Author’s corner: HELLO HELLO! Finishing an arc and preparing for the next one! With 100% more Yuu!
ANYWAY, with this we bring the Wyvern arc to an end, and prepare ourself for what I shall call the second meeting arc! Where we get too see the girls in real life and how Gon… I mean, Richard get’s to fool around with the two! Hooray!
ALSO, since I finished the arc, I’ll be going back to Reinstall tomorrow, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
Have a good read!
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We made our way back to the farm slowly, the two dragons following close behind me as I walked with my arms crossed. Every so often I would give the two a glance just to be sure that they weren’t going to run away the first chance they got. But then, I’m pretty sure that they are far too scared to even think about that.
Just like last time, Lieutenant became some kind of fan boy, with shining eyes and manly tears slowly running on his cheeks. From the looks of it, he was the only one who actually liked my general mode, and always became emotional when I did it.
Actually… Scratch that. Aura also seems to really enjoy it, since I end up releasing my pent up frustration on a petting session, so she ends up getting the good side of my outrage. And if I had any doubts at all, her wagging tails more than worked to prove it.
We quickly reached the farm after some time, only to find Rathian as she took some pointers from Loran while holding a hoe in her hands. For some reason the whole ground around her was a mess of holes and dirt piles, so I guess that was the cause of the dwarf’s frown.
“Lad! Yer back.” The dwarf sighed loudly. “Find anythin’?”
“Yeah, that and already finished the job.” I said while pointing back to the cave. “At the cost of a cave-in, thanks to certain two dragons.” I gave a quick glance at the two dragons, who cuddled with each other afraid. “There was a salamander that ran away when Rathian took over its cave and ended up coming here together with its brood, settling in a nearby cave.”
“A cave-in?” Rathian asked and I nodded angrily while looking at Rio and Pea.
Rio became unable to hold in by then and teared up while flying to Rathian’s direction, who held her surprised for a moment.
“Mom! Stone-man is scary! I don’t want to go with him anymore!” Rio said while crying in her arms. This made Rathian widen her eyes for a moment before turning to me angrily.
“What did you do to my daughter?” She asked me with fury dripping in every word. “If you did anyth…”
“Shut the beep up.” I replied coldly, interrupting her. She blinked surprised and tried to go back to her words, but I didn’t let her. “Look here. You can be the strongest monster I’ll even find in my whole life as an adventurer. But you know what? I don’t care.” I took a step in her direction and saw as she took one back surprised. “You gave me your daughter to raise which will be a huge bother to do, but I don’t mind doing it. But that also means that I get to raise her the way I see fit.”
“Wha…” She tried to interrupt me, but I didn’t let her.
“Look, your daughter and my sister there almost buried all of us alive, simply because they didn’t follow a very simple direction.” I said while pointing back to Pea, who was hiding behind Aura. “And you know what that means? That means that I have every right in my life to scold and punish her.”
“But…”
“NO FREAKING BUTS!” I said while pointing my finger towards her. “If she wants to play around, fine. If she wants to help, even better. But if I tell her to not do something, and she does exactly it, then I will scold her, because there are things that can and things that can’t be done.” I turned to Rio who curled up even more under my gaze. “I’m not the most responsible person in the world, and I know it. Heck! The opposite even! I’m completely irresponsible. But I will at the very least make sure that she doesn’t end up like me. Even if that means that I have to become the evil guy in the story by making them atone for their wrongdoings.”
“But… You made us dig…” Rio tried to interject, and I simply nodded.
“Yes, even if it means making the two of you dig through the rubble to recover some of the salamanders I had separated.” I said angrily to her. “It may look a bit mean, tyrannical or whatever. But I don’t care, as long as you learn your lesson.” I turned back to Rathian. “And I hope you understood that, because I don’t plan on changing my mind nor apologizing.”
“Err… O… Okay…” She said shocked.
I nodded at her words and took a deep sigh before turning to my pets, who looked at me a bit surprised.
“And lastly… Crys.” I called the goddess in disguise, who blinked before floating forward. “Make us something to eat because I’m starving.” With that I fell to the ground, sitting. “And make it extra large because the two troublemakers must be hungry after all that work.”
She nodded surprised before starting to take out the cooking apparel from her inventory and settling it on the ground. Aura and Lieutenant immediately sat around the bonfire waiting excitedly, while Red simply sighed in defeat and soon followed them.
