by Virlyce
Tafel nodded. “Never make a dragon angry,” she said. She paused. “What are the scary things then?”
“Maybe you’ll find out when you’re older,” Dustin said as he ruffled her hair. She couldn’t see it, but Dustin’s expression turned grim as he stared at the orb on the table.
7
In the human’s capital, on the opposite side of the city from the royal castle, there was a white building with steeples and a cross embedded on its two metal doors. The windows were made of colorful stained glass, and doves could be seen roosting on the roofs and windowsills. On the second floor of the church, a blonde-haired girl was sleeping on a white bed while cuddling a pink stuffed dragon.
“Michelle, get dressed and come downstairs. Rudolph returned to the city last night,” a muffled voice called out. “If you get dressed fast enough, you might be able to eat breakfast with him.”
The girl yawned, sat up in bed, and rubbed the crust out of her eyes. She washed her face with the bucket of water in the corner of her room and changed into a white robe. After clipping on a silver cross necklace, she skipped down the stairs while humming. “You forgot to comb your hair,” her mother said when she saw the smiling girl. “Are you that excited to see him?”
Michelle giggled and ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing out the tangles. Her mother smiled at her. Ever since Rudolph had his coming-of-age ceremony, Michelle always wanted to see him. At least, if they got married, the church and state would be united. After the mother and daughter donned their shoes, they left the church and held hands as they made their way to the royal castle. They arrived just in time to see Rudolph riding Johann towards his parents.
Michelle ran towards the prince and said, “You were gone for three weeks; I missed you so much!” Rudolph smiled as his face turned red, and he was about to say something in reply, but Michelle hugged Johann and kissed him on the snout, completely ignoring the prince. Michelle giggled as Johann snorted and licked her face.
“I don’t get a hug?” Rudolph asked as he dismounted Johann. He opened his arms and waited.
“Of course not,” Michelle said and pinched her nose. “You stink.”
Rudolph frowned and dropped his arms to his side. “It’s not my fault. I just emptied Johann’s poop bag. Alistar wouldn’t let me for the whole journey,” he said and lowered his head.
Michelle stuck her tongue out at him. “C’mon, Johann. Let’s go to the gardens,” she said and tugged on Johann’s reins.
“Wait for me,” Rudolph said as he chased after them.
The queen smiled at the two kids. “It’s good to see you again,” the queen said to Michelle’s mother. “Come inside; we’re about to have breakfast.”
Michelle’s mother curtsied. “Don’t mind if I do.”
***
The moon shone overhead, bathing Johann and the two kids sitting by his side with a soft glow. Michelle let out a sigh as Johann curled his neck and rested his head against her leg. “You’re going to another dungeon already?” Michelle asked as she rubbed the dragon’s snout. “You just got back though.”
“Why does it seem like you’re talking to Johann and not me?” Rudolph said as he stared at the back of her head. His body was even separated from hers by one of Johann’s paws.
Michelle smiled. “Does it really?” she asked. “You must be imagining things.”
Rudolph sighed. Every time he spent the day with Michelle, she’d always insist on Johann being there. One time, Johann didn’t show up because he was napping and Michelle suddenly felt ill and went home. “I’ll be going to an orange-ranked dungeon this time. Maybe I’ll reach level ten,” Rudolph said. He hesitated and stared at the ground. “So…”
Michelle waited, but Rudolph didn’t continue. “So … what?” she asked and tilted her head.
Rudolph’s face turned red. “N-nothing,” he said and looked away.
“It’s not nothing. Tell me what you were going to say,” she said and leaned forward. “I want to know.”
Rudolph shook his head. “It really was nothing.”
“Stop lying. Pleeeease?”
Rudolph looked at Michelle, her eyes glittering as she stared at him. He took a deep breath and asked, “I-if I reach level ten … will you, um, go out w-with me?” His cheeks were on fire, and he stared at his hands as he waited for an answer.
“Oh. Um. I really don’t know what to say to that,” Michelle said as she blushed and bit her lower lip. “D-do you hear that? I think my mother is calling for me. I think I should go.” She stood up and dashed away before she had even finished speaking.
