elder, not yet.¡± ¡°Good, let¡¯s inform the village, and prepare our greeting.¡± As the rat heard my words, he saluted and ran off Leaving me alone with my small cohort ¡°Cohort, I want you to stay at the ready, this could get messy and I need reliable rats near me if... no, when something happens, is that clear?¡± A wave of salutes washed over me Filling me with pride ¡°Good, now. I want you to go where the human is most likely to arrive, ask someone if you need guidance. I¡¯ll stay here to fix a few errands.¡± A few nods later and they scurried to action. Leaving me alone... ¡­. Omgomgomgomgomg What have i gotten myself into? This is so much more scary than Iwould have ever thought. Maybe it¡¯s a huge human who¡¯s fought rats for decades? Or one of those super scary human wizards I¡¯ve heard of. Ithink they could shoot fire out of their hands! THEIR HANDS! How is that even possible? And what if the human is friends with that phoenix? I¡¯ve never even heard of someone meeting a phoenix. Let alone befriending it. Oh no, Iwanna go home Mommy, why was Iblessed with such a beautiful voice? If it were not for this voice, Iwould have never gotten such a following: Leading rats to battle Getting political power as Irose through the ranks I never asked for this. Oh, someone is coming. ¡°Ahem, what is it?¡± ¡°The humans here!¡± ¡°Here? quickly show me¡± Turning around, the rat started running on two feet to let me easily follow behind. A few minutes later,Isaw a gathering of rats, all looking a little eager. Presumably surrounding the human. ¡°Give way, give way, I¡¯m here to speak with the human.¡± The rats that belonged to my cohort swiftly created a pathway for me to walk through, unhindered to the human. Then Isaw it The human, Disturbingly ugly Truly something straight out of a nightmare. But if Irecall correctly, humans do not like when you point out thisfact. Okay good, keep calm Remember your training. ... I really dont like this. ¡°Hello Human, You may wonder why we have taken you.¡± Good, nice, strong and solid voice ¡°Er, yeah¡± Er? Is she that confident about her situation? And what a hideous voice. Sounds so slimy and wet As if she''s gurgling oil while speaking. ¡°But before we answer your questions, we need answersfirst. How did you find our territory?¡± ¡°You guys found me!¡± Pfff, such lies Humans are worse with their words thanIthought Good. This is nothing, I can handle this. ¡°No, you stumbled upon one of our sentries, they just hid before you or the phoenix could incinerate them¡± ¡°Oh you mean him, yeah he¡¯s my friend!¡± ... A-a... A FREIND?! Oh no, it is as we feared This is the worst possiblesituation. What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?! Oh no, I wanna go home. No! Focus, how do I minimise losses? How do I fix this situation? Gaddammit, why did I not focus more on human history and culture This would have been so much easier. ¡°Human, we.. We, mean no harm, I-we, of the tribe just, wanted to assure that you where not a... Threat to our survival... Yo-you won¡¯t cause us harm?¡± ¡°Haha Sure! I actuallydid not know you lived here so erm. Sorry for intruding, Iwas actually on an adventure towards the elf kingdom!¡± ... What? Erm, wait, what? Is it serious? As in, they are on a task to go the elf kingdom? ... It would answer why it has a phoenix as a friend. Maybe this can be solved peacefully. But I need more answers. I need to know more. Let¡¯s take a risk and ask it. ¡°But, ehm, human. I am not here to question you nor your journey but. The elf kingdom is an ocean and continent away, the journey on foot could take months, if not years.¡± The human turned quiet, Her face distorting into a... Frown? Human faces are hard to decipher, but if I know my human emotions correctly, that means. That it is displeased. Oh no, have I spoken too much? Is it angry with me? What have I done ¡°What?¡± ¡°I-I MEAN NO DISRESPECT!¡± I need to show it how sorry I am. I need to bow. Here, I showed you my bare stomach. Please don''t cut me down Please, Idon''t wanna die Mommy. ¡°Erm, no disrespect, taken? Dont worry about it¡± Oh Erm Ahem¡­ I think that was unnecessary. How emberassing But anyway, this is good. It feels as if I can do this. Now think, remember back on human culture. When you¡¯ve wronged someone, your supposed to pay them back, right? Crap¡­ It¡¯s for the better good. I need to do this. ¡°Human, I must say, we of the tribe, want to express our sincerest apology. Ihave heard that some of our, people, has treated you badly, so in recompense you may do with them as you please.¡± I hope their families can forgive me. It is for the greater good! ¡°And please, join us for the festivities.¡± ¡°Eeer, sure? I guess, why not¡± Yes, the negotiating is a success! Can¡¯t wait to see that old farts face when I come back alive. Now I¡¯ll have plenty of time to question it The perfect plan Nothing can go wrong. Uhm, just to be sure, let¡¯s See if the human wants something. Wait, stop thinking, it¡¯s saying something. ¡°When will the, er, party? Be ready.¡± Oh, that. It will have to wait for tonight. Until then, I¡¯vebeen bestowed the great honor of showing you our great tribe. If you have anyquestions, feel free toask me.¡± ¡°Hmmm, then I have one question. Why are you doing this for me?¡± ¡°Oh eh-he, erm... Yo-you¡± Oh, oh no. Is it referring to how we kidnapped it? How could I be so careless? How could I forget I-I need to do something Think THINK! Oh, yes, perfect! If she gets her revenge immediately, she might be to lost in the pleasure that she won¡¯t think about the kidnapping? Yes! Aahaha... Perfect plan I signaled one of my rat men to bring forth the four rat men who had kidnapped her. All stripped naked Then give them a signal to get up here. ¡°I have brought those that dared kidnap you, dear human. I also heard that they used some, improper means of attacking you. I¡¯m deeply sorry. You may do as you wish with them¡± This should sort things out. Sometimes I impress myself. Hopefully, this will be enough to please the human. Four random rats are a small price to pay for the safety of the tribe. ... Wait What is it doing? It¡¯s Kicking them? Why? ¡°Ehm, human? Why did you kick them?¡± Gaddammit, I have to think before talking I¡¯m in no place to question the logic- ¡°What? They kicked me, an eye for an eye as they say. But Igotta say, thank you for letting me kick them like that. I¡¯ve been building up some real frustration out there in the woods¡± Huh ¡­ I guess She got her revenge? Hmmm ¡°So what are you showing me? I so want to see where you guys poop.¡± Oh right, the human... Poop? What? ¡°Our, poop?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard that any good civilisation knows how to handle their poop. So if you guys have a good system for poop, I¡¯m totally giving you guys a thumbs up!¡± ¡°I-I see, well then, this way human.¡± What the hell is this human saying? I¡¯ve never heard of human culture valuing poop But, I guess human culture was never my strong suit in school. ... Just let it be I guess there is no harm of showing itour... Poop ¡°HEELLLOOO! AAH, YOUR ALL SOO CUUUUTE!¡± Oh no, what happened I let my eyes wander for only a few seconds. Where is it? There No, it is by our daycare house. That can''t be good ¡°Hey, translate for me!¡± Oh no, what should I do Ehm, Please kids Don''t ehm, say anything bad ¡°Hey kids, you. Are. All. So. CUTE!¡± I translated slowly for the kids, trying to make them understand that the human is friendly. Then in a chorus of voices, the kids started talking, veryloudly And in an attemptto translate as many of them as possible I spoke without thinking. Calling the human Ugly and smelly ... What have I done? ¡°No, you guys smell... and you are stupid!¡± Then everything descended into chaos. I did not bother to try totranslate for the human But the human seemed to pick up what they were saying. Face turning more and more red Whatever that meant could not be good. Then the unthinkable happened. ¡°Stupid kids, is this a declaration of war? DO YOU WANNA SEE THE POWER OF HUMANS!¡± It has turned for the worst, the kids accidentally declared war. How? I have no idea, maybe humans declare war by physical contact. But the how does not matter For we are in a state of war. Our only chance is to kill it quickly so that the news cannot spread And just hope that the phoenix is more lenient towards diplomacy than this human. ... But. Oh my holy rat The human is strong, stronger than anything I have ever seen. With just a poke of its finger, a rat falls Holy This is bad. Really bad. I think this is a human wizard. Why does it have to be a human wizard? Just think Think! It could probably blow up this entire village with its human hand. We need to stop this I need to stop this. Making a gesture with my arms, I waved in my cohort, They quickly followed, waiting for their orders. ¡°This has escalated beyond our imagination, our kids has accidentally declared war.¡± Upon hearing our words, all grabbed their spears harder, pointing it at the human ¡°NO! WE MUST STAY OUR HAND, this may be a slaughter, but if we show that we are notinvolved with our kid''s actions, it may have mercy on us¡± ¡°Just look how effortlessly it is slaughtering our kind, Its probably just saving its power to release it on us if we move closer.¡± ¡°So we must... show aggression towards the kids.¡± Most of my cohort looked at me sadly, although they listened, knowing from years of experience that I always took the right course of action. Or have I? Will we have to slaughter our kind just to please one human? How low must we go? How low must I go. .... Wait.. The human Fell? And it is, what do they call that again? Laughing? ... Did the kids win? or wait, is the human just playing with us? Are we that weak that she can laugh in the face of death? Are we just ants in her presence? ¡°Erm, what¡¯s happening?¡± As the human said that, I shook myself outof my stupor. Maybe I can still solve this disaster. ¡°Human! Please don¡¯t declare war! I promise that these kids meant no harm, they just... Wanted to play, their primitive minds far outweighs their tactical thinking. Please I beg of you¡± The human stayed silent for a moment. ¡°But.. I just said that as a joke.¡± ... ¡°What? but... you, killed those kids¡± ... They are, moving. Did they play dead? ¡°Oh, ehm, human? Is this, human way of, playing with kids?¡± ¡°Errrr, not really, I guess it''s a, me way of playing. Hehehe¡± ¡°Okay, I think I understand¡± I don''t understand at all What the hell? What is even happening? Is this the human''s way of humiliating me? I brought an entire cohort to try tobring peace. And you where just Playing? ¡°Now, towards the poop hole!¡± ... Have I been wrong this entire time? Is this human not here to fight? Is she actuallytelling the truth? Have I been overthinking this whole situation? ... I am reallystupid So stupid Chapter - 11 Huh, I¡¯ve been staying at this village for a whole month now. And Igotta say It has been very interesting. Don¡¯t get me wrong. It has been fun. But you know Rat people are very Different, let¡¯s just say that. For example. Just the other day, when Iwas going to the loo, one rat man followed me the entire way. Trying to sniff my butt Even after getting kicked in the face multiple times. And another time, Iwas swarmed by a group of rats, late in the night and they kinda Took me around everywhere Not even asking if I wanted too, just taking me around the village Force feeding me stuff. Most were good, luckily. And even as I blacked out from too much drinking They still brought my limp body everywhere. I woke up with the weirdest headache. And, on top of a pile of rats. That was fun Hihihihi. But anyway, my point is I have noticed that these rats are very social. To the point that it''s becoming a bittoo much, even for me. For god¡¯s sake Ihave not even pissed without seeing a pair of beady eyes staring at me from some hidden corner. I think the only one who¡¯s even close to respecting my privacy, is that rat woman. The one with the dress. She is very nice, but kinda, erm Awkard around me. I think she still feelsawkard about the whole ¡°I thought you would slaughter the whole village.¡± And ¡°I¡¯m sorry I kidnapped you¡± Ordeal. Hehe, don''t be, is all water under the bridge! But, on the lucky side They are all very open about their feelings. Just like, saying whatever is on their mind without really bothering if it¡¯s offensive or not For example. When they noticed I was not a threat, they quickly told me how scary I was when I firstcame. Hehe, feels kinda nice. To be a little scary. On the downside, they ask the most mean questions, I mean, why does everyone have to know when I¡¯m on my period? That''s you know, private. Anyway, ever since they started trusting me, I¡¯ve never walked alone Always having two to three rats following behind me Chattering away in their language. ... To be honest, I think it¡¯s time for me to go. It has been very pleasant But I don''t even know where mister dragon is. I have not seen him since I got kidnapped. I should probably go look for him. Yes, I¡¯ll go do that. But first, I should tell the nice rat woman and those weird elder rats that I¡¯m going. They have all been so nice to me, I can¡¯t just, Sneak away. Or, I mean, I totally could do that, I¡¯m not a master at stealth for nothing. Hehehe. Ahem. But I won¡¯t. It would be a total douche move. And I¡¯m not a douche. I¡¯m like, totallycool bro. Anyway, let¡¯s head for the central building, those elders and miss rat woman are almost always staying there. I think it¡¯s something about their political mumbo jumbo system that requires them to talk all day Sounds very boring to me. I would rather bomb lizards again than have to listen to hours and hours of those rats talking. They talk way too fast. And thinking about it, my legs have not fully healed yet either I can walk without limping now, but when I try running I kinda, stumble around. It¡¯s as if someone has put jello instead of muscles for my legs. Every step I take feels heavy. Maybe they won''t heal without a proper healer? I should probably head to a human town, they always have an apothecary at the ready. Although they usually demand absurd amounts of money¡­ Maybe If I beg enough, they mightheal my legs? Probably. Hopefully. Don¡¯t think about it. I¡¯ll think about it when I get there, for now, I¡¯m at the hall where all the elders are gathered. ¡°HELLOO EVERYONE! I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!¡± Upon hearing my wonderful voice, most of the elders turned towards me, including miss rat woman. And if my experience in rat expressions has gotten any better, I think they look annoyed, or maybe nervous? ¡°I AM LEAVING! I AM HERE TO SAY GOODBYE! YOU ALL BE-¡° Before I could finish, a thunderous roar of squeaks and yells were thrashed out from the elders. I could not understand a thing, but it seemed as if they got very agitated. Wonder why. Then the meeting seemed to quicken, talking got faster and louder. It feels kinda weird to be here. But every time I try to shuffle away, they yell at me. ... I guess I¡¯ll stay for the moment.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. What''s a few minutes of screaming when you got a lifetime later to not hear it? Or does that even make sense? Anyway, it sounds like they are speaking about me. Maybe they want to make a goodbye party? Ooooh, yeah totally, That must be what they are talking about. Ever since those elders got to this village, they¡¯ve been talking It¡¯s totally about how to celebrate me. Never thought I was that popular. I know, I know, I am awesome. But guys, you totally don''t have to do it, I mean, if you do I¡¯ll totally stay But you know, you don''t have to. Ahem¡­ Please do it anyway¡­ The rat woman started yelling louder. It seems she is disagreeing with them about something. And in response, a very, ancient looking ratyelled back. Wow. He¡¯s so wrinkly, and even uglier than the rest Haha, rat woman told me about him before, Said that he¡¯s a big pain in the ass and should just die of old age. I¡¯m guessing they are in a disagreement about my party. Well, if I¡¯m honest, I trust miss rat woman more than that wrinkled rat. Rat woman has been nothing but kind to me. Even showed me their poop hole. I consider her my friend, even if she¡¯s still very nervous around me. I think she¡¯s one of those rats that take time to build a good relationship with Lucky for you miss rat, I¡¯m totally the best at social interactions! Before I leave, I¡¯ll make sure you have the best memories of me. Oooo, the hall wentsilent; It seems they have reached some kind of con- Wait, the rat women''s guards are moving into the hall. And a bunch of other rat guards, I think the elders, are also moving in. Oh, something''s gone wrong. Erm, now it¡¯s a standstill. All the rat guards are pointing rock spears against each other. Forming a divide, with rat woman on one side, and rat elders on the other. And I¡¯m just kinda, awkwardly standing in the middle. Let¡¯s just shuffle a little out of the way. Or not. I feel a rock spear on my back, I think thatguard belongs to the elders. The elder guards seemed to outnumber the rat women''s guards by at least two to one. ¡°Ehm, what is happening here?¡± The very wrinkled rat looked at me, speaking even gurglier than miss rat woman. ¡°Human, you stay there, this is none of your busi- ¡°NO! SHE HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW! It¡¯s her we are talking about!¡± The rat woman rebuked before the wrinkled guy could finish. I really dont understand what is happening. But it feels like rat woman is defending me? Maybe? And it warms my heart that she calls me a she. She used to call me ¡°it¡± or ¡°human¡± I don''t want a repeat of that stupid dragon in this wonderful rat woman She is soo much more willing to talk about things. That stupid dragon just huffs and puffs when I try asking about his past... Or anything to be honest. Suddenly, the yelling started up again. Not that I could understand it, anyway. And guards from both sides were looking more and more agitated. I should reallyjust sneak away. But it¡¯s kinda hard with a spear poking my back. My attention was thrust towards miss rat woman as she pointed at me whileyelling. Yelling in my language so I could understand ¡°SHE WILL LEAVE AND THATS THE END OF THIS DISCUSSION!¡± Then, one of the elder guards moved back to throw his spear, aiming at miss rat woman. Without thinking, I pulled out my bow, kicked the guard behind me. And fired Blood and brain flying in every direction Painting the guards and elders in sparkling red And then Silence. With bow in hand and three arrows resting on it I scanned everyone. Twitching at every movement. One rat elder puked, One started running. None of the guards made a move. All staring at me A spear shot out from behind me, trying to stab A swift dodge A hard stomp And a crunch. After, there was a loud scream of pain The only sound coming from the hall. Then, rat woman screamed. ¡°RUN AWAY!¡± Glancing over at her I saw pleading eyes, focused and determined. Her gaze never faltering as others looked away. I turned around and awkwardly joggedaway. A new loud yell was barked out, I could not tell from whom, met with screams of pain and wet blood splashing around. I did not look behind me Trusting in my abilities to stay hidden, hoping that the chaos would draw eyes away from me. I jogged clumsily on the dirt path, away from the great hall. I saw many rats running towards the hall. Many branding spears, a few glancing at me. But those few that did seemed to gather behind me. None moving to close the distance. But easily following behind as my jog was not nearly fast enough to run away. They seemed scared No Uncertain The news from the hall has not reached them. But somehow they know that I am involved. The gathering behind me slowly grew From a measly handful To a respectable hunting group, big enough to kill even the bigger animals of the forest Damn. I should probably havespent a few weeks improving my stealth. This place would have been perfect for it. Nothing to do about that now though. Just head forward and hope for the best No time like the present¡­ Quickly glancing back, I see one of those elder rat guards gaining on the group. That rat, in contrast with the group, held a spear with a green flag waving on top. The group slowed down to hear what the rat had to say. Giving me precious few seconds to gain more ground. Something in my peripheral caught my attention. Looking there, I saw a tight alley with a group of rats waving at me. Changing my direction, I tried to quicken my pace. Seeing a familiar face amongst the group, probably belonging to one of miss rat¡¯s cohort soldiers. Getting closer, the one at the front of the group spoke up. ¡°Human, you are not safe in this village anymore, our leader has given us a direct order to help you get away.¡± Catching my breath for a moment, I quickly straightened up, bow ready to be drawn in a second ¡°What about miss rat?¡± ¡°Our leader will be with you in a moment. As it stands right now,most of the village is siding with her, most know of your good nature and are supporting you. But those from other villages does not harbour such thoughts, and they will soon be upon us, we must flee now during the chaos. ¡± Crap This is not good. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go then¡± ¡°No, human you go, we are ordered to help you escape, your legs are not healed yet, you won¡¯t be able to run far without backup.¡± ¡°Can''t we stay together and fight them?¡± The rat shook his head firmly, closing his beadyeyes. ¡°I can''t accept that. I know that you''re a formidable warrior human. But even you can''t handle the swarm when it¡¯s on the hunt, this village is doomed, we must flee¡± ¡°Well, I can''t accept that either. Why would you doom this village for an outsider?¡± The guard went silent at those words, deep in thought, his focuse turning towards the still unmoving enemy group. ¡°I dont know human. If it where up to me, I would have sided with the elders and used you for the good of all rats. But it¡¯s not up to me, I¡¯ve made an oath to our leader, just as the rest of this village, so we will die for you just as we would die for her, her orders are absolute.¡± This is madness. I don''t understand They can''t expect me to go along with thi- ¡°GO NOW HUMAN! YOU WILL HAVE DISRESPECTED THE WISHES OF OUR LEADER IF YOU DO NOT LEAVE¡± A nod, a salute And I was jogging again. My brain not working at the same speed as my body did. Glancing back, I could see that the enemy group had reached miss rat womans cohort. Words were spewed back and forth. Spears spewing forward And the one who had spoken to me Fell dead. Looking away, I focused my vision. Hoping that my stealth would be sufficient.
I was close to the outskirts of the village. Hiding just in time two times, each mere meters away from finding me. At the outskirt of the village, the houses were more spread out, giving way for a large dirt path. Which made it harder to hide. But fewer rats were here, presumably all gone towards the middle. Sweat was running down my forehead. The exit was so close now. Rounding a nearby house I stopped dead in my tracks. Seeing a group of ten rats in front of me Guarding one exit to the forest And from the way they were pointing their spears, And curses they were screaming They were not friendly. Putting my three arrows on the bow, I raised it and took aim, all in one swift movement. The rats in return started running towards me, spears held high But three of my arrows had already been sent loose. Two pierced the skulls of two rats One exploded in front of the group, Raining gravel, stone and bones at the group Now there were six left. Fishing out three new arrows from my quiver, I focused on a new spell. Whispering an enchant onto my arrows. The groupweredazed by the explosion, but quickly got their bearings and started running again. It seems they were made of sturdier stuff than those elders from before Maybe the elite of the rats They were only fifteen meters away. Plenty of time Three new arrows flew from my bow, Two bursting into a jet of water Piercing two rats by the heart and splashing the rest in water The third arrow impacted the middle rat and instantaneously froze him in solid ice. The ice traveled from head to toe, and when it touched the water splashed on the ground, it froze it solid. Traveling from the wet ground to the moist feet of the rats. Two more rats froze solid But one saw what the ice was doing just in time Jumping up and over the spreading ice,continuing his sprint towards me Taking out one arrow, I had no time to enchant it Drawing the bow quickly, I let the arrow loose Without an enchantment, the rat managed to barely dogde it, sacrificing his arm to stop its momentum. Throwing the bow aside, I drew my dagger. When the rat got to within three meters, he thrusted forward, far further than his arm and spear should be able to reach Probably a skill Anticipating something like this, I hurriedly jumped to the side. But failing as my legs were still slow like jelly The thrust took out a chunk of my stomach. Blood bursting from the wound. Falling down on one knee, the rat reposition and jumped in closer, eyes narrowed and focused, thrusting without a skill Ducking underneath the spear, I threw my dagger low, hitting the rat perfectly in the knee. A clenched yell escaped the rat''s mouth, eyes reflexively closing from the pain. Quickly, I pulled out an arrow, jumping awkwardly forward. Then stabbed him underneath the chin, up through the brain and out from the top of his head. A long second later, the rat fell. Me, holding the arrow tight in a bloody hand, sprawled out on my stomach with the rat collapsed on top. Catching my breath, I slowly pushed the rat away, feeling waves of hot pain from my stomach. Looking down, I could see that the wound was bleeding profusely, probably something I could die from. I threw my bag forwards, pulling out a health potion from it and quicklyunbottling it, drinking it in four big gulps. Standing up, I started dragging my way forward towards the gate. Vision blurry Mind focused Looking for threats, bow ready to be drawn in a flash. Three arrows tipping my fingers. A rat rounded the corner, Bow ready. Arrows taut on the string. The rat in question threw his spear to the ground, looking up to the sky, exposing his stomach. A way for rats to show that they meant no harm Lowering my bow, I let the rat come closer. ¡°I¡¯vebeen sent by our leader to guide you to the evacuation point.¡± Guide? Evacuation point? Narrowing my eyes, I stared down the rat ¡°Please, follow me.¡± A sigh What else can Ido? Giving him a gesture to show the way, the rat picked up his spear and started jogging. I tried to keep pace, but quickly fell behind. The rat looked around nervously but lessened his pace. With two pairs of eyes looking for threat I felt a little safe. Eyesgrowing heavy The itching from the potion slowly letting itself be known. Bleeding still going strong, but lessening in intensity. Steps got uneven Ground got grassier Trees stopped me, making me tumble backwards a few times. Only to be helped by the rat, leaning against him in support. Blurry, groggy, tired and slow We made our way through the forest. The rat scanning the surrounding, looking nervous and timid. Eventually, we made it to the evacuation point. Or I think we did, We stopped, maybe the rat could not handle my weight anymore. I don''t know, and at the moment I don''t care. As we sat down, I let my bow rest on my legs, arrows in hand Chanting with a whisper, arrows glowing dimly Eyes open But I could no longer see The rat spoke But sounds escaped me Thoughts turned blurry Then someone came I shot Missed A faint echo of an explosion echoed through the trees Trees burning Trees falling Rats running in circles. Huh. So this is the end? I can''t even see who''s killing me What a shame. But it has been fun. I think. It took some time. Death has been so close for so long. Always escaped me. Finaly. It¡¯s time. Chapter - 12 The past month has passed in a flash. And I have to say: I¡¯m so embarrassed. This human is reallyjust passing through. The entire thing was just a big misunderstanding. From what she has told me, she is just friends with the phoenix. And on top of that,not even good friends. Or at leas,t that¡¯s what I¡¯ve puzzled outfrom what she¡¯s been telling me It feels more like she is just, dragging the phoenix around. Kinda funny actually. She even calls it Mister Dragon, which I really don''t understand. But back to the point. Us kidnapping her was reallystupid, but happened to be quiet the boon for this village. She has been very helpful. She has joined us for all the hunts, making them all successful with no casualties. Making her hugely popular amongst the villagers. And even the kids love her, as she visits every day to play ¡°war¡±. I¡¯ve also noted thatshe is strong. Very strong. Even amongst her human brethren she must be on top She is not a mage like Ihad presumed, but she can use magic, I think. Maybe the gods blessed her with abilities like us? It¡¯s hard to know, I¡¯ve asked her about it, but she tells me it¡¯s her skills. Whatever that means. And I have also noticed something else. She seems to want me to like her I think. Human culture is weird. When I approach her to talk, she¡¯ll look distant and annoyed. But when I move away she comes scrambling to me, seeking to talk and have fun. So weird, human, if you want company just follow me, so weird. Anyway, about two weeks into her stay, the elders came Which turned into a real pain in the ass. Especially when the one leading the group turned out to be that wrinkled, old fart of an elder. Their reason for coming? They wanted to use the human to exalt our rat tribe to greatness They heard about her prowess in combat and believe that she could single-handedly overpower the other tribes. Which is absurd. Yes, she¡¯s strong, but she¡¯s still just a single human. When I brought this up, the elders told meshe could bring the phoenix to help. And when I tell them she¡¯s only a distant friend with it, they told me to shut up That they would threaten her if she did not agree. So very stupid. All this turning very political. I knew I had to keep my cool. This will turn to months of back and forth. Me arguing that she could never, call the phoenix for help, nor help us on her own Even if she wanted to. These talks would always be atrulyroyal pain in the ass. But Iwas foolish enough to think the human would want to stay during these talks. I forgot that human culture differed vastly from ours, and so, their political views. When she came barging in to one of our meetings, yelling about wanting to leave. The hall turned into a big mess of yells and screams. Turning everything chaotic. Like a bunch of birds. Luckily for me, I had managedtoturn a few of the elders onto my side. But the majority was of the opinion that we should use the human. Everyone involved quickly realising that this debate would either turn bloody. Or extended. Hoping that the human would stay for the short extension. In our society, debates took month¡¯s and month¡¯s to conclude. The only time they lastedshorter was during times of war. Or times like this. Luckily, our great, great, great ancestors knew of our rats tendencies to turn violent when faced with quick decisions. So they made a law that all rat tribes must follow. Which is to never, and I mean never, draw blood within the great hall. Outside of it, blood may be drawn to reach a conclusion But inside, blood may never flow. Or news will reach to all the tribes, which will turn into a gathering of the swarm who will hunt the rats responsible for disobeying the law. And, luckily,a swarm has¡¯ntbeen held for the past 120 years. And there will be none this year either. No one here wants to face those consequences. But using threats and showing how much manpower you have is not against the law. And this being my village, I have every right to bring my guards into the great hall. But then the elders did the same. Those old BASTARDS!This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. HOW DARE THEY! No, calm down. Amongst the gathered guards stands that old wrinkled farts son He¡¯s maybe the No He is the most proficient and experienced soldier in the whole tribe. He could probably defeat a hundred rats all by himself A frightening manindeed. I have to be careful now. I can''t let the discussions come to a dual of honour. ¡°Ehm, what is happening here?¡± ¡°Human, you stay there, this is none of your busi- ¡°NO! SHE HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW. It¡¯s her we are talking aboutanyway¡± You stupid old rat It¡¯s you who is leading this discussion to have her, basically, imprisoned as our slave. ¡°We will have so much more to gain if we let her go in peace.¡± ¡°If she, no, when she decides to come back. She will have been grateful for our hospitality and bring other humans and goods that we could have never gotten ourselves. Even iron weapons!¡± More yelling and screaming, None of which was productive At least I¡¯ve made my point. The elders will join my side in time. I just have to make sure that this does not turn to a dual But strangely enough That old fart is not even mentioning it He must be scheming something I would never, ever, in a hundred years believe that he forgot about the possibility to invoke the right of duel. I must consider- ... The unthinkable happened Someone drew blood. A head blew up like an overblown, pregnant rat The rat in question, being the old wrinkled rats son Standing just behind me. Who was it, who killed- Oh Oh no. My dear human, I should have told you sooner. Why do you have to be so nice, I was never in danger. You wonderfully ignorant human Meeting her eyes, I perceived extreme focus and determination. A small smile met my eyes. Thank you, but you are so foolish. ¡°RUN AWAY!¡± As she heard my words, she swiftly turned around and started jogging. Darn I forgot about her limp. One of the elder guards made a move to stab, but quickly found himself with two spears in his chest Falling limp to the ground Gutted by my wonderfully loyal guards. And then chaos engulfed the hall. Spears met flesh Both sides yelling insults while trying to push the other side to get an advantage And as those outside heard the commotion, rats swarmed the hall Most without weapons, but some branding spears. Luckily for me, most rats belonged to the village, and in turn,to me So the battle swiftly turned in our favor. Elders already fleeing from the hall The old wrinkled fart carrying a headless body, tears streaming from his big eyes. Turning to one of my nearby guards, I yelled. ¡°You, You must get to the human and tell her that this village is not safe anymore, we have to leave, find someplace new, tell her this, BE QUICK!¡± ¡°Yes, dear leader!¡± Giving a quick salute, the rat ran out, followed by a group of villagers from outside, brandishing wooden spears. This village won''t hold for long. If I know that old wrinkled fart right, he probably brought an entire cohort worth of soldiers here to try tointimidate me. And those will soon understand the situation and turn on the village. Darn. This is an enormous mess. Soon after, my forces managed to kill or rout the last of the elders soldiers within the hall. A few more villagers and guards streamed in. Clearing my throat, I yelled. ¡°Blood has been spilled, the one responsible for this, is the human. But, as we of the village has accepted her as our guest, it is our paws that are bloodied¡± All hearing my words looked shocked, knowing what it meant to spill blood within the great hall. ¡°Bring words to everyone in the village, we will gather by the evacuation point, be swift, gather only what is necessary, and know, we are not of the tribe anymore.¡± As the words left my snout, all rat guards nodded in unison, moving out to spread the word. The villagers tho, were left frozen in place. ¡°DID YOU NOT HEAR ME? I SAID MOVE!¡± Those words brought strength to their legs, making them move quickly. From my cohort, I still had twenty guards, four had died during the small skirmish ¡°Cohort, we will move, strike anyone foolish enough to face us in battle and gather those that can fight, is this understood?¡± ¡°YES DEAR LEADER¡± Then we moved out, Gathering many villagers as we ran Most brandishing wooden spears and some, none
Our pace was slow. To slow. If this continued, reinforcement from the nearby villages would arrive. Scanning around, I saw the reason Around us, at every exit point that could be seen There were soldiers, soldiers from the old wrinkled rats village. All blocking, trying to buy time How are they already here? That can''t be possible. It should be at least one hour before any rat messengers reach the nearest village. And another two hours before reinforcement could arrive. These are too many rats to just be the old wrinkled rats¡¯ own cohort. ... This was planned out The wrinkled fart was surrounding the village while we were speaking. So that¡¯s why he never brought up the request for a duel He was waiting for everything to be in order Tightening the rope around me Just to What? Gain a human as his slave? No, this is about more than that. He did this to gain more power, to gain another village under his belt. That bastard. I should have known, been more prepared I¡¯m so foolish. So stupid. Well, at least his son is dead. I can take pleasure in that. Then, suddenly, the ground rumbled, a huge blast Human, it must have been her. Oh no, I forgot, she don''t know where the evacuation point is Turning to one of the villagers ¡°You, run to the explosion, the human will be there, and guide her to the evacuation point, BE QUICK!¡± ¡°YES dear leader!¡± Upon hearing my orders, he ran off, with a borrowed stone spear in hand. Well, we had one thing going for us. The enemy forces were not ready for the unexpected bloodbath inside the hall. Nor had they completelysurrounded the village. Some exits looked less guarded than others, some even lacked enemies completely. ¡°Cohort, we will use spear point. We shall move forward, never stopping, if anyone gets wounded or stabbed, you shall not stop, continue forwards. Using our momentum to break through the enemie¡¯s weak blockade!¡± ¡°YES DEAR LEADER!¡± I wasn¡¯t a military leader, but I had my fair share of knowledge about it. And I knew that the spear point should beused when you had superior forces, needing to wedge your forces into the enemies, creating artificial chaos that would hopefully be to your benefit. This situation, tho, only required us to break through a token amount of enemies. Which should be easy Should As we gained momentum, the enemies started realising what we were doing. Throwing spears and poking as we passed them Some falling, never to get up again But most made it through. And then we where upon the enemies guarding the gate They had formed into a small spear wall. Hoping to stop our momentum, But werequickly swallowed by the wave of rats crashing into them. We had made it through the blockade. We were now out of the village, But our momentum did not stop. Moving towards the evacuation point. Straggling villagers joined up in our group Swelling our numbers to the hundreds A few enemies chased us, killing off the slow and weak. A thunderous boom echoed through the forest Shaking all those nearby, many falling over. Like lightning striking your eardrums And many screamed in pain, grabbing at their elongated ears. I stayed upright, glancing towards the source. Eyes widening A tree was falling. A seed of the gods One of the unbreakable The old one Was falling How can this be? How is this... Then I saw her. Like looking at a dream, Bloodied beyond anything I¡¯ve ever seen Bow in one hand The other open and empty Infront of her lay the evacuation point Swelled with dead and dying bodies of rats All gored beyond recognition. ... I was wrong. She is terrifying Stronger than Iever thought But it was not fear I felt right now No I felt sad Please don''t be dead Please I beg you. Chapter - 13 What a terrible dream It was about Dragons again, And they were. Crying One of them had died, one of the older ones The one who had led them to greatness Created a kingdom where they could be free With him, all Dragons had come together United in a society that even the gods envied When he died, it slowly crumbled What once was a great kingdom Turned to dust For us humans, it took millennia. But for DragonsDid you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. It was over in a flash The one who should have taken the mantle Continuing the legacy The kingdom Was a red Dragon But his sorrow was too deep In his endless sorrow, he sought death Flew high, so high Higher than even the strongest of them And there, he met them The gods And he fought Fought for death But found strength After killing the god of fire and flame Swallowing him whole The world shook The gods united Uniting their strength to slay the red Dragon But even this failed So they banished him Using power that should have created But insteadsealed And sealed he was Fated to the world And there he stayed Seeking death Never finding it ... Then the dream stopped. I slowly woke up, pain removing thoughts of any dreams Excruciating pain. And itching. Trying to move, I found myself unable Arms with no strength, legs not even touching the ground. As I tried to open my eyes, I found them meeting the rat womans beady eyes. ¡°Ah, you are awake. But please, human, go to sleep. You have done enough.Just, sleep.¡± Feeling something cold run down my throat, I swallowed it slowly The embrace of darkness cutthe pain Huh, this feels nice. I wonder. What kind Of Dream That Was... Chapter - 14 With a jolt, I quickly woke up A dull pain reminding me of the past events The little strength I had left me as I sat up Eyes turning drowsy, forcing myself to sit still. Where amI? Looking straight with my blurry vision I could make out the contours of trees And maybe rats Rats? Rat woman. Oh no, where is she? Panic seeping in, wild eyes darting back and forth But not seeing anything, not being able to move Feeling trapped inside my ownbody. Then I heard a rat yelling something And soon after, the rat lady was near me. ¡°Human! How are you feeling?¡± Eyes growing sharper, I slowly turned to look at her ¡°Water, please.¡± ¡°Of course¡± She said with a quick sigh,turning to the nearest rat and presumably telling him to fetch some water. And a short while later, a very basic pot was handed to me. Greedily, I let its content slide down my throat. Emptying it while numerous rats started gathering around me. #BURP# Letting out a loud burp. And a very satisfying sigh. Aaaah, that hit the spot. ¡°Thank you! That was lovely. Do you have some food too?¡± ¡°Yes,of course,but. Is it possible for you to wait until we find a cave or somewhere secluded?¡± Hmm, why? Ooh, oh don''t be stupid We are hiding from pursuers, duh ¡°Yes, I can manage¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Looking around, I see that I¡¯ve been carried on a very basic stretcher. Composed by two big logs and some net in between. ¡°Ehm, miss rat, how long have I been knocked out?¡± ¡°You... you where out for two days.¡± Holy moly That That¡¯s not good. I reallyused too much power. Crap. I was already on the brink of death. Sometimes I can be so stupid. ... And when I think about it That last shot missed. And it looks like it was miss rat woman''speople who were the ones who found me. I think I aimed at them. Oh lord, I could have caused a disaster. Maybe I did? ¡°Di-did I... Hurt anyone?¡± Hearing my words, the rat lady stood silent for a moment. Not meeting my eyes ¡°You saved us. And for that, we are grateful¡± ¡°Oh.. Yeah, no problem.¡± I looked down. Not wanting to meet her eyes. Scanning the surrounding rats, Ilet my eyes rest on the group of kids playing in the distance. ¡°What will you rats do now?¡± ¡°Good question, we...¡± Looking around herself, she leaned down to my ear and whispered ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Leaning back out, she said. ¡°... And that''s how we are going to make it. Idon¡¯twant everyone to know how hard it will be¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks for telling me that¡± My eyes fell down onto my hands, squeezing them. Feeling them closing and opening Just barely. I¡¯ve gotten so weak. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to use a bow again. I really need a healer right now. An awkward silence. Looking up at the rat lady, her eyes stared down at my hands. The silence continued. Laughter from children being the only sound echoing out through the forrest. ¡°Hey, ehm, rat lady?¡± ¡°Yes, human.¡± ¡°Can I. Go andtake a piss?¡± The rat lady nodded slightly, attempting a human smile that looked absolutelyhideous. ¡°Pfffft, hahaha, what are you doing?¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m doing one of your human smiles! is that not a sign of approval?¡± ¡°Well, kinda yes, I guess. But pffff haha your smile! It would make any human child scream in terror.¡± ¡°They would? But¡­ I practiced this for weeks! Weeks, I tell you. I thought I had mastered it¡± ¡°Oh, mastered it you did. Perfect for giving anyone nightmares for life¡± ¡°You shut it, you just don¡¯t appreciate a good smile.¡± I smiled brightly at her statement. ¡°No, I guess I dont. Hehehe¡± Miss rat lady smiled normally back, then moving away while lightly patting me on the hands. And as she moved away, the other rats surrounding seemed to find their courage, moving in closer. Skittering and talking loudly, nothing I could understand, yet it felt happyand I smiled. Some talking quickly. Others lightly touching me. Maybe to give me goodwill? Scanning my surroundings while getting bombarded with attention, I notice that our gathering of rats is in a big clearing, surrounded by large trees. All around there are rats, most gathered in big groups, talking loudly. Some seem vigilant, looking around for signs of presumably enemy rats, or wildlife. And compared to how it was in the village Everyone seems on edge. A nervous twitch at a distant sound A muted cry Tails swinging around wildly, not controlled. The atmosphere feels tense. And I understand them, they have been hunted out of their home Many of their neighbours and friends killed by those that are supposedly from the same tribe. All the while being hunted by that tribe.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I would not want to be in their shoes- I mean paws. But thinking about it, I guess I already am I¡¯m totally in their.. Paws right now,in hopes for survival. Well, as soon as I can move a bow, I¡¯ll be out of their hair in a jiffy. I really don¡¯t wanna overstay my welcome. Especially after everything they have done for me. Somehow I will have to repay them But I don''t really know what rats like. I know that they like each other, and that they very much lack iron stuff. Maybe I can come back with a bunch of humans willing to talk with rats! Yeah, totally, and I¡¯ll make sure tobring iron spears! Aaah, just picturing how much praise I¡¯ll get makes me warm inside Hehe. Oh, something¡¯s happening. It seems the rats are getting ready to move I should probably get ready too. After a strenuous push, I got myselfup on two feet Taking a few unsteadysteps,Ifind thatIcan walk Although slowly and a little awkwardly. The only big downside is the pain, but I have survived worse. I need to find a way towalk faster. I don''t wanna fall behind the rats and make them carry me. That would be embarrassing. Let¡¯s see let- Aaahaa! I see a stick! A large stick! Testing out my new balance stick, Ifind the effort of walking more manageable Easier even. I should totally walk around with this stick even when I getall better. Wait.. I can''t call it a walking stick, that sounds stupid I should call it A cane! Aha! I¡¯m so cool right now,looking like a... Old man. Okey I take it all back Just call it a walking stick, I can''t get attached to it. Finishing with my little inner monolague and walking session The rats started to move. One of them moving towards me, asking if I needed any help Which I quickly shooed away. Idon''t need any help. ... Maybe a little. If they ask so nicely, how can I refuse? I¡¯m not hurting okay! Letting one of my arms rest on the shoulder of the very nice rat. I made my way through the forest. Scanning the rats, Ifound that our big group comprised ofmaybe two hundred up to three hundredrats and about fifty rat children. Of them, I think eightycan actuallyfight with a spear. If push comes to shove, I presume all adults will try to fight. But when you think about how many rats there were in the village- ... No, don''t think about it What is in the past is in the past Nothing like the present. As my eyes scan the front of the group, I see the rat lady. Looking very vigilant as she scanned in every which way. She looks kinda like a dog sniffing the air. Hehehe. It would be fun to see her interacting with an actuall dog. They would absolutely sniff each other''s butts. Looking back down, I focused on walking. Nodding exhaustively to the talkative rat next to me Then, as he noticed my lack of talking, he turned silent. Walking through the forest in silence The only sound escaping my mouth were the few grunts of effort. Okay, many grunts of effort. How weak am I?
Walking through the forest, nothing really happened. A few warning yells were heardoccationaly And I spotted a few roaming beasts around our group. But our numbers scared away most wildlife, making our journey just as dull as the one I had with mister dragon. Or, okay, not that boring But as I had to focus most of my time and energy on walking I found little time talking with my fellow rats. Which,in turn,led to most rats keeping their distance, only those that helped me stayed. I think it was their way of showing respect Or maybe they thought I was sick? Sometimes, miss rat lady would come to stay, keeping the silence Though, it felt comfortable with her. But as she was busy with keeping everyone alive, she would never stay long. Soon day turned to night, and we settled in by a tiny clearing of trees. To be honest, it was not even a clearing, just a place for us to stay. At least the trees gave us a semblance of safety, even if it was only imaginary. When we stopped, the rat woman moved towards me, scanning the surrounding forest. ¡°Hey, our scouts could not spot a cave or a place where we could hide, so you have to eat your meal cold. I¡¯m so sorry¡± ¡°No don¡¯tbe. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re doing everything in your power to keep those pursuing us far away.¡± ¡°Pursuing? No one is pursuing us. At least not for weeks, maybe even months¡± ... ¡°What? But then, why are we, erm, creeping forward like this? Everyone being so skittish?¡± ¡°How don¡¯t you kno- oh yeah, human. Sometimes I forget your kind rarely comes to these woods¡± She shook her head, lightly hitting herself on the side of the head as she spoke up again. ¡°We are hiding from the Harbringers¡± ¡°The Heartbringers?¡± ¡°No, the Harbringers. They are the ones who greet the day with their blood boiling cries and kill all those foolish enough to cross paths with them. It¡¯s said that if you hear their cries at dawn, your death is for certain.¡± ¡°Wow, they sound scary, what do they look like?¡± ¡°Very scary! And, from what I¡¯ve heard, you humans keep their cousins as farm animals. I think you call them, er kikens? How you even manage tokeep them is truly out of this world.¡± ... ¡°Chickens?¡± ¡°Yes! Those are the ones. The Harbringers are an old cousin of chikens, but much bigger and much, much deadlier. But what scare us the most is the-¡° ¡°I think I¡¯ve already killed them all.¡± ... ¡°You... You have?¡± ¡°Yeah, or I mean mister dragon have. I stumbled upon one that started chasing me, which quickly turned into three others doing the same. They are actually the reason for my bad legs.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Then... I guess we don''t have to be so cautious...¡± ¡°Hehe, yeah. They really suprised me when I saw them. I thought we had killed them all long ago¡± ¡°You humans did what?¡± ¡°Yeah, as you say, they are very aggressive and territorial. So we started killing them all, and along the way, domesticated a few, creating their smaller cousins. I think? Maybe it was the other way round?I was never the most attentive in history class.¡± A long silence met me as I finished speaking The rat lady staring blankly Arms limp by her side A while later, she sluggishly moved away Not speaking a single word Until she got to the middle, waving her arm around to gather all the rats close. And soon after giving an explanation Most rats stared at me Wide eyed Even the kids stopped what they were doing to stare ¡°What?¡± And then a huge uproar Rats flailing their arms and tails around, screaming out a sound that were only heard during special occasions Or after drinking. They were celebrating, or rather, cheering. The rats ran up to me, gathering around as they hoisted me up, all trying to touch me And as I was flailing around, tossed and touched I felt my stomach turn in protest; The wound from the spear opening up, bleeding. But it did not stop my laughter Nor my big smile
A while later, the rats let me down, still gathered but not touching A fire had been lit, a big one. And behind it stood the rat lady, giving me one of those terrifying smiles. A smell drifted from the fire, something meaty, something delicious. And Iwas reminded that I had not eaten for days Swiftly scrambling myself on all fours toward the smell I found meat strewn over multiple rocks, all sizzling from the heat of the fire. As I got closer, the rat lady threw me a big chunk of meat, and I, in my great wisdom Caught it with my mouth, quickly gnawing at it as I swallowed it swiftly. Its so delicious! ¡°What is this?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s rabbit meat. Our hunters could not hunt far in fear of the Harbingers. But starting today, we shall feast every night until we find our new home!¡± Upon her words, a new round of cheers where heard The whole group dancing around, shouting, talking and singing Or I think they were singing; It sounded more like someone had stuck a spear up their butt and started yelling. Three pieces of very succulent meat later, I found my belly full and my mind tired. Saying goodnight to most of the rats nearby, I huddled myself onto the ground, closing my eyes. Getting woken up by the rats swarming me as they huddled closer All looking to hit the sack. Like a big pile ofpotatoes. All lying in a big pile, trying to sleep Which actually, to my surprise, was very comfortable and warm. I think I really reallylike these rats. And then sleep found me.
As I woke up, slowly crawling my way out of the rat pit Dreams of dragons yet again I greeted the morning And coincidentally Mister dragon. I think at least. Because if that burning bird was not mister dragon. Then I feltreally bad for it. Standing up, keeping my eye on the burning bird, I slowly made my way out of the rat pit Reaching for my walking stick and making my way out of the tiny ¡°clearing¡±. A few rats that were awake greeted me with low whispers, seemingly not seeing the burning bird And then, when I was just below the burning bird I screamed ¡°WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN YOU STUPID DUNG FILLED DRAGON! I¡¯VE MISSED YOU!¡± As I screamed, mister dragon floated down ¡°Hello, Human, I see you have had a good time¡± ¡°You, poop! I¡¯ve been through hell! I wanted to tell you how bad I¡¯ve had it!¡± ¡°Mmhm, and why would I care?¡± ¡°Because you''re my friend!¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°Ah come on! Don¡¯t be like that. If you weren¡¯t my friend, would you not have left already?¡± ¡°Hmpf, human. If my memory has not failed me, which it has not in thousands of years, you gave me a promise. In your own words, giving me a good time. I am only here to make sure you uphold your promise.¡± ¡°Hehe, suresure. Your memory is flawless. Then why did you forget the exit for that moun- ¡°HUMAN!Ahem.. I have to say, that these rat orgies are not that entertaining for me¡± ¡°Orgy? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Human, how can you not know what you just participated in?¡± ... That''s disgusting! Well, maybe I¡¯m too harsh I guess I would also do that, if I got such good news Maybe? ... Absolutely not Holy crap, I feel dirty now. ¡°Well anyway, as you can see on my body, I¡¯m not really in the best shape to go on an adventure right now. So we¡¯ll first have to go to a settlement with a healer¡± ¡°I would suggest that you to do that yes¡± ¡°Yeah, so, erm, do you know the closest, human friendly, settlement that might have a healer?¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°Oh¡± That makes this a little harder. But if mister dragon continues killing the wildlife like before, I guess I won''t have to worry about food It¡¯s time I guess. ¡°Wait here mister dragon¡± ¡°Dont order me, human¡± Turning around to the rats, I saw miss rat lady staring with her mouth wide open. Accompanied with hundreds of other slack jawed rats. Huh, that''s the first time I¡¯ve seen that expression. ¡°Mister rat lady, do you know where the closest human friendly settlement is?¡± As if shaken from her stupor, the rat lady turned too look at me, still with her jaw wide open Blinking stupidly, looking stupid. Making me chuckle in delight. ¡°U-u.. I guess, to the south of here lies the stoney lands, occupied by the Fauns, and they are often veryfriendly with humans. I think¡± ¡°Ooooh Fauns! I think I¡¯ve heard of them in some fairytale! That¡¯s awesome, I¡¯m so gonna say hi to them!¡± ¡°Ehm, human?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You are leaving?¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry, but mister dragon over here wanna have fun, and I kinda promised him that. But I promise I¡¯ll come back and repay what you-¡° ¡°NO! Not needed, you¡¯ve done more than you can imagine¡­ But human, you see,I¡¯m very sorry, but because of your... Intervention in the great hall, you will probably be hunted by the swarm¡± ¡°The swarm?¡± Miss rat lady looked down at me, her jaw closing uncertainly, seemingtimid suddenly. An expression she only showed me when she had one-to-many drinks, spilling her well-kept secrets. ¡°It¡¯s the name for our biggest hunting party. It¡¯s only ever called when something of great dishonour or great disaster befalls our tribe. The swarm never stops, only grows in number until they find their prey. The swarm only dissolves once the huntsuccedes or fails.¡± She paused for a second, glancing backwards at the other, gathered rats. Turning back to me, leaning in, whispering. ¡°The swarm has never failed.¡± I gulped hearing that. That does not sound good But That''s for the future me. No time like the present! ¡°What about you rats?¡± ¡°We will manage. Funny story, according to our ancient history, our tribe settled after fleeing from a swarm. It¡¯s prettyironic if we managetosettle somewhere else.¡± ¡°Not if, When! And when you do, I¡¯ll come by and say hello. Okay?¡± ¡°Hehe, yeah, and we will wait for you human. Remember to bring gifts¡± ¡°I will¡± And as Isaidthat, I moved in for a hug which was awkwardly hugged back Why miss rat lady don''t know how to hug, I don''t know. Pushing her away slightly, I looked into her big beadyeyes. ¡°You don¡¯t happen tohave my bag?¡± ¡°Yes, we do, I¡¯ll get it for you¡± ¡°Thanks¡± Sometime later, with my old bag on my back and a last farewell. I was off, with a burning bird over my head and a walking stick on one hand. And as we got out of sight, I turned to mister dragon ¡°Hey, which way is north?¡± ¡°Are we not heading for the Fauns?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± ... ¡°That rat just said they were to the south¡± ... ¡°Which way is south?¡± ¡°To the right¡± ¡°Perfect, then lets gooo!¡± Turning right, with a bright smile on my face, I took long steps towards our great new adventure! And mister dragon seemedin high spirits ¡°Mister dragon?¡± He stayed silent ¡°What where you doing? I mean, when I was on my great adventure in the rat village¡± ¡°Nothing special¡± ¡°Ooooh, did mister dragon find some sexy phoenix? Huuuh?¡± ¡°Human, can you please just die already¡± ¡°Hahaha ooh I missed you, mister dragon! Give me a hug¡± ¡°No¡± And so we bantered back and forth Travelling through the forest, going towards the lands of the fauns Our great adventure just starting! I hope Maybe Eh, don¡¯t think about it! Chapter - 15 The council has assembled In the greatest of halls Talks of mutiny Whispers of treachery Smattering of greedy rats These elders These rats I have gathered them In the biggest of halls, housing thousands upon thousands They think I¡¯m here as an elder, to bring justice to a fair trial A trial where the suspect is not even presentThis tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. But no, I¡¯m not here for some Flimsy justice It¡¯s like a bad joke. No, I am here For vengeance That whore of a rat. It¡¯s her fault And that ugly excuse for a human. But these stupid rats are too dense to understand that No, they think the human was acting on it¡¯s own Shooting one of our ratsin an attemptto overthrow our power What a joke This whole charade, is just a big joke They don''t understand their position I am the council I own you all I am the one who can mass the biggest army I own more than half of the villages. With a flick of my tail And a whisper All you could be dead on the spot But I won''t do that No I need theirassistance The human is strong How else could she have killed my son? My son, my reason to live The reason for whyI created an empire For him And now he¡¯s gone, never to return Now, my reason to live, is to kill that human Then I will kill that whore of a rat And when all that is done I can finally die And reunite with my son Oh, my poor boy I should have never asked you to kill that whore Especially inside the hall I am so sorry. Please, forgive me. Chapter - 16 The human has been amusing Keeping me highly entertained. I have been watching her for the past; I think two weeks?Since she left therat¡¯s And she has Acted out of my expectations. In my glorious estimations, I thought she would flee the first chance she got That she would berepulsed by the rats and their touchiness. But no, she seemed to strive. Even getting close to that one of the rat¡¯s, I think she called it `miss rat lady¡ä And even after everything went bad, I have to say She showed off some great power Not many humans are capable of felling those ancient trees I don''t think I know of any humans that have managed that. I,of course,could easily burn this whole forest down. But it is fun to see something so small Slay something so big Reminds me of myself actually. ... No, no way, I take that back This human is nowhere close to my level. It is like, watching an ant kill a spider Yes, that is the perfect analogy. This human is like an ant to me. Anyhow, now that the human is safe, she has gotten very weak. I don''t think she is capable of killing any denizens of this forest at this state. Not for a lack of trying, but she can''t draw her bow How does she expect to survive? ¡°Human, you are weak yo-¡° ¡°Am I not always weak to you?¡± ¡°Yes... But I mean.. Weaker than usual. How do you expect to survive?¡± ¡°What do you mean? You are already helping me¡± ¡°I am what? I would do no such thing.¡± ¡°Hehe, but you are, you kill all the wildlife that is attacking us, and I just eat what''s left!¡± What a, carefree way of living How could I have not seen Such Insolence ¡°How dare you use me, human!¡± ¡°Hey! I did not use you, Iwould never use a friend. I just let you do you and eat what¡¯s left.¡± Hmpf, the human has gotten better with her words But I won''t be fooled. ¡°From here on, I will let you deal with the wildlife. I will not lift a scale to help you.¡± ¡°You mean feather, right?¡± ¡°I mean what?¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Feather, you''re a phoenix rightnow. Maybe you would call it a burning feather? Nah, that doesn¡¯t roll of the tongue well, do you even have a tongue?¡± ... ¡°Wait! don¡¯tfly away again! I need yoooo-¡° ¡°I will be nearby human. I¡¯m just going to be far up so the denizens of this forest won''t attack me. Any creature that dares face me in battle, I can do naught but fight back, it is in my nature.¡± ¡°Oooh that¡¯s why your so uptight. So chivalrous of you, thanks for the explanation!¡± ... Why did Iexplain something like that to the human? Stupid human. Let us see how you survive alone in this forest. I will not lift a sca- ¡­ Feather to help you.