Meanwhile Rathian stood still for a moment before turning to Loran.
“Did… Did I just get scolded?” She asked confused.
“I… Think?” The dwarf said with a shrug. “But dat’s lookin’ good, so I’ll stay to take a bite.” He said while sitting besides us and lighting up a smoking pipe.
Rathian stood in shock for a bit longer, before nodding and sitting with us, bringing Rio with her.
“Stone-borns are surprisingly intimidating…” She murmured to herself, and Rio nodded in her lap.
…
“You have been using backflips to prepare the ground?” I asked Rathian shocked after hearing her story about the destroyed ground, and she nodded.
I cracked up laughing at that, almost spilling a bit of my stuffed salamander on the ground. Loran sighed out at her words and looked away while Rioreia tried to copy her mother’s backflip, only to fail cutely with a yelp and fall backwards on the ground.
“It’s a bit more complex than what I expected.” Rathian said with sigh. “But it’s not impossible. A few more weeks and I should be able to get it.”
“But… To plow… The ground… Really?” I asked between breaths and she nodded once again, which left me breathless with another burst of laughter.
“Not de brightest idea a wyvern ever had…” Loran said dryly while stuffing another leg on his mouth and chugging it down with a large mug of beer that popped up from nowhere.
“I did notice that.” Rathian said wearily. “I’ll fix it after this. The son-of-the-forge method this time.” Loran nodded satisfied at her words. “I never figured that weeding…”
“Farming.” The dwarf corrected her.
“Farming could be this difficult. I really underestimated your kind.” She said with a frown.
“We are just gettin’ started.” Loran said with a smirk.
Rathian nodded, not seeing all that bothered by the fact before turning back to her food and eating.
Meanwhile, Rio and Pea were sharing a large plate of food together, devouring their second serving with ferocious speed. From the looks on their faces, they seemed to really like the food, so I smiled a bit at that. They did do a good work at digging some of the salamanders, and even if they almost killed me, they were only trying to save me, so it’s a bit unfair to not reward them.
What? I may be going through the general route, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t reward them when they do something right, okay?
We took our sweet time with our early dinner. It looked like all the guests were also enjoying Crys’ cooking, so she kept cooking non-stop to feed everyone that had gathered, herself included.
After around one hour or so of eating and talking, we finally decided to lift camp and go back to the village, leaving the dwarf and the wyvern back at the fields where they had to finish repairing the damages made by Rathian.
Arriving after a few minutes, we managed to find my father and Gazluz talking while sharing a good ol’ mug of ale on the village’s small tavern. I quickly greeted them and told that I was about to go to Olaf’s mansion to report the status of my search. The two nodded and called for the barkeeper so that they could pay up the tab before leaving.
We traversed the village quickly, reaching Olaf’s mansion in a few minutes, and with the help of the troll, we quickly went in since the guards immediately recognized him. As before, Gazluz guided us through the corridor until we reached the office, where we found the grey haired dwarf working on some documents. He widened his eyes in surprise before nodding and motioning for us to sit down.
“So, how was your work?” He asked us while setting the pile of paper besides him.
“You… Didn’t hear about it?” I asked surprised, and saw as he shook his head intrigued.
“I was stuck inside this room with paperwork the whole day.” He pointed to the papers. “All that I heard was of a Wyvern flying to Loran’s farm, but since there wasn’t a word after that, I thought it was already solved.” He looked at Rio, who was napping on my head. “Is that the one? Seems small for me…” He frowned slightly and I shook my head.
“Nah, it’s her mother. But now she’s working at Loran’s, so all is well.” I said with a shrug.
“Sorry… I think I just heard you talking about a wyvern working on a farm…” He said with a small smile. “Could you repeat what you just spoke?”
“Okay.” I said while clearing my throat. “Not only did I convince a wyvern to do backflips, I also made her start working at Loran’s as a way to repay the damage she caused.” I said slowly so that he could let the words sink in this time. “Understood?”
The dwarf blinked surprised and briefly rubbed his eyes to see if he wasn’t dreaming, then he turned towards Gazluz, who was standing behind us. The troll nodded with a weary sigh before explaining to the dwarf what he had seen while he was away.
“And why didn’t you tell me that earlier?” Olaf asked the troll.
