Chapter 45 - Phoenix and Titan
A solid granite slab floated up from the hole in the floor Lilly had created as she entered the room and landed in front of the throne. It slowly morphed into a square table perfectly suited for arm wrestling.
Goddon rose from his newly created throne and approached it, removing the robe on his upper body and showing off some impressive muscles for his apparent age.
Lilly refrained from doing the same due to her wardrobe situation, hoping he wouldn’t mind the extra power it gave her. “My strength relies on me circulating the flame throughout my body, making it very hot. Will that be a problem?”
“I doubt it, but I’ll let you know if it becomes problematic. My mana of earth protects me from most damage once I start circulating it for real. I think I’ll start at full force, keeping my hand still, and then you can increase your strength until we find a victor.”
He put his elbow on the granite table while holding the edge with his other hand. Lilly did the same, clasping his large hand in the middle of the table. It felt completely solid, not moving a hair's breadth under her grip.
“You’re ready?” Lilly asked, deciding to try with just the aegis at first. Goddon nodded and smiled lightly, making Lilly feel like he was looking down on her. He wouldn’t be for long.
She tried using all her natural strength aided by the aegis, shifting her weight and griping the table with all her force. Goddon’s hand didn’t budge, but the table made some cracking noises under her elbow. “Phew, this table will melt if I go at my full power. What do we do then?”
“... I think it should be fine; this is steel granite. If we truly get to that point, I have a backup, so don’t worry about it and keep going. I’m surprised you didn’t have to use your flame much to push me that far, so this is more interesting than I thought!”
Lilly looked at him, confused. ‘I pushed him far with that? He’s joking, right?’
She ignored her suspicions and turned the heat up, going straight to forty percent of her full power in addition to the aegis. The aegis was hopefully protecting the clothes beneath it from the heat; otherwise, she would be left with very little cover once she was done.
‘Will the aegis even be fine? Surely, right? The steelwood protection, in addition to the inherent durability of the palladium, should be enough to withstand the side effects of my powers.’
Myndia chimed in from the amulet, ‘I’ll keep an eye on it for you.’
“Dear gods, who was that?!” Goddon asked, looking around the room in confusion. “What was that little girl’s voice?”
Lilly looked at him in shock. Had he heard Myndia speaking to her through the amulet? Were demigods connected somehow?
‘Ah, Goddon, you can hear me? Myndia here; I’m talking to Lilly through my amulet.’
Goddon looked at Lilly’s neck, following the chain down to where the amulet was hanging. “You can speak through the amulet? Even when you’re dead?”
‘Well, I’m not completely dead, you know. My father has a connection to the realm of the dead, so this is just a part of my powers. I’m surprised you can hear me, though; it’s usually just the holder of the flame that can do so.’
Goddon still seemed shaken, unable to take in the information properly, as if deep in thought. Much to Lilly's relief, he looked away from the amulet and down to the table. The amulet was currently hanging in a rather bad spot to be staring at.
“So… you could find someone for me? As a favor?” Goddon asked, sounding much more emotional than before. Their hands were still clasped together, possibly acting as a bridge for Myndia’s voice.
‘... I could, but… if they have been dead for a long time, they might not have much of their memory left. It might be fine depending on their connection to you, but I’m warning you.’
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Goddon nodded, now looking to be deeply emotional. “I… I never thought I would even get a chance, seeing as how I cannot die. I’ll be happy as long as you try, Myndia.”
‘Hah, that’s the first time you’ve called me by name. But I’m willing to help. Who is it you want me to find?’ Myndia's tender voice at the end showed her understanding of what this must mean for him.
“... My wife, Bordine Reveus. My only love… She died a long time ago, so maybe… If you find her, and she’s not… then tell her I was wrong. She was right all along. Tell her that.”
Lilly felt the regret and longing in his words, even if they were covered by a thick layer of time. Given what Myndia had said about his stubbornness, this must have taken him a long time to admit.