Rudolph watched her back as it disappeared around a corner. His chest tightened, and he gritted his teeth. “Let’s go, Johann,” he said and exhaled.
The sky-blue dragon blinked a few times before standing up and stretching out his wings. He followed after Rudolph but occasionally glanced in the direction Michelle went. A small, white figure waved at him, causing his tail to wag. The dragon nodded at Michelle before leaving the gardens with Rudolph tugging on his reins.
***
A naga stared down at the hooded figure in front of him as he crossed his arms over his chest. His upper body was that of a human, but his lower half was similar to a snake’s. Black tattoos spiraled up his bare arms, ending at his sleeveless vest. On his neck, there were dozens of golden chains with different kinds of teeth hanging from them.
“I’ll give you 50 red crystals for him,” a naga said in snaketongue. The language of the nagas sounded melodic like a lark singing. His body swayed from side to side as he poked and prodded the half-naked humanoid creature by the cloaked figure’s side.
Lindyss shook her head underneath her hood. “That’s too low,” she said back in snaketongue. Vur tilted his head at the hissing sounds and furrowed his brows. The duo had arrived at the central city of the nagas and lamias and a few had taken a special interest in Vur.
“What are you saying?” Vur asked as he tugged on Lindyss’ cloak. He was wearing black pants made out of sandshark skin, and the outline of a dagger could be seen on his thigh.
Lindyss smiled at him and rubbed his head. “They’re asking to play with you like mock fighting,” she replied in elvish, the only language he understood.
“I want to play!” Vur said. He looked at the naga and then back at Lindyss.
Lindyss asked the naga, “He’ll be set free if he wins one hundred matches right?”
The naga nodded before frowning at the boy who was staring up at him. Vur really was small compared to the merchant. “How about 75 red crystals?”
“300,” Lindyss said.
The naga snorted. “That’s too much. People will be interested since it’s exotic, but it looks like it can only last half a match. I’ll be losing too much.”
“I guarantee you, he’ll make you a lot more than 300. He knows how to fight,” she replied. “I’ll pay the difference if he doesn’t manage.”
The naga narrowed his eyes at her without speaking. His arms uncrossed as he smiled. “Alright. 300 crystals. You have to bring him food though,” he said with a nod.
Lindyss smiled back. “Good. 300 red crystals and he goes free after winning a hundred matches,” she said. “I’ll be watching.” She removed her hood, and smiled at the naga, revealing her pointed fangs. The naga’s eyes widened as his tail trembled, and he bowed until his head touched the ground.
“Corrupted One,” he said, his voice quavering. “Forgive me. I was impudent.”
Vur tugged on Lindyss’ cloak again. “Can I play yet?”
“In a bit,” Lindyss said and beamed at him as the naga got up and readied a pouch, adding an extra amount of crystals. “Go with the nice man. When you’re done playing, I’ll get you a nice present.”
***
In a circular coliseum at the center of the snakemen capital, hundreds of nagas and lamias gathered, filling up the seats in the elevated edges. The center of the coliseum was filled with sand, and there were a few bl
ack clumps where blood had dried. The sun shone directly over the battleground, leaving no shadows in the arena. Two gates, underneath the seating area, faced each other from opposite sides: In one gate, there was the figure of a naga wielding two shortspears. In the other, Vur was sitting next to Lindyss with Snuffles sleeping on his lap.
A lamia with a young-looking face climbed onto a platform in the seating area which was specially made for announcers. She cleared her throat and used wind magic to amplify her voice as she said, “Ladies and gentlemen! Today, dear guests, we have a rare exotic species for our opening match—the servant of the Corrupted One. She brought this human here to test his mettle, and since today is his opening match, no one knows his ability, but a servant of the Corrupted One is bound to be strong. Don’t underestimate him just because he’s small. His opponent is, Nar’lith, seven-time winner and son of the Slhill tribe’s chieftain. As many of you know, the Slhill tribe was conquered by the Svathi a few moon cycles ago. Nar’lith is their only hope at redemption if he can win one hundred matches. Will he go on to claim another victory today? Or will the servant shut him down? Place your bets!”