This human is smarter than I give her credit. Mind you, nowhere near my intellect But smart enough to survive in a forest without her main weapon. She is a very crafty human. At first, she tried to talk to me, make me help her But after a few hours, she recognised that I would never back out of my promise. Then she used a very, very basic stealth spell. Not stopping there, she cleaned herself from top to toe with her water stone. Then she started rubbing her whole body with mud, a lot of mud. She looks more like one of those tree people than a human at this point. After that she kinda stayed low to the ground and moved pretty slowly, At every sound she ducked low, hugging any nearby tree or hiding behind bushes. Repeating this ad infinitum, she has survived for two whole days Impressive. But, human, how do you expect to survive without eating? Oh, it seems she has also noticed the need to eat, if the way she is rubbing her stomach is any sign. But I am no expert in human gestures, I never bothered with them, really. Now she is sharpening her stick, making it very pointy And now she is¡­ Sitting still? Looks like one of those monkeys from the h¨¢tt fjall mountains, meditating to gain enlightenment. And smelling terrible. She seems to be very good at sitting still tho, she even blinks less and even breath less. Hmmm I wonder if I could do that... Of course I could, I am a Dragon! The mightiest of all, the slayer of everything, nothing is too hard for me Imitating the human, I kept calm, motionless Flames licking my body Staying still Hours passed She stared into nothingness I stared at her Our match has started And Ishall win I shall stay even stiller than you, human This shall be another victory for Dragons! Haha I am the greatest I am the one who stands above all! I am- She moved Aha! Another victory for me, I am the- Wait, she stabbed something? She has thrust her spear into an unsuspecting rabbit ... So that was what she was doing. Have.. Have Ibeen defeated? She was hunting, and Idid not notice? I was out-hunted; She caught prey before me ... Human, my honour can not allow this I must defeat you. I shall hunt! I shall gather a great feast, something far greater than your measly rabbit. I shall be back. And overwhelm you with meat, far more than your meager body can ever hope to manage Hahahaha!
¡°Hey, mister dragon, thanks for all the meat but, how am Isupposed to eat this?¡± ¡°That is not my problem, human.¡± ¡°I guess, but why did you do this?¡± ¡°No reason¡± ¡°Erm, okay, sooo should we eat together? I mean, why would you hunt something and just give it to me?¡± Oh no, this could be perceived as a gift. I would never gift a human That would be beneath me. ¡°You are right human. Ishall dine with you. Iwould never bring such agreat amount of meat to a mere human. This is all for me. But I shall be graceful, you may eat some of it¡± ¡°Uuhuu, sure, well thanks anyway mister dragon! You are the best!¡± Hehe, I am, human I really am. And. I have to say Thanks. I think, I like you, human This has been fun... ¡­ ¡­ No. I mean, I don''t like you I like that you are making this fun. Yeah, I don''t like you. No way. You are naught but entertainment for me. Yes. Entertainment. Chapter - 17 During these two days of hell Ofalmost getting eaten thrice Ofalmost dying four times I managed to, at least, become better at stealth Haha I am great! I am the best! But it was hell, those two days. That stupid dragon, putting me through that, being so high and mighty Thinking he¡¯s the best. Well, what do you think of me now? But, I can''t be too hard on him, he gave me some meat earlier;It was very nice of him. I dried a bunch of it, now I¡¯ll have food for days! So the next time he tries to avoid me, I¡¯ll be ready. But it was very weird of him, giving me something... Anyway, we are finally getting somewhere The trees are getting more sparse, and the wildlife is way more shy, only getting close when they think I can''t see them. Which I can, or at least mister dragon can? The trees are also getting smaller, I can see the top of most of the trees now Maybe I could climb them? Ooh, that would be a view. But I¡¯m still kinda weak I can walk normally now at least, but only if I hold on to my walking stick. The pain is gone, which is a big plus. ¡°Hey, mister dragon, can you fly me up to the top of those trees?¡± ¡°No.¡± Of course not Always worth a try though. ¡°Then, can you at least fly up and see if we are close to the. Stony land?¡± Not responding, he swiftly flew up and out of sight. Then quickly came back down. ¡°I can see it from here.¡± ¡°How close?¡± ¡°You will know soon enough.¡± ¡°You mean like, you¡¯ll tell me soon or I¡¯ll get there soon?¡± ... No response ¡°Stupid dragon¡± Muttering it under my breath, I could see him twitch in response. Hehe, I see that mymasterfulnickname still bothers you. I am, after all,a genius socialiser Or something. Let¡¯s continue walking! Forward on our adventure! Why does adventure have to involve so much walking? I mean, we have had our fair share of stuff happening, but Compared to how much we are walking, it¡¯s like, nothing Mister dragon is flying, but I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s just as boring for him. And it¡¯s kinda stressful to have to always check your surroundings. If only I could use my bow. I mean, I can, I think. But, not strong enough to deal with the wildlife around here. Most bears we¡¯ve met are, I think strong enough to deal with most adventurers.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. And those chickens... I¡¯m not even gonna give them the courtesy of an estimate They don''t deserve it, they totallyruined my legs. And don''t point out thatit was my ownbomb that did it, that misses the point. ¡­ I need new clothes, the ones I have all reek. And there are holes almost everywhere. Especially the big one on my stomach. Oh yeah, the wounds looking a lot better. Healing nicely, if a bitmushy. Anyway, the rats at the village were very nice and did their best at patching up my clothes. But the factthat they barely wear any clothes reflected in their way of patching up my clothing Which is to say,badly. If there was a fashion guru nearby, he would totally puke at the sight of me. Which he would deserve. Who is he to call me ugly with a blue skirt and a purple shirt! It¡¯s totallycool, I tell you. Anyway, I don''t have any new clothing to dress in. And I did not bring any sewing materials. I really should have. Or at least brought more than what I did. But, you know, I needed a lot of arrows. And I did not think I would go on such an epic adventure! In the next settlement, I¡¯ll make sure tobring all the necessarystuff. Especially flaming arrows, they are like, totallynecessary. ¡°Mister dragon, what would you bring on an adventure?¡± ¡°I do not go on adventures.¡± ¡°I know, I know. But, I mean like, if you did¡± Deep in thought, mister dragon started thinking. ¡°I guess, I would bring a spatial-bag.¡± ¡°Woaahow, you mean one of those that you can fit anything into, and has enough space to fill an entire empire¡¯s worth of gold?¡± ¡°It is not limitless, but yes, one of those¡± ¡°Oh my gawd! Thats so cool, your such a genius! I should have thought of that, but how do you get one?¡± ¡°Yes, I am a genius. But I thought you of all people would know. Hmm, can you not buy one in your, erm, adventure guilds? I think they were the ones that sold magical items to those foolis- I mean. Brave enough to venture into the wilds of this world¡± Hmm, yeah, I should look for one of those ¡°Thanks, mister dragon! you¡¯ve been very helpful recently¡± Not responding to my comment, I lightly shrugged You get used to it.
As the sun approached dawn, we finally saw something new. The trees had opened up, leaving a gap where the ground suddenly turned, rocky Like a big border where the forest ended, and where the stone-land started No grass as far as the eye could see Only rocky hills and boulders sticking up I could not even see any mountains in the distance. The ground, looking like big waves, stopped in time due to being made of stone. The stone was also multicoloured, from red to the normal grey Shifting in hues like a rainbow. ¡°Woah, this looks hella cool. Don¡¯t you agree, mister dragon?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Pfffff, such a loser, can''t even appreciate a good view when you see one¡± ¡°Human, I have seen mountains fall, ocean waves climb higher than mountains, lava erupt and create new land. Why would something like this be a good view for someone like me?¡± ¡°Because it''s a good view? Hello! This is why you are so stupid.¡± ¡°NO YOU ARE¡± ¡°Says the flying ball of farts¡± ¡°What did you just call me?HOW DARE YOU¡° ¡°Woah woah, watch the fire there, we don¡¯t wanna cause a forest fire huuh?¡± I Gave him a big mischievous smile as the ground behind me burned brightly blue. Turning my view away from him. ¡°We should camp now, we dont know what kind ofdangers there is in that, stoney land¡± ¡°Hmpf¡± ¡°I said watch the fire! Anyway, I¡¯m gonna sleep here tonight¡± Saying that, mister dragon flew up. Gees, such a baby Hehe, what a baby dragon. Let¡¯s settle down. I don''t think anyone will try to sneak up on me, considering no one but the rats have done so. But I feel a little nervous, thinking about what lies beyond the rocky environment. Maybe there will be stone golems! Or stone salamanders Stone wyverns! Wait. Stone salamanders? Oh gosh, I shiver at the thought. So much stone, I can''t wait Makes me a little giddy and excited. Going around, I collected stick and rocks. Creating a makeshift camp that stuck out from one of the big trees. After that, I collected some smaller sticks and put them in a hole, surrounded by rocks. Using my fire stone to start a fire. Feeling warm and comfortable, I laid down Waiting for the day to turn night This is boring. I should practice shooting. Jumping up Or trying to, as Ihad to awkwardly push myself up the last bit of the way. I pulled out my bow and three arrows. Aiming at a nearby tree, I used all my strength and pulled Only making it halfway back until my strength failed me and I had to let loose The arrow flew through the airand hit the tree with a weak thud. Not even close to where I was aiming. How long does it take for a wound to healanyway? It¡¯s been like a week now, I think. ¡°HEY! MISTER DRAGON! HOW LONG DOE- ¡°I can hear you perfectly fine.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. I meant to ask, how long does a wound take to heal?¡± ¡°You mean without magic?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I do not know. I do notremember the last time I were wounded. Nordid I ever care for humans time to recuperate¡± ¡°Wait a minute, you''re telling me, that YOU, dont know something?¡± ... ¡°Hey! STOP FLYING AWAY WHEN I PROVE YOU WRONG YOU STUPID DR- I MEAN WONDERFULL DRAGON! COME BACK¡± But I was too late. He had already flown out of sight. What a baby, I should really have a talk with him about his tendencies to fly away when things get awkward. It¡¯s like trying to not step on broken glass. Such a... Okey stop that, don''t be mean I don''t think many people have the opportunity to verbally harass a dragon. He¡¯s just not used to it, give him some time Yeah Time ... Wait, isn¡¯t like¡­ His way of thinking about time like, thousands of years? ¡­ Maybe I should have a talk with him. Let¡¯s Have it if he continues being a baby. And as Ithoughtthat, day turned to dawn. The red horizon was in full view as the trees were not blocking it anymore. The sight being as beautiful as ever I hope I never tire of this. And as I stared at the sun, climbing its way down Not directly at it, mind you, I¡¯m not stupid I felt at peace Yeah, peace. Even though I¡¯m kinda handicapped at the moment And mister dragon is nowhere in sight I feelt good It¡¯s nice to be alive. Funny that I would come to thinkthat. Anyway, let¡¯s hit the bed. Or ground, I guess. Soon after, sleep finds me Giving me dreams of dragons Happy dreams of dragons. Chapter - 18 Today, I woke up with a warm feeling in my stomach A small smile plastered onmy face as I stretched Hmm, that warm feeling might just be my wound Or a fart bubbling? Eeh, it¡¯s pleasant so I don¡¯t really mind. Finishing my light stretch, I climbed my way up to my feet, yawning slightly while looking around. Now, where is mister dragon? ¡°Mister draaagooon?¡± No? It seems he¡¯s still gone somewhere. Well, he should be able to find me, even if I sta- ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°AAAAAH, aah you, stupid dragon! Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± Saying that, it looked like the dragon was smiling. Or, yeah, I don''t know, phoenix¡¯es don''t really have facials gestures. But if they did, I¡¯m a 100% sure that he would be smiling right now. Stupid dragon. ¡°Ahem, I was wondering if you were ready to leave, but seeing you awake and teasing me like that, I¡¯m guessing you are.¡± A nod in confirmation ¡°Then, I¡¯m just gonna pack up real quick and we¡¯ll go, it¡¯s just a straightforwardwalk from here?¡± ¡°Almost, yes.¡± ¡°Almost?¡± ¡°You have been walking diagonally south for a while now.¡± ¡°What? So, you are saying, I¡¯ve been walking in the wrong direction for days, and you¡¯ev not said anything?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, you smug, piece of dung, I¡¯m gonna get you-¡° But before finishing, I realised that I should probably just let it slide. I¡¯ve been kind of a jerk lately. And I kinda deserve that. ¡°Anyway, just.. Wait for me.¡± Turning back to camp, I gathered the little things that belonged to me. Among them, my bow and arrows. After putting them on, I turned back to the rocky land. ¡°Now, the real adventure starts!¡± ¡°Did you not say that when we first went into the forest?¡± ... ¡°THE REAL ADVENTURE STARTS!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± After taking my first step on the rocky surface, I found it surprisingly smooth. As if water had smoothed it out for millennia Which it probably has, I mean,Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. It has to rain here, right? This is gonna be so awesome! Walking straight forward, I gave the sun a big smile. This is so awesome. This is going to be a perfect day!
It has not been that awesome It has not been perfect. We¡¯ve been walking for hours And the sun is unrelenting. Gad damn It¡¯s like walking in a desert, but slightly less hot I¡¯ve been sweating so much that my clothes have gotten see through Would be embarrassing to meet a human right now. Mister dragon does not seem to mind. Obviously He even seems to take pleasure in my suffering. You little ant hole. Anyway, even after walking for this long Nothing really changes, the land is still rocky. And as far as I can see, there are no landmarks that can point us in the right direction. Hell, if itwere not for mister dragon, I would have probably already started walking in circles without knowing. I know because I did, multiple times. The only reason I know, is because I asked mister dragon Smuggly pointing out that I, in fact, was walking in the wrong direction. Stupid dragon, you could tell me on your own without me having to ask you everytime. Dragons have long grudges I guess. The only fun thing with this walk is how the ground kinda.. Moves? Not in a literal sense, but They go down, and then up Like some giant rock wave Sometimes they can be so steep that Ihave to slide down, Which is fun. But can be a pain in the ass to climb back up, luckily I still have my trusty hook, even if it¡¯s bent. But the monotony of walking kicked in once again. Nothing happening but the occasional slide Or talk with mister dragon, but as you can guess He never really talks much ¡°Mister dragon, what is your favorite colour?¡± ... ¡°Mister dragon, do you dragons poop?¡± ... ¡°Mister dragon, if we theoretically say that you where a human, how would you fight a dragon?¡± ... ¡°Mister dragon, if you don¡¯t say something, your technically stupid¡± ¡°T¨² ert heimskur¡± ¡°Okay, now you''re just being mean¡± Anyway See? No talking. Maybe I¡¯m asking the wrong questions? Let¡¯s try something a little. More personal ¡°Hey, ehm, mister dragon?¡± No response ¡°Where are all the other dragons?¡± A small twitch ¡°Dead¡± Oh, a response, final- Wait what ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°Dont be, I do not want pity from a human¡± ¡°Okey, then, er¡­ How did they die?¡± ¡°None of your business¡± ¡°Okay... sorry¡± ¡°I said no pity human. If you are to take pity, take pity to those that were foolish enough to face us in battle. Those were the days, Dragons filling the sky, all creatures of the world fearing us, we were gods flying the earth.¡± Hm, it looks like he misses the old days. I wonder how long ago that was? I don''t think there are any books about dragons anymore. They only exist as myths and legends. Maybe there are some, but they are probably super expensive and secret. I could never get those ¡°Then, how many dragons where there?¡± ¡°Oh, many, If we had all gathered together, we would black out the sun for an entire city.Altough there was never a need for us to gather like that, even one of us could destroy even one of your measly cities¡± Wow, now he¡¯s talking. I guess going on his ego helps him loosen his lips. Or jaw. ¡°Was all dragons blue?¡± ¡°Oh no, we Dragons take the colour of our preferred element. I am blue like the colour of my flames, stronger than most Dragons. Normally, Dragons would be red if they had chosen fire as their preferred element.¡± ¡°So you are like, a master of master amongst dragons?¡± ¡°Hehehe, you could say that human. I trained our young who wanted the wisdom of the flames. I was even amongst the council of six. No Dragon would dare question us.¡± ¡°The council of six?¡± ¡°Yeah, six great Dragons, feared and loved amongst all. But now they are dead, and I¡¯m still here¡± ¡°Cool! Then did you dragons have your own kingdom?¡± But no answer came. Feeling more like he was in deep thought than actively ignoring me I guess Ikinda stepped on a bad subject. I should try to avoid the subject of dragons unless it¡¯s about him. He really likes talking about himself. The sun was setting Painting the land in a bright red colour Being as beautiful as ever I¡¯ll never get used to it Never. Going down on one of the stoney waves, I settled in Having little but my clothes and bag to make sleep comfortable And not having any wood nearby means no fire Or I could make one with the firestone. But that would mean continuously providing it with mana. Which I could not do while sleeping. And as the sun set, the wind made its entrance Freezing me to the bone Huh, I guess this is like a desert Hot at day, cold at night Luckily, there does not seem to be any wildlife. Or not any dangerous ones at least, as I have seen multiple small insects and lizards scurrying about. Shivering lightly, I tried to warm my body with my hands. Well, tried is the word It did not work. Light shivering turned to heavy Trying to not think about the cold Having warm thoughts Feeling tired, but waking from the cold. But then, I felt heat. Coming out from somewhere behind me Looking there I could see mister dragon laying very close Shuffling closer, I laid myself around him. Using him as a living campfire. ¡°I did not know you where so warm, mister dragon¡± I whispered, before sleep took me. And I dreamed of dragons And how warm their bellies were. Chapter - 19 Quickly waking up, I found myself under attack. Something was holding me. Foolish animals, do you not know you are beneath me? Nothing you do will harm me I am above all I am- Turning around, I found the human Sizzling and burning from my flames Hugging me tightly Oh no OH NO! WHAT HAVE I DONE Quickly extinguishing my flames, I swiftly turned back to my Dragon form. Cracking the surrounding grounds, taking a deep breath, and blowing it out Snuffing the flames burning her. Turning back to the phoenix form, I nudged myself forward to touch the burnt flesh. But find to my surprise Nothing Or, I do but The burn marks are more of asmall burnrather than a life-threatening condition. Which it should be right now It just looks like a normal kitchen burn. Thinking about it, she should have been screaming Fully awake and in immense pain. What is this? How is this possible? There is nothing that can survive my flames I thought thatat least. I do not understand. Still, I have caused this human pain, no matter how slight it is my duty to help. Bending forward, I let my beak hit her chest. Letting my mana flow into her, the few burnsturningpink. Making her skin even smoother than before No, why do I know her skin is smooth? Oh yeah, the hug, I hate hugs. Sitting back down, I stare at her Pondering. How can this be Has the gods blessed her? Not possible, the only god who could have given her that blessing is already dead. Has she trained her whole life to gain a resistance to fire? Possible, but then she should have been a hundred. No, a thousand years old at this point And I strongly believe,she is not. Is she actually a fire elemental? No Not even fire elementals could survive my fire. I do notknow. I do not understand I. Do. Not.Know. This is a new, a first How long since I did not possess knowledge such as this? This does explain her lack of fear for me, or lack of discomfort around my flames. I should have noticed sooner. ... I should wake her, get my answers ¡°Human, wake up.¡± Saying that, she groggilyopened her eyes.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Blinded at first by the sun, Then focusing her eyes at me ¡°Ehm, goodmorning!¡± It seems she has not noticed ¡°Human, you hugged me, you got burnt¡± ¡°What?¡± Looking around in a stupor, the human seemed perplexed Maybe I owe her an explanation. ¡°Before I could differentiate who was hugging me, I let my flames take power. When I realised it was you I turned my fire off and healed your burns. ¡± Now she is giving me that weird look The look between confusion and.. Anger? Looking even more perplexed I should just ask her, before she speaks up. ¡°Human, I must ask, do you have an immunity to fire? Or a very high fire resistance?¡± She then looked down on her body, then up to me Expression turning more towards anger than confusion ¡°YOU BURNT ME! And.. and AND THEN YOU HEALED ME!¡± I have already stated as much ¡°Yes, answer my question.¡± ¡°No. YOU ANSWER MY QUESTION, IF YOU CAN HEAL ME, WHY HAVE YOU NOT?!¡± ¡°I did notwant to. Now answer my-¡° ¡°WHAT DO YO-¡° ¡°SILENCE! IF YOU WANT TO TALK SPEAK NORMALLY, I WILL NOTACCEPT ANYTHING ELSE!¡± Aaah, human, you make it hard to think If you want a back and forth, you should be civil Even my greatest enemies were more civil than you And from the way you are screaming and stomping I am guessing this is your way of fueling your anger. Or maybe venting it? Human emotions can be hard to interpret.
After waiting for a few minutes, the human finally calmed down. Her leg still visibly shaking, but her outwards appearance more calm than I have ever seen on her before. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m calm now. What was your question?¡± Calmed down? ¡°Hrmpf, As I said. Do you happen tohave immunity to fire? My fire should have scorched you to the bones.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No? Answer me more clearly human, I need answ-¡° ¡°You keep secrets, so do I¡± Secrets? SECRETS? HOW DARE YOU I GIVE YOU THE COURTASY OF JOINING YOUR ADVENTURE I GAVE YOU GIFTS I DID I A GREAT DRAGON ASKED YOU A VERY SIMPLE QUESTION AND YOU DARE REFUTE? YOU INSOLENT HUMAN! No, calm down, do not let the human get the best of you You have been through more frustrating conversations before Calm down Letting my flames still, I managed to calm myself. Mind more focused than before. ¡°Dragon, I have a question. Why have you not healed me before? I mean my legs and stomach.¡± ¡°I have already answered you.¡± ¡°No, you said you don¡¯t want to. That¡¯s a non-answer. Give me a proper one¡± A proper one? Why would I deign you with such privacy? The inner workings of a great Dragon, ... Hmm. I could use this ¡°Only if you tell me about your fire immunity¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.But tell you what, I¡¯ll tell you how Igot this supposed fire immunityif you answer my question¡± Hmm Human, you make me even more interested in your ability. Maybe Maybe if Iknow the origins, I can figure out what exactly she has. Yes, with my great mind It will be a piece of cake. ¡°Very well. The reason is very simple, I do not find it beneficial for me to heal you. Nor do Ireally care if you die or suffer¡± There, Human I have given you my answer. A Dragon never lies, never. The human stayed silent, head down, not letting me see her expression Interesting, this is a first for this human Maybe she is in deep thought? She seems to ponder, maybe thinking of what to give me to make me heal her. Hehe, human, there is nothing in this world than you can give me that would satisfy me Nothing ¡°Aha, I see... Well. My answer is that Iwas born with it.¡± Born What? Is this an inborn ability? This does not tell me anything, it could mean anything. ¡°Born? That does not answer my question human.¡± ¡°Yes it does, not my fault you were not specific enough.¡± Specific? SPECIFIC? HOW DARE YOU, HUMAN YOU FOOLED ME? YOU TRICKED ME? NO ONE WHO VALUES THEIR LIFE WOULD DARE TRICK ME ¡°How..HOW DARE YOU, HUMAN!¡° ¡°You did the same to me. Now we are even¡± EVEN?! YOU INSOLENT HUMAN I WILL MAKE YOU PAY The fire around me burning bright Forming a pillar that reached up to the sky Piercing clouds and painting everything in a blue hue But my eyes, they never left the human Walking away from me, back turned As if she was mocking me How, HOW DARE YOU I.. Trusted you ... I think I have lied I have lied to myself Any dragon would kill those that dare defy them Trick them like this I have done so before On more than one occasion But I can not seem to kill you Human What have I done for you to do this I do not understand I do not Understand Chapter - 20 As I woke, I found myself alone. Looking around for my friend, I could not find him ¡°Hello?! Where are you!¡± In a panic, I searched Scanning around wildly I¡¯m alone. I¡¯m always gonna be- ¡°Human, wake up.¡± Shooting myself upright, I was rudely greeted by the sun. Aaaah, my eyes! After being in the forest for so long, you kinda forget how bright the sun is Anyway, rubbing my eyes for a bit and blinking away the pain I managed tosee And to my surprise, I see a burning phoenix taking up my view. ¡°Ehm, goodmorning!¡± ¡°Human, you hugged me, you got burnt.¡± ¡°What?¡± Looking down on my body, Ifound that my shirt had burnt down and the skin on the middle of my chest coloured in a light hue of pink. But weirdly enough, it didn¡¯t hurt, nor did I feel burnt. ¡°Before I could differentiate who was hugging me, I let my flames take power. When I realised it was you I turned off my fire and healed your burns.¡± He did what Wait, he burned me, then he healed me?Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Human, I must ask, do you have an immunity to fire? Or a very high fire resistance?¡± Waitwaitwatiwatit Wait, a whole second now ¡°YOU BURNT ME! And.. and AND THEN YOU HEALED ME!¡± ¡°Yes, answer my question.¡± ¡°No. YOU ANSWER MY QUESTION, IF YOU CAN HEAL ME, WHY HAVE YOU NOT?!¡± ¡°I did not want to, now answer my-¡° ¡°WHAT DO YO-¡° ¡°SILENCE, IF YOU WANT TO TALK SPEAK NORMALLY, I WONT ACCEPT ANYTHING ELSE!¡± You stupid, STUPID DRAGON WHY SHOULD I CALM DOWN DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PAIN I¡¯VE GONE THROUGH? AAAAAH Jumping to my feet, I start stomping around. Flailing my arms and screaming in frustration YOU STUPID DRAAAAGON! ---- A few minutes pass before I finally sit down Breathing calmly Or at least trying to. ¡°Okey, ahem. I¡¯m calm now. What was your question?¡± ¡°Hrmpf, As I said. Do you happen tohave immunity to fire? My fire should have scorched you to the bones.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No? Answer me more clearly human, Ineed answ-¡° ¡°You keep secrets, so do I¡± ... A silence emerged. The dragon starting to heatup, visibly fuming But nothing more. He stayed silent, calm. ¡°Dragon, I have question. Why have you not healed me? I mean my legs and stomach.¡± ¡°I have already answered you.¡± ¡°No, you said you don¡¯t want to. That¡¯s a non-answer. Give me a proper one. ¡± ¡°Only if you tell me about your fire immunity¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.But tell you what, I¡¯ll tell you how Igot this supposed fire immunityif you answer my question¡± The dragon stood silent. Flames calmly licking his body, as if having a life of their own. ¡°Very well. The reason is very simple, I do not find it beneficial for me to heal you. Nor do Ireally care if you die or suffer¡± Oh. So that''s how you feel about me Even after our adventure How much fun we¡¯ve had I¡¯m just nothing to you? ¡°Aha, I see... Well, my answer is that Iwas born with it¡± ¡°Born? That does not answer my question human¡± ¡°Yes it does, not my fault you where not specific enough.¡± Flames burning bright, filling my entire view as the heat made me sweat ¡°How..HOW DARE YOU HUMAN!¡° ¡°You did the same to me. Now we are even.¡± Saying that, I turned away from the dragon, picking up the few belongings I had and started walking. Tripping over some cracks in the ground My back starting to heatup, the little clothing I had left Burning to crisps. I continued walking, not minding the heat. Head turned down And a frown creeping to my face, with brows equaling it. Eyes focused, but watering Making my view blurry Stupid dragon You can be so stupid. I thought we were friends. Chapter - 21 I forgot how boring it can get travelling alone. It¡¯s been maybefive days since I separated with the dragon. My food is getting low. And Ithink I¡¯ve been walking in circles Just great It¡¯s perfect. I¡¯m trying to not think about it too much. Especially about the dragon. But it¡¯s proving hard, it¡¯s usually not this hard. Or who am Ilying, it¡¯s always hard. Counting the jerky I have left, I think it¡¯s two days'' worth of food. Maybe three if I ration, which I should probably start Or I should have started, but you know Stress eating and all. At least the environment is pretty. Although, nothing really changes, except for the colours Changing from flaming red to bright orange, and then weirdly enough, going to green I know, it¡¯s weird. But somehow, it looks natural. As if it wasmeant to be And I¡¯ve got to say It¡¯s a lot more pleasing to walk around this than the forest. Anyway, yesterday Ifound something new. I saw smoke on the horizon. At first I thought it was the dragon But realised that it couldn¡¯t be. His fire does not produce smoke. Not from rocks anyway. Which made me realise that it must have been a camp, or something similar So, I changed direction, walking towards the smoke. But, as I came closer and closer, the smoke dissipated, vanishinginto thin air. And as you might guess I have no idea where the smoke could have been Nor who had created the smoke. If my luck checks out, I¡¯m probably just walking in circles again. At least I can use the different hues of colours from the rocks to kinda give me an indication of where I¡¯m going. I don''t know how the dragon knew where north or south was- Wait, I see- I see something! It¡¯s smoke again! And it¡¯s very close I thinkan hour''s walk from here? Let¡¯s go! Using my walking stick as a crutch, I made my way forward. Still feels kinda stiff to walk, but a lot more manageable Especially after mister dragon healed-The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡­ Yeah.. It¡¯s a lot better. It feels more like I¡¯m walking through jello then actively fighting against my body. It also feels like I¡¯ve gotten stronger. I can''t say exactly how much stronger But when I¡¯m flexing my bow, I can practically draw it at full strength. Anyway, back to the smoke, I wonder who it is Or whom It can''t be any wildlife, smoke like that has to come from wood And wood means a fireplace And a fireplace means civilised people Let¡¯s just hope they don''t try tokill- No, don''t think like that. Nothing like the present. There is nothing good about overthinking. Let¡¯s just, Think of how to say hello Yeah Should I try to go for the handshake? What if they don''t like touching? Or what if they go for somesort offist-bump and I go for the handshake? Oh no, that would get so awkward I would just accept death at that point. Wait. I¡¯m overthinking again! Stop that! ¡­ But I wonder what they are doing. It¡¯s not like there is anything out here. Hmmm Oh, I think I see it, the source of the smoke! And it is a camp, as I thought, surrounded by, erm, I think four people? There are two tents and a fire in front. Maybe the tents are hiding more people? Anyway, let¡¯s go up and say hello! As I got closer One from the group noticed me, quickly getting to his feet and shouting something. Or, er I should probably say hooves. As they sported a lower body that looked like goat legs And horns that resembled a rams, curving around itself, looking like a snail''s shell. Then they took out bows, made from a material resembling their horns. Running towards me Oh, I don''t think they are friendly. Crap. Thrusting my arms up, letting my walking stick fall to the ground ¡°I¡¯M FRIENDLY! I¡¯M JUST HERE TO FIND WHERE THE FAUNS LIVE!¡± The four creatures kept running, getting out arrows that looked like stone Oh no, oh no ohnohonohnohnohno I don''t wanna kill these guys Can I even kill them? I-I have to trust that they won''t kill me. Maybe they¡¯ll just interrogate me, like miss rat lady did Please be right. Please. Trusting my instincts, I kept still, hands up and looking as nonthreatening as possible. The goat people moved swiftly, getting closer and closer at a rapid pace. A short while later, they were within my firing range But did not stop. Then, maybe a few hundred meters away, they stopped Aiming their bows Oh my god, I¡¯m so screwed But I stayed still, waiting ... And waited I did Waited they did. No one shot, but no one moved. I did not bring my arms down though. Nor did they bring their bows down. They kept talking amongst themselves, seemingly arguing One amongst them, with horns that looked as if they had been cut out, was the loudest Then, a few minutes later The goat man with the cut horn started walking forwards Slowly at first, but gaining speed. And as he got within ten meters of me, keeping the line of sight of his friends clear to shoot me He started talking ¡°Why are you here?¡± A thick accent, as if he had an bubble stuck in his throat and had just learnt the language ¡°Hello! I¡¯m here to meet the fauns.¡± ¡°Meet the fauns? Why?¡± ¡°To heal my leg, I heard that fauns are accepting of humans¡± ... The goat man stayed silent Watcing me, bow turned down but hands holding it firmly ¡°Why should we heal you?¡± Huh? Oh OOOOH THEY ARE FAUNS ¡°ARE YOU THE FAUNS?¡± At my exclemation The faun aimed his bow ¡°Oh, sorry for screaming. I mean, are you fauns?¡± The faun looked at me, face full of confusion Well, at least it was a face I could read the expressions from Not like the rat¡¯s, or mister dra- ¡­ Then he lowered his bow again ¡°Human, you see... We fauns doaccept trade from humans, and glady soo... But something has come up. A great disturbance¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Yes, about five days ago a great pillar of blue flames painted the sky. Our people,are scared... And the only thing we know that could potentially get that powerful, are human wizards¡± .... ¡°You human, are you, a wizard?¡± Saying that, he moved back a little Grip around bow tightening .... ¡°Human?¡± Getting nervous, the faun started awkardly shifting his weight Waiting for an response ¡°Huh, I did not know it was that strong¡± Eyes almost popping out from this statement, the faun aimed his bow again And shot Missing by just a centimeter But the pressure pushing me to the side, flying to the ground and hitting my side ¡°Aow, what ar-¡° But before I could finish, three other arrows flew towards me, missing as they had aimed where I stood before getting pushed over. A small explosion of rocks and pebbles showered me from the impact Quickly taking out my ownbow, I aimed it at the ground beneath the faun with cut horns The faun in question had taken out a new arrow, aiming it squarely at me Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap Imbuing my mana into the arrow, I took a chance The faun let loose I rolled to the side Just missing me, but throwing me to the side, disoriented and in pain Trying to breathe, I found myself short of breath. And trying to move was like stabbing myself with hot knives Eyes shut,unable to open. But I had to shoot One shot, please Rolling so that my back was against the ground, I aimed the bow while lying The faun presumable still at the same place And I shot, aiming where I thought he was #BOOM# A massive explosion A ball of fire And a crater I could feel the pressure even from where I was lying. I tried to take out a new arrow, but found myself unable My quiver was on my back, and the pain was too unbearable to try toshift my weight to grab one. I think I¡¯ve broken a rib Maybe more And it¡¯s hard to breathe, probably a punctured lung. My eyes seem busted. Lying still I breathed nasally, grasping for any amount of air I could get Eyes unable to percieve light, leaving me in the dark, focusing on the pain. Huh This is how I die. Not the kind ofdeath I pictured But I guess it will do. I guess It will Do Then pain overcame me. Blacking out Chapter - 22 Uuuuugh My brain. It feels like it¡¯s melting¡­ What? Where am i? Am I... Floating? Is this heaven? No, wait, this can''t be heaven I¡¯m in too much pain. No this This is hell. NOOOOOOOO I can''t even seeeee Nor can I move Such deja vu It¡¯s just like when I was kidnapped by miss rat lady. ... Wait. ¡°He-¡° Coughing immediately as I tried to speak, finding my mouth to dry to even articulate I¡¯m thirsty. My throat hurts Everything hurts Aow, stop moving so much Wait, is this the fauns doing? Have they kidnapped me? Why? I mean, I shot them. Then why not kill me? And... I should be in so much more pain. I should be dead, my ribs were broken, and my lung piercedThis book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Nothing about this situation should be possible. What is happening ¡°Hello?¡° Whispering out ¡°Human, stay silent. You must conserve your strength.¡± I must what? Wait, huh, Why does he sound so nice, his voice is so pleasent. Did I not attack them? Trying to move again, I realised that I wasn¡¯tbound, but unable to move. Am I weak? ¡°Help¡° I whispered out Hearing talking, muffled but sounding agitated Then Ifelt liquid enter my mouth, which I greedily drank. Leading to the pain dulling and mind wandering Oh, this is nice. Mmhmm It¡¯s like a field of clouds No. Of feathered beds This is amazing. Haaaa. Hahaha Coughing lightly, I felt how weak I was, but it did not matter anymore. There is no pain. No worries Life is great. Wow, this is awesome. Everyone should feel this Then visions came, giving me sight where I should have none Where dark should be, I saw light Where nothing existed, I saw Dragons And time passed Going both fast and slow At a snail''s paceand at light speed The Dragons spoke to each other. Talking about me Looking at me Playing their games with me And in the middle Stood the Red Dragon But something was wrong. Where others saw, he could not Where others spoke, he could not hear He was Alone Empty in a lake In a mausoleum In a mountain And time passed The other Dragons flying away Sayin their goodbyes Then Ifelt something Something warm Moving its way through my body And then pain came back ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH¡± The itching was far worse than anything I¡¯ve ever felt Ribs popping back into place Creating new where some had to be discarded Blood vessels bursting, onlyto then be reformed Nerves severed, stitched together Eyes mending, light blinding All painful All wasfelt Hours could have passed Days Maybe weeks But through it all There was pain And an itch that could not be sated Mind not existing Thoughts not coming Only Pain. But through it all One thought persisted Making the pain seem Less. In comparison ¡°I¡¯M SORRY!¡± The scream echoed throughout the city. Making all shy away in fear and terror None could escape it All would hear it. The one doing the screaming, the human She could not stop, even if she knew how terrifying it was For she was not of sound mind She was in great pain. She was getting healed By us Fauns Who felt great grief Our nature is of peace Yet, we had brought pain on this human And received our own. One of ours had almost died The greatest of warriors Horn stronger than those of legends He had been exposed to a great explosion Stronger than anything we have ever seen Nothing of the sort has ever been seen before. But we knew that she was no danger. She had acted. Not out of a will to kill But a will to live. She was not the cause of the great blue fire. No She was merely a victim of it. Like we all are And in our great haste, we mistook her for something far worse And to redeem our mistake We have taken it upon ourself to heal her To mend what should be long gone But to do this Requires pain Immeasurable pain that few could survive I am so sorry my child We have made a grave mistake We hope you live through these trying times No We beg you Chapter - 23 Waking up, I found myself somewhere. New Staring up at a stone ceiling. Lights dotting it, depicting a starry night And surrounding the starry night, was a bubble A bubble of endless nothingness. Trying to focus on it made my eyes wander away Trying to remember it brought up nothing Trying to see it in the corner of my eye brought nothing. Nothing ¡°Ah, you are awake, young human¡± Not turning to the voice, I continued trying to see the nothing ¡°Hmmmm, yes the void, fascinating subject. An painting from the times of dragons, few knows what it is, even fewer know who made this marvel of an artwork.¡± Finaly turning my head toward the voice, Isaw an old faun Very wrinkled with stubs for horns, looking ground down, shaven off. As she got close, she sat down on the bed I was lying on, sitting by my feet ¡°Most think the void is the place between our world and the gods, that this artwork was made by gods to show us Fauns where the border lay¡± The old faun leaned closer tome I leaned back, nostrils widening, breathing getting harsher The old faun gave me a knowing smile, still leaning towards me. ¡°But do you want to know what I think?¡± Smiling brightly at me, eyes sparkling grey, moist and a bitred I gave her a small nod, nostrils still wide, but posture more relaxed She smiled brighter ¡°I think this is an artwork made by one of us Fauns, created for the purpose to help the dragons kill the gods. For you see,I knew one dragon who fought the gods, and he travelled through the void.¡± Leaning away from me, she looked to the exit of the stone house. Then back to me, a conspiratorial expression painting her face ¡°I think thatwe Fauns used to worship the dragonsin the hopes that they would take the place of gods and make us a higher being in return.¡± Expression turning more soft ¡°But don¡¯t tell anyone this. Most Fauns today are true faithfuls and would burn me if they knew I had said this.¡± She then started chuckling, eyes drawn to the void, staring directly at it. ¡°Hoho, it would be fun to see them try.¡± A moment later, her body started shining, hand reaching for me I screamed, flailing my arms, eyes staring in horror. Another faun made his appearance, or rather, came out of hiding In response to my scream, he had jumped back Seeming Scared? I stopped screaming, arms calming, staring at the scared faun Gears turning in my head, Quickly, I recognised him It¡¯s the faun with the cut horns Why is he here? The old faun looked between me and the cut faun Eyes focused, but hersmile still soft Still glowing weirdly bright ... The silence was loud. Me and the faun staring at each other He, in what looked to be fear And me, staring as if I was... I don''t know I don''t wanna scare him I think. The old faun still had her hand outstretched, glowing ¡°Come closer.¡± The old faun broke the silence, waving in the cut faun Hehesitantly moved closer. Obviously not wanting to but persuaded by the old faun Higher ranking? A feeling of obligation? Is he some sort ofslave, maybe? He got closer, shaking slightly as he neared Once he stood by the bed, he let his hands rest behind him, looking up to the ceiling with his back straight. The only thing breaking his glorious pose was himshaking slightly, eyes darting up and down to look at me When he met mine, he looked away. ¡°You may be wondering why he is here, and I assure you, he won''t do you any harm. In fact, he is gonna be the one repaying what we have done to you. See him as your personal, I think you humans call them butlers¡± ¡°Repaying me?¡± I took my eyes away from the cut faun to look at the old faun One eyebrow higher than the other ¡°Yes, we.... Hurt you. And for that we must pay back wh-¡± I winced, remembering pain Shuddering, eyes closing Fingers clawing at my body Blood creeping Then something warm touched me, healing my clawed wounds, mother embracing a hurt child. I opened my eyes, seeing a glowing hand and a worried expression. Staring deeply into her grey eyes, I found comfort. Then she lightly pushed me down, making me stare up at the ceiling. Seeking the comfort of the stars Noting the void Trying to look at it Failing Then the warmth left me ¡°We will leave you to yourself. Just yell if there is anything you need. Food will be brought in a few hours and water can be foundin the room next door.¡± Pointing to a door opposite the exit Then she pointed to the cut faun ¡°He will be guarding the entrance, making sure that no one enters without your express approval. Once again, I assure you, no one will enter without your express permission.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Then she stood up, walking towards the entrance with the cut faun closely behind Opening the door, she peeked over her shoulder, waving at me with a bright smile. The cut faun staring sheepishly behind, quickly looking away as our eyes met Then it closed, leaving me alone. And I looked back to the ceiling. Eyes watering Flowing I bundled up, bringing the small blanket around me. Into a small ball Thoughts forming Missing simpler times
Hours passed, eyes red and swollen Hehe, I look like a mess I stopped crying long time ago, but the comfort of the stars and bed made me unwilling to leave. But after a while, nature called Forcing me to either shamefully mark this wonderful bed Or explore After thinking for a while, I decided to find a place to relieve myself I¡¯m not uncivilised so I,of course,chose exploration. And I did not contemplate pissingthe bed! Absolutely not. No way¡­ Like the old faun had said, the next room had running water, coming out of the wall from a small stone pipe. The water ran down to a small hole in the ground, looking very clear and drinkable And beside it sat a toilet. Wow A toilet This is a first, I¡¯ve never seen one in person I could never have imagined fauns having toilets I¡¯ve only seen pictures of them before And heard that people in big cities have their own personal toilets in their houses Such pompous bastards. I also want a private toilet. Anyway, after being a complete genius and figuring out the toilet by myself I totally missed it Pissing over the floor Panicking, I pissed on my own legs and over the seat of the toilet. But somehow, not in the actual toilet I¡¯m an idiot. After using the cold running water and my two hands, I cleaned myself and the room, after some finessing and splashing around. And as I finally stopped gawking at the toilet, I saw my reflection Freaking out at first, I managed to stumble into the running water. Making me more wet, A frown forming on my face A frown in response from my reflection What the heck? I can See myself? Carefully, I stepped closer to my reflection Which I soon realised was just a mirror ... I¡¯m reallystupid today. And there I could see what a wreck I was But, to be honest I look good And I mean in a healthy kind ofway I even got some normal clothing for once, fitting me nicely. It seems they have a sense of fashion here. After what I¡¯ve been through, you would think I look wors- No... Just.. Don''t think about that. Anyway, I look good. Better than long, I think I think. Have Ibeen healed? Looking down at my legs, I quickly realised that I had been walking around normally Holy crap I can walk again! Hahahaha I can walk! I then started jumping around the small room Bumping into the toilet Splashing around water from the small stream Smiling at my ownreflection Yes! This is awesome. Holy crap I did not think it would feel so good to walk again This is heaven. A few minutes passed Only stopping when I got tired Hihihi, now I¡¯m hungry I wonder what¡¯s for dinner? Opening the bathroom door, I peaked in Seeing nothing but my bed and the artwork in the ceiling I guess the food is not ready yet. Hmmm Should I ask for some? ¡°Heeellloooo, where-¡° But before I could finish, the cut faun swung open the door Practically blowing it open Wide eyes, staring at me Wooaah dude, take a chill pill. ¡°Eeeeh, eeer... Hi?¡± He kept staring, hand holding the door firmly, the other awkwardly hanging on his side. No words where spoken ¡°Okaaaaay... Well, I¡¯m hungry, when is food ready?¡± His eyes looking away from me, seemingly in thought Then he wordlessly closed the door behind him. Loud steps beyond the door, quickly fading as he got further away from the door What¡¯s his problem? Is he not supposed to like Be my butler or something? And why the heck is it him? I got no problem with it, but I mean ... Why him? Hopefully, he¡¯s running to bring me food Or maybe he got nervous because they forgot about my food? Oh haha that would be hilarious, I wonder what kind of expression that old faun would have if she knew they had forgotten about me Forgotten About Me... Slapping myself hard, I jumped in surprise AOW why did I have to hit myself so hard Aow Holding my cheek, I jumped back to the bed, head faced down. At least the bed is nice. It¡¯s very nice, actually Compared to everything else, I think it¡¯s the only thing that is not stone. Everything else is some kind ofstone material. Except for the mirror and this bed Maybe the toilet, I think I saw some metal on it, maybe it was some sort ofstone to? I don''t know how a toilet is supposed to work, and from my inspection I did not manage tofigure it out. A courteous knock ¡°Come in.¡± Door opening slowly, and in came A new faun ¡°Hello¡± A slight bow, then he, maybe she? Moved into the room, putting the food on the floor a respectable distance away from me. Then another slight bow, and she turned away and moved out Closing the door behind her .. Like, is no one except the old faun going to talk to me? I mean like, I know that the cut faun can talk But now that I¡¯m friendly, no one is talking to me. Like, are they not supposed to be friendly to humans? Okay, I guess they are friendly, but I mean Are they not supposed to trade with us or something? Hmmmm Eeeh, don''t think about it Nothing like the present! Jumping out from the bed, I bent down to pick up the plate of food And to no one''s surprise, the plate was made of stone But to my surprise, the food was not Hehe, yeah, obviously the food would not be stone But I would not have beensurprised if it was The food in question looked normal Some potatoes with vegetables and sauce Looks very normal To normal, what the heck How did they get potatoes and vegetables out here? Like, there is only rock, how do they plant stuff? Hmmm Something to ask later I guess, maybe Eh I don''t really care Let¡¯s dig in! Mmhm, it¡¯s good. But it¡¯s pretty... Normal, nothing special about it, just normal food Normal This is nice. As I continued eating, the door opened, and in came the old lady. ¡°Is it to your taste?¡± She asked before closing the door. The cut faun following close behind ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good, thanks!¡± ¡°No worries young one. Now tell me, how do you feel?¡± ¡°I feel great! It¡¯s like I¡¯m young again. Look!¡± Saying that, I jumped from the bed, jumping in circles and running from one side to the other. The cut faun moved further behind the old faun, peeking over her shoulder. ¡°Haha yes I can see that, but you know, you''re still very young¡± ¡°Well yeah, but in mind I¡¯m totally your age¡± ¡°I very much doubt that, young one.¡± ¡°Hrmpf, you''re just saying that to tease me¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Aowch, why so blunt?¡± ¡°Because it is the truth. Now young one, would you like a tour of our city?¡± ¡°Why yes! That would be absolutelyamazing!¡± Walking towards the old lady, she gestured to follow me. As we made it outside, I was greeted with the sight of small stone buildings, painted in wildly different colours. Only slightly taller than me, but the perfect height for the fauns, as they were about the same size as the rat people. Maybe. not that short, a little taller. The houses took the shape of rounded domes, but only having doors and small chimneys as their decorations. Some had windows, but they lacked any glass, looking more like rounded holes in the wall. And when I looked closer, all the buildings lacked doors. They only had door frames Maybe they call it rounded openings? Looking back to the house we came out from, I noticed that it held a more rectangular shape. And was the only house in sight that had a door ¡°Hey, old lady, why is my house the only one with a door?¡± ¡°Haha, it is always interesting to hear the first question. Usually it gives a view into the psyche of the individual talking¡± Huh, wait, is she like some sort ofmind reader? Body reader? That¡¯s creepy ¡°I have been asked many firsts in my day. Why we only use stone, or how we use the stone. Some ask where we get the food and some ask us for secrets of magics¡± Turning to me, her smile glowing up to her eyes. ¡°But you, you ask about a door¡± ¡°Well, I do wanna know about those other things too, but you know, why am I the only one with a door?¡± ¡°Haha, oh young one. To answer your question, we don¡¯t see our neighbours as threats. So why have doors? Few, if not none, would willingly hurt one of our own.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you¡± ¡°Haha, good answer¡± Then she got silent, moving forward and waving at me. ... Stupid old woman with stupid answers You did not even answer my question properly! Jogging to catch up, I found myself to her right as the cut faun walked to her left. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Thinking for a second, My eyes lit up ¡°TAKE ME TO WHERE YOU GUYS POOP!¡± The cut faun leaned over the old lady, staring wide eyed at me. The old lady just smiled ¡°Follow me.¡±
Walking for a while, I noticed many things. For one, most people here don''t seem to care for me, some just glancing at me Although, some would stop and stare, walking far to the side as we passed Looking scared? Maybe it was their way of showing respect? The path we took was smoothed out, almost reflecting the sunlight, looking like some sort ofmarble. The path also seemed to be the main walkway. But the way it was built made it feel more like a snaking side path. Going around houses and never really going straight Sometimes going up anddown into stairs Weirdly enough, there were even houses on the slopes, built with supporting stone to keep it straight Very cool. Sometimes fauns would run up to the old lady and speak to her, not in a language I could understand tho. She is probably some sort ofleader, maybe their.. Queen? No, the queen would not walk with me to their poop hole. Maybe somesort of, embassy person? A diplomat maybe? And one thing that bothered me, maybe the only thing Was that the cut faun wastotally avoiding me. As in, keeping distance, always having the old lady in between us and never directly talking to me. I know because I asked him, which led to silence, and then to the old lady asking the exactsame question and getting an answerin turn. So frustrating I even notice him glancing at me, which always turns to him quickly looking away when I try to catch his eye. Stupid Faun! Hrmpf ¡°Old lady, why is he avoiding me?¡± Pointing at him, he looked down, taking a step further away from us. ¡°Dont be too hard on him. He is coping in his own way.¡± Coping? What? ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well young one, that is not for me to tell¡± What the heck? Why do all the old people have to be so cryptic? Even mister dragon is cryp- ... ¡°Hey, when are we at the poop hole?¡± ¡°We are not going to a poop hole.¡± ¡°But you said you would take me to the poo hole¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have one, and you asked us to take you to where we poop¡± ¡°Well yeah, you have topoop at a poop hole.¡± ¡°Hihi, then this will be a pleasant surprise for you¡± And as she said that, we turned the corner of a house. Being greeted with the sight of a huge stone building Built like a dome with six pillars adorning it The top of each pillar looked, broken As if someone had used a sledgehammer to break the top of each one ¡°Inside we have our public toilets, but we rarely use them as all Fauns have their own at home. Mostly used during a heavy night of drinking. ¡± Huh Is she saying that There are toilets that anyone can use? How rich are these guys? ¡°How is that even possible?¡± ¡°It is actuallyhumans who taught us how.¡± ¡°But those humans must have been filthy rich!¡± ¡°Yes, what you humans call wealth, these humans possessed¡± ¡°Holy moly, but what could you guys have given them to get such valuable information?¡± ¡°Mostly magic, but sometimes sharing our own knowledge. It was long ago since we shared this specific knowledge. Idon¡¯t remember what we gave for the information on toilets¡± ¡°Do you guys live in an utopia?¡± ¡°Haha, well, if toilets is such an amazing thing for you then yes, we live in an utopia.¡± Holy moly This place is the bomb. ¡°Young one, if you love this, then I promise you, you will love our bath houses.¡± ¡°You guys have bath houses too?! Where?!¡± ¡°Hahaha, aah the enthusiasm of youth, follow me,young one.¡± ¡°Aaaaa yessss!¡± I take back what I said. This isn¡¯t just the bomb This is paradise! Chapter - 24 A tale as old as our people. A tale of fire, hot enough to melt stone Melt it to the very core of our world A fire so strong it turns the very element of fire to its will. Bending it, mending it, turning it blue A folk tale, told to every child, throughout every generation A tale of legendary Fauns angering the holder of the blue flame, making him turn on us Unleashing his anger and fury, turning all to ash. And now I¡¯ve seen it, the blue fire It has painted the sky in a deep blue, making all Fauns cower in fear. There was a gathering Something that has not happened in centuries And in that gathering, it was decided that we would send out the bravest of warriors Mightiest of us all To scout, to get a grasp of what was happening Sent out to die. I¡¯vebeen chosen, I¡¯ve trained my whole life Trained to get better at training I¡¯ve gained so much strength, that my horns have grown taller than even those of legends. And with that horn, I¡¯ve crafted my very own bow, a bow strong enough to destroy the sturdiest stone I¡¯ve trained to fight Trained to get strong To be the strongest But I never thought I would have to fight Never. Now, me and three others shall venture out, searching for death, hoping to gain knowledge. I pray to the gods for a successful mission
After travelling for five days, with neither a sign nor sight of our target, we¡¯ve finally found where we believe the source of the flames sprung up from, or at least near it We made camp, to recover lost energy, hopefully fully rested when we meet the creator of the blue flame. No talking, everyone dealing with the severity of the mission in their own way. I sit by the fire, idly watching it, letting the heat wash over me. Staring deep into its core, seeing the embers dance and flames lick the air. Just trying to picture how the blue flames would engulf these pitiful red ones It would be like watching a human fight a giant An overwhelming victory Something I¡¯ve seen coun- A loud yell All of us quickly turning towards the voice, bows at the ready And at the distance, we see a lone human, bow on its back and waving Walking slowly towards usThis story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. We quickly tumbled around, not ready for this surprise attack I shouted at the others, quickly making order out of chaos Then we aimed at the human And it stopped. We started running towards it, sweat pouring down our flanks. If it¡¯s the one we seek, we are already dead Then the human did something surprising It raised its hands in a sign of surrender. This made the situation confusing. Hastily talking amongst ourselves, I found that most were eager to just shoot and move on I quickly reprimanded them, telling them how shameful they were to even suggest killing We should always seek the peaceful solution first. They should know that. I got an awkward look in response and a sorry for their lack of self control. But I can''t blame them, this is a very stressful situation. With that, it was decided that I would try to talk to the human, telling the others to stand back, ready with their bows. As I got close, she remained still, hands up with a big smile covering her face, looking a bit forced. The human seems to be female if her exposed nipples and nether region are any indication. Her clothing is almost non-existent, burnt to a crisp Strange, if she is the one we¡¯re seeking, why would she burn her own clothes? Is the magic too strong for even her to control? ¡°Why are you here?¡± Smile turning brighter at my question, reaching her eyes. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m here to meet the fauns.¡± Meet us? Why would she seek us? I don''t believe flor a second that she does not know we are Fauns This sounds fishy ¡°Meet the fauns? Why?¡± ¡°To heal my leg, I heard that fauns are accepting of humans.¡± To heal your leg? Looking down at her, I could see that she has,indeed,been walking with a walking stick. Explains why she was walking slowly before But why us Fauns? Why not a human settlement or a human city Too many questions Not good. ¡°Why should we heal you?¡± The girl seemed surprised at my statement. Arms falling down towards me ¡°ARE YOU THE FAUNS?¡± Aiming my bow quickly, eyes bulging, sweat forming ¡°Oh, sorry for screaming, I mean, are you fauns?¡± Her hands went up again, an awkward smile forming A few seconds passed I slowly let my bow fall down again. Maybe she is innocent? Her reaction seemed innocent enough. Let¡¯s see her reaction to why we are here. ¡°Human, you see... We fauns doaccept trade from humans, and glady soo... But, something came up, a great disturbance.¡± ¡°A what?¡± My eyes narrowing at her, focusing She seems confused, it¡¯s easy to read. But it could be an act, an act she¡¯s playing expertly. ¡°Yes, about five days ago a great pillar of blue flames painted the sky, our people, are scared... And the only thing we know that could potentially get that powerful, are human wizards¡± My grip on the bow tightening, brows furrowing. She seems confused. No Contemplative ¡°You human, are you, a wizard?¡± A step back, making myself ready for her reaction, for anything she might do. But she stayed silent, deep in thought. Does not even look like she noticed my question ... ¡°Human?¡± This is bad. This is really bad. I¡¯m not good with human magic, but I think most of their powerful spells take time Time where they channel their mana to power the strong spells And time is what I¡¯ve given her Another step back, bow going higher, imbuing my ownmana into the arrow Trusting my strength and training Then she spoke ¡°Huh, I did not know it was that strong.¡± It¡¯s her! It can''t be anyone but her We must act quick We must eliminate the threat immediately. Aiming my bow in a split second, I let the arrow loose. Flying true to its mark But missing The human moved slightly to the side, making the arrow miss by only a few centimeters Such skills Years of experience The arrow hit the ground behind her; The explosion making her tumble forwards to the ground. I must trust my training. I need to trust my comrades. Three other arrows flew past me, flying over the human''s head Darn it! I jumped back, hand on another arrow, imbuing my mana into it The human had taken her bow out faster than anyone I¡¯ve ever seen Faster than even me, even after considering her wounds and that she was laying down Then she aimed straight at me But nothing came A mistake Has to be Giving me the second necessary to aim my bow And let looseanotherarrow. It flew true once more, shots that few could make in such a stressful situation. But missing, once again. The human had been waiting for my shot, rolling to the side just in time for it to miss But I had taken this into account, making my shot more explosive than the last, aiming at her feet rather than her body. And the explosion rang loud, making even me stagger back The human looked worse for wear, bleeding from every orifice Eyes closed, tears of blood streaming down, legs separated from the rest Yet, she still aimed, aiming where I had stood but mere moments earlier I stood still, frozen in fear. Then she shot Arrow flying faster than my eye could perceive, hitting exactly where I had stood An explosion louder than anything I¡¯ve ever heard, blasting my eardrums to smithereens I would hear no more Then I flew, the shock-wave sending me back all the way to my comrades. Flying past them, hitting the ground hard. Adrenaline high as I tumbled around But in my confusion, I had but one thought What have I done? Then I saw the sky A brilliant blue A perfect blue Such beauty Then pain came, immense and terrible Bones broken in more places than one Bleeding from every opening Eyes shut, but I could feel someone near me No sounds but the ringing in my ear Yet, I still knew I had to do something. Something crucial Fix a mistake made ¡°Save her! Heal her!¡± Repeated multiple times Not sure how many. Save the human She is not the one we seek. We¡¯ve made a terrible mistake. A terrible Mistake Pain lessening as I got healed, Trying to push the culprit away, but strength leaving me, I waited for the healing to do its course. I hope we¡¯re not too late. We must save the human Chapter - 25 ¡°How much further?¡± ¡°If we continue at this pace, maybe, a day. But great one, we¡¯ve already been running for two days, I don¡¯t think we can continue like this¡± A somber realisation, but one filled with truth ¡°Maybe, but we have to, a mistake made is a debt to be paid. You know this¡± ¡°I know great one, but... We have to rest, we¡¯ll fall if we continue like this, then we will never make it home to save the human.¡± Darn it Why must the flesh be so weak, whywhere I not born ofstone? Unbending and firm, never wavering This situation would have been so much better otherwise. Holding my arm up, I gestured for us to stop ¡°You are correct, we shall rest here, gather our strength. But we can''t stop our watch, she is still in critical condition¡± ¡°Yes, great one.¡± They said in unison, three comrades I would trust with my life. Three comrades I would share the burden of shame. I sat down, gently resting the human on the ground, my clothes beneath her head. Two other drank water before laying down, immediately falling asleep I think I¡¯ve might have pushed them too hard Darn it. Looking up, I shared a look with the third comrade, saying ¡°You should rest too, I¡¯ll wake you in three hours.¡± ¡°No great one, I¡¯m the only one with the skill to heal.¡± Silence, I looked down on the human A frown covering her face, eyes shut but darting beneath closed eyelids Probably a dream Maybe a nightmare. ¡°Thank you, please heal her¡° A silent whisper, but loud enough for my comrade to hear An knowing smile going up to her tired eyes, then she joined me, looking down on the human A small glow emanating from her hands The only light on this dark night. The elders won''t be pleased I¡¯m not pleased. I just hope I¡¯m the only one who will suffer the consequences. I hope...
