Returning to the mountains foot I reported my sightings to the commander keeping civilians and adventurers at bay.
Looking up I saw the dragon fighting Quinella viciously not giving her any room to breathe as it melted her weapons away one after another. It was envying watching her fight against a legendary creature and there were three of them here at that.
Even though I'm the royal scout knight... why am I the only one not fighting something incredible?
Walking away looking back down at the earth I headed for a white tent where the recently injured Preirig soldiers were recuperating.
As I lifted the veil a metal tray of silver utensils was being thrown against the cloth.
"Sir, please calm down! There are other patients here!"
"Calm down? Calm down! We just got beaten up and chased away by a dog, losing two of our members yet you want me to calm down?!" The angry man was overhearing one of his fellow teammates as he seethed angrily.
"Knock it off!" The two froze from a brown-skinned girl's voice as she laid on a bed "max's wound wasn't fatal and avoided anything vital and Percy is frozen but not dead. We just need a way to get that stuff out of him."
As I walked forward I spotted the two aforementioned men. Ones chest was covered in blood-soaked bandages while the other was covered in purple veins locking him in position though he groaned as much as possible trying to speak.
Seeing the familiar veins I spoke "I know someone who can do something similar. Maybe he can do something to help your friend?"
The group of animakin looked at me as I observed their frozen friend. The big one quickly grabbed my collar and lifted me from the floor "if you know him then go get him to help instead of dawdling about, human!"
"Easy there. I never said I was a friend of his. The last time we met he beat me black and blue."
The big guy lifted his fist to punch "you little..!"
"Enough!" The man froze again and dropped me "go outside Mathias and cool off!"
With a grumble, he stepped outside and the tent became quiet "who are you?"
"Orchard of the Searigan royal knights scouting regiment. You are?"
"Mayliff, commander of sweeping talons squad." The girl nudged her head and the rest of her squad quickly disappeared "what do you want to ask"
"Just a quick question so don't worry. I'll tell you that person's name after." Mayliff stayed silent and I continued "what are you doing acting in Searigan borders? The Banderans have an excuse with the dragon but you don't. Did you know this was going to happen?"
Mayliff scoffed at my question then spoke "I wish I knew this was going to happen. It's tradition for our squad to do training in the mountains here every few months. We sensed the mana surge then found the Fenrir. We thought that if we killed that we could get promoted and get benefits for our respective clans."
As I wrote down her response several screams sounded outside "thank you for your answers commander Mayliff!"
"Wait! Who's the man you mentioned?!"
Running out of the tent I saw the dragon flat on its back tearing apart a Bandero soldier trying to stab into its chest with a spear. After tearing the black knight in half the black dragon roared and shot a flaming jet up into the sky dispersing Quinella and the rest of her soldiers.
The dragon then got up onto all fours and roared fiercely once more.
"Damn dragon! Die!" One of the Bandero soldiers shot a blindingly bright spear at the dragon.
"No!" If the dragon dodges it will kill all the civilians within the area!
The dragon spread out its wings taking the full force of the attack shielding all the innocents from the explosion.
"The dragon saved them?"
Many were speechless from the spectacle but when the smoke cleared the Bandero soldiers were even more surprised. Was it not injured by that attack as well?
The same soldier began forming another light javelin but before he could finish several of his teammates punched him in the face knocking him out making him fall to the ground.
"Fool!"
"You nearly caused an international disaster! Don't do it again!"
The dragon angrily roared and sprinted to where the soldier had fallen.
Quinella and her troops got to the ground in an attempt to draw the dragon's attention elsewhere as they shot into its side but it just ignored them and stepped on the fallen soldier's unconscious body turning him into a meat paste.
The dragon lifted its foot as the Banderans looked on in horror and showed the blood dripping on it to the Bandero soldiers as if to mock them.
They were originally 7 in number but now there were only 4 left. Each was a platinum rank in strength but this dragon wasn't injured let alone tired from facing all of them.
The dragon's large wings spread and with a heavy flap it ascended back up the mountain to where the wolf and titan were looking down at us
"Where was that calamitous thing hiding all this time?"
Incursik POV:
[i see you had fun, Thorn. Killing three platinum ranks is no easy feat no matter the world]
The black dragon strutted proudly as it landed "thank you for the praise." Thorn quickly shifted from his proud attitude to one of seriousness "how long until he's out?" Thorn wasn't showing it but the last hit he took had injured him
[10]
The three beasts looked at my mirage and Thorn asked "ten what?"
[9]
"Oh shit!"
"Finally!"
"The master will return at long last."
[8]
[7]
[6]
[5]
[4]
[3]
[2]
[1]
With a final world tearing crack the cocoon split open to reveal a black armored knight with three white horns on its helmet with a fur collar and four red and purple ribbon-like tails hanging from his back.
The knight lifted its head to reveal two silver eyes glowing through its visor and it stood up observing its own body.
Taking a step forward looking right into his eyes I asked [how do you feel, princess?]
The knight lifted its gaze from its body and looked at me "like a king."
[haha! Good to have you back!]
