Cale was anxious.
No, calling the emotions he was feeling at the moment 'anxious' would be like labeling Clopeh Sekka as a sane individual.
His mind was a mess. Question after question kept his mind occupied. Scenario after scenario of what if.
Logically, he knew that Ohn was a smart girl, easily capable of reining her brothers in. Hong may act wild but he preferred to listen to his sister. Raon was Raon, which worried and reassured Cale at the same time.
The little dragon loved to showcase his power, declaring himself rightfully as a mighty dragon.
Normally, at least one additional adult dragon accompanied him, which was great. This time, Raon was alone with his siblings. Dangers were lurking around the corners. Cale didn't fear for his direct safety. Rather, he worried that hasty actions could cause an accident that would harm them in the long run.
Ultimately, they were kids, with the oldest barely scraping twelve years of age.
How could he not worry?
Even worse, Cale thought while watching Choi Han smash through the walls with relish, they disappeared right in front of them. Even Eruhaben couldn't trace them. A different kind of magic was shrouding them.
What kind of magic was able to fool even an ancient dragon?
It worried Cale.
Boom.
Someone made a noise behind him.
Bang.
"Yes?" Cale took the initiative and looked at Darnall. The other was missing his usual expression, instead sporting a rather confused look. His eyebrows did an odd little dance as he wet his lips, trying to form words that weren't as stupid as his thoughts.
In the end, his impulse control lost the fight and he spluttered, "Are you even human?"
Cale wrinkled his nose.
"Of course," he affirmed. Did they talk about this not even twenty minutes ago? Eruhaben was less than impressed, answering with a dry, "No."
Choi Han's chimed, "Yes," went over their heads since he chose that moment to smash through the next wall. The loud noise as it collapsed swallowed his answer.
Darnall just stared at the place where the thick wall previously was. Choi Han nonchalantly dusted off his cloak, walking into the corridor behind the hole. A quick look to the left, followed by one to the right before he walked straight ahead and began the process of removing the next wall.
"Right," Darnall commented.
At least his sass was returning, Cale thought before he ignored the other man. Darnall muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Human, my ass." Cale wisely decided that he didn't hear anything.
Eruhaben turned his head, sparing Darnall a second before he went back to magically keeping the dust away. Choi Han was the only one who at this point resembled a dust bunny more than a human. His whole outfit and head were covered in a layer of gray dust. Even his eyelashes had some valiantly clinging piles of dust, turning his dark lashes a pale gray.
Choi Han sneezed.
"There is no end," he pointed out after smashing through a few more walls. Cale agreed with him. They have been at it for a bit now, yet they didn't reach the end of the maze. It was like the area regenerated the outer layer of the labyrinth as soon as they moved further. Rise and repeat.
Cale was sick of it.
Why should he follow the rules of somebody's house when the host wasn't polite enough to greet them first?
With his patience as thin as Clopeh's strand of sanity, Cale decided to just cause a mess. If they wanted a shitshow, they'd get a shitshow.
"Choi Han," Cale called.
Obeying immediately, Choi Han stopped his endless quest of renovating the walls, leaping toward Cale with an attentive look on his face. Eruhaben paid close attention as well. He knew what was going to happen soon and could only sigh, although a vicious smile found its way onto his face.
Darnall was planless and he was slightly afraid.
The smile that formed on Cale's face could only be described as diabolical. It looked innocent on the outer layer but after following them for the last thirty minutes, Darnall realized that neither Cale nor his subordinates were simple.
Taking a precautionary step back, Darnall watched them.
"We have been polite long enough, don't you think so too?" Cale asked, the smile on his face turning sharp.
Darnall mouthed 'polite' like he heard that word for the first time and didn't know what it meant. The wall near him that previously got close to Choi Han's fist crumbled a bit more. Head-sized pieces fell onto the floor.
Right, polite.
"How about we go directly to our host and greet them since we have manners?"
Choi Han nodded. Eruhaben sighed.
Snorting, Darnall joined in. "And then?" He half expected Cale to say something along the lines of, "Talk to them and make them listen," or something more diplomatic than Cale's actual response, which was, "Cause a shitshow."
"What?"
Choi Han repeated calmly, "We will cause a shitshow." He somehow sounded proud of it. That and somewhat resigned.