A small voice, coughing as something tried to speak, waking me Roused from light slumber Darn it, I slept! Quickly opening my eyes, bending forward to look for the source. Meeting the eyes of my comrade, pointing down at the human ¡°Hello?¡° A small whisper, sounding like she had eaten nothing but sand for days ¡°Human, stay silent. You must conserve your strength.¡± No movement, no indication that she had heard me But I could see her twitch, eyes darting around, underneath closed eyelids. Muscles twitching, but unmoving ¡°Help¡° Pain, such pain I grabbed my chest, trying to hold the weight. Realising quickly that there was no weight there Only the heavy beating of my heart What have I done? Turning to my comrade, ¡°Give her the elixir¡° I whispered, being met with wide eyes, staring deep into mine. ¡°But, great one, she might die¡± ¡°It¡¯s a risk I¡¯m willing to take.¡± She looked away from me, uncertain, Maybe Unwilling. ¡°As you say, great one¡± Then she turned around Grabbing a bottle, emitting a dark red light A holy artifact of age old Only to be drunk by those foolish, daring, suicidal Or desperate The blood of dragons. We¡¯ve been give one each. Only to be drunk as we fightthe source of the blue flame Giving us great power, filling us to the brim with mana Giving us strength beyond anything But always Almost always, dyingin the process. A great source of power Of unspeakable wealth An ingredient in the ritual of immortalsUnauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. But ridden in dark history Which few know. Shaking myself from my thoughts, I could see my comrade holding the elixir close to the human''s mouth. Looking up to me Uncertain I nodded, eyes focused, looking down on the human My comrade bent down, touching the elixir to her lips. Then shakily, letting it slide down As the human noticed the warm liquid, she greedily started drinking Tongue smacking around, wetting her mouth as it slid down Minutes passed, and she soon fell asleep. A slight glow starting to emanate out from her Breathing turning calmer A small smile covering her face. Good, it¡¯s working Then I looked to my comrade, her eyes worried. My eyes staring deep into hers And then I drank Staring into her wide eyes, maybe the last I¡¯ll ever see She stared back, eyes turning to shock ¡°What have you done?¡± My comrade whispered. ¡°I must repay what has been done, even if it costs my life.¡± I whispered back. Then I stood up, pulling the human with me A glow emitting Strength collecting Mana overflowing ... I feel Power Then I jumped. Landing several meters away, going off into a sprint Wind rushing past Ground crunching beneath my heavy footsteps Muscles bulging Cloths ripping Such overwhelming power Nothing could stop me
I sprinted, something that should have taken days, took hours And soon I could see our city Big stone walls surrounding it I jumped. Ground moving past me faster than I could properly perceive Walls that should be unscalable, was easily jumped A few guards noticing, quickly raising the alarm But I had no time to explain I had to take the human to the elder The eldest of us, she would know what to do She must know As I landed, the ground cracked, forming a small crater. I looked up, scanning the surrounding A few Fauns had been blasted to the side Others stared wide eyed, scared Others recognised, but still looked scared I took them no mind, trying to get a grasp of where I was Then I remembered and took off in a sprint Houses rushing past Fauns falling over Screaming at the unknown assailant But soon I reached my destination. A solitude house Built like most, but left alone Other houses built respectfully far away to not disturb Looking like a lone island surrounded by a sea I ran up to it, throwing open the door. Inside was a mess, items, trinkets and cloths strewn about in piles Seeming more like a massive trash pile rather than someone''s house Standing to one corner of this mess stood the elder Having turned around by the sound of intrusion ¡°What the hell are you doing-¡° But then she saw us Eyes widening Frown turning angry ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°Great elder, please save this human.¡± I bowed, putting the human to the ground. Head held low Staring down at the human ¡°You have started a process than can not be undone. How foolish can you be?¡± Like a hammer hitting me Piling up more on my already heavy heart Making breathing hard ¡°I did not know what else to do. She was dying.¡± I did not know I¡¯m so sorry I don''t know what to do I know nothing. I just wanted to save her Please, I need help- I- A hand gently touching my shoulder I quickly looked up. Met with two eyes, glowing like the moon in a dark night Glowing with an eery glow, piercing into mine Looking, searching Finding something inside of me ¡°I know, young one, I will save her¡± ... ¡°You will?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Vision turning blurry Arms turning weak Chest feeling lighter She will be saved... I¡¯m saved The tears fell Falling from eyes that had never turned moist Sobbing without control ¡°But I need your help. The ritual has already been started by your foolish actions, now we must continue it or else she dies. We will have to do the same to you, but I¡¯m guessing that you are ready for this?¡± I nodded Rubbing away the water flowing ¡°What can I do?¡± ¡°First, you will have tocarry her. We will need to bring both of you to a secluded place. There you will experience pain greater than anything, and if the ritual is a success, you will be reborn. One of the elders¡± I bowed at her words, a little awkwardly as I still held the human I knew what it meant to be reborn A ritual told to all aspiring warriors, a ritual that few were even giving the privilege to do And even fewer who survived I was one of them, the most likely to get chosen But that should not have been for at least eightyyears Probably never. I looked up at the elder. She looked back, as if following my line of thoughts ¡°Follow me.¡± Saying that, she whispered something, moving her hands around then going outside Me following closely behind The city had turned to a behive of activities Soldiers running about, Fauns group together, seeking shelter And some running from the non-existent threat. We ignored them, moving past in haste. And as we did, none glanced at us Even moving out of the way as we passed Soldiers running around as they searched frantically for the culprit of the raised alarm. I gave a quizzical look at the elder I thought such magic was forbidden But I guess her being the oldest does make her less constricted by our laws. Making our way through the city I felt myself weaken, the blood almost running its course And soon I would die But I would not stop, I could not stop. During our walk, Ichose tospeak To try tomake the elder understand why I did it Why I would risk so much for this human. I told her of our meeting. Of how confused I was Of my failure. Why did I do this? I don''t know, the elder seemed like she already knew But somehow The act of talking, lightened my load My chest feeling lighter, heart not as heavy If I were to die, I wanted to die. Unburdened. The elder just nodded, an knowing smile on her lips
I found myself in a deserted place near the middle of the city. Standing just outside a circular clearing An unknown place, somewhere I had never been Somewhere few could even know of ¡°Where are we?¡± The elder did not look to me, instead, staring into the circular clearing. Hand held high, looking focused ¡°We are at a place of old, something built even before my birth, a place of power.¡± A place of power? This? It¡¯s empty, I feel nothing; I see nothing. Still holding the human in an embrace I waited for Something And something happened. As if watching water, the very air itself started to ripple Forming waves, draping the clearing Then somethingappeared. A giant pillar of stone, then another, and another Repeating six times. All pillars standing a few meters from each other, surrounding the circular clearing But what shocked me the most were the carvings on top Carvings of dragons ¡°What is-¡° ¡°No questions, you will have time later.¡± Adding in a whisper ¡°If you survive¡° She then pointed to the middle of the clearing ¡°Move there, put the human to your left.¡± I hesitated, still staring at the carvings of dragons ¡°DO AS I SAY¡° A shout of power I stumbled, feeling weak Feeling fatigued But I nodded and hesitantly took a step into the circle. Entering, I felt a flow of mana. An immeasurable amount of manacontained within the clearing As I took yet another step, the mana started licking my body. Filling me up, entering me, newfound strength welling up. Then I found myself in the middle, putting the human gently down beside me. I then looked at the elder. Seeing the elder chanting, arms held far above her head Eyes closed Feet dancing ¡°We are ready elder¡± The elder took no notice of what I was saying. Maybe not hearing or ignoring. So I waited. Standing still in the middle Thoughts wandering But never staying clear Feeling nervous I looked down, seeing the human. Her face looking peaceful, still smiling Then I felt something Something, creeping Body heatingup I raised my hands, staring at them. Then it felt like my body was burning I started sweating, feeling the blood inside my body burning No, boiling Steam started to form on my hands. Skin rippling like water Old scars deforming, disappearing I fell down on my knees Throat gasping for air Staring wide eyed at the ground My whole body burning in pain I tried to scream But the voice wasstuck in my throat. I tried to move Finding myself unable The only thing I could do was stare Stare down at my hands and knees Waiting for the pain to pass But pass it did not Just growing Mind growing dimmer Vauger I was Dissapearing. Then I heard a scream. And my mind cleared A scream that made me think of something else Something other than pain I tried to see the source. Staring up at the elder Seeing an expression of pure horror Wha- Then I looked to my left Seeing Blood Bones Flesh All where they should not be Legs had grown, only to fall off To thenbe regrown Repeated over and over The scream was primal Louder than anything ... What have I done? My pain seemed trivial Trivial compared to this How could I ever have done something so cruel? Making her suffer through this. Time did not move Endlessly stuck in this moment Seeing her scream Loud enough to force the elder to her knees Arms still up, chanting Too late to stop Even when something had gone so terriblywrong Why must she suffer Why can''t it be me? Then something happened. His body tightened in response. His mind was hijacked He felt foreign in his own body And he felt something unknowable, something trulystrong enter his mind And it spoke to him as if it had spoken this very thing thousands of times. ''The Blood of Dragons has been assimilated'' ''You have performed the Ritual of Dragons and survived, for this you are granted the strenght of Dragons. But be carefull, even Dragons may die'' ''Fire resistance.Aquired'' ''Immortality.Aquired'' ''An element of your choosing may be assimilated'' Chapter - 26 After the ritual, me and the elder carried the human to the guest house. Dropping her in the bed, we left and closed the door behind us, standing outside Speaking no words None came to mind. I was now an elder, survived a trial which was almost impossible. I should feel proud, happy, excited. But I felt no such things. The elder seemed equally saddened, maybe more Something seemed to nag at her Something nagged at me ¡°Elder, what happened?¡± She jumped at my words, not ready for the silence to be broken Her eyes met mine ¡°I-I dont know¡± She turned away, looking towards the street, then whispering to herself. ¡°She should not have survived, the ritual failed¡° I joined the elder, looking out at the street. Both silent again Both trapped in their own heads. Then the elder spoke ¡°I will have to inform this to the other elders. Guard the human, let no one in¡± She started walking away, hands on her chin But then she stopped, looking over her shoulder. ¡°Oh, and. Welcome to the elders.¡± Face staying neutral Simply nodding in response. She then continued walking, disappearing from view as she rounded a building. Leaving me alone, guarding the human. I wonder how often I¡¯ve stood still How many times I¡¯ve taken orders Done my duty Now it would be different. I¡¯m an elder One on top Whatever that means I just hope I can repay the human I just hope she can forgive me.
A few hours had passed The day had turned brighter And the elder had returned, smile big on her face. She then waved at me, making me follow her as we went inside. Inside we found the human awake, staring up at the ceiling. An artwork to be sure, even I can appreciate the great work that has been put into it. Not many of these have been painted The art lost to time. The elder spoke The exact words escaped me, seeming Unimportant Something about the void. But what drew my attention was the human She looked like a cat Trapped without a way to escape Eyes wide But she stayed calm, barely moving. Then the elder said something, piquing my interest ¡°....Fauns, created for the purpose to help the dragons kill the gods, for you see,I know one dragon who fought the gods, and he travelled through the void¡± Wait what? What is the elder saying, how can she say something so blasphemous? The Dragons? But we woul- ¡°I think, that we Fauns used to worship the dragons, in the hopes that they would take the place of gods and make us a higher being in return¡± Worship? Higher being? That¡¯s impossible We¡¯ve been true faithfuls to the gods ever since... Ever since... ¡°But don¡¯t tell anyone, most Fauns are true faithfuls and would burn me if they knew I had said this.¡± Saying that, the elder glanced at me, face covered in a big smile, but eyes looking mischievous. It can''t be true. ... Right? Then the elder started glowing, presumably using her healing to see if the human was still damaged But she reacted verystrongly to the magic Screaming in response I took a step back. Horror filling my eyes Oh no I¡¯ve done this I¡¯ve made her lost Lost in her head. Then she went quiet. And our eyes met Such beautiful eyes Eyes from no mere humanDid you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Looking more like a cat No More like a salamander Glowing in a green ember Piercing me Seeing my soul, knowing what I¡¯ve done ¡°Come closer¡± The elder spoke I hesitated But only for a second Moving closer Stopping beside the bed beside the elder. ¡°You may be wondering why he is here, and I assure you, he won''t do you any harm. In fact, he is gonna be the one repaying what we have done to you. See him as your personal, I think you humans call them butlers¡± I will? ... I take no pleasure in it But it must be done ¡°Repaying me?¡± The human responded, voice very quiet, shaking a little ¡°Yes, we.... Hurt you. And for that we must pay back wh- At the elders word, the human recoiled, eyes turning shut Hugging herself, clawing herself Making herself small A little ball I looked with pleading eyes at the elder Who in return started healing the human Hushing her, telling her it¡¯s okay. In the span ofa few seconds, the human calmed down. Staring into the eyes of the elder One looking scared One looking sad Then she was lightly pushed, lying down on the bed. The elder said a few more words, and then we left Leaving the human alone Alone with her thoughts ¡°Elder, should we really leave her alone?¡± ¡°Yes. Few can go through such a thing and come out whole. But all those that have must heal on their own. Giving her company will only lead to suffering later down the line.¡± I nodded, but found myself disagreeing No, what she needs now is company No one should have to be alone. She should have someone to talk to, someone to trust ¡°And don¡¯t get any ideas. You''re not ready to help her.¡± Ready? What does she mean, I¡¯m a soldier, I¡¯ve been trained to handle pain I doadmit that the pain from the ritual was worse than anything I¡¯ve ever felt But I would survive, come out stronger. ¡°And I don¡¯t mean the physical kind¡± As if hearing my thoughts, the elder replied Then walked away ¡°Tell me when she wakes again.¡± Leaving me alone with my thoughts, I really hope I don''t become cryptic like that But considering I¡¯m immortal now I don''t know, maybe one day.
Hours passed, little to nothing happening. Only a few interested individuals came up to talk. Asking questions of different kinds All was met with silence, and a pointing finger Indicating them to leave A few grumbles, but everyone left without too much trouble. Then I heard the human yelling something from inside. Quicker than even I was prepared for, I swung the door open Meeting the eyes of the human words cut off as she stared at me And I stared back Words stuck in my throat Wanting to say something, but unable What the hell? What is this- ¡°Eeeeh, eeer... Hi?¡± The human said awkwardly Looking at me a little weird... Don''t look at me like that I don''t know either I want to speak- ¡°Okeeeeeey... Well, I¡¯m hungry, when is food ready? Oh, I¡¯ve been staring at her Without saying anything This... Is very embarrassing I quickly make my way outside. Running away Even though I could easily walk to the mess hall. As I came close, I quickly made my way through the gathered crowd, all waiting for their turn to eat. Pushing my way through, I got a lot of angry glances. But few dared to speak up, as they noticed who I was And presumable, they might have already heard about my exalt to elder. As I neared the table, I got a quizzical look from one of the chefs One of my friends A big fellow, twice the size of most Mostly because he¡¯s so fat And his mouth is twice as fat Even his horns are fat. ¡°Hey great one! I thought you were dead.¡± ¡°Funny way of greeting your dead friend¡± ¡°What do you mean, oh great one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you to fatman, now make me some human food¡± ¡°Oh, the great one deigns us with his presence, and asks us humbly to make him some food.¡± ¡°No, I need human food, you fat pig¡± ¡°Oooohooo, the great one not only calls his friends pigs, but dares kidnap humans too?¡± ¡°I did not kidnap anyone, I-¡° Going silent at this remark Smile turning to a frown. Friend noticing, hitting the table with the palm of his hand Taking me out of thoughts ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m glad your back! You got to tell me all about it later, but for now, a plate of human food coming right up.¡± A new smile spread on my lips ¡°I would be more than happy to receive it. And can you tell one of your waitresses I have a task for them?¡± A big smile spread on his ¡°Hehehe, I never thought you would ask. I will find you the biggest Faun around¡± Smile turning to a frown. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that you dense asshole, it¡¯s something important¡± ¡°Hehehe, suuuure. Getting rid of your itch is reallyimportant¡± Winking at me, he hastily made his way further in to the kitchen, leaving me. That mother of fat Such an ass His ass is probably the biggest in town, so he¡¯ll have a hard time finding anyone. Posting myself outside the kitchen door, I waited A few minutes later, I¡¯m met by a new Faun ¡°Hello Great one. I heard you requested me?¡± Greeting me was a very young Faun, with a body fitter than most Horns not too long and perfectly circular, her smile looking innocent but eyes scheming That asswipe. ¡°Yes, I need you to bring some food to a dear guest of mine¡± The waitress nodded, seeming Dissapointed? ¡°As you wish¡± ¡°And you are to not say anything to her, keep quiet and respectful.¡± A bow, looking up to me. ¡°Where is the guest?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you. But first we need the food-¡° Saying that, my fat friend came out of the kitchen. Holding a steaming plate of human food. I¡¯m not good with humans, so I hope he did not cook up something weird. I¡¯m actuallydepending on him right now. He looked to me, then to the waitress Eyebrow raising, smile growing Ah you ass You fat-ass Then he handed the food to me, Iin turnhanded it to the waitress. Who took it awkwardly ¡°Sooooo, I hear you both are gonna have a good time-¡° ¡°THANK YOUfor the meal, we are leaving now bye!¡± I interrupted him, quickly dragging the waitress outside ¡°Have fun!¡± He yelled after us, laughing loudly to himself. No, he¡¯s not an fat-ass He¡¯s a gianormous ass Getting outside the mess-hall, we walked for a few minutes before the waitress spoke to me. ¡°So, what more do you need of me?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just, give my guest the food, then leave.¡± Looking down on the plate of food, she did not respond ... An awkward silence emerged Trying to find something to say, I found myself stumped Mute She,in turn,walked beside me. Not taking her eyes away from the food Also looking lost for words Or maybe not Just not wanting to talk Maybe. Soon we made it to the guest house, the walk feeling more like hours I gestured for her inside. A question forming on her lips ¡°Are you not going in?¡± She asked I shook my head ¡°No, I¡¯ve been informed to leave her to herself¡± The waitress nodded ¡°I see.¡± Then she opened the door and walked inside. As the door closed behind her I hurriedly put my ear on the door, listening closely. ¡°Hello¡° The human said, getting nothing in response. I heard the waitress put the food down Then she walked to the door I hastily moved away, straightening my clothes. Then it opened and out came the waitress Looking at me weirdly Moving closer, I asked ¡°How did it go? Did she seem fine? Was she smiling? Why did you not respond? Did she seem happy with the food? Was I-¡° Before I could continue with the onslaught of questions, she interrupted me ¡°I¡¯m stopping you right there, she seems fine. Now, do you need something else from me?¡± She raised an eyebrow amusingly, letting the question grow I in turn,gawked at her How brazen ¡°No.¡± I said, not knowing what else to say. She, in turn,bowed and walked away. ¡°Or wait! I need you to tell the elder that the human is awake.¡± Without turning back, the waitress continued walking I hope she heard me She heard me ... I think Well, I have to wait here anyways. If anything, I¡¯ll have a reason to blame my friend. It would be fun seeing the elder reprimand him. Just thinking about it makes me smile. I should probably plan my revenge. Maybe bring the entire army to feast when he works. He would finally be working up a sweat, he needs to sweat a little If he ever wants to find someone good, he¡¯s gonna have to lose the weight Oh, just picturing his face. Hehehe It¡¯s gonna be glorious. ¡°What are you smiling about?¡± Alarmed, I jumped in freight. Looking towards the source of the voice, seeing the elder ¡°Hahaha, oh boy, seeing hardened soldiers jump in freight like a gazelle makes my day, every day.¡± Another cryptic word Gazelle? Sounds dangerous, I like that. When the elder came closer, her laugh quieted down, looking up to me. ¡°How is she?¡± ¡°Ehm, she is.. Fine¡± A nod ¡°You have not been inside yet?¡± I closed my eyes, feeling weirdly struck by her words. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Mmmhm, I see¡± She then opened the door, me following closely behind. As we walked inside, I could see the human sitting on the floor, eating the human food. Oh no I forgot to bring atable. How can I be so thoughtless, I¡¯m a horrible- ¡°Is it to your taste?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good, thanks!¡± The human answered, smiling brightly. Huh, she seems Fine ¡°No worries young one. Now tell me, how do you feel?¡± ¡°I feel great! It¡¯s like I¡¯m young again. Look!¡± As she said that, she jumped to her feet Jumping around in delight, a big smile reaching her eyes I, in turn,shuffled behind the elder, feeling Out of place. ¡°Haha yes I can see that, but you know, you''re still very young¡± The elder stated, looking just as happy ¡°Well yeah, but in mind I¡¯m totally your age.¡± ¡°I very much doubt that, young one.¡± I do to human ¡°Hrmpf, you''re just saying that to tease me¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Aowch, why so blunt?¡± ¡°Because it is the truth. Now young one, would you like a tour of our city?¡± I¡¯m sorry for our elders¡¯ bad behaviour. I promise that most of us are not this unsensitive ¡°Why yes! That would be absolutelyamazing!¡± As she said that, we moved outside Human walking with a spring in her step, a smile still clinging on Iawkwardly took my step beside the elder Keeping the human on the opposite side. After that we started walking. Small talk that did not pique my interest Instead, glancing at the human. Huh, she seems Fine. She seems Happy. How... How is that possible? Then she yelled, something trulyabsurd. ¡°TAKE ME TO WHERE YOU GUYS POOP!¡± I gawked, without realising Our eyes met She smiled at my reaction And I kept staring. How can she be so carefree? Has she not... Is she not- Scarred? The elder answered, looking to not even be bothered by the question. ¡°Follow me.¡± ... This is absurd, how... ... It does not matter I should be happy. My debt can be repaid, I can be Saved. I can be Happy. And as I thoughtthat Something felt lighter My steps taking me further And a aching heart pumping faster. Chapter - 27 I¡¯ve been here for three days now. Experiencing many different things. Like, eating food and talking and then eating more food and then talking and eating and... Yeah, you get it. Mostly just talking actually. From what I¡¯ve learnt, they are veryfriendly. Even though I¡¯ve only interacted with fauns chosen by the old faun And the cut faun alway being nearby... So maybe the interactions were kinda forced. Anyway, I guess I cant really call him the cut faun anymore With his horns grown out and all Well, he¡¯s supposed to be my butler right now sooo Maybe I should call him mister Butler? Yeah, that will work. And let me tell you, he¡¯s still a total ass-hat, not saying anything to me. Even though I can clearly hear him when he¡¯s talking to that fat chef Who, in comparison to mister butler, is a total sweat heart. But anyways, he¡¯s come around a bit He can now look me in the eyes and nod in response when I ask questions But still wont say anything... Like, how obviuous do you want to make it that you hate being around me? So yeah, walking around town with mister Butler is a real pain Especially when the older faun just runs away to do some ¡°Important Business¡± like, every other hour. As if, she is probably just tired of taking me around everywhere And to top that off, whenever she leaves, she tells me to not talk to other fauns Leaving me alone with mister butler What am I? A prisoner? Stupid old faun, it¡¯s getting very boring, I¡¯ve not had a single proper conversations during this entire stay. During the times where me and mister Butler were left alone, he¡¯s always very awkard Always having a meter of distance between us and always keeping his guard. I usually try to talk to him, make some small banter Sometimes I try joking, but they always fall flat. I dont even think I¡¯ve seen him smile once Not once What is he? A statue? Maybe he is, I¡¯ve heard that they love stones here. Not weird considering their environment. Back to the present I¡¯ve once again been left alone with mister Butler. The old faun going out to ¡°Do business¡± Yeah, you old poo As if. Sitting on this bed, with a piece of bread in my mouth, I find myself incredibly bored. Again ¡°Hye, mstier Btleru?¡± Trying to speak with a piece of bread in my mouth, mister Butler turns towards me. ¡°Wehn is taht odl Fuan cmoing bck?¡± A question mark forming on his face Eyebrows raising comically Hehe, I knew I could get some sort ofexpression out of him Swallowing the piece of bread, I look him in the eye His eyebrow still raised, but eyes shifting a little nervously ¡°What do you guys do for fun around here?¡± Eyebrow lowering, eyes going up to the ceiling Then he gestured with his arms, forming the shape of a bow and him shooting. ¡°Aaah! Yeah, archery is hella fun!¡± He nodded ¡°Where can we go to shoot some?¡± He shook his head ¡°What do you mean, no?¡± He pointed to the door, then formed anXwith his arms. ¡°Your saying that we are not allowed outside without the old faun?¡± He nodded ¡°AAAAAH come on! I¡¯m like a prisoner here!¡± He awkwardly shifted his weight, looking down at the ground.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Dont give me that lookmister! I know you guys saved me and all, but you can''t keep me here like this¡± Avoiding my eyes, he kept looking at the ground Aaah, stupid butler... Wait The old faun just said that I¡¯m not allowed to talk to other fauns Hmmm Maybe I could persuade him ¡°Hey, mister Butler¡± His head tilted up ¡°What if we went outside?¡± He started shaking his head again, but I quickly interjected. ¡°I mean that, we only go outside to shoot, not to interact with anyone or say anything?¡± He stopped shaking, looking at me confused, but mildly intrigued ¡°What I¡¯m saying. Is that the old faun only told me to stay quiet, not that I could not walk around. Right?¡± His head started nodding, slowly at first Then as realisation dawned on him, and his brain ticked for a bit He nodded more eagerly Then a flash of a smile spread on his lips, only to disappear just as quickly Letting his arm point at the door, he gestured for me to go outside Hehehe, I¡¯m a total social genius I made him smile. I count that as a victory! ¡°Woohoo! let¡¯s go then! Show me the archery-shooting place!¡± My enthusiasm rubbing off on mister Butler, as he eagerly opened the door with a spring in his step. As we stepped outside, I felt a little Nervous? No A little mischievous A tickling sensation in my stomach This is new Hihihihi. As we walked, mister Butler kept vigilance Maybe to look out for the old faun, or maybe to protect me But he always kept his steps steady, leading us to the archery place. Or Ithink so at least. Moving through town Many fauns looked at me, already aware of my stay Whispering something in their home tongue as they passed. Something felt off Feeling a little weird at their glances, Staring longer than they usuall. After talking to many fauns, I¡¯ve realised that they are indeeda trading city Trading with many other races One of them being humans. Just looking around I can spot a group of five humans and a... Giant elephant? Woah He looks fricking amazing. Anyway, the point is, I don''t understand the attention I¡¯m getting I feel like some sort ofcelebrity Or a freak... No, I¡¯m totally a celebrity. Hehe, look at my beautiful body. Saying that, I started posing a bit Walking more confidently and pouting with my lips. Mister Butler looked over his shoulder as I was doing this, seeing my antics And sighed. He sighed Oh my gosh. ¡°Hahahaha¡± A laugh spread on my lips Mister Butler stopped and looked around, a confused expression on his face Both eyebrows raised with an ¡°O¡± shaped mouth Which was hilarious to look at Which made me laugh even harder. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA!¡± My laugh echoing throughout the crowded city Fauns walked around us, smiles spreading on their lips. The few humans nearby whispering amongst themselves The giant elephant guy stopping, with both hands on his hips as he stared at me When Ilooked up, Icould see mister Butler looking around frantically Looking, nervous, maybe... Embarrassed? Oh, Oh my dragon, that''s freaking adorable. My laugh increasing in volume, the whole thing feeling too funny to me Staying cooped up with this stone-faced Butler for three days was beyond boring. So when I finally got to see him making expressionsthat wasn¡¯t his stoney neutral one It bursted my emotional wall Flooding me with laughter. Some fauns actuallyjoined in Hearing my beautiful laughter, filling them up with joy. Which in turnmade me laugh harder. And no, my laugh does not sound like a horse. It does not okay! I was now laughing so hard that it physically hurt I had to close my eyes, lean down on my knees as I struggled for breath Around me laughter, then suddenly something new A new sound Music? I glanced through eyelashes to look for the source. To see, in my surprise, the group of five humans playing on instruments Where did they get them? I have no idea. Then I could see some fauns starting to dance, And the big elephant guy making himself comfortable as he sat down, his big snout holding what looked to be a tiny pencil His ears flapping around and a big tongue resting outside his mouth Using the pencil to point at me, one eye closed ... Was he Drawing? Holy moly That¡¯s fricking hilarious. My laughter continued, the whole scene feeling more and more bizarre but hilarious to me. As I glanced up to mister Butler, I could see him saluting, posture stiff but eyes darting around Wha- ... ¡°PPPFFFFFF HAHAHAHAAHA¡± What the heck man?! Is this too much for you, Aahaha! It looks like your emotions sort of overwhelmed you and you just kinda did the only thing that felt natural to you Right? I¡¯m right, right? Hahahaha. A while later My laughter started calming down The group of fauns had turned to a crowd. Joining in on the dancing Clapping in rhytmn to the music. I collected myself, laughing quietly and standing up slowly. A loud celebration was heard, fauns cheering and clapping as I stood up I, in return, bowed. Yes, yes, I am great, I know. Finishing my bow, I gave a salute to the human group playing the music Which they, in return, saluted back Finishing the bow, I waved my hand in the air. And started dancing. Quiet expertly mind you I¡¯ve trained fora total of, many minutes to get as good as I am at dancing. Even being able to join in with the other fauns dancing I even made some point at me and laugh! Haaaha! We danced and danced Fauns coming and going Food being delivered Other musicians joining in, mixing up the music at times Vendors of different races took up shop And in the middle of it all I danced Like the eye of the storm. Many already stopping from exhaustion But always coming back Being infected by the atmosphere. And to my side Still as a statue Stood the Butler I¡¯ve decided I will make him dance. Coming up to him, wildly swinging my hips and arms My eyes met his, locking on, not letting go He tried to look away, but I just danced into view. After repeating a few times He yielded Staring back at me And I continued dancing Touching his arm, smiling. Spinning, getting hair in my face, brushing it away Still smiling. Trying another spin, falling. Turning the failure into a spin, using the momentum to jump up Then smiling Still smiling. And through my whole little scenery I found myself happy. I found myself, excited. For one simple reason I could see a smile A smile just as bright as mine. And the once statue, had turnedfleshy. Limbs moving awkardly Arms flailing weirdly Legs stomping out of tune But always with a smile And a smile he met. I got closer, taking his hand into mine. Leading him Getting stepped on Multiple times But always smiling, always dancing Times seemed to have stopped. The day had turned to night The surrounding crowd had turned so large that the surrounding buildings had to be evacuated to fit those that needed rest Which the occupants of the houses, weirdly enough, did not seem to mind. During this long dancing, I found myself mostly with mister Butler His stiffness had turnedflowy Being a natural-born dancer Even impressing me Maybe even dancing better than me... No erm, nevermind that part. And once again We found ourselves in each other''s arms This time, him leading. Our eyes locked to one another His previous awkwardness long gone Now containing a confidence that kings would be envious of Then his lips opened And out came his voice. Much softer than I remembered ¡°I don¡¯tunderstand you¡± A whisper Almost not loud enough for me to hear But hear it I did. Eyebrow raising at his question ¡°What do you mean?¡± I whispered back. Still dancing Still surrounded by a massive crowd Still music flowing. ¡°How can you be so strong¡± Another weird question What does he mean? ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡± I said. Another eyebrow raised He laughed A silent laugh But one full of honesty ¡°I admire you.¡± Eeeeer Now I don''t understand a thing What the hell is he saying? ¡°Ever since I met you, you have gone through nothing but pain.¡± His voice getting serious Eyes narrowing, but a smile still on his lips My dancing stopping Nothing but his words existed. ¡°Yet, here you are¡± Then he let me go, lifting his arm to one of his horns. ¡°Dancing with the Faun that almost killed you¡± My eyes going wide as he gripped his horn Hand filling with mana, arm starting to tense up Muscles bulging Then he whispered ¡°I have decided, if you¡¯ll have me¡± A short pause Arm still gripping his horn ¡°I want to be yours.¡± Then he ripped off his horn, a silent scream, eyes closing. His arm reaching forward, outstretched towards Me My eyes widening as I stared at him Standing still Not moving Not... Understanding He then opened his eyes Hand outstretched with his horn still in hand Eyes staring into mine With a... Pleading look. Then his smile widened And he said something trulyforbidden Something no one No one in this entire world would dare No one but the suicidal Or in love. ¡°My name.. is Hlj¨®eur¡± Chapter - 28 The dance had stopped The crowd had dispersed. I found myself in the company of seven The five human musicians The lone elephant And Hlj¨®e- Mister Butler¡­ Strange company. ¡°Your one hell of a funny dancer, miss¡± ¡°Who are yuo caling fnuny? My danse was expertly dnoe¡± I responded, sipping on a glass of beer. Sitting in a bar that looked more human than faun Also, holding more humans than fauns, the bartender included. According to the five musicians, this is the best bar in town Which they are technically correct at If you count in the fact that this is the only bar in town. ¡°Yeah yeah, sure. But I have to thank you, your absurd display gained us a well-deserved audience. Now we¡¯ll be swimming in requests!¡± A cheer, clinking their glasses into one another A big chug from the group of humans Including me Then the elephant spoke. ¡°I have to agree, you have showed me something splendid, a scene which I¡¯ve travelled far to see.¡± Piquing my interest, I leaned over the table, trying to sneak a peak at his painting. Which he, in return, pulled back a bit ¡°It¡¯s not done yet. I have to add some colours and correct some parts before I can mass produce it, but once it¡¯s done, I¡¯ll give you the first copy¡± ¡°YES! Plesase do!¡± A loud yell, making a nearby table look over in interest. A small laugh from the elephant ¡°Haha, yes girl, you are very interesting. I like people like you, non-caring¡± ¡°Hey! I care, I just... Dont care enough?¡± Another round of laughter And a raised arm, with a glass in hand ¡°To the funny dancer¡± And in unison, the group said: ¡°To the funny dancer!¡± Clinking their glasses, drinking greedily I, in turn,did the same. Quicker than I¡¯ve ever done before Faster than anyone on the table Letting it slide down my throat as I eyed the group of five musicians Which they saw, trying to outpace me Starting an impromptu race Which I handedly won ¡°Aaaaah. Stoff taht yuo slow Drinkers!¡± A grimace showing on one of their faces ¡°Hehe, well then, next beer is on me. Oi barkeep, six beers here please!¡± ¡°Coming right up!¡± The barkeep yelled out, slowly filling the glasses, not minding the way he was spoken to Or maybe not caring. I looked back to our table. Feeling a bit overwhelmed Realising that I had already drunk six glasses of beer Maybe seven? It¡¯s a little too much I usually stop at three. But today... Is a little different. Sneaking a glance at mister Butler I meet his eyes. Quickly lookingaway. Instead, I locked eyes with the elephant. Who gave me a smug smile Ah you crap. Of course the big elephant is the most observant one. ¡°Heeeey! Elephant guy! Wehre are yuo from!¡± I yelled to him, slurring my words a bit ¡°Haha, you dont have to yell girl. But to answer your question, a far, far way from here¡± A light laugh and talking with a confident tone Not slurringa single word, even after sinking eight beers Stupid... Elehpant! ¡°You cheeter! U use magic to not be-¡° A loud thud, looking to the source I find six new beers. Mmmmhm Just what I needed I quickly grab one, chugging a fourth of itbefore dropping it Getting a funny eye from the elephant. ¡°As i siad, You ar cheting!¡± ¡°I did not know we were in a game.¡± ¡°LIFe IS GAME! U JUST DODNT PLAY BY RULSE!¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I yelled angrily, letting my hand hit the table to emphasize my anger. And missing splendidly, almost falling over Or rather, I would have fallen, if mister Butler had not caught me The group of five humans laughing loudly at the sight One even tearing up. I quickly shooed mister Butler away Sitting up straight Not giving him a glance Not even thanking. ¡°Haha, I agree dancer. Life is just a big game! And right now you''re winning it!¡± One of the musicians said, holding his beer high I gave him a big toothy grin Trying to look at him, but feeling my head tilt too much And trying to compensate for the weight, I find myself tilting too much the other way. Stupid head Why are you so heavy? The five musicians laughing at the sight Starting to talk amongst themselves. Why can''t I sit still Stupid chair It¡¯s your fault Hmmm Yeah... I could build a better chair than this This one is stupidly small It doesn¡¯t even have back support. If I built a chair, I would build... Eeeeeh. I would build... Looking up, I took a sip from my beer. Realising that I¡¯ve zoned out, missing the better part of a conversation ¡°..... to hire you¡± One of the humans said, looking at the elephant, The elephant,in turn,started to stroke the top of his head Looking like an old man thinking But what made it funny Was that he used his snout. ¡°PPpppppffff¡± I spilled my drink. Dripping from my closed mouth Trying to hold it in. The group of five looked at me funny, but not responding. Although the elephant seemed to not notice ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯m sorry, but I have to decline. Not to offend you guys, but I doesn''t find you guys fun enough to paint. On the other paw¡± He then looked at me Two big eyes Flapping ears And his snout still scratching his head ¡°HAhahahaha!¡± I laughed, pointing at his head. ¡°I find this human to be absolutelythrilling.¡± A big smile forming on his face. One of the five musicians responded with a sigh ¡°Aaaaah, well yeah, you got us there. No beating her. And no offence taken.¡± Saying that, he quickly drank his beer, finishing it and nodding to his compatriots. ¡°Well, we should get going. It¡¯s late and we need to be up early tomorrow. Dont want people to forget about us, you know?