‘I’ll find her, Goddon. And if she has anything to say to you, I’ll tell you,’ Myndia replied.
The old demigod turned to the side and stealthily wiped a tear with his free hand. His voice was filled with emotion as he turned back to Lilly. “I never thought… Ahh, hah. Immortality is not fun, Myndia. I envy you the power to go there, being with your loved ones forever.”
‘I understand. Some might think my branch of immortality is weaker than others, but I don’t mind it. The flame will be among the living, either way, giving power to my descendants. But I’ll be happy to help, Goddon. Just remember it next time Dortfell has any funny ideas, alright?’
“Hah, I’ll make sure they understand, don’t you worry! But now, let’s finish this contest!” He returned to the same position as before, turning back into an immovable rock and staring into Lilly’s eyes. There was a smile there now, giving Lilly a sense of tranquility.
Once again, she turned her strength up to forty percent, pushing her strength beyond anything she had done purposedly before. Goddon’s smile widened, but the hand did not budge. “You’re a strong lass, I’ll admit! Strongest I’ve faced of the non-demigod kind!”
It was Lilly’s turn to smile now, knowing how much she still had left. But before she could increase her power more, the granite started melting under her elbow. She looked down at it, then back up at Goddon. “I think we need the backup, whatever that is.”
“Would you look at that! Fine, I’ll bring it out for you to see,” Goddon responded, looking like he was about to bring out his pride and joy. He closed his eyes and started looking focused.
Lilly expected some other type of slab to come flying from somewhere, and she was partly right, but she could never have guessed what kind of slab it was. A dark metal square, about the size of a great shield, came swirling through the air through the larger hole in the roof, landing right next to the two of them with a thud.
Lilly could only describe the thing as a slab; it was about one square meter in size and had the thickness of your average wooden table, making it incredibly heavy. The material was unlike anything Lilly had seen before, but it somehow reminded her of the golden medal she had received along with her title.
“This is my personal weapon, shield, seat, and roof, all in one! It weighs about one ton, and it is made of pure dragon steel!” Goddon shouted proudly.
Lilly had never heard of dragon steel before, so she assumed it was one of those artificial metals Eldrin had mentioned long ago. Her enchantress's heart was truly racing, imagining the possible enchantments in such a giant slab of metal. “Dragon steel? Does it have any enchantments? Do you move it through your earthly mana?”
Goddon held his hand up, still smiling. “Hold up, girl. I’ll answer all your questions, but only if you beat me!”
He released her hand and moved the slab of dragon steel over the granite table, making Lilly move her hands as well. The granite was molded slightly to make it a better fit. then they both moved their hands back, getting ready to finish the contest.
“You’re sure this will stand my full power?” Lilly asked, fighting the urge to use her enchanting spell to check the slab. It would feel a bit disrespectful, she thought.
“My arm will melt before this slab, so don’t worry about it! Get to it!” Goddon said impatiently.
Lilly didn’t feel like holding back anymore; she wanted to try using it all. And so she did.
The solid arm she was pushing against turned to rubble and dust in her hand before her arm hit the slab of dragon steel. A dent in the shape of her palm was made, but that was all the damage it took.
Lilly was in shock, seeing an arm turn to pebbles. She looked at her palm first, then to Goddon, feeling extremely apologetic. “I’m so sorry, Master Goddon! I didn’t think you would… turn into rubble.”
Goddon was waving his stump around, studying it in amazement. “Holy gods, I never thought you would get through my defenses! You truly are a special one! What was your name, again?”
Lilly was relieved that he didn’t seem to mind the lost arm, but she still felt bad. “Uhm, Lilly Baker. That's my name.”
“In that case, I’ll do my best to remember it, Lilly! Ah, you even dented my slab?! Incredible!”
Lilly felt like giving all the praise to the flame again, but she figured it might be fine to accept the compliments this time. She had worked a lot to improve her flame and her body, and Goddon knew how strong the flame was supposed to be.
“Thanks, Goddon! Can you tell me about the slab now?”