Deciding that he really didn't want to know, Darnall just nodded. It was understandable since the owner took their friends. It was obvious that this place belonged to someone and was lived in, they found various footprints and tracks in the stone, clear signs that this labyrinth was used regularly.
A totally not suspicious sign at a wall they passed ten rounds ago stated, 'Laundry room to the left. Don't leave your dirty underwear near the kitchen again. I will have your hide and make mincemeat out of you. Signed, you better (smelling) half.'
There was even a kiss stamp at the bottom. Darnall was too disgusted to check whether the stamp was done with lipstick or had used another material. He was just glad that no dirty underwear was found.
Unfortunately, the direction the sign helpfully pointed was another wall that upon Choi Han's professional removal just showed them, you guessed it, another wall. At this point, they all were sick of stone and the color gray.
"How will we cause a shitshow?" Darnall asked, tentatively. His high tolerance of Silvio's normal level of bullshit allowed him to keep a clear head. The wooden staff in his hands felt rough and probably slightly underappreciated since it hadn't been used at all during their journey. Gripping the smooth wood tightly, Darnall started casting light spells. They were immediately canceled out by something near him.
Darnall scoffed and tried again. This time in another direction. The light fizzed out once more. Cale was following him leisurely at a safe distance as Darnall kept casting simple spells.
"Magic gets canceled," Darnall decided after a while. Suddenly, he blinked. But Eruhaben could cast the cleaning and clearing spells without problems. Why couldn't Darnall?
"Continue casting in that direction," Cale said, pointing to a corner. Darnall did as told. The spells fizzed out again.
Eruhaben came over, his eyes lighting up. With an elegant flourish, Eruhaben cast a similar light spell, to Darnall's utter confusion, the spell was also canceled. "What?" he asked, confused.
"Ah." He got it a second later.
With a grin, Darnall moved out of the way, making space for Choi Han, whom Cale had previously waved over. The wall shattered, just like the previous dozens had.
Darnall understood Cale's intentions, immediately casting a simple light spell. It fluttered softly in front of him. The soft light illuminated the dreary floor. Nodding toward Eruhaben, the two magic users went to work.
Each direction was checked and once a spell was canceled, Choi Han would remove a wall if one was blocking their path. They suddenly had a direction to aim for. With no time wasted, the group moved quickly.
More signs greeted them.
'Put your shoes where I said you should put them if you don't want to die.'
'No house parties. Period. Or clean up yourself, you pig.'
'Honey, remember to invite Uncle Mide. He'll be cranky otherwise.'
Bang.
With a loud sound of collapse, the final wall was shattered.
Surprisingly, the whole scene changed. Soft wooden walls and floors greeted them. A cozy fire was lit in a corner while Choi Han noticed the smell of freshly baked bread. Eruhaben wrinkled his nose at the gaudy red carpet on the floor, while Cale just walked into the room as if he owned the place. The other two followed, displaying the same casualness as Cale.
Darnall sighed, too used to their flippant ways. He collected his waving common sense and walked purposefully into the room. If he was getting killed because of breaking into a home, he'd get killed with style.
"Hello?" A female voice shouted from somewhere in the distance. Loud, heavy footsteps soon followed after. The steps were, in fact, so heavy that the floor was shaking. Choi Han looked down at some of the tiny rubble that was left from the wall he smashed as it bounced across the floor with the same beat as the steps.
Cale blinked when a giant body came into view.
It was definitely not human. Most of its body consisted of rocks of various sizes that were held together by a red liquid that looked like running lava. Some odd stones would stand out, giving the creature a bumpy appearance. Two black stones in the middle of what Cale assumed was its head stared right at them. A more defining feature was the large stone wings at the back.
"You aren't honey." The creature stated.
Cale nodded.
He was neither a sweet, crystallized liquid nor was he whoever the creature was expecting, which was great. Cale didn't like to be expected. It made things easier to turn around if his opponents didn't know he'd give them a friendly visit.
The voice was decidedly female. "Hm, oh! So, you belong to the other visitors! That makes sense." She stated, putting a hand on her cheek thoughtfully.
Choi Han inched forward. His weapon was still sheathed. Darnall would have complained but after seeing the raw strength of the sword user, having his fists out was good enough.
