“You let him go ALONE?!”
Aria shouted as she stormed towards Sarah, grabbing her shoulders in anger.
“What were you thinking!? You knew that Beast was only targeting him, you knew how strong that thing was, and you STILL let him go?!”
“I- He ordered me t-“
“We were supposed to have his back! Even if that meant dying together with him, that was our mission! How dare you run back here while he’s out there risking his life?!”
Sarah flinched at those words.
But then,
“Aria.”
Lyra called out, her tone strict.
“Orders were given.
As subordinates, we must follow orders,
Whether those orders send us to our deaths or… force us away from it.
We follow.”
Lyra spoke, and hearing her words, Aria turned silent.
“You should know she would want to fight by his side most out of all of us, but the Hero’s orders are absolute.
I will not let anyone disrespect him by disobeying his orders, even if it is you.”
Lyra spoke as she looked into Aria’s eyes.
Then, she glanced at the worried townsfolk and,
“He wants us to protect the people,
That is what we will do.”
Sarah and Aria stared at Lyra, the archer stared back.
“Then, we pray for him to return safel-“
“SCREEEEEEECCHHHHH!!!!”
Before Lyra could complete her sentence, everyone heard a screech.
A screech that shook their very beings.
They turned around, and the Tamers’ enhanced vision could finally see it—that giant creature, with wings spread wide, coming from the south. The Tamers’ bodies shook as they saw it, especially Tobias’s. He tightened his hold around Selina who was in his arms.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? RUN!!!”
Suddenly, Lyra shouted.
“TO THE WESTERN BRIDGE!”
She pointed, and Bonds were summoned.
The townsfolk quickly rushed towards the western gate, distancing themselves from the Beast’s line of direction, while Sarah continued to update Kael through Echo.
Within a minute, the giant creature, which was at the southern end of the town, closed the distance, flying right past them as if it didn’t care about them at all.
It was only for a slight second, but the people saw it.
A massive 2-meter-tall bird with a 6-meter wingspan. Dark purple, withered feathers with streaks of dark violet lightning crackling along its wings. Its eyes were piercing red, exuding wrath and power.
WHOOOOSH
A gust of wind ripped through the town, sending dust and debris flying.
And then—
“SCREEEEEEECCHHHHH!!!!”
THUNDER THUNDER THUNDER
A deafening, monstrous screech filled the air.
A sound so full of rage and malice that even the bravest of soldiers felt their blood run cold.
“T-The H-Hero will… face that…?”
A soldier couldn’t help but question, as he saw its shadow streaking across the sky, his voice full of disbelief.
Yes, the Hero was strong. Heck, he had fought the Brutes together with him. He, out of most people here, knew the Hero’s strength the best and…
He knew the Hero was no match for this monster.
Then, a thought appeared in his mind,
‘W-Will it come for us after it deals with the Hero…? Or would it return once it kills the Hero?’
His blood ran cold.
In his heart, the soldier hoped it was the latter.
“What are you stopping there for!? Continue running!”
Suddenly, Lyra shouted.
The townsfolk stared at her, and Lyra screamed in rage, full of annoyance and frustration,
“What!? Do you want to be food for that thing!? Run or I’ll throw you all towards it myself!”
The woman ordered, and the townsfolk ran with all their might.
“Grandpa…”
Selina, who was in Tobias’s arms, called out.
Tobias, however, shook his head and spoke with a guilty look on his face.
“Everything will be fine, Selina. Everything will be fine. Trust your grandpa, he will do everything to protect you.”
He hugged the girl tightly. Selina tightly held her grandpa’s shirt. She could hear his heightened heartbeat, but the little girl decided to stay silent.
She really was too wise for her age.
…
On the other side, Kael, who had barely made it out of the town, stared at the Beast that was following him.
“That thing is too fast.”
He complained as once again,
[Dragon Surge]
He activated his skill and dashed forward. This time, since he was in an open field, nothing stopped him.
“SCREEEEEEECCHHHHH!!!!”
Thirty seconds later, the Beast closed the distance. Now, it was flying right behind Kael, ready to rip him apart with its lightning.
Kael’s face contorted, and then,
“RRROOOOOAAAAAAAARRRR!!!”
He roared.
[Roar of Dominion]
However, this time, the Roar wasn’t as effective as it usually was against the corrupted beasts.
“SCREEEEEEECCHHHHH!!!!”
The Beast screeched as it slowed down, but it didn’t stop following him.
Kael turned towards it for a moment, his eyes turned golden and its information appeared in front of him.
[Name: Laughter]
[Race: Stormveil Roc]
[Rank: Common]
[Age: 57]
[State: Corrupted]
[Level: 26]
[Strength: 65 (90)]
[Agility: 50 (80)]
[Speed: 55 (85)]
[Stamina: 60 (85)]
[Defense: 58 (82)]
[Mana: 60 (60)]
[Intelligence: 50 (3)]
[Charisma: 35 (-)]
[Strengths: Aerial Dominance, Razor Claws, Corrupted Lightning]
[Weaknesses: Fragile on the Ground, Low Intelligence, Vulnerable to Magic]
…
“What in the fucking hell is that thing!?
No wonder Roar of Dominion isn’t working!”
Kael cursed out loud as he continued to run.
Its stats were nearly twice as high as his. It was so strong that even if Kael could use Dragon Surge endlessly, he still wouldn’t be able to outrun it.
Of course, the Roar of Dominion had still slowed it down to some extent. Kael used this opportunity to sprint as quickly as he could.
He tried to use trees to cover himself and gain some time. The Beast, however, continued to disintegrate all the trees that came in its way with its lightning.
In the end, when Kael realized that he couldn’t run anymore, he jumped into an open field in front of him and stopped.
“Haaahh… Haaahh… Haaahh…”
His breathing was ragged, his chest tight.
“SCREEEEEEECCHHHHH!!!!”
The Beast screeched as it circled around the open field Kael stood in.
‘Is it playing with its prey?’
Kael wondered.
‘It certainly doesn’t have enough intelligence to do it.
Or is it in its instincts…?’
“Alright… haaa… You got me… I cannot run anymore…”
Kael spoke, his voice full of breath as he placed his hands on his knees, as sweat rolled down his chin. His legs were in pain, trembling without stop, let alone running, even taking a step further seemed impossible, he had indeed pushed himself to the limit today.
“Haaaahhh….”
The Beast stared at him with its crimson eyes. Kael, who saw that, should have been scared, after all, he couldn’t run away anymore.
But…
“You know…”
Suddenly, Kael started,
“People in the Royal Palace often wondered whether I am more suited to be a Warrior or a Mage…
But…
My talent was never related to any of those.”
Kael’s grin widened as the Beast descended right in front of him in an intimidating manner.
“Oh boy, you will regret that.”
Kael chuckled, and suddenly,
“Let me show you what my talent actually is,
Igni.”
He called out, and the space around him trembled.
…
*Picture of the corrupted Beast*