Before Leo could answer the question, Neha pipped in. “That's King Leo, never Leopold—that's his dad—of the reborn Kingdom of Averia! And he’s my Dad. Who are you? Are you going to join us? We don’t have a sky elf in our collection yet. We've got dark elves, ice flower elves, wood elves and a ton of high elves so far. High elves are super-common.”

Leo felt his cheeks heating. “Neha, please! You can’t call people collectables!”

Neha giggled. Children.

The elf across from them smiled, spreading his angelic wings out behind him. He reached out with one muscle-corded arm and ruffled Neha’s hair. It was something most people didn’t do, as they were usually intimidated by her alienness and power.

“What an adorable scamp,” the man said, his handsome face radiating sincerity and serenity. “And as to your questions, in order, I answer as follows. I am Azure Blade Feng Feng-Luo, use name Feng, of Fort Audacity. I would find it unusual if I were to become one of your collectibles, but given what I just saw, not entirely impossible. But I am an Azure Blade of the city here, so I would guess not if I had to, sorry.”

“We’ll see,” Neha said.

Why is she acting so weird?

Leo glanced at Feng. The man was handsome, self-assured, brave, and now proved quick-witted. Leo couldn’t help but smile at his interaction with Neha. Even on the shortest meeting, Feng strongly reminded Leo of that one good-looking kid from every high school for whom everything was easy, even dating the resident hot girl you secretly pined after… but who was so good natured you still rooted for the guy you should want to punch in the face.

“I’m Leo,” Leo repeated, bowing in emulation of the times he had seen El do it. “I come from another dimension and was diverted to your city after a raid on the dragon lands of the Eighth Vale.”

Feng sobered slightly and put his hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Then I am sorry to tell you, friend, that you are now trapped, as our city is under lock down by the local dragons. It is interesting that the rumors were true for once, about someone that came to our realm via Travel magic. I offer another thanks for saving me, and a new one for making my life more interesting.”

“About the trapped thing… we, um, have friends on the inside. The three new dragons that entered are our allies, and are preparing to help us stall the dragons, and then hopefully recapture your city’s wealth when the dragonflight ends.”

Feng raised an eyebrow. “Really? That would be utterly fantastic, thank you! Do you genuinely think it can work? There is nothing in the treatises that cover this situation.

Leo was beginning to hate the ‘treastises’ of the One Land. “I do.”

Feng smiled beatifically again. “Well, you’ll win my favor for sure if you do. I command the Divine Wind brigade, our strongest aerial combatants here in the city. Most of us have managed to survive the terrible onslaught of the dragons—unlike the city’s ruling council of Golden Tier individuals. Since I see you are a Golden Coin, I will tentatively place myself at your disposal.”

Leo almost laughed at loud at the ‘Divine Wind’ name, as well as almost cracking a joke that would have made no sense to anyone, but pulled himself back.

“What level are you?” Leo asked.

“Sixteen.”

That’s pretty damn good. Really damn good, in fact. “And your, um, Divine Wind brigade?”

“Two hundred individuals, Level Two to Four, all with Air magic abilities to give us unmatched ariel superiority.”

This guy sounds like an Air Force recruiter, and looks like one they might put on the recruiting poster. “Alright, Feng, I think we can work with that. Please take me to whatever passes for a bastion of resistance around here.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Feng gave him a complicated bow-and-hand-waggle, then straightened. “May I have a brief dispensation from your just orders to fetch my wife and her family from the tower, Golden Coin?”

It took Leo half a second to understand what Feng was asking. “Of course. We’re not on an immediate timetable now, we’re just waiting till our, um, agents on the inside get back to us. Until I tell you otherwise, feel free to carry out any requests I make with your best judgement as to their importance.”

Feng bowed again, then took off with a blast of air similar to how dragons launched themselves into the sky on Toth. He kept quite low, however—below the second story of buildings. He quickly flew into the tower he had originally come from.

“I like him,” Neha said.

“Like like?” Hugh asked, tossing his head back and chortling in his deep draconic voice like his statement was comedy gold. Hugh had occasionally used the phrase ever since Leo had said it to him two years ago on his home mountain range, the same way the dragon copied most mannerisms he encountered.

“No,” Neha said with a roll of her eyes and flick of her green hair reminiscent of Lily.

A moment later, Feng flew out of the tower carrying two swaddled baby sky elves, and a whole gaggle of older sky elves, from kids that appeared seven or eight to one so old she actually looked ancient, something that only happened to most elves in the last ten percent or so of their lives. They all landed on the street near Leo.

“Thank you, Golden Coin,” Feng said, bowing gracefully despite the two children in his arms, and the entire group behind him bowed as well.

Leo shifted on his feet. “Yeah, um… most welcome. So, you’re going to take me to meet your squad?”

“Of course, Golden Coin,” Feng said. He turned and handed the two babies to a good-looking, but not beautiful, sky elven women with hawk wings and metallic silver hair. He smiled and gazed at her with obvious joy. “My wife, Feng Liu, who will, if it pleases you, lead the rest of my family to safety while I guide you. Although if you have need of her services, she will—”

“It pleases me that she be the one to lead your family to safety,” Leo confirmed hastily.

She bowed to him, also graceful despite now having the children, and then the group started to walk down the street, all bent forward to counter the weight of their wings as they walked. It did appear that they weren’t as adept on the ground as normal elves.

“This way, please, Golden Coin,” Feng said.

“Just call me Leo, please. It’s my use name.”

“Of course, Leo,” Feng said. Then he set out down the street, in the same leaned-forward stride.

Leo floated after him, then suddenly realized he was probably being a dick by flying when his winged companion had to walk. He let go of the Telekinetic Flight power with ease—he still ran ten miles a day—and resumed walking beside his new companion. The other three got onto the wolves and followed, with the game for who had to carry Andul resulting in Sumoon struggling under his weight.

The path they followed felt like an eerie, dark déjà vu to his time in Dayblossom. The architecture was the same, the same beautiful pink blossomed trees. But half the town was scorched, smoke hung in the air along with the faint smell of burnt flesh, and there were completely gutted, shattered, or exploded buildings around as they walked. Chunks of burned wood were all around the streets, including one collapsed tower that still smoked.

Eventually, they made their way to the docks, the ocean air clearing a tiny bit of the haze. Along the waterfront was a huge collection of mostly undamaged warehouses. One warehouse had clearly been ripped open, but a huge mass of what appeared to be dirt spilled out of it.

“We’re here, Leo,” Feng said as they approached.

“Where is here?” Leo asked, glancing around.

“The only warehouses that have been spared by the dragons, where we hid many of our magical weapons and soldiers. The poop warehouses.”

Poop warehouses? What?

“Poop warehouses?” Leo asked out loud.

“Yes. For fertilizer. From bats.”

“Guano?”

“Yes, bat poop,” Feng replied, staring at Leo curiously.

I think the rings translation has me doing a comedy bit, Leo thought abstractly, his mind going crazy again. It’s usually physics for me… but chemistry works as well.

Leo reached down and picked up a burned piece of wood. He wasn’t sure if it was a softwood or hardwood, but he would bet some of the wood around here was softwood, furniture, things of that nature…

Feng was still talking, and Neha appeared next to Leo.

“Dad? Dad!”

Leo started and stared at his daughter. “What Sprout?”

“Feng’s talking to you. You’re doing that thing uncle Hugh always smacks his tail on the ground for, where you go away in your own head.”

“It is fine,” Feng said, bowing, his equanimous smile still plastered to his face.

“It might be better than fine,” Leo said. “Tell me… do you know what sulfur is?”