“Cause even I couldn’t believe it even after seeing it myself.” He said with a dry voice. “I doubted you would believe me if I told you…”
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“Fair enough…” Olaf said while sitting back on his chair and staring us for some time. He sighed loudly after a moment before leaning forward. “Okay, then you managed to stop the wyvern from attacking Loran’s livestock and that solved the problem?”
“Actually, no. There was also a small brood of salamanders that came down from the mountain when Rathian arrived, but I took care of them already, so they shouldn’t bother you that much.” I told him.
“Salamanders too?” He said surprised and I nodded. “Geez, that could have gone terribly… I heard they reproduce quite quickly for such a dangerous animals…” He sighed in relief while leaning back on his chair. “I take it that you killed all of them?”
“We even destroyed the cave they were in…” Red added, making Rio and Pea flinch for a moment.
“Destroyed… The cave?” Olaf asked surprised. “Why?”
“Reasons…” I said in a dry voice. “Let’s not delve too deeply into it, shall we?” I said and he nodded.
“So, I guess I own you some rewards then…” He said finally. “What would be of your interest?” He asked us, and I frowned at those words. “Each one of you can get to choose a reward, it’s only fair since all helped.”
“I didn’t do much, so I’ll pass.” Wulf said with a shrug.
“Are you sure?” Olaf asked and he nodded.
“It’s not fair to take credit from their work.” My father said with a smile. “Besides, I can ask him to make something for me later anyway.”
“I see…” Olaf said with a chuckle. “So you are also a crafter then?” He asked while turning to me, and I nodded.
“If possible, I would like some new boots, these ones are fairly old...” She said while pointing to her feet.
“Will do, Gazluz?” He said to the troll who nodded.
“We have something that she can use somewhere. I’m sure of it.” The troll said after some thought.
“And what about the little dragon there?” He asked while pointing to Pea, who looked back at him confused.
“Do you have a leash or something of the kind that we could put on her?” Wulf asked in his serious face, which made Olaf blink for a moment before smiling wryly.
“We… Don’t have anything of the kind, sorry…”
“Then, what about a soul contract that forces her to obey us or something of the kind? That could also work.” I said and my father widened his eyes and nod in agreement.
“We… Don’t have anything like that too…”
“Or, you could hive her something simple like a new armor…” Red said dryly.
“Where’s the fun in that?” My father and I asked in synchro.
“Oh god… I walk with madness…” She said while shaking her head.
“Hmm… I want a new toy!” Pea said cheerfully, which made Olaf widen his eyes in surprise for a moment.
He looked at me and my father for confirmation and we both shrugged. Since we couldn’t get what we wanted, may as well give her something she likes.
“Then I’ll arrange for you to get a new toy. As well as something else.” He said kindly to her, to which she started smiling cheerfully. “Then, mister Gondorrer, what is it that you wish?” He asked me.
“Well, I want to conquer the world and fight against legends…” I said bluntly, which made the dwarf flinch. “But I guess that’s a bit difficult, so I’ll pass on that. So, let me see…” I stopped to think for a moment on what I could possibly ask, but nothing at all came to mind, since most items I could make myself. Tilting my head to one side and then to the other, I finally sighed and shrugged, before turning to Crys. “What do we need?”
“Hmm… We could get some more expensive cooking utensils, there’s only so much I can do with what we have, master… As well as some crafting materials, since we are about to go on a long travel…” She said frowning.
“We can provide that.” Olaf said with a frown. “But is that all? I mean, that’s not much you are asking there. At least for what you did.”
“Then, we could do with some enchanted rings.” Crys said.
“Rings?” I asked her confused and she nodded.
“On our way to Sandroze we will go through some really harsh climates. I doubt even your skill will protect you against some of them.” Crys told me, to which I nodded. She turned back to Olaf. “We need five rings of heat-resistance, as well as four rings of cold resistance.”
“Simple enough.” Olaf said with a nod while looking towards Gazluz, who nodded before walking away from the room. “If you wait a bit, he should bring you what you requested. Is there anything else I could do to help you?”
“No, I don’t think so. Thanks for everything.” I told him while raising myself from the sofa and walking away, but right as my hand reached the doorknob he called me once again.
