'I never thought I'd see him again,' Muradon said internally as he continued to skillfully host the event. 'Fate must hate me or something... How'd he get so strong anyway? I mean, yeah, he escaped Milindo, but he was still only a little bit stronger than that stupid hero was, but now he's all buddy-buddy with Divines?'
"Firstly, let's find out who The Wanderers are, shall we?" he said into the magical device that a professor skilled at air magic had loaned to him. It allowed him to project his voice powerfully without the need for internal strength, magic, or Divine energy.
Muradon felt that the thing was easily worth his weight in gold, but he wasn't stupid. 'Maybe I'd have nabbed it if I was still in the states, but here, on a wacky planet filled with monsters and magic, yeah, no, I'd rather not lose my head.'
Something that neither Lone, Soph nor Sophie knew was that, indeed, Muradon was a fellow hero summoned from Earth. in fact, only a handful of people were aware of his true identity. However, even his story and how he came to be a travelling 'All-mage' was also something only he knew.
'Well, good thing I've got my unique skill... Though at the same time, the damned thing is exactly why I'm in this booth hosting this war-like battle,' Muradon thought. 'Firstly, introducing...'
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Lone paid close attention to the man's words as he stared at his projected face. The last time they'd met the fake mage had hardly been a friendly encounter, so he was curious if the man would take sides or not as he did his job.
"... Lone Immortus! We've all heard of him, we all hate or love him, but who is he really? A mysterious Golden Foxkin blessed by the Primals, or a scourge on Altros simply waiting to lead it into ruin? Let me tell you, my friends! Not only is he a triple-S-ranker at the young age of 27, but he is also a fabled gem-ranker of The Adventurer's Guild, a ruby-plate adventurer!" Muradon happily announced.
A lot of people actually weren't aware of Lone's gem-ranker status, so this came as a surprise to those that hadn't investigated him prior to today.
"Needless to say, he's also the disciple of the highly esteemed Divine Time, Headmaster Erion himself, as well as a disciple of the continent-renowned master of space magic, Archon Milos, the leading Archon of the Empire of Magic, Petroleum as well as a newly appointed vice-headmaster of The Academy!" Muradon explained.
Erion being his master was no secret, but Archon Milos too? That man had, much like Erion, never accepted a disciple before, so this news was rather shocking.
Lone nodded happily. 'Good. I have no idea how he knows so much, and that could be dangerous, but at least he isn't lying or painting a poor picture of me.'
Muradon's head shifted slightly to look at the small girl by Lone's side. "Now, it's only fitting to tell you all about the second founding member of The Wanderers, and, arguably, the most powerful, Soph and Sophie Vladimirovich!"
The crowd was confused, Divines and royalty included. Why had the famed Muradon the All-mage called her by two names, not one?
Smiling in a telling manner, Muradon began Soph and Sophie's introduction. "Indeed, Soph and Sophie. That wasn't an error, my friends. Don't let her charming looks fool you, people. She's no child, but she's also no devil. Cloaked in mysteries as dark as the hidden side of the moons, she is Lone's betrothed and not one to be trifled with on matters most fluffy!"
That really didn't shed any light on anything, but the swindler's words had certainly uplifted Soph's spirits a bit. 'I'm glad he knows about my commitment to floof and all things floofy... We swear that addiction of yours is not healthy, Soph.'
"Much like her lover, she is the disciple of both Divine Time and Archon Milos! What do the two magical juggernauts see sleeping within her?! Perhaps today we shall find out, though do keep in mind that she is a bit under the weather, so don't expect too much, hahaha!" Muradon laughed like a kindly old man even though he was only in his late-thirties.
Soph nodded. 'That's good. I don't know why people believe him, but if he explains that my head hurts, then maybe the demis will trust him... On the topic of him being so looked up to despite being so weak, we suspect he is a hero utilising his unique skill. We would expect that Lone thinks the same knowing his talent for quickly conjuring up theories... I, uh, I don't really care...'