“What are they saying?” Vur asked Lindyss. He frowned at the metal gates holding him back. “Can I play yet?”
“Very soon. They’re saying the rules for the game,” Lindyss replied as she lifted Snuffles off of his lap. “You’ll be fighting that snake over there. You’re not allowed to use dragon magic or show your aura. Only unnoticeable self-buffs and weapons allowed.”
Vur nodded. “Okay,” he said. “No dragon magic.”
“Also, you can’t eat him,” Lindyss said.
Vur pouted. “Just a taste?” he asked and stared up at her with puppy eyes.
Lindyss shook her head and said, “Not in front of all those people. I’ll feed you one tonight if you win.”
“Okay,” Vur said, his lips widening into a smile. “Grimmy says dragons never lose.”
“All bets have been placed, and the fighters are ready. Remember the rules: there are no rules and we want to see blood!” the announcer shouted. The seated snakemen let out roars and thumped their tails against the floor. “Open the gates!”
“It’s starting,” Lindyss said as the metal gate creaked and swung open. “Have fun.”
Vur dashed out of the room and waited at the center of the arena for Nar’lith. Contrary to Grimmy’s teachings of ‘attack first, ask questions later,’ Lindyss had taught him firsthand to observe his opponents before making a move.
Nar’lith circled around Vur, getting closer with each rotation. “I’ll make this quick child,” he hissed. “It’s a shame killing someone so youn—. Wait. What are you doing?”
Vur pulled his pants down to his knees and retrieved his dagger after rummaging around. Lindyss facepalmed. She should’ve made him a belt sheath instead. Nar’lith stared as Vur put his dagger on the ground and grabbed the top of his pants to pull it back up.
Swish!
The naga dashed forward and stabbed his spear towards Vur’s head.
“Wah!” Vur cried out and fell over onto his butt as the spear grazed his scalp. Nar’lith raised his other spear and stabbed down at Vur who quickly turned over and leapt forward. The spear stabbed through the top of his pants, but Vur’s body continued forward, slipping out of them.
Lindyss sighed. “Why do I even try…?” she muttered to Snuffles as the naga impaled her handiwork.
“That’s not nice!” Vur said as he scrambled to his feet and turned around. “Auntie made those for me.”
The naked boy pounced towards Nar’lith with his hands outstretched. The naga twisted his body to the side until his back was parallel to the floor and stabbed at Vur with the spear in his left hand as the boy passed over him. Nar’lith’s eyes widened as Vur contorted his body, dodging the spear before grabbing it with his right hand and using it as a pivot to redirect himself towards the naga. Nar’lith gritted his teeth and stabbed at Vur with the spear in his right hand, but Vur caught it with his left. The naga looked up at the boy whose body was suspended in the air above him and tried to pull his spears apart. The muscles on his arms bulged, and a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
The naga grunted and gritted his teeth. “Let go!” he roared as he tried to rip his spear out of Vur’s grasp. Instead of releasing the naga’s weapons, Vur opened his mouth and puked onto Nar’lith’s face. The naga screamed and dropped both his spears as he clawed at the vomit which was corroding his skin. He gagged and dry heaved, but Vur punched him in the temple, causing Nar’lith to pass out.
Lindyss shook her head and sighed again. Snuffles raised his sleepy head and looked at her before letting out an oink.
“W-winner! The servant has triumphed over Nar’lith,” the lamia said as she pinched her nose. “Someone hurry up and clean up that vomit—it smells terrible. I believe that was the miro skill, dissolving acid. It looks like the servant is the most versatile class out there—the blue mage!”
The audience glanced at each other, and a few half-hearted hisses sounded out from the seating area. Vur picked up the dagger that he didn’t use and put on his torn pants before returning back to Lindyss. She glanced at Vur’s dangling second dagger and pinched the bridge of her nose. Is there a point in putting on pants if it doesn’t cover anything? Another sigh escaped from her lips as she stared at Vur with no expression on her face. “Good job.”