¡± Then the group finished their beers, moving up and going. I found myself frowning You bunch of light weights Thinkingthat as I finished my beer Getting a funny look from the elephant. ¡°Hehe, girl, I¡¯m not saying this to be mean, but will you be alright?¡± Huh. Waht Are U siayng Elehpant ¡°I¡¯ma alr-¡° ¡°She will be alright, I¡¯m here for that¡± Mister Butler responded. My eyes going wide Staring at him Meeting a smile ... Shaking my head, I felt it spin Almost falling, but quickly catching myself Slowly looking up towards the elephant. ¡°I¡¯m completelyaright¡± ¡°Haha, if you say so. Well, I¡¯m staying at an inn near the wall north of here. Search for thesinging faunand you¡¯ll find me¡± After saying that, he stood up Chair creaking unfavorably ¡°Then I¡¯m going girl, it¡¯s been very fun¡± Then he took off Leaving me alone. ... ¡°BARTERNED! ONE MORE BEER!¡± Giving me an awkward look, he shrugged and started pouring one more. Three beers later, and a bar tab I forgot to pay I made my way outside Mister Butler stayed behindfor some reason. Feeling the cold night air hitting me I felt the ground shake Or rather sway Why is walking so hard? I thought my legs were healed. Falling over multiple times, I walking unsteadily To where? I don''t know It just felt right I just need to walk right now I need Some time to think ... Why would he do that? Why does he have to do something so stupid? Why do I ¡°Wait up! I need to take you home.¡± Mister Butler called after me Saying something stupid Home? ¡°Home? I have no home.¡± ¡°You have a home here, come, let¡¯s go.¡± Gaining on me, he stopped at my side, moving his hand to support me Slapping it away I screamed. ¡°GET AWAY! I DONT NEED YOU¡± Walking back, eyes widening My eyes widening I felt shocked. How could I say that? Turning around, I started running Using every ounce of my strength I ran fast Faster than the wind Tripping multiple times Even running into buildings But not stopping. I was outside. Outside of the protection of the walls Outside of him. I¡¯m alone. I¡¯m... ¡°YOU STUPID DRAAAAAGON! WHERE ARE YOU!¡± I screamed into the night. Echoing throughout the quiet land. No response Moon shining down on me Glowing the surrounding rocks Taunting me ¡°DRAAAGON! WHEEEERE AAARE YOOOOU!¡± I screamed. And I screamed ¡°WHEEERE ARE YOOOU!¡± ¡°WHERE ARE YOOOOU!¡± ¡°DRAAAAGON!¡± DRAGON! I NEED YOU HERE NOW I NEED HELP I... Miss you. ¡°Dragon¡± A sob A quiet sob. Loud wind hit my ears Forcing me to the ground Hitting my butt Making me close my eyes ¡°Can you not scream so loud human? I can hear you veryeasily you know¡± A voice An echo Something I know Someone I know. I looked up Meeting something huge Something that could rival mountains in size Sparkling bright blue Eyes glowing brighter than even the moon Something so beautiful So precious Eyes tearing up I stood up, falling down. But standing up again I quickly made my way to mister Dragon Going for the hug But getting shoved in response Falling on my butt again ¡°Human, No touching¡± A small laugh Rubbing my eyes Looking up, locking my sight with his ¡°I missed you.¡± ¡°I did not miss you¡± ¡°Hehe, well.. Why are you here then?¡± ¡°Hrmpf, a Dragon always upholds his promises, so I will make sure you uphold yours, nothing more, nothing less¡± Same old Same old. ¡°You never change. Do you mister dragon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m eternal, change does not come easy for me¡± ¡°But you can change?¡± ¡°If I so choose¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯m gonna make you admit that we are friends!¡± ¡°As if, human. Someone as lowly as you could never do such a thing.¡± ¡°Hehehe, dragon, sometimes you''re to obvious. And I love you for it¡± ¡°Obvious? Human, tell me how, in the seven worlds, that I am in even a small part, slightly close to being obvious?¡± ¡°Then I would have to tell you what I¡¯m thinking about¡± ¡°Thinking? What do you mean human?¡± ¡°Yeah, who knows. Who knows¡± A big smile forming on my face A big frown forming on his I think As I¡¯ve said before, I can''t read dragon expressions very well ¡°But I tell you what, give me a hug, and I¡¯ll tell you¡± ¡°What, how dare you. You lowly human, you should be happy that I even deigned to come here, to speak to you, to sho-¡° ¡°Yeah yeah, I know you will. Do you want to know or not?¡± ... A long silence Eyes glancing down at me ¡°One hug.¡± ¡°WOOHOOO!¡± Yelling that, I ran up to mister dragon Jumping several meters, until I reached his leg Which I quickly started climbing ¡°Human, I said one hug¡± ¡°This is not a hug, I¡¯m just climbing, I wanna hug your throat¡± ¡°Is this a poor attempt at an assassination?¡± ¡°Haha no you big silly, a big hug requires a hug to the neck. But you are too big so I have to climb to get to it¡± ¡°Hrmpf, very well. But make it quick¡± ¡°Of course¡± An obvious lie Moving deliberately slowly Feeling his scales on my hands Warm And weirdly slimy. ¡°Hey, why are you so slimy? Are you sweating?¡± ¡°Human! Do not speak ill of my scales.¡± ¡°You should bath, this feels prettynasty¡± ¡°YOU DARE SPEAK LIKE THIS HUMAN! YOU.. STUPID!¡± ¡°HAHAHA Sorry! Haha, but you''re just to funny!¡± A long laugh A warm laugh Climbing mister dragon Feeling the vibrations of his rage But staying still, so verystill Letting me climb easily Which I enjoyed Every lastbit of. And soon. I found myself by his neck And hugged it tightly. Letting seconds turn to minutes A silence embracing us A comfortable silence. His breathing making me jut out His warmth filling me up His slime making me slimy ... I will need a bath after this. ¡°Human, can you jump off now?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I like this¡± And a new silence Me feeling contempt And a smile wide on my face I like to think this means that me and mister dragon has come closer Our friendship deepening It felt good. A while later, I finally jumped down Mind you, not willingly. An hour into our hug, he started whining Saying that¡°This was not part of the deal¡± Me responding with ¡°Of course it was¡± Hehe, you must be more specific mister Dragon ¡°Now, human, Tell me what you where thinking about.¡± ¡°Not now.¡± ¡°Not now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later¡± ¡°When is later?¡± ¡°I dont know¡± ¡°How can you not know? You said you would tell me¡± ¡°I never said when¡± Going quiet at that I could feel the surrounding area growing hot Everything going brighter Getting painted in blue ¡°You-yo...YOU STUPID HUMAN, I EVEN CAME BACK FOR YOU, EVEN AFTER YOU TALKED SO MUCH SHIT! YOU EVEN WALKED AWAY FROM ME ME?! OF ALL DRAGONS YOU DARED SPEAK ILL OF ME. DO YOU KNOW HOW ANGRY I WAS? ME! ANGRY, FROM A LOUSY HUMAN, AND NOW YOU HAVE TRICKED ME AGAIN, YOU ARE SO STUPID, HUMAN, YOU KNOW WHAT, I HATE YOU, I SO DONT W-¡° And on and on he continued Firing flames of blue everywhere Even scorching my clothes Burning me. But through it all I smiled, even the small burn marks feeling like nothing A big smile Content. Hehe, this is my revenge mister dragon And. Thanks for coming back It really means a lot to me. Chapter - 29 I don''t believe it I can''t believe it How is this possible What I don¡¯t ... Okay okay Calm down Take a deep breath One Two .. What the hell Holy I cant BELIEVE THIS THIS IS- No Calm down, calm down. Okayokayokay Take it from the top. Let¡¯s work our way to the present. Maybe i can gain some insightfrom that. Maybe... Okay, a deep breath Pheew So, from the beginning. It all began with the dance Something magical happened there I think.. I think I found my purpose My reason to live. I made my choice, And I don''t regret it She, on the other hand Was very taken aback, confused and worried. Maybe even scared? I don''t blame her, it¡¯s not everyday someone gives you their name. And in turn,their entire life. But I don''t regret it My life is hers now And for that, I¡¯ve given myself the responsibility to protect her To be her shield But... How am Isupposed to protect her from that¡­ That, DRAGON! HOLY- No calm down. From the top From. The. Top. Anyway As the dance continued, and I made my promise We gathered to a pub The five musicians following and a great big fellow I think she called him an elephant? But that¡¯s not important. During that stay, she drank She drank a lot. And while drinking, she avoided me, not talking nor looking to me Which did not bother me, I knew she would feel weird with me. Her happiness is more important. Her happiness, is mine. Anyway, the night continued. Drink after drink Words getting tangled in her mouth Leaning to much Blinking to often Yes. She was officially, too drunk. And as the other patrons called it a night She also wanted to go But as she still avoided me, I wondered To where? As I tried to guide her home She shoved me. Screaming at me to go away Then staring at me, lookingIf you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Horrified at her own words. Okay I might have been a little too pushy To close when she needed to breathe. To think. I should have given her some space. But after considering that, She is also very drunk. I need to stay close, close enough to intervene if something where to happen But not close enough for her to see. I hope she does not hate me for this If she finds out. Let me tell you, chasing after her was probably one of the hardest things I¡¯ve ever done She¡¯s faster than the wind Even in this drunken state The only reason I could keep up was that she, on multiple occasions Tripped or ran into walls. The yells from Fauns guiding me in the right direction. Suddenly, I found myself outside the walls. But still running. What has gotten into her? I thought. She ran and ran And ran The walls far from sight The moon the only light. And soon enough, I stopped Hidding in one of the slopes Hearing a scream Her scream A scream I was not familiar with A scream of sorrow ¡°YOU STUPID DRAAAAAGON! WHERE ARE YOU!¡± Dragon? Stupid? What the hell is she saying? Why is she so sad? What is going on? Such thoughts went through my head. Thoughts of a lost children''s book That she had gotten too drunk Maybe a past that even I could not comprehend. But she continued ¡°DRAAAGON! WHEEEERE AAARE YOOOOU!¡± ¡°WHEEERE ARE YOOOU!¡± ¡°WHERE ARE YOOOOU!¡± ¡°DRAAAAGON!¡± Each shout going louder And louder. Until the last one where she got quieter Maybe realising the futility in her screaming Looking down on the ground Shaking. But I barely saw that As my eyes were glued to the sky A sky that was blue But not the normal blue A sapphire blue A glittering blue With two glowing orbs of blue I was staring at a flying, blue mountain. Slack jawed, stunned and confused. Thoughts not properly forming as I stared in awe. Then, it spoke Words forming perfectly, sounding beautiful yet powerfull. ¡°Can you not scream so loud human. I can hear you veryeasily you know. ¡± Wha- Wa- WHAT Is- Is... Is that a Dragon? Wh- My body shook, my eyes tearing up Hand on bow, hand turning white Why is there a Dragon there? Then it spoke again. ¡°Human, No touching¡± And after saying that, she responded A response I could not even dream Not even picture, not imagine ¡°I missed you.¡± ... Is she talking with the Dragon? How in the world is that even possible? I thought Dragons were extinct. The great war, a war of all races A war led by us Faun, to exterminate To kill But ultimately failing, as the Dragons were to strong But somehow, making them disappear Never to appear in a thousands and thousands of years. Thought to be gone, gone forever. How... How can this be- Then my ears shot up, hearing something even more stupid. Even more absurd ¡°..... tell you what, give me a hug, and I¡¯ll tell you¡± ¡°What, how dare you. You lowly human, you should be happy that I even deigned to come here, to speak to you, to sho-¡° ¡°Yeah yeah, I know you will. Do you want to know or not?¡± ... ¡°One hug.¡± ¡°WOOHOOO!¡± No way No way in the words spoken by gods is this possible! A Dragon would never agree to something so bizarre as a hug They are too proud. Maybe a wyvern would agree, as they were once humans But this Is not a wyvern, Too much power, too much mana And to many legs ... I don''t understand. What is happening? Am I dead? Then something even more absurd happened Something that made me question my choice of allegiance to her For I might have had to fight a Dragon ¡°Hey, why are you so slimy? Are you sweating?¡± ¡°Human! Dont speak ill of my scales.¡± ¡°You should bathe, this feels prettynasty.¡± ¡°YOU DARE SPEAK LIKE THIS HUMAN! YOU.. STUPID!¡± ¡°HAHAHA Sorry! Haha, but you''re just to funny!¡± I stood my hand, letting the arrow rest loose on the bow. Because of something simple Something so normal, yet unheard of An honest laugh Coming from her I never thought she could laugh so beautifully. It¡¯s so honest Just like a childs. A smile coming to my face I knew it I¡¯ve chosen someone great I¡¯ve... Wait a second. She was teasing a Dragon WHAT THE HELL WHAT IS SHE DOING?! HOW IS SHE NOT ALREADY DEAD? Once again She rose higher than my expectations Making something that should have made this entire world burn. She angered the Dragon Making him scream in rage Shout and yell Breathing fire, melting rocks and crushing everything Even making me sweat, the fire being too hot. Something that should be impossible, considering I had apperently gotten fire resistence. And standing in the middle of it all She stood Clothes burnt off Fire licking her body Rocks rushing past her. Standing on top of an unbroken pillar in a sea of chaos But Being completelyfine. Even sporting a beautiful smile. Another new thing Another beautiful thing Another thing I will protect. As time moved on The Dragon finally calmed down And time had come to where we are now The present And... I don''t understand anything. I¡¯m in the dark ¡°Human, you doknow we are being watched?¡± ¡°We are being what?¡± As she said that, she hurriedly turned around, looking for what the Dragon pointed out Who in return Disappeared He... What? How can a humongous Dragon just Up and dissa- ¡°Here he is¡± Quickly turning around, bow in hand I aimed up Aiming at a Phoenix? ¡°Faun, I would not do that if I where you¡± I gulped Is-is this The Dragon? ¡°Oh, Mister Butler! Good to see you¡± She ran up to us, a big smile still on her face But as she got close, her smile quickly faded, looking at my bow. ¡°Eeeeh, mister Butler, you should really, and I mean REALLY put the bow down¡± I stared at her, eyes disbelieving But obeying her words. ¡°Hm, I see that you have gotten yourself a pet Faun while I was not looking. Interesting.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a pet, you stupid dragon! He¡¯s my friend!¡± ¡°Considering you, you would probably call a stone a friend, so that part does not surprise me.¡± ¡°Hey! I would not call a stone a friend. Although if it could talk, then that would be another question.¡± ¡°Yes, yes human. Now Faun, why are you spying on us?¡± The Dragon said, taking his attention from her to me I gulped twice more. Feeling my throat close up Dried up, feeling worse than a desert. But before I could speak, she interrupted me. ¡°He¡¯s a bitshy. So stop being so close and intimidating¡± ¡°Hrmpf, as if. I, by my very nature, is an intimidating creature. Lowly creatures all around the world should be terrified of me, bow and grovelat my feet as I question them¡± ¡°I won''t¡± She answered back lighingly fast. ¡°You are an anomaly, not of this world¡± ¡°Hey! Take that back, I¡¯m totallyone of this world. I¡¯m like, the best of this world¡± ¡°Sure. Anyway, Faun. A nod is sufficient. Did you come here to spy on us?¡± I looked up to the Dragon, then shifted my view to her Shaking my head ¡°Dont lie to me Faun, I can see through such things¡± He came closer, fire licking face, but not burning Then she spoke up ¡°I¡¯m sure he did not spy on US, only me. I think he just wanted to make sure I was okay¡± Saying that, she looked down on the ground, shyly kicking a nearby pebble. ¡°Hmm, maybe. Then Faun, did you consider killing me when I showed up?¡± I stared back at the Dragon, eyes filled with fear But having already seen through one lie I thought thatI should probably tell the truth So I nodded ¡°Hooohoo. Good answer Faun. Even if you would not have stood a chance.¡± He then turned to her, flames lifting away from my face ¡°I like this Faun, you made a good pet¡± She looked up, face turning to a frown ¡°For the last time, He¡¯s not a pet!¡± And from that, they started to bicker Talking back and forth Calling each other stupid Multiple times. With me, still laying there Looking up at them Finding myself confused Bewildered But strangely Happy. I guess This is my life now. Who would have thought That my life would change so much in just a week What a life What a beautiful life Chapter - 30 Mister Butler has told us to be secretive. That me and mister dragon has to sneak back to the city and hide the fact that mister dragon, is in fact, a dragon. Why? Well, he said that it would cause an uproar People would panic, and panic would lead to disaster, and disaster would lead to mister dragon getting attacked. Butler even said that he would have to stay silent in his phoenix form. Saying that the common perception of phoenixes isthat they arevery rare beasts. But just that, beasts Which the dragon scuffed at, telling us how stupid that was. Apparently, phoenix¡¯esare very smart and capable. Way more than they let on It¡¯s just, that their immortality makes them very unwilling to talk to us mortals. Or so I was told. Personally I don¡¯t get it. I really dont understand why we have to keep the dragon hidden. Why not just show them how friendly he is and then let them decide? Even mister dragon agreed with me. But no, Butler was insistent that we would by no means, expose the fact that mister dragon Was, in fact A dragon. And then, for the first time in my life Mister butler told me to lie Or, no. In his words ¡°It¡¯s not a lie. Just, not telling the whole truth. No one is gonna ask if he¡¯s a Dragon when he¡¯s in the phoenix form.¡± ¡°Well, nooooo, but I mean. It feels bad to not tell them¡± ¡°Yeah, but consider this, would you feel better if Fauns started attacking him?¡± ¡°I guess not¡± ¡°Perfect! Then it is-¡° ¡°Faun. For one, you have not considered my opinion in the matter, and two. Why should I ever deign to follow your plan?¡± The faun went silent Still not capable of talking to the dragon, even after spending hours together. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be so mean on him. He¡¯s doing it for you so you can follow us inside you know.¡± ¡°If I wanted to go inside, I would just go inside, human¡± ¡°And then have to kill a bunch of fauns? Not on my watch you big fat stupid dragon¡± ¡°Human, once our promise is over, I will burn you¡± ¡°Oooho, I would like to see you try you stupid dragon!¡± ¡°Hrmpf¡± ¡°ANYWAYDRAGON! You do as we say or you¡¯ll have to stay outside and look stupid¡± He stayed silent at that Not looking impressed, or maybe angry? ¡°And, ehm... If you docome I¡¯ll show you a bunch of new stuff, I¡¯ll even make one of my friend draw an epic painting of you!¡± ¡°An Epic? You mean you have met a master painter and you will make him draw an epic portrait of me? Showing off my amazing splendor and beauty?¡± Eeeer, Oh yeah. I forgot how narcissistic he can be. ¡°Uh, yeah, totally¡± ¡°Human, sometimes you speak wisdom. Even with a degenerate brain such as yours¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°I take that as a compliment thank you very much,you fat lizard.¡± ¡°Dont call me liz... Calm down, do notlet her get to you.¡± ¡°Hehe, we can hear you, you know?¡± ... He turned around, letting his back do the talking Haha dragon, you''re such afun tease Anyway. ¡°Butler, are you sure we have to do it like this? I mean, it¡¯s obvious that mister dragon won''t go inside the city in his dragon form. But it feels bad to, you know, not tell anyone. He is the last known dragon you know¡± Mister Butler took his eyes from the phoenix-dragonand looked at me. ¡°Yeah, it is necessary. To make a long story short, a long time ago we fauns used to fight dragons, and they kinda, almost killed us all.¡± ¡°I remember that time, it was a good training exercises for us Dragons. You fauns could barely scratch us¡± ¡°Shut up! If I remember correctly, we managed to slay some of you-¡° ¡°SILENCE FAUN, WE DO NOT SPEAK OF THOSE THAS HAST FALLEN¡± The dragon shouted. Making the faun fall on his butt Eyes popping out of his eye-sockets. Which looked very comical, if it were not for the situation I stepped in the middle of them, hands pushing the dragon back. ¡°Hey heyhey, calm down. I see that you both got bad history, but mister butler is not the one who made your friends, eeer, disappear.¡± Choosing my words perfectly, I tried to calm mister dragon down. Then turning around, I pointed an angry finger at mister butler ¡°And you. The first word you choose tospeak to mister dragon is accusatory? Dont you have any shame. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not mister dragons fault about your peoples past.¡± Mister Butler looked down on his feet, hands firmly placed on his legs ¡°Now, I want you to say sorry to mister dragon¡± After saying that, I bent a little closer to his ear, whispering ¡°It¡¯s a very touchy subject for mister dragon, so don¡¯t ever bring it up unless he does it first.¡± Then stood up again, arms placed on my hips. A minute later, and after looking sideways for the entirety of the minute Mister butler finally stood up, still looking down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Dragon, I know that it¡¯s all in the past and that you probably wasn¡¯t a part of it. My emotions got the better of me, and I¡¯m sorry¡± Still looking down, fiddling with his hands as he said this. ¡°Apology. Not accepted¡± Mister Butler looked up, eyes meeting the dragons. ¡°Wh-What the hell, you go-¡° Cutting him off before something stupid happens ¡°Hey heyhey, calm down, an apology does not need to be accepted. You have said sorry so, move on.¡± Meeting an angry look, but getting a slow nod in response Then I turned around, taking up the view of the dragon. ¡°And you, stop being such a baby.¡± ¡°A what-¡° ¡°NOW! Let¡¯s goooo, back to the city of fauns!¡± I interrupted mister dragon, starting to walk towards the city ¡°Eeeer, it¡¯s this way¡± The butler awkwardly said, pointing the opposite way. ¡°Let¡¯s GOOOOO!¡± I said, turning back, walking confidently. ¡°Hrmpf, I see that your sense of direction is still backwards.¡± ¡°LET¡¯S GOOOOOOOO!¡± ¡°She¡¯s trying her best, don¡¯t be so hard on her¡± ¡°If her best is this, then I really do not understand how she has survived this far¡± ¡°LET¡¯S GOOO!¡± ¡°You know that she is an amazing archer? Even stronger than me¡± ¡°I know that humans would consider her strong. But to me, she is just an ant.¡± ¡°LET¡¯S A GOOO¡± ¡°Maybe, but I bet that a fully powered arrow from her could at least make a dent in your scales¡± ¡°Pfff, Faun, you jest. I havesurvived volcanos blasting me, tornadoes flying over me, crushing depths and even gods.¡± ¡°I SAID, LET¡¯S A GOO!¡± ¡°Human shut up, we are already going¡± ¡°Survived gods? What do you mean?¡± ¡°WE HAVE TO GO FASTER!¡± As I said that, Istarted jogging. Still feeling red around my cheeks Why do Ihave to be so clumsy? Looking over my shoulder, I could see mister dragon effortlessly flying above my shoulder. And mister butler looking confused, but keeping pace Good enough. Now let¡¯s just slow down Let, erm, mister Butler lead the way. Not because I don''t know the way, no way But, you know, someone else has to take the lead sometimes Yeah, that¡¯s totally the reason. ¡­ Why the heck won''t you take the lead you stupid butler I mean, hello? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m trying to run behind you Why do you have to slow down? Aaaaaaaa! ... Now we are walking again ¡°Human, why are you so stupid?¡± Shut up! I¡¯m not stupid! I don''t wanna hear that from you, you stupid dragon ¡°Hmmf¡± I angrily huffed, looking away from mister dragon And down at mister butler It¡¯s your fault he¡¯s calling me stupid, you know He should call you stupid, stupid. But he seemed to not notice Still looking confused, maybe even thoughtful. Heeeey Heelllloooo Anyone in there? Look at me Waving my arm before his face, I got his attention Yes, finally. Please, can you take the lead now? But I only got another confused expression. This time a question forming, asking ¡°What?¡± What? Is that really what you¡¯regonna say? Holy moly, how stupid can you be See, do you seemister dragon. He¡¯s the stupid one. Not me I frowned. ¡°Hmmf¡± I huffed at him, looking away from him. Only to meet the dragons eyes ¡°Hmmf¡± Still angry, I huffed again, deciding to look up Up to the sky. Now they¡¯ll understand that I¡¯m upset with them. ¡°Human, you are not only stupid, but you also look stupid¡± Hmmf As if, you''re just trying to say that to make me upset And you wont- ¡°Ehm, I don¡¯t wanna be mean, but he¡¯s kinda right, you look a little... Weird?¡± ... I started running Face beaming red like a tomato Or, maybe it was just the burns that had not disappeared all the way. Yeah, it was totally that Not anything else¡­ ¡°Wait up! If you run into townlike that you¡¯ll get many questioning eyes!¡± Run into town like that? Like what Thinkingthat, I looked down ... I¡¯m naked ... That¡¯s not something new I¡¯ve been naked many times before I even think mister Butler has seen me naked many times. But You know After getting called stupid multiple times Being stupid multiple times And getting ignored. You can only take so much shame before the shame overwhelms you. And you know It kinda did right now And you shouldalso know that When your emotions get¡¯s overwhelmed You kinda act irrationally And in my defense Firing arrows at both mister dragon and butler Was a very refreshing feeling. I don''t even think they minded it that much That much¡­ And to make the matter even more shameful The last words I heard before screaming ¡°Lalalala¡± and slapping my hears Was ¡°You are running the wrong direction again!¡± ... This day is not my day Chapter - 31 When we finally got back to the city walls We weregreeted by a bunch of guards, and a very angry looking faun An old faun, to be exact. She seemed to not care for the obviouslyout-of-place phoenix that floated besideme. Nor did she glance at misterButler. Only staring at me. It was actually kinda freaky how much she stared Even after staying silent for an entire minute. ¡°Hi¡± I tried ¡°Dont talk¡± She replied, still staring. I gave a sheepish look towards mister Butler, Please, help. But when I saw him I was met with side trotted eyes that seemed to explore everything except for me. ... I guess I won''t get any help there. Stupid butler. Looking to the guards standing behind the old faun I could see them keeping their hands on their bow, staring at mister dragon At least some were acknowledging the bizarre situation of mister dragon. Maybe I should call him phoenix now? Hmm Yeah, I should, or else I¡¯ll slip up. Anyway, guys don''t worry, he won''t do anything I hope, maybe, probably not. Then the old faun spoke up ¡°I thought I told you to not leave, then when I come to your house, I find it empty¡± Hehe, well you must be a bitmore specific with your words. ¡°You never told me to-¡° ¡°SILENCE¡± She yelled, making me shut my mouth quickly. Whoops She let a few seconds pass before talking again. ¡°When I came looking for you, I hear about a human starting a huge dance in the heart of the city¡± Yeah, that was reallyfun. But I should probably not say that. ¡°After that, I hear of a girl drinking more beer than a human should be capable off, running through town to who knows where¡± That was also prettyfun. But I should probably not say that either. ¡°And when I finally get a message about a human and a faun standing outside our gates, I¡¯m met with the same human, the same faun, but an unknown phoenix.¡± Hmm When you put it like that, this looks weird. ¡°I can exp-¡° ¡°I said silence¡± She said, not in a yell, but sharp enough to cut stone. I swallowed, feeling very insecure Leaving me stunned for a few seconds, she spoke again. ¡°But you know what, I¡¯m not mad at that. From the first time we met, I knew you where a free soul, someone not bound by anything. I¡¯ve tried nurturing that, protecting you from unknowns.¡± From unknowns? Are there like giant invisible soul sucking worms in this city or something? What are- ¡°What makes me mad, is a rumour. A rumour about a Faun giving not only his horn away, but also his name. Giving his life away for a human¡± Oh That. That was not my fault. ¡°When I learn that the rumour is true, and that non-other than our very special human is the recipient for this trust of faith, I get a little anxious, but not mad.¡± Going silent, a quick glance at mister Butler ¡°Then you know what happens?¡± A rhetorical question That I still answered ¡°No¡± ¡°I learnt that it was my stupid son who had made the sacred vow.¡± ... What. I quickly looked towards mister Butler Seeing sweat pour from his face down to his neck Eyes darting everywhere but me and the old faun. Oh my dragon It¡¯s true What the crap. ¡°So girl, I have been put in a very difficult situation. Either I try to make you stay here and bind yourself to our family.¡± Giving me an angry glare ¡°Or, I let you go. With my only son as your companion¡± Going silent at her last words Looking at me Still with a hostile glare. Why does it have to be me, I mean I did not do anything. I just got shot, survived And then survived even more.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I¡¯ve already done that my entire life so I mean This should not be any different But somehow It was. You stupid Butler. Why do you have to put me in such a difficult situation? And stop being so shameful, say something! If you are stupid enough to give me your name, at least stand up for yourself No, stand up for me. I need some support right now. Then the old faun sighed Finaly blinking, taking her eyes away from me. ¡°To be young. Well, it is not like I am expecting an answer right now. I¡¯ll give you some time¡± Then she looked towards her son. ¡°And you, myson¡° Punctuating the last word, making it sink in. ¡°I am expecting an explanation. A very detailed, explanation¡± Then she turned around, waving at the guards, making them take their hands away from their bows and follow behind. ¡°Oh, and before I forget. Make sure that the phoenix won''t be let loose and burn anything. I¡¯ll hold you responsible¡± She said, not looking back, with her entourage of guards close behind. I gave a look towards mister dragon Seeing his flames get a little brighter Oh no. Please don''t do anything stupid.
As we got into the city, the old faun took me back to an unknown, Bar? Maybe restaurant. That¡¯s what she said, saying that this is a place for fauns to eat and relax. But to me, it looks more like a giant guards barrack, as all the people sitting here werearmed with bows. I asked her why they were, which she replied with. ¡°Keeping you in check¡± Then telling me sternly to stay here until she comes back Taking her son with her as she left, butler giving me a last small smile before disappearing. Huh Well, this is weird. Going up to one of the tables with two sitting fauns, I sat down. Leaning closer to one of the fauns, saying ¡°Soo, anything fun you guys do around here?¡± But only getting a silent stare in response Uhuh, so no crowd here Leaning back on my chair, I embraced myself. Imitating his stare ¡°Do you guys know when food arrives? I¡¯m starving¡± To that the faun responded, giving me a raised eyebrow Then pushing a stone towards me A stone ¡°Erm, I¡¯m asking about food?¡± He gestured towards the stone Still with a raised eyebrow... What? ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡± He gave me a sigh, looking annoyed. Taking the stone from the table He started absorbing mana from the stone Oooooh It¡¯s a mana stone ... But what the heck, I know you can survive with just mana But you will still feel like starving. Is this a mean joke? ¡°Erm, yeah that is nice and all, but I want something filling, something to make my stomach full.¡± At that, he looked at me weird. Both eyebrows raised, and weirdly Looking confused. Wait, these guys don''t need food? Huh That¡¯s Very surprising. Taking a look at mister dragon, I questioned him ¡°Do Fauns not eat?¡± Getting silence in response Hey, don''t you go- Oh Oh yeah. Hehehehehe Whoops. Looking back to the faun, he gave me a new weird look Leaning back a little ... Great, now I look crazy. A while later, and a few stones drained Something new happened A new faun entered the house. Greeted with salutes from every faun in the building The new faun made a gesture, making everyone sit back down again. The faun came up to me, sitting down with his hands firmly placed on his jaw. ¡°Hello human, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you¡± He said, smiling brightly, eyes looking focused. His face was very handsome, a little too handsome As if someone had sculpted it, making it sharper, more even. Too perfect I imitated his pose, giving him a big smilein turn. ¡°Hello Faun, I¡¯ve heard nothing about you¡± Getting a big laugh in response, sounding melodic, yet fake. Expression joyfull, yet his eyes looked focused, to focused to be only joyfull. ¡°...Haha, yes, I don¡¯t expect you too. But around these parts I¡¯m one of the elders, the chosen few who survived the ritual to become immortal. But you probably already know about that¡± Giving me a knowing look, almost smug in his expression Immortal? Rituall... I have no idea what he¡¯s talking about¡­ I won¡¯t tell him that though. He¡¯s giving me the creeps. ¡°Anyway, to make matters short, as we both have little time on our hands. I¡¯m here with a proposal, if you are friendly enough to give me the time of day to listen.¡± ¡°Sure¡± I responded, still smiling brightly, but feeling a bit Unnerved He¡¯s giving me a weird vibe I think I think it¡¯s his smile. It¡¯s fake. ¡°I was wondering if you could help us Fauns, considering how much we¡¯ve done for you, it should not be that hard to accept¡± Uhuh, soo. ¡°What is the proposal?¡± ¡°Oh, not one to mince words I see, I appreciate that. Anyway, we want you to help us with a little problem we have, you¡¯ve probably already seen the blue flames that painted the sky?¡± The blue flames that- Oh, he means mister dragon ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Mmhm, yeah we were wondering if you could help us with that¡± A short pause, letting his arms drop onto the table ¡°What I¡¯m saying, is that we want you to scout and report your findings-¡° But before he could finish, the old faun and mister butler came in And as a repeat of last time, all the guards stood up, saluting The old faun ignored them, instead glaring at the elder sitting in front of me Face looking more wrinkled than a blanket A few seconds ticked by. ¡°We agreed that I would handle this¡± She said, looking at the elder. He turned around, giving back a big smile and letting his hands float out ¡°Aaah, my dear elder, it¡¯s good to see you. And yes, we did, but things have changed. You know this.¡± He said, smile still big, but eyes narrowing, calculative More wrinkles crossed her face, looking even angrier ¡°That does not change the agreement.¡± ¡°It does, I¡¯ve got the backing of several other elders, all in agreement that it must be done, and quick¡± He quickly responded, ready for the question. Her eyes darted to me, but just for a second Keeping a short silence Then saying. ¡°This is not something for you to decide, not even with the backing of a few elders. This requires a hearing, we must gather everyone and make a decision¡± In response, the elder looked Angry, the first genuine expression forming on his face His arms falling down the chair, glaring back at the old faun. This lasted a few seconds Guards still saluting, keeping quiet Mister Butler inching his way towards me. Hands on bow, eyes narrowing And both elder glared at each other. The air was almost sparking Feeling longer than it actuallywas. A few seconds later The tension was broken Broken by the handsome elder. ¡°I see, tradition is tradition¡± The only words spoken, swiftly standing up and leaving Giving a last glare at the old faun And as he stepped outside The room breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing how much power one of the elder held Not wanting to see it for themselves But I I just kinda felt awkward. The old faun gestured for the guards to stand down and leave Making us the four only people there. And Ifoundt myself with many questions. Wanting answers But only asking one. ¡°What. Just. Happened?¡± A short chuckle The old faun sat down in front of me Mister Butler to my side And she answered ¡°That is a good question.¡± ... But not saying anything more Stupid old lady. ¡°What now?¡± I asked instead. ¡°Another good question, but to answer it. We must go to the hearing andmake a decision about what to do with you.¡± What What to do with me? ¡°What is a hearing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a hearing, it¡¯s the hearing.¡± Giving me a small knowing look, but pointing a firm finger at me A second later, she let it fall down, saying ¡°It is our Fauns way of deciding matters that could change the fate of all Fauns, a tradition uphold by everyone, lest you wouldface consequences.What is decided at the hearing is above the law.¡± Huh What? That sounds super important So that faun was some sort ofbig shot trying to recruit me? Or what... Wait ¡°Wait, are you telling me I hold the fate of all fauns?¡± A big laugh escaped her mouth A hearty laugh, one that had not left her for weeks. Maybe months. ¡°...Hahaha, oh my dear girl, you are something special, never lose that. But no, no you don¡¯t hold the fate of all Fauns¡± Then her smile softened, not being as big, but still there ¡°But you have strength, strength that could save many. And now that my stupid son decided to bond with you, the elders also think you belong to us Fauns, that we hold power over you, that they can order you to do our bidding.¡± Oh, that sounds Very boring ¡°That does not sound fun.¡± A new laugh Another smile ¡°Oh haha, no little girl, that would not be fun for you. You would be required to forever listen to us Fauns, obeying orders and keeping the city safe. And with time, you might, ¡°might¡±, get lucky and get a seat with the elders" Hmm, so Wait I don''t understand Why am I so important for the elders? Why do they think they can boss me around? I know that mister Butler was stupid about giving his name. But. Is it really that special here? ¡°Ehm, your loosing me here, I really don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on. I still dont know why I¡¯m so special for you guys.¡± ¡°Oh girl, how can you be so pure while enduring so much suffering?¡± I froze at that Memories flooding back. But just for a second, shaking my head Throwing bad thoughts away Away away, I don''t want you a-here! Hihih, sometimes I even impress myself. ¡°Well, to make it simple for you. You are very strong, maybe even stronger than us elders. So simplifying things, they want you to find, and ifpossible, eliminate the one who cast the blue flame-¡° At the words ¡°blue flame¡±, mister butler froze Tightening his lips, glancing towards me. Why the look? Hmm, Oh I think- But before I could finish, the old faun continued Seemingly not noticing mister Butler reaction Nor mine. ¡°...Using any reason that they can come up with to force you to do this. Which Ihighly disagree with.¡± I see I see ... I don''t see Maybe? This is annoying. ¡°Okaaay, I think I understand. But why the hearing?¡± ¡°Good question, well to make it simple once again, that shit faced elder out-maneuvered me, taking the matter in his own hands and trying to involve you in our politics. Which he has done now that I¡¯ve had to tell you all this.¡± Going quiet at that, almost fuming by the ears The old faun looked quiet comical Hehe. But she has still not answered my question. ¡°Eeehm, still, why a hearing?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry, the hearing. Yeah, the only thing I could think of at the top of my head, was to take this issue to a vote. If we are lucky, all elders will vote to let you be, and that is that. ¡± ¡°Aaand if they don¡¯t?¡± She went silent at that Thinking ¡°Then, it¡¯s up to you¡± Hm, Okay I think I understand.... I don''t understand. I just wanted to get healed Why am I suddenly a part of somesort of Political power play? This is stupid. Mister Butler is stupid Mister Dragon is stupid. Why is everything so stupid. Stupid world! Chapter - 32 Our god,is gone. Our clan, is in chaos. Our kingdom, is in chaos. No one knows why Not even our wisest Lizards have an explanation Even after begging with their lives Down on their stomachs, lying about our god leaving us for some greater purpose How foolish do they think we are? I listened to them for far too long Letting them fool us Telling us how our god feels What he needs What he thinks? How could we have been so blind? How did we not see Understand that they are mere mortals- How would they know the inner workings of our great god. No, they used their deceiving ways.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Using it to gain power To gain favors And with it, rising through the ranks Up to me Their king King of this mountain The king of lizards. How dare they I¡¯ll make their kids eat the flesh of their bones.
I pride myself in my rule. How our bloodline has gone from father to son For generations upon generations. And during those generations, our god has guided us Stayed with us. Our god has chased dangers that would wipe us out That could kill even lesser beings such as humans. Our god saved us Saved us during the age of discovery When the first Lizards of old came upon this mountain Scared and hungry But blessed Saved by our god Our glorious god Who is now Gone. The wise men are now dead So-called priest. I spit on their graves. They can not see the glorious ways of our god. No They have lied to us Saying that our god is pleased with us That he is content Content with our meager offerings Our pitiful way of life. How we sit here in the darkness, slowly withering away No. Only I know I know that our god is tired. Tired of our ways Tired of how we just sit here Twiddling our tails and doing nothing No I see this as an omen. An omen of greatness This is our god telling us Telling us to spread forth Spread the word of our god A world of Lizards Ruled by the mightiest of Lizards Me With the only proper god, on top Our god. And he shall see it all Eyes gleamingin delight I know it I can feel it This is what our god wants What our god craves And I shall give it to him.
