“Rise up and bear me, far and wide, veiled and gyres.” [Wind Stride].

Azrael reapplied the small vortexes of [Wind] to his feet. With [Chanting] what had simply been an ad hoc solution to Sophie’s [Wind Mage] speed buff was now an extremely powerful movement spell. The small vortices of wind, which previously had occasional streamers of [Wind] drift out of his control, now swirled focused and controlled under his feet. It was like going from gel jogging shoes to jet thrusters.

[Chanting] not only made the spell more economical – mana wise – but also made it efficient. Azrael kicked off, marvelling at the massive increase in both speed and jumping power. The only problem was that [Wind Stride] wasn’t exactly a subtle spell. Due to the increased force of the [Wind] around his feet, every step sent leaves, sticks and loose dirt flying.

Behind him James was only just barely managing to keep up, making Azrael concede that perhaps there was a second problem and that Sophie’s buff was superior for groups. He still hadn’t figured out how to anchor the spell to somebody, without it needing him to control it. [Chanting] made it require less concentration, with the system using his intent to shape and control a part of it, but it was a spell not a buff. At this point though? Azrael honestly didn’t care. His priority was Alena and the village. If James fell behind, so be it. He would arrive at some point, at which point either Azrael and the village were alive, or they were all dragon food.

The worst part though was that Azrael couldn’t use [Shadow Step], due to the sun’s position. The already setting sun cast shadows towards the east, while he was running south. It made entering and exiting any shadow extremely awkward, though he still used some of the larger ones, weaving through them like a dolphin.

Night fell and Azrael kept going. His mana pool was already spent several times over, replenished through [Meditation] and short breaks. Mainly he’d been relying on simply his physical strength and some deliberate use of [Footwork]. Though Mors’ skill was more suited for smaller, more precise movements, he’d been butchering it for speed. His current lack of mana meant that he wasn’t able to use [Wind Stride] to propel his journey. This in turn gave James a chance to catch up – just in time for the two of them to charge through a bunch of spiders.

A few survivors had been working on re-weaving their webs across the water, though their numbers were far fewer than they had been. Azrael torched them. It wouldn’t do for Durkov and the others to be caught without them.

He mildly regretted leaving them, but rationalised it against protecting the village. It was flimsy logic he knew, but it was either that or let guilt plague him. At least his link told him that Alena was alive.

On and off during the day he’d had various emotional spikes from her. Shock, resolve, determination, worry, angst, she’d experienced it all, sending their emotional link for a roller-coaster ride. He’d tried to dampen their link a bit, sending reassurance whenever her panic spiked. He never completely shut off the link, worried that something might happen while he did. His worry might have bled over, because at those times Alena would send a brief pulse of reassurance, before some new worry of her own sent her thoughts and emotions into renewed turmoil.

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Halfway through the night Azrael could smell it – the acrid scent of smoke, carried on the wind. His legs were burning, as were his lungs. His mana pool felt strained by the amount of times he’d refilled it. It was a novel, but extremely uncomfortable, experience.

Beside him James wasn’t faring much better, the usually stoic warrior was huffing and panting like he’d just run a marathon, which – to be fair – he had. That and then some… and then some more. They both had.

“Break” Azrael called, while slowing down.

James didn’t respond, instead simply slumping against the nearest tree. Azrael could relate. He could barely feel his legs and his own breath was coming out in gasps.

“We gonna kill the dragon?” James asked after a long pause.

Azrael’s mouth became a thin line, his lips white, as he considered the implication.

“If we have to.” He replied in an almost detached manner. He was mentally exhausted, having to juggle between [Wind Stride], [Shadow Step], navigating the forest, dodging trees and monitoring Alena’s mental state through their link. In all honesty though, between the destruction of the village and killing the dragon, there was little to consider.

James nodded, as if Azrael had simply commented on the state of the weather.

“You’re insane. I like you.”

Azrael didn’t comment, his mind becoming more active, as he considered the implications. To kill a dragon would be… Azrael wasn’t even sure what it would be, let alone how to go about it. The idea had always been there since he’d gone to search for it with Sophie. No, it was there even longer – right from the moment he’d first laid eyes on the powerful monster. The task simply seemed… impossible. Any plan that he could come up with required preprepared tactics, items and time to set up. None of which he could prepare before he got to the village.

Azrael mentally shook himself.

“Let’s move.”

It was a problem for later.

Almost an entire day later the two of them stood side by side.

“That looks like a problem.” James commented.

Azrael could only agree, as he called upon [Lord’s Domain]. The two of them had finally entered the range of what the system considered to be under Azrael’s control.

[Lord’s Domain]

The people are a lord’s power.

This skill provides you with a passive, low level awareness of your domain.

Current Additional benefits:

Harrowed: Everyone in your domain has experienced great trauma. Productivity will be strongly decreased.

Frightened: All your people have their confidence greatly decreased.

Azrael’s lips thinned to a narrow line, as he considered the message. For people to be frightened and traumatised they needed to be alive. A small blessing. His lips twisted into a crooked grin. ‘additional benefits’ indeed. At least the system had humour.

He looked up. Ahead of them, the sky was gray, covered in smoke and illuminated by the red glow of fire. It seemed that within the next hour Azrael would discover the fate of the village.

“Let’s go.”