"That's great," Cale praised her with a low voice. He took notice of the fact that she didn't use words like 'intruders' but instead labeled them with 'visitors'. Non-hostile. He liked that very much.
A calm smile found its way onto his face, yet the tone of his voice was low. With swift steps, Cale claimed the chair nearby as his own, sitting down casually and unhurried.
"Honey should be here soon with your companions. He went to greet them thinking they were our friends."
Cale thanked her, his voice suddenly becoming friendlier. Eruhaben remained standing, his eyes were fixated at a wall near them. He looked like he was seeing or sensing something they couldn't. Choi Han also looked far more relaxed. The harsh look on his face was switched out with a softer look.
"I hope he didn't frighten them too much. Honey always gets over excited when our friends visit." The woman spoke softly. "Do you want some snacks while we wait?" She didn't wait for their response, instead walking to a back area that was probably a kitchen. Darnall used the time to sit next to Cale.
"What shall we do?" He didn't even notice that he completely gave up having control or authority. Silvio was still missing and the calm way Cale handled things soothed the worry in his heart.
"We wait," Cale simply answered.
Leaning back, Cale had to hide a grimace. The chairs were made out of stone, which made them uncomfortable. It was understandable though since the lady was literally made out of stone. She would be too heavy for normal wooden chairs.
A minute or two passed in relative silence when the lady returned with a tray in her hands. Steaming cups of tea and a giant plate soon found their way onto the table. The lady joined them, sitting down with a heavy thud that almost spilled the tea.
"Dears, take what you want."
Cale eyed the cookies cautiously. He pulled over a cup of tea, not taking a sip. The cookies remained untouched until the lady took one. Either she didn't notice or didn't mind their hesitance. With a hearty crunch, she started snacking on the pastries.
Cale's face got paler. Even Choi Han gulped.
Every time the lady bit down, a loud bone-shattering crunch followed. The group collectively agreed that their teeth wouldn't survive taking a bite.
Eruhaben was the first one to break the silence. His eyes remained on a wall nearby, never taking them off even for a second, yet he addressed the lady with a hint of friendliness, or at least, as friendly as a dragon could get.
"You are a gargoyle. I haven't seen one in ages." He stated it like it was a fact. The lady confirmed his statement a second later with a definitive nod of her head. "There aren't many of us around but we haven't gone extinct yet."
Their conversation was interrupted by the wall opening that Eruhaben was staring at. A gargoyle larger than the lady, with fearsome spikes and horns, walked in. Cale paid him almost no mind since his eyes were locked onto the small children using the man as a climbing tree.
Raon wasn't visible but Cale could feel the air shifting before an adorable voice loudly shouted, "My human!" Following the shout, a small body carefully slammed into Cale. Letting out a gasp, Cale's hands instinctively went around Raon's round form.
The air shimmered around him and Raon showed himself in all of his scaley glory. His head went toward Cale, silently demanding pets, which Cale naturally obliged.
"Human, we had so much fun! I was really scary but Ohn-noona was even scarier and smarter than the mighty and smart me." Raon rambled on without giving Cale the chance to even say hello much less ask about details since his explanation was so scrambled that Cale couldn't piece it logically together.
Ohn and Hong jumped down from 'Honey's' shoulders, sprinting across the floor and happily diving for Cale.
Raon chose that moment to switch his narrative. With a joyous shout, he barreled right into Choi Han's back, attaching himself to the swordmaster like a koala.
"Strong Choi Han! Silly Silvio used his sword as well! He tried to defend us. But don't worry, the mighty me protected them." He laid his head on Choi Han's shoulder. The young-looking swordmaster immediately folded his arms behind his back to support Raon and keep him from falling off. He continued listening with an indulgent smile on his face.
Silvio was the last to arrive. He walked in after the gargoyle made space in the entrance for him to enter. Darnall greeted him with a relieved sigh and a small, genuine smile.
With the group reunited, the atmosphere became less dire and happier. Raon chose his next target, Eruhaben, to talk about their heroic actions. Ohn and Hong were content to receive pats and scratches.
"Goldie gramps, I am great and mighty!"