The Army is ready Our people standing before me I have never felt this proud before This This is what we Lizards have been waiting for Born to do Meant to do. The new wise Lizards have spoken Told us where our god is Giving us a direction. We are marching forwards None will oppose us. Like the god before us We shall conquer all No matter the adversary No matter the danger. And with time This world shall know the word of god All hail The Blue Dragon All hail Our God Chapter - 33 The human is far gone Far away from the forest of old Our home. But she has been sloppy, given us breadcrumbs to follow A stack of dead chickens there Burn marks there And finally An arrow in a tree A marking to show us we are on the right path. We¡¯ve been travelling far. Bringing with us the words of the elders The word of the swarm Oh yes, the swarm It is gathering. It¡¯s already swelling in size. The surrounding villages have brought with them their strongest warriors And those to weak to fight, has been brought as cannonfodder.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Yes Oh yes This will be so amazing. Such a thing has not happened for a hundred years. To be able tolive in a lifetime where there is a swarm Oh my luck. To have been so lucky I¡¯m beyond thrilled. And to think I¡¯ve been chosen Chosen with eleven other great rats To find the human. Report our findings and send back words to the swarm. Who will then, in turn Swarm Oh dear god. I¡¯ve waited for this Nothing can stop a swarm. Such a thing I¡¯m blessed. Anyway I need to focus, focus on the task We¡¯ve found where we believe the human set camp And to our amazement The forest ends The forest ends! Can you believe it? I thought it was endless, never ending. Or at least, only getting smaller Not stopping in its entirety This is beyond confusing. Well, something as trivial as this can, and will not, stop the swarm But ... I don''t know what.. ¡°That¡± is. It looks like rock But the entirety of the land is covered in it. As far as my eyes can see, there is only rock. Different coloured rocks Going up and down like ripples in a puddle. I¡¯ve never seen something so ... Lifeless? Why would the human come here? Maybe she knows about the swarm Maybe she¡¯s here to hide? Who knows But she won''t be lucky. Our smartest and greatest blood mage is with us Able to read the signs in blood Leading us in the right direction. Luckily for us, we managed to scrape up the blood of the human And with it, it has led us here Led us in the right direction. So why would it fail now? Even in such an alien land A land devoid of life. But imagine Just Imagine. Such awesomeness when the swarm comes here Gathering over the vast land of rock Giving life to the lifeless Giving it a new name A land of rats Blocking out the sun, thousands Hundred of thousands Maybe Even millions Oh my god. It¡¯s going to be such a sight And I¡¯m gonna be on top. Amongst the elders Seeing it all I¡¯m the luckiest rat in the world. Chapter - 34 ¡°I now declare this Hearing, started¡± A loud bang as the big faun hit the table with a small hammer Huh. Good way to make people go quiet I want one. But I have to say This is really a ¡°gathering¡± It¡¯s like, maybe, a thousand fauns cramped into this small room. Or rather, chamber? Yeah, we are inside a small chamber inside a big room inside a very big building. The one that had six pillars surrounding it. Hehe, it¡¯s inside inception. Anyway, apparently this is not everyone, some have to stay outside as there is not enough room for everyone. And these fauns are supposed to be ¡°elders¡± All immortals with unbelievable powers Or something like that I think. I¡¯ve found myself in quiet the pickle I¡¯m sitting in the middle of this small chamber, surrounded by a circle of chairs. And on those chairs, there sits elders And where there are no chairs, there are elders standing. To my right, sits the old faun and mister Butler And floating above me is mister dra- I mean, mister phoenix. And to my left, is that handsome jerk of a faun Ahem Anyway. The hearing has started. Now they are supposed toooo Erm Decide what to do with me. I guess? Feels weird. Luckily, they speak my language. And I¡¯m supposed to voice my opinion when questioned. Or something I¡¯m not good with political stuff. The old faun gave me some pointers before on how to behave myself. And some help from mister butler. But the only thing I got out of that was to not expose that mister dragon was an actual dragon. And I mean, under no circumstances. I think he said something about absolute chaos if I do But erm.. I kinda forgot all the rules. Hehe. Anyway The little I doremember is that all elders have one vote that they can cast when a subjecthas been decided. everyone''s vote is equally important But There always forms parties who share a sentiment on a subject. And the leaders of these party¡¯s usually decide for the entirety of the group. Making a vote easier than if everyone just voted at random. And the leader of one of these groups Is none other Then the old faun. Pretty anti-climatic, I know. But she has assured me she¡¯s on my side Whatever that means. And the opposition Has the leader of that very Very good looking faun The unnaturally good-looking one. And if I understand everything correctly He wants me to be like Some sort ofbattle slave? Giving me tasks that would normally not be sent as it could endanger either a very talented faun Or an elder. Sooo What I¡¯m trying to say Is that I don''t like him. ¡°What do you say Human?¡± Oh whoops. I kinda forgot to listen to the debate. ¡°Eeeh, sorry I did not hear your question.¡± The big faun gave out a small sigh. Shaking his head Hands resting on his hammer. ¡°The gathering asked you why you came to this city.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Oh, hehe, sorry. I just wanted to heal my leg.¡± The surrounding fauns started whispering amongst themselves. Some louder than others. Giving a sideways look to mister butler. I could see him sitting quietly, a smile forming as his eyes met mine. Taking my eyes to the old faun, I could see her leaned back Whispering to a faun behind her. ¡°Human, why were your leg wounded?¡± To my side, a faun asked Seeking the source, I see the handsome faun A big smile on his face But the same deceiving eyes. ¡°I accidentally blew them up.¡± A loud gasp spread amongst the gathered fauns Then more whispering Louder than before. And weirdly enough A very small snicker could be heard. Looking towards the snicker I saw the old faun Hey! Don''t laugh. It was very painful you know! Then the handsome faun spoke up Trying to out-speak the gathered fauns. ¡°How could you accidentally blow up your legs?¡± ¡°Oh, hehe that¡¯s an embarrassing story. But it started with me getting chased by chickens. And I did not have any arrows, so I had to run. Then I decided to climb a tree, and there I took out one of my boomboom things and let it dropdown. But I miscalculated the blast radiusand it blew me away, blasting my legs to hell¡± I quickly summarised Talking a little too fast. Noticing some fauns looking confused Even getting an awkward look from the handsome faun. ¡°Why do you guys have to know this? Are we not hear to talk about me staying or something?¡± I asked, feeling like I deserved some answers. And to my question, the big faun stood up. Thumping his hammer on the table in front of him. The gathered elders went quiet. ¡°Human. This gathering has a rough idea of how and why you have come here. But we still want to know your side of the story, and once that is complete, we shall discuss what we will vote on. Then we vote.¡± Sitting down, the big faundropped the hammer. And the gathering started speaking again. But through it, out-speaking everyone The handsome butler spoke up again. ¡°And let me ask, where does this phoenix fit into this picture?¡± This phoenix? Oh. ¡°Oh you mean, mister dr-¡° ¡°She found him in a cave in the great forest, there she befriended him and they¡¯ve travelled together since.¡± What no th- Oh Holy moly. I almost told everyone he¡¯s not a phoenix. Thanks for the save, mister butler. Looking to him, smiling brightly. I was met with a frown. A very, very big frown. ... Yeaaa Sorry, I won''t repeat that. ¡°Great one, we wish to hear this from the Human, her words, not yours.¡± The big faun said, pointing at him with the hammer In which mister butler responded with a bow. ¡°It won''t be repeated.¡± But during his bow, he gave me a side glance. Looking very angry I¡¯m sorry! And in the corner of my eye. I got a glimpse of the old faun Giving me, and mister butler A very suspicious look. And if I had eyes in my neck I would see the same look on the handsome faun The gathering continued Many questions were asked. Mostly about how I came here How I met mister butler And my little journey. Which turns out Was actually kinda hard to re-tell, as I had to always make mister dragon a phoenix in the story. And the factthat he could not talk. Which, when Ire-told the story made me sound very crazy. Getting many sideways looks from the surrounding fauns. I promise I¡¯m not crazy! I¡¯m not! It¡¯s your guy''s fault that you would freak out from a dragon. Not mine. And to be totally honest It was very hard to always try to change the story. I think the old faun noticed me lying... Or who am I kidding? I think everyone noticed I don''tusually lie I¡¯ve never lied this much before! It¡¯s too hard, you know. Anyway. Those that asked me the most questions Where the opposition Why? I don''t know. But soon enough Everyone stopped asking me. Seemingly satisfied with my explanations. Instead, going back to speaking to each other Speaking in faunish ... Crap. That¡¯s stupid I want to know! I know that it¡¯s about me So come on, guys! Let me in! Let mee in! The debate continued on Starting prettycalm. But progressively getting louder and louder. Going off to almost screaming at each other. The only reason they were not screaming constantly Was the big fauns, big hammer. He used it religiously Making all go silent. But quickly enough, they started shouting again. Well, this seems to have gone totally wrong. It feels like nothing of important has been decided yet And it¡¯s already been like two hours now. Maybe three? Holy moly I¡¯m tired And bored. This is boring. I even think mister dragon is bored... I guess he¡¯s always bored? I don''t know But it feels like he¡¯s more bored now. Maybe. I think. ¡­ Huh There has been a... Erm Sort of Division? Now, instead of an equally seated populace of fauns There seems to have been a split. With many fauns sitting to my right, where the old faun is sitting at the front And to my left The handsome faun. Sitting with many fauns behind him. This feels Weird. The shouting is still as loud But now, the shouting is usually only amongst the old faun and the handsome one. And every time they shout The fauns behind them will shout in agreement. And the other side will shout in disagreement. ... This is getting reallystupid. Is this politics? What the hell It¡¯s more like watching chickens fight. ... Er, well Chickens can be deadly so I take that back Hehe. Finally Something new is happening. I think it¡¯s been Four hours? Five? Yeah. And finally They are speaking so I can understand. But The one speaking, or rather, shouting Is the handsome faun. ¡°Human, why would you think coming here, expecting our help, would be for free?¡± Huh, what an aggressively asked question. But ¡°But, I did not think it would be for fre-¡° Before I could finish The old faun jumped in. ¡°She never asked to be healed! Nor did she ever say that she would not re-pay us! I healed her on my behalf!¡± The handsome faun stood up. ¡°You may have done it on your behalf! But you used our precious Dragon blood to heal her, and a ritual that should be forbidden for anyone outside!¡± His side shouted in agreement. ¡°She was dying! Would you left someone for dead? And as I saidshe will he-¡° But out-shouting her, the handsome faun cut in Getting loud shouts from the old fauns side. ¡°Dying?! The ritual is worse than death! Letting her take the ritual was not something you did with her life in mind. No, I¡¯ve heard whispers. You did it for your son!¡± A loud shout of surprise and yelps echoed through the gathered fauns The old faun in turn Frowned. ¡°I did no such thing.¡± ¡°Oh, but you did. I¡¯ve heard a little tweet, a little whisper that said that your precious little sun was wounded when fighting the human. And who, to save the human¡¯s life, both gave,and drank Dragon blood in his shame.¡± A louder shout of surprise Many staring down at mister butler Who, in turn Looked forwards, a stoic expression. Staring at me. The old faun staying silent Visibly shaking. ¡°And you, you could not bare to see your son die. Even if he was not ready for the ritual, nor could you deal with his sorrow, so you did the only thing you could think of, you di-¡° ¡°SHUT UP¡° A loud shout Every faun shooting their hands to their ears The entire chamber shaking from the vibrations And then An eery silence. The only one who did not seem moved by the shout Was the big faun. ¡°Oh venerable one, I ask you to not use magic in the chamber.¡± A low sigh Breathing a few calming breaths Hall staying silent. Then looking up to the big faun. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my anger got the best of me¡± Saying that, she sat down. Followed by her side doing the same Who had gotten visibly smaller after her outburst. While the handsome fauns side had gotten a little bigger. ¡°Human¡± Taking me away from my thoughts I looked towards the handsome faun. ¡°We are here today to ask you a question, a question we hope you say yes to, as we would like to not take it to a vote.¡± Oooookay? Letting a small silence enter the room. Looking at me with open arms Smiling brightly Maybe even smiling for real I think. ¡°Our question to you, dear human. Is if you would kindly help us with a task, a task of great danger, BUT, graveimportance.¡± Uhuh Okay. Can you just Ask me already? ¡°We want you to go out in the world, search and hopefully find something, or someone, who is of great danger to our city.¡± Yeaaah Yeah... Can you just tell me already? ¡°Can you just ask the question already?¡± A small laugh But staying in pose. ¡°Yes, yesof course. We want you, to find the source of the blue flames that painted the sky many nights ago¡± The blue what? Huh.. Wait, a second. And my brain blurted it out. If I would have just looked up, I would have seen something. Something that would have stopped me Made me not say those stupid words Made me rethink. Organize Be smarter. If I would have just looked up Seen mister butlers face Seen his pleading eyes His cautionary smile I would have paused But you know what I did not I can be so stupid sometimes. ¡°Oh, haha yeah I know him, it¡¯s mister dragon over here.¡± Pointing at mister dragon, who seeminglyshook himself from his boredom. Staring down at me Flames going brighter Seemingly getting Happy? ... Oh my dragon. What the hell have I done? Staring widely I scanned the room. Deathly silent Surprised faces None moving None speaking Even the handsome butler had a surprised face Forming a wide O with his mouth I think I think Idid something really stupid. Chapter - 35 Our little girl Our young one Our human Has gone anddone something Something I would want to call stupid But I dobelieve I truly believe That she just don''t understand. She does not understand the consequences of her words. It all began with the Gathering And that insufferable faun. Truly, his years of magical surgery has made him senile. That old stupid fart Wrinkles would at least make you redeemable. Ahem Anyway From the start ¡°My dear venerable elder, so happy to see you¡± A voice which I wish were never born. Turning around, seeing a face I wish was never created. ¡°It is you¡± I responded, letting my dislike for him shine through. ¡°Oh my, you don¡¯t have to be so toxic all the time, it will make you grow older, you know¡± One of the rare occasions we are alone together. And he tries to be polite. As if, you rotten pile of bones. ¡°I am not being toxic. I am trying to chase away the filth that deigns to speak with me.¡± ¡°Oooh, that¡¯s a new one. Quiet good¡± A smug face plastered on him ¡°What do you want¡± Letting my anger seep out, eyebrows focused and narrowed. ¡°Hm, just like the human right too business¡± A raised eyebrow, looking up to the sky as if thinking about a hard puzzle Looking down again, staring into mine. Finaly looking honest. With his dead eyes and frown to match. ¡°You know just as well as I do, that taking this to the Gathering will only be a waste of time. You can''t win, especially now that your son-¡° ¡°Dont you dare take my son into it, he has been foolish, but it was his own choice.¡± A sigh. ¡°No, it is not. Not when you so hastily made him an elder. He now belongs to the city, one of us. And with it, comes a responsibility, one that he threw away for some, weak love¡± How dare you You big bag of god filth. ¡°Leave, my son. Out of it¡± Giving me an exasperated eye-roll He slowly said. ¡°As I¡¯ve already said. This will lead to the Gathering deciding that she now belongs to us. I just wanted to ask her directly, making this all so much easier and faster, but noooo. You have to-¡° ¡°Sometimes I can''t fathom how stupid you have become. Can you not see? She is not just a strong human, no. She has some sort ofbacking, some allies we dont know of. Just the other day, she just casually came strolling back with a phoenix. A phoenix! Cant you see?¡± ¡°I can see loud and clear, venerable elder, but I fail to see how this changes anything?¡± Frown still on his face Looking quiet bored. As if replaying an encounter he has already had Which he has. ¡°Ah, you stupid old pile of dung. If we bind her here, her allies will come to find her, and if they find her burnt to a crisp, they will want answers. And we don¡¯t need more enemies.¡± Giving me an angry glare He opened his mouth But closed it. Steam coming out of his body The surrounding environment growing hotter and hotter. Oh, hehe. Getting called old still makes you angry,huh? A few seconds passed And soon the steam resided. And he calmed. ¡°Pheew. Still, I don¡¯t see how this changes anything? She already came here wounded and confused. If worse comes to worst, we just tell her allies we found her dead.¡± Ah Of course I forgot how nasty you can be. Or wait No, no, I did not. ¡°She could become such a valuable ally if we just, befriended her.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°I fail to see how she can¡¯t already become one?¡± ¡°You old fart, she will rebel, she will fight back, she will use all her power to escape if we try to shackle her. If we let her fight for us on her own free will, we can use her for so much more.¡± The surrounding grew hotter Hotter and hotter Worse than before. And his eyes started glowing Power leaking. In return, I amassed my ownmana. Condensing it around my hands Preparing a water shield. SomethingI have become quiteexcellent at forming Maybe even the best amongst all fauns. But nothing happened. Only giving me a last glare. ¡°Then we have to agree to disagree.¡± Turning around and walking away. Leaving me with an un-cast spell And a heart fuming. Luckily, I am a very old faun. During my long years, I have acquired many friends. Many of them being elders. And many of them would gladly support my decision, no matter what I decided. Being loyal to a fault Which I thank them for. From the bottom of my heart. But this This Gathering. Is not something I think we can win So I will need all the support I can get And with it, we just might Might be able tomake it into a tie. A tie where she would have enough time to get out of here To flee far away. In which the Gathering would be forced to accept her freedom And therefore Making it possible for her to return one day. Hopefully. But, considering that it would be him that is the leader of the opposition I don''t think it will go that easy- He has a knack for persuading people- A charm that few can match Not even I possess such charm- Even if the charm is a pile of fuming god shit. ¡°Son, tell me. Do you love her?¡± I asked, walking towards the gathering. Talking in faunish, as she was walking besides us With the phoenix floating close by Staring down at me As if listening. Strange creature. ¡°I-I.... I don¡¯t think so.¡± He responded, stuttering a bit You don''t think? I need something more concrete than that. Oh, my little boy. Why do you have to get feelings now of all times? ¡°You don¡¯t think? As in, you might or you dont know?¡± ¡°I-.. Why do I have to answer this? Is it really that important?¡± ¡°No, no, it is not important, but I want to know. You''re myonly son, giving you away to a human, no matter how wonderful she is, is not something I want to do.¡± ¡°I know, but... I can''t help it, she is... She is my destiny.¡± Pffft, destiny. I have thought many times that someone would be a part of my destiny. But living for as long as I have It always ends badly And trust me son Now that you are also an immortal It will happen to you too. Hopefully, she will forget your name when the time comes. As she too, is an immortal I think. ¡°Hey, erm, if we fail in getting the Gathering to let her be free. What do we do?¡± Question shaking me from thoughts. A good question. One that I don''t have an answer too. ¡°I dont know¡± ¡°What do you mean? You always know what to do¡± ¡°Not always, you only think thatbecause of my old age. It gives me an advantage. Wisdom beyond anyone else, but even I, dont know everything.¡± Silence Walking side by side. The human seemingdistracted Looking around with wide eyes Taking in the sights. Like a child So innocent But yet, so scarred. ¡°Then, I think. I think we should escape this city!¡± He exclaimed, excitement in his voice. ¡°I know how fast she can run and I know you have magic that¡¯s stronger than anyone''s, we could!¡± Hehe, oh my little son Yes we could Yes, we could. ¡°Maybe, but you know I can¡¯t.¡± Hearing my words, his expression quickly turned sour. Then sad, eyes looking to me. A pleading look, eyes I have seen many times before. Eyes that have always made me retract, to give in. I have spoilt him too much, giving him anything he wanted I think it might be my fault he got so attached to her Probably. Instead of meeting his eyes, I focused forwards Towards the Gathering Toward the great hall. Surrounded by six great pillars. Many myths has been spun about these pillars Why were they cut out? Why are there six? How has it lasted for so many generations? Hehehe It is always so much fun when you know the answers. For you see Those were once the statues of six great dragons Six dragons more powerful than even the gods. Cut down in defiance as we decided to go against them. But still standing. As the magic that made them were far stronger than anything known. Time and the help of gods were the only thing that managed tocut even the top of those great pillars. Oh, such times. Such wonderfully simple times. Inside of the great hall. The small chamber The gathering had started. I find myself shouting. And just as predicted The discussion had turned loud. And unfortunately Not in our favor. Once she had told her side of the story, about how and why she had come here. Many, including me Noticed how much she hid Lying to her teeth as she told her story. And weirdly enough, it was always about the phoenix Interesting. So that phoenix has something to do with her allies Something secret and important. But unfortunately, it did not help our cause. As the other elder saw the lying as something far worse Seeing her more as a danger than a possible ally. And as the saying goes Keep your friend close, but your enemies closer. So most decided that they rather keep her on a leash where they could use her. Stupid fauns. How can you not see farther than your horns grow? Anyway. I still have a few smart ones that can see the value in keeping her free And those still loyal to me With these, we could at least draw out a tie. ¡°Human, why would you think coming here, expecting our help, would be for free?¡± The old pile of shit asked What do you think. Of course she did not. ¡°She never asked to be healed! Nor did she ever say that she would not re-pay us! I healed her on my ownbehalf!¡± I yelled back, feeling my anger fuming Hours of talking, taking its toll on me. But I still felt in control. Aaa These Gatherings Always bring out the bad bones in my body. ¡°You may have done it on your behalf! But you used our precious Dragon blood to heal her, and a ritual that should be forbidden for anyone outside!¡± He responded, still a big smile on his face Even after yelling louder than anyone in the hall. A skill few posses. ¡°She was dying! Would you leave someone for dead? And as i saidshe wil-¡° But he interrupted me. Yelling louder than before Still sporting a smile. ¡°Dying?! The ritual is worse than death! Letting her take the ritual was not something you did with the sake of her life in mind. No I¡¯ve heard whispers, you did it for your son!¡± ... How dare you bring up my son You filthy old bag of bones. ¡°I did no such thing.¡± I almost whispered But being heard As the hall had grown silent. And he whispered in response. ¡°Oh, but you did. I¡¯ve heard a little whisper, a little whisper that said that your precious little son was wounded when fighting with the human, whoin turn. Gave, and drank Dragon blood¡± Ah I see So this was your plan How you would win the argument How you would win the hearts of the elders Bringing those unsure to your side Using emotions as a crutch Making me look like someone who had made a rash decision Something I might have done. But he continued Smile growing up to his eyes Becoming genuine. ¡°And you, you could not bare to see your son die. Even if he was not ready for the ritual. Nor could you deal with his sorrow, so you did the only thing you could think off, you di-¡° ¡°SHUT UP¡± I shouted Making the hall quake Feeling my entire body well up with mana Eyes glowing Strength flowing I could so easily kill him I could deal with the consequences I could do it Anything for my son. ... ¡°Oh venerable one, I ask you to not use magic in the chamber¡± The judge said One of the oldest One of the biggest But still younger than me. I sighed. Then breathed in And then blowing out A big breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my anger got the best of me¡± Trying to extinguish the embers of hate I still held inside me Trying to calm a fire that was burning A task I have had to do many times. And unfortunately Made me unaware of my surroundings Not focusing on the talk. My explosion of emotions has surely made our side lose all votes The only ones staying are those loyal So I stayed unaware Focusing on quelling the anger. But if I had just focused Stayed in the moment Listened I might have been able to stop this Stop the madness. ¡°.....We want you, to find the source of the blue flames that painted the sky many nights ago¡± ¡°Oh, haha yeah I know him, it¡¯s mister dragon over here¡± She said Pointing at the phoenix. Making the hall go deathly silent. Staring wide eyed at her And the phoenix. Those few words spoken Held so much information Something that should not have been said Nor been heard. But in contrast to the others Who had heard danger And death. About a phoenix that held immense power A Phoenix that they were searching for. I heard something else Something far different I heard the word dragon And I remembered I remembered a blue dragon Capable of transforming. Making me stare Stare into the awe-inspiring form of the phoenix Flames licking the air Looking around itself bored and unfazed. And I felt something Something I have not felt for a very, verylong time I felt fear Genuin and horrifying. Chapter - 36
Oh, Human I did not think I wouldadmit this But you are entertaining. Oh Human I would have never thought you would bring me such entertainment. I am glad that I joined you on your little Adventure. It has been nothing but entertaining. Even after considering how little respect you show to me. But. I dothink I do really think. I would not feel such entertainment from your failures if you were not such a pain in the ass. Oh Human This is absolutely And positively Entertaining. After our little Let us call it Verbal disagreement. I soared through the sky Letting my... Wish for freedom roam a bit. And as I soared Letting my flames float freely Letting my roar shake the very foundation of the sky Killing all those daring to stay close to me. I noticed something Something rather Weird. I found myself bored Flying around this planet This Prison. Flying at dizzying speeds Faster than the eye could perceive Seeing sights that a mortal would die for But still I found myself Bored. Eventually, I stopped. Searching Searching for that stupid, Human. Even after what she did I still want her- ... She still needs to fulfill her promise.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. A promise of adventure Something I have already had my fill off But somehow This time it feels different. She might- No She will bring me a new adventure. A new Experience. And so far She has been so So very entertaining. After coming back, I let her In my great grace and wisdom Hug me. Something I have never received from another species And it was Nice. Oddly, she felt Warm? How? I do not know I. Do. Not, know. Very interesting. But Then she continued Continuing her verbal harassment Which I found oddly Reassuring? I do not know. I think. I might have been reassured that she held on to her stupidity. She told me of wounds Of how she almost died How that Aggravating Faun Almost killed her. But yet, she remains friends with him? I do not understand. I do not understandHER Even Someone as great as me. And I admit it Do not understand her. She is a puzzle A puzzle I need to solve A puzzle I will solve I just need time. Something I have, and will always have. Except for now For she, in her stupidity Almost died. Time that she almost ripped out of me, by almost dying, By maybe. Changing Becoming a new puzzle A puzzle that wont Entertain me. If you do I will rip your very soul out of you. Human. Oh Ohohoho Well, look at that I know this Faun Such a little rascal One of the few I liked She has grown In both power and age. I remember how brave she was A worthy priest Worthy to be called dragon-born But alas Such things would not be for we- No. No... Do notthink about that. Bad memories. This place It only brings bad memories. Human, please do your business quickly here I rather be somewhere else. Somewhere with- Oh wait. Oh Ha Haha HAHAHAHAHA HUMAN OH MY You have once again entertained me. The sheer volume of your stupidity is astounding How one lone Human can be this stupid baffles me Maybe this is the biggest piece of the puzzle? Her stupidity? Oh Hahaha Human Telling the fauns who I am. You have made a mistake far greater than you probably understand. But maybe She will be lucky. I only recognise two faces in this small chamber. The others seem young Too young to remember the time of dragons. And I would know My memory is flawless. Human Let us see what you do. How you, and these Fauns, react This will surely Surely be Very entertaining. Chapter - 37 Well, it¡¯s time. Time to leave It¡¯s been wonderful. It really has. I¡¯ve had good times Wonderful moments. Drank a little too much. Danced for quiet a bit. Met an old friend Lost a friend And gained a new companion on my journey. Aaah Wonderfull. Except You know For the whole Being chased by Fauns through town. That part is, you know Not so wonderful. So to take it from the start To tell you how this happened I¡¯ll need to be upfront. I never asked for this I wished it could have been different. But... Yeah, just Remember that. The room was on high guard. The sudden exclamation from the human sent shivers down the spine How is this possible? Why did she hide this? Is she threatening us? The fauns collectively thought But the culprit in question Had one question of her own. How do I slither my way out of this one? I¡¯ve really gone andgoofed up. Looking around, everyone seems to be tense. Some even giving me outright hostile glares. The only one who isn¡¯t Are those that are supposedly the old fauns ¡°allies¡± And the old faun herself. Who¡¯s looking more shocked than angry. And mister Butler Who has one hand on his face And the other in a firm grip around his bow. Actually There are a lot of elders holding bows right now. Trying to swallow saliva from my dry throat This might be my queue. My queue to leave. The handsome faun spoke up And weirdly enough, smiling. ¡°Human, why have you kept this hidden?¡± A simple question Or it should be. ¡°I did- I did not mean to keep it hidden, it just sorta... Happened?¡± I said, whispering the last words. A loud murmuring from the gathered elders More taking out their bows And some leaving. Ohcrap. Looking up to mister dragon, I could not see any sort ofreaction But he where a lot brighter now than before. Oh craaaaap. ¡°Human, I will only say thi-¡° ¡°SILENCE EVERYBODY! STAND DOWN!¡± A sudden exclamation A powerful yell. Shaking everyone. ¡°There is no need for violence! The human and her... compatriot, has been nothing but kind and helpful to us, she has shown no hostility towards us!¡± The old faun almost screamed Sounding calm and assertive But as I looked at her She looked nothing like calm nor assertive. More on the brink of a total mental collapse. Wide nostrils Opened eyes Sweating profusely Holy I¡¯ve never seen her like that. The gathered elders seemed to listen to her words Some even lowering the bows, but only some. ¡°Venerable elder, You have been a voice of reason for so very long, but we can clearlysee that age has taken its toll on you. This is not for you to decide anymore.¡± The handsome faun responded Giving an eerily big smile as he stared at me and the old faun The old faun looking Shocked Maybe scared? Not taking her eyes off the phoenix for a second. ¡°No, listen to me. This is not the time for hostilities, we should calmly ask her about where they met and how we can continue our friendshipin the future.¡± The old faun spoke, not screaming. But holding nothing of her usual assertiveness. Merely a facade. ¡°OUR FRIENDSHIP? She has lied to us since the start! Why would see seek friendship when she comes to us with that, abomination!¡± He yelled Pointing an accusatory finger at the phoenix Who in response Gave a sharp look, staring dagger into the handsome faun. Making him shrug back Smile vanishing. His hands turning white Tightening as he stared back at the phoenix Eyes narrowing. ¡°Pl-please, don¡¯t take offense to his words, he does not know any better.¡± The old faun said Voice turning more and more shaky Almost sounding like the beginning of someone crying. This change of her emotion seemed to be picked up by the gathered elders. Looking towards the phoenix All bringing their bows out, some holding runes of power Some even aiming slowly.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. But the one who reacted the strongest Was the handsome faun. Who seemed puzzled by the old fauns words Looking between her and the phoenix. His eyes turning from wide to narrowed Frown turning surprised Surprise turning to fear His face turning deathly pale And his eyes turning wide again. Hands drew blood as he held them tight Fingernails puncturing perfect skin. This seems bad I slowly drew my bow Placing an arrow while chanting an explosive spell. I really don¡¯t wanna use this. Please don''t turn violent Please. Then the handsome faun spoke Words that sounded Insecure. ¡°It is.. It¡¯s you¡± At that, mister dragon scoffed. ¡°Hrmpf, I am no ¡°you¡±, Faun. I clearlyremember you calling me ¡°Sir Blue¡± when you were little. Show a little respect. That is the least you can do as I have deigned you all with my presence." Atthat the chamber went ballistic. Screams of fear Of surprise Of Confusion. No one shot, but the room was trembling. A single twitch of a feather and the room would explode in action. You could almost taste the fear. ¡°EVERYBODY CALM DOWN! DONT SHOOT!¡± I screamed. Trying to instill some sort ofcalm in the mass of fear and confusion. And it seemed to work The room seemed to still. Stay so verystill Stiller than a windless lake. Wow. I managed to do something. Okay, okay. Think think. What should I do? ¡°Everybody, there is no reason to fight. Me or mister dragon won''t do anything reckless. As long as no one here does¡± I said: Trying to instill some sort oforder. But my words fell on deaf ears As most just Stared at mister dragon. No one moved No one spoke My face turning red. The old faun was switching between many facial expressions in a matter of seconds. And the handsome faun seemed to go paler by the second. And before anything happened I took a look at mister Butler. Seeing two very determined eyes And giving him a bright smile in return. ¡°It will be okay¡± I whispered. And then suddenly, the handsome faun spoke ¡°KILL THE DRAGON!¡± He shouted: Scampering backwards as he wildly tried to climb the seats behind him. A shout thatwas on the brink of tears A shout that brought everyone into action. An explosion rang through the hall. One that I made One that blew pebbles and dust Making nothing visible. Loud magic Shouts of power Blasts of wind, fire, water and earth eked out at random. Arrows flying past Burning Paralysing Or blinding. Screams of pain Shouts of anger Yells of order All being coalesced in a chamber of confusion. No one could tell friend from foe. And in it all Me and mister dragon ran. We ran in a straight line. Hoping That no one would hit us. No Hit him. Please This will end so very bad if you do. Slowly the smoke cleared Kicking and punching my way through, quickly finding myself by the wall. ¡°Destroy it¡± Ordering the dragon ¡°I do not takeorders.¡± Aaagh, why do you have to- But before I could finish, a blast of wind shot me into the wall. Blackening my vision and impairing my hearing. Quickly rolling around, I found myself trying to look for the source of the wind. But only seeing stars. Hearing a blast where I had just rolled from- Crapcrapcrapcrap Standing up wobbly, I took out an arrow Aiming blindly. Hopefully, not at someone friendly. A few seconds later, my vision cleared. Enough to see that I was Protected? A very slimy film of water was protecting me and mister dragon. And the cause? A very grim looking old faun. And beside her, a butler that shot arrows faster than anyone she¡¯s ever seen before. A quick glance at the ¡°battlefield¡± and she could see chaos. The dust cloud had been blown away, and from it shesaw a mass of elders. All firing different elements at each other One side aimed at her The other seemed to protect her. Adding their forces to the old faun. But their side was small. Too small to win. ¡°SHOOT THE DAMN WALL!¡± She shouted again. Angry eyes piercing the dragons Who in response Huffed. ¡°AAAAAH¡± She screamed, aiming her bow at the wall. Letting out a scream of frustration as she loaded her arrow with mana One second Two se- But before she finished A loud scream of pain rang out behind her. A quick glance And blood splattered her face A faun lying by her feet No one she knew. Three seconds And she let her arrow loose. A loud blast A new wave of rocks pelted the battlefield. Hitting few but not hurting. Luckily, she managed to create a small hole But not very big. Looking around, she searched for her friends. Seeing a bruised butler And a very sweaty old faun. ¡°We need to go-¡° She tried to shout, but was interrupted by explosive thunder. Looking to the source, she was stunned. Seeing A small red dragon. No bigger than a tall human, but bulkier And way more frightening. How is this possible? ¡°ENOUGH¡± The dragon shouted. Voice creaking the foundation of the chamber, making all those close bleed from their ears. But it succeeded Everyone stopped. ¡°THIS FIGHT IS MEANINGLESS, WE ELDERS SHOULD NOT FIGHT EACH OTHER!¡± The dragon continued Spreading its arms wide Arms that looked more like wings Spreading to the width of two tall people standing on top of each other Showing its fangs as it glared at the gathered elders Scales glimmering from a nearby burning arrow ¡°WE MUST SEIZE AND CONTINUED IN PEA-¡° It tried to say: But was stopped Stopped by itself As it had started to scream. Screaming in agonising pain Burning from a very blue flame Making all those standing close run from the heat. The walls bursting into flames. But just as quickly as the flames had come, the scream stopped. Switched to the sound of falling bones and melted flesh. And the scattered screams of elders trying to run for their lives. ¡°How dare you take that form. No Dragon has given you that right, Faun¡± Mister dragon said. Floating in place, wings spread far And blue dribble dropping from his tiny mouth. The battle ensued once more. More ferocious than before Desperate Like animals on death¡¯s door. The elders used all their mana Water spewing Fire burning Wind cutting And earth shattering. But she did not see the battle As she was already long gone. Holding a very upset dragon by its tail And six very, very frightened fauns behind her Six elders Two friends. No one spoke. Letting the situation speak for itself. But all staring at mister dragon. As he bounced through the air, shouting in anger. ¡°LET ME GO AT ONCE HUM-¡° ¡°SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUTUPSHUTPSHUPSTUHPSTHUSPTU¡± She screamed back Closing her eyes as she ran Running blindly through the streets. Streets that were empty. How could this happen? Why did this happen? What Have I done? She thought Feeling something worse than pain Something trulyhorrible Remorse. Soon, she stopped. Throwing mister dragon in front of herself Glaring daggers at him. ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?¡± ¡°Hrmpf, you must be more spe-¡° ¡°YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUCK I¡¯M TALKING ABOUT¡± The dragon stopped at that. Looking at her with Something more than confusion Maybe Admiration? ¡°He dared to copy our dragon¡¯s sacred ritual. A right only reserved for those chosen by us. Us Dragons¡± ¡°I DONT GIVE A FUCKING SHIT ABOUT YOUR FUCKING SHIT RITUAL! YOU KILLED SOMEONE IN COLD BLOOD!¡± ¡°I did only what was right¡± ¡°NO, you killed someone¡± Her screaming, turning quieter More cold ¡°If you have to be factual. Then yes, I did kill someone. I fail to see how that matters.¡± ¡°You killed someone in cold blood, how can you-¡° ¡°You have also killed plenty. I seem to remember you killing ten rats in that village we came from.¡± ¡°That was different, they were trying to kill me¡± ¡°Everyone in that room tried to kill me¡± ¡°And you would not even get a scratch from them¡± ¡°True¡± ¡°So why would you kill him?¡± ¡°He deserved it. He has used the ritual to gain powers that are not his to take¡± ¡°No one deserves death! And that shit ritual? You fucking stupid dragon, all the fucking elders has gotten that shit ritual¡± A short silence emerged She stared at him with burning hatred And he started glowing brighter ¡°They haveWHAT?¡± He shouted: Glaring widely at her Then looking behind her Towards the six elders ¡°DONT THINK ABOUT IT!¡± She screamed, bringing out an arrow Filling it with mana With all the mana she had And then more Filling it with primal energy Energy that she kept deep Deep inside her. Something strong Something she has had since birth But rarely used. Then Someone spoke up. Stopping her. ¡°Oh my dear Dragon god. Please forgive our great transgression. But we had to. When the dragons disappeared, we had no one we could turn to.¡± The dragon floated closer. Burning just as bright. The old faun going down on her knees, followed by four other elders. ¡°In the beginning, the gods where silent to us, left us to our own devices. We had no choice, either the ritualor death.¡± He was close So very close. Burning of the few hairs the old faun had The four others were bowing low Shivering in their skin. The butler had shuffled near the human Eyes of sorrow as he looked to her. Then the dragon stopped Close, but not close enough to burn ¡°Then why did the other fauns try to kill me¡± The old faun bowed Hands low on the ground. ¡°They have forgotten, forgotten of your love and power. Of how we worshipped dragons. They only know of the stories of gods who spoke ill of dragons¡± At that, the dragon stood quiet Floating above them With an angry human standing behind him. Seconds passed Shouts could be heard in the distance. Searching for the culprit of the attack Looking for the holder of the blue flame The one who wrought such suffering in this city. He, in question. Was silent Looking down on the old faun Who, in turn Looked up. Tears and snot covering her face. ¡°My lord, my god. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She said: Then bowing again. ¡°Give me time, give us time. We shall fix this. Please, give us time and we shall once again bow before your greatness.¡± Silent words Almost a whisper But louder than anything Making both the butler and human turn towards her. Both wide eyed Both thinking How? How can someone as strong as her be brought to tears? Then they differed One showed fear, feeling overwhelmed by the dragon. The other Seethed with more rage A fire deep in her heart. Then the dragon spoke. ¡°Very well¡± Two simple words But enough to make the old faun breath a sigh of relief. Standing up, with the four others in tow Giving a big, bright smile Looking to the dragon Then to the human. Giving her a new smile. A smile that said: ¡°Show no fear, no hate. Dont worry. I will make it all all right.¡± Then she turned, walking towards the storming elders. Walking towards elders with fury in their eyes ¡°We have to go.¡± The butler said. Dragging at the human Who looked at the old faun as she walked to certain doom. Standing still Mister butler not strong enough As if trying to pull a stone statue. Everything has gone so wrong Everyone is in pain And it¡¯s all my fault It''s all. No It¡¯s not my fault. It¡¯s his That dragon. I should have never tried to befriend him. Never brought him on this adventure. This is wrong. I¡¯m I¡¯m... Such a failure. Why must everything go so wrong in my life? Why is there only pain where ever I go? I don''t understand I don''t... ¡°Leave¡± She whispered: Looking down on the ground But getting nothing in response. ¡°Leave. Dragon¡± ¡°I take no orders- ¡°I SAID LEAVE YOU STUPID DRAGON. I NEVER WANNA SEE YOU AGAIN¡± She looked up at the dragon Eyes filled with tears Body shaking in both anger and frustration The dragon Shrugged back Flames dimming ¡°I will not leave, you still have a promise to full-¡± ¡°I REVOKE MY PROMISE. I don¡¯t wanna see you anymore, I...I HATE YOU¡° Three words spoken Words heard many times by the dragon But different this time. This time They left him feeling Hollow. ¡°Fine¡± He responded. Flying up High up And up The ground far behind him. Taking in the air Taking to the sky Higher than the clouds Going further And further Turning back to his dragon form Flying even higher And higher Sky turning black Air disappearing Stars getting closer But then Being stopped Hitting an invisible wall Falling,before collecting himself. Floating in the air By himself All alone. Why did I bother with that human? Such a bothersome creature Being nothing but a pain. He flew Flying far, far away Not really bothering where Letting the background pass in a blur. I should have killed her How dare she speak to me like that? Why did I not kill her when she woke me that time? She has been nothing but disrespectful She has been nothing but... Kind Funny And... Loving Through the night Rain would bless the land Rain that seemed to not stop Rain that seemed magicalin nature Growing crops that should take years in just a night Filling lakes to the brim Birthing fountains of youths. Bringing miracles Creating foundations for empires But nothing about it was a blessing. For it It was tears Chapter - 38 Flying through the sky Days passed Weeks Maybe even months Unsure of the exact Time has lost its purpose for me Being unable to correctly guess it. I Once could But that was a long time ago. When you have lived for as long as I have Time seems to Blurr togheter. One year seeming more like a day Hundreds of years feeling like a long nap. But you know These weeks have not been like that. No They have been the opposite Never ending Just Going on And on And on And on ... Just Let this pain go away. I do not want it Not again. Have I not been through enough Why must I live like this Why do I have to suffer. Why. Why am I Immortal?
As I flew I found myself trapped. Trapped inside my ownhead I need to escape. I do not want this. Trying to flee I scanned my environment Flying above, looking for Something Anything To take my attention. Soon, I found myself above the Fauns city. High, high above No mere mortal eyes could ever wish to see me. But I could see them. Clear as day Even as it was night. The Fauns weremoving around wildly Going from house to house Never staying outside for long. Feeling unsatisfied, I searched for that little morsel That little Faun No longer little. The one who had promised me subjects Something to occupy my time with. But as I stared down into the still smoking building that housed the chamber The place where everything had gone to hell Where she did a horribly stupid mistake. I could see many elders gathered And from the way they were pointing They did not seem to be united Looking more like the opposite. At least The Faun, who were no longer little, was still alive. The Human seemed fond of her- ... Nothing for me here I did say I would give her time Time to convince her fellow Fauns. Or did I? Seems time isnot the only thing you forget. Hmmm Oh Thinking about subjects Was there not a lizardmen tribe underneath that mountain? They usually came with offerings.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Yeah I could go to them. See what trouble I could stir up. With that, I flew away from the city. Flying straight towards the mountain. In my path. I noticed something Or rather, I have noticed many things. I¡¯m not usually this observant So I have come tosee a greatmany things. But this ¡°thing¡± It was special This ¡°thing¡± Was a writhing, moving ball of rats. From where I flew, they looked small. But distance betrayed actual size As the moving ball of writhing rats were bigger than even the Fauns city Numbering in the hundreds of thousands If not millions. What an interesting sight I wonder what they are doing? Maybe I should follow If they continue forwards, they will arrive at the Fauns city That would indeedcreate an interesting situation. ... No It would not be interesting enough It would be beneath me to go back now that I have already decided on a destination. Yeah I do not want to go back I might see the hum- ... Continuing flying I was met with flying wyverns Creatures of respect Copies of us dragons Mutated through magic Evolved through time. Wyvarn¡¯s lacked many things that we dragons had For one They only had two legs instead of our,obviouslysuperior, four. And sporting wings instead of legs Where we had four legs and wings. The other thing they lacked Was there below average intellect. I mean compared to us Dragons Compared to any other creature, they were very smart. But sadly They lacked the verbal or telepathic powers to communicate with others Even so They were highly social. Never staying in groups less than four, if possible Also, staying faithfulto one partner for the rest of their life. I have even heard of empires that tame wyverns Using their very social nature to their advantage. Pfff I spit on such thoughts. We Dragons would never submit ourselves to such a faith. Only other Dragons can rule Dragons. And only Dragons may have a Dragon partner. Even though there existed Some... Let us call them. Anomalies. Anyway. The flying wyverns were following me Trying to get my attention. Something that was unfortunately very common For wyverns lacked one important thing that distinguished them from us Dragons The one thing that they wished for The one thing that their forefathers had wished for The reason that wyverns existedin the first place. Immortality. A thought so laughable that even gods felt pity for them Giving them the gift of undeath Of age never being a problem But You see. That is not immortality For wounds can still hurt Maim And kill. A while later I found myself over the great old forest A forest older than even me Existing in the times of gods Timeless Undying Immortal Just like me... Or Maybe not exactly like me One of those great trees was felled by the human She holds great power- ... Huh Look down there. The path of the fallen tree has created a big clearing. Giving us flying creatures a chance to peer down the massive forest And see something spectacular. A mass of moving flesh Of slimy scales glittering in the sun Of lizardmen marching. Hey Is that not the lizards that lived beneath my mountain? If they are They have multiplied Going from maybe a hundred To what I see now. The little I can see from the clearing Tells a story of many A story about maybe a hundred thousand lizards All marching Marching towards the stone lands And then towards the Fauns city. Hehehe Yes To think thatme, merely sleeping, would yield such an army Yes I am truly something great. Creating armies in the dark Without even knowing it. Can gods do that? No they cant Ha HaHa HAHAHA! Yes, I am the best The greatest The most powerful I can do anything. I can.. ... Flying past the lizard army I sped up Leaving the wyverns behind me. Screeching and firing their magic into the air Sounding as if they were in despair. Flying faster and faster Untill I stopped. Stopping in front of my mountain A large gaping hole in its side Big enough for me to fit And For a much smaller human. ¡­ Stepping inside I huddled up Head resting on two legs Curling up into a ball Letting out a small sigh of fire. Home Home at last It has been a weird journey. But now I will sleep And all the pain will be gone Centuries will pass And everyone will be dead. And I will remain Yes That is how things should be How it should end. .. .. .. I am sorry Human, I ... Liked you, and I wish we could have been - Friends. An eye opened A thought formed No This ca not end like this This is not the end. Far from it Comparing this to all other times I can still fix this She is still alive I can still ¡­ Apologise. Oh how I hate that word Chapter - 39 It¡¯s been a week now since the Dragon left. During that time we¡¯ve travelled for a bit Finaly getting out of the stone lands Coming into a land that seems more Grassy. It¡¯s kinda like the stone lands but filled with grass And a lot more humid. The nights here are not as hellish, and sometimes we can see rabbits or foxes. So food has not been scarce And luckily, I had a mana stone in my jacket before we ran away Making it easy to feed both of our needs. During our travels She has been Very quiet. Barely registering the change of landscapes And only talking when I¡¯m asking questions. I¡¯m worried This is not right She is so strong But Now she feels so very Weak. I¡¯m worried Very worried. Letting loose an arrow I hear a satisfying thump as I strike my target. ¡°Woohoo! Rabbit for dinner, hey! Would you like to skin it or should i?¡± ¡°Mmmhm¡± ... Okay, so it¡¯s on me to skin it I guess She seems to be thinking again. The last two weeks have been very thougtfull for her. I wonder what she¡¯s thinking about. Walking up to the downed rabbit I absentmindedly pick it up while removing the arrow. Then turning around Walking back to her Seeing her sitting down, playing with a few strands of grass While letting the firestone sit atop a larger flat stone. Creating a small makeshift fireplace to heat upthe stone. Sitting down beside her, I bring out a knife and start cutting the rabbit. Letting my eyes rest on the task ¡°Hey¡± I say, quietly. Getting a small nod in response. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± A short silence ¡°Life, I guess.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. She responded, still letting her eyes rest on the rock and firestone Watching the flames burn slowly, turning the rock red around in her hands. ¡°What about life, are you thinking about?¡± A new short silence Looking up towards me Two tired eyes looking at me. Making me focus on her instead of my task. ¡°Mister Butler, thank you for worrying about me. But it¡¯s very tiring to talk about this, let me just be... I¡¯ll become myself again soon. But right now I just need... Time¡± Looking down again Hands on the stone. A bright red now But not burning her Something that still makes me go wide eyed. ¡°Okay, no problem.¡± I smile Letting myself focus on gutting the rabbit again. Well. It¡¯s been a month and a half now And I¡¯ve come to a realisation. I need to pick an element. After my ritual to become an elder I¡¯ve been delaying the decision Not wanting to make such a life changing choice without thinking about it. But After what has happened I don''t think I have the luxury to not get stronger. Hmmm What IS my element? Trying to figure it out I found myself asking. ¡°Heey, what do you think my element is?¡± While walking behind me, she turned around to look at me. Seeing my head watching the ground below. ¡°Rocks¡± ¡°Rocks?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± Huh. What does she mean? Does she mean like, earth. Oh yeah, maybe That could fit me. ¡°Why do you thinkthat?¡± ¡°You''re a kind soul, solid and unchanging¡± ... That was a little more than I expected Cheeks turning a shade of red. No more questions were asked. ¡°Hey, where are you from?¡± I asked her Sitting down by a small tree. One of the few we¡¯ve seen Maybe the only we¡¯ve seen. ¡°I dont know¡± ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Well, I doooo. But you know, I dont know where it is.¡± She said, giving me a small goofy smile ¡°Oh Okay, I understand.¡± Smiling in response At both her goofy smile and her bright attitude. She¡¯s gotten better at talking now More verbal. More life in her eyes. That¡¯s reassuring I knew she would bounce back She¡¯s too strong to stay sad. ¡°You know, I never had a childhood¡± She whispered: Arms around her knees, face down. Huh Where did that come from? I stayed silent Looking at her Both confused and amazed at her words. ¡°When I was born, I was born with a... Gift¡± The last words sound like poison Eyebrows furrowing And smile turning neutral. ¡°This gift made me important to my village, a village of very, verypowerful people.¡± A short pause Face still neutral Wind swaying her hair. ¡°Well, this gift made me worthy. Worthy of being a vessel.¡± A vessel? What does she mean? But she did not elaborate Staying silent. Leaving me with my thoughts Forming and dissolving Wondering. Then she spoke up again. ¡°Have you heard about the dragon¡¯s war against the gods?¡± She asked Looking up to me Eyes piercing. ¡°Yes, the Dragons decided that they wanted to become gods, so they declared war on the gods. A war that the dragons supposedly lost, but a war that led to the death of the god of fire.¡± I answered back. Recalling our old stories Older than even our city ¡°You¡¯re wrong¡± She simplystated Still looking at me. What... But What? ¡°The dragons did not declare war, no. There was only one dragon who did. And he did not do it for something as silly as power or greed. No, he did it forlove¡° What is she talking about. Dragons feeling love? No They are monstrosities. Beings capable of destroying mountains Civilitations. Even gods. ¡°You see, one of the gods had killed someone special to him. The god had decided that the dragons were misusing his gift of fire, a gift he had given them upon their birth. So he killed one of them, a message to the others.¡± She stared more intently at me But her eyes seemed Glossy. Looking but not actuallylooking. ¡°But the god miscalculated. He thought no mere mortal could kill him, no mere dragon. But he was wrong, he messed with the wrong dragon.¡± A short pause She leaned back to the tree Still staring at me. ¡°The dragon, who in his fury, challenged the god. Flying further than any of his brethren, fighting odds that should be impossible. Doing something that should have killed him, he di-¡° Abruptly stopping Her mouth still open Eyes closing Lifting her head up to the sky. ¡°I was chosen, chosen for a curse.¡± A single tear streaking down her face ¡°A curse that can only be broken by blood.¡± A new tear ¡°I thought. I thought I could challenge it. Defy the path that had been chosen for me¡± A stream was flowing Her body was shivering Even as the day was hot ¡°But I guess. I can''t defy fate.¡± Her eyes opened But looking up ¡°Oh, Iso wanted to. I never wanted this. I¡¯m sorry¡± She said to the sky Watering the ground Giving life to the tree. Soon after she slept A long waited sleep One that she had not had for some time. One that told of purpose A path chosen but denied A path she now decided to walk. But her dreams were once again filled with dragons. A dragon of red Swallowing a god But this time It was different. For the god had not been fully swallowed A part escaping A part not capable of thought Not capable of anything. But yet, it saw It saw itself getting swallowed whole A red dragon turning blue. The part saw And the part floated down Down below the void Down to earth Where it stayed Dormant For centuries. Untill A human tribe found it Founding a civilization around it Getting dreams from it A thirst for revenge. Then came a baby. A baby with a vessel big enough to fill And filled it, it did Endowing the child with a purpose A single use of its power A destiny the baby would find through its life Never able to escape: Death Death to all Death to the red dragon Death to him who killed me. And so it was The human child walking earth Death following her. Chapter - 40 It¡¯s been one month and two weeks now And I¡¯ve finally come to a decision I¡¯ve decided on earth Thinkingthat, feeling it, really deciding on it. A flash of light hit my eye. Invisible to everyone but me Something that surprised me Yet, felt normal. ¡®Element of EARTH has been chosen¡¯ ¡®Resitances to EARTH type magic serverly increased¡¯ ¡®EARTH type magic Unlocked¡¯ ¡®Profficiensies with EARTH type magic increased¡¯ ¡®Unlocked Basic Earth manipulation¡¯ ¡®Basic Earth manipulation Upgraded too Advanced Earth manipulation¡¯ Wow That¡¯s a lot of information to process Holy How long was it since I did the dragon ritual? One month? Less? This is too fast. This feels too fast. Looking up to the human I see her jump-skipping. Merrily whistling to a tune that I¡¯ve never heard. Something changed She seems more Confident about herself. As if She has resolved a hard decision that¡¯s been bugging her. A burden lifted from her chest. Whatever it was, I¡¯m just happy that she is herself again. I got worried when we sat by that tree. ¡°Hey! I decided on Earth!¡± ¡°YOU DID?! Congrats Mister Butler!¡± She yelled, turning around and running up to me. Jump-hugging me. Taking me by surprise as we both fell to the ground, limp in a laughing pile. ¡°Hahaha. Well, show me something then!¡± Sitting up, she excitedly said Looking towards me with large kitten like eyes. ¡°Okay, okay, wait a second¡± Sitting myself up I closed my eyes, trying to feel the energy that should be within me. Knowing from previous knowledge that I would instinctively know how to wield the magic Something that I had a hard time really believing. Until now, that is. Now, it just feels like. A part of nature. ¡°I-I think I got it. Wait, a sec.