Cayden Barbaten POV:
The feeling of having crystal skin was weird but was quickly distracted from it when Lupra came jumping at me shrinking her size down to fit in my arms "papa!" The little wolf snuggled restlessly in my arms and I held her tightly.
"It is good to see you are in good health master." Ronik shrunk down and held out my silver necklace in his hand for me to take. "It's been exactly 2 months 3 days and 16 hours since you entered that state master."
Taking the necklace from Ronik I held it up "2 months huh? Guess I won't be going to school quickly then."
I patted Roniks head as I grasped how long I had been gone for. For me, it was only a couple of minutes after killing Silven, did the fight last that long?
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we need to get moving. The army down the mountain is pushing up." Thorn was staring down the mountain and I quickly stood next to him full of a shock to see silver and blue waves of soldiers climbing up the slope.
"What did you four do?!" I raved as I made the four of them kneel before me to explain
[well... it's kinda your fault. Because of your bright display we've been fighting the joint efforts of three different kingdoms trying to steal you away thinking you are a treasure sent from God.]
"Oh... that's not good." In a hurry, I sucked the three beasts into the soul veil letting them rest after protecting me.
[not in the slightest. Its four, now though]
"Huh?"
Vines broke through the earth holding me down and looking up I saw a small group of Priveth elites all platinum level in strength looking down at me with their posh faces.
"Is this what those fools down there are after?"
"Well done sister Vanicus. The chief will be pleased with our work. Let's take it home quickly before they arrive."
"Yes, senior brother."
The vines tightened around me but with a little strength, I was able to tear through them as if they weren't there.
Normally I would have had to use at least some elemental mana. How strong am I now?
"Beast! You dare break the vines of Mother Nature?"
Ignoring him I felt lightning gather at the ends of my fingers and acted as if I was flicking a booger away with my crystal fingers shooting a powerful thunderbolt in the stone wall leaving a massive mark surprising both myself and the Priveth soldiers.
"How did it do that?"
"I sensed no mana discharge!"
I see now! It wasn't mana but attrium that I felt! It didn't hurt as much as usual when I did that. Did I gain some sort of enhancement on my circuits? Or was it thanks to the armor?
A ball of water splashed against my crystalline back and I faced up to see the frustration on the group's faces. They all shivered when I stared at them.
This time only gathering pure mana into my palm I shot out another lightning bolt equal in strength to the first paralyzing the whole group making them fall and jitter as small bolts of corruption covered their bodies.
[i'll tell you in detail about your body's changes later but get out of here first. There's still the whole army down there to escape from as well after all.]
Nodding at incursiks suggestion I pulled out a bronze sphere with a black ring around it from the necklace. "Take me to somewhere safe." Twisting the artifact it blinked yellow twice then red failing to activate.
"What?! That's how you work though!"
"Take me south!" The device failed to activate again "you useless piece of crap! Do you only work when my life is in peril?!"
Throwing the orb into the ground in a rage, thunder clapped above me.
"I will never disrespect you again."
Picking up the orb I questioned how I was going to leave this place let alone turn my body back to normal. I sighed then looked up to see a Bandero soldier with black hair observing me with a recording artifact.
I could probably use her as a hostage to leave here but currently there under the impression I'm some sort of beast so it's best to feign intelligence for now.
[you've been doing a great job of that so far.]
"Shut up! If you have an idea then share it!" Why am I so emotional? It normally takes a while before I'm this angry.
[i do have one but I don't want to do it]
"Just tell me, bastard!"
[fine] Incursik downloaded several things into my brain and how in this form I was technically a spirit entity.
[theres currently an occult ritual trying to summon a dead god from Duatten. As my host body, this works as a two-for-one deal. I go, you go.]
Looking over the edge I saw the Searig army getting close with several platinum rank masters looking down at me in the sky. My odds of leaving without a fight are slim let alone escaping them all. The problem with taking the portal option was that I had no idea where we would end up.
We could go as far as to the shattered isles down south. It would take ages to get back to Tyres.
My thoughts continued and I didn't notice the front line of soldiers had reached the clearing. The powerhouses that led them saw me staying motionless and gulped in fear of my presence.
"You there! What are you?" My head lifted to face him and several of the ordinary men behind him either passed out or wet their pants.
[make up your mind. We've only got a few minutes until the portal becomes powerful enough to allow us to pass through.]
Then a thought came to me. What if it's the falling gods cult? The rumors of them in the black markets information guilds were nowhere near enough. Now I had a chance to potentially get a VIP pass into their hideout.
Alright. Let's do it.
Incursik's mirage clapped and the thunder above grew violent
[the ink of curses has invited you to a summoning]
[you have accepted!]
[space transition will begin in: 3 minutes]
The man continued his shouting demanding me to listen and obey him. The platinum ranks surrounding the air looked unfavorably towards him but paid close attention to every move I made.
My face was filled with envy on how they could fly on their own. Even with wind magic, it's still completely impossible for me due to my lack of aptitude for aerial spells. Unless of course, I count in the ribbons on my back...
"Listen, you shameless wretch! If you do not remove that armor we will be forced to attack you with the might of the Searigan army!"
I'm not going to be able to act like Thorn and roar all the time so let's skip the acting.