Eruhaben sighed, playing the role of a long-suffering grandpa, although nobody was fooled by his casualness.
Silvio mouthed 'Gramps?' to Darnall, who paled drastically. Hurriedly shaking his head, he wanted to spare his friend from having his worldview shattered.
The male gargoyle received a cup of steaming tea from his wife. Apologetically he told them, "I am sorry if I scared the kids and the human. Our friends normally come by to get beaten up and we like to hunt each other a bit before eating my darling wife's delicious cooking. We sensed beast people in the area through the wards and assumed it was our friends."
Silvio paled a bit at the implication that the scare they received was some kind of greeting between the other race and their friends. He didn't want to think too much about the hunt part since a part of him was curious and wanted to join. Luckily, his logical and smarter half, also known as Darnall, vetoed his thought immediately via a vicious glare.
The gargoyle continued, "I noticed the human too late. Hahaha, sorry about that. Humans are so squishy, I would have directly realized that you weren't our friends but the small dragon's presence cloaked yours."
Silvio didn't know whether to be insulted at the 'squishy' part or face the situation that the small, scaly lizard was a dragon and not just a smart gecko. His face lost all color when golden eyes that belonged to a dragon's 'gramps' looked at him.
Right.
He was far too sober to deal with this bullshit.
Downing the tea the lady offered him in one go, Silvio gasped for air when an extremely spicy liquid went down his gullet. The lady took his choking noises as approval and generously poured him a new cup.
Ignoring Silvio completely, Cale asked a question, "Your friends aren't human, I assume?"
"Of course, they aren't. Our islands have almost no human residents. The pretty wind barrier surrounding them makes sure of that. On the neighboring island, the jaguar beastmen reside. I tell you, they make the best alcohol in the whole area. The dark elves three islands over are known for being the best party hosts. And don't get me started on the elves on the Forest Island. You got a taste of the spicy teas they make. How I love them," she praised happily.
It now made far more sense why Eruhaben sensed magic and repelling wards in the storm they passed while traveling to the islands. The magic was no match for a dragon. He gained entry easily but looking back, normal humans should have tremendous problems passing the barrier alive.
The continent lost all of its phantasmal races because of their greed, leaving humans behind. They all remembered the various statues in the human kingdoms, depicting the other races as nothing more than slaves or animals. The few beast people that remained were treated as less than slaves.
Darnall clenched his fists.
The topic of slaves always left a bad taste in his mouth. He grinned savagely. It was soothing to know that his race didn't cause the extinction of other races. They left instead of trying to fight, seeking out a safe haven amongst the cursed islands.
The stone-covered island suddenly made even more sense. It looked lifeless and abandoned but races like gargoyles who see stone as the best resource and lava as a delicacy, this was the perfect environment.
"What brought you here?" the wife asked.
Cale got ready to answer. A partial lie was on his tongue since they didn't know much about the Siren Song and if it was even real.
Unfortunately, Silvio was faster.
"I am searching for the Siren Song," he proudly told them. A loud thud announced Darnall's head meeting the table. Cale was close to following. Pinching the tip of his nose, he tried to keep vicious thoughts away.
The husband clapped his hands excitedly.
"Oh, we haven't had adventurers for many years now," he exclaimed happily. "You took the wrong turn by the stone runes, I'm afraid."
The group looked at each other.
"We guessed that part as well, but got separated," Darnall pointed out dryly.
With Silvio and the kids vanishing, they gave up on solving the rune riddle, instead diving for the area where they vanished. After finding the maze, Darnall's first thought was that the runes were a decoy.
Well, in his defense, how could he have come to the conclusion that they just went the wrong way and accidentally crashed into a home?
Cale focused on another part. "The riddle is real then?"
The male gargoyle nodded. "I can lead you there. I still feel sorry that I scared the kids, so, to make it up, I'll take you to the area behind the rune area."
The kids happily chanted, "It's real!" while Silvio made a happy fist, only to blanch at the gargoyle's next words.
"But beware, the next trial is combat-oriented. We went down there once, it should have been a few centuries ago, when we were curious. The fighting was fun but the enemies were really strong. Honestly, squishy humans like you will be taken apart before you even enter the room."
Silvio decided that being offended after being called 'squishy' again was the right choice.
XXX
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