“Since you are a Chosen, let me give you all a warning.” He told me seriously, to which I blinked surprised and turned to him. “The capitals… Aren’t on a very good term with each other.” He said slowly. “Even if it doesn’t looks like it, there’s still some tension between them from the war a few decades ago.”
“Really?” I asked him surprised while turning to Crys, who nodded.
“The capitals were in constant war for a good time. It was only when the infernal and the heaven’s realms invaded that they truly made peace for the first time.” She explained. “The construction of the portals in each city was troublesome because of that, as they feared that it might be used for a surprise attack. It was only thanks to the church that they managed to finish it.”
“I see…” I said while nodding. I did find it a bit strange that there were so many races around yet it looked oddly peaceful, so this means that wars in this world aren’t race based, but capital based, huh? “Thanks for the warning, Olaf.” I told him and he nodded satisfied before turning his attention back to the paperwork.
We left the office and were guided by a dwarven butler towards what looked like a living room, where we were told to wait until Gazluz brought back the items we requested. I took this time to turn to Crys and make the question that was on my mind since earlier.
“Five and four rings?” I asked her confused, and she simply smiled back at me.
“Trust me, master. We are going to need it.” I looked at her for some time before shrugging. If she says so, then who am I to complain.
“So, you are going to the faraway capital, huh?” Red asked.
“Yeah. Are you coming too?”
“No, I just arrived here and I want to take a look around for some pets. Maybe even find a fox for myself too.” She said with a dreamy smile to which I nodded before turning to my father.
“Hmm, it would be interesting, but… I’ll pass.” He said while calling Pea to approach him again. “We can’t be playing constantly like this, so I better take some care to not let your sister get too addicted.”
“Then we won’t see Booh anymore?” The little fairy dragon asked with confused eyes.
“Just for some time, dear.” He told her while petting her head. “Besides, mommy is already complaining to me that we have been online for far too long.”
“Text messages?” I asked him, and he nodded. “Then tell her I said to buy me cookies!” My father chuckled while nodding.
“So, are you leaving right after this?” He asked me, but I shook my head.
“Nah. Yuu and Hanbei are getting here tomorrow morning.” I said after making some quick calculations on my mind. “I will stop playing to get some real sleep before then.”
“Is that so?” He said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
I sighed loudly since I knew that he was planning something, but since I have no idea of what it could possibly be, I could only stand around wondering. As I stood there wondering, a door somewhere in the room opened, and with it came Gazluz, followed by a couple of other servants who were all carrying something, as well as Loran and Rathian. I raised my eyebrow at the sight of the two and saw as Loran smirked as he showed us a basket filled to the brim with vegetables.
“I had to repay ya at least a little.” He told me while giving me the basket. I blinked surprise while accepting it and storing all the vegetables on my almost overflowing inventory.
“I don’t have anything to repay you for now, Stone-born.” Rathian said. “But next time you come back, I will find a way to do it.” She turned to Rioreia who woke up with the commotion. “And be sure to not anger the Stone-born again, okay?” She asked and I felt as Rio nodded nervously on my head.
“I’ll be sure to keep her safe.” I told Rathian, who nodded satisfied. “No promises about holding back on scolding, though.”
“Hmm… Can’t is stay with mommy for a bit longer?” Rio asked with a teary voice, to which I smiled a bit awkwardly.
“Actually… I think you can.” I said after some time, making Rathian look at me confused. “I’ll be gone for some time before I leave the village, so she can stay with you until then.”
“Gone before leaving?” Rathian asked confused before shaking her head. “Then I’ll take up on your offer, Stone-born.” With that, Rio happily flew back into her mother arms.
“Teary moments over, here’s the things you asked for.” The troll said while approaching me from the sides.
I took the rings he carried with himself using both of my hands and shoved them all into the inventory, while I passed all the cooking apparatus back to Crys, who put it into hers with a large smile.
After taking all of our rewards, including a stuffed bird doll bigger than Pea’s size, which she loved, we all bade our farewell to the people inside the house and left it. Afterwards we said our goodbyes to each others too, as we logged out from the game.
I took out the D-lute from my head and put it into the small table at my side, rubbing my eyes slightly as I glanced through the window. Yawning loudly thanks to the tiredness, I took a quick shower and ate something light before going back to bed. I set my cellphone’s alarm to six o’clock and prepared myself to sleep.
I had the feeling that tomorrow would be a loong day indeed...