Arrival (5)
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If levels in this world were a true measure of one’s status as a mage, then Aryan, this man must have been at least comparable to Oliver.
“A druid too eh? Heh, what a surprise.”
“L-level three? I never expected him to be that strong...” Fergus words fumbled over his own shock. His gaze raced between Oliver and Aryan, but as if he suddenly remembered something, his hands instinctively clasped over his own mouth.
“Yep, there you have it.” Aryan said as he waved his hand around nonchalantly
“As I recall, there aren’t many raiders here that are on my level, so on a whim I decided to test you all just now since you were so comfortable standing around in this dismal place. Your skills were... commendable at best. I’d even go as far as to say that you lot are a decent party, much better than all the riff-raff that came here looking to ride on my coattails.”
I heard a snapping sound as veins began pulsing on Flynn’s temples, his smile hadn’t faded yet, but it probably couldn’t hold out for much longer. Then, as I watched Aryan bask in his own glory, my gaze intentionally scrolled back over to Oliver who seemed to have no intention of offering a rebuttal.
He met my gaze and smiled, giving me another wink that must have meant ‘let him think that’, so I responded with a smile of my own and did just as he said.
“You can pat yourself on the back all you like but, didn’t you lose horribly to some guy a year ago? The news of your defeat made it all over the capital too” Allen interjected; luster still absent from his tone.
Aryan simply giggled, unfazed by the sudden revelation.“We all have our share of setbacks, some of them are merely stepping stones meant to propel one to higher heights. I personally, wouldn’t call that a defeat, if it wasn’t for that then I’d never get the chance to be a part of something greater.”
“By ‘something greater’ you mean that little cult, don’t you? Not that I care much about it...” Allen continued, his tone shifting to a more serious note
“....But I do want to know what you were doing with those wyverns since I am technically in charge here. We just lost two of them thanks to your antics.”
Clearly displeased, he tsked and formed a scowl before getting back on his mount. Despite the tense situation, Flynn still somehow found the time to shout: “Mine's just unconscious, Jytte’s the one that messed up!”
“What a nasty attitude, it looks like there’s no room for a proper discussion here, but I’ll at least set the record straight before taking my leave.” Aryan said, his voice now carrying more authority
“We will be the one to take charge of the raid since there are no lords here right now. Our skills and reputation are more than up to par, not to mention....” He paused to let the weight of his words sink in before smiling at something in his field of vision.
“......You’re not exactly equipped for the task.” He finished his taunt after lacing those with sardonic amusement.
"And since you’re so eager to know, I was alerting the other raiders from the skies. We’ve found a magic circle near the old fort, and we're planning to set up a guard post there or at least give everyone an idea of what to watch for tomorrow. The briefing's at midnight. Whether you show up is your choice—just stay out of our way."
“Why you-!”
“Calm down you two.” Oliver interjected cautiously, stopping Flynn and Jytte before saying-
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“Let him go.”
Concurrently, Aryan’s mount rose up off its hind legs and performed an ill-timed leap. The monster began to flap its bat-like wings incessantly, allowing it to stop its body in mid-air with the subsequent updraft it had created. The more the draconic creature defied gravity and ascended, the larger the dust cloud being swept up on the bleak streets grew.
Within seconds the wyvern had already risen to a height that matched the Brimwell’s peak, it oriented itself to face the direction of the broken fort on the right and flapped off, its powerful wings slicing through the air with a rhythmic whoosh.
“Grrgh....damn it he’s annoying!” Jytte groaned angrily
“I agree. Oliver why didn’t you step in just now? That guy totally thinks he’s the one calling the shots around here” Myra asked
Everyone here held a keen interest in the answer to that question, their gazes swiftly locked onto his smiling face as he watched the wyvern’s silhouette slowly shrink against the darkening sky.
“Actually, this is good.” Oliver replied, nodding contently. The silent stares had yet to subside, so he continued in spite of himself.
“Whenever a big shot raider gets involved in these kinds of situations, the supporting party members tend to get complacent and put too much faith in their leader's level. Raids like that usually end with a lot of casualties, so I was trying to avoid that but, this Aryan guy can actually help us out here.”
“I get your point but...help us out how exactly?” Allen interjected
“Allen, our party knows that you can still hold your own even with just one arm, but the other raiders here don’t seem very convinced. If Aryan steps up now, it’ll probably boost their morale quite a bit since his record can supposedly speak for itself. At the same time though, if what you said about his defeat just now was true, then the raiders here should also know that he’s not unbeatable. That way, their fighting spirit can peak without them getting too careless. Losing hope is the last thing we want them to do right now.”
The spark of genius had once again flashed across their faces as soon as Oliver finished his explanation. The gasps of shock and awe this time around honestly seemed well deserved.
“Ahhh...I see what you’re doing. The enemy of my enemy, right?” Flynn nodded ecstatically
“Exactly, we’ll need to pull out all the stops if we want this to go smoothly. Based on what he just said though, it looks like we’ve still got quite a bit to do before we can turn it in for the night.”
“That goes for everyone but you, Liam.” Julia’s voice sternly added. “Myra, can you and Jytte take him back to that inn we passed on the way here? It was only one that was still in good condition so it shouldn’t be too hard to find.”
“You got it! We can keep watch until you two get back” Jytte said, striking a firm pose. Her bottle sized companion –who had taken a firm seat on Jytte’s head at some point - simply shrugged, still, she wasn’t opposed to the idea. In fact, her expression betrayed the exact opposite.
“I agree. Liam it looks like you’ll have to turn it in for the night, I’ll show you around the city some other time.” Oliver seconded the idea, though not as sternly as my mother.
“Okay, I’ll see you when you get back then. Good luck, you two.” I added, giving a slow wave as I began turning towards my two escorts.
“Wait, one more thing.” Julia said as she halted my movements with a simple gesture from her hand.
“Hmm?” My head slowly tilted, but before the confusion could settle, she kneeled to a more reasonable height and kissed my cloth covered forehead.
“Tee-he-he...We’ll be back soon so just keep that on and wait with them for a while.”
What must have been embarrassment had once again overtaken me, my gaze slowly fell as my cheeks reddened. Somehow, my mouth was able to slowly produce the words ‘Got It’ before we parted ways.
Julia’s passionate displays of affection were still something I hadn’t completely gotten used to, much to her delight. She rather enjoyed seeing my meek responses whenever I was subjected to her doting on a whim.
I heard them all giggling at the sight of my steaming face. Within a few minutes we’d all but lost sight of them as the three of us made our way through the ravaged streets, passing by the newly established townsfolk who either seemed to be limping or sullen.
The vibe here was certainly ominous, but in a subtle sense. It was a sensation I couldn’t quite put my finger on and that, more than anything else here, bothered me.