***
The Red Blade Adventurers stood at the edge of the wilderness with their mouths agape. The once flourishing, green plains were scorched with layers of thick ash floating in the air. Everywhere they looked was a sea of black and gray, providing a stark contrast to the viridian forest they had just left.
“What happened here?” Sophie asked as she tightened her grip on her sword.
Zeke crinkled his nose as he undid his bandana and tied it around his nose and mouth. “It smells like burning hair. And death.”
“Look,” Claire said and pointed towards a cluster of shambling figures. “There are people.”
“Let’s ask them what happened,” Aran said as he equipped his greatsword. The wrinkles on his face had disappeared, and his pepper-and-salt-colored hair lost the salt.
“Something’s not right,” Zul said as they got closer.
The figures ahead of them were stumbling with tattered clothes and disheveled hair. One of them turned around and stared at the group. Half of his face was covered with burn tissue, and flesh hung from his other cheek. He raised an arm and moaned.
“Zombies,” Claire said and sucked in her breath. She raised her staff and chanted. A white light covered the group as she cast shield: physical and shield: magic.
Ross and Aran charged forwards and engaged the group of zombies. The adventurers made quick work of them. “Man, I didn’t even get to do anything,” Zeke said. “They were too weak.”
Zul crouched next to the zombies and hovered his hand over their corpses. A web of runes formed in the air, and he furrowed his brow. “These were just villagers,” he said. “Could the liches be on the move?”
“You think the graveyard is expanding?” Ross asked as he wiped brain matter off his leather gloves. “Why now?”
Zul shook his head. “I don’t know, but we should hurry back and report this.” The group murmured in agreement and disappeared into the clouds of ash with their weapons raised.
***
At the front of a classroom, a one-horned demon was blathering on about geography. Gabriel and Lamach were sitting next to each other, bored expressions on their faces. Gabriel’s eyes were half-closed, and every so often, Lamach’s head would dip down before bouncing back up again.
Gabriel yawned. “I never thought I’d say it, but I miss killing slimes,” he whispered to Lamach.
“Me too,” Lamach whispered back.
“Am I interrupting you two?” the teacher asked Gabriel and Lamach, snapping his book shut.
“No, sir,” Lamach said. “Gabriel was just asking me a q
uestion.”
“Oh? What question might that be?”
“Uh … what does, um, what is … to the”—Gabriel looked around and saw a map—“south? What is to the south of the wilderness?”
The teacher blinked. “A very good question,” he said and nodded. “The simplest answer is, we don’t know. We know of some regions and landmarks in the wilderness, but we have never been able to travel past the dragon’s roost. Since you’re so intellectually inclined today, how about you name the four key landmarks in the wilderness?”
Gabriel made a face. “There’s the dragon’s roost, uh, the Tree of Knowledge, um … the Fountain of Youth, and the graveyard? That’s all of them, right?”
“Very good. I wasn’t expecting someone like you to know that many,” the demon said and nodded. He was about to say something else, but the door to the classroom swung open, and a burly demon, Doofus, stepped inside.
“The graveyard’s expanding,” the ex-adventurer shouted, ignoring the glare the one-horned teacher sent him. “C’mon, kids. It’s time for you to get some real combat experience.” He smiled at Lamach and Gabriel. “And I don’t mean slimes. We’re going to kill some zombies.”
***
Tafel bit her lower lip as she glanced at her father who was eating his meal. She stabbed at her vegetables, shifting her gaze from her plate to her father’s face.
“What is it?” the demon lord asked as he placed down his cutlery.
“Can I go fight the zombies too?” Tafel asked.
Her father raised an eyebrow. “Of course,” he said. A smile crept onto his lips. “It would—”
“No,” her mother said as she cut her steak without looking up.
“But, Mom,” Tafel said, her purple lips pouting. “Gabriel and Lamach are going.”
“And that’s all the more reason you don’t need to,” her mother replied.
“But I want to get experience too,” Tafel said. “Dustin thinks I’m strong enough. I’m even starting to grow more horns, see?” She pointed at her forehead. Two small bulges were protruding above her eyebrows.