Now done with Soph and Sophie, Muradon moved on to telling everyone about the next wanderer. "Do you all see that girl who looks exactly like a shadow? Your eyes do not deceive you, she really does exist! Just look at those gorgeous shimmering tails, the purple in her eyes and on the tips of those furry limbs... Truly, just gazing at them gives me a feeling of dark foreboding, it's Breena Redtail, 4th in line to the leadership of the Crimson Foxkin Clan!"
Gasps of pleasant surprise were issued by the waiting demi contestants and also by the demis in the stands. No one knew Breena's true identity except for The Wanderers and her family back in the Crimson Foxkin Clan, so it suddenly being revealed that Lone's group contained a member of beastkin royalty, more or less, well, needless to say, it was a bit of an eye-opener.
Breena herself frowned under her facemask. 'Troublesome. I hope this doesn't lead any trouble to suddenly knock on Master or Mistress' door...'
"She may only be an A-ranker and a bronze-plate adventurer, and she may not have leaned a single skill of a magical nature during her time studying at The Academy, but, good people of Altros, don't let that deceive you!" Muradon claimed as his projected head wore a serious expression.
"This foxy young girl of 14-years once fought on the front lines of the Dark War at the Eastern World Tree! Her achievements are innumerable, and her power even greater! One has to wonder why she hasn't aged a day since her receival of Darkness' blessing, but much like the other wanderers, she too is clouded in the unknown and endless intrigue!"
'This guy has to be a hero, right?' Lone thought. 'There's no fucking way he knows all of this naturally. He must have a skill that can, what, help him bullshit his way through anything by pulling knowledge straight from Altros? I dunno. That sounds crazy, but considering what Soph and I can do, that suddenly makes sense. More sense than him legitimately knowing all of this shit, anyway.'
Muradon turned to Lone and smiled innocently. "Now then, Lone, if you would be so kind as to summon the other wanderers, I would be incredibly grateful."
'He knows about The Glade too, doesn't he? Or, does he not and his unique skill is just making him say what would entertain the crowd the most? It doesn't really matter since it's not a threatening skill but I wish I'd known about it back when we met him in Milindo. Could have saved me some trouble.' Lone's mind was spinning with possibilities, but regardless, he did as he was asked. In fact, Muradon had helped him. He wanted a grand entrance for his companions anyway.
He lightly touched the furnace and forge amulet hanging from his neck, resulting in a glowing portal appearing next to himself.
Archon Milos' eyes lit up like stars upon seeing this magical doorway. "Incredible... I've seen many pocket dimensions before - I even created a few - but an entry mechanism like this... Why it would make it possible to enter it anywhere on Altros! I don't even recognise this type of magic..."
Stolen novel; please report.
Regardless of the archon's ravings, The Wanderers heroically stepped out of The Glade one-by-one.
"First up we have the elephant in the room, now don't we? He may look like a monster devoid of emotions, but let me tell you, this Rock Dragon has a heart as large as the sun itself! It's Infa!" Muradon the All-mage announced as the massive stony creature slowly ambled out of The Glade.
The crowd was going absolutely wild. Some people were even beginning to prepare spells and weapons to attack Infa, but one powerful cough from Headmaster Erion stopped everyone.
The watching Divines shivered slightly in awe. For a fellow Divine to be able to forcefully stay so many hands and disarm innumerable spells of various strengths with only a cough... well, it spoke volumes of how close to Ancientness he was in comparison to themselves.
"I know a lot of you must be wondering 'What? A Dragon? That isn't fair. They've obviously enslaved a powerful creature to bolster their numbers,' and normally, you'd probably be correct, but there's quite a story behind this magnificent beast!" The mystique and charm in his tone was overwhelmingly strong.