¡± I said, with still closed eyes. Deep inside, I could feel something Something solid, hard, and unyielding. Something that I¡¯d never felt before But it still felt perfectly natural, as if it had always been there. A new muscle, never used but always there I reached within Feeling a light shine up Making the surrounding earth beam brightly like the sun. Giving me an instinctive feeling of what I could move and what not I could move And I flexed Feeling the magical muscle being used And quickly failing. ¡°Ooooooh, did you just make the ground vibrate?!¡± A high voice asked me My cheeks turned a shade redder. Shuffling around, letting her eyes rest on my back Ahem Trying again. Feeling the ground Seeing the light Flexing my muscle And then I felt it A solitary boulder trapped within the ground. I reached for it, muscle flexing down Clutching the boulder in my magic Caressing it, telling it, pleading with it Please move. And so it did. Shaking itself from its solitary prison Moving up through the ground, like water through stone Like a knife through butter. And as it flew upwards It quickly breached the ground, floating up to the air.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. A loud squeal of joy was heard. ¡°Oh haha! Congrats mister Butler! That¡¯s freaking huge!¡± Huge? I opened my eyes, looking up where my magical muscles held the bould- ... Yeah. That¡¯s fricking huge. Infront of me floated a ten by ten meter big boulder, round. Casting a pleasing shadow over us Quickly noting one important detail Making me sweat profusely It was hovering above us. Swallowing down saliva I desperately moved it Using my muscle to push and pull As it slowly Slowly Moved away. She just stared in childish delight as the sudden death boulder floated above. And as I felt it far enough away I dropped it. Making us shake a bit from the impact. That That could have gone bad. Feeling a light slap on my shoulder, I turned around ¡°That was amazing! I did not know you had such talent for Earth magic!¡± Hehe Neither did I. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m hailed as the great one in our city.¡± ¡°Oohoo, humble bragging, I can dig that.¡± A smug smile meeting mine. ¡°But you know, it makes you less cool if you still use it.¡± ¡°Still use it?¡± ¡°Yeah, your making the ground vibrate again.¡± I am doing what? Giving her a confused look Being met with one of her own. ¡°So... you''re not making the ground shake?¡± I shook my head. Closing my eyes as I used my magical muscle And feeling it myself The vibrations travelling through the ground Making pebbles rattle around. Pointing towards the origins of the vibrations ¡°It¡¯s coming from there.¡± She looked up, peering to the horizon, hand above her eyes shielding the sun. Not seeing anything, she quickly climbed the boulder. Turning around, peering over the horizon Then they opened wide. ¡°Eeeeh, I think we should run.¡± Uuh Quickly going up to my feet, I also climbed the tall boulder. Peering where the vibrations were coming from And was met with the sight of an army of horses Riders on top. From one end of the horizon to the other The horses ran Still a few kilometers from us, but gaining speed fast. I... That does not look good ¡°Yeah, we should.¡± And we sped off Running away at a normally unattainable speed Running away from something that we did not know. We ran for a few minutes. Feeling tired Muscles aching. Glancing back, the far away silhouettes of horses and riders seemed to have gotten closer. Way closer And I realised something veryquickly. They were so many Too many to make out. Giving her a sideways glance, she also looked back Eying the riding horsemen But suddenly She stopped. Mouth wide open. I stopped too, jogging up to her, tugging at her arm ¡°What are you doing?¡± But she remained silent and standing still. Looking. Shocked? Darn. Why now of all times? I looked around, searching for somewhere to hide Only to be met with grassland Grassland And more, grassland. Nothing as far as the eye could see. I closed my eyes. Hoping for, something Maybe I could dig us a hole into the ground? I can at least try. The ground shined to my closed eyes Giving me instinctive feel for what I could move and not. Then I noticed something Something below us As if calling me I reached down, and without reallythinking about it I tried to scoop out the ground. And as I did so, I felt my body starting to move. But put it out of my mind, as the task ofscooping the ground felt weirdly hard Moving the boulder was a hundred times easier than this. But I continued. It felt as if;The ground was calling for me Asking me too Take it out. A few seconds later, the feeling dissipated as I had grabbed enough earth. Okay, perfect Next part Moving it to the side Using my Earth magic Feeling wind brush against my head The magic took form Moving the pile of earth. A few seconds later, it felt like I had moved the ground far enough to the side. So I let the magic go. A sense of weightlessness overcame me Hearing a loud, screaming laughter. ¡°OOOOAAAAHAHAHAHA¡± Opening my eyes in confusion I saw the sky Looking down, I saw the ground But I still felt weightless What Is happening- Then it stopped. Pushing me down hard to the ground Hitting my head against it Sight going dark, head spinning. ¡°Woohoo hahaha, that was fun! Can you do it again?¡± A mumbled yell, or scream? Thoughts muddled. Minutes passed before I could orientate myself. Feeling my back against the earth, staring up at the sky. Asking a simple question. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Haha, oh I dont know what the hell you did. But you suddenly started lifting the ground, The ground! Then we floated like reallyfar up, I could not really see over the side, but I think we were far up. Then you just dropped us. Ooohhahaha, that was a reallyweird feeling.¡± She said in a rapid fire Letting her arms do half of the talking, wildly swinging around. I did- ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was reallyfun! But you seemed to lose control or something, cuz you hit your head prettyhard. Anyway, whatever you did seems to not have worked. They are a lot closer now.¡± Pointing at the army of horse riders. I quickly got to my feet, looking towards that direction. But felt myself staring at something else Not the riders But at the massive hole in front of me The size of a big boat Maybe even bigger Looking like a crater from an epic battle From a meteor What is... Was that me? How, but, what I thought I had just taken out a small scoop? Shaking myself from thoughts. Remembering our situation I looked up to her Seeing her bright smile, staring towards the army of horses. Looking to where she was staring, I realised why. The army of riders had stopped And from them, a group of maybe ten riders where coming Maybe a kilometer away from us. But what shocked me most Was that they were not riders at all, but fused together with their horse half A human upper body, and a horse¡¯s lower body. I think, I think they are called minotaurs? ¡°It¡¯s centaurs!¡± Looking down on me with a beaming smile Oh, yeah. And gave her back an awkward smile. ¡°What should we do?¡± I asked, feeling that I¡¯ve wasted too much time with my stupid earth magic I might have doomed us. But If it comes to it I¡¯ll glady sacrifice myself for her. ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see, it does not seem like they are here to kill us. Otherwise they would bring the entire herd¡± Huh, that sound prettylogical. Maybe. But the massive swords that are hanging by their side do not instill confidence in that theory. Nor how armored they look Especially the one in the front. Being the only one with a glimmering armour that looks silveryin nature But seems to sparkle a little too much to be non-magical. A minute passed as they trotted their way towards us Their hands resting on swords, and weirdly enough At a pouch by their side. As they neared We made sure that they saw us holding our hands far from our bows. Looking as non-threatening as possible. They stopped at the edge of the scooped out hole Looking up towards us on our heightened elevation And the silver armoured centaur spoke. And I had no idea what she was saying. ¡°Uuuh, I don¡¯t understand you¡± She yelled back A few uncertain looks was shared amongst the centaurs And silence came upon us. Both sides staring at one another Then the silver one spoke up. ¡°Why would the common language be brought so far from the south?¡± Hmm, odd question Giving my friend a sideways glance, I searched her face for an expression. Being met by her honesty As she looked stupefied. ¡°Duuuuuuh... I dont know¡± She answered, making me unconsciously hit my face. Why must you be so unpoliticalat times? We are obviously in a tricky situation. And you sound like your- ¡°This be unfortunate. Who amongst you are Earth builder?¡± The centaur responded, seeminglyignoring her ignorance. ¡°Earth builder?... Oh you mean Earth magic! Yeah, it¡¯s mister Butler here.¡± Pointing at me with a big smile Getting met by one of horror. Why do you have to be so honest? What if they are angry that we are.. Like Destroying their sacred breeding grounds or something? But my fears were for nothing As the centaur rose upon its hind legs Squeling in Glee? ¡°Oh great Earth builder, please, by the honor of the great field. Please help us.¡± I- -Uuuuuh ¡°Yeah of coursewe will help! Right, mister Butler?¡± An excited yelp Looking at me with pleading eyes and a wide smile. But I stopped myself Feeling unwilling to go along without questioning. ¡°Waitwaitwait... Before I--we help. What do you need help with?¡± The Silver centaur looked up to us, a big smile on its face. Or maybe her face? It looked prettyfeminine. And answered, sounding stupidly honest. ¡°We want you to build us a city. We saw your great magic from a distance and realised that our prophecy was about to be fulfilled¡± ¡°Build a... City?¡± Feeling as if I heard wrong But no. No, I heard right ¡°Yes, a city. To save our people¡± ¡°To save?¡± ¡°Yes, from the great locust¡± ¡°The locust?¡± ¡°Yes, the big swarm of something that will swallow our lands and kill us all.¡± ¡°A big sw-¡° But before I could ask my question The human stepped in front of me, hands pushing me back a bit. ¡°Sorrysorry! He¡¯s a bitskeptical about people, but we will absolutely help!¡± Then looking at me ¡°Hey, they obviouslyneed help, why so skeptical?¡± I let out a small sigh. Gazing into her beautiful eyes. ¡°You know. Dont take this in a bad way, but you''re not the best at talking in a diceysituation.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m totallygood... Okay, yeah I get your point, but they are obviouslyfriendly. What¡¯s the harm?¡± ¡°Weeell. What if it¡¯s just a ruse to get us down from here? We have the high ground.¡± ¡°Truuue, but it¡¯s a fricking centaurs! Do you know how cool this is! I¡¯m soooo totally gonna ask her if I can ride her.¡± ... Sometimes I forget how simple she can be Something I wish for myself. ¡°Hehe, okay, yeah let¡¯s help them¡± Getting a big smile in response And a tight hug. ¡°Let¡¯s Goooooo!¡± She screamed out, jumping down into the big hole. Getting a loud and joyous response from the ten centaurs. Going up on their hind legs, thrusting the swords up into the air And far, far into the distance. A echoing from loud screams. Sounding like a loud battle cry. Emanating from thousands upon thousands of voices And looking up- ... Yes Yes, that¡¯s exactly what it was. As the army of centaurs that were once far away Had closed in, being less than a kilometer away All with their swords high in the air All screaming loud All looking very Very happy Oh god. What have we gotten ourselves into now? Chapter - 41 As day turned to dusk, we still rode Or rather, she still rode Riding that silvery centaur, who seemed thrilled And I I was just kinda awkwardly jogging to the side. I don''t really know where we are going Nor do I really understand what¡¯s happening. But it seems as if these- I mean This army. Somehow see¡¯a us... Or maybe me? As some sort ofsavior. I still don''t really unders- ¡°Heey! Butler, why don¡¯t you join me! This is awesome!¡± She excitedly said, bumping around on the silver centaurs back. Or is it called rump? ¡°Yes weirdly shaped hooman! We would gladly transport you.¡± The silver centaur spoke, mimicking the human¡¯s excitement. ¡°Yeah! She told me she can carry four humans and still run at top speed, right?!¡± ¡°Hell Yeaah hooman, you would not mind a show?¡± ¡°NO, I WOULD BE FRICKING FANTASTICALLY HAPPY!¡± She yelled excitedly. And the silver centaur leaned back, going up on her hind legs. The human giggling as she held on. Then, as the centaur landed again, she sped off in a sprint. Running faster than even I or she could run. And she laughed loudly, every bump making her voice go a little higher. The surrounding centaurs raised their swords up, letting out loud joyes shouts. Spreading like wildfire through the ranks of galloping centaurs All chiming in as they both shouted and ran. ... I can handle one But two? A hundred? Thousand? This might be too much for me. I thought, feeling a light touch on my shoulder Looking towards it, I saw a smiling, presumablymale centaur pointing at his bare back. Glancing between his face and his back I awkwardly smiled back. Giving him a negative in response. I will not ride you, thank you very much. I like the ground, and I shall stay there. But before I could speak A pair of two strong arms lifted me up from behind. And veryquickly threw me over the male centaurs back. Who neighed in delight as he sped off, leaving me hanging by his back with my legs and arms dangling. Making me feel very unsecure and a little upset. But at least we were running faster now It seems I¡¯ve been the only one keeping us from going faster. ... Wait. Did he just neigh? As dusk turned to night I was finally able to jump off, wiping a bit of drool and another un-favorable substance from my mouth. Giving the centaur a big frown, but being met with a bright smile and a low laugh. Stupid centaurs I don''t like them. But before the first words could be spoken between us The male centaur gave me a weird salute? Where he took up both of his hands and touched both of his cheeks, then lowering them behind his back and slightly bowing. As the salute finished, he trotted off, waving at an unknown centaur. Okay. Now that he¡¯s gone And I no longer have to fear for my life. I can look around Seeing... Nothing, nothing really. Mostly just centaurs gathering into small groups and talking loudly. Where are their camps? Their fires? I can understand to some extent that they are not fortified, but I mean Nothing? Looking around in dismay. The silver centaur with a human girl on her back came trotting up to me. ¡°Hey mister Butler! Did you see how fast she could run? It was like.. WOOSH!¡± Arms imitating a galloping horse, eyes almost looking wild Peeking down towards the silver centaur, I saw a mirror reflection of her expression. ¡°Eeehm, yeeaaah¡± The silver centaur frowned immediately. ¡°You no think I run fast, ugly hooman?¡± Brining my arms up and shaking my head, I quickly said. ¡°Nononono, I did not mean it like that. It was, erm, very fast. I just had ha-¡° A happy laugh interrupting me. ¡°Hahaha! YesYes! Not so ugly hooman, I am very fast!¡± Letting her arms rest on her hips as she looked stoically up towards the sky The girl on her back jumped off, skipping up to me. ¡°You should try it, it¡¯s super fun. ¡± Giving me a beaming smile I leaned in a bit, whispering. ¡°I prefer staying on the ground.¡± She looked at me funny, asking loudly ¡°Why?¡± I hushed her Looking towards her and the centaur. She followed my sight. And loudly ¡°ooohed¡± Then whispering ¡°Ooh sooryy, I did not know you hated horses¡± ... ¡°No I do-¡° ¡°Shhhh, dont worry, your secret is safe with me.¡± Saying that, she pretend zipped her mouth shut, and gave me a big thumbs up. Dammit Well, maybe it¡¯s better like this? Shaking myself from thoughts. I looked up to the silver centaur who looked down on mein turn. ¡°Can I ask you some questions?¡± ¡°Of course, Weird horse leg hooman¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah.. I was wondering why you guys where not setting up camp?¡± She gave me a quizzical look ¡°Camp?¡± I gave her one backin turn. ¡°Uh, yeah, a camp. You know, for protection.¡± ¡°Hoho, silly hooman, we are the masters of the stepp, we don¡¯t need no protaktion¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Trying to insinuate the last word, but sounding rather silly instead, getting a laugh from the human But not hearing it, as my thoughts were in full gear. ¡°Wait wait. You mean like, you don¡¯t need protection from the wind or rain? ¡°Why would we? If rain comes, it¡¯s god will. If wind come, it¡¯s god will and we use it to run faster.¡± I looked at her, eyebrows raising high. ¡°But, I mean... Wait, where¡¯s your guys home?¡± ¡°Home is stepp¡± She said, looking around with a motherly smile. ¡°No, I mean like. Where do you guys live? Keep your stuff, ehm.. Sleep?¡± ¡°Stepp¡± She answered quickly, looking at me funny, as if it¡¯s the most obvious answer. Hearing snickers from behind me, coming from the human. Huh, this is weird. I guess these guys are nomadic? First time I¡¯ve met people like this, or should I say horses like this? Anyway, this brings me to an important question. A question that I almost dreaded to ask. ¡°But, if you dont have a city, then... How are we supposed to help you guys build a city?¡± Her smile turned more serious, but her eyes still glittering brightly. ¡°Yes, you are our savior. You make our city¡± I gulped. ¡°You mean like, we build your entire city... From scratch?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Damn Almost half an hour later, I think I¡¯vecome to realise something prettybig. We are pretty screwed. I mean, not like they would kill us or anything if we fail But, I really don''t think we¡¯re cut out for this.. So, the most important stuff I¡¯ve learnt. One, they are both unable and don''t know how to build a city. Two, they have no magic except for wind magic, so no help from them there. And finally, number three They except us to be done in a month, being able to house I think it was over a hundred thousand centaurs. I mean No way. But on the bright side, she has been very supportive of me. Giving me many thumbs up and ¡°good luck¡±s. And also As they are nomadicin nature, they don''t really expect a masterpiece. Nor do they expect an actual city. From what I¡¯ve gathered, they only need a very sturdy wall A very big, sturdy wall... I think. ¡°Okay, so. If I understand it correctly, you centaurs only need us to build you a big wall?¡± ¡°What is a wall?¡± The silvery centaur asked, a big yawn escaping her mouth. Lying down on her side, head lazily leaning on an open arm. ¡°It¡¯s the thing that surrounds a city.¡± ¡°Ooooh, you mean the flat mountains! Yes, we only need those¡± Head bobbing in acceptance. ¡°Okay, but. One thing that I still don¡¯t understand, how can you not build this yourselves?¡± A loud sigh coming from both the centaur and the human. ¡°I have told you¡± ¡°Yeah, no wood, no stone but I mean. You must be trading with humans, I mean, you got swords¡± ¡°Oh these, no these be gifted.¡± ¡°They be gifted?¡± ¡°Yes, god swords¡± My jaw shooting open Getting dumbfounded by her words God swords? My thoughts rolled around for a minute. Staying silent until I shook myself out of it. Asking the obvious question. ¡°How is that possible, are you all high priests or something?¡± ¡°What is high priest?¡± I take that as a no. ¡°I mean, only those most faithful can talk to the gods¡± ¡°Oh silly funny leg hooman. God need us, we need god. Simple¡± Simple my ass. How in the hell can they speak to a god just like that? And, I mean A god sword? Is that not like a holy relict of some sort. All holy relics hold an immense amount of power. Capable of killing the strongest of undead Are these guys like trotting paladins with the power to smite gods? Wait Why swords? ¡°But, why does your god give you swords?¡± ¡°Simple, god needs warriors to defend stepp¡± Hm, okaaay. We are getting somewhere. But she¡¯s being very un-simple right now So no. We are not getting somewhere. ¡°Okay, uhm then.. Why can''t your god give you like.. Stones and stuff?¡± ¡°Why would god give us stone?¡± ¡°You know... to build a, eeh, flat mountain¡± ¡°Ooooh! I see, yeah no. God dont do that¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°For stepp be simple, god be simple, we be simple. God does not know how to create such stone.¡± That sounds So very wrong How can a god not know something? And stone of all things, I mean He knows how to craft swords ¡°You¡¯ve lost me¡± ¡°No, you there¡± ¡°Nonono, I mean like. I don¡¯t understand¡± ¡°What is hard?¡± ¡°EVERYTHING! Like, your god, your lifestyle.... Why a wall?¡± ¡°Wall?¡± ¡°Aaaaggh, the flat mountain!¡± ¡°To stop swarm¡± ¡°AAAAGGGH¡± ¡°Yeeshh. Hey Funny hooman, why is this weird hooman so stiff, he needs relax, run a bit.¡± The silver centaur said, looking towards the human girl Who chuckled from behind me, glancing upwards to the centaur. ¡°Hehe, yeah, he does. But be nice, he¡¯s one of those that want to understand everything.¡± The silvery centaur''s eyes lit up, lifting her head from her hand. ¡°Oooo, he¡¯s one of those. I see.¡± Nodding as if solving a great puzzle Stupid centaur. I¡¯m not complicated. Or wait, yes I am. Compared to you guys, I wanna be complicated. I don''t care about your opinions. I just wanna get myself out of this mess. Turning around, I lock gaze with the human Why are you not with me on this, Dammit! I thought, glaring at her Who gave me a big smug smile in response. Aaaarg ¡°Hooman with thing growing out of head. If you want, we can take you to our hearing.¡± Turning back towards the centaur, I raised an eyebrow. ¡°The hearing?¡± ¡°Yes, we talk to god, ask him for advice. Thas where we heard about prophecy.¡± Oh OOOH! Yes, maybe I can get some answer- ¡°Your gonna get so dissapointed.¡± A small whisper from behind, interrupting my thoughts I turned around, seeing her looking skywards Pretending to not notice me. ... ¡°Did you say something about me being disappointing?¡± ¡°PpfffftHahaha yeah, yeah let¡¯s say that.¡± She chuckled loudly, wiping a small tear from her eye. I, in turn, gave her the stink eye. Trying to hold in a smile Failing. ¡°Funny looking hooman, hold on¡± Hold on? Moving to turn around Or trying As I find myself being pulled upwards. Legs flailing as I¡¯m put down on a very familiar horse''s back Looking up, I¡¯m met with a smile. And a manly-looking centaurs face You again. Please Dooooooo- And he sped off, galloping behind the silvery centaur with a smiling human riding on top. A few minutes later, and a very upset stomach We find ourselves in a small clearing Or rather a big circle, surrounded by maybe a hundred centaurs Creating an oval shaped circle. As we trotted inside the circle, I find myself thrown off Glaring up at the manly centaur, getting flashed by a toothy smile And running off. I¡¯m gonna punch him next time I see him. ¡°Horse leg hooman, we are here¡± Looking around I see nothing special. ¡°Here?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°I mean, what is here¡± ¡°Here is where we talk¡± ¡°But, why here¡± ¡°Why not¡± ¡°No, is this like, an important ritual place, or burial or something?¡± ¡°No¡± ... You got to be shitting me. ¡°Now listen, I talk to god, god likes me. I¡¯m good warrior, will be able todefend stepp well¡± Saying that, she looked up to the sky. Lifting her arms And Nothing. A few seconds passed And she looked down to me ¡°I talk to god, god say you still build eeeerm, uuuuh well?¡± ... I Okay. This is really getting on my nerves Making me ask something stupid. Something I would have never done, not even where I lived A question that most cultures found taboo. ¡°Can I talk to your god?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Oooh. My eyes lighting up, a big smile growing Holy holy hoooly shit! ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yes, why I not be serius with you?¡± ¡°I mean.. I mean like, but..¡± Not wanting to risk her regretting, I swallow my words. Looking up at her hopefully. ¡°So, uuh, how do I talk to her.. him.. it?¡± ¡°Simple, just talk¡± Okay. Why am I surprised? Hmm Maybe just Copy her? Thinkingthat, I moved my hands up. And Eeer, okay What now She did not speak. Maybe she spoke in her head? ¡°Hello¡± I thought Getting thrown upwards Upwards in speeds I could not fathom Did not even realise Thrown through both time and space Through what we mortals would call the void And Down into an exact copy of where I stood earlier The only difference being the lack of centaurs. It took me a few seconds to even realise I was somewhere new. As I was still staring up But once a large shadow loomed over me, I realised something was amiss And I turned around, being met with a humongous centaur. Taller than mountains Larger than lakes Holding an enormous sword on its side But weirdly Lacking a face. ¡°Hello Faun, I welcome you to my humble abode.¡± I stood there. Gawking at the awe-inspiring figure Making me lose faith in my owngod. ¡°Hohoho, Faun, it¡¯s embarrassing when you stare¡± The god spoke Glowing redder by the second Which swiftly took me out of my awe-inspiring state. What the hell Is this real? A quick pinch to my cheek and Yes This is real. Maybe. ¡°What do you wish to ask Faun?¡± The god spoke, seemingly not remembering the earlier shyness. ¡°Uuuh, I...¡± But found myself lost for words. What did I wanna talk about? ¡°Hohohoh, Faun. Maybe you want some answers? Maybeeee. Why I have chosen you for my prophecy?¡± ¡°YES!¡± I screamed A little to loud. ¡°Hoho, yes Faun. A good question. And my answer is simple, I need your help. My stepp is in grave danger, a danger not even my subjects can defeat.¡± ¡°A danger?¡± ¡°Yes, a swarm, something that brings only death and destruction. A thing created from one of the most hellish of gods.¡± Gulping in response ¡°Wh-What is it¡± ¡°Rats¡± What ¡°Rats?¡± ¡°Yes, Vermin, devourers, killers of all and everything, once they come to our land they will suck the very life of the ground and kill all that is holy in my land.¡± The god spoke in a loud voice, making the ground shake. Clouds flying by faster But I did not feel hurt Only Confused. ¡°They will come, bringing with them death. And to their south, they will bring new life. Life that will corrupt and change, killing mein the process.¡± He spoke, with great gravity in his voice. Both literally and figuratively. ¡°And you, and your friends. Are the only ones who can save my subjects... Save. Me¡± He said, making his head fall down low Going down to view me, eye to eye. Or, eye to face? And seeminglygoing smaller But also staying huge. Making me unable to fully focus on him as he never truly stayed the same size Blinking a few times. I found myself with multiple questions. ¡°Okay, but.. Why us?¡± The god rose upagain ¡°I dont know¡± You dont. Know? ¡°Wait whaaaa¡± ¡°I just hoped someone would come and help us¡± He wanted what But Prophecy? ¡°Did you not say that this was a prophecy?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then, then you could see us coming could you not?¡± ¡°How would I do that?¡± ¡°YOU¡¯RE A GOD!¡± The god shrugged. ¡°Yeeesh, Fauns and their preconceived ideas. Look, I am a god YES, but I¡¯m not omnipotent nor am I omniscient. I can use my power for so much until they either run out or I¡¯m not strong enough.¡± What But... That goes against so much that I¡¯ve been thought. My entire life Was that a big lie? Well.. To be honest, meeting a dragon was also a huge one eighty when it comes to life lessons. So this might not be that bad Right? ¡°Then, how do you know about the, eeh, swarm?¡± He gave a small sigh Shaking his head in obvious disapproval. ¡°Look, everything and anything that involves my stepps, I know. I know about the swarm because they will destroy my land if they are not stopped. And through my visions, I saw a future where someone created something new within my lands.¡± He gave me a wide look. ¡°Someone created a city within my land. A city that will last forcenturies.¡± He looked around Taking in the view. ¡°If I¡¯m right¡± A gloom expression forming on his non-existent face Staring off into the distance To the horizon. ¡°I¡¯m not the strongest god, and I¡¯m not the best with prophecies. But the swarm, it is something that will happen. Of that I am certain¡± Then he looked down to me. Looking a bitsofter Smiling Even on a faceless face ¡°But I truly hope that there is a future where the city is built. The one you build to save us¡± He gave me a new look Shrinking down in size again. Or maybe not. It¡¯s hard to tell. ¡°Okay okay. I think I get it¡± I did not. ¡°But then, why can''t you help them? They are your people.. Horses¡± ¡°Did I not already say?¡± ¡°You said something about a lack of power, but I mean like... What¡¯s so hard about creating big walls?¡± He sighed again, looking around, gesticulating wide with his arms. ¡°Look around you. Do you see anything I can build a wall with?¡± Looking around, I saw nothing. Nothing but the earth and grass beneath our feet. ¡°The ground?¡± ¡°Funny, but no. The ground is not my domain, the stepp is.¡± ¡°But you''re a GOD! Can¡¯t you like.. Like create stone for them to build with at least!¡± ¡°No, I dont know how to create stone from nothing. There are gods that do, but they have not taught me that.¡± ¡°But... But you can create swords!¡± ¡°Yeah, swords are easy. I got this from a very dear friend off mine. He taught me how.¡± The god said, gingerly lifting the sword in front of him Caressing it softly. ¡°I. I!... I¡¯m confused¡± I said. Slumping down in defeat. ¡°Hoho, finally some true words child. Yes, this is confusing, that is why we are gods, and you mortals are just that. Mortals¡± The god said, stopping his caressing of his sword as he took his attention back to me. ¡°Okay, Faun. You want to know anything else?¡± Yes There was so much I wanted to know So many new questions So many To many I¡¯m lost I feel lost. This is ... To much. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hm, well then Faun, I truly wish that you will succeed in your mission¡± The god said. Making the world blur around me Colours blend And sounds mix But one thing stood out. ¡°Oh andby the way. I also want you to bring together all the tribes into one, creating a peace that has not existed since the dawn of the stepp.¡± And I was thrown back. Feeling myself stagger a bit as I collected myself. Looking around, I saw the silver centaur look at me with a smile. And the human opening her mouth. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± She said, face staying neutral Only slightly twitching by the corners of her eyes and mouth But I took no notice. Only asking ¡°How long was I out?¡± ¡°Oh, a little longer than usual. A minute. ¡± A minute? But it felt like hours. Days... Then I was brought out of my day dreaming. Seeing a laughing human, joined by a silvery centaur Both pointing at me. ¡°Aaaahhaa it¡¯s truue! People have such silly faces when they learn about the time thing!¡± She said, looking towards her centaur friend ¡°Yes I told you, Everyone has such fun expressions when they learn¡± The centaur responded. Both laughing at my expense. But I had stopped focusing on them. Deep in though Thinking Thinking of how screwed we were. I think I¡¯ve made a promise with a god And... I also think he tricked us. Pushing even more trouble onto us. Great Not only do we have to build an enormous wall. But now we have to act as diplomatic intermediaries. Trying to solve an age old feud between warring nomadic tribes? Just Great¡­ Chapter - 42 An insufferable headache was slowly throbbing in my head. Having made itself known for the past month A headache that started with the existence of a god My long dead god, who apparently Was not actuallydead. And the headache got worse and worse as I made promise after promise. Both to God and elders alike Trying to influence and convince. Telling my fellow elders that, yes, a long dead race is not actuallydead. And that, yes, we used to worship them. And yes, we might all be killed if we don''t do it again. So making it simple. It has been a gruelling month. Anyway, how did I survive? Good question I barely know myself. That insufferable handsome faun has at least helped me. When the girl and dragon fled, I was left alone. Left alone to meet the elders Who, luckily, instead of killing me, they put me on trial. Which took several days, but eventually They came to the conclusion that I had acted, not out of self interest, but to save us. All of us After that, they released me. Some quiteunwillingly As we had just fought days before. But, both age and power made them unwilling to let go of such wisdom. And power. And once again, the insufferable handsome faun helped me. Managing to convince the rest of the elders that the dragon can and will Kill us if we don''t play nice Which probably was one of the factors for my release. And well I also think it helped that the insufferable handsome faun was a crying, shivering, sweating ball of a wreck. ¡°We should bring him a gift of a thousand goats!¡± One of the elders screamed out. ¡°NO! Dragons would only spite us for such a measly reward, we must give him all the treasureswe have¡± A second one screamed back A third one joins in. ¡°Then we will be robbed blind! How will we feed us? Our children?¡± The second turns to the third, yelling with a hoarse voice. ¡°Do you want to die? I¡¯d rather have nothing but live th-¡° And on and on And on¡­ The screaming continued through the wreckage that was once called the great chamber. Groups had formed But no distinct leader had taken their place I sat awkwardly in the middle of it all. Having been chosen for the role of high judge, a role that used to belong to a very big Faun Who had been incinerated by the same Dragon that we are debating. My headache was making all thoughts hard to form. My role, being the keeper of peace Of authority Keeping the discussion civil and on track Was all but a farce. The discussions had derailed the second they started Making me more of a silent observer than an active participant. The other elders may have spared my life, but they sure as hell won''t let me decide anything. Even those that are supposed to be loyal to me have started to waver. But I don''t hold grudges.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! As I know that having to choose between one god and another Is not an easy decision to make. As we entered the fourth hour of the meeting A messenger made his appearance, one of the few still loyal to me. Swiftly running up to me, with an unsteady breath and wild eyes. I quickly waved him over, collecting myself for the inevitable news He tip-toed his way towards me, awkwardly moving around the debris that still had not been cleared. I leaned towards him. ¡°A message from the human? About the dragon?¡± I asked Trying to keep the fear from my voice. The messenger saluted me as he neared, shaking his head in a negative I slumped back in my chair, both relieved And scared. ¡°No, ehm... This. Is something else¡± The messenger said, uncertain Piquing my interest again. Clearing his throat, the messenger continued, looking forward in a military stare. ¡°Sightings of a huge mass off blackness has been spotted¡± I looked at him with questioning eyes. ¡°Blackness?¡± ¡°Yes, Venerable one¡± ¡°Explain¡± I ordered ¡°It¡¯s.. It¡¯s, just that venerable one. A large moving mass of blackness, no taller than us but going from one end of the horizon to the other¡± He quickly spoke, a noticeable nervousness in his voice. I stared at him with narrowed eyes. ¡°Could you see what the blackness consisted off?¡± ¡°No, venerable one. But the scouts say that it consumes all the living it moves past, and...¡± Stopping as he got uncertain ¡°Continue.¡± I urged him, looking as nonchalant as I could But feeling nothing near it. ¡°It is moving towards our city. And it seems to be growing¡± A dread overcame me. What the flying fuck. First the Dragon Now this? But as I was thinking A new messenger came, a recruit, bursting into the ruined chamber. Fresh of his mother''s milk Unfortunately Many have sprung up after the recent disaster. Something we¡¯ve never had to do before Having prided ourselves in peace Well, I guess no more. The messenger made the hall go quiet, as the elders investigated. Then the messenger yelled ¡°An army has been sighted to the south!¡± The surrounding elders all roseup Many yelling in dismay, in disarray. And in complete disbelief ¡°What do you mean?¡± One of the elders spoke up, the surrounding elders hushing those nearby The messenger locked his eyes with the speaking elder Still breathing heavy. ¡°It¡¯s an army! An army of lizardmen. To our south!¡± He yelled, breathing in between words A chorus of voice came out from the elders. Looking to one another, questions asked and answered But quickly after the elder spoke up again. ¡°Where are they headed?¡± Which made the messenger shrug back a bit Looking up as he started to think Letting seconds pass. And the hall got eerily quiet. The messenger visibly starting to sweat ¡°Aaah, uuh.. I think... They will be passing our city a few miles to the south.¡± ¡°You think?¡± The elder spoke Making the messenger sweat even more ¡°Y-yes¡± He simplysaid Making the surrounding elders scream out in frustration, waving at him to leave. Which he happily complied with. The surrounding elders continued their discussion. Having gladly moved the subject from Dragon to this unknown lizard army Speculating, questioning. Forming plans in case the army would veer towards our city Something they could actively plan against A threat that had a tangible goal. Something that they could not do with the Dragon. But I stayed clear from the discussions. Having been caught up in my ownswirl of thoughts Barely registering the army to the south. A large blackness is moving towards us? It kills all life that it moves past... And is larger than the horizon is wide? I pondered. Trying to remember past experiences that was long forgotten. And I felt time move slowly. As thoughts slowly formed. Forming a word A single word A simple word Rats And my face went pale Oh no. It is not a massive blackness It is the bodies of rats. It is not killing life It is devouring it And it is not just large It is enormous. Gaining numbers by the day Probably around millions upon millions of rats by this point Fueled by dark magic Fueled by life A god long forgotten, probably woken. Laughing in his dark chambers as his creations wreck chaos on this world. Quickly, I stood up Up to my feet as I startled the surrounding elders Some even reaching for bows, clearly not trusting me yet. ¡°We must flee¡± I simplystated Looking out over the gathered elders Who looked at me in confusion. I continued. ¡°There has been a sighting, a sighting of a swarm. And it is heading for us as we speak¡± Upon hearing the words of ¡°swarm,¡± many of the gathered elders went pale. But many were still to young Inexperienced to the forces of this world. ¡°The swarm?¡± One of them asked Another answered ¡°The swarm is an inevitability, a force of nature that will only stop when it fulfills it¡¯s designed purpose. It¡¯s a form of.. off ritualmade by rat-men to fulfill a certain purpose.¡± Another elder yelled out ¡°What purpose?¡± And I answered. ¡°It can be anything, but one thing for certain. If it is headed this way, this city is doomed¡± A dreadful silence devoured the room. Making most look down, deep in their own thoughts But then, one stood up And it was none other than the handsome faun. Who had seen betters days, as his magical make-up had faltered, leaving him deathly pale and skin sagging low, making him look like a punching bag Which I wish he were. ¡°No, we can not leave this city. It¡¯s our haven, been with us since the age of.. off¡± He drifted off, as the last part of his speech held a gravity ¡°Of Dragons¡± I finished for him Making him go even more pale But he quickly collected himself. ¡°Yes, and we can not abandon this place. If we do, who knows what... he-¡° Going quiet again Mouth forming words, but no sound coming out Eyes going wide, as his body started to shake. I see now I see that fear has gripped you, made you weak. And others took note, looking up to the clearlymore stable elder. ¡°All who vote for us to leave, say, aye.¡± I shouted, giving all those gathered a thorough look One spoke up ¡°We need to speak more of this-¡° ¡°NO!¡± I screamed, letting a bit of my anger seep through ¡°The time of talk is over! We must let our actions speak louder¡± I paused But only for a second, scanning the elders with a piercing gaze Making many look away. ¡°The swarm is inevitable, you all know this. The only thing we can do is flee from it. If the Dragon knows of our plans, he can at least be bargained with. Seen to either help us or let us leave¡± I spoke. Spoken confidently. The gathered elders looking around Both uncertain and scared Having to decide on something this quickly has never happened before Nor has a Dragon been sighted before Or a swarm Making many nervous. But I felt that I was close So close to convincing them So I continued speaking. ¡°Elders, when the time comes, I will take responsibility. Leave the Dragon to me¡± This seemed to convince some, making them look up And those that used to call themselves loyal to me, raised their voices Shouting ¡°Aye!¡± Loudly. The others joining in. And more. Eventually, the room was a loud chorus of ayes as fauns gained confidence in number. I let a small smile spread on my lips A smile that did not reach my eyes. Holding my hands out to silence the elders. ¡°Then it is settled. We shall depart this city as soon as possible. I now declare this meeting. Over!¡± A loud bang as I hit the hammer on the table Giving way for loud talking. And elders moving out, giving task to soldiers and civilians alike Giving them a task that would make few happy. But a task that would be necessary. Necessary for our survival I just hope Hope that the Dragon won''t mind. I found myself sitting down. Truly exhausted Mostly mentally. And I found my thoughts drift away Drift far away To happier times Simpler times. And then I found my heart drift to a human A certain human girl A little human girl A tiny little girl A girl so innocent and pure Beaming with so much life. Yes Such a bright soul. But Who would have thought That such a person Would be the catalyst for so much disaster Yes Who would have. Chapter - 43 I have found her It was not hard, especially for someone as great as me. To find her, I just went back to where we first got separated and retraced her steps. Following the few footmarks The strewnarrows And burn marks here and there made it easy. It was nothing to me. But I don''t know what to do now. I have just been floating high above. Spying on them- ... Keeping a close eye on them. Althoughdoing that As it turns out Is not necessary. For she, even considering how worthless she can. Is very strong. But something bugs me. During their journey Very few words have been spoke between her and the Faun She has only been speaking when spoken to Letting the Faun do most of the talking. Something unheard of for the human. Something that scares me. Me Human, don''t let this change you Day has turned Over and over. Nothing happening except for the odd animal getting killed and eaten. Nothing Happening. But oddly enough, I found myself content. Which is a new Why am I feeling like this? It is as if I am delaying something. And feeling good about it I think Maybe. Hmmm Something to consider at least Something to keep me from being bored And day has turned Over and over But finally Something new happened. They found a tree Hm Okay, not that exciting Except She suddenly looked up Eyes glowing a bright red Oh Quickly. I took height Going further than I usually do Almost making them unseeable to my perfect eyes. But just as quick as she looked up She looked down again Seemingly non-the wiser about my existence. Phew That felt close. Wait. Why would I feel scared about her seeing me? I fear nothing! I should fly down right now and make myself known! Yes. She will smile so brightly at my splendor. I will glitter a glorious blue And she will smile Giving me that brightness back. ... Okay Maybe not Not now I can do it... Later ¡­ Once more, day has turned Over and over Why do I even care about that? It is not like I am counting the days I am floating above them. No way That would be beneath me. Yeah... Oh Something is happening. That Faun is- Using borrowed magic That, blasphemous, magic, from that blasphemous ritual. Stolen magic Our magic Oooh, oh how I want to kill Destroy Burn him... But..Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. No I can not Not her friend. That That would maker her Sad? i Do not want to make her Sad? Something flickered in the corner of my eye. Looking up, I noticed a big army of Centaurs? Oh yeah, these are those stepps How could I forget? This place was so interesting when we were younger. Such a rascall of a god Thinking he could keep such a vast-land for himself. Hohoho I wonder if he still makes his Centaur defend the stepps Keeping up that weird tradition of ¡°anything for the stepp¡± mentality. Hohoho Those were the days We would tease him by shoveling earth away from his borders. Shrinking the stepps kilometer by kilometer Oh haha Those... Those were the days... ¡­ Anyway Stop thinking More focus. Those Centaurs are probably up to no good. Probably noticed that earth magic Probably sent by that god to investigate Probably sent to kill those who dare mess with the stepp. Yes This is my chance! This is how I will ask for my forgiveness. I shall save her from the Centaurs Then she will bask in how powerful I am And from it We shall be Friends Mmmm Sometimes I even impress myself. So I waited. Waited for the perfect opportunity To save her, who I consider Friend. The Centaurs moved closer and closer Both the Human and Faun tried to run away But they were far too slow Eventually, the girl stopped. Making the Faun stop behind her Soon after that, I felt a large amount of mana seep out of the tiny little Faun Using that mana to lift a big chunk from the ground A feat that even we Dragons would consider impressive For Dragon children, that is. But the Centaurs seemed to not mind Continuing forwards And I slowly floated downwards, keeping out of sight. But as they closed Nothing happened. Nothing. What? I asked myself. Seeing them get even closer Well within striking range But no such thing happened. Instead, they started to speak And a few minutes later They started to move The Faun following close behind the Centaurs And she She even rode on one of them Making my anger flare up. How HOW DARE THAT CENTAUR TAKE WHAT IS MINE- ... Mine? Quickly, I calmed myself down. Feeling uncertain And confused Wait. Why would I get angry at her for riding that Centaur? It is beneath you to let someone ride you Is it not? Thinkingthat I could see them riding swiftly and fast. Laughter erupting from her Making my anger flare up again But quickly cooling Okay, okay. Calm down Hmmm Okay. Even someone as great as me Even I Must admit That looks entertaining. And I am not talking about riding a puny Centaur But letting her ride me Making her feel the wind rush past Showing her how much power one of us Dragons can wield in the sky. Our domain Oh, she would be so happy! Stupid, Human If you want speed, you shouldride me! But What should I do? My plan was foiled by those stupid Centaurs. If only they had attacked How am I supposed to get close now- Then, like a flash if brilliance I remembered Oh, yes Yes Why do I not just transform into one of those Centaurs and get close? Yes! That is such a great- No Yes? No... Yees Aaaah Why must I have to transform myself into such a... Pitiful creature Do I really have to lower myself for something like this? This is. ... Beneath me. But as I thoughtthat. I continued to stare at the human Seeing her wave her arms around Talking, laughing Smiling. Making me feel Hurt? And I quickly transformed An imitation of the real Not like my phoenix form But a reflection of reality One that upon closer inspection Could never be as good as the original. Although, No mere mortal should have a high enough skill to see through my skill. So it should be no problems. Noneat all There were problems Almost immediately As no one knew me Fearing that I was some spy Making me almost burn them in anger. But Using my great wits And very patient nature I managed to convince the surrounding Centaurs that I was coming from one of the other herds in peace. Speaking out of my tail But weirdly Getting accepted Even after screaming at them for several minutes. Hehe Foolish Centaurs No mere mortal could ever wish to see through my disguise! Anyway. I have taken up the mantel of a manly Centaur Making myself look as attractive as possible For I hear that the human flesh likes attractive things And I made myself look big and imposing. Hearing that muscles are attractive Nowhere near as attractive as Dragon scales But these will do. Unfortunately I think I overdid it Making myself stand-out a little too much from the crowded Centaurs As a silver armoured Centaur singled me out Pointing at me, telling me to Carry the Faun How dare you ... I accepted. What could I do? Either that, or revealing my true nature It is not as if I could have declined That silver Centaur is obviously a high ranking member Holding power over the others. Moving through camp I found the Faun Looking up at me with a mixture of military stoicism And fear. Oh, hoho Faun. To think you would fear something so little I will take great pleasure in this. Thinkingthat, I moved closer Heaving him up effortlessly and placing him on my back inan as awkward position as I could. And speeding of Making sure to keep the same pace as the others. And also Making the ride as bumpy as I could Which drew a laugh A familiar laugh I looked to the source. And saw her A bright smile, looking at the faun Then down To me Heart missing a beat Locking eyes To what felt like an eternity Her smile staying bright. Then she looked away. Only a second had passed But for me Not enough. This Might be okay. I do not have to hurry I can apologise later. Yeah Let us see what entertaining things she will show me. Chapter - 44 It¡¯s the twelfth day now I¡¯m on my usual break, waiting for my mana to regenerate back. Something I¡¯ve been forced to do after tirelessly building the wall Building, resting Building Resting. And I have to say, building the wall has been going... Okay. I¡¯ve got proficient enough to build the wall without wasting to much mana. Making it noticeably easier to build But ehm. I really don¡¯t see me building a wall big enough to fit a few thousand centaurs. And don¡¯t even think about the fact that I¡¯m supposed to make it big enough for a hundred thousand How do they expect me to do this? Even trying to ask for some help makes them look at me funny. Like I¡¯m stupid for asking. You are stupid for being stupid! Anyway. Speaking of stupid The army has grown bigger Groups of centaurs has been steadily streaming in for the past twelve days Making me steadily lose faith in how I¡¯m supposed to build the wall And growing the numbers of centaurs from a thousand, to multiple thousands Maybe even tens off thousands It¡¯s hard to count when there¡¯s no official leader or government. Oh yeah They have no central leaders. No Government No way to organize a defence against this Swarm? ... ¡°How are you guys supposed to defend this stepp?¡± I asked the silvery centaur for the fifth time. Receiving the fifth same answer. ¡°We have the- you call well?¡± She stretched in place, answering nonchalantly without focusing on me. ¡°It¡¯s called a wall. But I mean, just having a wall won''t help you, if you can''t organize a proper defence.¡± She stopped her stretching, looking down on me with a funny expression One where you found the individual talking incrediblystupid. A look I¡¯ve grown accustomed too during these twelve days. ¡°God say we need wall. No mention of orgonoise¡± My face turned gloomy. ¡°I understand, but your god also told you to defend step at all costs, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Fiddling with her hair as she absentmindedly responded ¡°Okay, then should you guys not use all means to make your defence better?¡± Still playing with her hair, she answered without looking to me. ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Sooo, can''t you guys form a solid plan on how to defend the stepp and work together?¡± ¡°No¡± Still playing with her hair, not looking at me Looking at her hands. Making me fume a little on the inside Something that has not been a first for me. I¡¯ve learnt that trying to have a proper conversation with her only leads to suffering. I¡¯ve probably aged a hundred years during these twelve days A moot point when you consider I¡¯m immortal now I think. I let a big sigh seep out, letting my eyes rest on her silvery armour. ¡°Why not¡± I asked, letting a bit of my frustration seep out She, in turn, looked at me like she had teased her parent. But quickly switched to a serious expression. ¡°We have no leaders, we are free individuals of free mind.¡± She turned to look around ¡°We here only to defend.Our choice. ¡± Then looking down to me. ¡°We not work togheter,choose tofight ourselves.¡± I narrowed my eyes at her. She says this, but she¡¯s obviously some sort ofleader. Whenever she says something, the other centaurs follows Whenever she moves, others follow her. She even getsrespect from those that have come from outside, the smaller groups. Her words sound very Hypocritical. ¡°Then why is everyone here?¡± ¡°To defend stepp¡± ¡°It was a rhetorical question. No, they are here because their god has told them.¡± ¡°Yes¡± My eyebrow roseup ¡°Then how can you say that they do it off their own free will?¡± She rose an eyebrow in response ¡°Because they do¡± ¡°No, their god told them¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Then they did not do it of-¡± ¡°They did¡± Aaarg! I don''t understand her! How can she not understand what I¡¯m saying? She¡¯s so goddamn stupid How am I supposed to unite their clans if their leader is too stubborn to even know she¡¯s a leader? I took my eyes from her, looking around with furrowed brows. Seeing the surrounding centaurs in groupsIf you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Talking amongst themselves, actively ignoring each other Or glaring at one another. I let out a big sigh. At least, don''t start fighting each other I have enough with building this wall. I don''t wanna have to try tostop in-fighting. Walking away from the silver centaur without a word I left to search for my human friend. Who seemed to thrive in this environment Going from one group to another Talking, laughing Or, weirdly enough Fighting. But her fights always ended with laughter or a joking punch to the chest. Although the first time it happened, I¡¯m embarrassed to say, I over reacted. Creating a section of the wall that was not connected to the rest And making some look to me with Awe in their eyes? Or maybe just anger Hard to tell. After walking around for a while, asking some centaurs for the location of a certain human I finally found her. Being in a position that I should be surprised about But were not. For I saw her arm wrestle with a centaur. How? Well The centaur was lying on its side, making it possible to use the ground as leverage. Why? I wanted to ask, but felt like I would get a stupid answer in response. So I merely stood back and watched. Both of their faces had turned a bright red colour. Arms swelling in size. Weins popping out on both of their arms And their expression lookingcomical. One looked to the sky with a mouth firmly closed And the other seemed to try tobreak their teeth while their eyes almost popped out. Both weredrenched in sweat Almost forming a small puddle in-between their arms. I leaned forward a bit, closing in on a nearby centaur who was watching ¡°How long have they been at it?¡± The centaur answered without looking back ¡°The past ten minutes¡± Ten minutes? Wow, either they are both very strong. Or very weak Hard to tell from here But one thing I knew, both of them must have a huge amount of stamina. A few minutes later, and the human crumbled beneath the big centaur Seemingly falling down on her face Looking a bit shocked. The centaur in turnlept to the air, shouting out a victories cry, getting the surrounding centaurs to join in on the shouting. She quickly got up on her feet and shouted for a rematch But got funny looks from the gathered centaurs And a smug smile from the victories centaur. I moved up, letting a hand rest on her shoulder. But she seemed to not notice, a big frown on her face. ¡°It¡¯s not fair! My hand slipped, I demand a rematch!¡± The victorious centaur spoke up, sporting a big smug smile. ¡°Humans are weak, centaurs are strong.¡± To that response, she seemed to fume by the ears. ¡°No! Humans are not weak. I¡¯m just not the strongest!If I had put more time in trainingstrength, you would have been spaghetti!¡± ¡°Human just speak weak talk, I¡¯m too strong for you. ¡± ¡°NO! I said I slipped, this does not count. I¡¯m not weak! REMATCH!¡± ¡°Human is weak, no rematch¡± ¡°I wan-¡° They continued back and forth. No one really saying anything worthwhile. But both talking nonetheless Oh It seems like this was not just a friendly arm wrestle match. But some sort ofspecies vs species match? I think At least judging from the surrounding centaurs Who seemed oddly invested in the arm wrestle match. They had also moved behind the victorious centaur Taking positions that isolated the human As the group mimicked the victorious centaurs smug smile. And believe me Seeing a hundred smug faces looking down on you is not A nice experience. ¡°Human, we can have race¡± The victorious centaur spoke Getting a whisper of yes¡¯es from the group behind him. ¡°NO! You guys are cheaters, you have four legs th-¡° ¡°Cheaters? you call us dishonorable¡± ¡°No, you are just chea-¡° But before she could finish, I felt a change in the atmosphere. Some word seemed to have turned everything from a fun game. To a deadly match. I need to stop this. ¡°Hey, calm down. Let¡¯s just walk away from here and take a breather¡± I said, letting my arm on her shoulder squeeze harder. Which finally made her notice me Looking angry, seemingly not bothered by the hundreds of eyes on her And seeminglyignorant of how she changed the atmosphere. ¡°You stay out of this! This is a matter of pride. ¡± ¡°Yeah, maybe it is, but you lost fair and square.¡± ¡°I did not! I slipped!¡± Turning back to the victorious centaur Who stared back, moving forwards with vicious eyes. And speaking before the human could ¡°Are you calling me cheater?¡± Hand resting on the side of a sword, smile smug, eyes glaring. I took a step back, bringing my bow forwards, slowly The gathered centaurs seemed to notice the shift in atmosphere. Some even bringing their swords out But The human failed to notice. ¡°No, I slipped, we have to do it again!¡± She said, repeating her words like a lunatic Eyes angry But holding her arms comically on her side. Not reallytaking the situation serious But failed to see how serious the situation was. In a flash, faster than most would be able to perceive The victorious centaur frowned Raising his arm with a sword in hand. But I was faster. Bringing my bow up Arrow on hand, ready to let loose Everything happening in the matter of a second But A strong wind swept into the gathered centaurs Making everyone fall over, swords clattering to the ground, shouts of confusion The only one standing was the human who just looked around confused. And me, bow still in hand but arrow far, far away Then a familiar voice. ¡°No fighting the human. She is propheciesed to help with flat mountain.¡± The silver centaur strode into the small clearing. Which had formed to a semicircle by a vast amount of centaurs Gathered by the loud commotions. A few seconds of silenced passed But eventually, the victorious centaur rose. Eyes red with anger, but also Anguish. ¡°The human call me cheater! She bring me nothing but shame in the face of defeat¡± The silver centaur looked down on the human Asking a simple but powerful question. ¡°True?¡± In which she looked up A bit confused, but seeminglyunderstanding that she might have messed up. Or she¡¯s just very confused. Either way, her response was the same. ¡°No, I just wanted a rematch because my hand slipped¡± The silvery centaur looked back to the victorious centaur ¡°Why you can''t fight again? Humans are very much weaker than us, there should be no problems.¡± The victorious centaur took his eyes from the human, looking towards the silvery centaur Bending down, hands clasping around the dropped sword Eyes narrowing, looking between sword and centaur, sizing up. Measuring. ¡°You calling me weak?¡± The silver centaur yawned, looking like she¡¯s been through this a hundred times ¡°No, I¡¯m calling you coward¡± Then, in the span ofa second She brought her sword up, faster than even I could perceive And knocked the sword out of the victorious centaurs hands Making him stumble backwards, both eyes going wide Looking, startled And a bit terrified. ¡°This human is under my protection. She is weak.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The human responded, but getting ignored. ¡°Those that choose tofight her do so with the knowledge that we centaurs are superior in every way. Any faul play will be looked down upon and every loss shall be treated with respect.¡± The silver centaur spoke with a practised authoritarian voice. Getting a chorus of yes and nods from the gathered crowd. Who seemed to have moved away from the victorious centaur Instead, inching their way towards the back of the silvery centaur. ¡°Anyone does anything else and I will personallyfight them to the death.¡± Letting the last words settle in before she turned around Human close behind And me gawking for a few seconds before also running close behind. ¡°Do you have to be so dramatic? It was just a game.¡± The human said, face beet red and looking down to the ground ¡°Yes, it¡¯s more fun like this.¡± The centaur spoke back, a big smile on her face. ¡°But why the death threat? I mean, can''t you just tell them off?¡± I said, getting a raised eyebrow in response. ¡°I already said, it¡¯s more fun¡± The silver centaur spoke, looking down on me with that familiar expression As if seeing someone stupid and feeling sad for them You little.. But just as quickly as she held that expression It turned childish. Forming into a wild smile, almost spitting before me ¡°No just joking little funny homan. I merely want them to know that I¡¯m the strongest.¡± My face turning a bit exasperated. And wide As this was the first time she had joked with me. A joke that felt a little Silly. I quickly shook myself from the joke. Pretending to have not heard it ¡°What if someone called your bluff?¡± ¡°Bluff?¡± She asked with wide eyes, As if something like thatwas out of this world. ¡°I mean like, joking with me, lying to them... Making them believe something that you would not actuallydo¡± Her face turning from confusion, to a bitmore comprehending ¡°Oh no. I not bluff. I kill if they try anything.¡± I stared up at her Searching for a joke Not seeing one. But then... What was the joke? But before I could ask I realised something. Something that should have made me scared But made me merely confused. ¡°What? You would kill one of yours?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Why?