"Do you not have eyes? I'm busy. Go away."
The onlookers were surprised I spoke and the Bandero girl quickly came down to communicate.
"I am Quinella of house Bloodrav. May I have a moment of your time, mighty spirit?"
The woman's subordinates quickly stopped any opposition from the Searigan commander but as I looked at her I noticed her black armor and unpleasant memories from Renway village began to resurface.
To mess with them I spoke in god tongue {i just want to leave so please go away}
What happened next though caught me off guard {could you please tell me how you plan to leave?} Quinella had spoken in godtongue.
The writing of god tongue is everywhere as runes but to meet someone else who could speak it? This was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack
"What do you want from me?"
"I mean no hostility. I simply want a few answers and an apology." My head shifted showing I didn't know what she wanted an apology for and she quickly answered "the dragon that protected you caused the death of two of my most treasured subordinates."
My hostility was directed to Thorn inside the soul veil and he quickly defended himself "I killed one of those idiots because they tried to get ordinary people involved! The other two were to make my life easier for protecting you jackass!"
Wait, you killed three? Why did she only say two?
[2 minutes till transition starts]
Short on time and curious I spoke loudly "My apologies for the loss of your underlings. I will answer three questions as the price for each death."
She jerked back slightly then spoke "do you understand what I mean when I say "the venerable protector," mighty one?"
My eyes turned to incursik. It was an alias similar to his but he showed no sign of worry or familiarity.
[a dead god is in Hades? The future will certainly be favored by Bandero.]
[the venerable protector is someone I'm familiar with. He'd preach day and night on how we should protect lesser beings providing them salvation. Never was on friendly terms though]
"The name is familiar, Quinella. I'm no friend of his but I have heard his preachings of salvation."
Quinella's face glowed "Second question. What is the name your lordship goes by?"
As I was about to open my supposed mouth to respond incursik shut me off.
[don't use mine. If you do Bandero will immediately turn against you.]
What? Why?
[a gods alias shows their alignment in good and evil. Mine is about a quarter into evil but that's enough to have all the absolute good gods go against you and the venerable is most definitely an absolute good.]
What should I say then?
Incursik shrugged at me not helping in the slightest. I quickly thought of a neutral yet domineering name but was unsure if it would work.
"I am 'the lightnings frozen flame.'" Several looks pierced me after I said this full of questions and obvious insult.
[hahahaha! Really? I mean it's neutral but you could have just said unknown. That would at least guarantee your safety. Now venerable is going to ask the elemental faction of your existence.]
[1 minute till transition. Please prepare]
Quinella also looked put off by my name. I wanted to slap incursik then myself but I'm trying to act like a god right now.
"What a... magnanimous name great spirit"
In an attempt to recover I said "I am but a low ranked god. Until I can ascend further my name holds no real value to me. Please call me unknown."
Quinella bowed in agreement then asked her final question "unknown. What do you think about allying with The Venerable Protector?"
A chill ran up both mine and incursik's spines and the cold wind started to pierce my crystal skin. Incursik looked at me and then jammed his hand into Quinella's head getting all the information he could without her knowing.
Incursik then pulled his arm out and looked at me wide-eyed [the god is influencing the start of the war. The demons have infested Bandero like a disease and have already taken it over! This girl is a demon for christ's sake and is currently being watched over by him!]
Incursik threw his arms into the air angrily for me. He then rubbed his temple and continued relaying [it also looks like he's blessed a few people. One of them is waiting up the mountain in case you say no]
My body turned around and infusing the attrium into my eyes I spotted a lanky man holding a bastard blade waiting to attack, hidden by some sort of magic that made it impossible to sense him.
Turning back Quinella shivered from my irritated glare. Cover your ears incursik.
Without question, incursik's mirage did though he saw no real meaning for me telling him to.
[30 seconds till departure]
{I'm not fond of working with others miss Quinella but please pass a message to your god for me." The woman did a gesture with her hands signaling to the man behind me "tell him the cracked furnace in meadows end is beset by deers.}
[15 seconds till departure]
A dreadful roar howled behind the black-haired beauty and what looked like a triangle with two muscular arms and three eyes gaping its mouth out in choking pain trying to stop the pain caused by whatever I had said to it.
Bolts of mana flared rampantly and Quinella cried out in pain blasting everything around her away with a strong wind.
The hidden assailant revealed themselves swinging their bastard blade around to cleave my head off but I grabbed their blade with my crystalline gauntlet and coursed white lightning through it frying the man's body making him pass out.
Incursik uncovered his ears and wobbled overreaching his hand into the assailant's back pulling out a green piece of glass [let's not waste anything] he bit the green shard in half and the triangle howled in greater pain reaching out trying to grab incursik but it very hand went right through him.
[summoning portal has activated!]
[please enter within the next 5 seconds!]
A swirling pink light appeared above us and the triangle vanished as Quinella leaked blood from her nose as she fell over.
The four red and purple ribbons on my back spread out and lightning ran across them creating four electrified wings. Flapping them with all my might I flew right into the portal vanishing as the maelstrom ended leaving the Searigan soldiers all confused as to why Quinella was on the floor and how I had vanished