Even Lone had to consciously remind himself that it was likely a skill at work if he wanted to avoid being suckering into Muradon's pace. 'Scary. Since I'm not getting a skill like Compulsion Resistance, it must be a unique skill, no doubt. That's all that makes sense. Good thing Soph has Negative Immunity. A power like this is perfect for seducing someone.'
Unaware of Lone's worrying thoughts, Muradon continued doing his job. "Lone and Sophie were tasked with killing Infa by Count Lordon - who is in the crowd, by the way, but, instead they chose to spare the dragon and adopt it as one of their own! Despite its enormous size, Infa is actually only 3-years-old, however, don't let that deceive you! It was recently tested and admitted into The Adventurer's Guild by Grand Guildmaster Sarah herself!"
With the guarantee of Grand Guildmaster Sarah, everyone with greedy designs on Infa for the stats or materials slaying him would offer had to reluctantly put aside such thoughts.
Sarah was notorious for maliciously hunting down all of those that wronged adventurers, regardless of their species or race. A monster adventurer was beyond rare, but if it had been tested and admitted by Divine Persistence herself, well, naturally, pointlessly antagonising her would be beyond unwise.
"Ah, that's right. I have been told to warn the challenging participants that should any fatal harm fall onto Infa, then you and your soul will be crushed by Lone personally." Considering the rumours floating around regarding Lone and his brutal nature, no one doubted that, students of The Academy or not.
At this point, his name was slowly spreading all throughout the continent after how he had handled the war between the Beastman Alliance and the Free Nations' Alliance. Not to mention his recent 'scuffle' with the Church of the Primals.
"Now, moving on! We have Great Elder Lipsilk himself from the Eastern World Tree!" Muradon declared as the palm-sized man leisurely flew out of The Glade's entry gate.
"Great Elder Lipsilk is known to be a reclusive and mysterious fairy who rarely - if ever- dabbles in matters unrelated to the Eastern World Tree! Why has he chosen to join a beastkin's adventurer group that host's a human? Why is he now meeting with powerful beings and individuals on an almost weekly basis? Perhaps only he knows the answers to these questions!" Muradon questioned with joy.
Lipsilk scowled. 'He knows of my affairs and even my title? That shouldn't be possible even if he was once a keeper of one of the world trees. Our memory erasure magic is infallible and cases like Lone's are a one-of-a-kind...' He glanced towards Lone who just lightly nodded, giving him all of the information he needed. 'I see. Another otherworlder, is it? That would make sense.'
Being a fairy powerful enough to glean meaning and emotion from simple gestures was certainly enough to make up for the small natural stature of the species, that was for certain.
"Ah, now, before you are two brave souls linked by the red string of fate, Swind Immortus and Rachel Redtail!" People were immediately perplexed by the fact that Swind shared the same surname as Lone.
Apparently, Muradon's skill didn't see it necessary to elaborate on the story behind that. "Don't let his good looks fool you, those mechanical limbs and the sword on his back aren't toys! Heavens no! When he was but a G-ranker he managed to cut deeply into Lone Immortus' body with that sword of his, Redemption, and regardless of it being a powerful artefact, that, my friends, takes true skill knowing Lone's capabilities!"
The members of the crowd who knew how to fight physically or those that were somewhat knowledgeable regarding items and weapons could immediately tell how absurdly powerful Redemption was and that Swind - while untrained - knew how to use it from the way he walked.
Muradon's focus shifted to the small girl that was walking very slowly and seemed a bit... out of it as she held Swind's hand. "Ah, Rachel Redtail. Such a peculiar case. A genius that only appears once every 100,000-years capable of using the original Crimson Foxkin's ability to ignore all forms of fire and learn all fire-based attacks used on her, magic-based or not..."
Magical scholars and every present Divine were all incredibly interested in this power of Rachel's. The abilities of the original beastkin of all species were nothing to sneeze at, that was for sure. It was just a shame that the girl they had their attention on right now was mentally crippled.