¡± I asked quickly. ¡°I¡¯m free to do what I want. They are too¡± And got a quick response in return. Turning the conversation quiet Making me think Think of one simple thing Their culture is weird. No It¡¯s horrendous. There is no control. No government. No security. Just... Anarchy? Or would they call it freedom? I don''t understand it How am I supposed to help them when I don''t understand them? There''s so little I- But before my thoughts could form properly. The human came forward. Giving me a light, but empathic pat on the back. ¡°Dont think too much about it, they are nice.. Horses. Just accept their weirdness and you¡¯ll have a nice time.¡± She said, looking at me with a wide smile. Making me smile back Hehe Thanks Sometimes, it¡¯s nice to just Not think. I guess? ¡°Thanks¡± I quietly said, almost a whisper. She smiled wider. ¡°Hehehe, dont think about it. This place is weird, but it¡¯s still fun. And all this talk about Swarm and the upcoming death and blabla just makes me nervous.¡± She looked up to the sky Eye¡¯s wandering through it But body staying still. ¡°So you know what I do?¡± Letting her eyes rest on the sky, But hands dance above her head Forming small circles in front of her eyes ¡°Sometimes you just gonna live in the moment, you know.¡± She said Still looking up Seemingly. Searching. ¡°Life can shoot weird arrows at you, but you just got to take them, dance with them, feel their rhytmn as you continue marching forwards.¡± She then looked down. A wider smile than before Eyes almost glittering But looking a little moist. ¡°I¡¯m reallythankful for being here, with you, with every centaur here. Even if the danger is coming, I¡¯m still happy that I¡¯m here.¡± She let her hand go up above her head. Resting behind her head, leaning backwards into an invisible wall. Eyes closing. ¡°Dont think too much about it. If the wall is made, awesome. If not... eeeh. Uniting the clans? What if we fail? It¡¯s not like we are responsible for their entire race¡¯s fate.¡± She then looked down on me Eyes locking into mine Making me shy away Looking down to the ground. ¡°I¡¯m just happy we are together. I¡¯m happy I¡¯m alive. I¡¯m happy that I¡¯m not alone.¡± Eyes seemingheavy Thoughts heavy She stared at me Smile wide But not meeting her eyes. ¡°Oh hehe sorry. Just, tell me when you need help. I¡¯m here for you!¡± Saying that, she moved forward Jogging a bitfurther ahead Past the silvery centaur, waving at a centaur up front A centaur I recognised A very handsome looking male centaur Who seemed to be extremelyhappy at being seen by the human. Waving a little too fast, before awkwardly pulling it down fast, looking around himself to see if someone saw his unmanly performance. And meting my eyes Narrowing as he tried to see if I had seen Which I had. Smiling smugly at him Getting a horrified response in return. Hehe Maybe she¡¯s right You gotta take pleasure in the small things. Yeah You should... I should. Entertainment is not forever And you never know when you find yourself drowning. Drowning in your own mind. Something I would find quiet common in the coming weeks An experience I would wish I would have never found. Small things seem unimportant But you would be surprised by how much you remember. Even those that seem bad. Chapter - 45 A new day rises And a new day of eating, talking and fighting begins. Maybe not in that order, but yeah. I think it¡¯s been like two weeks since me and mister Butler last came here and started building that wall. And I got to say, he has been very busy. Almost never taking a break At least not when he realised how unfathomably big his project was. I got to give it to him, he¡¯s managed to create the rough area where the wall is to be built. Even making it go up to your knees Making a large semicircle of hardened earth. Large enough to house thousands upon thousands of centaurs. But at this rate It¡¯s gonna take months for him to finish it. Sooooo, he¡¯s not gonna make it. And he knows it But he still presses on, even after I told him to chill out. I¡¯ve even offered to help him. But hequickly declined And I mean, I understand why. I don''t know how to make that earth magic. Maybe I could dig a hole with my hands and.. Eeeh Smear it on the wall to make it sturdier? But that would probably do nothing, and it would be incrediblyboring. At least I¡¯ve had fun These guys know how to enjoy themselves. Either running around at super high speeds Or doing contest that usually ends with either side conceding something. They are also refreshingly honest Almost always just telling you what¡¯s on their mind. Although it can sometimes be a little awkward Getting weird compliments, such as ¡°Nice head¡± Or ¡°Flat bum human¡± Which eeeh I guess is nice to hear? But erm Sometimes the small games can turn a little sour. Like that time I had the arm wrestle match with that stupid centaur Almost turning a normal misunderstanding to a bloody battle. Stupid centaur Luckily, miss silver where there to fix the little issue. And weirdly enough, got a hundred more centaurs that seems to buzz around her. She¡¯s like some sort ofnatural-born leader. Having over a thousand centaurs that follows her religiously. Although, if you ask her She says that she¡¯s no leader... Eeeh, doesn¡¯t really matter I guess It does not concern me. And when I think about it There¡¯s been a lot more ¡°games¡± That has turned bloody. Or maybe not bloody, but eeeh Ending with either a fist to the face or a ¡°Dual¡± Which seems to be some sort ofprivate matter that¡¯s always concluded somewhere out on the stepp But it always ends with just one coming back¡­ A new day A new fun day Or, at least for me. Mister butler is almost constantly unnerved Being anxious and jittery all day long And all night long. He needs some sleep if his dark eyes are any indication. When I tried to tell him to relax He mumbled something about displeasing a god How that was a sin that would go punished. To which I tried telling him to relax again This centaur god seems super chill. I kinda like him. But nooooo Mister butler did not listen. With his head in the clouds, he continued building the wall, with a vigour that would shock most. Except for me Cause I knew he was just being unhealthy. Like you can''t finish it in time Just relax and do the minimum of what is required. Which is to say, a small mid-height wall that at least gives you a little cover from... Arrows? Maybe small rolling balls Hehe, the god was not specific with what he wanted. So why do you have to take this so seriously? But of coursehe does not listen. Even after I told him that gods are not that different from usIf you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Which he seemed to find reallydisturbing Muttering blasphemy and that I should watch my words. Stupid Butler. I¡¯ve found a new friend. A big, very manly looking centaur that speak no words and seems awfully awkward around other centaurs. Maybe he¡¯s mute? Or maybe he was bullied when he was little. But no matter Something about him made it very easy for me to tease him. And his very expressive facialexpressions made it an absolute joy to do. Thinking about it, I wonder where he is? Thinkingthat, I looked around And veryquickly saw my prey- Ehm, I meanfriend. Standing a few meters away from me, looking everywhere but to me Comically bobbing his head around Hoho, so you''re avoiding me? Well then. You¡¯ve got something coming for you. Moving up to him, I smiled wide But let my eyes narrow in He acted like he had just noticed me, giving me a small nod. But I ignored it. Continuing walking forwards, slowly. Getting closer and closer He shifted backwards a few steps, looking unsure Glancing to his sides and letting his mouth droop a bit. he seemed confused. I continued forward. Smile growing wider, my arms lifting upmy sides. He stared me down, mouth closing. Then his eyes opened wide, seeming to realise my intentions. He quickly tried to turn around, but his body was too big to swing around fast enough. He was too late I was already within striking distance. Jumping forward, my arms spread wide in an embrace. Clutching tight around his tall body, squeezing even harder And saying. ¡°Gooooood morning sunshiiine!¡± Making him incrediblyuncomfortable, going stiffer than an iron sword But making me incrediblyentertained. He might not have responded verbally, but his averting gaze and awkward shuffle told me enough. Something that greatlypleased me Before he could throw me away, I exploded into chatter. ¡°How have you been? Long night? Any lady friends saying their hellos? Any matches you¡¯ve won? Any new friends you¡¯ve met? Wanna play a game after? I sooo totally will win today''s arm-wrestle match, or should we play tag again? Noo I know! We should play hide and seek! And dont give me that look, it¡¯s not my fault you''re so big and easy to find.¡± Talking way faster than normal Something he seemed to be easily following. Nodding along while trying to shove me away But failing quiet expertly, or maybe failing intentionally? A few minutes passed, but eventually I jumped off. Making sure that the surrounding centaurs got a good laugh from his misfortune And one of my own, hehehe I¡¯m not doing it to be mean! It¡¯s just so much fun.. ¡°Heey, can you let me ride you? I wanna see somemore of the stepp¡± I asked, feeling rather confident today. Usually, he would just deny me. But something about his posture made me feel sure that he would accept. And accept he did, giving me a small nod while indicating his back To which I happily jumped up Laughing in glee as he took off Running faster than any other centaur I¡¯ve ridden nor seen. Something I won''t tell miss silver. She would get absolutelylivid and start trying to compete. But maybe that would be okay? It would be fun. As we ran through the stepp Little words where spoken Just enjoying the view The wind splashing into our faces The rabbits scurrying about in panic. The manly centaur. Or should I call him manly? Yeah, Manly. He is a hell of a runner Making my butt hurt, and my eyes tear up But it was hell a fun. Sometimes doing rapid turns to try tothrow me off Something he almost never managed. Maybe because I always managed to notice him before he tried to throw me off Or he did it on purpose? Nah, not possible I¡¯m just too good at holding on. Anyway, we¡¯ve been running for a long while. The silhouettes of the wall and the mass of centaurs have vanished behind the horizon. Leaving us alone And hungry. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m hungry, let¡¯s eat!¡± An affirmative nod in response. From what I¡¯ve seen, centaurs are not like fauns They don''t eat mana But I¡¯ve also seen that they don''t eat grass. No They eat rabbits And they eat them raw It¡¯s actuallyprettydisgusting. I¡¯ve also seen how they hunt, and it¡¯s prettysmart for a race that only uses swords. Using their numbers to encircle a group of rabbits Then systemically stabbing them or slicing them until everything''s dead. Sometimes I wonder how there can be enough rabbits for hundreds of thousands of centaurs But then I think. I don''t really care. As long as I have my rabbits to hunt, I¡¯m happy. Anyway, me and Manly don''t have the problem of group hunting As I have a bow! Very convenient for stuff like this. Saying that, we¡¯ve already killed four rabbits. And Manly seems to indicate that we should settle down to eat. A few minutes pass, and a very hot fire stone later And we have our grub. Four delicious and skinned rabbits to eat. Manly is a bitodd At least for being a centaur He seems to not want to eat the rabbits raw Instead, waiting for me to cook them on a rock. Maybe he¡¯s a picky eater? Or he just wants to try them cooked? It¡¯s hard to get a grip of his personality when he¡¯s mute. Or maybe he¡¯s just shy? Hehe, that would be cute. ¡°Manly, do you enjoy it?¡± He looked up from his half eaten rabbit Looking a bit confused ¡°I mean the rabbit.¡± Nodding and quietly biting down on it. ¡°Manly, do you have any family here?¡± He stiffened up at the question, stopping in the middle of a bite. ¡°Oh, sorry. Erm, any friends here?¡± His eyes looked up, narrowing a bit Then nodding meekly ¡°Hehe, yeah you''re not really that easy to speak to. So I guess it can be hard to get friends.¡± He continued eating. ¡°But dont worry Manly! I¡¯m your friend now, so if you need any help with anything, just ask me¡± His eyes shot open, still eating the rabbit but eyes darting from me to the rabbit. ¡°Hahaha, dont look so surprised. Of course we¡¯re friends. Anywaaaay, what do you do for fun around here?¡± A light shrug, finishing his rabbit, reaching down for a second. I pouted a bit at his response. ¡°You''re a bit booring, you shouldloosen up.¡± He narrowed his eyes on me, slowly going in for a big bite. ¡°Oh yeah haha, your mute. But eehm, Ooooh I know! Is there a love in your life? Such a big stallion as you must be very popular.¡± I said, bumping my elbow into his exposed flank. And was met by a body harder than stone Damn, that¡¯s a lot of muscles Looking up at his face, he seemed to stare up Seeming, puzzled. But very thoughtful. ¡°OHOHOHO, soo mister Manly has his eyes set on a girl? Let me meet her!¡± He looked down to me. And gave me a very, very small smile A first from him Then he shook his head and patted me. I quickly shooed his hand away. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not a kid. I know what love is! I may have never felt it but I can totally understand it.¡± His eyes narrowed Looking down on me with an expression that said Kid? You¡¯re like a baby And then he patted me again, a little more forcefully To which I swiftly punched his hand And tried to punch his face, but got blocked. ¡°Dont look at me like that! I¡¯m no baby, you stupid maan-- no. You baby faced centaur!¡± He seemed amused Not smiling, but eyes rolling around as if not believing my statement. Uuurg! I leaned back, gathering power for a full on slap Aiming for his rump, but making it look like I was aiming for his face. Hopefully, he would not be prepared for it Staring dagger at his cheeks, using every move in my repertoire to fool him. But second before I could carry out my master plan He seemed to freeze Looking above and beyond me Somewhere behind. ¡°Hey, dont look away when we¡¯re having a fight!¡± Ignoring me, he continued staring Narrowing his eyes as his pupils seemed to. Narrow? Looking like snake''s eyes or cats. Woah I did not know centaurs could do that. Quickly shaking myself from my thoughts I slowly shuffled around, still peaking at his eyes that were totally enthralling. As my body was fully turned around, I took my eyes away from his, looking at where he was staring And saw a mass of... Something at the horizon ¡°Oh, is that more centaurs coming?¡± I asked, not looking back to see his answer. A few seconds of silence passed. In which I had stood up, wiping away the little grease and blood I had on my hands. ¡°Hey! we should go andgreet them.¡± I turned around to see his face. Meeting a shake of his head ¡°Why not? It¡¯ll be fun.¡± He shook again, but still looking at them in the horizon Hmmm Maybe Maybe he¡¯s scared? ¡°Are you scared?¡± Taking his eyes away from the centaurs in the distance, he veryquickly looked up to me Giving me a big frown Hehe Okaaay, not scared Then maybee. ¡°Are they bad people?¡± At that, he seemed to pause And looked down at the coming centaurs Okay, maybe they are? He seems to be unsure. Hmmm How will I convince him to take me there.... Oh, I got an idea. ¡°Hey, can¡¯t we just go closer and have a look? If they are bad people, you can just run away with me. You''re the fastest centaur I¡¯ve ever seen, so it should be no problem for you.¡± He seemed to grow a little taller at my praise Looking skywards as he thought Then he looked to me and nodded. ¡°Sooo, is that a yes?¡± He nodded again ¡°Yes! Then let¡¯s goooo¡± That was easy He seems to like praise Hehe, I can use this. As he stood up, I climbed up on his back And he set off, galloping forwards Not at full speed, but quickly enough. When we got closer A few things got clear. One They were not just a big group But like an entire army of people Stretching far beyond just a few hundred. And two They were not centaurs But fauns Even at this distance I could tell. I could still recognise their hooved feet and horns on their heads. Manly seemed to have noticed my change in mood and stopped Glancing back to me. But I stayed silent. Looking at the slowly moving army of fauns Or, not army More of a big mob. Few seemed to have any weapons More carts and big sacks Looking more like refugees than soldiers. Maybe they were? But why They have such huge walls They should be far too big to destroy Unless... Mister dragon came back and.. ... My hands clenched around my bow Eyes turning a shade of red But I stayed still. So verystill- Soon after I could distinguish faces. We had waited for several minutes for them to get closer. Every second made my heart beat faster. When they were close enough, I saw someone At the top of the mobs of fauns I saw a familiar face. Or many But one of them Belonging to a certain old faun Looking towards me with a mixed expression of relief And fear- Why? I don''t know But I could feel a lump forming around my chest. A lump that had been collecting through my entire life A lump that never wanted to disappear Please Don''t let this be my fault. Chapter - 46 The day started like any other day Me and the silver centaur bickering about something. Or I mean, I was bickering about something. She just kept giving me non-answers as I tried to make her understand the benefits of a governed society. But nooo- Such a thing would go against the freedom that their god had bestowed them. But when I ask her about how to defeat the swarm, she¡¯ll agree that they need to work together to do it. I think she¡¯s being a pile of hypocritical poop A smelly pile of poop. As our discussion continued, we were eventually met with a chorus of high voices. Something that I¡¯ve gotten used to by now, but apparently these were different. As the silver centaur seemed to react quickly, jumping up on her hoofs and pulling her sword A thousand other centaurs mimicking her action Oh shit, ih no I have not built it yet. I¡¯m not done! I pulled myself to my feet, yelling. ¡°What¡¯s happening!¡± The silver centaur looked towards the shouting in the distance, eyes focused and grim. ¡°Trouble¡± She merely said, making me steel myself as she bolted away. Followed by thousands of other centaurs. I quickly ran to fetch my bow, trying to catch up to the front. Wanting to be by the silver centaurs side. But I quickly found myself left behind. Four hooves are a lot faster than just two hooves. Eventually, after bumping, pushing and squeezing my way through I found my way to the front, close behind the silvery centaur. Who,in turn,was closely followed by ten unknown giant centaurs. All bulging with muscles and with angry glares. I stepped in between them, taking up position beside the silvery centaur. Getting a few side glances from the big centaurs. As I let my sight move up, I was surprised at what I saw. The first thing I saw was the human and that stupid manly centaur. Running at full speed towards us. And second Far behind them, a pretty long distance away. There were silhouettes of an army approaching. And upon seeing it... Let¡¯s just say that I... Did not have the best reaction Almost immediately starting to erupt makeshift earth walls Making those behind me yell out in anger. A few stressful minutes passed. A small wall encompassing a few hundred of those in the front Going up to their midsections. Up to my chest. I never told them about defensive warfare. I hope they won¡¯t just... Jump the wall and go on the offensive They wouldn¡¯t do that... Right? Eventually, the girl came close enough to talk to us in the front. Clearly in distress Making me both nervous and worry about her. ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s not the enemy that¡¯s coming. It¡¯s allied, fauns!¡± F-fauns? What... is she saying? There are no other fauns but those in my city And they would never leave, it¡¯s our birthright. Just like thestepp is these centaurs homeland. ... Unless something big, something impossiblestrong was coming. Something that would force their hands. Something like- ¡°They are coming here in hopes of fleeing the swarm.¡± She loudly declared, sitting on top of the manly centaur. Letting her eyes rest squarely on the silvery centaur. The centaurs were deathly silent No words were spoken Glares being shared. ¡°We not accept such a large force of fauns on our stepp¡± The silver centaur spoke, loud and clear. With an authority that could rival kings. The human continued her stare, eyelids resting heavily as the manly centaur stood eerily still. Both of them stared at each other. One silver, one flesh Non - giving way Until the human looked down No Bowed down. ¡°Please¡± My heart skipped a beat, like a tear in my soul. I glanced up at the silvery centaur, taking a firmer grip on my bow. Seeing eyes dart from the girl, then back to my people. A second passed before she responded. ¡°You promise they be safe to the stepp?¡± The humans face straightened up, a bright toothy smile. A single tear flowing. ¡°YES! They will be nicer than a newborn baby!¡± The silver centaur raised an eyebrow ¡°Babies be very bad¡± ¡°Oh, eeeh, I mean like.. Nice newborn babies?¡± The silver centaur nodded at that. ¡°That sounds better.¡± Turning back around, looking over the gathered army of centaurs. A few words were spoken, unknown to my ears.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Soon after, most were moving away. Some lingered, but it seemed thatthe tension had been cut and we were safe. For now. I quickly ran up to the human feeling rather nervous and shaky. Fearing to both ask and to get an answer. ¡°Wh-why are my people here?¡± Staring down on her stomach, avoiding her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you wanna hear that from your mother?¡± She said as she jumped down from the manly centaur who remained still. Relief filled me for a second My mom is alive! Then it sank just as quickly. If she¡¯s here, then... This must be beyond just bad. ¡°N-no... I¡¯d rather hear it now from you and then ask her for the details later.¡± She sighed at my response. ¡°Okaay, but I don¡¯t know all the details.¡± Looking down, she took a second to gather her thoughts. Seeming shaken. ¡°Sooo. erm, basically. Like I said before, they are running away from the swarm.¡± Yeah I understood that. But I don¡¯t understand why they would run away. Wouldn¡¯t it be safer to stay in their walls? A swarm of thoughts filled me. But she continued talking, seeminglyignorant of my chaotic thoughts. ¡°They said that the swarm consisted of-of... Rats. And that they would kill them if they hadn¡¯t run away¡± She cracked a bit, words leaving her lips at an almost whisper. ¡°There is no way to stop the swarm. Apparently, they are athunderingnaturaldisaster. There have been no known cases throughout history where they¡¯ve been stopped¡± Then she went silent, looking down on her feet as she lightly wiggled them. No stopping them? Natural disaster? Then... Why the hell am I building this goddamn wall? If our ancestor¡¯s walls can¡¯t stop them, how will my puny shit pile do anything? A somber atmosphere enveloped us both. Stuck in our thoughts. .... What should we do now? Sitting down, we made ourselves as comfortable as possible. I sat beside her with the manly centaur to her left. And to my right sat the silvery centaur. Even though we could see them on the horizon, we still waited several hours before they came close enough to spot the distinguishing features of fauns. And once they did, the army of centaurs gathered again. Although with fewer swords and friendlier faces. Once they were about a kilometer away, they stopped. Dispatching a small group of what I can only guess where the elders with the oldest and wisest on top. My mom. As they neared, our little sitting group rose. Walking up with the usual ten big centaurs behind us I felt a slight tension in my steps, walking a little too stiff. The human walked with her head down, smile nowhere in sight. The centaurs... Seemed to not even be bothered, talking amongst themselves. I guess saying that the fauns won¡¯t be a danger to the stepp is a good way to get on their good side? I think? Eventually, both sides came close enough to speak. Seeing my mom glance to me, a small smile on her face. Then going past the human and up to the silver centaur, saying ¡°We are happy to have been greeted by such a prestigious member of you centaurs.¡± She said as the group of elders bowed deeply. As they rose, she waited for a response. But as the seconds ticked by in silence, she coughed slightly. ¡°Ahem, so ehm. We Fauns were wondering if we could have safe passage through your great stepps¡± At that, the centaurs smiled widely. It seems mom has gotten some inside information from the human. Knowing how much they loved their stepp. But once again. No one responded. I could see mom slightly shuffle in place, a nervous gesture that I would have never thought I would see from her. She coughed lightly again. ¡°Ahem, soo. What is your response?¡± The silvery centaur just stared blankly at her, seeming tofinally realize that everyone was staring at her. She bent down to my ear, whispering. ¡°Who is that eeeer.. Fuaon talking too?¡± ... ¡°You¡± I quietly said. ¡°Oh¡± She responded, raising again as she looked over the gathered elders. And then focusing on my mom. ¡°Hello.¡± A response no one was prepared for. Taking my mom by surprise. ¡°Er... Hello?¡± She responded unconfidently. Then there was silence again. Now the entire group of elders seemed to be awkwardly shuffling in place. Whispering amongst themselves. And once again, my mom nervously coughed. ¡°Ahem, so, as I was saying. We were wondering if we could have safe travel through your wonderful stepp¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The silver centaur responded quickly, making the group of elders sigh in relief. ¡°Amazing! Now, we would be very happy if we could have a discussion with your leaders. As the rest of our population moves I-¡° ¡°Leaders?¡± The silver centaur said, cutting off the old faun in the middle of her little speech. She, in turn, seemed puzzled again. ¡°Yeah.. yeah your... Leaders¡± ¡°We have no leaders.¡± The group of elders looked around in puzzlement, eyeing the army of centaurs that stood behind us. ¡°But who is commanding this army then?¡± Now it was the silver centaurs turn to look puzzled. ¡°Army?¡± ¡°Yeah, those behind you¡± The silver centaur looked behind. ¡°Oh, no that¡¯s not army. That is just many centaurs¡± ¡°But they are all armed.¡± ¡°Yeah¡± ¡°Then, why has everyone gathered here?¡± ¡°To defend stepp from swarm¡± The group seemed taken aback at the statement, talking loudly amongst themselves. It took several minutes for the group to quiet down, and a lot of hushes from the old faun before they did. ¡°Okayokay, if I¡¯m understanding this correctly. You have no central leader?¡± ¡°Central?¡± ¡°Uuuhm. Commander, general.¡± ¡°Ooooh. No¡± ¡°Then, who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m me¡± She sighed loudly at that statement, making me happy that I was not the only one incapable of dealing with her. ¡°I mean, why are you the only one coming up here to talk?¡± At that, the silver centaur shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I wanted to meet new people... I mean... foauns?¡± And then I saw something extremelyfunny. I would have laughed if not for the situation. My mom actuallyfacepalmed. ¡°Then, you don¡¯t actuallyhave the authority to say that we can just walk past. Do you?¡± ¡°No.¡± She responded easily, flashing a bright smile. The old faun shook her head, ignoring the loud chatter behind her ¡°Then, ehm. Do you know if anyone amongst you will attack us as we come closer?¡± ¡°No one will attack you unless you harm stepp. Some will come up and want to speak to foouns, and might want to have challenges. But otherwise, you will be safe here.¡± ¡°That is good enough for us.¡± She said as she turned back to the group of elders, giving out a few orders as they started to move back. But before they came far, she turned her head towards me, yelling. ¡°Are you coming?¡± I looked to the human who flashed me a small, but encouraging, smile. I nodded in turnand jogged up to the group of elders, all staring me down, but none saying anything. This could get awkward. A last wave to the centaurs, and the human before I caught up. Walking towards the fauns in the distance. After many hello¡¯s, welcome back¡¯s and hugs. Our group of elders made our way into the centerof the big crowd. Being greeted by the rest of the elders. But my mind where elsewhere As I felt shocked by the number of fauns who had run away. If I¡¯m not too far off, this must be close to the entire population of our great city. How could they have moved so many people so quickly? But I would get no answers, as I was the onerequired to give them answers. Being bombarded with them. ¡°How could you abandon us?¡± ¡°Why a human?¡± ¡°Who are these centaurs?¡± ¡°We should execute you for your crimes.¡± ¡°When did your horns grow so big?¡± ¡°Where is the dragon?¡± Questions upon questions. I remained silent during the barrage, but I could see that most did not really expect an answer. Although, once my mom had stood, the rest of the elders went quiet. ¡°Great one, you have been summoned to answer our questions.¡± She said, using my status as the great warrior to instill a sense of seriousness. Something I already understood. But before she could speak, I quickly asked. ¡°Why are you here? And I don¡¯t mean why you escaped our city. But here in the stepps?¡± A question that¡¯s been bubbling in my thoughts ever since I learned of their escape. Why not just run up north? The swarm seems to be on a straight path towards the stepp. Why follow their path? The old faun seemed to understand the question, answering loudly with a neutral expression. ¡°To the south, we are blocked by the borders of the human settlements. A path we discussed walking to as we¡¯d be safe in their territory. But letting the humans have control of our faith seems like a bad idea.¡± Something I could understand, as the humans would probably demand some sort ofpayment for the faunssafe travel. Or worse, just attack them as they could be perceived as an invading army. ¡°But up north then?¡± A simple question, but it made the hall go very silent. ¡°A good choice, a straight shot to the waters. Just a few small forest and wildlife would be in our way. Except for the fact that we have sighted an entire lizard army marching from there.¡± An.. What? ¡°And it seems thatthe lizard army is moving perpendicular with the swarm. They might be working together, but I doubt it.¡± The surrounding elders nodded in agreement. But I felt like someone had dropped a stonein my chest, a weight heavier than iron. ¡°It also seems that they are aiming for this stepp, as they are moving diagonally towards here. So, our only choice left was to move quicker than both the swarm and the lizard army.¡± The lizard army is moving here To the stepp? But... why? There¡¯s nothing here. ¡°So, as you can probably guess, we have to be swift. We were hoping that you could help us in understanding these centaurs as we had not anticipated such a large force of them would be blocking our way.¡± I felt myself listening, but not quite As my thoughts were circling my head in a total mess. But I was not spared from unraveling my thoughts, as I was asked a question. ¡°Now, tell us, great one. Why have the centaurs built a wall here of all places? Especially when the silver armored centaur said that they have no way of organizing themselves.¡± A question asked and answered without thinking ¡°I built it.¡± At that, many gasped in surprise. The old faun blinked a few times before speaking again ¡°You.. built it? Why... and. How? Once again, answering without much thought ¡°I used earth magic to build it. I have spent about fourteen days on it... Was told by God¡± I droned on, not reallythinking about what I was saying as I was lost in my mind. A stunned silence The old faun made her first expression as she smiled, but quickly turned sour as she heard the word ¡°God¡± ¡°God told you?¡± ¡°Yeah, the centaurs God told me to build a wall to save the centaurs from the swarm. Said something about a prophecy.¡± At that, the room went ballistic. Almost everyone standing up as they shouted in disbelief First towards me, then towards each other. ¡°It can¡¯t be true.¡± ¡°What is the prophecy?¡± ¡°Is this a test from God?¡± ¡°Is God punishing us for following a dragon?¡± ¡°We are gonna die.¡± Back and forth, elders were yelling Like a bunch of headless chickens. ¡°SILENCE¡± The old faun shouted loudly, a magically enhanced shout that made most stumble backward at the shock. ¡°WE NEED MORE ANSWERS BEFORE WE START SPECULATING¡± She shouted, making the gathered elders silent again. A loud sigh escaped her mouth, a clear vein on her forehead. ¡°Now. God?¡± She said, tired and wanting answers I locked eyes with her. ¡°Yes, their god had a prophecy where the swarm would devour the stepp if someone could not come and build a wall to defend it. ¡± I let the words sink in for a bit, not for any dramatic purpose. Only trying to gather my thoughts. ¡°He told me that.. we were prophesied to save the stepps¡± ¡°We?¡± ¡°Or, maybe not we? Maybe it was me? I don¡¯t know, he was so unclear, he even said that he did not know who he had prophesied about¡± The elders seemed shocked. A God not knowing something? How? ¡°Then, are you saying that God wanted you-.. us to defend the stepp?¡± For the first time during my questioning, I looked up certain. Saying one simple word. ¡°Yes¡± And with that, I had brought about change to the world. Change that would save a race Change that would give power to a god who did not long for it And change that would make me lose something dear But that was for the future me to discover. Chapter - 47
The days dragged on The human girl¡¯s Faun friend still missing Presumably talking to his Faun brethren. What are they talking about? I do not care. It does not affect me, one way or another. But what intrigues me is how everything seems to be connected with the human girl. So many events So many things happening around here It can''t all be just coincidences Or can it? I have been thinking. Trying to wrap my head around... Her. On the surface, she seems so... Normal. Nothing special about her. But that is far from the truth. Everything has been revolving around her, like some sort ofwalking disaster. The Fauns reason for escaping? The Swarm Why is the swarm coming? Because she caused some sort ofpolitical turmoil within their territory. And the lizardmen? Well, she did make me move from my home. And in turn,taking away their, oh so glorious, god from them. If everything that have happened so far was because of me, I would not have been too surprised. But I had minimal, if any, connection with most of these events. That is why I have found her so entertaining. I need not act the role of a god to find entertainment around her. I just have to stay close. For example, that time when she almost caused a ¡°Duel¡± to come forth from a simple misunderstanding. A sacred ritual for the Centaurs that always ends with either party dead. It is a pity that it did not come to that. Annoying armored Centaur, taking away my entertainment. Anyhow. How does one person end up in so many... World changing events? I have met with many creatures that have lived their entire lives, seeking such a pleasure. Thrill of the world, they call it. A passion that few would survive, and even less experience. The one who I met that had accomplished the most of these ¡°events¡±, told me he had experienced three. One of them, including me. Before I quickly ended his life for trying to poke me with a flimsy sword. But if I have not counted wrong, something I could never do. She has been in four such events. And that is only counting when I was included.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Who knows how many such events she has endured before I entered the picture. When you think about how strong she is, I am guessing a few. And one more thing She seems... Immune to fire My fire. Or I mean, mine can still hurt her, I think... What am I thinking? Of course my fire can hurt her I am the holder of the flameafter all. There is no such thing that my fire can not burn. But She still managed to survive it. Something that ¡°that¡± god has only managed. ... A memory I wish I could forget A time I wish... I could forget. It has been two days now since the Faun left us. And the Human has been avoiding most Centaurs. Even avoiding the silver one. But of course,she is not avoiding me. How could she? I am far too amazing for such a thing. But it has been rather peculiar offher. She is one, if not the, most social Human that has ever interacted with Centaurs, Fauns, and Rats that I know. But now she is, seemingly, not good at it. At least if her words are an indication. ¡°Hey, can we like... Run away for a bit?¡± She had said to me, looking down on the ground shamefully Something I readily agreed too. Even if I am a true master of disguise, it is still kinda nerve-wracking to continually use the spell Not because it is hard. But these Centaurs are far too frustrating to deal with. Just the other day I almost burnt a Centaur down to a crisp when he challenged me to a duel. What do you think I am, Centaur. I am no mere mortal who would entertain such pitiful thoughts. Luckily, I managed to contain myself when I saw the Human playfully kick his ass. Literally. Anyway, back to the present. Of course, I will take you away from here. These Centaurs are nothing but annoying, anyway And then I can show off my incredible speed. Even when I am stuck here on the ground. After running for a few hours, I felt that the distance was far enough away to stop. Her temperament just oozed that she wanted to talk to me about something. Having been camouflaged as a Centaur seems to have had their benefits. For I have learned her social ticks. When she is sad, happy and angry. But even I have to admit that I can not learn everything about her. If I could, I would already known her secrets. For example, right now I thought she wanted to talk in private. But as we stopped, she simplyjumped down. Sat down and embraced her knees as she stared off into the distance. Sitting verystill and totally ignoring me. I guess I was wrong. Well, when it comes to her, I am not surprised anymore. So I settled down beside her, something quitedifficult in a Centaur body And waited. Something I have grown accustomed to. Something I can do too well. Sun traveled the sky. Having started low, it soon reached its peak. But then slowly going down under the horizon again. Painting the landscape, and us, in a bright red. And finally, she spoke. ¡°Hey, do you have any friends you¡¯ve lost?¡± I froze at her words, both by the surprise of her talking and her question. But quickly collected myself, nodding in response. ¡°It¡¯s tough, right?¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve recently lost a friend. He was a really, really good friend.¡± She embraced her knees, eyes fixed on the horizon. ¡°I had fun with him. And he seemed to have fun with me¡± A breeze flew in, blowing her hair away from her face. Revealing a neutral expression. ¡°Do you believe in destiny?¡± I thought for a second, looking up to the sky. Then down to her again, shaking my head. ¡°I don¡¯t either. Or at least I didn¡¯t¡± She said, looking towards, me but not at me. ¡°I¡¯ve been told again, and again that I have a great destiny. A future so honorable and great that I might one day become a god.¡± Her expression remained neutral, but her hands seemed to shake slightly. ¡°But what if I don¡¯t want to become a god? What if I¡¯m scared? What if the destiny I was told was something I truly despised?¡± Now she focused on me, eyes pleading. But face still staying neutral. Eyes locking on to one another, a battle to see who looked away first. A battle she lost, looking back to the horizon. Holding her knees in a tighter embrace. ¡°My destiny was to kill someone. And when I set out on my quest, I firmly believed that I could change it, twist it into something good.¡± Her eyes started tearing up, mouth sinking ¡°And once I met him, I thought I had done it. I did not feel some sort ofweird compulsion to kill him, nor an abnormal hate for him.¡± Words starting to waver a bit, embrace turning tighter, face buried in her legs. ¡°But I think I understand destiny now. It¡¯s not made as a compulsion, but as a guide¡± She closed her eyes, looking smaller than I¡¯ve ever seen her. ¡°It tells you to do something not because you need to, but because it¡¯s necessary. My entire life I¡¯ve been through one bad thing after another.¡± She then looked up to me, red nose and black eyes. ¡°My destiny threw me danger after danger, not to curse me or to kill me. But train me, making me strong enough to do what has to be done.¡± Face turning grim and determined ¡°And you know what. I¡¯m done with destiny messing with me. Even if what I have to do is horrible, I¡¯ll still do it. I just want it to stop, I don¡¯t want this anymore.¡± Her face wavered, grim determination turning sad Falling into her kneeling embrace, sobbing soundlessly ¡°I don¡¯t want this anymore.. I¡¯m tired.¡± And day turned to night She continued staring at the horizon even as the lights faded Until exhaustion took over, and she fell limp to the ground Squirming uneasily in her sleep. I looked around, searching for someone nearby. Seeing no one. Turning back to my dragon form. Cuddling in close, holding her near my heart Keeping an eye open, Keeping her safe. And soon she turned still A small smile forming on her face Her dreams turning sweater. Sweet dreams Human Sweet dreams. Little girl. Chapter - 48 Aaah... AAAAAAH I¡¯m tired of this! Ever since I told the elders about that god, everything¡¯s been a shit-faced farce. Everyone wanna speak, but no one really speaks. This is not a discussion. This is a meltdown. Okay Calm down, deep breaths. Foooh, pheeeew. ... So, to take it from the top. Once I told them about God¡¯s prophecy about saving the stepp. My mom got the idea that the rest of the elders should also stay to defend it. Which seemed to have gone down well with the other elders. But! What they could not agree upon is what to do with the rest of the Fauns. And as usual, the debate had gone to two sides. One side debating that we should only let the elders stay and let the other Fauns flee far away in case we fail. While the other side debated that it would be suicide to send out our people without the strength and wisdom of us elders. So we should instead use the soldiers to help defend the stepp. In my opinion. Both sides had good points. Something that did not help anyone as I was seemingly elected as some sort ofjudge. Being told that my words became the word of God. And God was always the highest of judges. And as I had been given the privilege to speak to him. He had therefore chosen me as his spokesperson. Something I found rather stupid and not true. If this was a few weeks ago, then I might have agreed But now, after meeting that God... Not so much. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. As I had not chosen a side for the debate, it droned on. Both sides arguing that their side was righteous and right. No one backing down. Especially after I¡¯d said that I wanted the elders to choose on their own. Not wanting the burden of thousands upon thousands of life on my conscience. But this indecision from both sides has taken three days already. Making me extremelyfurious. I mean, the swarm could come any second now. And the wall is still not built. It feels like more and more stress is put on my shoulders. Weighing me down both physically and mentally. ... I need a break. I¡¯ll take a break. Huh, that¡¯s a first. Walking around the centaurs little makeshift camp. Or maybe I should call it a base? Anyway, walking around. I find myself looking for the human. Thoughts of fun rolling around my head, something I needed right now. Something to bring me out of my thoughts. But walking around, it was difficult to find her. The only reason I managed to do soin the end. Was that I managed to find the big ¡°manly¡± centaur. Who, from now on, shall be called stupid face. Once I saw him, I wanted to ask him about her location. But to my surprise, I found her being by his side. Looking very solemn, and sad. But once she noticed me, she quickly changed expression. Giving me a wide smile and saying. ¡°Hey, mister Butler! Wazzup?¡± I was a little caught off guard by the sudden shift in expression. Remaining silent for a second. Before stupid face huffed in my direction, sneering down at me. Oh, shut up. ¡°Nothing was just wondering what you were doing.¡± I honestly answered, getting a funny look from her in response. ¡°Huh, are you like... Heat stroked or something?¡± I wastaken back at her choice of words, shaking my head slightly. Feeling rather perplexed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been so focused on your work that I didn¡¯t think you had anything else on your thoughts.¡± Oh, ooooh right. I¡¯ve been quitebusy. Face turning a slight hue of red. Looking shyly to the ground.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Yeah, I.. Had stuff to think about... Sorry¡± To which she smiled even wider, hitting my shoulder lightly as she said. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry bout it, who doesn¡¯t right? Anyway, I¡¯m glad you wanna do something fun for a change.¡± I sheepishly gazed up at her, still feeling a bitred on my cheeks. ¡°I never said I wanted to do something fun. I was jus-¡° ¡°Pppfffff, don¡¯t be like that, Mister Butler. You gotta be honest with yourself! I can clearlysee that you¡¯re bored out of your mind and wanna do something fun!¡± She cut me off, exclaiming merely. Making me pout a bit as she managed to pinpoint my emotions exactly. Why do you have to be so honest about everything? But she merely ignored my pouting face. Or rather, her face turning smug. Making me furrow my brows in response. ¡°Soooooo. What do you wanna do?¡± She said, turning her head up to look at stupid face. Making me quiver a bit as I noticed where this was going, ¡°I¡¯m not riding him.¡± ¡°Aaaah, but it¡¯s fun!¡± ¡°I. Am. Not riding him¡± I whispered in fright, pointing at him with a sharp finger. Who, in response sneered even more at me. Stupid, stupid face. ¡°Okay, erm... We can have a look round this place and see if anyone wanna play?¡± I was quickly about to tell her no, but changed my mind. As I figured that only saying no would be prettylame. And she might get the idea to force me to ride stupid face instead. So I yielded, shrugged my shoulders and said. ¡°Sure, we can have a look¡± After walking for a bit in silence, human scanning for any funny-looking centaurs. Making our way through the crowd. And as usual, the crowd was split. Still far ways from the united and co-operating force we needed to fight the swarm. If things continue like this, I would not be surprisedif, once the actual fighting begins. Centaurs just running off and trying to take on the swarm, single-handedly. Although, there¡¯s a silver lining on this task. Quiet literal too. As the silver centaur is one, if not the only, centaur that has a large presence and ¡°soldiers¡± gathered around her. Most centaurs move out of the way once she comes close. And she¡¯ll win any fight that is thrown her way. And as every day goes past, more and more centaurs seem to follow her. But it¡¯s still a far way for her to lead all the centaurs, nor has she shown any interest in doing so. Seeming more than happy to just run at the swarm once they come. A problem-solving solution she¡¯s probably used her entire life, not failing her once. But something that will fail her now, as the swarm is far too vast to fight by yourself- ¡°Hey, what have you and the elders been up to these two days?¡± She suddenly asked, still scanning the surroundings for interesting centaurs but bringing me out of my thoughts. ¡°Uuuh, it¡¯s been three days. Actually¡± ¡°It has? Huh... Well that makes me even more interested¡± I looked at her back, glancing up at stupid face. Seeing a mighty bored look, eyes almost glazed over as he mindlesslyfollowed the human. Huh, even he gets bored. But then why does he follow her? I thought centaurs where free spirits. Doing whatever fancied their tickle, not going an hour bored- ¡°Hey, gonna answer my question?¡± She exclaimed, turning around to look at me. ¡°Oh sorry, my mind wandered.¡± I answered awkwardly. But she only furrowed her brows more, looking at me skeptically ¡°Eeeehm, well. To be honest, we have not done anything reall-¡° ¡°Oh so you''re not gonna tell me,huh? Thinking I¡¯m too weak to deal with it? Like I¡¯m a small piece of glass, easily shattered!¡± She suddenly yelled, taking a step up to me. Followed closely behind by stupid face. I stared at her in complete disbelief. Eyes locked for a few seconds before I responded. ¡°What? No, absolutely not. Why would you ever think I would thinkthat? I yelled back, feeling a bit of frustration filling my voice. Something I thought I would never do against her. And she seemed taken back at my words, taking a step back herself. Then looking down awkwardly, shifting her weight between legs, and saying. ¡°Oh¡± Then going silent. Creating a very tense atmosphere that surrounding centaurs seemed to have noticed. Coming closer to see the fun drama. But quickly going away as the silence continued, having other things to do. Eventually, she yielded. Saying. ¡°Sorry. I-I¡¯m a bit of a wreck right now,I just... I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said, still not looking at me but making me feel sorry for her in turn ¡°Nonono.. It¡¯s okay, really. I understand¡± Then I took a deep breath. ¡°Look, I was saying the truth about nothing happening. It¡¯s just, that¡¯s how our political system works. And it¡¯s very frustrating.¡± I said, feeling like a little rock had lifted from my chest. She looked up to me, seeing a faun look back in frustration. ¡°Oh yeah, yeah I doremember that. Sorry¡± ¡°Nono, it¡¯s okay. But if you really wanna know. We were debating whether the elders should join the centaurs defense. Or if all the Fauns should¡± A skeptical look came from her. ¡°Really? And that¡¯s nothing?¡± ¡°Weeelll... We have not reached any form of conclusion. Nor does it feel like we¡¯re even close to one. It might take days. Weeks. And that would be far too late. And we have to start building the wall, and organise a defense, and unite the centaurs and-¡° ¡°Woahwoah slow down. Hahaha okay, I understand your situation now. Why did you not tell me sooner?¡± I paused at that, feeling a bitstupid. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t wanna bother you¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid Mister Butler, you could never bother me. We¡¯re friends!¡± She said happily, easily, giving me a toothysmile. Saying a single word that might mean nothing to her But made my heart go light, and world a little brighter. Yeah Yeah we¡¯re- Friends. So I sat down, speaking about all that troubled me. Feeling like a heavyweight were lifted from my shoulders. Sharing a burden that I thought to be mine alone. A few hours passing, with a confused looking human later. I was finally done telling her all my problems. Feeling mightily refreshed. She had gone silent for a second, processing all that I had said to her ¡°Sooo, if I understand everything correctly. God has told you to defend the stepp from this swarm, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± ¡°And for you to build a wall?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± ¡°And on top of that,there¡¯s a lizard army coming here too¡± ¡°Yeah¡± ¡°There¡¯s also the problem with uniting the centaurs.¡± ¡°Yeah¡± She went silent, looking down, then up at me. Then back down, repeating the action for a whole minute. Then her eyes lit up, and a small smile crossed her face. ¡°Well then, why not let the lizards fight the swarm?¡± ... I was left stunned. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yeah. The main problem with the swarm is that it¡¯s never-ending. Always getting stronger,as long as there is food around, right?¡± I sat silent for a few seconds, answering her skeptically ¡°Yeaaaah?¡± ¡°So we need to kill the swarm by using either force or wits. And making sure that every single rat is dead. Right?¡± I stayed silent, only nodding in confirmation. ¡°Wits is hard here, as there¡¯s only grass and mud to use. So why not use force? Using the lizardmen against the rats, then swooping in once their fight is over and destroying what¡¯s left.¡± She happily stated, ending her plan with a well-placed fist to the ground. I remained mute, staring at her with disbelief. I quickly shook my head, looking at her with big eyes. ¡°Okay. No. We can¡¯t do that. For one, how do we make them fight when they are obviouslychasing us? And two. How? How would we do that if they can clearlysee us? It¡¯s not like we can hide.¡± Her face turning smug, looking at me with raised eyebrows. ¡°But you¡¯re wrong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m wrong?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve been building our hiding place ever since day one.¡± Once again, my stare turned to disbelief. ¡°THE WALL?¡± I shouted while leaning forwards, quickly leaning back as I realized how loud I was. She ignored my sudden outburst and simplyyelled back ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Bu-but.. What? How do you think we could hide in the wall? Everyone won¡¯t fit, nor would they just ignore a huge wall in front of them.¡± ¡°Hahaha, noo stupid. We won¡¯t hide in the wall. We¡¯ll just trick them to the wall, then let them fight each other inside it. Both the Centaurs and the Fauns we¡¯ll be a long ways away, waiting for the fight to end. Then swoop in.¡± My mouth fell, mind going haywire. Nonononono, that¡¯s impossible. That would not work, there¡¯s so much that could go wrong. It¡¯s impossible.... ¡­ Or is it? I closed my mouth as I started to think And I mean. Really think. Going through the scenario several times Thinking of different ways this could play out How everything could go wrong How everything could go right. And my eyes lit up, staring at the human with a wide smile. ¡°That could work! You¡¯re a genius!¡± I yelled out, almost jumping at her with excitement. Giving her a big hug ¡°Hehehe, yeaaah people sometimes say that. Or do they? Huh, when I think about it. I think you''re one of the only ones who¡¯s called me a genius, mister butler.¡± But I ignored her little self-doubts, pushing her away from the hug as my thoughts were filled with ideas. It could reallywork. Although, we would have to add more parts to it. We would need a token force at the walls to entice the enemie. Trying to lure them to opposite sides so they might not recognize each other. Then we¡¯ll need the support of the centaurs for this And the elders. Not even adding how disastrous it could go if both sides were to worktogether. Aaaah, so much to do. Even more work! But I found myself feeling atpeace. The last of my weight lifted from my chest, from my shoulders. Once an impossible task Turned possible. A tangible solution within reach. Making my steps easier, and my mind firmer I know what do to. I can do this... We can do this. Chapter - 49 ¡°Duubdaaduubdadiii¡± ¡°Woopdaboop bii baa¡± ¡°Traaliiladiii daa...¡± ¡°TRALIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡± I sang happily, not for any real reason. Noneat all. I¡¯m not bored. No way. I was just feeling good, just felt like singing. ... Okay, who am I trying to fool. I¡¯m bored. Out of my mind bored. I know that the past few days have been more than just hectic for pretty much everyone. And that no one really wants to ¡°play¡± when they¡¯ve got a wall to build And trenches to dig And spikes to set up And.. Yeah, you get it. Oh, and I have to add They¡¯ve really been doing a great job once everyone started working together. And when I say everyone, I mean all the elders. As they¡¯ve made the wall extremelybig and sturdy. Making it quiet easy to hide behind. But, well.. I have to admit that¡­ I don¡¯t really do strategy. I¡¯ve mostly just walked around, trying to entertain myself. And yes, I know there¡¯s like a hundred thousand centaurs to entert- Wait really? Huh, yeah... There¡¯s a ton of them right now Who would have thought. Anyway, I know there¡¯s many of them, but their ¡°games¡± are preeetty Let¡¯s just call it. Barbaric... Simple. And you can only do so much simple until you realise your just repeating the same action over and over and over and over and- ... At least miss silver isn¡¯t that barbaric. Maybe I should see what she¡¯s been up to? Hopefully she isn¡¯t as busy as Mister Butler. But she¡¯s been acting more, eerm Leader like? It almost seems like she¡¯s starting to lead people... Centaurs. Maybe it¡¯s just me. ¡°Hey, big guy. Wanna search for miss silver?¡± I asked the big centaur who after our... Talk. Has been sticking to me like glue. Something I don¡¯t really mind. He looked down on me, then back up. Thinking about my question But quickly nodding his head in an affirmative. Well, I would expect nothing else. He always goes with my ideas anyway, but it¡¯s proper etiquette to ask someone when you wanna do something. After all, I¡¯m a genius socialiser so I totally know how to be nice. I do! ¡°Then lets goooo! Or do you perhaps already know where she is?¡± He nodded in a direction, pointing with his big head. ¡°Over there?¡± Nodding in response. Smiling wide while patting his side. ¡°Great job! You¡¯re like a big, cute dog!¡± He stared down at me with hate-filled eyes, a frown going comically big. Makin me giggle loudly. ¡°Hahaha, sorry just messing with you¡± Finding miss silver wasn¡¯t that hard. At least when you look for the biggest group Like a big circle of bodies surrounding a single Centaur Who happened to be miss silver. Nudging my way closer. Pushing and shovingUnauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I found myself behind her. ¡°Hey miss silver! Wanna do something fun?¡± I asked loudly, making both her, and the one she spoke to, go quiet as they turned towards me. ¡°Oh, hi hoomen. Nice to see you. ¡± ¡°You too. Wanna do something fun? Have a race maybe?¡± She smiled gently down at me, eyebrow raising. ¡°It would be fun, yes. But not now, hoomen, I¡¯m busy.¡± Making me mimic her action, looking at her funny with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Your busy? What could make you busy?¡± ¡°Defending stepp¡± She shot back, smile holding the same gentleness. I took a step back, feeling slightly amused. ¡°I know that buut... I mean, what could make you busy defending the stepp?¡± ¡°The swarm¡± ¡°I knooow, but what about it makes you busy?¡± ¡°Oh sorry hoomen, you language has many undertones thatI find hard to understand. ¡± ¡°Uhuh.. what? No wait, no just answer my question earlier.¡± I shook my head, trying to keep the conversation on track. ¡°Okay ehm. Centaurs defend stepp¡± ¡°Yeeees¡± I slowly added, hoping that she would not just stop there. ¡°And the... Fooaun? Convinced me of importance of.. Stratety? To defend stepp in the best way. ¡± My mouth dropped at that Holy moly, he taught the Centaurs about strategy? That¡¯s.. That¡¯s impressive actually. ¡°How did he do that?¡± ¡°He said God wanted us to co-parate and use every means possible to defend stepp¡± Oh, okay, maybe not that impressive. ¡°Our petty games are mere distractions when we must defend stepp. The swarm is a threat we Centaurs have never met, so we must use means that we would have never used. ¡± By using strategy? Hehe That¡¯s prettyfunny. I wonder how they usually deal with big threats? Or wait, why would they ever have to deal with big threats? It¡¯s not like they are defending anything out here And now that I think about it, ¡°Defending stepp¡± is such a vague thing to define. Like, I understand how the swarm could destroy it but like A human? A single individual? ... Eeeh, why am I even thinking about this? I don¡¯t really care either way. As long as stepp is fine- Oh I think their ways have rubbed off on me. Hehehe. ¡°Hoomen?¡± It quickly took me away from thoughts, shaken as I stared up at miss silver. ¡°Oh sorry! I was thinking. ¡± ¡°Hehe, yeah funny hoomen, you¡¯ve been thinking a lot these days¡± I have? Wait what do you mean. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh hoomen, you doesn¡¯t think I would not see? Wanna play? Never being alone? All this is a face, you seek something else. You want escape.¡± I want to escape? Sometimes their honesty can confuse me. I don¡¯t understand. What does she mean? Is this like ancient Centaur philosophy or something? And she seemed to notice the confusion on my face, as she said. ¡°Hoomen, stop being in the past. The wonders of the stepp is the present. I am here, you are here, stepp is here. Stepp is both past and present yet you can only see it now.¡± She then looked up, gazing around the horizon. Doing a big circle to look around. ¡°And once we Centaurs work together, we shall make sure it also has a future. ¡± But I looked at her with furrowed brows, one hand scratching at my chin. ¡°I don¡¯t follow you there. I¡¯m in the past?¡± She looked back down at me, a gentle smile coating her entire face. Almost beaming with warmth, looking like a loving mother.. ¡°Hoomen, your mind is in past. Not like the stepp, you are troubled.¡± I stopped scratching, almost freezing at her words. How? How am I troubled? I don¡¯t get her. I don¡¯t like the way this conversation is going. ¡°Nooo, absolutely not. I¡¯m just like stepp! Always in the present. ¡± Miss silver gently shook her head.. ¡°No no no hoomen. You are in past, a past you let guide you. A past making you troubled, muddling thoughts.¡± I took a step back, a small step. But miss silver followed suite. I glanced down, thoughts racing in my head. I¡¯m not stuck in the past I¡¯m here, talking to you. I¡¯m having fun, or I mean. As fun as I can have The swarm kinda ruins it, but I mean like.. I¡¯m trying to have fun. That¡¯s me being in the present! ¡°Your being weird miss silver, I don¡¯t understand.¡± She shook her head at that, holding her arms at her sides as she looked down on me with Pity? ¡°Hoomen, you lie to yourself. But you know lie is just a lie, even if you dont know you lie. ¡± Words of wisdom that sounder wiser when you didn¡¯t really think them. Making me shake my head and respond ¡°I¡¯m not lying to myself, I am living in the moment!¡± ¡°You and me both know that, that is a lie.¡± Her smile glowing more, getting softer. I stared up at her, mouth turning to a frown Then looking down, avoiding her eyes. Saying in a whisper ¡°But what if my past shapes my present?¡± The centaur tilted her head. ¡°That is not something special to you. Everyone are formed by their past¡± I continued staring down, whispering in response. ¡°Then how do you stay in the present?¡± She shook her head, as if she were talking to a child. ¡°You think too much hoomen. You just don¡¯t think, the past has no power over your present, don¡¯t let it ha-¡± I suddenly stared up, locking my eyes with hers as i interrupted the sentence. Almost yelling. ¡°But what if your past still shapes your present!