"Her current condition is an unfortunate result of a suicide attack on one of the Ancient Darkness Dragon's four generals, Benka, the Emperor Corrosion Slime! She killed it successfully, but it was a Primal-given miracle that she didn't die immediately... With the help of Eolande and Lone Immortus, she was able to return to some form of normalcy. Truly a miracle beyond all others," Muradon said with some sympathy in his voice.
Not a single person present with a lick of knowhow regarding the workings of the magic and skills that healed injuries instantly became curious as to how exactly Lone had contributed to saving someone from something like an Emperor Corrosion Slime, a monster of myths.
Swind frowned deeply. 'I can feel it. Their scornful and mocking gazes... None know of her struggles or of her progress... Ignorant fools. You don't deserve to breathe, let alone poke fun at the one I love...' It really was a constant fight to suppress his anger when it came to the subject of Rachel, apparently.
"And, good citizens of Altros that have gathered to watch this thrilling match, that brings us perfectly to the next wanderer, Eolande!" Muradon announced as the small and drop-dead gorgeous woman hovered through the portal with a smirk on her face.
"To many, she is an unknown enigma, to those that keep up-to-date with the continent-wide news and were around 3,000-years-ago, they would recognise her as the Fairy Princess - the prime target of the Mad King's lust!" Muradon the All-mage claimed.
No one really reacted. The Mad King was one of those subjects that everyone was aware of but simply ignored, so ignore it they did regardless of Muradon's unique skill. It was powerful, but it wasn't perfect.
"Ahem... She is more than public about her true love for Lone Immortus, creating a complex love-triangle between herself and the famous disciple couple! Why does she hold these feelings for a man almost 200,000-years her junior? What will she do if the Mad King comes to seek her once more? Perhaps we'll be able to see her true strength today and gain some insight into the answers to these questions!" Muradon wanted to cry. His troublesome skill had mentioned that insane monarch once more without his consent.
'Hmph. Useless man. Barely anyone is enamoured by my good looks. Lone hardly gives me any attention, so I was hoping to maybe boost my confidence here, but no, that idiot of a host had to go and mention that kidnapping tyrant...' Now Eolande was in a bad mood as well.
The next moment, a round creature with two wings and a sleeping baby on its back waddled out of The Glade's portal before it closed completely.
"Ah, last but not least, indeed, your eyes do not deceive you, that is yet another dragon! Meet the Radiance Dragon, Garadia, direct child of the Primal Radiance!" Muradon said, changing the subject.
Garadia wished she was a turtle. She tucked her head in as close as she could to her neck as she ambled over to Lone and Soph's side, all the while trying her best to ignore the stares coming her way.
"Those who know of Ythmagobla and his war against the Eastern World Tree would be aware that this adorable ball of soft feathers should, by all rights, be dead. Dead and a lot larger. I wonder how she has been returned to Altros unharmed and in a younger form?" Muradon asked in a manner that suggested he already knew the answer.
His projected head grinned then said, "As with the warning Lone gave for the Rock Dragon, Infa, any who hurt Garadia risk jeopardising their soul. She is his daughter, he claims, and he will not accept any excuses."
Archon Milos walked up to Garadia and picked up Kyuubi who was peacefully sleeping on her back. "I'll keep this little one safe as you all fight."
Lone nodded. "The warning applies to you too, Milos."
"Being threatened by you is oddly refreshing, Young Mageling. Don't worry, I'm not a child-murderer, believe it or not," the old man laughed sarcastically as he gently rocked Kyuubi back and forth in his arms.
"Good, because I'm not an Archon murderer. Not yet, at least," Lone 'joked' back.
"The baby Golden Foxkin that you see before you is Lone and Soph's first daughter, Kyuubi Immortus! Lone claims that she will not be participating at all and is only present since she too is a registered adventurer and a part of The Wanderers." Apparently, omitting the fact that she was adopted was intentional as well.
With this, all of The Wanderers had been introduced and the war-like battles had almost begun.