¡± She looked down at me with a shocked expression, but quickly turned back to her gentle smile. ¡°No one has a past that shapes their present, they only think they have. You are no different. ¡± Eyes still locked, I felt a tear starting to form. But I held it, grimacing in response. ¡°But mine does¡± Miss silver tilted her head in response, smile fading as she stared at me with confusion clear on her face. I whispered again. ¡°My past has always shaped my present, my life is my past. And there¡¯s nothing I can do¡± Silver armour glittering in the sun as the wearer shifted in place. Looking down at the small human in front of her. Glossy eyes on a sad face. But no tears forming. Only grim determination. ¡°Hoomen, this is a new for me... I dont know what to say. ¡± I stopped staring, looking down instead Seeing two wiggling feet, with toes digging into the ground. ¡°Hoomen, maybe you want to talk to someone who can help? Our God is a great God, he would want to help defender of stepp¡± I laughed bitterly at that ¡°Hehe, yeah.. I don¡¯t think a god can help me with my problem. ¡± The silver centaur looked around. Looking at the big centaur to the side of the human girl Then looking back at her. ¡°Then I dont know hoomen. I¡¯m sorry but we Centaurs live free, I¡¯m not used to someone shackled by their past¡± I smiled at her words Yeah. No one can really help me with this. Can they? ¡°But hoomen, we are friends. And you know, I¡¯ll always be he-¡° A horn booming in the distance. Making the surrounding Centaurs reach for their swords Eyes turning towards the source of the sound. Spotting something far in the distance A galloping Centaur, speeding at high speeds towards the army of Centaurs Running unnaturally fast, probably using wind magic. The silver Centaurs face turning neutral. Saying to me, with a face fixed on the distant centaur. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, hoomen, but we must talk later. Now we must defend stepp¡± Then speeding off, running towards the distant Centaur. I looked up towards the big centaur, saying ¡°We should follow her.¡± He nodded in response, exposing his back to me. Jumping up, we followed suit. Gaining on miss silver until we were on her side. Behind us, a small army of a few hundred centaurs The rest of the centaurs staying behind, near the walls. How miss silver convinced the better part of an army of individuals to listen to the words of one Centaur Is beyond me. As we neared the distant runner, miss silver ordered the small army to stop. Waiting for the runner to close the distance. As he came close enough, he spoke to miss silver. In a language I could not understand. A few minutes passed, miss silver and the runner nodding at each other¡¯s words. Then eventually, she indicated to one centaur behind her and said something about ¡°Fooauns¡±. Who,in turn,sped off. Then she turned around and looked at me. ¡°What is happening?¡± I asked quickly, seeing a face of absolute firmness. Steady like a rock, neutral like the sea. But just before she opened her mouth, a glimmer of a smile touched her lips. ¡°The swarm is near, we must begin the plan and ready the defences. ¡± She then looked over the rest of the Centaurs, speaking up ¡°The enemy is near, we shall defend stepp at all costs. Ready the others and make sure that everyone knows the plan.¡± A loud affirmative echoed from the surrounding Centaurs. Then miss silver said a few words in Centaurish, sounding like gibberish but ending with a word that¡¯s used a lot by the Centaurs A word that translated directly to ¡°Stepp¡± Making all cheer loud with their weapons drawn. But I did not cheer My face turning a shade of grey It¡¯s here Okay. I can do this. We can do this. Don¡¯t worry Don¡¯t panic. Chapter - 50 The wall havebeen built. Trenches have been dug. Spikes have been set. Walking around our big ¡°camp¡± I¡¯m met with grim faces, shining swords and cold laughter. The few elders and Fauns spread around are testing their bows, meditating, or simplywasting time. Taking my gaze up, I¡¯m shadowed by the big walls. Silhouettes of Fauns walking back and forth. Looking back down, I see the centaurs looking more at ease, but compared to their usual splendor and childishness They seem more stiff and scared. Joking little and no games being played. Scanning around, my gaze stops once I see the human, talking loudly and cheerily with a stupid face. Being the only one who seemed comfortable The only one who seemed okay with this grim atmosphere. Walking around merrily, whistling an unknown tune. Looking at her, I felt my grip on the bow lighten. A small smile forming on my lips. Warmth filling me. So, our plan- A few hundred Fauns and Centaursgarrisoned behind these walls, waiting for the swarm to come. Far from everyone, most staying far out of sight in the distance, but close enough to get to the walls within a day once the fighting starts. We who¡¯s stayed behind will try to kill as many as we can before fleeing, making this place seem like something important. Then we¡¯ll flee through the opposite wall. Gifting them an empty ¡°fort¡± ripe for picking. Hopefully, nothing bad happens. And hopefully. They¡¯ll stay for long enough so that the lizards can come and fight them. A simple plan Maybe too simple. ... Swallowing down saliva, not being able to clear my dry throat. I don¡¯t like this. There¡¯s so much we don¡¯t know. So much that can go wrong. For example, where are the lizards? If they¡¯ve been moving perpendicular with the swarm. They should be close, close enough for our scouts to spot them. But nothing It¡¯s like... Like they¡¯ve disappeared. But it¡¯s the only plan we have. The only workable plan we have. And the others seem like they¡¯ve come to the same conclusion. Many mellow faces, few jokes, stiff postures. I don¡¯t blame them. I¡¯m one of them. The swarm is supposed to be here at any minute. And we¡¯ve already been waiting for the past day. Most staying awake, even after knowing how slow they¡¯ve been moving. Me included. Sleep is a fickle mistress when you hold the faith of an entire race on your simple plan. Or multiple races And the anger of a god. ¡°Hey mister Butler! Wanna see who¡¯s the best archer?¡± The human said as she merrily trotted towards me, holding a bow over her head. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± I quickly answered back, already knowing the answer. ¡°Hey! I know I¡¯m the best. But don¡¯t be such a bad sport about it!¡± She said, holding her bow over her chest in a in a defeated manner. Making me chuckle slightly. Looking to her right, I was met with disdainful eyes of a big centaur, who I just happen tocall Stupid face. ¡°Hello¡± I said to him, feeling quiet, generous today. Considering it might be my last. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to wanna have an archery contest?¡± I said, getting a raised eyebrow in response. ¡°He doesn¡¯t dostuff like that, I think he¡¯s retarded¡± She said, loud enough for him to hear. A vein bulging on his forehead, grabbing her bow in the blink of an eye. Then let loose an arrow. Missing the entire wall How? I don¡¯t know. But it made both of us laugh as he angrily threw the bow down on the dirt. And if I wasn¡¯t already aware that he was mute, I could have sworn I heard him say ¡°Stupid mortal weapons¡± ¡°Dont be angry big guy! I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not retarded, just mentally deficient. ¡± Pushing her tongue out, jumping away as she ran around the ¡°Fort¡±. Giggling loudly as the big centaur chased after her. Other Fauns and Centaurs laughing at their little spectacle Me included. Hehe Yeah, thanks. I think I needed that. ¡°ENEMIES SPOTTED!¡± One Faun yelled from atop the wall, an unknown elder But one that I¡¯m happy is helping us. Even just ten elders are enough to ease my fears. The rest of the garrison scrambled to their feet. A rough wake up call, but weapons already close at hand. Fauns and centaurs already ready for something to happen. A twisted relief washed over me. Happy that something was finally happening. But dreading what would happen. The Fauns quickly ran up the hastily made earth steps. While the centaurs waited down below. Their big bulk making it difficult for them to traverse to the top of the wall. And the factthat they don¡¯t use bows made it unnecessary. They are here to be our escape route and final defence. Making my way up the wall, joined by a smiling human. I¡¯m suddenly blinded by the slowly rising sun as I peaked my head above the wall. Blinking away the tears, I¡¯m left standing stunned. How could we miss that? Standing on top of the twenty meter tall wall can give you a beautiful view over the landscape. A landscape stretching further than the horizon, no mountains as far as the eye can see. But looking a little down and forwards, as far as the eye could see. There was darkness. Writhing and wiggling its way forward. A disgusting display of black. I quickly looked to the elder, almost whispering. ¡°How did you miss that?¡± The elder looked stunned herself, staring at the moving mass of darkness while responding. ¡°It was impossible to see them when it was dark... How is this possible? They are so many. How are we ever supposed-¡° I ignored the rest of her words, speaking gibberish as she realised the magnitude of our enemy. And so did I. How are we even supposed to dent that? Stop that? Kill that? Even if our little garrison fought to our last breath, each individual killing a hundred, a thousand. We would still not even visibly shrink their numbers. ...Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I get it This is not an army. This is a natural disaster. As I continued staring at the disaster with wide eyes, I noticed something. At the edges and top of the procession of the disaster. The grass was seemingly Disappearing Almost like it was evaporating Gone, only to be replaced by murky dirt, then further replaced by the writhing and wiggling mass of darkness. Continuing their way forward, towards us. Hmm Step one, success? Even if they could be visibly seen. It would still take them multiple hours to reach our maximum range. However, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that almost everyone was standing tense and ready. No one daring to speak No jokes being cracked The only things happening were the switching of placements, trading of arrows and small nods of encouragement. Even the human was sitting still, staring at the darkness in front of us. A firm expression on her face, making me feel worried. But I knew I would not have to worry about her, she¡¯ll managed She always does. Instead, I focused inwards. Trying to calm stirring thoughts Remembering my training. Words may be what Fauns strive for But sometimes words fail. And the bow is the only answer. That is where I come in. Me and other warriors. And on top of that,comes the elders. A hierarchy of peace-loving warriors. Ironic when you think about it. Breathing in slow, my thoughts calm. Resting on my knees as the wall beneath my feet becomes my friend Then breathing out slow. All my senses sharpening, widening coll- A whoosh far above my ear, sounding like an arrow Making me turn back, a worried expression on my face Seeing the big centaur waving his arms wide, then stopping. Going up to a nearby centaur, taking his sword from his hand. Ignoring the other¡¯s loud protest. Then leaning backwards with a sword in hand, then throwing with all his might Making the sword whoosh through the air as it flew above me. What the hell is he doing? And why couldn¡¯t he use his own sword? It¡¯s still on his hip. Both my brows were raised now, staring down at him with vivid confusion. In the corner of my eye, I could see the human leaning over the wall, looking down on the big centaur. ¡°What is it?¡± She shouted down. And in response, the big centaur pointed down. What? The human looked equally confused, staring down at him with a hand on her chin. ¡°Down? Do you want me to come down?¡± She yelled. But getting a shake in response, the big centaur pointing down again. ¡°Then what do you mean?¡± The big centaur visibly getting frustrated, stomping his feet several times while pointing down. I don¡¯t get this. Does he wanna fight with us? I looked sideways to the human, meeting an expression of deep thought. Making me smile slightly But asking. ¡°Maybe he wants to fight with us?¡± She shook her head at that, seemingly just noticing me. ¡°Oh, erm.. No I dont think so. He¡¯s not the kind ofguy that fights...¡± Letting the last of her words stretch out, going back into thought, staring down on the big centaur who continued stomping and pointing. I took my eyes away from him, trying to think of something. Then the human stood up. Taking my attention back on her, seeing two wide eyes. ¡°They are below us¡± Huh. They are wh- Then a loud thunderous boom echoed from the middle of our ¡°fort¡±. Mud and dirt spewing out from the ground, coating the surroundings. Forming into a giant hole, as if a giant worm had just bellowed out. The hole was far from where we were standing, but still inside the walls. Looking like a giant crater. And after gawking at the hole for an entire second, something spewed out. ¡°Get down from the wall! We have to get the hell out of here.¡± The human shouted, gathering the visibly shaken Fauns to their wits. Creating order from confusion. And as all werehardened warriors, they quickly recovered from the shock. Swiftly making their way down the big wall. Most by the makeshift stairs. While elders were gliding down with their earth magic. I joined them, using my poor magic to fall faster. Inbetween using my magic and stabilising myself, I peeked at the huge crater. And gawked. Seeing huge, bipedal Lizards. Taller and wider than the centaurs, holding huge mixes of giant stone axes, spears and clubs. Hundreds of hundreds spewing from the crater. And amongst the giant lizards stood one enormous Lizardman. Towering above every other lizard, an entire head above them all. A golden shine on his head, adorned with glittering emeralds and rubies. Sapphires and diamonds. Anything that sparkled adorned his body. And when he pointed, the other lizards followed, running towards us. Oh, fuck. Scanning around me, I could see that the other elders had already made their way down. Forming quick makeshift walls between us and the lizards, a swift and probably pointless defence. But expertly made as they created small holes filled with spikes. The Centaurs turned around to meet the new threat, neighing into the air as they spoke loudly to each other. Psyching each other up before clashing with the lizards. The Faun warriors desperately scrambled down the wall, me being one of them. I had to stop the centaurs from fighting. What we need to do now is flee, not fight. I need to hurry! This entire thing is a giant farce, a pile of shit. Why did I let silver go? She would have a way out of this mess This has gone to shit. But just as I thoughtthat. The human flew downwards, carried by invisible currents as she darted her way down the stairs. Almost flying. Being the first to make her way down to the ground. And instantly running up to the gathered Centaurs, screaming loudly ¡°Dont fight! We have to go!¡± One centaur turned around at her words, facing her as he screamed back. ¡°Where?! The Lizards block our path!¡± Pointing her bow at the wall we were climbing, she quickly said ¡°Out there, then we¡¯ll run around!¡± One elder joined in on the conversation, still focused on building makeshift walls. ¡°Out there is the swarm.¡± ¡°They are still several miles away. We can run in their direction, then switch and run away!¡± The lizardmen where nearing, close enough for the fauns on the stairs to start firing. Basking our ¡°fort¡°with blood and screams. Explosions, fire and dirt. A second later, I found myself on solid ground, bolting in the human¡¯s direction and shouting. ¡°We have to go!¡± Getting the attention of a Centaur, Elder, and Human The elder spoke first. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Out, follow the Human.¡± The Elders¡¯ expression turned grim. But nodding nonetheless,waving at the other elders to join him. The Centaur looked equally grim, but shook his head. ¡°Enemy of stepp is here. Can¡¯t run, must defend stepp¡± I widened my eyes at that Feeling an intense need to punch the centaur. ¡°You dense shit! You¡¯ll die! You can figh-¡° ¡°No, stepp in danger, I must defend it.¡± AAARG! Is every centaur a stupid, dense pile of sh- ¡°We have to go, now!¡± The human brought me out of my thoughts, pulling at my shoulder as she moved towards the wall. I noticed her casting a glance back at the centaurs, furrowed brows,yet moist eyes. But quickly turning away. ¡°I can¡¯t doearth magic. I¡¯ll need you guys to tunnel us out.¡± Elders joining up with us, Centaur running off, Fauns still sprinting down the stairs. Noting that the big manly centaur wasn¡¯t following the other centaurs, instead following the human. Then I looked up towards the lizardmen. Realising that the Fauns wouldn¡¯t make it down the stairs before the lizardmen were upon them. The human seemed to notice it too, quickly saying ¡°We¡¯ll wait here, take up position as we hold them off.¡± An elder lashed out at that, screaming. ¡°No! We have to go now! If we stay, we die! Who¡¯ll inform the rest of the army? What about the plan?¡± Talking in quick bursts. I glanced at the Centaurs while he spoke, seeing them yell out a last scream before they galloped to their doom. Swords high in the air as the very air itself started to flow with them Making them go faster, blades going sharper, winds flying past, slicing lizards to bits. Being brought back to the present as I noticed screaming. ¡°I WON''T LEAVE THEM!¡± ¡°THEN WE¡¯LL LEAVE YOU!¡± The Human and Elder screamed at each other, making me groan inwardly. ¡°Go! I¡¯ll stay with the human while you inform the rest of the army.¡± The Elders looked shocked at that, then worried, then horrified. Shifting between expression within a single second. ¡°No-¡° ¡°You do as I say!¡± I quickly added, staring down the elder that spoke. Hesitating for a second Then, nodding solemnly, running towards the wall with the rest of the Elders in tow. And as the last Elder reached the wall. They created a small opening, big enough for them all to fit. I took my eyes from them, looking back towards the Centaurs who had reached the fastest of the lizardmen. Making me stare in a grim expression, taking out my bow and firing. The Centaurs hacked and slashed with true skills. Cutting limbs with practised swings. Running down lizards taller than themselves, making them fly in all directions As if this was just one big playground. But the amount of lizards far outweighed their skills. It was just a matter of time, exhaustion or bad luck before they would die. One Centaur got jumped by a smaller lizardman, swinging an axe at the exposed back of the Centaur. Who in turnpierced his heart, only to get jumped again, and again, and again. Until he eventually fell over,the sheer weight and mass of wounds killing him. Another got hit multiple times by weak spears, sticking small sharp stones into his body as his movements slowly dulled. Until a massive lizard used an equally massive club to mash his head. Staring with a fixed expression, focused and calm. Letting arrow after arrow fly out, not particularly aiming. Imbuing arrows with explosive mana. Firing explosion after explosion into the mass of lizards Chunks of limbs and meat flying everywhere. Distant explosions and flames spying forth from the mass of lizards, coming from the fauns on the walls. Who still ran with all their might. The human was a sight to behold. Letting arrow after arrow fly. Not using explosive, but piercing mana to kill multiple lizards with a single arrow. Even though the lizards were massive, they lacked any real defence. Their scales were little to no help against our skill, training, and huge amounts of mana. But their numbers kept on swelling. The huge golden and glittering lizardman still standing by the crater. Pointing in random directions while speaking to unseeable lizards. And about thirty seconds later, the first lizardmen reached the makeshift wall. Quickly breaking it down and falling headfirst into a spike, instantly dying. I peeked over my shoulder, seeing that the fauns wouldn¡¯t make it down before the Llzards made it to the walls. Some fauns even noticing it too, instead running up while firing. This is taking too long. We¡¯ll die at this rate. Quickly looking around, searching for any options. Feeling the clock ticking. Think. Come on. Think! ... But nothing came to mind. I turned my gaze to the human Feeling a deep and cutting sorrow welling up in my heart. But I knew it was my only choice, my only chance. I need to do this. Taking a deep breath, ignoring my surroundings. Feeling my thoughts go blank. Focusing on her. Quickly grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the wall. She took a few seconds to realise what was happening, looking at me then down at my hand, saying ¡°What are you doing?¡± But I did not answer, taking firm and hard steps towards the wall. Using magic to reinforce my limbs. Quickly closing the distance. ¡°Let me go!¡± She yelled, trying to push me away. Finding my steel hard hands, as if she were trying to push a mountain ¡°I SAID LET ME GO!¡± She screamed, punching my arm hard. But yet again, she met steel. And then we were by the wall, near the hole that the elders had made Dragging her into it. She was kicking and screaming at me now, making me taste blood. But I continued marching forwards. Dead set on my task Dead set on saving her. I glanced behind me, seeing the big manly centaur following close behind. Just as I had hoped. The key to this. I locked eyes with him, keeping a firm grip on her shoulder as we continued marching outside the walls. Whispering ¡°Take her to safety.¡± To which he looked down on me with a neutral expression Nodding, not giving me any sign of what he was feeling. Even hearing me should have been impossible. But that was fine. This is fine. She¡¯ll be fine And before I could reach the end of the tunnel, I threw her before me Closing the tunnel between us. Making her, and the big centaur, stuck on the outside. Hearing the wails and screams of her pounding hands. My heart crying. Eyes bleeding. And body quivering. This is fine. She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s so strong. Turning back from the tunnel, I bolted down it. Quickly making it outside Yelling out ¡°UP THE WALL!¡± Getting the attention of a few fauns who had got down. The lizardmen where close now I could see no more Centaurs All washed away in the storm of lizards. I grimaced at that, but moved quickly to the wall. Waving the Fauns near me. Letting out a few unpowered arrows and slaying a few lizardmen I was surrounded by seven Fauns Four were not fast enough as they were brutally gutted, stomped and sliced to bits. Closing my eyes, I focused on the ground. Then let the ground take us, pushing us upwards. Lifted by a dirt platform. And just three seconds later, a group of lizardmen tackled the bottom of our platform. Using their massive claws and arms to climb it. But only getting a face full of arrows. But I found it hard to focus on that as I let my mana flow to the ground. Pushing us further and further up Further Go Furt- A tug at my arm, letting my eyes shoot open. I could see that we were close to the top of the wall. The other Fauns had jumped off to climb the last meter with their sturdy hooves. I mimicked their actions, climbing up. Glancing down, I could see a horde of lizardmen at the bottom of the wall. Some climbing it, some running up the stairs. A few brave Fauns had taken up a chokepoint by the middle point of the stairs as their fellow brethren ran up again. Feeling myself getting dragged up, I turned around to let loose arrow after arrow on the lizardmen below. Imbuing mana, and then more mana Slugging chunks of wall down Forming spears to toss Explosion after explosion Arrow after arrow. More came And then more. The Fauns by the middle point getting pushed over. Stomped to a fine mush. But we kept shooting. Lizardmen falling left and right. But they kept coming. Brains flying, bones getting used as shrapnel. Bodies piling as they blocked the way for the others. Just to be tossed aside, only for the next lizard to get shot and killed. Arrow after arrow, we shot and shot Arrow aft- Empty It was empty I turned to a Faun by my side, asking. ¡°Arrows!?¡± Who looked at me with sad eyes. Shaking his head as he dropped his bow down to the mass of lizardmen below. Sitting down on the edge, letting his hands fall on his face. I turned to my other side, being met by a shake of the head. A little further away, one Faun broke her bow. Sharpening it the best she could. Then another, and another. All running out, no arrows left. One pulled off his horn, using it as a bloodied, makeshift weapon. One jumped off the other side. Focusing my eyes on the lizardmen below, I could see them clambering their way up So very close Just a few meters left. Some Fauns had taken up shop at the end of the stairs Holding bleeding horns or broken bows. Others just held their hands up. Time slowed as the lizardmen collided with the Fauns Pushing them away like a rock hitting water I stared, standing so still My thoughts A peaceful white Finding thoughts drawn to someone Someone precious I made my way to the end of the wall. A mass of darkness in the distance Close now Awfully close But looking down, I could see her In the arms of the big Centaur Running away at high speeds Yes This is fine She¡¯s fine This is all right. Then a hot pain shot through my stomach And I felt myself falling. This Is fine. She¡¯ll be all right Chapter - 51 A battle of epic proportions Millions of mortals pitted against each other. Songs will be sung. Stories crafted Legends spun. But you know I do not really care. As long as the girl survives, I am perfectly fine with the outcome. And when I think about it There is so little at stake for us Why am I even here? Why is she even here? There is nothing to gain from this. No treasure, no glory. Only the passing word from a God. And Gods are not to be trusted. But alas, I am here With the human. Watching her Feeling highly entertained, amused and Happy? Yeah, happy. It has been a fun month. The mortals have been waiting Their nerves being tested, grim faces and dirty looks. Something I have grown accustomed to Faces I have seen many times Almost always on the faces of my enemies. So seeing them on ¡°allied¡± faces werenew to me Quiet interesting. Although I am left wondering. As I look at a face, not quiet like the others. A face I have grown fond of, smiling brightly and walking around merrily. Whistling and looking around calmly. I have seen similar sightings within armies. But those are usually the mad or the broken. I do not see her as any of those. Maybe mad when I think about it But not the normal mad, more the Extremely frustratingly mad genius. Or the stupid mad? Hmmm. Something to ponder. The Faun tried to speak to me. A laughable attempt Truly a stupid Faun. But what makes it fun Was his attempt to have an archery contest with me. Me? Why would I ever deign to show you my great skill in such a vulg- ¡°He don¡¯t dostuff like that, I think he¡¯s retarded.¡± The human said, looking at me with a big wide smug. ... You little piece of... I will show you the might of Dragons! And I shot, feeling my mana seep into the meager bow. Holding back my immense amount of power to not accidently snap it in half. Hahaha, watch me Human! Watch in my great splendor how epic I am! I shall make you drool in aw- ¡°He missed¡± She whispered out to no one in particular, a wide smile on her lips. ... ¡°Stupid mortal weapons¡± They are far too primitive for someone as great as me. I mean I missed on purpose. Yeah. ¡°Dont be angry big guy! I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not retarded, just mentally deficient.¡± She said without pause But I was calm. Serene, you could say. I merely chased her. Trying to cleave her head from her worthless neck with my illusionary sword Nothing wrong with that. Nothing Wrong With that... The Human was standing on top of the wall now. Easily climbable, but it would bring suspicious eyes on me if I flew up it Damnable form Why are you so perfectly made? Why must my looks be so decieveing. Making it impossible to keep a close eye on her.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Why would those stairs be so small? Fauns and their bad plans. How did they think this would work? I can agree that these rats are stupid. But are not all mortals stupid? Why would such a petty trick, such as this, ever work? And for that matter Why would Rats scare them? They may be many, but a few millions Rats are nothing in the grand scheme of things. I could probably wipe them out in an instance. No I know I can wipe them out in an instance. But... Doing that would foil my deception. And to be honest I find it a lot more fun to see how these mortals go about solving this problem. Especially considering that this entire plan were createdby the girl. To think she, of all people, could come up with this. Truly. Intresting- Wait, what is that? ... Oh, that is an interesting turn of events. To think they would tunnel their way up from below Such crafty creatures. I would expect nothing less from those worshipping me. But this will not do They could easily overwhelm the Human I will have to warn her. Hmmm, how to warn her? Oh, I know. Let us just borrow a sword from these Centaurs And away you go! No, I was not trying to get your attention Faun I do not care about you. Okay, next sword And away you go! Aha, succes. Hey human, below us, Lizards coming to kill you. ... She does not seem to get it. And the lizards are close. Come on, why you got to be so stupid at timeslike this. They are down there! Come on! They are do- Oh, I think she noticed it Finaly. Hm, they broke through though. She was a little too slow and stupid. And now they are swarming around this makeshift castle like ants around a sugar cube. It is kind of interesting to look at. Even though nothing about this is new to me. It is still interesting to see how she reacts. Holding a very grim expression, shooting with her bow. Which kills a Lizard every time she fires. She has also taken up the position of leader. Yes, she is doing it subconsciously. And it is interesting. To think she could stay calm in such a dire situation Well, she has been through a lot. So maybe this should not surprise me. The battle rages on, but it is clear. They are losing handedly It is just a matter of minutes before they are overwhelmed. Hmmm, I was really hoping it would not come too this But I might have to save the Human Hopefully she will not recognise that it is- Wait. The Faun is doing something He has grabbed her arm And. Is pulling her towards the wall? What the hell. IS HE DOING! HOW DARE HE CAUSE HARM TO HER I WILL RIP YOUR ARMS FROM YOUR SOCKETS EAT YOUR EYES AND BURN YOUR BRAIN FROM THE INSIDE YOU- ¡°Take her to safety.¡± He whispered as we walked through the tunnel that the other Fauns had made. Human screaming wildly and punching him in a futile attemptto escape. Huh Oh, I understand. You want to guarantee her safety. Hmmm, Faun I misjudged you You are a little better than mere fodder. So I nodded in response. Faun closing his eyes and tossing the human outside the walls border Closing it behind her. Who jumped at the closing wall. Digging at it with her nails, pounding it and screaming at the top of her lungs. What. Why? Why is this so hard for you? I do not understand. Life is filled with death. You can not save them; they have done this on their own accord. Knowing the risks. That Faun, he is doing this to save you To save the rest of the Fauns. He is sacrificing himself for everyone. So why Why would you fight it? Do you not understand that he is doing it for you? Just let go. It will be better like that Just like it was for me. Please do not make my mistake. But she did not listen. How could she? I had spoken no words to her. So I grabbed her, feeling her helplessly tug at me, screaming. ¡°LET ME GO! WE HAVE TO SAVE THEM!¡± No, we have to save you. You have a mission, something to do. Save everyone else, your plan must continue. He is doing this for you. But she struggled, helplessly wriggling in my grasp Holding her effortlessly, running away from the makeshift fort. The Rats having moved closer, but far too slow to every catch up to me. Then suddenly, the human stopped struggling. Her gaze looked up to the wall. I followed her gaze, seeing the Faun A serene expression on his face A small smile. Then a spear through his stomach Followed by him falling Falling. Then a wet thump as his body lay limp on the ground. And there he died A better death than most mortals. I will try to remember you. ¡°No.¡± She whispered. I looked down on her Breath stopped in my chest Seeing absolute terror on her face. Expression turned frozen as she stared at the Faun Making me remember Memories long forgotten But oh so awful. Her face reminding me Of me. Then the tears flowed. Her struggling started again. ¡°No! No! Let me go! I have to save him! I have to save him! He needs me! Let me go-¡° On and on Voice going softer the longer she screamed Until it was nothing more than an echo. Her struggling going limp Turning to a soft shivering. Her eyes closing Her mouth whispering ¡°I dont want this¡± Breathing going ragged, a single tear flowing ¡°I cant to this¡± She leaned into me, head hiding in my fake fur. ¡°I cant go on¡± ¡°I cant... live no more¡± How can I be so stupid? How could I let it all escalate like this I could have stopped this. Stopped it all This is all my fault. ... No Not like this. I will not let it end like this Human I have realised something. No, I have remembered something. Remembered emotions The pain, the suffering of losing someone dear I can not let it end like this Human, I will save you You have shown me so much. Taught me so much. Made me feel so much I want to repay this This debt. Human, I will not let it end like this. Your someone precious to me And this is too much. I can not see you in such pain. I will fix this And then I will save you. I will save everyone precious, to you For you Are precious to me. Chapter - 52 Well, this day could have been a lot better. We were all rudely awakened by one of the elder as he screamed that he had seen the swarm on the horizon. Making everyone swarm around to get into position. Hehe, swarm around. Anyway, we¡¯ve moved up to the wall. Staring out into the mass of rats. And I got to say, it¡¯s mildly terrifying. And... A bit gut wrenching. I think this is my fault. I¡¯ve brought this upon everyone. Maybe? I can¡¯t say for sure, but I would not be surprised if I had. At least the view up here is cool, sitting with my feet dangling off the edge. A cool breeze floating past me, closing my eyes as I tried to enjoy the moment. A whoosh sounded above me, making me open my eyes in alert. But scanning around I did not see what had caused the noise. Is someone practicing shooting? That¡¯s smart, getting the exact range for how far the arrows can go. I should try that. So I stood up, taking out my bow and readying an arrow. Only to be interrupted by a sword flying past. What the- I looked back, seeing the big centaur waving at me. Then, pointing down at the ground with a neutral expression. What? Seeing my confusion, he visibly sighed. Pointing down again, but more vigorously. What the heck is he doing? ¡°Maybe he wants to fight with us?¡± Mister Butler suddenly said, making me come out of my thoughts for a moment to respond to him. ¡°Oh, erm.. No I dont think so. He¡¯s not the kind off guy that fights.. Wait. The swarm, Rats. What are Rats good at? Digging... Oh no. ¡°They are below us¡± And just as I saidthat, an ear-shattering roar erupted from the middle of our castle. Mud and dirt flying in every direction, making me steel myself. I took my eyes away from the explosion, looking around and seeing the Fauns in a daze, all looking shocked. ¡°Get down from the wall! We have to get the hell out of here!¡± I screamed, making the better part of everyone shake the shock away. I then ran off into a sprint down the stairs. Not even glancing back to see if anyone was following me. While running, the elders glided down with little resistance. Quickly joining up with the centaurs as they built sloppy defences. And soon after, I made it down absurdlyquickly. Shooting arrow after arrow with only speed in mind, imbuing small part of my mana to create piercing arrows. I kept on running, aiming to get to the centaurs before they did something stupid. And by their loud yelling and pumping with their swords, it looked like it could happen at any second. ¡°Dont fight! We have to go!¡± I yelled out, luckily, close enough for one of them to hear. ¡°Where?! The Lizards block our path!¡± ¡°Out there, then we¡¯ll run around!¡± I said back, pointing with my bow to the wall. Seeing his eye look up to the wall, I resumed shooting the lizards. From the corner of my eye, I noticed someone move closer. Looking towards it, I saw an elder moving up to us, saying ¡°Out there is the swarm.¡± You don¡¯t think I don''t know that already? ¡°They are still several miles away. We can run in their direction, then switch and run away!¡± ¡°We have to go!¡± Someone else said as they joined our group. Turning my head to the new person, I saw mister Butler. I nodded at him then looked back to the elder. Who seemed dissatisfied with what he had said. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Out, follow the Human.¡± Mister Butler responded quickly, pointing at me with a stern face. To which the elder nodded with a grim expression, making a big wave motion for the other elders to follow him. ¡°Enemy of stepp is here. Can¡¯t run, must defend stepp¡± One centaur said, speaking up. ¡°You dense shit! You¡¯ll die! You can figh-¡° ¡°No, stepp in danger, I must defend it¡± Mister Butler said, but got interrupted by the centaur. Making me feel frustrated. We don¡¯t have time for this! ¡°We have to go, now!¡± I said, pulling at mister Butler to get his attention, quickly adding. ¡°I can¡¯t doearth magic, I¡¯ll need you guys to tunnel us out.¡± To which we all started to move. I glanced back quickly, finding my mind wandering into dark places. A silence between us, but the arrows still flew. I glanced up to the other fauns, seeing them firing their own arrows at the lizards. But as we came closer to the wall, I noticed that the other fauns were slow. If it continued like this, they would not make it before the lizards reached the walls. ¡°We¡¯ll wait here, take up position as we hold them off.¡± One elder seemed to not like that idea, coming up close to me and yelling. ¡°No! We have to go now! If we stay, we die! Who¡¯ll inform the rest of the army? What about the plan?¡± ¡°The plan? I dont give a shit about the plan if everyone¡¯s dead. We are not leaving them to their death.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have too, you¡¯ll just doom us if we wait.¡± ¡°I WON''T LEAVE THEM¡± ¡°THEN WE¡¯LL LEAVE YOU¡± The elder and I screamed at each other, none gaining any ground. Luckily, mister Butler stepped in between us and said. ¡°Go! I¡¯ll stay with the human while you inform the rest of the army.¡± The Elders looked shocked at that, then worried, and finally ending on horrified. Shifting between expression within a single second. ¡°No-¡° ¡°You do as I say!¡± Mister Butler quickly said, making the elders take a step back in shock, but then bowing quickly, running off. Creating a tunnel as they ran away. But I wasn¡¯t looking at them, I was focusing on the enemy in front of us. Letting arrow after arrow fly as I tried to kill those that were closest to the attacking centaurs. Trying to ease their burden. But as the fighting went on, the centaurs steadily lost numbers. One by one, falling to the ground, never to rise again. Arrow after arrow continued to fly nonetheless,trying not to think too hard as the lizards numbers didn¡¯t seem to decrease in the slightest. A quick glance up made me see how little progress the other fauns had made. Dammit, this is not good at all.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Then I felt something drag me backwards, making me curse silently in my head as I quickly turned to who it was. And to my surprise, it was mister Butler. A grim face plastered on him as he dragged me towards the wall. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked, but getting nothing in response. So I tried to shake him off, but he held on tight, his hands growing unnaturally hard. I tried to snake my way out his grip, it didn¡¯t falter. ¡°Let me go!¡± I yelled, struggling even harder against him. Pushing and pulling, nothing happening. ¡°I SAID LET ME GO!¡± I screamed instead, starting to punch him as I noticed where we were going. No! What are you doing! We can¡¯t leave them, we have to save them, we can still do this! Let me go! I stared daggers at him as we continued walking towards the wall, then I noticed the big centaur to the side of my view. Looking down on me with a angryexpression on his face. I tried to plead with him, looking towards him as I hit mister Butler. But getting on his good side was like trying to flirt with a rock. Impossible. Then I suddenly felt myself thrust backwards. Finding myself standing outside the walls. A second passed as I stood there with an open mouth, looking wide eyed at mister Butler, who stared back with gloomy eyes. Then the hole closed up, making me scream out in surprise and anger. Flailing at the surprisinglysolid mud wall. Clawing, punching and kicking at it as i tried to get myself in again. But once more, I was dragged back. A solid tug and then a pull from a new unknown. Looking to the source I saw the big centaur lift me up in a princess carry. ¡°LET ME GO! WE HAVE TO SAVE THEM!¡± I screamed at him, turning my aggression towards him instead of the wall. Trying to fight his grip, but finding it equally impossible as when I tried to fight mister Butler. What the hell. Why are you doing this? We have to save them! But I didn¡¯t voice my thoughts, only continuing to try tobreak free. But only finding myself further and further away from the wall. I don''t know how long I tried to get myself out. But the sound of battle had steadily moved its way up to the wall. Making me glance up there to see what was going on. Continuing my struggle in the tight embrace of the big centaur. Then something moved to our side of the wall, giving me a good look at it. I couldn¡¯t really see what or who it was. But somehow it felt familiar. It was definitely a Faun, not big enough to be a lizard. I felt relief wash over me, thinking. If they are standing up there, they will probably jump down, and mister butler will slow their fall. Or they would slowly climb down. Or.. anything. I was begging in my mind, beggingfor anything. As long as they can make it out of there alive, then we can do anything. Fuck the swarm, we can outrun them Fuck the Lizards, we¡¯ll outrun them too As long as we¡¯re together, we can do anything. Then my relief washed away, I recognised the Faun on top of the wall. It was mister Butler, and he looked Calm? He wasn¡¯t doing anything, letting his bow rest on his side. What are you doing?! I screamed in my head. You got to run! Come on, jump down, make those earth platforms. We can come and catch you. I tugged harder at the big centaur, trying to make him run towards the wall. Come on, we got to save him. We got to do something! Why is everyone giving up? We haven¡¯t done everything yet! Come on. I thought, staring intently at mister Butler. Still unmoving. Come on, do something! I was about to scream at him, tell him to jump. But my scream got stuck in my throat. As something entered and left his stomach. Making him tumble down the wall And hitting the ground with a distant thump. I looked back up, seeing a huge lizard with a bloodied spear in his hand. Holding it up in a victorious pose. I stared down again, looking at the unmoving body of mister Butler. ¡°No¡± Mind slowing down Thoughts not really forming Nothing really forming Asort of Emptiness. I blankly stared, thoughts passing. The big centaur had stopped. Looking down at me. But I paid him no mind. I just continued staring. And slowly Oh so slowly. I was brought back. Mind realising what happened Making my entire being shake No Nononononono Nononononon Nonononononono Nonononononon NONONONONONONO Nothing else occupied my mind, going into overdrive as I denied what I could see with my eyes. This isn¡¯t happening. This is just a dream. This... I shook. Then struggling, fighting against the tight grasp of the big centaur ¡°No! No! Let me go! I have to save him! I have to save him! He needs me! Let me go-¡± I droned on in an futile attemptto deny reality I fought the big centaurs, struggling against him. Screaming loudly into the empty air But nothing changed His body remained unmoving A pool of blood forming around it And I stopped. I stopped screaming. Stopped struggling Yeah. Why should I struggle? This is how it is This is my life. This is how it¡¯s always been like. ¡°I don¡¯t want this¡± I never wanted this ¡°I can¡¯t to this¡± I never could ¡°I can''t go on¡± Why have i for so long? ¡°I can''t... live no more¡± I just Can¡¯t. There¡¯s nothing left for me. I only bring suffering and pain onto others. I¡¯m Worthless. Then I felt the wind rush past me. Something I paid no mind to, nothing for me to consider Why should i? We are probably running away. Away to safety Safety? What is safety when my mind is my prison? But I still looked up. Feeling my body drain of colour as we neared mister Butlers body. My eyes went wide Staring at it And as we come close, I felt the big centaur drop me. To which I quickly ran up to mister Butlers body, but was pushed back by a big hand. ¡°What are you doing!¡± I screamed at him, but stopped. Seeing a smile A first from him. Then he shrank. Literally As his body burst into flames And took the form of a phoenix. The phoenix bent down with its slender neck, touching its beak on the forehead of mister Butler. A bright light emanated from it, the colour of the rainbow splashing around as if being a physical force Like the ripples in water. Then swiftly turning to a storm of colours. Going in all directions as it danced around in the air. But my eyes were fixed on mister Butler Seeing the wound on his stomach close, and the back of his head heal. Going back to his normal, usual Faunish self. And then his chest lifted slowly. Then sunk just as slowly. Repeating itself over and over As if he was in deep sleep. The light show stopped, the phoenix lifting its head as it took three shaky steps backwards. Then, slowly, looking up at me. Staying silent. ¡°Dragon?¡± I asked, voice shaky. Still hoarse from all the screaming. ¡°Yes¡± A mixture of anger, relief, pain and disbelief washed over me. I stared at him, mouth open, seeking words but not finding any. But I didn¡¯t need to speak, as the dragon spoke first. ¡°Human, I am very weak right now. You have to carry the Faun as we make our way out of here. If they come close, I will do my best to hold them off.¡± Speaking as if everything was perfectly normal But nothing about this was normal. What just happened I saw mister Butler die. He died! And now he¡¯s not? And it was the dragon who saved him. And he was the big centaur Has he always been the big centaur? What the hell is going on. Dragon seemed to notice my hesitation, as he added ¡°Human?¡± Letting his worry seep into his words. Something that sounded weird coming from him. I let the question linger in the air, trying to wrap my thoughts. Collecting them and processing them. ¡°Why are you here?¡± I asked with ill-hidden distrust. Almost whispering out the words. ¡°I have been watching you.¡± Watching me? Like, like some lab rat? Are you kidding me? ¡°Why¡± Feeling the grip on my bow tighten, eyes narrow Nothing existed at this moment but me and the dragon. The swarm merely a distant memory The lizards a bad thought. The dragon took another shaky step back. Still looking up at me. ¡°Can we speak about this later, we sh-¡° ¡°NO! WE SPEAK NOW YOU SHIT!¡± The dragon stood in place, looking shaky but remaining silent. ¡°Why would you kill him? Why would you leave me... Why?¡± The dragon continued to stare up at me. With the form of a phoenix, it was impossible to read his emotions. Making me grow even angrier. Then he spoke lightly. ¡°I am sorry.¡± Three words. Three simple words, but extremelypowerful as they came from the dragon¡¯s mouth. I stood in shock, repeating those three words in my head. Then he spoke again, louder than before. ¡°I have been thinking, thinking and thinking. Human, I have lived for sovery long. I have experienced so very much, done so much.¡± Letting his head drop, body shaking slightly as he took a step to balance his unsteady body. ¡°I thought I had done everything there was to do, experienced everything there was to experience.¡± Looking up to me, he met my eyes. Seeing a mixture of confusion and anger. ¡°Then I met you¡± Going silent for a second ¡°Such a foolish little Human. You stared me down in that cave, no fear, asking me such a stupid question.¡± He then took his eyes away from me, looking up, staring to the sky. ¡°But I felt something then, something I would vehemently deny. But I felt something.¡± The fire on his body dissipated, going dim as he continued speaking. ¡°You took me on an adventure. I got to know you. Found great entertainment from you. Hehe, to think a mere Mortal would bring me such... Joy¡± His body stared expanding, feathers turning to scales and eyes to narrow pupils. ¡°Feelings I once thought buried started to resurface. I tried to deny it at first. But once we... Had our first fight. I could not deny them.¡± He expanded quickly, going up to the middle point of the wall. But his head stayed near the ground, staring deeply into my eyes. ¡°I found myself drawn to you, I needed you-¡° ¡°STOP!¡± I screamed, stopping his little speech. Feeling my hands quiver around the bow. The other holding an arrow. ¡°stop¡± I whispered. ¡°You can¡¯t do that.¡± A tear streaking down my face ¡°I had prepared myself¡± Letting my head fall down to my chest. ¡°I was gonna kill you¡± The dragon had grown to his full height, blue scales and shining eyes. Easily able to tower far above the wall, but letting his head rest on the ground. Staring at me with one big eye. ¡°Human, I deserve death.¡± I opened my eyes in surprise, staring at his one eye. ¡°But before that, I have to tell you something, do something. Would you please let me?¡± My hands shook at that, another tear falling I couldn¡¯t hold my eyes open, as they slowly teared up. But I felt something from his words. A pleading, begging, desperate. So I nodded meekly. ¡°You changed me Human, I have been such a fool. I have been thinking about no one but myself.¡± His eye blinking once, shining brighter than the sun. ¡°I have learned to treasure those I like.¡± He breathed out, a flicker of a flame coming out. ¡°You have taught me to love again. To feel empathy. And for that. Thank you... And I am so, so very sorry. My dear little Human.¡± He paused again, his eyes blinking faster than I¡¯ve ever seen them do before. ¡°I wish I could rewind time. I wish that sovery much. Human, I have made so many mistakes throughout my life, and I am so sorry that you had to suffer through some of them.¡± And he went silent. Making me look at his big eye. I took a step back, my eyes wet from the earlier tears. ¡°Why¡­ Why do you do this to me?¡± I asked him, but getting nothing but a blink in response. ¡°I was ready to kill you.¡± I blinked. ¡°You were my friend¡± ¡°I want to be that again.¡± A step back at his words. Like a weight of iron being pressed into my chest. No, no, it¡¯s too late. It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re sorry. I have to kill you. I have to stop this. This is my destiny. My purpose in life I wanted to change it, but... Why do you have to make it so hard? My tears flowed down, blurring my vision. ¡°Human, why do you cry?¡± Taking me off-guard by his question, answering it without thinking. ¡°Because my destiny was to kill you¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°So that the world would stop killing all those that I love¡± ¡°Why would it do such a thing?¡± ¡°Because the world hates you¡± The dragon went silent at that. Taking a deep breath Then letting it blow out And resonating out a loud bellowing laughter. A beautiful laugh. ¡°Ahahahahaha! Oh Human, why have you said nothing? The world is nothing but an obstacle in my path!¡± He then rose to his full height, spreading his wings far above him as he gazed down at me. ¡°Human! You will never again have to fear. For I shall always keep you, and anyone you deem a friend, safe. I swear it upon my life.¡± He then turned upwards, letting a big stream of blue flames paint the clouds above as he shouted. ¡°Nothing can stop me from protecting you! Fuck destiny! Fuck the world! I will do anything to keep you happy.¡± Stopping his flames, letting his head fall down again as it connected with the ground, his eye staring at me ¡°Human, I am your Immortal Dragon¡± He then bared his teeth, showing what I can only call a smile. ¡°And you are my Dragon girl.¡± To which I dropped my bow and arrow. Falling down on my knees and cried loudly into my hands. The entire day being one rollercoaster of emotions No Rather these months have been a rollercoaster of emotions. So much has happened. So much that can¡¯t be taken back But I still felt relief. And a warm feeling. I was safe. Mister Dragon would keep me safe. And I cried But not sad tears Happy tears. With mister Dragon leaning forward, embracing me with his big head. Letting me hug him as I dirtied his scales with snot and tears. And suddenly. Everything felt all right. Chapter - 53 I woke with a start, having dreamt about lizards, rats. And death. It wasn¡¯t the most unpleasant dream I¡¯ve ever had But it wasn¡¯t pleasant. Slowly opening my eyes, I felt refreshed. No. More than just refreshed. Renewed, as if someone had let me sleep away all the late nights. As if someone had massaged out all my knots in my entire body. Like someone had breathed new life into me. What a wonderful feeling, never slept this good. And as my eyes grew into an open slit, I had to briefly close them again, the sun blinding. Turning my head to the side, an involuntary groan leaked out of my mouth, the painful sun being a stark contrast to the wonderful feeling in my body. ¡°Good morning¡± Something sung, a voice like honey, the voice of my mother coming to mind When we were younger, when life was simpler. My eyes opened again, opening in the voice''s direction. Seeing mom . But her face was contorting, morphing. I couldn¡¯t quite grasp the exact features, yet it was clearly mom¡¯s face. I opened my mouth to speak, surprised at the ease it floated out. ¡°Mom?¡± And she laughed melodically, beautifully. I found myself smiling, feeling happy. ¡°So that¡¯s what I look like to you? Always interesting to know.¡± My head tilted to the side, my face contorting into confusion. Yet, I didn¡¯t feel confused. She smiled at my reaction, letting her beautiful voice seep out again. ¡°But no, I am not your mom.¡± She said easily, something that should have surprised me more, but I wasn¡¯t. It was weird. But at the same time, it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Then, who are you?¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡± She asked instead, one brow raised above the other. Although when I looked again, it wasn¡¯t raised. It just felt like it was. ¡°Uhm, yeah¡± I asked hesitantly, but somehow not feeling hesitant. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the curious one? Hehe, yeah, I¡¯m Death. And you¡¯re in my realm.¡± She said, not taking me by surprise, which took me more by surprise. I don¡¯t know. Although, now that I think about it, her morphing resembles that centaur god. Yet, she seems more... Stable? Her smile widened as I kept quiet, and I felt safe. As if I could tell her anything and she wouldn¡¯t judge me.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a bad dream, was it?¡± I asked, not feeling sad about it, but a little melancholic. She shook her head while gently stating. ¡°No." My eyes looked away from her, down at my body, seeing through it, down to the ground. I lifted my hands, seeing my legs underneath them, seeing the ground underneath my legs. ¡°How is she? The human?¡± My hands weirdly comforting for being ghostly. ¡°She is fine, she is sad that you¡¯re gone.¡± She responded, sharing my wonder for my hands. Even letting out a delightful laugh. I smiled at that, forgetting the regret of leaving her. My head wobbled up, meeting the wonderful face of my mom, morphing slowly into the face of the human. Seeing two wonderfully green eyes. Reflecting my dull brown eyes. I shook my thoughts away, staring out and away from her. Seeing nothing. Nothing And more- No. Something is there. It looks It looks like a door. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked, staring intently at the door. ¡°What do you see?¡± She asked me, following my gaze towards the door. ¡°A door.¡± I answered simply, feeling my legs pushing me upwards without the help of my hands. Floating up. ¡°Interesting, I thought you fauns didn¡¯t like doors.¡± She stated, more to herself than to me. Shaking her head and looking out over me. Somehow I knew that, even though she was behind me. ¡°That¡¯s your afterlife. Your forever after. Your eternity. ¡± She responded, seeing me wandering slowly towards the door. Very slowly I moved, feeling drawn, feeling like something wonderful was behind it. Then I stopped. ¡°What¡¯s behind it?¡± I asked, looking both at the door and her. ¡°Everyone, everything and anything.¡± She said with a smile. I turned around to meet her. ¡°Is it fake? Is it just for me?¡± ¡°Hmm, quite the non-believer, huh? Didn¡¯t think that of you. But it doesn¡¯t surprise me. You¡¯ve met many things that defy your fate.¡± A quick response, leaning more towards a statement than a response. But she quickly shook her head, her face smudging reality as it twisted from side to side. Before slowing to a stop, looking at me. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to go off on a tangent. But no, no it¡¯s real. Your ancestors are waiting for you." I smiled, happy that I wouldn¡¯t be alone. But it vanished quickly. ¡°What about her?¡± She smiled gently hearing that, her eyes growing soft. Literally. ¡°Oh, oh you¡¯ll meet her. Eventually.¡± She paused for a second. Or a minute. Or an eternity. ¡°You¡¯ll meet them all. Eventually.¡± I turned away from her, looking at the door in the distance. Taking a step Getting pushed back. And now, I felt confused. Actually confused. I turned to her, actually turning to her. Seeing a smile. A smug smile. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t say? You¡¯re not welcome yet. Your time hasn¡¯t come.¡± I stared quizzically at her, my mouth dropping open. And she laughed loudly, echoing throughout my very soul. ¡°Ahahaha! You should see your face right now! Priceless, I tell you. Priceless!¡± My face gawked at the so-called god My previous awe vanishing into a pool of surprise. Slowly coalescing into a pool of annoyance. Of mild anger. ¡°Hey! What do you mean?¡± The god wiped a tear from her eye, eyes gazing upwards, her face morphing, her size changing, yet being the same through it all. And I stared mildly dazed. ¡°Hahaha, oooh. It isn¡¯t every day I can play a prank, you know. Oh, that was fabulous.¡± My brow furrowed further, staring the god down. And as its eyes saw mine, a wicked yet playful, smile covered its face. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised the human likes to play with you, what wonderful expressions you have.¡± Then suddenly, something started ringing, sounding like small bells all going off at the same time. Sounding both annoying, yet melodious. ¡°Oh, is it time already? Well ¡°mister butler¡±, it¡¯s been nice knowing you. We will see each other another time! Byebye!" The god said in a chirp, sounding excited. Then my world drowned in colour, vanishing. My body going through stages upon stages of morphing, pain, and pleasure. As if every part of my body had to be recalibrated . As if every emotion had to be felt . As if every sensation had to be checked. Then everything turned to black. And then there was colour. And I noticed myself staring up at a blue sky with my back firmly pressed against something hard. ¡°Mister butler!¡± She yelled excitedly And I just blinked in response. The god of death waved as the faun vanished from its realm. Its smile was not disappearing even as the faun went away completely, going back to the mortal realm. It even smiled as something enormous, gigantic, entered its realm. A feat even gods had a hard time doing. For the god of Death didn¡¯t like visitors. ¡°We meet again. Dragon¡± The god said, not looking into the Dragon¡¯s eyes. Not needing too. ¡°You know I can¡¯t let you do this? The other god¡¯s will get mad.¡± The Dragon huffed out blue flame, filling the realm in warmth. Radiating power of the highest grade. The god sighed. ¡°I understand, I know. But I gotto play by the rules, no matter how much I like someone.¡± The Dragon stood up on its hind legs, stretching its neck, touching the ceiling. A ceiling that shouldn¡¯t exist. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry. But this isn¡¯t like last time... I¡¯ve already been warned, and it won''t go down easy with the others.¡± The Dragon stretched out its wings Its scales glittering in the sunless realm. ¡°Huh, that could work. Well Dragon. You have a deal!¡± And without a trace The Dragon disappeared. And the god of death¡¯s smile vanished. Replaced by pity. Chapter - 54 ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±
¡°Human. Was that an attempt at a pun?¡± ¡°Girl¡± ¡°Girl, I care naught for childish behaviour. But refrain from doing me physical harm, even if it does nothing.¡± ¡°Say... What?¡± ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Please refrain from being an inbred, invalid, enormously stupid girl.¡± ¡°You do... Pffff hahaha oh girl! How meager can you be?¡± ¡°Is it not obvious? They fear me!¡± ¡°I would normally just kill everyone... But as thisgirl does not want that.. I have no clue- I mean, I do not care. ¡°As long as she is all right¡± Chapter - 55 ¡°Eeehm, you should probably stop hugging the dragon.¡±
¡°Human, This time I will have to admit with the retarded Faun. My subjects are looking, and it is embarrassing.¡± ¡°No, I worded that wrong. You bring shame to my great form. Please refrain from touching me and jump off.¡± ¡°If you do not, I will have to take drastic measures.¡± ¡°I am not an interpreter, that is beneath me.¡± ¡°Girl, did you just admit that I am above you?¡± ¡°Not funny. And I am not an interpreter.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He¡¯s saying. `God, why are you in the presence of such filth? Let us get rid of them for you¡ä¡± "Yes, it¡¯s mostly just about how glorious, wonderful, excellent, admirable, strong- Why am I even with you two?¡± ¡°Hrmpf, girl, how have you not already figured that out? It is to find their wonderful god¡± ¡°Is that not also obvious? They want to give tribute, worship my perfect form. Oh, am I not just the greatest?¡± ¡°Something about `how dare you filthy my rump with your dirty scales peasant?¡ä¡± ¡°Hrmpf, do not compare me to something so obviously lesser than me. It offends me.¡± ¡°He is saying that he has come here to bring the word of god to all the non-believers.¡± ¡°To make it simple for your puny little brain. These lizards think killing everyone will make me happy.¡± ¡°I do not take orders.¡± ¡°I am not stupid¡± ¡°No, I actually can not. I do not see good or evil, girl. That is a human concept. I only see a devote worshiper who has his own interpretation of what I want.¡± ¡°Nothing. Now, we have rats to deal with.¡±